LBS- Norway’s team of Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten lost the bronze medal match to the Olympic Athlete from Russia team of Anastasia Bryzgalova and Aleksandr Krushelnitskiy 8-4 at the Gangneung Curling Centre last week. Things changed though after Krushelnitskiy tested positive for banned substance meldonium.
If the Russian team gets stripped of its bronze medal, Nedregotten says he would want to have a medal ceremony before the Games end. “Knowing that they may have had an advantage against us in our games through cheating feels horrible,” he said, via The Guardian “If he is found guilty, then they’ve robbed us of our moment of glory, receiving our medal in the stadium. That’s not cool. That’s hard to accept, feeling that you’ve been kept out of the light." “Obviously he is not guilty before he is convicted. But it is confirmed, the preferred option for us would be to receive the bronze medal at some point during the remainder of the Olympics.” Many have found it humorous that someone would be caught using a banned substance in curling because they wonder how it helps. But Nedregotten believes the substance can help players stay mentally acute and help them recover in between matches. He says sweepers can get sore in between matches, and with a crammed schedule, that could make a big difference. ------ I want to say that these Norwegians need to find the nearest mirror and do a little self reflection. Even with the non-identified country in question being needle deep in a steroid scandal that cost them the ability to fly their own damn flag during international competition, this juicing allegation of the mixed doubles curler that is formerly known as Russian is far and away the most comical thing to happen at the Olympics. Integrity of the glorified hobby be damned. Referencing soreness caused by sweeping in demanding a pity ceremony for a third place medal that you will have won completely by default would comparatively make Michigan look justified in holding a Championship parade over the weekend to celebrate Louisville's recently vacated NCAA title from 2013. So yeah, I don't think it's crazy to say that most rational competitors would be too proud to accept an honorable mention that meets only the lowest possible bar as a "moment of glory". Here's the thing though. A lack of self awareness is intrinsic to the existence of curling. It's absence isn't just helpful, but necessary in encouraging people to devote four years of their life (at a time) to intensely crafting their ability to gently push rocks down an icy aisle. If curlers took themselves as seriously as they probably should take themselves then by rule they would be required to have an open beer in hand during gameplay. I actually appreciate these Norwegians for being so invested in stone sliding that they have convinced themselves that a little artificial strength can have a significant effect on it's outcome. It's that type of commitment to the cause that has them, as well as their peers, furrowing their brows as they spend so much time lining up their shot in Canadian shuffleboard that you'd think they were playing American shuffleboard at an old folks home. So god bless Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotte. Without them caring far too much about being recognized for their efforts, watching those efforts would be about as intriguing as spectating the last beer pong game of the night.
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