Epic Failure

2013. We won one medal in the pool that year, a bronze from Fran Halsall in the 50 free.
 
We've always been a bit up and down over the years, but that was particularly bad.

They’re talking about men’s foil not women’s foil. 

I'd not be making Märtens the favourite yet, simply because he hasn't shown at a World/Olympic level that he can definitely get the pacing right through 3 rounds of the 200m yet.
 
He's in the group of favourites for sure but I don't think these 2 swims today take him clear of the pack yet. They are still his only ever sub 1:45 swims at the distance, bar a relay split, I believe. Hwang, Richards and Scott would all still fancy their chances I reckon.
 
If Popovici is at his 22 best, he's away and gone obviously. 

On the other hand, it's possible that she's still a young athlete who doesn't necessarily know yet how far to push herself, at least in terms of competing at the very highest level (and especially in the 5000m at a champs, where she has heats and a final to deal with).
 
She might be better off concentrating on one event this time to see quite how far she can go, rather than spreading herself across both. Save trying that for something like the European Champs in 26, when the level of competition might be slightly less taxing.
 
Or I might be talking rubbish.

Apologies in advance to all fencing aficionados and no disrespect intended to the sport itself, but this morning is the first time I've ever delved deeply into the qualification system for the Olympics, and it is surely one of the more insane systems of qualifications out there.
 
 

Yeah, it was the 3 spots per team in the individual that really shocked me.
 
When you add that to the fact that there's a continental quota for a country in the top 16 for a team sport, there's a few teams who are ranked 14th or 15th as a country who are getting 3 fencers in there, when there's an individual who is much higher in the rankings who isn't there. The men's foil, for example, looks likely to have 3 Canadians in it. But not the Spanish guy who is ranked 13th, a good 20 spots higher than any of them. That just seems weird.
 
Personally, I'd do it similarly to cycling - the top ranked countries get 3 spots in the individual. the other team spots get 2, and you increase the global individual spots (based more on the world rankings than continental qualification). So still a strong reward for a great team, a good reward for a solid team and more chance for a talented individual.

Apologies in advance to all fencing aficionados and no disrespect intended to the sport itself, but this morning is the first time I've ever delved deeply into the qualification system for the Olympics, and it is surely one of the more insane systems of qualifications out there.
 
 

Yeah, it was the 3 spots per team in the individual that really shocked me.
 
When you add that to the fact that there's a continental quota for a country in the top 16 for a team sport, there's a few teams who are ranked 14th or 15th as a country who are getting 3 fencers in there, when there's an individual who is much higher in the rankings who isn't there. The men's foil, for example, looks likely to have 3 Canadians in it. But not the Spanish guy who is ranked 13th, a good 20 spots higher than any of them. That just seems weird.
 
Personally, I'd do it similarly to cycling - the top ranked countries get 3 spots in the individual. the other team spots get 2, and you increase the global individual spots (based more on the world rankings than continental qualification). So still a strong reward for a great team, a good reward for a solid team and more chance for a talented individual.

Apologies in advance to all fencing aficionados and no disrespect intended to the sport itself, but this morning is the first time I've ever delved deeply into the qualification system for the Olympics, and it is surely one of the more insane systems of qualifications out there.
 
 

Apologies in advance to all fencing aficionados and no disrespect intended to the sport itself, but this morning is the first time I've ever delved deeply into the qualification system for the Olympics, and it is surely one of the more insane systems of qualifications out there.
 
 

Yeah, my bigger 'concern' with China is whether they perform on the very highest stage. They've always put fast times down in domestic meets but not always collectively performed on the international stage (they've always had a couple of stars who've performed, but not necessarily the team as a whole).
 
If they can solve that problem on a consistent basis, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Oh I'm definitely happy that it happened and the precautions were absolutely necessary to enable it to do so. But it just felt 10% less 'special' than some of the others, if that makes sense?

Assuming it's the same structure as last year's worlds, then the top 2 sailors at the end of the opening series of 20 races will go directly through to the final.
 
Sailors ranked 3-10 progress to the semi-finals with the top ranked sailor in each semi-final starting with 2 wins, the 2nd ranked sailor starting with 1 win. The other 2 sailors start from 0. The first sailor to get to 3 wins advances to the final so it is unlikely that they would need all 8 races. 
 
In the final, the same structure applies - the sailor who topped the opening series starts the final with 2 wins, the sailor who finished 2nd has 1 win and the qualifiers from the semi-final start with 0. The first to 3 takes gold.  

As a remote fan, I was grateful it happened at all - it seemed all too likely at one stage it wouldn't, and I'm amazed how quickly the world has all but forgotten the mayhem of that 18 months more generally - I had major health incident just prior to the first lockdown so it was quite surreal to watch it happen in real time from my own convalescent bed.

The only disappointing thing about the Kenny jump was that there wasn't a proper crowd there to see it and roar him on.
 
Obviously due to circumstances beyond anyone's control but that's why at times Tokyo just didn't feel entirely like a 'true' Games for me. Nobody's fault obviously. And it's why I'm even more hyped for this summer to see full crowds again (fingers crossed!!)
 
That and the camerawork for that final. That wasn't great either.

Worth noting that the set up of the Kite is different from some of the other races. There's 20 preliminary races I think, then an 8 series for the SF and a final 6 race series for the final, I think. Not exactly sure of the numbers, but it is more than in the other events I know that.

Gotta love technicalities... Next you'll be telling me that our 1936 ice hockey gold doesn't really count because the team was basically Canadian.

Gotta love technicalities... Next you'll be telling me that our 1936 ice hockey gold doesn't really count because the team was basically Canadian.

