The Blogs Of The XXIX Olympiad, #2

Another day, another gold medal for Michael Phelps. In a real nailbiter, he picked up his second gold in the 4X100 freestyle relay by .08 seconds. Pretty amazing, and he's got the two most difficult events finished. He's still got a lot of work to do, but should be the favorite in each of the other six events that are to come. Eight gold medals are a distinct possibility.

I'm really enjoying all of the coverage on the internet. It's so much fun to bounce between several events and see things that you don't always get to see. To watch live video, go here.

I've seen all of the big events so far: the US taking care of China in basketball, the Dutch men stealing a draw against the US side in the final minute, lots of swimming, and some other cool sports:

Water Polo- This might take first place in the "Sport that you never see unless the Olympics are on". I've stumbled across a couple of college matches on the dish, but a Pac-10 clash doesn't really bring the same intensity of an Olympic match. And unlike handball, another Olympic favorite of mine, the US is generally in the mix for a medal. They are second only to Hungary in total Olympic medals won, and they could make some noise in Beijing. They beat China in their opening match, and I am just amazed at how physical this game is. Besides swimming about one mile during the match, they are constantly getting dunked by the opposing players. It's almost encouraged. And from what I understand, most of the contact happens UNDER the water. Repeated blasts to the nether regions from your opponent's gargantuan legs can't be good. In fact, the only part of this sport that I can't be in awe of is the fact that they all wear headgear like this:



I recognize the need for some type of protection, but what's up with that sassy bow tied under the chin? How about some snaps? Or elastic? Even velcro would be better than looking like a newborn. But these guys are amazing athletes, so I can overlook that one thing.

Badminton- This is another great spectator sport: lots of action, amazing rallies, and generally quick points. Another sport in the "No USA" zone, it's usually won by someone from Thailand or Singapore with a name like Pradaaraag Hykdrshyk. This sport has never made it out of our backyards here at home, and my dad and I decided that it might help to park a barbecue courtside to cook some burgers and dogs. And because we're speaking about these eastern countries, I feel it necessary to clarify that I mean HOT DOGS, not actual dogs.

Weightlifting - Not a ton of action, and I really prefer the heavyweight lifters, but the little guys are the ones who end up lifting almost three times their body weight over their head. It's pretty amazing to see a 140 lb. guy lifting one and a half of me up into the air. Watching a guy try to lift the weight only to have his groin explode is definitely below average, especially when they haul him back to the training room and pile his lap full of ice bags. The weightlifting venue is known as the BUAA, which, conincidentally, is the sound he made when he had his problem.

Plus, the ladies get their turn at lifting unfathomable weights, and that means Jang Mi-Ran, the Korean woman who is the three-time defending world champion.



And yes, that's 183kg, or just over 400 lbs. Yikes. I wondered what Oddjob was up to. Hope his groin holds out.

That's all for tonight...will post some more tomorrow. USA! USA! USA!