American viewers of the women’s Olympic uneven bar finals yesterday were treated to some great performances. All-around gold medal winner Nastia Liukin (pictured far left) turned in a first-place routine that stunned the crowd and, numerically, should have won her the gold – she and Chinese gymnast He Kexin (center) both scored 16.725.
But due to an Olympic rule that took effect after the Athens games, ultimately Liukin was denied the gold because one judge, Australia’s Helen Colagiuri, scored her routine three-tenths of a point lower than He’s. Liukin has remained gracious despite the disappointment, saying: “Scoring is scoring, and that’s our sport. … That’s what we’ve been going through our whole lives and we just have to accept that.”
But after watching her near-flawless routine, it leaves us wondering, what gives, Helen Colagiuri? [Photo: Getty Images]
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3 Responses to “Nastia Liukin’s Too Classy To Point Fingers, So We Will”
Liz Black & other tortured American viewers…grow up. What credentials do you have to critique a judge? How dare you and others name the Australian judge & use the internet to post your vile rhetoric.
Gymnastics and other sports that require judges to mark technical & artistic merit should have no place at the Olympics.
Nastia Liukin handled herself with grace which is more than I can say for her father and others like you.
The world smiles when the ugly American gets their knickers in a knot.
Peter, Australia.
Peter, this isn’t “vile rhetoric.” Vile rhetoric would be saying that, since Australia is basically an overstuffed, fermented penal colony, Colagiuri’s inherited criminal biology caused her to ruin the Olympics, probably in exchange for five dollars and a six-pack of Tsingtao to stop the shaking.
Heaven forbid a judge be held accountable for inexplicable, anamolous scores that a five-year-old would question.
P.S. Paul needs his own blog.