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Offline mystery-ak

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Olympics Thread - results and comments
« on: July 28, 2012, 10:03:34 pm »
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OLY_SWM_SWIMMING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-07-28-16-01-33


Jul 28, 5:54 PM EDT

Lochte wins 400 IM in blowout; Phelps finishes 4th

By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP National Writer

 LONDON (AP) -- Ryan Lochte turned his much-anticipated duel with Michael Phelps into a blowout, pulling away to win the Olympic 400-meter individual medley by more than 3 seconds Saturday night. Even more stunning: Phelps didn't win any medal at all.

After barely qualifying for the evening final in a performance that hinted at trouble ahead, Phelps struggled to a fourth-place finish and was denied his 17th career Olympic medal. When it was done, he could barely pull himself out of the pool.

"It was just a crappy race," Phelps said. "I felt fine the first 200, then I don't know. They just swam a better race than me, a smarter race than me, and were better prepared than me. That's why they're on the medal stand."

Lochte took the gold with a time of 4 minutes, 5.18 seconds. Brazil's Thiago Pereira (4:08.86) settled for silver, while Japan's Kosuke Hagino (4:08.94) claimed the bronze - beating Phelps by a fairly comfortable 34-hundredths of a second for the last spot on the podium.

It was the first time since the 2000 Sydney Games, when Phelps was a 15-year-old unknown who qualified in just one event, that he didn't win at least a bronze in an Olympic race. Since then, he was 16-of-16 - 14 golds and two bronzes.

Lochte climbed out of the pool with a big smile, waving to the crowd and looking about a fresh as he did at the start. He had predicted this would be his year and, for the first race of the Olympics at least, he was right on the mark.

"I think I'm kind of in shock right now," he said. As for Phelps, "I know he gave it everything he had. That's all you can ask for."

Phelps was trying to become the first male swimmer to win the same individual event at three straight Olympics. He'll have three more chances at a threepeat before he's done in London, having also won the 200 individual medley, plus the 100 and 200 butterfly, at Athens and Beijing.

But this was shocking, totally out of character for a swimmer who won six gold medals in Athens, then a record eight in Beijing to break Mark Spitz's Olympic record.

"I'm surprised, and not pleasantly," said Bob Bowman, Phelps' longtime coach. "I expected he'd be in the 4:06 range."

Bowman was asked what Phelps said when he got out of the pool.

"It was horrible."

The coach's reply?

"It was."

With first lady Michelle Obama in the house waving a small U.S. flag, everyone expected a duel between the two American stars.

Only Lochte showed up.

Phelps fell behind right from the start in the butterfly, his trademark stroke. From there, it was all Lochte. He stretched his margin in the backstroke and breaststroke, then cruised to the gold in the freestyle, a good three body lengths ahead of the rest of the field.

"It's frustrating, that's all I can say. It's pretty upsetting," Phelps said. "The biggest thing now is to try to look forward. I have a bunch of other races, and hopefully we can finish a lot better than how we started."

China claimed a couple of gold medals on the opening night of swimming at the Olympic Aquatic Centre.

Sixteen-year-old Ye Shiwen set a world record in the women's 400 individual medley - only the third mark to fall since high-tech bodysuits were banned at the end of 2009. She won in 4:28.43, breaking the mark of 4:29.45 by Australia's Stephanie Rice at the 2008 Beijing Games. American Elizabeth Beisel took silver and China's Li Xuanxu grabbed the bronze.

Sun Yang flirted with a world record in the men's 400 freestyle. He took gold in 3:40.14, just off the mark of 3:40.07 by Germany's Paul Biedermann in a rubberized suit three years ago. When it was done, Sun propped himself on the lane rope, pumping his fist and splashing the water.

South Korea's Park Tae-hwan won silver in 3:42.06, fortunate even to take part after initially being disqualified for a false start in the prelims. The ruling was overturned by governing body FINA a couple of hours later on appeal. Peter Vanderkaay of the U.S. won the bronze in 3:44.69.

Australia captured gold in the women's 400 freestyle relay with an Olympic record of 3:33.15, rallying to pass the Americans and hold off the fast-charging Netherlands.

