mpjmcevoy

Yep, break(s) of the day will be hugely important - all the players will try to get somebody up there to save the rest of the small team's legs. As Team GB showed in London, you just cannot control a peloton with 4 riders - and London was a relatively benign course, and Paris isn't. You need to be able to soft pedal a fair amount of the parcours to be ready when you're needed - and you can't do that if say Belgium, the Dutch and the Brits are up the road with one rider each, perhaps in combination with other teams with a decent puncheur/climber but little to no team depth (Ben Healy instantly springs to mind there) and the big guns of those three slightly stronger teams are whistling away allowing the poor oul Slovenes to ride themselves into the ground. That said, Pog could just decide to rip the legs clean off everyone and use them as drumsticks on his way to gold. Hayter's not doing the RR, only the TT, but I suspect Fred Wright would and could fill an almost identical function. If it doesn't entirely work, both Tarling and Eddie Dunbar obviously have the legs to drag things together with long shifts.

2800 m climbing, much of it cobbled, lots of short sharp hills at around 6-7%, without huge team support? I think it kills off the sprinters, all right, but there's plenty of random energy there. I think this could be a race of brakeaways and counterpunchers - or counterpuncheurs - if you aren't part of the golden quartet of Tadej, Mattieu, Remco and Wout vA, there's a good excuse for trying to get in the break, and hope they mark each other out.

Zharnel's exemption has suddenly made this the most wonderfully cut throat exercise - that said, there will also be 4x100 relay sports up for grabs s all is not lost outside top 2. My hunch is that Azu was on the verge of somethng extraordinary a few weeks back - if it was really just cramp, and he's sorted the issue, I'd love to see what he can do. Hinchliffe has been a revelation, but we know how hard it is to immediately turn that NCAA form into Olympic qualification. Romell Glave has had to wait several years for his chance, and when he got it, he did not disappoint. And Reece Prescod cannot be ignored as a massive natural talent. I'd be happy with any two from the first three - if I had a slight lean in preference (nor prediction, different thing), it would be towards Azu and Glave, with Hinchliffe in the relay room 1500 will be a bloodbath - so much depth behind Wightman, several of them shall we say awkward runners who tend to bump, barge, get boxed in, then commit minor criminal assaults to get out. If Wightman is on a decent form, they're probably fighting for one spot. Personally, I'd love to see a team of Kerr. Wightman and Mills; if I were honest, Gourley and Giles have had enough chances. The 800 is also going to carnage, but I think in a slightly different way - no way is Kerr doubling up in Paris, so he's really just a spoiler here to the rest, although his own mottives are very understandable. Obviously Pattison, Dustin and Burgin represent the future, as it were, but the 'past' - Langford, Rowden and Learmonth have a lot of 'savvy' and you simply never know what's coming from Jamie Webb, or for that matter the fast improving Sharman-Newell. I really want to see Burgin on the pane, but it's not the likeliest outcome given his season, or lack thereof. Perhaps the question is, does Kerr basically run it as a 'rabbit' to ensure a true run fast race, or will we get the classic absolute muck of a final the national 800 often throws up...and given the long list of class athletes, how many screw up the semis... In 1500W, there's a melancholy quality to Muir - are we now, after everything, maybe on the downslope? Given the pain and toil needed to finally get that Olympic and worlds medal, you could hardly blame here if the flame dimmed a little. Bell seems to be the coming athlete domestically, but women's 1500 tends to be, behind Muir, a very 'on the day' kind of event, more so even than the men's. Happy with Muir, Bell and a.n. other, preferably Courteny Bryant W800, again is as cutthroat as you like, though sad that Boffay has had to withdraw, given here's no realistic discretionary spot open in this field. Obviously this is two tales of two different narratives, and the attempts of the rest to break it up. You have to think Reekie is favourite. and you have to think there's a fair chance Gill again tries to take it out the Full 'Prefontaine' ("the only good race pace is a suicide pace, and today's a good day to die."), but there's a LOT of next level runners in that entry list, not just the likely final. Bookie's delight, that race. I'm hoping for gill and Reekie here, but hell, so many worthy athletes.

There's light wind and light wind. Issue will be, especially for men's 200, will it be <2.0 m/s light.

Civilians are not 'occupying forces', a ridiculous and offensive statement. Or are we expel anyone with some distant portuguese or african blood from Brazil and give it back in toto to its first finders?

