In the biggest boilover so far at the London Olympics, France pinched the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay from the Americans and the Russians, leaving pre-race favourites Australia languishing in fourth place.
Questions must be asked why the fastest sprinter on the planet James Magnussen led the Australians off instead of anchoring.
They were never in the hunt after Magnussen finished a close second at the first change to Matt Targett, then Eamon Sullivan, with James Roberts anchoring, the weakest link in the qualifier.
The breakdown – France 3.09.93, USA 3.10.38, Russia 3.11.41, and Australia 3.11.63.
A fantastic swim by the Frenchmen, the country’s first Olympic men’s 4×100 relay gold, just outside the world record.
It took a world record to deny Australian Christian Sprenger gold in the 100 breaststroke. South African Cameron van der Burgh grabbed gold with his 58.58, Sprenger silver with 58.93, American Brendan Hansen bronze with 59.49. Former world record holder, Australia’s Brenton Rickard, finished sixth with 59.87.
Australian butterflyer Alicia Coutts was a gold medal chance in the 100, but American Dana Vollmer had something to say about that, setting a new world record of 55.98 for gold, China’s Lu Ying silver in 56.89. with Coutts bronze at 56.94.
That was a courageous swim by Coutts, who reached the halfway stage in sixth place, but came home strongly to medal.
In semi-final action – Emily Seebohm was fastest qualifier for the 100 backstroke with 59.39, Belinda Hocking seventh fastest with 59.79.
Leisel Jones defied her critics by finishing fifth fastest with a time of 1.06.81 behind Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte’s 1.05.21.
Thomas Fraser-Holmes qualified eighth fastest for the final of the 200 freestyle. Kenrick Monk was 13th fastest.
And Hayden Stoeckel also qualified eighth fastest for the final of the 100 backstroke.
On the world stage, let’s keep an eye on China’s Sun Yang who could well create Olympic history by becoming the first to win gold in the 200, 400, and 1500 freestyle at the same meet. He’s a powerhouse who looks unbeatable, at all three distances.
There’s an equestrian sniff of gold for the Australian individual and team eventing. Veteran Andrew Hoy, in his seventh Olympics with four golds to his credit, finished fourth in the dressage, Sam Griffiths seventh, and Christopher Burton eighth for Australia to be on top of the team standings after day one of three.
But more bad news for Team GB. Paula Radcliffe, world record holder for the women’s marathon, won’t be a starter at next Sundays marathon, suffering from a persistent foot injury. That’s it for the 38-year-old, ending her stellar career without an Olympic medal of any description in four starts.
Paula Radcliffe deserved better. She has been a great, but injury-prone, competitor over the years.
A gold medal still eludes Team GB, with cyclist Elizabeth Armitstead winning silver in the 140km women’s road race in treacherous conditions with heavy rain and strong winds, so different from yesterdays perfect conditions for the men. Marianne Vos from the Netherlands took out the gold, with bronze to Russian Olga Zabelinkskaya.
Kiwi Linda Melanie Villumsen was the best placed Australasian at 18th, while the Australian trio of Chloe Hosking, Shara Gillow, and Amanda Spratt failed to finish in the top 30.
An estimated million spectators lined the road race route for the men yesterday. Despite the putrid weather, the women’s race wouldn’t have had much less last night.
Those are serious numbers, emphasing how keen spectators are to see Olympic action, and how angry they are when they see vast numbers of empty seats on television at various venues, including the swimming.
The LOCOG investigation found most of those seats were allocated to sponsors. That being the case, why not sell them off on the day or night? Those tickets will sell like hot cakes, creating a better look, and a far better atmosphere for the competitors.
In brief:
– Basketball with the all-powerful US Dream Team 2 thumping France 98-71, while Brazil beat the Boomers 76-71 in a close contest.
– The Hockeyroos lost 0-1 to New Zealand, the first time the Black Sticks have been successful over their arch cross Tasman rivals in five Olympic encounters.
– Lleyton Hewitt’s first round at Wimbledon against Sergiy Stakovsky was cancelled because of rain. Bernard Tomic, heading for his sixth successive first round defeat, lost the first set against Kei Nishikori 7-6, before play was suspended. (Editor’s note: Tomic lost 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4))
– While Joshua Jefferis became the first Australian to qualify for an Olympic gymnastic final in 12 years.
