Women's track sprint final: Anna Meares vs Victoria Pendleton - live blog

meares cheated its that simple

Er, "consistent"? I don't think so. Look at Guo Shuang v. Rodriguez. The Cuban won the 1st round well. Guo broke the rules in the 2nd and rode into her lane. Guo won, and her win was upheld when bafflingly she was excused the infringement by the judges, and went on to win the heat. Then compare that leniency with the reimposed rigidity when they relegated Pendleton in the sprint final. Weak, dumb inconsistency undermines the cyclists. Or is it an example of UCI manipulation, again?

"Her use of the word then didn’t carry any of the meanings you see now." I don't quite understand the point you're trying to make there. 'Inconsolable - so deeply distressed that nobody can offer any effective comfort' If she's that then why was she going around hugging everyone thanking them for their support? If feels a pretty irrelevant discussion, but if you're willing to argue the point.....

How good was THAT!

Colin, Pendleton described herself as devastated when she and Varnish were disqualified a few days ago: "It's a phenomenal crowd and I'm just really devastated that we've disappointed all the people that have come to support us." Her use of the word then didn't carry any of the meanings you see now. Pendleton is a very emotional athlete, as we saw after her golds in Beijing. No-one was going to stop those tears after she lost today so I don't think inconsolable is out of order either. Neither word means she was an uncontrollable wreck after the loss. There's no shame in a great competitor feeling the pain of losing in their last major race.

I couldnt disagree more. I think it DID have an effect on the race in the first leg, as Pendleton was disqualified despite winning. And noone said Pendleton can ride where she likes!!! That's a silly thing to say. What they are saying is that Pendleton was nudged and, if she had to cross the line to regain her balance, they think she should not be penalised for that. It probably also had on effect on the overall result - Pendleton herself said it affected her confidence. How can you focus when you have to worry about being knocked over? That will have got under her skin after having been disqualified in the team sprint. If she had not been disqualified, either she would have won after two legs or it would have gone to three - and I would favour Pendleton if it went to a third. Another thing - the same thing happened in Beijing 2008. On that occasion, Meares was nudged and Guo was disqualified. Why was that not ok but in London 2012, it is ok?? Whatever the rules, for me, pushing and shoving is not in the Olympic spirit.

I love it when people scream cheat. It's just like being at the cricket.

She was disappointed, but using terminology such as 'devastated' and 'inconsolable' implies that she didn't want comforting and that she wanted to get out of the arena as quick as possible. Look up what inconsolable means and whether it applies to Pendleton.

If you start arguing Pendleton wasn't devastated to lose, you end up implying she didn't care about winning. I think that does a bigger disservice to her.

She didn't cheat her way to gold. Commentator Chris Boardman thinks Meares rode the same way as when she faced Pendleton in Melbourne. On that occasion, the British rider fell in the first round when Meares crowded her - the judges saw nothing illegal in the tactic - but won the next two and claimed the title. This time, when Meares crowded her in the first race, Pendleton probably recalled falling in Melbourne and leaned back into Meares to resist. It took her over the line and saw her relegated. Meares got into Pendleton's head and, ultimately, it cost her. Both riders pushed the rules to the limits and Pendleton pushed too far. There was nothing contentious about the second race, Meares knew how close she was to gold, and her determination finished off the British challenger.

...just checking my whinge-o-meter... oh, look... it's gone off the scale! Well done, you've broken my expectations. Come on David, the commissaire would have taken that into account when making the decision. Pendleton accepted the decision and moved on.

That quote proves my point. There was hardly much devastation in what she said there, more relief.

I don't think "devastated" and "inconsolable" are inappropriate descriptions. Pendleton dearly wanted to win and coudn't do it. The fact she's upset doesn't mean she resents Meares. There's nothing about being devastated which makes you a bad loser. Here's Pendleton speaking after the race: "I'm just so relieved and I'm overwhelmed with emotion. I would have loved to have won on my final race. I'm glad that it's all done and I can move on. "I'm glad that it was me and Anna Meares in the final, it was the way it should been. She was a fantastic competitor. But I'm very glad that that's the last time I will be doing that. "I can't believe that twice in one competition that I've been disqualified and relegated, it's unheard of. I really tried in that last race though and I can't believe it's all over."

Meares will sleep at night knowing that she CHEATED her way to gold. She clearly elbowed our Pendleton that forced her to cross the red line resulting in the the result being reversed in the first sprint. No wonder why you Aussies are struggling like a 2nd tier country, its more about the whinging, excuses and an inability to play by the rules.

Devastated? Inconsolable? If she was those two things she wouldn't have so sportingly clapped Anna Meares. The fact is that it's the end of her career, there were always going to be tears, but that's because she's been through a lot, not because she lost to a worthy champion in Meares. She's just come on BBC saying: 'I'm glad it's over!'

The chief commissaire has been very tough throughout the entire track cycling meet... but he's also been consistent.

Pendleton shafted yet again by the judges. That's two golds they've deprived her of this Olympics. Very poor show. Well done to Anna Meares though.