I must admit this bought tears to my eyes and didn't even involve Team GB.




This one was the next best gold medal win of the day, and does involve an English gymnast,and a great performance that was as near as you can get to perfection.

Karsten Warholm of Norway just ran a 45.94 second World Record in the 400m hurdles easily defeating American Rai Benjamin. He shattered his own WR of 46.70 with an unthinkable sub 46 sec run. Outstanding speed.

Heart felt moment of Olympic week goes to Viktor Axelsen of Denmark who won Gold for Denmark defeating China's Chen Long in two straight sets in Men's Badminton Singles. Axelsen burst into an uncontrollable rain of tears. A poignant moment to say the least except when the Chen Long hustled him to exchange shirts. He agreed but you could tell he wanted to keep it maybe for Denmark maybe for himself. Who wouldn't want to keep their Gold Medal winning shirt.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-03 07:01 by The Sicilian.

To set a world record in the 400m hurdles in scorching 40 degrees heat at the National Stadium is just amazing.

Is this heaven? No, it’s Tokyo.

To tell you the truth, it's Yokohama.

Yokohama - a great city, and a great tire!! Reminds me back in the 80s on Letterman show, Paul Shaffer talked about Milwaukee - a great city, on a great lake! Not sure if that's Milwaukee's motto but if it isn't, it should be.

Warholm with a historic 400 m hurdles this morning. I got up at 5 am to watch, and I don't regret it! The new world record: 45.94 - sensational

I missed some of the live athletics overnight, and just seen this gold medal performance.
Definitely the performance of the Tokyo Olympics so far for me.
Hope some of you outside of UK can see this fantastic world record 400 metres hurdles.

Well done to Karsten Warholm.

So sad. I've had little interest this time around. It doesn't feel like the Olympics at all. I don't know why they couldn't have waited another summer. I'll watch highlight clips on YouTube, but it's not the same.

Of course it's not the same, 24fps. But who said it would be? I have enjoyed the competitions so far. I think the Japanese have done well considering the circumstances. Fell free not to watch it though.
Can you watch it in the US by the way? I have heard that commercial outlets in the USA only show small portions of it (involving US atlethes I guess).

Quote
Stoneage
Of course it's not the same, 24fps. But who said it would be? I have enjoyed the competitions so far. I think the Japanese have done well considering the circumstances. Fell free not to watch it though.
Can you watch it in the US by the way? I have heard that commercial outlets in the USA only show small portions of it (involving US atlethes I guess).

We have three NBC related channels running events 24-7. They do repeat events at all times of the day. In addition, we also get two more stations CBC out of Canada and the Spanish channel (good for soccer) But yes each country tends to show their athletes when possible, though there are lots of (woke) commercials.

Okay, thanks Sicilian.

Did anyone watch the Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands destroy the Kenyans and Ethopians in the Women's 5000m race last night to win Gold in 14min 36.79sec with a blistering final lap.

The other race, the men's 3000 meters steeplechase won by Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali running away from Ethopia's Lamecha Girma and Kenya's Benjamin Kigen to win gold. This guy showed a another gear in the final lap.

Both great races to watch.

Quote
Stoneage
Okay, thanks Sicilian.

Like I said, I watch clips on YouTube. They show entire swimming and track events. I DVRd boxing and basketball, and watch them at my leisure.

I still get a lot of enjoyment for all the sports I have watched on TV live, as well as the BBC YouTube videos which they put up within hours sometimes.

We have great BBC coverage of just about all the sports every day and night.

Also love to see the celebrations by friends and family of the Team GB medal winners.

Canucks and Aussies…what could go wrong?

[www.thestar.com]

Partying Olympic athletes blow off steam in Tokyo by trashing hotel rooms, stealing team mascots. Was it the Canadians?

TOKYO—This column is about drinking, so let’s start with the Aussies. According to the Herald Sun newspaper of Melbourne, members of the Australian rugby and rowing teams went a bit wild in the athletes village Friday and Saturday nights, trashing hotel rooms. In addition, at least 10 Aussies had to self-isolate to be tested for COVID-19, because there was forbidden mixing between teams, if you know what I think I mean.

“Afterwards we became aware of that and that a few of our athletes had been mixing with other athletes not in the heat of the party but in places … outside of our direct allotment,” Australian chef de mission Ian Chesterman told reporters. “That’s clearly something we don’t encourage.”