The U.S. got off to a blistering start with Missy Franklin swimming leadoff under world-record pace, and the Americans were still ahead after Jessica Hardy went next. But the Australians rallied behind Brittany Elmslie on the third 100, and Melanie Schlanger held on at the end, with Ranomi Kromowidjojo closing fast to give the Netherlands a silver in 3:33.79.

The other members of the winning team were Alicia Coutts and Cate Campbell.

The Americans slipped to the bronze in 3:34.24, but that was still good enough to give Natalie Coughlin the 12th medal of her career, tying Dara Torres and Jenny Thompson as the most decorated U.S. female Olympians in any sport.

Coughlin swam in the morning prelims, then was reduced to the role of cheerleader in the evening as the Americans went with Franklin, Hardy, Lia Neal and Allison Schmitt. Everyone who swims on a relay gets a medal, though.

There was no medal for Phelps.

His close call in the morning prelims put him in an already uncustomary position - swimming on the outside in the No. 8 lane. He only had one swimmer next to him and no idea what Lochte and the others in the middle of the pool were doing.

Not that it would have mattered.

"I don't think the lane had anything to do with it," Phelps said. "I just couldn't really put myself in a good spot for that race. It's frustrating for sure. ... It's just really frustrating to start off on a bad note like this."

Phelps still has six more events to swim in London, plenty of time to make up for his dismal start. He remains two behind the most medals won by any Olympian - Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina's mark of 18.

Phelps put himself in position to swim another eight events with his performance at the U.S. trials, but he decided to drop the 200-meter freestyle, feeling one less race would give his body a better chance to recover and improve his performance in the other events.

Now, he may be regretting that decision.

The 400 IM was an event he has dominated, but he dropped it from his program after setting a world record in Beijing four years ago (4:03.84), vowing never to swim it again.

He should had stuck with that pledge. Clearly, Phelps didn't leave himself enough time to get back in the kind of shape he needed to win the brutal race, having only brought it back earlier this year.

"I was lucky to get in," he said, referring to his slow time in the morning. "I had a chance to put myself in a spot to start off on a good note and didn't do it."

Lochte gave the Americans their first gold medal of the London Games and put himself in position to fulfill the promise he showed at last year's world championships, where he won five golds and beat Phelps in their two head-to-head meetings.

The friendly rivals have one more showdown in London, in the 200 individual medley. Phelps edged Lochte in that race during the U.S. Olympics trials, but Lochte appears to be on top of his game when it really counts.

About a half-hour after the race, the laid-back Floridian returned to the medal podium to receive the fourth gold medal of his career.

Wearing diamond-studded grillz in his mouth and lime-green sneakers on the feet that powered him through the water faster than anyone else, Lochte strolled around the deck kissing his medal while Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" played over the loudspeaker.

Phelps was nowhere to be found.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2012, 05:16:02 am by Rapunzel »
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Offline evadR

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Re: Lochte wins 400 IM in blowout; Phelps finishes 4th
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2012, 10:31:14 pm »
Too much blow?
November 6, 2012, a day in infamy...the death of a republic as we know it.

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Lochte wins 400 IM in blowout; Phelps finishes 4th
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2012, 10:49:24 pm »
Too much blow?

and too much ego.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

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Re: Lochte wins 400 IM in blowout; Phelps finishes 4th
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2012, 11:14:28 pm »

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Lochte wins 400 IM in blowout; Phelps finishes 4th
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2012, 03:36:47 am »
Watching the race right now, Lochte swam a hell of a heat ahead of the world record.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Lochte wins 400 IM in blowout; Phelps finishes 4th
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2012, 04:00:10 am »
Twitterers are raking NBC's coverage over the coals -- and rightly so... they don't show swimming live, then they lead with it on the 6 o'clock news and show the actual race later..... sheesh!  They seem to think this is the 1950's instead of 2012.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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Olympics Thread
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2012, 05:03:09 am »
I'm going to make one thread to put all the Olympic event news in - for those interested - and pin it until they are over.

�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2012, 05:06:57 am »
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1276495-us-olympic-gymnasts-john-orozco-danell-leyva-in-position-for-individual-glory

US Olympic Gymnasts John Orozco, Danell Leyva in Position for Individual Glory

By Liviu Bird
(Featured Columnist) on July 28, 2012
 

By the end of the 2012 Summer Olympics, two U.S. men’s gymnasts could go home with all-around medals. Danell Leyva and John Orozco proved that they can compete with the best gymnasts on the biggest world stage.

