11

In the spirit of the Greeks, I have come up with my list of the 11 most attractive athletes of these Games. It was a challenging exercise with so many possibilities. I included personality and athletic prowess in my decision process.


Number 11: Poland's indoor volleyball team. While they only finished ninth in the standings, this team was a joy to watch.


10: Xue Chen, China-Beach Volleyball. I mentioned "Schway" a couple of times as she rose to prominence/dominance in the sand. SHe walked away with a Bronze medal this time, but watch for her in the future.





9: Nicole Reinhardt, Germany-Canoe/Kayak. After a near-miss 4th place finish in the K2, she and her teammates earned GOLD in the K4.





8. Luciana Aymar, Argentina-Field Hockey. A top international midfielder, she led her team to Beijing Bronze.




7: Kara Gaucher, United States-Track. A little known track athlete, she earned the US a rare distance running medal by capturing Bronze in the 10k.
















6: Leryn Franco, Paraguay-Track and Field. This javelin thrower became one of the more popular athletes these Games and is probably better known for her participation in beauty contests. She did not make the finals of her event.





5: Katalina Kovacs, Hungary-Canoe/Kayak. Europe loves these events, and she paddled her way to a GOLD in K2 and a Silver in K4.




4: Laure Manadou, France-Swimming. This 21-year old already has Gold, Silver, and Bronze to her credit from Athens 2004, but the years in between have seen several highs and lows for this French superstar. She made the finals of the 400 freestyle and 100 backstroke, but did not medal this year. Look for her in London 2012.





Bronze Medal: Natalie Coughlin, United States-Swimming. This 5-time medalist from Athens 2004 returned to earn 6 medals this time, including GOLD in the 100 backstroke. A free spirit, she was definitely one of America's sweethearts the first week of the Games.


Silver: Field Hockey players. This sport continued to impress me day after day as these teams are fit and good looking. Sportsmanship in this venue also seemed to be especially high. Therefore, I am awarding second place to the sport of women's Field Hockey.





GOLD: Lolo Jones, United States-Track and Field. Lolo was clearly on her way to GOLD when one ill-timed misstep near the end of the finals of the 110 meter hurdles ended the dream in her only event. She graciously agreed to many interviews over the next several days, and acted like a true champion. She embodied the Olympic spirit as well as anyone these Games. It may not be a medal, but she is GOLD on my list.



Honorable Mention: There were so many choices, even this list could go on forever. Here are a few that were very close to making my list: Heather Mitts (US-soccer), Jenny Finch (US-softball), Beach Volleyball uniforms, Katy Livingston (GBR-modern Pentathlon), Anna Bessanova (UKR-Rythmic Gymnastics), Jessica Langstrom (SWE-soccer), Rowing/Canoeing/Kayaking athletes, and Elena Dementieva (RUS-tennis).

Olympics Days 15 & 16

The relays are finished and the final team sports medal games are wrapping up, leaving only the Closing Ceremonies. I am sorry the Games have ended, but I have to say they have been spectacular and I have enjoyed them as much as any Olympics I can ever remember.

I did stay up late enough on Saturday night to catch the only coverage of Mountain Bike. Very grueling, but fun to watch.

Medal count update: I enjoyed watching France and Iceland battle in the championship match of team handball. Iceland came away with silver, their first ever team handball medal and the only medal of the 2008 Games for Iceland. In fact, it was only the fourth medal ever for Iceland in either summer or winter Games. Congrats!I have heard several comments about Canada not doing well in medals, with announcers excusing this because it was really more of a winter sports country. I decided to do a little digging. Canada earned 18 medals (3G, 9S, 6B) this year. That is more than Mexico, Israel, Portugal, Chile, Colombia, Belgium, India, Egypt, South Africa, and Venezuela... COMBINED. And these relatively large and wealthy countries all have some pretty nice summer weather! The 18 medals tied Spain for 14th among all countries and were more than traditional powers Netherlands (16), Brazil (15), Jamaica (11), and Argentina (6). A salute to our neighbor to the North on a fine performance this Olympics.

Commercials: I am so tired of many of the commercials. George isn't, he watches tivo. I did like a few, especially the GE bringing medical technology to rural China one where the male suitor accidentally breaks his foot trying to get the attention of the young women who turns out to be his doctor/med tech.

Hot 11 update: Speaking of Canada, canoeist Adam van Koeverden had a disappointing Games picking up only one silver, but should make the ladies' eleven lists. Final weekend athletes under consideration for my list include Ukranian Rythmic Gymnast Anna Bessanova (Bronze), US 10k runner Kara Gaucher (Bronze), and canoeists Katalin Kovacs of Hungary (Gold & Silver) and Italian Josefa Idem (Silver).

