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Thanks, cupcake. That’s a pretty darn great Olympian.</p>
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Every sport with group play and then medal rounds has the same potential glitch … going into the last round of the the round robin a team could go whoa; if we win look we get in the next round versus if we lose.</p>
<p>For example, imagine the US women’s soccer team was upset in the round robin phase and was headed for a second place finish in their group. Then imagine in the cross over group (the groups that will meet in the first metal round) that two teams are playing for first place … now with the earlier US loss the winner of this other group will get the US and the second place team gets the winner of the US group. Want to bet teams would think about resting their best players in this game for first place to avoid the US women?</p>
<p>FYI - soccer schedules lots of simultaneous games for the last round to try to minimize this issue.</p>
<p>One last thought … most of the round robin sports only have one national team … water polo, field hockey, basketball, indoor volleyball. However badminton and beach volley ball have multiple teams from each country in their fields which increases the incentive to try to avoid each other in the metal round.</p>
<p>Interesting problem … one way to fix this issue is to have a one and done tournament but that creates other issues … the losing teams might play one and be done which does not help any of the developing countries and also allows no hiccups by the favorites. (to deal with the up can coming teams you could have losers brackets to ensure everyone plays at least 3 games … but frankly, that feels a lot like a U9 soccer tournament).</p>
<p>there’s a DQ in the 200 IM. anyone know what he did? With those times Phelps & Lochte look good for the finals.</p>
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<p>Two responses.</p>
<p>When I was in college I started out running for the track team and if I swam with my girlfriend who swam for the school I was cooked before she broke a sweat so you’re right … then again when we went for a run she was cooked before I broke a sweat.</p>
<p>In the history of track and field I do no believe there has ever been a medal level athlete in more than 4 track and field events and that includes the very early years. In the history of swimming there have hundreds(? … a guess but a reasonable guess) of swimmers who have swum at medal level in 5 events in one olympics. I can only think of two reasons for that.</p>
<p>1) Every swimmer who has swum 5 or more events at the olympics is a better athlete than every track and field athlete ever since none of the t&f athletes are good enough to try 5. Said another way … people have run 4 since at least the 1920s and no one has tried 5 (that I know of) … do you think no one was motivated to be the first to do 5?</p>
<p>2) The dynamics of the sports are different enough that would class athletes are more limited in track and field in how many event they can try than in swimming (or gymnastics).</p>
<p>I’d have a tough time believing #1.</p>
<p>The dynamics are different for each sport. Why does everything have to be a ****ing match? </p>
<p>Phelps is a great athlete, and the one with the most olympic medals. I don’t know if he is the best all time olympic athlete. I feel comfortable saying the is probably in the top 5 or 10 best ever. There are probably runners, gymnasts, and others there too.</p>
<p>It is impossible to say who is the best overall athlete because the events they competed in, even 100 free and 200 free, are so different! It is like arguing about apples and oranges. :)</p>
<p>Missy Franklin just qualified for 100m free sytle final - Go Missy!!</p>
<p>OR & Gold for USA Woman’s 4x200 freestyle relay!!!</p>
<p>Once again, MiamiDAP is an “expert” on something she knows nothing about- in this case running. She knows a little about swimming because her kid swam in high school and she herself floats up and down the pool for a couple of hours a day. She doesn’t run and knows nothing about the sport.</p>
<p>I am a competitive runner and a decent swimmer and have done a number of triathlons. Bunsen is correct that the swim is first so that cramping and problems generally found later in the event are not happening in water. Swimming and running are very different. I have the utmost admiration for swimmers and know several former Olympic medalists in the sport. There is tremendous skill and technique involved- much more so than in distance running! Once you get the technique down, you aren’t nearly as gassed from it. My husband started practicing swimming for a triathlon shortly after the Boston Marathon a number of years ago. It was so hard for him (very low body fat) that the guy helping him asked him if he was a smoker! Yes, it takes a lot longer to cover distance in water than on land. Duh!! The ****ing contest is ridiculous. Both are awesome sports. I think the training equivalent is 4 miles of running to 1 mile of swimming.</p>
<p>Womens 4 x 200 - what a race!!! Fantastic - can’t wait to watch on the big screen tonight - compared to the tiny corner of my work computer - lol!!</p>