Leyva’s performance was nothing short of dominant on Saturday. Even in his weakest events, the still rings and vault, he performed well enough to secure his all-around first place.

Orozco finished fourth, but it would have been higher if not for a miss on the parallel bars that caused him to receive just a 14.533. Both he and Leyva scored 15 or better on four of six events.

On a day in which most competitors succumbed to nerves, the top American duo held theirs better than anybody, including defending world champion Kohei Uchimura, who finished ninth. His talent wasn’t enough to overcome his poor mental game on Day 1, leaving the door open for Leyva and Orozco.

“We're here to get something,” Leyva said after the competition (via Sports Illustrated). “We said we'd be pretty disappointed if we didn't get on that podium.”

While he was talking about the team, that attitude extends to the individuals on the team, all of whom qualified for at least one individual final.

The team recovered from a slow start with its confidence and swagger, on full display through the athletes’ body language.

The lack of pressure on the Americans helped them. All eyes were on Uchimura in the individual competition and reigning Olympic and World champion China as a team.

The U.S. men have also taken a backseat to the American women, with Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglas getting more attention from fans and media than any other individuals. In a sport where the tenths matter and inches are the difference between gold and obscurity, handling pressure is important.

Leyva and Orozco were feeling good on Saturday, but now that they qualified in the top four and their team is No. 1, the pressure will increase. If they can handle it, the result will be golden.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2012, 05:07:31 am »
Both Leyva and Orozco did great today... not a sign of nerves.  My favorite venues are Gymnastics, swimming, diving and horse events.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Lipstick on a Hillary

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #9 on: July 30, 2012, 01:23:02 am »
Womens' gymnastics is on!

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #10 on: July 30, 2012, 01:56:35 am »
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/29/zara-phillips-olympics-royal-dressage-london-2012_n_1715342.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

 Zara Phillips Makes Olympic Equestrian Debut With Princess Anne, Royals Looking On

By NICOLE WINFIELD 07/29/12 02:00 PM ET AP
 

LONDON — Zara Phillips did her royal family proud.

The granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II wowed the home crowd and a few relatives in her Olympic equestrian debut Sunday, riding her appropriately named horse, High Kingdom, to a respectable finish in the eventing dressage competition.

The 31-year-old Phillips registered a slight mistake and earned 46.1 penalty points at Greenwich Park, placing her 24th out of 74 riders with two disciplines to go.

Her grandfather, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and her mother, Princess Anne, were in the VIP seats as Phillips put High Kingdom through the paces of a standard dressage test to demonstrate the horse's obedience.

Cheers and applause broke out as Phillips, 14th in line to the British throne, rode into the stadium, and cheers erupted again when she finished. Anne, wearing a bright red canvas hat, applauded politely.

"To be here at home is an amazing feeling, and you just want to try and do your best for the team," Phillips said.

Three other British riders did better, and their scores contributed to Britain's third-place finish at the end of dressage.

Germany was in the lead with 119 penalty points, followed by Australia with 122.1 and Britain with 127. The United States was seventh with 138.8. As in golf, the low score wins.

The competition continues Monday with the dangerous and unpredictable cross-country portion, followed by show jumping Tuesday.

High Kingdom made a mistake toward the beginning of the canter in the first of a maneuver known as the flying change. The horse is supposed to change the sequence of its steps, but High Kingdom didn't respond immediately to Phillips' cues.

"It was disappointing about his first change, but his other ones were really good," she said. "But he coped with all the crowd and is only getting better."

Phillips, a former world and European eventing champion, performed early under a sunny sky. Later, storm clouds and lightning moved in, forcing a brief suspension of competition and drawing complaints from some riders who had competed through the rain.

Phillips said High Kingdom's mistake had nothing to do with the enthusiasm from the stands – a rousing welcome that prompted the announcer to remind the audience to keep applause to a minimum until the test was finished.

"He's very chilled," she said of her bay gelding. "That was nothing to do with the crowd. It was just inexperience and getting stronger, and he's getting stronger all the time."

She said she was looking forward to Monday's cross-country event, which she said was High Kingdom's strongest because he is a good jumper. The 28-obstacle course over 3.5 miles through the bucolic Greenwich Park is hilly with several tight turns.

