Rio Olympics

[forestfan]

With everything that Bolt has done for Athletics, I think him winning everything is getting boring now.....

Beijing - it was like - WOW, this guy is insane!

London - it was like - I can't wait to see this guy again, he's entertaining, hope he smashes some world records.

Rio - Yawn - he's going to win. Same thing happens, he wins by miles and pisses about as he crosses the line.


It's got to the stage where it would be good to see a close battle amongst the rest of the 100 metre / 200 metre runners and let them have some limelight. Let Bolt sip Pina Colada's back in Jamaica. But I would not be surprised if he races in Tokyo.....he is still miles ahead of the others, he probably could still beat them in 4 years time at age 33.

I'm not sure what he would have to gain by carrying on to Tokyo, he will only be likely to decline further in terms of the times he's capable of. Can you see him just turning up trying to scrape a win running 9.90 just because nobody else around is that amazing? He's unbeaten at three Olympics, only Carl Lewis before him has even won the 100m twice, and Lewis didn't even actually cross the line first the second time. Already in a league of his own, a silver or bronze would only detract from the legend.

Perhaps his career is lacking in great races and rivalries. Having said that, Gatlin has run the world's fastest times the last few years but Bolt has always got the better of him in major finals. And Blake looked like being a serious challenger for a couple of years until injuries seemingly disrupted his progress.

[Mav3rick]

I've lost count of how many great performances I've seen these last two weeks, but the hockey team really was brilliant.

I watched four of their eight games and they've been so good, ridiculously brave on occasion, physically so much better than the opposition, skilled and fast on the break, determined to not let teams break them and (apart from supplying me with a distracting celebrity crush on Sam Quek) they've been incredible to watch.

This is one of my favourite gold medals of the Olympics, probably along with both team persuits.

[blahblah]

Jade Jones and Cav have been my top 2 GB ones.

Cancellara for a foreign one. He hs achieved so much and is a true legend, but wept.......

[Mav3rick]

Best non GB has to be that Brazillian pole vaulter for me. Ok the crowd was boisterous but that was raising your performance for a home crowd.

[forestfan]

GB: 19 sports with medals, 14 with golds
USA: 19 sports with medals, 10 with golds
China: 17 sports with medals, 9 with golds

We're clearly the best all-rounders. Take out swimming (which we didn't do badly in...) and Team GB tops the table!

[Moist von Lipwig]

(apart from supplying me with a distracting celebrity crush on Sam Quek)

Not just me then.

Has anyone been watching late night Dan Walker on the beach on BBC4? It's been the most bizarre and addictive thing.

Fitness' Antony Worrall Thompson, bin men, micturators and a couple reading a book in a 'special position'. (Google it) It's had something every night.

[Moist von Lipwig]

The final of the taekwondo was heartbreaking, leading with 1 second left and the oppo lands a head kick. Not surprised he was in tears afterwards.

[forestfan]

Still no clear explanation on why the 4x400m team were disqualified, apart from "to get Brazil into the final". Appeal rejected - they should turn up for the final and make security remove them.

[blahblah]

Am I allowed to laugh at Daly blowing it?

He is so annoying......

[forestfan]

For all Daley's media profile, Jack Laugher is now Britain's most successful diver and he will have a tough job changing that, even with possibly two more Olympics in the tank. Perhaps our last shot at the magic 30 gone with him though - Farah along with remaining hopes in the boxing and taekwondo give an outside chance of matching London (and topping it convincingly on silver count).

Modern pentathlon showjumping on now, always worth a watch as it's a complete lottery, don't expect what we saw from Nick Skelton and co. yesterday!

[blahblah]

Thanks that is one of the highlights of ny Olympics (especially now Ski Jumpers etc don't fall any more).

Getting close to a home Olympics is seriously impressive...

As above, I remember when a Finalist meant a street party, now we are second in the medal table etc....

[blahblah]

the horses need some Fruitie Smarties, they are far too well behaved.....

[blahblah]

Kerrrr ching Rider on floor holding on to the reins......

[forestfan]

And now the Chinese making a mess of the diving... "Now Tom, let's see what you could have won..."

[blahblah]

And now the Chinese making a mess of the diving... "Now Tom, let's see what you could have won..."

[blahblah]

Stay out of the red, there's nothin gfor 2 in a bed.

Or something like that?

[forestfan]

He would happily make his escape in the speedboat right now...

[blahblah]

As long as I wasn't pilotting it, or he would have a very long swim back to shore.....

[Surprised]

These Olympics just goes to show what investment in sport can do. They have been an amazing Olympics for Team GB.
To get 6 of the 17 Golds in Cycling shows we dominate that sport now. In Cycling not one country got more Golds than us. more silvers or more bronzes.

[blahblah]

The getting Golds, and\or just medals in more different sports is the freaking carazy thing, oh and being 2nd in the Medals Table.

Brit vs Chinese in Women's Tae Kwondo (sp) could have a bearing on the table......

[blahblah]

Jade's flat mate lost

[forestfan]

You have to feel other countries will catch up given time, we've had so many repeat gold medallists from London here (about half of the total?) who will mostly be too old in another four years, so expect we will see quite a drop off in Tokyo, but the wide range of sports we're succeeding in should mean we still do pretty well for some time to come. I remember we were amazed by 10 or 11 golds in Sydney which was our best showing for decades... it's just snowballed from there. Even if we revert to that kind of performance by 2024 or 2028 it won't be a disaster. If only some of what makes Team GB tick could be transferred to the England football team, our half century long national sporting embarrassment. Think back to the summer of 1996 though and we'd have said an England football trophy was much more likely than 25 Olympic golds!

The taekwondo has been surprisingly gripping, so many tense finishes... another potential gold just gone for GB (and perhaps into the hands of the Chinese).

[blahblah]

Shame we don't get more of these sports in the other years, and yep to taekwondo, it is a good watch.

Probably not as good as watching Jade and Bianca on a night out though?

I thought the Cyclists would struglle to match london, and thought matching Bejing would be tricky, but they keep pulling it out.

Sailing and Rowing produce a few, as awell as boxing and taekwondo.

I remember the 1970's, and this is seriously awesome....

[forestfan]

I always think I will watch more of the various Olympic sports in the intervening time, both summer and winter, then rarely do... perhaps it's the lower profile of the non-Olympic events, and also maybe they just don't have quite the same appeal when not part of a bigger picture.

Bring back Grandstand and give us a decent sample of different things on a Saturday lunchtime!

[blahblah]

They are rarely, on, but yes Grandsatnd was the point?

Speed skating is ace, but we see it every 4 years.....

The Fencing was good too.

Did the Modern Pentathlon used to have shootin gin the running bit? I thought they went off with the time\points thng as a handicap, so firt over the line won the gold.

[forestfan]

First over the line still wins, it's just if their shooting is crap it takes longer before they can start running again (as per the British competitor here!)

Grandstand should come back just for the music, whatever they actually showed!

[Surprised]

Hating the horrendous BBC coverage though. Fed up of having to change channel every 5 mins and its always at a critical moment.

[blahblah]

Swapping Red Button, is the pits!!!!!

[Surprised]

The presenters are good and they are knowledgeable but why can't they just dedicate BBC1 to the Olympics and put everything else on BBC2?

[blahblah]

Or BBC2 to Olmpics...

It really isn't rocket science is it?