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Thread: Beijing 2008

  1. #1

    Beijing 2008

    In 8 days time world's biggest sporting event, the summer Olympiad 08, will be starting on 08.08.08. , with 10650 athletes (approx) from 205 countries. 9 new events have been included this time. We could see women first time participating in 3000m steeplechase
    Can we see India in the final medal tally with a couple...is that too much to ask?? Or even a single medal? Be it silver, bronze or maybe gold. The Indian contingent comprises of 57 participants. The athletic contingent is largest with 17. A total of 28 sports! 302 events! And India is sending a contingent of just 57 (USA is sending 596, China has 639 and even tiny Estonia sends 47).
    Millions of Indian eyes would be staring at the following competents to see if they are able to clinch glory for the country:
    BOXING: Vijender, Akhil LONG JUMP: Anju B. George SHOOTING: Abhinav Bindra
    Anjali Bhagwat Lt. Col. R. S. Rathore TENNIS: Leander & Bhupathi
    What you say people which country would top the tally this time or history is going to repeat itself?
    PS: I was happy to see a few JAT/JATNIs included in the squad. I am just quoting them as far as I know. Krishna Poonia (RAJ) event 400m discuss throw, Vijender (HAR) 75Kg boxing, Sandeep Sejwal (DEL) 100/200m Breast stroke, Rajiv Tomar 120Kg freestyle Wresting.

  2. #2

    BBC writes in wake of olympics...

    The 'Flying Sikh' remembers


    Sports columnist Rohit Brijnath talks to the 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh, the finest athlete India has ever produced, ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

    'He was always the almost hero'

    Now in his 70s, voice still strong, Milkha Singh knows it's Olympic year, he knows journalists (like me) will call and ask him about that day 48 years ago and dredge up a memory so piercingly painful. He has won four Asian Games gold medals, and one Commonwealth Games gold, yet it is not his many victories but one failure that people ask about. He sighs. He speaks.
    India has won a fistful of individual Olympic medals, bronzes by KD Jadhav (wrestling, 1952), Leander Paes (tennis, 1996), Karnam Malleswari (weightlifting, 2000) and a silver from Rajyavendra Singh Rathore (shooting, 2004). Yet Milkha's story of a bronze missed in Rome 1960, is the most irresistible, the one we return to constantly.
    Perhaps because heartbreak, as a story, is often more powerful, and poignant, than triumph. Perhaps because in 2008 India expects medals, but then in 1960, in a country that had savoured independence for just 13 years, where facilities were few, contending for medals was a more romantic pursuit.
    Different world
    India's progress in sport has not yet manifested itself in medals, but its strides are quiet and surer. Last year swimmer Virdhawal Khade's parents, from Kolhapur in Maharashtra state, agreed to the once unthinkable: letting him delay his class 10 examinations to qualify for Beijing. He did.
    One of these days, hopefully, India will give back to him by producing a runner who wins an Olympic medal





    Send your views on Rohit Brijnath's column

    Technology is no longer foreign to Indian athletes. Khade has been priviliged to use Speedo's breakthrough LZR Racer suit. World champion shooter Abhinav Bindra has been hooking himself up to a machine that identifies what activity is going on in his brain when he is shooting well. As he told me: "The key is how to train that area of the mind so it is routine to get into that state."
    Milkha's world bore no resemblance to this. With a straightforwardness that is immediately disarming, he says that when he joined the army, "I came from a remote village, I didn't know what running was, or the Olympics".

    'I wasn't even scared of death'

    Context gives Milkha's story its searing beauty, the environment in which he ran gives his tale uniqueness. PT Usha would lose Olympic bronze in 1984 by an even crueller margin, yet in a comparison of tragedies he wins because of where he came from, what he endured. Usha did not work less hard, but it's impossible to compete with a man whose parents were killed, some reports say in front of him, in the carnage of India's partition. Whose temporary home for a month was a platform on Delhi's railway station.
    His beginnings as an athlete can be linked, he says, to a five-mile cross-country run that every jawan (soldier) had to run. The top 10 were to be given further training, and so he ran it, was stricken by a stomach pain after just half a mile, sat down, but then got up, telling himself, "I have to come in the top 10". He came sixth, he says. The legend had started.
    He was told then to run 400 metres, whereupon he asked, "how long is that?"
    "Ek round," they said. One round, he thought, could not be such a big deal.
    He was not familiar with spikes. Nor a tracksuit. But what he had couldn't be manufactured in a factory. "Aag thah andar," he says in Hindi ("I had a fire inside").
    Discipline, hard work, will power: he says the words with the devotion of a man nursing prayer beads. His own perseverance takes many forms, in the blood he reportedly urinated because he worked so hard, in the oxygen that was supposedly used to revive him after practice. In an interview in 1996, he told me: "My experience made me so hard that I wasn't even scared of death." But one story reflects his desire clearest.
    Almost hero
    In 1956, he journeyed to the Melbourne Olympics, just a novice who exited early in the heats. The 400-metre gold medallist that year was Charles Jenkins, and Milkha, taking with him an interpreter who spoke "tuta-phuta" (broken) English, met the American and asked for his training schedule.

