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Post by Jaga on Feb 15, 2014 12:34:34 GMT -7
We got the unsuspected third gold medal in men's 1500m long track speed skating. I would say that the Dutch guy help the Polish guy since both of them were competing next to each other and the difference was 0.003 of a second. In Poland we do not even have a good fast ski track! www.bbc.com/sport/0/winter-olympics/26058109 Sochi 2014: Zbigniew Brodka wins men's speed skating 1500m Poland's Zbigniew Brodka won the men's 1500m long track speed skating gold in dramatic fashion at Sochi 2014. Brodka and Koen Verweij of the Netherlands both crossed the line in one minute, 45 seconds, but the Polish skater was adjudged to have recorded a quicker time by 0.003 of a second. It was Poland's first Winter Olympic medal of any colour in long track speed skating in the 1500m event. Canada's Denny Morrison won bronze a further 0.22 seconds behind. Russian world champion Denis Yuskov finished fourth while Shani Davis of the United States, who has claimed silver over the distance in the past two Games, could only finish 11th. |
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Post by pieter on Feb 15, 2014 14:09:02 GMT -7
Congratulations Jaga. A great achievement of Zbigniew Brodka. Also because Poland is not one of the traditional speed skating nations. And the Dutch are extremely strong this year. Ice skating is part of the Dutch genes (dna). Young and old do it and there are a lot of skating tours, marathons and competitions on Dutch chanals and lakes when there is a strong winter. The Dutch nearly have a monopoly. The Norwegian, German, American and Canadian skaters have a hard time to catch up with the Dutch. They never have been so strong as in this year. Norwegian, American and German trainers talked about the Duch strength in a sport program I watched. A very, very good achievement of Brodka. The famous 11 cities skating tour in Friesland is 200km longJaga, I can enjoy victories of two countries, the Netherlands and Poland, being half Polish.   I can't understand the Polish voice over (radio or television voice), but feel and hear his emotion and excitement. Here and old race Again congratulations to my Polish friends. Great achievement, amazing time. He was fast! A strong speed skater! Cheers, Pieter |
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Post by pieter on Feb 15, 2014 14:20:28 GMT -7
Zbigniew Bródka Zbigniew Bródka (Polish pronunciation: [ˈzbiɡɲɛvˈbrudka], born 8 October 1984) is a Polish speed skater. He is the 2014 Olympic champion in the 1500 metres. At the 2013 World Single Distance Championships in Sochi, Russia, Bródka won the bronze medal in the men's team pursuit together with Jan Szymański and Konrad Niedźwiedzki. Bródka is also firefighter and works in fire station in Łowicz.   Link: Polish wikipedia about Zbigniew Bródka; pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zbigniew_Bródka
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Post by Jaga on Feb 15, 2014 16:05:54 GMT -7
Pieter,
I think that both - a Pole and a Dutch guy are the winners. I felt bad when Polish newspaper showed a shadenfreude showing a picture of sad Dutch guy who was sitting after he realized that the Pole won. American sport media do the same. They were deliberating today why Norway did not do well in women relay cross-country.
Norway, a small country of 5 mln people has the same amount of medals as the US!
I am so happy for Poles since it looks that we are growing a strong team which we never had before. Even our women in relay were 7th... which is quite a big achievement
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Post by Jaga on Feb 15, 2014 16:07:58 GMT -7
Stoch won a gold medal, this was his second in these Olympic games. I am so proud. Sochi is good for Poles. We never had more than one gold medal in winter Olympic games, this time we have already 4! Stoch Wins Olympic Gold Double in Ski Jumpingabcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/stoch-wins-olympic-gold-double-ski-jumping-22534857Kamil Stoch considers himself fortunate to have won his second gold medal of the Sochi Olympics, overcoming what he called a "tragic" final jump Saturday to claim a narrow victory over Japanese veteran Noriaki Kasai. Still, the 26-year-old from Poland will take it, completing a sweep of the normal and large hills and becoming only the third jumper — after Simon Amman and Matti Nykanen — to win double jumping golds in the same Winter Games. "I have weird thoughts at this moment. I'm thinking, 'Is it happening for real or is it a dream?'" he said. "I'm not thinking about the fact that I'm third in history. It's a shock for me that I made it because of the jumps I did today. The second jump was tragic." Stoch, who dedicated the win to his wife, Ewa, as a belated Valentine's Day wish, said he was lacking in confidence heading into the final. "Today I was nervous all day from the morning to the end of the competition," he said. "I made some mistakes, but what the heck, I won the competition." Kasai took silver while Peter Prevc of Slovenia, who won silver in the normal hill, earned the bronze Saturday. Jumping last in the first round after the trial round was canceled due to fluctuating winds, Stoch jumped 139 meters and totaled 143.4 points to give him a three-point lead over Kasai, a margin the Japanese jumper whittled down to 1.3 points after the final round. Kasai, whose first Olympics was at Albertville, France in 1992, now has Olympic medals 20 years apart — he won his first, a team silver with Japan in the large hill — in 1994 at Lillehammer, Norway. Kasai finished eighth in the normal hill last week, but said Saturday he should have done better. "I took the