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Post by Panda on Aug 17, 2009 9:26:11 GMT 1
I think Jessica Ennis has a great chance of winning Sports Personality of the Year. Especially if Jenson Button's lead in the F1 is wiped out and he doesn't win the title. The only other thing that could stop her is if Andy Murray wins the US Open.
Current odds: 5/2 Jenson Button 7/2 Jessica Ennis 9/2 Andy Murray 6/1 Andrew Flintoff 40/1 Tom Daley 40/1 Mark Cavendish 40/1 Andrew Strauss
Great run by Dai Greene. Into the final 3rd fastest. Could he be the surprise medallist we talked about?
Hopefully another medal tonight with Phillips Idowu in the triple jump.
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Post by Shireblogger on Aug 17, 2009 9:33:59 GMT 1
Delighted for Jessica Ennis. All heptathletes and decathletes are really talented. But she showed the way this weekend, with a faultless performance from start to finish. And such delight and dignity after she had won.
If she can stay injury free, then London 2012 glory beckons. Well done Jessica. Sometimes the good 'uns triumph.
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Post by Shireblogger on Aug 17, 2009 9:44:25 GMT 1
Shireblogger's Top 10 British Decathletes, Heptathletes & Pentathletes 1970-2009
1. Daley Thompson (1978-88) 234 points 2. Denise Lewis (1995-2003) 142 points 3. Mary Peters (1966-74) 71 points 4. Dean Macey (1999-2006) 68 points 5. Kelly Sotherton (2004-08) 61 points 6. Jessica Ennis (2006-09) 36 points 7. Judy Simpson / Livermore (1982-90) 23 points 8. Mike Bull (1970-74) 15 points 9. Kim Hagger (1984-86) 7 points 10. Barry King (1970-74) 4 points
Points awarded for Top 8 finishes in the Olympics (50pts for a gold) & World Championships (35 points for a gold), and Top 3 finishes in the Commonwealth Games, European Championships, World Cup and European Cup, plus 40 bonus points for a World Record.
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Post by aeroco on Aug 17, 2009 9:47:35 GMT 1
Re earlier comments about Chambers, not a massive fan but I admire him for coming back in the face of such adversity. Yes, it was all his original (un)doing but to make the final and come 6th, with no proper grand prix racing is excellent. Think he deserves a break now, it has been over 5 years since his positive test. The point is that it wasn't one unlucky positive test as a result of taking a cold remedy. Chambers systematically abused performance enhancing drugs in league with pharmacists, for many years. He should have been banned for life. No debate. No "give the poor unfortunate a break". Well rules are rules and he hasn't been banned for life and has served his time. Really that is the point. People keep saying he shouldn't be here etc but he is under existing rules. And no, he isn't poor or unfortunate but was deserving of his ban and any other ban that was deemed appropriate. As long as he complies by the rules he should be allowed to compete.
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Post by Panda on Aug 17, 2009 9:47:57 GMT 1
The Dean Machine would've had at least double those points had he not had so many injuries...
Did you see that programme a few months ago about him doing bobsleigh? He and Jason Gardener came 6th in the British Championship!
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Post by aeroco on Aug 17, 2009 9:49:56 GMT 1
Delighted for Jessica Ennis. All heptathletes and decathletes are really talented. But she showed the way this weekend, with a faultless performance from start to finish. And such delight and dignity after she had won. If she can stay injury free, then London 2012 glory beckons. Well done Jessica. Sometimes the good 'uns triumph. Yes, an amazing comeback and she was so assured and solid when she had to be. Hope she can set a best in the upcoming hurdles.
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Post by Shireblogger on Aug 17, 2009 9:52:16 GMT 1
Well rules are rules and he hasn't been banned for life and has served his time. Really that is the point. People keep saying he shouldn't be here etc but he is under existing rules. And no, he isn't poor or unfortunate but was deserving of his ban and any other ban that was deemed appropriate. As long as he complies by the rules he should be allowed to compete. And my point is that the rules are far too lenient for drug abuse. That's why so many athletes break them. There is a mentality which says, "I will cheat my way to an Olympic medal. If I get caught, then what's the worst that can happen ? A 2 year ban. And I'll be back for the next Olympics, when I can cheat with a different drug, and hope I don't get caught this time."
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Post by Panda on Aug 17, 2009 11:18:58 GMT 1
Correction on my earlier post - It's the women's triple jump final tonight. The men's is tomorrow.
