Go Team USA!

Rakefur · August 09, 2012, 07:47:14 PM

I just wanted to say Team USA has pulled ahead, mainly cause of Track & Field, just as I predicted.

Medal count
Leaders                  Total
1. United States   39   25   26   90
2. China     37   24   19   80
3. Great Britain   25   13   14   52

Woot!

Genevieve · August 09, 2012, 09:48:37 PM

Well Australia just cracked the top ten, so... yeah.

Gen. Volkov · August 09, 2012, 11:34:55 PM

London bookies are no longer taking bets on the US winning the medal count, either golds or most medals. Apparently the US is too heavily favored to win the majority of tomorrow's events or something.

Oh, and I think ESPN should get the rights to the 2016 Rio games. NBC's coverage blows chunks.

Firetooth · August 10, 2012, 04:59:40 AM

You have about 5 times our population, and less than double our gold medals, so not that impressive. :P

Shadow · August 10, 2012, 10:13:55 AM

For fun I tallied up medals per million population for the current top few:

USA: 0.29
China: 0.06
Russia: 0.40
GB: 0.89
Germany: 0.46
Japan: 0.26
Australia: 1.33
France: 0.44
South Korea: 0.50
Canada: 0.49

GB and Australia are kicking butt for athletic ability per capita apparently.

Rakefur · August 10, 2012, 09:02:10 PM

Quote from: Firetooth on August 10, 2012, 04:59:40 AM
You have about 5 times our population, and less than double our gold medals, so not that impressive. :P

It's called Patriotism. LOL.

Shadow · August 10, 2012, 09:04:27 PM

apparently someone beat me to this

Grenada kicks all the butt

Gen. Volkov · August 11, 2012, 12:45:50 AM

QuoteYou have about 5 times our population, and less than double our gold medals, so not that impressive.

Except for the bit where we are beating China, who has like 4 times the combined population of the US and Britain.

Oh, and by the way, that's a what a loser would say. LOL.

Firetooth · August 11, 2012, 04:34:35 AM

^Yeah, well, China's medal per million population is even lousier then yours. :P

USA: 0.29
China: 0.06
GB: 0.89

Holby · August 11, 2012, 06:13:41 AM

Quote from: Shadow on August 10, 2012, 10:13:55 AM

GB and Australia are kicking [Behind] for athletic ability per capita apparently.

Unfortunately, all the news stories here are about how Australia has drastically underperformed.

The emphasis on sport in this country is kind of ridiculous.

Shadow · August 11, 2012, 07:25:49 AM

China has the excuse of being possibly the least developed country on that list.

Gen. Volkov · August 11, 2012, 11:36:05 PM

Quote^Yeah, well, China's medal per million population is even lousier then yours.

Which is my point Firegoose. It's not all about population. Also, way to redefine success. Loser. LOL.

Quote from: Shadow
China has the excuse of being possibly the least developed country on that list.

Eh, they are probably about as developed as Russia, and India isn't far behind them. Frankly though, given the amount of money China spends on it's athletes, anything less than topping the medal count is a failure for them. Just because you are a "less developed country" doesn't mean everything about you is second rate. China cares about the Olympics, it lavishes money on it's Olympic athletes and it starts training them in intensive schools sooner than pretty much any other country. When you combine that with their huge population, China should frankly dominate the Games.

Genevieve · August 12, 2012, 12:53:03 AM

Alrighty, I'm gonna be totally politically incorrect here. China of course have the most intensive training and recruiting system, but they're all Asian and are still going to be strongest in the sports typically suited to a prototypical Asian body-type. USA and GB have a more diverse ethnic pool, (i.e. black and white people) and therefore have a broader scope of success - particularly in track, where China have only won medals in the walking. If the USA and GB spent as much money and were as crazy in terms of training regimes as China, then they would kick China's butt.

Holby · August 12, 2012, 12:58:37 AM

Quote from: Gen. Volkov on August 11, 2012, 11:36:05 PM
Quote^Yeah, well, China's medal per million population is even lousier then yours.

Which is my point Firegoose. It's not all about population. Also, way to redefine success. Loser. LOL.

Yay for reinforcing American stereotypes!

Ashyra Nightwing · August 12, 2012, 08:40:09 AM

I thought I wouldn't really get into the Olympics but it just happened. I'm really enjoying the whole thing. Today I got on my bike for the first time in years and cycled around town quite a bit.

Basically, the Olympics has motivated me to attempt to get super in-shape so I can dress up as Catwoman for Halloween.

As for countries - I'm pretty pro-Jamaica at this point, they have the slamminest outfits.