'Plunging New Depths' - Swimming

[liv]

Cool, with or without doping, that the girl swam faster than Lochte!!!

In her defence, that Chinese girl is only 16, so this is the time that she's gonna improve quickly. If she was in her 20's I'd have more trouble believing it. She's still learning and growing. Now if in a few years time if they re-analyze her samples and they find out it was doping I wouldn't be surprised, but for now I"ll remain impressed.

[judgejudy27]

The winner of the 200m free has to swim something like 1:44:00 ish (or better), and I'm not sure Sun Yang is even capable of that. From what I've seen, he has been downplaying this 200m race and his chances in it, and this is not a guy who will say things like "this race will be really tough for me because there are so many great competitors" if he really is confident he'll win. He probably genuinely realizes he is just contending for a silver or bronze at this point.

I think one of Biedermann, Lochte, or Agnel will win the 200 free, with Lochte the least likely of those.

[Alex Forrest]

She swam the last 50m faster than Ryan Lochte, for god's sake, what did they expect people to think?!

She's 16, she comes from a country that has a long and colourful history of doping/cheating etc, and she smashed out a time that was frankly ridiculous...five seconds faster than her personal best. Really, what were we supposed to immediately think?!

China's history is just as bad as the old East Germany when it comes to doping their swimmers. Maybe this 16 y/o is a miracle of physical prowess, but given China's history and the fact that she swam so fast out of the blue from her own personal record, it sounds like more of the same.

I remember years ago Janet Evans lost the gold to an obvious doper. Evans came out and explicitly said her opponent had to be doping. People told Evans to shut up and stop being a poor sport, and guess what? Evans was right. It's not whining when something appears to be so off the wall. And this sounds off the wall.

[allezfred]

I remember years ago Janet Evans lost the gold to an obvious doper. Evans came out and explicitly said her opponent had to be doping. People told Evans to shut up and stop being a poor sport, and guess what? Evans was right.

But she was still a whiney ass and nobody likes a whiney ass.

[Cyn]

I remember years ago Janet Evans lost the gold to an obvious doper. Evans came out and explicitly said her opponent had to be doping. People told Evans to shut up and stop being a poor sport, and guess what? Evans was right. It's not whining when something appears to be so off the wall. And this sounds off the wall.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you're referring to the situation with Michelle Smith in my previous post .

Errr, I've no idea why you're apologising to British people as neither me or Michelle Smith are British. We're Irish as in the Republic of Ireland, an independent country. For feck's sake. If you're going to apologise for something, apologise about thinking that the Republic of Ireland is part of another country.

Nice deflection - rather than responding to the point of my post, you instead focus on my apologizing GB as well as to you? I pointed out that Smith was Irish and representing Ireland. Doesn't change the fact that Michelle Smith was a doper.

As for your comment

But she was still a whiney ass and nobody likes a whiney ass.

What a load of bollocks. Janet Evans voiced what a large number of people, not just viewers, but (more importantly) other athletes, coaches, and officials, suspected -- which was later borne out to be true.

If you're in fact going to opine about the issue, at least be honest with it --

But I thought she was still a whiney ass American

.

[SHARPIE]

Nice deflection - rather than responding to the point of my post, you instead focus on my apologizing GB as well as to you? I pointed out that Smith was Irish and representing Ireland. Doesn't change the fact that Michelle Smith was a doper.


.

Eh? You said 'Apologies to Fred and other Brits' - How was he supposed to read that? Smith being a doper isnt the issue.

[Cyn]

Eh? You said 'Apologies to Fred and other Brits' - How was he supposed to read that? Smith being a doper isnt the issue.

Mea Culpa....The point of my post was in response to the questions raised about the Gold medalist and possible doping issues and how the same situation occurred during the '96 Olympics.

Saying "sorry" to Fred (who as we all know is Irish) was due to my not wanting to single out Ireland's top GM in Ireland's history (IIRC). Including Britain in that was an honest mistake -- I guess I'm a bit as to why that became the focus of response rather than the original subject.

[SHARPIE]

Saying "sorry" to Fred (who as we all know is Irish) .

LOL do we? It's become a running joke especially recently with the games being in London, how many people are mistaking him for a Brit.

He's more American than British

I remember the Brit commentators were quite excited over Smith though, especially as our own Olympic haul that games was crap. Did she get stripped of her medals in the end?

[Cyn]

He's more American than British

I thought that was supposed to be .

I remember the Brit commentators were quite excited over Smith though, especially as our own Olympic haul that games was crap. Did she get stripped of her medals in the end?

Here in the US, the media (who wasn't anywhere near as obnoxiously biased as it is now) was cheering all over the place for her and how incredible it was for Ireland. It was only later on that the issue starting making its way to the forefront.

She was never stripped of her Olympic medals, but she was suspended two years later for doping, and that effectively ended her career:

Michelle Smith - 1996 Olympics and Controversy/Doping Ban

[allezfred]

Nice deflection - rather than responding to the point of my post, you instead focus on my apologizing GB as well as to you? I pointed out that Smith was Irish and representing Ireland. Doesn't change the fact that Michelle Smith was a doper.

Of course she was a doper. Wasn't disputing that. It's pretty obvious innit.

Still doesn't change the fact that Janet Evans was a whiney ass and that for some reason only known to yourself that you felt the need to apologise to GB about an Irish swimmer while referring to me "and other Brits".

[SHARPIE]

Even Irish bloody HORSES are dopers!!

[wickedwitch]

I still don't understand the decision with Lochte. Part of me wonders if the US wants there to be a swimming "star" like there was in 2004 and 2008 and want Lochte to be that guy.

[Tesla]

I still don't understand the decision with Lochte. Part of me wonders if the US wants there to be a swimming "star" like there was in 2004 and 2008 and want Lochte to be that guy.

I was wondering if they were hoping Lochte would do what Phelps did in 2008.

[Buzz]

Come on Phelps, win something and cheer me up!

[Braulio]

Day three of the swimming competition to start

hope we can return to the point of this thread please?

[Braulio]

Women´s 200m semifinals

Semi 1: Barrat, Muffat, Shmitt top 3, Sjostroem (SWE) and silver medalist from Beijing Sara Isakovic wont advance most likely

Semi 2: Pellegrini, McClatchey doing ok, slow semifinal. Missy Franklin maybe just too much since she has the 100 back final later, she looked very tentative and slow, wow she qualifies last!

[oleada]

Franklin last into the 200m final

[allezfred]

Still no sightings of Shazza Davies nipples.

[liv]

That would've put a cramp in NBC...if Missy Franklin didn't make that final... how would they spin that outcome?

[allezfred]

200m free final!