***The Official Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Thread***

[Dragonfly]

Phelps is doing great - I bet he'll get every gold he tries for.

I'm still waiting for Canada to win its first medal. Hopefully we'll get one in the men's 8 rowing. I'm sure we'll get more than one medal but they'll be in sports that don't get a lot of attention.

I agree that the Olympics should keep softball. The Olympics wants more women to compete - why get rid of a women's sport?

 

[Karren]

Canada would probably be doing better if there were more checking involved, Carolyn? Lol.

"And Phelps is about to set another record.... But wait... He was checked out of the lane by the Canadians"!!

 

[Karren]

Is that 2 more golds for Phelps tonight?? wow... The first race he looked really worn out.... I didn't see the second relay..... and they beat the world record by 5 seconds...

The US women gymnastics look like they are faultering.... lots of falling off stuff....

 

[StereoXGirl]

Originally Posted by Karren_Hutton /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is that 2 more golds for Phelps tonight?? wow... The first race he looked really worn out.... I didn't see the second relay..... and they beat the world record by 5 seconds...
The US women gymnastics look like they are faultering.... lots of falling off stuff....

Oohh...I watched the whole thing! lol!
The first race, Phelps's goggles got filled with water as soon as he jumped in the pool. So that's why he didn't do as well. lol. He was pretty frustrated about it, too. But at least he got gold!

As far as the US Gymnastics...the only one that actually fell was Alicia Sacramone. She really struggled and you could tell it was getting to her! Oh well, the silver is not bad at all!

 

[Darla]

I know what you mean. Don't you just want to give her a hug too?

Meanwhile not wanting to sound like sour grapes because clearly the Chinese team was better yesterday, but whats the deal with the underage athletes?

 

[Darla]

Might as well enjoy it because you are witness a once in a lifetime performance!

Michael Phelps, just 23, is already the record holder with 11 gold medals.

 

[Darla]

Originally Posted by Carolyn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Phelps is doing great - I bet he'll get every gold he tries for.
I'm still waiting for Canada to win its first medal. Hopefully we'll get one in the men's 8 rowing. I'm sure we'll get more than one medal but they'll be in sports that don't get a lot of attention.

I agree that the Olympics should keep softball. The Olympics wants more women to compete - why get rid of a women's sport?

I agree I will be rooting for Canada and Poland as well.

 

[Dragonfly]

Apparently, during the Athens Olympics, Canada only won two medals the first week - the other ten or so came in the second week. Looks like it will be a repeat for this Olympics.

I'd love to see Canada win one medal in swimming. Mike Brown came in second in a breast stroke semis race. So keep your fingers crossed! We didn't win a swimming medal in Athens so we are hoping for at least one in Beijing.

I'd love to see a good check in rowing! Those guide wire thingies are easy to cross apparently. But with our luck, Canada would collide with Poland!

Congratulations to the US for trying so hard in the gymnastics. I know the teams are disappointed but I thought they both did great jobs.

Now on to the all-around and individual.

Hey - Canadians are going to compete in these events. Hope we all do well!

 

[Darla]

i just heard the best interview with Michael Phelp's mom. He always credits here whenever he talks about his great success. She stated that when Michael was young he was extremely unfocused and was diagnosed with ADHD. They essentially told her he wouldn't be able to focus and would never amount to anything. Well she channeled all that energy into having him join a swimming program and well the rest is history! I loved hearing something like that!

 

[Darla]

Looks like Mike Brown missed a bronze by 9 hundreds . sorry canada

that water cube looks like a really cool venue.

 

[Darla]

see entire article at IOC refuses to doubt China's kid gymnasts - Selena Roberts - SI.com

China insists that its gold medal winners -- (from left) Cheng Fei, Yang Yilin, Li Shanshan, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Deng Linlin -- are all 16 or older.

BEIJING -- The Chinese gymnasts could have picked out their leotards from Thumbelina's closet as they performed gymnastics in miniature on Wednesday. Wearing blue eye shadow with their hair pulled back, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Yang Yilin looked like girls who had just rummaged through their mothers' makeup. This was a ladies' final, though somehow it was hard to see how they qualified as women.

Amid pre-Olympic hand-wringing over why the birthdates of He, Yang and Jiang didn't jibe with other registration materials that showed they might be as young as 14, China swore on its stars' passport stamps that the tots are the legal tumbling age of 16. But while the tiny trio helped their nation whisk the gold medal away from a suddenly clumsy U.S. group in the team competition, it was impossible to deny the visual evidence of something unjust in China.

 

[Dollface2]

Ooooolala Did anyone watch the men on the high rings! These men have bodies on them that just doesn't quit!!!!

 

[StereoXGirl]

Oh laaaaaaadies!!! Or really anyone interested in really short men:

lol! The one in the front middle is 5'1" for reference.