It was a party, all right. Aussie village mascots were reportedly stolen — an emu and a kangaroo — and later returned. The fibreglass moose Team Canada brings to every Olympics was taken for a walkabout, which pretty much happens every Games. A mess was left in the streets.

To complete the podium trifecta, Australian members of their rugby sevens teams were so drunk and belligerent on their flights home that Japan Airlines wrote to the Australian Olympic Committee, which is now investigating.

Anyway, this leads us to the Canadians, because the Australians apparently say the Canucks started the whole thing. They say, that’s who the police came to talk to. Asked about this, the Canadian Olympic Committee said, uh, maybe so.

“Canada has been asked by village officials to ensure Team Canada athletes are following all village noise rules,” said a statement from COC chief sports officer Eric Myles, in a response to questions about the shenanigans.

“At every Games we try to strike a balance between ensuring athletes who are done competing can celebrate safely and ensuring they don’t disrupt athletes who are still competing.


“At these Games, however, we are focused on safety and ensuring COVID protocols are followed. We have let athletes know that after all the effort, now is not the time to put yourself, your teammates, other athletes and your communities back home at risk.”

Details were not forthcoming on the exact nature of the Canadian party-starting, but that statement essentially says, some Canadians were rowdy enough that they violated COVID protocols, drew noise complaints, may have been involved in duelling drunken mascot theft, and probably had a really fun time, so we asked them not to do that.

If this was going to happen — and it was definitely, 100 per cent, guaranteed, rock-solid lock-of-the-week going to happen — at least it happened in the midst of one of the most protected and tested communities on earth, right? Well, maybe. But yes, this was absolutely going to happen. In a normal Olympics, athletes who have finished their events hang around, and get to blow off several years of steam. Things always go sideways in the back nine of an Olympics.

“Normally this is the red alert time, because athletes are out in the streets, in bars, meeting people,” said one Olympic official. “But we haven’t worried about that. Even in a normal Olympics, they’re not drinking, they’re not partying in the village. It’s like university: you don’t drink during your exams.”

Afterwards, though. This would explain the case of the stolen Humvee at the 2018 Games. Canadian ski cross athlete Dave Duncan, his wife Maja, and ski cross coach Willy Raine were out at some bars not far from the Olympic Stadium, and someone had left their big red Humvee running, and the Canadians decided to steal it for the short drive to the Olympic Village because they were cold. They were pulled over wearing red Team Canada jackets, red Team Canada vests, red Team Canada toques and red Team Canada boots. Luckily, nobody was hurt.

In Rio, with many options to blow off steam, American swimmer Ryan Lochte and three teammates decided to drunkenly smash in the door of a Brazilian gas station because they had to pee. Someone called the cops, they paid a fine, but Lochte told his mother he had been robbed, and next thing you knew he was repeating the story on NBC, saying his teammates hugged the pavement as he stared down a mugger with a gun.

The story sank … fast.

During these Games, though, athletes haven’t have much of a chance to get rowdy, because they’re basically flown home the next day. So what you have is a built-in pressure release mechanism: athletes who have trained for an extra year, dealt with the pressure of the pandemic, flown in five days before competition, cleared the jet lag, tried to capture their best selves in one moment, and then get one night in the athletes village for their long-awaited chance to let loose before they have to fly home.

Athletes think they’re invincible. The village is a collection of young people of every shape and size. They’re tested every day, and more are double vaccinated. Really, this was inevitable enough that we were only waiting for Australian rugby and rowing to finish.

“Now, there’s no place for them to blow off steam,” said the Olympic official. “At a certain point, people need to be human.”

The pandemic takes away a lot of what makes us human, though. With many safety rules that don’t make sense, the Games has counted 153 cases in the past seven days, versus 94 in the seven days before that. Just 27 athletes have tested positive, including half the Greek synchronized swimming team, but that presumably doesn’t count athletes who cut loose on their final night, picked up COVID and then flew home. The Aussies, bless them, arrive home to 14-day hard quarantines, so bless any Aussies who catch a 14-day quarantine by testing positive before they leave Tokyo.