GB's only finalist this evening is Kate Dennison in the pole vault.
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Post by rubcale on Aug 17, 2009 13:47:03 GMT 1
Re earlier comments about Chambers, not a massive fan but I admire him for coming back in the face of such adversity. Yes, it was all his original (un)doing but to make the final and come 6th, with no proper grand prix racing is excellent. Think he deserves a break now, it has been over 5 years since his positive test. The point is that it wasn't one unlucky positive test as a result of taking a cold remedy. Chambers systematically abused performance enhancing drugs in league with pharmacists, for many years. He should have been banned for life. No debate. No "give the poor unfortunate a break". Totally agree. Also, can it be proved that there is not a life-lasting advantage from his taking the drugs?
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Post by rubcale on Aug 17, 2009 13:52:14 GMT 1
I feel sorry for Jessica Ennis for she has been caught in the shadow of Usain Bolt.
In The Daily Telegraph. Bplt geys the front page, AndyM the back and Jessica is relegated to an inside page.
I admire Bolt but the far bigger picture for me yesterday being British was Jess winning a gold medal for us and in such style - leading from start to finish.
I really hope she can beat Butten for Sports Personality of the Year. Nothing agianst Butten on a personal level and obviously he's talented but it's the car mainly isn't it?
Compare it to Hamilton last year and I think it's obvious.
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Post by Shireblogger on Aug 17, 2009 13:57:08 GMT 1
In The Daily Telegraph. Bplt geys the front page, AndyM the back and Jessica is relegated to an inside page. Quick review of the papers at lunchtime:- Independent, Guardian, Express and Mail all put Jessica on the front page. Bravo. Mirror puts her as lead on the back page. Times, Telegraph, Sun and Star all think what she has achieved is less significant than Spurs v Liverpool, and bury her somewhere inside. Shame on them.
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Post by Panda on Aug 17, 2009 14:09:01 GMT 1
I feel sorry for Jessica Ennis for she has been caught in the shadow of Usain Bolt. In The Daily Telegraph. Bplt geys the front page, AndyM the back and Jessica is relegated to an inside page. I admire Bolt but the far bigger picture for me yesterday being British was Jess winning a gold medal for us and in such style - leading from start to finish. I see the point you're making but there was something momentous about what Usain Bolt did last night. It's something that could well be talked about for decades. I remember seeing Carl Lewis and Linford Christie in the early 90s doing 9.86 and 9.87 and thinking it must be physically impossible for a human being to under 9.7, let alone 9.6... I'm not going to begrudge him having the headlines, even over a British gold medallist. Having Spurs beating Liverpool as the top story, though, just shows ignorance, a complete lack of imagination, understanding and knowledge. I really hope she can beat Butten for Sports Personality of the Year. Nothing agianst Butten on a personal level and obviously he's talented but it's the car mainly isn't it? Compare it to Hamilton last year and I think it's obvious. It is mainly the car. Any F1 fan will admit that. However, it would still be a great story for Button given the few years he's had. He came into F1 as a youngster heralded as a future world champion but a succession of bad luck and ill-advised decisions saw him slump to the back of the grid whilst Lewis Hamilton arrived on the scene and became the British fans' idol. His career then looked to be over when Honda withdrew from F1 but Ross Brawn was able to rescue the team, in the knowledge that during last year's struggles, they'd built a hell of a car for 2009. That said, it would also be a great story for Jessica after her injury last year.
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Post by Shireblogger on Aug 17, 2009 15:35:40 GMT 1
I think Jessica Ennis has a great chance of winning Sports Personality of the Year. Especially if Jenson Button's lead in the F1 is wiped out and he doesn't win the title. The only other thing that could stop her is if Andy Murray wins the US Open. Current odds: 5/2 Jenson Button 7/2 Jessica Ennis 9/2 Andy Murray 6/1 Andrew Flintoff 40/1 Tom Daley 40/1 Mark Cavendish 40/1 Andrew Strauss On a year to date basis, the right result would be Jessica Ennis winning the individual title, just ahead of Mark Cavendish; and Brawn GP winning the team award. However, there are still 4 months to go. Enough time for Freddie to miraculously win the Ashes, Murray to win the US Open, and some more fabulous World Athletics performances.
