Tokyo Olympics - It's On

[Atticus]

Here's a brilliant idea for a thread - celebrating the Olympics that HAVE started.

In women's soccer news, the heavily favored USA women were roundly defeated by Sweden 3-0.

I'm a huge fan of the team, but even I say this is a good start - any complacency we may have harbored from our world dominance is now completely gone. That's good for women's world soccer and for the USA team. Can't wait to see what happens next. We have subs on the bench that would be stars elsewhere.

[aaronk]

Saw the last 2 or 3 innings of the USA vs Italy softball game (tuned in after the Mariners game).
USA won 2 to 0.

[jc203]

USA women's soccer team is an aging group. Capable of bouncing back but obviously no sure bet.

[18.99s]

In women's soccer news, the heavily favored USA women were roundly defeated by Sweden 3-0.

No team has ever won the Women's World Cup and then won gold in the Olympics after it.

The USA won the WWC in 2019, and this 0-3 loss indicates the trend is going to continue.

[Atticus]

No team has ever won the Women's World Cup and then won gold in the Olympics after it.

Yet . . . I do know that I'd rather go into the OGs as the reigning WWC champion than not.

I suspect we'll win the rest, then face Sweden again and probably lose again. We have too much speed, technical ability and game management to be an underdog to anyone else. The Swedes simply looked brilliant.
Now, will they begin to believe their own press clippings and fall to someone else? Possible, not probable.

[lonewolf]

Saw the last 2 or 3 innings of the USA vs Italy softball game (tuned in after the Mariners game). USA won 2 to 0.

Did anyone else note the dustup in the 7th inning about Kat's pitching form? Apparently, Japan protested that her pivot foot was leaving the rubber before she delivered the ball, which it does seem to do. She is a big girl and takes a big step. After the delay, USA brought in a reliever, who immediately threw two wild pitches before K-ing the batter for the final out.
Just seems ironic that after her NCAA career and third Olympics, it comes up with two out in the 7th and tying batter at the plate.

[Atticus]

it comes up with two out in the 7th and tying batter at the plate.

Fascinating. She's probably been doing it for 5+ years. Will she just need to put more heel on the rubber?

[guru]

Men's cycling road race tonight(Friday) @ 10 PM ET, USA Network. The course is brutal - 140 miles with 3 miles of vertical ascent, including once up Mount Fuji(9 miles @ 6% avg grade)

[DrJay]

Men's cycling road race tonight(Friday) @ 10 PM ET, USA Network. The course is brutal - 140 miles with 3 miles of vertical ascent, including once up Mount Fuji(9 miles @ 6% avg grade)

Here on the west side of Colorado Springs we have a huge menu of hills to choose from and if one seeks them out, 4000' of climbing in 40 miles is not out of the ordinary. Our rule of thumb is 50'/mile is an easy ride, 75'/mile a good one, 100'/mile a tough one. So 15,000'/140 miles is indeed a ton of climbing. But then, their legs were made at a different factory than mine.

[Steele]

Where would you cycling buffs place the OG road event in the overall ranking of cycling races? I followed cycling quite a bit back in the 80s (guess why) and have followed from afar since. Since the OGs is a one day event it's not fair to compare it to the tours, where does it rank in importance to cycling cognoscenti and to the teams/riders themselves?

[jazzcyclist]

Where would you cycling buffs place the OG road event in the overall ranking of cycling races? I followed cycling quite a bit back in the 80s (guess why) and have followed from afar since. Since the OGs is a one day event it's not fair to compare it to the tours, where does it rank in importance to cycling cognoscenti and to the teams/riders themselves?

At highest #5 behind the Grand Tours and the World Championship

[guru]

Mikuni Pass may actually be worse than Mount Fuji, climbing for over 4 miles at an eye-watering 10% average gradient. And that's after Fuji.

[guru]

Thank God Steve Schlanger is handling the cycling commentary(with Bob Roll). I dont think I could take 6 straight hours of Phil Liggett lol

[guru]

That was one helluva bike race. Holy cow.

Also great crowd support on the course from start to finish. So much for everyone in the country not wanting these Games to happen.

[scottmitchell74]

That was one helluva bike race. Holy cow.

Also great crowd support on the course from start to finish. So much for everyone in the country not wanting these Games to happen.

I suspect like everything else, the MSM is harping on the negative because that's what gets viewers. Nothing is actually how the MSM would have you believe it is.