Arrrrrg, bite me (gold medal)

[Taro Toporific]

[Radcliffe] just wasn't as well prepared for the heat.

Marathon a race vs. inhumanity
The Baltimore Sun (dry heaving "free" registration required) Aug 23, by Laura Vecsey---
ATHENS - To understand the moment of triumph, one must understand the 2 hours, 26 minutes, 20 seconds of cruelty. ...
....here was the place where athletic quest bordered on sadism.
How did they do this? Why? The winner, Mizuki Noguchi from Japan, reached the stadium wall, bent over and quietly vomited.
Seconds later, she unbent her lithe, tiny frame and thanked her family, thanked God, then fell silent, wobbling away. I can no longer speak, she said.
The silver medalist, Catherine Ndereba, was smiling from either joy or momentary mental incapacity. She, too, succumbed to the dry heaves in her abdominal muscles - the body rebelling where the mind did not.
Soon after, the Kenyan was wrapped in a foil blanket in an effort to restore some sense of normalcy to her topsy-turvy body temperature and led away, waving to the heat-stroked crowd.
The bronze medalist, Deena Kastor of the United States, was confused...
....was whisked away to doping control, where it took hours for her rail-thin and dehydrated body to produce enough urine to complete the requisite drug test for Olympic medalists.

[Steve Bildermann]

With all this talk of Gold, Silver and Bronze it's good to know there is some balance also...

All the LAST place finishers in Athens

[Taro Toporific]

[Mulboyne]

Japan's flag bearer misses out on gold medal bout

Hamaguchi, who bore Japan's flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, had drawn attention as a gold medal hopeful, but failed to overcome Xu in their controversial bout.

The referee awarded Xu two points in a move Hamaguchi initiated. Hamaguchi's father, Heigo "Animal" Hamaguchi, a former professional wrestler, was infuriated at the decision and stood up shouting from the stands, prompting others around him to hold him back.

[Taro Toporific]

MDN...Hamaguchi's father, Heigo "Animal" Hamaguchi, a former professional wrestler, was infuriated at the decision and stood up shouting from the stands, prompting others around him to hold him back.

Here's a photo of the Hamaguchis, father and daughter, at the all-Japan meet last Feb....

[blackcat]

cheating in the marathon now ay japan?

just like fipper in the swimming!

bunch of fucking win at cost unscrupulious bastards.

they`ll be on about how great they are now, just like they think they are brazil in soccer.

[American Oyaji]

They didnt cheat in the marathon.

It was the brits dumb fault for not running HER race.

DONT BLAME THE JAPANESE FOR OTHERS SHORTCOMINGS

do I love Japan? YUP

[maraboutslim]

This course was well known in advance, no? Why didn't the runners simply go run parts or all of it in advance? If travel was not practical for some of the smaller country runners (unlike the brit who is a multimillionaire), surely there were gps readings made and a model of the course and elevation changes could have been made and a comparable course run in one's home country. (we have such graphical maps of our silly downhill slalom skateboarding races for pete's sake).

Lance Armstrong rides the whole Tour course each year before the race and hey, it seems to work for him.

[Steve Bildermann]

Ok here the thing most folks have overlooked.

Noguchi was chosen by the Japan Olympic committee one full year ago ahead of every other Olympic athlete. She knew well in advance she was definitely going to run the Olympic Marathon and did not have to worry about qualifying. All she had to do was get ready. She knew when, where, how and she devoted all her time to peaking on that day.

BIG difference in training methods!

She walked the entire course seven times, she ran it twice and Tsukuba University setup a virtual reality treadmill (in a climate controlled environment) for her to run any part of the course or all of it if she chose.

Say whatever you want about what happened (and to who) on the day but she was the best prepared to win, she knew she had a plan, she followed her plan and she won. I have nothing but admiration for that kind professionalism.

[maraboutslim]

Now that's what I'm talking about. Preparation!

(of course I still think one should have to weigh 100 lbs. to enter a "womens" event at the Olympics, but...)

[Mulboyne]

Radcliffe baffled by failure

Radcliffe...said she had trained for the Greek weather.
"I can't use the conditions as an excuse because they were the same for everyone," she said.

[AssKissinger]

I think once she realized she couldn't win she gave up. If she doesn't at least give the 10k a go I don't think she's much of an Olympian.

[Mulboyne]

[Taro Toporific]

Akemi Masuda, a Japanese marathon commentator who competed at the Los Angeles Games in 1984. "She can do it because of her strong muscle power. She can squat 65 kilograms."[/b]

This is gotta be a typo. Even an old cripple like me can squat 1.5-times my body weight.

[Taro Toporific]

Japanese rodeo?


ATHENS - AUGUST 24: Ryuichi Obata of Japan falls off during the individual show jumping event

[samuraiwig]

She looks like she'd be easier to carry up my aparto stairs than a bag of rice. And after that race in 35 degree heat I reckon 65kg is, oooh, about twice her body weight.

I agree with AK about Radcliffe. Looked like she gave up when she was passed for 3rd and realised she wouldn't be catching anyone. Maybe it was mentally tough to find that all the preparation and hype was going to come to nought, but I think she should have finished the race.

[maraboutslim]

I personally don't like that the Olympics have become more about showing up than winning. I don't need to see someone compete in, or complete an event when they have absolutely no shot of winning. It's silly that all these countries get to clog up the event prelims with athletes who are never going to get close to a win.

As for the marathon...This is still sport isn't it? Conceding a match is not unsportsman like in golf, chess, etc. and several that can be called early. if there was ever a race where conceding makes since, it's when it's 38F and 26 miles of punishment.

