[Other Sport] Paris 2024 Olympics & Paralympics ***Official Match Thread***

[dazzer6666]

I even liked the opening ceremony! Certainly a brave departure from the traditional stadium routine by having the athletes come down the Seine in boats.

That’s been one of the great things actually, in that they’ve tried to do as much in the centre of Paris as possible, and that included the opening ceremony.

They had a long discussion about this on R5 yesterday (with the Paris Olympics Chief)…….using existing venues rather than building bespoke stuff will be more common in future (sustainability and all that) but in Paris in particular it’s worked fantastically. The backdrop of places like The Palace of Versailles was incredible

 

[nwgull]

That’s just insane. People genuinely think that the competitors at the Olympics have just practised really hard for the last 3-4 years.

Obviously they have, but they’ve mostly practised really hard at their sport since they were kids and also happen to have an incredible amount of natural talent.

 

[dazzer6666]

That’s just insane. People genuinely think that the competitors at the Olympics have just practised really hard for the last 3-4 years.

Obviously they have, but they’ve mostly practised really hard at their sport since they were kids and also happen to have an incredible amount of natural talent.

Very grave misunderstanding of the levels of elite sportspeople vs the average human

 

[nwgull]

Very grave misunderstanding of the levels of elite sportspeople vs the average human

Tell you what though, it’s motivated me to get back into competitive running and triathlons now that work commitments have reduced. My targets are however somewhat more realistic.

 

[Pavilionaire]

France has pushed USA all the way in this basketball final, they've got within 3 points with 4 mins to go. But Steff Curry ia on fire.

 

[Snowflake]

France has pushed USA all the way in this basketball final, they've got within 3 points with 4 mins to go. But Steff Curry ia on fire.

Too many missed free throws unfortunately. Oh and leaving Steph Curry free space at the 3 point line.

 

[studio150]

France has pushed USA all the way in this basketball final, they've got within 3 points with 4 mins to go. But Steff Curry ia on fire.

Easy for the coach, just give Steph the ball.

 

[dazzer6666]

Tell you what though, it’s motivated me to get back into competitive running and triathlons now that work commitments have reduced. My targets are however somewhat more realistic.

Brilliant thing about the Olympics is inspiring people to get off their arses and do stuff

 

[Weststander]

A great summer Olympics, on a par with 2012. It flew by.

 

[birthofanorange]

Brilliant thing about the Olympics is inspiring people to get off their arses and do stuff

Indeed - I have rarely been to the fridge and back, so many times in a 14 day period.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Very grave misunderstanding of the levels of elite sportspeople vs the average human

You get a lot of this in golf

you would have thought that scratch golfers( those that receive no shots at all - I got down to 7 a few years ago) are on a par with professionals. They are not. In our club we have plus golfers! So they have added shots before they play.

we played west hove and Steele played off 1, but there was plus players in their scratch teams

professionals would be off plus 10 to 15. I played against a lady who played in the European ladies tour ( one below the pro tour) when I was off 8. She gave me 16 shots and I played really well but got hammered 7 and 6. It’s a completely different sport for professionals who do it for their job.

 

[Billy in Bristol]

That’s just insane. People genuinely think that the competitors at the Olympics have just practised really hard for the last 3-4 years.

Obviously they have, but they’ve mostly practised really hard at their sport since they were kids and also happen to have an incredible amount of natural talent.

Since 2021 the GB Athletes and myself have been doing the Beat the Medallist challenges. Going head to head in timed contests...you get bonuses linked to fundraising.

Out of nearly 800 people. Only one person with a heck of a lot of financial backing managed to do it and the fundraising enabled them to do it for free as well.

 

[birthofanorange]

A great summer Olympics, on a par with 2012. It flew by.

Yet we had 29 Golds, then. and finished 4th.

 

[dazzer6666]

You get a lot of this in golf

you would have thought that scratch golfers( those that receive no shots at all - I got down to 7 a few years ago) are on a par with professionals. They are not. In our club we have plus golfers! So they have added shots before they play.

we played west hove and Steele played off 1, but there was plus players in their scratch teams

professionals would be off plus 10 to 15. I played against a lady who played in the European ladies tour ( one below the pro tour) when I was off 8. She gave me 16 shots and I played really well but got hammered 7 and 6. It’s a completely different sport for professionals who do it for their job.

