2021 Tokyo Olympics

All for Netherlands for windsurfing.

 

NBA Players in the Olympics (excluding Team USA):

Argentina: Luca Vildoza (Knicks, although I don't think he played a game for them yet as he only signed in May), Facundo Campazzo (Nuggets), Gabriel Deck (Thunder). Former NBA Player Luis Scola is on the team.

Australia: Patty Mills (Spurs), Josh Green (Mavericks), Aron Baynes (Raptors), Dante Exum (was with Houston but now a free agent), Joe Ingles (Jazz), Matisse Thybulle (76ers)

Czech Republic: Tomáš Satoranský (Bulls)

France: Nicholas Batum (was with the LA Clippers in the playoffs), Rudy Gobert (Jazz), Frank Ntilikina (Knicks), Evan Fournier (Celtics)

Germany: Isaac Bonga (Wizards), Moritz Wagner (Magic)

Italy: Nico Mannion (Warriors), Danilo Gallinari (Hawks)

Japan: Rui Hachimura (Wizards)

Nigeria: Chimezie Metu (Kings), Josh Okogie (T'Wovles), Gabe Vincent (Heat), Jordan Nwora (Bucks. Was not a part of their Championship Parade), Precious Achiuwa (Heat), Jahlil Okafor (Pistons), KZ Okpala (Heat), Miye Oni (Jazz)

Slovenia: Vlatko Čančar (Nuggets), Luca Doncic (Mavericks)

Spain: Ricky Rubio (T'Wolves), Marc Gasol (Lakers), Willy Hernangómez (Pelicans), Juancho Hernangómez (T'Wolves). Former NBA Star Pau Gasol is on the team

 

Lord, this anime opening to NBC's main coverage...

EDIT: Jesus, Simone Biles launches her off the mat during her floor routine, and still outscores her team with that penalty.

 

Women's Street was weird. A bunch of babies competing. 2 13 year olds and a 16 year old were the medalists. But that Indonesian skater had a great attitude.

 

Simone Biles walked out after a goof on the vault. After failing to do the vault she had planned, she left the performing area and announced she would not continue to participate in the team competition. She may return for individual competition later.

Spoiler

The USA team wound up taking 2nd place.

 

Bummer about Biles.

 

AITA for thinking she cracked and quit on her team and using mental health as an excuse? Cuz you can't tell me mental health only affected her during the team competition, but she thinks shes good to go for the individuals just a day or 2 later.

 

The way she has talked about it, gives me the vibe this is something that pops up from time to time, and the year long wait, all the media attention and the entire situation of Tokyo just finally got to her. She was talking about shaking during the five hour wait from their earlier warm up. She looked off every time she hit the mat. In the qualifiers, warm ups and then her vault. She's clearly dealing with something. Considering this is a woman who has competed with broken toes and kidney stones and survived sexual assault. I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. My only slight judgement is, I wish she had told her team earlier, so they could properly prepare.

I hope she can compete in the all around and the apparatus events. But if she can't, she has nothing left to prove.

 

I mean, it was only 2 weeks ago she found out, as well as the rest of the world, that the FBI was sandbagging the investigation into her abuser. I think she has even said she felt it was important for on survivor to be represented on the team. Quarantine has affected everyone differently.

Simone Biles is the GOAT. And given her routines, if she is not up to par, she is risking serious injury.

It is just a stupid sport.

 

According to Deadline, Simone Biles has pulled out of the Individual All Around competition.
It has not been ruled out that she could participate in the event finals.
Jade Carey will take Simone's place in the All Around.
Sunisa Lee also has a good chance to medal there.

 

Disclaimer, the following are mainly my opinions on the situation, I don't profess to be a mental health expert or anything, and obviously I don't know Biles and so I could be totally off in my thoughts

Even though something has been "off" for the past while (maybe even since trials), my guess is that she felt like she could probably push through it (as she so often has before, as you say, with injuries and other pressures she's faced) without compromising the team, and with it being the other girls' first Olympics, she may not have wanted to worry them (was that the right choice, maybe not, but she is just human - not perfect). I think it was mostly in that moment, though, when she did that vault in the Team Event that it forced her to go "woah - whatever's been bothering me/been going on - has just turned dangerous" and she needed to step back and make a decision on what was best for her wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of the team if her headspace had gotten off to that degree.

