Rio Olympics 2016

[nailsy]

I love the longer distance races like this where tactics come into it.

 

[Hitch]

If not for the fact GB seem to be pretty damn good at it, I'd be calling for Taekwondo to be removed as an Olympic sport - immediately.

Not to shit on it as a discipline or anything - it's pretty tense...but it has to be just about the most fucking nonsensical and infuriating to watch sport I've yet seen at an Olympics (aside from Pentathlon perhaps). Maybe if results had gone more our way I'd feel differently. FFS though I'm just so pissed off with taekwondo by this point! More than happy to wait another four years to see it.

Anyway, come on Mo!

 

[Syn_13]

Well done Mo!

 

[werty]

Really good 5000m.

 

[nailsy]

Legend.

 

[Hitch]

Our greatest track and field athlete ever surely? In modern times at least...

Daley Thompson the only serious comp I can think of.

 

[MaccSpurs]

GOLD! Mo Farah!

Never in doubt really. Phenomenal long distance runner!

 

[UpTownSpur]

If not for the fact GB seem to be pretty damn good at it, I'd be calling for Taekwondo to be removed as an Olympic sport - immediately.

Not to shit on it as a discipline or anything - it's pretty tense...but it has to be just about the most fucking nonsensical and infuriating to watch sport I've yet seen at an Olympics (aside from Pentathlon perhaps). Maybe if results had gone more our way I'd feel differently. FFS though I'm just so pissed off with taekwondo by this point! More than happy to wait another four years to see it.

Anyway, come on Mo!

Couldn't disagree more, I've loved the Taekwando. What exactly do you find illogical about it? And we've been one of the top performers in it with Gold, Silver and bronze. It should have two Golds though. Jade Jones was a pleasure to watch, so clearly better than everyone else in her weight. She just toyed with them.

 

[nightgoat]

And with Mo's gold we're now on 65 medals in total, which equals London. That's not including Joe Joyce either, so we've all but officially beaten 2012's medal total. First host nation to surpass their medal total in the following Olympics. Absolutely amazing.

 

[Hitch]

Couldn't disagree more, I've loved the Taekwando. What exactly do you find illogical about it? And we've been one if the top performers in it with Gold, Silver and bronze. It should have two Golds though. Jade Jones was a pleasure to watch, so clearly better than everyone else in her weight. She just toyed with them.

I said it appears nonsensical, speaking from an admitted angle of ignorance. I'd never suggest that Taekwondo is in itself nonsensical. Clearly it is not. Speaking frankly, my previous comment was intended tongue in cheek and not something I anticipated having to explain rationally on a message board at this time of night.

I do understand the sport of Taekwondo rather well and have done since the Cook/Lutalo palaver in the run-up to the 2012 Games. Any suggestion that the sport appears illogical was a purposeful exaggeration. Nonetheless, it's reflective of an outlook shared, at least, by most I know, both in real life and media.

 

[aussiespursguy]

Just saw some fantastic footage. Usain Bolt after receiving his gold with his boys in the relay, went straight to Mo Farrah while he was waiting for his event to wish him luck, and take a selfie. Awesome stuff.

 

[Hitch]

I think Mo getting that Gold more or less nails down second for GB. My estimation for the Chinese was 26 golds (though I might be missing a dark horse event somewhere) and while GB are now on 27.

Would have quite liked for us to edge ahead of China in the overall medal count also (quite why I should care I've no idea). But mathematically speaking are there even enough available for us to do that now? The only hope left, so far as I'm aware, is

 

[Armstrong_11]

So glad Brazil won the Olympic football because there just isn't enough other football played around the world.

#completejoke

From the way they started the competition, I think they deserved to win. Only wish that dam arse kid miss his penalty, it was a horrible one... No idea how the keeper didn't save it.

 

[teok]

 

[StockSpur]

shame the womens high jump was won with only 3 succesful clearances at 1.97m, johnson thompson jumped 1.98 in the heptathlon.

Shame also on the lack of fans in the stadium, dont think it was full once.

 

[biscuit]

Modern Pentathlon seems a bit of a crazy event. Reminds me of "Its a knockout" from the 70's - only thing missing is Stuart Hall in a pair if furry boots.

Couldn't disagree more, mate. Whereas the events in the (original) pentathlon in ancient Greece were there to act as the model for the perfect soldier, when the modern pentathlon was created in 1912, the intention was for it to mirror the perfect cavalry soldier caught behind enemy lines. Competitors had to be able to ride an unfamiliar horse, fight 'enemies' with both pistol and sword, outswim them and then be able to run back to his own soldiers. Basically, an early kind of Bond/Bourne, and I actually think it's maybe the purest competition in the Olympics.

 

[DIEHARD]

Future quiz question: "In which Olympics did all the medalists in the women's 800 metres all have testicles?"

It's a farce, it's known Semenya has undescended testicles and male levels of testerone. It's an unfair advantage to the hermaphrodites and the woman can't compete with them.

That is not her fault tho. Thats called nature dude therefore she should not be discriminated against in my view.

 

[Spurs' Pipe Dreams]

I think the women's 800m final certainly raises a few questions. Hyperandrogenism is obviously a thing, all three of the medalists have manly features, a flat chest and when tested a higher than normal level of testosterone. Many athletes have been banned (rightly so) for enhanced levels of testosterone from various forms of banned substances.

The women who won the medals have all been tested and are women, all can get pregnant and have babies in theory and surely that means that they are women. Because nature has given them an advantage over other women does this then make them competing unfair, considering others have been banned for artificially enhancing the same hormone that is naturally produced in their own bodies.

I think it's an interesting discussion, some would have the women take testosterone inhabitant drugs to lower their levels. How is that fair on them, taking drugs to enhance performance is banned so should they be allowed the other way?

I don't think there's a right answer, but it is something that will have to be addressed as it is a naturally occurring phenomena and will continue to happen.

I think ultimately it will come down to making it a level (ish) playing field and a suppressant to get to "normal" levels will be applied, not sure if that's right, though.

 

[MaccSpurs]

The women who won the medals have all been tested and are women, all can get pregnant and have babies

Caster Semenya, the chap who won the women's 800 metres gold has no womb or ovaries but rather internal testes due to abnormality.

She (or he) has more chance donating sperm than actually getting pregnant.

 

[MaccSpurs]

That is not her fault tho. Thats called nature dude therefore she should not be discriminated against in my view.

Tell that to Lynsey Sharp who no matter how hard she trains will never, ever, ever win a race against men.