In the surfing world, there was considerable criticism of the scoring system in the Olympic competitions, which had changed due to conditions and cancellations.
As was known, the first-place finisher at the end of the series of races automatically advanced to the final, in which only three competitors participated (all guaranteed a medal, with the question being only in which order).
For example, Tom Reuveny won an Olympic gold medal yesterday, even though the Israeli did not win any of the 13 races held in the men's IQFoil category. Fortunately, he demonstrated consistency, advanced from the semifinals, and impressed at the critical moment to win. Reuveny had not won any competition in the past seven years.
Emma Wilson, the surfer who competed against Sharon Kantor and won the bronze medal, called on the organizers to consider the mental health of the competitors, saying that although she loved the sport, she hated the format.
Wilson had been dominant in nearly all 14 events in the women's category and advanced directly to the medal race, but lost in the final to her Italian friend Marta Maggetti and to Kantor, who finished second.
"I think that as athletes, we should have a way to vote on the rules or express how we feel about the format," Wilson said while crying.
"I think I'm done with this sport. There will be more people in this situation. Maybe people should look at the mental health of competitors after something like this. It's hard to keep coming back to compete, and I'm not sure if I can return to surfing mentally," Wilson said. "I love the sport, but I hate the format."
Maggetti adds comments
"I don't want to say more, just congratulations to Marta and Sharon; they are great athletes and deserve the medals they received. But maybe the people at World Sailing should think," she added. Maggetti, the winner, also admitted: "This format is unfair, in my opinion, because Emma led all week in all the races. For me, Emma is my idol," she said.
Wilson explained: "In the World Championship, I had a 60-point lead. Here, I had a 30-point lead. How many times can you come back after something like this? There's no doubt there is a flaw in the scoring system. You finish first and advance to the final, but everyone else also has a chance to make it to the final when they compete in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Today, I made one mistake at the start, and that was it."