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Post by jhar26 on Feb 20, 2010 14:34:10 GMT -5
You know a lot about speedskating, Arjan. How about that womens super G race, huh? For awhile it looked as though half the field wouldn't reach the finishing line! Still - terrific race, but how dare those two you know whats race faster than Lindsey Vonn!? But to get another medal with that bronze is still a great achievement.
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Post by arjan on Feb 20, 2010 14:47:16 GMT -5
I fell in half way... saw Vonn finish as #1 at the time. I don't know about Vonn, was more disappointed to see Mancuso 4th at that time and 9th at the end. But I don't know all these girls really Before the Olympics I hadn't heard of any of them. Now I see the same names at every discipline in varying order
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Post by jhar26 on Feb 20, 2010 15:17:33 GMT -5
I fell in half way... saw Vonn finish as #1 at the time. I don't know about Vonn, was more disappointed to see Mancuso 4th at that time and 9th at the end. But I don't know all these girls really Before the Olympics I hadn't heard of any of them. Now I see the same names at every discipline in varying order Mancuso had the missfortune that she was the first one to race. I don't understand why because (I think) that usually the best skiiers are in the second group after the first 15 racers. BTW: I don't know those girls either, although I recognize some of the names. I just picked Vonn as a fave because it's more fun to watch when you support someone. Besides, she looks good in a bikini.
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Post by jhar26 on Feb 20, 2010 20:59:00 GMT -5
Congrats, Arjan! What a race from Mark Tuitert!
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Post by arjan on Feb 20, 2010 22:19:12 GMT -5
A great race indeed! Imagine both Davis and Bokko were faster than the track record, also the #1 time from last year's world championship, and Tuitert half a second faster! Brilliant race.
This really is a career saver for Tuitert. He was European Champion a long time ago but has been struggling ever since, with health, technique, a difficult decission to focus on the middle distances and stop all rounding, so it's great that he now won.
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Post by arjan on Feb 21, 2010 14:51:14 GMT -5
Tonight it's the ladies turn for the 1500. Looking at the race yesterday, it will probably be specialists and maybe a long distance skater who end high. Good perspectives for Nesbitt and Groves, but also Wüst and van Riessen and maybe Anschutz, Sabiklova, Schussler or even Tabata. I see less chance for Gerritsen and Boer on this distance but maybe they'll surprise everyone. It will be exciting again... starts at midnight european time.
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Post by jhar26 on Feb 21, 2010 15:27:47 GMT -5
Thanks. Your skating previews are always helpfull.
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Post by jhar26 on Feb 21, 2010 18:42:03 GMT -5
Gerritsen
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Post by arjan on Feb 21, 2010 18:53:53 GMT -5
Very difficult to tell how good her time is. Looking at the races of last year on this track only Groves was faster (who was then disqualified). But that was then. It will be top 10 I'm sure, but top 6? Top 3? Who knows...
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Post by jhar26 on Feb 21, 2010 19:35:34 GMT -5
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Post by arjan on Feb 21, 2010 19:45:41 GMT -5
Yeah! Great performance of Wust, peaking at the right time. 4 years ago she won gold at the 3000, she won more championships but also had very difficult seasons from training too hard, her entire team had difficulties but the last year she steadily grew to a new good form and today it all paid off.
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Post by arjan on Feb 21, 2010 19:54:37 GMT -5
Cool, she got her medal right away in the stadium. That means she's got hers even before Tuitert gets his
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Post by arjan on Feb 23, 2010 12:45:45 GMT -5
Tonight the 10.000m. 25 laps. 16 skaters in 8 pairs, with 2 outstanding favourites: Sven Kramer and Bob de Jong. If all goes normal they divide gold and sliver. Bronze will be fought over by a 3rd Dutch, Arjen van der Kieft, but also russian Skobrev. Maybe the Korean Lee who won silver at the 5000 will surprise us, or Fabris finds his right shape again. Other surprises are almost impossible, though you never know. Oh yeah, it starts in just over an hour.
