Swimming being exposed as joke in these Olympic games

sling dog wrote:

Dude... wrote:

That was one of the dumbest, most uninformed posts I've ever read on this site. You're awarded zero points, and may god have mercy on your soul.

You know what, this 100m hurdle field is too deep. I think I'll switch to pole vaulting so I can win the gold.

But you **CANT** do that in Track.(usually), Thats the point! No sprinter is going to enter the PV next week and be a champ. None. No marthoner is going to enter the TJ, no high jumper is going to enter the hammer throw.

NO SH*T DUDE. The entire point of my post was pointing out the absurdity of switching entire events and thinking you can crush an entirely different discipline

I'm not sure you can read.

Swimming is a joke because you can take part in a multitude of 'different' events and switch to avoid competition. You cannot do that in athletics. That's what I said.

Peaty won the 100m breast by 1.5s. I wonder what would happen if he tried to do the 100m freestyle.

When you get a decent athlete like Phelps come to the sport of swimming, he can clean up across nearly all the events because the talent is weak.

Hey, speaking just for me, I am a fan of the human interest stories.......

"Mom had to rise at 6:00 am and drive the Escalade over an hour each direction so that Skippy could practice with the most exclusive club."

You sure watch a lot of swimming for somebody who hates it.

Maybe you ought to skip it and go for a run. Come back next week.

The world isn't going to end just because swimmers get some publicity.

It is also a joke because you are in your own lane the entire race, even the 1500. Hardly a "race," more like simultaneous participation.

Swimming should also be in the Winter Olympics as it is indoors.

Finally, open water swimming is bad ass.

They are subject to weather, water conditions, their competitors, fueling strategies and tactics. It is really what swimming should be.

SmellyDumbBoomerScum wrote:

Yes, but there is a huge range of body types and athletic skill sets between the marathon and 100m. In swimming it's just 4x100m fly, 100m fly, 4x400 breat breastroke, etc. All sprints, all basically the same skill set.

A 400 is hardly a sprint. By no means is it a distance event, but it's probably the equivalent of a 1500 on the track with a long course record around 3:40. You're underestimating the difference in resistance between air and water.

Swimmers are just more versatile (and definitely better athletes overall) than runners. Katie Ledecky has won world championships in the 200, 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle. Those times are about 4, 8, and 15.5 minutes, roughly equivalent to the 800, 1500, 3000, and 5000, which are all competed regularly, even if not at the Olympics in the case of the 3000.

Most of the events you mentioned aren't competed anywhere seriously (there's no such thing as the 4x100 fly or 4x400 breast). No relays in anything but freestyle and medley, nothing other than 100 or 200 in any stroke but freestyle or medley. And frankly I don't think that track people have any room to talk about stupid events when they have racewalking and steeplechase.

Why are you replying to me as if you are arguing when it seems you are actually agreeing?

And to Mr. Obvious:

Yes, swimmers DO get the benefit of both.

There are so many events and they are all so similar in energy requirements and the physical skill that swimmers can easily switch events to contest less contested ones, and the lack of talent (participation) in swimming means that a good swimmer can also clean up across as many events as they can.

Perfect examples of the two statements I have made above are Adam Peaty only doing breaststroke, and Phelps cleaning up for fun, leaving the sport then coming back because everyone is still rubbish.

Bolt is possibly the most talented athlete in recent history, and it would be impossible for him to win across just 3 sprint events (100, 200, 400).

Farah is the best distance runner out there right now, and whilst competitive at the 1500 and half marathon he could NEVER win Olympic medals in the 1500, 5000, 10k at the same championships. And he has arguable one of the best ranges ever. Definitely top 3/4.

This is because talent pads out nearly all the events in Athletics, which is one of the most popular sports in the world.

There was a time when one man could be competitive for medals across a range of distance events, and that was the 1920s. That is where swimming is now, but worse.

Fmdjdnnd wrote:

It is also a joke because you are in your own lane the entire race, even the 1500. Hardly a "race," more like simultaneous participation.

Swimming should also be in the Winter Olympics as it is indoors.

Finally, open water swimming is bad ass.

They are subject to weather, water conditions, their competitors, fueling strategies and tactics. It is really what swimming should be.

By that analogy, downhill/cross country skiing should be indoors, and all running events should be on the roads, or trails.

Drop racewalking, that isn't a running event. At least 3000m steeple is a unique distance. Women's swimming is the epitome of poor competition there is literally 9th graders there.

