Re: Last minute Olympic fun : Sat Aug 04, 2012 1:10 pm  

Well, having gone down on Wednesday for the weightlifting I can report it was a fantastic experience.

Brilliant atmosphere all over central London, volunteers, Police and the military who couldn't do enough to help anyone and having a laugh with people. Spectators form all over the World mingling together laughing and joking.

I don't know anything about weightlifting but it's actually far more tactical and interesting that I realised. We saw Lu Xioajun of China lift a World record in the snatch and an Olympic record over all.

Very, very excited to be going back down for the athletics tomorrow night.

Re: Last minute Olympic fun : Sat Aug 04, 2012 2:06 pm  

Him wrote:

Eh? She won a bronze medal in the Olympics. In what world is that disappointing?

Because she won the gold last time and although the young American was nowhere previously, and as she was so young then the chances are she would have got the gold anyway, Adlington was up for silver based on previous performances alone. It was her world record that the young American couldn't beat. She has since stated that the pressure got to her. Measure that by the performance of Jessica Ennis, who has had much more pressure given her status as poster girl for the Olympics, and I guess there stands the difference between a performer and an under-performer.

According to newspaper reports I have read this morning, British Swimming is looking into what they have identified as underperformance across the board among our swimmers, bar Jamieson who actually over-performed in securing his silver (and what a race he swam too - amazing).

Re: Last minute Olympic fun : Sat Aug 04, 2012 2:18 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

Because she won the gold last time and although the young American was nowhere previously, and as she was so young then the chances are she would have got the gold anyway, Adlington was up for silver based on previous performances alone. It was her world record that the young American couldn't beat. She has since stated that the pressure got to her. Measure that by the performance of Jessica Ennis, who has had much more pressure given her status as poster girl for the Olympics, and I guess there stands the difference between a performer and an under-performer.

According to newspaper reports I have read this morning, British Swimming is looking into what they have identified as underperformance across the board among our swimmers, bar Jamieson who actually over-performed in securing his silver (and what a race he swam too - amazing).

Its sport, it happens, however as humans we try and over-analyse things to an extent where we actually believe that past performance is totally meaningful and human things like expectation, emotion, fatigue or perhaps just the journey to the pool that night mean nothing to the performer - whereas in fact they are probably far more important than what happened the last time they all met in competition.

Its why real live sport can be so fascinating and computer generated sports games can be so predictable.

Re: Last minute Olympic fun : Sat Aug 04, 2012 3:08 pm  

In 2007 Leeds beat Saints 33-6 in the Grand Final.
The following year Leeds beat Saints 24-16.
It was very disappointing.

Re: Last minute Olympic fun : Sat Aug 04, 2012 3:50 pm  

JerryChicken wrote:

Its sport, it happens, however as humans we try and over-analyse things to an extent where we actually believe that past performance is totally meaningful and human things like expectation, emotion, fatigue or perhaps just the journey to the pool that night mean nothing to the performer - whereas in fact they are probably far more important than what happened the last time they all met in competition.

Its why real live sport can be so fascinating and computer generated sports games can be so predictable.

However, the British atheletics federation or whatever they are called made similar comments after the under-performance of Brits at Bejing and already we have more Brits through their initial heats than we did at Bejing, if memory serves. That doesn't mean we will win any more medals than we did at Bejing, but it means there has been an improvement as a result of analysing the failure at Bejing.

The Olympics is a competition when all is said and done. Nobody wins anything in a competition without a good dose of analysis. In fact, nobody achieves anything without a good dose of analysis.

Re: Last minute Olympic fun : Sat Aug 04, 2012 4:06 pm  

Fingers crossed that the other countries don't twig that our cyclists are using rocket-bikes.

Re: Last minute Olympic fun : Sat Aug 04, 2012 4:08 pm  

Frankie Boyle reckons that Jessica Ennis has such tight abs that it must be like shagging a tiny trampoline

Re: Last minute Olympic fun : Sat Aug 04, 2012 4:16 pm  

3rd in the medal table, considering the size of our country, that is surely something to be proud of.

Re: Last minute Olympic fun : Sat Aug 04, 2012 4:31 pm  

Horatio Yed wrote:

3rd in the medal table, considering the size of our country, that is surely something to be proud of.

Agreed. If it stays that way, it's a great achievement.

Re: Last minute Olympic fun : Sat Aug 04, 2012 4:47 pm  

Horatio Yed wrote:

3rd in the medal table, considering the size of our country, that is surely something to be proud of.

No, G4S ruined everything before the games started. Any medals we win are academic.

Plus I was in traffic this morning whilst Boris and the President of Turkmenistan wizzed past in a Zil lane.

Pret a manger on Fleet Street was also closed for civillians. The Army had taken over the place. I couldn't get my fair trade freshly squeezed orange juice with bits in it and no artificial colourings for £4.99.