London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics - General discussion

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Omnis
The fastest swimmers have huge arms and short legs. See M. Phelps.
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There was a 1,500 metres specialist from Turkey. He did have large shoulders but he actually had extremely long legs. He was in the Sydney Olympics and was World Champ and eventually Olympic Champ for that distance.

As I say, different events requires different things. Phelps is an all-rounder that specialises in butterfly. Freestylers and backstrokers are long and thin (relatively speaking). Fly swimmers are very broad on the shoulders while having skinny hips and relatively short legs. Breastrokers have massive power in their legs and big arms and backs.

However, that is the general idea but body shapes doesn't ultimately means that a swimmer that has perfect technique and is very efficient cannot make the Olympics because he or she is 5 ft 5 or less if they can make everything work in their favour.

But yes, Phelps was blessed with a desirable body for swimming. Although lately it does seem that he isn't on his top form recently, but that is the rate of improvement with training and competition since he made his debut
 
Technique is always 90%. The rest is split between strength and genetics. Just look at the discus throw. To be the best, you have to have flawless technique, be strong as hell, and be a genetic freak when it comes to length. My cousin couldn't hack it with only two of those (was only merely strong as heck). Virgilijus Alekna, on the other hand, has great technique, is incredibly strong, and can palm the glass on each side of a city bus. A human trebuchet. There are guys throwing that can suplex a rodeo bull, but their technique blows. Then there are people missing the length (Like P. Malachowski), but they can make up for it with spin speed.

I imagine swimming is similar.
 
Swimming is similar to that, yes. More so because they have to go through something that naturally resists their movements.

There is a natural point in which everyone will not similar improve any more, unless they can find (Somehow) a better technique or add more muscle. Also, the make-up of their body is important too, unfortunately. It is like Kenyan runners, they run at attitude so they have more red blood cells to transport oxygen to the body.

Its like the discus, there can be a general size that competitors will be at, but sometimes you will get the odd body shape mixing in there as well so it isn't always the case of if the person is that particular shape, they'll be fantastic at the sport. Its just a combination of everything to a very high standard.

So I'm basically agreeing with you Omnis, just putting forward my interpretation of body genetics and the like and how it does have an effect, just not always the be all and end all.

Some people can be amazing in the sport, amazing technique, body size and everything but if their mind isn't in it, then its not worth it for them and they've already lost the race/event! Its pretty amazing to watch that sometimes.

Poor Euan Burton, saw the interview after he lost the Judo. He has far more self control than I ever would have at that time, I would have been crying my eyes out and punching holes in walls at that time!

What can you do?
 
Let's go USA! A draw wins the group.
 
RTÈ Commentators: "We will be back with the Ladies Team Gymnastic's right after the break."

*after the break*

"Let's go down to Chloe Magee now for a interview to see how she is after losing her match 2-1 today."

:grumpy:

Would watch on BBC but I like HD.
 
Fantastic to hear that we have a silver in eventing! :)

Lets hope we got more medals in the pool tonight!
 
20 minutes in: Hope has had to touch the ball one time, USA is controlling the rate of play, and Alex Morgan shook the post with a shot early on. 0-0 still.

Goal!! Such unselfish play from Alex Morgan, passing the ball 5 yards from net to Wambach who drills it home :). 1-0 USA.

Wambach tests the keeper again with a sizzling header. Corner not taken well.

Cheney drills a cross into a Korean player's face.
 
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Famine
He's been arrested, but not for trolling Tom Daley. He's been arrested for making multiple threats of murder.
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I was reading his Twitter page yesterday and it appears he's been doing it for a while. The authorities only got involved after an athlete was targeted. 👎 The little **** should have been stopped long ago.
 
Wambach just misses a shot on a through ball, off the post, Cheney hits the side netting with the rebound and crashes into the keeper. Same post Morgan hit earlier.

Lloyd misses over the bar from 10 yards out. Should have been buried.

Halftime. Good performance so far, USA dominated possession and got 8 corners. So, they need to put away more of these easy chances, especially against better teams later on.
 
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Tsonga - the Frenchman, and Raonic - the Canadian, fighting to give their nation Gold.
 
Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan do all the hard work, and Tobin Heath misses the chance on a silver platter. At least it was only an inch or two above the bar..
 
daan
Should there not be a height limit for swimmers?
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Janet Evans, one of my favorite Olympians ever, stood 5'6", and was by no means large build or overly muscular like most modern swimmers. she was less than 120 lbs. Being a distance swimmer helped, but she was tiny by modern standards.

Consider...

She set a World Record in 1988 that stood for 18 years. Another world record of hers stood for 11 years and a third stood longer than all but one other swimming record in history, man or woman. It stood through FOUR Olympics and of course the World Championships and major meets in between.