Source

 

[StereoXGirl]

Originally Posted by Darla_G /img/forum/go_quote.gif that water cube looks like a really cool venue. Yeah, when I saw all the different colored lights on the glass, I thought "Wow, that looks soo cool!"

 

[Jinx]

Originally Posted by Darla_G /img/forum/go_quote.gif see entire article at IOC refuses to doubt China's kid gymnasts - Selena Roberts - SI.com
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/si/2008/oly...ymnasts.ap.jpg

China insists that its gold medal winners -- (from left) Cheng Fei, Yang Yilin, Li Shanshan, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Deng Linlin -- are all 16 or older.

BEIJING -- The Chinese gymnasts could have picked out their leotards from Thumbelina's closet as they performed gymnastics in miniature on Wednesday. Wearing blue eye shadow with their hair pulled back, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Yang Yilin looked like girls who had just rummaged through their mothers' makeup. This was a ladies' final, though somehow it was hard to see how they qualified as women.

Amid pre-Olympic hand-wringing over why the birthdates of He, Yang and Jiang didn't jibe with other registration materials that showed they might be as young as 14, China swore on its stars' passport stamps that the tots are the legal tumbling age of 16. But while the tiny trio helped their nation whisk the gold medal away from a suddenly clumsy U.S. group in the team competition, it was impossible to deny the visual evidence of something unjust in China.

China is doing some major covering up!!!!Preview-

State-media story fuels questions on gymnast’s age

By JOHN LEICESTER, Associated Press Writer 6 hours, 37 minutes ago

BEIJING (AP)—Just nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government’s news agency, Xinhua, reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13, which would have made her ineligible to be on the team that won a gold medal this week

State-media story fuels questions on gymnast's age - Olympics - Yahoo! Sports

 

[StereoXGirl]

Originally Posted by Jinx /img/forum/go_quote.gif China is doing some major covering up!!!!Preview-

State-media story fuels questions on gymnast’s age

By JOHN LEICESTER, Associated Press Writer 6 hours, 37 minutes ago

BEIJING (AP)—Just nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government’s news agency, Xinhua, reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13, which would have made her ineligible to be on the team that won a gold medal this week

State-media story fuels questions on gymnast's age - Olympics - Yahoo! Sports

Dang! If she's 13, how old do you think Deng Linlin is? lol!

 

[Kathy]

Originally Posted by Darla_G /img/forum/go_quote.gif see entire article at IOC refuses to doubt China's kid gymnasts - Selena Roberts - SI.com
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/si/2008/oly...ymnasts.ap.jpg

China insists that its gold medal winners -- (from left) Cheng Fei, Yang Yilin, Li Shanshan, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Deng Linlin -- are all 16 or older.

BEIJING -- The Chinese gymnasts could have picked out their leotards from Thumbelina's closet as they performed gymnastics in miniature on Wednesday. Wearing blue eye shadow with their hair pulled back, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Yang Yilin looked like girls who had just rummaged through their mothers' makeup. This was a ladies' final, though somehow it was hard to see how they qualified as women.

Amid pre-Olympic hand-wringing over why the birthdates of He, Yang and Jiang didn't jibe with other registration materials that showed they might be as young as 14, China swore on its stars' passport stamps that the tots are the legal tumbling age of 16. But while the tiny trio helped their nation whisk the gold medal away from a suddenly clumsy U.S. group in the team competition, it was impossible to deny the visual evidence of something unjust in China.

Sorry, but there is no friggin' way those girls are 16! A couple of them don't look a day over 12! And it's crap that the Chinese government is being permitted to get away with that! If I were a part of any other gymnastics team, US or otherwise, I'd be raising hell!

 

[Karren]

Originally Posted by StereoXGirl /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh laaaaaaadies!!! Or really anyone interested in really short men:
lol! The one in the front middle is 5'1" for reference.

Source

They don't do anything for me personally!! Lol
Womens beach volleyball is on tonight I think!!

 

[Dragonfly]

Sorry folks, but if I didn't know who Shawn Johnson was I would swear she had just graduated from grade 3. Gymnastics is all about young, small, muscular, youthful people.

In my opinion, a fine line between 13 and 18.

Mike Brown came in 4th - so close and yet so far.

I'm really enjoying the beach volleyball. Wonder which country will slay the American giants - they are smokin hot!

Wonder how the horses are handling Hong Kong? Anyone watching those events?

 

[peachface]

Originally Posted by Kathy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry, but there is no friggin' way those girls are 16! A couple of them don't look a day over 12! And it's crap that the Chinese government is being permitted to get away with that! If I were a part of any other gymnastics team, US or otherwise, I'd be raising hell! I know a girl who used to be a gymnast and she's Asian. She quit about a year or two ago and she's going to university this fall. But just by looking at her, I bet that most people wouldn't think that she's a day over 14, if even that.