The Olympic Games

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Being a World Champion is not mediocre. Neither is 17 individual National Championships.

How would you rate Thorpe's relay medals, as they amount to 4 of his 9 olympic tally.

Not as much as his five individual medals. Ian Thorpe's a champion and has done it all on the big stage multiple times. The comparison is not even close with his achievements in his chosen sport and nearly any of our current crop of athletics competitors.

Manou is an athlete who has promised a lot during her career, like a lot of Australian T&F athletes. Apart from one performance in 2008, she has singularly failed to deliver over the course of her long career. John Steffensen won the Commonwealth Gold in the 400m in 2006 and was expected to kick on. He didn't. This is what I'm talking about. In athletics in the last 20+ years we have a history of trotting out athletes who talk a big game and don't back it up. Many times I've seen these guys rock up to a major championship and not even get close to their PB. I think could be forgiven for being a bit disappointed about that. Then there's the drama that seems to surround them, the infighting and all that crap. As a person with a love of athletics, I find it disheartening.

 

[I like to watch]

I'm not sure whether Steffensen has the biggest chip on shoulder in the world, or just the biggest sense of entitlement.
Clearly he is not made for a team sport.
If he was at good at his sport as he is in causing trouble, he would be a household name throughout the world.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

http://www.smh.com.au/olympics/cycl...versy-mars-gb-sprint-gold-20120803-23jlx.html

At the very least, it was a bizarre thing to say, especially in light of the tanking issues raised in the badminton and basketball competitions. But when British track cyclist Philip Hindes seemed to suggest he had deliberately crashed in the qualifying round of the men's team sprint to ensure a restart after a poor start, very serious questions were raised over the legitimacy of the British victory which had delivered Chris Hoy's fifth Olympic gold medal.

"We were saying if we have a bad start we need to crash to get a restart. I just crashed, I did it on purpose to get a restart, just to have the fastest ride. I did it. So it was all planned, really"
....snip....

Wonder how good the Chinese, Indonesian and Korean Badmintoners are feeling right now?

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

http://www.smh.com.au/olympics/cycl...versy-mars-gb-sprint-gold-20120803-23jlx.html



Wonder how good the Chinese, Indonesian and Korean Badmintoners are feeling right now?

I was gobsmacked when I read that.

I just saw an interview with Sally Pearson and she was talking herself up big time. Careful there Sally, you wouldn't want to look like a goose like Magnusson did a couple of days ago. I'm with Scarfy on this: head down, go your hardest. I don't like hearing big talk out of our athletes before a championship event.

 

[It is what it is]

I'm not sure whether Steffensen has the biggest chip on shoulder in the world, or just the biggest sense of entitlement..

I think Anthony Mundine would just have him on both counts.

 

[AngrySeahorse]

http://www.smh.com.au/olympics/cycl...versy-mars-gb-sprint-gold-20120803-23jlx.html



Wonder how good the Chinese, Indonesian and Korean Badmintoners are feeling right now?

Farken Poms!

I was gobsmacked when I read that.

I just saw an interview with Sally Pearson and she was talking herself up big time. Careful there Sally, you wouldn't want to look like a goose like Magnusson did a couple of days ago. I'm with Scarfy on this: head down, go your hardest. I don't like hearing big talk out of our athletes before a championship event.

I hear you & Scarfy loud & clear these are exactly my fears for Sally. When she was talking about "how if that was what she was like on a bad day then how good will she be on a good day" the words were brave but with her body language she looked like a deer in headlights. Compare that to the American who pipped her she just looks naturally cocky. I've got bad feelings already. I reckon I'll be passing bricks come Sal's event.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Rowing: The Bloody Darkness have just scored a Gold in the Mens Pairs. That makes it 2 Golds for them and only 1 for the Good Guys, with the Darkness ahead of us on the overall medal table.

I hope they enjoy it while they can, cause they won't be there for too long.

 

[I like to watch]

Hang on, do they give medals for sitting down and going backwards?

 

[I like to watch]

I think Anthony Mundine would just have him on both counts.

It would be very close, the young guys recent form is consistent and impressive.
But what would I know, according to him if you are not a sycophant you are racist.

 

[It is what it is]

Hang on, do they give medals for sitting down and going backwards?

In 1984 NZ won 8 GOLD Medals .......ALL sitting on their backsides



1984 Los Angeles

• Alan Thompson, kayak, K1 1000 m flatwater
• Ian Ferguson, kayak, K1 500 m flatwater
• Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald, canoeing, K2 500 m, flatwater
• Grant Bramwell, Ian Ferguson, Paul MacDonald and Alan Thompson, K4 1000 m, flatwater
• Mark Todd, riding Charisma, equestrian, individual mixed eventing
• Les O'Connell, Shane O'Brien, Conrad Robertson and Keith Trask, rowing, coxless four
• Chris Timms and Rex Sellers, sailing, mixed open multihull, Tornado
• Russell Coutts, sailing, men’s single-handed dinghy, Finn

 

[Hugh Jarse]

^^^^ All sitting on their bums. All less one on water.

And they look like getting one more in the Single Skulls as well.

Edit: They have. They now join the Saffers on 3 Golds.

 

[Rob42]

Just watching the Opals game. Their old skin-tight uniforms used to look better on the players than it now does on that chubby bloke in the stands.

 

[Scotty]

Kiwis have had an awesome regatta. Very impressive haul for a country with their population. I am very happy for their success.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

So ladies and gents, where is our next gold coming from? I'm battling to work out where at the minute!

 

[Scotty]

As far as our performance stands it isn't what we have been used to, and unlikely to reach those heights, but many fail to remember that we only became a top 5 country in sydney, which was also the first time we won more than 10 gold. At Seoul in 88 we were a lazy 15th with only 3 gold.

 

[Scotty]

So ladies and gents, where is our next gold coming from? I'm battling to work out where at the minute!

Sailing?

 

[waratahjesus]

We have to naturalize more kiwis, we give them free training by allowing them to row their families to bondi yet don't make them take citizenship. It's unaustrailian.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Yeah Outteridge and co. are still looking decent.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

When did they start wearing surnames on track and field singlets instead of competition numbers?

Can you imagine the font size they would need to use for some of the longer Sri Lankan names?

 

[It is what it is]

We have to naturalize more kiwis, we give them free training by allowing them to row their families to bondi yet don't make them take citizenship. It's unaustrailian.

WJ, are you going to get a new image or do you love The Force Coach that much?