All About London Olympics and Paralympics 2012
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Way2GO:
usa-sing-1:
You would think with over 200 million guns owned by the general population, the US would win more than just 2 medals in shooting, so far.
Didn't dat Cheney guy shot another hunter by mistake during deer season?
d Americans can't shoot pin point targets,
dey only gud at spraying rounds into helpless crowds!
(I am saying dis tongue-in-cheek huh, please don't be offended)
But seriously, d gun lobby is too strong at present for d US gahmen to remove guns away fr irresponsible hands.
I think Russia, China and many other countries often use policemen, ex-soldiers, and other elite marksmen on their Olympic shooting teams. I know the US doesn't do that...except maybe Vincent Hancock who holds several world records for skeet...not sure what his background is. Swimming and athletics are generally the US strong points...historically boxing, gymnastics and diving, especially during the Soviet era...but less dominant in recent years.
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I watched d 25m Rapid Fire shootout. D Indian guy is fr d military, I think.
Though it wld make logical sense to select fr a ready pool of marksmen fr d police/military, on further consideration, it doesn’t make practical sense to sacrifice a top marksman fr say d Navy Seals/Delta Force in active duty just to compete in masak masak Games. d training required n skill set r different for military missions.
Besides, d price money for a US Olympic gold medallist is just a teeny fraction of wat a SG gold Olympian wld get.
D real money is in commercial endorsements n corporate sponsorships. Believe an active duty military guy can’t hv access to those.
Agree with u on d US previous dominance in swimming n track & field, gymnastics, their boxing was up there with d Eastern European bloc, also basketball after d introduction of professional players.
But diving? d only outstanding diver fr d US dat I can recall is dat Louganis guy. -
Way2GO:
Yeah, there isn't much money in getting the medal itself for US athletes...those who do pursue it commercially either get sponsorships or become professionals in their sport (if relevant -- a few Olympic boxers went pro -- Carbajal, Bowe, etc.).I watched d 25m Rapid Fire shootout. D Indian guy is fr d military, I think.
Though it wld make logical sense to select fr a ready pool of marksmen fr d police/military, on further consideration, it doesn’t make practical sense to sacrifice a top marksman fr say d Navy Seals/Delta Force in active duty just to compete in masak masak Games. d training required n skill set r different for military missions.
Besides, d price money for a US Olympic gold medallist is just a teeny fraction of wat a SG gold Olympian wld get.
D real money is in commercial endorsements n corporate sponsorships. Believe an active duty military guy can’t hv access to those.
Agree with u on d US previous dominance in swimming n track & field, gymnastics, their boxing was up there with d Eastern European bloc, also basketball after d introduction of professional players.
But diving? d only outstanding diver fr d US dat I can recall is dat Louganis guy.
As for diving, actually yes...here is the US record in diving medals over the years...
47 gold
40 silver
41 bronze -
Olympics, Havard and the advantage of American Elites Education
奥运会、哈佛大学与美国精英教育的优势
http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/tx120803_002.shtml -
http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/news/story/the-grit-and-grind-behind-bronze
[quote]The grit and grind behind that bronze
Perfectionist Feng Tianwei is driven by a crushing work ethic...
In table tennis, they call her a woman who plays like a man.
In private, Feng Tianwei is a girl, a child-like soul who loves pop music, fast cars, make-up and an extra helping of chocolate and chilli crab. She is also a perfectionist, a workaholic with a bat, an athlete powered by tragedy, rejection and the fear of failure.
Before her Olympic bronze- medal match against Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa last Wednesday, she asked her coaches: \"What happens if I lose? Will my country blame me?\"
Loy Soo Han, Singapore's table tennis technical chief, told her to perish the thought.
\"Tianwei has the weight of the world on her shoulders,\" he said. \"It's our job to keep her focused and calm.\"
It was hard to tell, from the way she demolished Ishikawa and Singapore's 52-year individual Olympic medal jinx, that Feng was jittery. Her fragile state of mind was such that officials and teammates took care not to talk about the medal drought, or the fact that Singapore's last three Olympic bronze medal play-offs had ended in disappointment.
