With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Media Boat Blocks Triathlon Racers, Forcing An Unusual Restart In Tokyo
Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt celebrates as he crosses the line to win the men's triathlon at the Tokyo Olympics. Blummenfelt won after a miscommunication between a media boat and the starting officials caused a rare false start in the endurance race.
The racers stood ready, primed to dive into Tokyo Bay to start the men's Olympic triathlon. A camera aboard a media boat captured the moment as the start time neared — and unfortunately, it kept capturing the moment after the official start signal blared. Roughly half of the 51 competitors sprang into the water, but the rest were blocked from diving in by the position of the boat, forcing an unusual false start.
It's the first time the triathlon, an endurance race that lasts nearly two hours, has ever had a false start in the Olympics, according to NBC. "Invalid start," the official race report reads.
As video of Monday's event shows, the media boat was reversing across the front of the starting pontoon at Odaiba Marine Park, panning across the athletes' faces as they readied themselves for the race.
Sponsored message
When the start signal rang out, the boat's captain attempted to get out of the way quickly but to no avail. Race officials' boats had to rush out over the water to stop the large group of triathletes who had started on their 1,500-meter swim.
The triathlon started in earnest about four minutes after its planned start time, according to the official race report. After the competitors regrouped, Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt won the gold medal in the swim-bike-run event in 1:45:04, edging out Great Britain's Alex Yee by 11 seconds. New Zealand's Hayden Wilde followed up with the bronze medal.
The false start did nothing to dampen the excitement of Blummenfelt, 27, who celebrated as he broke through the elaborate tape at the finish line.
"I wanted a medal, obviously I preferred the gold medal, everything else I would have been disappointed with," he said, according to the Olympics' official blog. "So I'm just extremely relieved to have it around my neck now."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA1OTI3MjQ5MDEyODUwMTE2MzM1YzNmZA004))
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
