The headlines everywhere in the world right now.
I excerpt this from the business times; it has a more neutral feel.
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Top swimmers cautioned against assumptions of doping as a debate over the astonishing performances of a Chinese swimmer threatened to overshadow Michael Phelps' bid to become the most decorated Olympian of all time on Tuesday.
Ye Shiwen, 16, is chasing a second gold in Tuesday's 200 metres individual medley final after winning the 400 medley on Saturday more than a second inside the world record.
"We want to be very careful about calling it doping," the American John Leonard, executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association, told Britain's Guardian newspaper.
"The one thing I will say is that history in our sport will tell you that every time we see something - and I will put quotation marks around this - 'unbelievable', history shows us that it turns out later on there was doping involved."
China briefly dominated women's swimming in the 1990s but its reign ended as fast as it began, following a series of doping scandals.
Ye swam the 400 medley five seconds inside her personal best, covering the last 50 metres faster than American Ryan Lochte, who won the equivalent men's event in the second best time in history.
She issued a quick and firm denial on Monday, telling the China News
Service: "My results come from hard work and training and I would never use any banned drugs."
Australia's Ian Thorpe, winner of five Olympic swimming golds, warned against rushing to judgment.
"Young swimmers can take off chunks of time that other swimmers can't," he said.
"RUINING SPORT"
International Olympic Committee medical chief, Arne Ljungqvist said it would ruin the "charm of sport" to raise doping suspicions every time an athlete's performance improved dramatically.
Others noted that Phelps had broken his first world record at 15. "Michael Phelps is a phenomenal swimmer," British multiple short-course world champion Mark Foster said. "Is she the Chinese Michael Phelps? Why not?"
American Phelps has gone on to win 17 Olympic medals, 14 of them gold. If he wins two more in Tuesday's 200m butterfly and 4x200m relay, he will overtake Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina's record haul of 18.
He also has the chance in the butterfly, his favourite event, of becoming the first man to win the same swimming event in three successive Olympics.
"I made my first Olympic team in this. The shorter races are a lot better for me now that I'm older," Phelps said.
Monday provided another story of youthful success in the pool as Lithuania's swimmer Ruta Meilutyte, just 15, won the women's 100 breaststroke, and an upset as Frenchman Yannick Agnel beat Lochte in the men's 200 freestyle.
A total of three swimming golds put France third in the medal table at the end of Monday's third day of competition, behind the United States, on five golds, and China, on nine.
For the host nation, golds are proving elusive but a bronze in the men's team gymnastics on Monday felt almost as good as it ended a 100-year wait for any kind of a medal in the event.
The focus of home attention on Tuesday is Wimbledon as Andy Murray competes in the second round of the tennis competition, once again carrying the hopes of British fans yearning for a title after his final defeat to Roger Federer in the grand slam tournament there earlier this month.
Women's soccer throws up a tasty tie between North Korea and the United States, at Manchester United's Old Trafford ground, that may prove as much of a spectacle for students of Cold War rivalry as for die-hard sports fans.
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I really admire International Olympic Committee medical chief, Arne Ljungqvist for defending her. Even Phelp's coach says it's unfair to accuse Ye Shiwen. What unjust! American coach John Leonard calls Ye's achievement, breaking the world record as "disturbing". That's a very unwise thing to say. I call his jealousy and inability to accept a true young prodigy as disturbing! Ye Shiwen is having a finals event later in the night, in which she broke the Olympic records yesterday while in the semifinals. This young girl is simply swimming for her life and all these news...I suspect it's all to distract her. :(( Poor Ye! It's really hard being on top.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Men's 4x200m Freestyle Relay Heats
It will be such a joy to watch! Unfortunately I missed it due to work. :( So many countries represented! I wonder who each country sent for their heats. Usa has a reputation for sending b-team in their heats, but the stunning results - 3 seconds off the rest = is too incredible, so I'm guessing a-team is here! Lochte, Phelps, perhaps? And team france - Yannick Agnel? Paul Biedermann for Germany? Oh yes I love watching the relays because there's just too much stars!! :)))
1. USA 7:06.75
2. France 7:09.18
3. Germany 7:09.23
4. Australia 7:10.50
5. Great Britain 7:10.70
6. China 7:11.35
7. South Africa 7:11.51
8. Hungary 7:11.64
9. Japan 7:11.74
10. Russia 7:11.86
11. Italy 7:12.69
12. Belgium 7:14.44
13. Denmark 7:15.04
14. Canada 7:15.22
15. New Zealand 7:17.18
16. Austria 7:17.94
Men's 200m Breaststroke Heats
5 heats in total, I have no idea who will win this, really. Except for Kitajima and Rickard, the names are quite new to me.
