2012 Summer Olympics - London, England (1 Viewer)

[Walter C]

Originally Posted by DavidJ /t/322614/2012-summer-olympics-london-england/90#post_3959218
http://www.examiner.com/article/key-2012-olympics-moments-oscar-pistorius-and-kirani-james-400-semi-finals

That was truly something to see the exchange between the two. And it looked like good sportsmanship brought good karma to Kirani James, who would win the first ever Olympic medal for the Caribbean nation of Grenada, and how much sweeter that it was gold.

Also, what a way for Jamaica to celebrate its independence with Bolt winning gold in Britain!

 

[Ockeghem]

Did anyone happen to see the celebration of the Grenada citizens after their country (James) had won the gold medal? Those are some great moments for sure, and their joy was a sight to behold.
The Canadian soccer team isn't very pleased with the officiating of yesterday's game with the U.S.A.
http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/soccer/story/_/id/8242000/2012-summer-olympics-canada-cries-foul-whistle-goalkeeper

 

[Walter C]

And for every moment of joy, there is a moment of heartbreak. I just watched the 1st round heats of the 110m hurdles, and seeing Liu Xiang crash and get injured again. As if it was not bad enough he could not race in his home country, but to have this happen again, oh man, that's just terrible. Will he try again for Rio?

Originally Posted by Ockeghem /t/322614/2012-summer-olympics-london-england/120#post_3959306
The Canadian soccer team isn't very pleased with the officiating of yesterday's game with the U.S.A.
http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/soccer/story/_/id/8242000/2012-summer-olympics-canada-cries-foul-whistle-goalkeeper

I was on another message board, and the Canadians there, are already screaming bloody murder, for some penalty that even the US coach never seen before. But ultimately, Canada have only themselves to blame, after blowing the lead multiple times, as it should have not come down to extra time.

On the men's side of soccer, here is hoping for a Korea-Japan final.

 

[DavidJ]

Kirani James winning was a great moment. Especially when it was the first gold medal for his country and when he seems like such a good sport. I was happy for him.
Scott, the rings always impress and amaze me. I can't even imagine doing it at my age and with a torn biceps to boot. We were due some drama like the unexpected winner.
Scott and Walter, I was just telling some students this morning that if I were Canadian, I'd be ticked too. The calls were unusual and a bit sketchy.

 

[Ockeghem]

Walter and David,
Yeah, the Canadian team said that the same type of call that went against them could easily have gone against the U.S.A. much earlier in the match. I really wish I could have seen this match in its entirety.
BTW, I really want to share some Olympics news that thrills me no end, but I must not -- and will not -- post spoilers!

 

[DavidJ]

Walter and David,
Yeah, the Canadian team said that the same type of call that went against them could easily have gone against the U.S.A. much earlier in the match. I really wish I could have seen this match in its entirety.
BTW, I really want to share some Olympics news that thrills me no end, but I must not -- and will not -- post spoilers!

And I appreciate that Scott.

 

[Walter C]

Good to see Aly Raisman end on a very high note, winning a couple medals, including gold on the floor exercises, in what was a very tough competition. Though, I thought it was odd for NBC to not show the parallel bars for the men in prime time, probably because no American had a chance to medal in the event. I could not bother to stay up for the late night coverage. In any event, it was a successful Olympics for the Fab 5, taking advantage of this window of opportunity, not knowing if they will return in Rio.

Also, just sad to see Lolo Jones come up short again, finishing 4th in the 100m hurdles, which is the most painful placement in the Olympics. Though in this case, it was a very tough field, so it was not really surprising to see her not medal this time around.

Team GB has surpassed their medal count in Beijing, in both total medals and gold medals. Well done! The country that will host the next Summer Olympics, has had a piss poor showing in these Games.

 

[Stan]

Not a comment on the Olympics themselves, which are great, but having been doing a lot of treadmill and other type workouts at the gym recently, stuck in front of whatever TV you happen to choose, it's certainly been much more enjoyable watching MSNBC compared to NBC.
Have no idea what the stats are but NBC is obviously heavily edited and filled with commercials. MSNBC, although a "sister" station does a much better job of showing things as they really happen. Maybe they are showing more second tier type events, but there is a very noticeable difference in programming quality.

 

[Ockeghem]

Good to see Aly Raisman end on a very high note, winning a couple medals, including gold on the floor exercises, in what was a very tough competition. Though, I thought it was odd for NBC to not show the parallel bars for the men in prime time, probably because no American had a chance to medal in the event. I could not bother to stay up for the late night coverage. In any event, it was a successful Olympics for the Fab 5, taking advantage of this window of opportunity, not knowing if they will return in Rio.

Raisman called it her 'best ever' floor routine, and her teammates were yelling very enthusiastically for her when she nailed her final landing. I'm watching the beam and floor routines tonight.
The Lithuania - Russia men's quarterfinal was a dogfight. I'm pleased that the Russian team won. I'd love for them to play the U.S.A. in the final, but there's still some work to be done for both teams to get to the gold medal game.
These last couple of days have so much going on in them. I can't always decide what to watch.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Not a comment on the Olympics themselves, which are great, but having been doing a lot of treadmill and other type workouts at the gym recently, stuck in front of whatever TV you happen to choose, it's certainly been much more enjoyable watching MSNBC compared to NBC.
Have no idea what the stats are but NBC is obviously heavily edited and filled with commercials. MSNBC, although a "sister" station does a much better job of showing things as they really happen. Maybe they are showing more second tier type events, but there is a very noticeable difference in programming quality.

Most of the NBC cable stations are showing the "second-tier" events live in real time, which allows a lot more breathing room than the heavily edited prime time coverage.

