I had a great time watching the 2024 Olympics! I’m trying to decide which of the less common events I enjoyed the most. What is YOUR favorite??
Wall climbing! Apparently, it is called Sport Climbing, but whatever it is called is amazing. I missed the Speed climbing version, only being able to watch the regular wall climbing events, but I was fascinated by several things: how they had to use their TOES to stand on a protrusion while manipulating into position for the next spot; how often they fell, but started over again; how someone seemed to sweep/scrape? the protrusions so that the climbers could grip better. Wow. I watched the “Free Solo” movie (TOO scary, but the story about the climber was fascinating). I’d rather watch this safer version which was VERY entertaining.
I love the fencing – always have. The careful, feinting (more French, eh?) moves before the strike (or the attempted strike) which almost always ends up with the opponent counterattacking. Like boxing, yes? Best win with your first attempt or be prepared for a reply.
Archery! I LOVE watching archery. I learned archery in camp several (hundred) years ago and loved the eye-hand coordination (I was pretty good, which is probably why I liked it đ). I particularly liked the team competitions.
Trampoline? I watched a little bit. I had no idea that trampolining was an Olympic sport! Bouncing, gymnastics in the air, landing at certain spots. I thought the rules about where they had to land required amazing coordination.
Handball! I had never seen handball before. I thought that the ball would be much smaller, but it looked like a little basketball. And I loved the rules about not being able to pass a certain spot, etc. Very fun!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all of the kayak, canoe events. Especially the ones with whitewater and competitors trying to knock each other out of the way to get around the buoys before moving on. It was quite competitive. I had no idea that the rules would allow competitors to push against each other’s boats. Very interesting.
Speaking of obstacles, how about the mountain biking! A flat tire derailed one of the contestants in the race I saw. Amazing ability to handle the bumping. Not for me, thank you, but I am impressed with those who compete in these kinds of races.
What were YOUR favorite Olympic sports?
P.S. Stay tuned for Paralympics post! Speaking of amazing!!!
Fantastic selection of somewhat-niche sports! I really enjoyed the mountain biking as well. There’s a French girl that is the top of three different biking sports (mountain biking, road biking, and cyclo-cross) who competed at the Olympics and won gold. Her wiki is pretty amazing, such a dominant competitor!
I think/know I watched much less! Mostly watched about noon during lunch. Since I go to bed so early (8pm) and havenât been recording lately, I missed a lot! Did watch some YouTube highlights. This body never moved the way the bodies of the athletes move!
Did enjoy synchronized swimming, in which I participated on a MUCH lower scale during those (decades ago) summer camps!
Carol, you synchronized swimmer, you! I did catch a few minutes of this event and yes, it was NOT what I remembered from long ago camps. When I saw a team lift a team member out of the water with their legs – she was, essentially, standing on their legs – while they were all UNDER WATER ( I would be thinking . . . would she please stand upright so that the judges can see her and give the score, so I can finally go to the surface and catch a breath?) – creative and impressive. I can hold my breath for a few moments, but support someone above me at the same time and not move out of place? Yeah, no.
No one saw break dancing???
I never could find it, even on the odd ball channels. Bummed I missed it.
I loved badminton and ping pong.
Hey, Willie B! I did see a few moments of break dancing. Long enough to learn that it’s not called break dancing, but “breaking”! I didn’t have enough time to learn about the judging rules, but all of the contestants seemed pretty amazing to me! Spinning on your head? Geez! That hurts, just to think about it. (emoji for ow?)
All of your Olympic comments have me feeling exhilarated all over again! Fortunately, I was able to watch a lot of the events on demand on YouTube TV, and didnât even have to stay up past my bedtime.
âFloridaâ mountain biking is one of my favorite things to do, and I competed in BMX racing when I was much younger. The mountain biking is always a fave. The different tracks, add in the elements, and you have the mix for a thrilling event.
Surfing is another fave. The water in Tahiti was otherworldly. Breaking was interesting and Rayhun did not disappoint lol!
For me, USA Basketball, womenâs and menâs, were the icing on the cake! Iâm an NBA super fan, and happy to announce that the âWâ NBA this year has delivered a level of entertainment I never expected. Those âEveryone watches Womens sportsâ T-Shirts are saying something. The Womenâs teams are delivering! See you in Los Angeles.
Hey, Cindi, I completely forgot about the surfing! I think it was really smart of France to use an affiliated country for such an amazing athletic contest.
I did not know that you were a mountain biker! But I am not surprised at your athletic abilities. đ
And thank you for telling us about YouTube TV for an on-demand access!
PS: YouTube TV is the best for all college football and WNBA games, and tennis tournaments. They make all events available on demand so you can tune in at any time to watch on your own schedule. Another great feature is the ability to fast forward through commercials and time-outs. Gives you time back to watch more sports đ
Thank you, Cindi, for the YouTube TV information! I have been looking for an alternative to cable TV.
Great idea about deleting ads to watch more sports!