Kramer, who won the 5,000 meter speed skating last weekend, finished first in Tuesday’s 10,000 meter event only to then be disqualified for skating in the wrong lane for the last eight laps of the 25 lap race. Korean skater Lee Seung-hoon was awarded the gold medal. The Dutchman, meanwhile, was left to contemplate nine days in Vancouver which have seen his reputation as the best speed skater in the world overshadowed by his now infamous remark in response to television reporter who asked him after the 5,000 meter finish to identify himself and the color of medal he had just won. “Usually, I don’t want to blame anyone else, but this time I can’t do anything else,” the skater said afterwards. “I wanted to go to the outer lane, then just before the cone Gerard shouted: ‘Inner lane.’ I thought: ‘He’s probably right,’ and went to the inner lane. You have to decide in a split second. I should have gone with my own thoughts, but I was brought into doubt. This is the worst moment of my career.” |