It's not always about size.
 
Those last few performances from the USA girls in the gymnastics :bowdown:
 
Moglet
I was reading his Twitter page yesterday and it appears he's been doing it for a while. The authorities only got involved after an athlete was targeted. 👎 The little **** should have been stopped long ago.
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If people complain, then the police will act.

Sadly, far too many people just accept such language on social networking sites.
 
A few more missed chances for us, a second yellow for a Korean player, and the final whistle were about the only exciting things in the second half. 1-0 USA, final.

I see good potential for us in the knockout round if the defense stays solid and we put away a better percentage of chances.

Go Missy!

Allison Schmitt for gold, I absolutely cannot believe how Missy got left out.. It had to be less than a tenth of a second between second and fourth..

All is well, Missy can still win 5 medals. Here comes Phelps in his favorite stroke.

Phelps led for 199 meters. Looked exactly like Phelps beating Cavic in Beijing.. I'm afraid he's losing it..
 
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OOhhh Phelps just misses out on gold!!
 
I knew it was gonna happen with 25 meters left. His turn was so good, he just ran out of gas. Hopefully he can win one gold in London to get to 15 and hopefully medal in the 4x200 free relay tonight to get the all time medal record.

I just realized he's giving a few people a chance to tell their grandkids, "I beat the greatest Olympian in history."

And Missy lost out on third place by .01 of a second. :grumpy:
 
Hoping for a silver later tonight for coutts, and hopefully the Australian's can get up for silver. Ye is way too fast, and America look unstoppable, Hence i doubt they'll get any gold in swimming tonight.

And poland lost to Bulgaria in volleyball...urgh...

It's pretty exciting living in an age, when we are witnessing the best ever swimmer in history, as well as the best Tennis player ever, and the best F1 driver ever, and possibly the best Football team ever and player, i'm glad i've grown up watching some of the best athletes in history compete.

Arghhhh!!! Edge of my seat stuff! Coutts holding on, but smashed in the end by Ye. Good enough, considering how fast Ye is.
 
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Hannah Miley finishes 7th in the 200m IM :indiff:

I think that this had been a sluggish start to the games for them GB.. and i bet im not the only one on here who thinks that either!
 
So will the 4th place finishers get bronze when Ye Shiwen's medals get taken away (hopefully, if deserved)?

Leverenz for the bronze, Kukors 5th.

Ye doesn't even look happy, there's something fishy about her.

Brazil saves a penalty, here comes Phelps for the all time record.

:lol: Lochte swims first this time so he doesn't screw up as anchor!

Gold!!
 
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MUSC4EVER
Hannah Miley finishes 7th in the 200m IM :indiff:

I think that this had been a sluggish start to the games for them GB.. and i bet im not the only one on here who thinks that either!
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Sluggish ? I'l say. So much for the "biggest medal haul evar." Lithuania, Slovakia and Georgia currently have more golds than we do. :ouch:
 
Well, what a disappointing end, 5th! Not even bronze.
 
Michael Phelps!! the greatest ever!!!!!!!!!!!:cheers:
 
TyrrellRacing
Sluggish ? I'l say. So much for the "biggest medal haul evar." Lithuania, Slovakia and Georgia currently have more golds than we do. :ouch:
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Calm down, only 53 medals out of 302 have been won so far, still plenty of chances to get a gold medal.
 
MUSC4EVER
Hannah Miley finishes 7th in the 200m IM :indiff:

I think that this had been a sluggish start to the games for them GB.. and i bet im not the only one on here who thinks that either!
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Miley was never actually going to be in contention for a medal position for the 200 IM. Its not her best event. The 400 IM is, in which she did set a good time for herself, but she recognised it wasn't her best swim. Sometimes it works that way, unfortunately.

For Miley to even get into the Final of the 200 IM is a massive achievement for her.

Its more about the time, rather than the place she came in. With most swimmers the time is far more important as it is a barometer to whether they have improved or set a lifetime best. This is why we compete, to see who can set the fastest time in a predetermined time and place.

It is the media that is distorting your view on their true performance.

A home Olympics doesn't always mean that the host country will win loads of medals. Normally that comes in the next Olympics, strangely enough (or it seems to).
 
Possible medl stripped? What happened??
 
I know that its only just started but im a bit underwhelmed by the performance of team GB so far..

..but hopefully itll get better tomorrow..with the Bradley Wiggins in the cycling time trail, theres the womens time trail as well and theres most of the rowing finals are tomorrow which team GB are involved in..and we are normally very good at that..so who knows..
 
Can't help but feel GB have a chance of a medal in the mens football. Certainly not gold, that's Brazil's but looking at their potential opponents should they win/draw against Uruguay there's nobody really that would dominate, except Brazil.
 
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