BUMP AND RUN

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Aug 30, 2004 | by DAVID RAMSEY THE GAZETTE

ATHENS, Greece - The throng of Brazilians celebrating on Mitropoleos Street had no doubt who ranked as the true winner of an Olympic marathon marred by the bizarre intrusion of a defrocked Irish priest.

"Vanderlei de Lima," said Cristiane Carotta, a 27-year-old resident of Sao Paulo, Brazil. "It's such a pity what happened, but he's a winner for us. He will always be the winner to us."

De Lima did not rank as the official winner Sunday. That honor goes to Italy's Stefano Baldini (2 hours, 10 minutes, 55 seconds), who passed a weary and confused de Lima two miles from the finish line.

Mebrahtom Keflezighi won the silver (2:11.29) to become the first American medal winner in the event since Frank Shorter in 1976.

Alan Culpepper, a resident of Lafayette and a graduate of the University of Colorado, finished 12th (2:15.26). After Culpepper crossed the finish line, he immediately ran to Keflezighi and lifted the silver medalist off the ground.

The happy celebrations at the finish were in contrast to the chaos late in the race.

De Lima was leading the field with three miles remaining when Cornelius Horan raced out of the crowd and grabbed him. Horan, 57, wore a green beret, a red kilt and green socks pulled almost to his knees.

Police and members of the crowd soon freed de Lima, who lost only a few seconds as a result of the Horan ambush. But de Lima soon relinquished the lead he had maintained since the 13-mile mark and set- tled for the bronze (2:12.11).

After the race, the Brazilian track federation requested de Lima receive a duplicate gold. The appeals jurors expressed regret for "the unfortunate incident" but declined to alter the results. The Brazilian Olympic Committee later announced it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

De Lima earned the crowd's sympathy and affection after his frightening encounter with Horan. When de Lima ran into Panathinaiko Stadium, the main venue for the first modern Olympics in 1896, he raised his arms as he listened to thundering applause from the crowd of 35,000. The stadium audience had watched on two bigscreen televisions as Horan grabbed de Lima.

De Lima was happy to cross the finish line. He was jubilant to remain alive.

"I was scared because I didn't know what could happen to me, whether he was armed with a knife, a revolver, or something, and whether he was going to kill me," de Lima said.

The attack shattered his concentration, de Lima said.

"After that, it was hard for me to get my rhythm back," de Lima said. "It really distracted me."

Horan specializes in sports distractions. In July 2003, he ran onto the track at the British Grand Prix, forcing race cars to swerve around him. He has also tried to disrupt a Wimbledon tennis match.

The Associated Press reported Horan arrived in Athens on Sunday on a pre-dawn British Airways flight. He will be taken to a Greek prosecutor today.

Horan uses intrusions to publicize his religious beliefs. He wore a sign that read, "The Grand Prix Priest Israel Fulfillment of Prophecy Says Bible."

Keflezighi and Baldini missed the crazed scene. De Lima was so far ahead, Keflezighi said, they could not see him. Keflezighi and Baldini had spent miles running together, chasing de Lima.

With about 21/2 miles to go, Keflezighi and Baldini finally approached the shaken de Lima. Keflezighi proclaimed to Baldini that it was time to pass the leader, and soon both runners had sprinted past de Lima.

When Keflezighi crossed the line, he looked to the sky, crossed himself in a Catholic ritual and broke into a huge smile.

"USA running is back," he said. "Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Coming in I was not a favorite. I'm just happy to win a silver."

An hour after the race, the Brazilians on Mitropoleos chose happiness over sadness and celebrated the bronze.

About 150 Brazilian fans marched from the Panathinaiko Stadium, which sits on the edge of downtown, to the center of the city. They were drinking beer from the can, banging on drums and singing celebratory tunes.

Not long before, Carotta had watched de Lima running alone, She believed he was running straight to a gold medal.

A few seconds later, her cell phone rang. It was her brother Eduardo, calling from Brazil. He had watched on TV while de Lima was grabbed.

"They stopped de Lima! They grabbed de Lima!" her brother shouted.

Carotta shook her head. She never expected such madness during a marathon. But her friends were dancing and shouting and she soon joined them.

They were rejoicing that de Lima, their hero, the man they will always consider the winner, had shaken loose from a maniac to finish a long, strange trip.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 476-4895 or dramsey@gazette.com

LOOKING BACK

Mebrahtom Keflezighi is the first male American medalist in the marathon since 1976. The U.S. medalists in the men's race:

1904 Thomas Hicks - Gold

1904 Arthur Newton - Bronze

1906 William Frank - Bronze

1908 Johnny Hayes - Gold

1908 Josephy Forshaw - Bronze

1912 Gaston Strobino - Bronze

1924 Clarence DeMar - Bronze

1972 Frank Shorter - Gold

1976 Frank Shorter - Silver