I will publish my final Hot 11 in a separate post after the Games have concluded. Enjoy the Closing Ceremonies.

Olympics Days 13 & 14

I am up to 36 events after watching the debut of BMX and luckily catching the obscure modern pentathlon. BMX is a quick race that reminded me of dog racing with all the wipeouts. I think the best description is probably "short track speed skating on kids' bikes."

Modern pentathlon started when the founder of the modern Olympics introduced this event at the 1912 Games in Sweden. It is based on what an actual french cavalry soldier had to endure when delivering a message through enemy lines. It includes pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian jumping, and a 3k run all in the same day. Apparently the horse was shot in the story, but they don't shoot them in the Games.

Amazing Athlete: No athlete has ever competed in three different sports in the Summer Games. Until today. Modern Pentathlete Sheila Taormina of the US finished 19th overall after struggling in fencing, but earned this distinction at the age of 39. She was also part of the GOLD medal 4X200 freestyle swim relay in 1996 and competed in the triathlon in 2000 & 2004 with a high finish of fourth. She was also the world champion in the triathlon in 2005.

Amazing Family: The three Lopez siblings each earned a medal in Taekwondo this week. I don't know if this is a first, but it is certainly rare. Congrats to Steven (Bronze), Mark (Silver), and Diana (Bronze) on their great accomplishment.

Two great dives: But not from diving. David Neville (Indiana University) dove over the finish line in the 400 meter final to capture the bronze and complete a US sweep in the event. It looked painful, but I'm sure it is better than finishing fourth. The second dive was in the last second of the women's team handball semifinal between Norway and South Korea. The Koreans mounted an amazing comback down three with a minute to play to tie shorthanded Norway 28-28 with six seconds remaining. Norway quickly passed the ball up to a player (sorry, it is hard to get name details in obscure sports) who scored on a diving shot as time expired. She was also drilled by a defender while shooting, much like a safety cuts a receiver in half as he tries to catch a football. It was a great game and the most exciting finish I witnessed in these Games.

Underachievers: US boxing, wrestling, and track teams have all had major disappointments these Games. The track miscues are well documented with athletes failing to qualify for finals, DQs on lane violations, and the unbelievable baton drops by both the men and women in the 4X100 semifinals. Boxing and wrestling were barely a blip on the radar despite coming in with strong history and strong teams, especially the 2007 world champion Greco-Roman team that managed only one medal.

Comcastic...NOT: Our quasi-monopoly cable company seems to advertise more than anybody else. I estimate that if they wouldn't spend so much money on Olympic ads our cable bills would drop to about $11 a month. I do sorta like the Sloskis (turtles), but the rest of the ads are really stupid.

Hot 11 update: A good day, especially from obscure sports. Rather than diet, I think people should adopt the regimens of the field hockey players if they want to get in shape. The women in that sport are the fittest, most attractive athletes I have seen in these games and I have watched teams from all over the world (Australia, Germany, Argentina, US, Netherlands). Pictured are Luciana Aymar (star hockey midfielder for ARG), Katy Livingston (modern pentathlete from Great Britain), and Gro Hammerseng (team handball player from Norway).

Olympics Days 11 & 12

Lightning. Insain. Call Usain Bolt anything you want, but you had better do it quickly or he won't hear you. It is rare to win both the 100 and 200 in any meet, but to win both as a green 21-year old in world record time is amazing. He is definitely a freak, and when he figures this game out he will set some records that will last a very long time. I have largely skirted the "popular" well-covered sports and athletes, but he wins my Most Impressive Performance award for the 2008 Games.

A quick, but late, shout out to the US Equestrian team on defending their gold medal in the team jumping event. I must have missed their interview on NBC primetime.

Fat Guys: For those of you who missed it, my kids and I really enjoyed the SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT division of the men's weightlifting shown live at about 11:30 am Chicago time on Tuesday. If this event was scored like gymnastics or diving, the German

who won the GOLD would not have medaled after two of the more spectacular "misses". During the snatch, he dropped 562 lbs. on the back of his neck, barely escaping serious injury (or possible beheading according to Elizabeth). Then in the clean and jerk, he wobbled precariously for many seconds before losing the bar behing him and letting it fall partially off the specially constructed floor. And all of these guys are totally fat! Everyone of them has obviously lifted a lot of beers to get in shape. I chose to picture Bronze medalist Vicktors Scerbatihs of Latvia who best typifies the "I'm wearing a full backpack under my shirt" look they all maintain. The picture actually doesn't do full justice.

