Fortnightly Fitness Fridays - What I've enjoyed these 2012 Olympic Games

This year is the first in many that I have been able to watch the Olympic games guilt free.

Source - Nigel Chadwick (creative commons)

During the 2000 games, I was in my final year of highschool. In Australia, the academic year runs to the calendar year, with exams around November. Thus, exam study took precedence over Olympic game watching.

In 2004, I was in my Honours year at university. Thesis writing took precedence over Olympic game watching.

In 2008, I was 6 months off finishing my PhD. My evenings were spent looking at Word, SPSS or Endnote (or moving between them in a demented dance), rather than watching TV.

So 2012, you see, has been quite welcome. Our PVR has been recording Olympic events virtually non-stop, and I can watch as much as I like. Or at least, as much as I like around work, other obligations, washing, cooking, and cleaning. So you know, a bit. A lot of it has been watched on fast forward.

Source - Nigel Chadwick (creative commons)

One of the things I've found hard, though, is the Australia media coverage of the events. This was worst in week one. According to the media, we were going to win lots of medals in the swimming. As it turns out, we didn't win as many medals as usual in the swimming, and those we did win tended not to be gold.

As far as I'm concerned, anyone who makes it to the Olympics has worked incredibly hard and has already proved their worth. If you place a medal, any medal, that should be a bonus. But I appreciate not everyone thinks that way, athletes included.

Australia has moved up the medal tally quite a bit the last few days, but it's still unlikely that we will reach our placing in 2008 (which was sixth). I can't say I mind. Here are some of my highlights of the games, gold and non-gold, and Australian and non-Australian.

• The 10,000m women's race. The winner, Tirunesh Dibaba from Ethopia, finished in 30 minutes and 20.75 seconds. That's an average pace of 19.86 km / hr. Amazing.

• Sanya Richards-Ross, from the USA, winning the 400m women's race. She finished third in Beijing but was clearly deserving of gold in London.

• Belinda Snell making a shot from about halfway down the basketball court, on the final buzzer, to take Australia to draw France in the women's basketball qualifying round. The fact that Australia lost in the overtime game mattered not at all. That shot was amazing.

• Lauren Mitchell, a Western Australian gymnast, finishing fifth on the women's gymnastics floor finals. She was delightfully composed and happy with her fifth place finish (no resentment or bitter spirits from her). She seemed to recognise that she did her best and that was what mattered.

• Gabrielle Douglas, from America, winning the all around women's gymnastics finals. Her background is inspiring and her moves were amazing.

• Sally Pearson winning gold in the 100m women's hurdles. She is such an inspiring athlete. I also loved that the second place winner, American Dawn Harper, seemed genuinely happy for Sally and with her own placing.

• The men's qualifying round for the pole vaulting. Steve Hooker, the Australian vaulter, is fun to watch at any time - he seems so casual and laid back, but then speeds into action when he competes. For the qualifying round, a team of vaulters, from different countries, won over the officials to allow 14 athletes through instead of 12, many of them after just one jump. I loved that.

• The 'Team GB' crew. Britain has pulled out all the stops for these Olympics, and has performed admirably both in the sporting events and in coordinating the games. On a few occasions, I've been tempted to switch allegiance and pull out my UK passport!

Source - Daniel Ochoa De Olza

I know the games aren't finished yet, but it's been a great two weeks thus far.

On a final side note, have you seen this page from the BBC? You put in your height and weight and it tells you which athletes your proportions are most like. Seriously fun!

What have you enjoyed, if you're watching the Olympics?

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