2012 Olympics: Who are you following?

[Lamplighter]

OK, this post is NOT meant to about wounded vets, handicapped kids, or killing puppies.

I am uninformed about how decisions are being made with regards
to the Olympics, maybe and other sporting events.

To wit:


USA TODAY
By David Leon Moore,
8/9/12

Oscar Pistorius, South Africa back in the relay

LONDON —Oscar Pistorius, South Africa's double-amputee quarter-miler known as The Blade Runner,
is experiencing the full gamut of emotions at his first Olympics.<snip>

Disaster seemed to strike, however, Thursday morning when South Africa
failed to finish its opening heat because of a collision between one of its runners,
Oftense Mogawane, and a Kenyan runner during the second leg.
Mogawane was knocked down, and Pistorius, who was slated
to run the third leg, never got the baton.

OK, I'm ignoring the pun about running the third leg.

Now, consider this 2 minute video...



My first thought:
Is Pistorius being given special entry and consideration to events ?
That is, if a different team had failed to complete the race, would they also have been advanced in the standing ?

My second thought:
Where is this Mechanically-Assisted Athelete (MAA) development going in sports ?
That is, will winners have an * in the record books ?
Will MAA spread to other events, such as floor-exercise
Will MAA spread to arms (still rings) and feet (swimming)
Will there be completely new events (MAA-marathon)

In previous posts, I've poked fun at Syncronized Swimming and Beach Volleyball,
as being exhibitions and not really athletic competitions.
So be it.

But right now, I am needing some education or else I'm having a real problem
with the idea of MAA in direct competition with non-MAA.

[ZenGum]

... but I actually came here to post this:

US sprinter Manteo Mitchell broke his leg during the 4x400m relay Olympic semi-final - but still managed to finish his lap.

The 25-year-old had slipped on a stairway in the Olympic Village earlier this week, and that misfortune reared its head after just 100 metres of his one-lap run.

"Three days ago I was going up the stairs and I kind of missed one and landed awkwardly," Mitchell said.

"I got treatment and I was fine. I did workouts, and when I warmed up today I felt really well. I felt I could go 44 (seconds)-low.

"I got out pretty slow, but I picked it up and when I got to the 100m mark it felt weird. I was thinking I just didn't feel right. As soon as I took the first step past the 200m mark, I felt it break."

Mitchell added: "I heard it. I even put out a little war cry, but the crowd was so loud you couldn't hear it."

"I wanted to just lie down. It felt like somebody literally just snapped my leg in half," he said.

"I knew if I finished strong we could still get it (the baton) around. I saw Josh Mance motioning me in for me to hand it off to him, which lifted me. I didn't want to let those three guys down, or the team down, so I just ran on it.

"It hurt so bad. I'm pretty amazed that I still split 45 seconds on a broken leg."

Damn, that's gutsy.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

My second thought:
Where is this Mechanically-Assisted Athelete (MAA) development going in sports ?
That is, will winners have an * in the record books ?
Will MAA spread to other events, such as floor-exercise
Will MAA spread to arms (still rings) and feet (swimming)
Will there be completely new events (MAA-marathon)

That was my thought when I first read they were going to allow them to be used here, rather than forcing the use into the Special Olympics.

One guy claims...

According to Gailey, a prosthetic leg returns only about 80 percent of the energy absorbed in each stride, while a natural leg returns up to 240 percent, providing much more spring.