The Olympic Games Rio-2016 Thread

[TheSecondStain]

Women's Omnium got underway and Laura Trott wins her 40 lap race. Or so it might seem if you came in with 10 laps to go. Even the finish gun went off as she crossed the line and the crowd cheered. But actually Tatsiana Sharakova from Belarus had finished over 3/4s of a lap earlier, having gone from a long way out and nobody kept with her to the end. In fact, she ended up on the back of the peloton just to make sure nobody would catch her. So Trott came in second. But that's fine. 5 more events to go in the Omnium.

 

[Whiteley Saint]

I always think the hammer looks scary. Whizzing round and round and throwing something on a chain through a small gap. If it was me I'd probably fall over (dizzy) and end up wrapped in the hammer!

 

[Whiteley Saint]

Blimey we just won the bronze in the hammer!

 

[fran-MLs little camera]

Dujardin and Valegro get over 93% in dressage. Charlotte cried at the end because it was the last time she will compete with Valegro who is retiring. Such a brilliant relationship being broken up.

 

[fran-MLs little camera]

Blimey we just won the bronze in the hammer!

We can't do throwy things

 

[Whiteley Saint]

Dujardin and Valegro get over 93% in dressage. Charlotte cried at the end because it was the last time she will compete with Valegro who is retiring. Such a brilliant relationship being broken up.

Just saw this. Don't usually watch dressage but saw it was GB so stopped to watch. Lovely horse and very impressive display.

 

[Paddy Podped]

I know we might well be about to win a Gold medal in it, but I'm finding Dressage awful to watch as a sport.

 

[fran-MLs little camera]

Random fact (which are the best facts of all ) is that dressage has been in the Olympics since 1912, but until 1952 only commissioned officers could enter After that, women and civilians were permitted to enter.

 

[Le Tissier's Laces]

Dujardin and Valegro get over 93% in dressage. Charlotte cried at the end because it was the last time she will compete with Valegro who is retiring. Such a brilliant relationship being broken up.

Ahem...ignore what I just said!

 

[Saint Helen]

I've just watched the last set this morning. Well done the players, but those Argentinian fans were an utter disgrace. Appalling behaviour.

Murray's used to it with Davis Cup, though...

 

[fran-MLs little camera]

I played badminton a couple of times (when dinosaurs walked the Earth)...have the rules changed. I thought you only scored on your serve....or am I thinking of another game?

 

[fatletiss]

I played badminton a couple of times (when dinosaurs walked the Earth)...have the rules changed. I thought you only scored on your serve....or am I thinking of another game?

That is how it used to be played; not anymore.

 

[ChilcoSaint]

I played badminton a couple of times (when dinosaurs walked the Earth)...have the rules changed. I thought you only scored on your serve....or am I thinking of another game?

Squash

 

[fran-MLs little camera]

Checked on Wiki, the old rules were playing to 15 points and only scoring on your serve. The new rules have simplified it....makes it easier for spectators.

 

[The Ides of March]

Michael Johnson was asking about Van Niekerk's split times. Well here they are:

100m [block start]: 10.7 secs
200m: 9.8
300m: 10.5
400m: 12.0

The last 100m indicates he can go even faster.

Van Niekerk is probably the kind of athlete who can produce a world class time at 200m and 800m in addition to the 400m.

 

[The Ides of March]

Yes, I watched Laura Muir in her 1500m semi-final last night too. She flowed round the track almost making it look easy. Was interviewed by Phil Jones afterwards and she was just a bit out of breath, that's all. Loads left in the tank, so I reckon she could go well under 4 minutes, which to me means she is capable of winning.

It depends. Going under 2 minutes in the women's 800m is reckoned to be a world class time but it could result in 8th place but if the athletes choose to run very cageily, an exceptionally slow time can result in the gold as happened in the Men's 1500m final race in London 2012. It was the worst track event of those Olympics and won by a compelte unknown. Had the Brits or Kenyans decided to run a proper race instead of being sucked into a "tactical" battle, the outcome would have been very different. Hopefully this time someone will take the race by the scruff of the neck at an early stage as Kip Keino did in Mexico all those years ago in Mexico 1968.

 

[Saints_Alive]

Anybody else seen this?.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37088760

 

[fatletiss]

Checked on Wiki, the old rules were playing to 15 points and only scoring on your serve. The new rules have simplified it....makes it easier for spectators.

But they don't do anything!

 

[fatletiss]

Anybody else seen this?.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37088760

That's amazing!!

 

[The Ides of March]

This is odd but neither Finland nor Austria have managed a single medal yet. India and Pakistan also yet to medal. I think the UK has proved what can happen with the right investment so let's hope these two countries can spend less on their defence and more on education and sport their populations.