To say this Olympic games has been exciting would be an understatement. Then again, I have a feeling we probably say that every Olympic games. It's almost a foregone conclusion when you have the best athletes in the world who have been training most of their lives for this competing against each other.
One of those magical moments happened the other day when the runner from the US won the men's 1500 meter final. I was talking with @steevc about it on his post and it's interesting just how close some of these races come.
Did you happen to catch the men's 100m final? That is just another example of how close these things can be. I think I talked about it in my post the other day, but the gold and silver medalists were separated by five thousandths of a second. That's freaking nuts. It all came down to a well timed lean by the US runner whose clavicle crossed the line first.
Many people saw the replay and were under the impression that the Jamaican runner won because his foot came across the line first. It's not the feet you have to watch though, it's the upper body. As I said, that well timed lean made all the difference. It just goes to show that you should never give up.
@mrsbozz and I were watching the track events the other day and she questioned why it looks like they are slowing down before they cross the line. She said something to the effect of why wouldn't you just run through? I could definitely see what she was talking about, but I have a feeling it's one of those optical illusions. There is always the chance that there is some kind of post production going on where they apply a slow motion effect, but I don't think that is probably the case.
I would guess it's likely just our eyes tricking us into thinking the runners are slowing down because we know it is a crucial moment. Have you ever experienced this effect? Do you know if there is a name for it?
I'm not really even going to talk too much about the Olympic men's basketball team for the US because that has been a bit of a farce. Sure, it's not quite as bad as back in the day when it was all NBA players versus the world. The fact that there are more foreign players in the NBA and they go back to play for their home country makes it a little less lopsided.
It's still been pretty lopsided though.
The US women's volleyball team has been exciting to watch as well as the beach volleyball competitions. I look forward to seeing the culmination of those events.
I also found myself watching a lot of the team skeet shooting competition the other day. That was quite exciting. The one female shooter from India was quite impressive. Did you get a chance to watch any of the skeet shooting?
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The Olympics are always interesting. We get to see events and countries that we would not normally see. The men's 100m was incredibly close as they were all within a small fraction of a second. I suspect they change their pace at the end and that may make it look like they slow down, but they really have to run through the line.
There can be upsets. Neither of the favourites in the 1500m won it. Of course Simone Biles did not get as many golds as predicted in the gymnastics, but she seems to have a good attitude. It is amazing that some people have more golds than many countries will get in total.
I've enjoyed the rugby, kayaking, tennis, BMX and other sports. I just haven't been able to see everything. Team GB are doing pretty well and should get more medals.
We attended a few events at London 2012 and it was just great to be part of it.
I can't imagine going to the games. It just seems like so many people. There is little chance I will make it over to LA in four years. BMX was fun and the kayaking was pretty crazy. I was also really impressed with the Mountain bike racing. The course looked pretty amazing. I'd love to see disc golf added to the games.
There's a lot that goes on around the games that you may not see on TV. Obviously the sponsors will have things to show off. It was just a great atmosphere in London.
That's pretty cool. I'm sure it's great. I'm just not as fond of crowds as I get older.