The Ethiopian men's running team is fantastic. What endurance in the long races.

The 10000 was a terrific race! Sorry Haile Gebrselassie--that grand old man--wasn't able to come back to medal contention, but performing like he did considering the achilles' tendon injury he suffered is simply astounding. And the winner, being so young, could easily be the long-distance champion for the next decade.

I love the track events!!

~Adam

I find it almost too remarkable that Gail Devers and Merlene Ottey are in the semifinals at 37 and 44 years of age. Part amazing, part creepy.

In the really long races like the 10000, it's very interesting to try and figure out the strategy of the teams. Some want to hang onto the lead throughout the race and some hang back in last for the most part to conserve energy for a late resurgence. Not sure what works best.

Just saw the last 4 laps of the 10,000. The guy who won, Kenenisa Bekele, practically sprinted the final 500 meters. Incredible performance, and Olympic record.

Merlene Ottey, now running for Slovenia, is in her 7th(!) Olympics. She competed in the 1984 games, and is still competitive in the sprints 20 years later(!), although she does have a black mark on her records (positive drug test in '99).

I can't wait for the sprints, relays and long jump competition--talk about HOT MEN ON THE TRACK!!! Even the photos of the prelims have been great!

Wow, Alan Webb just got schooled in the 1500 on (I'm commenting on NBC Time). Lotta good that Olympics Trials win did.

Um, Fantomas, do you like men of color?

Shame on you Jim Allen! While I personally am not attracted to men of color (although I've been there and done that with a few and I certainly wouldn't kick Corey Patterson or Ray Durham out of bed), to push all runners into this category is just not cool. But man can they run!

World's fastest woman: Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus wins the women's 100m final. Lauren Williams of the U.S. is second, Veronica Campbell of Jamaica is third. All three ran under 11 seconds.

[ August 22, 2004, 12:38 PM: Message edited by: canmark ]

By now you know I like a wide range of men, like many the guys on Italy's and Mali's soccer teams, or the boxer from Egypt I saw today (somebody Yasser, nice, thick, hairy-chested), or that Japanese swimmer Kitajima (!), or Japan's gymnastic team, or Puerto Rico's basketball players Arroyo or Hatton, or most of the Greek athletes I've seen, and Vietnamese-American hottie playing doubles in table tennis.... (Sometimes I think I'm one of only a few out of the 1000s on this site who have broad tastes, but...it's all good.)

But yes, those track sprinters are especially They have it all--faces, bodies, huge butts, ample crotches--and not padded or covered up with cups. What's not to like? BTW, there are some white guys sprinting and winning (Wariner?) too. (A white dude, I mean, woman, from Belarus, won the women's 100m sprint today.)

[ August 21, 2004, 09:21 PM: Message edited by: fantomas ]

Fantomas, I'm with you. I think good-looking men can come from any race. We can all agree that attractive male athletes we've all discussed here have run the gamut: He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Javy Lopez, Derek Jeter, Kellen Winslow, Ichiro Suzuki, Wally whatever his name is (that basketball player who's name I can't spell!), and a host of others I can't even begin to name. I don't think we're any different from straight men who feel the same way about women.

Hahahaha. Cups = evil.

Obviously, my comments above, are a wink and a nod to Fantomas, what with my relentless "Pale is good, Englishmen are great [though I love the Ukranians and Lithuanians these days]" rhetoric and Fantomas' sprited defenses of black male beauty over the years. They're all men, so that can't be bad.

Don't get me started on little Ichiro! Just seeing him onscreen makes me drool. (It's also great that he's one of the best baseball players out there.)

Wally Szerczbiak--is that who you mean? He's very attractive. HWWRN does zero for me. Lopez is cute. I wouldn't rank any of these three, though, among the top 10 in their respective sports. Just take Javy Lopez--is he REALLY hotter than Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Carl Crawford, Ichiro, Carlos Delgado, Derek Jeter, Johan Santana, Corey Patterson, Manny Ramirez, and Tim Hudson?

Now, back to the Olympics--there are some really hot men competing. Like the guys on the Cuban boxing team! There was one who literally was thrown to the mat by his his Thai opponent. I kept thinking, does the Thai guy (not that campy performer but the boxer) think he's in a kickboxing match, or is he as taken with the sexy Cuban as many fans are?