    'It was bad luck for India and Milkha Singh'

    Come back after a few days, Jenkins told him. "So we went," says Milkha, "and he gave me his coaching schedule, for hill running, for sprints, for starts, for weights."
    "And I decided unless I beat his record (46.7, hand-timed) I won't stop."
    Two years after Melbourne, he did beat that time, in Cuttack, his run eliciting such disbelief that the track was measured again.
    Four years after Melbourne, he was a medal contender at the Rome Olympics. He'd run and won so often around the world that he says he had 20 passports. He was ready, an athlete poised for his moment.
    And this is when the story must be hard for him to tell, for however many times he tells it, the result never alters. He is always fourth. He is always .1 of a second too late. He is always the almost hero.
    What happened in the 400 final? Was it the fact the final was held, for the first time since 1912, on a different day from the semis, and Milkha says "that killed me, I was alone thinking about the race, no one was allowed to meet me".
    Was it, as he always says, that he went out too quick when the gun went off? "It went in my mind that I was running too fast and I may not finish." So he slowed, broke his rhythm, couldn't regain it. Goddamn it.

    'Milkha gave India determination and pride'

    "It was bad luck", says this proud man, "for India and Milkha Singh." And it was, for both nation and man in 1960 were trying to make themselves heard, be noticed, and perhaps this is why he still sits in the memory. In a land not given to nicknames, this Flying Sikh almost everyone Indian knows.

    Milkha gave India medals in Asia, determination, pride, an unforgettable story and a terrific son called Jeev. One of these days, hopefully, India will give back to him by producing a runner who wins an Olympic medal. I think he'll like that.
    Do more, love more

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by vivekpannu View Post
    In 8 days time world's biggest sporting event, the summer Olympiad 08, will be starting on 08.08.08. , with 10650 athletes (approx) from 205 countries. 9 new events have been included this time. We could see women first time participating in 3000m steeplechase
    Can we see India in the final medal tally with a couple...is that too much to ask?? Or even a single medal? Be it silver, bronze or maybe gold. The Indian contingent comprises of 57 participants. The athletic contingent is largest with 17. A total of 28 sports! 302 events! And India is sending a contingent of just 57 (USA is sending 596, China has 639 and even tiny Estonia sends 47).
    Millions of Indian eyes would be staring at the following competents to see if they are able to clinch glory for the country:
    BOXING: Vijender, Akhil LONG JUMP: Anju B. George SHOOTING: Abhinav Bindra
    Anjali Bhagwat Lt. Col. R. S. Rathore TENNIS: Leander & Bhupathi
    What you say people which country would top the tally this time or history is going to repeat itself?
    PS: I was happy to see a few JAT/JATNIs included in the squad. I am just quoting them as far as I know. Krishna Poonia (RAJ) event 400m discuss throw, Vijender (HAR) 75Kg boxing, Sandeep Sejwal (DEL) 100/200m Breast stroke, Rajiv Tomar 120Kg freestyle Wresting.
    Good to see some Jat names there. Out of 57, it doesn't look like a bad ratio for Jats. I would be rooting for all of them. Go Jats!
    However any medal should come as a pleasant surprise. For example what the hell is Anju George going again to Olympics for? She is way past her prime. I would have put an upcoming youngster instead of her.
    I would also like to see how China does in these Olympics both, in and out of the field. They might have to put 90% of their cars off the roads in Beijing. Plus their PR exercise seems to be failing right now.
    It would be interesting to see if they can top the tally. Come strong in some events that are not traditionally their bastion.
    Then there will be some great athletes to watch out for - like Phelps. The ones who make the tournament worthwhile and are simply an inspiring story to humanity.
    Do more, love more

  4. #4
    Pannu, gud effort ...

