Three minutes cost gold

Time is unfair and also brutal. But in sport, in many cases, it's simply the measure of things. Hundredths of a second can make the difference between victory and defeat. Periods of time that one can no longer grasp independently and that can only develop their effect thanks to the incorruptibility of a well-functioning chronometer. And afterwards it hardly makes sense to analyze where one or two of these crazy fractions of a second might have gone. Right at the start, somewhere along the route of a ski slope or with a small change of pace on the track. Was the weather to blame?

It is pointless and not possible. Even a second is hardly more than the blink of an eye. Of course, times can influence careers. Alberto Tomba once won the slalom in Calgary with a lead of six hundredths of a second over Frank Wörndl. The German silver medalist told me again and again later, when we were commentating on many races together, that his life would have been different if that small amount of time had been on his side. So he was the first loser and with silver. That's how he always saw it. First a noble gesture, then disqualification People watch the clock carefully because you don't have forever in life. Ask Ziyad Zolkefli from Malaysia. He won the shot put at the Paralympics in Tokyo with a new world record (17.94 meters). And yet he didn't get a gold medal because he didn't keep the time. It wasn't about infinity, just about three minutes. He came to the so-called “call room” too late. This is the place in the stadium where the starting numbers are handed out and it is checked whether everyone who was allowed to register is actually present. Zolkefli rushed to his seat three minutes after the scheduled appearance time. This was registered. He was still allowed to start first so that he could ask later why he was late. That was certainly a noble and fair gesture, but it also complies with the rules. “If it starts again in three years, I’m sure it will show up at least three minutes early.” Sigi Heinrich But on the other hand, I would have advocated giving mercy before justice. Three minutes in a life. Three minutes that are now flying around his ears. The worthy jury could have been generous. A warning would have been enough with the advice to be on time next time, perhaps at the Paralympics in Paris in 2024. If it starts again in three years, I'm sure it will appear at least three minutes earlier. Tsitsipas angers the tennis world Zolkefli was in the starting class F20 (athletes with intellectual disabilities). Deficits in strength distribution and movement coordination can be identified. Pushing the ball almost 18 meters with such hindrance is a magnificent feat of strength. It was in vain because of three minutes. Meanwhile, someone else was playing with his competitor's time and nerves.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is causing a stir. © APA/getty / MATTHEW STOCKMAN

In New York, Stefanos Tsitsipas briefly said goodbye to the toilet during the game against Briton Andy Murray. For a full eight minutes. There is no set of rules for the course of needs. But eight minutes is unusually long and it was not the first time that the Greek interrupted his opponent's rhythm by pointing out necessary business. “He's a brilliant player,” said Murray, who was furious at his opponent's feint. “But I don’t have time for such antics.”

Murray was just getting going at this point in the match. The eight-minute interruption threw him off track, especially since Murray was playing with an artificial hip and the wait for his opponent wasn't ideal. Tsitsipas then played in relief. Or not. That is beyond our knowledge. In any case, he won, thanks in part to a free eight minutes and the Greek hadn't broken any rules. Zolkefli wasn't so lucky. Three minutes deprived him of the fruits of years of training. Time, that much has become clear, is not something to be trifled with and it is not available to us indefinitely. We should therefore use them. Daily.

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Three minutes cost gold

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