Olympic Tracker - Coverage of the Games

[jorgelito]

So, it's Day 3. Here's a Day 2 Wrap up.

Some highlights:

1. Team USA swept the medals in Women's Sabre - Fencing for some serious swashbuckling.

2. The first African won a medal when Kirsty Coventry won a silver medal in the Women's 400m Medley for Zimbabwe. I wonder how she will be received back in Zimbabwe. Will Mugabe "honour" her?

3. China is choking already. The first medal to be lost by Du Li in Women's Rifle on the first day. She was the heavy favorite to win gold but choked and came in 5th instead. Seems like there is an awful lot of pressure on the Chinese athletes with so much riding on these games for them. I kind of feel sorry for them a bit.

4. Michael Phelps is just magnificent. 1 down, 7 to go. Apparently the Water Cube is a "fast pool" and records are being broken at a, well, record pace. Will Team France give Team USA its comeuppance? I like that the French called out the USA. Makes it more fun.

5. I like it when "smaller" or lesser known/popular countries win. It's always fun to root them on.

Thailand won a gold - women's weightlifting
Taiwan won a bronze
Korea is powering through with 5 or so medals. 3rd in medal count
Algeria got a bronze in Women's Judo
Zimbabwe
Uzbekistan
North Korea

6. Touching moment - Russian and Georgian medalists hugging each other on the medal stand. Russia, Georgia medalists embrace despite conflict - Olympics - Yahoo! Sports

What you? Anything catch your eye or touch your heart these past few days? Any events or teams that you are particularly interested in?

[yellowmac]

Originally Posted by jorgelito

3. China is choking already. The first medal to be lost by Du Li in Women's Rifle on the first day. She was the heavy favorite to win gold but choked and came in 5th instead. Seems like there is an awful lot of pressure on the Chinese athletes with so much riding on these games for them. I kind of feel sorry for them a bit.

Er... well... they're kicking ass in gold medals won (6 as of now), and they're tied with the US for most medals right now, so I don't really expect this juggernaut to be dying down soon. I do feel bad for all of the pressure and high expectations that the public and media are setting for them, but at the same time, I think the thrill of playing in front of the home crowd will even this out. There definitely is a "home country" advantage in the Olympics, it seens.

I really enjoyed the US vs. China basketball game. It was really fun to watch the highlight factory created by the Redeem Team.

Also, this picture:

[The_Dunedan]

Team USA swept the medals in Women's Sabre - Fencing for some serious swashbuckling.

And this is quite a thing. Women's sabre has only been in the Olympics for four years, and prior to 2004 the United States had not won a Gold medal in any Fencing discipline for more than 100 years. For the U.S. to "bracket" this event in 2004 and sweep it in 2008 is nothing short of incredible.

[Bear Cub]

To say that Du Li "choked" in women's air rifle is kind of a joke. She shot a 399 out of 400 going into the final. You needed a 397 just to make the final. She did drop an uncharacteristic 2 points in the final, but that was moot anyways. Katerina Emmons shot a perfect 400/400 and won the final with a 103.5. Nobody else stood a chance.

To even call Du Li a favorite going in is kind of a wash as well. There have been people at the collegiate level to shoot 400/400 air scores. Yes, it's a world class score, but many of the female competitors were capable of or have shot those scores, including Jamie Beyerle and Emily Caruso, both of whom I am friends with and have been teammates with in years past.

I will agree that it was exceptionally difficult for her to have lost that event given the standards she was being held to. Women's Air Rifle is always the first event, so there is that prestige associated with winning the first medal of the games.

[jorgelito]

Originally Posted by yellowmac

Er... well... they're kicking ass in gold medals won (6 as of now), and they're tied with the US for most medals right now, so I don't really expect this juggernaut to be dying down soon. I do feel bad for all of the pressure and high expectations that the public and media are setting for them, but at the same time, I think the thrill of playing in front of the home crowd will even this out. There definitely is a "home country" advantage in the Olympics, it seens.

I really enjoyed the US vs. China basketball game. It was really fun to watch the highlight factory created by the Redeem Team.

Actually I meant in terms of expectations. Yes they are tied and have a pretty good count at the moment but they are under enormous amounts of pressure so i don't think choking will be uncommon which is really too bad. For many, it's gold or gulag. I think the homefield advantage is NOT an advantage at all due to the extreme pressure and expectations.

