Germany V Spain, the final

ragyrascal 5
The.Rampage.Rado 5
JiMMM 5
IRN BRU 5
shepdogg 4
juveniliahockey 4
majwalrus 4
dodgeyumpires 4
Rutter 4
Bulsara 4

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[redumpire]

I am a very bad looser and third would not interest me so i understand it. I have never opened my runners up medal for the biggest tournament in Ireland. Loosing is nothing

I guess that's what Swedish Greco-Roman wrestler Ara Abrahamian thought about his Olympic bronze medal.  (He was actually protesting about a refereeing decision in his semi-final, but still...)

[Grumpy]

Should not of thrown it away so publically, if he did not want it he should have done what Mohammad Ali did. After the tournament, go home and chuck it in the river.

[philthy]

Interesting thought... does anyone think that in a sport like hockey (or basketball, volleyball - any of the sports that require a tournament with a final) that the bronze medal might be celebrated more than the silver? If you've got the silver then you've lost the final, fallen at the final hurdle... if you've got the bronze, you've lost your semi, but got a chance of redemption and won the bronze medal match and got something.

[braxer001]

One of the Belgian Judoka's named exactly that reason why she would rather have won bronze than silver  (btw she didn't win any medal this time). Just because you end with a win, instead of feeling disappointed with the loss

[John]

Interesting thought... does anyone think that in a sport like hockey (or basketball, volleyball - any of the sports that require a tournament with a final) that the bronze medal might be celebrated more than the silver? If you've got the silver then you've lost the final, fallen at the final hurdle... if you've got the bronze, you've lost your semi, but got a chance of redemption and won the bronze medal match and got something.

No i think its fairly disgraceful to be anything other than happy at being the first, second or third best team in the world after the event. 

I don't see how this stops people from striving to be the best in their approach to an event, especially in a team sport where the two things to concentrate on are playing to the best of your ability and then raising the game of the people around you. 

At some stage other people will be better than you for a variety of reasons, its how you learn from that experience to improve your game that counts.  Petulant behaviour does no one any favours.

[braxer001]

Of course afterwards they will be pleased with silver (they should be!). But not just 5min after the lost final I reckon, not if you were striving for gold!

[Wassie]

the spirit of the games is to be happy to compete!

[Grumpy]

The spirit is long gone, especially when they let professionals compete.
But also funding is based in a lot of countries on success, no success less funding.

Plus if competing is all you want to do and not winning, you will not win more than likely.

[iceravenVI]

The dutch story is an exact mirror of my team's performance this year. We got into the semis with least goals conceeded, same as the dutch. Semis ended 1-1, with our opponent scoring in the last 2 minutes to level the game, same as the dutch, came down to strokes, and we lost by 1 stroke, our top flicker missing his, exactly the way the dutch bowed out. and in the third fourth everyone didn't have the heart to play any more, and we lost the bronze medal playoff.

[Wassie]

Germany and Holland seem to be good for blow out losses in the 3/4 playoff games. Have seen that happen a number of times in the past. I will let you all form your opinions on why. Tho it is a mentality I wouldnt want to be a part of my team.

[Grumpy]

Not sure i would like it either in a team.
But if all you are geared for is Gold only and being number 1 is the only acceptable outcome of a tournament, this i feel will always be the outcome when failure has occured. They probably also know that with failure the team will be changed very quickly and a good number of the players will be axed weather they win or loose the Bronze medal match.

[Wassie]

So why do they have a different approach to their opponents?

[Grumpy]

You will have to ask them i can only surmise.

By the way how is the sc practice going Wassie?

[Wassie]

Pretty good thanks. We scored both our goals over the weekend from corners.

[johncoxon]

Well GB did OK in the Olympics and even better in  the Paralympics and the games were littered with people who got bronze and silver and it just wouldn't do  for them , for example our BMX girl who took the risk and fell off her bike as silver was not good enough. Our cyclists have rocked the world as the performance manager wasn't interested in anyone who didn't want to win and take gold. This is a big improvemnent on that English " after you George " thing and the particiapting is the thing idea . The spiirit of the games is to do your very, very best and at least do a PB or more. You don't want to go home thinking you didn't give it your very best.