London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics - General discussion

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ross
  • 1,936 comments
  • 89,411 views
I saw a rowing gold coming from at least a mile away after watching it today.

If we don't manage at least another one in the rowing, then we're gonna have a problem.
 
C-ZETA
If we don't manage at least another one in the rowing, then we're gonna have a problem.
Click to expand...

Well Ukraine just got the next one, so it's down to the Men's Eight (which Australia will win :sly:)
 
So happy for Stanning and Glover!! congrats girls:cheers:

Finally our olympics has now started!! can we get another gold in the mens 8's??

No we cant!, a bronze for Team GB!!

What a 10/20 minutes though!!
 
Getting our first Gold is great, and they smashed the field! That's an amazing effort! 👍 Only 90 second faster than I can row 2k though...:dopey:
 
And along with them medals, some more good news! In the past hour the decision has been made to disqualify the 4 pairs of badminton players for not using their best efforts whilst playing so that they could manipulate the draw.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19072677

Just watch the video.
 
daan
Having more events to take part in obviously helps. Imagine how many medals Steve Redgrave would have if he had done multiple events every Olympics...
Click to expand...
I feel like you are downplaying the achievement of mastering many forms. Granted, Phelps has all his medals in swimming, so it is not nearly as impressive as golding in swimming, gymnastics, and shot-put would be, but he isn't competing in multiple races of the same stroke. It would be like Steve Redgrave getting gold in rowing and kayaking. They both involve boats and oars, but there are notable differences.

That said, if swimming had an all around competition like gymnastics I doubt Phelps would have the medals he does because best all around would quite possibly be his ultimate goal. If gymnastics didn't have an all around competition I think some of the US women's gymnasts would be nipping at Phelps' record.

Also, it seems weird that Phelps has an opportunity to go for a new medal almost daily while team sports like soccer/football or basketball or done in rounds. How many soccer/basketball games do the gold medalists win vs the number if races Phelps is in? Yet, they get one medal for arguably equal or even more physical effort.

I guess ultimately it comes down to how you want to judge the athletes. Phelps likely puts far more effort into training than a basketball or soccer player but a basketball or soccer player exerts much more physical effort in pursuit of their medal.
 
I watch gymnastics once every four years, but have a former gymnast in the home in my 14 year old daughter. She doesn't miss a moment. That said....

If you haven't seen the American gymnast McKayla Maroney absolutely launch herself into the stratosphere while vaulting - you need to see it. Finding a highlight of her vault last night in the team competition, watching the upcoming individual apparatus finals, something. She's different and more dynamic even to the untrained eye like mine.

She's far and away the best in the world, achieving speed, distance, power and most importantly a height that no girl in the world can touch... AND she does it while performing the most difficult vault of anyone in the games in terms of technical requirements, flips, spins and a blind landing too.

I've seen a few replays where the judges (who sit alongside the landing area) have to LEAN BACK in their chairs to get a good view of the height she's achieving in order to score it. I Dont think the judges do that for anyone else, such is the uniquenees of this young lady's skills Seems like a nice kid too, grounded, cute as can be (as noticed by my 16 yea old son and he's right) -- as well as being a good interview (unlike teammates who can be horrid with a mic nearby)

Maroney is the current World Champion and the favorite for vaulting gold. Her vault last night was incredible - might as well give her the gold now.
 
Actually, Phelps did compete in multiple races of the same stroke. He did the 100 and 200 fly. The 200 and 400 IM. The 200 and 400 freestyle events. Also all the relay events. They have periods of the same strokes for different distances. Unless you mean something else?
 
Lmao. Was watching sailing just now, and they showed an older Swedish guy sitting on shore between races. It's overcast... kinda dreary outside today. He says to the camera, "We're here in de weader (weather), but next four yares (years) Brazil! YERRRR!!! (Yeah!)" LMAO. So funny.
 
The gold and bronze in the rowing earlier means GB has lept from 23rd to 14th in the medal table! 👍

Bradley Wiggins in the time trail up next!
 
