In case anyone missed it (and judging by the ratings, not a lot of people have) the USA is leading the 2000 Olympic games with 7 Gold Medals and 18 Total Medals. We got a gold with the Women's Air Rifle, Nancy Johnson, (Is that a sport?), silver for the Women's Flyweight weightlifting, and Bronze for the Equestrian 3 day team event. Our kicking swim team has racked up the remaining 15 medals. A sidenote -- our gymnastics team finished fourth. After all the hoopla last year, they didn't even go out with a whimper. http://sydney2000.espn.go.com/medaltracker/countryresults?abbrev=USA I've had a tough time getting into the games this year, and I'm not sure exactly why. Has anyone been watching the games? Why or why not? ------------------ Stay Cool... [This message has been edited by dc sports (edited September 19, 2000).]
Tape delay just doesn't play well in the era of instant updates, via the media and (especially) the internet. Who cares about an event that happened 12 to 18 hours earlier? Plus, the games have been so infested with "official sponsorships" and drug allegations that they've lost the innocence and purity that was, IMO, their biggest drawing card. But hey - that's just my take. ------------------
I cant explain it but I just havent gotten into it yet.The time diffrence certainly doesnt help,it seems we know whats happened before we see it on TV. ------------------
Followed closely by Australia on 17 medals (6 gold). I've been following it fairly closely, but you are right - something is lost in the delayed telecast. There is something strangely addictive about the adhoc & patchy coverage you usually get when it is live. Obviously the most exciting part for me has been Ian Thorpe - the mens 4 X 100m relay victory over the USA was magnificent, and today the Australian 4 X 200m men team beat the field by over 5 seconds and broke to world record by 2 seconds. Watch for the mens 100m final on Wednesday, a showdown between:- Alexander Popov - reigning Gold Medalist Gary Hall Jr: Recently beaten by the Aussies in the 4 X 100 final, mocked with the "air guitar" and certainly eager to prove something Michael Klim: Broke the world record on Saturday during thr 4 x 100m final van den Hoogenband: Broke Klim's new world record today in the semi final Should be a balltearer!! ------------------ Current Rocket's Salary & Contract Info
I truly could care less...I really don't enjoy these events. I like team sports most..the only Olympic event I ever pay attention to is ice hockey. The rest I really don't get that into...though I do like hearing the nice stories after the fact. Has anyone heard yet about television ratings for the Olympics??? I can't imagine they're very good. ------------------
I think they have been getting less than a 14 share on the Nielsen ratings. It's pretty funny, as advertisers were promised at least a 16. What happens in that case? Does anyone know? I am watching whenever Holland is competing. We're seventh so far, which is damn good for a small country like ours. One more thing...does Australia usually do this well or does the advantage of being at home proven to be a big one? ------------------ Nederland 2002 Qualifying Campaign (Damn those penalties!!!) Houston Rockets Space Center- Not just another ClutchCity.NET clone. We're that and more!
Ace; damn you dutchies! You seem to be beating us in every event... The aussies NEVER usually go this well! The home ground advantage is immense! Last Olympics the tally was 9 golds (41 overall medals) After 4 days the tally is 6 golds (18 overall) With the Aussies looking really good in the rowing there could be a lot more medals on board by the end of the week! ------------------
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Time delay kills. No Heroes yet. Keri Strug propelled the last olympics. No personality. I can now say I can outperform an olypian at their event. I can swim a lot better than that one guy, but it was inspirational that he did the 100m despite never haing compeeted at a distance that long. Sleep Team V has been done before. Now if Miles was on the team, there might be a reason to watch. The big boxing match is coming up. If Cuba faces off with the US in baseball, it would be cool. Ball room dancing has hurt the olympics. ------------------ "You've got 6 fouls, use them well" -Derrick Coleman
time delay is the STUPIDEST idea I've ever heard of!! That guy from Eucador in the pool was GREAT! It was pretty funny how he ran out of energy in the second 50 meters Good on him though! He's only been swimming for 9 months (and that includes learning to swim) - he got one of those bodysuits as a "prize" and it should be so good for his country to have someone who competed at the olympics AND was recognised the world over as giving his best! ------------------
Could you tell me more about that swimmer? An article would be great... ------------------ Nederland 2002 Qualifying Campaign (Damn those penalties!!!) Houston Rockets Space Center- Not just another ClutchCity.NET clone. We're that and more!
I'm getting bogged down by the HUMAN INTEREST Stories. As an American I can say that IAN Thorpe guy is a heal . . they way he is bullying our pool american swimmers. .. did you see him send wave after wave of water at them . . .it is an embarassment *grin* in all honesty he did make the swimming interesting . .. I think next olympics everyone will have a IAN THORPE swim suit Rocket River ------------------
Australia's impressive medal tally so far is amazing when compared to our population, 22 medals for 18 million people ------------------ Discombobulation Imminent
Come on guys, tell me more about that guy from Ecuador. Ian Thorpe? I'm saying Pieter van den Hoogenband! ------------------ Nederland 2002 Qualifying Campaign (Damn those penalties!!!) Houston Rockets Space Center- Not just another ClutchCity.NET clone. We're that and more!
