Rio Olympics 2016

indiana · Tennis legend

Rio Olympics 2016

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Leaving aside the IOC shambles (!), and tennis (as this is in 'other sporting events' part and 'bah, humbug' to olympic tennis), I was just wondering who are the main GB hopes that people are following in other sports.
I know paulisi is very into and informed on athletics. Sure that others are too, on many sports.
Any inside tips? Up and coming youngsters?

paulisi · Tennis legend

When you have elite athletes turning up at all sports, you will not get too many young superstars creeping through as they should be at the top to qualify.

If you are looking for surprise GB medallists in athletics try Andy Pozzi(if he can stay fit) in 110m H and Laura Muir 1500m
Looking through the possible medal hopes in athletics:
All relay squads
Dina Asher Smith - 200m
Laura Muir - 1500m
Eilidh Doyle - 400m H
KJT and Jess Ennis-Hill - Heptathlon
Shara Proctor - LJ
Andy Pozzi - 110mH
Mo Farah - 5000m & 10,000m
Greg Rutherford - LJ

Apologies if I have missed anyone - Lynsey Sharp should make the 800m final, but I'm not convinced she will medal, unless it is a slow race.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Thanks, paulisi - I'll keep and eye out - good luck to them all.

philwrig · Hall of fame

I'd concur with Paul about the athletics, some of the above are in better form than others, but those look like the same ones I would have suggested. Jazz Sawyer might have an outside shot in the LJ at a medal, possibly Gemili in the 200m, and our other 800m runner Shelayna Oskan- Clarke could surprise.

I follow the Swimming scene very closely where we have really stepped it up. These are my picks in order of probability:

1. Peaty 100m breaststroke - world champion and world record holder, easily the fastest this year, nearly a dead cert, but I don't want to put the mockers on him.

2. Guy 200m/400m freestyle - world champion in 200m, silver medalist in 400m. Form this year good. Will be a very competitive race the 200m, so it may be gold, could be 4th.

3. O' Connor 200m IM - world bronze medalist, overwhelming favourite for the race is Hosszu, but Sobhan is also more or less a dead cert for one of the other medals.

4. Carlin - 400m/ 800m freestyle. Not swimming as well as she was and again very competitive events with Ledecky a legend in the sport already guaranteed the gold medals, but she has a shot at both.

5. Murdoch - 100m breaststroke - world bronze medalist, racing for the same spot again, will be very tight. Would have been a real threat for the 200m but didn't qualify.

6. Miley - 400 IM. Other than Hosszu, very open event, and she is as good as she's always been, so definite chances.

7. Halsall - 50m freestyle- will be very tight, chance of a bronze.

8. Willis - 200m Breaststroke- very tough event, outside shot of medal.

Other names to watch out for Tutton in 200m breaststroke women's. Also young lad in 1500m has improved massively this year.

Relay possibilities. Men's 100 medley, with the emergence of Peaty, we are now a strong medal hope here, 200 freestyle men's, current world champions, but we've gone backwards from last year, Guy needs to be in peak form, for us to have a shot here. Women's 100m medley, current European champions, outside shot of medal.

Diving might pick up a few medals other than Daley.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Great. I've just printed out both lists and stuck them by the TV.

Not to hold you to them, of course. And I know the BBC experts will give their assessments.

But I'm completely out of touch with athletics now, and was never really in touch with swimming.

They're the sort of 'true' olympic sports I love to watch so it's always good to have some feelers about the participants.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

I guess we can't keep tennis out of this thread completely.

Andy Murray has been selected as the Flag Bearer for Team GB in the opening ceremony. Terrific honour and well deserved.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Plenty of chances in the cycling.
Trott and Cav in the omnium
The two pursuit teams.
Jason Kenny always ups his game for the big ones

Armistead and Froome- on the road as well

indiana · Tennis legend

I would think rowing will produce quite a few medals again, although I am not right up on all the relevant form.

I recall the Aussies commenting that we were pretty good at sitting down sports. This may have been at the time in London quite a way in when Yorkshire led Australia in the medals table, albeit a BBC unofficial one

-- Edited by indiana on Wednesday 3rd of August 2016 09:39:55 PM

Oakland2002 · All-time great

I would love to think that Lizzie Armistead is a clean athlete but the fact that she has squeezed in on appeal after retrospectively getting her first of three missed drug tests discounted emphasises to me that while criticising the Russians we have to be mindful of our own garden. There are 6 British athletes going on two missed tests.

For me the IOC impotent response to systematic doping has soured the whole commercial bun fight compounded by the legacy it will leave Brazil, debt.

I will crack and watch Dina the aspiring polymath in the 200 and Greg (tel it as it is) Rutherford in the LJ and maybe the Heptathlon and...........................the whole bloody lot from table tennis to Greko Roman fumbling and a bit of Bulgarian weightlifting (the dirtiest squad not at the Olympics)

philwrig · Hall of fame

Forgot to mention Ben Proud who has an outside shot at a medal in the 50m freestyle.

Other sports not mentioned where we have a shout are of course gymnastics, triathlon, boxing, taekwondo, and I'm sure there's a few others.

Strongbow · All-time great

Having bottled the decision on Russia they are now looking for scapegoats.

Very interesting article in Cycling Weekly on Lizzie Armistead and the testing farrago.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

confused...

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Thursday 4th of August 2016 02:51:15 PM

paulisi · Tennis legend

Lizzie made a mistake in not appealing a failed test at the time( the testers didn't try hard enough to find Lizzie)

There are six GB athletes with two missed tests competing in Rio.

Chrissy Ohourogu was banned a few years ago for three misses. It is easy to forget to change your schedule. On one of the failed tests , Chrissy turned up to train at Crystal Palace only to find there was a junior comp and decided to train at a local track instead.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

It's difficult though, isn't it? We all want to give the athletes the benefit of the doubt. But they don't make it easy.... She didn't appeal the first one. And then went on to have two more. And then got unprecedented help from the federation to appeal it. The british cycling press have been surprisingly critical of the CAS decision in Lizzie's favour - a lot of them seem to take a very dim view of her actions....