2024 Summer Olympics

[SubGod22]

Which Wichitans besides Jim Ryun have been Olympic participants or would have without the (1980) boycott?
I’m thinking of an old Eagle article mentioning

Mark Waldie East High VB 1976, 1980 or ‘84?

Ron Neugent East High Swimming 1980?

Lisa Neuburger Kapaun (KMC?) Windsurfing 1984 or ‘88 USVI team? I think mentioned she carried the flag for the USVI.

Not 100% sure about the above list or years. Hopefully others can verify,

Who are some others?

I don't think these have been mentioned.

Jim Bausch (born in Garden Plain but went to HS in Wichita) First Wichitan to bring home a medal (Decathlon, Gold, 1932 Los Angeles). Set the World Record in the event with 8,462 points. Played football at Wichita University and then professionally after.

Kelsey Stewart (Maize) Won Silver in softball at the 2021 Olympics in Japan.

Solomon Butler (born in Oklahoma but raised in Wichita) was the first black Kansan to compete in the Olympics in 1920 Belgium. He twisted his ankle before the Broad Jump event and finished 7th. But his qualifying jumps beat the winner by a foot and a half.

If we want to add more that competed for other countries:

Miles Ukaoma (Maize) competed for Nigeria in the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 400 meter hurdles

[1972Shocker]

Sounds like the accommodations in the Eco-Friendly Olympic Village are just delightful.

Inside the Olympic Village: Cardboard Beds, Stifling Heat and No Privacy

Intended to host the majority of the 11,000 athletes competing, the Village is chosen by most athletes to get the full Olympic experience. But according to the athletes' own social media posts, the accommodations for these Games leave something to be desired — from the rock-hard cardboard beds to lack of privacy and mediocre food (in the gastronomic capital of the world, no less).

Among the most notable critics is the Team USA tennis superstar Coco Gauff, the world's number two, who pointed out several issues with the living conditions. Gauff and her team opted to leave the Village and stay in hotels.

The food at the Olympic Village has also been a subject of complaints. The menu is reportedly 60 percent vegan, posing a challenge for athletes who rely on meat-based diets to maintain their physical condition.

French publication L'Equipe reported that high-protein items such as eggs and grilled meats were rationed at breakfast on Saturday, leading to complaints about the meager portions.

Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who has already won two medals at the games, complained that the "ridiculous" menu hindered her bid to set a world record in the 400m freestyle on Saturday.

Athletes receive no VIP treatment when traveling to and from events. They must use buses or the Paris Metro to reach stadiums and other venues. As a result, some delegations have considering moving athletes to hotels closer to the venues.

[Veritas]

Cardboard bed frames! 60% vegan offered meals, lousy transportation. Badly controversial opening ceremony. France Olympic Committee should be ashamed and embarrassed. Curious how the International Olympic Committee did not notice this in advance.

[WuDrWu]

Would have never been allowed to happen under the tutelage of the brilliant Juan Antonio Samaranch.

[BAShocker]

Inspector Clouseau needs to get to the bottom of this.

(cue Pink Panther theme song).

[C0|dB|00ded]

I'm okay with trans women taking over most of the masculine sports currently played by real women. I don't watch them now; I won't watch them then.

I think women need to stay in the games that are aesthetic and don't promote masculine behavior. Women need to remain women (for their own sake/sanity). That means they need to deemphasize pure (physical) competition and seek rules that allow them to flourish with the talents/tools they were born with. Leadership roles like POTUS is one of them. I am almost convinced that women would make better world leaders than men at this point.

Stay out of the gym and away from contact sports. It's just silly. Women don't need to try and become men to be powerful, they have incredible power in their own femininity. We all had mothers.

[SubGod22]

What's missing?

More points for Ireland

[Kung Wu]

But according to the athletes' own social media posts, the accommodations for these Games leave something to be desired — from the rock-hard cardboard beds to lack of privacy and mediocre food (in the gastronomic capital of the world, no less).

...

The menu is reportedly 60 percent vegan, posing a challenge for athletes who rely on meat-based diets to maintain their physical condition.

French publication L'Equipe reported that high-protein items such as eggs and grilled meats were rationed at breakfast on Saturday, leading to complaints about the meager portions.

Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who has already won two medals at the games, complained that the "ridiculous" menu hindered her bid to set a world record in the 400m freestyle on Saturday.

Yikes!

The French players sleep and eat very well though, I assure you. I bet they got plenty of protein for breakfast too.

[WstateU]

[Kung Wu]

Lmao

[SubGod22]

Here's a cool story of a girl whose Olympic dreams were dashed just before the London Olympics due to severe injury, but she changed sports and just won her countries very first gold medal ever.

Adriana Ruano Transitions From Gymnastics To Shooting, Wins Guatemala's First Ever Gold Medal

A spinal injury dashed Adriana Ruano's dreams of competing in the Olympics as a gymnast, but she found a new path to glory in shooting, winning Guatemala's first-ever gold medal on Wednesday.

Ruano was preparing for the 2011 World Championships in gymnastics, a crucial qualifier for the London Olympics, when she began experiencing severe back pain. Scans revealed six damaged vertebrae, an injury that ended her gymnastics career at just 16. She spent a year recovering, wearing a back brace.

To stay involved in sports without worsening her injury, her doctor suggested she try shooting.

“When I had my injury, I didn’t have anything. I started to get desperate and frustrated. Then the door opened for me with this sport,” Ruano said.

More than a decade after transitioning from gymnastics to shooting, Ruano's perseverance paid off. On Wednesday, she won the women's trap event with an Olympic-record score of 45 out of 50.

Ruano clinched her victory with a deep breath and a precise shot to hit her 43rd target, ensuring that Italian silver medalist Silvana Stanco couldn't surpass her.

Ruano's journey back to elite sports began with a volunteer stint at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“I said to myself, ‘If I can’t be there as an athlete, maybe I can be there as a volunteer,’ so I applied,” she explained. “They assigned me to shooting, and I was able to watch my teammates. Seeing the competition inspired me to think, ‘OK, maybe if not in gymnastics, I can do it in shooting.’”

There's video at the bottom of the article that shows her victory.

[WuDrWu]

I spent a couple of years in my youth learning trap, skeet (my favorite of the 3) and sporting clays. Very enjoyable, albeit pricey, hobby.

I was disappointed in the way they covered the event. And I realize I'm older and my eyes aren't what they used to be, but even a basic explanation of the trap equipment, why they move around the stations and they range of target release etc were not mentioned at all (perhaps I missed it but I don't think so) and it really helps the viewer to understand some of the nuances beyond hit or miss. You could barely see the pink dust from the target, and even harder to see the path of the target, and that's disappointing in this age of video technology.

Regardless of my trap rant, a really cool story.

[Kung Wu]

Yeah I am a big fan of air pistol and air rifle and the coverage was absolute garbage.

[Kung Wu]

Here's a cool story of a girl whose Olympic dreams were dashed just before the London Olympics due to severe injury, but she changed sports and just won her countries very first gold medal ...

There's video at the bottom of the article that shows her victory.

Very cool story.

[Kung Wu]

I'm blind. This is a cool video but I don't get the joke.