Oddly, Team USA, especially Men's Basketball has a distinct home court advantage as the Chinese seem to adore the Americans (which is really something considering it is a feeling that is not mutual. The Chinese are hated in the US) and cheer loudly and wildly for USA.

I also enjoyed USA vs. China. What a charming game. Such a great crowd. The Chinese did well for about 2 quarters before the inevitable happened. It's touch to be Team China in basketball. They have improved immensely but still have a long way to go.
-----Added 10/8/2008 at 11 : 24 : 29-----

Originally Posted by Bear Cub

To say that Du Li "choked" in women's air rifle is kind of a joke. She shot a 399 out of 400 going into the final. You needed a 397 just to make the final. She did drop an uncharacteristic 2 points in the final, but that was moot anyways. Katerina Emmons shot a perfect 400/400 and won the final with a 103.5. Nobody else stood a chance.

To even call Du Li a favorite going in is kind of a wash as well. There have been people at the collegiate level to shoot 400/400 air scores. Yes, it's a world class score, but many of the female competitors were capable of or have shot those scores, including Jamie Beyerle and Emily Caruso, both of whom I am friends with and have been teammates with in years past.

I will agree that it was exceptionally difficult for her to have lost that event given the standards she was being held to. Women's Air Rifle is always the first event, so there is that prestige associated with winning the first medal of the games.

According to all the media I have seen, Du Li was considered a favorite. She "choked" cause she misfired. It's too bad, but it happened. I expect to see a lot of choking in gymnastics and diving for the Chinese. Defending champion Liu Xiang is also a possibility of choking in the main event. I hope they don't choke for their sakes, but I am guessing they will or have a high probability of choking.

[yellowmac]

So here comes my bi-annual rant against NBC and their Olympic coverage.

They scored a major coup in getting the Beijing organizers to re-schedule high profile events like swimming finals to be live for the East Coast, and thus in the AM for Asia. Which is great, I guess. Except that NBC has now screwed over the West Coast. Why, NBC, why?? The 4x100m men's freestyle relay has just happened, and it's probably not going to be on the TV here for another 2 hours. That's complete bullshit. Right now it's still the damn gymnastics preliminaries that are taking up the TV.

The freestyle relay seemed exciting, as best I could tell from hitting 'refresh' on nbcolympics.com. Couldn't really get my attempts at proxy access to international TV feeds to work. Curse you, NBC.

On the other hand, it was nice to discover that they have an all-basketball (as well as all-soccer) channel that shows everything live and without commercials. So I saw the US/China game at 7:15 in the morning, which was a great way to spend a lazy Sunday morning.

Why can't NBC just show their primetime coverage live to everyone in the US? The Super Bowl ain't on tape delay for the West Coast.

[Nimetic]

Aha... They seem to be showing a lot of womens beach volleyball here, which is (err) fascinating. It started raining on them also the other day, which made me wonder how the whole bikini + water thing was going to turn out.

On a more serious note, the womens cycling was incredible. Coming down the mountain in that rain just looks tough. Cycling doesn't normally interest me - but I give a lot of credit to those women. Gutsy performances (because it looked risky) and sheer hard work there.

And on the cycling, I think this showed the city+scenery rather well.

[Miss Mango]

Anyone else find it funny that most of us cant be bothered to watch these sports otherwise but when its the Olympics we suddenly find an interest in say badminton?

Ive been watching this non-stop since Friday night.

[yellowmac]

Originally Posted by Miss Mango

Anyone else find it funny that most of us cant be bothered to watch these sports otherwise but when its the Olympics we suddenly find an interest in say badminton?

Ive been watching this non-stop since Friday night.

The allure of the Olympics, I suppose.

I, for one, am really, really looking forward to watching table tennis.

[Halx]

The Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay was spectacular to watch. I got up and cheered. I'm usually not a swimming fan.

[blahblah454]

The Olympics are on?

Just kidding. I knew.

I have been watching a little here and there. Never at home, but out at pubs and stuff I will watch it, or when I am eating a fast meal or something. The TV doesn't get turned on often at home for TV stuff. I still can't believe that its a rule how small the bathing suits have to be on the volleyball players, I think that is pretty rude to the women playing.

[Leto]

Originally Posted by jorgelito

So, it's Day 3. Here's a Day 2 Wrap up.