Hey sorry for the double post but ive got to tell you guys this..but im watching the cycling time trail and theres a guy taking part called Jack Bauer! :lol:
 
The only thing about swimming as an event in the olympics I've never understood, is the different disciplines. I don't really get the backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke, as they're all slower and seem less efficient than the front crawl/freestyle. To me, it seems like having a 100m dash, then 100m running backwards, then 100m side shuffle. It just seems a little silly that there's so many medals up for swimming, it's a little overrepresented IMO.

Inb4 racewalking because I think that's silly too.
 
Wiggins gets gold :) for now....
 
Confirmed. Britan get 2 medals :)

Wiggins gold.
Frued bronze.

Not to bad.
 
Bradley Wiggins olympic champion!!..and Chris Froome gets bronze!!:cheers:
 
Wiggo Wiggo Wiggo!
 
Submerged
Actually, Phelps did compete in multiple races of the same stroke. He did the 100 and 200 fly. The 200 and 400 IM. The 200 and 400 freestyle events. Also all the relay events. They have periods of the same strokes for different distances. Unless you mean something else?
Click to expand...

Do runners in the 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500 etc, and the relay races run sideways sometimes or is it straight ahead each race? Marathoners go forward too?

Golly.


Noob616
The only thing about swimming as an event in the olympics I've never understood, is the different disciplines. I don't really get the backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke, as they're all slower and seem less efficient than the front crawl/freestyle. To me, it seems like having a 100m dash, then 100m running backwards, then 100m side shuffle. It just seems a little silly that there's so many medals up for swimming, it's a little overrepresented IMO.
Click to expand...

It takes a very special swimmer to be able to earn medals using four different strokes. Name a more well rounded, versatile swimmer (not to mention enormously successful) in the history of man than Michael Phelps.
 
Kazakhstan have won 3 golds. No more, no less.
 
*ahem* Who said we'd get Golds today? :sly::lol: Great performance by Wiggo and Froome, Cancellara was clearly still suffering from that fall. So great to see two great events for British cycling happening less that two weeks apart!
 
Wiggo Wiggo Wiggo! \o/ :bowdown:
 
The odds on Wiggins winning BBC's Sports Personality Of The Year must be among the lowest in history... Tour De France winner and now Olympic Champion on home turf? It just doesn't get any better :)
 
Its an interesting point none the less. I don't deny Phelps could be the greatest olympian ever but swimming events seems to be over represented at the Olympics. Swimming is as much of a sport as Tennis yet you can only hope to win 2 medals in the entire olympic games. Its quite simple impossible to win 19 Olympic medals playing Tennis every year. At best you can win single and doubles equalling two medals every four years. Then it would take you(or Roger Federer) 8 summer olympics or a span of 32-35 years(after you turned 16)(or more if you turn 16 the year after a summer olympics) to do this. Quite simply impossible even for the best player ever. At the age of 40 you just have no chance against a 23 year pro who is top ten in the world.

If tennis players had more opportunities to win medals they would do those events. But they really only have 1 or 2 which is singles and doubles and rarely do people win both.

Phelps is a phenomenal swimmer so naturally he will get medals in all events he enters. You can make a generic statement for most other sports.
X is a phenomenal Y....but Phelps has more events available to him to win.

Tennis, Basketball, Soccer and others are one shot medals. There are no medals for dunking, aces, or individual goals.
 
Hang on, haven't the majority of our medals come from sitting down sports? Rowing, Cycling and Equestrian? :lol:
 
mattythedog
Hang on, haven't the majorit of our medals come from sitting down sports? Rowing, Cycling and Equestrian? :lol:
Click to expand...
Sitting is my favourite sport.
 
Touring Mars
Sitting is my favourite sport.
Click to expand...

Sitting is GB's best sport it seems. :lol:
 
Just fantastic!! tour de france winner and olympic champion in the space of 8 days!! greatest british cyclist ever!!!! :)
 
Back