I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for a great Olympic Opening Ceremony. Spoilers!

[suffragette]

53. Yet, disasters have happened in those countries. Flame lighter is reminder of that.

But, those countries aren't bashed or removed from future consideration.

Look at what happened to Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima in Athens.

He was attacked by a defrocked Irish priest during the marathon, an attack that may have cost him the gold.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44124-2004Aug29.html?nav=rss_sports/leaguesandsports/olympics/2004summer

In Sunday's men's marathon, the last competition of the Summer Games, a Brazilian runner who led for more than 23 miles fell out of the lead shortly after being assaulted by a man in a black beret, red kilt and green knee socks. The assailant pushed him through a wall of befuddled fans onto a curb until he could be extricated and sent on his way again -- wobbly and dazed.

Within minutes, Italian Stefano Baldini and American Meb Keflezighi, who had been about 10 seconds behind, surged into the lead, setting the stage for Baldini to race to his first Olympic gold and Keflezighi to claim a stunning silver, the first Olympic medal won by an American man in the event in 28 years.

And then, there he came. As Keflezighi made the sign of the cross after running through the finish in 2 hours 11 minutes 29 seconds, 34 seconds behind Baldini, the battered Brazilian, Vanderlei de Lima, entered the 108-year-old marble Panathinaiko Stadium and sprinted joyously, exuberantly, to a bronze medal in 2:12:11.

"The Olympic spirit prevailed here," de Lima said. "My determination prevailed."


http://sportsworld.nbcsports.com/vanderlei-de-lima/
Neil Horan, a defrocked Irish priest who similarly trespassed onto the British Grand Prix Formula One course the year before, grabbed de Lima by his blue Brazilian singlet. He took the runner off the road and into a row of spectators in a few seconds.

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De Lima emerged seven seconds after the collision to continue running, his lead cut into but not gone. He was obviously affected. De Lima once waved his arms in apparent exasperation after returning to the road.

“I think that the psychological shock was the greatest impact that I suffered,” de Lima said in Portuguese in the NBC Olympics profile. “To be attacked like that, it was painful. I was totally defenseless and exhausted.

“From that moment, it was a matter of overcoming the odds. I was even shaking my head like that guy messed everything up for me. But quitting the race didn’t once cross my mind.”

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