2024 Paris Olympics

[angelopetraglia]

Only 107 days to the Paris Olympics.

Cam Myers. This 17 year old kid is already a star. Incredible rise in a sport where it normally takes years and years to breakthrough and get to the top. He is already doing special stuff. He will still have his work cut out to make the 1500m Olympic team as we have so much depth at the moment. Myers, McSweyn and Spencer already have the qualifying time, but we still have talent like the Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist Ollie Hoare (also the national record holder over 1500m) who should easily get the qualifer plus a number of others.

Remember the name!

https://wwos.nine.com.au/olympics/australian-athletics-championships-2024-cameron-myers-running-exclusive/c393ae67-0dfa-4a22-8e7f-29fde5cbe36d

[mjp]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

Cam is amazing.

I will never understand why Athletics isn't a bigger sport.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

Cam is amazing.

I will never understand why Athletics isn't a bigger sport.

The amount of knowledge, hard work and complete dedication to compete at the elite and even the sub elite level in middle to long distance running is insane.

[azabob]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

Cam is amazing.

I will never understand why Athletics isn't a bigger sport.

Because Aussies are shit at it.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

Yes. We have had some super talented atheletes, but not many competiting for medals at the Olympic Games level.

Running medals since 1988. The last 9 Olympics.

Debbie Flintoff-King. Gold. 400m Hurdles.1988 Seoul.
Lisa Martin. Silver. Marathon. 1988 Seoul.
Cathy Freeman. Silver. 400m 1996 Atlanta.
Cathy Freeman. Gold. 400m. 2000 Sydney.
Men. 4 x 400m relay. Silver. 2004 Athens.
Sally Mclennan. 100m Hurdles. Silver. 2008 Beijing.
Sally Mclennan. 100m Hurdles. Gold. 2012 London.

So in 36 years. Seven medals. All female individual medals. One male team relay medal. Not a single male has got a medal in an individual event in running in the last 9 Olympic games.

Every sport needs a hero to champion to break through to the masses. We have had only four individual medals in running events since 1988. We need a hero!

Who is chance in 2024 on their day?

[mjp]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

Because Aussies are shit at it.

LOL. Not really...we're a small country.

We win medals in swimming because we're a privileged country where there are a LOT of pools...everyone in the world has had a go at trying to run as fast as they can...the majority of people in the world haven't even SEEN a swimming pool. I have thoughts on the level of attention given to a 50m butterfly swimmer (seriously, you get to have 4x different strokes for all these distances? It would be like having the 100m for running backwards, running sideways...it's just plain stupid) who wins a bronze vs a 1500m runner who makes the semi finals...

Anyway...

[jeemak]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

I like athletics and our women have been amazing. Debbie Flintoff-King is one of my most enduring childhood sporting memories alongside Duncan Armstrong from the 88 Games.

Prior to that, the confusion in thinking God had actually saved the queen when I saw a happy woman on TV with wet hair was my first memory of sporting games (either 82 Brissy or 84 LA). Freeman's victory was next level amazing, and I doubt it will ever be topped.

Swimming to me is a bit of a wankfest. I'm with MJP in thinking that it personifies privilege. And I'm not convinced Australia even likes it, rather, we just like the medals.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

Running is a lot more competitive on the world stage compared to Swimming. The reasons for that are well outlined in the posts above.

Just to highlight how competitive they are. Just to make the Olympics in the 10,000m for the mens you need to run under 27 minutes. The issue is, that the Australian Record for the 10,000m is 27:09. It was 27:15 before Jack Rayner broke his own record last month trying to get the standard.

So no Australian in history has ran a time that qualifies you for the Olympics and we have had some great distance runners in this country over the years. You can also qualify via a points system if all the slots are not taken by people who run the standard but a lot of runners will get the standard.

Just to put that 10,000m time into perpective. Rob De Castella used to be the world record holder for the Marathon (and up until last year was still the Australian Record Holder). His best time ever in the 10,000m was 28:02.

[mjp]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

So no Australian in history has ran a time that qualifies you for the Olympics...

...and it's not because they don't 'work hard'. And it's not because of poor/outdated coaching methods. And it's not because they aren't talented. It is just THAT competitive.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

Just to put that 10,000m time into some type of perspective for those that run or who ever ran. To break 27 minutes you need to average sub 2:42 min/km pace.

To put that into further perspective for a benchmark that is well known. A four minule mile is 2:29 min/km pace. So you need to run close to four minute pace for six miles to just make the Olympics.

The world standards for running are crazy high. Any Aussies who can just be in the same arena with the best in the world are incredible athletes who work their butts off.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

...and it's not because they don't 'work hard'. And it's not because of poor/outdated coaching methods. And it's not because they aren't talented. It is just THAT competitive.

100% this.

These runners devote themselves and train at a level that AFL footballers could not even comprehend. Kane Cornes who just hobby runs some reasonbly fast Marathon times, trains and mixes with some sub elite runners in Adelaide. He often mentions that they train at a completely different level to AFL football and for basically zero money.

[azabob]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

LOL. Not really...we're a small country.

We win medals in swimming because we're a privileged country where there are a LOT of pools...everyone in the world has had a go at trying to run as fast as they can...the majority of people in the world haven't even SEEN a swimming pool. I have thoughts on the level of attention given to a 50m butterfly swimmer (seriously, you get to have 4x different strokes for all these distances? It would be like having the 100m for running backwards, running sideways...it's just plain stupid) who wins a bronze vs a 1500m runner who makes the semi finals...

Anyway...

Don’t get me wrong my comment was a throw away remark.

Swimming ain’t my bag.

Track and field is way more entertaining but the issue is how many quality athletics meets per year? I’d bet not many.

Anyways my favourite Olympic sports are the indoor cycling and weightlifting.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

Don’t get me wrong my comment was a throw away remark.

Swimming ain’t my bag.

Track and field is way more entertaining but the issue is how many quality athletics meets per year? I’d bet not many.

Anyways my favourite Olympic sports are the indoor cycling and weightlifting.

Around the world outside of Championships you have the Diamond League. 15 meets per year. Quality talent at every single event. There are a number of other high profile events too.

In Australia. AA has been a basket case for a long time. But I do think it has slightly improved. They have made efforrts in recent years to make the events more entertaining. I would say each Capital City has one or two quality events each season. So access to the best athletes is incredibily limited.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

Track and field will be the first sport to introduce prize money at the Olympics, with World Athletics saying it will pay $50,000 to gold medallists in Paris.

The governing body of athletics said it was setting aside $US2.4 million ($3.6 million) to pay the gold medallists across the 48 events on the track and field program for this year's Paris Olympics. Relay teams will split the $US50,000 between their members.

Payments for silver and bronze medallists are planned to start from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-...&sf272633987=1

[Axe Man]

Re: 2024 Paris Olympics

Track and field will be the first sport to introduce prize money at the Olympics, with World Athletics saying it will pay $50,000 to gold medallists in Paris.

The governing body of athletics said it was setting aside $US2.4 million ($3.6 million) to pay the gold medallists across the 48 events on the track and field program for this year's Paris Olympics. Relay teams will split the $US50,000 between their members.

Payments for silver and bronze medallists are planned to start from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-...&sf272633987=1

When will the hard done by golfers, tennis players and basketballers get their slice?