Healy and Dunbar for me. If it was a flatter course, you'd bring in Sam Bennett, but it isn't, so horses for courses. I think this race could have a significant breakaway, and the main players oscillating between hurting each other and marking each other - if the break has the firepower, they could pull it off, which is not always the case. In that scenario, Healy should try and get up the road - he could be a really dangerous breakaway chance while the big guns mark each other out, Or Pogacar could just tear the legs off everybody and use 'em as toothpicks, either/or.

The first few 'general' alternates (as opposed to the country specific ones for those nations whose 3rd and 4th golfer ranks high enough) are almost always shoe ins, more so even than tennis.

FWIW 100m; M - 1. Azu 2. Hinchliffe 3 Prescod W - 1. Neita 2. Hunt 3. Lanisquot 200m M - 1. Quainoo. 2 Mitchell-Blake 3. Efokoku W - 1. Asher-Smith 2. Hunt. 3 Agyepong 400m M - 1. Dobson. 2. Carville 3. Haydock Wilson W - 1. Anning 2. Neilsen La 3. Yeargin 800m M - 1. Kerr 2. Burgin. 3 Pattison W - 1. Reekie 2. Gill 3. Wallace 1500m M - 1. Wightman 2. Gourley. 3. Giles W - 1. Muir 2. Bell 3. Courtney Bryant 5000m M - 1. Mills 2. Dever 3. Atkin W - 1. Muttall 2. Fry 3. Neale Sprint hurdles M - 1. Pozzi 2. Ojora 3. King W - 1. Sember 2. Pawlett 3. ? 400 hurdles M - 1. Chalmers 2 Derbyshire 3. Paul W - 1.Neillsen Li 2. Knight 3. Newham 3000sc M - 1 Norman, 2 Peirce 3. Seddon W - 1. Pratt 2. Bird

Wondering if a quick UK Athletics Trials prediction thread might be in order...

America is incredibly litigious - if they tried discretionary picks, they'd be drowned in lawsuits.

Reekie has a tendency to front run - she must resist that instinct, and basically tuck in behind Hodkinson the entire way - there's just a chance, if she does that, Keely drags her to a medal, possibly even past Moraa.

The loss of a great, great Olympic race overwhelms any partisan excitement for Keely - although I'd say, oddly, Moraa must be cursing - she has a better chance in a race where Keely has to track Mu rather than lay off and run her own race. The Brit who DOES have cause for excitement is Reekie; there's an actual bronze medal chance just opened up in this race...

Agree with the comparison. McdP is going to win a few road world titles, maybe 1 MTB...but he can win CX titles all the live long day. He's also always gonna be a threat on the cobbles. Eventually maybe a crack at GC. Pidcock is a MTB machine, his lighter frame and descent bravery gives him a s real edge even over speialists. He has one CX title from the year MvdP missed but its not his domain, MTB is. He's gonna be competitive on Ardennes classics and on Strade bianche, and while he has GC ambitions, I think attacks on super hilly stages - especially old fashioned ones with descents at the end, is likely his area - he MIGHT even be competitive in San Remo and Lombardia because of the late fast descent in both races. I'd love him to complete the age grade Roubaix set, but I'm not sure that's realistic. Pogecar, of course, will continue to win what he wants, when he wants, as he becomes the first rider since Hinault to make a genuine attempt to rival Merckx..

A seismic shock in this event, and heartbreaking for real athletics fans, robbing us of arguably the race of the meet. From a GBR perspective, however sad, this HUGELY increases Hodgknson's chances of gold and Reekie's chances of a medal. It's not just that a main rival is gone - it's that the whole event has just become tactically much, much simpler for her. Bizzarelly, I think this is probably a blow to Moraa's chances - she profits from the Mu-Hodgkinson stand-off. If she can muck about with Keely's rhythm, she still has a very good chance of gold - but no Mu makes that much harder to do. Intriguing, but also dreadfully disappointing.

My strong understanding is that the death match 3-and-done US policy is directly a result of trying to avoid litigation - a real fear that a disgruntled athlete in third could grind everything to a halt simply by picking a 'friendly' court - there's a Jarndyce v Jarndyce quality to US litigation, and the time frames are of course dreadful.

As I understand it Eurosport and TNT are being kept separate.

