imlach

So, Paula Radcliffe retires from 4th (why? - only 4km to go!).

Then Steve Cram and Brendan Foster go on about how it wasn't a real test as it was not great conditions (presumably too hot). ie, it wasn't a real marathon or a "fair" test.

Err...not like they've not known that for 4 years to prepare. It's the same conditions for everyone!

yoza

Yeah, a bit sad that, crying sat on the roadside.

She was expected to win, so she was on a hideing to nothing.

ProperCharlie

imo it was too much of a test.

i felt gutted for paula, i must say. she looked like she just didn't know what to do.

i would have thought she would have carried on but maybe she was thought she might be better saving herself for the 10k as she was out of contention.

PG

Whats known as excuses. The English media do it all the time when they set their world beaters up for a fall

willy

I think we should be behind our athletes and not so quick to jump on them like the gutter press.
Just think about her previous achievements.
She`ll be back.

*****

imlach

Not jumping on them at all - more the excuses they come up with!

PG

I am aware of this mate.

anc-sti

Poor girl, I do think she doesn't handle the pressure to well, she didn't sleep at all last night apparently, not good a little nerves are OK to much can cause fatigue.

She will have put so much pressure on herself that when she saw the dream going away and she couldn't respond her mental strength cracked. She was only in the race for gold any other result would be a disapointment to her so carrying on would have been pointless. My heart goes out to her, hope she takes a long break and bounces back.

Shes still a star.

David Lock

Never a bloody bus when you want one


But good on yer gal for giving it your best.

gsm1

Didn't Brendan Foster also add that the favourite has never won since 1984?

She could have carried on, I'm sure, but she knew she wasn't going to get a medal so just gave up.

the chosen one

well its something the british people will have to get use to, we always over estimate our athletes and sports people, and we just get disappointed or frustrated with them when they don't meet or exceed our expectations, when really its our own fault for giving too high expectations to meet. prime examples are; tim henman "this year was his year"?, england football squad, paula radcliff. we as a nation mustn't be too optimistic and actually look at the whole picture sometimes and not to expect too much from others.

Daryl

Well, she does hold the world record, so I think we should have high hopes in her case!

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

Well, as I said in another thread - what a waste of space. Our participation in the athletics portion of this olympics has been completely woeful! Ratcliffe/Lewis retire, we don't have a finlaist in the men's or women's 100m, that triple jumper fluffed all his jumps - good going!

Thank christ for the valiant efforts of our cyclists, rowers, equestrianists, yachts-people (and anyone else in a 'minor' sport that has succeeded were our athletes have dismally failed).

Why was the marathon not a true race(?) - completely load of excuses given by the Beeb's commentators. Even a pi$$ed up british tourist knows that Greece in August in hot, hot hot - so why was it beyond our team to train for it?? Certainly didn't present a problem for the Japanese..........

ProperCharlie

jesus - give 'em a break why don't you?

there's a lot of counties out there and a lot of athletes - we aren't the only country to have promising athletes pull out or fail to achieve their maximum potential. it all comes down to the performance on the day, and not everyone will always be able to produce their best.

i'm just glad we have people competeing at all - if we get medals that's a bonus.

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, but nearly EVERY one of athletes so far have failed to produce the goods! They can't all be having bad days or can we blame all this on the weather???

ProperCharlie

err... 3 athletes haven't done as well as was hoped. others have done better than hoped.

i don't get this attitude that rejoices in declaring how sh*t we are at everything. if people do their best, that's ok for me.

(so long as we're not talking about football, that is. )

DEEDEE

I noticed that there where loads of speed cameras, Yes it must have been hard for them all, but the difference was some was wanted it.

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

I'm not saying that. I am truly chuffed with what our cyclists, horse-riders, rowers and sailors have done. They get far less support financially than athletics yet still prove themselves the best in the world. That's something to be really proud of!

I just do not understand why, with the resources available to our atheletes and their supposed training regimes, why they cannot produce the goods. Surely it is not unreasonable to expect a triple jumper to get at least one out of three jumps correct or to expect that at least one of our men could make the 100m final??

(And don't get me started on our football team - bunch of over paid, under achieving nancy-boys!)

DocJock

"it wasn't a real marathon or a "fair" test."

PMSL at our commentators. They ran from bloody Marathon to Athens so you could say that every _other_ marathon isn't a "real marathon"

the chosen one

personally preparations from most of our athletes are lacking, the whole selection for the GB squad is a bit screwed, they do trials way too early and thus allowing athletes which have been selected to lose form between that time and the olympics or any major events which requires selection processes.

ProperCharlie

that was disappointing - yes.

although video replay showed that the jumper's second effort was legal and therefore should have stood. he argued the point and was allowed to take his second jump again - and f*cked it up.

unclebuck

Quite! If any marathon is the real thing it's this one.

PMSL as the sycophantic BBC sport luvvies try to put positive spin on the reality.

UB

Iwan

Yeah but who controls the BBC, that's right - you guessed it!

Vote them out!

Daryl

But most of the above ARE minority sports, so surely it is easier (relatively speaking) to be successful at them.

druddle

Colin Jackson was saying yesterday that he wasnt sure about the recovery of athletes, and pointed at the rehydration process. He said they didnt look like they were recovering properly from heats/semis to the next races.

Sensible words from someone who knows what he's talking about...

Leslie

I found it really distressing to watch when it became too much for her to carry on. She always looks as though she is in pain towards the end of a race but this time it seemed different to me. Understandably she refused to talk to the media yesterday but said that she will tell all today. Whatever the reason I feel really sorry for her. She has been a tremendous representative for us in the past.

I must say I also find it irritating when the commentators start talking about injuries etc as soon as a competitor does not produce the performance we expected.

Les

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

Why???

They may be viewed as minor sports over here but other nations may view them in the same way that we view football, for example, as their national sport. The fact remains that each of these sports will be contested by the best that nations have to offer and the Brits beat them.

Pavlo

To all the pundits on here, go somewhere with 35ēC heat, run 26 miles 385 yards, then comment all you like about how poor a performance Paula put in. Until then, STFU.

Paul