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Post by theglenbucklaird on Jul 24, 2021 5:18:22 GMT
Men’s roads race cycling - go G Men’s tennis - really want Djokovic to get a golden slam Women’s gymnastics - any event with Simone Biles Given Thomas, Geoghan Hart & Yates (S.) all crashed during the Tour de France, I can't help wondering if going for Yates (A.) as team leader might be the best bet. Still think it'll be Slovenia or Belgium though.
Ditto. He's got to be in with a pretty good shot.
In previous games I've watched the women's gymnastics but I'm probably not going to bother this time because Biles is clearly going to win everything.
Hits the deck more than Harry Kane does Thomas. Never known a cyclist crash as much |
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Post by jojo on Jul 24, 2021 13:32:13 GMT
And deservedly so, she's exceptional and well worth watching! It doesn't exactly make for a suspenseful competition though. Also, and this will probably be an unpopular opinion, I grew up watching gymnastics in the 90s where the competitors were all very small & thin. Now they are much more muscular & curvy and, while doubtless better for their health, I don't find watching gymnastics as aesthetically pleasing as I used to. I remember there being rumours that some of the Eastern Bloc countries would feed young gymnasts puberty delaying hormones and strictly controlled diets to keep them childlike and very slim. It's not just that modern female gymnasts are healthier - their bodies are more natural, albeit remarkable. And of course black gymnasts like Biles have body shapes that are normal for black women. I think it's fair enough to prefer the older style of gymnastics, which was more flowing and less about power, or wish for a more open competition, but it's shaky territory to reminisce for the days when the competitors looked more like white pre-pubescent teens. It's disappointing that the BBC's coverage is limited this year, but possibly for the best if I'm to get anything else done over the next fortnight. |
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Post by og on Jul 24, 2021 13:37:43 GMT
It doesn't exactly make for a suspenseful competition though. Also, and this will probably be an unpopular opinion, I grew up watching gymnastics in the 90s where the competitors were all very small & thin. Now they are much more muscular & curvy and, while doubtless better for their health, I don't find watching gymnastics as aesthetically pleasing as I used to. I remember there being rumours that some of the Eastern Bloc countries would feed young gymnasts puberty delaying hormones and strictly controlled diets to keep them childlike and very slim. It's not just that modern female gymnasts are healthier - their bodies are more natural, albeit remarkable. And of course black gymnasts like Biles have body shapes that are normal for black women. I think it's fair enough to prefer the older style of gymnastics, which was more flowing and less about power, or wish for a more open competition, but it's shaky territory to reminisce for the days when the competitors looked more like white pre-pubescent teens. It's disappointing that the BBC's coverage is limited this year, but possibly for the best if I'm to get anything else done over the next fortnight. Limited? There's 21hrs of network coverage a day & 24hrs of digital coverage (red button) per day. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2021 16:18:44 GMT
I was thrilled for Ecuador this morning with the cycling (men's 234km road race): Richard Carapaz took the gold, making it their third Olympic medal ever.
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Post by vdcni on Jul 24, 2021 22:13:48 GMT
I remember there being rumours that some of the Eastern Bloc countries would feed young gymnasts puberty delaying hormones and strictly controlled diets to keep them childlike and very slim. It's not just that modern female gymnasts are healthier - their bodies are more natural, albeit remarkable. And of course black gymnasts like Biles have body shapes that are normal for black women. I think it's fair enough to prefer the older style of gymnastics, which was more flowing and less about power, or wish for a more open competition, but it's shaky territory to reminisce for the days when the competitors looked more like white pre-pubescent teens. It's disappointing that the BBC's coverage is limited this year, but possibly for the best if I'm to get anything else done over the next fortnight. Limited? There's 21hrs of network coverage a day & 24hrs of digital coverage (red button) per day. Compared to 2012 and 2016 where the BBC had multiple streams running non stop covering the majority of live activity only two streams at any time is indeed limited. It doesn't help that Eurosport's extra streams are pretty poor with limited commentary and presentation. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 24, 2021 22:39:11 GMT
That's why I've grown to prefer rhythmic gymnastics over artistic. It dawned on me that with the exception of the asymmetric bars artistic gymnastics was mostly about brief flurries of movement separated by long pauses of preparation, and it seems to have become more so in recent years. RSG is about continuous movement; the gymnasts aren't allowed to pause. Also, with RSG the gymnasts work with the apparatus rather than on it so they don't suffer the same issues of growing out of the sport if they get too tall. Is artistic gymnastics the one with the ribbon waving? I haven't watched any for years, probably decades, but maybe I'll give it a go, depending on when it's on. Given Thomas, Geoghan Hart & Yates (S.) all crashed during the Tour de France, I can't help wondering if going for Yates (A.) as team leader might be the best bet. Still think it'll be Slovenia or Belgium though. Ditto. He's got to be in with a pretty good shot.
