Should coaches forgive athletes for death-blowing mistakes?

[Guo Xiang]

Here comes the sore loser attitude again!

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...4.html?vgnmr=1

Official blamed for US loss

BEIJING - THE US women's gymnastics team blamed stadium officials on Wednesday for distracting one of their athletes who went on to make crucial mistakes that destroyed their gold medal hopes.

China won its showdown with the United States after Alicia Sacramone fell off the balance beam then slipped over during the floor exercise, opening the way for the home team to post a narrow 2.375 point victory.

US team coordinator Martha Karolyi said officials at Beijing's National Indoor Stadium had disrupted Sacramone's preparations for the beam.

'First they called her name up, then they did not even put her name up even though the Chinese had finished ... (it was) totally unusual holding,' she said.

'She was mentally prepared and then she had a mental break, then after not doing the job, the beam, on the floor exercise her concentration was bothered.'

Karolyi insisted the world champion US team would have won gold if Sacramone had not become unsettled.

But while she was unhappy with stadium officials, she also questioned Sacramone's temperament, suggesting the gymnast was emotionally vulnerable.

'We developed her into a good competitor but originally she was not necessarily extremely easily focused and aggressive,' she said.

A distraught Sacramone was in tears as she recounted her Olympic nightmare.

'I think everybody knows there'll be good days and bad days, I just wish this was a good day for me,' she said.

The 20-year-old said she was trying to perform a backward jumping mount onto the beam when she realised the manoeuvre had gone wrong.

'I tried to adjust in the air but I really couldn't save it, she said. 'I tried to step back and there was just nothing.'

Sacramone said the mistake on the beam in the third round affected her performance on the fourth and final exercise, the floor routine.

'I guess it was just a little bit too hard to get out of that funk, it affected me on floor a little bit,' she said.

Sacramone added that she lost concentration because of the delay leading into her beam performance.

'I was just really eager to do my routine and get the show on the road but they did hold me for quite some time and I guess I lost my nerve a little bit,' she said.

Asked how long she could maintain focus while waiting to perform her routines, she repled: 'Apparently not long enough.' -- AFP

[999roses]

Next thing you know, it's gonna be the smog that caused her to make the slip.

Honestly, people should LEAVE HER ALONE. The poor girl! Yes, she made a mistake, get over it stupid media people. Let's see YOU try to do those moves perfectly. Sheesh. And blaming Chinese people or anyone else just makes them look really really bad.

Her teammates already earned the US some great face today. They should focus their attention on celebrating that instead of focusing on the negative. Media really likes thriving on others' suffering.