phelps

and Laura is perfect also on the second Boulder...

great start by Laura Rogora...storming through the first Boulder... at a first look, today's routes don't seem too selective...most likely, we're going to see many 4T4Z scores...

fun fact, if you write Elio Locatelli, speedskating, in Italy almost nobody would recognize him...he's way more famous as the technical director of our Track & Field National team first and of the IAAF developing program then (and maybe also an appreciated Athletics TV color-commentator in the early Nineties -I remember him commentating the Barcelona 1992 Olympics and also the main IAAF meets in the same period on the Italian Monaco-based TV named Telemontecarlo)...

by the way, this is mostly for the Italian users (or, at least, those who can easily understand Italian and some slang of our language)... dedicated to Scardoni, Laurent, Pellegrino and their poor/disappointing (especially after the qualification stage) quarterfinals' performance...

controversial issue, to say the least... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_doping https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306052031_Debunking_the_Myth_of_Pregnancy_Doping my opinion...becoming mother normally give women stronger motivations and reinforce their determination*...that's the real and only advantage being an athlete-mom gives women... *if they don't fall into post-pregnancy depression, which is always a risk...

watching those sprint specialists trying to face a boulder problem and/or a lead climb is just a waste of time, humiliating for the athletes and senseless for the fans...

actually, this combined event shouldn't exist at all... sport climbing has always been about the 2 (then 3) standalone disciplines... this thing to get an Olympic opportunity is just against its own nature and sucks big time, no matter how do you manage to build the final score...

decent placing for Laura Rogora in her Achille's Heel discipline...hopefully, she can deliver some great stuff in her 2 favourites climbs (Boulder & Lead)...

Women's Qualification, Speed Result 1. Iuliia Kaplina 2. Song Yiling 3. Aries Susanti Rahayu Full Ranking: https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/world-competition/calendar#!comp=8322&cat=42&route=0

at my last check-up, I was tested positive for losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide... actually, I was so doped that the tube exploded... of course, I got a lifetime ban on any too salted food (and all other foods causing blood pressure problems)...

I hope they've only put something special under their skis and not through their veins... by the way, really unexpected result by Lucia and Greta...

I hope someone is going to keep him and his "coeds" (Hassan above all) well far away from the Japanese Capital...

today it's time for some Sport Climbing (women's Olympic qualifier) on Youtube, some NFL Football (last night's match-ups) on NFL GamePass, Nordic Combined and Cross-Country Skiing on Eurosport and some live College Football on ABC & CBS through USTVNow service (free package)...

McColl? no way...he's quite good in all the 3 standalone disciplines, but he's not good enough to be a winner of at least 1 stage...and you desperately need at least a "1" to be among the top guys in this Combined Format... Schubert? yes, but only if he does really improve in the speed discipline (like Ondra, at least)..otherwise, with a "18" or worse as a multiplying factor, he doesn't have any chance... what drives me crazy is the fact that most likely the medals will be decided by the weakest discipline for all the contenders...discipline which is also the most subject to the "luck" factor...I just can't get myself to appreciate this new kind of event...I'm really a conservative traditionalist for what concerns Sport Climbing...they must keep the 3 disciplines "standalone" only, as it's been until 2/3 years ago...

still, imho they have to deserve that reward, i.e. getting at least good (nobody ask them to be medal contenders) in that discipline... what we saw last Summer with the Korean Waterpolo teams at the world champs is absolutely unacceptable to me...

be serious, man!

no comment, instead, on Ghisolfi's drama...he just killed himself with an awful speed performance, then he had a good (for his poor standard) bouldering, but not good enough to make up for the disaster in the 1st discipline...and finally, that heartbreaking lead climb... by the way, it was obvious that they were not going to try and separate Ghisolfi and Ginès Lòpez, which means that actually there was not so much pathos as they tried to sell on the YT broadcast...the only way for the Italian to qualify for the final was to win (with no tie) the Lead discipline...and with the Spaniard tying his result, he was out all the way... now he only has the very last continental spot up for grabs, but it will be almost impossible for him, as it will be an event with also the already qualified specialist going to false the overall result, especially for those who only rely one 1 single very good special discipline and try to limit the damage in the other 2...

Frankly, it wouldn't be a serious Olympic Tournament without him... there was no doubt he would eventually make it... imho, Ondra is the main favourite for the Olympic Gold, with Pan (in 8 months time he's going to improve a lot...he's definitely on the rising curve of his still very young career) and the Japanese guys right behind him...

Men's Qualification, Combined Final Results (Top 8 advancing to Saturday's Final) 1. Adam Ondra, 28 pts (Olympic Quota) 2. Pan Yufei, 49 pts (Olympic Quota) 3. Alberto Ginès Lòpez, 302.5 pts (Olympic Quota) 4. Jan Hojer, 312 pts (Olympic Quota) 5. Bassa Mawem, 420 pts (Olympic Quota) 6. Kokoro Fujii, 448 pts 7. Nathaniel Coleman, 450 pts (Olympic Quota) 8. Meichi Narasaki, 486 pts Full Ranking: https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/world-competition/calendar#!comp=8322&cat=45&route=-1

Men's Qualification, Lead Result 1. Adam Ondra =2. Stefano Ghisolfi =2. Alberto Ginès Lòpez Full Ranking: https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/world-competition/calendar#!comp=8322&cat=45&route=2

tbh, I'd rather watch the "original" Cricket at the Summer Games... I agree with @Olympian1010 we have already quite a few legitimate winter sports left off the Games, before starting taking seriously those extravagant "newcomers" (even if...synchronized skating, no thanks! )...

Men's Qualification, Combined Result after 2/3 Events (Top 8 advancing to Saturday's Final) 1. Pan Yufei, 7 pts 2. Bassa Mawem, 21 pts 3. Meichi Narasaki, 27 pts 4. Adam Ondra, 28 pts 5. Nathaniel Coleman, 30 pts 6. Kokoro Fujii, 32 pts 7. Jan Hojer, 39 pts 8. Alfian Muhammad, 44 pts 9. Keita Dohi, 48 pts 10. Nikolai Iarilovets, 70 pts Full Ranking (don't look at those provisional scores, they will change to the traditional rules after the end of the Lead phase): https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/world-competition/calendar#!comp=8322&cat=45&route=-1

Men's Qualification, Boulder Result 1. Pan Yufei 2. Adam Ondra 3. Meichi Narasaki Full Ranking: https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/world-competition/calendar#!comp=8322&cat=45&route=1

it was expected...they are pure Sprint specialists...and Boulder and Lead are completely different sports than Speed, they're antithetical to say the least...

Men's Qualification, Speed Result 1. Bassa Mawem 2. Alfian Muhammad 3. Jan Hojer Full Ranking: https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/world-competition/calendar#!comp=8322&cat=45&route=0