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Domination but no gold: are some Olympic events arbitrary and cruel?

Dreams of a title at the Games can be dashed by a slip or one bad performance. But some argue that such jeopardy is what makes sport compelling

By any objective measure, Great Britain’s Emma Wilson dominated the women’s Olympic windsurfing competition in Marseille. She won eight of her 14 races, took second in two more and was third in another three. Her net score of 18 was 31 points ahead of second-placed Sharon Kantor of Israel. But in the convoluted windsurfing format this year, her work merely earned her a bye to the final, in which she was up against competitors who had already developed a feel for the conditions.

Wilson took bronze, one year after taking silver in similar circumstances in the world championships. She wasn’t shy about criticizing the format, saying that seeing all her previous efforts in the competition count for nothing in the final affected her mental health.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/GM03ds9

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