rafalgorka

How long have you been watching the Olympics and what are your favourite olympic moments?

Day 10 Monday Bad thing : swimming has finished Good thing : no more athletics vs swimming schedule collision. I would definitely watch: - athletics (Hammer qualifications with Paweł Fajdek, M long jump and 3000 steeple finals, W 100 hurdles final) - gymnastics - second day of ind. aparatus finals - equestrian - eventing jumping. And beach volleyball, men's singles badminton final and start of sprint canoeing.

And women - olympics for 2000s, stats the same: March-to-March 50 free 1. Gretchen Walsh USA 2. Maxine Parker USA 3. Qingfeng Wu CHN 100 free 1. Taylor Ruck CAN 2. Freya Anderson GBR 3. Penny Oleksiak CAN 200 free 1. Ariarne Titmus AUS 2. Junxuan Yang CHN 3. Freya Anderson GBR 400 free 1. Ariarne Titmus AUS 2. Ajna Kesely HUN 3. Bingjie Li CHN 800 free 1. Jianjiahe Wang CHN 2. Ariarne Titmus AUS 3. Lani Pallister AUS 1500 free 1. Jianjiahe Wang CHN 2. Delfina Pignatiello ARG 3. Ajna Kesely HUN 100 back 1. Regan Smith USA 2. Taylor Ruck CAN 3. Minna Atherton AUS 200 back 1. Regan Smith USA 2. Kaylle McKeown AUS 3. Taylor Ruck CAN 100 breast 1. Runa Imai JPN 2. Evgeniia Chikunova RUS 3. Tes Schouten NED 200 breast 1. Evgeniia Chikunova RUS 2. Anastasia Makarova RUS 3. Mei Ishihara JPN 100 fly 1. Margaret MacNeil CAN 2. Anastasiya Shkurdai BLR 3. Torri Huske USA 200 fly 1. Suzuka Hasegawa JPN 2. Regan Smith USA 3. Lillie Nordmann USA 200 IM 1. Alex Walsh USA 2. Kaylee McKeown AUS 3. Runa Imai JPN 400 IM 1. Emma Weyant USA 2. Anja Crevar SRB 3. Alba Vazquez ESP

While waiting for the Silverstone race I made this set of stats - how would the olympics men's swimming look like if only people born in 2000s participated? A lot of new names here, but some familiar ones, too. I wonder which one of them would medal in Tokyo. Kristof Milak obviously, but who else? Winnington? Urlando? Grgic? Minakov? Ishikawa? Source: Fina rankings LC from March 2019 to March 2020 period Men 50 free 1. Artem Selin GER 2. David Curtiss USA 3. Vladyslav Bukhov UKR 100 free 1. Andrei Minakov RUS 2. Kliment Kolesnikov RUS 3. Lewis Edward Burras GBR 200 free 1. Elijah Winnington AUS 2. Kieran Smith USA 3. Luca Urlando USA 400 free 1. Elijah Winnington AUS 2. Marco de Tullio ITA 3. Gabor Zombori HUN 800 free 1. Franko Grgic CRO 2. Ilia Sibirtsev RUS 3. Thomas Neill AUS 1500 free 1. Franko Grgic CRO 2. Alexander Norgaard DEN 3. Huy Hoang Nguyen VIE 100 back 1. Kliment Kolesnikov RUS 2. Thomas Ceccon ITA 3. Nikolay Zuev RUS 200 back 1. Kliment Kolesnikov RUS 2. Jan Cejka CZE 3. Daniel Martin ROU 100 breast 1. Michael Houlie RSA 2. Vladislav Gerasimenko RUS 3. Reece Whitley USA 200 breast 1. Shoma Sato JPN 2. Josh Matheny USA 3. Daniel Roy USA 100 fly 1. Andrei Minakov RUS 2. Kristof Milak HUN 3. Shinnosuke Ishikawa JPN 200 fly 1. Kristof Milak HUN 2. Luca Urlando USA 3. Federico Burdisso ITA 200 IM 1. Carson Foster USA 2. Tom Dean GBR 3. Jacob Rolland Foster USA 400 IM 1. Apostolos Papastamos GRE 2. Yuki Ikari JPN 3. Ilia Borodin RUS Not many medals for USA - this is a very first thing to notice here. But it doesn't mean much - these stats are just for fun. I don't have rankings from August. If there are any significant changes, it could show how different teams worked during pandemics.

