The Rio Olympics.

[Deano]

(in the continuing series of lazy questions)

Why are Hungary doing so well? Are they shit-hot fencers and swimmers, or what?

To answer my own question: yes, and they have an extraordinary swimmer.

[Jaded]

Hurrah!  BRITAIN has just pwned South Africa in the Chaps ruggerball to set up a final against Fiji.

So, a silver medal then

Lottery numbers next pls.

[Mr Larrington]

Hurrah!  BRITAIN has just pwned South Africa in the Chaps ruggerball to set up a final against Fiji.

So, a silver medal then

Lottery numbers next pls.

TWELVETY!!1!

[mattc]

Why have I never heard of any of these GB rugby players?

Although sevens has proven a commercial and competitive success, sevens is starting to become divorced from the 15-man game. Former Wales international and current pundit John Taylor wrote in 2010 that sevens
“   ...is in danger of becoming a totally separate game. Ben Ryan, the England Sevens coach, dismisses the idea that it should be seen mainly as a development tool. A few years ago players would spend a year or two with the Sevens squad to improve their running and passing skills. Many international players refined their game on the Sevens circuit including all-time greats such as Jonah Lomu.
That is happening less and less. Players have to make a choice – do they want to concentrate on Sevens or 15s? The techniques and training required are becoming very different. Modern professional players are already pretty lean but the forwards in 15-a-side do need bulk as well. In Sevens that is not required and new training regimes are making body fat levels even lower so they are not able to transfer from one game to the other.

Interestingly, I think the Kiwis had a number of players from their "fifteens" squad.   #nocitationgonnahappen

Did GB field any Welsh players that we can blame for that massacre? [I think there was only one Welsh woman.]

[mrcharly-YHT]

(in the continuing series of lazy questions)

Why are Hungary doing so well? Are they shit-hot fencers and swimmers, or what?

Hungary is *the* country for fencing.
Asking 'are they any good at fencing' is a bit like like asking 'are there any decent basketball players in the USA?'.

[Andrew]

GrugbyB7 will be well chuffed with silver. They would have taken that - as they say - before the tournament... but that, of course, would have been theft. Fiji are masters of 7s.

A question apropos of the 100m smiling handkerchief race; if a hypothetical chap in a hypothetical sport manages to win 20-something odd medals of the metallic variety, what are we to conclude? That he's really very very good at somethingball? Or perhaps that there are, as some have discussed, a number of similar varieties of the same thing? I'm inclined to believe the former.

There are times in sport when one sportoka is just SO much better at it than the other one - be it women's basketball (or rugby sevens?) or indeed the TdF - that it's almost unfair. It becomes a race for 2nd.   

[LEE]

(in the continuing series of lazy questions)

Why are Hungary doing so well? Are they shit-hot fencers and swimmers, or what?

Hungary is *the* country for fencing.

It's always worth checking Wickes prices first.

[mattc]

A question apropos of the 100m smiling handkerchief race; if a hypothetical chap in a hypothetical sport manages to win 20-something odd medals of the metallic variety, what are we to conclude? That he's really very very good at somethingball? Or perhaps that there are, as some have discussed, a number of similar varieties of the same thing? I'm inclined to believe the former.

Generally it will be a little of both.

But also, it can be a sign of how competitive a sport it - or perhaps I mean the depth of ability at the top. Take the TDF: there was a time when riders frequently won 3 of the main jerseys. But now the standards have risen*; the best GC guy can no longer compete with the top sprinters in a straight sprint.


*perhaps with more money in the sport? Dunno

[LEE]

The most individual Olympic Gold medals is topped by swimming (with Phelps) but the top 10 list goes like this

1 - Swimming
2- Gymnastics
3 - Athletics (middle distance)
4 - Swimming
5 - Athletics (Sprinting/Long Jump)
6 - Biathlon
7 - Skiing
8 - Canoeing
9 - Gymnastics
10- Swimming

So it's a fairly good spread of events.

#10 has 8 Golds.  Once you get below 8 then you can start to add Fencing, Cycling , Skating, Equestrian, Archery (all with 6).

What stands out most though is -

1 - Phelps (22)
2 - Latynina (Gymnastics) (9)

10 - Thompson (Swimming) ( 8 )

That's a considerable drop-off from #1 to #2 don't you think?

This isn't that Swimming helps you get millions of Gold medals it's about Michael Phelps being so far ahead of anyone else in history that he just gives the impression it's easy to win swimming golds*

If Swimming made it that easy then there should be another swimmer with, say, 15 Golds.

*Admittedly it would be a bit easier for the others if Phelps stopped competing.

It would help to normalise the achievements if they divided Team Golds by the number of members on the team.  So Team Pursuit would give you 1/4 of a Gold.

Several sports aid the big tallies by having team events in the very event that the Individual Gold medal winner just proved they are best at.

[LEE]

Has anyone noticed the talisman effect of the BBC?

It's amazing but every event they decide to screen seems to have a positive effect on the British competitor and they always seem to do very well.

