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1st Swimming Gold in 20yrs, World Recs & Team GB success


Geoffrey Settle

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It was good to see Rebecca Adlington win the 400m freestyle swim ahead of pre-race favourite Katie Hoff of the United States earlier on this week.

 

The first time the women have won gold since 1960 when my old swimming teacher Anita Lonsbrough took the 200m in Rome.

 

I don't remember her too clearly but she got me swimming which was a major achievement as I hate water. We were fortunate to have our own swimming pool in a brand new school in Wolverhamton, Smestow Comprehensive back in 1966 when we also won the World Cup and Derek Dougan was KING of the North Bank. Those were the glory days weren't they?

 

We still haven't even got a 50 meter pool in Warrington now - maybe room in the Orford Park Project who knows!! but we have got a potential medal winning 1500 meter swimmer so lets hope that his sessions at the Commonwealth Pool in Manchester at 5am every day bear fruit in London 2012.

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Just watched Rebecca Adlington win her 800 heat and set new Olympic record - should be some finals day on Saturday and congrats to out two local canoeists now in their pairs and eights finals - we have never had double local Olympics interest before 8)

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Do the instant track/poolside interviews of our disappointed losers make anyone else cringe or is it just me?

 

"How do you feel?", "Putting your 20th place aside have you enjoyed the experience?", "Do you think you could have gone faster?", "How disappointed are you?" :x

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That idiot who sits on the settee with the Scottish girl annoys me.

What is he doing there? He makes stupid remarks that "he" thinks are funny, and hasn't got a clue about any of the sports. :evil:

 

PS. The Beeb used to be the best at covering the Olympics, but they are going the same way as the rest. Downhill.

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Well a fantastic achievement from Rebecca Adlington - 2nd Gold medal in 2008 - (which was last done in 1908) and she smashed the world record 800m record. Simply Brilliant and well deserved hug and interview from Sharon Davies (who won a silver at Moscow 1980). The 8 is certainly lucky for the Brits as well as the Chinese :D

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You could say that because Janet Evans won the olympic 800 m freestyle for the USA in 8:20.20 and a year later in 1989 set the World record of 8:16.22 on the 20th August and 19 years later at the age of 19 (maybe 19 is also lucky)Rebecca Adlington smashed the oldest world record in swimming. The only world record in the sport to have survived from the 1980s.

 

On the downside someone called Ben Johnson was stripped of his 100-meter title whereas in 2008 (less than 2 hours ago) Usain Bolt took sprinting into a new stratosphere here at the Olympic Games today with an astonishing 100m world record of 9.69 (it was 9.68 but it got adjusted. What a run the guy looked like he was floating on water, so effortless - and he was thoroughly enjoying himself - he was like a kid at sports day with not a care in the world. Brilliant and on a day when Team GB excelled in so many areas. :D

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We have done very well with the bikes and boats and a very good swimmer but the 'real' measure of Olympic success is in the Birds Nest.

 

The young girl did well to reach and finish sixth in the 100m final but apart from a couple of jumpers and the 1500m I can't see much success. I hope the yank beats our 400m runner who shouldn't even be there.

The 200m is a must watch, Johnson's world record must be under threat.

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Yes.

 

Getting back to swimming, isn't it time that swimming came under the same rules as running, i.e. the fastest between two points wins the medal. Why should races be held for slower swimming strokes, we don't have medals for the 1500m running backwards?

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Yes.

 

Getting back to swimming, isn't it time that swimming came under the same rules as running, i.e. the fastest between two points wins the medal. Why should races be held for slower swimming strokes, we don't have medals for the 1500m running backwards?

 

No - swimming is no different to running it's slowest form is walking - each technical event should be considered on its own merits and be an individual race just like cycling. After all each event requires completely different skill set and training regimes.

 

Hopefully you won'r ague for removing the Team Pursuit as we have just won the GOLD medal - what a race - another Team GB World Cycling Record. :D

 

The investment in Manchester's Commonwealth Games Valodrome has certainly paid off big style. :P

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