Yuri van Gelder, the Dutch gymnast who earned the nickname “Lord of the Rings” for his world-champion performance on that apparatus, will leave Rio de Janeiro, possibly with a new moniker — “Lord of the Drinks.”
The Dutch Olympic Committee sent the 33-year-old home on Monday for partying too hard after Saturday’s preliminary rounds that saw Van Gelder qualify for the rings final.
Van Gelder left Olympic Village on Saturday night and didn’t return until Sunday morning, when he admitted he’d been drinking, according to the announcement about Van Gelder’s ouster posted to the Dutch team’s website on Tuesday. The Dutch Olympic Committee strictly prohibits alcohol use during competitions, which is what led to its decision to send Van Gelder home.
“It’s terrible for Yuri, but this kind of behavior is unacceptable,” Dutch team ambassador Maurits Hendriks said (translated via the Guardian). “In sports terms this is a disaster, but we had no other choice given the violation of our values. … Yuri has left us no choice.”
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This is not the first time Van Gelder has gotten into trouble with the team for substance violations. In 2009, the Dutch gymnastics governing board suspended the gymnast for using cocaine ahead of the national championships, the Guardian reports.
https://twitter.com/yvangelder/status/761290139188523010
Van Gelder, who was the rings world champion in 2005 and was Netherlands’ only hope for capturing a medal on the apparatus in Rio, has not commented at length about his latest suspension. He only noted on his website (via Netherlands’ Nos.nl) that he “wants to process the events in a confined environment first before releasing a full statement.”
Thanks to Van Gelder’s withdrawal, France’s Danny Pinheiro will get a chance in Monday’s rings final. Pinheiro, who qualified 10th, is the second replacement in the event after his teammate Samir Ait Said was forced to withdrawal when he fractured his leg during the vault qualifications on Saturday. Ukraine’s Igor Radivilov, who qualified ninth replaced Said.
No Americans qualified for the final round of the apparatus on which China’s Yang Liu had the highest qualifying score.
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