Worst Performing Ex-Powerhouse Team in Vancouver?

[Faster]

Neither had strong gold medal chances.

[Fox334]

Neither had strong gold medal chances.

Well, Japan got within 0.02 seconds of gold in the women's Team Pursuit. As for Finland, didn't they win like 3 gold in women's Cross Country at the last worlds? Certainly not getting a gold in for two winter Olympics in a row will be a huge disappointment...

Anyway, I think overall Japan had a better Olypics in Vancouver that in Turin, its just too bad they couldn't sneak in a gold. For Finland it was a complete disaster, and Italy also had bad games. That's the nature of sports, eh.

[Faster]

As others go up, others go down. USA, Canada, China, Korea and Norway gained meaning others had to go done. Russia's performance is disgraceful, so much so that Medvedev won't even show his face tomorrow.

[LuigiVercotti]

As others go up, others go down. USA, Canada, China, Korea and Norway gained meaning others had to go done. Russia's performance is disgraceful, so much so that Medvedev won't even show his face tomorrow.

Yes, a particularly sooky performance from Putin the Younger

[Faster]

That is for another conversation. But Medvedev does seem to have a mind of his own.

[4gamesandcounting]

France, Austria and Russia were the big disappointments.

[Faster]

How was France disappoint. 11 medals is nothing to scoff at. They won one less gold but overall the performance was good and the French delegation was happy.

[baron-pierreIV]

Brazil and Saudi Arabia were terrible! ZERO!!

[gotosy]

Anyway, I think overall Japan had a better Olypics in Vancouver that in Turin, its just too bad they couldn't sneak in a gold.

much better

Japan won three silver medals and two bronze medals, but failed to win any gold medals

in Turin, Japan got just one medal: gold for Shizuka Arakawa in the women's figure skating.

[fineshot2000]

Biggest disappointment: Italy. Italy's really fallen off the past several Winter Olympics from their glory days challenging near the top back in the 90's.

Biggest surprise: Australia. 2 Golds and a Silver for a country that rarely sees any snow anywhere. It's their best result ever, topping the 2 Golds won in Salt Lake (which, if you remember, one was by luck......Bradbury!)

[LuigiVercotti]

Biggest disappointment: Italy. Italy's really fallen off the past several Winter Olympics from their glory days challenging near the top back in the 90's.

Biggest surprise: Australia. 2 Golds and a Silver for a country that rarely sees any snow anywhere. It's their best result ever, topping the 2 Golds won in Salt Lake (which, if you remember, one was by luck......Bradbury!)

Actually I don't think from a down under perspective our results were that much of a surprise. Torah Bright, Lydia Lassila and Dale Begg-Smith have all won world cups/world champs/X-Games etc. Throw in the likes of Jacqui Cooper and perhaps Holly Crawford and this was always a team that was going to do well. But like all Olympics how well was the big question.

Of course I can understand when one considers our winter games history for most of last century, plus the traditional images of Australia as the world's driest continent etc, that Aussie winter gold is left of centre for northern hemisphere folk. It all comes down to the AOC waking up to the OWGs around 1992, and the opening of the event schedule to more freestyle, non-traditional winter sports.

as for Bradbury, luck was only part of the story. He was an ex-World champ in short track relay, and like any great athlete he knew his best capabilities and skated the best race he could in SLC. Unlike the kamikazes who took themselves out Bradbury skated smart and the Olympic gods smiled

[Querque]

France, Austria and Russia were the big disappointments.

Well, Russia was the biggest disappointment together with Finland and Italy. I don't thinkt that the Austrians or French disappointed. For the Austrians e.g. that were the third most successfull games. They only had a brilliant performance in 2006. But the Austrian alpine skiing team disappointed (particularly the men's team that couldn't win a medal). For instance in 2006 the Austrian alpine skiing team won 14 medals, the other Austrian athletes 9. Now the alpine skiing team won 4 medals and the others 12 which is the second highest number they have ever achieved (after Albertville 92 with 13 medals).

