Olympics Thread

Anime Dad wrote:Points taken :) Thanks to Phelps, the USA dominated the pool. Australia's men were very disappointing, the women picked up 6 gold, the men none :(

What happened to Ian Thorpe? I didn't think he was over-the-hill... Or is he? :sweat:

bmwracer wrote:
What happened to Ian Thorpe? I didn't think he was over-the-hill... Or is he? :sweat:

Yeah, he retired after Athens. Big shoes to fill... literally ;)

Aussie woimens basketball having trouble against Russia - but pulling ahead now :D

In an attempt to find less popular sports on TV, I tuned into the coverage on Universal HD. What I found was the super-heavyweight division of women's weightlifting, which was won by a very large South Korean woman. :beaten: It wasn't pretty, but I was interested enough to stick with it until the end.

Super No. 1 wrote:In an attempt to find less popular sports on TV, I tuned into the coverage on Universal HD. What I found was the super-heavyweight division of women's weightlifting, which was won by a very large South Korean woman. :beaten: It wasn't pretty, but I was interested enough to stick with it until the end.

You were spared the incessant bombardment of Michael Phelps adjectives and cutaways to his mother's cheers.... :bleh:

U.S. men's basketball team routs (an understatement) Germany, 106-57.

Next up: a rematch with Australia.

team gb up to 3rd in medal table. :shocked: :applaud:

First of all, kudos to Michael Phelps. He deserves all the hype and attention for his remarkable accomplishments; it's one of these once-in-a-generation type achievements, so let the guy bask in all the adulation--he earned it. That said, I'm glad the swimming events are done.

For me, the two most singularly impressive individual performances in a specific event thus far have been Jamaica's Usain Bolt's world record in the men's 100-meter dash and South Korea's Jang Mi-ran's world record in the women's super heavyweight division in weightlifting.

Bolt stopped pumping his arms 15 meters from the finish line, pounded his chest twice before finishing, and still ran an eye-popping 9.69, becoming the first to break the 9.7 barrier. Had he actually sprinted the entire race, there's no doubt he would have broken 9.6. I don't think most people realize how insane these times are.

Jang became the first woman to lift over 400 pounds above her head. And she did it twice, within a matter of a couple of minutes of each attempt. Absolutely mindboggling. I think most people don't realize how much athleticism is required to be able to perform the two Olympic lifts (snatch and clean & jerk) at that elite level. The Olympic lifts are not pure strength events; quickness, balance, coordination, and kinesthetic awareness are necessary components as well.

I completely agree with you shin2.

I am in awe with what Phelps accomplished in these games. It's not easy going what he did. IIRC, he performed 4 different strokes, and had lots of help from his teammates in the medleys. The problem was that NBC needed ratings (see disaster of the 2004 Athens Games) and they found their gem in Phelps.

But in doing so they completely ignored "lightning" Bolt's incredible 9.69. He definitely could have clocked 9.59 if he didn't coast to the victory. Bolt made the other competitors look like rookies with the ease of his run. Amazing.

dochira wrote:I completely agree with you shin2.

I am in awe with what Phelps accomplished in these games. It's not easy going what he did. IIRC, he performed 4 different strokes, and had lots of help from his teammates in the medleys. The problem was that NBC needed ratings (see disaster of the 2004 Athens Games) and they found their gem in Phelps.

Yeah, they're playing that up to the hilt.

Next stop: Overexposure.

But in doing so they completely ignored "lightning" Bolt's incredible 9.69. He definitely could have clocked 9.59 if he didn't coast to the victory. Bolt made the other competitors look like rookies with the ease of his run. Amazing.

That was an awesome run... Don't know why he took his foot off the gas near the end... He would've broke 9.6... Incredible.

bmwracer wrote:
Next up: a rematch with Australia.

That's going to be difficult for Australia :sweat:

That was an awesome run... Don't know why he took his foot off the gas near the end... He would've broke 9.6... Incredible.

I don't think he realised how fast it was. He was just psyched to be out in front :bow:

Anime Dad wrote:I don't think he realised how fast it was. He was just psyched to be out in front

And by a lot. :sweat:

dochira wrote:I completely agree with you shin2.

I am in awe with what Phelps accomplished in these games. It's not easy going what he did. IIRC, he performed 4 different strokes, and had lots of help from his teammates in the medleys. The problem was that NBC needed ratings (see disaster of the 2004 Athens Games) and they found their gem in Phelps.

But in doing so they completely ignored "lightning" Bolt's incredible 9.69. He definitely could have clocked 9.59 if he didn't coast to the victory. Bolt made the other competitors look like rookies with the ease of his run. Amazing.

But i think he's a jerk for easing off and gloating before he hit the finish line. Behavior like that belongs in the end zone of a football game, not the olympics.


:shakehead: :shakehead:

krim wrote:

But i think he's a jerk for easing off and gloating before he hit the finish line. Behavior like that belongs in the end zone of a football game, not the olympics.


