Olympics Day 13

Day 13 of the Games. Chances for gold today include Kerri Anne Payne in the 10k open water swim, Charlotte Dujardin in the individual dressage, Nicola Adams in the boxing and the men's 470 in the sailing. Really looking to put extra distance between us and the Russians today. But, in a digression from what I normally do, but I'm sure you will excuse me this once.............

COME ON KATIE TAYLOR! YOU'RE INDESTRUCTIBLE!

Is it me or is the Second Week of the Olympics not quite as good as the first?

Less stuff on for sure, at least it seems so to me. But you have the athletics, which is the marquee event of the Games - I prefer watching the athletics in the second week than the swimming in the first week.

As an outside chance today we have Britain's only wrestler Olga Butkevich in action. She is Ukrainian but came to Britain in 2007 to train up British wrestlers for 2012, and settled so well that she stayed here to represent us. Sadly the training up of wrestlers failed - it was eventually decided that it would be embarassing for the BOA to take up their home nation entries in this sport, as the standard of our wrestlers was nowhere near international standard. Thus, Butkevich is our only GB wrestling hope.

As an Irishman, the second week is great, Ireland will get medals

Billy

Congrats to you guys for finally reaching the medals table, courtesy of a show jumper who only got into the final as a reserve.

As you imply, the fighting medals are only decided at the end of this week, so you're definitely picking up a few (is it 3 or 4 guaranteed medals).

Surely though you now realise the foolishness of Collins and de Valeara and their movement for a Free Ireland - if you'd stuck with us you'd be 3rd in the medals table . Finally, 100 years later, a good reason for staying in the UK

It's a straight fight between GBR and AUS in the men's two man single trapeze dinghy, 470 class.

Should be a cracker...!!!


1 AUS PAGE/BELCHER 18

2 GBR PATIENCE /BITHELL 22


The next race is a medal race, (DOUBLE POINTS), so that means GBR need to beat AUS with one boat in between them and AUS to get gold.



 

dummy_half wrote:Billy

Congrats to you guys for finally reaching the medals table, courtesy of a show jumper who only got into the final as a reserve.

As you imply, the fighting medals are only decided at the end of this week, so you're definitely picking up a few (is it 3 or 4 guaranteed medals).

Surely though you now realise the foolishness of Collins and de Valeara and their movement for a Free Ireland - if you'd stuck with us you'd be 3rd in the medals table . Finally, 100 years later, a good reason for staying in the UK

We've more medals per head than the UK, so we'll stay where we are thanks

dummy_half, true but what Mick said

I think Mick's maths are a bit off though, especially if we take the population of 'true' Irish (i.e. all those in the USA and to a lesser extent the UK who claim to be Irish), which is surely bigger than the population of Britain.

More seriously, I think medals per head will actually be pretty similar by the end of the games - you've currently the one medal and guaranteed 3(?) more in boxing, while Team GB will end up somewhere around 60 (again, we have 5 definite boxing medals to come, plus at least one more sailing medal).

dummy_half wrote:I think Mick's maths are a bit off though, especially if we take the population of 'true' Irish (i.e. all those in the USA and to a lesser extent the UK who claim to be Irish), which is surely bigger than the population of Britain.

More seriously, I think medals per head will actually be pretty similar by the end of the games - you've currently the one medal and guaranteed 3(?) more in boxing, while Team GB will end up somewhere around 60 (again, we have 5 definite boxing medals to come, plus at least one more sailing medal).

Never, Mick is a genius. We are better than you

dummy_half wrote:I think Mick's maths are a bit off though, especially if we take the population of 'true' Irish (i.e. all those in the USA and to a lesser extent the UK who claim to be Irish), which is surely bigger than the population of Britain.

More seriously, I think medals per head will actually be pretty similar by the end of the games - you've currently the one medal and guaranteed 3(?) more in boxing, while Team GB will end up somewhere around 60 (again, we have 5 definite boxing medals to come, plus at least one more sailing medal).

Well, I was only pulling your leg but if we’re taking Diaspora into account then our population is into the 100’s of millions. But then we’d have to take a medal or two off the Americans anyway (Ryan Dwyer the swimmer, American?!). We’ve a bronze in the bag, at least 3 more bronzes and at least 1 silver. Can’t see us getting anything else, but if one or two of those bronze medals goes gold, we’ll have had our best Olympics ever, if not, it’s the best since 1956, either way, reasons to be happy!

Only 100s of millions? I demand a recount (to be undertaken on St Paddy's Day)

Oh, and you should count at least a quarter of a gold from one of our show jumpers who switched allegience from Ireland to GB.