"He's quite quick and easy to turn, so hopefully it'll be good," Phillips said. "I think he wants to get out there now. He's a bit bored of dressage."

In an indication of the respect the royal granddaughter has in the equestrian world, Phillips was warmly greeted after she competed by Mark Todd and Andrew Nicholson of New Zealand.

At the end of the dressage portion, Japan's Yoshiaki Oiwa led the individual competition on Noonday de Conde with 38.1, Stefano Brecciaroli of Italy on Apollo WD Wendi Kurt Hoev was in second place with 38.5, and Todd on Campino had 39.1.

But in eventing, anything goes, and team leader Germany said Monday's cross-country could shake both the team and individual standings around.

"It's a three-day competition, and not a dressage show," said German team coach Hans Melzer. "I think tomorrow is a new competition, and everyone starts with zero."

Phillips' grandmother stole the show during the opening ceremony Friday, appearing opposite Daniel Craig's James Bond in a short film, then formally opening the games. She visited with fawning British Olympians in the athletes village on Saturday.

The gold-medal question was whether the queen would attend Phillips' brief four-minute test. Instead, her husband represented the monarchy. Princes William and Harry and William's wife, Kate, are expected to appear over the next two days.

Equestrian is being held in a regal venue: Greenwich Park dates from 1433 and is the oldest royal park in London. The main equestrian arena sits in front of Queen's House, a 17th-century building designed as a summer palace for Queen Anne of Denmark, the wife of James I.

Horses are big in the royal family. The queen is an accomplished and enthusiastic equestrian and at 86 still rides often – without a helmet.

Princess Anne is not only president of the British Olympic committee but a member of the International Olympic Committee and a former Olympian in equestrian eventing herself.

She competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, but her horse fell going over a jump during the cross-country event. Phillips father, Capt. Mark Phillips, fared better, winning team gold at Munich in 1972 and silver in Seoul 16 years later.

Mark Phillips is now a top coach of the U.S. equestrian team and sat a few seats away from Anne, his ex-wife, to watch his daughter compete. Phillips' brother Peter was also in the stands.

In a recent BBC interview, Anne acknowledged the pressure British athletes were under competing on home turf.

"I'd hate to be doing it now – that's all I can tell you!" she said.

But her 31-year-old daughter played down the pressure, telling reporters earlier in the week she would have no trouble competing with other royals in the stands.

"They're my family. It's not weird," she quipped.

Phillips had qualified for the 2008 Beijing Games but had to pull out after her horse, Toytown, got was injured. British equestrian officials have stressed that Phillips is on the team because she's an excellent athlete, not because she's royal.

Phillips and brother Peter have low profiles in the royal family. They hold no royal titles, unique among the queen's eight grandchildren, after their mother turned down the monarch's offer of honors.

Nevertheless, both are very much part of the royal family. The queen and Prince Philip were honored guests at her wedding last year to international rugby star Mike Tindall, who has been photographed playfully wrestling William and Harry until they begged for mercy.

Tindall escorted Phillips to the stable after her ride, and even took a picture for an Olympic technician who wanted a photograph taken with his wife.

The seventh-place U.S. team, heading into Monday's cross-country, faced a double whammy – a disappointing dressage result and a poor draw.

On Sunday, Phillip Dutton of West Grove, Pa., earned 44.3 and 19th place out of 74 riders on Mystery Whisper, while Will Coleman of Gordonsville, Va., scored 46.3 on Twizzel and sits 26th, adding to the scores their teammates earned Saturday.

The Americans must also send their riders out first in cross-country. They will need gallop all out without knowing the standings of the other riders, who can ride more conservatively knowing precisely what kind of score they need.

The time to meet is 10 minutes, 3 seconds. Penalties for exceeding the optimum time will likely separate the eventual winners from the rest of the pack.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2012, 03:56:45 am »
I love The Daily Mail!!!!







�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #12 on: July 30, 2012, 03:59:09 am »
 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html

The 16-year-old Chinese girl who is faster than America's Ryan Lochte! Swimming prodigy takes gold after smashing world record
 


Ye Shiwen posted such a good time in the women's 400m individual medley that her final 50m was in fact faster than gold medallist Ryan Lochte's performance in the men's event, at just 28.93 seconds. Her achievement was so unprecedented that it even led some broadcasters to question whether Ye had benefited from underhand practices. Her total time was 4:28.43, a world record which was three seconds ahead of her closest rival and five seconds quicker than her own personal best.


�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #13 on: July 30, 2012, 06:06:26 am »
http://www.chron.com/sports/article/Olympic-viewing-NBC-critics-loud-on-social-media-3744551.php

Olympic viewing: NBC critics loud on social media
DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer
Updated 11:07 p.m., Sunday, July 29, 2012



NEW YORK (AP) — In the age of social media, NBC now has millions of television critics who make their opinions known about every aspect of Olympics coverage instantly.

They've even set up their own hashtag on Twitter: (hash)nbcfail. The online complaints focused Saturday on NBC's decision to air the marquee swimming event won by American Ryan Lochte on tape delay in prime time, and Friday on the network not streaming the opening ceremony online. Sunday's critics started early: people wondering why the U.S. men's basketball team's opening game aired on a cable network while women's cycling was shown on NBC.

The conversation is so active that NBC's executive producer of the games, Jim Bell, took to Twitter to answer critics and even change the way NBC is doing something in response.

"(hash)nbcfail is filled with a lot of crying and snark and humor, but NBC can actually learn something from it," said Jeff Jarvis, a media critic who writes the Buzzmachine.com blog.

Complaints about tape delayed coverage are an evergreen with Olympics held on foreign soil. But the London Games are the first with Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites in full flower, in a mobile phone era where people carry computers that instantly deliver news in their pockets. It has amplified the impatience of viewers who want to see events on their large-screen TVs instantly and haven't been mollified by NBC's decision to stream the events live online.

James Poniewozik, Time magazine TV critic, tweeted that "NBC tape delay coverage is like the airlines: its interest is in giving you the least satisfactory service you will still come back for."

That drew a quick response from NBC's Bell: "You do know that all sports events are being streamed live right?"

"I do, indeed!" replied Poniewozik. "Have enjoyed it. Apparently a lot of folks still prefer watching it on TV."

NBC says it saves big events for prime-time airing because that is when most viewers are available to watch them and where the network makes the bulk of its advertising revenue. Since prime time on the U.S. East Coast coincides with 1 a.m. London time, there are no events to air live then. NBC representatives noted that there were 39 hours of live events Sunday on NBC and its affiliated networks.

Even as it defends its approach, NBC clearly hears those critics. One of Bell's Facebook posts highlighted coverage of Sunday's cycling race by saying it was all-caps LIVE. The network advertised its live streaming on the prime-time broadcast.

Jonathan Wald, who produces Piers Morgan's CNN talk show and used to work at NBC, tweeted that "the medal for most Olympic whining goes to everyone who complains about what happens every four years. Tape delay."

One of those complainers, in fact, was Morgan: He tweeted his disdain Friday for NBC's decision not to make the opening ceremony available live.

The advent of Twitter makes it seems as if there's a lot of unhappiness when the majority of viewers are watching NBC on tape delay and appear satisfied with it, Wald said in an interview.

NBC can point to television ratings justifying their approach. The Nielsen company said the opening ceremony drew more than 40 million people Friday, the most ever for one of those Olympic events. Saturday's first night of coverage was seen by 28.7 million, another record, beating every other first night of Olympic competition. In Beijing four years ago, 24 million watched on the corresponding night.

Jarvis said he believes NBC could satisfy fans by, for example, televising events like Lochte's race live in the afternoon and then repeating it at night. He acknowledges, though, that he's not the one who'd potentially be risking millions of dollars in advertising revenue if such a decision cut into prime-time viewing.

NBC has tried to "hold on to old media strategies in a new media world," Jarvis said. "And that's a mistake."

Some of the online complaints seem to take special glee in bashing NBC, with a few describing it like an Olympic sport of its own. Some are quite personal, like the CNN producer who tweeted Sunday: "No USA basketball in my hotel room. Why they aren't putting it on NBC's main channel is beyond me!"

Bell, in some of his back-and-forth with online critics Sunday, answered one tweeter who described herself as a St. Louis mom and complained about NBC's "Nightly News" on Saturday airing results of events that hadn't been shown on the network yet. Bell tweeted that he'd look into it, and shortly after told her that "Nightly News" would announce a "spoiler alert" to tell people to avert their eyes if they didn't want to see results.

