Monday, February 17, 2014

Olympic Spirit 5

Forty-three year old Peruvian cross-country skier Roberto Carcelen broke ribs during training two weeks earlier, but still completed a painful 15k Classic Style competition on Friday. He came in 87th - dead last.

When he crossed the finish line, dejected and in pain, he was proudly holding up his flag (he is Peru's first Winter Olympian). He was given a standing ovation by the crowd, and was greeted by two fellow competitors.

The first was Dachhiri Sherpa of Nepal, who finished 86th, a full 11 minutes earlier. The next was Dario Cologna. Cologna skied for Switzerland and won the competition in 39 minutes. The gold medalist, who himself had completed a grueling race with a close finish, waited around the finish line for another half hour so that the last finisher would have someone to greet him.

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