Canada protests women's 500m short track speed skating race
Date: Vendredi, février 17 @ 10:16:57 PST :: Topic: short track
TURIN, Italy (AP) -- The Canadian Olympic Committee filed a complaint
Thursday with the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the finish of the women's
500-meter short track final.
The Canadians contend silver medalist Evgenia Radanova of Bulgaria crossed
the finish line with her front skate tilted in the air Wednesday. The rules
require skaters to cross the line with both skates on the ice.
Wang Meng of China won the gold in 44.345 seconds while Radanova finished second in 44.374.
Leblanc-Boucher, a 21-year-old who's competing in her first
Olympics, crossed in 44.759, getting to the line ahead of China's Fu
Tianyu by less than a skate length. The close finish didn't matter
though, since Fu was disqualified for cross-drafting.
Once she saw the final results, Leblanc-Boucher jumped into her
coach's arms then gave him a high-five before taking a lap around the
rink draped in a Canadian flag.
«I started completely on the outside and I knew I needed a good
start,» she said. «My coach recommended I head diagonally towards the
first turn and not in a straight line. I had to take the lead, but I
wasn't able to.»
Wang held off Radanova by about the length of a skate blade as the
Bulgarian skater made a desperate lunge for the finish, falling after
she crossed the line and sliding into the padding.
Roberge, a 19-year-old from Quebec City, won the B final after
finishing a disappointing third behind Wang and Radanova in the
semifinals.
Kalyna didn't want to appeal
«Kalyna didn't want us to file the appeal,» Thibault said. «She was
saying she wanted to beat the skaters on the ice and it's for her
honour. But for me, I'd really like two medals and the rules are there
to be respected.»
Source: Affiliated press and Canadian press
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