2021 Tokyo Olympics thread

[Kawazaki]

As I said, hard to know which line is due to mental health and which is due to being a prat.

[fishfoodie]

Truly inspirational competitors. ....

still hungry after all that success

[Kiwias]

Great start to the day with gold for Emma Twigg.

[Gumboot]

Emma Twigg wins gold in the women's single sculls.

[Gumboot]

Great start to the day with gold for Emma Twigg.

Even the fish are excited.

[Kiwias]

Kiwi lasses not quite good enough to catch Canada but strong enough to grab the silver.

Brilliant stuff!!

[Gumboot]

What a race!

[Gumboot]

Yessss!!!

[Gumboot]

Two golds and a silver. Not a bad hour's work by the rowers.

[Kiwias]

Kiwi 8 put in a stunning third 500m and take it home for the gold!!!!!

[Niegs]

I thought France v Canada women rugby would be a close toss-up. Nope, a drubbing by France! Now it looks that if Russia get just a point from NZ, they go and we're out.

Also, Abbie Brown seems nice.

[Thor Sedan]

Greatest interview in Olympics history from Ruby Tui

[Blackmac]

Not entirely convinced by the fawning over Biles' decision to sit out. We'd absolutely pan a Lions or SA player doing the same this Saturday.

Yeah, It's an odd one. If she is struggling she should absolutely have the right to quietly walk away with no intrusion and get herself right. It must be an absolutely awful experience. On the other hand, the most part of being a top class athlete is having that incredible mental hardness, it's what seperates them from the rest of us, mainly, so the coverage doesn't sit well.

Many top class athletes do in fact struggle with their mental health and it's the idea that they're all mental hard cases that can be so damaging to them - the expectation on them is ridiculous. They're just humans. Very good at what they do, with many coping mechanisms, but so many of them really do feel the strain.

If anyone panned a Lions or SA player for it I'd call them a fucking cunt, like I did when people slated Marler or Trescothick, tbh.

Is it her mental health though. She has made is clear she is suffering from the "twisties", which is apparantly an orientation problem that gymnasts suffer occasionally. She has quit for her own safety as she feels she cannot compete succesfully, which is totally understandaly. It seems it is the media that has blown up the mental health aspect.

[JM2K6]

Yeah, It's an odd one. If she is struggling she should absolutely have the right to quietly walk away with no intrusion and get herself right. It must be an absolutely awful experience. On the other hand, the most part of being a top class athlete is having that incredible mental hardness, it's what seperates them from the rest of us, mainly, so the coverage doesn't sit well.

Many top class athletes do in fact struggle with their mental health and it's the idea that they're all mental hard cases that can be so damaging to them - the expectation on them is ridiculous. They're just humans. Very good at what they do, with many coping mechanisms, but so many of them really do feel the strain.

If anyone panned a Lions or SA player for it I'd call them a fucking cunt, like I did when people slated Marler or Trescothick, tbh.

Is it her mental health though. She has made is clear she is suffering from the "twisties", which is apparantly an orientation problem that gymnasts suffer occasionally. She has quit for her own safety as she feels she cannot compete succesfully, which is totally understandaly. It seems it is the media that has blown up the mental health aspect.

According to her it is her mental health, yes - in that this problem she's having is making her incredibly anxious and nervous. I don't think she's saying she has the problem because of her mental health - from what I can see she doesn't really know what causes it, though stress apparently is part of it - but that it's affecting her mental health as well as risking her physical health.

[Insane_Homer]

[Slick]

Greatest interview in Olympics history from Ruby Tui

Just googled that, brilliant! has me smiling.

[Niegs]

Looks like Jamie Cuntmore will be in some hot water for trolling/harassing the women’s 7s online (if you didn’t know, there was some drama leading up to this months ago when the women got their coach, former men’s player John Tait, fired for bullying)



RC running damage control at after 3am...

[Lobby]

Much better performance from the GB women this morning to beat USA. Superb defence and much better decision making.

Fiji beating the Aus women was also great, although the kiwis should still win gold comfortably.

[Niegs]

She’s madder than Mad Jack McMad! Love it!

