--- title: Olympic Skier German Madrazo Happily Finishes Dead Last description: Mexican cross-country skier German Madrazo may have come in dead last at the Olympics, but his finish line celebration was gold medal-worthy. canonical: https://time.com/5162759/olympic-skier-german-madrazo-dead-last-reaction/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-16T17:49:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:50:43.340Z og:title: Olympic Skier Who Finished Dead Last Is the Internet's Hero og:description: German Madrazo's finish line celebration was gold-medal worthy og:url: https://time.com/5162759/olympic-skier-german-madrazo-dead-last-reaction/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0048209c32234b2c/698927fb656a3ff313bd392f/olympics-2018-german-madrazo.jpg?branch=production&width=612&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 612 og:image:height: 344 og:image:alt: Cross-Country Skiing - Winter Olympics Day 7 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Olympic Skier Who Finished Dead Last Is the Internet's Hero twitter:description: German Madrazo's finish line celebration was gold-medal worthy twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0048209c32234b2c/698927fb656a3ff313bd392f/olympics-2018-german-madrazo.jpg?branch=production&width=612&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Internet Found Its New Hero. It's an Olympic Skier Who Finished Dead Last. > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=618f8173-7144-4c26-82e7-8bbcf43b41e6&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Feb 16, 2018 5:49 PM UTC  German Madrazo of Mexico approaches the finish line of the Cross-Country Skiing Men's 15km Free at the 2018 Winter Olympics on February 16, 2018. German Madrazo of Mexico approaches the finish line of the Cross-Country Skiing Men's 15km Free at the 2018 Winter Olympics on February 16, 2018. Matthias Hangst—2018 Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Feb 16, 2018 5:49 PM UTC Mexican [cross-country skier](http://time.com/5118770/is-skiing-a-good-workout/) German Madrazo may have come in dead last in Friday’s 15km men’s individual race at the [2018 Winter Olympics](http://time.com/5143796/winter-olympic-medals-by-country-2018/), but his finish line celebration was [gold medal-worthy](http://time.com/5162305/winnie-the-pooh-japan-figure-skater-yuzuru-hanyu-olympics/). Madrazo, who picked up skiing in 2017, completed the strenuous course nearly 26 minutes behind Switzerland’s Dario Cologna—whose time of 33:43.9 earned him a historic third consecutive gold in the event—but that didn’t stop him from jubilantly waving his country’s flag as he came down the final straight. A number of fellow warm-weather country skiers—including famed [Tongan flag-bearer Pita Taufatofua](http://time.com/5112498/olympics-2018-tongan-flag-bearer-pita-taufatofua-returning/) and Colombia’s Sebastian Uprimny—joyously greeted Madrazo at the finish before hoisting him into the air, prompting an emotional reaction from viewers watching the scene. “Love this Winter Olympics picture,” tweeted _Telegraph_ reporter Ben Bloom. “26 minutes after the winner, Mexican cross country skier German Madrazo is welcomed by friends/rivals from Colombia, Tonga, Morocco and Portugal as he finishes. They came 111 / 113 / 114 / 115 / 116 (out of 116) and are absolutely buzzing.” > [](https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/964466700287606784) > [](https://twitter.com/benbloomsport/status/964493779880194049) See some of the reactions below. > [](https://twitter.com/amyohconnor/status/964502050922008576) > [](https://twitter.com/BassemCFC/status/964416392677113857) > [](https://twitter.com/Jeneralx9/status/964416304550526976) > [](https://twitter.com/Regi1700/status/964517381329571840) > [](https://twitter.com/ernestopriego/status/964464679652294656) > [](https://twitter.com/lee%5Fmoran/status/964460975989710848) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5162759/olympic-skier-german-madrazo-dead-last-reaction/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5162759/olympic-skier-german-madrazo-dead-last-reaction/"},"headline":"The Internet Found Its New Hero. 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