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Meanwhile, Bjorn Daehlie of Norway was (less surprisingly)
becoming the first man in Winter Games history to collect his
sixth gold as he struggled through a heavy drizzle to win the
men's 10-km classical cross-country event. Yet what really
crowned his victory was his own long vigil: he waited and waited
at the finish line until the last competitor of all--from Kenya,
finishing 92nd, 20 minutes behind him--staggered across it.
It was apt, perhaps, that all the champions waited, because
everyone was tapping fingers a little in the early days of the
Nagano Games, and an occasional hint of loss, frustration and
anxiety flavored the opening moments. The glamorous, made-for-TV
showcase of the men's downhill was postponed and postponed and
postponed again, as snow gave way to sleet gave way to rain.
Delay after delay left the athletes fractious, and fans who had
traveled from distant islands to watch the Games found
themselves standing in strong winter monsoons. The Olympic
Village waited and waited to see Paul Kariya, the Canadian
hockey star of Japanese descent, arrive, and finally he had to
cancel too, because of a concussion.
Most embarrassing of all, the unlikely May-December alliance
between the separatist snowboarders and the International
Olympic Committee hardly survived even its honeymoon, as the
aged judges said they would revoke the first snow-surfing gold
medal ever--when traces of marijuana were found in Canada's Ross
Rebagliati, winner of the men's giant slalom--and then were
overruled, marking a triumph for rebellion. One foot was
speeding forward, it seemed; the other was staying in place.
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Events