    Btw, some more Jats are there ... infact its great to see so much Jat athletes are goin to shine in the Olumpic!

    Include some more - couple of more Boxers in the Boxing Squad (all frm Haryana), Bajrang Takhar (Raj) in Roving!!

    Rock on
    Jit
    .. " Until Lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter! " ..



  5. #5

    Thumbs up Michael Phelps, the HERO?? ---> Yup!!

    Have always drawn inspiration from the legendary 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh. He's my idol sportsperson. Wishing "Good Luck" to all representing our India. India is much better than just being a "one-medal" winners. May we see at least two medals this time.

    Ian Thorpe yesterday said winning 8 golds by one person(in swimming) is next-to-impossible while Grant Hackett has hopes on Micheal Phelps. I would love to see Phelps winning all golds in all swimming events he's participating in. At Athens he won 6 gold and two bronze...still remember how disappointed I was when he lost 200m freestyle !....and also in a 4x200 freestyle relay ! May he will all 8 this time. According to me, Micheal Phelps will be the hero of Beijing'2008. He is one the finest swimmers of all time and aims to break existing World Records (often he's broken his own world records) every time he enters the pool.

    Also Russia should win more golds this time. China took most of theirs at Athens. China was second even though in total they won only 2/3rds of total medals won by Russia. Disgusting! "1. US -- 2. Russia -- 3. China" will be better than "1. US -- 2. China -- 3. Russia" [ ...Personal take!!]

    For our very own India, I hope and pray we get better than what we have been getting on medals table since Atlanta'96. Leander Paes (Atlanta'96)--> Karnam Malleshwari (Sydney'2000) --> Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Athens'2004) .... three medals in 12 years ain't enough. Hope the ratio improves.

    For the first time in 80 years... Indian contingent at Olympics will not have the men’s hockey team
    !!
    Last edited by sumitsehrawat; July 31st, 2008 at 08:10 PM. Reason: Phelps...the Hero...!!



  6. #6

    Battle for the fastest!

    Perhaps the most watched event in the olympics is 100m men and 50/100m freestyle men. On the track: Jamaicans seem to have captured the track in the past and even in the present. Usain 'the lightening' Bolt is another product, who recently broke the WR held by his compatriot Asafa.
    In the pool: The battle has always been fought between US,AUS,NED. At the moment 50m WR holders are Australians both in men and women category. And yeah, Phelps is the champ with 25 World records under his belt (22 individual + 3 relay). Won 6 golds at Athens 04. He would be definitely watchable.

  7. #7
    We just do not have the right athletic genes. Talk of facilities and resources and look at he poor Africans who win the gold medals.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by coolphool View Post
    We just do not have the right athletic genes. Talk of facilities and resources and look at he poor Africans who win the gold medals.
    thats bullshit man. What are poor Africans winning btw? They are running the long distance because they can do it with light weight and less food and no shoes. Do you think Chinese have the right genes. They won the 110 hurdles last time which no body thought they could.
    To win medals in Olympics today, it requires not just genes but technology and both individual and collective will.
    Do more, love more

  9. #9
    More then agreed!
    Quote Originally Posted by sumeetmalik View Post
    thats bullshit man. What are poor Africans winning btw? They are running the long distance because they can do it with light weight and less food and no shoes. Do you think Chinese have the right genes. They won the 110 hurdles last time which no body thought they could.
    To win medals in Olympics today, it requires not just genes but technology and both individual and collective will.
    .. " Until Lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter! " ..



  10. #10
    And we have the right genes. All of us on and in Jatland.
    Do more, love more

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by sumeetmalik View Post
    And we have the right genes. All of us on and in Jatland.
    i quite like this quote. :D
    ! ... be BOLD in what you stand for !
    !! ... i've the simplest tastes, i'm always satisfied with the best !!
    !!! ... be yourself, everyone else is already taken !!!

  12. #12

    Thumbs up

    Rather we have Alpha Genes, Jats are arguably the superior race among human!

    Quote Originally Posted by sumeetmalik View Post
    And we have the right genes. All of us on and in Jatland.
    .. " Until Lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter! " ..



  13. #13
    The only realistic medal hope india has is in shooting, so i guess 1 medal agin for us.. this is really shameful.. And no use blaming the government, Indian govt spent a record sum on training and coaching before athens on most of the participants but nothing happened..... lets just face it, we are terrible at olympic sports.... pity cricket, billiards, chess are not there

  14. #14

    Smile Beijing Olympics 2008!

