# Rio 2016 - which events are grabbing your attention so far?



## numptynoelle (7 August 2016)

Early days, I know, but which events have you enjoyed watching so far (apart from the eventing dressage)? 

I'm really enjoying the woman's rugby sevens. I haven't watched much woman's rugby before, but I love the sevens and think it's a great format for something like the Olympics. Fingers crossed for the quarter finals later tonight! 

Also have the fencing on at the moment, which I'd like a go at (but fear I'd probably trip over the sword or summat) :biggrin3:


----------



## Wishful (7 August 2016)

Fencing is great - co-ordination ie not tripping in an empty room not required...


----------



## numptynoelle (7 August 2016)

Really? I'd have thought you need the ability not to impale yourself on your own sword! I also think I'd probably struggle with resisting the urge to loudly and frequently quote from the Princess Bride :tongue3: (unless that's totally ok, in which case, I have some googling to do....)


----------



## fankino04 (7 August 2016)

I always become an avid swimming fan during the Olympics. I think it's coz the races are quite quick so I don't need to pay attention for long lol


----------



## Nicnac (7 August 2016)

As hubby played indoor and beach volleyball for his home country I am quite enjoying watching the men's beach VB.  

Fencing annoys me as they spend too much time dancing around with no action. The woman's synchronised diving was good, and the gymnastics until the French bloke snapped his leg yesterday :-(


----------



## numptynoelle (7 August 2016)

I really felt for the synchronised diving women - they were totally heartbroken when they were interviewed afterwards. 

It's all go in the sevens - so exciting! :smile3:


----------



## teapot (7 August 2016)

Sevens is incredible. Never really seen women play it before, I want to give it a try now.

Switched from the Eventing to the cycling road race and saw a horrific crash. Did anyone else see it? It's incredible the woman is still alive. I can watch rowing all day too, and caught a fantastic women's tennis match last night. Basically I bloody love all of it for the most part.


----------



## concorde (7 August 2016)

Love the cycling.
The lady's road race is even more exciting than the men's.
I love the sprint finishes they pull out after cycling for hours and hours !
Apparently the lady from the crash is ok , it looked horrific


----------



## teapot (7 August 2016)

latest is that she has three cracks in her spine, a concussion and is in ICU, so not that ok


----------



## Wishful (8 August 2016)

numptynoelle said:



			Really? I'd have thought you need the ability not to impale yourself on your own sword! I also think I'd probably struggle with resisting the urge to loudly and frequently quote from the Princess Bride :tongue3: (unless that's totally ok, in which case, I have some googling to do....)
		
Click to expand...

Quoting from the Princess Bride is not unusual - and if unusual and despite being unable to make it through a door without hitting the handle with my arm I was pretty good when I was younger.


----------



## TheOldTrout (8 August 2016)

It doesn't sound like it's much of a spectator sport, but I love watching the archery. I think it's such a beautiful movement when they pull on the bow (don't know the technical term) - you can just feel the ribcage expanding and the lungs filling and the shoulders pulling back.


----------



## Lexi_ (8 August 2016)

Everything! All the sports! I love the Olympics.

I find handball absolutely fascinating - we watched hours of it during the last Olympics. Gymnastics is always brilliant. I can get very worked up about any British involvement in any sport though. No prior knowledge or interest required 

ETA - I have zero interest in rugby usually but the 7s is great fun to watch. For the purists, is it like the 20/20 form of rugby?


----------



## Amye (8 August 2016)

I also love the Olympics!! I try to catch everything I can  I am liking the rugby - don't normally take an interest but our girls are doing amazingly! Watched some of the canoeing yesterday too which was quite interesting - fast runs keeps the tension up. Also watched the womens synchronised diving which was great, such a tight result! 

Also watched the cycling but was disappointed our guys didn't do better


----------



## Crackerz (8 August 2016)

teapot said:



			Sevens is incredible. Never really seen women play it before, I want to give it a try now.

Switched from the Eventing to the cycling road race and saw a horrific crash. Did anyone else see it? It's incredible the woman is still alive. I can watch rowing all day too, and caught a fantastic women's tennis match last night. Basically I bloody love all of it for the most part.
		
Click to expand...

I saw the crash, i don't normally react to things on TV but i said a few times 'she's not moving!!' to OH.
She's out of ICU and tweeting this morning so atleast it's only broken bones and nothing more serious as she took a flyer!