Day 9, Sunday, That would be one of the most entertaining days for me. 1. Last swimming finals (I hope Paweł Juraszek will make it to the 50m free final), 2. Athletics - my beloved high jump (no serious Polish contenders, but at least Mutaz has a Polish coach - and I am so happy to see Gianmarco Tamberi back after this terrible injury - I wonder what he could have achieved and how high he could have jumped if it hadn't happen to him - but he's back and still capable of doing big things) 100m semis and final (hopefully without Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman) and yes, 800 semis - and 400m hurdles semis may be interesting, too - a very strong field here these days 3. First individual gymnastics apparatus finals (Nina Derwael winning gold on bars I hope) 4. Tennis - men's singles final (Novak Djokovic (I like the way he plays, I don't like some other things about him and his team members) vs Stefanos Tsitsipas I hope, that would be very entertaining) and mixed doubles final maybe (there are not many mixed doubles pairs playing in Grand Slams with both players from one country - so this tournament is very open competition and a really hard-to-predict one). I would advice Łukasz Kubot and Iga Świątek to focus on it and maybe something spectaculiar will happen. But it;s a bit of wishful thinking again I'm afraid - Polish players haven't shown much in the olympics yet, even Agnieszka Radwańska imploded heavily both in 12 and in 16). 5. Equestrian cross country in eventing (i like to watch this in the olympics very much - but I don't understand why they don't let the riders start with dressage results in a reversed order - it is very interesting already, but maybe maybe it would be even more interesting with this change) 6. Golf - final round, especially if there would be 2-3 players with similar score after first 3 days (I wonder how many top players would show up in Tokyo - I think more than in Rio, but sadly still there would be some significant absentions). Adrian Meronk in top 30 would be a very good result for us. Maybe they would show him on tv here a few times, which would make golf more popular in Poland. That would be nice. 7. Volleyball - men's - POL vs CAN - the last match in the group stage. I hope we would secure a QF spot before and it will not be an all-or-nothing game. Because otherwise... well, it will be 9 a.m. Japanese Time - and sadly Polish athletes have some history of bad olympics performances before noon - still can't figure out why ;-) 8. Beach volleyball - 1/8 finals with one or two Polish pairs probably So it's a long day. But very entertaining.

https://swimswam.com/the-olympics-that-would-have-been-campbell-u-s-relays-finish-strong-on-day-8/ Mykhailo Romanchuk winning 1500 free? Hmm... I don't know.

What a terrible news. I wish her very speedy recovery. And all the best for Netherlands handball team in Tokyo. And in Paris!!! I had some early plans to see Paris olympics on my own eyes, not on the couch in front of tv, but now with this virus I begin to worry not only about Tokyo, but also Beijing and Paris :-( BTW, I like her surname. POLMAN. I should have had nick like this here heh. And I remember van der Vaart. So maybe Rafael POLMAN :-)

@CCB Who is that lady on your profile picture? I don't know who to support :-)

Four Trampolines - i like the way you call it. By the way, I really enjoyed olympic museum at Montjuic. Really interesting exposition. And Barcelona is a beautiful city, everybody knows that.

Day 8, SuperSaturday, they say. For me it's all about swimming and athletics obviously. Men's 100 fly and Women's 100 dash would be the highlights of the day. And tennis - women's singles final. Besides that, maybe judo team finals, football quarters, basketball and beach volleyball. Maybe I will listen to your advice and try some archery, too. From Polish perspective : I hope there will be a medal in sailing - men's RS:X - Piotr Myszka was 4th in Rio - maybe he can advance one place.

