'24 Olympics discussion

[mac_1103]

Katie Ledecky!

 

[Kent88]

Hahaha - true story (yes, it is true Kent ) a broke acting student at conservatory many lives ago, I got a gig moving Trinity Rep's (this is the regional theater and conservatory, Providence, RI, where I studied) stage warehouse up one floor. I came upon a gargantuan wheel of cheddar, ancient already by then...asked if I could have it. Lived on it for weeks, that and coffee, lol.

I didn't think coffee could counter all that cheese, but I guess it's possible.

 

[user 246304]

I didn't think coffee could counter all that cheese, but I guess it's possible.

Hahahah - yeah, there was that. Thank god I was a younger lad. And training in ballet every day.

 

[Kent88]

Sure, why not.

 

[Snuffy]

Is Cornhole an Olympic sport yet?

 

[Broothru]

I hear that Simone Bials commented after winning her ??? Gold Medal:

“I LOVE my Black Job!” /snark

 

[Willy]

People who know me realize I've lived a lot of lives. Eternal wanderer and it's only been over the last 5 years I've come to understand why.

If you're talking here about the '68 games, my brother was part of a powerhouse class at Cal State Long Beach. Can't recall the coach's name but believe either that year or another, he was also the Olympic coach. In just looking for him, I came across this article, talking about the trials and Spitz. The Belmont pool, in which I competed quite a bit myself, was in my view a "fast" but in some respects a terrible pool - with maddeningly slippery walls. Doesn't matter as much in freestyle or backstroke (where you can do a flip turn, though can't remember if back then the backstroke flip turn was allowed yet), but for breaststroke and butterfly, where you have to grab, tuck your legs tight and push off - nothing more disheartening than pushing with all your legs have, and your feet slip, leaving you dead in the water. It happened to me too.

Our home movie has my brother, who had shaved down and had a good shot at making the team, crying at the finish. An extremely kind line judge, or whatever we called them, comforted him and helped him out of the water.

edit: Ha! Yes, at the end of the article, they mention my brother's (and Olympic) coach, Don Gambril.

Edit II: My brother's team is mentioned here as NCAA 1968 champions.

Edit III: My brother's classmate and friend, Jimmy McConica, is a former Pan-Am gold medal winner (1971) and multiple masters world record holder. The dude also swam our channel, a 20 mile swim, 4X, in record time (also the English channel). I remember well "Jimmy McConica day" in Ventura.

Ha! Memory lane. That's Jimmy at left, me at middle, my brother at right.

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Me, getting ready to dive those same Channel Islands.

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Actor.

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Shakespearean actor, at "The Mount," Edith Wharton's home. This was from an article in the Smithsonian magazine.

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Chef/owner, Waterstone, first French restaurant in the Upper Peninsula region.

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Founder and Chief Instructor, Hokoryukan Dojo, Marquette, MI. The Japanese man was my master, when I lived as uchideshi, or full-time, formal, live-in direct zen and martial arts disciple to a master. His name was Fumio Toyoda, Shihan, in death given the Buddhist name Tenzan Gensho Rokoji.

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My greatest accomplishment.

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Sorry for the OT. Back to these games.

After reading Gad's bio, I feel like I am a mere floating poop in the Seine trying to cause trouble. That's one heck of a journey Gad!!!

 

[Kent88]

https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/medals

{Sorts list by most to least total medals}

{Sees US first, with 11 more than France in #2}

We're also still tied for #2 in Gold medals at the moment.

 

[Kent88]

https://fxtwitter.com/GeneralBoles/status/1819369056274727245

A horse wore a tiny hat.

 

[user 246304]

Brilliantly swam the 800 today, breaking right when she needed to from Ariarne Titmus of Australia, who is a dynamic closer. With this 800 victory, Katie has earned her 4th straight olympic win in the 800 (with Phelps, 5 Olympics. Think of it - keeping honed to a razor's edge at this level, for 16 years!), 14th Olympic medal (9 of them golds), the winningest female swimmer in history, and tying with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most gold medals for any female Olympian, period. Two world records and three Olympic records, one of them her 1500 M these Games.

Queen.

 

[user 246304]

Speaking of queens.

Prevailed not only through all she struggled with since Tokyo but gutted it out through a hurt calf right off the bat, to take the crown and be a leader. Glorious.

 

[user 246304]

I hear that Simone Bials commented after winning her ??? Gold Medal:

“I LOVE my Black Job!” /snark

She did indeed. Bravo.

 

[user 246304]

After reading Gad's bio, I feel like I am a mere floating poop in the Seine trying to cause trouble. That's one heck of a journey Gad!!!

Shucks man. I've finally settled down. Only took 60 years.

 

[Kent88]

Weird, I guess NBC Sports YT channel doesn't play nice with others.

It's beach volleyball highlights of the US vs Italy.

 

[user 246304]

Thrilling to watch women's high jump. Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine masterfully took the gold, wonderful to see as she cleared each height through to victory. She has won just about every rung up youth worlds through to Olympic champion and it is beautiful to witness. But most touching to me was to watch the eventual silver medal winner, Aussie Nicola Olyslagers, who just beamed joyously each time she set to take off and then immediately set down to rate herself after each jump.

Coolest entry into her jump has to be fellow Aussie Eleanor Patterson, who begins each jump with a kind of lilting sashay before taking off.

