Olympics, I actually felt sorry for the US.

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I'm talking about the track team. A successful track meet for Australia is to win a single medal (we got a silver this time). It's easy to be jealous of the wealth of US running talent. I didn't think I'd ever see an Olympics where the US didn't win either a men's or women's 100m or 200m gold medal. When both their 4 * 1o0m relay teams dropped the baton, I actually felt sorry for them. Not to take anything away from the Jamaicans who are on fire. Usain Bolt has taken men's sprinting into a new realm. I get the feeling he's going to create records that will last a lifetime.

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@Wilso,

Americans usually don't win the Boston Marathon anymore, either.

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@Wilso,

I've always loved track and field, but am not really watching the Olympics at all this time around.

I did, however, happen to be in a bar with it on TV when I saw Usain Bolt's record shattering 100m run. That was nice to catch.

Any highlights in mens track that you can recommend me? I'll see if I can find them on YouTube.

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@Robert Gentel,

Robert Gentel wrote:

I've always loved track and field, but am not really watching the Olympics at all this time around.

I did, however, happen to be in a bar with it on TV when I saw Usain Bolt's record shattering 100m run. That was nice to catch.

Any highlights in mens track that you can recommend me? I'll see if I can find them on YouTube.

Usain Bolt in the 200m! He broke Michael Johnson's Atlanta games world record. That was one that many thought would be around for much longer.

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@Wilso,

Thanks! It took me forever (and one Rick Roll) to find a crappy video of it, since the IOC is sending YouTube takedown notices but that was an amazing run!

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@Robert Gentel,

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/video/

This site is Australian oriented, but it's got pretty good quality videos of most of the finals at the track. Look under Olympic Games Video channel. Just scroll down a bit.

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@Wilso,

The dream team gave the boomers a flogging though.

Our olympic women seem to be winning the vast majority of our medals.

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@dadpad,

dadpad wrote:

The dream team gave the boomers a flogging though.

Our olympic women seem to be winning the vast majority of our medals.

Historically, it's our female athletes where we seem to have most success. Think Dawn Fraser, Marjorie Jackson, Betty Cuthbert, Shane Gould, Cathy Freeman.

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Loved the BMX, although our girl fell off.

Britannia rules the waves, and most of the sitting-down sports!

Smile

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American sprinters (well, sprinters in general) are such an arrogant bunch -- sorry, so "up themselves" -- that I'm kind of amused.

But, then, all I really want out of the Olympics is good basketball. I love me some good international roundball...

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@Wilso,

Quote:

Usain Bolt in the 200m! He broke Michael Johnson's Atlanta games world record. That was one that many thought would be around for much longer.

And he did it while running against a .9mph headwind. I'm not sure how much more time that would have cut off his time if the headwind wasn't there.

Bolt is a spectacular runner.

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@Wilso,

I felt a bit bad for the US runners as well, but then again, getting the technical aspects of the skill right are just as necessary as the strength aspects.

I felt like many of the runners (not just US) were sloppy in a number of technical areas. Not only did a few teams drop the baton in the relays, but a few also disqualified themselves by stepping on the lane-lines during various races.

And then on the other end of the spectrum there's Jamaica, an island which seems to grow and train the fastest humans on the planet somehow.

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@rosborne979,

And they don't even get credit for Linford Christie...

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@patiodog,

One of the American girls in the 4 * 400m relay heat I just saw was also born in Jamaica.

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@rosborne979,

rosborne979 wrote:

Quote:
Usain Bolt in the 200m! He broke Michael Johnson's Atlanta games world record. That was one that many thought would be around for much longer.

And he did it while running against a .9mph headwind. I'm not sure how much more time that would have cut off his time if the headwind wasn't there.

Bolt is a spectacular runner.

And still only 21. It's almost inevitable that he's going to get faster!

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Women's 4 * 100m relay - both Jamaica and GB dropped the ball. The relays have been disastrous for the favourites.

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@Wilso,

The really dumb thing is if Australia had entered a 4X100 and 4X200 teams we may well have made the final given the rife baton dropping.

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@hingehead,

There is no 4 x 2oom relay, but I know where you're coming from. You're right, anything can happen in relays, as the 4 by 4 men's team proved in Athens, and it does seem rather short sighted of the Australian officials not to enter a team.

Olympics, I actually felt sorry for the US.

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