Voice of the Quakers

Yes

Please, Amit - no over/under. Just use your 2-on-1.

For those who need a 2-minute warning. Elor's match should be next.

The Cuban Chilean has now advanced to the final without scoring a single offensive point. This is a problem.

Mixed relays are supported by smaller countries that may have two fast men and/or two fast women but not four fast men and/or four fast women on the track or in the pool; see the Dutch woman (Femke Bol) running down the US when the Dutch can't field a men's or women's team that compete against the US. I think the mixed events are a lot of fun and would love to see UWW figure out how to replicate the mixed judo event.

Still not sure I believe top Lopez is/was better than top Karelin, but five gold medals will speak for themselves. Lopez's positioning is top notch, his low gut is unstoppable, and he is so good at conserving energy. Wonder if he will have any thoughts on 2028 after these games are said and done.

Bruce Baumgartner was described as a moving brick wall in his prime. Same applies to Lopez.

Not yet

How do we create our Mijain Lopez-Teddy Riner dream match? Seems like gi/no gi makes all the difference.

Sweet lat drop from JPN for the win. Leg position and back arch (and 360 view) were just outstanding. Also, looks like a great crows for this session. Vibes were poor leading into these games, but it looks like the French are showing out for these events.

A six match session at 3P. Olympics gotta get their money.

KGZ with the last second TD! JPN is out of the running for gold. KGZ-NGR in the other semi opposite of Elor.

KGZ getting work done over JPN in the 4th women's quarterfinal.

I thought so, too. It was actually "Koumba" for the French wrestler who lost to NGR on the women's side.

Some of these challenges are really desperate, if understandable.

I believe the Cuban Chilean has just advanced to the semis without scoring an offensive point in his first two matches. This is a problem. Makes me respect Lopez's low gut on the Iranian that much more.

Wild match in the other quarter opposite Elor. PRK makes massive comeback when Indian opponent hurts her shoulder. Thought the Indian could've handled the situation (stalled) better. Elor will crush the North Korean in her semi.

16-man tournament. Opportunity to run a true double elimination with no wrestler competing in more than three bouts per day. But, FILA/UWW have never cared to use/understand the American bracket (you should've seen some of their attempts in 1995-96) and they never will.

He is. Left Cuba because he was behind Lopez. Smart. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasmani_Acosta#:~:text=Acosta started wrestling in Cuba,and the Cerro Pelado International.

It's been a long time since I've seen a wrestler just refuse to engage the way the Pole did against Elor. Almost backed straight out of the ring in the first 10 seconds. Could've easily been DQ'ed if Elor pressed the issue. But, Elor is smartly conserving her energy.

Back on topic, for better or worse. This article is worth your time. https://nypost.com/2024/08/02/opinion/issue-of-olympic-boxer-imane-khalif-is-complex-but-still-one-of-fairness/

As I mentioned in a thread regarding the ban on Russia - if the IOC had banned them for the rampant cheating during Sochi it wouldn't be tying itself into knots trying to ban them for these Paris games - the solution here is simple. The next time an Iranian refuses to compete against an Israeli, the IOC should throw all of the Iranians in that sport out of the games and tell Iran if it happens in another sport the entire country will be banned from Paris and LA. I don't care what your politics are. The Olympics are supposed to be about sport and above politics. (I know, I know). The Iranians are the ones refusing to compete due to politics so they are to blame. This nonsense has now spread to other countries and other sports (judo, with the lack of sportsmanship shown to Israeli competitors) and it has to stop.

Winkler had the A standard, but he only finished 8th in the 100 Fly last month (that was his best finish of the four events he entered at trials) and the US by rule can only take the top two finishers so long as they have the A standard (which they almost always do). So, he transferred to Germany mere weeks ago to compete in this year's games. He had represented the US in junior events. Of note, here are the ages of the swimmers who finished in front of him as of 12/31/24 (Winkler is 18): 28 (Dressel) 17 (Heilman) 22 (Rose) 27 (Harting) 21 (Hayes) 29 (Murphy) 22 (Miller) 18 (Winkler) You can assume four of those swimmers will attempt to make the 2028 games. And, the pipeline is producing plenty of fast kids who will challenge this group then. So, like our wrestling ex pats representing Mexico, Puerto Rico, and elsewhere, Winkler shuffled off to Germany. I think he will be the first of many US swimmers to find another home.

I think we are going to see more transfers moving forward. The entrant cap (852 total swimmers) essentially requires all swimmers to have an "A" standard to qualify for entry. You're no longer going to see countries be able to send good (by international standards) and not great swimmers to the games. Of note, Kaii Winkler, a Florida native and the top recruit in the HS class of 2024, just changed his athletic nationality rom the US to Germany after he finished 8th in the 100 Fly in the US Olympic Trials so he could compete in this year's games. (He is a dual citizen.) His best days are ahead of him, and he would've had a great chance to make the US team in 2028. But, he's made the unfortunately smart decision that it will be a lot easier to qualify out of Germany than the US moving forward. And, unlike with wrestling, once you compete for one country as a senior athlete it is almost impossible to compete for another.

I knew Jerry Brisco relatively well in the past - I used to coach his kids in high school when I was living in Tampa. Jerry told me the WWE loves recruiting wrestlers because they know how to work; that is, in a world of independent contractors and free spirits, they could count on wrestlers to show up to practice and events on time, put in the work, follow direction, etc. After that, some could pick up the stagecraft and some could not. As far as the name change for TMS and Chas Betts/Chad Gable, the WWE wants to control as much of the creative product as it can. No need to pay Chas Betts more to license his name for merchandise, etc., when the general public doesn't know he is. Changing Gable Steveson's name, on the other hand, would've been futile.