mpjmcevoy

Happy with both, albeit Dan Wiffen was dreadfully unlucky with timing Limerick...sigh. Even with a QF loss, the men's rugby team were huge. Extended period as #1, a win over the world champs, a grand slam finally at home. The women's football team amazing turnaround post world cup, and the European gold, World bronze of the men's sevens also

It seems in relation to the UK athlete that jigsaw identification is possible. If I'm correct about that, it's going to be heartbreaking.

Given the ridiculous nature of the 2024 season, presumably even the unlucky few (I'm thinking of men's 3 m in particular) must have a shout for the Europeans, and therefore a point to their season

Hi Russ I post with two hats on, and . Politically, and culturally, I'm more , but I retain a strong affinity in sport with , and especially . So... For it's all about Dan Wiffen, notwithstanding we have a genuinely decent squad these days (must not overlook Mona and Ellen), but Dan is an absolute bolter for us - he's not gold medal favourite, but he's definitely a gold medal chance. For those of us who recall Atlanta, it would be a blessed relief if Dan picked up a medal, especially a gold. Now, for A huge amount depends on Peaty. Without Peaty, we have some great chances. With Peaty in anything like his old form, things go mega in 3 further events. Gold Chances: 50m : Proud. He's due an Olympic medal, but he's capable of gold. 200m : It doesn't really look like Popovici is coming back in his World champs form, and Matt R winning the Euro Short Course was a bit of a statement. The reigning Olympic champ has been very very good over the three years since, but not really quite hit that peak - and he is in a field of Brits that is so stacked it makes other 4 x 200 relay teams wince - indeed, the last thing they need is Jimmy Guy of all people apparently rediscovering his 2015 mojo - indeed, with the rise of Jacob Peters in the 100 fly, Jimmy's eggs may all end up in the 200 free basket. Which ever 2 survive trials will be medal hopes, but Matt R is probably the gold medal hope. 4 x 200m : speaking of which, this has to be GB's biggest chance of a gold. If the top four come in any sort of shape...The Reigning World Champ, who is also the euro SC champ, the reigning Olympic champ, who's also World silver and basically has won a global medal every time he's dived in, the reigning Commonwealth Champ, who beat the Olympic champ, having won silver at the Olympics, and the 2015 World Champ who has won just the six global relay golds 100 breast : All depends on Peaty. He may be done. He may be about to do something spectacular. and the truth is we just don't know. 200 IM. Duncan Scott is a machine, but a silver machine. This time I don't forsee him having as packed a schedule as in recent years - he could very well not make 200 free, and not be needed for all of the 4 x 100 free relay . He may even get a rest for the 4 x 200 relay heats. If all his stars align, I think he can do the big G in 200IM. Won't mean he will. but he could. 4 x 100 freestyle - not as sure as the 4 x 200 despite strong chance of many of the same personnel, but if Burrus and Whittle come in hot, it's possible - a Proud heat swim is unlikely but not out of the question 4 x 100 medley. All on Peaty, again. GBR have increasing quality options on backstroke and fly, but it all comes down to Peaty - if he's flying, it's on like donkey kong. 4 x 100 mixed medley. Arguably the better medley if Peaty is fit. Big if. Without him, nae chance. TeamGB must remember golden rule of mixed medley - "You'll only get joy if breaststroke's a boy" - using a woman at breaststroke costs an extra 2 1/2 seconds compared to freestyle, and 1 1/2 compared to back or fly - it is insurmountable, imho. Again, feels like a FMMF order, and GB have better options - or at least more options - in 2024 than they did in 2021 on F back and M fly Medal chances You have to love bolters; that guy or gal you hardly considered who comes through in the key six months like gangbusters. Sure. it's easier to understand if they come through like Scott, Guy, Dean, Greenbank, Anderson, Richards etc from precocious junior careers, but unpredictability is fun That aside, I see genuine, though not necessarily huge, chances of medals in M 100 fr M 200 bk M 100 fl M 400 IM W 4 x 200 fr R W 4 x 100 medley R W 50m fr W 100 bk W 200 bk W 200 IM W 400 IM W 200 IM

I'd suggest seeing the calamatous empty stadia when athletics took its worlds there, they thought 2024 would be a good place to bury a dead champs, which everyone will forget a few months later when the 'Lympics is on anyway...

It does feel a bit like World Aquatics owed Doha or whereever the Worlds for ... reasons... saw the shambolic World Athletics there and realised it was a perfect fit for 2024 - just get it over with in the one year eyeballs will be on swimming somewhere else anyway, and no-one will remember duff Worlds in empty arenas. Of course, in years to come, a handful of swimmers will be able to make hay on their status of World Champion in a weakened event - but then, that opportunity was open to European Champs in Olympic year too, so no harm, no foul.

Interesting. This is where the French organising committee can play its cards. If they are keen to make IOC President smile they make noises about meeting the Russians and extra security if required. If they prefer the Russkis don't come, they make indignant noises about existing security being entirely adequate and the Russian noises insulting and inappropriate. If they want to really rile the Russians, they pronounce their security entirely adequate, while noting that there are limits as regards what any state can provide when met with the sort of organised international mendacity we saw in, for example, Salisbury.

