Too bad Bolt showboated at the end of his run otherwise his win would've been even more impressive than it was. And the last name Bolt is just perfect for the "fastest man alive".
2008 Olympics!
- Thread starter Turbo
- Start date
^ I think the showboating made it all more impressive. Showed he wasn't even trying. 
Don't see why he can't. Besides, he still has Laryssa Latynina to surpass in overall medal count (she has 18 from 3 different games in gymnastics).
If he thinks he can do it....
Don't see why he can't. Besides, he still has Laryssa Latynina to surpass in overall medal count (she has 18 from 3 different games in gymnastics).
^ I think the showboating made it all more impressive. Showed he wasn't even trying.
Yeah, this race will be legendary.
And Bolt can still improve the record at some meeting where he gets more money for it.
18 may be hard to come by in these more technologically advanced times. 
Oh, here's the clip of Larissa Latynina from a competition in 1958, must have been nationals or something since 1960 was the olympic year. It's only 28 seconds but check it out. Wow, has womens gymnastics changed since 1958.
Check out this high power vault she does in the middle of it. It's all perspective, though. This was considered high level ladies gymnastics once upon a time. She competed until she was 30 years old. I believe this is the competition during which she was pregnant with her first child. No one thought anything about letting her compete. Her doctor okayed it, obviously.
Larissa Latynina, 1958
It's bizarre looking to modern eyes.
Oh, here's the clip of Larissa Latynina from a competition in 1958, must have been nationals or something since 1960 was the olympic year. It's only 28 seconds but check it out. Wow, has womens gymnastics changed since 1958.
Check out this high power vault she does in the middle of it. It's all perspective, though. This was considered high level ladies gymnastics once upon a time. She competed until she was 30 years old. I believe this is the competition during which she was pregnant with her first child. No one thought anything about letting her compete. Her doctor okayed it, obviously. Larissa Latynina, 1958
It's bizarre looking to modern eyes.
It is very stylish though.
Once upon a time, womens artistic gymnastics focused on the artistry. With the advent of Nadia in 1976 was when the unbelievable tricks started coming in on a regular basis and the sport became full of tiny teenaged pixies who hadn't gone through puberty. That's why the judges loved Nastia Liukin this time around. She has the difficult tricks, but she's a complete throwback to the artistic era of the sport, all five feet three inches of her. She looks like an 18 year old woman, which is nice in this day and age. I doubt we'll ever get back to a point where women in their first trimesters will compete, though.
Phelps going Super Saiyan!
http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/9936/d375bcb7ff19525cf7c67ccke7.gif
http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/9936/d375bcb7ff19525cf7c67ccke7.gif
^ Thank you. 
Life's odd, isn't it? I enjoy watching gymnastics, but only at major events and only if it's presented to me. So, I don't have a special interest, and I've never heard of this woman, and yet, you post a clip of her and I find her utterly captivating. I've added her clips to my favourites list over on the 'tube.
Life's odd, isn't it? I enjoy watching gymnastics, but only at major events and only if it's presented to me. So, I don't have a special interest, and I've never heard of this woman, and yet, you post a clip of her and I find her utterly captivating. I've added her clips to my favourites list over on the 'tube.
Once upon a time, womens artistic gymnastics focused on the artistry. With the advent of Nadia in 1976 was when the unbelievable tricks started coming in on a regular basis and the sport became full of tiny teenaged pixies who hadn't gone through puberty. That's why the judges loved Nastia Liukin this time around. She has the difficult tricks, but she's a complete throwback to the artistic era of the sport, all five feet three inches of her. She looks like an 18 year old woman, which is nice in this day and age. I doubt we'll ever get back to a point where women in their first trimesters will compete, though.
I wish they would just get rid of all the silly hand waving and prancing about and let them just do the most amazing tricks they can come up with. Grace is one thing and has a place in the sport. Voguing does not. I don't care how old they are or if they've gone through puberty or how tall they are (I am not 5'3" myself, so I'm not sure why that's such a wonderful thing), I care how many times they can flip around before hitting the ground. And if the 4'10" 15-year-olds are better at that than 5'5" 25-year-olds, then great, I want to watch the 15-year-olds, and the 25-year-olds can stick to Rhythmic Gymnastics, which I will skip. Unless I am high, because then it looks cool.
Once upon a time, womens artistic gymnastics focused on the artistry. With the advent of Nadia in 1976 was when the unbelievable tricks started coming in on a regular basis and the sport became full of tiny teenaged pixies who hadn't gone through puberty. That's why the judges loved Nastia Liukin this time around. She has the difficult tricks, but she's a complete throwback to the artistic era of the sport, all five feet three inches of her. She looks like an 18 year old woman, which is nice in this day and age. I doubt we'll ever get back to a point where women in their first trimesters will compete, though.
