Tokyo Olympic Games 2020/1

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I was just googling what happened to Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and Laurie Hernandez. I remember them from Rio 2016. Just wondered why they weren't at this Olympics tbh. They were pretty good. But seems like Douglas retired after Rio, Aly retired and Laurie was going to compete but had an injury while training.

I was watching the diving competition yesterday and it said "after this Olympics the 40 year old will be retiring"!!! So how come these early 20 year olds have retired already, not even old.
 
bubbadabut said:
Simone Biles has now said she wasn't hurt, but had suffered "just a little injury to my pride".

So is she insinuating that she felt her vault was so sub-standard (for her) that she just couldn't carry on in the competition? That if the vault was good, she would've been fine to carry on? That's a real issue for her coaches. Has she been built up so much that she is missing the mental fortitude to deal with lacklustre performances?

I feel for her teammates. They made the best out of a difficult situation.
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This is what gets me, she has access to the absolute best in the world. If she needs therapy, then give her the best - prior to the games. She can even afford to pay for it herself. The athletes have had an extra year to prepare, so any mental problems should have been ironed out already.

I can’t help but wonder if she and Osaka are either trying to shine a massive spotlight on mental health, are copying each other for attention, or are they throwing a bet?? 🤔 Two megastars crying off looks really really odd. Biles should be at the absolute top of her game right now, 5 years of preparation by the best in the world has come to this?
But then "normal people" can take medication if needs be, not an elite athlete, so maybe things just fester?
 
Louk said:
The athletes have had an extra year to prepare, so any mental problems should have been ironed out already.
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Could it not be flipped the other way and say that the extra year and the circumstances that led to it being delayed could have made the issues worse? I’m not sure tbh, I’m massively playing devils advocate 😂 very annoyingly I always find myself being able to see both sides of arguments 😬
 
Savannah_xx said:
I was watching the diving competition yesterday and it said "after this Olympics the 40 year old will be retiring"!!! So how come these early 20 year olds have retired already, not even old.
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For sports like gymnastics it strains the body a lot and you get a few injuries, but also as you get older some of your skills decline and you may have to retrain some skills - source and source
I remember a while ago there was a whole conversation on the age of the Russian figure skaters too. A lot of them are young and, allegedly (has been denied by a Russian skater), Russia had normalised the use of puberty blockers to keep girls from maturing so they can continue their career to a competitive level. Again, when you start young you're going to have to adapt when your body naturally changes and that's a fair amount of work

I also watched an interview with Tom Dealey and he talked about needing to focus more on stretching to keep his flexibility in general. Obviously that's fairly simple and straight forward thing for the most part though

~

On the whole Osaka thing, I do feel for her tbh. She gave it a shot and it didn't go her way, nor has it affected her teammates (as I understand she doesn't play doubles?). The whole Biles situation is more down to trainers/medical staff more than Biles herself imo, they really should be on top of ensuring that athletes are in a state of mind to compete safely and pulling them before competitions, especially if they're team based, if they're not

I doubt many of them have good mental health tbh. Their whole career, and especially the Olympics and any qualifying competitions, is a lot of pressure in general. Doesn't matter if you're called the GOAT or not
 
Merpedy said:
For sports like gymnastics it strains the body a lot and you get a few injuries, but also as you get older some of your skills decline and you may have to retrain some skills - source and source
I remember a while ago there was a whole conversation on the age of the Russian figure skaters too. A lot of them are young and, allegedly (has been denied by a Russian skater), Russia had normalised the use of puberty blockers to keep girls from maturing so they can continue their career to a competitive level. Again, when you start young you're going to have to adapt when your body naturally changes and that's a fair amount of work

I also watched an interview with Tom Dealey and he talked about needing to focus more on stretching to keep his flexibility in general. Obviously that's fairly simple and straight forward thing for the most part though

~

On the whole Osaka thing, I do feel for her tbh. She gave it a shot and it didn't go her way, nor has it affected her teammates (as I understand she doesn't play doubles?). The whole Biles situation is more down to trainers/medical staff more than Biles herself imo, they really should be on top of ensuring that athletes are in a state of mind to compete safely and pulling them before competitions, especially if they're team based, if they're not

I doubt many of them have good mental health tbh. Their whole career, and especially the Olympics and any qualifying competitions, is a lot of pressure in general. Doesn't matter if you're called the GOAT or not
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Oh, interesting info. Thank you😊 but was just wondering how come Simone is the same age ish as them then and she's still doing it? but then again could this be what we're seeing happen with Biles as well? She was 19 in Rio 2016. Now 24. Maybe lost a bit of the Flexibility etc? Few mistakes lately?
 
Savannah_xx said:
I was just googling what happened to Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and Laurie Hernandez. I remember them from Rio 2016. Just wondered why they weren't at this Olympics tbh. They were pretty good. But seems like Douglas retired after Rio, Aly retired and Laurie was going to compete but had an injury while training.

I was watching the diving competition yesterday and it said "after this Olympics the 40 year old will be retiring"!!! So how come these early 20 year olds have retired already, not even old.
Click to expand...

Biles is what 24/25 and that is considered old for gymnastics. Historically female gymnastic Olympians have been very young and it’s only in recent years that the competitors have been getting older. A lot of it has to do with the image and stereotype that to be a successful gymnast you should be tiny - this has thankfully been changing in the last decade with older athletes continuing to compete, and athletes with different body types.

