[ex-innova-guy]

Men’s 100m Final

Noah Lyles wins by the smallest margin

https://youtu.be/G1eLH-2ekbY?si=rL5qmr9IqKkPwHXx

On the other hand, in Women’s 100m, Julien Alfred won comfortably. She won the first gold medal for Saint Lucia and left Sha'Carri Richardson in the blocks.

https://youtu.be/6QGIgvMYD-A?si=PxGNWHJi86RvkAz8

[Venkatesh]

India’s hockey goalkeeper excels helping the team to enter the Olympics semis.

[FanaticOnWheels]

Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy

Men’s 100m Final

Noah Lyles wins by the smallest margin

Attachment 2636782

Attachment 2636783

https://Youtu.be/G1eLH-2ekbY?si=rL5qmr9IqKkPwHXx

On the other hand, in Women’s 100m, Julien Alfred won comfortably. She won the first gold medal for Saint Lucia and left Sha'Carri Richardson in the blocks.

Attachment 2636784

Great finals indeed. I have been watching all the 100m events without fail for the past 2 decades or so. Looking at the image of the men's 100m finish, puts me to think about how ridiculous Usain Bolt was - especially in 2008 and 2012.

Attachment 2636785

https://Youtu.be/6QGIgvMYD-A?si=PxGNWHJi86RvkAz8

Great finals indeed. I have been watching all the 100m events without fail for the past 2 decades or so. Looking at the image of the men's 100m finish, puts me to think about how ridiculous Usain Bolt was - especially in 2008 and 2012.

[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by FanaticOnWheels

Great finals indeed. I have been watching all the 100m events without fail for the past 2 decades or so. Looking at the image of the men's 100m finish, puts me to think about how ridiculous Usain Bolt was - especially in 2008 and 2012.

This year's final was one of the closest finishes of all time, with 7 athletes below 9.8s. Seville O ran a PB 9.81s in the semis, but sadly, he was the only one who finished outside the 9.8s.

Bolt's 2008 win still hits differently; the man was celebrating well before the finish line. Critics didn't like what he did, but the 9.58s just a year later in Berlin silenced them all. Not to forget the 2016 100m final where clutch performance was needed. After a bad start, Bolt went into overdrive as usual after 40m and outperformed Gatlin. The point being, Lyles delivered his PB when it was most needed.

https://youtu.be/9bjQ1ER607A?si=peHg2hfrLJl0OlJe

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by dust-n-bones

Is it me alone who thinks the way medals are given at olympics is unfair?

Consider a medal in 200m medley in swimming as an example. You do a 'heat', semi and then a final. Each contest a little less than 2 minutes. And the celebrated Léon Marchand gets his gold.

The workload is so low that swimmers regularly contest in 4-5 events and keep making records for the max medals won. The same is true in (short form) athletics, gymnastics, shooting, and many others.

Compare that with Djokovic. He has to essentially win another grand slam for his medal. Or Lakshya Sen in badminton. And you multiply that effort by 11 when you bring in team sports like hockey, football, basketball. The long periods they have to stay at the top of their game every other day, during which a single lapse in concentration (or brilliance by the opponent) can knock you out, is exhilarating to watch. And heart breaking when they do slip up, and are done for, for the next 4 years.

Disagree with this line of thought. Allow me to explain.

Being a parent of two international athletes (and medallists at that) - one a racquet sport athlete and one a swimmer - allows me to see your point in the right perspective. Both my kids have toiled for hours every day and over 10 years to reach their respective levels.

A swimmer/ athletic sprinter gets one chance with zero comebacks. If the start is sub optimal, he slips, he is unable to touch at the right moment on completion of his stroke, his touch pad malfunctions, one stroke goes wrong, fingers remain open in one stroke, his entire race and years of effort are gone. It is perfection at its best and most cruel. A racquet sport athlete, hockey player etc can hit one bad shot (for that matter, lose sets, quarters) and still have ample time to recover/ go on and win.

