Can we start the Olympics again please?

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Who is Davey? It wasn't that Adlington wasn't expected to achieve gold, it's just that no-one really seemed to know where she'd be until she just sneaked into the final!

Daley, clearly. They were considered massive outsiders.

A bronze from Adlington in the 400 is more than acceptable, I don't think it's right saying she let us down.

Cavendish was disappointing, granted.

 

[Barn Door Billy]

FFS

 

[mike79]

Cavendish was a big one and has set the tone.

Since then, I think an Adlington gold, the diving just gone might have got us a silver, and a Miley bronze was also hoped for - some of those were perhaps a little unrealistic, but the diving wasn't. And Ainslie is not bossing the sailing as hoped.

adlington was a massive outsider for gold, did well just to get a medal. and miley didn't have a prayer of getting a medal. and even better was the woman cyclist. cavendish not winning what is a lottery event shouldn't take away from what has been a decent enough start from team gb.

 

[Simster]

Daley, clearly

A bronze from Adlington in to 400 is more than acceptable, I don't think it's right saying she let us down.

I thought you meant Miley. And I don't disagree with regard to Adlington either.

I guess it's just twitchiness really - one gold would send us well up the medals table. No-one likes being behind tin-pot, noddy nations like Romania, Russian satelite states and Australia.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Cavendish was a big one and has set the tone.

Since then, I think an Adlington gold, the diving just gone might have got us a silver, and a Miley bronze was also hoped for - some of those were perhaps a little unrealistic, but the diving wasn't. And Ainslie is not bossing the sailing as hoped.

No offence, (well a little), but you clearly don't know what you're talking about if you put these as targets.

Adlingtons bronze was a BRILLIANT result. She is completely focused on the 800m, not the 4.

The diving was also going to be BLOODY hard. one mistake and out the medals. a 4th was around par.

Ainsley is SECOND with SEVEN races left.

I agree that Cav was a disappointment but we then got an unexpected silver in the womens.

 

[Simster]

No offence, (well a little), but you clearly don't know what you're talking about if you put these as targets.

Adlingtons bronze was a BRILLIANT result. She is completely focused on the 800m, not the 4.

The diving was also going to be BLOODY hard. one mistake and out the medals. a 4th was around par.

Ainsley is SECOND with SEVEN races left.

I agree that Cav was a disappointment but we then got an unexpected silver in the womens.

I KNOW that Adlington's bronze was a brilliant result, especially from lane 8, and swimming it faster than her gold medal 4 years ago. But that is all hindsight, and the BBC was telling us she was "going for gold". They raised expectations. The rest of it I largely agree with. This thread was a tongue in cheek post after the Tom Daley disappointment. And that was a disappointment, because they were capable of a silver medal - going slightly above par was the TARGET.

 

[ROSM]

The thing is that by now, in Beijing, we had two SHOCKS of people medaling (I'm not sure its a verb but the meeja are using it) in events they weren't expected to (Cooke in the ladies pushbike day trip and Addlington in the 400m). So on PAPER it looks like we're two down against last time. Couple that with Cav missing out and people feel down.

HOWEVER I still think we will be on par with beijing and we will get some different shocks this time.

It probably didnt help Daley that Dave Cameron turned up to watch him. Must have heard that double dips and u turns were all the rage and it affected his tumbling.

 

[Djmiles]

Sailing, rowing and cycling all still to come. Don't panic!

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Gymnastics as well, first medal event this afternoon (not sure how we are expected to do in that event though).

E: Just checked and we are currently last

 

[mike79]

were only an outside chance of a medal here

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Fair enough, which gymnastic events are we strong in?

 

[Southern Scouse]

Gurning perhaps?

 

[southstandandy]

I got two gold medals today ! - They were made from Cadbury's chocoalte and even had a ribbon.

 

[Bozza]

Tom Daley. Wasn't favourite for Gold, maybe silver, got - nothing. Still has his individual event to go though.

I think we're going to have an Olypmics of "almost, but not quite" in a lot of cases.

Daley and the other bloke were 40/1, ranked 7th favourites (out of 8). 4th is over-achievement.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Fair enough, which gymnastic events are we strong in?

Louis Smith has a real chance of a medal on the pommel.

the team have a VERY slim chance of maybe a bronze.

 

[Bozza]

I KNOW that Adlington's bronze was a brilliant result, especially from lane 8, and swimming it faster than her gold medal 4 years ago. But that is all hindsight, and the BBC was telling us she was "going for gold". They raised expectations.

I disagree strongly as someone who was glued to the TV, 5Live (during a long drive) and then TV yesterday. As I said on another thread this morning - they repeatedly played down Adlington's chances, re-stating again and again that this is her weaker event, had only just scraped into the final and mentioning her tweet where she was talking herself down. They did such a good job of it that the bronze felt like a great achievement.

 

[Simster]

I disagree strongly as someone who was glued to the TV, 5Live (during a long drive) and then TV yesterday. As I said on another thread this morning - they repeatedly played down Adlington's chances, re-stating again and again that this is her weaker event, had only just scraped into the final and mentioning her tweet where she was talking herself down. They did such a good job of it that the bronze felt like a great achievement.

I agree that they did this, but only AFTER she had been through the heats and semi - so through the course of the day, expectations were being managed. The day before and the day before that though, they were hyping her up way too much.

 

[mike79]

Fair enough, which gymnastic events are we strong in?

tweddle must have a decent chance in the uneven bars final on monday

and louis smith won bronze on the pommel horse in beijing - final sunday

 

[ROSM]

Louis Smith has a real chance of a medal on the pommel.

the team have a VERY slim chance of maybe a bronze.

yep - we have potential in individual events, or as individual all round, but are outside bets for team stuff.

Tweddle on the A bars yesterday was AWESOME. I may not know much about gymnastics but there was something we can be proud of.

In terms of positives so far:

- Lots of personal bests
- Some real guts from Adlington
- I know Daley and Waterfield lost in on the 4th dive but they over achieved to come 4th
- Ladies football team playing with skill, strength and poise
- Tweddle and Smith in the qualifiers putting in strong performances
- the lady pairs this morning on the water with an olympic record
- the queen's granddaughter (and team) doing cushty on the horseback stuff
- we havn't really started the rowing and cycling yet

 

[Mellotron]

I think we OVERachieved in Beijing, and thus comes the expectation on home turf now.