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Post by aeroco on Aug 17, 2009 16:26:21 GMT 1
Well rules are rules and he hasn't been banned for life and has served his time. Really that is the point. People keep saying he shouldn't be here etc but he is under existing rules. And no, he isn't poor or unfortunate but was deserving of his ban and any other ban that was deemed appropriate. As long as he complies by the rules he should be allowed to compete. And my point is that the rules are far too lenient for drug abuse. That's why so many athletes break them. There is a mentality which says, "I will cheat my way to an Olympic medal. If I get caught, then what's the worst that can happen ? A 2 year ban. And I'll be back for the next Olympics, when I can cheat with a different drug, and hope I don't get caught this time." Yes, I agree that athletes may take the view that if they are caught they can come back and do well in the worlds/ Olympics though it seems to be the case now that they won't be accepted on the grand prix circuit so won't make any money. I think in the case of Chambers he tried to overcome the GB Olympic ban and failed and so really is only competing now to show he can do it clean. He is not making any cash, so whilst he doesn't deserve pity or celebration perhaps booing him at UK athletics events is just unnecessary as he is permanently punished for his cheating with drugs. Anyway enough about Chambers, I am generally indifferent to him. So looking forward to this weeks athletics, already shaping up to be a fantastic event. And boo hoo to football taking some of Jessica's thunder. The papers rely too much on football, even when other GB sports stars are excelling. Though well done to Murray to moving up to 2nd place in the world rankings.
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Post by Panda on Aug 17, 2009 20:08:27 GMT 1
I think Jessica Ennis has a great chance of winning Sports Personality of the Year. Especially if Jenson Button's lead in the F1 is wiped out and he doesn't win the title. The only other thing that could stop her is if Andy Murray wins the US Open. Current odds: 5/2 Jenson Button 7/2 Jessica Ennis 9/2 Andy Murray 6/1 Andrew Flintoff 40/1 Tom Daley 40/1 Mark Cavendish 40/1 Andrew Strauss On a year to date basis, the right result would be Jessica Ennis winning the individual title, just ahead of Mark Cavendish; and Brawn GP winning the team award. However, there are still 4 months to go. Enough time for Freddie to miraculously win the Ashes, Murray to win the US Open, and some more fabulous World Athletics performances. Mark Cavenish certainly deserves attention for what he did in the Tour de France but I think he needed to win the green jersey to really be a contender for the award. I'd give the team award to the England women's cricket team.
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Post by Shireblogger on Aug 17, 2009 21:01:34 GMT 1
I'd give the team award to the England women's cricket team. Yes, good call. They thoroughly deserve widespread acclaim.
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Post by Panda on Aug 17, 2009 21:14:58 GMT 1
And so tonight:
Surely the shock of the championships with Yelena Isinbayeva's failure in the pole vault. Reminiscent of Sergei Bubka at the Barcelona Olympics.
Great to see Jenny Meadows and Marilyn Okoro reach the 800m final. Certainly a chance of a medal there.
Bekele winning his 4th world title in a row at 10,000m is an amazing achievement. I think the guy in the bear suit needs to lay off the Sunny D for a while, though.
Shelly-Ann Fraser had one of the best starts I've ever seen in the 100m final. I do wonder if Stewart might have just pipped her if she'd managed keep going in a straight line...
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Post by aeroco on Aug 18, 2009 11:18:38 GMT 1
Yes, the 800m girls did great, esp Jenny Meadows.
Really looking forward to tonights finals.
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Post by Shireblogger on Aug 18, 2009 21:49:16 GMT 1
Another gold. So far, our stars are really on the top of their game. Well done Philips Idowu - today will probably the pinnacle of what has been a fine career.
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Post by Panda on Aug 18, 2009 21:53:43 GMT 1
So a 2nd gold for Great Britain! The first time it's happened in a world championships since 1993 (though it's happened twice in the Olympics since then).
A great display from Phillips Idowu. He's really seems to have grown up. Not only was he impressive in coming from behind but I don't think I've seen him jump with that sort of consistency in a championship. Whilst he didn't have the performances leading up to the event that he did last year, tonight he was ready to win.
Although Christine Ohuruogu said she got it tactically wrong tonight, it didn't look like she had enough in her to win a medal. Hopefully over the next couple of years she can avoid the problems that almost made this year a write-off.
Dai Greene acquitted himself well and the experience will be so valuable. If this hadn't been his first championship, I'm sure he would've got a medal.
Tomorrow night sees Jenny Meadows and Marilyn Okoro go in the 800m final...
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