2021 Summer Olympics (Tokyo)

Agent Red

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Modern Pentathlon has horses? Maybe they need a 'Very Modern Pentathlon' with skateboard and BMX and taekwando instead of horses, shooting and fencing'. Lets face it, that would be an awesome comp that everyone would watch.
:lol: Yeah, it's 'modern' from the late 19th/early 20th century I think, compared to the ancient Greek version. There was a debate on Twitter last night about what skills you'd need if you were updating it for now (it's supposed to be what you'd need to escape from behind enemy lines in a war). Now it would probably be evading CCTV, hacking a computer etc.

Horses would definitely be out!

9 golds. Germany we are coming for you!
The Dutch athletics performance has been really impressive, quite a crop of talent you've got. In comparison our GB men seem like real slim pickings in the athletics at the moment.
 

Balljy

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This is similar to why I call auto racing an expensive, competitive hobby instead of a sport.
That would depend on the series to an extent. In F2 the cars are identical so it does come down to the driver (and team to do decent pit stops).
 

Eendracht maakt macht

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The Dutch athletics performance has been really impressive, quite a crop of talent you've got. In comparison our GB men seem like real slim pickings in the athletics at the moment.
Yes that's new for us that we have such a good team in athletics. Structural changes were made and it pays off. Hopefully this will inspire boys and girls because it's a true true sport. Athletics medal is worth more to me than most other sports.
 

Carolina Red

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Oh my god!!!! Takedown in the final 3 tenths of a second in the match to win gold over the 3x reigning world champ!!! I’m having a heart attack
 

Agent Red

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Yes that's new for us that we have such a good team in athletics. Structural changes were made and it pays off. Hopefully this will inspire boys and girls because it's a true true sport. Athletics medal is worth more to me than most other sports.
I think a lot of people feel that way. Personally I've gone a bit cool on athletics as a mix of us not having much GB interest/how many big names have had doping incidents or are closely linked to doping scandals (e.g. Mo Farah) but I think I'm still in the minority. I still enjoy it but for me it isn't worth more than other events.

You looked great in the track cycling too!
 

Carolina Red

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The wildest finish to a finals match that I have ever seen. Scored 4 points in the final 10 seconds to win gold, with the last 2 points scored with less than 1 second on the clock.

 

Adam-Utd

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Horses shouldn't even be involved in the olympics. It's supposed to be about human greatness, not how well a horse can jump or dance ffs.
 

El Zoido

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These clips of previous Olympics track events that the BBC keep showing have really made me miss the crowds. It hadn’t bothered me too much before but it really brought it back. The roar of the stadium when Mo Farah was coming down that last 100m in 2012 was incredible, even on the TV.
 

Eendracht maakt macht

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These clips of previous Olympics track events that the BBC keep showing have really made me miss the crowds. It hadn’t bothered me too much before but it really brought it back. The roar of the stadium when Mo Farah was coming down that last 100m in 2012 was incredible, even on the TV.
Agreed, I’ve decided to go to a couple of events in Paris.
 

Mike Smalling

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An American citizen won the 100m for another country?
I was mostly kidding, but Marcell Jacobs who won the 100m sprint is half American and born in Texas, but ran for Italy. Based on his name and appearance you would definitely think he was American before Italian, that's for sure.
 

Mike Smalling

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Careful now. I’m not sure Mario Balotelli would agree with you.
Yeah, I realized I was in dangerous territory after I posted it. For the record, an Italian's name and look does not affect their inherent Italianness. That is my official position and I apologize in advance for any offence caused.
 

Pogue Mahone

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"like a man in silk pyjamas shooting pigeons
Yeah, I realized I was in dangerous territory after I posted it. For the record, an Italian's name and look does not affect their inherent Italianness. That is my official position and I apologize in advance for any offence caused.
It’s all good. I was being a bit of a dick challenging you. It’s just that Ireland is similar to Italy in only relatively recently having black/mixed race athletes and it’s not nice when people imply they’re not really Irish. Which happens quite a lot.
 

Withnail

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I thought modern pentathlon was quite fencing skewed but it ended up being the jumping that really changed things. You just get assigned a random horse and if they decide they're not riding for you then that's that.

Laser run was great, could be an event in itself.
My brother was just telling me about this. That just seems nuts and totally unfair.

Oh well your horse was cnut today so you lost.
 

Withnail

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It’s all good. I was being a bit of a dick challenging you. It’s just that Ireland is similar to Italy in only relatively recently having black/mixed race athletes and it’s not nice when people imply they’re not really Irish. Which happens quite a lot.
That insufferable, mostly anonymous, pack of internet bastards wind me up with that crap.

Recently, I saw someone posted a video of Adeleke winning gold in the U20 European Championships with the caption 'African girl wins gold for Ireland'.

She was born and bred in Dublin ffs.
 

massi83

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I was mostly kidding, but Marcell Jacobs who won the 100m sprint is half American and born in Texas, but ran for Italy. Based on his name and appearance you would definitely think he was American before Italian, that's for sure.
He was less than a month old when he and his mother moved back to Italy.
 

Adam-Utd

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Great run by Laura Muir there, really did herself proud. So hard to beat those Kenyans!
 

Agent Red

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My brother was just telling me about this. That just seems nuts and totally unfair.

Oh well your horse was cnut today so you lost.
Yeah I kind of agree, but then my friend pointed out if it's based off surviving in 'warfare' then you'd probably have to pick a random horse off a battlefield so in that sense it's accurate. I also think there is some skill to building a bond and having a temperament they respond to (I don't agree with posters above that horse events shouldn't be in the Olympics), but obviously you can still get bad luck if you just get one that's not in the mood at all.

Great run from Muir just there, really gritty. I thought Hassan would be more of a force but 3 events was a tough ask. Kipyegong imperious.
 

Carolina Red

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I was mostly kidding, but Marcell Jacobs who won the 100m sprint is half American and born in Texas, but ran for Italy. Based on his name and appearance you would definitely think he was American before Italian, that's for sure.
I wasn’t kidding, I was legit asking because damn we coulda used him on our men’s track team :lol:
 

Carolina Red

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Yeah I kind of agree, but then my friend pointed out if it's based off surviving in 'warfare' then you'd probably have to pick a random horse off a battlefield so in that sense it's accurate.
(In the afterlife)
“So how did you die in the war?”

— Well I was behind enemy lines and apparently stole the most patriotic horse in all of Germany to try and get back. Bastard horse danced over to a land mine!
 

Agent Red

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(In the afterlife)
“So how did you die in the war?”

— Well I was behind enemy lines and apparently stole the most patriotic horse in all of Germany to try and get back. Bastard horse danced over to a land mine!
:lol:
 

Carolina Red

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He was less than a month old when he and his mother moved back to Italy.
Jacobs had been a dual citizen of both Italy and the United States, since birth, due to his mother being Italian and due to his being born in the U.S. However, in 2010, he renounced his American citizenship.[29]
America won a sprint gold!!!! :lol: