Beijing Olympics 2008

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Womens 400m Final

Spoiler: Click here to view

Last 100m did Sanya Richards start running backwards or something?

Spoiler: Click here to view

Whooop whoop. I actually got to see that one on TV. Ohuruogu's timing was absolutely perfect considering she was 6th after 300 metres.

Edited August 19, 2008 by ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster

[IAceI]

100m Womens Hurdle

Spoiler: Click here to view

Shit Lolo Jones clips the second last hurdle and finishes outside the medals. Although I think she still beat the Brit

Heartbreaking for Lolo. I was hoping she would win, she was absolutely dominating for the last few hurdles, pulling away with ease and clips the second last hurdle. I feel so sorry for her because I'd have put money on her to win, glad I didn't.

Wonder how it feels to know that the obvious best hurdler clipped a hurdle with a massive lead and you only win because they make an error. I know its part of the sport, but still, Lolo was fantastic. Was running a perfect race until then and shame she lost to a very butch looking team mate.

Lolo

[Zaz]

100m Womens Hurdle

Spoiler: Click here to view

Shit Lolo Jones clips the second last hurdle and finishes outside the medals. Although I think she still beat the Brit

Heartbreaking for Lolo. I was hoping she would win, she was absolutely dominating for the last few hurdles, pulling away with ease and clips the second last hurdle. I feel so sorry for her because I'd have put money on her to win, glad I didn't.

Wonder how it feels to know that the obvious best hurdler clipped a hurdle with a massive lead and you only win because they make an error. I know its part of the sport, but still, Lolo was fantastic. Was running a perfect race until then and shame she lost to a very butch looking team mate.

Lolo

Spoiler: Click here to view

Sally McLellan! Woo! Great result from her, even if she does seem a little bit crazy >_>

How awesome was it to see her and the Canadian dancing around when the result was revealed? 0.02 separated 2nd from 6th, crazy.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

100m Womens Hurdle

Spoiler: Click here to view

Shit Lolo Jones clips the second last hurdle and finishes outside the medals. Although I think she still beat the Brit

Heartbreaking for Lolo. I was hoping she would win, she was absolutely dominating for the last few hurdles, pulling away with ease and clips the second last hurdle. I feel so sorry for her because I'd have put money on her to win, glad I didn't.

Wonder how it feels to know that the obvious best hurdler clipped a hurdle with a massive lead and you only win because they make an error. I know its part of the sport, but still, Lolo was fantastic. Was running a perfect race until then and shame she lost to a very butch looking team mate.

Lolo

Spoiler: Click here to view

Sally McLellan! Woo! Great result from her, even if she does seem a little bit crazy >_>

How awesome was it to see her and the Canadian dancing around when the result was revealed? 0.02 separated 2nd from 6th, crazy.

Spoiler: Click here to view

I was very pleased for the Aussie and Canadian. Great news for them.

[Zaz]

Looking forward to London 2012:

:lol:

Edited August 19, 2008 by Zaz

[IAceI]

Don't judge the Olympics from the Logo. =/

Judge it from 2012 when builders are using the sand from the pit to mix cement with to help build the rest of the stadium.

[Zaz]

Don't judge the Olympics from the Logo. =/

Judge it from 2012 when builders are using the sand from the pit to mix cement with to help build the rest of the stadium.

Look at the subtle colour changes >_>

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

100m Womens Hurdle

Spoiler: Click here to view

Shit Lolo Jones clips the second last hurdle and finishes outside the medals. Although I think she still beat the Brit

Heartbreaking for Lolo. I was hoping she would win, she was absolutely dominating for the last few hurdles, pulling away with ease and clips the second last hurdle. I feel so sorry for her because I'd have put money on her to win, glad I didn't.

Wonder how it feels to know that the obvious best hurdler clipped a hurdle with a massive lead and you only win because they make an error. I know its part of the sport, but still, Lolo was fantastic. Was running a perfect race until then and shame she lost to a very butch looking team mate.

Lolo

Spoiler: Click here to view

Sally McLellan! Woo! Great result from her, even if she does seem a little bit crazy >_>

How awesome was it to see her and the Canadian dancing around when the result was revealed? 0.02 separated 2nd from 6th, crazy.

Spoiler: Click here to view

I was very pleased for the Aussie and Canadian. Great news for them.

Spoiler: Click here to view

That whole race was ridiculously close.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Don't judge the Olympics from the Logo. =/

Judge it from 2012 when builders are using the sand from the pit to mix cement with to help build the rest of the stadium.

Look at the subtle colour changes >_>

Bart's never looked happier.

However that logo, however useless, will be seen as brilliant and massively fashionable in four years time....

....If it was 1985 in 4 years time. >_<

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

I would also like to mention that, after spending a few days with nothing but NBC coverage, I will never again take an American seriously when they complain about bias in non-American announcers.

Canadian announcers might talk about Canadians almost as much as American announcers talk about Americans, but we don't literally cheer when our athletes win.

[EddieRuckus]

I thought it was because they enjoyed what they were seeing? I mean, if I was a commentator, and I wasn't prohibited from cheering, I would be cheering if someone won. Hell, I'd cheer for anyone who won in an amazing fashion, say if someone did what Phelps did when he won by .01 seconds but if they were from...say Australia or something.

But I can see what you're saying, and I do hate the ones who cheer just to cheer, even if the athlete sucked ass or something.