And Beijing will be the same, except run by the Chinese military. Let’s hope that science and the vaccines win, the globe recovers, and maybe Paris 2024 can be the hopeful post-COVID Olympics, shining on a hill. It would be nice, after everything everyone has been through, to get back to being able to enjoy mascot-stealing again.

Gabby Williams, french team qualified today for the semi-finals.
Nice tattoo

Quote
SomeTorontoGirl
Canucks and Aussies…what could go wrong?

[www.thestar.com]

Partying Olympic athletes blow off steam in Tokyo by trashing hotel rooms, stealing team mascots. Was it the Canadians?

TOKYO—This column is about drinking, so let’s start with the Aussies. According to the Herald Sun newspaper of Melbourne, members of the Australian rugby and rowing teams went a bit wild in the athletes village Friday and Saturday nights, trashing hotel rooms. In addition, at least 10 Aussies had to self-isolate to be tested for COVID-19, because there was forbidden mixing between teams, if you know what I think I mean.

“Afterwards we became aware of that and that a few of our athletes had been mixing with other athletes not in the heat of the party but in places … outside of our direct allotment,” Australian chef de mission Ian Chesterman told reporters. “That’s clearly something we don’t encourage.”

It was a party, all right. Aussie village mascots were reportedly stolen — an emu and a kangaroo — and later returned. The fibreglass moose Team Canada brings to every Olympics was taken for a walkabout, which pretty much happens every Games. A mess was left in the streets.

To complete the podium trifecta, Australian members of their rugby sevens teams were so drunk and belligerent on their flights home that Japan Airlines wrote to the Australian Olympic Committee, which is now investigating.

Anyway, this leads us to the Canadians, because the Australians apparently say the Canucks started the whole thing. They say, that’s who the police came to talk to. Asked about this, the Canadian Olympic Committee said, uh, maybe so.

“Canada has been asked by village officials to ensure Team Canada athletes are following all village noise rules,” said a statement from COC chief sports officer Eric Myles, in a response to questions about the shenanigans.

“At every Games we try to strike a balance between ensuring athletes who are done competing can celebrate safely and ensuring they don’t disrupt athletes who are still competing.


“At these Games, however, we are focused on safety and ensuring COVID protocols are followed. We have let athletes know that after all the effort, now is not the time to put yourself, your teammates, other athletes and your communities back home at risk.”

Details were not forthcoming on the exact nature of the Canadian party-starting, but that statement essentially says, some Canadians were rowdy enough that they violated COVID protocols, drew noise complaints, may have been involved in duelling drunken mascot theft, and probably had a really fun time, so we asked them not to do that.

If this was going to happen — and it was definitely, 100 per cent, guaranteed, rock-solid lock-of-the-week going to happen — at least it happened in the midst of one of the most protected and tested communities on earth, right? Well, maybe. But yes, this was absolutely going to happen. In a normal Olympics, athletes who have finished their events hang around, and get to blow off several years of steam. Things always go sideways in the back nine of an Olympics.

“Normally this is the red alert time, because athletes are out in the streets, in bars, meeting people,” said one Olympic official. “But we haven’t worried about that. Even in a normal Olympics, they’re not drinking, they’re not partying in the village. It’s like university: you don’t drink during your exams.”

Afterwards, though. This would explain the case of the stolen Humvee at the 2018 Games. Canadian ski cross athlete Dave Duncan, his wife Maja, and ski cross coach Willy Raine were out at some bars not far from the Olympic Stadium, and someone had left their big red Humvee running, and the Canadians decided to steal it for the short drive to the Olympic Village because they were cold. They were pulled over wearing red Team Canada jackets, red Team Canada vests, red Team Canada toques and red Team Canada boots. Luckily, nobody was hurt.

In Rio, with many options to blow off steam, American swimmer Ryan Lochte and three teammates decided to drunkenly smash in the door of a Brazilian gas station because they had to pee. Someone called the cops, they paid a fine, but Lochte told his mother he had been robbed, and next thing you knew he was repeating the story on NBC, saying his teammates hugged the pavement as he stared down a mugger with a gun.

The story sank … fast.

During these Games, though, athletes haven’t have much of a chance to get rowdy, because they’re basically flown home the next day. So what you have is a built-in pressure release mechanism: athletes who have trained for an extra year, dealt with the pressure of the pandemic, flown in five days before competition, cleared the jet lag, tried to capture their best selves in one moment, and then get one night in the athletes village for their long-awaited chance to let loose before they have to fly home.

