Olympic GamesOlympics - Sochi 2014
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The eighteenth episode of the novel the Olympic Winter characterized by the vagaries of the weather and big businesses Hermann Maier after scary fall down, it is also the last Olympics'' by Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni.
Tuesday 4 February 2014 27 minutes reading time
Five cities are presented to the 97th session of the IOC in Birmingham on 15 June 1991 as a candidate to host the 18th edition of the Olympic Winter Games program in 1998. On the first ballot there is a wonderful balance: the Japanese Nagano takes 21 votes, the Spanish Jaca 19, the Swedish Östersund, which was the last to surrender to the Games in Lillehammer in 1994, 18 the Italian Aosta and the U.S. Salt Lake City, these two cities go to the play-off to determine the first and is eliminated Aosta to lose 59 to 29. Second round: Nagano is still in the lead with 30 votes, Salt Lake City 27 25 Östersund and Jaca out of the game with only 5. Third round: Nagano 36, even without an absolute majority, Salt Lake City 29, Östersund eliminated with 23. In the decisive vote prevails Nagano for 46 to 42 out of Salt Lake City that seemed most credible, the Games back then in Japan after 26 years but not on the island of Hokkaido Sapporo where but on that of Honshu , the largest in the country of the Rising Sun, where in addition to the capital Tokyo is located in Nagano, the capital of the prefecture.
Almost always, the Winter Olympics were opposed by the weather: too hot, too cold, too much snow, rain, fog etc.. etc.. but these games are crossed all limits. Especially the alpine skiing events, but not only, were hampered by bad weather and, in the case of the men's downhill, was disputed after three referrals: You do not got to the level of the Alpine Ski World Cup the most wretched of the story, that of Morioka 1993, when it was not possible to send in the super-G men's scene, but he almost. The events increased from 61 to 68, after 74 years back in the official program and the men's curling tournament was won by the Swiss skip Patrick Hürlimann that overwhelms a surprise in the final 9-3 to the Canadians Mike Harris, who had beaten the rossocrociati 8-3 in the group stage and that they felt already winners. It is held for the first time instead of the women's tournament in which Canada takes revenge for the defeat of the men, Sandra Schmirler guide the companions to victory in the final 7-5 to Denmark, unfortunately, the North American skip, returned home from heroin, died of cancer just two years later at age 36.
Also debuts the women's ice hockey at the end that features the Forecasted Eve and the United States defeated Canada 3-1. Last, and big news of these Games snowboarding, which involves giant (not parallel as will happen next but individual, as the corresponding proof of alpine skiing) and hafpipe for both men and women. The races of "half-pipe" are won by Switzerland's Gian Simmen and Germany's Nicola Thost, the female giant if he wins the French Karine Ruby, one of the most successful athletes in the history of winter sports. More controversial outcome of the men's giant: the Canadian Ross Rebagliati beats for only 2 cents Tyrolean Thomas Prugger but the gold is removed because it tested positive for marijuana, a substance in the lists of the IOC is not prohibited but only subjected to a "restriction". This is based on the defense of the Canadian Olympic Committee, the same Rebagliati confesses to having breathed the smoke at a party eight days before the race after that for months he had not touched her. The IOC, in agreement with the FIS, backtracks and returns the gold Rebagliati Prugger and is content to be the first Italian Olympic medalist in the table on the snow.
Returning to hockey in the men's tournament are finally allowed professionals NHL, with 6 years of delay sull'NBA regarding basketball, the highest North American professional league hockey is thus suspended for the duration of the Games, to allow players that will militate, to participate. The winner is the Czech Republic, the hero of that team is Dominik Hasek, playing in the Buffalo Sabres, the author of 38 saves in the match won 4-1 with Canada in the semi-final against the United States and all para five shootout qualifying her for the final against Russia, which maintains inviolate his door, while his teammate Petr Svoboda in just under 12 minutes remaining scored the final 1-0 and joy explodes a whole country that woke up at dawn and stopped to watch the final and who lives almost a second (early) Prague Spring after thirty years from the real one. In freestyle, three titles in four go to the United States: the men's aerials Eric Bergoust, the women's Nikki Stone humps male Jonny Moseley, the U.S. women's moguls there are only going to Tae Satoya, first Japanese woman to win a Winter Olympic gold to be added to the gallery of athletes who have won a gold medal in five circles or shortly after the loss of a parent, in his case his father.
In figure skating, as in the Nagano artistic male is won by a Russian this time Ilya Kulik, but in front of the same people who came in second and third behind Norway Aleksei Urmanov, namely the Canadian Elvis Stojko and Frenchman Philippe Candeloro. In the artistic female the highly anticipated duel between the American Teenager Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan won the first, that of 15 years and 255 days beats the record of Sonja Henie and became the youngest woman to win an Olympic gold in winter. In pairs, six years after the Russian Olympic Artur Dmitriev back on the throne but with a different partner, no longer Natalya Mishkutenok, with whom he was also silver four years earlier, but Oksana Kazakova. In dance you confirm the rulers of the specialty, Oksana Grischuk and Evgeny Platov, although she about a year, tired of being confused with the gold in Lillehammer Oksana Baiul, calling himself "Pasha" taking a cue from the name of a Cartier watch.