These are typically posted by folks who know nothing about being a competitive swimmer (I was both a swimmer and runner). Please see my post on Wejo's (or was it Rojo's) thread.

Paddle Sports are a joke. They have both canoeing and kayaking.

They have 1 and 2 person canoe and 1, 2, and 4 person kayaking. Over a variety of distances.

Too similar.

OLD SMTC SOB wrote:

These are typically posted by folks who know nothing about being a competitive swimmer (I was both a swimmer and runner). Please see my post on Wejo's (or was it Rojo's) thread.

He's just totally and completely butt-hurt that somebody other than athletics competitors are actually getting publicity.

Sure seems to watch (but not understand) and awful lot of something he thinks is stupid.

Mr. Obvious wrote:

Paddle Sports are a joke. They have both canoeing and kayaking.

They have 1 and 2 person canoe and 1, 2, and 4 person kayaking. Over a variety of distances.

Too similar.

Correct. But swimming is worse.

Metric Miler wrote:

Mr. Obvious wrote:

Paddle Sports are a joke. They have both canoeing and kayaking.

They have 1 and 2 person canoe and 1, 2, and 4 person kayaking. Over a variety of distances.

Too similar.

Correct. But swimming is worse.

You should go clean up in all these weak sports. I'm sure you could, since you are such a superior athlete.

I know enough.

Read:

I appreciate swimmers work hard and are great athletes, I don't deny that, but the sport itself is a joke.

Incredibly weak stance on dopers. Very small talent pool (participation). Weak records. Sport is heavily influenced by pool technology (all the swimmers are way faster than 10 years ago) and too many events to spread the thin talent across.

Add in technique refinements make a huge difference to some events every few years, like finding the Fosbury flop.

All the above is true. The only 'butthurt' ones are the swimmers that are upset that I (nor the world) appreciates 200m breaststroke (lol).

noone with a sane mind goes for swimming, because you are in a boring 50m pool all day. naturally people came up with many stupidly different ways to swim

Mr. Obvious wrote:

Metric Miler wrote:

Correct. But swimming is worse.

You should go clean up in all these weak sports. I'm sure you could, since you are such a superior athlete.

If I was good at swimming maybe I would.

Look the fact is that a great, young teenage 100m runner might get her arse kicked in the British Athletics league, but an athlete of the same level could make the Olympics 100m breaststroke.

Metric Miler wrote:

Dude... wrote:

That was one of the dumbest, most uninformed posts I've ever read on this site. You're awarded zero points, and may god have mercy on your soul.

You know what, this 100m hurdle field is too deep. I think I'll switch to pole vaulting so I can win the gold.

I'm not sure you can read.

Swimming is a joke because you can take part in a multitude of 'different' events and switch to avoid competition. You cannot do that in athletics. That's what I said.

Peaty won the 100m breast by 1.5s. I wonder what would happen if he tried to do the 100m freestyle.

When you get a decent athlete like Phelps come to the sport of swimming, he can clean up across nearly all the events because the talent is weak.

Swimming is very stroke and technique specific. Most swimmers focus on perhaps one two two strokes, IE free and fly, breaststroke or backstroke. Its rare to non-existent to find someone good to the same degree across all disciplines. Most IMers have one/two primary strokes they are great at and piece in the others. Phelps is outstanding in the fly and free, thus he had to become proficient at back and breast to a high degree to win. But he would not be competitive in a 100 or 200 breast or back against specialists in those disciplines. Peaty likely would do OK in a 100 free, but breaststrokers aren't typically great freestylers. And............the talent isn't weak, its outstanding.

Metric Miler wrote:

OLD SMTC SOB wrote:

These are typically posted by folks who know nothing about being a competitive swimmer (I was both a swimmer and runner). Please see my post on Wejo's (or was it Rojo's) thread.

I know enough.

Read:

I appreciate swimmers work hard and are great athletes, I don't deny that, but the sport itself is a joke.

Incredibly weak stance on dopers. Very small talent pool (participation). Weak records. Sport is heavily influenced by pool technology (all the swimmers are way faster than 10 years ago) and too many events to spread the thin talent across.

Add in technique refinements make a huge difference to some events every few years, like finding the Fosbury flop.

All the above is true. The only 'butthurt' ones are the swimmers that are upset that I (nor the world) appreciates 200m breaststroke (lol).

The swimmers aren't butthurt at all. Their sport is more watched than running is. They get hot as a result of their sport instead of the disgustingly skinny runner bodies. They get waaay more exposure and endorsement money. Get out of your bubble, kiddo.