medal that I didn't take in the normal hill," Kasai said. "Then I felt regret and now I feel happy." A gold by Kasai would have broken a week-old record set by Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, the 40-year-old cross-country skier from Norway who won gold in the 10-kilometer sprint at Sochi. "All these years I was disappointed by the Olympic Games. Today I just had to do it," Kasai said. "I wanted gold but you know, it is what it is." Amman, the defending champion from 2010 — he also won the normal hill that year in Vancouver — had a chance to win a record fifth Olympic gold medal. But the 32-year-old Swiss jumper, who has said he will likely retire soon, never looked the part in training or on Saturday and finished 23rd. "It's hard preparing for three years ... I have to take it easy for the rest of the season," Ammann said. "It's not the greatest feeling right now." |
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Post by pieter on Feb 15, 2014 17:21:42 GMT -7
Pieter, I think that both - a Pole and a Dutch guy are the winners. I felt bad when Polish newspaper showed a shadenfreude showing a picture of sad Dutch guy who was sitting after he realized that the Pole won. American sport media do the same. They were deliberating today why Norway did not do well in women relay cross-country. Norway, a small country of 5 mln people has the same amount of medals as the US! I am so happy for Poles since it looks that we are growing a strong team which we never had before. Even our women in relay were 7th... which is quite a big achievement Jaga, That is part of the drama of sport. The same scene I saw in the same sport in the same Olympics in Sochi when one Dutch speedskater ' lost' from another Dutch speedskater. He was sad that he didn't win Gold, but he probably got silver or bronze. A good result too. But they go for the best result. Both Zbigniew Brodka and Koen Verweij skated well. Brodka was faster and won. That's sport, topsport! In the images of Zbigniew Brodka in the Polish version I see he has Dutch sponsers on his clothes, Nijhof Wassink and Essent. I am happy for the Poles too! I hope they will win more Gold, silver and bronze medals! The Netherlands are not so good in winning. But this year the Dutch won a lot of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for such a small country. Cheers, Pieter |
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Post by Jaga on Feb 16, 2014 11:36:58 GMT -7
Pieter,
I looked at the medal table and yes, I can see how good Netherlands is doing! I am pretty sure that the majority of American public opinion still thinks that the US does better than anybody else and this is simply not true.
I think some of the sport commentaries are just pretty nasty and more dramatic than they should be.
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Post by pieter on Feb 16, 2014 12:30:52 GMT -7
Jaga,
I really hope that Poland will continue to win Gold medals. Winning is good for the Polish people and even the economy. I have sympathy for the Polish sporters in Russia. I have sympathy for all sporters from all countries. We enjoy seeing the various sports and seeing all these athletes of all those different countries. The family of man, the world is gathered in Sochi. That the best may win. But I hope for you, for Poland and for the Polish diaspora that the Poles continue to win Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. That will be good for Poland and good for Europe. The Netherlands has won enough Gold, Silver and Bronze. If we win more it is okay, and we will be greateful, but we are already happy for what we have won and greatful. Again sport is sport and that the best may win. I hope the Polish sporters win more gold medals. And I am greatful for the gold they already have won.
Cheers,
Pieter
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Post by Jaga on Feb 17, 2014 11:16:29 GMT -7
You are right that winning gold medals gives extra spirit to Polish people. My uncle was so happy, he is the only alive brother of my mom..... and he is almost blind.
I wish American commentaries were more about what is going on in all Olympic games, not just for American team.
Netherlands is doing very well, it has the same amount of medals like Russia and the US. Do people in Netherlands cherish it or they are just so useful to it?
How is it that Dutch are doing so well? You do not even have high mountains and everybody is just riding bikes there ? .... just kidding
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Post by pieter on Feb 17, 2014 14:10:15 GMT -7
Dear Jaga,
I am so happy for your uncle that he experienced such a pleasure and joy from the Polish Gold medals. it is great for him and all the other Poles who are proud of their sporters and their achievement. It is so nice for him and for you too. I have an experience of sympathy and am feeling good when I hear Poles won Gold in skiing and skating. The people in the Netherlands cherish the Gold medals of their best sporters. They love to watch sport on television and a lot of them like sporting too. Sport is an important aspect of Dutch social life. It is like hobby's, sport is part of the Dutch life. Soccer, jogging, cycling, tennis, baseball, swimming, volleyballand hockey.
Sport is also an important subject at school called gym. (= the word for sport lessons in Dutch) Sport is advocated at a young age to stay healthy and as a social thing in life. I believe the same thing will be the case in Poland, the USA, Germany, Denmark and other countries. I don't know why the Dutch are so good at several sports. We are a small nation with both fanatical amateur and professional sporters.
Cheers,
Pieter
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