alison Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 Well, we're already more than halfway through the Olympics, and - apart from a few mentions in passing in other threads - still nobody's actually started a thread on it, so here you are. Just to start off with, can I start a queue to give Adam Gemili a (masked) hug? I felt so sorry for him this morning - it's rare to see him without a smile on his face, but seeing him actually in tears was distressing. The poor man - he never seems to get any luck 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 I felt the same Alison. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 I've been watching quite a lot - enjoyed the judo and taekwondo in particular, and will be glued to the karate when it starts on Thursday, as that was my main sport. It's the women's hockey that has had us on the edge of our seats though as one of the top goal scorers was a playmate of our sons when they were little. Hope they get through the semi tomorrow but I suspect the Netherlands are too tough a draw. Also discovered the Gadirova twins via their interview on breakfast TV today - as well as being very talented gymnasts, they are an absolute delight and seem to be Nature's apology for giving us Jedward.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 3, 2021 Author Share Posted August 3, 2021 2 hours ago, Quintus said: Also discovered the Gadirova twins via their interview on breakfast TV today - as well as being very talented gymnasts, they are an absolute delight and seem to be Nature's apology for giving us Jedward.. Love it! Also, as I've said elsewhere, I was really happy to see Simone Biles back in action, because I'd been concerned what might happen if she'd ended up having to skip the rest of the competitions. I seem to have missed out on a lot of the more "minority" sports I usually love watching at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games - I don't know whether that's simply been down to the time differences, or whether the BBC haven't really been showing them. Agree that the Netherlands may be a step too far in the hockey, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 So sad about Adam Gemili must be so devastating to get an injury whilst actually at the Games after all that hard work. But it’s been great seeing teams GB be so successful this time. Particularly pleased about the swimming medals (the only sport I had any success with at school) and especially Tom Daley and Matty Lee’s diving medal ...that winning dive was just amazing! But a few lovely surprises as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 4, 2021 Author Share Posted August 4, 2021 I may have shed a tear or two when Daley and Lee won But what is it about our (on paper) hopes in the athletics? First Asher-Smith, then Gemili, and now Johnson-Thompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 It's been wonderful! I've loved watching so many sports some of which I hardly ever see outside of the Olympics. I've especially enjoyed diving, equestrian, triathlon, swimming, gymnastics and now track and field. It's amazing how caught up you can get in something when you basically know nothing about it... (e.g. taekwondo). It's been a real display of the indomitable human spirit in the face of the pandemic. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumofballetmaddaughter Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 I've enjoyed watching the skateboarding and BMX, the tricks were breathtaking. I've also enjoyed bouldering (felt quite dizzy due to some of the camera angles, triathlon and cycling. It's been quite refreshing and uplifting to watch these alongside my old favourites of gymnastics, diving, track and field. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 4, 2021 Author Share Posted August 4, 2021 I want to know what on earth they've put in that athletics track - I've never seen so many personal bests, and records being broken right, left and centre. I mean, you don't just knock the better part of a second off the 400 m hurdles like that (even if your name is Karsten Warholm)! Yet I haven't heard anyone commenting on how fast the track is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted August 5, 2021 Share Posted August 5, 2021 I have read something about new trainers technology which may be part of the reason for very fast times. Will try to find it as I am now thinking that I have dreamed it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted August 5, 2021 Share Posted August 5, 2021 That sounds interesting! Can they develop some technology for ballet shoes to make you jump higher I wonder 🤔 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 5, 2021 Share Posted August 5, 2021 36 minutes ago, Legseleven said: I have read something about new trainers technology which may be part of the reason for very fast times. Will try to find it as I am now thinking that I have dreamed it! new running spikes, I think it was. I vaguely remember reading about that too - and as I recall, I don't think Usain Bolt was impressed! Think he fears for his world record! Which is slightly ironic, as I think his WR was on an improved running track... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted August 5, 2021 Share Posted August 5, 2021 I just did my morning workout with the first session of karate kumite on TV, which it turned out one of my old instructors was commentating. My Pavlovian response was to do another set before he asked.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted August 5, 2021 Share Posted August 5, 2021 The men's omnium was so gripping this morning I was very late going out with Chipdog!! Congratulations to Matt Walls on his gold medal! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 5, 2021 Author Share Posted August 5, 2021 Ah, omnium. I couldn't remember what it was called - just came in towards the end of it. Congratulations to Holly Bradshaw on finally getting a medal at world level - so deserved, and such a long time coming! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted August 6, 2021 Share Posted August 6, 2021 Gosh I was glued to the women's Madison and the men's Sprint Finals in the cycling this morning! I have to admit to not having a clue what was going on in the Madison but it was very exciting to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 6, 2021 Author Share Posted August 6, 2021 I did love Sir Chris Hoy's description after the Madison, though, if only I could remember it - oh good, it's online already: "the most wonderfully boring team Madison I've ever seen" And many congratulations to Kate French for her gold in the modern pentathlon. But oh, I did so feel for the poor German athlete who I think was in the lead coming into the equestrian segment: the horses are assigned at random, and hers basically refused to even enter the showjumping ring for several minutes. To be frank, I wondered if he'd even been nobbled. Even when she finally persuaded him to start, he was clearly very unhappy, knocked down a fence and refused several others, and she got visibly very upset, which then presumably transmitted itself to her mount and made things even worse. She amassed so many time penalties that she dropped down to 30th-plus I know the equestrian segment is supposed to test the athletes' horse(?wo)manship, but surely if a horse is acting up that badly and you can see there will be problems before they even get into the ring there ought to be an option to take a replacement horse instead? Otherwise it's horribly unfair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted August 6, 2021 Share Posted August 6, 2021 I just discovered the Combined Sports Climbing - that's well worth a look, as climbers either race up walls or find a route up fingertip holds on a 35 degree overhang till they fall off through muscle exhaustion. Some sports 'just' involve doing something we can all do but a lot faster or heavier, others require a completely different skillset, and this event seems to require the physical attributes of a spider. It's interesting too how events generate different body characteristics (like ballet uniquely seems to build those big lumps of muscle around the hip flexors) - the climbing seems to require long, lean limbs and then builds a very powerful upper back and lats, and fingertips like a gecko! