Sour grapes at the Olympics

[BabyTigger99]

Don't know if anyone posted this, but since so many watch the gymnastics, though I would post this...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5788468/


Khorkina says
‘judges robbed me’
Russian ridicules judges, Patterson
claiming ‘sport needs changes’
Russia's Svetlana Khorkina says she didn't win the all-around gold medal because "I’m from Russia, not from America!"

Updated: 10:30 a.m. ET Aug. 22, 2004MOSCOW - Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina, who was second to American Carly Patterson in the women’s all-round gymnastics competition, has accused the judges of robbing her of the gold medal and said “everything was decided in advance.”

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“I’m just furious,” Khorkina, who had been the favorite for the coveted title, was quoted as saying in the daily Izvestia. “I knew well in advance, even before I stepped on the stage for my first event, that I was going to lose.”

“Everything was decided in advance. I had no illusions about this when the judges gave me 9.462 for the vault after conferring with one another at length.

“I practically did everything right, still they just set me up and fleeced me,” she said in the interview published on Saturday.

Asked why she felt she was marked down by the judges, Khorkina said: “You better ask them. I think it’s because I’m from Russia, not from America!”

When Khorkina won her silver medal on Thursday, she showed no outward signs of disappointment and said: “I think it’s the best day of my life.”

The Russian was also favorite for the all-round title four years ago in Sydney, where her hopes were dashed after she crashed to her knees from the vault. It was later discovered the horse had been set five centimeters too short.

She said she was hoping Sydney’s experience would cause the judges to be more sympathetic to her plight in Athens -- her third and last Olympics.

Khorkina did not think Patterson was a deserving winner.

Asked if the American was a worthy opponent, she said: “I’ve seen a much tougher opposition than her. Let’s see how long she can remain on top. Can she keep going and compete in two more Olympics like myself.”

“No, well, you better write that Patterson is a great champion and she has a great future,” she added sarcastically.

Khorkina confirmed that Athens were her last Olympics but she wants to remain in the sport.

“I’d like to work for the International Gymnastics Federation. These competitions have shown the sport needs a lot of changes,” she said. “It should be judged primarily on grace, elegance and beauty rather than simply on mechanic tumbling.”

On Sunday the Russian will compete in her last event -- the uneven bars, where she is hoping to become the first gymnast in history to win three consecutive Olympic titles on the same apparatus

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Ah...the Olympics...fostering international fellowship and community.

 

[Nancy]

Well maybe it was her defeatest attitude that casued her to not do as good as she should have. If she really felt that the Americans were already "fixed" to win she probably didn't give 100%....that is what most likely caused her to not get Gold.

 

[nuke]

I read that this morning. My first reaction was that I hope she falls off the bars today but that's not very nice. I actually think she says stuff to throw off her competition. I'm sure she hopes that Carly hears about it.

 

[Margie J]

She's a B - - .......... ah, never mind.

After seeing the interview NBC broadcast during the competition I'm not surprized by this article. Her attitude is that she is THE BEST, deserves to win and has no real competition out there. She said in the interview she knows people like to watch her and enjoys that.

“I practically did everything right,"

"Practically" causes deductions, enough to cause you to lose. Silver is nothing to complain about so live with it like a Champion.

Khorkina wasn't robbed but the Korean in the Men's competition probably was due to a true scoring error.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

She needs to shut her mouth. Even if she was scored slightly low on the vault, the judges more than made up for it by scoring her way too high on the uneven bars. Her beam routine was not close to clean, and not as difficult as Patterson's and her floor routine was simply not that difficult. This is gymnastics, not ballet. Of course "mechanical tumbling", especially when it's more difficult and performed cleanly, is going to score higher than writhing around to "Farewell, Acropolis", or whatever she calls her stupid floor routine.

 

[jennyanydots]

what a diva!

the Korean probably was robbed, but the time to protest is at the meet, not after the medals are awarded, so he should stop complaining too.

 

[Disney Doll]

Sad to see poor sportsmanship.

 

[Betsyt82]

If it takes an American to win the gold all around in gymnastics then why did it take 20 years to get one. I once said it looks like she eats lemons......now I may need to rethink that and say sour grapes!!!

 

[Robinrs]

Now I see she's as ugly on the inside as she is on the outside... UGH!

I literally turned off the TV because I couldn't stand looking at her. Now I see why...

 

[chrissie123]

DO NOT talk to me about the olympics today.....GB were absolutely rubbish in everything... sorry to moan & everything ,,(i know i`m not competeing) but please... the only excuse our athletes come up with are absolute c***... oh well i have a poorly leg???? what ??? oh well been training too hard...OMG Why are you there then???? Sorry Track & Field & England just don`t mix... its sooo infuriating ( i would`nt mind but i`m not a competative person normally)...Did you see Paula Radcliffe??? well enough said.... Well done to the Japanese they really deserved Gold & well done USA for Bronze really pleased for you too xxx i must say your marathon runner came from nowhere,, very very impressed

 

[CarolA]

And all we are doing by commenting on her is giving her what she wants PUBLICITY!

