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Olympic medal table

Where should we realistically be looking to end up?

Obviously China and USA will be well out in front, but we should be aiming to top the pile in Europe - although the sausage munchers are always strong - and it would be great (but unlikely) to finish above the Aussies.

A top 8 finish would be good and either way we should really be finishing above the French and the Italians.

Comments

  • Target is for 41 medals which should get us in the top 8, and the target for London is 4th in the table, which is going to need the track and field lot to up there game
  • I can't recall GB and NI ever finishing top of the European medals table, although we've had a good start in the sports that nobody's interested in for the other 3.99999/4 years.
  • * CommentAuthorRothko
    * CommentTime8 hours ago


    " ......Target is for 41 medals which should get us in the top 8, and the target for London is 4th in the table, which is going to need the track and field lot to up there game"

    ***************************************************************************

    It's like playing in the Premier ....... we'll never get above all those Man Utd's, Arsenal's, Liverpool's & Chelsea's

    ;o)
  • yeah but you got to remember the size of the counties above us. populations 10 times or more the size of ours so it's a law of averages they will get more medals


    the cyclusts were brilliant as well as that ugly bird that done the world record how good is she and only 19 as well.


    on another note anyne see the 100m final.

    that Bolt f*** me he's quick and only bloody 21. amazing run
  • if it wasnt for the usa swimmer phelps we would be second in the table at the moment
  • edited August 2008
    "which is going to need the track and field lot to up there game "...an understatement to say the least. I can't help feeling that they are going to let down the rest of the team badly out there. We've had a sensational games so far and I've enjoyed every minute but unfortunately things can only go downhill now the athletics has started which is a great shame.

    I know that other countries have a bigger pool of athletes to chose from, etc, etc but I can't help thinking that a lot of it is to do with money. My point is that to make a good living as an athlete in the US you have to be very, very good and genuinely world class. But to make a good living as a UK sprinter, for instance, you only have to be better than a few other British blokes in your event. A bit simplistic I'm sure but I'm sure that it leads to them getting a bit complacent and thinking they are far better than they are. Not sure what the answer is but it's needs a big shake up IMO.
  • But to make a good living as a UK sprinter, for instance, you only have to be better than a few other British blokes in your event

    ............

    That doesn't really stack up, an athlete doesn't really have the choice of running the 100m/200m or being a middle-distance runner, they are entirely different disciplines. The athletes have different body shapes/bone structure etc.

    Traditionally Britain did well in the mid-distance events - from 400m - 1500m but the East Africans seem to have cornered that market over the last few years.

    I'm not sure what the answer is either - we've invested heavily in rowing, cycling and swimming etc over the last few years and the results are there as we've seen over the last few days. Maybe it's just one of those things - a generation of talented track & field athletes seem to have retired over the last few years more or less at once and there just isn't the quality coming through no matter how much money gets thrown at them. Perhaps in 2012 some of those who are coming through will have made it.
  • think we may not get 1 medal from track and field which will be a joke.

    Its not resourse thing tho i mean Jamaca will win 4 golds in the various sprints. Our people do have to reach a certain standard or their funding reduces.

    I said about 4 weeks back to a Kiwi girl at work that we would do ok in the rowing and cycling but so far i think GB has done sensational , what ever happens in the next week.


    Maybe we should find that Aussie Sports Minister and stuff a dry towel in his gob.
  • Christine Ohuruogu should win a medal in the women's 400m, as she's the current World Champion it should be a gold, but she only qualified second fastest.

    There are hopefully a couple more medals at least to come in the cycling.
  • I chose sprinters as the most obvious example of over rewarding mediocrity I suppose but the same could be true of most of our ‘top’ athletes. The are always exceptions (Kelly Holmes & Radcliffe for example) but we haven’t really consistently produced top quality track athletes for ages, over any distance.

    It’s a bit of a self fulfilling thing I suppose. Athletics meet organisers want athletes that people (sponsors and TV) have heard of ultimately, hence the same old faces get the appearance money year after year, even though they have little chance of either winning anything on a global stage or genuinely developing.

    Re:the population argumement, Jamaica has less than 3million people yet they consistently produce top class track athletes whereas we don’t seem to be able to at the moment despite throwing some money at the sport (I hope I’m proved wrong over the next couple of days though…).

    There are probably people working in hotels or bars over there who, in different circumstances, would walk into our team…
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  • Phillips Idowu is a good bet for a medal in the triple jump, and if it goes to recent form then he should hopefully win it.
  • Ohuruogu is perhaps a good example to use BFR. Didn't she lose all her Lottery funding when she was serving her ban and had to go out to work instead? When she came back maybe she was that much hungrier for success and didn't fancy another stint working for her local council?
  • jade johnson lost her lottery funding at the end of last season and since then made numerous pb's. (not you bacon)

    idowu is fav to win gold for gb.
  • I think its true that success breeds success, look at our haul of gold medals in cycling and rowing - it definitely helps that there is a culture of success and high expectations to live up to and maintain, and in turn it makes funding those sports an easy decision. In athletics perhaps the relative lack of really good track and field athletes around at the moment means that quite a few talented athletes aren't finding the peer support that they need to push themselves on from being "talented" to medal winners.
  • Christine Ohuruogu was suspended for a year for missing three drug tests and lost her funding as a consequence of that. Putting that to one side she is a good example of a talented athlete who had good but not outstanding form - making the semi-finals at Athens in the 400m etc. It was only after she returned from her suspension that she kicked up a gear and won the World Championships, I presume that having a point to prove gave her that bit extra that helped turn her into a champion.

    Jade Johnson lost her funding after a series of injuries meant she couldn't compete, these appear to have cleared up and she's run several personal bests in the sprint events and long jump this year. I guess she'll be getting her money back now...
  • Congrats must go to the Labour government for putting the money behind the sportsman and facilities the only thing Blair/Brown's government got right.

    Though saying that the next Olympics we will be signing the EU athum if any of guys win the gold due to that career politian, ginning twit Milliband signing UK rights away.
  • mate i think re cycling it was all down to Lord Tebbit , after all he did tell the 4 million he put on the dole to "get on their bikes"
  • edited August 2008
    [cite]Posted By: Off_it[/cite][p]Where should we realistically be looking to end up?[/p][p]Obviously China and USA will be well out in front, but we should be aiming to top the pile in Europe - although the sausage munchers are always strong - and it would be great (but unlikely) to finish above the Aussies.[/p][p]A top 8 finish would be good and either way we should really be finishing above the French and the Italians.[/p]

    Not normally one to big myself up, but I think I called that rather well!
    :o)
  • Pretty good beat the Aussies and jerry Huzzah!
  • Fair point regarding new Labour, but it was John Major who started the National Lottery as a form of funding that is still regarded as vital.
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  • edited August 2008
    True, but Labour changed the rules so that it could be used for revenue spending as well as as capital, i.e. funding people and activity as well as buildings. Bloke from the National Olympic Committee said on TV that was what made all the difference.

    I think the Olympics have been fantastic and a massive boost for national pride, as well as sport. But will they stop the whingeing about 2012. If there were medals for moaning, we'd win hands down.
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