Olympics - does anyone actually care anymore?

[Howe_zat]

Don't know what happened here but I'm guessing there were a few points knocked off.

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experi...8/19/5193ea97-a41c-424b-9777-34fcc092e46d.jpg

 

[Scaly piscine]

Get in there. So sweet, morons booing got what they deserved.

 

[social]

I want to see the sailing done in Viking longboats, and when you're jostling for position you should be able to swing a cutlass at your opponents on other boats, ram them and if their boat is faster, board it and take it over. Also, the buoy markers should have apex predators on them, so when you round the mark you can get close if you want to, but run the risk of a polar bear or a Siberian tiger clawing you to death and eating you. It would spice things up.

Chuck in a few noahs as well to really penalize capsizes

 

[_Ed_]

Awesome round by Lydia Ko, including a hole in one! Right up in medal contention now.

 

[Johnners]

Boomers laying an Egg

 

[Johnners]

Boomers laying an Egg

Speaking of which, feel the french walker dude, brutal.

 

[Daemon]

How good is Mo Farah winning Gold after falling down? What a legend.

 

[Zinzan]

Might be slightly controversial, but Nick Willis must be pretty close to being New Zealand's greatest track athlete. Yes, he's never won a gold or held a world record like Walker, Snell and Lovelock did, but their achievements all came back in the days when the Olympics were lily white. Given how much more competitive and diverse track and field is these days, I'd take a silver in the modern era over a gold from the 60's. Throw in the fact that he's just qualified for his third successive 1500m final (the only NZer to do so), holds the New Zealand record, and has medalled at the world indoor champs, and you've got an incredibly impressive resume.

I'd still put Snell narrowly in front on the grounds that Snell did something that no other athlete in history has done (winning gold in both the 800m and 1500m in the same games). But Willis is now ahead of Walker for me.

I take your point about the lily white nature of the games back in the day, but Snell is more than narrowly ahead of Willis for mine, and it's not even close. It's easy to forget Snell's regarded as one of the great middle-distance runners of all-time, in fact IIRC, he never lost a major race. Even discounting his gold in Rome, the Tokyo (seemingly impossible) double alone puts him way out in front. Walker and Willis is a closer thing though if as you say we factor the dominance off the African runners in the last 20-25 years.

 

[_Ed_]

Eliza McCartney is going amazingly here in the final. No matter what happens from here, huge Oympic debut from her.

 

[Zinzan]

Overall, with 14 medals locked up and a couple of outside chances remaining, I'd say this games has been a modest success for NZ. Yes, it would've been nice to have converted a couple more silvers into golds, but HPSNZ targeted beating the London medal tally and they've (just) done it.

Rowing and cycling both underwhelmed (especially cycling, which targeted 4 medals before the games). But sailing and kayaking both exceeded expectations. If the hockey girls can pick themselves up for a bronze and if Tom Walsh can grab a medal then I'd say overall the team will have done well.

Definitely had some good results since my post posing the question & yeah, our total medal haul is pleasing. May sound harsh, but I still think we've been slightly below expectations when it comes purely to Golds though. I say this mainly based on the fact most of those independent predictions I cited had us at the top on the podium between 7-10 times, but perhaps that was overly generous given the pressure of an Olympics. Good to see Lydia Ko has clawed her way back into contention for a chance tonight though.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Eliza McCartney is going amazingly here in the final. No matter what happens from here, huge Oympic debut from her.

She's cute as heck.

 

[_Ed_]

Bronze is an awesome result. I thought fourth or fifth was the best she could realistically get, so that's outstanding. Now hopefully she'll go two better at the Comm Games and then in Tokyo.

 

[Burgey]

https://www.facebook.com/KinneTVshow/videos/1106060469480966/

 

[Burgey]

She's cute as heck.

Greek girl none too shabby either tbh.

 

[Zinzan]

Great effort from Eliza McCartney, but why does she beat the Australia when they both reached the same height?

 

[Zinzan]

Greek girl none too shabby either tbh.

Women's Pole vs. Women's beach volleyball?

 

[Bahnz]

Count backs, she didn't knock over the bar on any of her attempts at lower heights.

Seriously, fantastic stuff from her. Would she be our youngest ever Olympic medallist?

Incidentally, she's probably got the greatest arse of any New Zealand athlete ever.

 

[Burgey]

Jeez that was so close to clearing. Great competition

 

[Zinzan]

Fair play to the American pole-vaulter. What a great sport, thought she cleared that easily.

 

[Burgey]

Right then, Yanks have Gatlin running second leg rather than last. Interesting.