Off Topic The "Discuss Anything Else" Thread

Loving the athletics. I'd say Bolt is up there with Ali in terms of greatness. I believe he's clean and I just hope I'm never proved wrong.

Apparently an event occurred in our town this morning which brought the crowds out not seen since the Olympic flame paraded through the High Street over 3 years ago. The local rag is full of it. In fact, unlike the torch event some folk were queuing from 11 p.m. last night just to be the first to witness this momentous occasion and get a free bacon sarnie to boot. That event was ............the 'grand' opening of a new Aldi. Now I'm rather partial to a discount German supermarket but Jesus Christ on a bike, what the fook is the world coming too?

 

..............of course, we do a heck of a lot of our shopping at Aldi, and Lidl too, one can hardly beat them! However, 'grand openings' would certainly not attract that kind of attention in Aldi and Lidl's home base, no way! And to think, I thought Aldi had made a big mistake when they opened up for business in the UK!

 

Definitely shook up the existing supermarkets here Swanny. They both do some very decent vino and beer.

Just read that Burgess is in the 31 man squad. Really not sure about that at all. Bath have been that impressed by his efforts at centre that they've decided he's a forward. Smacks a bit of desperation to me. Burrell seems very unlucky to miss out.

 

One big problem for me is an old one for England, and that is, indiscipline? Just far too many penalties second game against France. Thought they were getting better, but it appears not. Better sort this out but quick, otherwise no chance. Agree, Burrell was very unlucky.

However, it is a good squad, no complaints, but England is in one hell of a tough group.

 

The failure to address discipline is unacceptable Swanny - I think we can all envisage going down to 14 at a crucial moment. On the bright side reality is hitting home and not everyone now thinks we're going to win it - we can leave the unbridled optimism and reckless fate tempting to our friends (family in my case) across the Irish Sea

 

You would think by now that there would have been another young sprinter to have come through and challenged Bolt, but you look at his main rivals and they are all older than him. Guys like Gatlin, Gay and Powell where dominating the sport before Bolt come along in 08, and they are still the main competition these days.

Johan Blake was obviously the one exception, a guy with a 19.26 200m PB, who Bolt beat in London but injury has ruined any chance of him reversing form with Bolt.

I think Bolt looks pretty certain to win in Rio next year and complete a hatrick of doubles, even if he is a little past his best, as there aren't any young sprinters coming through to challenge him

 

As great as Bolt is, I wouldn't even say he is the greatest Athletics sportsman of all time, never mind sportsman.

Ed Moses was even more dominant than Bolt in his event, as unlike Bolt he never lost in any race when he was at his peak, winning 122 consecutive races in the 400m hurdles over a near enough 10 year period and he would have had 3 consecutive Olympic Golds had the yanks not boycotted the 1980 Olympics. He still won Golds in 76 and 84 though.

Bolt has been pretty dominant throughout the last 7 years, but there have been some blips along the way. Ed Moses on the other hand quite literally was unbeatable, he didn't show any signs of weakness for 10 straight years. So he still ranks as the best Athletics competitor for me

 

Good points, KS, but, as usual, it all boils down to 'a matter of opinion'. Bolt ranks as one of the great athletes of all time because there is so little room for error in sprinting? Even in a 400m track event, there is just a tiny chance of an adjustment after an early error in a race; not much though, must admit.

For me personally, I put forward Emil Zátopek as the greatest, for the simple fact that in the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, this Czech army officer won the 5000m, the 10,000m, and the Marathon. A feat that I doubt will ever be emulated, quite extraordinary. Here's a short quote courtesy of Wikipedia:

"Emil Zátopek (19 September 1922 – 22 November 2000) was a Czechoslovak long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5000 metre and 10,000 metre runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life. He was nicknamed the "Czech Locomotive".
Zátopek was the first athlete to break the 29-minute barrier in the 10,000 metres (in 1954). Three years earlier, in 1951, he had broken the hour for running 20 km. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest runners of the 20th century and was also known for his brutally tough training methods. He was the instigator of interval training and hypoventilation training. In February 2013, the editors at Runner's World Magazine selected him as the Greatest Runner of All Time. He is the only person to win the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres, and Marathon in the same Olympics."

 

Eddy the Eagle.

 

Good choice. I was always told that Zatopek trained in the streets of Prague by running up straight streets with evenly spaced streetlights. He would run without breathing, slowly increasing, over time, the number of lights he passed using that last breath. He often ran to near unconsciousness. Amazing...

But I'd also put forward Herb Elliott. Lucky to have actually seen him at the White City. Literally streets ahead of other milers.

 

Share price movements shouldn't be dictating monetary policy. It's the tail wagging the dog...

 

Good old Uncle Herb.

 

If the proverbial hits the fan in China, do we expect to see them become more of an import economy and less an exporter? Obviously an economic crash often means job cuts but will it affect their production in the same way?

 

Yep, Bustino, I saw a few great athletes at the White City too. Chris Chataway, Vladimir Kuts, and quite a few more. Some great track meetings in that old place!

 

Aussies and, especially, Canadians are prone to take the piss out of him, but at the very least he was a damn good 'base jumper'. He was on German TV not so long ago, damn nice guy, just about everyone I know who saw the show spoke very highly of him. Whether you're any good at it or not, ski-jumping takes a lot of guts. even if you just step off the end of the chute....

 

Sprinting is the pinnacle of athletics

 

Oh dear. after putting in such a good word for the Chinese motorized cameraman, what does he do? He loses control of his machine, and knocks the great Usain Bolt down!

Thank goodness, neither appeared to be badly hurt.

 

I don't agree that there is more room for error in a 400 hurdle race. the event is actually very technical, and a lot more difficult than just flat out sprinting. First of all you have 8 obstacles in your way, and each competitor uses a set stride pattern between each, so if you get out of that pattern and end up stuttering into hurdles your in big trouble. There is also a risk of falling and a much bigger risk of injury.

Even the 400 flat is a tougher event, as you need to get your fractions spot on, where as 100 and 200 is just flat out sprinting. The 400 is also the only event where your not flat out sprinting, but your in different lanes to your opponents, so it's hard to gauge if your going the right speed.

You see plenty of world leading 400 metre runners go off to fast and end up paying for it late on.

The only risky part in a sprint is the start, and that's only really important in the 100, the 200 there's a lot more room for error.

Agree about the Russian long distance runner though, I don't think that treble of races at a single Olympics will ever be matched again. I don't even think it will be attempted, as it seems impossible for someone's body to recover enough between races. I think the 10'000 and Marathon double is possible though, as the 10k is at the start of the Olympics, and the marathon is at the end

 

China is a weird place and it's difficult to articulate where things will go. Productivity is shocking with I'd estimate a range of 4 to 8 people doing what someone in the 'unproductive' UK would do. The drive for the communist party is to keep the country together as one country and to keep it under their leadership. That is it.
But having released the capitalist genie they have to keep growing or unrest will abound, and that will put that aim of control under enormous pressure as the masses will turn. So growth will be massaged whatever way it can. Given the political dynamic and the shortcomings of what takes place I can't see anything but regular periods of turbulence. Having said that I think the 1.4 billion steamroller will continue to grow even if some of it is false.
Not sure they would want it or allow China to become a net importer though they would like more domestic growth. They will remain as a growth exporter for the foreseeable future.

 

Did Lasse Viren attempt it?