 

[DavidJ]

Broadcasters Show the Ultra HD Picture from the Olympics

 

[Patrick Sun]

Also, just sad to see Lolo Jones come up short again, finishing 4th in the 100m hurdles, which is the most painful placement in the Olympics. Though in this case, it was a very tough field, so it was not really surprising to see her not medal this time around.

I caught Lolo's interview on the Today show (NBC) this morning and she was almost in tears for being compared to Anna Kournikova (pretty athlete who didn't do much in her sport beside look pretty), stating she (Lolo) was the US record holder for her event on the hurdles. Needless to say, she was frustrated with not medaling, but given that she had gone through spinal surgery just a year ago, all things considered, it was something to be thankful for.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Raisman called it her 'best ever' floor routine, and her teammates were yelling very enthusiastically for her when she nailed her final landing. I'm watching the beam and floor routines tonight.

Is it me, or does Aly Raisman speak like she's trying to say everything in one breath, no matter how long the sentence is?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Is it me, or does Aly Raisman speak like she's trying to say everything in one breath, no matter how long the sentence is?

Most of the female gymnasts are pretty unnatural talking on camera. My guess is that they've received a not insignificant amount of media coaching, and they're trying imperfectly to adhere to what they've been taught. Gabby Douglas's interviews seem like they are littered with memorized little catch phrases. Whether they're sayings that she just picked up over the years, or things thought up in advance in anticipation of being interviewed, I can't say. We're talking about teenage girls with the spotlight of the entire world pointed at them, so I would be surprised if each of the gymnastics squad members haven't come up with strategies to cope. Raisman's seems to be to get it all out as quick as she can.

 

[Ockeghem]

Patrick and Adam,
I haven't yet noticed the quick speaking, at least not during the in-studio interviews. I caught Aly Raisman's interview with Bob Costas last night, and she seemed very happy and relaxed. (This may be attributed to Costas, who IMO is very good at what he does.) I can't imagine having to answer questions (often times the same ones over and over) in front of millions of people right after an event has been completed. I have noticed that they pretty much say the same things as one another and often repeat themselves frequently, but I suppose that's to be expected.
I've been very impressed with the American female gymnasts to this point. Whether they've won or lost, they have held their heads high and have been very classy. I've watched the facial expressions of those whom have not been as fortunate (e.g., Jordyn Wieber while her teammates have won medals and Gabby Douglas' sub-par performances after she won the all-around), and both have seemed genuinely happy for their comrades. McKayla Maroney (IMO) has been a great cheerleader while watching from the stands (she was especially vocal after Raisman nailed her floor routine). I haven't heard too much of Kyla Ross yet, with the exception of when the five of them were interviewed after they had won the gold medal for the team events.
I wish I could have heard from several of the non-American gymnasts. I realize there is often a language problem, but I would not have minded hearing some Russian, Romanian, or Chinese during an interview.
Well, the U.S. women's beach volleyball match is up soon. I guarantee that the Americans will win a gold and a silver today. Speaking of medals, did anyone notice the three-way tie for bronze in the men's high jump last night? I was just talking about ties and medals the other day.
http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/results/_/sport/3
It's the third event listed in the link, so not too much scrolling is required.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Or, maybe that's just how teenage girls speak nowadays.

 

[Sumnernor]

Originally Posted by Ockeghem /t/322614/2012-summer-olympics-london-england/120#post_3959946
Speaking of medals, did anyone notice the three-way tie for bronze in the men's high jump last night? I was just talking about ties and medals the other day.
http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/results/_/sport/3
It's the third event listed in the link, so not too much scrolling is required.

Today they showed giving the medals and 3rd place was sort of crowded, I didn't see what they did for the flags for 3rd. Do they show on US TV giving the medals? Generally Eurosport does and the german ARD/ZDF doesn't.

 

[Ockeghem]

Sumnernor,
Yes, they do show medals being awarded every so often on U.S. television. I think in years gone past it was shown more frequently.
Well, one of my favorite Olympians had a terrific showing today. If you don't want to know, don't peek.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/content/type/61/id/165043/width/350/height/700

 

[Walter C]

Originally Posted by Ockeghem /t/322614/2012-summer-olympics-london-england/120#post_3959946
Speaking of medals, did anyone notice the three-way tie for bronze in the men's high jump last night? I was just talking about ties and medals the other day.
http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/results/_/sport/3

I don't think they showed the medal ceremony for that event, but I was thinking "that can't be" when Dwight Stone (reporter on the field) said that there were 3 bronze medalists. They did show which nations won, but I forgotten by the time the broadcast ended.

I did catch some of the Russia-Lithuania game, and I may have overlooked the Russian team myself. I thought the Lithuanians would win that game easily, since they did play the US very tough, and would have that extra incentive against the former Soviets. I'm also hoping for a US-Russia finals matchup.

 

[Walter C]

Originally Posted by Ockeghem /t/322614/2012-summer-olympics-london-england/120#post_3959946
Well, the U.S. women's beach volleyball match is up soon. I guarantee that the Americans will win a gold and a silver today.

Plus a changing in the guard. What a better way to go out on top, than for May & Walsh winning their 3rd straight gold and finish undefeated in match play.

Also, I was a bit confused with the false start rule in track & field. When watching the heats of the hurdles, I saw one of the athletes false start once, and was immediately disqualified. A bit harsh, as I thought the entire line would get a warning, and the 2nd false start would result in a disqualification, which in itself, was a new rule in Beijing.

With the Americans winning in track, the US is now in first place in total medals, but still 2nd in gold medals.