Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

[BigCoward]

. It will be hard to beat Bolshunov in the 50km.

Im not so sure. He wasn't great in the 15km or the relay. Holund and Krueger have a decent chance. TJ > MOR > 50km > JTB

 

[DenisMenchov]

Im not so sure. He wasn't great in the 15km or the relay. Holund and Krueger have a decent chance. TJ > MOR > 50km > JTB

After seeing how bad Riiber and Frenzel performed here after COVID, I doubt about Krueger chances. Holund has a good chance on this course, but his main problem might not be Bolshunov, but Spitsov, who looks incredible on this course, and will be very hard to get rid of.

 

[BigCoward]

After seeing how bad Riiber and Frenzel performed here after COVID, I doubt about Krueger chances. Holund has a good chance on this course, but his main problem might not be Bolshunov, but Spitsov, who looks incredible on this course, and will be very hard to get rid of.

Wasn't Krueger at home training rather than cooped up in a room though?

 

[DenisMenchov]

Wasn't Krueger at home training rather than cooped up in a room though?

He sure had more training than both of them, but he had to stay in his room for a week after the test. And it's bloody 50km at the altitude, no one can win it without an optimal preparation.

 

[jmdirt]

That's the problem when you become known for something so notorious that it dwarfs the sport. Even before the film, her name was known to people the world over, but with no real knowledge of her actual skating ability. Just as when people say the name 'OJ Simpson' most people don't think of his exploits as one of the greatest running backs of all time.

I think of John Elway...a slow, white Bronco.

 

[BigCoward]

He sure had more training than both of them, but he had to stay in his room for a week after the test. And it's bloody 50km at the altitude, no one can win it without an optimal preparation.

My mistake. I thought he was just a close contact and would have been out training as normal (though obviously not at altitude)

 

[search]

My mistake. I thought he was just a close contact and would have been out training as normal (though obviously not at altitude)

he was at altitude while not training at least

 

[Norbea]

I dont think it is possible to recover fully in the time Kruger has had. Astrid Øyre Slind got 2nd place in the 70 km Marcialonga only 3 weeks after covid. So it might be possible, but conditions in Beijing complicates it. The altitude is one thing, but it looks like the impact of the cold weather shouldn't be underestimated. It makes the snow "slow", it is hard on the lungs and adds more strain to the entire body. It seems like some of the collapses we've seen so far in the olympics isn't just about the altitude. It is freezing cold and with the wind it is hard to say exactly how cold it could actually be in parts of the track.

 

[Sciatic]

There has been bad blood between those 2 for years. Brignone is also working with her own coach (her brother) and not with the Italian NT coaches.

Interesting - but sorry to hear that as I enjoy watching both of them. They’ve both so much animated than some of the other (even other Italian) skiers.

 

[jaylew]

Shiffrin crashed out again? Wtf?

Biggest Olympic choker since Simone Biles?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

That's pretty harsh to refer to Shifrin and Biles as a "choker". Mental health is no joke. If you meant it as an untimely collapse in ability, so be it. Choker sounds like they had it in the bag, and completely botched it, like a one foot putt in golf players miss.

I didn't think Kamila Valieva should have been allowed to skate, but I have more sympathy for her now than ever. It sounds like her coach was heartless with her after her collapse. "Why did you stop fighting?" Tutberidze scolded her as she got off the ice.

Poor girl needs to go home, spend time with her friends and family, and do something else that makes her happy with the rest of her life.

If there's one reason why Tursov may be mad is that Russia discards female skaters after about her age. Her career is in a sense likely over.

Goggia borrowed her her skis for the downhill part of the combined, many to mess with Brignone.

Don't care. She kissed me after that DH run, so she can do whatever she wants (okay, she kissed the camera, but... ).

 

[BigCoward]

Norway set a new record with most golds at a single games with 15.
How many more events are there now though, compared to 30-50 years ago?
Edit 109 this year compared to 57 in 1992.

 

[roundabout]

Norway set a new record with most golds at a single games with 15. How many more events are there now though, compared to 30-50 years ago?

a lot more. it was 35 medals in Sapporo in 1972 and I think it is something like 109 this year

 

[SafeBet]

There has been bad blood between those 2 for years. Brignone is also working with her own coach (her brother) and not with the Italian NT coaches.

Brignone's mother is a clown. How can a journalist write something like that is beyond me, but then again I'm not surprised considering the state of Italian journalism.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Norway set a new record with most golds at a single games with 15.
How many more events are there now though, compared to 30-50 years ago?
Edit 109 this year compared to 57 in 1992.

Yea, but most of their golds have come in sports that were already there then rather than the freestyle and stuff like that which has been added to the Games since - although there are additional disciplines in the sports that were there 30-50 years ago e.g. biathlon and ski jumping that there weren't back in those days too.

 

[BigCoward]

Yea, but most of their golds have come in sports that were already there then rather than the freestyle and stuff like that which has been added to the Games since - although there are additional disciplines in the sports that were there 30-50 years ago e.g. biathlon and ski jumping that there weren't back in those days too.

