WITHOUT A DOUBT: McEwyn (USA) high jump deciding not to share Olympic 🪙 GOLD and has a jumpoff and lost.
EVERY Olympian goal is Olympic GOLD, who cares if you share the title, you still are an Olympic CHAMPION...but now he is just 2nd best(silver 🥈 medalist). No logical reasoning for his decision 🤔. Big financial setback endorsements and appearances, and appearance fees.
Tom Osborne would disagree with you (see 1983 NCAA Football Championship Game). You go for the title, period.
Jakob not winning the 1500. That was the huge downer during track and field. The sport is much better off with him on top, saying whatever he thinks with no reservation toward quest as best of all time. Now he'll carry on but the opposition owns too much ammo and satisfaction. They would have been squashed.
I had three top priorities in track and field. Number one by light years was the mixed relay. That was the only uncontrolled physical reaction I had during these Games, once it became clear it would happen. That race was Femke Bol's only chance at Olympic gold. I knew that pre dating Tokyo. I've followed her career since she was a junior. She's a clumsy self made athlete who has made remarkable advances for someone with limited athletic ability. I knew she would get squashed by Sydney. Who cares? That Olympic golf deflects all criticism and provides inner calm, especially the way it happened.
Number two priority was Jakob in the 1500. Already covered. Number three was Kipyegon at 1500. For a full year I worried that with the 5000 in her legs she might lose the 1500 final to Welteji and partially spoil her legacy. It wasn't that far away from happening. Welteji ran 3:52 despite needlessly sprinting to a 3:55 semifinal win. Fortunately Kipyegon was just too good.
Away from the track my disappointment was Summer McIntosh not defeating Ariarne Titmus at 400 freestyle. McIntosh won 3 other golds and was more than capable of defeating Titmus on opening night, but for some reason she always swims subpar against Titmus. It's some type of weird big Commonwealth sister complex. McIntosh defeats Ledecky frequently at various distances but hasn't figured it out yet against Titmus.
Dude, I'm a swimmer now and I follow the sport closely. Titmus is absolutely on fire. She is the only person who has done 3:55 - and she did it twice - most recently at Aussie trials. She also swam the 200m WR at Aussie trials. Summer is fantastic, and I cheer for her. (I'm Canadian.) But Titmus is clearly the best 400m freestyler right now.
Once again many world records in swimming. If track followed this, we'd see a record in the 100, 200, 400 hurdles, 5K, and 4x100 every four years, and the same person would claim two or three of them.
BS by the USA gymnastics team like usual. Oldest person competing since TV was invented without a word of it. All gaming the system.
No mention of five or ten from difference places around the earth competing, when they all know each other because they were all on the same college team.
SML not running the open 4. I wonder if Grand Slack Track contracted her not to do that so they could present it as one of their "big openings" - "watch here for the first time as she attempts both!"
The men's marathon, especially the hyped duel between Kipchoge and Bekele, was the biggest disappointment. For me, the marquee running event at the Olympics is the marathon, and I was hoping to see Kipchoge and Bekele competing for the gold. Instead, I was left watching Kipchoge walking uphill and then giving away his dirty socks. Bekele in 39th was not much better. Tola did have an outstanding race, especially as he was a late substitute for Lemma, but I had hoped to see Kipchoge and Bekele. Yes, I knew they were both old and past their prime, but I was still hoping for a much better effort from the both of them.
Women’s distance 800m and up. All of it. Was really hoping for a medal from US women in any of those events and we didn’t. Disappointing the US women couldn’t have a meet more like the middle distance-distance men. Just unable to compete for medals on the world stage yet. I hope 2028 with a home field advantage maybe?
Oldest person competing since TV was invented without a word of it.
No mention of five or ten from difference places around the earth competing, when they all know each other because they were all on the same college team.
“without a word of it”…
^What are you trying to say here?
“No mention of five or ten from difference places around the earth competing, when they all know each other because they were all on the same college team.”
The race between Bekele and Kipchoge never materializing. We all knew they probably wouldn't challenge for the win (even though is the fourth ranked marathoner in the world Bekele theoretically should have been up there).
The repechage rounds and lack of time qualifiers were kind of disappointing too. It ensured if you had an unlucky heat draw, you weren't making the final or if you did, you'd be too fried to be a factor.
Wayde van Niekerk not trying to make it to the 400m final after 7 years of rehab (and a good early season last year). Instead opting to run the 200m, where his chances to medal were non-existent. That being said, it's his life, it couldn't have been easy for him, his legacy remains, and the podium placers ran awesome times. Also, without my expectations there would be no disappointment.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
The women's 400 is bereft of talent. That was the most boring world final I have ever watched.
I agree with some of your other points, especially breakdancing and Noah Lyles jumping around, but not this one.
The women's 400m had some incredible times! There was an Olympic record (Paulino). A British record for Amber Anning in 5th. Every finisher in the final was below 50 seconds.
It required sub 49 seconds for a medal. Thought it was a great race, unless you're referring to something else. I thought it was exciting anyway :) so I was quite surprised to read what you'd written!
For me on the women’s Americans side I found Emily Sisson disappointing. But she’s never done well on hilly or hot courses so no surprise there. She didn’t do horribly but one would hope she could do better as the AR holder.
Second disappointment ist Elle St. Pierre. She focussed on the 15 to have medal chances and she blew it. Again she raced well but definitely disappointing compared to expectations.
O‘Keefe we don’t even need to discuss. Like the selfishness needed to hobble over the start line barely able to limp 5k?? When a healthy alternate was in town ready to go. Ummm that’s not disappointing in terms of performance just on a human scale for the alternate.
Cheptegei, Kiplimo and Kejelcha (the Ethiopian selection team) gifting Jakob the easiest gold medal in the history of the Olympics
I have to agree with you, Jakob might still have won but it would have been a completely different type of race...add Ahmed and Grijalva in there as well.
It's Keely Power... Georgia has mentioned in interviews the impact of training with somebody at the top of her game.... Keely has dragged Georgia up a level
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