Athletics

[Rabbits20]

Why does it matter if they dive over the line?

That was a joke.

I think it's bad sportsmanship.

 

[Rabbits20]

Anyone still complaining bout how our swimmers conduct themselves?
Shipper's reaction to silver made her look a bit bratty.

Correctamundo.

 

[Danish]

Watching the women's 800m. Looks like we could well see 3 Intersex people on the podium judging by the qualifying times and also the amount of apparent effort taken to run them

 

[Tommy Smith]

I don't know what the solution is, but it's grossly unfair on the other female 800m runners to have to compete against Semenya.

That ain't no woman (judged on an athletic criteria). If she identifies as a woman in life then that's fine, good for her. But for atheltic purposes I believe she has an unfair advantage.

 

[Shorty]

She's technically both, she has both male and female sex hormones/genitals....allegedly.
So, I think you either have her get surgery and remove whichever or get some drugs that don't cause cancer as a side effect etc.
Until then her wins are 'fair' because they haven't really changed the criteria again.

 

[nick87]

Bolt just rained hell on the field in the 200m final
Haha, not even close

 

[Danish]

Have you ever seen a bloke more disappointed to win a gold medal and run 19.79 than Bolt right now? I think he realised in those last 15 metres that he will never run another PB again.

I feel could still take the gold in the 200m at Tokyo, he is just that far ahead of the pack. He could run the 3rd leg of the 4x100m till he was 40 as well. Just don't know if he would commit to another games to only compete in a single individual event.

I truly hope someone convinces Bolt to take up another event like long jump or maybe even the 400 so we get to see the great man compete at another games. Truly the greatest athlete of my or any lifetime, and I can't see anyone breaking his 200m record before I die

 

[Fufu Andronez]

Chuck him on the wing for an NRL team and watch the $$ flow in

 

[Danish]

f**k that. the Big Bash should toss several million at him to play 1 game for each team is summer! He loves his cricket and listed Matty Hayden as his sporting hero I reckon he'd love it

 

[Shorty]

You wonder if we will actually EVER see an athlete like him again.
His dominance has so many factors it's not funny, I believe he's good at the 200m because of his nimbleness around the track....which I believe is from his love of cricket, specifically bowling.
But it's also his relaxed demeanor that probably really dominates his competitors, having nice and relaxed muscles...like hamstrings is vital in sprinting.

So you really need to get a tall sprinter with his personality and approach, I think that's close to impossible to happening again!

 

[Danish]

You wonder if we will actually EVER see an athlete like him again.
His dominance has so many factors it's not funny, I believe he's good at the 200m because of his nimbleness around the track....which I believe is from his love of cricket, specifically bowling.
But it's also his relaxed demeanor that probably really dominates his competitors, having nice and relaxed muscles...like hamstrings is vital in sprinting.

So you really need to get a tall sprinter with his personality and approach, I think that's close to impossible to happening again!

Yep. And when you consider Bolt just won that race by about 4 metres, then remember that Bolt's PB would have been maybe another 5-6 metres in front of that, it's a struggle to see how anyone will ever approach his level again.

Going to need to be a true freak of nature to come close

 

[Tommy Smith]

Someone just as great will come along one day.

My guess is at the 2316 Mars Olympics.

 

[Twizzle]

Watching the women's 800m. Looks like we could well see 3 Intersex people on the podium judging by the qualifying times and also the amount of apparent effort taken to run them

Its getting so that we'll have 3 categories

Mens, Women and Intersex

 

[Evil Homer]

She's technically both, she has both male and female sex hormones/genitals....allegedly.
So, I think you either have her get surgery and remove whichever or get some drugs that don't cause cancer as a side effect etc.
Until then her wins are 'fair' because they haven't really changed the criteria again.

She had to take testosterone-suppressing drugs until last year when some other athlete appealed and got the rule changed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37102204

I get why people think it's unfair when watching her run because of the obvious difference between her and the other athletes but she hasn't cheated in any way, she just has a genetic advantage over the others in the same way that Bolt, Phelps etc do. It's like if the Incredible Hulk was a real person and decided to take up athletics, on what grounds could you stop him from participating?

 

[drago brelli]

So what really goes on at those high altitude training camps. Camps which are run outside any events and away from prying eyes.

 

[T-Boon]

She had to take testosterone-suppressing drugs until last year when some other athlete appealed and got the rule changed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37102204

I get why people think it's unfair when watching her run because of the obvious difference between her and the other athletes but she hasn't cheated in any way, she just has a genetic advantage over the others in the same way that Bolt, Phelps etc do. It's like if the Incredible Hulk was a real person and decided to take up athletics, on what grounds could you stop him from participating?

Its not the same as Bolt or Phelps because they are in the mens (which is essentially the opens) whereas Semenya is competing in a sub category where you have to be a women to qualify and the issue is what does that mean.

 

[Pommy]

Its not the same as Bolt or Phelps because they are in the mens (which is essentially the opens) whereas Semenya is competing in a sub category where you have to be a women to qualify and the issue is what does that mean.

But she's still not a cheat in anyway she's got a genetic advantage.
If she was a trans athlete I would be in full agreement with you but this is nature.

 

[T-Boon]

Sorry but she fully looks like a man (I mean 100%) and I am told she has very high levels of testosterone and that that can be explained by the fact she had (and maybe still has) testicles in a sub category where having testicles is cheating (as I understand it). So its nothing like Phelps or Bolt who just have physical advantages in essentially an open category.
I am not sure whether she also has a womb and can have children.
She isn't cheating in the sense of being a drug cheat or being un natural but it is still complicated in that she has to be a woman in that category.
I agree that "its nature" and I have respect for who she is from that perspective.
Maybe the rule for eligibility for the womens events should just be you cannot have testicles.

 

[Danish]

But she's still not a cheat in anyway she's got a genetic advantage.
If she was a trans athlete I would be in full agreement with you but this is nature.

Caster is not a woman though, yet it competing against women.

Caster's genetic advantage is the same which led to us separating women's and men's events in the first place

 

[Shorty]

She is female, otherwise the comp would have been able to boot her.
She was subject to genetic testing and continues to compete which tells you her results would have pointed to a varient...as in not XY or XX but something in between.

And as stated before, her testosterone levels are not at a male's level she just has more than a female, hence the the comparison to Phelps of Bolt is adequate, imo.