Of course the marathon has become less of a "race" and become the ultimate example of the just show up and finish event. All over the world fat people drag themselves over the course and finish at 3 times the world record time and celebrate just because they finished. Me? I figure if you can't do something well, don't do it in public.

[Taro Toporific]

... if you can't do something well, don't do it in public.

Hmmm, do you mean like KARAOKE, hee, hee?


Anyway, I have to root for any team except N. Korean that beats Japan...even damn China.

(2)Japan volleyball run ends in Athens quarterfinals
Kyodo) / ATHENS, Greece -Chinese volleyball players rejoice after beating Japan in a quarterfinal match on Aug. 24 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, while Japan's Kana Oyama (14) looks at them..

:
Reuters/ Tue Aug 24,10:34 AM ET]apan's (L-R) Miyuki Takahashi, Tomoko Yoshihara and Ikumi Narita cry after loosing their women's quarter-fina

[American Oyaji]

I must say that this is the funnies ttitle for a thread Ive seen you come up with.

Dont ask me why, but it endlessly tickles my funnybone.

[Taro Toporific]

LLLOOOOSSSEEE LLLOOOOSSSSEEEE you fuckers!LOSE!
sick of you pricks, the next thing we will hear is "japan are the best at sport in the world"
ahhh thats better

Yes, ahhh this is better.

WOMEN'S TRIATHLON: Austrian cruises to triathlon win
Akiko Sekine finishes 3 minutes back in 12th place for Japan.
Asahi Shimbun, Japan - Aug 26
ATHENS--Australia-born Kate Allen won a gold medal for her adopted country Austria in the women's Olympic triathlon Wednesday.....
... Japan's trio of entries were never among the leaders on a hot morning around the coastal course at Vouliagmeni, south of Athens. ...

[Taro Toporific]

Dont ask me why, but it endlessly tickles my funnybone.

Here's something that endlessly tickles my bone funny.


Wed Aug 25, 4:08 PM ET / Reuters---Japan's Miya Tachibana and Miho Takeda perform on the way to a silver medal in the synchronised swimming duet free routine finals ...
See also http://img54.exs.cx/img54/4782/miya_and_miho2.jpg

[GuyJean]

_____ _______ _______ ________



GJ

[AssKissinger]

Dont ask me why, but it endlessly tickles my funnybone.

Here's something that endlessly tickles my bone funny.


Wed Aug 25, 4:08 PM ET / Reuters---Japan's Miya Tachibana and Miho Takeda perform on the way to a silver medal in the synchronised swimming duet free routine finals ...
See also http://img54.exs.cx/img54/4782/miya_and_miho2.jpg

That looks like bukkake

[Taro Toporific]

http://img54.exs.cx/img54/3085/miya_and_miho_closeup.jpg
Wed Aug 25, 4:08 PM ET / Reuters

That looks like bukkake

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

[GuyJean]

That looks like bukkake

Haven't you heard? They're adding Synchronized Bukkake to the Olympic games.. Mine as well.. They have every other imaginable sport under the sun.. Except ones that make sense, like bowling or kickboxing..

GJ

[maraboutslim]

[Taro Toporific]

[AssKissinger]

DREAM TEAM
sucks

http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpaHBoYmFlBF9TAzk2NjczMTUwBHNlYwN0aA--?slug=reu-basketballmenargentinadc&prov=reuters&type=lgns

ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. men's basketball team was beaten by Argentina and booed off the court by the crowd on Friday as it was denied an Olympic gold medal for the first time since 1992 when NBA players started competing.

[Caustic Saint]

YESSSSS!!!!!

[AssKissinger]

I personally don't like that the Olympics have become more about showing up than winning. I don't need to see someone compete in, or complete an event when they have absolutely no shot of winning. It's silly that all these countries get to clog up the event prelims with athletes who are never going to get close to a win.

As for the marathon...This is still sport isn't it? Conceding a match is not unsportsman like in golf, chess, etc. and several that can be called early. if there was ever a race where conceding makes since, it's when it's 38F and 26 miles of punishment.

Of course the marathon has become less of a "race" and become the ultimate example of the just show up and finish event. All over the world fat people drag themselves over the course and finish at 3 times the world record time and celebrate just because they finished. Me? I figure if you can't do something well, don't do it in public.

Nice post. I like the way you see it from a different angle. But the way I see it concession is acceptable in some sports but not others. I guess like countries each sport kind of has it's own culture. As far as I remember the Olympics have always been about doing your best and fighting to the end no matter what. I expect them to take pride in their effort and do their best because that's a defining feature of Olympics sports culture. Like the Dream Team. They got knocked out of the gold but they played their best and won the bronze. I know that was a tough pill to swallow but they didn't go home or act like a babies because they couldn't get the gold. But this chick Radclff. She's an A-1 class quitter. Talk about no fighting spirit. She's the anti-champion worst Olympian since the American ice hockey squad trashed their ryokan in Nagano (talk about real losers and not just in the games).

Radcliffe agony 'seen by 12.8m'


The race got the highest Olympic UK TV audience so far
Almost 13 million UK viewers tuned in to watch Paula Radcliffe attempt to run the Olympic 10,000 metres on Friday.
Radcliffe dropped out of the race with 12 of the 25 laps to go, just five days after quitting the marathon in tears.
An average of 12.8 million people, or 57% of all viewers at the time, watched from 2000-2015 BST, when she pulled up, according to unofficial figures.

Radcliffe was one of Britain's best medal hopes going into the games, which have got strong TV ratings for the BBC.

Her 10,000 metres TV audience was the largest for any Olympic broadcast in the UK so far.

A peak of 10.7 million tuned in for the end of the women's marathon on Sunday - from which Radcliffe retired after 22 miles - while a peak of 9.5 million saw the opening ceremony on 13 August.