Not everyone online is a critic. On Sunday, the U.S. Olympic sailing team tweeted that it was "by far the greatest sailing TV coverage in Olympic history."

ROWDY vs. PHELPS: Does Michael Phelps need bulletin board material anymore? If so, Rowdy Gaines provided it with his sharp criticism of Phelp's first final this weekend. "He just didn't train for it ... You can't fake that event," Gaines said.

UP CLOSE: Understand NBC's need to help us get to know obscure athletes in obscure sports. But the news about two synchronized divers who both collect rubber ducks felt like self-parody.

UPCOMING: Ryan Lochte's bid for a second gold medal is featured on NBC's Monday night coverage.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2012, 08:08:44 pm »
http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/gymnastics/story/united-states-china-japan-britain-ukraine-russia-in-mens-final-073012


US men's gymnastics team finishes 5th
FOX Sports
 
Updated Jul 30, 2012 3:33 PM ET
     
 
LONDON

When there's gold to be had, don't ever doubt the Chinese.

When it comes to silver and bronze, it can get tricky. It did at men's gymnastics on Monday.

The Chinese won their second straight Olympic title and third in four games, making anyone who wrote them off after a dismal performance in qualifying look silly. Their score of 275.997 points was more than four points better than Japan, which needed help from a DVR to finish second.

The Americans, hoping for their first Olympic title since 1984 after finishing No. 1 in qualifying, lost all hopes for any medal with a dismal showing on pommel horse, their second event. They rallied to finish fifth.

Britain was initially announced as the silver medalist, setting off raucous celebrations at the O2 Arena. The British don't have a proud history in gymnastics - they barely have any history - and this was their first men's team medal in a century. But Japan questioned the score of three-time world champion Kohei Uchimura on pommel horse, the team's very last routine.
 

While judges huddled around a video screen, Uchimura and his teammates sat stone-faced while the British partied. About five minutes later, Uchimura's score was revised and Japan was awarded the silver while Britain was bumped down to bronze.

It was of little consolation to the Japanese, who were bested by the Chinese yet again.

Just like everybody else.

China also won the last five world titles, and now has gone eight years without losing at a major competition.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline mystery-ak

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #15 on: July 30, 2012, 08:11:07 pm »
Even the British soldiers look bored.
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November 6, 2012, a day in infamy...the death of a republic as we know it.

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #17 on: July 31, 2012, 09:40:47 pm »
Finally wins a gold
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/07/31/phelps-wins-record-1th-olympic-medal-after-dominating-relay/

Yep... after blowing the butterfly - his strongest event - he wins gold with a lot of help from his teammates...
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Offline evadR

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #18 on: August 01, 2012, 12:46:48 am »
Yep... after blowing the butterfly - his strongest event - he wins gold with a lot of help from his teammates...
Have a heart Rapunzel. He's an "old timer" :laugh:
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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #19 on: August 01, 2012, 12:55:56 am »
Hate to say this but I am burned out on Phelps...if he wasn't so cocky I would feel better about him...he showed up thinking the gold was a given...
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Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #20 on: August 01, 2012, 03:27:51 am »
  Badminton tournament marred by teams trying to purposely lose a match

LONDON – Eight badminton players could be disciplined for their sub-par Olympic effort after embarrassing scenes Tuesday saw them appear to deliberately throw their matches. (AP)(AP)

Angry fans at Wembley Arena booed and jeered once it became clear that No.1 seed Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China and Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na of South Korea were trying to purposefully lose their contest in the final round of the group stage in order to obtain an easier draw in the next round.

Both teams, along with a second doubles team from South Korea and one from Indonesia have all been charged by the Badminton World Federation with "not using one's best efforts to win a match," according to the BBC.

If the Olympics are supposed to be about the pursuit of excellence and honesty, this was anything but, especially the duo of Wang and Yu which looked to be making no attempt whatsoever to win. Serves were skewed wide on purpose. Shots were allowed to drop to the floor with little effort to retrieve them.

The best team in the world performed worse than a pair of rank amateurs and cast shame on their sport in the process. Tennis legend John McEnroe, working as an analyst for the BBC, was utterly incredulous.