Observation:
– There’s an ugly image problem surfacing within Team GB on home territory in the first two days of competition.
– Welshmen Ryan Giggs, and Craig Bellamy, refused to sing God Save the Queen before the kick-off against Senegal which ended 1-1 with 72,176 fans at Old Trafford.
– And two Scots – Kim Little and Ifeoma Dieke – also refused to sing before Team GB played New Zealand in the women’s football at Millennium Stadium. Team GB won 1-0.
– Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins, the first Brit ever to win the gruelling event and an Englishman, was worse.
He dismissed a congratulatory letter from the Queen, with “**** the Queen, I got a Twitter from Johnny Marr (lead guitarist for The Smiths), and one from god – Robbie Fowler”.
[roargal]
lolly
Guest
The swimming coaches always come across as bonkers that's true. He did fight back, bloody great race but... godammit, it had to be a bloody US swimmer who hasn't swum that fast this year to take him out.
jak jones
Guest
Agree, massive CHOKE by Magnussen
WoobliesFan
Guest
Gee youre harping on about this. And I feel youre playing liberties with history. For example, would love to find out where Leisel stood in the rankings during her career during the Olympics. If it wasnt # 1 in the world, then youre talking through you know what. How can it be called choking if you dont win gold if youre not # 1? You sound like a Kiwi to me......ha!
sheek
Guest
Brendon, I don't know how Ian Thorpe can even be remotely accused of 'choking' in the 200m freestyle final of 2000. I know you haven't actually said that, although by the intent of your thread yo might be inferring it. At the 2000 Olympics Pieter van den Hoogenband was the favourite, if I remember correctly. Thorpe was the challenger. Hoogenband was 22, at the peak of his game, with one Olympics experience behind him. People forget that Thorpe was just 17, one month away from his 18th birthday, & still growing into his body. Hoogie had to break a world record to beat the young Thorpe. Naturally we Aussies hoped Thorpie might pull a surprise, which is what it would have been had he won, but it wasn't to be.
pope paul v11
Guest
Certainly Swimming Australia to a lesser degree, and the media, got way ahead of themselves. You'd think after the plethora of upsets, disappointments and bolters in Australia's colourful swimming history that there would have been some attempt to keep a lid on the expectations for this team. Certainly the coaches should have known better but that's what sleep deprivation does to you. I haven't met or seen a sane swimmiing coach yet. Australia should do the National Open around the same time as the Europeans and Yanks as well in Olympic years. The 4 mth lead in is a long time to carry paper times and there always seems to be bolters and our lads and lasses are going "what the ?" In hindsight it might have been better for Magnussen to anchor. Certainly Targett indicated he got a psychological jolt. Not a good thing going into the drink. On a lighter note did anyone see Coatesy and Matty Dunn at the medal ceremony? Very glum. No doubt Magnussen will regret his cockiness but we'll see how he goes from here. If he's fit, he'l fight back.
pope paul v11
Guest
Don't think this is the case BA. Rollanson did the girls, so likely did the lads. Magnussen's coach is Brandt Best.
Bigbad
Guest
Why oh why did channel 9 have to have all that private equit money to win the bid for the Olympics! If I hear another underbelly or big brother reference I am signing up for the foxtel..... But then I will have 'expert' commentary from rebecca Wilson!! Is Mark Nicholas (the Brit) is the only bearable , non-ocker presenter we have??
Minz
Guest
Expecting Stephanie Rice to win when she's chronically injured and one of her rivals (Ye?) is swimming as fast as Ryan Lochte at times is a HUGE call. When I found out that, I wondered why the media was even putting up Rice as a chance? Crazy!
Colin N
Guest
"If Team GB doesn’t win a gold medal by about day 5-6 of the Olympic Games, expect the alarm bells to start ringing very loudly." It depends who we've got going. The only person we've had so far with a realistic chance for gold is Cavendish and road racing is probably the most unpredictable Olympic event. Today we don't have a realistic chance of gold either. Daley and Wakefield have an outside chance if the Chinese divers falter, Tancock was impressive in the backstroke and could get a medal and Spofforth is also an outside chance for a medal. She's the world record holder, but is only just getting back to form after a traumatic couple of years. Our golds will come from Sailing, Rowing, Boxing, Track Cycling and Athletics, with the odd gold sprinkled in other sports such as Triathlon and possibly Wiggins (depending on how he's feeling) and Pooley in the road Time Trial. The first three are still going through the rounds and the other two haven't started yet. I will start to worry if the favourites struggle with the pressure, but at the moment it's gone as expected so far for GB
yewonk
Guest
i agree nothing beats an honest humble athlete Putting in a dominate Performance forget the talk.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Really don't like Hadley at all. Am used to eurosport commentators and he just doesn't do it for me. dunno what henis doing on a sports network like fox tbh.
k77sujith
Guest
Oh my, let the poor lad be and focus on his next few races. He's a great talent but the media is doing him no help. Thanks.
