Games of the XXIX Olympiad: Beijing 2008

[SlowwHand]

I think the American's got outright robbed in women's gymnastics. Those Chinese girls A) Shouldn't have been there B) Still lost.

[Lord Avalon]

Damn, Usain Bolt also won the 200m, setting a new world record in 19.30s, and becoming the first man to break 100m & 200m WR in the same Olympics. He ran all-out for this one.

Not since Carl Lewis in '84 has one man won gold in both races.

[snoopy369]

Wow... what amazes me is that he ran the 200 faster per meter than he ran the 100 (slightly). 9.69 x2 = 19.38 ... I guess the startup time is slow enough to affect the running speed more on the 100 than on the 200?

[Lord Avalon]

He slowed up at the end of the 100m.

[snoopy369]

Well, yes, but still. Prior to this year, the record for the 200m was still faster than 2x the previous record for the 100m.

[Asher]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Wow... what amazes me is that he ran the 200 faster per meter than he ran the 100 (slightly). 9.69 x2 = 19.38 ... I guess the startup time is slow enough to affect the running speed more on the 100 than on the 200?

It's not that amazing...the CBC commentators (including Donovan Bailey) mentioned that his acceleration is actually the weakest part of his run. Once he's going he's faster than anyone.

[Asher]

More evidence of the Chinese cheating: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...ts-are-16.html

At least one of the gymnasts is 14, not 16. There's tons of evidence for this now...

[lightblue]

I guess it takes about 10-15metres to get up to speed, in a 100m race that is twice as a high a percentage of the total race than in the 200.

Michael Johnson was saying on BBC yesterday that the bend was probably run in about 10secs, making the second 100m run in about 9.3, nearly .4 of a sec under the 100m worldrecord.

[Hueij]

Talking about the 200 mtrs...

There is this little island in the Caribean, Curacao, part of the Dutch Antilles that almost, ALMOST, got their first Olympic medal ever. Churandy Martina came in second after Bolt.

But wait, athletic superpower USA got a runner disqualified for stepping in the wrong lane and thereby losing the bronze medal. What to do, what to do...

They filed a protest because Martina stepped on the line of his lane during the run.

Well, the US got thereselves another medal and the Dutch Antilles have to wait another four years to try and win their medal first ever.

Olympic spirit indeed...

[snoopy369]

Umm, so you're saying that the USA got called on violating a technicality, so they shouldn't have said anything about someone else violating same technicality???

[Hueij]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Umm, so you're saying that the USA got called on violating a technicality, so they shouldn't have said anything about someone else violating same technicality???

Yep.

[snoopy369]

Why don't you blame whomever called the US out in the first place, then, if the Antilles winning a medal is more important than accurate rule-following?

[Hueij]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Why don't you blame whomever called the US out in the first place, then, if the Antilles winning a medal is more important than accurate rule-following?

Because the US was called out by the jury withouth anyone filing a protest. But I guess the US getting one more medal is more important than a small country getting their first one ever.

[snoopy369]

As long as we're clear on what's important to you.

[Hercules]

Originally posted by Hueij

Because the US was called out by the jury withouth anyone filing a protest. But I guess the US getting one more medal is more important than a small country getting their first one ever.

The importance of the Olympics is that it is, I believe, now a days, above political influence.

And if you look, lots of small countries got medals in their specialities.