In previous games I've watched the women's gymnastics but I'm probably not going to bother this time because Biles is clearly going to win everything.
Hits the deck more than Harry Kane does Thomas. Never known a cyclist crash as much Sure enough Thomas crashed again! I was pretty accurate in my post yesterday. Adam Yates was the best of the British team and Van Aert and Pogacar got silver & bronze. I just failed to mention Ecuador! Unfortunately I got spoilered by Twitter's sidebar that Carapaz had won when I'd only just started catching up on the race this morning but I still got slightly teary watching him win. If we can't have a British winner then a rider who rides for the British World Tour team, Ineos, is the next best option. I remember there being rumours that some of the Eastern Bloc countries would feed young gymnasts puberty delaying hormones and strictly controlled diets to keep them childlike and very slim. It's not just that modern female gymnasts are healthier - their bodies are more natural, albeit remarkable. And of course black gymnasts like Biles have body shapes that are normal for black women. I think it's fair enough to prefer the older style of gymnastics, which was more flowing and less about power, or wish for a more open competition, but it's shaky territory to reminisce for the days when the competitors looked more like white pre-pubescent teens. I'm sure they did. As I said, it's doubtless better for modern gymnasts' health not to have to be so small & slim. I just don't enjoy watching them as much, especially the floor, which now seems to be all about big power jumps & tumbles with very little artistry in between. Rather like how solo ice skating is now all about quad jumps. |
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Post by vdcni on Jul 24, 2021 22:43:44 GMT
Rhythmic is the one that involves ribbon waving.
Artistic is standard gymnastics; Vault, floor, bars etc.
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Post by FairyGodmother on Jul 24, 2021 23:36:14 GMT
Not that I can speak from a position of any authority, but the US's floor routines don't seem very well integrated — it's very much "Massive tumble. Massive tumble. Floor skill. Bit of dance (but only because we have to do it). Massive tumble. End." I'm sure they used to link everything together a bit more.
Some of the combinations they do are amazing, and they are definitely pushing and pushing what people can do. I just sometimes get the feeling they'd rather do a tumble track than a floor routine, and not have to bother with the music and dance!
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Post by Jon on Jul 25, 2021 1:19:01 GMT
I've been watching Skateboarding on Discovery+ and it's deffo a sport that is more fun to take part in than actually watch as a viewer.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2021 3:49:44 GMT
That's why I've grown to prefer rhythmic gymnastics over artistic. It dawned on me that with the exception of the asymmetric bars artistic gymnastics was mostly about brief flurries of movement separated by long pauses of preparation, and it seems to have become more so in recent years. RSG is about continuous movement; the gymnasts aren't allowed to pause. Also, with RSG the gymnasts work with the apparatus rather than on it so they don't suffer the same issues of growing out of the sport if they get too tall. Is artistic gymnastics the one with the ribbon waving? I haven't watched any for years, probably decades, but maybe I'll give it a go, depending on when it's on. The rhythmics is ribbon, ball, clubs and hoop; there's a fifth (rope) but it's being phased out and has already been dropped from individual competitions. There are also group competitions with five gymnasts working together using one or two types of apparatus; for 2021 it's five balls or three hoops plus two pairs of clubs. The group competitions have to be seen to be believed. These days the artistic floor competitions seem to be: Long sprint complex somersault loud thud. Pause. Long sprint complex somersault loud thud. Stand and wiggle wrists for a bit.
