The medal race for the sailing event at the Olympic Games in Paris ended dramatically, both literally and figuratively, when the Dutch duo Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz made a dramatic mistake.
Although the pair secured gold, they still had to endure the shock of their lives in what turned out to be a costly mistake.
Just metres from the end of the race, the duo appeared to misjudge the finish line and began to veer to the right, away from the checkered markers.
The commentary team was surprised that the Dutch flew away from the finish line so quickly. The athletes apparently thought they were safe.
“The Netherlands is leading,” one commentator wrote. “The United States is coming through second, but it’s too little, too late. The Netherlands is leading, and taking it in the early stages of this race.”
The Dutch sailing team almost lost their first place after a blunder in the last race in France
The Dutch approached the finish with a considerable lead after overcoming setbacks in the race, but when they began to lean to the right, the second-placed USA followed suit.
‘And where are they going?’ the commentator suddenly remarked. ‘Because the finish line is marked on the left! They’re not so sure. I think they think they’re done!’
“There was some confusion on the course. We had it here and they had to go back to the finish. America also made a mistake. And that’s huge.
While the two teams at the top of the standings accidentally swapped directions, it presented an opportunity for Sweden, who took advantage of the mistake and ultimately crossed the finish line first.
Unfortunately, the total score system could not give the Swedish team the gold by winning only the last race. However, it did allow Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler to steal the silver medal from the Americans after they were confused by the Dutch.
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As they approached the finish line, the duo began to deviate from the checkered mark
Still, the Netherlands finished with gold thanks to the total points system
Sweden and France took silver and bronze respectively in this event
Meanwhile, Frenchmen Charline Picon and Sarah Steyaert took bronze.
Despite the monumental mistake, the Netherlands avoided an embarrassing defeat after the jury determined that they had collected enough points to remain on top.
“What incredible scenes on the water in Marseille,” said one commentator. “These were Olympic Games to remember.”
“We’ve had two medal races abandoned. We’ve had boats sail the wrong course to get to the finish line, thinking they’ve lost the gold at the last minute, even though they’ve won a gold medal.
‘They’ve been sitting there in terror for five minutes, waiting for someone to tell them the results. And now it feels like relief.