In the final event of the track and field portion of the 2012 Olympics, Canada went from unbridled happiness to heartbreak in an instant. The Canadian men's 4x100 relay team managed to make up some serious ground on the final leg of the event, slipping into the bronze medal position behind Jamaican and the USA. It was one hell of a feat considering just how fast the race was, with really only one spot up for grabs.
Justyn Warner turned in a heck of an anchor leg, racing past France and Japan while holding off Trinidad and Tobago. It looked like the Canadian team earned a bronze; a huge accomplishment that was something to be proud of. So they celebrated and let it all hang out.
Looking back, I wish someone could've said something. In hindsight, this makes it all the more worse. The Canadian team was about to be disqualified because Jared Connaughton ran out of his lane multiple times during the third leg of the race.
And looking a little bit closer... (top of the screen, just about in the middle of the frame in white with black shorts)
In an instant, the mood went from joy to utter sadness as the ruling came down.
There are two sides of this story, though. As the Canadian team's emotions swung from happy to sad, the Trinidad and Tobago runners experienced the opposite wave of emotion. They thought they'd just missed out on the medal stand, only to find out they did, in fact, earn the bronze medal. It came as a result of a disqualification, but it was almost as if they were relieved and subdued when they learned of the news.
Moments like this are why the Olympics are so interesting. The stakes, the swings in emotion and the stories of triumph and tragedy. In the final race at the track on Saturday, we saw it all wrapped into one neat package.
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