Olympic Wrestling ... Day 5

[strange_daze]

24 minutes ago, Pinnacle said:

Again, in addition to disappointment there are better ways to express "raw emotion" than to demean 2nd place and diminish the Champion who also trained his heart out and won. 

"Create action, force him to wrestle me. Yeah, he scored one scramble, but I think the action favors me, and I let him hang on my hand and kind of just stand there. And he won one scramble and that was it."

I guess Higuchi didn't even show up and wrestle. Spencer just "let him" hang there and stand there and beat him. 

 

 

*Clutches pearls.*

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

Just now, gimpeltf said:

I could see he didn't really want to be there but he did everything asked and smiled when appropriate. To be fair, both Bronzes seemed aloof too but they all smiled for the Lee taken Selfie.

I think heavyweight is the only weight class where there’s any chance all medalists tend to look legitimately happy to be there. 
 

Taha was great on the heavyweight podium in Tokyo. Heavys are just a different breed. 

[gimpeltf]

George Carlin did a skit on contradictions in terms. Military intelligence, business ethics, jumbo shrimp. Usually we could add Heavyweight wrestler!

[lu1979]

12 hours ago, billyhoyle said:

What did he say that was so terrible? He was wrong about nobody remember silver in 20 years.  Stephen Abas wrecked by Batirov 20 years ago in the finals at the same weight.  But Lee is right to be disappointed in the result from this tournament. He was the favorite going into the tournament, and the best wrestler in the weight wasn't even there. He should be proud about his career as a whole, and I'm sure he will be. All that was represented in that interview was an athlete being honest about how he felt at the moment. 

No reasonable unbiased person who follows FS wrestling would have said Lee was a favorite going into these Olympics. Many Americans (including me) hoped and thought he could win due to his age group and college resume.  After Ugaev and Micic withdrew Higachi and Abakarov had to be considered co favorites based on FS resumes and recent results.  Both ended up on the other side of the bracket from Lee. Abakarov wrestled like crap (damned near lost to Fafe from Guinea-Bissau) Higachi is a great wrestler and he had a tight competitive match with Spencer which he pulled out win. Would the result have been different if Spencer opened up more?  Possibly but we will never know.

[billyhoyle]

3 hours ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

Uguev has won maybe three international matches since Tokyo and has lost two. 3-2 record or something similar. Definitely not a favorite. 
 

He was fun in his prime though. 

Both those losses were in criteria, one to “57 kg” Micic, the other in repechage. I think he would have won this tournament. 

[billyhoyle]

1 hour ago, lu1979 said:

No reasonable unbiased person who follows FS wrestling would have said Lee was a favorite going into these Olympics. Many Americans (including me) hoped and thought he could win due to his age group and college resume.  After Ugaev and Micic withdrew Higachi and Abakarov had to be considered co favorites based on FS resumes and recent results.  Both ended up on the other side of the bracket from Lee. Abakarov wrestled like crap (damned near lost to Fafe from Guinea-Bissau) Higachi is a great wrestler and he had a tight competitive match with Spencer which he pulled out win. Would the result have been different if Spencer opened up more?  Possibly but we will never know.

Except the betting lines literally had him as the favorite…

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

20 minutes ago, billyhoyle said:

Except the betting lines literally had him as the favorite…

Except the betting lines were American gambling sites and influenced by Americans who put money heavily into all US wrestlers. Disproportionately. 

Very few “in the know” people, especially outside the US, would pick Lee over Higuchi. 
 

But heaven forbid we examine it a little deeper. Same sites had Dake at more than -1000. Anyone who watched his run last year knew that was absurd. 
 

But technically you’re not “wrong. “

Edited August 10 by Interviewed_at_Weehawken

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

22 minutes ago, billyhoyle said:

Both those losses were in criteria, one to “57 kg” Micic, the other in repechage. I think he would have won this tournament. 

Hahaha 

You really think Micic cheated weight in front of every other 57 kg in the world? Twice?

And criteria losses don’t count?

Edited August 10 by Interviewed_at_Weehawken

[pokemonster]

19 hours ago, bnwtwg said:

I am a coach. I don't hold this same attitude for kids or even college kids. I do for my professional peers and Olympic athletes. I'm not an Olympian but I am one of the best at what I do for what is arguably the best company in the world. I don't apologize, but I wouldn't expect you to understand.

The best in the world at the best company in the world? We got Steve Jobs back from the dead?

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

6 minutes ago, pokemonster said:

The best in the world at the best company in the world? We got Steve Jobs back from the dead?