Semifinalists:
1. Tales Cerdeira (Bra)
2. Glenn Snyders (Nzl)
3. Clark Burkle (Usa)
4. Michael Jamieson (Gbr)
5. Ryo Tateshi (Jpn)
6. Giedrius Titenis (Ltu)
7. Laurent Carnol (Lux)
8. Christian Vom Lehn (Ger)
1. Scott Dickens (Can)
2. Viatcheslav Sinkevich (Rus)
3. Kosuke Kitajima (Jpn)
4. Daniel Gyurta (Hun)
5. Andrew Willis (Gbr)
6. Scott Weltz (Usa)
7. Marco Kock (Ger)
8. Brenton Rickard (Aus)
Women's 200m Butterfly Heats
4 heats in total. Jessicah Schipper is in heat 2; she won bronze in both the 100m and 200m Butterfly at the last games.
Semifinals:
1. Anja Klinar (Slo)
2. Hye Ra Choi (Kor)
3. Natsumi Hoshi (Jpn)
4. Liuyang Jiao (Chn)
5. Katinka Hosszu (Hun)
6. Cammile Adams (Usa)
7. Jessicah Schipper (Aus)
8. Otylia Jedrzejczak (Pol)
1. Martina Granstorm (Swe)
2. Mireia Belmonte Garcia (Esp)
3. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (Hun)
4. Kathleen Hersey (Usa)
5. Jemma Lowe (Gbr)
6. Judit Ignacio Sorribes (Esp)
7. Zige Liu (Chn)
8. Audrey Lacroix (Can)
Men's 100m Freestyle Heats
8 heats in total, most I've seen so far. Cesar Cielo, Sebastissn Verschuren, James Magnussen, Cullen Jones and Fabian Gillot and fresh gold medalist Yannick Agnel are all in this events. Cesar Ceilo got bronze in this events at the last games. Alot of names I have never seen before here, I'm guessing they are the young guns.
Semifinals:
1. Fabien Gilot (Fra)
2. Cesar Ceilo (Bra)
3. Brett Fraser (Cay)
4. Gideon Louw (Rsa)
5. James Magnussen (Aus)
6. Nikita Lobintsev (Rus)
7. James Roberts (Aus)
8. Shaune Fraser (Cay)
1. Yannick Agnel (Fra)
2. Cullen Jones (Usa)
3. Brent Hayden (Can)
4. Nathan Adrian (Usa)
5. Sebastiaan Verschuren (Ned)
6. Pieter Timmers (Bel)
7. Konrad Czerniak (Pol)
8. Hnaser Garcia (Cub)
End of Day 3: Justifications
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| le icon of le night. good night. *yawns* |
Hello, today I am faster, because I wasn't glued to the tv. I'm 2 couch lengths away, half typing, just so I could sleep before 5 for a change. I went to work tapping away on my ipad, searching for pictures to match my game coverages. I woke up a little earlier than 9am today, my head and my heart totally immersed in the swimming events. Dear blog, is this right? This is me, excited me, the me that is totally in love with the swim events and can't let go of it until I exhausted every strength I have to devour it whole. The blog's a perfect platform for that.
Every mention of the word 'Olympic', every mention of the world 'swimming', every mention of any swimmers I know of at all, stirs me up. When I hear crowd cheering noises from someone's laptop I suppose they're watching the Olympics. It's a crazy kind of obsession. I don't even know where I get all these energy from. I haven't been sleeping much since the opening.
BUT I AM JUST SO FREAKISHLY EXCITED!