Some highlights:

1. Team USA swept the medals in Women's Sabre - Fencing for some serious swashbuckling.
What you? Anything catch your eye or touch your heart these past few days? Any events or teams that you are particularly interested in?

I was watching Canadian (Luong?) easily handle her Tunisian opponent in Fencing last night. Luong (a naturalized Canadian, but Chinese immigrant) is 50, her opponent is 19.

I hadn't realized it had gone on to the US winning. I was fully expecting the red&white to vanquish all comers!

[ironpham]

Originally Posted by yellowmac

The allure of the Olympics, I suppose.

I, for one, am really, really looking forward to watching table tennis.

When does this happen?!

[Daval]

Originally Posted by jorgelito

Apparently the Water Cube is a "fast pool" and records are being broken at a, well, record pace.

I understand that ice can be slow or fast depending on the viscosity and humidity and such, but what makes a pool fast?

[Bill O'Rights]

Originally Posted by Miss Mango

Anyone else find it funny that most of us cant be bothered to watch these sports otherwise but when its the Olympics we suddenly find an interest in say badminton?

Very true. I'm really only a fan of some of this stuff once every four years or so. It's part of the excitement.
Besides...as much as I enjoy watching the gymnasts in the summer games, and the figure skaters and skiers in the winter games...every four years is about all the focus that I can dedicate.

Originally Posted by Halx

The Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay was spectacular to watch. I got up and cheered. I'm usually not a swimming fan.

You and me both, bud. That was about as exciting as it gets.
Of course, in Omaha the fervor is still fresh from the team trials a month and a half ago. Hell, some of us even remember some names besides Michael Phelps.

[snowy]

Originally Posted by ironpham

When does this happen?!

Qualifying for table tennis starts tomorrow (today in Beijing).

2008 Beijing Olympics Event Schedule - Olympics Tracker - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com

[Bill O'Rights]

Originally Posted by Daval

I understand that ice can be slow or fast depending on the viscosity and humidity and such, but what makes a pool fast?

Aparently...having overflow drains, not only on the ends of the pool, but on the sides as well, keeps the movement of the water at an absolute minimum, making it easier for swimmers to move in it. No resistance = fast water.

Although I have absolutely no doubt that other factors come into play as well. That's just one that I remember from the team trials last month.

[laconic1]

I was wondering how a pool could be "fast" too. Amazing that the 5th place finishers in the 4x100m freestyle broke the old world record and didn't even medal. That was one hell of a race to watch!

[jorgelito]

Originally Posted by yellowmac

So here comes my bi-annual rant against NBC and their Olympic coverage.

They scored a major coup in getting the Beijing organizers to re-schedule high profile events like swimming finals to be live for the East Coast, and thus in the AM for Asia. Which is great, I guess. Except that NBC has now screwed over the West Coast. Why, NBC, why?? The 4x100m men's freestyle relay has just happened, and it's probably not going to be on the TV here for another 2 hours. That's complete bullshit. Right now it's still the damn gymnastics preliminaries that are taking up the TV.

The freestyle relay seemed exciting, as best I could tell from hitting 'refresh' on nbcolympics.com. Couldn't really get my attempts at proxy access to international TV feeds to work. Curse you, NBC.

On the other hand, it was nice to discover that they have an all-basketball (as well as all-soccer) channel that shows everything live and without commercials. So I saw the US/China game at 7:15 in the morning, which was a great way to spend a lazy Sunday morning.

Why can't NBC just show their primetime coverage live to everyone in the US? The Super Bowl ain't on tape delay for the West Coast.

NBC never seems to get it right. I share your frustration.

Originally Posted by Daval

I understand that ice can be slow or fast depending on the viscosity and humidity and such, but what makes a pool fast?

It has something to do with the design of the pool. I think its dimensions, depth, and the aforementioned drainage, all contribute to calmer waters friendly to fast times. Additionally, the seating is recessed which according to the experts, makes a psychological impact, allowing the swimmer to feel less cramped.

Originally Posted by Nimetic

On a more serious note, the womens cycling was incredible. Coming down the mountain in that rain just looks tough. Cycling doesn't normally interest me - but I give a lot of credit to those women. Gutsy performances (because it looked risky) and sheer hard work there.

And on the cycling, I think this showed the city+scenery rather well.

Yes, the cycling course has absolutely incredible views and is breathtaking. It was designed to showcase china's rich history and heritage as well as natural beauty. The course is exceptionally grueling, all the more appropriate due to its proximity to the Great Wall. Imagine if the air was clearer how much more beautiful it would be.

