A proud moment for Russian speed skater Olga Graf was nearly marred by mortification when she unzipped her skating suit, not thinking about what she had on underneath — nothing.
"I totally forgot," Graf told The Associated Press. "We have very good suits and they are very tight. ... You just want to breathe and you want to take off your suit."
The incident happened at Adler Arena after Graf notched Russia's first medal — a bronze — in the women's 3000m, which President Vladimir Putin took a moment to acknowledge.
"You brought an unforgettable moment of triumph and utter joy to millions of fans by taking the first medal for our team," he said.
The moment became unforgettable for spectators as well when Graf unzipped the suit during a cool down lap, revealing a triangle of skin from neck to belly button.
Photographers captured the moment and when she realized the problem, Graf quickly zipped back up.
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"Only afterward did I realize that maybe this video will appear on YouTube," she told the AP. "But I don't think it will be so bad."
Her slip-up is far from the first athletic wardrobe malfunction to attract Internet buzz. At the Summer Games in London, a player on Spain's women's water polo team got unwanted attention after an underwater camera captured a bathing suit grab by an opponent that exposed more than she would have wanted. And in 2009 swimmer Ricky Berens split the back of his swimsuit during a dive at a world championships.
Graf's slip-up leaves her little to be embarrassed about, by comparison. The 30-year-old realized her error before too much skin was visible, notched the bronze and beat her previous personal best with a time of 4 minutes 3.47 seconds. Irene Wust from the Netherlands won the gold, while Martina Sablikova from the Czech Republic took silver.