Contoversies II: Yes, the Chinese are getting the benefit of the doubt in gymnastics and diving, but host countries normally get this (the vault was pretty obnoxious). We just haven't noticed lately since the Greeks and Australians are not strong in these events and '96 was in the US. Two disqualifications in the 200 meter dash? Without a false start? You don't see that very often (although I always had trouble staying outside the line on curves).

Unusual events: Enjoyed the new open water swim (6.2 miles!) and the feature on the South African leg amputee that was not far behind the winner. Am enjoying the women's race walk in a driving rain while I am writing. These women are averaging about 7 minute miles!

Hot 11 update: Haven't noticed many new candidates for my list the last couple of days. So for you ladies who need a little help, focus on swimming (e.g. Alain Bernard), diving, water polo, gymnastics, and the lighter weights of weight lifting if you like big muscles. Other strong areas include beach volleyball, tennis and badminton (just kidding).

Please take a moment to vote in the poll in the upper right corner. If you think of another answer, mention it in a comment on this post (and I may add it).

Olympics Days 9 & 10

There are 38 different sports in this olympics, and I have seen all but six so far. Hoping I don't miss modern pentathlon. Will be fine if I don't see rythmic gymnastics.

A salute to the "senior citizens" of these Games. Dara Torres (41) silver in the 50 free, Constantina Tomescu (38, Romania) gold in the marathon, and Oksana Chusovitina (33, Germany) silver in the vault. Both Dara and Oksana are older than the combined ages of the gold and bronze medalists from their events! All three also have children. I would love to see a list of all the female medalists that have carried children. Very impressive. There are also male athletes in their 50s (sailing) and 60s (equestrian), but no medals yet.

You expected to see athletes stripped of medals after failing drug tests, but a rifle athlete?

Most seen non-athlete award: Debbie Phelps (Michael's mom for those of you who went camping the last 10 days). She is almost a household name. A good story, but a little overplayed by the media.

Impressive track performances: While the new swimsuits and "fast" pool produced unlimited world records, track records are fewer without the technology help. Previously mentioned 38 year old Constantina Tomescu running away from the pack in the marathon (not a record time, but impressive). Another world record by Russian pole vaulter Elena "Izzy" Isinbayeva, far above everyone else. And the most incredible performance I have seen was 100 meter champ 21-year old Usain "Insane" Bolt from Jamaica coasting to a new world record. Men normally peak in this event in their mid- to late 20s, and he has only run this event for 9 months! Expect to hear his name a LOT.

Hot 11 update: The Olympic Games were created by the Greeks who had a great appreciation for the physical form in its fittest state, and were known for sculpting statues of the finest. They also admired the physical prowess of sports champions. These are the basis for my list.

Previously mentioned beach volleyball player Xue (Schway) Chen has established herself as possibly the most dominating female player in the sand.
Another that caught my eye this weekend was US high hurdler Lolo Jones. I love her energy in interviews and I also love the name.

Olympics Days 7 & 8

We have reached Track and Field and are approaching the halfway point of the Games!
May I temporarily re-direct you to MighTY Mom's comments from the Days 5 & 6 post. First of all...note the post time of 1 am! Sweet. And some very good material. I definitely agree the green WR line in swimming makes it more enjoyable to watch.

The media and so many people get hung up on the medal count. Sure, I like to see the US of A do well at the Games, but the experience will not be tarnished for me if China ends up with more medals or more gold. I know Russia (20) and Germany (14) are lamenting their totals vs. the US (48) and China (41). Germany decided recently to amp up its development program to Berlin Wall era levels. We should start seeing results in the London Games. Michael Phelps has more medals that all but 11 countries, and more gold than all but three: USA (8 w/o his), China 26, and Germany 8. The medal count I like best so far is Mongolia's gold total of one, as Tuvshee Naidan won the 100 Kg class in Judo for his country's first gold...EVER!

Cool thing: Kineisiology tape. Several athletes, especially beach VB players, are wearing this on various parts of their body to improve performance. Most obvious is US Beacher Kerry Walsh's shoulder version. Still trying to figure out how it helps.

