Jumping right over the shark tank of assessing whether and why the U.S. team "underperformed," here are a few other notable excusemaking exercises from the Olympics:
2/10/10: Justyna Kowalcyzk, on why she might not tear it up at the Olympics:
"I know that the course is too easy."
2/16/10: Norway coach Morten Aa Djupvik, on Norway's terrible performance in the opening 15k skate:
"Today we didn't have skis that were good enough. If we're going to be able to fight for our honor we have to have skis that can compete with the best, and we didn't have that today."
2/20/10: Vegard Ulvang, on how the world's best sprinter could have crashed while training for the sprints:
"We didn't fence it off and we should have done but there are no rules that all of a cross country course should be fenced off... The place where she fell ... she didn't follow the ideal line."
2/21/10: Lukas Bauer, on Sweden's team tactics in the men's pursuit:
"They tried to block the track. In some parties, it was not fair play. I was very angry and considered to break the stick to Hellner by a couple of cases where he ran the whole game."
2/23/10: on why Petra Majdic won a mere bronze in the individual sprint:
"Majdic thinks she punctured the lung in the sprint finals because she felt something go bad at that point."
2/23/10: Justyna Kowalcyzk, on losing to Marit Bjørgen twice in three races:
"I must admit that Marit Bjørgen is very ill. Although she does not look like it, but it is so. It is a pity, being healthy and strong and losing to an unhleathy person. After the sprint I thought: 'Damn, to lose to this kind of ill person.' But I sincerely congratulate her... How does asthma help my rivals? Before the start they are allowed to take steroids that expand the airways. I think I do not have to explain in detail what advantage it gives to allow more air into the lungs in a sport like ours."
2/24/10: Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset, on his bad decision to ski the second leg of the men's relay on hairies:
"It was my choice to take rub skis. The shape is good."
2/25/10: The aptly-named Norwegian nordic combined racer Magnus Moan on the large-hill jumping that supposedly left him too far back to contend for a medal:
"It's a joke."
2/25/10: Austrian NC racer Felix Gottwald, on the same topic:
"This jumping competition has nothing to do with fair competition."
2/28/10: Justyna Kowalcyzk, on why she would not talk more about her accusations regarding Bjørgen's asthma:
"This is not a good time to talk about this question or my opinion."
2/28/10: Petter Northug, on why he didn't need to pass Axel Teichmann in the men's 50km any earlier than he did:
"I had another gear available, but didn't need to use it."
And for pure Gallic drama, Vincent Vittoz (2/22/10) on the aftermath of the team sprint:
"Petukhov got an warning for an unsporting gesture against Cyril But this evening he sleep with his medal and us we have just our eyes to cry."
"Petukhov got an warning for an unsporting gesture against Cyril But this evening he sleep with his medal and us we have just our eyes to cry."
7 comments:
This is the best...the absolute best...I knew something like this had to exist somewhere...HOL (howling out loud)...thanks for sharing...OMW
Majdic's punctured lung is an "excuse?" LOL!
I don`T get this post most of these "excuses are legtimate.
course is too easy that was true racers with big engines like Kowalcyzk did suffer because the course was not as demanding in terms of endurance as most WC courses.
Norway did have terrible skis in the 15k. Do you really think Northug would have ended 40th if that was not the case ?
Majdic did have broken ribs and a collapsed lung and her bronze medal performance is as far as i am conserd the moment of the 2010 Olympics.
Hjelmeset didn`t make an excuse he said he picked the wrong skis his responsibility his fuck up.
The Nordic combined even was a disgrace and many athletes and teams said so. If it had been a regular WC the competsion would have been prosponed or they would have used the qualification round jumps. But because of the tight schedule the competison was held anyway leading to very unfair condisons.
And i am bettieng the US team would have had something to say about it to if there racers had been the ones that got there Olympic participation destroyed.
Not saying that the US wouldn`t have been able to get results under fair conditions. The US combined team is one of maybe the strongest Nordic combined team out there. But fact is the conditions was very unfair and that is shameful.
Dear anonymous. It's humor. Are you German?
I didn`t find it funny.
Where you see a rock, I see art
Where you see a grain of rice, I see an entire universe.
On guard! You mirthless beast of weary soul! Laugh now or die!
I feel like Kowalczyk almost deserved her own individual quote post will all the stuff that was at least attributed to her!
Also, despite a lot of public reports, Majdic did not have several broken ribs and a punctured lung immediately following her crash into a ravine. Ask any doctor if it is possible to ski 4 sprint races with a punctured lung, and 100% of the responses will be 'NO'. Which is why that quote is very correct. Seems I have argued myself into a corner...
The NCP is awesome in my book.
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