Olympics All Format Spoiler Thread

First.Aspect

Some Olympians, swimmers, have more opportunity in a week than Redgrave had in 20 years.

The comparison I would make is Pendleton vs. Trott/Kenny.

VP was a once in a generation athlete, in a generation when being male gave you more opportunity.

Laura rode her wave.

Probably not a popular opinion.

RichN95.

rick_chasey said:

Holland 9th in the medal table 🤯🤯

Holland? Tom Holland? He'd clean up in the climbing events

RichN95.

A question for you climbing fans. How would Alex Honnald do? The one climber non-fans have heard of. I image he's not fit for purpose for the sprint, but the boulder and especially the lead seem to be in his wheel house. Or is this like asking if Mark Beaumont could win the Tour de France?

I tried a google and found out that he's a commentator for US TV for it.

ddraver

I think your analogy is quite apt yes.

He'd obviously get pretty good, pretty fast but he'd have to shift focus and he just doesn't want to do that.

this - https://www.redbull.com/us-en/episodes/reel-rock-s6-e4 - shows another side of him if you fancy a Free Solo like alternative.

pblakeney

Had a watch at the speed climbing and it was a bit, meh. Unpopular opinion. I know it is hard having tried a climbing wall, but they make it look so easy that it loses impact. Only imo. Which of the variations is the most technical from a viewers's perspective?

tailwindhome

Bruce Springsteen's daughter competing in the showjumping.

For the USA obviously.

She was born there.

tailwindhome

Not even sorry

tailwindhome

Virtual crowd support on the Marathon.

Brilliantly Japanese

ddraver

have we had "that french bloke off of first dates"'s daughter in in the diving yet?

(for GB, naturellement)

RichN95.

tailwindhome said:

Bruce Springsteen's daughter competing in the showjumping.

For the USA obviously.

She was born there.

Who says equestrianism is for the posh? What's more blue collar than The Boss

I guess he beats Fred off First Dates as the top celebrity Olympic dad

Pross

I thought I was watching some satirical comedy when I switched on the highlights last night and was subjected to competitive kata. I'd assumed the karate would just be fighting (and even that element was terrible to watch). Like many I suspect, I did karate as a kid and katas were just that annoying boring bit you had to learn to pass a grading. Of the new sports I'd be happy to see the back of that and the "street" version of skateboarding at future Games. May as well have competitive yoga, tai chi or Tik Tok.

Meanwhile, the water stations in the marathon are like Supermarket Sweep as they take it in turns to grab as many bottles of water and ice packs as the go through. Looks like the toilet paper aisle in Tesco last April

RichN95.

More top level sh!thorsery

https://twitter.com/Eurosport_UK/status/1423760636048289795

I can remember the Pentathlon in Athens were the horses were so bad that they would have been better off on cows

kingstongraham

pblakeney said:

Had a watch at the speed climbing and it was a bit, meh. Unpopular opinion. I know it is hard having tried a climbing wall, but they make it look so easy that it loses impact. Only imo. Which of the variations is the most technical from a viewers's perspective?

Speed climbing was dull. Impressive but just not interesting once you've seen a couple.

Lead climbing is the business though. Really engrossing to watch.

bobmcstuff

Lanterne_Rogue said:

It's why the British system (as above) more or less becomes useless at the highest technical grades, because there's little reason to distinguish between degrees of certain death. If God had intended man to climb E10 he wouldn't have invented pubs to go drinking in instead.

Lol. I don't know why but that tickled me.

I've not done much/any climbing but I have done some scrambling and there's a point above which it all feels like you're millimetres from death and it's not fun any more.

jimmyjams

pblakeney said:

Had a watch at the speed climbing and it was a bit, meh. Unpopular opinion. I know it is hard having tried a climbing wall, but they make it look so easy that it loses impact. Only imo. Which of the variations is the most technical from a viewers's perspective?

Some of us have already (a page back) spoken of our preferences.
To paraphrase, I like the lead-climbing but I also like the bouldering because the competitors have to think the route out for themselves, so it not just a matter of ability. (I think they are both technical in different ways, perhaps the lead moreso, because it is closest to 'real' climbing)
Lanterne-R felt much the same as me about the bouldering.
JimD666 liked the speed and the bouldering.

jimmyjams

RichN95. said:

A question for you climbing fans. How would Alex Honnald do? The one climber non-fans have heard of. I image he's not fit for purpose for the sprint, but the boulder and especially the lead seem to be in his wheel house. Or is this like asking if Mark Beaumont could win the Tour de France?

I tried a google and found out that he's a commentator for US TV for it.

I had to look up who Mark Beaumont was, I'd never heard of him.