Controversy: Pretty tame so far. Tennis etiquette, age of Chinese female gymnasts (they all look about Elizabeth's age), close finishes in swimming (are people really questioning the electronic timing?), and the Swedish Greco-Roman wrestler throwing down his bronze medal during the ceremony and stomping away to protest the officiating. He was later stripped of the medal.
Speaking of stripped...time for the Hot 11 update, and we need look no further than the quartet of German athletes in the German version of a popular magazine: Romy Tarangul (judo), Nicole Reinhardt (canoe), Katharina Scholz (field hockey), and Petra Niemann (sailing). All four are strong athletes and a couple are medal contenders. Nicole Reinhardt just missed a medal finishing fourth in her K2 event final. But she is the first athlete to lock up a spot on my Hot 11, so congratulations go out to Nicole pictured twice below both in and out of competition.










I look forward to what track has to offer in this category. I hear there is a Russian pole vaulter that has awesome abs in a McD's commercial.

Olympics Days 5 & 6

I already tried red and blue fonts, so I decided to give white a try. It didn't work. But I assure you everything I wrote in that attempt was witty and informative. Now for the rest of my material.

I cannot believe I missed the cycling time trials! And the Americans did so well with Levi Leipheimer nabbing the bronze and top American female Kristy Armstrong (no relation to Lance) grabbing GOLD. Christine Thorburn (USA) also finished fifth which is outstanding, but history ignores those not in the top three.

Wow, the defending world champ US Greco-Roman wrestling team is getting smoked. And apparently all of our good women fencers are in the sabre discipline (medal sweep day 2) because we were shut out in epee and foil. Swimming continues to be our prime medal source and I assume track will take its place shortly.

Things I am tired of: Tim Daggett and Rowdy Gaines over dramatizing Everrrrrrrything. Chicken sandwiches. Don't any of the burger places sell beef anymore (okay I admit the jealous cow in the BK commercial is pretty funny)? CLOSE UP CAMERA SHOTS...just because we have the technology to count the athletes pores doesn't mean we have to use it every six minutes.

Bad commercials:

1. Subway with everyone getting drinks splashed on them. Doesn't make me want to go there. And scrabble may be, perhaps, a little too difficult for our instant gratification society.
   
2. The GM suv that brags that it gets better gas mileage than two other suvs? Where are my coat and keys?
   
3. Match.com's generous offer of 6 months free if you didn't find a good match. Oh goody, more of a service that doesn't work for me. Just what I wanted. Let's think of other products/services where this could be especially unpleasant.

Hot 11 update: [note the name change] Praguayan javelin thrower Leryn Franco. Yowww. How much longer do we have to wait for track & field? Thanks to MighTY Mom for IDing the 399 lb. Guam judo competitor in a recent comment (although I am not sure if she was putting him on her list ;)
Good daytime tennis today with James Blake upsetting lackluster Roger Federer and Serena Williams falling to Elena Dementieva.

The warm temps made Elena glisten just perfectly as she fought back after being a set down.

Not a big fan of trailers for NBC fall programming, but I have to admit I am really looking forward to season two of my second favorite show Chuck. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Enjoy Le Games. Dave

Olympics Days 3 & 4

Disappointed in the lack of weekday daytime coverage of the Games, but I know most of the live events are over at that time. Makes it easier to stay up watching the good stuff until the wee hours of the morning. Also gives more time for the stardard fare of quality daytime programming. My personal favorite has been "Breakfast with Bond" at 8 am on Spike for the month of August.

Swimming and gymnastics. Hope you like them or your watching something else. The USA had a magical night in the pool Monday (US time). Congrats especially to Grevers, Vanderkaay, and Hoelzer on each picking up their first individual medals. All remarkable athletes who are overshadowed by better known US athletes. 6 medals for USA in 30 minutes in the pool! Incredible. I don't love the gymnastics, but the US story losing their top two competitors (Hamms) was a good one. And the "upset" performance was not fabricated like some of the swimmming coverage. Great result earning the team bronze. And a tip of the Orange cap to former Illini NCAA champ Justin Springs (currently an asst. coach at U of I) on his strong performances last night.

Sychronized diving? Who came up with that? What's next to be synchronized? Weightlifting, Javelin, and Archery would be my picks. Especially sychronized "indoor" javelin.

I think I missed the cross country segment of team Equestrian. I was actually looking forward to it. I see that the US fared poorly and dropped several places in this second of three phases.
Good sites: The Italian gold medalist fencer riding around on her coach after victory in the foil. Excellent feature on the growth of Beijing/Pekin over the last two decades. Reminds me of the transformation of the Vegas strip over that time period. Unrelated tangent- was amused by the scenes of 70's Vegas in yesterday's Bond installment "Diamonds are Forever."Looking forward to seeing the heaviest athlete compete; 6'6" 399lb. judo competitor. I apologize for not having the name yet. I think he might be from Guam. I'll check.

