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Fumbling towards ignominy

JAMES CHRISTIE

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 10:55 PM EST 22/08/08

Relay drops cap miserable track competition for the U.S., which has been usurped by Jamaica ...Read the full article

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  1. Janice Cooper from Canada writes: Congratulations to Bolt. He is to all appearances a very talented and non-arrogant guy. Nice to see someone like that realize his goals.
  2. Hugo Lapointe from Canada writes: What a regrettable title to such a low impact story...
  3. B I from Toronto, Canada writes: This story will realize it's high impact on Saturday morning when the Jamaican 4x100m men's relay team breaks the U.S. performance enhanced World Record. The only question remains is will the Jamaican women do the same?

    Canada is incidentally well poised for a bronze in this event with the U.S. out if the start and handoffs go as Glenroy Gilbert has planned and taught these kids.
  4. varun xm from toronto, Canada writes: This is a beautiful line, "because in the middle of the pack, a teammate might not catch up to him with the baton"... :-) Dude's a rock(et)star.
  5. B I from Toronto, Canada writes: self correction: The relay finals are on Friday (tomorrow) morning Canadian time, not Saturday.
  6. Ricky for a Centrist Canada from Canada writes:
    Goes to show you what happens when the Americans are forced to race clean.
  7. Tgzo tgzo from Canada writes: USA SUCKS!
  8. Gabriel Solomon from halifax, Canada writes: ｈｕｍｉｌｉａｔｉｏｎ　ｉｓ　ｃｏｍｐｌｅｔｅ？
    ｓｉｎｃｅ　ｗｈｅｎ　ｉｓ　ｔｈｉｓ　ａ　ｔａｂｌｏｉｄ　ｎｅｗｓｐａｐｅｒ？
  9. James C from Shenzhen, China writes: the G&M really stooped low on this story.... the athletes fumbled the batons, but thats part of the sport.

    and indeed, its a miserable track performance by the US. they're only at the top of the track medal table with 20, which is merely double that of the second place team (russia). thats a miserable performance many countries wouldnt mind having. anyway, US track and field is in a rebuilding stage after BALCO.... they'll be back in 2012.

    as for jamaica, they've always had good sprinters, just never had so many of them at one time. the competition they provide is good for the sport....
  10. Leane Jones from Adelaide, Australia writes: Lets not assume humiliation is at a peak for the US. I for one can imagine some more lows over the coming years, which would be deserved based on the sheer arrogance, high level of cheating of US athletes, the suspicion of historical cheats (Google it) and need for the world to be delivered from suffocating Mac World values.
  11. Leane Jones from Adelaide, Australia writes: This from the US sprinter. Arrogance: Case closed. "This was our event," U.S. sprinter Torri Edwards added. "We were going to go to the finals and win.
  12. Howard Young from Canada writes: Didn't the women's US Relay team do the exact same thing in Athens 4 years ago, but in the finals?
  13. Eric Kirkpatrick from Vancouver, B.C., Canada writes: Too bad for the Yanks, good teams that both made mistakes at the worst time. Same with the Brits making a fundamental error. The Canadians may not of been the fastest team, but practised their technique and worked well as a team and now are in the final. In a team sport anything can happen and when it's not best of seven, who knows. Should be an exciting final, Jamaica is the team to beat.
  14. J Kay from Canada writes: Leane Jones: Well it was a bit arrogant but even moreso it was delusional. The Jamaican women swept the 100m final and with all three in the 4x100m, I have no doubt whatsoever that they were going to own the 4x100m final as well.

    Indeed I think that the Jamaican men's certainty in winning the 4x100m was less than the Jamaican women prior to the US' teams going out in both and that's even considering that Bolt and Powell were running for the Jamaican men. Clearly the Jamaican women have the top 3 women in the 100m at these Olympics, whereas the men have only the top man and the 5th ranked man on their team, though Powell didn't show his true quality in the 100m final.
  15. James C from Shenzhen, China writes: "J Kay from Canada writes: Indeed I think that the Jamaican men's certainty in winning the 4x100m was less than the Jamaican women prior to the US' teams going out in both and that's even considering that Bolt and Powell were running for the Jamaican men. Clearly the Jamaican women have the top 3 women in the 100m at these Olympics, whereas the men have only the top man and the 5th ranked man on their team, though Powell didn't show his true quality in the 100m final."
    __________

    every race is different. thats why they run them.... anything can happen to anyone once theyre out there.
  16. J Kay from Canada writes: James C: Of course anything can happen but on paper you would have to give it to the Jamaican women. I'm not suggesting just handing out the medals but given that they only a few days ago swept the medals I'd say barring dropping the baton they would have won against the Americans again.

