Olympics

[Dubslow]

Originally Posted by cheesehead

... but Evans would've had the tail wind offset by an equal head wind on the opposite side of the track.

I bet the lower air density makes a lot more difference over 400 meters than the 15-20m run before a long jump.

Either way, thanks for that informative post.

[10metreh]

Originally Posted by cheesehead

BTW, I notice that the ruler beside the long-jump pit this year has the 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-meter distances numbered, but the ruler marks end at 8.2. Beamon jumped 8.9 meters.

Isn't that just for the women? I'm pretty sure Greg Rutherford's gold-winning jump of 8.31 wasn't off the end of the board.

[davieddy]

Anyone remember Carl Lewis beating this freakish leap, promptly beaten by Mike Powell?

I also saw live (on telly) Jonathan Edwards' two extraordinary triple jumps
(Stockholm?). The sound was down in a busy disinterested pub, but when I saw the distance on the screen I thought WTF?????

D

[ewmayer]

Originally Posted by cheesehead

I just discovered that Telemundo has Olympic coverage that apparently doesn't duplicate NBC's....
Unfortunately, they sign off earlier and go to paid programs for a paint sprayer.

Yeah, I've watched a couple events on that network ... but lots of long-winded interviews with Latin athletes also make the coverage rather missable. BTW, that gizmo you describe would be un rociador de pintura. (Say it with a Madrid-style lisp, it sounds sexier that way. :P)

Originally Posted by cheesehead

Scientific American had an article analyzing Bob Beamon's amazing jump. It concluded that several inches were courtesy of Mexico City's high altitude (lower gravity and air density) and the maximum-allowable 2 m/s tail wind, but the majority of his record's almost-two-foot (55 cm) "leap" over the previous record was simply due to Beamon's being practically perfect in every aspect of that particular attempt.

Interesting ... indeed, we shouldn't let this present era of doping at every turn cause us to dismiss the possibility of the "one off" - one hears of many top male long jumpers having leapt nearly 30 feet in training, it's just rare that the "nailed it perfectly" happens to occur in the Olympic finals.

Re. wind resistance in the running events - wonder if the lower drag is partially or completely offset by the lower oxygen level - even if you train at altitude, I doubt you could entirely make up for that.

BTW, I notice that the ruler beside the long-jump pit this year has the 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-meter distances numbered, but the ruler marks end at 8.2. Beamon jumped 8.9 meters.

They use different rulers for men and women ... for the men the rule extends well past 9 meters.

------------------------

AS I've said I'm not a big fan of SoCal-surf-crowd sports, but admit that the Women's beach volleyball semis were pretty interesting. What is up with that Brazilian duo, though? It's like a dysfunctional same-sex marriage. The way the one gal (Larisa) berates the other one all the time, she should be forced by Olympic organizers to play wearing a wifebeater undershirt. With proper Brazilian team colorage, obviously.

[Dubslow]

The NBC videos work!!!!! I'm watching the team foil final

[only_human]

Originally Posted by Dubslow

The NBC videos work!!!!! I'm watching the team foil final

Huh, wonder when they unlocked them. I just started up the opening ceremony. Maybe that #NBCFail hashtag got on their nerves. I fell asleep while the athletes were parading past when the opening ceremonies first aired.

[cheesehead]

Originally Posted by 10metreh

Isn't that just for the women? I'm pretty sure Greg Rutherford's gold-winning jump of 8.31 wasn't off the end of the board.

Originally Posted by ewmayer

They use different rulers for men and women ... for the men the rule extends well past 9 meters.

Oh, yes, it was the women's competition where I noticed.

Originally Posted by ewmayer

Yeah, I've watched a couple events on that network ... but lots of long-winded interviews with Latin athletes also make the coverage rather missable.

I usually switch to Telemundo when NBC's showing something uninteresting, and I frequently find that what Telemundo is showing then interests me more. Counter-programming?