I wish they would just get rid of all the silly hand waving and prancing about and let them just do the most amazing tricks they can come up with. Grace is one thing and has a place in the sport. Voguing does not. I don't care how old they are or if they've gone through puberty or how tall they are (I am not 5'3" myself, so I'm not sure why that's such a wonderful thing), I care how many times they can flip around before hitting the ground. And if the 4'10" 15-year-olds are better at that than 5'5" 25-year-olds, then great, I want to watch the 15-year-olds, and the 25-year-olds can stick to Rhythmic Gymnastics, which I will skip. Unless I am high, because then it looks cool.
True, though the lower age limit plumbed by the Chinese and their 13- or 14-year-olds is pushing a bit too far (and rule-breaking). As long as the women/girls are within the limits of the rules, I'm fine with it. China has probably gotten a free pass with several of the women's gymnastic gold medals in their stable.
Last edited:
I wish they would just get rid of all the silly hand waving and prancing about and let them just do the most amazing tricks they can come up with. Grace is one thing and has a place in the sport. Voguing does not. I don't care how old they are or if they've gone through puberty or how tall they are (I am not 5'3" myself, so I'm not sure why that's such a wonderful thing), I care how many times they can flip around before hitting the ground. And if the 4'10" 15-year-olds are better at that than 5'5" 25-year-olds, then great, I want to watch the 15-year-olds, and the 25-year-olds can stick to Rhythmic Gymnastics, which I will skip. Unless I am high, because then it looks cool.
Size is one thing - there are lots of sports where that plays a great role, age is another. I do think it should be the exception and not the rule for minors to compete at the Olympic Games; especially in a sport that is so potentially dangerous and harmful. In male gymnastics the best athletes are men and not boys either, so why should it be that way for female gymnastics?
Last edited:
The male apparatus depend far more on upper body strength, which comes with physical maturity. The male athletes are in a more advantageous position the older they get with their higher muscle to fat ratio. The womens skills depend on them being very, very light. The lighter you are, the faster you twist and the higher you jump. Being light is more valued than being physically strong. It got to the point that teenagers with delayed puberty were the norm because the fat to muscle ratio before puberty is different. When puberty is seen as the enemy, young girls (who aren't going to rebel against adult coaches) can get very fucked up in the head and body. Normal body development being seen as disadvantageous is a bad thing. For every girls who makes the squad, there are thousands who can be fucked. up. Christy Heinrich, the gymnast who died in '94 from anorexia was the worst case scenario. That's the real cause of the FIG raising the age limit from 15 to 16 after the '92 games.
I remember Mary Lou Retton talking on television (Mary Lou was 4'10" tall in '84) about the judge who told her that he'd have taken off another tenth of a point for the fat hanging off her butt if he'd been allowed. He said this to a 16 year old girl who weighed about 90 pounds.
Mary Lou, fortunately, has a very strong personality and was able to ignore him, but that kind of remark from an adult who judges in the sport to which you've turned over your life can be potentially devastating.
That's why a 5'3" girl who weighs 110 pounds winning the all around and having all the higher level skills is such a good thing. It's seen that a girl who isn't 4'6" and 68 pounds (one of the Chinese gymasts who's supposedly 16 years old weighs 68 pounds) can rise to gymnastic heights. If a normal 16 year old girl in public school weighed 68 pounds, she'd be in the hospital for malnutrition. They have got to get away from that shit.
EDIT:
They have in womens gymnastics. The FIG is just ridiculous. When they took away poor little Andrea Raducan's medal in 2000 because her doctor had given her a dose of cold meds that had a banned stimulant, even though they acknowledged she hadn't known, that it was an accident and that her performance wasn't enhanced in any way, they put themselves in a corner. They actually took the substance off the banned list immediately after the incident, but they wouldn't give her medal back to her. They "had to protect the integrity of the sport" but they won't do a thing to China, who is obviously competing with underaged girls. They're afraid of China since they're hosting. They're accepting the passports only as proof. Tell that to the girl who placed fourth in the all around, when one of the disputed Chinese gymnasts took third. She performed well and lost a chance at a medal to a girl who is most likely not eligible to compete. Nastia Liukin was only 4'11" 4 years ago during Athens and people said, "what a shame, blah blah blah" but she had to wait until she was 18 and 5'3", and 15 pounds heavier. Tough noogies. The age limit is 16 and should be enforced.
I remember Mary Lou Retton talking on television (Mary Lou was 4'10" tall in '84) about the judge who told her that he'd have taken off another tenth of a point for the fat hanging off her butt if he'd been allowed. He said this to a 16 year old girl who weighed about 90 pounds.
