Athletics

Yes, Jess, it's very patchy. They have imported Michael Johnson from BBC and I still have trouble understanding him!

Well he was not as understandable on CH4 as the beeb, and was perspiring heavily instead sitting in a nice BBC studio... They are doing it on the cheap evidently. The main presenter appeared to be an apprentice and the coverage of the heats almost incomprehensible. Then there was the commentator whose voice seemed to be breaking during the womens 10k.
Big tragedy with Christine O. false starting. She must be furious with herself.

It was such a massive false start too, not just a fraction of a centimetre as they usually are. Poor girl - she must have felt that she was under so much pressure and wasn't fully 'match fit'. It doesn't help that she is such a local figure in East London and bears the weight of expectation in the Olympics.

Sorry JessM ...I've been watching it on British EuroSport ...usually place advertising slots reasonably well ...commentaries fine

Ah thanks Jacey. i will see if we can get it. Trying not to pine for Colin and Denise...

OK JessM ...British Eurosport (Sky 410 Virgin 521)

Tonight 02:OO until 05:00 that's live coverage - not that I'll be watching then
Tomorrow(Mon) 10:45 until 14:00 -again live coverage - which I will be watching

What do you think of this 'one false start and your out?' ...poor Eugene Bolt! I couldn't believe it this morning.

Oh phew, Ch4 was Ok when it is not "highlights" although studio presenter a bit clunky. But the main coverage was good. Wasn't Mo wonderful. it is great to see him progress from winning European medals to world medals - a huge leap when the ethopians etc are so dominant at world level. Sad to seem him pipped by less than 2 sec but it is still a huge achievement for UK athletics.

Re false starts - Poor Christine O and Dwayne C as well - these games were much more important to them than Bolt who probably has years ahead of him.
I think Bolt is still unexperienced at settling and focussing before an important race. So i think it was a hard lesson but one he needed to learn at this stage.

I preferred the previous rule - one false start allowed per race. This allows for inexperienced spectators shouting at the wrong moment, wobbling in the blocks etc. Before that rule was introduced it was getting crazy with multiple false starts and deliberate messing about, twitching etc, to put other competitors off.

Agree JessM ...I prefer previous rule of 'one false start per race' ...but heard one commentator state that the change was also due to the media ...slowed their coverage ...so didn't get so much 'live' in a slot!! ...mmm ...I wonder if that was the Americans? [where's the synic smiley?]

I wonder if the mechanism that measures false starts is over-reactive. I am sure that 'wobbles' that wouldn't have been noticed a few years ago are now counted as false starts.

Yup I heard that too jacey. Probably not Americans as they are not very interested in "trackandfield". Long way down the list after baseball, basketball and US football. Despite all their talent and success in it.
You're right Annobel they would not have been noticed would they. Now they are v highly computerised and based on scientific measurement of the human reaction time. But even a twitch of the elbow could set off the person next to you, if you were so inclined I suppose.
Having been away on holiday i am trying to be virtuous and not settle down to watch the coverage for another hour or so... until i have unpacked, deadheaded the garden etc etc
And here I am talking about it. Hannah England did a great heat. Lisa Dobriskey winds me up. She is so strong and talented but she seems to unassertive on the track and gets boxed in and blocked so often. They all know this about her I am sure. And then when she does that sweetie little girlie voice i think, oh dear, part of the same picture. I suppose what winds me up is that young women still grow up like this - playing the sweet little girl who wants to be everyones friend. Maybe it's cos i never had the opportunity to wind daddy round my finger so I resent women who have that style about them?

I feel exactly the same about Lisa Dobriskey but your rant almost makes me feel sorry for her, Jess!

well yes that's the trouble! I get irritated and then i feel sorry for her for as it is probably a deep seated psychological issue. But hasn't her coach told her?

Well ...I've been quite happy this morning ...watching Day 3 live. heven't Jamaica been doing well to get so many in the finals
Just been wondering ...they are a smaller country than us?

Actually ...following on from another post ...

I've seen some of the medal ceremonies for the athletics ...they often don't even know the words to the first verses of their anthems ...or are mouthing words that don't fit the music

On theoff chance ...next summer... I hope all our Olympians make the effort to know the first verse of our anthem

Oh ...we've just got a bronze medal ...but by default

Blatant cheating! Jacey, with a 'hand-off' like that the offending athlete would make a great rugby player!!!
I think they should have re-run the race without him as the 'new' order is not quite as it should be.
Great games tho!

Robles knew he was going to get disqualified - hand went to head as he crossed the line, no celebratory body language. Turner has done well to get the bronze without funding for his training, so he showed 'em. But it is not the way he would have liked to win a medal.
Right, i have stuff to do, after being away for over 2 weeks. Must resist athletics until tea time...
And keep the radio and BBC website off as they will tell me what happened before i see it!!!

You've more will-power than me JessM

Rest day today. Media convinced it is a failure so far. So silvers are failures... hum. Don't think it very realistic to think we are going to get loads of medals, given the bigger or more sports - orientated nations...
I was bowled over when i went to Sydney just how sports focussed they are.
The US too - and it is a route to college scholarships if you are a "jock".
In NZ you see whole Maori families playing rugby in the park while the BBQ cooks.
And I once saw some info on why Jamaica produces sprinters are so many and so good - it is at the core of school sports - there was a huge junior championship with loads of spectators . And of course it is a route out of poverty for the most successful.
The kids round here have a nice safe park opposite and they spend very little time playing outdoors. Even on a snowy morning - they are all indoors! In terms of organised activities it is rare to see any kids playing footie or cricket but is usually our ethnic minority kids, and their parents, that will be involved. We are breeding a nation of couch potatoes I'm afraid, not a nation of athletes.

I object to the way the news media announced that Jessica Ennis had 'failed' to retain her world championship. Never mind that her points score was higher than when she won it. They weigh down our successful athletes with high expectations and shoot them down when they come second!

Hear hear! (or is it here here.... the first I think)

Totally agree ...one of reasons prefer watching Eurosport coverage ...as they don't just focus on one country and their expectations.

Know what you mean Jacey. Watching the news on a channel you don't usually look at e.g. Al Jazeera, is fascinating and you get a different viewpoint.
Once though i made the mistake of going to Italy when the Olympics was on. Truly terrible coverage - lots of arty studio shots of people discussing the fact that Italy had won a silver medal in shooting. and not much else.
I was very struck last night (just to be totally shallow and trivial for a moment) by the sight of a truly epic naked male torso with a hairy chest. Just behind the French Heptathlon coach. Aided by the telephoto lens... Did you spot that! Never saw the attached head.
Also - the gold medal for eyemakeup goes, without question, to Isinbayeva. She may have gone out of the pole vault but... she must have had it done professionally surely - and it didn't even run when she cried afterwards. That's what high-def is for!
And finally did anyone else notice there seemed to be a competition going to see how many times they could get in the words "coach Toni Miniciello" ref Ennis. I wish I had been counting! Closely followed by the words "Birchfield harrier" every time they talked about Louise Hazel.

JessM ...you may be interested to read this ...all about changes to Channel 4 coverage

uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/31082011/58/world-athletics-championships-channel-4-drop-deley-main-athletics-presenter.html

Oh right. Explains why he was so hopeless.
The other guy possibly even worse though... and amazingly badly dressed.
Reminds me of the time Keith Chegwin asked Eric Clapton what he felt about being on the same stage as a really famous drummer like Charlie Watts.