[Insane_Homer]

[Slick]

Watching the 10k, it seems wrong that the Ugandan runner (in this case) can take a place in the final then basically run for his teammates and drop out with 4K still to go

[Sandstorm]

Watching the 10k, it seems wrong that the Ugandan runner (in this case) can take a place in the final then basically run for his teammates and drop out with 4K still to go

That's weird. I thought that only happened when they were going for World Records at Athletic League meets. Some team mate!

[Sandstorm]

She’s madder than Mad Jack McMad! Love it!

I love her.

[Openside]

Truly inspirational competitors. ....

still hungry after all that success

Marvellous stuff!!

[Niegs]

[eldanielfire]

She’s madder than Mad Jack McMad! Love it!

I love her.

Same here.

[Saint]

Watching the 10k, it seems wrong that the Ugandan runner (in this case) can take a place in the final then basically run for his teammates and drop out with 4K still to go

It's not supposed to be legal for major championships. There would have been major protests from the other countries if a Ugandan had won; as it is I would expect an investigation

[Slick]

Watching the 10k, it seems wrong that the Ugandan runner (in this case) can take a place in the final then basically run for his teammates and drop out with 4K still to go

It's not supposed to be legal for major championships. There would have been major protests from the other countries if a Ugandan had won; as it is I would expect an investigation

Cram and Radcliffe suggesting they were all at it, even the USA and Canada working together.

Not that it made much difference with all the East Africans stuffed to the eyeballs with drugs

[Lobby]

Watching the 10k, it seems wrong that the Ugandan runner (in this case) can take a place in the final then basically run for his teammates and drop out with 4K still to go

It's not supposed to be legal for major championships. There would have been major protests from the other countries if a Ugandan had won; as it is I would expect an investigation

Cram and Radcliffe suggesting they were all at it, even the USA and Canada working together.

Not that it made much difference with all the East Africans stuffed to the eyeballs with drugs

20 banned so far:

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has taken responsibility after 10 athletes from the country were declared ineligible for the Tokyo Olympics.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) ruled that the competitors will be unable to take part in Tokyo because of non-compliance with out-of-competition drug testing requirements in the run-up to the Games.

The AIU announced that a total of 20 athletes from the seven countries, including Morocco, Kenya and Ethiopia, who are on World Anti-doping Agency's (Wada) category A watch list when it comes to anti-doping violations have been ruled out.

The AIU said: "Nigeria is the most affected country, not meeting the minimum testing requirements under Rule 15 for 10 athletes. Nigeria was included in Category A at the start of 2020 following a continued period of weak domestic testing levels."

All of the Nigerian athletes ruled ineligible had already arrived in Tokyo to prepare for the track and field events that begin on Friday.

[Calculon]

Watching the 10k, it seems wrong that the Ugandan runner (in this case) can take a place in the final then basically run for his teammates and drop out with 4K still to go

It's not supposed to be legal for major championships. There would have been major protests from the other countries if a Ugandan had won; as it is I would expect an investigation

Cram and Radcliffe suggesting they were all at it, even the USA and Canada working together.

Not that it made much difference with all the East Africans stuffed to the eyeballs with drugs

Makes a change from mo farah, who certainly was clean, dominating the 5 and 10k

[Slick]

It's not supposed to be legal for major championships. There would have been major protests from the other countries if a Ugandan had won; as it is I would expect an investigation

Cram and Radcliffe suggesting they were all at it, even the USA and Canada working together.

Not that it made much difference with all the East Africans stuffed to the eyeballs with drugs

20 banned so far:

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has taken responsibility after 10 athletes from the country were declared ineligible for the Tokyo Olympics.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) ruled that the competitors will be unable to take part in Tokyo because of non-compliance with out-of-competition drug testing requirements in the run-up to the Games.

The AIU announced that a total of 20 athletes from the seven countries, including Morocco, Kenya and Ethiopia, who are on World Anti-doping Agency's (Wada) category A watch list when it comes to anti-doping violations have been ruled out.

The AIU said: "Nigeria is the most affected country, not meeting the minimum testing requirements under Rule 15 for 10 athletes. Nigeria was included in Category A at the start of 2020 following a continued period of weak domestic testing levels."

All of the Nigerian athletes ruled ineligible had already arrived in Tokyo to prepare for the track and field events that begin on Friday.

