PhotoDude.com

Sun. Aug 29, 2004

The End (of the marathon) Is Near

How could the Olympics be complete without the traditional drunken Irish priest bear hugging the leader of the marathon at the 23 mile point?

The defrocked Irish priest who bolted from the crowd and tackled the marathon leader about three miles from the finish Sunday has been arrested before for disrupting sporting events.

Cornelius Horan, 57, was wearing a green beret, a red kilt and knee-high green socks when he attacked Brazilian runner Vanderlei Lima, knocking him into the crowd. Lima was able to recover and finish, but had to settle for the bronze medal.

“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,” Lima said. “That’s what cost me the gold medal.” [...] “I’m not going to cry forever about the incident, although it broke my concentration,” Lima said, “but I managed to finish and the bronze medal in such a difficult marathon is also a great achievement.”

In July 2003, Horan, in a costume similar to Sunday’s, ran onto the track at the British Grand Prix in the middle of the race and stayed there for more than 20 seconds, forcing Formula One racers traveling at more than 200 mph to swerve around him. He was carrying a sign that said: “Read the Bible the Bible is always right.”

British authorities said Horan also attempted a protest on Wimbledon’s Center Court during a rain break, and tried to disrupt cricket and rugby matches.

ABC News: “Brazilian Attacked During Men’s Marathon”

It would appear the only thing he accomplished was to give police spokespeople a chance for odd quotes: “‘We asked him why he did this,’ she said. ‘He said he is preparing for the Second Coming and other such things like that.’” “Other such things like that” being The Rapture, plague, famine, pestilence, war, the fiery deaths of billions, etc. But my guess is he doesn’t truly believe the Second Coming is imminent, because who would want to meet Jesus looking like this?

Then there’s my favorite quote: “A police source said: ‘The man says he is Irish, he is also drunk.’”

But if the worst security violation during these Olympics was a religious nutball wearing a green beret, a red kilt and knee-high green socks, who thought he could best announce the Second Coming by getting drunk and tackling a Brazilian, well, these Games have been a vast security success.

They managed to scare off everyone except for him, and the guy wearing the tutu and clown shoes.

Efharisto, Athens!

Later: “Defrocked Priest Gets Pseudo Justice”