    Like you say though anything can happen. I just watched Adam Van Koeverdan, who should have medals die in the last 300m of the race to finish 8th. On paper he should have been on the podium again but today he wasn't.
  17. Stephen P from Cambridge, Canada writes: I thought the Jamaican women won 2 silvers in the 100 metres, having two of their sprinters tied for second and no bronze medal was thus awarded in that event.
  18. Thomas Morris from New York, NY, United States writes: It's pretty sad that with all the things happening at the olympics good, bad, and even canadian, a pathetic writer like JAMES CHRISTIE has nothing to write about other than the US's mistakes and losses. This is a prime example of how you as a country are just compelety obsessed with america. Why not make the same comparisons to your own country? James, some advice, in a week why don't you write a story about how the fat, lazy, stupid, and broke county called America took home over 100 medals. Then you could make a comparison to your own country and ask why a country like canada, so smart, so healthy, so rich, barely got 20!
  19. B I from Toronto, Canada writes: Thomas, our country is going to have a shot at medaling at this event and we don't claim this is "our event" unlike the delusional Americans. Your country has decided long ago that it wants to be the biggest thing in the world, one that everyone in the world should be looking to. So with that attitude coming from your country, can you blame us for wanting to knock you down a few pegs? Although electing bad governments repeatedly like a mouse that keeps getting zapped in a labratory maze, you people are doing a great job of knocking yourselves down. Please elect John McCain. I am ready for a world where the United States no longer matters in any way whatsoever that it elects a senile old man who understands absolutely nothing as President.
  20. James C from Shenzhen, China writes: "J Kay from Canada writes: James C: Of course anything can happen but on paper you would have to give it to the Jamaican women. I'm not suggesting just handing out the medals but given that they only a few days ago swept the medals I'd say barring dropping the baton they would have won against the Americans again."
    __________

    well, it turns out the jamaican women got themselves disqualified. cant believe they ran out of their lane like that in the final....
  21. Juan Valasquez from Canada writes: Well Thomas Morris you ignoramus, your country has 10 times the population as Canada.

    If we had the same amount of people, odds are we would have almost 200 medals. 10x20 = 200. I had to illustrate as you are no doubt a product of the American public school system.
  22. L F from Canada writes: We as a Nation need to stop talking about the Americans having arrogant attitudes and being threatened by it. Rather we need to accept them as top-notch athletes adopt their I am a winner attitude and train to beat them.
    If you think you can, you're usually right and the one Canadian athlete that stands out because of his can do attitude is Jared Connaughton
    What a great example of a competitive athlete he is.
  23. J Kay from Canada writes: James C: Yes sir, like you said they run the actual races for a reason. I unfortunately have not seen the race yet, will have to wait till tonight to see the replay. Too bad, they clearly were the odds on favorite and I would have liked to have seen Jamaica sweep the sprints but c'est la vie.
  24. Thomas Morris from New York, NY, United States writes: BI- I'm sorry that the US is a motivated and confident country. I know you're not an athlete - because what professional athelete enters competition not thinking they are the best or that they"own" their respective sport. I know its a tough concept for canadians. But it hardly reflects wanting to be "the biggest thing". It's called a winning attitude. As far as the United States no longer mattering in any way whatsoever - sorry dude - you and I will both be dead before this ever happens. So in the meantime - try to stop being so obsessive over the great USA.

    Juan Valasquez, how does your fine canadian educated math equation work with China you ignoramus.
  25. Mike Leeson from Seattle, United States writes: I'd hardly want to point fingures, Ricky. Remember Ben Johnson???

    Canada has some of the nicest people in the world but, unfortunately you also have some of the biggest jerks too. You find more comments about they US faltering in a sport than most of the other articles. Do you see Americans focussing on Canadian defeats? No, we might be critical of our own olympians, but we don't spend our time getting all hot and bothered each time a Canadian finishes in 6th place when they should have got a medal. Bad governments? Well, I think a lot of Canadians will admit to electing a few bad ones themselves. Hmmmm......maybe...just
    MAYbe you guys aren't perfect either. Wow.

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