2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic GamesAug 10, 2016 by Rebecca Johnson
Oleg Verniaiev Explains Team Ukraine's Scratches in Rio Men's Team Final
Oleg Verniaiev Explains Team Ukraine's Scratches in Rio Men's Team Final
The men's team final at the 2016 Rio Olympics didn't go quite like Team Ukraine would've hoped.In a three-up, three-count situation, the team only put up tw
The men's team final at the 2016 Rio Olympics didn't go quite like Team Ukraine would've hoped.
In a three-up, three-count situation, the team only put up two routines on four of the six events. On four events, Maksym Semiankiv saluted the judges, touched the event, and then saluted again--these actions signal a scratch, and denote a zero for the routine. This is unprecedented at a men's team final, and because it was never explained before or during the competition, it left many viewers confused--and some even angry.
NBC posted a video of Semiankiv scratching his events. There's disappointment and twinges of embarrassment all over Semiankiv's face as he takes zeroes for his routines.
In the wake of his scratch, people began to wonder, "Why isn't he going?" and questioned why the team didn't send another athlete to do a routine. Surely his teammates could've performed routines in his place on floor, rings, parallel bars, and high bar. Others asked why the team didn't give up their spot in the team final to ninth-place Switzerland so they could have a chance to compete.
Following the competition, Ukraine's leader and top all-around performer, Oleg Verniaiev, explained what happened in an Instagram post. After getting injured earlier in the competition, Semainkiv went to the hospital with the hope of returning to compete in the team final. Unfortunately, when he returned 15 minutes prior to the team final, he only had bad news for his teammates: his injury would preclude him from competing. At that point, it was too late to change the lineup.
As a result, Team Ukraine was forced to essentially take themselves out of the competition by accepting zeros for four routines. They finished eighth with a 202.078 while seventh-place Germany totaled a 261.275.
Injuries are part of the sport, especially at the Olympic level, but this one's timing made for a very unfortunate situation in the men's team final. But being the eighth-best team in the world is an achievement of which they should be very proud.
In a three-up, three-count situation, the team only put up two routines on four of the six events. On four events, Maksym Semiankiv saluted the judges, touched the event, and then saluted again--these actions signal a scratch, and denote a zero for the routine. This is unprecedented at a men's team final, and because it was never explained before or during the competition, it left many viewers confused--and some even angry.
NBC posted a video of Semiankiv scratching his events. There's disappointment and twinges of embarrassment all over Semiankiv's face as he takes zeroes for his routines.
In the wake of his scratch, people began to wonder, "Why isn't he going?" and questioned why the team didn't send another athlete to do a routine. Surely his teammates could've performed routines in his place on floor, rings, parallel bars, and high bar. Others asked why the team didn't give up their spot in the team final to ninth-place Switzerland so they could have a chance to compete.
Following the competition, Ukraine's leader and top all-around performer, Oleg Verniaiev, explained what happened in an Instagram post. After getting injured earlier in the competition, Semainkiv went to the hospital with the hope of returning to compete in the team final. Unfortunately, when he returned 15 minutes prior to the team final, he only had bad news for his teammates: his injury would preclude him from competing. At that point, it was too late to change the lineup.
As a result, Team Ukraine was forced to essentially take themselves out of the competition by accepting zeros for four routines. They finished eighth with a 202.078 while seventh-place Germany totaled a 261.275.
Injuries are part of the sport, especially at the Olympic level, but this one's timing made for a very unfortunate situation in the men's team final. But being the eighth-best team in the world is an achievement of which they should be very proud.