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Post by erik on Feb 23, 2010 13:19:36 GMT -5
Quote by arjan:
I'll probably catch it on tape-delay during NBC's prime-time coverage.
People think that long-track speed skating, especially at the 10,000 meter distance (which, if I figure it right, is 10 kiometers), is dull because they skate in pairings instead of one jumble (like in short-track). Personally, though, I cringe in short-track races because it always looks like a train wreck waiting to happen.
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Post by arjan on Feb 23, 2010 13:43:12 GMT -5
Fabris won't skate. Hopefully there'll be a replacement, probably Makovsky (canada), else Contin will have to skate alone, not a pleasure at this distance.
Agree about shorttrack. Also, I like the 10k because it gives a great opportunity to build a race. You can see how well a skater does by his lap times and the difference between the laps of a skater and of course also between each skater.
Specially in Asia most people find the 10k horribly boring and impossible to do. Occasionally there's someone who can do it, Japan had a few (Shirahata, Aoyanagi some years ago) but usually it's a European distance.
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Post by jhar26 on Feb 23, 2010 14:25:46 GMT -5
I'm glad the speedskating is back. Yesterday was kinda boring without the speedskating and/or skiing.
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Post by arjan on Feb 23, 2010 14:39:33 GMT -5
Yes, I found myslef watching Curling at some point Well, it was women curling so not that bad really
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Post by jhar26 on Feb 23, 2010 14:44:24 GMT -5
Yes, I found myslef watching Curling at some point Well, it was women curling so not that bad really I only watched a bit of figure skating yesterday.
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Post by jhar26 on Feb 23, 2010 16:52:41 GMT -5
What a nightmare for Kramer! He was miles ahead of Lee!
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Post by arjan on Feb 23, 2010 17:10:00 GMT -5
His coach made an error. No idea what happened. He pointed to Kramer he was 3 seconds ahead and Kramer changed lanes. No idea if the coach pointed to the wrong lane or if Kramer misinterpreted his direction but he made a huge error.
In the studio, Veldkamp is outraged. He can't believe Kramer was able to change wrong, can't understand why the coach would give a direction and if so, why Kramer acted to that. This will definately be a bit problem in the skater/coach relationship.
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Post by jhar26 on Feb 23, 2010 17:17:33 GMT -5
His coach made an error. No idea what happened. He pointed to Kramer he was 3 seconds ahead and Kramer changed lanes. No idea if the coach pointed to the wrong lane or if Kramer misinterpreted his direction but he made a huge error. In the studio, Veldkamp is outraged. He can't believe Kramer was able to change wrong, can't understand why the coach would give a direction and if so, why Kramer acted to that. This will definately be a bit problem in the skater/coach relationship. I can understand Kramer making the mistake if his coach shouts and points that he should change lanes. It's just a reflex reaction from him. It's not as though he has ten seconds to think about it. Classy response from him in the interview just now.
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Post by arjan on Feb 23, 2010 17:35:53 GMT -5
Good that he did an interview indeed. Will take a while before Kemkers does the same I suppose. Tomorrow at the 5km ladies there is none of Kemkers' skaters. But the the team pursuit, Kramer is the main man there and Kemkers will play an important part there too. So maybe they'll use tomorrow to talk things over and then focus on the pursuit.
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Post by erik on Feb 23, 2010 22:37:15 GMT -5
Quote by arjan:
I think the main part of it supposedly being boring is that they go around the same track 30+ times in a 10,000 meter race. But yes, it does build a race up, because sometimes the margin of victory in any pairing can be by the mere width of a participant's skates.
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Post by arjan on Feb 24, 2010 2:10:46 GMT -5
Actually it's only 25 laps, not 30+
Wow, still feels unreal everything that happened yesterday.
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Post by erik on Feb 24, 2010 10:14:40 GMT -5
Yes, how does a coach miss what seems like a fairly simple rule? It's mind-boggling!
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