Originally Posted by blahblah454

I still can't believe that its a rule how small the bathing suits have to be on the volleyball players, I think that is pretty rude to the women playing.

Actually they tried going to a one-piece bathing suit but the players prefer the bikini due to comfortability reasons. The one-piece is especially uncomfortable when sand gets in it. There is nothing scandalous here, and honestly, the bikinis are about as boring as can be. I think the media blew things out of proportion here.

[MSD]

Originally Posted by Nimetic

Aha... They seem to be showing a lot of womens beach volleyball here, which is (err) fascinating. It started raining on them also the other day, which made me wonder how the whole bikini + water thing was going to turn out.

One of the few I want to watch is on for Australia instead of the East Coast?

[jorgelito]

Day 3 Update:

1. The French Surrender!! All that trash talking and Le French choked! It's all about Michael Phelps and the "Quest for 8" now. What an amazing race. France had it, but as usual, waved the white flag in surrender. Great race. The Americans showed so much heart and conviction to pull out the win. Give the French some credit though, they lost with some dignity and sportsmanship.

2. Team Redeem - USA Men's Basketball trounced host China to a crazed sold-out crowd. I love this game because it was so much fun. China actually held pace for about 2-quarters before USA took over completely. What struck me most about this game is how much the Chinese love the Americans. This is refreshing especially in the face of so much anti-Chinese sentiment in the world and China hate in the media. I think Team USA definitely has home-court advantage for these games.

3. India wins first gold medal - BBC SPORT | Olympics | Shooting | Bindra claims India's first gold

About time. These giants are conspicuously absent from the international sporting stage. They usually dominate field hockey having won 8 gold medals in the past. However, they won their first individual gold medal in the Men's 10 Meter Air Rifle. Congratulations India!

4. Olympic moment - Iranian athlete and Israeli hug it out. ESPN - Sporting gesture: Iranian, Israeli share hug after basketball game - Olympics

5. Olympic Moment 2 - Russian and Georgian athletes hug it out. BBC SPORT | Olympics 2008 blog

Very touching and hopeful.

With all the controversies and negative feelings that can surround the Olympics, I really enjoy these moments and stories.

6. China continues to choke - Big upset in badminton. Chinese doubles favorites upset by unseeded Japan. The immense pressure and stress of the ultimate big stage is unraveling some Chinese athletes. Surely more to come.

[Bill O'Rights]

Originally Posted by jorgelito

With all the controversies and negative feelings that can surround the Olympics, I really enjoy these moments and stories.

Agreed.
But, that is, I think, the spirit of the Olympics. That's what it should be.

[dlish]

the deeper the pool, the greater the gravitational pull. along with the whole drainage are some of the reasons for the fast pool.

having spent a long part of my life in or around the pool either swimming or coaching, i can tell you that even the temperature has a lot to do with the 'fastness'

the warmer the water the 'thicker' it feels when you swim in it. cold water feels a lot easier to slice through. not sure why but maybe some scientists can help out here.

also, the warmer the water, the warmer the athletes get, the more they perspire the more they dehydrate. remember that all swimmers warm up before hand, and its not just a 50m race!

[Halx]

Thank you for the insight, dlish!

[snowy]

The NYTimes has an article up right now that discusses some of the technological improvements that have probably led to the spate of world records at the Games, including the Speedo LZR Racer suit and the design of the pool:

NY Times: As Swimming Records Fall, Value Is Questioned

As Swimming Records Fall, Value Is Questioned   click to show 

BEIJING — He swam so improbably fast, making up so much ground in a foaming, desperate attempt to reach the wall first in the 4x100-meter relay, that Jason Lezak not only won a gold medal for the United States on Monday, he helped to shatter the world record by nearly four seconds.

That race alone would have provided an astonishing day of swimming at the Summer Olympics, but it was the third world record of the morning and seventh in three days of competition. An eighth record was set during preliminary races later Monday, matching the total number broken at the 2004 Athens Games and threatening to eventually surpass the 14 established at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Not only are world marks tumbling, some are being lowered by staggering margins.

Advances in training techniques, pool design and swimsuit technology have all contributed to the increases in speed for swimmers, who also enjoy financial incentives that allow them to remain in the sport longer than they would have two decades ago, when the Olympics were restricted to amateurs. If Michael Phelps breaks the record of seven swimming gold medals won by Mark Spitz at the 1972 Munich Olympics, he will receive a $1 million bonus from Speedo, the swimsuit manufacturer.