BTW, that gizmo you describe would be un rociador de pintura. (Say it with a Madrid-style lisp, it sounds sexier that way. :P)

I'm too lazy to look up the translation for "Paid Program". :-)

Interesting ... indeed, we shouldn't let this present era of doping at every turn cause us to dismiss the possibility of the "one off"

Yes. That recent suggestion by U.S. coaches about a non-U.S. swimmer was quite rude and chauvinistic. They should have kept those thoughts to themselves.

one hears of many top male long jumpers having leapt nearly 30 feet in training,

Wow.

it's just rare that the "nailed it perfectly" happens to occur in the Olympic finals.

Figures -- especially in the long jump, because there's not only running but also takeoff foot placement and takeoff angle and "sticking" the landing.

Re. wind resistance in the running events - wonder if the lower drag is partially or completely offset by the lower oxygen level - even if you train at altitude, I doubt you could entirely make up for that.

At the shorter anaerobic distances, it'd go one way, while at longer distances it'd go the other, is what I'd figure. (Hmmm... I don't think I've ever run fast enough to notice the air resistance.) Guess I could look up the Mexico City 10,000 meter and marathon times ... Decathlon scores?

[ewmayer]

Originally Posted by cheesehead

I usually switch to Telemundo when NBC's showing something uninteresting, and I frequently find that what Telemundo is showing then interests me more. Counter-programming?

I prefer "orthogonality of suckitude". :)

True enough - I must have been grumpy from having encountered one of the days where the suck overlapped when I wrote that. Yesterday, while NBC featured a pair of amphetamine-addled announcers shouting themselves hoarse at the absolute fabulosity and historicity of virtually every single swimming/pedal stroke and running-stride in the triathlon, Telemundo showed the women's 10m platform diving semis, live, with lots of multi-angle shots which never make the butchered evening primetime coverage. And the ads are in Spanish, which I understand quite well when I concentrate but which is not one of my 2 native (as in having learnt early via total immersion) tongues, making it easier to tune out. (An advantage when working at the computer with the coverage on the TV.)

Today, while NBC has rhythmic gymnastics - ugh, why not throw in pom-poms and make cheerleading the team event? Yeah, yeah, I *know* some of the chicks are hot really quite talented - and weepy flashbacks of U.S. athletes atop the medal stand, Telemundo carried the men's soccer bronze-medal match between east Asian rivals So.Korea and Japan. Without spoilerizing by giving away the result to readers who may have recorded it for later viewing, I will say that both goals were things of beauty. Tomorrow TM will have the Brazil-Mexico gold medal match live at 9am Eastern (6am Pacific).

At the shorter anaerobic distances, it'd go one way, while at longer distances it'd go the other, is what I'd figure. (Hmmm... I don't think I've ever run fast enough to notice the air resistance.) Guess I could look up the Mexico City 10,000 meter and marathon times ... Decathlon scores?

Examining the data (I start in 1924, before which distances were not standardized and which Olympiads are so far before the modern-running shoe era that it is irrelevant for this discussion), there definitely is a noticeable upward blip in the winner's time in Mexico city relative to the surrounding trend:

Beijing 2008 		2:06.32 	Samuel Kamau WANJIRU (ken)
Athens 2004	 	2:10:55 	Stefano BALDINI (ita)
Sydney 2000 		2:10.11 	Gezahgne ABERA (eth)
Atlanta 1996 		2:12:36 	Josia THUGWANE (rsa)
Barcelona 1992 		2:13:23 	Young-Cho HWANG (kor)
Seoul 1988 		2:10:32 	Gelindo BORDIN (ita)
Los Angeles 1984 	2:09:21 	Carlos LOPES (por)
Moscow 1980 		2:11:03 	Waldemar CIERPINSKI (gdr)
Montreal 1976 		2:09:55.0 	Waldemar CIERPINSKI (gdr)
Munich 1972 		2:12:19.8 	Frank Charles SHORTER (usa)
Mexico City 1968 	2:20:27 	Mamo WOLDE (eth)
Tokyo 1964 		2:12:11 	Abebe BIKILA (eth)
Roma 1960 		2:15:16 	Abebe BIKILA (eth)
Melbourne 1956 		2:25:00 	Alain MIMOUN (fra)
Helsinki 1952 		2:23:03 	Emil ZÁTOPEK (tch)
London 1948 		2:34:51.6 	Delfo CABRERA (arg)
Berlin 1936 		2:29:19 	Kitei SON (kor)
Los Angeles 1932 	2:31:36 	Juan Carlos ZABALA (arg)
Amsterdam 1928 		2:32:57 	Boughera Mohamed EL OUAFI (fra)
Paris 1924 		2:41:22.6 	Albin Oskar STENROOS (fin)

