That was absolutely heartbreaking for Perdita Felicien. She hit the first hurdle and went down, taking the Russian in the next lane with her.
Her interview immediately afterwards was truly classy. Reminded me of Kurt Browning in Lillehammer, 1994.
Maybe Canada puts too much pressure on our top athletes. Maybe we need more funding for amateur athletics. Whatever the case is this was a horrible moment for Canadian sports fans.
On a side note, way to go Despatie and Muezner!
Mike:Originally Posted by mike79
I heard the news at work and thought in a way it almost seemed symbolic. This Olympics has been one of frustration and disappointment for our athletes.
I really don't know what we can do to improve our chances at the Olympics. Sometimes I wonder if it is really worth all the money we spend to train and send athletes to the Olympics when there are other areas where the tax payers money could lend help. It almost seems a waste to me. Really is winning an Olympic medal that important?
We are going to host the Winter Olympics in British Columbia in 2010. I sure hope it's going to be worth all the expense.
Well, at least we are better at the winter Olympics than the summer Olympics!
"C'est la vie" as the French say.
:sheesh:
What a crazy final. I did feel sorry for Felicien. She seemed so humble and had put so much on the line for that one moment (as they all do). How old is she? I'm sure she still has some great moments ahead...perhaps even in Beijing!
Hayes's reaction was priceless. I was excited for her. But, that poor Russian girl! What a disappointment for her! And...yet another scandal perhaps. The Russian protest filers are really earning their paychecks in these Olympics...lol!
We do well for a country challenged by geography. So few people separated by so many miles.
I think perhaps we could spend our money more wisely.
I felt so bad when I watched Perdita race this afternoon. (sigh)
Seems to me to be a doomed race...........Devers out w/a charlie horse, Perdita and the Russian girl..........
strange olympics.
My husband and I were discussing the terrible results at this year's Olympics for Canada, and he really put things into perspective for me. If you consider that the USA has an esimated 294 million people as compared to Canada with an estimated 34 million people, it makes our results seem more in line.
USA has 72 medals
Canada has 7
Considering the USA has a population a little less than 10 times ours, everything is relative. This made me feel MUCH better!
USA always has been and will continue to be a powerhouse, but considering the talent pool they have to draw on, it is to be expected.
On a side note - I have found it very disturbing that the athletes that we expected results from "tanked", it really makes one wonder at the pressure we as a society put on them. Why is it that our worth as a country and as an athletic force should be based solely on the # and colour of medals our athletes come home with?
I am proud of every single one of the athletes that sacrifice more than I think we can possibly fathom so they can provide the rest of us with a hero. Win, lose, or draw, their accomplishments are many, regardless of what happens one single day in thier lives.
Canuck
Last edited by sk8tngcanuck; 08-25-2004 at 02:23 AM.
What a disaster for Shevchenko. She'll be 29 next week. Felicien will be 24 this weekend and has a good chance for Beijing in 2008.
I don't quite understand why there isn't a track official watching to call the race to a halt if a competitor steps/falls/runs out of lane and brings down another competitor. It seems to me the race should be re-scheduled for later or another day, with a DQL for the racer who caused the collision, however inadvertent.
I glad that it made you feel better.I really felt bad for her, as she was favored to win.
As a side note, I really hate it the way TV cameras insist on getting up into athlete's business, especially if they have a devastating loss. Was it really nescessary to to have so many zoom-ins of her face as she cried like a baby? Let the poor people have their grief in private, with respect. It's a natural reaction, wanting to broadcast it all over the world isn't IMHO.
Anyway, as comforting as your husband's theory may be, it's riddled with holes:
1) I believe there are much smaller countries like Hungary and Germany that seem to do much better than Canada in the medals department.
2) I believe that there are much larger countries like Brazil who do worse
3) The number of atletes entered per country is limited. This is good IMHO because otherwise the Olys would be named USA vs. USSR.
Japan is tiny, yet they are currently dominating the ladies skating. China is huge, yet Chen Lu stood out as their one and only skater.
U.S. vs China would be more like it! :D
this year, yes.
From 1952 (their debut) until 2000, the USSR/Russia took 7 of the 14 summer games (the USA took the other 7, and had taken 6 of the previous 12 games), and 8 of the 14 winter games.
15 USSR has 7 summer and 8 winter.
14 USA has 13 summer and 1 winter.
Others countries?
7 Norway has 0 summer and 7 winter.
4 Germany has 1 summer and 3 winter.
2 France has 2 summer and 0 winter.
2 Sweden has 1 summer and 1 winter.
1 Greece has 1 summer and 0 winter.
1 UK has 1 summer and 0 winter.
1 Switzerland has 0 summer and 1 winter.
The early games were really bogus, the stories are hilarious. At any rate, some of the stats are funny. The USA has the most medals won, taking 238 at the St. Louis games in 1904. However, those games also had the lowest number of nations attending,only 12.
What about the lady she knocked out of the race next to her.
Apparently, the Russians have filed a protest, asking that the race be re-run. RIDICULOUS! Them's the breaks! I remember when this happened many years ago in the Olympics. I think South African Zola Budd (running for Great Britain since South Africa was banned from the Olympics due to its apartheid policy) inadvertently knocked down U.S. runner Mary Decker--who reminded me of Khorkina in that she was always whining about something or other.
In case you would like an update on Zola Budd:
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-2...asp?viewPage=1
Last edited by RealtorGal; 08-25-2004 at 10:41 AM.
I find the medal results by country amusing but not indicative of anything special. Some nations have Sports Departments in their governments; others have cororate sponsors; most, however, do not have either.
The bottom line for me, is the excellence of the individual athlete I've seen some wonderful athletes that did not make the podium, and that's why I get tired of watching the usual suspects in figure skating on American TV.
Joe
Wasn't Apolo Ona (or whatever his name is) knocked down by someone in one of the speedskating races he was favored to win in SLC. IIRC, there was a real whipe-out and someone who wasn't even considered a possiblity for bronze is now the Oly champ.
I think that there is precedence for this to be a "them's the breaks, kid" thing. Unfortuneately, Athens is turning out to be the "I object" games.
At that part of the Budd/Decker race, there were no distinct lanes anymore, and the runners were in a pack. Felicien tripped out of her lane and took out Shevchenko in Shevchenko's lane. From several of the replays, it even looked like Felicien grabbed at Shevchenko to catch her balance, but that could have been the camera angle.
I sent an e-mail to the CBC early in the Olympic broadcasting about this. They've been doing it too much. It broke my heart to see Perdita crying in Charmaine Crooks and Donovan Bailey's arms. People are saying she was under too much pressure and choked. That's not at all correct. Hurdling is very much about timing. Perdita wanted it so much that she came charging out of the blocks much harder than usual. That threw her timing off going into the first hurdle. As for the Russian sprinter, Perdita said in her press conference today that she is trying to find her to apologize; she feels just terribly about knocking her out of the race. She's a class act.As a side note, I really hate it the way TV cameras insist on getting up into athlete's business, especially if they have a devastating loss. Was it really nescessary to to have so many zoom-ins of her face as she cried like a baby? Let the poor people have their grief in private, with respect. It's a natural reaction, wanting to broadcast it all over the world isn't IMHO.
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