If she wants to win just because she hung around she shold go into Ice Dance in the Winter games.

As to the Marathon.... I admire anyone for trying it at 97 degrees in Athens! I KNOW that I would be out by mile two LOL!

I think Paula was just under too much pressure and to be honest those condistions were NOTHING like the conditions in London and Chicago where she set her records.

 

[WillyJ]

T"he Russian was also favorite for the all-round title four years ago in Sydney, where her hopes were dashed after she crashed to her knees from the vault. It was later discovered the horse had been set five centimeters too short. ."


I remember that from the last Games and wondered how something like that could have happened. . ???


Now, I think I can see why. .

LOL!!

 

[DemonLlama]

<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-6/253829/sk1.jpg" width=300 height=290>
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-6/253829/sk2.jpg" width=409 height=322>

This was posted on my gymn board. The first pic is from 2000 and the second just a couple of nights ago. Maybe this is the reason for the irrational claims of greatness? I don't think her brain is functioning fully in skeletal mode.

 

[HeyMickey]

She really does look terrible. I don't know what she's doing to herself, but the whole time I was watching AA finals I wanted to give her a sandwich.

I was unimpressed with her in finals. Obviously she and Carly have entirely different styles of gymnastics, but Carly was just a lot more solid than she was on everything. I think Sveta was expecting a couple of gifts too, seeing as this is her "grand farewell" competition. Sour grapes.

 

[Kallison]

I hope she falls on her *** -- oops did I say that

Willy J too funny!

Demon Llama you may be right, I think she needs a cheeseburger.

 

[JPN4265]

Originally posted by jennyanydots
what a diva!

the Korean probably was robbed, but the time to protest is at the meet, not after the medals are awarded, so he should stop complaining too.

They have already gone back and reviewed the Korean's performance, and found where he made other mistakes that if judged correctly, would have lowered his score. Sour Grapes!

 

[Robinrs]

Those pictures are amazing! I just knew her look wasn't just "natural".. she looks like she's been sick! Her muscles are atrophied, it amazes me she was able to do all she did.

 

[bubie2.5]

They have already gone back and reviewed the Korean's performance, and found where he made other mistakes that if judged correctly, would have lowered his score. Sour Grapes!

Sorry, but that's not right, after reviewing the tapes the FIG confirmed the judges made a mistake and were suspended. They gave the Korean guy a tenth of a point less that he deserved wich would have given him gold instead of bronze. But according to IOC rules, they cannot change scores.

Here's the link http://www.nbcolympics.com/gymnastics/5047091/detail.html

Gold or silver, Hamm made a great comeback after the vault disaster, he showed he's a pro. The korean guys were very consistant in all the routines. It's really sad that mistakes like that are made in the Olympics, for both Hamm and the korean it puts a shadow over their Olympic experience.

 

[danacara]

Let me make an analogy. Did you all ever see that episode of the West Wing where President Bartlet agreed to fly in the Iranian leader's son, who needed a heart/lung transplant, even though he knew full well that the Iranian leader would have to condemn the United States to his internal media - "they don't respect Islamic medicine" - etc. The Iranian knew that Western medicine was his son's only hope, but politically he had more to gain by sending his son secretly and condemning the idea publicly.

Svetlana Khorkina knows that she has more to gain politically in Russia by condemning the United States and glorifying herself. The Russians are a once-proud people who now have nothing, and they desperately want someone to blame. America is convenient and rich and hard for them to understand. But Khorkina also knows that America, and Americans, basically rule gymnastics right now. The fact that there's any money to be made in that sport at all is fully a function of America's interest, so she looks across the stage at Carly Patterson and feels ... envy. Patterson is going on a national tour now, fantastic equipment, opportunities for her everywhere, and Khorkina will go back to Russia, model a little, make just enough money to get by, and become the matriarch of Russian gymnastics in that crumbling gym. Given that America's so clearly in charge, the Americans who "just came on the scene" (got to give Khorkina credit for longevity) are about to make what is, in her mind, a fortune, and given that Russians have an existing inclination to hate the US, why are we surprised at all that Khorkina lashed out? It's the smartest thing she can do in her situation, no matter how we all feel about it. The Russians will relate to her totally, and she can milk every last drop out of this opportunity. She's just lucky she had gymnastics at all, honestly. Short of that, her best chances would've lied in becoming a mail-order bride to some American.