Good on you BBC.. now head over to the Handball event and see if you can help us get a Silver.

[Mr Larrington]

Interestingly, I think the Kiwis had a number of players from their "fifteens" squad.   #nocitationgonnahappen

Didn't do them a lot of good, though; they lost to BRITAIN and Japan.

Did GB field any Welsh players that we can blame for that massacre? [I think there was only one Welsh woman.]

Two Welshoviks and a solitary Scot from the Tribal Areas.

[mattc]

There's an interesting "discussion" on R2 with the delightful Vanessa Feltz and some geezer/journo who thinks it should be Gold or nothing. Tom Daley shouldn't be delighted with a Bronze medal.

He suggested that being a full-time GB-sponsored for (say) 8 years is
"an extension of the welfare state".

He makes some valid points, but it's mainly the usual shouty R2 "debate". (Although you have to laugh at brining Eddie the Eagle onto the programme).

[LEE]

He's free to treat it as "Gold or nothing" in his own world. Many athletes think the same. 

I suppose it's about expectations.  I didn't win PBP2011 but I'd have been happy with 3rd place* 

*In the end I just missed out in a photo-finish and came about 4,000th

[trekker12]

And has geezer/journo ever attempted to be an elite athlete?

Until anyone gets to the top they have had to work incredibly hard both on and off their sporting field to prove they are worthy of 'our' investment. A total self absorbtion to the detriment of family life, career prospects if it all goes wrong and the risk of overtraining or injury meaning everything they have worked for could be gone in an instant.

Money is a finite resource in sport away from the big corporate stuff that is usually shown on television. We only see the top 1% and everyone else struggles to find enough money just to get on the plane to many of their events.

So geezer/journo go bog off as far as I'm concerned and I'm off to buy a lottery ticket with no hope of winning except for the feelgood factor of knowing I might be helping someone show how capable we are at all sports and not just the stable diet of the press - football (which we never win and millions gets invested).

[mrcharly-YHT]

What trekker12 said.

Achieving a medal at the Olympics is like having spent a year tiptoeing barefoot on razor blades. A few, a very very lucky few, make some money from sponsorship and advertising deals. They are a tiny minority.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

There's an interesting "discussion" on R2 with the delightful Vanessa Feltz and some geezer/journo who thinks it should be Gold or nothing. Tom Daley shouldn't be delighted with a Bronze medal.

He suggested that being a full-time GB-sponsored for (say) 8 years is
"an extension of the welfare state".

He makes some valid points, but it's mainly the usual shouty R2 "debate". (Although you have to laugh at brining Eddie the Eagle onto the programme).

Och, he can fuck off. It's not like he's even the third best geezer/journo in the world.

Grace Reid is diving tonight. I've seen her dive loads of times, including into the pool I was having front crawl lessons in. She was very good about not landing on my head.

[trekker12]

Meanwhile more gold today at 'sitting down sports' which I find are the best kind. I've only ever sat down whilst competing.

[LEE]

Meanwhile more gold today at 'sitting down sports' which I find are the best kind. I've only ever sat down whilst competing.

AKA - "Requires a Carbon Fibre Thingy jointly developed with McClaren to compete properly ....sports"

[trekker12]

On a similar subject did the British secret squirrel club think of putting the chain on the wrong side of the bike a la USA/Felt and decide it was pointless (they seemed to think of everything else) or are the USanians/Felt on to something?*

*

(click to show/hide)

Except they were still beaten by the British

[mike]

Meanwhile more gold today at 'sitting down sports' which I find are the best kind. I've only ever sat down whilst competing.

AKA - "Requires a Carbon Fibre Thingy jointly developed with McClaren to compete properly ....sports"

not the wet sitting down sports - they're all pretty similar across all the different teams, lots of rules about not allowing new tech to keep it affordable which people seem pretty OK about sticking to.

GB rowing has done well as expected, except for Grainger / Thornelly who have done massively, massively better than expected.  3 months ago their performance was so bad they were about to give up and walk away from it all but a change of seating order and a lot of bloody-mindedness seems to have gone well.

[LEE]

Egyptian Judo player refuses to shake hands or bow to Israeli who just whooped his ass.

Disgraceful.

Why did he compete against him?  Oh yes.. because he wouldn't have minded if he'd beaten an Israeli I bet.  Nonce.

[TigaSefi]

Haha I saw that. Victory is even sweeter when that happens. Politics in sport is petty.

[PeteB99]

Meanwhile more gold today at 'sitting down sports' which I find are the best kind. I've only ever sat down whilst competing.

AKA - "Requires a Carbon Fibre Thingy jointly developed with McClaren to compete properly ....sports"

GB rowing squad mostly seem to use Empacher boats. A German company with as far as I know no links to McLaren. As for carbon fibre I was racing CF composite boats in the early 80s. It's unusual to race anything else now.

[Jaded]

Not many spectators in the Athletics stadium...

[Mr Larrington]

Are you sure they're not the Barmy Army in fancy dress?