OK, it's not quite that bad and it requires immense talent, but there are times when I think it might be nice to have a bit less of the running between diagonally opposite corners.
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Post by jojo on Jul 25, 2021 7:37:50 GMT
Compared to 2012 and 2016 where the BBC had multiple streams running non stop covering the majority of live activity only two streams at any time is indeed limited. It doesn't help that Eurosport's extra streams are pretty poor with limited commentary and presentation. I remember at one point during 2012 I had one stream on tv, one on my laptop and another on my phone!  Time zones are also a factor, but yesterday morning the only terrestrial channel was stuck almost exclusively on the cycling road race, which doesn't interest me, and the single red button option wasn't very interesting either. The problem is that the IOC sold primary rights to Eurosport, so the BBC are limited in what they are allowed to show, and they have to guess what will be of most interest to the general British public. I've discovered I could add Eurosport to my Prime membership, which is currently showing two Olympic streams, but I'm holding off as it would do me good to spend less time hypnotised by random sports. As it is, I've got the gymnastics via the iPlayer's 2nd stream, thinking about how I really ought to go for a run before it gets too hot. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2021 8:27:05 GMT
I'm thinking I might subscribe to Eurosport for a couple of months. There's a three day free trial.
The women's cycling road race was particularly exciting. Five riders broke away from the group right at the start. Nobody cared because early breakaways always fail. But three of them dominated the race for all but the last five minutes, and of the three Anna Kiesenhofer went on to win by a clear 75 seconds. (I feel really bad for Omer Shapira and Anna Plichta, who'd been with Kiesenhofer for most of the race and were so close to taking silver and bronze but ran out of stamina just a few minutes from the end.)
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 25, 2021 13:04:47 GMT
I'm thinking I might subscribe to Eurosport for a couple of months. There's a three day free trial. The women's cycling road race was particularly exciting. Five riders broke away from the group right at the start. Nobody cared because early breakaways always fail. But three of them dominated the race for all but the last five minutes, and of the three Anna Kiesenhofer went on to win by a clear 75 seconds. (I feel really bad for Omer Shapira and Anna Plichta, who'd been with Kiesenhofer for most of the race and were so close to taking silver and bronze but ran out of stamina just a few minutes from the end.) Thanks, that's saved me from bothering to catch up on the women's road race, which I was dithering over whether I felt obliged to do. I'm amazed that the winner wasn't Dutch! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2021 13:34:32 GMT
These days the artistic floor competitions seem to be: Long sprint complex somersault loud thud. Pause. Long sprint complex somersault loud thud. Stand and wiggle wrists for a bit. We see the same in figure skating routines, especially on the men's side. I still recall one of Michelle Kwan's early short programs in which Peggy Fleming was enthralled with how artistically she blended each of the elements. It really was stunning and the judges lavished her with perfect 10s, a rarity at that time. |
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Post by FairyGodmother on Jul 25, 2021 14:43:00 GMT
I hadn't realised until I read up on it, but the size of the springs under the floor has quadrupled since the eighties (from 2" to 8"), with is why they can do some of the bigger tumbles more easily now. I think it was a bit too springy for Simone Biles earlier though — it shot her right off the corner. She's so good she's still through though. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2021 19:42:33 GMT
On the official Olympics site they have biographies for all the athletes, including information about languages spoken. They also have biographies for all the horses, and I'm terribly disappointed that they didn't take the opportunity to put "Languages spoken: Horse" on every one. I would have.