Jock
Guest
After two days of swimming competition , one thing is coming through very clearly. It is not all about Australia and USA. There are a number of countries out there with very impressive swimmers , medals are being spread around and todate no country is dominating. The Aussie media are to blame for building Magnussen up as a dead certain gold and unfortunately he has probably believed all the hype ! Of course, there is still a chance he will strike gold but someone needs to whisper in his shell like ear that a bit of respect for the competition is in order! David, as for your comment about an "image" problem within Team GB . Comforting to know it is not just Team Australia who have a few dickheads in their ranks.
Roger the Alien
Guest
I am actually shattered. I doubt if I will watch the olympic games any more. How can the fastest qualifiers not even get a medal? Something just doesn't add up. This was supposed to be a world record for our "dream team". I'm completely disillusioned by this. This is the worst result I can imagine-finishing last would have been better. The whole olympic games stinks as far as I'm concerned. Something is really rotten about this whole thing. It was as bad as the British team not even trying to win the road race, except worse.
lolly
Guest
But at the Worlds, he'd been really sick going into the event. I mean really sick, he'd had pneumonia. And at the Aus swim trials again he'd had some sort of chest infection. His preparation was fairly stress free this time. And James Roberts hasn't had any problems either. Steph Rice on the other hand has had 2 bouts of shoulder surgery in the past 8 months. She's done well to qualify never mind reach the finals.
lolly
Guest
I did think about the massive amounts of hype that has been laid on any new cricketers that come into our cricket team as a comparison with the nonsense that gets sprayed around the press around Magnussen. The only difference is that he'll be the fastest in the world if he's not too nervous to get his swim right. And the 100m will show whether he's got the balls to fight back. It might help not being the favourite anymore. I think this is the first time he's been part of a losing team/race at international level. Being a great looking lad, he is a marketer's dream 'brand'. Getting so much attention so quickly since the Worlds can't have helped.
lolly
Guest
The British commentators said just about as the race started that Magnussen looked nervous. And so it goes,
Punter
Guest
Soni has won 1 gold medal, she is favorite for both 100 & 200 this year, but there is a young Lithunian who is fastest in the semis who is currently a second ahead. Just like what Soni did to Jones in Bejing. Sullivan & Bernard had been breaking each other records leading to Bejing, so not unexpected result, it was a battle between the 2. A girl called Katie Hoff was expected to do a female version of Phelps but ran into Steph Rice & British swimmer Rebecca Addlinton in Bejing. Seebohm is having the meet of her life, hopefully will finish off in final tomorrow. The Dutch & US girls were favorite with girls 4X100 metres.
SandBox
Roar Guru
Are we talking about Choking or Tall Poppy Syndrome? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choke_(sports) Distraction theory on Choking may apply to the Swim team, but my theory on Australia as a whole, is more deep seeded and instilled in us from a young age. I believe Tall Poppy Syndrome places fear in us, and creates anxiety when we are favourites, and it works for us when we are the under dogs. So the Choking fits in with the Explicit Monitoring Theory, but it's root cause is our culture.
stuff happens
Guest
I entirely agree. I also can't stand the way some journalists , not just from Australia, equate sport with war. Peter Fitzsimmons was at it again in the Sydney herald on Sat. Something like "..maybe the last thing the English won was world war 2.." I kid you not. Pathetic, but unfortunately some Australian journalists can't wait to take the tabloid, bogan approach. Anyway, there was an astonishing upset in the men's football. Spain were knocked out by Honduras.I know the eligibility rules for Olympic football are different , but Spain has the most amazing international record. Not only do they hold the World Cup & have just retained the Euro championship ( the first time ever I think), but I heard a commentator say that they had only lost two games out of fifty prior to Euro 2012. This must be some kind of international sports record. Anyway, imagine how happy they are in Honduras & France today!