"They need to change this now," McEnroe said. "People who are watching the badminton right now will be turning off in droves and losing even more interest."

Badminton officials had already come under fire for adopting a group system for this event instead of single elimination as in previous Games. Given Tuesday's saga, it is unthinkable that group play will be retained.

[ Related: Full video coverage of the 2012 Olympic Games in London ]

The sorry situation came about because both the Wang-Yu pairing and the Jung-Kim duo had already qualified for the quarterfinal after winning their first two group games, and because the second-ranked Chinese pairing of Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei had already been upset by a team from Denmark. That meant that the winner of the China vs. South Korea match would earn the dubious honor of facing Tian and Zhao, offering the genuine advantage of an easier draw for losing on purpose.

At one point in the first set there was the ludicrous sight of three straight fault serves being committed, unthinkable for teams of this caliber. Match referee Thorsten Berg took the step of striding furiously onto the court and issuing a formal warning to both teams.

[ Photos: Chinese throw badminton match against South Koreans ]

From that point on, an improved effort seemed to have been made, although the South Koreans went on to win 21-14, 21-11.

As the players slapped hands – just as halfheartedly as their efforts on the court – the jeers from an unsatisfied crowd rained down on them and continued as all four players walked off the court. The Chinese pair tried to explain that their lackluster performance was because they were trying to save energy. No one was buying it.

"The Chinese had already started this," said Korean coach Sung Han-kook. "They did it first. It is a complicated thing with the draws. They didn't want to meet each other in the semifinal. The [Badminton World Federation] should do something about it."

[ Related: Controversy surrounds world-record 400 IM of China's 16-year-old Ye Shiwen ]

Later in the session, South Korea's Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung also appeared to be trying to throw a game against Indonesian opposition, but following a warning of expulsion from the referee began to concentrate properly and clinched a three-set victory.

Table tennis abandoned its group format after the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and now uses the single-elimination method. The same can be expected from badminton by the time the 2016 Games roll around in Rio.

A badminton magazine recently revealed that of the 99 matches that Chinese players or pairs were due to play against each other in international tournaments in 2011, 20 were walkovers.
 
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #21 on: August 01, 2012, 05:50:58 am »



Golden Girls

US gymnasts McKayla Maroney, Kyla Ross, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and Jordyn Wieber bite their gold medals after taking first place in the team competition. It's the second time a US women's team took home the gold — the first was in 1996.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline DCPatriot

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #22 on: August 01, 2012, 05:54:06 am »
Rap.....who is the "star" among the girls?    The 'Mary Lou Retton'.

I have not watched any of the Olympics.
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Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #23 on: August 01, 2012, 05:58:16 am »



10 of 21
Timing is everything

Mexico's Alejandra Orozco Loza and Paola Espinosa Sanchez compete during the women's synchronized 10-meter platform diving final.
 

�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Olympics Thread - results and comments
« Reply #24 on: August 01, 2012, 06:06:21 am »
Rap.....who is the "star" among the girls?    The 'Mary Lou Retton'.

I have not watched any of the Olympics.

It is hard to say, I don't think any of them shine over the others as much as Retton did in those Olympics.  We really have an all-around strong women's gymnastic team... but of all the girls --Jordyn Wieber is considered the best on the team, yet in the all-around she didn't qualify -came in 4th on our team -  Aly Raisman wasn't considered the gymnast of Jordan yet blew her away in the all-around scoring the other night..  Gabby  - the little black girl on our team is a little dynamo and very strong.....but Kyla Ross and McKayla Maroney are both very strong, too.  This really is our best team in a very long time and in contrast the Rumanians who usually have a great female team is weak right now. The Russians have their typical "diva" who thinks she is better than anyone else on their team, stubborn and doesn't like to listen -- she is also a relatively poor sport... 

Our men's team seems weaker than usual (to me)

and I will add that unlike both the Russian and the Rumanian teams our five girls are all very close and seem bonded with each other...  the funniest scene I've seen so far this week was Aly Raisman's parents the other night -- they were literally going through all the motions of her routine in their seats while she was on the parallel bars and it was very funny to watch, the camera was fixated on them...  the mother "used" to be a gymnast so is probably a "stage" mother.....
« Last Edit: August 01, 2012, 06:09:56 am by Rapunzel »
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776