:shakehead: :shakehead:

I strongly disapprove of trash talking, pre-choreographed celebrations, taunting, etc.

But I tend to think Bolt's behavior was due more to youthful exuberance rather than the deliberate taunting of his opponents. He's 21 years old, in only his first year of running this event, in the most important race of his nascent career, on the biggest stage in the world, and he finds himself 20 meters from the finish line, with no one remotely close to him, and it suddenly hits him that he's going to win the gold medal. I think he reacted impulsively and honestly. If you want to call it an act of immaturity rather than youthful exuberance, so be it. But I don't think he was purposely trying to disrespect his opponents, his sport, or the Olympic Games.

shin2 wrote:But I tend to think Bolt's behavior was due more to youthful exuberance rather than the deliberate taunting of his opponents. He's 21 years old, in only his first year of running this event, in the most important race of his nascent career, on the biggest stage in the world, and he finds himself 20 meters from the finish line, with no one remotely close to him, and it suddenly hits him that he's going to win the gold medal. I think he reacted impulsively and honestly. If you want to call it an act of immaturity rather than youthful exuberance, so be it. But I don't think he was purposely trying to disrespect his opponents, his sport, or the Olympic Games.

He clearly was just trying to leave some room for improvement .... for the 2012 Olympics, when he will beat the record under 9.6 secs. :beaten:

BTW, isn't it the coolest thing to have a name like "Bolt" when you're actually a track sprinter. :bow:

^ They're talking about Bolt's early celebration on the tube right now... Apparently some people have talked to Bolt about it for his upcoming 200m race...


If you guys might recall, Maurice Greene did something similar in Sydney (2000), but after winning the 100m: posing, strutting, and preening... :shakehead:

That was really low-class.

shin2 wrote:

I strongly disapprove of trash talking, pre-choreographed celebrations, taunting, etc.

But I tend to think Bolt's behavior was due more to youthful exuberance rather than the deliberate taunting of his opponents. He's 21 years old, in only his first year of running this event, in the most important race of his nascent career, on the biggest stage in the world, and he finds himself 20 meters from the finish line, with no one remotely close to him, and it suddenly hits him that he's going to win the gold medal. I think he reacted impulsively and honestly. If you want to call it an act of immaturity rather than youthful exuberance, so be it. But I don't think he was purposely trying to disrespect his opponents, his sport, or the Olympic Games.

I think you've got me wrong. it's one thing to celebrate with exuberance, youth or old, take the woman that won the marathon for instance. She kept running around the track even after running a marathon, she was genuinely happy.

On the other hand, when you look at Bolt's end performance, I feel it's a total disrespect to the other competitors that he let off and started to celebrate BEFORE he hit the finish line. It's a thin line between disprespect and celebration.

Imagine you were his opponent and you were behind him trying very damn hardest to catch him and he lets off and starts to celebrate 15m before the finish. I would think that it would leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Let's say the basketball team was 100 points ahead after the 3rd quarter and started to goof off and hot dog for the rest of the game. I wouldn't consider that good sportsmanship. If the olympics are supposed to be the sacred and privileged event that it is supposed to be, then that type of behavior shouldn't be encouraged and the athletes should know that, or at least be informed by their coach.

Like Beem said, i think it was pretty low-class of him.

and again china takes the gold and the bronze
but man was that a close one :fingerscrossed:
in gymnastics wow :sweat: :wow:

Man beside phelps :shocked: shocking race
this was even closer andmore in tense
:victory: wow is all i have to say to that and congratulation to China on that :woot:

krim wrote:

But i think he's a jerk for easing off and gloating before he hit the finish line. Behavior like that belongs in the end zone of a football game, not the olympics.


:shakehead: :shakehead:

TOTALLY!! :shakehead: The Olympics is the place to set records!!

I have cable TV for the first time in years to watch the Olympics. NBC is doing a great job I think.

Regarding the amazing Phelps. How great to have a sincere and nice champion.
Lezak's race made me want to cry. Without him beating his own PB by 1.5 seconds Phelps last medal would not have been possible. The US men's swim team was marvelous. Oh, and so were our girl gymnasts! :woot:

krim wrote:

I think you've got me wrong. it's one thing to celebrate with exuberance, youth or old, take the woman that won the marathon for instance. She kept running around the track even after running a marathon, she was genuinely happy.

On the other hand, when you look at Bolt's end performance, I feel it's a total disrespect to the other competitors that he let off and started to celebrate BEFORE he hit the finish line. It's a thin line between disprespect and celebration.

Imagine you were his opponent and you were behind him trying very damn hardest to catch him and he lets off and starts to celebrate 15m before the finish. I would think that it would leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Let's say the basketball team was 100 points ahead after the 3rd quarter and started to goof off and hot dog for the rest of the game. I wouldn't consider that good sportsmanship. If the olympics are supposed to be the sacred and privileged event that it is supposed to be, then that type of behavior shouldn't be encouraged and the athletes should know that, or at least be informed by their coach.