A lot of US gymnasts also choose to go to college on scholarships which prevents them from going “pro” like Simone has done. Because Simone is a pro she can receive sponsorships etc to fund her training etc to enable her to continue competing. For a lot of athletes they know their chances of making the national team past 18/19 are slim so they will choose to go down the college route instead, hence why the gymnasts tend to be younger as those who have gone to college already won’t be able to try out for the National team.
 
Seems to be a very dramatic Olympics

www.cyclingweekly.com

German coach apologises for racist remarks made during time trial at Tokyo Olympics

The sports director could be heard on TV coverage shouting the remarks
www.cyclingweekly.com www.cyclingweekly.com

www.standard.co.uk

Olympic organisers move tennis schedule after players struggle in heat

Organisers acceded to player requests to change the tennis schedule at the Tokyo Olympics after Spain’s Paula Badosa suffered heatstroke and left the court in a wheelchair.
www.standard.co.uk www.standard.co.uk
www.theguardian.com

Daniil Medvedev asks for journalist be removed over ‘cheaters’ question

Daniil Medvedev, the men’s world No 2, has demanded that a journalist be removed from the Olympic Games after being asked how he feels about ROC players carrying a stigma of cheaters
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
Fifah1907 said:
Could it not be flipped the other way and say that the extra year and the circumstances that led to it being delayed could have made the issues worse? I’m not sure tbh, I’m massively playing devils advocate 😂 very annoyingly I always find myself being able to see both sides of arguments 😬
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Potentially, I feel more bad for the likes of the cycling couple who got pregnant a few months after 2016. They probably planned to have another baby and have had to wait an extra year.

I know gymnastics is terrible for the body, but look at Beth Tweddle, wanted a medal so badly she kept going until she was 95, and she won one!!! For me, her grit and determination are inspirational.

Then last night I discovered Tom Daley's knitting insta. He even raffles his creations for charity. What a guy, carried on despite his dad dying and thanks to a pair of needles and some wool, no sniff of "mental health". Maybe he needs to start charging the others for lessons!
 
Savannah_xx said:
Oh, interesting info. Thank you😊 but was just wondering how come Simone is the same age ish as them then and she's still doing it? but then again could this be what we're seeing happen with Biles as well? She was 19 in Rio 2016. Now 24. Maybe lost a bit of the Flexibility etc? Few mistakes lately?
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I'm not a Gymnast whatsoever, just regular fitness etc but I absolutely find this topic utterly fascinating! I'd imagine if her skills were in decline this would have continuously come up in training, you would not hide that and I'd imagine if that was happening she would have retired before now. And if it was spotted theirs no way she'd continue on to the Olympics? I think what's happened is sudden event, like how COULD she get lost in the air after all her training etc etc etc, despite the difficulty, she's van elite level gymnast? As for ya continuing into their 20s, it absolutely must be still plausible too. And what i find hugely interesting is their physiques now in general, in regards to yes how they used questionable methods to delay their growth/ puberty? But those practices must be gone out the window? It seems their physiques do differ alot now, different heights, some of the girls look like balls of muscle now, like they've seriously gone for strength and power so you'd imagine that would help promote longevity and help fight the yes strains of Gymnastics along with nutrition/recovery.
Savannah_xx said:
Oh, interesting info. Thank you😊 but was just wondering how come Simone is the same age ish as them then and she's still doing it? but then again could this be what we're seeing happen with Biles as well? She was 19 in Rio 2016. Now 24. Maybe lost a bit of the Flexibility etc? Few mistakes lately?
Click to expand...
I'm not a Gymnast whatsoever, just regular fitness etc but I absolutely find this topic utterly fascinating! I'd imagine if her skills were in decline this would have continuously come up in training, you would not hide that and I'd imagine if that was happening she would have retired before now. And if it was spotted theirs no way she'd continue on to the Olympics? I think what's happened is sudden event, like how COULD she get lost in the air after all her training etc etc etc, despite the difficulty, she's van elite level gymnast? As for ya continuing into their 20s, it absolutely must be still plausible too. And what i find hugely interesting is their physiques now in general, in regards to yes how they used questionable methods to delay their growth/ puberty? But those practices must be gone out the window? It seems their physiques do differ alot now, different heights, some of the girls look like balls of muscle now, like they've seriously gone for strength and power so you'd imagine that would help promote longevity and help fight the yes strains of Gymnastics along with nutrition/recovery?
 
Just remember guys that mental health effects everyone differently. Some people find ways of coping and others haven’t found a way yet. Biles may well have thought she was on top form until she came out and had that really awful heat where she had faults on most of the apparatus. She then may have come out and it had gotten to her and then to mess up mid air on the vault, it could have been the final straw.
Some people aren’t ready or feel they can cope without therapy, until something like this happens. Nobody knows what is going on in that young ladies head but I’m sure it took a lot to withdraw from the team and the all round final.
 
thegirlscout said:
Sorry to sound dim, I’ve never watched equestrian sports before but is dressage cruel? I saw a clip and it reminded me of how people make bears dance etc? I have no knowledge so I thought I’d ask people here as you seem to know about the sport.
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I’d say way less than other horse based sports, those horses are well looked after and in terms of how long they can do it for, it’s a lot longer than say a racing horse
 
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