Mary Lou, fortunately, has a very strong personality and was able to ignore him, but that kind of remark from an adult who judges in the sport to which you've turned over your life can be potentially devastating.That's why a 5'3" girl who weighs 110 pounds winning the all around and having all the higher level skills is such a good thing. It's seen that a girl who isn't 4'6" and 68 pounds (one of the Chinese gymasts who's supposedly 16 years old weighs 68 pounds) can rise to gymnastic heights. If a normal 16 year old girl in public school weighed 68 pounds, she'd be in the hospital for malnutrition. They have got to get away from that shit.
EDIT:
They have in womens gymnastics. The FIG is just ridiculous. When they took away poor little Andrea Raducan's medal in 2000 because her doctor had given her a dose of cold meds that had a banned stimulant, even though they acknowledged she hadn't known, that it was an accident and that her performance wasn't enhanced in any way, they put themselves in a corner. They actually took the substance off the banned list immediately after the incident, but they wouldn't give her medal back to her. They "had to protect the integrity of the sport" but they won't do a thing to China, who is obviously competing with underaged girls. They're afraid of China since they're hosting. They're accepting the passports only as proof. Tell that to the girl who placed fourth in the all around, when one of the disputed Chinese gymnasts took third. She performed well and lost a chance at a medal to a girl who is most likely not eligible to compete. Nastia Liukin was only 4'11" 4 years ago during Athens and people said, "what a shame, blah blah blah" but she had to wait until she was 18 and 5'3", and 15 pounds heavier. Tough noogies. The age limit is 16 and should be enforced.
Last edited:
Once upon a time, womens artistic gymnastics focused on the artistry. With the advent of Nadia in 1976 was when the unbelievable tricks started coming in on a regular basis and the sport became full of tiny teenaged pixies who hadn't gone through puberty. That's why the judges loved Nastia Liukin this time around. She has the difficult tricks, but she's a complete throwback to the artistic era of the sport, all five feet three inches of her. She looks like an 18 year old woman, which is nice in this day and age. I doubt we'll ever get back to a point where women in their first trimesters will compete, though.
You make it sound like that era was long gone when it never actually went away.
The famous Russian gymnastic Svetlana Khorkina competed in the 2004 Olympics (she was 25 then). She lost the gold in the all-around to Carly Patterson.
Simona Amanar of Romania. Won the gold in the individual all-around at the Sydney games. She was 21 then.
Or Lilia Podkopayeva who was 18 when winning the same gold in Atlanta.
You can send all the young children out to compete but they are still not winning anything unless they are actually good. In that case then they would win at an older age also. The countries that are pulling this crap should realize this sooner or later.
Simona Amanar won the silver at the 2000 games and was later awarded the gold after the FIG took away Andrea Raducan's medal. Andrea was much tinier. Carly Patterson was also pretty tiny. However, your point is well taken. Then again, so's mine. The '92 womens US team were all pixies. The '96 team, after the rule change, was older. It was meant to nudge the sport in the right direction and it worked. Shannon Miller was 15 years old and 77 pounds in '92, and the whole team looked like her. I love Shannon Miller, but it's ridiculous the way she looked as a high school sophomore.
Shannon Miller on vault in the '92 olympics. She was fifteen years old.
Shannon Miller 1992 vault
Tatiana Gutsu, the '92 all around winner. She was as little bitty as Miller
Tatiana Gutsu
After Nadia, the sport was heading in a pixie direction. Something needed to be done, and they did it. The rule change to 16 was a good thing. I'm just pissed that the FIG lets China get away with breaking it.
EDIT: Yes, Svetlana Khorkina was a tall, beautiful gymnast. You're right about that.
Shannon Miller on vault in the '92 olympics. She was fifteen years old.
Shannon Miller 1992 vault
Tatiana Gutsu, the '92 all around winner. She was as little bitty as Miller
Tatiana Gutsu
After Nadia, the sport was heading in a pixie direction. Something needed to be done, and they did it. The rule change to 16 was a good thing. I'm just pissed that the FIG lets China get away with breaking it.
EDIT: Yes, Svetlana Khorkina was a tall, beautiful gymnast. You're right about that.
Last edited:
Once upon a time, womens artistic gymnastics focused on the artistry. With the advent of Nadia in 1976 was when the unbelievable tricks started coming in on a regular basis and the sport became full of tiny teenaged pixies who hadn't gone through puberty. That's why the judges loved Nastia Liukin this time around. She has the difficult tricks, but she's a complete throwback to the artistic era of the sport, all five feet three inches of her. She looks like an 18 year old woman, which is nice in this day and age. I doubt we'll ever get back to a point where women in their first trimesters will compete, though.