[IAceI]

Michael Johnson was cheering for Christine Ohuruogu to beat Sanya Richards in the 400m finals. But I think Johnson prefers individual athletes as opposed to just going for his home country, obviously being a former athlete he has things he likes about specific athletes.

Similar to me being a tennis player, I like people who play a certain way so I don't necessarily go straight for my home country player.

But yeah. It's natural for commentators to want their home country athletes to do well, and the Brits certainly seem to get excited when we win medals, but we're having a great Olympics. But they definitely make sure everyone gets a mention and something said about them, even the Panamanian athlete who props up the rest of the field, they still get a little something said about them so I like to think our British commentators manage to mix home country bias with professionalism quite well.

[Toe]

I thought it was because they enjoyed what they were seeing? I mean, if I was a commentator, and I wasn't prohibited from cheering, I would be cheering if someone won. Hell, I'd cheer for anyone who won in an amazing fashion, say if someone did what Phelps did when he won by .01 seconds but if they were from...say Australia or something.

But I can see what you're saying, and I do hate the ones who cheer just to cheer, even if the athlete sucked ass or something.

The Michael Phelps thing is different - no matter who was doing the commentary, they would be cheering him at the end as they witnessed him set that record.

What was Team Canada's goal in terms of medal count, MPH?

[EddieRuckus]

Obviously that, I just meant I would be cheering on the winner or at least saying wow a lot if someone won by that much, no matter who it was or what sort of records, time or medals, were on the line. But like I said, I can see where one person would get sick of a very pro or anti stance, I just like the ones who comment on the game and what's going on and the history and all that jazz.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

I thought it was because they enjoyed what they were seeing? I mean, if I was a commentator, and I wasn't prohibited from cheering, I would be cheering if someone won. Hell, I'd cheer for anyone who won in an amazing fashion, say if someone did what Phelps did when he won by .01 seconds but if they were from...say Australia or something.

But I can see what you're saying, and I do hate the ones who cheer just to cheer, even if the athlete sucked ass or something.

It was something I noticed more in the swim races than anything (that's most of what I watched down there)...if there's a heated battle between two non-Americans for gold and silver, and an American with a chance at catching up for bronze, the announcer will ignore the leaders and talk about the American's fight. The Canadian announcers generally go for the big story of the race, even if there's a Canadian involved.

Women's 100m hurdles, for example...

Spoiler: Click here to view

CBC's announcer barely even mentioned the Canadian, spending most of his time talking about the one American who fell back and the other who won, despite our girl getting bronze.

And Toe, our goal was to beat Athens - which we just did.

[EddieRuckus]

It was something I noticed more in the swim races than anything (that's most of what I watched down there)...if there's a heated battle between two non-Americans for gold and silver, and an American with a chance at catching up for bronze, the announcer will ignore the leaders and talk about the American's fight. The Canadian announcers generally go for the big story of the race, even if there's a Canadian involved.

Women's 100m hurdles, for example...

Spoiler: Click here to view

CBC's announcer barely even mentioned the Canadian, spending most of his time talking about the one American who fell back and the other who won, despite our girl getting bronze.

And Toe, our goal was to beat Athens - which we just did.

Yeah, those types of things piss me off, granted I root for the Americans since I'm from here, but if they're just completely ignoring the leaders then that's annoying.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Yeah, exactly. Tell the big story, regardless of whether it includes your countrymen or not (and for Americans, it usually does).

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

When our girl won the swimming in the new world record the other day, Japanese TV decided that instead of showing her celebrating and looking utterly excited they should zoom in on the Japanese girl who finished 16 seconds behind in seventh place. Joy.

Japanese TV is awful at that. Outside of them no-one else exists. They don't even show most of the track and field unless a Japanese athlete is in the mix OR it's Bolt or another crazy big story.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

The local newspaper sent a reporter to Beijing, and in addition to the normal stuff about local athletes making it big, he's been writing a blog about the stuff we're less likely to see. Take one of today's posts...

It was pretty funny to watch the baseball fans at the Wukesong Field during Tuesday's game between Canada and the Netherlands. Especially when a ball was fouled out of the park.

As the ball spirals out of the stadium, the special events folks play the sound effect of glass crashing over the speakers just as the ball is about to land in the parking lot. They do the same thing at the Rogers Centre for Toronto Blue Jays games. But Canadians are used to it. Not so here.

So, when the broken glass sound effect goes off, a handful of Chinese spectators, who are new to the sport, run up to the wall in the grandstands and peer over into the parking lot in a mad panic because they think something has actually been smashed.

When they finally realize it's a ruse, hilarity ensues and they laugh uncontrollably. Which, of course, makes the rest of us howl.

And here's another good one:

I was approached by a Spanish reporter after one of his athletes defeated Guelph resident Ohenewa Akuffo in wrestling Sunday afternoon.

He wanted to know what Akuffo did for a living. So I told him that she was a full-time wrestler but also works at a hardware store part time.

"Hardware? Is that a special Canadian store?" he asked.

I had to think about that one. Not to my knowledge, though one could call Canadian Tire uniquely ours.

He then followed with: "What is a hardware store?"

"It's sells hardware," I replied, not helping the situation. "You know, wood, tools, building supplies."

He nodded as if he understood but I could tell he had no clue what I was talking about. Naturally, I returned the favour.

"So, what does your wrestler do for a living?" I asked.

"She's a shepherd," he said.

Edited August 19, 2008 by Mr. Potato Head

[Slogger]

Anyone got a video of the 100m Men's final?