2020, uh, 21, uh, who knows Tokyo Olympics thread

Dumb question, after watching the replay of the gold medal wrestling match, I thought an escape was worth one point. Is that not something they award at this level?

 

USA network: here we have women’s field hockey bronze. India ties things up 1-1 but Great Britain took control
*shows GB scoring to go to 2-0*

 

Did I just watch Mike Tirico say that this is the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing — “a reminder of all that our two countries have in common” ?

 

WHAT???

 

What do you suggest it have done?

 

I can categorically say you did *not* watch Tirico say that.

You might have heard Tirico say that.

 

I agree with a lot of this but need to take exception to some of it, too.

--Coleman doesn't merit mention. Must be clean (or at least available to show oneself clean) to count.

--You're not really going to fault Benjamin for not winning that race, are you?

--I salute Kerley, who - as you mentioned - has dropped down from the 400 with incredible success. He didn't break 10.4 in the 100 until this season, and he has a lifetime best in Tokyo. I'll take that.

--And to extend it to field, Sam Kendrick (winner of the last two world championships) was knocked out by coronavirus. That hurts.

The 4x100-meter relay was inexcusable. I hate to say it, but Carl Lewis has a point. I don't know - as some have said - that if Nos. 4 through 7 at the U.S. trials were the relay team and practiced as a team, the U.S. would win, based on their times. But I do get tired of what I've sensed/read about the lack of team spirit among the sprinters who are on the relay. I've never found world-class sprinters to be leaders in the concern for the greater good.

Matt Centrowitz in the 1,500 meters was mind-boggling. To say he was disinterested would do a disservice to disinterest. Maybe he misread how the race was going to go in terms of pace, but he looked so passive in the final stretch. And how Cole Hocker keeps on doing Cole Hocker things when his form looks as if he just discovered jogging last month stuns me.

On the plus side, and on the women's side, Courtney Frerich's race in the steeplechase final was legendary. She made the race. So often on big stages runners let circumstances dictate how they run. She dictated how that race was run. Absolutely epic and wonderful.

 

I know one network's loss of a certain host who now is in Tokyo made a lot of headlines.

I'm much more riveted to the absolutely wonderful commentary of Kara Goucher in the distance races. She has good chemistry with the play-by-play guy (who I think is a big improvement on Tom Hammonds), brings first-hand knowledge of the sport and has a delivery like she's been doing this all her life.

 

They had three blocks all but handed to them: American pole vault winner / American wrestling winner / American canoe race winner.

Would that have filled the whole time? No, but that's probably going to grab more attention for most of that 77 minutes they put out there. They could have used those three as anchors around look-ins for skateboarding and diving. None of it was live, so they don't have an excuse that they were trying to draw eyeballs for events no one knew the outcome to. And outside of pole vault, I would wager most had no idea about the wrestler and the canoe winners before primetime started.

 

I'm sure you heard on the broadcast, but Hocker actually ran slower than Centrowitz, he just happened to be in the right semifinal to advance.

 

I’m so happy for April Ross She has won bronze in 2012 and silver in 2016

 

Hey! My mom would like a word with you...