BTW, looking at the full list of times on the above-linked page, what the heck happened in 1904 in St. Louis? I'm guessing either no international runners showed up, or it was a brutally hot day. If anyone can ferret it out, let us know.

[Dubslow]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

I prefer "orthogonality of suckitude". :)

True enough - I must have been grumpy from having encountered one of the days where the suck overlapped when I wrote that. Yesterday, while NBC featured a pair of amphetamine-addled announcers shouting themselves hoarse at the absolute fabulosity and historicity of virtually every single swimming/pedal stroke and running-stride in the triathlon, Telemundo showed the women's 10m platform diving semis, live, with lots of multi-angle shots which never make the butchered evening primetime coverage. And the ads are in Spanish, which I understand quite well when I concentrate but which is not one of my 2 native (as in having learnt early via total immersion) tongues, making it easier to tune out. (An advantage when working at the computer with the coverage on the TV.)

Today, while NBC has rhythmic gymnastics - ugh, why not throw in pom-poms and make cheerleading the team event? Yeah, yeah, I *know* some of the chicks are hot really quite talented - and weepy flashbacks of U.S. athletes atop the medal stand, Telemundo carried the men's soccer bronze-medal match between east Asian rivals So.Korea and Japan. Without spoilerizing by giving away the result to readers who may have recorded it for later viewing, I will say that both goals were things of beauty. Tomorrow TM will have the Brazil-Mexico gold medal match live at 9am Eastern (6am Pacific).

NBC uses all their other channels as well. The game was on MSNBC, and I watched most of the first half (but missed both goals).

[ewmayer]

Originally Posted by Dubslow

NBC uses all their other channels as well. The game was on MSNBC, and I watched most of the first half (but missed both goals).

I have Limited Basic (in Spanish: El cheapo, pronounced ell chay-op-po) cable, so NBC and TM are my only options, which is probably a good thing.

---------------------

Originally Posted by ewmayer

BTW, looking at the full list of times on the above-linked page, what the heck happened in 1904 in St. Louis? I'm guessing either no international runners showed up, or it was a brutally hot day. If anyone can ferret it out, let us know.

[quick edit]...aha, it was indeed a very hot day back in oh-four, but there is much more to the story, including the interesting backdrop of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, the fact that the '04 Olympics were initially awarded to Chicago, and interesting race aspects including a walk-on performance by a local postman, rotten-apple-induced drunkenness, napping, crapping, strychnine and brandy cocktails en route, "special guest Africans", dog-chasing (and not of the postman, either), illegal car-riding, dust clouds, horse apples, and so on. Wikipedia explains, under the lead-in "The marathon was the most bizarre event of the [1904] Games..."

[Dubslow]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

I have Limited Basic (in Spanish: El cheapo, pronounced ell chay-op-po) cable, so NBC and TM are my only options, which is probably a good thing.

'Tis a shame, I'm watching a France vs. Croatia handball semi-final right now

Originally Posted by ewmayer

[quick edit]...aha, it was indeed a very hot day back in oh-four, but there is much more to the story, including the interesting backdrop of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, the fact that the '04 Olympics were initially awarded to Chicago, and interesting race aspects including a walk-on performance by a local postman, rotten-apple-induced drunkenness, napping, crapping, strychnine and brandy cocktails en route, "special guest Africans", dog-chasing (and not of the postman, either), illegal car-riding, dust clouds, horse apples, and so on. Wikipedia explains, under the lead-in "The marathon was the most bizarre event of the [1904] Games..."

LOL... that's hilarious! What a read that was!