But is it really worth it to be so mentally and physically exhausted? Is it really worth it to burn out my organs and feel the veins in my head pulsating every now and then? Is it worth it to wrinkly and be ugly for a week because of the inability to replenish skin cells (along with other organs of course, but I'm talking about surface value here). For a little moment at about 1:30am, I do feel like going to bed. I have assignments from le mum and le sis to deliver. Is the Olympics more important than my family? I did manage to proceed with these assignments, if you're wondering. It'll end by tomorrow.
But the butterflies I get during this period is undesirable. It's like the 13 year old me when reading Harry Potter. It's like the 15 year old me, when watching So You Think You Can Dance and secretly locking myself up almost everyday just to, well, dance. It's pure love, that's the closest explaination I can arrive to. 4.45am, I do hope to reduce some of that throbbing migraine.
Adios my friend, until tomorrow.
xoxo
Women's 200m Individual Medley Semifinals
Ye Shiwen simply 不是人！This 16 year old is just far too amazing. She broke another olympic record in the semifinals, she's just pushing and pushing every single race. What an attitude.
1. Ye Shiwen (Chn) Olympic Record
2. Alicia Coutts (Aus)
3. Caitlin Leverenz (Usa)
4. Ariana Kukor (Usa)
5. Katinka Hosszu (Hun)
6. Stephanie Rice (Aus)
7. Hannah Miley (Gbr)
8. Kirsty Conventry (Zbw)
Men's 200m Butterfly Semifinals
12 years of being king in the 200m Butterfly. 26 times world champion. Whenever Phelps flaps his giant human fins - he got his own camera angle. That's respect for possibly the greatest olympic alive. No matter how he does in this games, the records will still be there. The gold medals will still be there. Time pass, young swimmers reach their prime. Yes, shortly after he will fade out of the competitive scene. But what a phenomenon. He truly inspired a generation.
Phelps is the youngest ever world record holder in this event back in 2000 olympics and he is here now, 12 years later, doing the same thing. His ability to maintain and keep up is just amazing.
Le Clos looked frantically to both his sides before he dug his head in the water - his usual style to the finish - to touch second in the first round. In the second, Biczo and Stjepanovic led in the first 100m, and Phelps fell out of the third after the first 50m but flew in the last 25m to un-chasable distance. See, I told you Stejepanovic has a little something something...he vill go farrre
Finals:
1. Takeshi Matsuda (Jpn)
2. Chad le Clos (Rsa)
3. Yin Chen (Chn)
4. Michael Phelps (Usa)
5. Tyler Clary (Usa)
6. Dinko Jukic (Aut)
7. Pawel Korzeniowski (Pol)
8. Velimir Stjepanovic (Srb)
Women's 100m Breaststroke Finals
This is the race I'm waiting for. You have past world champions in here, and a surprising new prodigy that the world is watching intensely, anticipating for her to shine. Meilutyte, Soni and Efimova qualified fastest for this event. Alia Atkinson is the first Jamaican to make it to a swimming events finals! She had to battle it out in a swim off to be in that spot, didn't see her in the initial finals list. Larsen got off to a false start, how excruciatingly nervous it must have been! Meilutyte led throughout and WON THE GOLD. One of my goosebumps moments.
Gold: Ruta Meilutyte (Ltu)
Silver: Rebecca Soni (Usa)
Bronze: Satomi Suzuki (Jpn)
4 Alia Atkinson (Jam)
5. Leisel Jones (Aus)
6. Iuliia Efimova (Rus)
7. Breeja Larson (Usa)
8. Rikke Pederson (Den)
Men's 100m Backstroke Finals
Matthew Grevers was the fastest qualifier, Camile Lacourt and Liam Tancock behind him. Hayden Stoeckel was tied for Bronze at the last Olympic games. You have European record holders, past world record holders...it's really anyone's game! Lacourt turns first after 50m.
Grevers won silver in 2008. Guess everyone was overshadowed by Phelps in 2008. :( Grevers swam under the world record during the qualifications, he could have done it again, but olympic record is of course awesome as well. A well deserved win for Grevers.
Gold: Matthew Grevers (Usa) Olympic record
Silver: Nick Thoman (Usa)
Bronze: Ryosuke Irie (Jpn)
4. Camille Lacourt (Fra)
5. Liam Tancock (Gbr)
6. Helge Meeuw (Ger)
7. Hayden Stoeckel (Aus)
8. Cheng Fengyi (Chn)
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