Olympic Speed Skater Disqualified After Flipping Double Middle-Finger Salute (Photo)

For all the heat Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has received about his “lack of sportsmanship” after his team won the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, another display of emotion that is going viral in the sports world might take the cake in the “classless” department.

Dutch speed skater Sjinkie Knegt was caught in a photo giving two middle-finger salutes to a fellow competitor as they crossed the finish line at the European short track speed skating championships over the weekend. Three-time Olympic gold medalist Viktor Ahn triumphantly skated over the line with his hands held high, index fingers pointing to the sky in relief, as his team clinched gold in the men’s 5,000-meter relay in Dresden, Germany, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Knegt finished just after Ahn and was shown flipping the bird with both hands and pretending to kick his opponent from behind.

The Dutch team was disqualified from the event for Knegt’s unsportsmanlike conduct, and Knegt lost his bronze medal in the individual standings. The two teams won’t meet again until the Sochi Olympics in February.

Knegt later apologized for his reaction and said it was “not the smartest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Of course I’m sorry,” he told Dutch media, adding that the response was “out of emotion and frustration.”

Check out an edited version of the photo below.

Speed skaters