Rio 2016 Olympic Update (Day 3)
The Olympics are a massive sporting event where the pressure on the athletes increases more than any other time in many of their careers.
The entire world is watching as athletes go look to make good on four years of training.
It can all come crashing down in one small mistake and sometimes they know this all too well.
They can falter under the pressure of expectations and when they do they then have to wait another four years for their chance to get redemption.
It is a pressure cooker of emotions that athletes need to navigate in order to succeed in their dreams.
As if it wasn’t enough to simply compete against the best in the world the Olympics adds that extra pressure to all of the athletes.
There is, of course, one group of athletes that get the pressure more than any other and this group switches every four years.
That group is whoever the host country is at the time of the Olympics.
This group of athletes not only has the pressure of the world watching and competing with the best of the best but also the heavy expectations of their fans.
There is no doubt that no matter where the Olympics travel to there is always an expectation that the home team will do well.
For some, it is pretty easy to meet those expectations as they are already a strong team with plenty of support in training.
Places like Australia and the USA love to see their athletes win and so they constantly support their athletes.
Other countries do not make it a priority and they see the results they invest in as they struggle to earn medals.
No matter what side of that equation a team is on though there is always a boost in the funding when they are announced as an Olympic host.
It is a theme for many of the Olympics as host countries begin to look much better as their time to host approaches.
Brazil is a bit of a rarity as they have never really had the money to invest in making their team better.
That didn’t stop them from continuing to improve from 2004 until 2012. In 2004 they earned 10 total medals but that was followed by 15 in Beijing and 17 in London.
Although it is not the improvement that a lot of countries see when they get ready to host the games they are still getting better.
As they entered the Olympics the expectations were high, as they are for every other Olympic host.
The fans simply want to see their country do well as they want to feel that national pride and show that they can be a big part of these Olympics.
Not many Brazilians are watching the games to see all of the other countries as they simply want to see their country do well and hear their national anthem.
It happens every four years and more often than not the same pattern is followed.
First, comes panic as host teams often find themselves struggling to get medals in the opening days of the games.
Most of the time it is because they are not involved in the sports that start the games and so fans and news outlets start to panic and wonder when they will see their first medal and avoid the embarrassment of hosting an Olympics without a medal.
That is what happened in Brazil as no Brazilian could earn a medal in the first two days of the games and the panic was beginning to set in throughout the country.
It wasn’t awful yet as it was only two days but the tensions were rising as people wondered when the first one would come.
Then someone eventually breaks through and becomes the hero as they earn the first medal for the host country.
That happened on Day 3 for Brazil as Rafaela Silva became the first Brazilian to win a medal on home soil.
That medal was also the first gold on home soil as she took home the Olympic title for Judo, appropriate for a country in love with mixed martial arts.
Brazilians got to hear their anthem for the first time and all seemed to be good as the pressure of getting that medal were gone.
The final step for the hosts is usually an anomaly as they begin winning medals they never had any business winning.
The home country gets a boost from the home crowd and athletes begin to perform better than they have ever before.
Whether that happens with Brazil remains to be seen and although they won’t win the medal race earning more than 17 medals is a win for them.
Only three days in, there is plenty of time as the hometown pressure will continue alongside the support.
The Canadian Story
First on the Podium
Rugby Sevens made their debut in the Olympics with the women’s tournament ending on Day three and for the #3 ranked Canadians it was a chance to make history which they did, earning the first bronze medal in Olympic Rugby Sevens
A short Tournament
Genie Bouchard is one of the bigger names on the Canadians team but her Olympics ended earlier than many thought as she lost her second round match ending her singles chances while she now focuses on the doubles tournament
Digging Deep
Canadian Basketball is better than it has ever been but in the Olympics, the Women are carrying the load and doing it well as they almost dropped their second game to Serbia but fought back in the fourth quarter to take their second straight win
Showing off in the Pool
Canadian swimming is enjoying a resurgence in the Olympics and once again the women are leading the way as they have brought three total medals in three days including Kylie Masse’s bronze medal in the 100m backstroke
Day 3 Medal Results:
Diving
Men’s Synchronized 10m Platform
- A. Chen & Y. Lin (CHN)
- S. Johnson & D. Boudia (USA)
- T. Daley & D. Goodfellow (GBR)
Fencing
Women’s Individual Sabre
- Yana Egorian (RUS)
- Sofiya Velikaya (RUS)
- Olga Kharlan (UKR)
Gymnastics
Men’s Team All-Around
- Japan
- Russia
- China
Judo
Men’s 73kg
- Shohei Ono (JPN)
- Rustam Orujov (AZE)
- Lasha Shavdatuashvili (GEO)
- Dirk Van Tichelt (BEL)
Women’s 57kg
- Rafaela Silva (BRA)
- Dorjsurengiin Sumiya (MNG)
- Telma Monteiro (PRT)
- Kaori Matsumoto (JPN)
Rugby Sevens
Women’s Rugby Sevens
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Canada
Shooting
Men’s 10m Air Rifle
- Nicoló Campriani (ITA)
- Serhiy Kulish (UKR)
- Vladimir Maslennikov (RUS)
Men’s Trap
- Josip Glasnovic (HRV)
- Giovanni Pellielo (ITA)
- Edward Ling (GBR)
Swimming
Men’s 200m Freestyle
- Sun Yang (CHN)
- Chad le Clos (RSA)
- Conor Dwyer (USA)
Men’s 100m Backstroke
- Ryan Murphy (USA)
- Xu Jiayu (CHN)
- David Plummer (USA)
Women’s 100m Backstroke
- Katinka Hosszú (HUN)
- Kathleen Baker (USA)
- Kylie Masse (CAN)
- Fu Yuanhai (CHN)
Women’s 100m Breaststroke
- Lilly King (USA)
- Yulia Efimova (RUS)
- Katie Meili (USA)
Weight Lifting
Women’s 62kg
- Óscar Figueroa (COL)
- Eko Yuli Irawan (IDN)
- Farkhad Kharki (KAZ)
Day 4 Medal Events:
Canoe Slalom
Men’s Canoe Single
Diving
Women’s Synchronized 10m Platform
Equestrian
Team Eventing
Individual Eventing
Fencing
Men’s Individual Épée
Gymnastics
Women’s Team All-Around
Judo
Men’s 81kg
Women’s 63kg
Shooting
Women’s 25m Pistol
Swimming
Men’s 200m Butterfly
Men’s 4x200m Freestyle
Women’s 200m Freestyle
Women’s 200m Individual Medley
Weightlifting
Women’s 63kg
The Sport Addiction 