[LuigiVercotti]

Well, Russia was the biggest disappointment together with Finland and Italy. I don't thinkt that the Austrians or French disappointed. For the Austrians e.g. that were the third most successfull games. They only had a brilliant performance in 2006. But the Austrian alpine skiing team disappointed (particularly the men's team that couldn't win a medal). For instance in 2006 the Austrian alpine skiing team won 14 medals, the other Austrian athletes 9. Now the alpine skiing team won 4 medals and the others 12 which is the second highest number they have ever achieved (after Albertville 92 with 13 medals).

Hi Querque...and nice analysis re the Austrian team. The question is how much of their assessment of whether or not Vancouver 2010 was a success or not comes back to the performance of the alpine team. Plus how they perform against Switzerland and Germany in alpine is another yardstick they throw at themselves. Considering that Austrians worship the likes of Franz Klammer and the Herminator, they must be disappointed that could only win 1 alpine gold (against Germany's 3 and Switzerland's 2)

[krow]

as for Bradbury, luck was only part of the story. He was an ex-World champ in short track relay, and like any great athlete he knew his best capabilities and skated the best race he could in SLC. Unlike the kamikazes who took themselves out Bradbury skated smart and the Olympic gods smiled

that's just a laughable amount of bullshit and at least everyone outside of australia knows it.

run that race in the exact same conditions 200 times and i'd be shocked if he won 10.

[LuigiVercotti]

that's just a laughable amount of bullshit and at least everyone outside of australia knows it.

run that race in the exact same conditions 200 times and i'd be shocked if he won 10.

The issue at hand, is that Bradbury raced and won understanding what happens in the sport and the event. He had been there and done that, and showed a far better knowledge of what was required to win at that time than his far more favoured opponents. Perhaps you might like to consider as a corroborative piece of evidence Hamelin's win on the weekend. But of course, as a Canadian it was all skill wasn't it.

So go away, read up on iconic Olympians like Billy Mills, Josy Barthels, Alain Mimoun, Dan Jensen, Daley Thompson and all the other champions who understand that you need tactical cunning as well as natural talent, perseverance and sheer guts to make your own luck.

Edited March 2, 2010 by eusebius65

[Fox334]

that's just a laughable amount of bullshit and at least everyone outside of australia knows it.

run that race in the exact same conditions 200 times and i'd be shocked if he won 10.

The only silver lining is that he had entered races as a favorite. Had you run the 1992 or 1994 relay 200 times he would have escaped with a medal more often than not, and probably with gold a good amount of times. If I remember correctly, it was actually either a fall in the semis that cost Australia a medal in 92, while in 94 Australia ran a very conservative race to ensure getting at least a bronze (which is exactly what they got).

Don't forget that Bradbury also got the raw end of the stick when it comes to being taken by rivals at the Olympics. He was the favorite for the 1000m in Lillehamer but was knocked down in the semis (apparently before the advancement rule was added to short track). He was also knocked out by crashes in both the 500m and the 1000m in Nagano.

Basically, say what you will about Bradbury but he did win a world championship to the line, although it was 11 years before Salt Lake (and, funny enough, on home ice).

[LuigiVercotti]

The only silver lining is that he had entered races as a favorite. Had you run the 1992 or 1994 relay 200 times he would have escaped with a medal more often than not, and probably with gold a good amount of times. If I remember correctly, it was actually either a fall in the semis that cost Australia a medal in 92, while in 94 Australia ran a very conservative race to ensure getting at least a bronze (which is exactly what they got).

Don't forget that Bradbury also got the raw end of the stick when it comes to being taken by rivals at the Olympics. He was the favorite for the 1000m in Lillehamer but was knocked down in the semis (apparently before the advancement rule was added to short track). He was also knocked out by crashes in both the 500m and the 1000m in Nagano.

Basically, say what you will about Bradbury but he did win a world championship to the line, although it was 11 years before Salt Lake (and, funny enough, on home ice).

