Nope. They are utterly amazing. Most people can imagine what riding a bike is like, or running, or swimming. But what they do is remarkable. And the crowd reaction cannot be done justice by the TV. Especially when a lifter has had two fails. Those were the biggest cheers of all!
Ultra strong people have a calorie surplus unlike body builders who shred the fat but do not need the explosive power.
They'll easily shed that. Same with props.
I deleted an earlier post. There's no body shaming in anything I've read.
I assumed (given I have no experience or expertise) that in order to move big weights that there's a fairly impressive diet both protein, for muscle build and repair, and carbs, to push the energy through those muscles. I also assume you have to be fairly massive yourself to push massive weights (relatively) .
Italy bloody impressive in the volleyball. America didn't have an answer in the second and thirds sets
Is it just me, or did the men's breaking 'b boys' off you will just get totally ignored? Obviously a bit of attention for the female comp, and then the Australian girl went viral.....not seen any reference at all to the men's comp? Just getting quietly ignored and forgotten as a failed experiment? It's not in for LA and I'm not sure how keen the Aussies will be to bring it back for Brisbane!
Breaking got a few mentions on Eurosport bonjour Paris.
hell of a game in the women's basketball.
I wasn't body shaming, it just seems to me as a non expert that if anyone is trying to get xxxkg off the floor from a squatting position, then any bits of body that don't contribute are potentially a hindrance, especially when some people move up 2-3 kgs and can't get the weight past their knees.
Those woman are lifting more than two of me above their heads. They're amazing!! True Olympians
You hear the same things about Vali Holl sometimes. Personally I think if you are winning the medals then other people should be looking at what you're doing rather than listening to the armchair experts who say they would do better if they looked more like the other girls.
It's very difficult to maintain enough muscle mass at a low body fat to perform sports that require a lot of strength/power. The only way around that is to take extra testosterone.
I suspect women are going to be able to perform at a variety of body shapes in a way most men's sports don't. For women it's much more of a compromise because finding your optimum weight to perform at means you might end up looking less like the typical 'athlete'.
You have to wonder how many athletes are not able to perform at their best because they are hindering their performance by forcing themselves to conform to a certain aesthetic standard.
Well said Bruce.
In this day of everything measured, analysed and optimised if there was an advantage to being 'skinnier' then they would be. Same with the throwing events in the athletics. They are built to do what they do and they do it fantastically and should be celebrated for that, not discussed aesthetically compared to a high jumper or a distance runner.
Yeah it’s not really a fluke that many of the throwers and lifters since forever are chunky
listening to the armchair experts who say they would do better if they looked more like the other girls.
But no one said that a question was asked about moving extra mass, it was in relation to a women's event but that's not why it was asked. (I assume). No one said "oooo it'd be better if they were 36, 24, 34."
And no one has claimed expertise in fact I claimed absolutely no experience or expertise.
Collection of stunning pics from the last 2 weeks
Closing ceremony starts at 8pm UK time - apparently featuring Tom Cruise abseiling from the stadium. I'm out so I'll have to catch the highlights tomorrow, hopefully condensed into 5 minutes and missing all the cringeworthy bits!
Good idea. I think I'll just watch the highlights, seen enough Tom Cruise movies.
Chapeau Paris, that was a great Olympics. Amazing venues, great competition, really good stuff.
Really pleased to read that, Frank. I've thoroughly enjoyed it too.
The open marathon last night one of the highlights for me, no idea who won, it didn't matter, just lots of happy people taking part.
@nickc that’s what I thought! It’s bonkers!
anyway interesting addition to the discussion, Ellie Aldridge the kite foil gold medalist actually had to gain around 10kg to be competitive and is quoted as saying she was looking forward to not eating as much after the games!
Agree absolutely superb Olympics. Glad they got to swim the seinne the 10km open water looked brutal.
Thought the GB&NI tracksuit.tops were odd, almost designed by some one who thought they'd never raise their hands in celebration.
Another plus vote from me - I've really enjoyed the last couple of weeks.
Most people can imagine what riding a bike is like
I've ridden in Manchester's velodrome, with Ed Clancy and Andy Tennant. I would respectfully suggest that most regular people think they can imagine what riding a bike is like. Velo racing is brutal.
(... not that I'm an athlete. I'm a wreck. It was some competition prize or other.)
Mrs S got to see a 2024 Olympic Gold medal in the flesh today at an equestrian event in Lancashire where one of the eventing team was making an appearance. I guess they all can't go on the lash for the rest of the olympics after their event has finished although I would if I won gold.
On a similar theme - this country is delusional
https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1822224347584516143
I race track. Not well, but am in the bunch. Lifting double my body weight is a totally different thing. Sure the track guys are fast, 60 km/h in the madison, but you and I can ride the velodrome at decent pace. But lifting even my own weight would be a challenge!
Hahaha you just know that all of that 28% voted Brexit
Hahaha you just know that all of that 28% voted Brexit
Taking back control now means they're free to compete in the Olympics - without any of those immigrant folk like Sir Mo Farah coming over here and stealing our medals.
The 13% who reckon they can do archery is funny. Have you seen how far away the target is?! Most people could barely see it, never mind reliably hit it!
As for track cycling - my fastest time around the black line was about 1" slower than Chris Hoy's time when he was warming up for his sprint at the very top of the track, building up speed before diving down to hit the 200m line. He could ride (at warm up pace) around the absolute top of the track, so a long way further than the black line, quicker than I could ride the black line at full speed.