To understand how Feng thinks, one needs to understand where she came from.
Home was Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province in north-east China. Known for its long, icy winters, this was where Feng, 25, learnt her trade as a young girl, sparring daily against bigger and stronger boys in a gym minutes away from home. This was also where she first honed her looping forehand smash, a powerful killing stroke that has been described as \"masculine\" by those who have coached her.
\"Her technique is very advanced... comparable to the top players from China,\" said Loy.
The irony is that she was never quite good enough - for China.
In 2003, a year after winning China's national youth title, she was called up for the national squad. Two years of brutal training followed, during which Feng was constantly overlooked for major competitions because she was deemed to be mentally weak.
She knew her chances of breaking into the Chinese 'A' team were slim, and left for Japan in 2005 to make a living in their professional league.
By this point, she had already lost her father.
Mr Feng Qingzhi, a granary worker, died of multiple sclerosis in 2002, weeks before his only child was due to try out for the Chinese national team. Feng aced the try-outs. But it took years to cope with her father's death.
Mr Feng, along with his wife Liu Chunping, a department store worker, had saved and struggled for years to pay for their child's table tennis lessons.
Feng said in a 2010 interview: \"I feel when I get the results, he will be able to feel it from where he is, because he's done so much for me.\"
Another life-changing moment came in 2006, when Singapore officials - then-national head coach Liu Guodong and former table tennis chief Choo Wee Khiang - saw her in action in Japan. Impressed by her skill and potential, they made her an offer: Come to Singapore, where we will train you, house you and give you a chance to play at the Olympics.
Feng agreed, and was given citizenship a year later - just in time to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, alongside Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu.
At the Beijing Games, her performances led the team to a silver, the Republic's first medal since 1960.
Feng built on that success, rising to No. 2 in the world standings in 2010, the year she led Singapore to a sensational World Team Championships triumph over China.
She was at the peak of her powers, but it came at a cost.
Of the 12 months in a year, 10 were spent outside of Singapore competing. There was even less time to visit her mother in Harbin, or to indulge herself.
\"She's no different from other women,\" said deputy women's head coach Jing Junhong, who described her charge as \"guileless\" and \"adorable\".
\"She wants to be pretty, she wants to wear make-up, she wants to relax. She's a child-like woman who loves to laugh and have fun. But because of her schedule, she has no time to do all these things.\"
Listening to Mandarin pop songs is Feng's escape from the stress of competition, and watching Formula One races on television is her idea of relaxing.
By all accounts, Feng - who guards her personal life fiercely - is single. Her crushing work ethic might have something to do this.
\"She's always the last to leave the training hall,\" said Loy. \"Even at night, when she is supposed to rest, she will sometimes find a sparring partner just so she can train more.\"
No one is harder on Feng than herself. In her mind, she is still flawed. She turns 26 this month, and she knows her place on the top rungs of world table tennis will slip with age.
\"She seeks perfection in everything that she does,\" said Jing - Feng's maternal figure in the Singapore team. Better than anyone else, she knows how the paddler must feel. It was Jing who missed out on a bronze 12 years ago at the Sydney Games. And it is she who keeps reminding Feng - who endured a bad run of results before the Olympics - to take it easy even when she is not playing well.
\"It's good to be a perfectionist in some situations, but she has to understand that no player can be perfect during a match,\" said Jing. \"She has to learn to succeed even when conditions are imperfect.\"
After winning the bronze last Wednesday, Feng spent 45 minutes outside the arena posing for photographs with fans, VIPs and even a lone British soldier who was smitten by her performance.
\"I want to win another medal for Singapore in the team event,\" she said then. \"That's why I need to train even harder now.\"
In Feng's world, her work is never done.[/quote]From today's article...
I applaud and cheer for Feng TW on her achievements and her sacrifices... But makes me more ashamed of Singapore sports... Buying instant success... Modern day slavery? :? -
Daddy
From today's article...
http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/news/story/the-grit-and-grind-behind-bronze
[quote]The grit and grind behind that bronze
Perfectionist Feng Tianwei is driven by a crushing work ethic...