“When you pulverize the world record by more than three seconds, that is remarkable and is only happening very seldom when four superstars are at the peak of their performance,” Orjan Madsen, the German Olympic swimming coach, said of the 4x100 relay record of 3 minutes 8.24 seconds.

At the same time, some swimming officials are questioning whether the multitude of records devalues each one and whether human performance is being unduly aided by technology.

And, as with other Olympic sports, there can never be any certainty that performance-enhancing drugs are not involved. As history has shown with the disgraced track star Marion Jones and revelations about swimmers from the former East Germany, passing a drug test is no guarantee that banned substances are not being used.

“When technology is used in a sport, it is important to be in control of the way it is being developed and where it might lead us,” Claude Fauquet, technical director of the French swimming federation, said in reference to swimsuit technology.

Fauquet has called for more debate about the use of Speedo’s LZR Racer, the latest advance in the full-body suit craze popularized over the last eight years. The Racer has been worn for the setting of about four dozen world records since its introduction in February. The corset-like suit is made by ultrasonic welding instead of stitching, can require a half hour to put on and shoe-horns the body into a more streamlined position, designed to reduce drag in the water.

Critics suspect that the suit aids buoyancy in the water, in violation of performance-enhancing rules set forth by the international swimming federation, known as FINA. Alberto Castagnetti, the Italian national swim coach whose team wears a rival brand, has equated the Racer with “technological doping.” Some believe the suit can boost performance as much as two percent; in swimming, where races are won by hundredths of a second, that can mean the difference between a gold medalist and an also-ran.

“I think sports have to keep up with technology,” said Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, who set a world record Monday while wearing the Racer in a preliminary round of the women’s 100-meter backstroke. “It’s a great suit. For me, putting the suit on, mentally, it’s time to go fast.”

More sophisticated pool design has also helped to dissipate wave action that can slow a swimmer. The Olympic pool in Beijing is three meters deep, compared to two meters for many racing pools. The added depth is designed to lessen water resistance for swimmers by insulating them from turbulence that rebounds off the bottom of a shallower pool.

For major international competitions, like the Olympics, the pool is 10 lanes wide, instead of eight. The two empty outside lanes serve as buffers, keeping the waves from ricocheting, dispersing them instead to a gutter system that is flush with the surface of the water. The plastic buoys that serve as lane dividers, or lane lines, are designed to direct water downward instead of outward. The non-skid starting blocks are meant to facilitate a propulsive takeoff, somewhat similar to track and field, which can shave valuable ticks off the clock.

“If I had to design a pool, this is what it would look like,” said Brendan Hansen of the United States, who finished fourth here in the 100-meter breaststroke after winning three medals at the 2004 Athens Games.

Still, no one can say precisely what is accounting for all of the world records, said Anton Kajlich, whose firm, AntiWave, contributed equipment to the Olympic pool.

“Everybody will claim a different thing,” Kajlich said. “The old timers believe it is really the swimmer and the coach.”

Rebecca Adlington of Great Britain, who won gold in the women’s 400-meter freestyle, said every swimmer expected to lower his or her times during the intensity of an Olympic year. After swimming the second leg of the victorious American 4x100-meter relay team, Garrett Weber-Gale said adrenaline and determination were bigger factors than technology in determining the startling victory.

“It has more to do with the four of us than the pool,” Weber-Gale said. “I think the pool is fantastic. But I think we had an awesome race and we were pushed by the French and the Australians. I think we all just came together. That’s how we were able to go so fast.”

As swimming becomes more popular, it attracts better athletes, who often stay in the sport for more than one Olympics and have access to increasingly sophisticated sports science. Swimmers who once concentrated mostly on endurance now spend up to 50 percent of their training on refining the technical aspects of kicking, pulling, breathing and body position, said Genadijus Sokolovas, director of sports science for USA Swimming. To fully appreciate Phelps’s performance, he would have to be viewed from below rather than above; he is an underwater marvel, streamlined in his turns, ballistic off the wall.

American swimmers here are accompanied by four sports-science experts. Each race is videotaped. Immediately after a race, each swimmer has an ear pricked to test for lactic-acid levels. After a warm-down swim, video analysis is made immediately available to monitor stroke counts, distance per stroke, split times, and the biomechanics of takeoffs and turns.

