Olympic GDT - 28 July

[icarus]

Canadian athletes in action today (courtesy of the Canadian High Commission in London)

10:00 Cycling – Men’s Road Race, across London and Surrey
The first full day of Olympic competition kicks off with the men’s road race, 250km of gruelling cycling around London. It starts and finishes on the Mall and takes in some of London’s iconic landmarks including Hampton Court Palace and Box Hill in Surrey. Canada’s aptly named Ryder Hesjedal – winner of the 2012 Giro d’Italia – is our top cycling medal contender, but he recently sustained injuries in the Tour de France. He came 16th in the Beijing Olympics. Fingers crossed he’s back on form!

10:10 Rowing Heats of Men’s Eight, Eton Dorney
Canadian expectations are high as the men’s eight take to the water and begin their battle for glory. Gold medal winners in Beijing and the current world champions, the Canadian eight broke the world-best time a couple of months ago.

10:47 Men’s 400m Freestyle Swimming Heats/Final (19:49), Aquatic Centre
Ryan Cochrane, bronze medalist in the 1500m freestyle event in Beijing in 2008, has an outside chance of a medal in this Men’s 400m freestyle event. He was fifth at last year’s world championships. He will also be in action on August 3 and August 4 in the 1500m freestyle heats and, we hope, the final!

11:15 Women’s Basketball Preliminary Round Group B. Canada v. Russian Federation, Basketball Arena
The Canadian women’s basketball team make their return to Olympic competition since the 2000 Games in Sydney. Today they face tough opposition from the Russian Federation.

14.45 Women’s Football, First Round Group F. Canada v. South Africa, City of Coventry Stadium
Canada’s women’s football team, ranked seventh in the world, take on the South Africans who are ranked 61st. Pundits are saying it should be an easy win for Canada.

[getbak]

Live Now: China vs Russia in Women's Beach Volleyball: http://www.ctvolympics.ca/videos/cha...achvolley.html


Someone said they were making the "uniforms" more modest this year. Thankfully, it appears that is not true.

[GirlySports]

yeah those are revealing.

They're playing Benny Hill at women's beach volleyball!

[trackercowe]

Well already sick to death of the friggen song. Can't wait until it disappears altogether some day.

[Mike F]

Originally Posted by icarus

Canadian athletes in action today (courtesy of the Canadian High Commission in London)

10:00 Cycling – Men’s Road Race, across London and Surrey

Canada’s aptly named Ryder Hesjedal – winner of the 2012 Giro d’Italia – is our top cycling medal contender, but he recently sustained injuries in the Tour de France. He came 16th in the Beijing Olympics. Fingers crossed he’s back on form!

Ryder's strength comes more in the mountains than in a classic road race, so I don't think he's much of a threat here, even if healthy.

[nwflamesfan]

Tough start for the Mens Rowing Team.

[SebC]

LOL Phelps almossed missed the finals in the 400 individual medley. Cutting it close with the "conserve energy in the preliminaries" strategy.

[icarus]

I wandered down to the end of the road to watch the cyclists whizz past about 10-15 after the start. Now watching on tv but have only spotted Ryder once, near the back of the peloton. Quite a large leader pack heading towards Box Hill.

EDIT: Just saw Ryder on the coverage, moving up a bit it looks like.

Originally Posted by nwflamesfan

Tough start for the Mens Rowing Team.

No kidding, they completely fell off the map in their heat. How did that happen, I thought they were medal favourites?

[Mango]

What happens when Lochte steals Phelps' spotlight in the next few days?

[carom]

I'm going to head down to Barnes to watch the road race go by on the way back. I think I will head down there around 2:30-3ish.

Maybe the Canadian rowing team fell off so much because the heat was so strong and they want to save energy for the repechage? How did the Canadians do over the last year?

[icarus]

Big crash in the peloton.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog...-live?tw_p=twt

[SebC]

Ryan Cochrane (Canadian swimmer) might make his final on a disqualification.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by SebC

Ryan Cochrane (Canadian swimmer) might make his final on a disqualification.

Originally Posted by Reuters

Park, a national hero to his compatriots after winning gold in Beijing four years ago, paid the price for a schoolboy error in a heat he should never have lost. Officials at the Olympic Park's wave-shaped Aquatics Centre ruled that he had made a false start and scrubbed him from the times.

"That's the Olympics," said Canadian Ryan Cochrane, who qualified at Park's expense in the eighth place slot with China's Sun Yang now the clear favourite for gold in the absence of his big Asian rival. Park, who became South Korea's first Olympic swimming champion in Beijing, appeared baffled by the decision. Had he hesitated only a fraction of a second, he would have been in the clear in a distance where such a delay can easily be made up.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/lond...pics-live-blog

[Nandric]

Things finally starting to heat up in the road race and still 5 ascents up box hill left!

[icarus]

The Guardian live blog is rather quite amusing:

Interestingly, in much the same way as Great Britain have upped the pace in the peloton, there's been a visible shift in gear in the press room in the past 10 minutes. Men are sitting forward more in their chairs, hunching over their laptops with even more disregard for their lumbar regions, standing around televisions in small clusters chatting more volubly or walking around looking quite busy while holding bits of paper.

Not so much interestingly as surreally, I've noticed that the young lad sitting next to me has been following this rolling report. I have no idea whther or not he knows it's being written by the guy sitting next to him, but I suppose I'll soon find out: coffe with milk and two sugars, please, if you're reading this bloke in the blue and brown short sleeved check shirt who is seated between me and the white haired bloke reading the Mark Cavendish biography.

[Hells Bells]

Epic choke job by the Women's Basketball team.

Is there no softball in the Olympics anymore? As long as we get the Air Rifle competition.....

EDIT: They removed baseball & softball and already denied them re-entry for 2016. What a joke. I can understand baseball because of no agreement with MLB, but why softball? So many other sports deserve to be tossed before softball IMO. Oh well, maybe we'll see it again in 2020.

[fleuryisgod]

So is CTV actually doing any live streaming or is it all just on TV? I can't seem to find the proper link to watch anything other then highlights. Nevermind, finally found the live feeds.

[GirlySports]

Looks like the Brits messed up the Road Race. The lead group look uncatchable now.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

Come on Vinakourov! Go out with a bang!

[M*A*S*H 4077]

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!