<p>The most versatile swimmer with fast times in the most events is usually considered the best swimmer on a team, the one who swims most (or all?) relays. All kiddies’ teams usually know who that is. That is where medal count comes very handy. The most contributor is recognized the most, pretty straight forward, no wishy washy whatever. This person usually also works the hardest during practices. Talent alone will not do, it is just the first absolutely required pre-requisite (so to speak).</p>
<p>I am dying to see "Womens 4 x 200 " as man’s yesterday was absolutely fantastic!</p>
<p>Since I am on the west coast, I am watching the events mostly on nbcolympics website. I enjoy the Australian commentators in swimming immensely, extremely good insights, no yelling and very refreshing.</p>
<p>Kei Nishikori pulls through and beats Ferrer yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.</p>
<p>Now don’t lose to Del Potro!</p>
<p>MOWC - I was a competitive swimmer and now officiate at state-level meets, so I’ll weigh in here… At the world class competition level regarding time to complete, I agree with your math that 4 miles running = 1 mile swimming, however I think it’s much easier to get someone off the couch and complete 4 miles of running versus 1 mile of swimming. There is a huge fear factor in swimming that causes many people to stop swimming, not to mention pool availablity. </p>
<p>Again, it’s apples & oranges…</p>
<p>MiamiDAP…what are you saying? My son does IM, but that doesn’t make him the best swimmer on his team - he’s well rounded, but not necessarily the fastest in each stroke. Consider having a land relay where someone runs forward, another backwards, one hops on one foot and another on all fours. That’s a swimming medley relay… Some talented swimmers burn out and just quit. Talent is needed, but dedication is also a requirement. I’m quite happy my son didn’t join a club team until he was 12, as I saw way too many kids that went to JOs as 8yo, burn out by 13 and never join their HS team.</p>
<p>Congrats to Bradley Wiggins on the gold in the men’s time trial! What a summer it’s been for him.</p>
<p>I had to look up what the time trial was.</p>
<p>If you want to compare apples and oranges all in the same event, how about the modern pentathalon:</p>
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<p>Do the winners get jobs in action movies?</p>
<p>MiamiDAP is basing her knowledge of swimming on local summer league, unfortunately. Yes, in summer league it is nice if some of the kids can actually DO the butterfly and not get DQd!</p>
<p>NJ2011- Yeah, I did the USS local and state meet officiating in Texas. I figured out as soon as my kids started swimming that it was going to be unbearable unless I was an official and had access to the hospitality suite food!</p>
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<p>German kayaker Birgit Fischer won 8 gold and 4 silver medals over 6 Olympic games between 1980 and 2004, representing East Germany in 1980 and 1988 (1984 was the boycott year) and Germany in 1992, 1996, 2000. and 2004.</p>
<p>Hungarian fencer Aladar Gerevich won 7 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals over 6 Olympic games between 1932 and 1960.</p>
<p>What’s even more remarkable about the longevity of their Olympic careers is that in each case there was an interruption. Gerevich’s career was interrupted by World War II; the Olympics weren’t held in 1940 and 1944. Fischer’s career was interrupted by the 1984 boycott of the Los Angeles Olympics by Soviet-bloc countries in retaliation for the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. </p>
<p>The record for appearances in the most Olympics is held by Canadian equestrian Ian Millar, who at age 65 is competing in his record 10th Olympics this year in London. His silver medal in Beijing in 2008 was his first. Austrian sailor Hubert Raudaschl competed in 9 consecutive Olympics between 1964 and 1996, winning two silver medals, the first in Mexico City in 1968 and the second in Moscow in 1980.</p>
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<p>That feat was matched by American Bob Mathias in 1948 and 1952. I remember Bob Mathias from my childhood; for many years he was the guy on the front of the box of Wheaties, “the Breakfast of Champions.” </p>
<p>A number of athletes have won silver in decathlon at one Olympics, and followed that up with gold at the next. These include Americans Milt Campbell (1952-56) and Rafer Johnson (1956-60), Czech Roman Sebrle (2000-04), and American Bryan Clay (2004-08).</p>
<p>Daley Thompson’s back-to-back decathlon golds came in 1980 and 1984, both boycotted by major blocs of nations. In fairness, though, he racked up impressive scores, especially in 1984 in Los Angeles where his 8,847 points set a world decathlon record at the time, and still stands as the second-highest ever in Olympic competition.</p>
<p>The highest-ever Olympic decathlon score is held by the Czech decathlete Roman Sebrle’s score of 8,893 at the 2004 Athens Olympics.</p>
<p>On the women’s side, American Jackie Joyner-Kersee won back-to-back golds in the heptathlon in 1988 and 1992 after winning silver in 1984 (under the name Jackie Joyner). women’s heptathlon was added to the Olympics in 1984. There were no back-to-back winners in the women’s pentathlon which preceded the heptathlon from 1964-1980.</p>