Ohno DQ’d After Trembley’s Tumble

Did you see the 500 meter Short Track final in which Apolo Ohno finished 2nd?  He should have been on the medal stand with a silver around his neck but instead was disqualified for making contact with Canandian Francois-Louis Trembley, who fell, but appeared to just flop, to take himself out in a strategic move to medal and enable his teammate Charles Hamelin to win the race.  And it worked.  Trembley was awarded the bronze for his efforts.  Experts agree that had Trembley not whipped out, Apolo would not have been DQ’d.   If you look at the replay of the skate, you will see that Ohno neither pushed nor tripped Trembley.   The contact was little more than a touch as Ohno tried to keep his line, a tactic that is routine in Short Track.

After the race, with a smile on his face, Ohno intimated that he was the victim of a Canadian referee, who made a patriotic decision to please the crowd.   He did not criticize Trembley, or accuse the Canadian team of orchestrating the victory.   Ohno knows and frequently commented that in short track, anything can happen.  That Hamelin won was no surprise – he was the favorite and the fastest skater on the ice.  That Ohno did not medal was a disappointment, especially when it was clear that he did not cause Trembley to fall.  But that’s short track, which is probably the only skating event where you don’t have to stay on your feet to medal.