Advertising rules are so tight in venues - only official sponsors and I think athlete's kit is allowed - so even the Fender on the headstock of the guitars has been taped over.
Fantastic untapped resource of 100 metre runners. Or are they confirming they can run 100 meters?
Psychologists reckon you require about 10,000 hours of practise to reach elite level and there’s about 35,000 hours in 4 years, that’s pretty well 8 hours per day, every day between now and then…what are they waiting for? Chop, chop
He could ride (at warm up pace) around the absolute top of the track, so a long way further than the black line, quicker than I could ride the black line at full speed.
Yeahbut what’s his best ride London time eh? Yours is faster.
Contractually required Tom Cruise on a motorbike
What's the deal with snoop dogg, is he a party guest who keeps hanging about. salt bae 2
That's a hell of a pool of potential medal winners we have for LA. If they can be bothered.
Gold medal haul was down - just below the Netherlands.
Well they’ve caught up with us at cycling. Literally and figuratively.
The one event I think people could have a chance at, if they could be bothered, and have some talent, is 10m air pistol. Little kit is required (just the pistol and a target), you practice indoors, and you can just about do it in a garage. Of course you’ll need five hours per day to train, but it’s doable. 25m rifle is hard as the target is so much smaller and the kit requirements greater. As is the disassembly of the scope for targetting for each discipline.
Instead of looking at them as percentages, I’ll remind you that 6% is 1/17. And do you think 1/17 could train for the Olympic road race in four or eight years ?.
BTW shooting clubs are on their knees. All those potential new members can only be good news!
But lifting even my own weight would be a challenge
Really? What kind of lift? Squat or deadlift? I think you'd be surprised at what you can do with a bit of training around technique. I'm not strong on the bike at all fitness wise, but I can deadlift 2X my bodyweight with ease and my squat is 1.6X BW. My experience suggests the leg strength cyclists have automatically puts them well above most normal folk when it comes to lifting
Archery ?
C'mon... remember Agincourt ? English archers socked it to lefrogs.
We need SKS to pass a law that every man must practice archery for 12 hours every Sunday, just like in the good old days (of rickets, plague and death before 40). Gold medals a nailed on cert.
Not sure how the local 'spoons will cope though if their clientele isn't inside drinking pissy lager from 8.30am onwards.
The archers were Welsh.
Just been to the local Cafe - the Australian womens "breaking" (not sure why we aren't calling this breakdancing anymore? or if it's different?) was a wonderfully unifying topic of conversation.
Consensus was:
1. WTAF was THAT?
2. Poor woman. She's being mocked globally - hope she's ok.
3. How did that happen? We MUST have some Breaking talent in Australia, how did we end up selecting somebody with a PHd in it.... but that can't actually do it? Feels like a 99th hour "do we have somebody for this?", "google says there's somebody from Macquarie Uni with a PHd in it..... let just ask her if she can come and have a crack"
Remarkable scenes
The one event I think people could have a chance at, if they could be bothered, and have some talent, is 10m air pistol.
Would agree with that. I used to spend a quite a bit of time playing darts when I was around 14 and got pretty good just though continual practice of showing the same thing at the same target at the same distance (even got a 9 dart finish).
I reckon if I had spent the same time shooting an air pistol I would have been pretty good. What is the competition like to qualify though?
On the other side, I also used to play a bit of badminton when same age and thought I was okay. One game against someone who played for just the county soon put me straight with a 21-0 loss. I wouldn't be qualifying for that any time soon!
I think that would be key, how many people are even trying to qualify for the Olympics in the given activity and what level are they - I would guess they are all pretty bloody good.
BTW shooting clubs are on their knees. All those potential new members can only be good news!
Sports and leisure clubs (and facilities in general) are on their knees nationally. Funding cuts for coucnils forcing closure of pools/gyms/playgrounds, school cuts forcing them to sell off their playing fields, lack of qualified teachers, fear of litigation if a child injures themselves. Lack of access - especially in deprived areas, cost of entry to [sport], too much traffic (with secondary effects of fewer people cycling and walking).
And here are the consequences. Yes it's taken 15 years to work through the system but there are fewer people doing sport, fewer opportunities to be talent spotted and progressed.
Really? What kind of lift? Squat or deadlift? I think you’d be surprised at what you can do with a bit of training around technique.
Neither are Olympic lifts though, the snatch and clean and jerk both require considerable technique and strength - more so than squatting or deadlifts
I wonder how much failure or success in certain Olympic sports effects their grass routes funding for the next 4 years?
For example.. sailing
We usually win a good few medals in this.. except this time due to combination of bad luck, a few bad decisions etc they didn't do very well. Will their funding be slashed and be given to synchronised swimming?
They will just convince Ben Ainslie to come back. They don't innovate, they go back to what worked and repeat. They'd be better looking at how/why USA always come out with a wheelbarrow full of medals.
And don't bother with the closing ceremony, it was dreary nonsense.
It's generally a party atmosphere - but not this time.
The one event I think people could have a chance at, if they could be bothered, and have some talent, is 10m air pistol.
Yeah - good luck with that!!
Hitting a bull 1mm across at 10m isn't as easy as it looks! 🙂
10mm Air Rifle is easier - I know, I've done both.