It was a ploy from GB before the Olympics, go all over Ireland and find the best athletes and give them loads of potatoes to represent GB and win medals. Your medal standing is fake as you have bought too many medals

We should get credit for this fella, have a look at him and tell me he doesn't belong in the front row of a Saw Doctors concert:

https://www.google.com/search?q=ivan+ukhov&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=sn4jUIvqEqqu0QXIqICIBQ&biw=832&bih=643&sei=tX4jUOOSGrKk0AXl9oGwCA

Pure Irish...

We doin't clasp at straws that much Dummy...... Talk to us on Sunday and if we haven't won one yet we might get back to you.


Although as usual, the Brits are trying to claim anyone who is successful on these isles, between U2, Katie Taylor and Colin Farrell I say would you lot feic off

Jaysus Mick, looks a defo Culchie that one

A horse wins us a medal and 3 more for fighting. Not that great since Irish love sport.

Well we're great at riding and fighting.........


Dave, I'm sorry but the bandwagon is closed, you should have hpped on it oh about 3 years ago

lorus59 wrote:A horse wins us a medal and 4 more for fighting. Not that great since Irish love sport.

Fixed that for you.

Booya

Keri-Anne-Payne of GB is currently in the 10KM open water swim and currently is third after 1 lap. That should finish around 14:00.

Where is the Open Swim held? Hardly the Thames? Great srtart for Team GB, Payne seems like a good prospect. Fingers crossed.

Thomond

It's in the Serpentine.

I guess the Thames couldn't reasonably be used because it is strongly tidal - it would be like a mountainous bike race, half an hour for the upstream leg and 5 minutes the other way

Ah right, Payne seems to be doing well, although I haven't been paying too much attention today, I'm feicing nervous and I'm not even fighting!

lorus59 wrote:A horse wins us a medal and 3 more for fighting. Not that great since Irish love sport.

You do realise 5 medals for us is really really good. Irish people expect WAY too much from our athletes.

Great comment by the GB Beach Volleyballers yesterday. One of them said "loads of kids have been coming up asking me where they can play"

Err.....the beach?

Ireland spent 11 milion on their whole team GB spent more on their cyclists Lorus. Think it shows we have a bit of a tough task.

Thom

11 million. Where the feic did you find that much?

The lottery has become a great way of funding the elite level of sport in the UK. My one concern is that once the current stars retire, are we going to have enough youngsters coming through to fill the void, or are we going to turn into Australia*?

* British development took several ideas and a couple of coaches from AIS, but has improved on them.

Oh, and I think 11 million is about what we spent just on the bikes and equipment development, never mind on the athletes (I believe British Cycling's lottery funding is around 25 million per year, similar to swimming).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19144983

Gb figures

http://www.thescore.ie/sports-council-announce-e10-5m-funding-for-irish-athletes-in-2012-355715-Feb2012/

Irish figures this year and it was lower in years gone past.

26 mill for team GB cyclists. I'm not complaining by the way you use whatever money you have and we don't have lot in Ireland at the moment, our lottery are stricter with giving out funds and the government are bankrupt.

The cycling is money well spent in my view. It will get more people out on bikes, there's got to be a health benefit/NHS savings to that somewhere down the line. Once you've been bitten with the cycling bug you wont go back

Beginning to wind down at these games GB. Boxing and Daley seem to be the remaining medal hopes

GSC wrote:Beginning to wind down at these games GB. Boxing and Daley seem to be the remaining medal hopes

Don't forget Mo in the 5000.

Also couple of sailors , horses performing shortly , possible chance in modern pentathlon and the hockey teams are still in the mix...

Not over yet.

16:30 Nicola Adams of GB is in her Gold/Silver bout. Can't miss that one, guaranteed Medal, let's hope it's Gold!

Mo would do well to medal tho.

Shame cycling doesn't have 15 variations on every event like swmming.

Saying that we're in gold with 2 riders to go in the dressage.

Laura Bechtolsheimer still top, Dujardin last to go - can't wait!!

Hester 3rd

GSC wrote:Mo would do well to medal tho.

Shame cycling doesn't have 15 variations on every event like swmming.

You think ? I would frankly be very surprised if Mo isn't in the medals. Sure there will be tough opposition , but he is in commanding form at the moment , and we saw what he could do in the shorter race in Daegu. If he has recovered from the 10000 and the heats I reckon he may very well win it.

Not sure Mo has much left in the tank though.

5k isn't Mo's preferred event, tho he did win it at the worlds (after surprisingly losing to 10k). He looked in imperious form the other night, I'd back him to podium but not sure about gold.

Noooooooooo the Dutch rider has moved into gold.....

Jade Jones of GB is through to the Taekwondo Semi-Finals which will be later today.

Well that was massive

Think that Dutch horse might have just put gold out of reach...

Massive score, can't see Dujardin beating that. Fingers crossed for silver and bronze though (guaranteed at least one).

Its close...

90%

ITS MASSIVE

ITS GOLD

90 plus !

Gold for Charlotte...