The race results show that biathletes Martin Fourcade of France and Simon Schempp of Germany both finished with a time of 35.47.3, but tenths of a second weren’t enough to distinguish a winner. The 15km race required finish line photos to determine who would earn gold and which racer would be relegated to silver on the podium.
Unfortunately, the athletes were in lock-step to such a degree that even photos left fans and officials scratching their heads as to who the true winner was.
Here’s a look at the finish line:
Here’s a video of the racers’ final stretch:
Ultimately, after study and countless reviews, it was #2, Fourcade, who was given the gold due to the fact that his left boot, which he shoved out in desperation, caused the first ski of either racer to cross the line.
He later joked, “I’m still waiting for them to tell me that I’m not the winner.”
Something tells me this decision is going to stick.
With the win, Fourcade has amassed four gold medals, making him the most decorated Winter Olympic athlete in France’s history, and meriting a shout-out from none other than French President Emmanuel Macron:
Not only was he able to to get the gold, but Fourcade, along with a commendable effort by Schempp, gave us one of the most thrilling finishes in Olympic history.
















A young lion playing with an older animal
A colorful bird appears to be yelling at it a friend
An otter appears like it's holding its face in shock
Two young foxes playing in the wild
Two otters appear to be laughing together in the water
A fish looks like it's afraid of the shark behind it
A bird appears to be ignoring their partner
A squirrel looks like it's trapped in a tree
A bear holds hand over face, making it appear like it's exhausted
A penguin looks like its trying to appear inconspicuous
A young squirrel smells a flower
An insect appears to be smiling and waving at the camera
An otter lies on its side apparently cracking up laughing
Two monkeys caught procreating
A young chimp relaxes with its hands behind its head
A snowy owl appears to be smiling
A monkey holds finger to face as if it's lost in thought
A turtle crossing the road under a 'slow' sign
A polar bear lies on its back like it's trying to hide
A rodent strikes human-like pose
An excerpt of the faxCanva

Robert Redford advocating against the demolition of Santa Monica Pier while filming "The Sting" 1973


Image artifacts (diffraction spikes and vertical streaks) appearing in a CCD image of a major solar flare due to the excess incident radiation