There was a zoom-type video chat earlier this year between Honnold and Adam Ondra (who was at the Olympic finals) and Honnold made several remarks which suggest he might struggle in the Olympic event, in all three disciplines.
Remarks like how impressed he was ( when they had first met a few years ago at a climbing hall), that Ondra went up a 7c boulder without hesitation or problem, while he, Honnold, stood there looking at it, not knowing where to start, and being impressed by Ondra's quick appraisal of how to climb the boulder, so Ondra's quick route-setting ability, which Honnold didn't think he could match.
Another remark Honnold made was that he knows he could not climb at Ondra's speed, with quick and precise movements of hands and feet, instead he, Honnold, needs more time to think his moves out and unlike Ondra can't move hands and feet almost simultaneously. Honnold also said that he doesn't like to push himself hard, to be at maximum speed and effort, which Ondra said he does generally and definitely at sport climbing events.

I wouldn't think Honnold would actually be very interested in participating at the Olympics both from his nature and considering his normal climbing. Although he is mostly famous for his long free solo climbs, they are the exceptions and involve a lot of preparation – before he did his solo climb of Freerider, he apparently went up it 15-20 times in roped teams, so he could study the route before attempting it solo.
Normally he climbs in teams with all the gear. According to his interviews, he only occasionally, and mostly just as a change from the more classic stuff, does bouldering, sport climbing, and solo routes (and then mostly – for him - easy ones, only very occasionally a major and difficult project). And he does indoor climbing walls for general fitness when he's not 'out in the woods' (but I suspect not at Olympic pace)

thejimmymethod

tailwindhome said:

Bruce Springsteen's daughter competing in the showjumping.

For the USA obviously.

She was born there.

Surprised she didn't get in to athletics, being born to run and all

blazing_saddles

First.Aspect said:

Some Olympians, swimmers, have more opportunity in a week than Redgrave had in 20 years.

The comparison I would make is Pendleton vs. Trott/Kenny.

VP was a once in a generation athlete, in a generation when being male gave you more opportunity.

Laura rode her wave.

Probably not a popular opinion.

VP was definitely a one off, just not in the way you mean.

pblakeney

jimmyjams said:

pblakeney said:

Had a watch at the speed climbing and it was a bit, meh. Unpopular opinion. I know it is hard having tried a climbing wall, but they make it look so easy that it loses impact. Only imo. Which of the variations is the most technical from a viewers's perspective?

Some of us have already (a page back) spoken of our preferences.
To paraphrase, I like the lead-climbing but I also like the bouldering because the competitors have to think the route out for themselves, so it not just a matter of ability. (I think they are both technical in different ways, perhaps the lead moreso, because it is closest to 'real' climbing)
Lanterne-R felt much the same as me about the bouldering.
JimD666 liked the speed and the bouldering.

Thanks to you and KG for the response.
The previous discussion was lost in the talk about points and technical stuff.

No_Ta_Doctor

bobmcstuff said:

Lanterne_Rogue said:

It's why the British system (as above) more or less becomes useless at the highest technical grades, because there's little reason to distinguish between degrees of certain death. If God had intended man to climb E10 he wouldn't have invented pubs to go drinking in instead.

Lol. I don't know why but that tickled me.

I've not done much/any climbing but I have done some scrambling and there's a point above which it all feels like you're millimetres from death and it's not fun any more.

Same here. After a while the exposure gets to me. I could deal with a bit if there were easy sections between to get the adrenaline down, but if it was prolonged I was a quivering wreck. Not ashamed to say I came back down on the Cuillin ridge after the first couple of summits and never went back up. That occasion also featured a slight slip (on a path!) while we were waiting to climb a section we roped up for, a mate grabbed the top of my rucksack and it's (possibly) his fault I'm here today. Adam Ondra I'm not.

TheBigBean

RichN95. said:

More top level sh!thorsery

https://twitter.com/Eurosport_UK/status/1423760636048289795

I can remember the Pentathlon in Athens were the horses were so bad that they would have been better off on cows

I would be interested to hear the view of an expert on how much skill there is in this and whether a better rider would have fared better. To me, she doesn't look like a very good rider, but I don't know much.

RichN95.

TheBigBean said:

I would be interested to hear the view of an expert on how much skill there is in this and whether a better rider would have fared better. To me, she doesn't look like a very good rider, but I don't know much.

As you wish

https://twitter.com/Jason_Keen/status/1423672884245975044

Mad_Malx

80 laps left in Madison.
Close at front with GB in bronze, but French may get a lap

Mad_Malx

Boardman's laconic style is good at moderating Hatch's jingoism

Mad_Malx

GB look to be tiring, Vikings much more consistent

Mad_Malx

GB not going to hold podium place

Mad_Malx

Giving it a go

Mad_Malx

Vikings win, good late surge from GB to take silver ahead of France.

JimD666

Thought they were going to lose out, very good recovery at the end

gweeds

Almost 60kph average there - not too shabby