I still think track & field offers the best combo of everything in the same package--and what packages! With some of the swimmers in those supposedly-revealing bodysuits, it was hard to tell the men from the women! But then again, some of the women running track, like Maria Mutola, are very, um....mannish?

Well, maybe not in fencing or sports where the goods could be seriously injured. wink Otherwise, singlets, bodysuits, leotards, speedos or nudity for all male competitions. Just think how much more exciting men's beach volleyball, archery or the javelin would be if they had it all hanging out!

Very true. And while pallor leaves me cold, Aaron Peirsol, the American swimmer, is handsome. He doesn't excite me, but he is handsome. I do wish I could see more of the teams from north Africa and the Middle East--I saw some VERY hot guys walking in during the Opening ceremonies. I know we're at war with Iraq and fixing our crosshairs on Iran, but damn, those two countries have some gorgeous men! Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, UAE, Yemen...and that oil-rich country that-breeds-terrorists-but-which-shall-not-be-named--

[ August 22, 2004, 10:23 AM: Message edited by: fantomas ]

Gail Devers pulls up in front of the first hurdle and is out of the competition.



Major showboating in the men's 100m semifinal. American Shaun Crawford seemed to be talking to teammate and training partner Justin Gatlin during the race. In the early heat Crawford or Gatlin (I can't remember which) wore a baseball cap backwards during the race.

[ August 22, 2004, 12:17 PM: Message edited by: canmark ]

The 100 m was a great race.


Gatlin won with 9.85. Obikwelu second with 9.86 and Greene bronze with 9.87.
Crawford 4th with 9.89.

Dude, it hasn't been broadcast in the USA yet!!! frown

It's not Andrea's fault (he/she's from Italy) for not realizing that NBC is behind every other country in the world is showing LIVE events LIVE.

[ August 22, 2004, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: Jim at Outsports ]

You can't fault someone for posting a result of some event before NBC shows it. If we did that it'd take all the fun out of the board. Besides, you can go to athens2004.com for the latest information.

Wasn't this on one of the NBC/cable channels earlier today?

I'm sorry.
I saw a post about the marathon broadcasted live on NBC. So I thought that also the 100m were aired live ( considering that the US had more chances in it).

Just an honest mistake...don't feel bad. And welcome to the board.

Hey Andrea:
Welcome! It's NBC's fault, not yours. Post on anything you wish and don't worry about whether people have heard or not. If anyone wants to stay in the dark, they shouldn't be ready any Internet.

Thanks for the welcome.
Btw next time I will put a spoiler alert if I post a result.

Yeah, very disappointing to see and I hope these two were "counseled" about their behavior, which left me rooting for the Jamaican. "Fastest Man in the World?" Perhaps. Classiest? Not by a long shot. frown

In the spirit of this thread, I don't want to spoil anyone's viewing tonight but you might want to watch the men's 400m. Should be a good race. Watch Jeremy Wariner try for gold. The kid is really something to watch. Fellow Texan also .

Okay, I know this is totally against what I've been preaching in this board but for those of you who gotta see those hot jock looks, check out today's images from athens2004.com on the Decathlon. Gotta admit that decathletes are some of the hottest in track and field. I'm ready to take my flogging for all my prior posts.

US is struggling in the decathlon and doesn't look likely to medal. Could have a future in young guys like Ryan Clay though. Otherwise the sport just doesn't seem as "sexy" for athletes as it has been in the past.

Agree. The days of Bruce Jenner and Dan O'Brien seem long gone. A lot of the athletes seem to be focusing in on the specialty events, spending more time training in those. I can imagine it takes a lot to compete in 10 different events. Training must be incredible.

Never fell under the charms of Jenner or either of the brands of Dan or Dave...Though I'm lovin' me some Dmitri Karpov (Kaz),Erki Nool (Est), Roman Sebrle (Cze) and Tom Pappas (US)...yup they are sexed up just fine for an old warhorse like myself.

I thought the decathletes were pretty good looking.

