General Sports Thread

Athletes are all young and fit, so I would expect most to be attractive....but most of them won't be attractive by middle age. Politicians are a rather random comparison group, but being attractive in a politician is a bonus but hardly a requirement....and many of them would have been attractive when young. That's the way life works.

 

https://news.sky.com/story/world-champion-hurdler-nicholas-bett-dies-in-kenya-car-crash-11465326

Kenyan hurdler Bett dies in car crash.

 

I am far from being a fan of Seb Coe, but he is an attractive person both in looks and in his behaviour!

 

It's just an odd comparison. Athletes and politicians!

 

Einstein, Hawkins and Darwin were no lookers either.....this needs pointing out.

 

Long distance open water swimming has to be one of the most tedious sports from a spectators point of view. Like Formula 1, you only need to see the last minute or so. Doesn't even have a decent crash or pit stop (surely the best part of F1) to break the boredom.

 

I should have said all athletes are attractive, and left the comparison with our imbéciles in Westminster out!!

 

Three British runners in the final of the men´s 1500. Get out there guys and aim to run 3.30. Many runners in that field can run pretty close to 3.30, so anything over 3.36 and the race should be declared null and void.

 

I was a big fan of Seb Coe the runner. Then he got into those Houses of London.

 

Oh, those golden days when we dominated middle distance running. Good to see that some good athletes are coming through again. Only Europe I know, so many talented worldwide athletes aren't here, but lots of promise.

Strange how things go round....a long time ago our swimmers were just an embarrassment...now we have to drop qualifiers in the Europeans because you can only have two in the later stages of competitions....and as for our relay squads...wow! Still good at cycling, but we did badly in rowing which is usually our strength.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-45123919

Week for sad news about sportsmen. Australian golfer Jarrod Lyle dies aged 36.

 

Very sad. RIP

 

Where is the Dislike button !!!!!

 

Steve Ovett for me .

 

Liked them both....we were so lucky to have both at the same time. Then we had Steve Cram.

 

And fortunate that the East Africans had taken a sabbatical at the time. It was the wake-up call to those East African nations to start dominating again, and how they have dominated since. I just love watching the Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes destroy a field.

 

Do you know who is our fastest 1500m runner? In fact he is the fastest European 1500m runner as well, and he is not even known for being a 1500m specialist? Ran 3 m 28 seconds. If he can run in such a time, then surely the specialist runners in the European Championships can at least run inside 3.35 for the final. I feel the authorities should inform the runners that if 3.36 is not achieved, then the race is declared null and void for turning into a tactical farce.

 

But the 1500 m is not a sprint....there is a tactical element to it. The 400 m is the longest sprint. I have no problem with the finishing time....what does it matter? If a runner doesn't want to run it tactically, they can always go out fast and drag the others with them.

I don't mind a country dominating sometimes....after all I love it when we do, but where's the fun if one or two countries do it all the time. It would end up with some athletes just shrugging their shoulders because genetically they haven't a chance. That's why I like it when a white person/Asian does well in the sprints....and why I was pleased to see a black person represent France in swimming*. I like people to feel they always have a chance.

*Actually I was delighted to see that...their absence in swimming is notable....apparently something to do with body proportions, though one comedian said it was more to do with him not wanting to get his hair wet.

 

I think finishing times do matter in the 1500. Nobody wants to see a time of 3.40+ in the 1500. That is taking the p*** in final. At least in the World Championships last year we got a fast race in 3.32.

PS: I would love to see an Asian win a sprint. I suppose people from Turkey are a real genetic mix of European and Central Asian, Middle Eastern and even North African over the millenia. His run was super fast, but let´s hope the likes of Lyles can put him in his place.

 

Three British runners in the final of the 200m, and none went under 20 seconds, which I think is disappointing in a final. That Turkish guy must have been 10m in front at the finish. That is a huge, huge gap.