“At the end of the day there can only be one winner.”

Last night, Britain’s Paul Goodison took home a gold medal in men’s sailing. At least on paper, there can be no doubt that he deserved to win. As the Wall Street Journal reports , however, his strategy in the final race could hardly be described as Olympian:

Brit Paul Goodison entered his Laser class medal race Tuesday in good shape to win a gold. Only Rasmus Myrgren of Sweden presented any threat, and only then as a long shot. Mr. Goodison decided the best way to avoid losing was to stay with Mr. Myrgren’s boat and block him from the front of the pack instead of trying to win the race. The Swede finished 10th in the race to drop to sixth in the overall standings, from second. “It might not have been the best way to do it but with the conditions being so tricky, it was the best way of making sure of gold,” Mr. Goodison said, according to Reuters. “I apologized to Rasmus but I think he was still a bit stressed and upset about the race. He was distraught and I can understand how he feels. I feel really sorry for Rasmus. I wish it had not happened to him but at the end of the day there can only be one winner.”

Hardly what one would call “running the good race.”