    Alright, so they are here... The greatest spectacle on sports!
    I feel that everything said and done... (the whole China-Tibet controversy, the level of pollution in China, freedom of reporting etc. etc.)... The games are always so cool and above everything else, just this whole notion of people and nations ... their athletes... competeing to push the human sports capabilities even furthur is always a delight to comprehend!!!...

    I dunno, but I guess there is something of that sportsperson inside of me that is simply moving with a certain excitement today... apparently even the opening ceremony (unfortunately we here in the US shall get to see it all live only at 8pm in the evening!) was supposedly a very huge spectacular bang!...

    But then it's not just that only... the excitement is also maybe to see the likes of Michael Phelps try and surpass Mark spitz's record of seven golds in one Olympics in swimming (Phelps is apparently gunning for eight! in these Beijing olympics!).... or seeing all the biggest NBA superstars of the US basketball (Wayne, Lebron, Kobe etc.) all in ONE team out to dazzle the others... or simply for the love of sports; like athletics... (those 100 mt dash's, or the 400mt competition that is supposed to be th psrint of endurace, stamina and speed...the High jump, or even the long jump!) etc. etc.

    Anyways, I propose let's use this thread to talk about the days to come and to discuss any amazing events that one witnessed to be shared here just so that the other unfortunate ones (who missed it) can then watch subsequently (online on places like maybe U-tube or other possible TV re-runs!:D)...

    Of course how can I end this introductory post without a mention of good 'ol India!!!
    (though it still beats me how a Billion plus nation cannot produce athletes that can win them truckloads of medals!?!....) especially just look at the size of the contingent that went there.... (The shooter Rathore is the flag bearer here!)...
    Hopefully we can sneak some medals by surprise... BUT anyways, let's see how that goes.................. only the some few days shall tell!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    ...Wouldn't follow the trodden path, but shall leave a blazing trail!!!...

  15. #15
    ofcourse the excitement is on peak among all interested in watching or performing sports.....but dear please don't underestimate yourself by using words like SNEAK OR SURPRISE in case of grabbing medals which is not everybody's cup of tea....what one gets is all by his/her complete and determined efforts

  16. #16
    Olympics are no doubt greatest and biggest sports show on the planet and I eagerly wait for it Well, the opening ceremony was mesmerizing & mindblowing, just hard to explain in words!! ...

    Am looking forward for more medals this time, I wish Jat Brigade win some and make our country n community proud !

    My best wishes are with whole Indian athletes in India and a special one to Jat Brigade ( Takhar, Punia, Sejwal, Tomer & Boxing triology) All the Best guys! U'll be the champs!


    All the Very Best !! ... Way to Go!!..


    Rock on
    Jit
    .. " Until Lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter! " ..



  17. #17
    The Opening Ceremony in the 'Birds Nest' was fabulous, awesome with great synchronization by the participants. I wish Indian Team would bring some gold this time. My main hope is from the Boxers and wrestlers!

    I join all of you in wishing the Indian participants all the best!




    Cheers!

  18. #18
    I go to Pepperdine and hence I have some more names to add to my list of athletes and coaches to watch out for. Marv Dunphy already has a legendary status here.


    Pepperdine Athletes Prepare for Beijing Olympics


    Pepperdine University will be well represented in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, where five former Pepperdine student-athletes will compete and four more will serve as coaches.

    At least 12 Pepperdine graduates will play a role in the Beijing games. Three of the athletes will be taking part in their first Olympics, bringing Pepperdine’s all-time total to 40 Olympians.

    “It’s very special when we see our former student-athletes taking part in such a prestigious event,” says John Watson, director of athletics. “All of Pepperdine commends them for their achievements and the dedication they have shown throughout their careers to get to this point. Pepperdine has had a strong record of success producing Olympians, both for the U.S. and internationally, and the 2008 games are no different.”

    Athletes

    Tennis player Simon Aspelin (’98) is appearing in his first Olympics. He will play doubles with fellow Swede Thomas Johannson. Currently ranked #11 in the world in doubles by the ITF, Aspelin won the 2007 U.S. Open doubles title and earned All-American honors at Pepperdine all four years.

    Merrill Moses (’99)
    will compete on the USA water polo team in his first appearance at the Olympic games. Moses first played for the senior national team in 2001. He led Pepperdine to the NCAA championship in 1997 and earned three All-American honors.

