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'I feel like a joke': Who said what at the Beijing Olympics

Finland's Jon Sallinen crashed into a cameraman in the halfpipe -- but said that it saved him for a bad injury. ©AFP

Beijing (AFP) - The Beijing Olympics close on Sunday, bringing the curtain down on over two weeks of sporting -- and other -- drama. 

Here are some of the best quotes from the last few days:

"Why did you let it go?Why did you let it go?Tell me."

-- Kamila Valieva's coach Eteri Tutberidze after the Russian teenager fell multiple times in the figure skating final.

"It was chilling to see this." 

-- International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach on Tutberidze's reaction. 

"Right now, I just feel like a joke." 

-- US star skier Mikaela Shiffrin after her third crash of the Games.

"I had a glass of wine before the super-G."

-- Switzerland's Michelle Gisin on the secret to winning gold.

"From zero to 10, my physical condition is about a five."

-- Italy's Sofia Goggia on winning silver in the downhill three weeks after a horror crash.

"It has changed my life forever."

-- China's 18-year-old Eileen Gu on a debut Olympics in which she won three medals.

"The most important thing is all about love.Snowboarding is not just about competition."

-- Chinese teenager Su Yiming after winning snowboard Big Air gold.

"A halfpipe is a skier's canvas...It's our art form."

-- New Zealand's Nico Porteous after winning freeski gold.

"Sometimes it doesn't feel like their heart's in the right place, it feels like it's a greed game."

-- British freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy criticises the International Olympic Committee.

"I only know attack mode."

-- US bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor, who won silver and bronze. 

"Apparently the whole town is in the pub and they’ll be cheering pretty loud."

-- Australian bobsledder Kiara Reddingius on how her small hometown is supporting her. 

"I was lucky not to land on my head and maybe got a little cushion from the camera guy."

-- Finnish freeskier Jon Sallinen after crashing into a cameraman by the halfpipe.

"We say that Nordic combined is the game of the maniac."  

-- Dual bronze medallist Akito Watabe.

"We just finished our second puzzle today.Both of them were pizza cats -- cats in space with pizza." 

-- Canada's Cynthia Appiah on amusing herself in the confines of Covid restrictions.

"It was really a lot of draining days, mentally especially.I don't wish it on anyone."

-- German figure skater Nolan Seegert on being in isolation after testing positive for Covid.

"Game-time mode, baby.Turn the beast on." 

-- US freestyle skier Aaron Blunck psyches himself up in the halfpipe.

"It's kind of like in a shark tank." 

-- Skier Joana Haehlen on the fight for one of Switzerland's three spots in women's downhill.

"I thought it was an absolutely ridiculous decision."

-- British cross-country skier Andrew Musgrave after his race was shortened by 20km because of strong winds.

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