Yowzah Fox...spot on me old china

[Faster]

The issue at hand, is that Bradbury raced and won understanding what happens in the sport and the event. He had been there and done that, and showed a far better knowledge of what was required to win at that time than his far more favoured opponents. Perhaps you might like to consider as a corroborative piece of evidence Hamelin's win on the weekend. But of course, as a Canadian it was all skill wasn't it.

So go away, read up on iconic Olympians like Billy Mills, Josy Barthels, Alain Mimoun, Dan Jensen, Daley Thompson and all the other champions who understand that you need tactical cunning as well as natural talent, perseverance and sheer guts to make your own luck.

Bradbury's ridiculous luck:

Quarter-finals: finishes 3rd, Gagnon gets disqualified he moves into the semis

Semi-finals: well back of the other 4 racers, 3 fall he is into the final

Final: was over 10 meters behind the top 4 guys, the Korea took out Ohno and Turcotte and he wins by shear, unadulterated luck. He wasn't the best skater, wasn't the best by a mile. He won because of 1 in a million series of events that you would be hard pressed to get if you ran the race a 1000 times again.

As for Hamelin, the Korean lost an edge as Hamelin was trying to pass and it was remarkable that Hamelin stayed on his skates, so yes it was skill and being the best as to why Hamelin won. He went on to win a second gold medal and is a multiple time world champion. You don't get that by having horseshoes up your arse.

[krow]

Bradbury's ridiculous luck:

Quarter-finals: finishes 3rd, Gagnon gets disqualified he moves into the semis

Semi-finals: well back of the other 4 racers, 3 fall he is into the final

Final: was over 10 meters behind the top 4 guys, the Korea took out Ohno and Turcotte and he wins by shear, unadulterated luck. He wasn't the best skater, wasn't the best by a mile. He won because of 1 in a million series of events that you would be hard pressed to get if you ran the race a 1000 times again.

thank you for researching/remembering the other races. i remembered he sucked a whole bunch that olympics, but i forgot just how lucky he got.

the australian response seems to be 'well he used to be good, so he deserved it.' i don't really buy that, but it does make a touching swan song/sunset of his career story and that's been a big part of the olympics lately, especially from NBC's perspective.

[LuigiVercotti]

thank you for researching/remembering the other races. i remembered he sucked a whole bunch that olympics, but i forgot just how lucky he got.

the australian response seems to be 'well he used to be good, so he deserved it.' i don't really buy that, but it does make a touching swan song/sunset of his career story and that's been a big part of the olympics lately, especially from NBC's perspective.

Sorry to hear that you've had your Canadian citizenship revoked fox334....still, I guess when you brought up Bradbury's career history it showed that he obviously had no understanding of the tactical nuances of his sport (or his own capabilities) because he kept losing the chance to win medals at the Olympics until he avoided being DQ'ed (because of infringing the rules of the sport) or avoiding other skaters who couldn't stay on their feet.

[krow]

or avoiding other skaters who couldn't stay on their feet.

well isn't that a nice euphemism for couldn't keep up.

[LuigiVercotti]

well isn't that a nice euphemism for couldn't keep up.

No, it's a euphemism for gold medallist

Edited March 4, 2010 by eusebius65

[jawnbc]

Even Bradbury admitted it was a fluke.

[LuigiVercotti]

The man's words from his own website (apologies for the capitalisation, that's the format from his page) :

'DOING A BRADBURY' has now become a permanent part of the Australian vernacular meaning 'A FLUKEY SUCCESS'. Luck played a part in Steven's SUCCESS but his gold medal win was not as fortuitous as many believe. Bradbury knew his limitations and also the unpredictable nature of short track racing. Just like in BUSINESS, STRATEGY and PLANNING were KEY INGREDIENTS in his SUCCESS.

When your moment to shine presents itself will YOU be IN POSITION and PREPARED to be the next to 'DO A BRADBURY'.

[Faster]

Of course he is gonna spin it and say it was his plan all along. The fact remains he is one of the must undeserving Olympic champions in history.