US track team sux

[sammyg2]

Note to the USOC, next time send someone who won't choke.

[gunlover05]

Any gold medals in your closet? Yes, the US Track and Field team has had some blunders this year, seemingly more than previous years, but not "suck" I contest.

One thing a lot of people don't understand...in the US, the majority of sports kids grow up dreaming of the big $$ in Baseball, football, and basketball (generalization here, but you get the drift)....that is where the vast majority of top talented athletes go...US Track and Field has some of the best athletes in the world despite our other big $$ sports, and Track in the US dosen't pay for squat really, unless you are the 100m world record holder...that is why Michael Johnson is a commentator for the BBC...

Big generalization here again, but the rest of the world is different...largely kids are focused on Soccer and Track and Field...every good US track athlete goes to Europe in the summer to make some $ in front of entire packed stadiums.

So my point is this, US Track and Field is still the dominant country in the world in the sport, despite all the other sports distractions the other countries don't really have....US has so far 20 medals vs next closest is Russia at 12....

[URY914]

Answer me this.....Why are the fasted sprinters from Caribbean islands? Jamaica, Trinidad, Cuba, even the US runners are from Florida.

Salt air? Rum? Reefer?

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Note to the USOC, next time send someone who won't choke.

Do you have some right as an American to winning gold medals? I didn't see that written down anywhere in the Bill of Rights.

[cmccuist]

If by suck you mean dominate, yes the US sucks.

Admitedly, the US has not had a great meet as we traditionaly do, but we still represented ourselves pretty nicely. Also, a lot of the medal winners from the other countries train in the US.

(I don't know how to format this table, but it shows the medals from this olympics).


Gold Silver Bronze Total
USA - United States 4 9 7 20
RUS - Russian Fed. 5 2 5 12
JAM - Jamaica 5 3 1 9
KEN - Kenya 2 4 2 8
BLR - Belarus 1 2 3 6
CUB - Cuba 1 2 1 4
GBR - Great Britain 1 2 1 4
ETH - Ethiopia 2 1 * 3
POL - Poland 1 1 * 2
ITA - Italy 1 1 2

[widgeon13]

Represented pretty nicely, heck we are an embarrassment! We should be winning some events but instead we are tripping over a hurdler or dropping the baton.

As I said the USA track team is an embarrassment. These are medals we should be winning hands down. We are just too cocky. Other competitors are running with heart, we think that because we are the best, someone is just going to give use the medal. It's the bad attitude that kills me.

I think these competitors have no national pride, their running for themselves not the country. It's all me, me, me!!

[cmccuist]

20 medals is not an embarrassment. When this thing is over we'll have twice as many track and field medals as the next country.

As far as attitude, you think Lolo Jones wasn't running with heart and pride? The anguish on her face was tangible. And the US swept both the mens 400 m and the 400m hurdles. Those guys were very humble and respectful of their win.

I'll give you that the relays were a disaster. The same attitude that makes someone a great sprinter also makes them a-holes (Usain Bolt).

I can't agree that this is an embarrasment for the US. The US track team under-performed, but still showed up and out-muscled the rest of the world.

[}{arlequin]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

Represented pretty nicely, heck we are an embarrassment! We should be winning some events but instead we are tripping over a hurdler or dropping the baton.

As I said the USA track team is an embarrassment. These are medals we should be winning hands down. We are just too cocky. Other competitors are running with heart, we think that because we are the best, someone is just going to give use the medal. It's the bad attitude that kills me.

I think these competitors have no national pride, their running for themselves not the country. It's all me, me, me!!

i couldn't agree more.

this was pretty poor performance by the relay teams. during one interview one of the men said that they practiced the hand off..... few days before.

FEW DAYS???? wtf son?!

this is the RE-LAY. it ain't about the running. the whole point is the baton aspect!!! and THAT, MOST VERY MOSTEST IMPPORTANTEST part of that discipline you only practiced a few days before????


LMAO...

they don't even realise how stupid they sound admitting this. that wasn't a team effort. that was collegiate hotshots doing their individualistic sprints w/ some 'stuff' thrown into the mix.

that's why they failed. i'm willing to bet they haven't focused on the most important part of the relay one bit. oh sure, 5-7 times they did a practice hand off in the u.s., then a few more in china but that's not how you train for this. this should be automatic for them. able to do with their eyes closed type of thing...

it was a poor showing of a team that hardly trained as a team

[widgeon13]

Look at these statistic and tell me we shouldn't be doing much better in track and field:

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/medals?countryId=79

Most of the other sports listed are not sports where you make millions of $$ but we do well in fencing, rowing, etc. Don't give me the title --- BS either.

These other kids have heart and want to win for themselves and the USA, the track and field team thinks they deserve the medals w/o busting their a$$e$.

I think most people go to the Olympics thinking that just attending is an honor, some of our athletes go thinking that they will be handed the medal just because they are there, it's the freakin attitude.

When they interview the women's soccer team, they are excited and proud, on the contrary, when they interview the track flops, they still have an attitude.

There is nothing wrong w/ a little humility whether you win or lose.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

When they interview the women's soccer team, they are excited and proud, on the contrary, when they interview the track flops, they still have an attitude.
.

Can we tell why that is? Does the team coach create that attitude in them? Does track and field attract arrogant people? What is the reason that, yes, the US T&F team is and have been a bunch of arrogant blowhards, that just as often fail miserably as they do succeed greatly?

Is it that T&F is a big draw for athletes, but to be good, you need to devote your life to it, and maybe the only ones who can pull that off have an elitist attitude...not based on their athletic prowess, but on their entitlements? They have a backer to financially support them, so they can train, so they must be better?

Who knows.

[widgeon13]

I think one of the fundamental issues is that T&F is an individual effort in most cases, team sports require a more cohesive effort.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by gunlover05

Any gold medals in your closet?

The exact same amount that the US 100m relay teams won last night.
I've also failed to qualify for an Olympic event exactly two times LESS than the US relay teams did last night, and I've dropped a baton exactly two times LESS than the US relay teams did last night.

Originally Posted by gunlover05

Track in the US doesn't pay for squat really, unless you are the 100m world record holder...that is why Michael Johnson is a commentator for the BBC...

That's why we have so many US track stars that are millionaires. The sponsorships and endorsement packages IF THEY DON'T DROP THE BATON are worth big bucks.

If they run hard and don't win that's fine. but both teams dropping the baton and failing to qualify? Inexcusable. Bush league, amateur night.

[TerryH]

Looks like the Russian wrestling team sucks.... or at least in the position to suck.

[serge944]

Medal count doesn't impress me when the US has 659 olympic athletes - more than any other country.

Hell, they have black athletes for track and basketball, and white athletes for swimming and gymnastics. There should be no reason why America shouldn't win! Most other countries only have one race to work with.