In long track speed skating 500 meters are held for the first time with the format of two sets and relative amount of time, between the man who wins the men around Japan waiting on the top step of the podium, world record holder Hiroyasu Shimizu, even among women win the big favorite, Catriona LeMay Doan Canadian. In the other three titles in four men's events go to Holland, that of 1000 to Ids Postma, those of 5000 and 10000, with a lot of world records, the phenomenal Gianni Romme, 1500 that it won the Norwegian Ådne Sø ndrål among women is double Dutch Marianne Timmer on 1000 and 1500, 3000 and 5000 respectively go to the German Gunda Niemann and Claudia Pechstein, who are fighting each other on the two distances, the first also won silver in the 1500 The second is confirmed on the throne in the Olympic race piùlunga. In the men's short track speed skating, surprise hit of the Japanese Takafumi Nishitani on the 500, the South Korean Kim Dong-sung to be 1000 while Canada wins in the relay, the women in the Canadian Annie Perrault wins the 500 thanks to the fall of the two favorites, compatriot Isabelle Charest and China's Wang Chunlu, over 1000 wins South Korea's Chun Lee-kyung of the woman who had snatched the world record in the quarter-finals, the Chinese Yang Yang [A], which is then disqualified, Chun adds l ' gold in the relay.
In Ski Jumping Finn Jani Soininen belies the reputation of being "the man of a single jump" from winning small trampoline beating home favorite Kazuyoshi Funaki who then refers the trampoline great triumph with a second jump that worth all 20 from the judges, in a word, perfection. Funaki and his companions sent into raptures Japan won the team competition in which Masahiko Harada, who with a poor second jump four years ago gave the gold to Germany and that the small trampoline Nagano fell from first to fifth place after the second series, proves once more to be able to all the good and bad with a first jump from 79.5 meters, costing Japan even a subtraction of points, and a second one from 137 yards instead of the spear Japanese to triumph over the final jump of Funaki. Norwegians are the races of the Nordic Combined individual Bjarte Engen Vik teams with which the individual Gundersen beats the Finnish rising star Samppa Lajunen.
And now, said silver Prugger in snowboarding, the other five sports in which Italy takes home medals. In biathlon Pieralberto Carrara with four perfect polygons is silver in the individual only 5 "by 5" White Buffalo "Norwegian Halvard Hanevold, the sprint is being discontinued due to fog and snow, is rebuilt the next day by the Norwegian Ole Einar Bjørndalen, his first triumph in five circles. The men's relay wins in Germany, as well as the female, in the individual women won the Bulgarian Ekaterina Dafovska, the first Winter Olympic gold medal for his country, won the sprint if the Russian Galina Koukleva. Thirty years after the triumphs of Eugenio Monti Italy back on the top step of the podium thanks to bob Günther Huber, who along with his brakeman Antonio Tartaglia won the race two ex-aequo with Canadians Pierre Lueders and Dave MacEachern: the important difference with Monti, who also got a tie with a German crew but in the end the only winner because then the regulation in the event of a tie the title assigned to those who had made the race faster. In the race to four, which sees the second round canceled due to rain (!), Gold Christoph Langen in the podium of the men's luge Tyrolean Armin Zöggeler salt of a step than in Lillehammer and won the silver but not unable to unseat Georg Hackl, who after not winning either one of the six races seasonal confirmed for the third consecutive time Olympic champion in this event. Badged Germany are also other competitions of this sport, the female is the prerogative of Silke Kraushaaar, twice Stefan Krausse and Jan Behrendt.
In alpine skiing, the only Italian medals come from Deborah Compagnoni, who is mocked for the slalom only 6 cents by Germany's Hilde Gerg but then goes back with interest in giant win his third gold medal in three editions and second in a row specialty with a gap sidereal, 1 "80, on the second place, the Austrian Alexandra Meissnitzer. Note that the champion of Santa Caterina five circles in the three golds won them always with a gap greater than the second and four rounds of giant who has completed has always had the best time! In the other women's races, Germany's Katja Seizinger confirms Olympic gold in downhill and then makes an encore in front of compatriots combined Martina Ertl and Hilde Gerg, the U.S. Picabo Street, usually credited downhill and returned not by much from one of its many serious injuries, instead he catches his only title in five circles for a penny mocking the Austrian Michaela Dorfmeister in the super-G. Among men a show Hermann Maier in the downhill, postponed several times due to bad weather and that rewards the Frenchman Jean-Luc Cretier, never winning either before or after the World Cup, the Austrian out miraculously unscathed from a scary flight in the upper part of the track that fans remember and then in the days following triumphs in both super-G in giant earning the nickname Herminator. Even in slalom or downhill, there's a surprise winner, the Norwegian director Hans Petter Buraas, as well as combined, where success goes to the Austrian Mario Reiter.