Nigeria is West Africa

[Slick]

Have to say I’ve found the BBC coverage of the BMX very strange. Two absolutely amazing performances from 2 really inspirational kids but the focus has been almost entirely on the lad that got silver over the girl that got gold

[Saint]

Watching the 10k, it seems wrong that the Ugandan runner (in this case) can take a place in the final then basically run for his teammates and drop out with 4K still to go

It's not supposed to be legal for major championships. There would have been major protests from the other countries if a Ugandan had won; as it is I would expect an investigation

Cram and Radcliffe suggesting they were all at it, even the USA and Canada working together.

Not that it made much difference with all the East Africans stuffed to the eyeballs with drugs

There's always beven a "team" aspect to long distance track at major championships. That's part of the reason that Mo winning was so out of the ordinary. But there's a difference between that and what was a blatant attempt at pace making, even if it was massively unsuccessful

[Saint]

It's not supposed to be legal for major championships. There would have been major protests from the other countries if a Ugandan had won; as it is I would expect an investigation

Cram and Radcliffe suggesting they were all at it, even the USA and Canada working together.

Not that it made much difference with all the East Africans stuffed to the eyeballs with drugs

20 banned so far:

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has taken responsibility after 10 athletes from the country were declared ineligible for the Tokyo Olympics.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) ruled that the competitors will be unable to take part in Tokyo because of non-compliance with out-of-competition drug testing requirements in the run-up to the Games.

The AIU announced that a total of 20 athletes from the seven countries, including Morocco, Kenya and Ethiopia, who are on World Anti-doping Agency's (Wada) category A watch list when it comes to anti-doping violations have been ruled out.

The AIU said: "Nigeria is the most affected country, not meeting the minimum testing requirements under Rule 15 for 10 athletes. Nigeria was included in Category A at the start of 2020 following a continued period of weak domestic testing levels."

All of the Nigerian athletes ruled ineligible had already arrived in Tokyo to prepare for the track and field events that begin on Friday.

There's a major controversy about this, with a number of athletes not even suspected to be doping being ruled out effectively due to the national bodies incompetence/Covid screwing things up. I could easily believe that everyone DQ'd is innocent while more than twice as many doing dodgy stuff have been tested and not caught

[Saint]

It's not supposed to be legal for major championships. There would have been major protests from the other countries if a Ugandan had won; as it is I would expect an investigation

Cram and Radcliffe suggesting they were all at it, even the USA and Canada working together.

Not that it made much difference with all the East Africans stuffed to the eyeballs with drugs

Makes a change from mo farah, who certainly was clean, dominating the 5 and 10k

The one thing Mo never did was dominate those distances. Not a sniff of a world record. The thing is that championship distance racing is rarely about being the absolute fastest time. Without pace makers, the races tend to be slow and tactical, allowing guys with a "Sprint" finish to win. Mo could have been beaten if a group of runners had been prepared to sacrifice themselves for a quick time and risk that only 1 or 2 out of 6 would even finish.

[Calculon]

Dominating as in he kept winning those races. Anyway, he was clean unlike the East Africans who have ruined the sport.

[Slick]

Dominating as in he kept winning those races. Anyway, he was clean unlike the East Africans who have ruined the sport.

I don’t think he was clean either

[Sandstorm]

Dominating as in he kept winning those races. Anyway, he was clean unlike the East Africans who have ruined the sport.

I don’t think he was clean either

EDF in 5….4…..3…..

[Saint]

Dominating as in he kept winning those races. Anyway, he was clean unlike the East Africans who have ruined the sport.

He was eminently beatable if they'd been prepared to run the race. He never produced a single time close to an extreme. He had the ability of producing a fast finish if the race wasn't really quick. Wins the race, doesn’t get close to a record. Effectively, his opponents were selfish/stupid.

[Calculon]

Dominating as in he kept winning those races. Anyway, he was clean unlike the East Africans who have ruined the sport.

He was eminently beatable if they'd been prepared to run the race. He never produced a single time close to an extreme. He had the ability of producing a fast finish if the race wasn't really quick. Wins the race, doesn’t get close to a record. Effectively, his opponents were selfish/stupid.

He held world records at other distances. He just wasn't as strong in the 5 and 10k. If only his opponents weren't so stupid