I was amazed to see there was only 6 biathlon events in 94. And as some who has little interest in watching the individual or sprint, I wouldn't have been a convert if I'd begun watching it then.

 

[roundabout]

yeah 6 biathlon events , 10 cross-country, 2 nordic combined, 3 ski jumping in 94

so it's almost 50% more events in these sports than there were in 94

 

[BigCoward]

yeah 6 biathlon events , 10 cross-country, 2 nordic combined, 3 ski jumping in 94

so it's almost 50% more events in these sports than there were in 94

Then next time I assume there will be another 2 NC events, individual and a relay for the women? Maybe a mixed event as well.
Every other sport seems to have mixed relays except XC, I wonder why not.

 

[Red Rick]

Then next time I assume there will be another 2 NC events, individual and a relay for the women? Maybe a mixed event as well.
Every other sport seems to have mixed relays except XC, I wonder why not.

Speed skating doesn't have one. I don't see wtf it adds beyond just another relay idea.

Anyway Norway is barely winning anything in speed skating compared to 1992 I'm sure. Haven't won an individual gold in ages.

 

[BigCoward]

Anyway Norway is barely winning anything in speed skating compared to 1992 I'm sure. Haven't won an individual gold in ages.

It gives the smaller countries a better chance in relays. Norway, previously Germany, Sweden, France can put out 4 good women or men in biathlon. But some of the smaller countries can only field 2 decent athletes of each sex. So a mixed relay is more competitive.

 

[DenisMenchov]

Total medal count is a bad way of evaluating the performance of a country at the Olympics. I will always mention the case of Serbia at the 2016 Olympics, they had 'only' 8 medals in the total count, but if you look at the list of medalists, you'll see that more than half of their sportsmen actually won a medal for 4 of those medals came in team sports.

I think a more fairer for to count the country's ranking is by sports. So if Norway is the best in biathlon, they get one gold medal (or some points system can be introduced as well) in the total count, because now ice hockey or any other team sport is seriously downgraded, when in fact, it is sometimes far harder to win a medal there.

 

[SafeBet]

Then next time I assume there will be another 2 NC events, individual and a relay for the women? Maybe a mixed event as well.
Every other sport seems to have mixed relays except XC, I wonder why not.

I thought it was mandatory to introduce a mixed competition sooner than later.
Women NC should debut in Cortina.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I don't think there's bad blood between them otherwise - they are sharing a room in Beijing. And of course, while Shcherbakova is also overscored Trusova is the most overscored in PCS, so from that point of view she couldn't complain. I think it was all just too much. There must have been immense stress, imagine all the years of extremely hard work, they are practicing practically all day long, don't each much, are under constant stress and pressure to prove they are good enough to even get one of those three Russian spots at international championships. And who knows what else they had to put up with. The stories I have read in the past few days - well, I don't want to spread anymore rumours and I don't know what is true, but let's just say that Alena Kostornaia broke her second arm recently after just getting back on the ice. And it's not like it's normal for figure skaters to constantly break their bones.
Trusova strikes me as a generally nice kid, with emphasis on kid, because she seems very childlike for her age. And then all the stories and of course suspicions that they might be doped, too... that must all be very much.
Rationally she must have expected not to win gold in advance, Valieva was always the over favourite - now it was Shcherbakova instead, when maybe she had thought that at least they together were overtaken by Valieva, and she's the only one who doesn't get gold. (I don't think Valieva will keep her gold, but I think they told the girls it would stand, and they probably also put Trusova's hopes up at one point.) And I think in that moment, when she realized she had done her five quads, not perfectly, but all somehow landed, and Valieva failed, and it still wasn't enough...
I don't think there's much of a rational explanation or actual entitlement, just raw emotion from all the pressure and hopes and splattered dreams.

She should actually get some of the worst PCS in the women's field, but I feel for her. I don't think she thinks she'll get a second chance to go for Olympic gold.

I didn't really like Trusova's program very much- sure she had all the quads and other jumps, but the rest was pretty forgettable, it looked like she just went through the motions only because she was required to. I think Scherbakova earned her medal, but my fave were the Japanese gals. They were graceful on the ice and were relatively drama-free off the ice, at least I could be happy for Sakamoto. Speaking of drama...

The ladies figure skating competition was just icky this year. Every few years some major drama comes up in Olympic figure skating, but this year has been something else. The more dramatic emotional reactions from the ladies I can understand and overlook because there was so much pressure since last week, but the adults surrounding them and the people in charge of the competition just made me feel all around gross.

 

[Red Rick]

I thought it was mandatory to introduce a mixed competition sooner than later.
Women NC should debut in Cortina.

Are you telling me korfbal should be part of the Winter Olympics?

By the way is the speed skating in Collalbo in 2026?

 

[Sciatic]

a lot more. it was 35 medals in Sapporo in 1972 and I think it is something like 109 this year

That’s a ridiculous level of medal inflation.