And Phelps wins his 10th lifetime gold medal, setting the all-time record, with another final coming up in about half an hour.
Good god, USA's lead was HUGE in the 800 meter relay! That world record was destroyed! Under 7 minutes! Oh, and Phelps got another Gold.
Watching the 4x200m Relay and my Mom remarked: "I could anchor this race and they'd still win." That wasn't even a race -- the US beat the 2nd place Russians by 5 seconds. -nobody
An amazing swim by the Americans. Also impressed with the swims by Sullivan and the frenchman earlier in the day. I'm sure one of them will go under 47 seconds in the final.
Whenever the gymnasts talk to the camera or part of their conversation is picked up -- they sound like chipmunks. They also look 11. I miss the days when I was 11 and the likes of Dominique Moceanu and Shannon Miller were hot. Now it's just weird. -nobody
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has been thinking about that. On all counts (especially Moceanu and Miller).
I can't believe Alicia Sacramone fell twice. I'm stunned. She's never fallen on that pass. She performed it at worlds last year. She cost the US the gold and possibly the silver. Unbelievable. A bronze for the men was a miracle. A bronze for the women will feel like defeat.
Yeah, I'm surprised as well. The commentators have been talking about "China really has to screw up for the US to get the Gold" and I'm thinking "Yeah, but that wouldn't feel good because they would feel like they don't really deserve it."
Dude, they were babes. No way around that one. The gymnastic announcers are a little over the top, too. Every time their was a slight error by any team it was "OMG!!! OLYMPIC SIZE FAILURE!!!" No, it wasn't. Just competition. It's bound to happen. It's not the end of the world, just relax. Gymnastics announcers are about as crazy as figure skating announcers. -nobody
Yeah, I'm getting tired of the gymnastics announcers, although I find the synchronized divers announcers much more annoying. This crowd has decided China has won. They've been very loud during China's entire floor dance (or whatever it's called).
It's still galling that the Chinese got away with using underage athletes, though. It's just like doping in track and field or swimming, but the FIG will let it go by allowing China to show a passport as proof of age. Until they grow some cahones, it won't change, and China will be able to field tinier, lighter athletes. The US could have won. They didn't capitalize on their opportunities when China gave them the opening. Alicia is going to remember that fall on floor and beam for a long, long time. Beating the teeny tiny Chinese would have been a sweet victory indeed.
As much as I'm a patriot for the US, after seeing tonight's report on the CBS Evening News about how the Chinese have rigged their Olympic pool beyond standard specifications (deeper and wider to prevent water resistance against swimmers), I'm having a hard time believing the world records that are constantly falling aren't tainted in some way. I find it hard to say that Michael Phelps is the best swimmer in Olympic history when he has an almost unfair competitive advantage over every past Olympic swimmer because of how the Chinese designed the pool.
If the pool meets specifications I don't see how Phelps' actual wins are tainted. All the world records that are falling aren't exactly indicative of a level playing field, (akin to a FG kicker who's always played outside in the wind versus a FG kicker who's always played in a domed stadim) but I can't see how it determined the actual outcome of who won and lost. As the years pass, modifications are made and rules change. Shannon Miller has more olympic medals than any American gymnast, but the age eligibility requirement was two years younger when she competed. It's legal, but not really fair as a comparison to lesser medaled athletes who came later. I do agree, though, that the world medal times of Phelps (and everyone else) have a bit of an asterisk to them.
Isn't it a level playing field though. It's not like there is another pool being used. I don't see any competitive advantage there, other than the fact that he's just good.
I'm not referring to Phelps vs. the field, but Phelps vs. the history books. Previous Olympians did not have these advantages and while Phelps earns each of his golds, these new world records should be considered suspect when taking the modifications to the pool and these new suits into account.