Hamm & Patterson Performed Best and Merited Gold Medals
Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:08 am
In recent days, the South Korean Gymnastics Federation has protested Paul Hamm's Gold Medal. As has been the case thus far, those protests should not yield a change in results nor the issue of duplicate Gold Medals. That night, Paul Hamm performed slightly better than South Korea's Yang Tae Young. As a result, he won the Gold Medal.
It is unfortunate that some are now attempting to raise questions about that Gold Medal seeking to cast doubts that the Gold Medal was won on merit. Those efforts notwithstanding, the Gold Medal was won on merit and it went to the proper recipient.
What happened is that while the South Koreans pointed to a judging error that might--might, not would have--resulted in a gain of as much as 0.100 points for Yang, they ignored another judging error that allowed their gymnast to score as much as 0.200 higher than he should have.
Today, CNN/Sports Illustrated has a column that reveals that there were actually two judging errors. One hurt the South Korean gymnast. The other benefited him. The latter, apparently, was the larger of two errors.
The column states, "[T]he videotape of the parallel bars showed the judges erred by assigning a 9.9 start value. But it showed something else, too. In the course of his routine, Yang had four holds on the bar, when the rules allow for a maximum of three. The deduction for that mistake? Two-tenths of a point.
The judges missed it."
Meanwhile, in a separate display of poor sportsmanship, Russian gymnast Svetlana Khorkina accused a "fix" as having been responsible for Carly Patterson's winning the women's all-round Gold Medal. That night, the contest was not even close. Patterson dominated the aging Russian star.
It is unfortunate that the 2004 Games have to be tarnished not just by the small number of cheaters who have rightly been punished but two extraordinary displays of poor sportsmanship. Hopefully, the International Olympic Committee will hold fast on its position that no changes in Medals will be made nor duplicate Medals issued.
If one wants to preserve the integrity of the Games, that's the only result that can matter. If one wants to fix the judging in the men's all-round event, add back the proper points for the starting value and deduct the points for the missed error. With respect to the women's all-round event, there's no evidence whatsoever of the allegations being made. Those frivolous allegations should be stripped and, for good measure, Khorkina should be required to present evidence or apologize. Failure to do either should lead to her being barred from any further competition for the damage she has attempted to cause.
In the end, Paul Hamm and Carly Patterson won their Gold Medals, not because of improper judging or a "fix," but because they rose to the occasion and were the best performers in their competitions.
Don
It is unfortunate that some are now attempting to raise questions about that Gold Medal seeking to cast doubts that the Gold Medal was won on merit. Those efforts notwithstanding, the Gold Medal was won on merit and it went to the proper recipient.
What happened is that while the South Koreans pointed to a judging error that might--might, not would have--resulted in a gain of as much as 0.100 points for Yang, they ignored another judging error that allowed their gymnast to score as much as 0.200 higher than he should have.
Today, CNN/Sports Illustrated has a column that reveals that there were actually two judging errors. One hurt the South Korean gymnast. The other benefited him. The latter, apparently, was the larger of two errors.
The column states, "[T]he videotape of the parallel bars showed the judges erred by assigning a 9.9 start value. But it showed something else, too. In the course of his routine, Yang had four holds on the bar, when the rules allow for a maximum of three. The deduction for that mistake? Two-tenths of a point.
The judges missed it."
Meanwhile, in a separate display of poor sportsmanship, Russian gymnast Svetlana Khorkina accused a "fix" as having been responsible for Carly Patterson's winning the women's all-round Gold Medal. That night, the contest was not even close. Patterson dominated the aging Russian star.
It is unfortunate that the 2004 Games have to be tarnished not just by the small number of cheaters who have rightly been punished but two extraordinary displays of poor sportsmanship. Hopefully, the International Olympic Committee will hold fast on its position that no changes in Medals will be made nor duplicate Medals issued.
If one wants to preserve the integrity of the Games, that's the only result that can matter. If one wants to fix the judging in the men's all-round event, add back the proper points for the starting value and deduct the points for the missed error. With respect to the women's all-round event, there's no evidence whatsoever of the allegations being made. Those frivolous allegations should be stripped and, for good measure, Khorkina should be required to present evidence or apologize. Failure to do either should lead to her being barred from any further competition for the damage she has attempted to cause.
In the end, Paul Hamm and Carly Patterson won their Gold Medals, not because of improper judging or a "fix," but because they rose to the occasion and were the best performers in their competitions.
Don