The nature of swimming also allows athletes to perform in more events than, say, track, providing more opportunities for stars to set world records. Sprinters in swimming tend to train much longer distances than sprinters in track, gaining superior aerobic capacity. They also perform in a horizontal position, which allows easier circulation of oxygen and nutrients through the blood, and they do not pound their muscles, tendons and ligaments, thus gaining quicker recovery. At international competitions, swimmers also generally participate in fewer rounds than track sprinters, which can leave them fresher for event finals.

The suits they wear are likely to become even more sophisticated, perhaps to facilitate muscle contraction and improve kicking power, said Sokolovas, the sports-science director.

“I wish I could compare results from the 70s, 80s and 90s to the current results to know exactly how they are improving because of the suits, technology and training,” he said. “You probably can’t stop technology from coming into any sport. If athletes want to swim faster, technology will always be there. I don’t see it as bad. It’s good for the popularity of swimming. It gets more people interested in sport. And what is the goal of sport? A healthier nation.”

[dlish]

heres a news article i just read on the water cube about the fastness of the pool.



China's Olympic Swimming Pool: Redefining Fast : NPR

Weekend Edition Sunday, August 10, 2008 · Until Sunday, the Olympic "Water Cube" in Beijing was best known for being blue and bubbly and bright at night. Now the Olympic swimming pool inside may get more attention.

A dozen world and Olympic records fell at the pool Sunday, most in preliminary heats. American Michael Phelps started the record run with a new world mark in the 400-meter individual medley event. That won him his first gold medal of the 2008 games.

Ten hours later, the U.S. men's 4-by-100 freestyle relay team also set a world record.

Records often fall at the Olympics, because athletes spend four years preparing and their performances often peak at the games. But the pool itself may deserve some credit.

"It's by far the fastest pool in the world," says Rowdy Gaines, an Olympic medalist and swimming commentator for Olympic broadcaster NBC. "If you step into this arena, you'll see a thing of beauty. ... It's really a thing of absolute beauty."

Gaines is not referring to the futuristic exterior. He focuses on the design of the pool, which discourages turbulence and encourages speed.

"I'm talking about deep water," Gaines explains. "It's a perfect depth because if it's too deep, you lose your sense of vision and where you're at in the pool. But it's just deep enough to where the waves dissipate (and) the turbulence dissipates down to the bottom."

The Water Cube pool also has 10 lanes instead of eight. Waves churned up during races don't bounce back into the swimming lanes. Waves that reach the sides are siphoned off by perforated gutters.

"It's physics and it's not sports, but it makes sense," says Christine Brennan, a veteran of 13 Olympics and an Olympics columnist for USA Today. "You make a deeper and a wider pool, and you ... give all of those waves and all of that splashing and all of that moving water a chance to move away from the swimmers and get out of their way, which makes them go faster. It's as simple as that."

The Water Cube pool is close to 10 feet deep. That's 3 feet deeper than the pools of the past. The lane lines that separate swimmers are called wave eaters because they dissipate turbulent water. The goal is to make the water as flat and clear as possible, despite the churning that swimmers create.

An indoor setting also helps, along with temperature, humidity and lighting control. Wide decks with seats sharply cascading back give swimmers an uncrowded sense of space. That can energize athletes, like American Dara Torres, who calls the pool "awesome."

"Everything is just fantastic about this pool. I've never seen such a big facility in my life. And you get a great feeling walking into that facility, knowing that this is where the Olympic Games are (held)."

The technology used in the Water Cube pool is standard now for competitive pools. Gaines believes the pools have reached their technological limits.

"Technology has really kind of tapped out as far as the building of these kinds of facilities," Gaines says. "I can't imagine them getting better."

All that's left, Gaines suggests, is making the water faster, perhaps by changing its chemical composition. Competitive pools, for example, once contained salt water, which increased buoyancy and speed. But Gaines doubts whether water can actually be altered in a way that would help swimmers swim faster.

"It's not like track and field, where the types of tracks ... just get faster and faster because, I guess, there is more spring to them," Gaines says. "But I don't know how you make fast water. It's just not possible."

In fact, new technology lately has focused on high-tech swimming suits that decrease resistance. Those suits and a fast pool and the intensely competitive atmosphere of the Olympics mean more records are likely to fall in Beijing

.

