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Ancient Olympia Revisited
Created: 8/21/2004 12:17:44 AM
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Former Dartmouth football and track standout Adam Nelson was dealt an unkind blow where it all began at Ancient Olympia on Wednesday, losing the shot put gold medal by a centimeter. But it was after the event that Nelson proved his championship character.
That was because after his final throw -- which traveled a distance that would have yielded the gold -- he was called for a foul, his foot slipping outside the ring before the 16-pound ball landed. Nelson didn't think his foot left the ring. He thought he deserved the gold. He screamed, "No! No! No! That was not a foul!" He pointed and pleaded with the officials.
It had not been a good day. After his first throw, he fouled five straight times, sometimes comedically. He simply dropped the ball on his second try and fell completely on his backside in his next attempt.
On his final try, the reality was that his foot had clearly left the ring and Nelson was forced to settle for a silver medal for the FIFTH straight time on the world stage. He had done so in Sydney in 2000. He did it at the world championships, both indoor and outdoor in 2001. Nelson had earned silver at the World Championships in 2003.
Now the realization came that gold had again eluded him, this time by a measurement that makes an inch look like something significant. Keep in mind, Nelson's only legal throw went 2,116 centimeters.
It was hard not to consider the day a failure. Maybe silver loses its taste after you have had it time and time again. He walked to his wife Laci and cried on her shoulder. Well-wishers offered condolences instead of congratulations.
But then Adam Nelson regrouped. He fought off the sting and apologized to the officials for his protest. He talked with the media and told of his disappointment, but also made it absolutely clear that the officials were correct. He made it a point to let everyone know that Ukraine's Yuriy Bilonog had deservingly claimed the gold.
On a day that he thought was his, he suffered a crushing blow. But the reality is that the day belonged to Nelson. Maybe it took his great disappointment to reveal his truest character.
The next day, Nelson was a guest on the Today Show and he was engaging and funny. He laughed along as Matt Lauer and Katie Couric tried out his event. And when Lauer asked Nelson about 2008, he responded by saying he thought he had one Olympic effort in him.
Nelson will be 33 when the Beijing Olympics roll around. He may be written off as someone past his prime. But some magical things happen every four years.
May Nelson be touched with that magic.
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Related Schools: Dartmouth
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Related Sports: Outdoor Track
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*This Article has been archived.*
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