After day one, the standings are:

Dmitry Karpov (KAZ)... 4689 points
(Lean, lanky good looks.)

Roman Sebrle (CZE)... 4594 points
(Sculpted good looks... did you see him flex after the high jump?)

Brian Clay (USA)... 4554 points
(Sexy Asian-African-American.)

Dean Macey (GBR)... 4454 points
(OK, he's not that great looking.)

Tom Pappas (USA)... 4415 points
(Ruggedly handsome.)



Roman Sebrle, Brian Clay and Tom Pappas

Another gold medal cought in a doping scandal, the winner of the men's discus throw tried to switch urine sample.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2...ics/3595006.stm

[ August 24, 2004, 08:59 AM: Message edited by: andrea ]

Tom Pappas has pulled out of the decathlon with an injury, after finishing the first day of competition in fifth place. Looking at how he did in the long jump, one could tell something was hurting him.

~Adam

I watched Sebrle do the high jump, and all I saw, after his successful jump, was that muscular butt of his flexing as he pumped to the crowd.

My God that man is sexy.

Okay then, put me in a sandwich with him at one end and Dragelescu at the other.

Hope this works.....

http://www.stratosfera.cz/obrazky/ispy/14011s.jpeg

I guess I should warn people that this is a pic of Sebrle without the track suit.

Great pic! He's so sexy.

Jeremy Wariner is quite the hottie, IMHO. Unfortunately, I understand he only runs the 400 meter, so we won't be seeing much more of him. frown

He also runs the relay for that distance which doesn't start heats until Friday and is expected to have a good chance at breaking the world record with Otis Harris and Derrick Drew in tow.

Set in 1988 which I believe is the last time the US finished 1-2-3 in the 400 individual.

Nice pic of Roman Sebrle and Bryan Clay in action. Double-woof!

Photos of Serble do not do his hottness justice. I make Homer Simpson droll noises watching these decathletes... Of course, I'm STILL more hot for the shot putters...

I'm amazed how relaxed and loose they both look in the picture. No sign of tightness (no clenched fists or tenseness in the neck) that often sets in during the second day of competition. No wonder they were able to go gold and silver.

~Adam

And here's yummy silver medalist Brian Clay through the legs and torsos of his competitors, as he ran for his medal. GO BRIAN!

[ August 24, 2004, 09:26 PM: Message edited by: fantomas ]

I feel sorry for those two women who fell during the 100 meter hurdles. The one that tripped was the favored and she accidently took out the Russian runner beside her. The officials denied the Russian runner's appeal to run the race again. That's awful. Is it just me or does it actually seem the Russians aren't getting any breaks here?

Yeah, that really really sucks for her. Shit happens, I guess.

I'm sorry to for the 2 girls, especially for Shevchenko who had no fault.
But I'm also happy for Hayes's win. She seems a very nice lady.

Happy that El Guerrouj finally won the Olympic title.
Great race also in the women's Pole Vault with Isinbayeva achieving the new world record.
What happened to Dragila? She existed in qualification at 4.40. Did she have some physic problems?

[ August 25, 2004, 07:06 AM: Message edited by: andrea ]

andrea, Stacy Dragila had complained of a strained hamstring at the US trials, so perhaps it was aggravating her at the Olympics, where she failed to meet the qualifying height.

On a different note, I was most pleased to see NBC included the wonderful decathlon tradition, where the competitors congratulate and wishe each other luck before the start of the final event, the 1500-meter run. I always like to see the guys who have already endured nine difficult endeavors turn to their opponents and wish them luck. Just as one of my favorite hockey traditions is the handshake line following a playoff series, the decathlon moment always makes me smile.

~Adam

Thanks for the info on Dragila.

I also love the friendship and respect between the decathletes and eptathletes.

I don't like what happened before the men 200 finale yesterday.
The audience showed little respect for these athletes. It was not their fault if Kenteris was not present.
Probably they were already nervous and what happened made them even more nervous.

Who said Asians can't run? Xiang Liu of China dominated the field in the 110m hurdles, setting an Olympic record, and winning China's first track gold.

-------------

Xiang Liu had some comments related to this:



[ August 27, 2004, 03:13 PM: Message edited by: canmark ]