2016 Summer Olympics
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Martin Alvito
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The big item that Phelps has on his side (besides very obviously hitting the genetic lottery) is the history. It's not impossible that swimming's governing body is as hopelessly corrupt as the UCI was during the Armstrong era. It also seems unlikely that other member countries would be content to sit back and let the Americans go out and Hoover up medal after medal across the discipline unless they flat out couldn't catch them in the act.
The counterargument is that the Dana Torres renaissance looks uncomfortably like that of Roger Clemens, and that if she got away with it then God only knows what everyone else is doing.
The doping situation lacks easy answers. Should we cast a jaundiced eye upon a Dutch runner breaking an apparently unbreakable 400 record? How about Bolt and Michael Johnson's equally insane 200 record? Was Johnson clean? Bolt's 100 time this go-round was right around that of Ben Johnson in 1988, and he beat someone that got caught cheating in the process. Can you go 9.58 without chemical help, the way Bolt did?
How would we have evaluated Bob Beamon's record after Calgary? Did Mike Powell have to cheat to get past it? Certainly, in his case it helps that Carl Lewis came close under the same conditions and that no one has even begun to come close since; it looks like what happened was a result of skill interacting with ideal (WR-legal) jumping conditions rather than skill interacting with the point of a needle. But most sports and records don't conveniently hand us that kind of data.
In the absence of a solution, I will say that I'll enjoy the kinds of sporting moments that can't be produced through PEDs - Federer's ability to find some absurd crossing angle that turns a lost point into a winner, Messi dribbling through a maze and then picking out a teammate with a perfectly weighted pass, or the metronomic skill of the Chinese divers. It's not that PEDs couldn't potentially improve the performance of said athletes by giving them just a split second more reach, speed or rotation, it's just that it can't possibly substitute for the grace and skill on display.
I wonder what Leonidas of Rhodes would have done with access to Phelps' drugs
He would have gotten over a cold.
Timsup2nothin
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US women's water polo joins Germany's national soccer team on the Brazilian "spank the host hall of shame." 13-3 is an even worse blowout than it looks, though maybe not quite matching the 7-1 world cup drubbing.
classical_hero
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Great win by Australia over Lithuania. It was over at 1/4 time.
ThERat
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The one wish I have for this year's Olympics.
Germany to beat homerism Brazil 7-1 in the soccer final
Germany to beat homerism Brazil 7-1 in the soccer final
EgonSpengler
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Well, Helen Maroulis exceeded all expectations, defeating Saori Yoshida for the gold medal in 53kg freestyle wrestling. Wrestling fans probably already thought of Rulon Gardner's defeat of Aleksander Karelin in 2000.
Yoshida entered this match with a career record of 258-11, 3 Olympic gold medals and 12 world championships. This is Maroulis' first Olympics and she has 1 world championship, last year at 55kg. This is also the first time an American woman has won a gold medal in wrestling.
Yoshida entered this match with a career record of 258-11, 3 Olympic gold medals and 12 world championships. This is Maroulis' first Olympics and she has 1 world championship, last year at 55kg. This is also the first time an American woman has won a gold medal in wrestling.
shadowplay
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obrigado, Rio !
I'm always so damn sad when the Olympics are over.
Spoiler :
I'm always so damn sad when the Olympics are over.
The Canadian flag-bearer is the 16-year-old girl who won several medals in swimming.
I remember years ago, I'd watch most events, even if I normally had no interest in them. I don't think I watched any of them live this time, other than the opening ceremonies... and not paying a lot of attention to it, at that.
I'm more of a winter Olympics afficionado, though it's been a long time since I really sat down and watched that, either (no working TV for Vancouver, and no interest in Sochi).
I remember years ago, I'd watch most events, even if I normally had no interest in them. I don't think I watched any of them live this time, other than the opening ceremonies... and not paying a lot of attention to it, at that.
I'm more of a winter Olympics afficionado, though it's been a long time since I really sat down and watched that, either (no working TV for Vancouver, and no interest in Sochi).
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