Top 11 update: I have to agree with devoted reader MighTY Mom that Phelps won't actually make many lists. There is a LOT to choose from from both sides of the aisle. I think we should make sure to represent at least five different countries and five distinct sports on each list, if possible. From the male perspective, if you like tall girls...this has been a great Games. Did I mention scandal plagued French swimmer Laure Manaudou? If I did, she is worth mentioning again since she is in so many event finals. And what about Aussie basketball superstar (and WNBA MVP) Lauren Jackson?! Family blog, so I won't include clips from the very well done feature on her in the Australian magazine Black & White. And I think Natalie Coughlin is closing in on a definite spot on the list.

Anxiously awaiting track & field, but I believe we will have to wait until the weekend. See you in a day or two.

Olympic Blog Day 2

Sunday (Monday in China) I am contemplating changing my day to match Beijing time, since so many of the events are live on tv after midnight. Really enoyed the women's field hockey where the US tied favored Argentina 2-2. It started at 5 or 6 in the morning, so I think I was one of the few to partake.

Coolest event to be in if I had the talent? Cycling road race!! Riding through the capital past the Olympic venues, Tianamen Square, the Forbiden City and to the Great Wall! Awesome...literally. They said it took 20 centuries to build the great wall!!! Feel free to add a comment on what event you would choose.

Noticing that many events have a lot empty seats even though this is considered a very well attended first few days. I hope Chicago gets the Games because I plan to have my butt in a lot of the seats in 2016. Some events are TOTALLY sold out, like all of the USA men's b-ball games. It seems President Bush and the Chinese Party Chairmen were two of the few lucky winners of the lottery to get tickets to the US-China men's basketball game.

Top 11 update: Noticing several attractive Russian girls this year, but someone forgot to send a memo to their women's "indoor" volleyball team. North Korean soccer is another team that will not be called upon as a supplier to my list. One possibility is Chinese "beach" volleyballer Xue (pronounced Schway) Chen. Can hear Mike Myers as Wayne (from Wayne's World) watching the games when Garth sees a great shot and exults "Awesome, No Way!" and Wayne retorts "Schway!"

Best event to watch: My family leaning to the "extended walk" portion of the dressage competition. Just kidding. We thought they were taking a break!

Worst announcer (so far): Andrea Kremer at the swimming venue. When she is not insulting the athletes or pointing out the tiniest flaws, she can only come up with the question "how do you feel right now?" Seriously?? This is the best NBC could come up with at one of the major venues? And when one of the male swimmers defended his sub-par prelim time (which still qualified for the next round) by saying "this is a poker game and I am still holding all of my cards close to my vest," her comeback is " I don't know how to play poker, so can you tell me what you are going to do?" You have got to be kidding!!

Anyway...another good day at the Games. Still not sure about the "hug-meter". One last question for you devoted readers: Name a men's sport that is dominated by teenagers in this Games? See you tomorrow.

Olympic Blog Day 1

It is 10:00 am on the first Saturday, and I have already watched women's soccer, women's team handball, men's beach volleyball, women's "indoor" volleyball, men's singles badminton, and dressage. The Olympics are great for all of the sports you never get see.What is this "indoor" for volleyball? Were too many people confused between volleyball and beach volleyball? Maybe I will try to think of a few more ways they can dumb down the coverage.

I noticed there were several countries the size of Palatine that had multiple athletes in these games. Marshall Islands, Cayman Islands, Leichtenstein, Angora, and Tuvalu (only 12k!).

I also noticed the vast number of very attractive athletes in the games, and was inspired to create a "top 11" list for this blog because the Greeks always admired the physical form. Women bloggers can participate also, but despite the numerous options most of the lists will look like this: 1. Michael Phelps 2. Michael Phelps ...you get the picture. Ladies, you may want to check out the Swiss "Beach" volleyball hunk and don't forget that Messieurs Federer and Nadal are participating this year. My list will include a mix of old favorites (will Jenny Finch make the cut this year?) as well as new faces in the crowd...possibly Erika from the Brazilian women's soccer team (they only use one name). There are a lot of games to go, so way too early to cement anyone in the top 11 yet.Got to get back to the tele.... Dave

Welcome

Welcome friends. I have created this forum for you to share your thoughts on anything and nothing. I look forward to reading and writing with you. Blog on!