Coming to multiple medals, Leon Marchand participated in two different disciplines in less than one hour and won both! He was competing against 14 other athletes who were there only for one event. Don't you think its is a superhuman effort? The amount of effort required to perform on a given day cannot be measured by calories alone. FYI a swimmer trains more hours (for a single stroke) than the tennis player - not counting the fact that 60secs in the training pool consumes more calories than 60s on the tennis court. Just to give you an idea, a competitive swimmer at the international level swims for 6 hours everyday (all inclusive), covering 8-10km everyday excluding the warm ups and cool downs. This is for a sprinter! (not an endurance swimmer like the 800/1500ers). A swimmer swimming the IM is even more of a marvel. The four strokes are so far different from each other, it is unlike say, a tennis player, playing singles/ doubles or a sprint athlete running the 100/200/ 4x 100. Even there, running the bend (in a 200) is a specialised issue requiring years of effort not easily discernible to a layman.

As regards shooting, kindly see the Abhinav Bindra Olympic channel video. Half a hair's width decides if you go home with a gold medal or without any medal. Athletes train to get their heart rate under control and squeeze the trigger between two heart beats. Let's not equate that with number of calories burnt. An archer shooting over 10m has a completely different set of considerations and variables which have to be mastered when compared to another archer who shoots over 75m.

The point is, the nature of each sport is different and there is no comparison. If at all there's anything that is similar, it is the effort, the toil, the self doubt, the perseverance and the triumph of the human spirit. So let's just celebrate these super humans and revel in the spirit while it lasts.

[dust-n-bones]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

The point is, the nature of each sport is different and there is no comparison. If at all there's anything that is similar, it is the effort, the toil, the self doubt, the perseverance and the triumph of the human spirit. So let's just celebrate these super humans and revel in the spirit while it lasts.

The weird thing is, I agree with you completely. You cannot compare swimming with tennis. My problem is that a competition like Olympics needs a medal tally and that they force the comparison by giving a medal in the end.

You are also right that all athletes give their blood, sweat and tears to compete at this level. I am not disputing that.

You are right as well about short events giving no room for error in tactics. But then tennis and other long forms test you on that and some more - game plan, recovery from setback, handling pressure. And then team sport is at another level.

I hence find the forced comparison unfair. I also realize a medal tally may be the 'least unfair' of forced comparisons. But in my head, there is no way a hockey team, or a Djokovic, gets a single medal, while a swimmer can take back a haul.

As I said, a personal opinion - feel free to disagree.

[yosbert]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

A swimmer swimming the IM is even more of a marvel. The four strokes are so far different from each other, it is unlike say, a tennis player, playing singles/ doubles or a sprint athlete running the 100/200/ 4x 100. Even there, running the bend (in a 200) is a specialised issue requiring years of effort not easily discernible to a layman.

I agree with almost all of your post except the above. This is as absurd as saying that a tennis forehand requires entirely different set of skills than a backhand so lets separate the two out.
As much as I admire the swimmers, the fact remains that Olympic swimming has an absurdly high number of events to give out medals for. And that shows in the number of medals that top swimmers have collected over their careers. Swimming has been extremely successful in separating out the different nuances of the sport into different events. Something that is sometimes not possible for other sports or some sports have not been successful at.

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by dust-n-bones

The weird thing is, I agree with you completely. You cannot compare swimming with tennis. My problem is that a competition like Olympics needs a medal tally and that they force the comparison by giving a medal in the end.

You are also right that all athletes give their blood, sweat and tears to compete at this level. I am not disputing that.
You are right as well about short events giving no room for error in tactics. But then tennis and other long forms test you on that and some more - game plan, recovery from setback, handling pressure. And then team sport is at another level.

I hence find the forced comparison unfair. I also realize a medal tally may be the 'least unfair' of forced comparisons. But in my head, there is no way a hockey team, or a Djokovic, gets a single medal, while a swimmer can take back a haul.


As a said, a personal opinion - feel free to disagree.

Perks of Tennis - A djokovic earns multiple x over say a swimmer or any track athlete. That's equally unfair - isn't it? Both are equally elite. So, I guess this is, as you put it, the 'least unfair' method.

One thing I disagree on, A team game vs an indivdual. Completely incorrect to say that the individual puts in lesser effort than a hockey team or is under lesser pressure or is in anyway less deserving. If anything, a team offers you that bit of extra cushion. In the world of individual sport, you are exactly that - all alone and therefore, victory should be that little bit sweeter.

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by yosbert

I agree with almost all of your post except the above. This is as absurd as saying that a tennis forehand requires entirely different set of skills than a backhand so lets separate the two out.
As much as I admire the swimmers, the fact remains that Olympic swimming has an absurdly high number of events to give out medals for. And that shows in the number of medals that top swimmers have collected over their careers. Swimming has been extremely successful in separating out the different nuances of the sport into different events. Something that is sometimes not possible for other sports or some sports have not been successful at.