In the end, Bjørn Dæhlie consecrates himself absolute king of the Winter Games coming to twelve total medals, four silver and eight gold medals, including six golds and three silvers individual in Nagano Norwegian triumphs, as well as in the relay, in 10 km in the 50 km classic and skating, at the end of which gasps for five long minutes before he could recover. In the 15 km pursuit skating is rather overtaken by compatriot Thomas Alsgaard that comeback from fifth on the 10 km. The 30 km alternating is the prerogative of the Finnish Mika Myllylä while Silvio Fauner won the bronze. And then there's the relay, which sees as four years ago, the duel between Norway and Italy. The blues deploy Marco Albarello, Fulvio Valbusa, Fabio Maj and in the final fraction Fauner but still there is a change in the Scandinavian quartet important Dæhlie is in the third fraction and Alsgaard in the final and this makes all the difference in the world because if four years before Fauner Dæhlie had beaten in the sprint for 4/10 must give time for only 2 tenths Alsgaard so that avenges the defeat of Italy Birkebeineren Stadium, leaving the silver. Among women is en-plein of Russia: five gold medals in five. In addition to success in the relay, those arriving by Larisa Lazutina in the 5km classic and skating in the 10 km pursuit, Olga Danilova in the 15 km classic and 30 km skating Yuliya Chepalova in which Stefania Belmondo is silver, Italy is and then for the third consecutive bronze in the women's relay with Karin Moroder, Gabriella Paruzzi, Manuela Di Centa and the same Belmondo.
Our expedition ends once an edition of the Winter Games in double figures with precious metals, exactly ten. We close as usual with the other results can be discerned of the blue. Alessandro Fattori is fourth in the super-G and sixth in combined Kristian Ghedina sixth in descent, Morena Gallizio is in fifth and eighth in slalom and combined Sabina Panzanini eighth in slalom. As Deborah Compagnoni Alberto Tomba is on its last Olympics, the fourth, but ends up out in the first run of the giant and not in the second part of the slalom after finishing the seventeenth before. Besides silver in the individual biathlon Carrara is tenth in the sprint as well as Nathalie Santer in the same race among women, Fauner is fourth in the pursuit and tenth in the 10 and 50 km, three times Valbusa comes fifth in the 30 km pursuit and 50 km, albarello is seventh in the 30 km and Maurizio Pozzi ninth in the 50 km, Belmondo is also the fifth and eighth in the 15 km pursuit while Paruzzi is ninth in the 5 km and 30 km in the tenth. In the dance came into the limelight with a sixth Olympic Barbara Fusar Poli and Maurizio Margaglio. In luge, the defending champion of women Gerda Weissensteiner is ninth, our couples twice, Kurt Brugger / Wilfried Huber and Gerhard Plankensteiner / Oswald Haselrieder, are respectively fifth and sixth, Reinhold Rainer and Norbert Huber eighth and tenth in the men's single . In the men's short track relay team is the victim of a crash at about twenty laps to go and finished fourth, Fabio Carta is sixth in the 1000 Urban Mara and fifth in the 500 women. On the long track coming four ninths places: Ermanno Ioriatti in 500 men, Roberto Sighel in 5000 and 10000 in 5000 and Elena Belci women. Finally, in the men's snowboard giant behind silver Prugger is the seventh of Martin Freinademetz, in which a squadron of women, however, we can not go to the coin: Lidia Trettel is fourth, sixth Marion Posch Dagmar Mair Unter der Eggen seventh and thirteenth Margherita Parini.
Summary
18th edition of the Olympic Winter Games
Host city and date of the event: Nagano (Japan), 7-22 February 1998
Athletes participating: 2180 (1391 men, 789 women)
Participating countries: 72
Italian participants: 113 (79 men, 34 women)
Italian flag-bearer: Gerda Weissensteiner (luge)
Securities allotted: 68 in 14 sports
Official opening: Emperor Akihito
Olympic athletes' oath: Kenji Ogiwara (Nordic Combined)
Olympic Oath of Judges: Junko Hiromatsu
Last torchbearer: Midori Ito
The medal
Germany: 12 gold 9 silver 8 bronze
Norway: 10 gold 10 silver 5 bronze medals
Russia: 9 gold 6 silver 3 bronze
Canada: 6 gold 5 silver 4 bronze
United States: 6 gold 3 silver 4 bronze
Netherlands: 5 gold 4 silver 2 bronze
Japan: 5 gold 1 silver 4 bronze
Austria: 3 gold 5 silver 9 bronzes
South Korea: 3 gold 1 silver 2 bronze
Italy: 2 gold 6 silver 2 bronze
Finland: 2 gold 4 silver 6 bronze
Switzerland: 2 gold 2 silver 3 bronze
France: 2 gold 1 silver 5 bronze medals
Czech Republic: 1 gold 1 silver 1 bronze
Bulgaria: 1 gold
China: 6 silver 2 bronze
Sweden: 2 silver 1 bronze
Denmark: 1 silver
Ukraine: 1 silver
Belarus: 2 bronze
Kazakhstan: 2 bronze
Australia: 1 bronze
Belgium: 1 bronze
Great Britain: 1 bronze
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