Athletes think they’re invincible. The village is a collection of young people of every shape and size. They’re tested every day, and more are double vaccinated. Really, this was inevitable enough that we were only waiting for Australian rugby and rowing to finish.

“Now, there’s no place for them to blow off steam,” said the Olympic official. “At a certain point, people need to be human.”

The pandemic takes away a lot of what makes us human, though. With many safety rules that don’t make sense, the Games has counted 153 cases in the past seven days, versus 94 in the seven days before that. Just 27 athletes have tested positive, including half the Greek synchronized swimming team, but that presumably doesn’t count athletes who cut loose on their final night, picked up COVID and then flew home. The Aussies, bless them, arrive home to 14-day hard quarantines, so bless any Aussies who catch a 14-day quarantine by testing positive before they leave Tokyo.

And Beijing will be the same, except run by the Chinese military. Let’s hope that science and the vaccines win, the globe recovers, and maybe Paris 2024 can be the hopeful post-COVID Olympics, shining on a hill. It would be nice, after everything everyone has been through, to get back to being able to enjoy mascot-stealing again.

Looking forward to the Canada/Sweden womens soccer final tomorrow! I'm hoping Canada comes out strong but I'm wondering if there will be a bit of emotional letdown after beating the US in the semi finals, first win against them in years! Local teenage star Jordyn Huitema is playing for Canada as a substitute, hope she sees some playing time in the game!

Sweden is on position 21 in the medal table. Between 1912 and 1956 we were never outside the top ten. It has gone downhill ever since...

But Sweden is good on the downhill ski, right?

I guess I'll be the first to congratulate Canadian Andre De Grasse on his gold medal victory 200 m sprint this morning!

First gold medal for a Canadian in this event since 1928, and first in any sprint since 1996 and Donovan Bailey in the 100 m.

All kudos to the UK’s youngest-ever Olympian 13-year-old Sky Brown, who won bronze medal in park skateboarding. And that after fracturing her skull in a serious skateboarding accident only a year or so ago.

The same congrats to the UK’s Charlotte Worthington on her gold medal in the BMX freestyle. Equally jaw-dropping talent.

I'm not going to say what I think about having sports like bambino cycling in the Olympics. Real sports like orienteering is not allowed but bambino cycling...
No wonder a 12 year-old wins. What's next? Olympics in changing diapers?

Quote
Stoneage
I'm not going to say what I think about having sports like bambino cycling in the Olympics. Real sports like orienteering is not allowed but bambino cycling...
No wonder a 12 year-old wins. What's next? Olympics in changing diapers?

What were you, born in the stone age?

-



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-05 13:30 by Stoneage.

well happy to know that my team France will play the final in basketball against USA.
Come on boys for a second victory against big uncle Sam !

Canuck decathlete Damian Warner for the gold, Pierce LePage 5th. Damn! Didn’t know we had a decathlete… Congrats, gents!

Quote
SomeTorontoGirl
Canuck decathlete Damian Warner for the gold, Pierce LePage 5th. Damn! Didn’t know we had a decathlete… Congrats, gents!

YEAH! Set an olympic record to boot!

Today the news said that Japan had its highest infection rate since the beginning of the pandemic ...
Some officials say "it has nothing to do with the Olympics".
Well, watching the views of Japanese people moving around in large numbers to shoot pictures of Olympic objects, etc. simply tells you that it has everything to do with the Olympics. People touching objects with bare hands, ignore social distancing, many not waring masks (never expected so many covidiots in Japan) they are giving "delta" a hell of a great time to "move around" (=spread).


I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town

Quote
SomeTorontoGirl
Canuck decathlete Damian Warner for the gold, Pierce LePage 5th. Damn! Didn’t know we had a decathlete… Congrats, gents!

Exactly. It's a bit unfortunate that these athletes get their 15 minutes of fame at the Olympics and then the next 4 years you don't hear anything about them but then they might make the next Olympics. Even Penny Oleksiak, she was huge at Rio but then I didn't hear anything about her until these past couple weeks.

Glad to see the women's soccer final has been pushed back due to the heat, although, unfortunately it's at 5am Pacific time Friday morning, too early for me!