I think Sifan Hassan may get two golds for Netherlands. It can be 1500-10,000 combo. The timetable shows she can't run both 1500 and 5000 I'm afraid. In 10,000 she is a very strong favourite. In 1500 she is the one to beat, too. But she must choose her tactics in 1500 wisely and be careful with Ethiopian and Kenyan opposition. And with Sofia Ennaoui sprinting in the finish, of course!

Well, this is a tough question. Probably the best chances are in hammer throw. In men's hammer Paweł Fajdek is our best chance for medal, even gold I would say, but - despite he won a few gold medals in world championships - he imploded awfully both in 2012 and in 2016 in the qualifications. So I hope he will hold his nerves this time. And secondly, he needs to be careful about Bence Halasz, this is a very serious contender, improving fast. So Fajdek is our biggest chance for gold - but it will not be easy at all. Wojciech Nowicki may get a medal, too. In women's hammer Anita Włodarczyk will have a difficult task to win another medal. US throwers are getting better and better and she had some health and coaching problems, so I don't expect her to win again. Papers say that it is quite possible that she will not take part in Tokyo olympics at all. But I hope she will. There is a chance for a medal in men's pole vault. But only Bronze, I'm afraid. Piotr Lisek was 3rd in Doha and 4th in Rio. But two medals are for Armand Duplantis and Sam Kendricks, I think, so there will be very tense fight for 3rd spot on the podium. Women's 4 x 400m is another chance. US team are much better, but Polish quartet should be able to perform well if you compare them with the rest. This new mixed relay is a minor chance, too. But it is hard to find two fast 400m male runners in Poland these days, unfortunately. So these are our chances. If there will be 3-4 medals and 1 gold I would say it would be a decent result. And now some wishful thinking - I would be superhappy if we get a medal in individual track event. The last time we got one was a long long ago. Much too long. I would be superhappy if it was men's 800 or 1500 but both Adam Kszczot (800) and Marcin Lewandowski (1500) will have a difficult task to do it. I know they have their non-olympic medals already around their necks, but in Tokyo it will be a different game, much more difficult. I'm afraid they are faster runners than them nowadays, and these faster people will not repeat the mistake many did in men's 1500 final in Rio. In a slower pace, Kszczot's and Lewandowski's chances are getting higher but I expect both 800 and 1500 finals will be superfast this time. If Caster Semenya and a few others and some new Rusians (never heard of before) will not participate - there will be a chance for Joanna Jóźwik for a good run in 800m final if she qualifies. But she had some health problems, too and - I'm not an expert - but I think she will need to think more on her tactics if she wants to win an olympic medal. Sofia Ennaoui in 1500 is another chance - I like her very very much, I don't know her in person obviously, but she appears to be a very warm and funny person, really dedicated to her training. So I'm a big fan of hers. But her problem is she is competing in a time when the level of women's 1500 is really high. There are so many contenders here. But if she gets into the final, and the pace will be slow - she has an extremely good finish. Good enough for a medal? We will see. It's also hard not to like Maria Andrejczyk in women's javelin - she was 4th in Rio, great in qualifications (if i'm not mistaken here, her throw in the qualis would give her a gold in the final, but I need to check it). Unfortunately she also had problems with health, so it is hard to say if she can repeat her Rio performance at least. There are some youngsters shining already - Klaudia Siciarz in 100 hurdles for example, but it is a chance for a medal in Paris, I would say. I will look out how her career will unfold. She has a talent and potential for sure. And finally, I would be supersuperhappy if we get a medal in men's high jump. This is by far my favourite event. As somebody told here before speaking about fencing - this is because of my good personal memories. But we don't have a good male high jumper in Poland now. Good enough to have a real chance for a medal. In women's high jump there is Kamila Lićwinko. I wish her all the best but it will be very difficult for her to get on the podium. And from my personal point of view I wouldn't wish her e.g. a bronze medal after two Ukrainian jumpers which would be achieved only because Maria Lasitskene wasn't there. If you want to get a well-deserved olympic medal, win it in a strongest possible field ever. Otherwise, it will not taste the same. And I understand what Russians did was outrageous (maybe there should be a better word for that but my English is not so good). But I don't think that people like Lasitskene or Sidorova - who didn't fault with doping rules personally, should not be able to compete in the olympics. If it would happen under Russian flag or not - well, maybe without this flag but - as Barrack Obama said - this question is above my pay grade. Anyway, I am a kind of multi-kulti person and I must admit that I watch olympics primarily to enjoy good, tense competitions - whether Poles are getting 3 gold medals in one day or not. All the best for you, enjoy your weekend.