[jorgelito]

That's awesome! Thanks D!

[Daval]

Very interesting read, thank you!

[Halx]

snowy's article is close to complete in naming all of the different factors that go into the recent barrage of new world records. As I see it, we've entered a new era of swimming, where it cannot be compared to the years before it.

[Bear Cub]

Originally Posted by jorgelito

Day 3 Update:

1. The French Surrender!! All that trash talking and Le French choked! It's all about Michael Phelps and the "Quest for 8" now. What an amazing race. France had it, but as usual, waved the white flag in surrender. Great race. The Americans showed so much heart and conviction to pull out the win. Give the French some credit though, they lost with some dignity and sportsmanship.

Well, they lost, but their excuse according to Reuters:

"The US got lucky", and for me, the icing on the cake, "Experience prevailed over talent today, and I regret that," added France's Frederick Bousquet.




And as for only paying attention to sports when they're on at the Olympics... where the hell can I watch televised badminton any other time of year?

[jorgelito]

Day 4:

Wow, the Games have really been exciting so far and have exceeded my expectations. With all the hype and the controversies leading up to the Olympics, I almost didn't want to watch.

1. USA Swimming continues its dominance as Michael Phelps gets closer to completing his "Quest for 8". USA Swimmers grab another 3 golds, 2 silvers, and 2 bronze as they surpass the Chinese in medal count.

2. The Aussies are showing up in swimming now taking a gold and bronze. I was expecting more from them as they are annual swimming powerhouses.

3. Chinese Mens Gymnastics - Wow! Just wow! They are just incredible and mesmerizing to watch. I caught some action out of curiosity and am glad I did. US is hanging in there and exceeding expectations. China takes gold and US in a gutsy performance takes the bronze.

4. Damn, the South Koreans are fierce - screaming up the medal count in third place with a gold in shooting.

Fun fact: There are 205 out of 203 countries represented at these Olympics. The lone hold out is Brunei which did not send any athletes.

[dlish]

Originally Posted by jorgelito

Day 4:

Wow, the Games have really been exciting so far and have exceeded my expectations. With all the hype and the controversies leading up to the Olympics, I almost didn't want to watch.

1. USA Swimming continues its dominance as Michael Phelps gets closer to completing his "Quest for 8". USA Swimmers grab another 3 golds, 2 silvers, and 2 bronze as they surpass the Chinese in medal count.

2. The Aussies are showing up in swimming now taking a gold and bronze. I was expecting more from them as they are annual swimming powerhouses.

3. Chinese Mens Gymnastics - Wow! Just wow! They are just incredible and mesmerizing to watch. I caught some action out of curiosity and am glad I did. US is hanging in there and exceeding expectations. China takes gold and US in a gutsy performance takes the bronze.

4. Damn, the South Koreans are fierce - screaming up the medal count in third place with a gold in shooting.

Fun fact: There are 205 out of 203 countries represented at these Olympics. The lone hold out is Brunei which did not send any athletes.

huh? 205 out of 203? thats a diffrence of two, meaning there must be 2 countries not competing!

*scratches head

as for those damn aussies its their worst start to an olympics since atlanta. i was expecting a lot more gold by now. but credit to team USA. they've performed exceptionally well in the pool. and although i like phelps, ive always been an underdog man. 8 gold is a little greedy.

do i want to see him make history? yeah you could say so...
but my love of the underdog almost wills me to not want him win 8. so im gonna sit on the sideline and hope for another killer race like the 4 x 100m mens relay.

[jorgelito]

Originally Posted by dlish

huh? 205 out of 203? thats a diffrence of two, meaning there must be 2 countries not competing!

*scratches head

as for those damn aussies its their worst start to an olympics since atlanta. i was expecting a lot more gold by now. but credit to team USA. they've performed exceptionally well in the pool. and although i like phelps, ive always been an underdog man. 8 gold is a little greedy.

do i want to see him make history? yeah you could say so...
but my love of the underdog almost wills me to not want him win 8. so im gonna sit on the sideline and hope for another killer race like the 4 x 100m mens relay.

Oops, I meant 205 out of 206.

Australia is hardly an underdog though. Just a little quiet this year. Besides, USA was the underdog in the 4 X 100m relay as the French were heavily favored to win.

[CinnamonGirl]

I've never really watched swimming, but the past couple of nights, I jumped off the couch cheering. Especially after the 4 x 100...that was amazing.

