Team GB at Olympics

[DodgyAgent]

It does seem like a bit of a jolly for the privileged few. Officially 2012 was meant to inspire everybody to take up sport and cure childhood obesity, but everybody knew that was bollocks. If anything watching professional athletes inspires people not to bother. No normal person could ever be as good.

I admire skill more than strength and stamina, and for that I think the Winter Olympics is better. Essentially Bradley Wiggins is no better at cycling than me; he's just a lot fitter and stronger. Running, cycling, rowing - so what? Winning just means you've trained more than everybody else. Not really an achievement.

Predictable for the Brit loathing liberals to sneer at Britains achievements. At least Darntwat & Sueellen managed to bring themselves to acknowledge UK's success. As for the pathetic miserabalist comment about the NHS if we all wanted to live miserable lives then fine.

[SueEllen]

Hey, I never said I was competitive, don't go pissing on my chips! It was a fell race in the middle of winter, we all paid the same to enter and started at the same time and we all went to the same pub afterwards to warm up and eat soup. IIRC neither of them won because Ian Holmes was there, and he's dead good.

Kudos for doing a fell run - nutter.

[SueEllen]

Personally, I've never seen the point of just running apart from in training at the start of the season to get you back up to speed. Always preferred team games like football and to a lesser extent rugby to just running but fully respect those who achieve great things in it; I remember cheering Cram, Coe and Ovett on as a kid.

Running can actually be a team sport called relays in old language. Oh and virtually all races give you a medal now, and the high from doing long distance events can be addictive.

[LondonManc]

Running can actually be a team sport called relays in old language. Oh and virtually all races give you a medal now, and the high from doing long distance events can be addictive.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching the athletics but it's not for me. I've also tried other sports that I've enjoyed or not that have been both individual and team sports.

[Old Greg]

Predictable for the Brit loathing liberals to sneer at Britains achievements. At least Darntwat & Sueellen managed to bring themselves to acknowledge UK's success. As for the pathetic miserabalist comment about the NHS if we all wanted to live miserable lives then fine.

Bread and circuses.

[DodgyAgent]

Bread and circuses.

I remember asking a "socialist worker" activist outside my office what people would do if capitalism was banned. We would all work for the NHS he said building hospitals. So that's it ? I asked. I helped him carry his argument through and concluded that the totem of the NHS was to be used as the weapon of manipulation for totalitarianism.

[WTFH]

I hate to bring the topic back to the Olympics and how well Team GB is doing, but Jade Jones has just retained her gold medal.


Or, as Ollie Williams put it on Twitter:
"She just looks so happy kicking people in the head"

[WTFH]

Very unlucky for Adam Gemili to get fourth (exactly the same time as the third place).


The athletics side of Team GB have not done well in terms of medals, but have been unlucky several times.

[DaveB]

Very unlucky for Adam Gemili to get fourth (exactly the same time as the third place).


The athletics side of Team GB have not done well in terms of medals, but have been unlucky several times.

We are much better at things that involve sitting down.

Cycling, Dressage, Canoeing, Sailing, Rowing.....

[The Plantswoman]

There are one or two exceptions...

Laura Trott aged 12 with Bradley Wiggins when he gave her his gold medal to wear for the photo.

Joseph Schooling (Age 8) with Michael Phelps - He beat Phelps to the gold medal in the 100m Butterfly.



Both have cited the meetings as inspiration to become professional athletes.



You say no normal person could ever be that good, but then say that Bradley Wiggins is essentially a normal person who happens to be fitter and stronger than you. By your argument if you do the training then and you could be that good. Just don't forget the bike handling skills required, the tactical nouce, the drive and ambition and in most cases the sheer bloody mindedness needed.

And the cojones.

The thought of hurtling down a twisty mountain pass at 70mph with a micrometer of lycra for protection just makes my hands go clammy.