Like Beem said, i think it was pretty low-class of him.

What I was addressing is intent. Do I think Bolt intentionally tried to disrespect his opponents with his posturing before the end of the race?

No, I don't.

Do I think his premature celebration could be rightfully interpreted as showing poor sportsmanship?

Yes, I do.

My contention is that he did it impulsively, not purposely.

What he did was wrong, but imo it was done not out of malice, but out of ignorance.

I don't condone what he did, but I do think intent is a big factor in considering how harshly he should be judged.

That's the point I was trying to make.

From Yahoo! Sports:

Trash talk backfires at the Beijing Olympics

By JOHN LEICESTER, AP Olympics Columnist
Aug 18, 2:40 pm EDT

BEIJING (AP)\Yelena Isinbayeva got the Olympic gold and a world record; American Jenn Stuczynski got the silver and a lesson in humility.

And we now have a new rivalry that should make womanfs pole vaulting fun to watch for many more years to come.

Big poles and big mouths donft go together. Stuczynski knows that now. Pole vaulting isnft basketball or boxing. Itfs far too graceful of a sport for the kind of trash-talk she doled out before the Beijing Games.

gI hope we do some damage,h she had said, gand, you know, kick some Russian butt.h

Big mistake.

Isinbayeva is Russian but she understands English just fine. The greatest womenfs pole vaulter of all time heard Stuczynskifs challenge loud and clear.

gI am not deaf,h she said. gIt made me really angry.h

Their head-to-head clash turned Monday night at the Birdfs Nest stadium in Beijing into a showdown, with long poles instead of Don King.

First, some Cliffs Notes for those who didnft tune into this saga, with its slightly musty Cold War whiff, in the run-up to the Olympics.

\ Stuczynski: Tall, wholesome American, natural athlete; took up pole vaulting late, had a gift for it, quickly became second-best womanfs vaulter of all time, behind the Russian.

\ Isinbayeva: Lithe former gymnast who switched to pole vault when she grew too tall as a teen, hasnft looked back since. In a class of her own.

Like any good fight, the public announcer introduced the combatants first. Isinbayeva was presented last and got the crowdfs biggest roar. No mistaking who the Birdfs Nest was rooting for.

Isinbayeva is a bit like those supermodels who supposedly donft get out of bed for anything less than a very lucrative photo shoot. Only when the bar has reached dizzying heights that most other vaulters canft clear does Isinbayeva deign to take her first jump.

Shefs just that good.

Monday night, her first jump was 4 meters 70 (15 feet, 5 inches). She soared right over. Seven of the 11 other vaulters had already dropped out by that point.

And so up the bar went, and up again. Itfs that exquisite turning of the screw that makes pole vaulting so addictive to watch. Whofll crack first?

Womenfs pole vault has only been an Olympic sport since the Sydney Games in 2000. It was an instant crowd pleaser. Almost single-handedly thanks to Isinbayeva, the sport has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Stacy Dragilafs winning height in Sydney was 4.60 (15-1), which Stuczynski and Isinbayeva now sail over that in their sleep.

On Monday night, the last two hangers on dropped out with the bar at 4.80 (15-9), leaving Isi and Stu to fight it out for the gold alone.

The Russian won by KO. She cleared 4.85 (15-11). Stuczynski vaulted no higher than 4.80. Game over.

Almost.

With the whole stadium now eating out of her hand, Isinbayeva wasnft going to stop there. The crowd had only seen her jump twice\that was all it had taken for her to defend her Olympic crown.

She wanted to give them more c and perhaps rub that American nose just a little deeper in the dirt.

It was showtime. Isinbayeva-time. And that meant a world record.

First, she broke the Olympic record\her own, from Athens four years ago\ as an appetizer.

Then, the bar went to a height itfs never been before, 5.05 (16-6 3/4).

She got it on the last of her three tries. She was celebrating even before she had fallen back to earth. She screamed. Clutched her face. Screamed some more. Did a forward somersault. Grabbed a Russian flag from someone in the crowd and set off on a lap of honor.

And that whole time, Stuczynski was made to wait, sitting on a row of plastic chairs, until Isinbayeva had cleared the magic height. It was the 24th time that the Russian had set a world record; she generally likes to eke them out one centimeter at a time.

Afterward, Stuczynski didnft want to talk about her pre-game trash-talk, brushing off a question with an abrupt gOK, next.h

It was her first Olympics and her first medal, gI couldnft ask for anything more,h she said.

Beaten but not cowed, she said she expects to catch Isinbayeva eventually.

gItfs just experience. Shefs been in the Olympics before, shefs been in world championships, shefs jumped a decade longer than me, so itfs just a matter of time,h she said.

Isinbayeva tried not to be smug. She had done what she had set out to do: let her vaulting do the talking.

gI just wanted to prove who is the best at the Olympic Games.h

But she couldnft resist one last little dig

gShe must respect me and c know her position,h she said.

gNow she knows it.h