2021 Olympics

[billyS]

I've been thinking about starting this thread but was afraid all you perverts watch is the beach volleyball.

I've seen some really great moments in track and field.

Both 400 meter hurtles.
Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad (from Queens!) pushing each other to a new WR.
Same on the men's with Karsten Warholm and US's Benjamin

And Athing Mu, wow! Totally dominated the woman's 800 at 19 years old. She took the lead and held it, then kicked and left everyone in the dust.

So much more but I wanted to get the thread started.

What sporting aspects of the Olympics have you enjoyed?

 

[lightweight]

Table tennis. Pretty cool if you are into playing.

 

[trader1]

Table tennis. Pretty cool if you are into playing.

I find it fascinating— hand to eye coordination and the speed at which it is played

 

[lightweight]

I find it fascinating— hand to eye coordination and the speed at which it is played

Agreed. Many years ago I would play in tournaments, and win many of them. Then I would go into some of the best National tournaments and the competition was so incredible, Next level, and I would lose like 15 to 5, 15 to 4, if I was hot and playing great. , and not really have a shot at winning one match. I did it just to see the top level. So to me, this is just unreal.

 

[billyS]

Agreed. Many years ago I would play in tournaments, and win many of them. Then I would go into some of the best National tournaments and the competition was so incredible, Next level, and I would lose like 15 to 5, 15 to 4, if I was hot and playing great. , and not really have a shot at winning one match. I did it just to see the top level. So to me, this is just unreal.

It's always fun to watch something you can somewhat relate to.
Knowing how hard it is to compete at any level gives you a better appreciation for what these guys are doing.

Or if you've tried some of these things

Doing CrossFit and learning how to do the two Olympic lifts gives me a different perspective watching these guys and their form. So much goes into the form and the flexibility needed to lift your maximum weight.
I just wish they had shown more of the men's competition.

When it comes to running, I have a group of men and women I train with, just to stay in shape really, but during the shutdown last year we ran a little more often.
So I know what my times are for distances like the 100, 200, 400 meters and it is amazing how fast these men and woman are when sometimes they look like they are just jogging and they are almost twice as fast as me.

 

[Tikki_Tavi]

I enjoyed the start of olhmpics with the swimming events but I'm all about track and field. The 400m hurdles was definitely the highlight of the games for me. I expected great races from both sets; I didn't expect the WR to get demolished in both races though. You can attribute some of that to the regenerative features of the track though. Nonetheless those were great to watch!

Warholm is just a beast. From the outside looking in, it seemed like Benjamin knew he had the ability to break Warholm's former WR; I just don't think he was counting on Warholm to break it yet again.

I've been watching watching Sydney since the world youth championships in 2015 and man she is a force to be reckoned with. I can see a sub-51 second run in her career. I thought their race was even better than Warholm vs Benjamin. Their statement of "steel sharpens steel" definitely summed up their interactions on and off the track. I thought their semi's in the rain was amazing as well.

I haven't gotten a chance to see Mu's race yet but I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Tikki_Tavi]

Mu's race was definitely impressive - she has wheels.

I was thoroughly disappointed with Murphy's 800m. He absolutely could have controlled that pace but let himself fall victim to the pack pace. Unfortunate.

 

[billyS]

Ryan Crouser was a hoot to watch at the shot put finals last night.

Just a good ole boy, could have been dressed for a picnic or a Corn Hole Tournament.

But damn that 6'8" 320 lb beast just kept throwing it further and further finally topping 23 meters.