Gotta love technicalities... Next you'll be telling me that our 1936 ice hockey gold doesn't really count because the team was basically Canadian.

That 'gold every games' record is impressive, but it's on the shoogliest of pegs re: 1904. The single gold, won by a man who refused British money and a British uniform, insisted he represented only Ireland, and tried to tear down the Union Flag! Still, adds to the gaiety of Olympic history.
 
my own fives change daily but:
 
Ireland:
 
Katie Taylor 2012
Michael Carruth+Wayne McCullough
O'Donavons' silver (I know the gold was four years later, and better, but that first rowing medal said we'd arrived)
Pat O'Callaghan's hammer, the first
Ronnie Delaney
 
A certain ginger swimmer who rattled when shook has been expunged from memory.
 
Great Britain (entirely personal)
 
Redgrave's 5th
Murray 2012
Super Saturday
Coe v Ovett
Men's 4 x 100 gold - a team of 'failures' who became champions
 
honourable mention for Whitlock 2 gold in 2 hours, Kelly Holmes, Men's Hockey, Women's Hockey and Brad Wiggins TT

Ah yes, Mark Stone will be miraculously healed just in time for game 1 of the playoffs! What a coincidence!
 
Surely it has nothing to do with salary cap circumvention.

So I just totted up what I think are the totals for the OQT for USA, AUS, GBR, Japan, Italy, China and France, using the FINA LCM rankings from 1st March 23 to today.
 
Those were the countries I thought might have a chance of being near the top of a list like this. There are other countries which are strong in part (Canadian & Dutch women) but less so collectively. I could be doing them a disservice not including them, but I was already looking at enough to fry my brain anyway
 
Russia would likely be somewhere in there, but with their uncertain status about things, I've not included in these figures.
 
USA - Men 83, Women 98 = 181 total
Aus - Men 34, Women 60 = 94 total
Japan - Men 38, Women 27 = 65 total
China - Men 25, Women 39 = 64 total
GBR - Men 34, Women 25 = 59 total
Italy - Men 33, Women 14 = 47 total
France - Men 25, Women 14 = 39 total
 
These are qualified swims, not swimmers. So Duncan Scott - for example - is in the GBR quota 3 times (100m fr, 200m fr, 200m IM). It would take me a lot longer to work that out, at least for countries that are not GBR. GBR is 37 total swimmers with an OQT - 23 men and 14 women.
 
 

So I just totted up what I think are the totals for the OQT for USA, AUS, GBR, Japan, Italy, China and France, using the FINA LCM rankings from 1st March 23 to today.
 
Those were the countries I thought might have a chance of being near the top of a list like this. There are other countries which are strong in part (Canadian & Dutch women) but less so collectively. I could be doing them a disservice not including them, but I was already looking at enough to fry my brain anyway
 
Russia would likely be somewhere in there, but with their uncertain status about things, I've not included in these figures.
 
USA - Men 83, Women 98 = 181 total
Aus - Men 34, Women 60 = 94 total
Japan - Men 38, Women 27 = 65 total
China - Men 25, Women 39 = 64 total
GBR - Men 34, Women 25 = 59 total
Italy - Men 33, Women 14 = 47 total
France - Men 25, Women 14 = 39 total
 
These are qualified swims, not swimmers. So Duncan Scott - for example - is in the GBR quota 3 times (100m fr, 200m fr, 200m IM). It would take me a lot longer to work that out, at least for countries that are not GBR. GBR is 37 total swimmers with an OQT - 23 men and 14 women.
 
 

So I just totted up what I think are the totals for the OQT for USA, AUS, GBR, Japan, Italy, China and France, using the FINA LCM rankings from 1st March 23 to today.
 
Those were the countries I thought might have a chance of being near the top of a list like this. There are other countries which are strong in part (Canadian & Dutch women) but less so collectively. I could be doing them a disservice not including them, but I was already looking at enough to fry my brain anyway
 
Russia would likely be somewhere in there, but with their uncertain status about things, I've not included in these figures.
 
USA - Men 83, Women 98 = 181 total
Aus - Men 34, Women 60 = 94 total
Japan - Men 38, Women 27 = 65 total
China - Men 25, Women 39 = 64 total
GBR - Men 34, Women 25 = 59 total
Italy - Men 33, Women 14 = 47 total
France - Men 25, Women 14 = 39 total
 
These are qualified swims, not swimmers. So Duncan Scott - for example - is in the GBR quota 3 times (100m fr, 200m fr, 200m IM). It would take me a lot longer to work that out, at least for countries that are not GBR. GBR is 37 total swimmers with an OQT - 23 men and 14 women.
 
 

So I just totted up what I think are the totals for the OQT for USA, AUS, GBR, Japan, Italy, China and France, using the FINA LCM rankings from 1st March 23 to today.
 
Those were the countries I thought might have a chance of being near the top of a list like this. There are other countries which are strong in part (Canadian & Dutch women) but less so collectively. I could be doing them a disservice not including them, but I was already looking at enough to fry my brain anyway
 
Russia would likely be somewhere in there, but with their uncertain status about things, I've not included in these figures.
 
USA - Men 83, Women 98 = 181 total
Aus - Men 34, Women 60 = 94 total
Japan - Men 38, Women 27 = 65 total
China - Men 25, Women 39 = 64 total
GBR - Men 34, Women 25 = 59 total
Italy - Men 33, Women 14 = 47 total
France - Men 25, Women 14 = 39 total
 
These are qualified swims, not swimmers. So Duncan Scott - for example - is in the GBR quota 3 times (100m fr, 200m fr, 200m IM). It would take me a lot longer to work that out, at least for countries that are not GBR. GBR is 37 total swimmers with an OQT - 23 men and 14 women.