Won't work for IOC then. Lebanon Aussies may annoy, but the bottom line is their purported representation of Middle East Africa would be vital to get the sport across the universality line. Same will apply to cricket by the way. mark my words, Asia will be frustrated at limitations. The reason 7's works for IOC is they can point to Argentina, South Africa, Japan, Australia, Fiji, Ireland, France and GBR and USA, Canada in womens. Cricket, if it has to, can point to Jamaica, South Africa, GBR, India, Australia Global. GBR, FRA + PNG, FIJI, AUS, NZL, TON, SAM does not have a chance in hell of being accepted.

I don't love them equally, being from Ireland, but I do like a bit of league, genuinely. The loyalty of its fan base is amusing, but also touching. I personally suspect there's a strong chance a Brisbane Games will try and ;aunch a 'nine's' on us - perhaps as a direct replacement for flag football. Its one advantage may be its weakness - lack of sides allows for a small 6-8 team comp : AUS, NZL, GBR, FRA, TON, SAM, LEB, USA If it survives, it might be worth investigating nines as a CWG sport, at least get on the radar.

Watching Pidcock over the weekend; barely with his mtb shoes on for the first time in months just rip the legs off world class opposition, he's not wrong...he's made for mtb. His lightness gives him a better advantage than in CX, where you need a fair amount of raw strength, mtb rewards W/kg a bit more than CX - which is probably why McdP is so brilliant at CX. Very few cycle races are ever nailed on, but Pidcock goes into MTB red hot favourite, and possibly with a bit of a psychological edge on his main competition. The men's road race is going to be a trip. so many stars are aiming at it, though, that you could actually get a very left field result if they all mark each other.

THe basic discovery+/Eurosport sub that includes the Games is not expensive - its on offer at the minute for about 4£ a month. The TNT premium sub is about 30£ pm and, imho, wildly overpriced.

No, Kalaks are asking for independence. Kalaks are indigenous people in NC, but they are the minority. Your argument is not helped by reliance on such poor analogies.

There's about six countries play it, CB. IRL have just contracted the world cup back to 10 teams, and the next would be hosts pulled out. Not a chance that's gonna happen. And much as i can enjoy the odd game of League, if ever a sport had a same-y issue, it's RL. No competition for the ball, just roll, run, bang, standup, roll, run, bang, standup, roll, run, bang, standup, kick...repeat.

Attendances at seven's is, increasingly, a bit pathetic - it's become too sanitised and robotic, and the format too same-y.

The course is a puncheurs/'Ardennes' style course, and neither Yates brother is one of those - I don't think choosing Pidcock and Williams is accidental, given the wins in the Amstel gold and Fleche. Fred is also a breakway specialist, and a strong climber... As for tactics? My guess is that Pogacar, Remco, Van de Poel and Van Aert all fancy their chances, and this could be a tear up for the ages - Pog and Remco are quite likely to be knackered after Le Tour (Pogs second grand tour, though he was barely pushed in the first) and Remco has been injured, and looks a little short of form. My hunch is MvdP goes in as favourite, though only just. He's ditching the MTB to do this so he's all in. So how does this play into the GBR team? Well, Pidcock is the Andy Murray of that group. He's very, very, very good...but he's not that quarter good. What he DOES have is an absolute machine in Tarling, and a legitimate 1-2 punch in williams - you don't win Fleche if you're a grunt. My instinct is they will try and get Fred up the road for the breakaway - watch out if he somehow allies with Ben Healy who's also an outside threat, and might fancy a strong breakaway in a race with much smaller teams than usual. Pidcock and Williams then simply sit on the stars, and hopefully let the teams punch themselves out - or put Tarling on the front and try to rip the legs of the rest of the peloton. In any event, I suspect what they want is Pidcock AND williams up there near the sharp end deep in the race, and try and one-two punch their way to a medal. Also, If Pog attacks on pure strength, as he often does, Tarling is one of the few who might be able to slowly drag the boys back up to him....

I think the rugby is a bit stand alone to be honest I definitely think doing something with the combat sports would work, especially if Karate came back; it would have a 'festival of fight sport' feel and would have a wide appeal given the sports tend to have discrete areas of interest and specialism. You could have a lot of silly fun using venues too - I quite like the idea of weightlifting at Muscle Beach in 2028!