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted August 6, 2021 Share Posted August 6, 2021 1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said: Gosh I was glued to the women's Madison and the men's Sprint Finals in the cycling this morning! I have to admit to not having a clue what was going on in the Madison but it was very exciting to watch. I have no clue what it s going on in the cycling races and watch them with a vacant stare but I agree they are exciting. I can’t remember what it’s called but I particularly like the one where there is a lot of very slow, crawling, cat and mouse type movement followed by sudden frantic activity for about a lap! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted August 6, 2021 Share Posted August 6, 2021 1 hour ago, Balletfanp said: I have no clue what it s going on in the cycling races and watch them with a vacant stare but I agree they are exciting. I can’t remember what it’s called but I particularly like the one where there is a lot of very slow, crawling, cat and mouse type movement followed by sudden frantic activity for about a lap! That's the Pursuit. I don't understand all the others, i.e. Kierin, Omnium, Madison, etc.! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 6, 2021 Author Share Posted August 6, 2021 Italy are to be congratulated on their excellent results in the athletics - I don't know where they've come from, but they really are impressive. (And no, I'm not at all bitter that they beat the GB men's 4x100 m relay team to gold by a hundredth of a second, really I'm not!) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 6, 2021 Author Share Posted August 6, 2021 Also greatly amused by the concept of Switzerland - a landlocked country - winning bronze in the beach volleyball 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glowlight Posted August 6, 2021 Share Posted August 6, 2021 On 04/08/2021 at 00:24, alison said: I seem to have missed out on a lot of the more "minority" sports I usually love watching at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games - I don't know whether that's simply been down to the time differences, or whether the BBC haven't really been showing them. I think it's to do with the licensing arrangement. The IOC awarded the Pan-European rights to 'Discovery', meaning that other broadcasters, such as the BBC, are working with reduced coverage compared with previous Olympics. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/articles/2021/olympic-games-moments Given this I think the coverage has been remarkably good. My favourites this year (so far) are the climbing and skateboarding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 6, 2021 Author Share Posted August 6, 2021 Thank you. That would explain a lot, as I was beginning to understand. It was only this morning that I looked properly at the red dots on the Radio Times' sport-by-sport schedule and realised that they meant that effectively everything on that page was only available via Discovery. Had I realised the extent of this earlier, I might well have shelled out the £7 extra for their coverage as well. I'd initially thought it was the BBC's cost-cutting that had done away with the multiple Red Button channels, since they hadn't been available for Wimbledon either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 On 06/08/2021 at 14:05, alison said: But oh, I did so feel for the poor German athlete who I think was in the lead coming into the equestrian segment: the horses are assigned at random, and hers basically refused to even enter the showjumping ring for several minutes. To be frank, I wondered if he'd even been nobbled. Even when she finally persuaded him to start, he was clearly very unhappy, knocked down a fence and refused several others, and she got visibly very upset, which then presumably transmitted itself to her mount and made things even worse. She amassed so many time penalties that she dropped down to 30th-plus I know the equestrian segment is supposed to test the athletes' horse(?wo)manship, but surely if a horse is acting up that badly and you can see there will be problems before they even get into the ring there ought to be an option to take a replacement horse instead? Otherwise it's horribly unfair. From what I understand, there were additional mounts available. They aren't machines, and they do get injured or have an off day. Apparently that particular horse had already acted up with another competitor earlier in the day, so why she didn't take the option to change horses I don't know. Maybe she'd ridden it before and got on all right with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 7, 2021 Author Share Posted August 7, 2021 What the BBC's expert, whose name escapes me, said was that a reserve horse was available, but it was a reserve horse for a reason - whatever that was supposed to mean. Less good, at least, I presume. I think I picked up that all the horses should already have been tested out beforehand. I'm not sure whether the horse had acted up already that day - that was my initial assumption, but then she said that each rider gets 20 minutes to familiarise themselves with the horse (and vice versa) before jumping, so I'd rather assumed that it was one horse to each rider, and that perhaps the horse had acted up on a previous day - were there heats or something previously? My goodness, synchronised swimming has moved on a bit since I last watched it, though ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumofballetmaddaughter Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 I agree with you Alison regarding the synchronised swimming - the swimwear (when did swimsuits get to be so dazzling, literally), hair and make up (not a hair out of place or smudged mascara) had the wow factor and as for their routines, they were breathtaking. One of the commentators mentioned the competitors use gelatine on their hair as it's kinder than using grips and it obviously washes out easily in hot water. Another one to add to my list of 'must watch' in future. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glowlight Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 Olympics...Missing you already. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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