London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

[Eastdog]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Another gold for Australia in the men's kayak four final. That is 6 gold medals now for us. Great effort.

[EasternWest]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

I think you are being a touch harsh on Magnussen. To perform they way he did after the relay was a great effort. He has learnt a great lesson in only a few days.

Agreed. Two more inches and he's a gold medallist. Two less inches (give or take) and Sally's a silver medallist.

I take nothing away from either of them.

[Bornadog]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Another gold for Australia in the men's kayak four final. That is 6 gold medals now for us. Great effort.

Great win, led all the way. I have met a couple of the boys and know how hard they train, so just rewards.

[azabob]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Agreed. Two more inches and he's a gold medallist. Two less inches (give or take) and Sally's a silver medallist.

I take nothing away from either of them.

Agreed, brilliant effort by both of them and for Anna M to do what she did is amazing also.

[Eastdog]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Agreed. Two more inches and he's a gold medallist. Two less inches (give or take) and Sally's a silver medallist.

I take nothing away from either of them.

Agree. Both put 100 percent in.

[LostDoggy]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Absolutely loved the men's weightlifting - the sheer will and determination was absolute theatre.

I'd say the weightlifting as a whole was very entertaining, women also. The crowd seemed to get behind every lifter, willing the bar up. Theatre is a really good descrtipition. Loved it.

not sure if you two have Foxtel?
But I am yet to see one weight lifted on channel 9. Which pi$$es me off, I don't mind the weight lifting.

[FrediKanoute]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Kookaburra's are out.......guess my gold medal match tickets were a waste

[LostDoggy]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

I'm a bit late but anyone mention the showmanship prior and after events especially the Mens 100m final.
Should give out medals for just that.

[LostDoggy]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Any news on the important stuff like the two cyclist kissing, boxing kangaroo condoms, the virgin athelete and Kobe Bryant/Rice affair?

[LostDoggy]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Sally Pearson's reaction when she found out she'd won was fantastic! And the American girls who finished 2nd & 3rd were so happy with their results too - a joy to watch them celebrating.

Victoria Pendleton was so gracious after the final too, so nice to see good sportsmanship (or sportswomanship) alive & well.

[LostDoggy]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

not sure if you two have Foxtel?
But I am yet to see one weight lifted on channel 9. Which pi$$es me off, I don't mind the weight lifting.

Yes, Foxtel has been great on this occasion - everything covered. What I couldn't watch live I would record and watch later (avoiding any news items which would give away results).

Great to see the Aussie girls do so well in the 10m diving.

[Bornadog]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Yes, Foxtel has been great on this occasion - everything covered. What I couldn't watch live I would record and watch later (avoiding any news items which would give away results).

Great to see the Aussie girls do so well in the 10m diving.

Foxtel has been sensational for the Olympics and all in glorious HD. Don't you love when you are watching one channel and a message pos up in the top right corner "Aussie Alert on Channel whatever"

We have been mailnly watching the Kayaking this week, and I have a feeling we could see some more medals in the 200 metre sprints. Heats and semis today and finals tomorrow from 6.30pm

[Eastdog]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Having Foxtel as well the coverage is great the only problem is the time difference with most of the finals of events in the early hours of the morning. If their are finals in the morning and afternoon London time then it is still a good time for us.

[LostDoggy]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Foxtel has been sensational for the Olympics and all in glorious HD. Don't you love when you are watching one channel and a message pops up in the top right corner "Aussie Alert on Channel whatever" ...

Yes, spoiled for choice a lot of the time - and a good variety of knowledgeable commentary teams. (Have managed to successfully avoid the annoying McManus throughout.) Australia has been doing really well throughout the Games - I enjoy the overall spectacle and achievements regardless of who finishes on top. Looking forward to the men's pole vault final - crazy sport.

[Greystache]

Re: London 2012 Olympic Games Thread

Robert De Castella didn't miss them in his commentary of the marathon. Pretty much straight out said many were just there for the party in the athletes village after their events and that if a medal happened to fall their way it would be a bonus. Far too many didn't have anywhere near the level of commitment to their training required to be successful and just expected success to come their way based on the success enjoyed by their predecessors who had the required level of commitment.

He said China were improving at a rate of knots faster than Australia due to their work ethic, and it isn't good enough given they are supported by the Australian tax payers.

He caught Eddie McGuire by surprise who'd given him a little handball expecting a fluffy response.

He's had another dig at Australia's athletes in the HS today

Running legend Robert de Castella brands Australia's athletes too soft to succeed

FOUR-time Olympic marathon runner Robert de Castella believes Australia's current crop of athletes are soft and a new culture must be established if we are to ever again be an Olympic power.

Four-time Olympian De Castella, who was Australia's first world athletics champion and headed the Australian Institute of Sport between 1990 and 1995, said many of Australia's athletes competing in London lacked the hunger to be successful.

"Whether it's the generation of kids coming through or the affluence and the comfort that we've had in Australia for the last five or 10 years, something's happened where our athletes just don't seem to be hungry enough any more," he said.

"We've been on the crest of the wave for the last couple of Olympics coming out of Sydney and I think we've lost it. The wave has got away from us and the rest of the world has bolted.

"I think this is a bit of a wake-up call and I hope that our politicians and bureaucrats don't think it is a once-off because unless we're prepared to take a long hard look at our systems and what were doing, we'll be left further and further behind."

De Castella said Australian high performance sport needed a change of culture; similar to that kick-started by the AIS following Australia's poor performance at the Montreal Games in 1976.

"The world has jumped us," he said. "They jumped us back in the '70s and through the establishment of the AIS we got back on the front foot, but now they've jumped us again.

"We need to take a look at what we're doing and try to create a different culture, a whole different attitude."

De Castella, who runs an indigenous marathon program aimed at identifying and training Australia's first indigenous Olympic distance runner, believes the majority of Australian youth have it "too easy" to make the sacrifices required to get to the top in world sport.

"I see it with my indigenous kids," he said. "I really believe the hardship that is part of getting through life in a lot of these remote communities gives them a different level of appreciation and conviction that some of the rest of us who grow up in the cities don't always have. I'm talking about that do-or-die approach, and that's what you need these days."

He said successful athletes such as Sally Pearson should be used as the template for the future.

"Sally exemplifies everything that we need to take into our high performance sport," he added.

"We have to look at what she does and look at her attitude and figure out how we can support and manufacture and cultivate that attitude in other kids coming through."

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