I love the swimming and diving, and all the track stuff


----------



## Annagain (8 August 2016)

I love it all to be honest. Always have. I'll watch any of it! I have vague memories of LA in 84 (mainly Daley Thompson, Tessa Sanderson and Carl Lewis) when I was 6, but the first one I remember properly was 88. So far  I've enjoyed the gymnastics and the diving in particular (I like the technical things when I can be a judge too, even though I know very little about most of them!) spent hours supporting Geraint Thomas in the road race (as a fellow Welshy) and was gutted when he crashed out (really hope he gets given a slot in the time trial, he so deserves it) and watched a few of the swimming heats but finals are on too late. None compare to the Eventing of course!


----------



## TheOldTrout (8 August 2016)

I like the relays in the athletics too. The changeovers somehow make it so much more interesting than just individuals running!


----------



## teapot (8 August 2016)

Lexi_ said:



			ETA - I have zero interest in rugby usually but the 7s is great fun to watch. For the purists, is it like the 20/20 form of rugby?
		
Click to expand...

That's a good way of describing it. It's the best of both union and league. The men's will be even faster! 

I stayed up to watch the tennis, poor Novak was beside himself and the swimming!


----------



## Crazy_cat_lady (8 August 2016)

Can never say no to swooning over, sorry watching, the men's diving and swimming


----------



## numptynoelle (8 August 2016)

Fingers crossed for the womans sevens bronze medal match! Can't wait for the mens to get going - someone I was at uni with is in the team! :smile3:

I enjoyed watching the shooting earlier - and now I have the diving on. I'd get serious vertigo on top of that board!


----------



## LeannePip (8 August 2016)

I love the gymnastics and watched a bit of the indoor women volley ball today and some shooting.  i really enjoy the diving - anyone know when more of that is on?


----------



## LeannePip (8 August 2016)

Found it - just in time for Tom and his tiny shorts!


----------



## Crazy_cat_lady (8 August 2016)

China are incredible it's like it's one person USA are doing well too so looks like the competition is mainly for bronze. 

There's no way I'd go near that diving board let alone come off it doing all those twists etc. And the ones where they do the reverse handstands on it &#128552;&#128552;&#128552;&#128552;


----------



## deb_l222 (8 August 2016)

I love all of it, I'm obsessed with all things Olympic ha.  Not keen on boxing though. 

I'm seriously disappointed about the swimming timetable though as swimming is my own personal sport of choice but I'm not prepared to stay up until stupid o'clock in the morning to watch it.  

Loving the synchronised 'who has the best abdominals' diving currently on beeb one.


----------



## stencilface (8 August 2016)

LOVING the men's diving (although I also watched the women's yesterday)

How do they fit in those shorts? :eek3: and I think those Russian boys need some feeding up.


----------



## numptynoelle (8 August 2016)

Wooo - bronze in the diving! :biggrin3:


----------



## Crazy_cat_lady (8 August 2016)

Wow that was tense! What a fantastic result.


----------



## teapot (8 August 2016)

deb_l222 said:



			I love all of it, I'm obsessed with all things Olympic ha.  Not keen on boxing though. 

I'm seriously disappointed about the swimming timetable though as swimming is my own personal sport of choice but I'm not prepared to stay up until stupid o'clock in the morning to watch it.  

Loving the synchronised 'who has the best abdominals' diving currently on beeb one.
		
Click to expand...

Blame NBC for the swimming times.


----------



## Peregrine Falcon (8 August 2016)

Yippee, another bronze.


----------



## Crazy_cat_lady (8 August 2016)

Watching the men's gymnastics then I'll go to bed. Really don't get how this works I'd have thought they all do each bit of apparatus but sounded like some have only qualified for some events unless that's the individual?


----------



## LeannePip (9 August 2016)

stencilface said:



			LOVING the men's diving (although I also watched the women's yesterday)

How do they fit in those shorts? :eek3: and I think those Russian boys need some feeding up.
		
Click to expand...

How do the shorts not come off, plenty of times i've attempted to dive in the pool wearing a bikini and had to rescue the bottoms from my knees on entering the pool!



Crazy_cat_lady said:



			Watching the men's gymnastics then I'll go to bed. Really don't get how this works I'd have thought they all do each bit of apparatus but sounded like some have only qualified for some events unless that's the individual?
		
Click to expand...

There was a preliminary round earlier in the week and from what i've gathered the 5 or 6 of them all walk round the equipment together and the teams nominate 4 people on each piece of equipment of which 3 scores count towards the teams total the individuals score also qualifies them for the final of that piece of apparatus as well.  Last night was the team final as far as i'm aware they have to have competed on that piece of equipment in the preliminary round to be able to do it in the final and i think its 3 compete without a drop score this time.

looking forward to the individuals!


----------



## Annagain (9 August 2016)

LeannePip said:



			How do the shorts not come off, plenty of times i've attempted to dive in the pool wearing a bikini and had to rescue the bottoms from my knees on entering the pool!



