Summer Olympics: Beijing, China

[Bearcata]

Wow, the women's synchronized platform diving was pure artistry in motion.

[Google]

 

[ClosetRTWatcher]

Originally Posted by CrossingGuard

Here's a picture of the Chinese gymnasts. The top left one doesn't look 16 to me at all.

The ones that caught my attention during the preliminaries as looking very young were the top left and bottom middle.

[dagwood]

I agree, Bearcata. The chinese women did really well.

[ClosetRTWatcher]

I thought this was an interesting article. After the amazing finish in the men's swimming relay the other night, I kept wondering where the other guy was. All of the video showed Phelps and one other guy at the finish, but Cullen Jones was missing. I ran across this article this evening that answered the question:
The mystery of the disappearance of Cullen Jones - Fourth-Place Medal - Olympics - Yahoo! Sports

And I agree that the womens sync platform diving was great! The Chinese women were awesome. The Aussie girls were great, and congrats to the mexican team for their first diving medal!! They may not have medaled, but I thought the American girls were really good also!!

[Leo]

Uh, oops? The bolded part qualifies as understatement of the Games, I think.

Two Chinese Medal Chances Row Away - 2008 Olympics – Sports and News from China – The New York Times

Two Chinese Medal Chances Row Away

By Juliet Macur
Olympics 2008: The Games

BEIJING – After investing a fortune to grow its rowing program because that sport is rich with gold-medal opportunities, the Chinese watched two medal chances vanish here last weekend.

But not on the water - on paper.

The Chinese rower Zhang Liang was disqualified in the men’s double sculls event after he failed to show up for his men’s single sculls race Saturday. The double sculls event, in which Zhang was supposed to row with his teammate Su Hui, was held later in the day. The race went off without them.

The Chinese, who hope to win their first Olympic medal in rowing here, had qualified 11 boats, more than all but 4 of the 60 countries entered. Those 11 entries would give them 11 chances to win golds and boost their medal count.

Wei Di, the director of China’s water sports programs, said that Zhang had thought he was in the third heat of the single, but was actually entered in the second.

“This shows we still have some problems in team organization,” Wei told Xinhua, the state-run news agency.

Officials from the international rowing federation, however, said that Zhang had not launched his boat for the single’s race. The two heats were 10 minutes apart and Zhang was not on the water at all.

“We just know that he didn’t show up, but we don’t know why,” the federation spokeswoman Debora Feutren said. “That’s something that the Chinese have to sit down and figure out.”

Excelling in rowing, which has 14 Olympic events, was part of China’s longstanding plan to win the most gold medals at the Beijing Games.

[FireWoman]

Originally Posted by ClosetRTWatcher

The ones that caught my attention during the preliminaries as looking very young were the top left and bottom middle.

I can see them passing for 15, which is all they HAVE to be at this point.

[famita]

The power went out in our area of town so I had to come in to work in order to see the Olympics. I'm so psyched!

[psycobabe007]

Originally Posted by famita

The power went out in our area of town so I had to come in to work in order to see the Olympics. I'm so psyched!

Haha, shows really what we are willing to do to see Michael Phelps and Shaun Johnson in action tonight!!

Mens 4x200 relay was huge tonight! US were so far ahead that the camera had to zoom out to get all the swimmers in view, lol! Top it all off with the world record being smashed by over 3 seconds and a time under 7 minutes! SCORE!!!

[Bearcata]

Originally Posted by ClosetRTWatcher

I thought this was an interesting article. After the amazing finish in the men's swimming relay the other night, I kept wondering where the other guy was. All of the video showed Phelps and one other guy at the finish, but Cullen Jones was missing. I ran across this article this evening that answered the question:
The mystery of the disappearance of Cullen Jones - Fourth-Place Medal - Olympics - Yahoo! Sports

And I agree that the womens sync platform diving was great! The Chinese women were awesome. The Aussie girls were great, and congrats to the mexican team for their first diving medal!! They may not have medaled, but I thought the American girls were really good also!!

I always luv it when a team who has never medaled in an event does. Those girls will be heroes in Mexico. I don't think in America we appreciate how hard or what an honor it is to medal at all, or even compete in the Olympics, somehow it seems we have developed a culture that if you don't win the gold some how you are a loser, a failure and that just isn't so.

[MsDiva2007]

Originally Posted by Bearcata

I always luv it when a team who has never medaled in an event does. Those girls will be heroes in Mexico. I don't think in America we appreciate how hard or what an honor it is to medal at all, or even compete in the Olympics, somehow it seems we have developed a culture that if you don't win the gold some how you are a loser, a failure and that just isn't so.

Actually China is the one that feels anything less than gold is not good enough. The China team had some sort of directive that Gold is the only medal of importance.