Great result for GBR. Good result for Powell in particular having gone up a weight to try and grab this spot. Williams matches do look messy, but to use a swimming aphorism, 'gotta lane, gotta chance', and she seems to be building back her form - more to the point, having both go through in the top 4 increases the chances significantly - Powell the more likely

Looks like it's a stadium issue. They're at Stade de France, so they prob That's just ridiculous. Why not simply have the sevens at Parc des Princes, arguably the spritual home of French Rugby anyway.

Bad look for Powell, who arguably has the form to come through the whole process. ~Are they both fighting at the weight between Jones and McGowan?

Interesting indeed - would presumably free up a road Race quota if Tarling could ride TT on a track quota? Given the parcours, slightly surprised similar ideas haven't surfaced around Pidcock (MTB/RR)

That's not the worry. The fear isn't, and never was, Moscow 1980 or Los Angeles 1984 for anyone but Bach and his own personal gripes. The fear is Munich 1972. A couple of hotheads who think they can strike a blow for freedom if they attack some judoku or gymnast aligned to the Russian Army club coming out of the cantina. Put it this way. I would REALLY not be comfortable sharing a tower block in Paris with AIN athletes. I don't like the odds.

Like I said, no boycott

There will be no meaningful boycott.

Not sure if you noticed, Woodie, but Scotland have already been relegated, and by a distance. In The Second League, Ireland just put 6 past Northern Ireland, in Belfast. Sometimes the gaps at this level are big. I've actually been watching the game. Scotland defended well for 30 minutes, and have gamely tried throughout and then ran out of steam - England clearly has better conditioning. This is the European champion, World Cup runner up here. The issue maybe isn't why they've demolished Scotland, but why they weren't demolishing everyone in the group until now. Anyway, it's 5-0 Eng, 2-0 Ned now, so from this point, it is a straight shootout.

I think there's something to be said for a 'Best Sporting Moment of the year' classification - that stand out Olympic sport episode, separate from the best athlete. It can even be sort of negative - a sporting howler that created a monumental climax I think there's possibly a similar class for a kind of 'social moment' of the year, when an athlete somehow transcended sport - think Rashford's food drive or the ~US gymnasts taking on their federation over Nasser et al from years past.

I often look at how relatively well Great Britain is currently doing in men's ice hockey (in which it has a enjoyable but hardly top tier league and limited grassroots) and baseball (where it has no league to speak of) and wonder why GBR are so fundamentally badly run in basketball - a game with far more reach, and in which, despite everything, they seem to produce a decent number of US College ballers every year...I used to wonder was it because rugby snaffled the tall talents, but I don't think it is...

Yep, just did the numbers - Cunningham in comfortably, McGowan about 60 points clear of Cook. Jones had a rather hand 107 pts lead on 6th so she was already safe. Sinden long since safe. Barring injury, I think that's your four, with potentially Cook and Powell on standby.

The fairly astonishing rise to relevance of the men's ice hockey team on the back of a fun, enjoyable but hardly elite (pun intended) league is an object lesson to basketball. Oddly, the recent EIHL tragedy has shown the familial collegiality of the sport in its best light.

Things just got saucy in W+69 with Multiple World Champ Bianka Cook eliminated, with domestic rival Rebecca McGowan still in, with Jade Jones going out eRly and A Powell medalling, feels like a changing of the guard moment.... Lauren Williams looks to be done, sad loss of form, while Caden Cunninghams early elimination will have to play out. Unlike Williams, CC would get a final shot.

They had quite a lot of problems uniting, in the run up to 2012, and the team have not been successful since. Indeed, the 'home nations' effectively launched a coup of the GB Basketball organisation a few years later, specifically to protect home nations interests at the expense of GB ones - one of the multiple reasons why GBR international basketball is a bit of a mess. From the leading GBR Basketball website, hoopsfix:

Host Americas 3 Asia-Pacific 2 Europe 3 Africa 2 Final qualifier knockout tournament over 9 days NAmerica 2 SAmerica 1 Europe 2 Asia 2 Pacific 1 Africa 2 Note N and S America, Asia and Oceania all guaranteed specific final qualifier berths, not like in original Q. 2nd team from any region with 2 teams (NAm 2, EU 2, As 2, Africa 2) play in playin round. 2 winners join remaining 6 (NAm 1, SAm 1, Africa 1, Asia 1, Pacific 1 and Europe 1) in QF, winner Q

I agree the curlers are happy. For historical reasons they tend to be drawn from rural, generally unionist communities. Its more the casual fans that grumble! Rugby is a good point - indeed, its a shambles. Could also note that combining for basketball has not been successful, either.

Best. Sports. Ad. Ever. And it's not even close. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAPPeRg3Nw&ab_channel=C4Paralympics Honourable mentions

I'm afraid that's a ridiculous comment that shows no understanding at all of the football dynamics of the UK. More to the point, ye had a two goal lead and you blew it - frankly, ye were lucky in the end to still have it in your hands, it could very easily have been 4-2. The last - the very last - scenario England would have wanted was to go to Hampden Park needing a goalfest against a Scotland team already embarrassed - and then relying on Belgium to show up v the Netherlands. The perverse delight Scotland fans would take in preventing GBR getting to the Olympics would be off the scale. Have you any idea how much it grates on Scotland to have to adopt the GBR moniker when going to the Olympics for Curling?