mpjmcevoy

Poor oppresed italians and their almos 400 athletes in the Olympics 

Can I applaud you for not pointing out the obvious flaw in the previous poster's attempt to spread yet more misery and misinformation to the group. The "vertical jumps" that they seem to think will be bereft of British participation are actually in pretty rude health given that's the pole vault and high jump. 

1. M - 400m IM
2. M - 4x200m Free
3. W - Triathlon
4. W - Madison
5. W - BMX Race.
 
 
 
328. M - Breaking
329. W - Breaking
 

In 1996 no British gymnast finished in the top 50 in any Olympic event.

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?

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.

For the Brits I’d have to agree with my other commentators on:
- redgrave’s 5th “‘the Italians are coming!”
- men’s 4x 100m - I’m not sure I’ve ever been more pumped watching the Olympics 🤣
- also like the Redmond inclusion for what the spirit of the games is all about 
 
id like to throw in a nomination for Jason Kenny in the Kierin Tokyo 2021 - the end of his career, hadn’t really shown any form in the individual sprint and looked like a rather meek goodbye - then in the final against an odds on fav in Harry L, he drifts off the front and isn’t immediately closed down and goes full gas 3 laps out to win by half the straight. Beautiful chaos.
I’d also mention Adlington’ 400m free Beijing 2008 when she came from nowhere to win. The US comms didn’t even mention her name until the last 10 metres! GB took 2 medals home from that race with Jo Jackson getting bronze which was a shock.

I suspect the 4 x 100 guys will be a secret fave of more than you'd think - the story was just so good, Had a mini "miracle on ice"/Hogan's Heroes vibe to it .
 
It should have been impossible. It was impossible. They did it anyway. THAT'S the Olympics!

And FWIW, my honest personal favourite 5 Global moments
 
Mattheus Steiner 2012 - lifting the weight of the world from his shoulders for one night.
Anna Kiesenhofer 2024 - the Greatest Trick the cyclist ever pulled was convincing the peloton she didn't exist.
Kohei Uchimura - Because sometimes it's just perfect.
Michael Phelps 8 in Beijing - Greatness in real time
Kathy Freeman - Dreamtime to Dreamland.

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

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

Two of my personal top five will be the same nationally i suspect, 

Super Saturday At 2012
Redgrave's 5th At 2000

My other personal 3 to round out the 5 would be 

Chris Boardman individual pursuit 1992 (first games i watched)
Men's 4x100 2004
Mo's double (but rio 2016 as i was at both) (humble brag)

 

Great run at London Marathon for Emilie Caress who becomes the 2nd fastest Brit ever with a 2:06.46 and will undoubtedly confirm his place in GB squad for Paris at tomorrow's selectors meeting (still don't know why he wasn't selected at the first meeting).
 
Joining him on the squad should be Mahamed Mahamed after he clocked 2:07.05. 
 
Rose Harvey likely favourite to get the nod for the final spot on the women's squad. 

She did, it only depends on the acceptance of both NOCs , the IJF will intervene if the transfer is not at peace 

no he hasn't, like most of the people on here im gonna have to block you now, just annoying

To those of us of a certain vintage, British gymnast (or Irish for that matter) was an oxymoron on the level of a Samoan luger. Sure, it was technically possible, but they weren't gonna win much. Neil Thomas was legendary for his seemingly lone bid to make British gymnastics actually mean something, until the arrival of Beth Tweddle, who probably ought to have ben the first Olympic gold. But for Max to be sitting on 3 Olympic golds, 6 medals including an AA medal, and be in the conversation for the greatest pommel worker of all time...
 
He will be missed.

The think that frustrates me the most is that is has been swept under the rug for so long. I'm sure that many of the Chinese swimmers are clean, and the progression shown by Chinese swimming/swimmers is not improbable, but now that this has happened the perception of many swimmers may have been tarnished (unfairly or not). 
 
The fact that it took 3 years for this information to come out indicates some dodgy business going on, and the consequences could be dire and should hopefully stir some debate into large scale doping in sport, where I feel the focus has been on Russia for too long.
 

That's why the Olympics is only every four years.
 
Any more often than that and the stress might kill a m**********r.

That's why the Olympics is only every four years.
 
Any more often than that and the stress might kill a m**********r.

Steven Williams 

That's why the Olympics is only every four years.
 
Any more often than that and the stress might kill a m**********r.

i don't know how i'm going to survive the actual olympics, because watching him get that quota was intense, swiss guy properly fell apart right at the end

Looking at the results, the British team have been pretty solid in Rio. Dean Bale missed out on the 10m Rifle final by 1 point, Sam Gowin was 2 points short of the rapid fire pistol final and James Miller was 2 points short of the 10m pistol final.  
 
Will be interesting to see if Gowin can put in a fight for a quota at next month's Europeans.