2016 Summer Olympics

[Commodore]

So? When I watch men's diving or gymnastics, I'm only partly interested in the actual sport...

Sounds like you have a lot in common with my wife.

 

[Arwon]

): poor Katrina Gorry.

Brazilian keeper off her line nearly every time tho.

 

[Kyriakos]

"United States Olympian Michael Phelps has equalled the record for Most Individual Olympic Victories (12), previously set by Leonidas of Rhodes, 2168 years ago".

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au...s/news-story/8ac1b75590ab466bac232ee034dd906c

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I wonder what Leonidas of Rhodes would have done with access to Phelps' drugs

 

[IglooDame]

I knew I saved this screenshot for a reason, and it only took the (first?) or second page to show me a reason for it.

While the rest of the world has always gone by Gold count, the US has always gone by total medals. We had this same discussion in 2012, 2008, etc. Whenever the US media has not gone by total medals and gone by gold medals, those media usually were lazy and just copied the official Olympic press releases instead of making their own tables.

Spoiler :

This was early in the Olympics, showing the rankings by total medals, with China in the lead.

The irony being, if it were shown um 'correctly' by the global standard, the US would be first (or at least second, I suppose first non-metallic tiebreaker is alphabetic order of names?) on that particular list instead of third.

 

[shadowplay]

): poor Katrina Gorry.

Brazilian keeper off her line nearly every time tho.

I noticed that too. I was starting to wonder if the rules were different in the olympics or something.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

"United States Olympian Michael Phelps has equalled the record for Most Individual Olympic Victories (12), previously set by Leonidas of Rhodes, 2168 years ago".

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au...s/news-story/8ac1b75590ab466bac232ee034dd906c

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I wonder what Leonidas of Rhodes would have done with access to Phelps' drugs

You do realize that "Phelps' drug" is marijuana, right? I suspect Leonidas had reasonable access to hemp.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I noticed that too. I was starting to wonder if the rules were different in the olympics or something.

Home field officiating. If the ref had called her on it the place would have burned down.

 

[Kyriakos]

You do realize that "Phelps' drug" is marijuana, right? I suspect Leonidas had reasonable access to hemp.

He likely has a stash of steroids too, though

 

[Timsup2nothin]

He likely has a stash of steroids too, though

Unsubstantiated claims of "they all do it" are a big part of the problem with enforcing PED rules. Please refrain. Phelps, by all indications, is just a born freak. His body is horribly out of proportion to his legs, and freakishly large. Add proper training and well developed form you have what you have and no PEDs required.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Sounds like you have a lot in common with my wife.

My point was that you're not wrong to look at female volleyball players. It sounds as if all three of us (you, your wife, and me) are all perfectly normal. We enjoy some occasional "eye candy" with our sports-watching.

"United States Olympian Michael Phelps has equalled the record for Most Individual Olympic Victories (12), previously set by Leonidas of Rhodes, 2168 years ago".

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au...s/news-story/8ac1b75590ab466bac232ee034dd906c

*

I wonder what Leonidas of Rhodes would have done with access to Phelps' drugs

Leonidas was a runner who, according to historians who lived and wrote 400 years after his death, finished first in three Olympic events at four successive Olympics (164-152 BC).

His pet events were the stadion (200 yards), the diaulos (400 yards) and the particularly impressive hoplitodromos - a 400-yard race run with bronze armour (weighing more than 20kg) and shield.

Let's see Phelps do his thing wearing bronze armor weighing more than 20 kg and a shield...

 

[Arwon]

Phelps has a physique that is perfect for swimming to the extent that he needs to be checked for signs of Marfan Syndrome.

His lungs are gargantuan and his limbs are like paddles. Ie he has huge hands and feet that are double-jointed so they work like flippers, and especially abnormally long arms. He's honestly unlikely to need to dope. Additionally in the modern era of intelligence-based antidoping investigations it's a lot harder to get away with doping in countries that are vigilant (USA with USADA being onesuch).

 

[Arwon]

There's something like 8 swimming events where Australians were probably gold favourites and fell short of both their bests and consequently the gold medal. Repeat of London. I think the pressure of our nationalist fervour for gold medals has broken them psychologically.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

That's something like 8 swimming events where Australians were probably gold favourites and fell short of both their bests and consequently the gold medal. Repeat of London. I think the pressure of our nationalist fervour for gold medals has broken them psychologically.

Some lack of depth maybe. They (in some cases) seem to be competing in too many events. The ability of a few strange people to swim in a prelim in the day session and then a semi or final in the evening day after day after day has made it seem like "oh, yeah, you should be able to collect half a dozen medals if you are a really fast swimmer" is just ordinary...but it's not.

 

[Arwon]

I don't think so really. The Campbells for example just had a very bad swim in the 100 free, and Seebohm and Larkin likewise underperformed their PBs in their backstroke events compared to other meets when they've swum them the same 2-event load. I think McKeown was a similar story in the breast stroke, well below her best. And McEvoy in the 100 free too, although in that last case Chalmers won it.

A lot seemed to be issues of pacing and control, which suggests a lot of pressure unsettling them and taking them below their PBs.

Put another way, there were 15 Australian swimmers ranked top 3 in individual events heading into Rio and those 15 won 3 medals between them - 1 gold and 2 silver. Put a third way - only one of the ten 2015 World Championships individual medalists won a medal here.

It's systemic that very few were near personal bests. Another possibility I've seen suggested is trials being in March rather than June - not peaking at the right time. But I'm pretty content blaming the immense pressure we put on them.

Ironically Horton and Chalmers were less favoured when they won theirs.

 

[Arwon]

Had a good women's medley relay though! Much better from Seebohm and Campbell in particular, but McKeon and McKeown also beat their individual times from this meet.

(McKeon was a bit of a surprise bronze in the 200 free after being clearly devastated by her 7th place 100 fly performance)

 

[Arwon]

Michael Phelps should have his 23 gold medals melted down into one giant one with his face on it and then wear it all the time.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Michael Phelps should have his 23 gold medals melted down into one giant one with his face on it and then wear it all the time.

At a guess that would be a medal that even Michael Phelps would have a tough time toting around. They are half a kilo per.

Before anyone freaks out "gold" medals are actually gold plated. Athletes aren't wandering around Rio with twenty thousand dollar gold coins.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Meanwhile, it's not the getting knocked down, it's how fast you can run when you get back up. Congratulations to Mo Farah.

 

[Arwon]

That finish was superb.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

So I have arrived again at a point I remember from at least two or three previous Olympics. This point proves one of three things, but I'm not sure which.

1) Swimming is just way more interesting than track.
2) I'm a hopeless homer.
3) The length of the Olympics exceeds my attention span.