    Canadian baseball player Ryan Radmanovich (’93) is appearing in his second Olympics. Radmanovich reached the Major Leagues in 1998 with the Seattle Mariners and currently plays in the independent Northern League. He played one season for the Waves and following that turned pro as a fourth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins.

    Sean Rooney (’05)
    will compete on the USA men’s volleyball team in his first Olympic appearance. He joined the AVP tour in 2004, played in the Korean League, and made the USA national team in 2007. A four-time All-American for the Waves, Rooney was the 2005 National Player of the Year and the MVP of the NCAA Championships when Pepperdine captured the national title.

    Jesse Smith (’05) is appearing in his second Olympics with the USA water polo team. The team took seventh place in 2004 with Smith was one of the top scorers. He made his senior national team debut in 2001 and was a three-time All-American at Pepperdine.

    Coaches

    Marv Dunphy (’74) is heading to the Olympics for the fifth time as a coach. The head coach for the Waves men’s volleyball team will be consulting coach for the USA men’s volleyball team. He served as the USA national and Olympic team coach from 1985 to 1988, when the team won gold. His US team maintained a No. 1 world ranking while he was coaching.

    Brian Goorjian (’76) will lead the Australian men’s basketball team in this year’s games. This is his second Olympic appearance as a coach, having led Australia to a ninth-place finish in 2004. After graduating from Pepperdine, Goorjian played for the Melbourne Tigers. He has been coaching since 1985, and has been named Coach of the Year five times, including 2007 to 2008.

    Terry Schroeder (’81)
    is taking the USA national and Olympic water polo team to Beijing. He is currently on leave as the Waves head water polo coach. Though this is his first Olympic appearance as coach, Schroeder has participated in three Olympics as a player, winning silver medals in 1984 and 1988 and finishing in fourth place in 1992. He was a three-time All-American at Pepperdine and remains the school’s all-time leading goal scorer.

    Troy Tanner (’92) will coach USA women’s beach volleyball players Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh in his first Olympic appearance. Tanner won the gold medal in 1988 with the men’s volleyball team. He was a three-time All-American at Pepperdine.

    Other Roles

    Kevin Barnett (’97) will be the NBC sports commentator for the volleyball competitions. Barnett competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics in Sydney and Athens, and at Pepperdine earned two All-American honors.

    Bob Ctvrtlik (’85) is vice president international for the U.S. Olympic Committee and a member of the International Olympic Committee. A three-time Olympic volleyball player for the US, Ctvrtlik won a gold medal in 1988 and a bronze medal in 1992. He earned NCAA Player of the Year honors and won a national championship in 1985, his only season at Pepperdine.

    Gary Moy (’84) will be working at his ninth Olympic games and servicing 32 National Olympic Committees at the Casa Americas in Beijing. He previously served as team manager for Marv Dunphy’s 1988 gold medal squad and as the USA Olympic team delegation director at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics.
    Do more, love more

  19. #19
    Bhai ... yeh te saare Shahrukh ban rahe sein photo mein.
    Apne tau ke byaah mein aa rahe sein saare.
    Woh ganja kunsa sport khele se? Sardar phone karan laag raha se ... datta nahi jaata.

    Total bhikhari dress. WTF !! I have never worn that dress.... nobody in my family has either. We need to have a national consensus on whether that dress should be worn by men or women... I say women.

    Chinese ne kasuta pisa gaal diya ceremony mein.

    I think Rathore might get a medal.... and one of the women weightlifters .. best of luck to them... will definitely watch their events.
    Last edited by sidchhikara; August 9th, 2008 at 10:54 AM.

  20. #20
    Source: http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite...A?OpenDocument

    Amlan Chakraborty
    Beijing, Aug 8 (PTI) A slipshod India cut a sorry figure in the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony with the female members of the contingent making it a veritable go-as-you-like with their contrasting outfits that made them look completely misfit for the occasion.

    With Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore carrying the tri-colour, the contingent looked good from far, as the male members decked out in off-white sherwanis. But as they came closer, things looked hardly impressive.

    The tennis duo of Sania Mirza and Sunitha Rao, attired in black trousers and practice jackets, looked completely out of sorts and the contrast was even more jarring to the eyes as going side by side was Delhi paddler Neha Aggarwal who chose a greenish saree for the occasion.

    Though the generous crowd at the Bird's Nest stadium roared to greet the Indians, it was a shoddy fashion statement by the Indians.

    The moment they entered the Congress President Sonia Gandhi was on her feet and waved at them and the athletes also reciprocated. PTI



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