showdown
冬季オリンピック・ソチ大会のスピードスケート男子１５００メートルの決勝戦に関する記事です。最終決戦でWhelbourne選手が転倒しました。それに対して”showdown”という語を使い文を修飾しています。”showdown”は「土壇場，（けりをつけるための）対決」などという意味があります（Wisdom英和辞典（第三版）』(三省堂)）。また，ポーカー用語では「ゲームの最終的な部分で、残っているプレイヤーが自分たちのカードを見せて、誰が最高のカードを持ち、そして誰がポットを勝ち取るのかを決める」と書かれています(PokerStrategy.com)。まさに，最終決戦という感じがします。（Ume）
Sochi 2014: Jack Whelbourne falls in 1,500m short track final
Britain's Jack Whelbourne crashed and injured himself in the 1,500m short track speed skating final at Sochi 2014 but hopes to skate on through the pain.
The 22-year-old had defied his world ranking to reach the final but twisted his ankle mid-race and did not finish.
"It's very sore but hopefully I'll be OK for the other two distances," the Nottingham skater told BBC Sport.
Canada's Charles Hamelin won the race ahead of China's Han Tianyu as Viktor Ahn won bronze for hosts Russia.
Ahn won three gold medals and a bronze at the Turin Games eight years ago while competing for South Korea as Ahn Hyun-soo, but switched nationality to Russia and changed his name ahead of competing in Sochi.
Earlier on Monday, British duo Elise Christie and Charlotte Gilmartin came safely through their 500m heats to reach Thursday's quarter-finals.
Whelbourne had created history as the first Briton to reach an Olympic 1,500m short track final.
But, having raced a perfect semi-final to reach the showdown for gold, he rolled his ankle on a black rubber block - used to mark the course - which had become dislodged. "It can be quite common in the sport," he said.