The forehand backhand analogy is different, you use both in the same point. that's the nature of the game. An IM is like a Decathlon. distinct events, different skill sets. Yes, swimming has been successful at getting different medals for different strokes eg high jumpers don't get two medals for competing with the Fosbury flop and non-fosbury flop technique. But then, if they were getting, then people would have put in similar effort and dedication in perfecting either style.

Like certain sports have been successful in marketing - as I said, earnings of an average swimmer are not even a fraction of those of an average golfer or a tennis player. Every sport has its own peculiarities. Lets not begrudge them.
P.S. - I do not think I have come across this comparison gene anywhere else in the world to the extent that we love to indulge in. eg I have never heard of Jesse Owens vs Michael Phelps, who's the best athlete? That's plain common sense. Nobody compares different sports. Apples v oranges.

Wonder why are we so adamant in comparing 'absurdly high number of medals' with xyz event. Is it because we are so tuned to Sharmaji ka beta from our childhoods?

[am1m]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

Wonder why are we so adamant in comparing... Is it because we are so tuned to Sharmaji ka beta...

It's because most of us (me included!) stopped actually playing any sport after school. So all we have left is endless discussion. If only there were medals for talking about sports, watching them on TV, comparing athletes, picking sports teams...

[ABHI_1512]

Yesterday was the best day of the Olympics so far for me, both as a sports lover and as an Indian. The highs of Hockey combined with the splendid display by Lakshya Sen despite the defeat, Djokovic winning the gold by defeating Alvarez, the 100 metres Men’s final presented the Olympics spirit in full flight.

India winning the hockey match against Britain with 10 men for forty minutes will remain one of the best matches for me seen live. Harmanpreet Singh and Sreejesh- the two stalwarts gave their best and came up trumps. Truly fantastic.

Regarding Lakhsya Sen, he is going to dominate World Badminton for the years to come if he continues to play like the way he did yesterday. It was his inexperience which cost him the match. Axelsen had to use all his experience to win the match which dare I say Lakhsya had in his favour for most part. Losing the three game points in the first set proved costly in the end I would think. Nevertheless, I am sure he will rise again to grab the bronze.

The 100M Men’s final was perhaps the best finishe across many Olympics gelo during the last three decades. The mighty Usain Bolt has probably eclipsed everyone in terms of past and present sprint champions. Right from Carl Lewis to the present champion and that’s why a 9.8 finish doesn’t surprise anymore !

Regarding the medals debate about the swimmers, just one example here. As much as the fact that Micheal Phelps has won so many medals, people still recognise a Usain Bolt or a Jackie Joyner Kersie or a Micheal Jordan more !!

[yosbert]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

An IM is like a Decathlon. distinct events, different skill sets.

No it is not. Not even by any wild stretch of imagination. Your point about distinct skill sets required for different swimming strokes is well taken. But it is ridiculous to compare that to a decathlon.
I have immense respect for the skills of a decathlete. To be good at not one or two or three but 10 different disciplines is superhuman in itself.

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

Wonder why are we so adamant in comparing 'absurdly high number of medals' with xyz event.

I did not get your tangential points about financial or marketing success of different sports, nor did I get your Sharmaji comment. But they are totally besides the point I was trying to make.
Just to illustrate what I meant, if shooting was as successful as swimming in their event categorization, we would be having events in 10m, 20m, 25m, 40m, 50m, 100m, 300m rifle/pistol shooting along with prone/kneeling/standing/combined positions in each category along with individual, men, women and mixed teams for each.

[kiranknair]

Looks like participating in 4 olympics is still not enough for Deepika Kumari to retire.
https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/...kumari-3136401

[finneyp]

Was expecting Lakshya Sen to win Bronze after his stellar performance so far, but he buckled out.
However, he has a potential to reach the Top with the right mentorship.

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by kiranknair

Looks like participating in 4 olympics is still not enough for Deepika Kumari to retire.
https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/...kumari-3136401

Deepika Kumari has won every medal possible in international archery. Only the Olympic medal has eluded her. She would obviously want to fulfill her dream for as long as she can qualify. And, she has not participated but competed in four Olympics. No one has the right to tell her otherwise. She is a class act who deserves the respect of the nation.