It was deliberate. I don't believe at the time there was a common verb form of medal in UK English (It was Matthew Pinsent UK rower educated at Eton and Oxford and therefore would likely have known this was not a plain English word and therefore industry jargon) (although there clearly now is a verb form, although it should be frowned upon IMHO). It was spoken, so I wrote it how I heard it (some years ago). Medal was not a verb, so he must have meant meddle!