Yep……had that argument with a mate at our local club. He was CONVINCED a tour pro wouldn’t get a great score around our course. I reckon they’d score in the 50s, reaching a lot of the par 4s in one, all the fives in two and making mincemeat of greens a 100 times easier than what they’re used to. I worked with a guy who was +5, he was MILES away from even challenge tour standard (his words).

 

[ManOfSussex]

Highlight for me? Keely Hodgkinson’s 800m Gold. That will live long, long in the memory.

A downmarket tabloid newspaper today had photos of her in a green bikini sunning herself on a yacht near Marbella. There was even one of her taken from behind. The cheek of it.

 

[Bry Nylon]

That’s just insane. People genuinely think that the competitors at the Olympics have just practised really hard for the last 3-4 years.

Obviously they have, but they’ve mostly practised really hard at their sport since they were kids and also happen to have an incredible amount of natural talent.

Well, yes, all of that!

My daughter is 14 and competes at 800m and 1500m at Regional level (in her case, that’s racing against the best girls from athletics clubs across 5 counties plus north London).

She trains on the track with her Athletics club two nights a week plus she does another two evenings a week in the gym doing strength, conditioning and recovery work and then races in Regional Championships at weekends (800m / 1500m on the track in the summer and x-country in winter).

The best kids will be looking to graduate to the English Schools championships and from there, have an eye on making a career as an athlete.

TL;DR
Safe to say, making it all the way to TeamGB for LA28 or Brisbane 2032 isn’t quite a 5-minute job.

 

[KZNSeagull]

You get a lot of this in golf

you would have thought that scratch golfers( those that receive no shots at all - I got down to 7 a few years ago) are on a par with professionals. They are not. In our club we have plus golfers! So they have added shots before they play.

we played west hove and Steele played off 1, but there was plus players in their scratch teams

professionals would be off plus 10 to 15. I played against a lady who played in the European ladies tour ( one below the pro tour) when I was off 8. She gave me 16 shots and I played really well but got hammered 7 and 6. It’s a completely different sport for professionals who do it for their job.

Yup. Plus the courses they play on are ridiculously difficult.

I once had the pleasure of getting utterly thrashed by Gary Evans in what was the Whitbread trophy (Sussex Inter Club Scratch matchplay) when he was still an amateur playing off +4. He played a totally different game and even he wasn't that successful as a tour pro.

 

[Simster]

A great summer Olympics, on a par with 2012. It flew by.

I've been fortunate enough to attend both London and Paris events and in my opinion they've both been outstanding. Lots of parallels to be drawn in the way Paris has gone about galvanising the public, cleaning up the city, the huge army of volunteers, the fan zones, the investment in home sporting success and the excellent public transport signage and enhancements that make the city easier to get around while packed with tourists.

Both outstanding Olympics, plenty of similarities, and a few differences. I'll be amazed if LA is anything like as good as either.

 

[Weststander]

Yet we had 29 Golds, then. and finished 4th.

Genuinely, I just love the Olympics, secondary is the medal table.

But on that subject, I remember when we were poor in Montreal and Atlanta. Some carefully directed lottery money has helped make us competitive. We surpassed sports mad Germany, Spain and Italy. Across an incredible range of sports, whilst some other countries targeted a pile of medals in two or three sports.

 

[Weststander]

I've been fortunate enough to attend both London and Paris events and in my opinion they've both been outstanding. Lots of parallels to be drawn in the way Paris has gone about galvanising the public, cleaning up the city, the huge army of volunteers, the fan zones, the investment in home sporting success and the excellent public transport signage and enhancements that make the city easier to get around while packed with tourists.

Both outstanding Olympics, plenty of similarities, and a few differences. I'll be amazed if LA is anything like as good as either.

We’ve visited QE Park, the Velodrome and wider London site since (not for West Ham!). It’s fantastic what was achieved. A valley and river with two centuries of industrial pollution has been transformed. For the first time athletes temporary homes in a village were built at proper sizes to make decent future homes. I know folk who’ve bought them. Another plus of 2012.

A shame about the fudged hybrid football stadium, paid for by us, but you can’t have it all.