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We're lovin the Winter Olympics in our house, although I can start to lose my focus during some of the figure skating routines. I think the BBC should start calling their coverage, 'Chemmy Alcott and Friends'.....she seems to be taking it over! Even Clare Balding is struggling to get a word in sometimes!
Looking forward to the ski cross!
The OAR thing applied only to Russians who are 'clean' which excludes quite a few, plus it excludes many of the Russian Olympic officials and politicians who don't get to join the biggest junket in the name of sport.
So pleased for Axel Lund Svindal winning gold. He's suffered so many injuries over the years.
Regarding Chemmy, I like her a lot. She knows her stuff and has a good personality for telly, as does Jenny Jones, who I think is turning out to be a really good commentator.
The OAR thing applied only to Russians who are ‘clean’ which excludes quite a few, plus it excludes many of the Russian Olympic officials and politicians who don’t get to join the biggest junket in the name of sport.
Yes, but as I understood it, if they proved their case they were allowed to compete as individual athletes and not representatives of a Russian team. By including OAR in the medal table you are as good as including a Russian team.
So pleased for Axel Lund Svindal winning gold. He’s suffered so many injuries over the years.
Regarding Chemmy, I like her a lot. She knows her stuff and has a good personality for telly, as does Jenny Jones, who I think is turning out to be a really good commentator.
Agreed on all counts! ALS is just special. So powerful on the last half of that course!
On commentary, be sure to loo, out for the excellent Anna Turney when the Paralympics come around. If I could have a quarter of her enthusiam about life, I'd be a very happy man!
Doh - Aksel (not Axel). I should know better with the spelling as he's my all time favourite foreign athlete.
Who's the scouse guy that commentates on the luge etc? he's a moaning faced arse. Non stop criticism of every run.
Elise Christie crashes yet again....
Im no expert on this but FFS top 3 in the semi go through to final, 3 of them out in front and they smash into each other fighting over second... Why not just back of off and get to the final?
Only top 2 in semi go through
brilliant that a snowboarder wins the women's Super G. easy, easy, easy!
Fair enough then... Whole sport just seems stupid with the amount of crashes/judges decisions
When racing sucks, it really sucks. God forbid she expresses any emotion on the telly and get lambasted on the internet by fat tossers who've never lifted a finger in their life.
shots fired
I'm not fat.
Nothing personal against any of the competitors. Just don't like sports with such a heavy influence of the judges. People think things like F1 have to much stewards involvement these days but this makes that look like A bar fight in comparison
Wasn't referring to anyone on here really. I notice to Beeb turns on the comments for anything that people would be particularly likely to troll though.
“brilliant that a snowboarder wins the women’s Super G.“
Before all the snowboarders get too stoked, it might be worth noting that’s been skiing since she was 2, and took up snowboarding much later, so strictly speaking she’s a gold medal skier who also snowboards 😉
Why doesn’t the skeleton hurt a lot me. Hitting hard ice at high spend with a thin layer of Lycra for protection.
Would love to understand the sport more to understand where and how the technique comes in.
Well done ladies. Brilliant.
Amazing run by Yarnold to pull a track record out of the bag!
3 medals in one day as well.
3 medals in a sport that we don't even have a track to practice on in our own country.
There's one at Bath uni where the team are based... Sort of3 medals in a sport that we don’t even have a track to practice on in our own country.
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Awesome stuff from Lizzie. I remember thinking “Ooooh, bravado!” when I heard that she’d said yesterday that she was confident that she and Deas would win medals. Absolutely fair play to them for backing that up with performances.
Go ladies!
Ladies mass start biathlon on atm shaping up to be a good race
Lizzy and Laura (and Izzy) Flippin' brilliant.
Come on Elise, you can do this. All the best for Tuesday.
Cor blimey, that ski event where they go backwards into a trick is bonkers.
Quite bonkers.
Would love to understand the sport more to understand where and how the technique comes in.
A lot of the technique comes with the start, which is why the Bath set-up has been so crucial to the Skeleton and Bob teams, it’s allowed them to get their starts really finely tuned, the rest is down to getting a good line on the actual run and not making tiny errors, the Olympic course this year is apparently highly technical and has been catching out the most experienced sliders.
If you watch the Skeleton sliders, you can see them making tiny adjustments with their toes all the time, just like making tiny body adjustments on a bike at high speed.
Cor blimey, that ski event where they go backwards into a trick is bonkers.Quite bonkers.
You’re not wrong there! I’d not really watched ski slope-style before, seeing the skiers do technical jumps and land backwards on skis, and do a jump backwards was a real WTAF? moment.
I can’t walk backwards without nearly falling on my ass, I’m pretty sure I could barely even stand upright on skis!
Wasn’t that into the Women’s half pipe skiing, I know it’s complex and difficult but coming after the Snowboarding it’s just a bit lame.
