The Fouling Dutchman

(No, this is not a reference to Holland-born former Marist and Indiana Pacer star center Rik Smits although the title would have been equally applicable during Smits's playing days jostling opposing behemoths). I have mostly assiduosly avoiding partaking of the great Northerly winter games, but was briefly lured in as housemates were viewing the spectacle. I happened to witness the Sven Kramer catastrophe with incumbent joy turned to anger as the young skater from the Netherlands realized he had not won the 10,000 meter speed skate by over four seconds in a dominant performance but had been disqualified after being misdirected by his own coach. In an instant, those watching saw the exuberance of a lifetime of work, hard work- training as an occupation- rewarded, turned to bewilderment, then angry realization, cognizance that all that effort had been for naught. This was no simple blooper but a terminal error on the largest stage in the world for Kramer's rather esoteric sport. There can be little doubt that Kramer was the dominant athlete in his competition but that all was lost because rules are unforgiving, with no mere time penalty for a violation of lanes but an outright disqualification. Does anyone doubt that Kramer was the fastest man on the track yesterday?