I wish they would just get rid of all the silly hand waving and prancing about and let them just do the most amazing tricks they can come up with. Grace is one thing and has a place in the sport. Voguing does not. I don't care how old they are or if they've gone through puberty or how tall they are (I am not 5'3" myself, so I'm not sure why that's such a wonderful thing), I care how many times they can flip around before hitting the ground. And if the 4'10" 15-year-olds are better at that than 5'5" 25-year-olds, then great, I want to watch the 15-year-olds, and the 25-year-olds can stick to Rhythmic Gymnastics, which I will skip. Unless I am high, because then it looks cool.
True, though the lower age limit plumbed by the Chinese and their 13- or 14-year-olds is pushing a bit too far (and rule-breaking). As long as the women/girls are within the limits of the rules, I'm fine with it. China has probably gotten a free pass with several of the women's gymnastic gold medals in their stable.
Oh, I agree, rule breaking is rule breaking. As Bela Karoly said, either enforce the rules or throw them out.
Of course, I know dozens of Chinese women from my time working at Hopkins, and not one of them breaks the 120 pound barrier, including several who are mothers of two. The 68 pound girl, who is no more than 14 years old at most, is probably not far outside of the normal range for her age group in China.
You're right. They can be pretty small, but don't you worry that China of all programs, if they can get away with going under the age limit and win team gold medals, will try almost anything to retard these girls' growth, like drugs or the like? 16 years old and only 68 pounds? He Kexin is barely any bigger. It's almost scarier if they really are 16. You have to wonder if the coaches are feeding them something to screw with their pituitary glands. There's smaller than average, and then there's tiny beyond all belief.
^Well, it's certainly possible, though I think a lot of it is down to the fact that these athletes are chosen based on body type to start with. For instance, when I was 6 or so, the gymnastics coach at the local training center (where Dominique Dawes trained) tried to push me into it because she could see from my parents - mother is 5'2", dad is 5'3" - that I would never get too tall and I was just a really skinny little kid. I didn't care for it, and quit the first time I got hurt, but in China, and some other countries, the recruiting is more intense and scientific, not to mention virtually mandatory. Same thing happened with my dad, both uncles and my cousin, who were all heavily recruited into wrestling becasue of their size; the coach (the same on for all of them!) knew that they would be able to wrestle in the lightest class throughout high school, giving them an advantage as they approached 18 and were wrestling 15-year-olds. My cousin used to starve himself to stay in his weight class (he had the temerity to hit 5'5", unherad of in my family ) and my dad and uncle just took it as a given, as part of the sport.
And most of those Chinese girls were almost certainly NOT 16. You could tell by their faces, more than by their bodies...
) and my dad and uncle just took it as a given, as part of the sport. And most of those Chinese girls were almost certainly NOT 16. You could tell by their faces, more than by their bodies...
Wow. I didn't realize wrestlers did the starving themselves thing.
Yeah, it makes sense that gymnastics coaches would ask about the height of the parents. May as well not even waste time on a little girl whose momma is 6 feet and her daddy is 6 feet five.
You make a good point about the faces. I thought of that myself. Shawn Johnson is pretty shrimpy, but when you see a shot of her face, she looks like a teenager. Something to do with skull size and bone structure. The Chinese gymnasts have teensiest, tiniest little girl faces. If you put Deng Lin Lin's face shot in an elementary school year book, there isn't a soul who would question it. He Kexin looks the same way. Shawn Johnson, no way. Deng Lin Lin and He Kexin, I could buy them as fourth graders if I only saw their faces. They look like they got into mommy's makeup.
EDIT: This is my favorite shot of Deng Lin Lin and yes, it's from the team competition. She's the cutest little 16 year old girl with a missing baby tooth that I've ever seen.
Yeah, it makes sense that gymnastics coaches would ask about the height of the parents. May as well not even waste time on a little girl whose momma is 6 feet and her daddy is 6 feet five.
You make a good point about the faces. I thought of that myself. Shawn Johnson is pretty shrimpy, but when you see a shot of her face, she looks like a teenager. Something to do with skull size and bone structure. The Chinese gymnasts have teensiest, tiniest little girl faces. If you put Deng Lin Lin's face shot in an elementary school year book, there isn't a soul who would question it. He Kexin looks the same way. Shawn Johnson, no way. Deng Lin Lin and He Kexin, I could buy them as fourth graders if I only saw their faces. They look like they got into mommy's makeup.
EDIT: This is my favorite shot of Deng Lin Lin and yes, it's from the team competition. She's the cutest little 16 year old girl with a missing baby tooth that I've ever seen.
Last edited:
Similar threads