Also the Snowboarding jumping thing earlier... it lacked some pzzzzzzaz, I know it was the qualifiers but still..
*Raises a glass to a great bloke, Woodsy, fourth place but still ripping it up!*
Your time will come, surely!
Yeah the women's halfpipe skiing standard is pretty low... Lots of straight airs and some tricks not even high enough to be above the coping.
Compared to other events just seems a bit lack luster
Also why do they have poles? Surely makes the grabs harder
Jesus the BBC catch up programme on now is moronic. Interviewing people watching the events wgas.
Bloody hell - Christie doesn’t have much go her way at the limpics.
Sadly I'm not really surprised by that - she was clearly not at her best and having to take chances she might not have normally.
Awesome straight airs and massive ski stoke here. lolz. man skiing is cool
pulling legs and raising hackles, it is great, just not this.
was that for a dare or what?
Elise Christie WHIT?!?!
the short track speed skating is a bit shit really, it looks good on the surface, but once you have watched a few races it becomes obvious that luck plays way too big a part in deciding the winners and losers.
Frankly I wish she’d just shut up. A World Champion she may be but dear Lord she whines more than a some of the contributors on here.
Thanks for your effort Elise, work on your PR and go again at Beijing..
The Gents Ski Half Pipe was interesting, there are some very talented and brave chaps throwing shapes. I will watch the final.
That Hungarian skier story is actually great, a bit Eddie Eagle Edwards. She knows she is rubbish but worked out that by turning up to world cup events and not falling over she could probably get to the Olympics. She played to system so she could be an Olympian. She knew she wouldn't win, just wanted to go.
She could probably ski circles round most of us anyway
and she also races skeleton....
Skeleton's a race? I thought it was just a lie down between proper sports...
Well blimey, the Men’s chuck a snowboard down a ramp then spin till you’re sick was awesome.. it’s well worth watching (I’ll say no more)
The Women’s downhill too.. though I have a question, the suits they wear look thicker than Lycra yet as manoeuvrable so must be a mix of Lycra and some sort of neoprene (or something like) because they don’t seem to get cold nor have restrictions on movement.. anyone know what the material is?
hat Hungarian skier story is actually great, a bit Eddie Eagle Edwards. She knows she is rubbish but worked out that by turning up to world cup events and not falling over she could probably get to the Olympics. She played to system so she could be an Olympian. She knew she wouldn’t win, just wanted to go
I think the only reason it's a story at all is because she's from America rather than one of the minor winter sports countries. There are lots of folks at the winter Olympics that are miles of the pace (like the guy from Tonga for example - and quite a lot of the others in the race he was in).
I see the BBC's 'See if you can make them cry aka "It must mean so much to you/your pets/your dead relative'" interview technique is being turned up a notch this week. And a black and white montage of that speed skater falling over to a backtrack of Johnny Cash's version of 'Hurt' closing out the highlights last night, give over.
"I think the only reason it’s a story at all is because she’s from America rather than one of the minor winter sports countries. There are lots of folks at the winter Olympics that are miles of the pace (like the guy from Tonga for example – and quite a lot of the others in the race he was in)"
I had a friend who made the qualification time for the Olympics 100 meters at Seoul in 88, he was a decent enough club runner but wasn't even close to the A standard required to run for the UK, but could have run for the Seychelles through his heritage. Neither he nor the Seychelles were willing to finance him to attend and get embarrassed in the first round.
I had a friend who made the qualification time for the Olympics 100 meters at Seoul in 88, he was a decent enough club runner but wasn’t even close to the A standard required to run for the UK, but could have run for the Seychelles through his heritage. Neither he nor the Seychelles were willing to finance him to attend and get embarrassed in the first round.
I'm not sure how many of those folks who're at the Olympics just so they can say they're an Olympian are self-funded but would have thought it might be quite a few of them.
The guy from Tonga has competed at the summer Olympics as well, in Taekwondo although it sounds like he's pretty capable in that sport as he won a qualification tournament. I think his Olympic targets are mainly about being there though - I thought I'd read an article saying that he wanted to complete at 3 Olympics at a different sport in each.
Some great ice hockey over the last few days.
Bit surprised that body checks are not allowed at all in women's hockey seems a bit strange when they are just as padded up as the men, also they wear helmets with a full face mesh covering.
Can't believe we just lost to Germany...
Well done Germany though.
i do think the Women in the Ice Dancing ought to wear longer more concealed dresses.. They're incredibly short and revealing.
Harumph.
Germany in the final 😂😂😂
i do think the Women in the Ice Dancing ought to wear longer more concealed dresses.. They’re incredibly short and revealing.
Harumph.
Why?
Because you can't look at a 15 year old in a skirt without making it sexual?