Friday, Day 7, would be very difficult to follow. A lot of things going on in the same time. I hope rowers will be fast enough to finish before swimmers will start their races ? And athletics is on the same time, too. I remember in Rio I watched athletics all-around transmission on tv and High jump or pole vault finals seperately online. IMHO I wouldn't have problem with summer olympics lasting 24 days, not 19, just to avoid these schedulling clashes. If Tour de France can last more than 3 weeks and it's not boring for me... The only problem would be - do I get enough vacation from work? Anyway, there is a lot to watch on Friday. Poland vs Japan in volleyball. It is always hard to play against hosts, unless it is Chinese men's handball team from Beijing. Then K1 slalom final, judo top weight categories, tennis... And as usual, every olympics there is something I didn't plan to watch at all but I did it accidentally and it turned out to be very entertaining. Maybe this year I would find something like that, too. ?

He should do it by the World Cup series. And then everything's possible.

Trap is on Thursday Day 6 Single sculls are on Friday Day 7 So your Croatian party will last 2 days in a row :-)

This is a very sad decision. I didn't know that. At least Epke Zonderland will be in HB final no-matter-what.

Day 6 Rowing finals, swimming finals, Women's C1 slalom and women 's artistic gymnastics individual all-around Besides that Basketball, tennis and beach volleyball No medals for Poland today I' m afraid And already waiting for athletics starting next day, checking out start lists, reading the news who' s in form and who's not

https://swimswam.com/the-olympics-that-would-have-been-dressel-chalmers-have-epic-day-5-showdown/ Italy 1-2 in men's 800 free. Nice. ;-)

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jul/29/uk-sports-minister-says-rugby-union-outside-elite-may-have-to-scrap-scrums this is awkward, At least in sevens it shouldn't be an issue, I sincerely hope.

Oh, Fede Fede, I just love how she stood up in Beijing after 400 free - winning 200 with style and the way she splashed the water with her fist at the end :-) It will be extreeeeemely difficult against Ariarne Titmus, but it's obvious she is always able to do sth extraordinary again in the most important moment. I wonder if Katie Ledecky will swim 200 free in Tokyo because 1500 final is on the same day.

Day 5 Rowing finals - a chance for a medal for Poland in men's four - they won gold in wch 2019, but it will be much more difficult in the olympics. I wonder if we have more chances for gold in women's quadruples or men's four. If one of those could get gold, it would be awesome. We don't get many gold medals in the olympics, obviously, but we had golds in rowing in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2016, so why not again? Swimming finals - the best thing is women's 200 free, it should be a very open race with Pellegrini and others Cycling road individual time trials Men's rugby final Volleyball - Poland vs Venezuela - theoretically it should be the easiest oponnent, but we must be careful - I still can't forget the match against Australia in London Men's individual all-around in gymnastics - this is something I can't miss And maybe 3x3 basketball finals, some tennis and beach volleyball

I think China will win this. Poland may end up with Silver. But we will see, I hope you are right.

And OFF-TOPIC again: a very very interesting article in NYT today https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/27/sports/olympics/1980-boycott.html

https://swimswam.com/the-olympics-that-would-have-been-milak-soars-hosszu-defends-on-day-4/ They say Federica Pellegrini only 4th in 200 free. I don't agree. But they say Benedetta Pilato storming to 3rd from lane 8 in 100 breaststroke. That would be something!

OFF-TOPIC: Are you reading any good sports books now? I have just finished The Olympics of 1972 by Richard D. Mandell - quite good one. Having lazy time now - I'm on vacation which should be olympics-tv-vacation, but instead... ehh...