Why watch the Olympics when there is so much action going on here?! ------------------ I am the founding member of the Butt-Nekkid Party! White House here we come!
Ace; Pieter Van den Hoogenband IS AMAZING! And so is Inge DeBruijn... where did you get those 2 guys? they'll bring home 4 gold medals between them! As for the African guy, I don't have any links for you - all I can tell you is what I saw and what was in the papers. Ok, let me start; Eric Moussambini from Ecaudor was entered into the 100 metres freestyle at the olympic games! He learned to swim just 9 months ago and was included in the olympic team to make enough numbers for the country to actually send a team to the olympics. He was "discovered" as a swimmer because he was the only guy in his village who could swim across the river!! Eric's heat was the final heat for the 100m free and was the slowest heat. He was matched up with 2 other "deadly" swimmers (I think one was from PNG). The athletes took their marks. FALSE START Eric's nerves were jangling. This was his moment. The athletes took their marks.... FALSE START again from both the other competitors - this disqualified both of them from competing and left Eric a saloon passage to victory in his heat - qualification for the final required a time of around 48.5 seconds and Eric was now in a race against the clock. He took his mark. The gun sounded, Eric looked around to make sure he was good to go. An official signalled thumbs up and Eric hit the water, arms churning and legs thrashing wildly he flashed down the pool. The clock was counting down towards 48 seconds as he approached the wall - could Eric complete one lap in the time it took a regular swimmer to complete two? Not quite! Now was the time to put Eric's new skills into play - a tumbleturn. This was something he had just learned a few days beforehand and he bravely attempted to complete the dangerous manouver - it was semi succesful and he fearfully found the surface again after being underwater for at least 2 seconds. This was obviously something he didn't like and he refused to dip his head into the water for the second 50 meters. IT became clear that he ran out of energy halfway through the seond lap too and he was laying pretty low in the water and the legs weren't kicking! Finally he finished to a rousing round of applause in 1minute 52 seconds! A personal best!! and only 3 times the required time to qualify for the semis... better luck next time Eric! Speedo gave him a "speed suit" and have encouraged him to keep training and to return to the 2004 olympics. In interviews Eric said he was VERY keen to do so! A local Sydney newspaper challenged a 79 year old man to swim off against Eric and to beat his time. The 79 year old grandfather beat him by 3 seconds! The publicity generated for swimming in Ecaudor is WELL worth it though!!!! ------------------
He was from Ecuatorial Guinea, not Ecuador - quite a big difference! Here is the article from www.olympics.com Eric the Eel, Sydney's accidental hero 21 September 2000 Everyone loves Eric the Eel, the accidental hero who became an instant overnight celebrity for swimming very, very slowly. Eric Moussambani of Equatorial Guinea David Gray / Reuters He thought he might drown when he swam one of the slowest races in Olympic history but Eric Moussambani refused to give up and that is why the world is queuing up to say hello. The German team took him out for a dinner cruise round Sydney Harbour, top swimmer Ian Thorpe congratulated him, Time magazine clamoured for an interview, Speedo gave him a Fastskin bodysuit. "It is all so overwhelming for me," said the swimmer from Equatorial Guinea, who has emerged as the most unlikely star of Sydney 2000. Spanish, French, English, Swedish, Japanese, Canadian and Australian media queued up to hear his story. He went on NBC television's Today Show. Autograph hunters besieged him on a trip to Sydney's Coogee Beach. It was only the second time he had even seen the sea. Eric Moussambani in his new Fastskin suit Dylan Martinez / Reuters The frenzy was created by his solo run over 100 metres of the Homebush Bay pool where world records had been tumbling all week. His two fellow competitors had been disqualified in his heat so he had to swim alone. He nearly didn't make it but the crowds roared him home in one minute 52 seconds, about a minute slower than the rest of the heat winners. The 22-year-old student, who had only learned to swim in January, thought he might be going under at one stage. The first 50 metres okay "The first 50 metres were okay but in the second 50 metres I got a bit worried and thought I wasn't going to make it. Then something happened — I think it was all the people getting behind me," he said. "I was really, really proud. It is still a great feeling for me and I loved when everyone applauded me at the end. I felt like I had won a medal or something," he told The Australian newspaper. Eric has been making new friends all over the place. Someone put a sign over his room at the athletes' village proclaiming "Eric The Swimmer." The South African team came round to say hello and congratulate him. Moussambani went looking for his hero — the Australian swimming star Michael Klim. Instead, it was the other way round. "After the race the other night, he came to me," Moussambani said. "He just walked up to me in the dressing room and shook my hand. The only bad thing is I didn't have my camera." Australian hero Thorpe knows all about the pressures of stardom. Fellow swimmers even video him eating his breakfast in the athletes' village. Thorpe had nothing but admiration for Moussambani whose race he watched on television. "This is what the Olympics is all about," he said. Every bit of Moussambani is now hot property. The online auction site eBay is auctioning his only pair of goggles for charity. And now the swimmer in the glare of international publicity already has his sights set on Athens in 2004: "I'll be there, believe me," he promised. ------------------ Current Rocket's Salary & Contract Info
