| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
flakfizer
Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with a frayed rope.
|
 Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 5:09 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| nautilus wrote: |
| visitorq wrote: |
| not knocking the guy, but he was able to get like 14 golds just from swimming. But then somebody else who devotes their life to a sport like boxing, or a team sport like volleyball has to go through many rounds but can only win up to 1 medal. |
A gold in the marathon must be the worthiest prize in the olympics I guess. |
I'd go with the decathlon. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 5:39 am Post subject: |
|
|
Really? By my count, we are wayyyyyy ahead of Korea after today. And our medals for curling and hockey are still to come.
| VanIslander wrote: |
Twice this week I've heard how Korea is ahead of Canada in the Winter Olympics, as if Korea is somehow comparable in terms of winter sports
take away speed skating (both short and long track) - by guys who singlemindedly train since elementary school for that and that only - and they have nothing...
except Kim Yu-na (the poster child for Korean glory) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:24 am Post subject: |
|
|
| VanIslander wrote: |
except Kim Yu-na (the poster child for Korean glory) |
Koreans can finally get behind a FULL KOREAN. Not a gyopo. Not only that, but she is also dominating her sport. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 1:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Wow. So another victim of the sports boot camp can dominate a second sport.
Look at Korea's medal count. Every single event was some sort of speed skating.
Canada (just as one example) has won medals in speed skating, bobsledding, skeleton, snowboarding, skiing, pairs ice dancing, and expected to win medals in curling and hockey still. Maybe figure skating too.
Korea better thank their lucky stars there are so many medals for speed skating. Slash half the events and Korea loses half of their medals.
Here is the word of the day: DIVERSIFY.
| pkang0202 wrote: |
| VanIslander wrote: |
except Kim Yu-na (the poster child for Korean glory) |
Koreans can finally get behind a FULL KOREAN. Not a gyopo. Not only that, but she is also dominating her sport. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 9:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| BoholDiver wrote: |
W
Korea better thank their lucky stars there are so many medals for speed skating. |
Putting the cart before the horse aren't you?
It's likely because there are so many medals for speed skating that Korea has a heavy investment in athletes in that one area. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Who cares if some country has all their medals from one sport or its derivative? It's still a medal. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
itaewonguy
Joined: 25 Mar 2003
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
well we need to look at countries which are well diversified..
then USA deserves there top position..
I mean they are everywhere, in almost every event...
Korea are just on the ice ..
KIM YUNA yes, the greatest skater in the history.. she is an exception..
not to mention and its not only her.. she has team behind her..
Brian orser did a wonderful job coaching her.. and he is CANADIAN.. not korean..
but Koreans are great athletes, I mean summer and winter olympics they are always in the top 10... not bad for a small country like this.. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
misher
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
|
| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 4:29 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| but Koreans are great athletes, I mean summer and winter olympics they are always in the top 10... not bad for a small country like this.. |
Korea isn't exactly THAT small. It isn't any China or USA but almost 50 million people is a pretty good population size to draw from in my opinion. Norway I would classify as small. Heck, greater Pusan alone almost has just as many people.
On the other hand I do completely agree that Korea certainly punches above their weight, especially in the summer games. When their government sets an agenda with gold medals in mind, the athletes that are trained to fulfill this goal usually come out on top. If Korea gets the winter games in the foreseeable future then watch out. It won't just be gold medals in speed skating, short track and by Kim Yu Na. There will be other female Korean skaters, snowboarders, ski jumpers and maybe some nordic talent. Short track was the basket wherein they originally put their eggs because a small rink is cheap to build. Presently, however, Korea is a lot more wealthy and can centrally support elite programs in other sports if their government so chooses. If they start their kids in similar style speed skating programs that are well supported and demand the utmost excellence no matter what, then you are going to see a heck of a lot more talented Korean athletes. They have already improved so much in such a short amount of time. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
|
| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 5:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
From Olympics to Olympics, sports and medal counts change some. I can just image the burning effigies if and when the medals for speed skating get slashed.
Korea has shown expertise (though not dominance) in speed skating. It's time to start training hard in more sports.
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| BoholDiver wrote: |
W
Korea better thank their lucky stars there are so many medals for speed skating. |
Putting the cart before the horse aren't you?
It's likely because there are so many medals for speed skating that Korea has a heavy investment in athletes in that one area. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nautilus
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!
|
| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 7:11 am Post subject: |
|
|
| itaewonguy wrote: |
but Koreans are great athletes, I mean summer and winter olympics they are always in the top 10... not bad for a small country like this.. |
The greatest natural athletes in terms of body type, on average, are africans IMO. They just don't have the money to pour into training and development.
I don't see that Asians are naturally particularly athletic in terms of build, structure or physique. But if you throw enough money at it (as any top ten economy can) then you will be able to accentuate what talent you have.
Athletic prestige follows economic strength.
Which is why economic basket-case Russia isn't performing nearly as well as it used to. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cwflaneur
Joined: 04 Aug 2009
|
| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 7:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
| nautilus wrote: |
| itaewonguy wrote: |
but Koreans are great athletes, I mean summer and winter olympics they are always in the top 10... not bad for a small country like this.. |
The greatest natural athletes in terms of body type, on average, are africans IMO. They just don't have the money to pour into training and development.
I don't see that Asians are naturally particularly athletic in terms of build, structure or physique. But if you throw enough money at it (as any top ten economy can) then you will be able to accentuate what talent you have.
Athletic prestige follows economic strength.
Which is why economic basket-case Russia isn't performing nearly as well as it used to. |
Exactly. The very fact that the Olympics is structured on a national basis demonstrates that. It sounds crassly reductive but the sporting business itself is crass.
Of course, national size and wealth are not precisely proportional to the amount of investment that is put into it. Korea is one of the nations that just needs it more badly. The harder Korea wants to be noticed, the more it will be noticed - for a few days, once every two years.
This doesn't mean the day will ever come when Westerners outside of Korea no longer casually assume Samsung is a Japanese firm. Sorry, Korea. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