I've only been able to watch swimming & volleyball so far. Oh, and the last bit of men's gymnastics. Considering how down everyone was on the US men after the Hamms were injured, the bronze was pretty cool.

Women's gymnastics are tonight, yes? I haven't been able to catch any events, and that's usually my favorite.

[jorgelito]

Update:

1. Talk about underdogs, little Togo (West Africa) won its first medal ever taking a bronze medal in Kayaking. Way to go Togo!

2. French Surrender, Part Deux

Manaudou considering quitting - International Herald Tribune

Manaudou considering quitting
The Associated Press
Published: August 12, 2008

BEIJING: Two devastating defeats in two days have left former champion Laure Manaudou wondering whether she should quit the swimming competition midway through.

"I'm asking myself if it's worth continuing. I don't even have the desire to swim anymore," Manaudou told France-2 television Tuesday after placing seventh in the 100-meter backstroke. "It's tough finishing seventh or eighth."

On Monday, Manaudou finished eighth — or last — in the 400 freestyle, more than eight seconds slower than the winner, Britain's Rebecca Adlington.

"It was very hard to rebound after what happened yesterday," the Frenchwoman added.

Manaudou was slated to race twice more: the 200 back Thursday and the 400 medley relay Friday.

"I think she'll start the 200 back. I'm going to push her by tapping on her champion's mind-set," said Manaudou's personal coach, Lionel Horter.

These games have been a sharp contrast from Manaudou's breakthrough four years ago in Athens, when aged just 17, she brought home France's first swimming gold since Jean Boiteux in 1952, in the 400 free. She also won a silver in the 800 free and a bronze in 100 back.

In 2005, Manaudou became the 400 free world champion, a title she defended in 2007. In between, she broke the 18-year-old world record of Janet Evans, and then improved on her own mark again just three months later.

Talk about throwing in the towel. I hope she doesn't quit and keeps on going. Would be a shame to go out like that.

3. Team Redeem continues its dominance by steamrolling Angola. Give Angola for playing it 'close" and only losing by 20 or so points. Team Redeem faces first real competition against Greece next. Let's see if USA will overcome its woeful outside shooting.

4. Team China almost pulls off upset of Spain only to lose it in overtime. China meets Angola next in a match of the no-wins. Angola upset China earlier this year by going small and using overwhelming speed and swarming defense. We'll see if China has learned any lessons and made adjustments.

[roachboy]

can i just take a second and say how much i hate nbc's coverage of the games?
it seems like it's always been this way, though: the ridiculously selective event coverage--the cheesy human interest stories--the cult of personality constructed around certain athletes---i would much rather see footage of international badminton, for example, than sit through tedious little biographies of x or y which seems to work under the assumption that unless the stupid biographies were there, i'd wander away from the tv and miss vital advertising.

that said, i have to say i enjoyed costa's interview of george w bush. and io found the chinese men's gymnastics team to be astonishing. and i'll probably watch more of the coverage tonight. but jesus christ.

[ktspktsp]

And today, Iceland beat Germany in a men's handball game! Germany is the reigning world champion, so that's pretty impressive. This is the one sport in which Icelanders are good .
Who knows, they might end up with a medal out of this...

[ShaniFaye]

just out of curiosity is anyone taking advantage of the online viewing or the other channels besides nbc to watch anything?

I like the online viewing because you can rewind it and watch stuff that happened when you werent able to watch it the first time around

[Bear Cub]

Originally Posted by ShaniFaye

just out of curiosity is anyone taking advantage of the online viewing or the other channels besides nbc to watch anything?

I like the online viewing because you can rewind it and watch stuff that happened when you werent able to watch it the first time around

I get quite a few channels that are broadcasting the Chinese coverage without any translation. They're some of the oddball extra channels that AT&T gives you that rarely broadcast anything.

[jorgelito]

Originally Posted by ktspktsp

And today, Iceland beat Germany in a men's handball game! Germany is the reigning world champion, so that's pretty impressive. This is the one sport in which Icelanders are good .
Who knows, they might end up with a medal out of this...

Cool, thanks for the update ketchup. Good job Icies!

I thought Croatia was the champs? Or maybe the best player in the world is Croatian? What other sports is Iceland participating in this year? I know they are pretty active for the Winter Games.

Incidentally, the World Spa Championships are happening, in Finland I think. I bet Icelanders would be good at that eh?