Just as the cloud of skating controversy was dispersing from the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, along came more mind-boggling, unforeseeable medal results and vocal disbelief from a stunned crowd.
Just another day at the Delta Center, or it would seem.
Five days after concerns over judging integrity in the pairs figure skating resulted in days of turmoil and the awarding of a second set of gold medals, the men's 1,000-meter short-track speedskating had a topsy-turvy finish with spills, thrills and chills for a pro-American crowd expecting U.S. skater and golden-boy-in-waiting Apolo Anton Ohno to pick up the first of several projected medals.
But being the last man standing has new meaning for Australian Steven Bradbury, the only athlete left on his feet after the final turn.
"I was obviously not the best . . . in the field, but I won the gold medal, and I'll take it," said the three-time Olympian after leaving the ice. Bradbury's gold is the first for Australia at a Winter Olympics.
Ohno had been leading a tight pack in the final turn of the race when China's Jiajun Li, the event's silver medalist in Nagano, moved in for a pass that would later be judged as impeding.
Li lost his balance and tumbled, knocking Korea's Hyun-Soo Ahn off his feet, too. From that point, the competition fell like a house of cards ? first Canadian Mathieu Turcotte and finally Ohno were sent sprawling.
Bradbury, who had been taking up the rear, crossed the finish line first, a look more of surprise than joy on his face. Ohno, still down, lunged to throw his blade into second place. Turcotte mustered third.
Ohno received six stitches to close a slice to his left inner-thigh, but he insisted he is still good to skate.
"This was the best race of my life," Ohno said. "I skated the way I wanted to. Unfortunately, I fell in the last corner. But this is the sport that I train for. I got a silver medal, and I can't complain about that."
Unfair? Perhaps. But this is not figure skating, and no one Saturday night was crying for an appeal ? Ohno included.
No doubt Saturday's crowd felt a letdown similar to one for spectators of Monday's pairs figure skating final, when judges awarded a gold medal to a Russian duo after what appeared to be a flawless performance by Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier.
Short-track rules allow for a reskate when collisions or falls occur in the first turn. Judges have the discretion to call for a reskate if they feel it is warranted because of incidents during an event. However, the reskate must be held within 30 minutes after the incident and judgment, and none of the judges or competitors Saturday night deemed a need for a reskate.
Ohno had skated beautifully all night, winning the 1,000-meter quarterfinals and semis and working the crowd at the Delta Center (Salt Lake Ice Center) into a frenzy.
"My quest, my journey, was not about winning four gold medals," said Ohno, on crutches as he responded to questions about his now foiled sweep of short-track speed skating's four men's events. "It was about coming to the Olympics, experiencing it and doing my best."
The irony of the evening was not lost on Bradbury, who has had his fair share of spills, He said he made a strategic decision ? with help from tired legs ? to hang back in the final.
"I'm obviously not the fastest skater. But those were my tactics, and they worked like a charm," he said.
More irony still, Bradbury owns a skate boot company, the very one that makes Ohno's skates.
"I sent him an e-mail yesterday saying, 'If you get a medal, could you give us a mention,"' Bradbury said.
Not necessary.
If the men's races captured the chaos of this sport, then the ladies' 500-meter Saturday night showcased its elegant speed and photo finish drama.
China's Yang Yang (A), the overall world champion in this sport for the past five years, has never won an individual gold medal until tonight.
A disappointing fourth-place finish Wednesday in the 1,500-meter had left Yang with little confidence coming into Saturday's competition.
"It was a nightmare," she said. "I felt too much pressure. I cried several times. I could not sleep. I just kept telling myself, 'I am Yang Yang (A). I'm not anyone else.'"
Yang's win gave China its first gold medal in Olympic Winter Games history. China had won 15 medals, but no golds, more than any other nation without one.
It was a tight race for the silver between Bulgaria's Evgenia Radanova and China's Chunlu Wang, but Radanova, the world record holder in this event and bronze medalist in Wednesday's 1,500 meters, took second place by just two hundredths of a second.
In the semifinals of the women's 3,000-meter relay, which was also held Saturday, China, Japan, Korea and Canada advanced to the final which will be held Wednesday.
The relay marked what began as a disappointing night for American women. Moments after it was underway, Hallisey pushed for a second-place position, and ended up feet-up on the ice, a chance for a spot on the podium for the women's team gone.
"I don't know if someone clicked her (skate) or if her skate just gave way, but it happened in the first lap, so we kind of really didn't even get a chance to race," teammate Erin Porter told reporters.
Porter herself took a spill later in the race. "That happens in short track."
But there was redemption for Hallisey as the night wore on. She made up for a somewhat sluggish start in the quarterfinals of the 500-meter, passing an Italian and Israeli skater for a spot in the semifinal.
Then, in the closet finish of the night, Hallisey tied for a spot in the final round with Canadian Isabelle Charest.
She was unable to medal in the 500-meter final, but she was far from disappointed.
"I shattered my personal best, and I believe I broke the American record," she said.
E-mail: mtitze@desnews.com
Deseret News Olympic specialist Jenifer K. Nii contributed to this report.