Coe hails poetic justice dealt by Dutch judo star
PERHAPS he’s been taking tips from GB’s medal-winning gymnasts, because London 2012 chairman Lord Coe pulled off a delicate balancing act yesterday when asked about the bottle thrown onto the track before the men’s 100m final on Sunday.
The alleged perpetrator received instant and painful retribution when the delightfully onomatopoeic Edith Bosch, Holland’s leading female 70kg judoka, who happened to be sitting in the row behind, responded by cuffing him on the back.
The 6ft powerhouse – whose nicknames include Bambi and Forest – took a break from crime-fighting to Tweet: “A drunken spectator threw a bottle onto the track! I HAVE BEATEN HIM …. unbelievable.” Coe, while mindful to avoid advocating tit-for-tat reprisals, neatly channelled the inherent humour of the incident when quizzed about the morning after Usain Bolt’s dazzling title defence.
“I’m not suggesting vigilantism,” he said. “But it was actually poetic justice that they happened to be sitting next to a judo player.”
Bolt, too, despite insisting he didn’t condone violence, couldn’t help breaking into a hearty chuckle when asked about the kerfuffle during his post-race media conference.
A 34-year old man was arrested and has pleaded not guilty to the charge of a public order offence.