Nordén made to settle for Olympic silver
Swedish triathlete Lisa Nordén was confirmed as Olympic silver medallist on Saturday after a the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected a Swedish appeal to turn the medal into a shared gold with Swiss Nicola Spirig.
The women's triathlon ended in a photo finish between the two athletes and officials ruled at the time to give the gold to the Swiss runner. Only a few thousandths of a second separated the pair.
The Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) duly lodged an appeal arguing that as the difference was so small both should be given the gold.
But CAS saw no grounds to find fault in the decision which they deemed in keeping with the regulations of the International Triathlon Union (ITU).
Lisa Nordén, who had no part in the appeal although she supported it, expressed little surprise over the decision.
"Had it been a gold it would have been a fantastic fairytale which doesn't happen in reality," she told the TT news agency.
Nordén added that it felt like the race had taken a week and she was now focusing on enjoying the fact that she had won a silver medal.
"If you are an Olympic medallist, then you are at home among the very elite within one's sport and that is something I have been longing for," she said.
"It is a silver which is worth gold," she concluded.
TT/The Local/pvs
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The women's triathlon ended in a photo finish between the two athletes and officials ruled at the time to give the gold to the Swiss runner. Only a few thousandths of a second separated the pair.
The Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) duly lodged an appeal arguing that as the difference was so small both should be given the gold.
But CAS saw no grounds to find fault in the decision which they deemed in keeping with the regulations of the International Triathlon Union (ITU).
Lisa Nordén, who had no part in the appeal although she supported it, expressed little surprise over the decision.
"Had it been a gold it would have been a fantastic fairytale which doesn't happen in reality," she told the TT news agency.
Nordén added that it felt like the race had taken a week and she was now focusing on enjoying the fact that she had won a silver medal.
"If you are an Olympic medallist, then you are at home among the very elite within one's sport and that is something I have been longing for," she said.
"It is a silver which is worth gold," she concluded.
TT/The Local/pvs
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