Month: August 2016

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Rio 2016 Olympics: Week 1 Recap, and On to the End of the Olympics

Week 1 of the Rio 2016 Olympics has been quite special, with Michael Phelps pushing himself to the limits to win 4 Gold Medals (already), the US Women’s Gymnastics Team also played way over their standards, by taking Gold in the team and individual events. However, there have been many surprises throughout the tournament, with no competition in tennis, USA Men’s Basketball surviving Australia, Serbia, and France, and the US Women’s Soccer Team falling to Sweden in the Quarterfinals. In Week 2, the US Women’s Beach Volleyball team fell to Brazil in straight sets, and Usain Bolt has retained the title as ‘The Fastest Man on Earth’. All in all, here is what I thought of Week 1, and what to expect towards the end of the Olympics.

Michael Phelps is the Greatest Athlete of All-Time

I know that the winner of the decathlon (10 sports by one player) is supposed to be crowned the title of ‘World’s Greatest Athlete’, but Michael Phelps is just too good. Sure, you could argue NBA uber-mega star LeBron James, or Michael Jordan, or decathlon champion Ashton Eaton, or even NFL megastar Odell Beckham Jr., but Phelps has too many medals, wins, and records to have any other player be in the conversation.

Katie Ledecky and USA Will Take Over Women’s Swimming

Ledecky took home 4 Golds and 1 Silver Medal, and the rest of the USA Women’s Swimming Team have taken over, and we should see them taking home many Golds in the future Olympics’.

The USA Women’s Gymnastics Team Was the Greatest EVER

Gymnasts Simone Biles and Aly Raisman were simply outstanding, and may be the best gymnasts on the planet, and the rest of the roster, while not the greatest in the individual events, stepped up in the Team Finals, as the Final Five took home 9 Golds, an Olympic record.

No One Will Ever Be Faster Than Usain Bolt

History speaks for itself.

USA Men’s Basketball Will Still Get the Gold

As much as I am concerned about the performance so far of the United States, I don’t see a way they will not be able to win the Gold medal. It is truly shocking how much they have played under expectations. Their performance against Argentina, who gave them a scare in the first 6 minutes of the game. They will need more defense against Spain in the semifinals, but it was very good against Argentina. They should end up playing Australia in the final, as Serbia won’t be a problem for the Aussies, and they will improve from the first match (USA won 98-88 after trailing nearly the entire game), and bring home the Gold.

Ashton Eaton Will Win the Decathlon Gold

Eaton currently has a 103-point lead in the decathlon, and he is trying to win his 2nd Gold in the Decathlon, but I think that there isn’t any competition this year for him to not be able to win Gold.

USA Women’s Basketball Will Get the Gold Easily

They have no competition, simply put.

The Germany vs. Brazil Men’s Soccer Rematch Will Be LIT!

In the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Germany and Brazil played each other in the semifinal, and everyone was getting ready to see Brazil return to their glory days by getting to the World Cup Final. Germany, instead, crashed the party with a 7-1 drubbing of the Brazilians, and since then, Brazil has been waiting for this rematch. On Saturday, the biggest, most anticipated rematch in the history of soccer, and quite possibly the history of sports, will come to Brazil at the Olympics. Brazil and Germany both started their Olympic campaigns very slowly. Brazil failed to score a goal in their first 2 games, as they ended as scoreless draws, and Germany ended with a 2-2 draw with Mexico, and a 3-3 draw with South Korea. Since then, both teams have come out with a sense of urgency. Germany finished their group play with a 10-0 victory, then won their quarterfinal 4-0 vs Portugal, and won their semifinal 2-0 vs Nigeria. Brazil won their final group play game with a 4-0 victory over Denmark, had a 2-0 victory in the quarters against Colombia, and then the country of Brazil was happier than ever with a 6-0 win in their semifinal. All in all, it has been the play of Brazilian Captain Neymar Jr., who has 4 goals in the tournament, and Goalkeeper Weverton, who hasn’t given up a goal in the tournament, who have led Brazil into the tournament. Germany sports a much different, younger, and less intimidating team than the one in 2014, with younger strikers in Serge Gnabry, Davie Selker, and Lars Bender now taking the lead of the team. In the end, Brazil will take the Gold home for the first time in their coveted soccer history.

Posted on in Olympics

2016 Rio Olympics Games: What to Expect Now and in the Future Games

 

Friday, August 5th, 2016 kicks off one of the biggest sporting events in the entire world, as the Summer Olympic Games arrive, this year in Rio de Janeiro. However, the conditions in Rio could hold back certain games, and could alter the future of the Games. Also, certain sports have exhibition games helping solidify their sports’ positions in the future Games. Here is what to expect now, and in the future.

Men’s USA Basketball Will Demolish

They may not be a ‘Dream Team’-esque team like the one we saw in 2012, but they have one of the youngest rosters we have ever seen. While they have young guns like Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant, they have the leadership of Carmelo Anthony, who has been on every roster since 2004. The only teams that can compete with the US are France and Lithuania, and even then, it won’t be very difficult for USA to go on the tear they did in ’12. They will get the Gold easy. As for the Women’s team, the same should be true for them.

The US Women’s Soccer Team is WAYYYY Better Than the US Men’s Team

Plain and simple, the girl power of the women’s team makes the men’s team look like a bunch of 10-year olds. The women do have competition coming from Japan, but after seeing the 2015 World Cup demolishment by the US of Japan, the US Women’s team will get Gold easy. The Men’s won’t really do much.

Brazil Won’t Impress

Brazil, the host country, hasn’t been very good at basketball as of late, yet their soccer team is one of the most coveted of all-time. However, after their disappointment in 2012 (they got Silver, losing to Mexico in the Final), Brazil’s soccer team has been in deep disarray, and their struggles will continue, as the strength of European soccer teams (such as Germany, France, and Portugal) will cause them to have an epic fall.

Baseball Will Show Itself in the Olympics

During the Olympics, there will be exhibition games between countries on helping solidify baseball’s return to the Olympics in 2020, as it hasn’t been played since 2008. I feel the talent in the MLB would make baseball very exciting for the sport, as well as the Games.

Added Sports

In 2020, we will see baseball, softball, surfing, karate, sport climbing, and skateboarding all in the Games. This is huge, especially for the sports of baseball and softball, which return for the first time since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.