There was a preliminary round earlier in the week and from what i've gathered the 5 or 6 of them all walk round the equipment together and the teams nominate 4 people on each piece of equipment of which 3 scores count towards the teams total the individuals score also qualifies them for the final of that piece of apparatus as well.  Last night was the team final as far as i'm aware they have to have competed on that piece of equipment in the preliminary round to be able to do it in the final and i think its 3 compete without a drop score this time.

looking forward to the individuals!
		
Click to expand...

Yes, the qualifying round also qualified them for individual apparatus finals - the top 12 (I think?) from qualifying go through to the individual apparatus finals. There's also the all-around where your total from all 6 apparatus give an overall champion, which again they qualify for by doing all 6 apparatus in the qualifier.


----------



## sasquatch (9 August 2016)

apart from the equestrian, I have been really enjoying the 7s and want to start playing.

Gymnastics I'm also enjoying, not fussed on swimming at all but the diving was really good!


----------



## ldlp111 (9 August 2016)

I find it quite interesting watching any of the sports. Also proud of the fact a relative of mine is competing at the olympics(or should say competed) He won bronze in the mens trap shooting 

Is it bad that i'm wanting to watch the jumping part of the pentathlon, interested to see what horses they've got this time


----------



## Crazy_cat_lady (9 August 2016)

Eew not sure I'd want to be diving into that diving pool! 

Ldlp  well done to your relative bet you're very proud!


----------



## numptynoelle (9 August 2016)

The diving pool is definitely a very different colour to yesterday! :eek3:


----------



## deb_l222 (9 August 2016)

Oh my life, the American ladies gymnastic team are just phenomenal.  How much dedication does it take to perform like that????  Don't really want to think about it while I'm flopped out in my Holiday Inn hotel room, eating rubbish ha ha.


----------



## TheOldTrout (10 August 2016)

deb_l222 said:



			Oh my life, the American ladies gymnastic team are just phenomenal.  How much dedication does it take to perform like that????  Don't really want to think about it while I'm flopped out in my Holiday Inn hotel room, eating rubbish ha ha.
		
Click to expand...

When we were watching the gymnastics, my OH said 'It shouldn't be possible to do that!' Some of those tumbles, and the asymmetric bars, were just amazing.


----------



## duckling (10 August 2016)

I'm loving the rugby sevens - never watched it before but it's great viewing, though gutted for our ladies team missing out on the bronze though particularly as they'd already beaten Canada once. 

Also enjoying the swimming, diving and gymnastics, the floor routines from the American girls last night were brilliant. Looking forward to when the athletics starts.


----------



## teapot (10 August 2016)

Sevens was good and GB did well to beat Canada the first time, they were expected to win bronze and they did. Team GB didn't look the same after playing New Zealand sadly. 

I want to the cycling to start and the weather to improve so the rowing can get going, we might get some medals then.


----------



## deb_l222 (10 August 2016)

Oooh how tense was the last round of diving????  Loved the commentary "re-dives, failed dives and a green pool.  I can't cope". 

Bagged the gold though, how brilliant is that.  I just lurve the Olympics, will be so sad when it's over.


----------



## numptynoelle (10 August 2016)

deb_l222 said:



			Oooh how tense was the last round of diving????  Loved the commentary "re-dives, failed dives and a green pool.  I can't cope". 

Bagged the gold though, how brilliant is that.  I just lurve the Olympics, will be so sad when it's over.
		
Click to expand...

I love Leon's commentary for the diving - he's so exuberant and clearly loves it to bits! Fantastic medal - didn't realise Chris Mears has been so ill.  I've just had a look at his Wikipedia page, it's extraordinary - although someone has been very quick to take the mick out of Tom Daley :biggrin3:



			"Despite being told that he would never dive again, Mears made a slow introduction back into diving, and went on to compete eighteen months later at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India. He does however still to this day have a trademark 12-inch scar down the middle of his abdomen, curtailing his abdominal movement,[4] and an Olympic gold medal #TakeThatTomDaley.
		
Click to expand...


----------



## Crazy_cat_lady (10 August 2016)

What a good night for medals. So far we seem to be doing well in the sports we haven't been so "expected " to eg the diving. 
The diving gold and gymnastics bronze are especially good as usually they have such a strong Chinese / Russian stronghold. Usually diving you think China gold then the other 2 medals are up for grabs.
I also love how Leon gets so excited when he's commentating really adds to the excitement unfortunately missed the last couple of dives today as was at the cinema but with Tom and Dan on Monday he was making it even more exciting than it already was and he's so knowledgeable.


----------