In table tennis, they call her a woman who plays like a man.
In private, Feng Tianwei is a girl, a child-like soul who loves pop music, fast cars, make-up and an extra helping of chocolate and chilli crab. She is also a perfectionist, a workaholic with a bat, an athlete powered by tragedy, rejection and the fear of failure.
Before her Olympic bronze- medal match against Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa last Wednesday, she asked her coaches: \"What happens if I lose? Will my country blame me?\"
Loy Soo Han, Singapore's table tennis technical chief, told her to perish the thought.
\"Tianwei has the weight of the world on her shoulders,\" he said. \"It's our job to keep her focused and calm.\"
It was hard to tell, from the way she demolished Ishikawa and Singapore's 52-year individual Olympic medal jinx, that Feng was jittery. Her fragile state of mind was such that officials and teammates took care not to talk about the medal drought, or the fact that Singapore's last three Olympic bronze medal play-offs had ended in disappointment.
To understand how Feng thinks, one needs to understand where she came from.
Home was Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province in north-east China. Known for its long, icy winters, this was where Feng, 25, learnt her trade as a young girl, sparring daily against bigger and stronger boys in a gym minutes away from home. This was also where she first honed her looping forehand smash, a powerful killing stroke that has been described as \"masculine\" by those who have coached her.
\"Her technique is very advanced... comparable to the top players from China,\" said Loy.
The irony is that she was never quite good enough - for China.
In 2003, a year after winning China's national youth title, she was called up for the national squad. Two years of brutal training followed, during which Feng was constantly overlooked for major competitions because she was deemed to be mentally weak.
She knew her chances of breaking into the Chinese 'A' team were slim, and left for Japan in 2005 to make a living in their professional league.
By this point, she had already lost her father.
Mr Feng Qingzhi, a granary worker, died of multiple sclerosis in 2002, weeks before his only child was due to try out for the Chinese national team. Feng aced the try-outs. But it took years to cope with her father's death.
Mr Feng, along with his wife Liu Chunping, a department store worker, had saved and struggled for years to pay for their child's table tennis lessons.
Feng said in a 2010 interview: \"I feel when I get the results, he will be able to feel it from where he is, because he's done so much for me.\"
Another life-changing moment came in 2006, when Singapore officials - then-national head coach Liu Guodong and former table tennis chief Choo Wee Khiang - saw her in action in Japan. Impressed by her skill and potential, they made her an offer: Come to Singapore, where we will train you, house you and give you a chance to play at the Olympics.
Feng agreed, and was given citizenship a year later - just in time to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, alongside Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu.
At the Beijing Games, her performances led the team to a silver, the Republic's first medal since 1960.
Feng built on that success, rising to No. 2 in the world standings in 2010, the year she led Singapore to a sensational World Team Championships triumph over China.
She was at the peak of her powers, but it came at a cost.
Of the 12 months in a year, 10 were spent outside of Singapore competing. There was even less time to visit her mother in Harbin, or to indulge herself.
\"She's no different from other women,\" said deputy women's head coach Jing Junhong, who described her charge as \"guileless\" and \"adorable\".
\"She wants to be pretty, she wants to wear make-up, she wants to relax. She's a child-like woman who loves to laugh and have fun. But because of her schedule, she has no time to do all these things.\"
Listening to Mandarin pop songs is Feng's escape from the stress of competition, and watching Formula One races on television is her idea of relaxing.
By all accounts, Feng - who guards her personal life fiercely - is single. Her crushing work ethic might have something to do this.
\"She's always the last to leave the training hall,\" said Loy. \"Even at night, when she is supposed to rest, she will sometimes find a sparring partner just so she can train more.\"
No one is harder on Feng than herself. In her mind, she is still flawed. She turns 26 this month, and she knows her place on the top rungs of world table tennis will slip with age.
\"She seeks perfection in everything that she does,\" said Jing - Feng's maternal figure in the Singapore team. Better than anyone else, she knows how the paddler must feel. It was Jing who missed out on a bronze 12 years ago at the Sydney Games. And it is she who keeps reminding Feng - who endured a bad run of results before the Olympics - to take it easy even when she is not playing well.