 

[day_trippr]

I cannot remember an Olympics that the USA team has performed so well in so many disciplines.
If I was of any other country I'd look at the USA team as freakin' everywhere and totally relentless.
An amazing performance...and they're not done yet!

Cheers!

 

[user 246304]

Femke Bol, in the pouring rain, chasing down the USA who set the World Record last night, just put ALL of the Netherlands on her back. She took her team FROM FOURTH with a 10 METRE DEFICIT, to FIRST, passed the USA to win GOLD for the Netherlands in the 4x400M Mixed Relay.

 

[user 246304]

Hate to put a dark note here, but can't believe this. Steven van de Velde, Netherlands beach volleyball player. Convicted of child rape in 2016. And the Netherlands willingly put him on the team. I can't believe it.

Olympic chiefs have ignored a 100,000-strong petition to disqualify van de Velde who was jailed for four years in the UK for raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2014 when he was 19. Team Netherlands have given their rapist player special treatment at the Games, prompting outrage. He has his own accommodation away from the Olympic Village and a squad of bodyguards. Yesterday he was even allowed to skip media interviews after the match – despite strict rules set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that obliges all athletes to speak to reporters straight after their competition. Team Netherlands' press spokesman John van Vliet admitted they were dodging the rules obliging athletes to give interviews, and said: 'There is a different situation for Steven which has been created. We are very much aware that if we bring out Steven here the questions won't be about his sport and his performance. Asked if he understood it did not look good, protecting a child rapist, he replied: 'We are protecting a convicted child rapist to do his sport as best as possible and for a tournament which he qualifies for.' Asked if he understood it did not look good, protecting a child rapist, he replied: 'We are protecting a convicted child rapist to do his sport as best as possible and for a tournament which he qualifies for.'

The Netherlands should be barred from participating, even if it is heart-breaking when you see some of the sheer heart as displayed by Femke Bol.

 

[day_trippr]

I saw that race that Ms Bol came from well behind on the home stretch for the win. Very impressive!

 

[user 246304]

I saw that race that Ms Bol came from well behind on the home stretch for the win. Very impressive!

Yep, it was beautiful. Amazing kick.

 

[user 246304]

Did anyone see the men's 400 m final???? Quincy Hall was 5th and looked like his tank was empty - until on sheer desire he powered through for the win, clearly struggling. Unbelievable. That was sheer heart. Way to go Quincy!!!!

 

[mac_1103]

Did anyone see the men's 400 m final????

Yeah, he didn't win that because of his great form, that's for sure.

I loves me some relays - any sport - and we've had some incredible ones in these games. But damn if there haven't been a bunch of absolutely amazing individual races the last few days.

 

[day_trippr]

The USA basketball team was aggravating AF playing against Serbia this afternoon. I was in a mood already, having flogged myself doing yard work all morning and most of the afternoon. After a shower I sat down to watch the game - and by the last half of the 4th period with the USA behind by double digits I was about ready to murder my 65" LED for showing such a travesty!

Fortunately LeBron and Steph Curry found a way to redeem the team and the USA eventually won the game - and saved my big screen!
That was close!

 

[user 246304]

Imane Khelif takes the gold. I'm really happy for her and grateful for the humbling lesson.

Speaking in Arabic to SNTV, a sports video partner of the Associated Press, Khelif urged people earlier this week “to uphold the Olympic principles, according to the Olympic charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes because this thing has effects, massive effects.”

“It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind,” she said, adding that it was not easy to go through what followed her match with Carini.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Lin won her gold, too.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-boxing-lin-khelif-28d3e1a46ed8fe5c1aa6cd612e2561ca

 

[bruce_the_loon]

My wife got into the opening ceremonies and is keen on watching all kinds of events.
But aside from wondering why in heck they're going to conduct any events in the actual Seine River so far I'm not all that interested...

The river events are because the organizers are inSeine.

 

[day_trippr]

I have to say I enjoyed quite a bit more of these Olympics than I had expected. I'll attribute that to my inner fanboi because the USA team did so well that I watched events that don't really interest me that much (eg: shot put).

The closing ceremonies were as overwrought as always (the Tom Cruise bit) but one cannot deny the participants, paying spectators, and the advertisers, the pageantry after such an event, so I'm ok with it.

Good luck to LA in 2028. They are definitely gonna need it...

 

[Kent88]

It looks like US and China tied for Gold medals, but USA kicked butt at total medals.

 

[user 246304]

The river events are because the organizers are inSeine.

Oh lord. Outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach said, "these were sensational games from start to finish. Or dare I say, Seine-sational Games." Tough crowd, collective groan.

 

[user 246304]

I have to say I enjoyed quite a bit more of these Olympics than I had expected. I'll attribute that to my inner fanboi because the USA team did so well that I watched events that don't really interest me that much (eg: shot put).

The closing ceremonies were as overwrought as always (the Tom Cruise bit) but one cannot deny the participants, paying spectators, and the advertisers, the pageantry after such an event, so I'm ok with it.

Good luck to LA in 2028. They are definitely gonna need it...

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The French delivered and the 2028 preview absolutely sucked. Have to hand it to Cruise - though he is a youngster at 62! - but most of the preview was canned so the athletes and crowd didn't even get a live performance for a good part of it. They deserved a helluva lot better.

Then the sequence starting with Cruise jumping with the flag through to the beach sequence.....stupidest preview in Olympics history. Way to dispel the notion we Americans are shallow and uncultured.

This from a dude who grew up surfing the S. CA coast.