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Jul 25, 2021 19:56:49 GMT
On the official Olympics site they have biographies for all the athletes, including information about languages spoken. They also have biographies for all the horses, and I'm terribly disappointed that they didn't take the opportunity to put "Languages spoken: Horse" on every one. I would have. Can Japanese horses communicate with British horses? Certainly understand the native language so they can do their dressage moves when spoken to by the rider. Like Han Solo speaks English when Chewie talks to him? |
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 25, 2021 21:00:39 GMT
On the official Olympics site they have biographies for all the athletes, including information about languages spoken. They also have biographies for all the horses, and I'm terribly disappointed that they didn't take the opportunity to put "Languages spoken: Horse" on every one. I would have. Can Japanese horses communicate with British horses? Certainly understand the native language so they can do their dressage moves when spoken to by the rider. Like Han Solo speaks English when Chewie talks to him? A rider is not permitted to speak to their horse when competing in dressage. Only physical aids may be used, not verbal ones. So a British rider ought to be able to control a horse from Japan & vice versa.
Not that they suddenly have to ride unknown horses, that only happens in the showjumping phase of the modern pentathalon. I'd recommend watching that for the amusement factor. I'll never forget watching it for the first time at London 2012. The mistakes were hysterical: one horse jumped out of the arena; one horse continued trying to jump a triple combination while the rider gradually slid underneath it, etc. I could only assume that some of the participants were considerably better at the other 4 sports, because I've seen considerably more competant riding at local shows. |
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Post by Phantom of London on Jul 25, 2021 21:12:15 GMT
On the official Olympics site they have biographies for all the athletes, including information about languages spoken. They also have biographies for all the horses, and I'm terribly disappointed that they didn't take the opportunity to put "Languages spoken: Horse" on every one. I would have. Can Japanese horses communicate with British horses? Certainly understand the native language so they can do their dressage moves when spoken to by the rider. Like Han Solo speaks English when Chewie talks to him? They actually can, unbelievable I know, they normally say “why the long face.” |
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Jul 26, 2021 7:58:52 GMT
Can Japanese horses communicate with British horses? Certainly understand the native language so they can do their dressage moves when spoken to by the rider. Like Han Solo speaks English when Chewie talks to him? A rider is not permitted to speak to their horse when competing in dressage. Only physical aids may be used, not verbal ones. So a British rider ought to be able to control a horse from Japan & vice versa.
Not that they suddenly have to ride unknown horses, that only happens in the showjumping phase of the modern pentathalon. I'd recommend watching that for the amusement factor. I'll never forget watching it for the first time at London 2012. The mistakes were hysterical: one horse jumped out of the arena; one horse continued trying to jump a triple combination while the rider gradually slid underneath it, etc. I could only assume that some of the participants were considerably better at the other 4 sports, because I've seen considerably more competant riding at local shows. Good knowledge, knew I should have watched it before |
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Jul 26, 2021 7:59:16 GMT
Like Super Saturday this morning
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Post by theatreian on Jul 26, 2021 8:26:06 GMT
Like Super Saturday this morning Yes 3 Gold's so far! It's always a pity when the time difference from the venue hinders live coverage as it's not the same when you already know the result, but a fantastic morning so far from Team GB and it's not over yet! |
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Post by jojo on Jul 26, 2021 8:52:50 GMT
I felt sorry for Peaty, because everyone was saying he was locked on for gold and everyone else was swimming for silver etc, and yet I was still nervous about it. I'm so thrilled for Tom Daley and his partner, Matty winning the gold. But for Daley in particular as he's had a long wait, and a lot of grief for 'only' getting bronze. Synchronised diving is usually one of my favourite sports to watch, but I got so tense. The poor families. I was watching a replay of Adam Peaty, so missed the cycling gold, but yay! The Queen must be feeling bullet-proof this morning.  I'm particularly enjoying Lutalo talking about the Taekwondo on BBC Breakfast. I hope we'll be seeing more of him as he's a natural on tv. |
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Post by Mark on Jul 26, 2021 11:05:20 GMT
Excellent stuff from Daley and Lee.
So chuffed for them! Especially for Tom who has waited so long for this moment.
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Post by peggs on Jul 26, 2021 12:03:34 GMT
Yes felt a little glow at the diving result, he's been in the spotlight for so long and always seems a very decent person so hurrah.
I equally hate it when they say someone is a certain to win, makes me more nervous. Peaty is such a phenomenal swimmer but by goodness he works for it.
I see the delightful piers Morgan is belittling athletes celebrating anything other gold, he's such a charmer isn't he.
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