I could probably only just swim 151m, just thinking about doing it underwater...

I was slightly obsessive about underwater swimming as a kid — I could get to the end of the local 25m pool (with a dive) and part way back. And that was a long way. 151m is…

I need a physicist to explain why it's more efficient to swim under the water without your arms, than above the water with your arms. Logic would have told me to get to the surface of the water fairly quickly.

Waves and turbulence slow you down faster than friction. Most…

I'd alwasy figured that although it didn't land in it, with the fumes of the thing, it almost certainly ignited it anyway.

And we all remember Muhammad Ali burning his arm in Atlanta

who remembers the Barcelona opening ceremony, and the newsreaders breathlessly informing us later how the flaming arrow never actually landed in the fire? Like they'd have left that in any way to chance.

I'd alwasy figured that although it didn't land in it, with the fumes of the thing, it…

I think it's all strokes. And there's a rule about how many kicks and strokes you can do underwater at the turns. I think that's a big factor in Phelps' success is the "ground" he makes up underwater.

Also the most efficient kick you can do underwater is the butterfly…

The rule is that freestylers must surface within 15 m of starting a lap and swim with part of their body above the water...

That's freestyle too? I thought that was one (or more) of the other strokes.

I think it's all strokes. And there's a rule about how many…

I wonder if the likes of Mike McRoberts etc. actually believe that all the scenes in LOTR were real too…

Indeed – who remembers the Barcelona opening ceremony, and the newsreaders breathlessly informing us later how the flaming arrow never actually landed in the fire? Like they'd have left that…

"So you didn't win. How did that make you feel?"

It's not confined to NZ

The rule is that freestylers must surface within 15 m of starting a lap and swim with part of their body above the water. Guess because it makes better TV to have the swimmers visible even if it is possible to stay submerged and go faster.

That's freestyle too? I…

Post-swim interview was unsurpringly poor, though.

"So you didn't win. How did that make you feel?"

Great swim.

It was. Won't be celebrated much at home without a medal, I'm guessing, but under the circumstances he did very, very well.

Post-swim interview was unsurpringly poor, though.

"US swimmer Michael Phelps became the greatest Olympic athlete in history, winning his 10th gold medal with victory in the 200m butterfly.

Phelps claimed his fourth gold medal of the Beijing Olympics and 10th of all time in a world record of 1:52.03.

The 23-year-old beat Hungary's Laszlo…

Also just as a side note: Freestyle means you can swim that race (or leg) in any style you want. It's just that the front crawl is the fastest, so everyone uses that.

Not necessarily. The rule is that freestylers must surface within 15 m of starting a lap and…

So can I assume that means American Gold?

Not just American gold. According to Stuff:

With the win in his signature event, the 200 metres butterfly, Phelps became the greatest Olympian in history, his ten gold medals surpassing the likes of "Flying Finn" Paavo Nurmi, Americans Carl Lewis and Mark…

I was just watching Burmester pipped for a medal in a time of 1:54.35, a New Zealand and Commonwealth record on the TVNZ third stream

So can I assume that means American Gold and no medal for Aussie?
(can't watch at work)

And the shock / horror in the lip-synching by the 9 year-old who happened to be more telegenic than the real singer has been nothing short of xenophobic.

People are conveniently forgetting that sports stadiums don't typically have fantastic acoustics and it's normal for singers at sports events to lip…

And the shock / horror in the lip-synching by the 9 year-old who happened to be more telegenic than the real singer has been nothing short of xenophobic. Spice Girls…

I've been waiting for the "corrupt official" event. You know – the one where the cousin of the official gets to learn to swim and then needs to be saved from drowning in the first heat, only…

Highlight was the guy from that well-known mountain river rapids nation of Togo, who got bronze.

In his celebrations he smashed his paddle clean in two. He stopped for about .5 of a…

and yet for some reason the beach volleyball girls still have to wear bikinis

The front page of this morning's Dom Post had a small pic of two female volleyball players hugging after (I assume) winning their game. That might sound fairly ordinary, but one of them had her hand…

How about those pretty fireworks?

When we were watching the firework footprints I said "that looks like CGI". Then there was a shot inside the stadium with the fireworks exploding overhead and I said, "wow that was real". I feel kinda duped.

P'raps they can also sketch in a few…

How about those pretty fireworks? P'raps they can also sketch in a few happy smiling family members to watch from the empty seats.

Yeah, what's with that? Where are all the crowds?

Is it possible that the local population just isn't that interested? (Or maybe their interest is in other…

From the BBC:

"I have been eating a lot of pasta and pizza, a lot of carbs. I have been eating and sleeping as much as I can."

they'll both have acheieved their aim.

Who cares about them? The medal table is for us and our blobby butts, so we don't have to ring Murray Deaker and moan that we're below Uzbekistan because our kids have been captured by politically correct teachers who don't keep the score.

It's…

And I still love that world-record green line zooming along the pool, and the country names on the lanes (in the rowing too)

How about those pretty fireworks? P'raps they can also sketch in a few happy smiling family members to watch from the empty seats.

The Fencing uniforms comments of my last post) wires for fencers have been around for a while. They still have the shorts with the high socks though.

Electronic scoring for Foil and Epee has been around for ages and was relatively easy to do because those two fencing disciplines are…

How NZ can match Phelps

That was exactly my argument too.