\"It's good to be a perfectionist in some situations, but she has to understand that no player can be perfect during a match,\" said Jing. \"She has to learn to succeed even when conditions are imperfect.\"
After winning the bronze last Wednesday, Feng spent 45 minutes outside the arena posing for photographs with fans, VIPs and even a lone British soldier who was smitten by her performance.
\"I want to win another medal for Singapore in the team event,\" she said then. \"That's why I need to train even harder now.\"
In Feng's world, her work is never done.
I applaud and cheer for Feng TW on her achievements and her sacrifices... But makes me more ashamed of Singapore sports... Buying instant success... Modern day slavery? :?[/quote]It's pretty routine for countries to import talent from elsewhere when competing on the world stage, and at professional level within a specific country or region...English Premier League Football is a classic example...as are most of the other European leagues. Sports can be a significant money-making enterprise, if correctly managed, like any other business. -
Well... Last checked Robin van Persie is still a Dutch... Ryan Giggs is still a Wales... The list goes on... Maybe that's why England will never win the World Cup?
And they didn't have the decency to give Feng TW's mum SG citizenship?
And expects Feng TW to be a proud SGrean?
And expects SGreans to cheer on this false sense of success?
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Daddy D, can you point me to where I can read that FTW’s mum not given citizenship? Thanks!
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usa-sing-1:
When Svetlana Podobedova won d gold in 75kg weightlifting in London 2012,
It's pretty routine for countries to import talent from elsewhere when competing on the world stage, and at professional level within a specific country or region...English Premier League Football is a classic example...as are most of the other European leagues. Sports can be a significant money-making enterprise, if correctly managed, like any other business.Daddy
From today's article...
I applaud and cheer for Feng TW on her achievements and her sacrifices... But makes me more ashamed of Singapore sports... Buying instant success... Modern day slavery? :?
u can see n almost feel her pride representing her new country as repeatedly points to d flag of her new country in her moment of triumph. She even mouthed or sang her new country's national anthem at d victory ceremony.
If SG can take anything fr FTW’s achievements as an athlete, it is her sheer grit n perseverance in overcoming obstacles n her ‘under-privileged’ background to succeed.
SG has a poor record in retaining imported athletes when their playing days r over. There r examples in athletics, badminton, soccer, table-tennis. Dis is probably d reason dat riles true blue SGreans who carry d five starrred red n white proudly.
These sportmen r here only coz they can’t make it in their country of birth, d money n opportunities in international competitions which they couldn’t hv otherwise. Dis is similar to mercenaries who join a country’s battles only for d money, not to fight for d cause.
Out of three first team players In d SG table-tennis women’s team, one is married to a Beijing native n has a kid in China; another is married to a Chinese player who is now a German citizen. Wat r d chances these two will remain in SG after their playing days r over? d day dat FTW hitch up with a local guy, bears children to boost up d population n becomes a true blue Sgrean will be d day when she is closer to being fully accepted as one with us. -
Daddy
I do see your point about a seemingly \"false sense of success\" ... if Feng Tianwei did not train here or reside here until recently (I don't know her history that well). I do also think that if the government here is serious about promoting a culture of home-grown world-class athleticism (and arts for that matter), then some serious attention needs to be paid to training programs, subsidies for athletes, or whatever gets the intended results. Realistically speaking, I think it will take a decade or two before regional Asian/SEA success is translated into world venues such as the Olympic games. But it can be done. Look at countries like Norway, Denmark and New Zealand, which are close to Singapore's population =/- 500,000 or so, or Croatia and Slovenia (much smaller) -- all of which consistently produce multiple medals at the Olympics.Well... Last checked Robin van Persie is still a Dutch... Ryan Giggs is still a Wales... The list goes on... Maybe that's why England will never win the World Cup?
And they didn't have the decency to give Feng TW's mum SG citizenship?
And expects Feng TW to be a proud SGrean?
And expects SGreans to cheer on this false sense of success?
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