Seems a silly thing to think about, they are ice dancers that's what they wear. Do you say the same thing about the length of gymnasts leotards or swimmers costumes?
yes i agree bikebouy, i have deliberately avoided all the ice dancing for that very reason - i want my excitement levels raised through competition not by a slip of a dress
I just think it’s a step too far.
As far as thinking it’s sexual, you must have me mixed up with someone else.
They could wear leggings, like the blokes.
But since you think it’s sexual, maybe you should turn it off.. they are 15 after all.
They do wear tights/leggings that are skin coloured. Just can't see why someone would care... Do you feel the same about gymnasts and swimmers costumes being a bit much as well?
That like saying you won't watch the tour because their shorts don't cover thet up enough, surely it's the spectacle of the sport you are watching it's not s fashion show is it?
Im not trying to cause any offence here just interested in why it bothers anyone
It’s fine, I am a self confessed prude of the highest order.
Anyway back to chucking your snowboard in the air and throwing shapes.. Billy isn’t doing too well at the mo’.
Well he certainly turned it around!
(Literally, 4 times)
Still really enjoying the games....shame Eve messed up against the Swedes in the curling and Vonn couldn’t pull out the fast one in the downhill.
Most amazing is the girl who’s won two golds in the alpine super g on skis and now won the gold in the slalom snowboarding. Truly immense achievement!
Although I was disappointed to hear that NHL players weren't being allowed to play in the games this time I reckon It's levelled the competition out more.
Germany only have about 8 active NHL players at the moment whereas the other big hitters have many many more & I doubt Germany wouldv'e made it so far without some help from the likes of Leon Draisaitl.
It's great to see the creme de la creme play against each other in national competition rather than the NHL but there's little decent coverage of the Ice Hockey world championships.
Just watched Billy Morgan winning bronze.....amazing as most of the favourites kept falling and to his own surprise, he landed a great one! Fantastic....well done Billy from Southampton!
Yeah the hockey has been great so close in so many of the games
And I return from a run and Billy won bronze..
Pretty damn fine performance that.
How far did you run! He won it at 3am
I woke early, watched him bin his 1st run, fell asleep then out running at 8..
I don’t know how they do it, they must practice on a kids trampoline somewhere ..
Mental.
Billy Morgan to carry the 'team GB' flag at the closing ceremony today.
2 people that stand out for me - Lizzy Yarnold and Esther E (sorry can't remember her surname) CZE girl, winning gold in GS and dual snowboard slalom. As mentioned above, what an amazing achievement.
There has been some very interesting moments during the games. I have enjoyed it on the whole, but can’t say I’m a fan of the BBC coverage of the Curling... it seems to be the only thing on when I turn the tv on..
The BBC4 catch-up Programme has been the better option IMO.
Am I missing something? 2 more Russian athletes admit to doping violations and the IOC says it is planning on ending the Russian ban. Surely that should see the ban extended and the end of even the OAR participation?
Ice hockey final simply amazing.
I thought the snowboard parallel slalom competition was very unfair. The red course was noticeably faster than the blue one and a good 95% of the winners came from that side. The gold medalist, Ester Ledecka raced every time on the red side. I wonder how she would have got if if she had been on the blue track? I'm surprised something wasn't done about it.
Standout athlete in the games was Marit Bjorgen. Her final performance in the 30km race was breathtaking.
Yep the hockey final was 1st class! I was hoping Germany would nab it but the Russkies were too strong on possession & their stick handling was unbelievable.
Pavel Datsyuk, 39 yr old & still performing well.
Standout performance(s) - Yes Bjorgen, but also Yun in the skeleton winning by a mile, Virtue and Moir in the ice dance (I admit it, I cried) and parochially Lizzy Yarnold
But moment of the games for me was the deadheat in the pairs Bob. And the moment the tie was called, it wasn't disappointment and not being outright winners, but sharing the moment with rivals.
To reparaphrase........Sport - It's not a matter of life and death, but it is bloody brilliant sometimes.
Awww...it’s all over! Gonna miss my daily fix! 🙁
I thought the BBC coverage was at best annoying. Countless repeats at the expense of (in their eyes obviously) lesser events, switching channels mid-event and waaaay too much effin' curling. At 2 hours+ for each match and all the round robinning etc. it could have done with its own channel to give sports fans a respite from "bowls on ice".
I also agree with the comments about the stupid ice dancing costumes (men and women). It's a sports event not a fashion show FFS! They should have to do it in standardised, approved outfits like all of the other sports.
But moment of the games for me was the deadheat in the pairs Bob.
That was brilliant!
For me the highlight was the mens' halfpipe final; the way that built up (for those up at stupid o'clock to watch it) it couldn't have been scripted better.
I'm also sad to see it end, but at least I won't have any more moments where I'm going to sleep at 5am before missing a 7am train to London 🙂
I thought the BBC coverage was excellent though (and I may be bit in love with Amy Williams)..