I've seen so many people online (not necessarily here, but elsewhere) comment how "she should've just pushed through" or "you don't get athletes in football/basketball/baseball/soccer/insert almost any other sport here that just walk off the field and quit on their team like that" and it's like, well, in those other sports if an athlete isn't in the right headspace but chooses to push through anyway they're not running the risk of breaking their neck if they make a mistake.

I've listened to Nastia in some of the post Team-Event interviews (as well as read some thoughts from other gymnasts online) and most agree watching that vault - where she was supposed to do a 2 1/2 twist, did only a 1 1/2 and with that landing - it's clear that she got lost in the air/lost her air-sense/awareness (Nastia said it's sometimes referred to as having a case of the "twisties"). That it happens to a lot of gymnasts at one point or another, but when it happens at the Elite level - with the types of tricks that someone of Simone's caliber are able to throw down under normal circumstances - it can be incredibly dangerous to continue/try to push through it. The better option is to step back, assess what's going on mentally, work with yourself as well as your coaches and trainers to see if the mental block can be worked through so that serious - even life altering/permanent - injury can be avoided.

 

I think what a lot of people miss is that by withdrawing Simone Biles GUARANTEED her team a medal.

 

YTA.

As others have mentioned, Biles has competed with broken bones and having to deal with a coach that sexually abused her. Unless you've been in the same situation, you can't really comment on how her mental health should affect her.

 

The dragging of Simone makes me sick frankly. I watched her in the qualifiers and it was clear she wasn't right. She was making a number of uncharacteristic mistakes which alarmed me and I couldn't tell initially if it was just because what she was doing was that humanly difficult or if there was a mental thing going on. Then her vault the other night essentially confirmed something was going on. If she continued in the All Team Final, her chance of injury considering her difficult routine greatly increased.

Here's another thing. Say she does the individual event tonight, stinks up the joint, and cites her mental state during the press conference. The people complaining about her now would still criticize her for being "mentally weak". So if that's happening no matter what, why risk grave injury when she honestly has nothing left to prove? Plus now an alternate has a chance to make a name for herself.

Finally, I hate this talk that she's mentally weak. Pulling yourself out of the Olympics and saying it's because its mental health takes GUTS. You need to be mentally strong overall to cite that, knowing you'll have almost half the country criticizing you. Mentally weak would've been her faking a physical injury so she doesn't face the criticism. Hell she could've lied, and considering her reputation many Americans would've believed her.

 

Her reasoning is understandable, whether it's mental health or having anxiety so her stepping down gives her team a better chance. It's just that the double standard rubs me wrong. She's being lauded as a hero by the media for taking care of her mental health, but then at the same time Kyrie is being trashed for taking a break midseason due to mental health, or PG being called mentally weak when he said the bubble was affecting his mental health last year, thus affecting his playoff performance, or now saying the Olympic bubble and fan-less stadiums is a big stress factor while calling last year's ring the Mickey Mouse ring.

 

The double standard is not her fault.

And also, I think this is a gendered thing. Women are behind Simone and standing up for her, including former gymnasts. The men you mentioned are likely being trashed by other men. Just like Simone is being trashed by the likes of basement dwellers like Charles Kirk and Piers Morgan. I think toxic masculinity is to blame for people getting ragged on for taking care of their mental health.

 

She withdrew from the all around. Which means another American will be able to compete. I wish the best to all of them.

 

It's not the Olympics till the Athletics starts although I do enjoy the swimming.

I was once told by a coach if I practiced hard I could be a swimmer as I was decent but naturally my laziness took over and I didn't bother.

 

Suni stepped the f up! Love it!

 

Alexander Zverev def. King Djokovic!
The Dream of the Golden Slam is over.

 

It seems obvious (to me) that Spain will win for soccer and USA will win for basketball.

The rest will be fun to see, not sure who will win for other sports. I expected Djokovic to get the gold metal this year, so his loss was a surprise.

 

Mixed medley swimming relay final yesterday was an entertaining event. Well done Team Great Britain for winning gold.



GB got gold for the women's swimming medley relay today too.

Swimming is all done at the games now.

And the BMX women's and men's freestyle finals were great too with some breathtaking stunts. Well done again to GB for gold in the women's event.



BBC coverage of the Olympics is not great though because they don't have the main screening rights this year.

 

I love these mixed (gender) relays in various sports. It makes it even more interesting when at least one of the teams doesn’t send out the men and women in the standard order.