I was walking toward the mixed zone this evening when I ran into the first lady of Iceland. Dorrit Moussaieff asked me how she could get onto the playing surface, so that she could help celebrate her tiny country's stunning trip into the men's handball finals. I pointed her in the right direction, and told her I worked for The Washington Post. She told me she was friends with Katharine Graham. Then she tried to bring me onto the floor, where 14 large Icelandic men were glorying in the craziest athletic accomplishment in their country's history -- a 36-30 win over Spain in the Olympic semifinals.
"I don't think I can go this way," I said.
"Yes you can; if you're with me you can," she said, approaching the arena guard. "I'm the wife of the President; that's the President," she said, nodding at me while dragging me past the guard...
It's hard to explain just how monumental was Iceland's win over Spain was in today's men's handball semifinals. Spain--with more than 40 million residents--had probably played stronger than any team in the tournament. Iceland has 300,000 residents, and has never won Summer Olympic gold. And yet Iceland never trailed in a 36-30 win, and breezed into Sunday's final against France.
But that's too dry. When we asked Iceland's Sigfus Sigurdsson to explain what the scene would be like back home right now, he used the words "ape [bleep]" three times. That's more like it.
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22/08/2008 | 11:11
First Lady of Iceland Treats Handballer with Massage
Iceland’s First Lady Dorrit Moussaieff assisted Ingibjörg Ragnarsdóttir, the national men’s handball team’s master massage therapist, while she was working on Logi Geirsson in Beijing yesterday.
According to Morgunbladid, Geirsson did not realize at the time who the new massage therapist was, but did seem to appreciate the massage given by the First Lady.
Geirsson was being prepared for Iceland’s game against Spain in the semi-finals in the Beijing Olympics today and the presidential couple will be there to watch and support their team.
“Even if our fine team doesn’t return with a medal from these games they have already won one of the greatest victories in Iceland’s modern sporting history,” President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson said.
The president added however that it would be a unique moment if the Icelandic national anthem is played on Sunday when the finals in men’s handball at the Olympics will take place. If that is to happen, Iceland has to beat Spain today.
The presidential couple watched Iceland beat Poland on Wednesday morning, thereby qualifying for the semi-finals, and after the game they greeted the Icelandic handball players with hugs and kisses.
Final is 4am Sunday on USA! USA! Network. Better get lots of naps today...
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