My Dad, who was at the 1976 Olympics, who had friendly rivalry with the Canadian he was staying with over whose team would perform better, tells a story of the day he was able to inform his mate that…

*until France.

...I suggest though that they get rid of the butterfly, breaststroke and backstroke as freestyle is the fastest. Why the hell would you do something a slower way and then turn it into a competition...

and now I shall attempt to defend swimming, after dissing it.

You do those strokes…

How NZ can match Phelps

That was exactly my argument too.

Weightlifting is the same. It's not like they get a medal for the snatch and another for the clean and jerk.

I mean, these swimmers are great, but that's what the medal haul really comes down to: opportunities, arbitrarily decided.

indeed. yamis over at blogging it real raised the same point the other day...

WHAT THE FUCK? 50m free style, 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m, 10km marathon swim, plus the relay versions…

Olympic Rowing Events:

2000m: Waddell & Drysdale (same boat), Waddell & Drysdale (relay boats), Waddell, Drysdale.
1500m: Waddell & Drysdale (same boat), Waddell & Drysdale (relay boats), Waddell, Drysdale.
1000m: Waddell & (you get the picture)

Repeat for women
Repeat for mixed
Repeat, but facing…

But is he the greatest Olympian of all time?

Apart from Zeus himself of course, I should think Steve Redgrave would be in the frame?

Yes, turning into another person is truly amazing, even for someone as talented as Phelps.

Yeah, I got that. I was talking about Phelps' last 25m. Where he was trailing the Australian by maybe 2m and he caught it up.

His last 25m in the relay where he just turned it on and caught up to first was stunning.

Yes, turning into another person is truly amazing, even for someone as talented as Phelps.

But is he the greatest Olympian of all time?

Australia sports teams seem to have completely lost it on the uniform front.

To be fair, you're screwed from the outset if your apparel choices can only come in yellow and green. They can call it gold all they want but the rest of us will always know it's yellow…

And the blue shell suits the Aussie athletes were wearing on Friday night have been described by some as 'sucked popsicles'.

Australia sports teams seem to have completely lost it on the uniform front. That man-bra thing the Wallabies wear has to be the ugliest international jersey ever.

The Walla-bra is sported by any international team that wears Canterbury jerseys. Scotland, Ireland, the USA.

The Aussie women basketballers have also had…

Phew! did anyone else think the Australian uniform sucked at the opening ceremony? it seems to be universally unpopular among the Aussie public too.

Australia sports teams seem to have completely lost it on the uniform front. That man-bra thing the Wallabies wear has to be the ugliest international jersey…

is this the safe 'it's okay to just talk about the sport' zone?

it's ok Charles, you're among friends

It is worse than the blunder committed by the four US cyclists that got off a flight at Beijing airport in their masks.

Spain's Olympic basketball teams have risked upsetting their Chinese hosts by posing for a pre-Games advert making slit-eyed gestures. The advert for a courier company, which is an official sponsor of the Spanish Basketball Federation, occupied a full page in the…

a voice would intone, every time his frontage hove into view "Allo boys..."

The Italian rowing crew seemed to be very happy to receive their medals at the Athens Olympics. Many jokes about where the medals would be hung, ensued.

Does anyone remember a viral video of men's sprinting, in slow motion, frontal view in tight lycra, with added sound effects?

I do recall Roy & HG at the Sydney Olympics, as a lycra clad male gymnast spun around on a pommel horse (or whatever they are)... a voice would intone,…

A question on sailing.....Has board sailing always had different rules from "real" yachts

Yes, and being allowed to hit the marks is just one difference. The other main one is that the sailors are allowed to "pump" the sails to generate movement. Other classes are penalised for doing that.

Watched…

Finally, I don’t want to offend anyone in just my second post, but, badminton may just be the most boring sport to be played at high speed.

Boring?

Watched John Moody get totally crushed by Chen Jin last night. John Moody is the best NZer with good reflexes, very fit,…

With everyone plugged into the Olympics is anyone feeling a little bit sorry for Tasman and Northland? I'm not.

I'm feeling sorry for Northland because I'm from Northland.

I remember listening to Northland defending the Ranfurly Shield, on the radio. And my Dad telling me about Peter Jones. Buggered was…

I'm mildly terrified at the prospect of the men's sprinting in the same sort of loving detail.

Does anyone remember a viral video of men's sprinting, in slow motion, frontal view in tight lycra, with added sound effects? There was a bunch of white guys, and the effects were a…

No, I'm fairly sure she was standing.

Or is it thst she has standing?

The president needs some work on his passing, mis-hitting a pair off his knuckles. When May-Treanor passed the ball back to him, he acted like he was going to dive after it but decided to stay on his…

Kendall notwithstanding.

No, I'm fairly sure she was standing.

I'm mildly terrified at the prospect of the men's sprinting in the same sort of loving detail

As are the Dropkicks. Although to be fair for 20% of us, "terrified" probably isn't the word.

Why is it they can make suits…

But when we do get to see the events, my goodness, don't they look good!? I could watch those underwater tracking shots of Michael Phelps, with the Water Cube's bubbly roof above him, for ages.

Here, we're already refering to those shots as 'swim porn'. I'm mildly terrified at the…

Why not a plastic bladder full of red-coloured dye on the front of the padded jacket – a hit and it spurts out – just…