Latvia tops Baltic Olympic battle

RIGA - Eight competitors tested their pedals, waiting for the signal to start the tense winner-takes-all race. It was a historic moment in their sport - the first to cross the finish line would take home the first ever Olympic gold medal in BMX cycling. In the previous heats, Maris Strombergs, Latvia"s 21-year-old BMX prodigy, had earned the right to choose which gate he would start from.

He chose a fast track and it gave him an immediate edge over the other cyclists. By the end of the first turn, he was well ahead of the competition. His performance was flawless. Strombergs threw up his arms in victory before even crossing the line. He was nearly half a second ahead of the next competitor. I needed the fast lane, and I did it," Strombergs told the Associated Press after his win. I was just trying to take the gate and come out first.

I just raced my race and it came out for the best," the cyclist told the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua. The closing ceremonies have passed and the Baltics have come away from Beijing victorious. The total medal count for the three countries was two gold, three silver and four bronze.

Both Estonia and Latvia managed to take a gold in Beijing - no small feat considering their relatively small size. According to the official results published Aug. Latvia ended up right behind Finland, which managed to secure one more bronze than the Baltic state. Estonia, meanwhile, ended up tied with Belgium, the Dominican Republic and Portugal.

Lithuania got the worst result of the three Baltic states - the country came out on par with Croatia - but it managed to secure the highest number of total medals of the three Baltics. Sport of choice Each country excelled in different events at the Games. Estonian athlete Gerd Kanter took home the first Baltic gold in the discus throw.

With a perfectly executed toss, Kanter hurled the disc an amazing 68.8 meters in the fourth round. The throw put the 29 year-old Tallinn native on the gold medal stand above Polish national Piotr Malachowski, who won silver, and veteran Lithuanian Olympian Virgilijus Alekna, who walked away with the bronze.

Though Kanter won the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, he still had to contend with Alekna, a fellow Balt who took the gold in Athens in 2004. After his win, Kanter said it was "only right" that he took the win. I knew the pressure was on me not to break down. Alekna who broke down. That was only right.

It was time for a younger man to take over," the newly crowned Olympic champion was quoted as saying by The New York Times. After being announced the victor, the 125 kilogram athlete ran a 100 meter sprint holding the Estonian flag high above his head as it flapped in the wind. Latvia, meanwhile, gleaned its moment of glory from the newly introduced Olympic sport of BMX cycling, where it beat out strong teams from the U.S. Australia to take the top spot.

Strombergs finished the course in 36.190, leaving Mike Day and Donny Robinson, both hailing from the United States, far behind at 36.606 and 36.972, respectively. Though the sport originated in America some 40 years ago, Strombergs is the current world champion and was one of the favorites to win the historic medal.

The Latvian had been on BMX bikes since the age of five and is considered a veteran of the sport despite his relatively young age. Strombergs said that despite the prestige of winning the first Olympic medal in his sport, the race itself felt much like any other world-class competition. It doesn"t matter if it is the Olympics, the world championships or the European championships, the feeling is the same.

I see no difference between my competitors, whether they come from the United States or New Zealand," Strombergs told Xinhua. His win makes him only the second Latvian to take an Olympic gold since the country regained independence in 1991. Igors Vihrovs was the first, with a gymnastics victory in the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. While Lithuania was unable to get a gold, it did take both the silver and the bronze in the men"s pentathlon.

Andrejus Zadneprovskis and Edvinas Krungolcas, Lithuania"s two pentathlon superstars, faced a nearly impossible task in defeating legendary Russian athlete Andrey Moiseev. Moiseev won the event in Athens in 2004, and his victory in Beijing made him the second athlete to ever successfully defend an Olympic title in the event.

A heavy favorite, Moiseev was so far ahead that he had time to stop and get a Russian flag to drape around his shoulders from the audience before finishing the race. After his win, however, the competitor said that the Lithuanians made it tougher for him this time around than it was in Athens. It was definitely easier to win in Athens than it was here," the gold medalist said at a press conference after the event.

Disappointment Though many Balts are reveling in their countries" victories, there was no small amount of disappointment as some of the region"s finest athletes and top medal hopefuls faltered. One of the biggest disappointments was Lithuanian discus thrower Virgilijus Alekna. With a gold medal to his name four years ago, many thought Alekna could put on a repeat performance.

Source http://baltictimes.com/news/articles/21229/

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