bionicjoe: Meanwhile, in the link on the right...
WTF is WAG?

WAG = Wives and Girlfriends, generally of sports starts or some other significant male figure.

I was watching the race when Borchin collapsed and it was not a nice sight. I've seen marathoners just stop or collapse after the finish line, but he just went to the barrier and collapsed hard. And seeing being put into an ambulance wasn't exactly a nice sight either. Still haven't been able to find anything about his condition to see if it was just exhaustion or what.

The 50K race walk? Longer than the marathon.

Plus as we noted in yesterday's live thread, you don't watch so much for the walking as you watch for the judges who make sure everyone's keeping their legs straight and one foot on the ground at all times. They catch you not doing that, they walk up to you and give you a strike right to your face. Three strikes and they DQ you and pull you off the track. And there are a lot of walkers that get caught because at some point in a 20-kilometer race (or 50-kilometer race), it's really easy to give in to the temptation to start running and get promptly ganked by a judge. Even if you're winning.

This didn't happen yesterday, because the two Chinese medalists were operating on the principle of 'not cheating unless you get caught', but that's about how it works.

A ridiculous made up sport? Without looking, I'm guessing the Chinese nabbed the gold.

Slow To Return: A ridiculous made up sport? Without looking, I'm guessing the Chinese nabbed the gold.

Okay, smart guy.

The 50K race walk is on Saturday. Go get your shoes on and start walking as fast as you can. Make sure you have at least one foot on the ground at all times. You tell me how ridiculous it is 31 miles later.

Wait...so a sport where someone can get hurt = contact sport? I always assumed that a contact sport was one wherein two competitors made, y'know, contact.

Sgygus: You can pause the action at any time and catch athletes with both feet clearly off the ground. It seems the judges only bother warning those participants who doesn't exhibit the correct gait, not whether they are actually running or not.

I have the David Wallechinsky book in front of me. This race they only DQ'ed two people.

In Montreal 1976, photos came out of the gold medalist having both feet off the ground towards the end of the race. In Moscow 1980, the judges responded by DQ'ing seven out of the 34 walkers, including two people who were in front at the time of their disqualification and three of the top six from the 15K mark,

So we'll see how they respond to the replays here in the 50K.

Gosling: So we'll see how they respond to the replays here in the 50K.

In 2000 the leader of the women's 20km race walk was dq'ed as she was either getting to the stadium or just as she got into the stadium, can't remember which it was now.

And in the Sydney 2000 50K, the original winner, Bernando Segura, a mayoral candidate out of Mexico, had in fact gotten three strikes. The rules say the chief judge has to personally administer the DQ. When the judge heard of Segura's third strike, he was busy DQ'ing some Latvian guy. When he got to Segura, Segura was already giving a post-race victory interview and wearing sunglasses, a sombrero and the Mexican flag, and talking with the president of Mexico. The judge didn't want to interrupt, so he waited for the interview to end, then went up to Segura and DQ'ed him.

Segura promptly threw the sunglasses, the sombrero and the flag to the ground.

...no, wait, Segura was in the 20K. Misread the title at the top of the page. My mistake.

It's hard to take race walking seriously but I'm supposed to be enthralled as America's Sweetheart's (tm) do a few tumbles amidst a lot of really badly done ballet moves on a mat?

Got it.

WhyteRaven74: I was watching the race when Borchin collapsed and it was not a nice sight.

I thought he was going to die before the medical help got there, I couldn't find an update on his condition.

Yes it is hard, but still seems silly, when you want to go faster you run. But I guess it's not much different than any of the many different types of strokes in swimming races.

Henry Holland: I thought he was going to die before the medical help got there, I couldn't find an update on his condition.

I was worried too. Like I said I've seen people collapse, but none have been like him. He just looked completely out of it, like he couldn't even respond.

So is the "both feet on the ground" rule to racewalking what the travelling rule is to the NBA?

Gosling: Slow To Return: A ridiculous made up sport? Without looking, I'm guessing the Chinese nabbed the gold.

Okay, smart guy.

The 50K race walk is on Saturday. Go get your shoes on and start walking as fast as you can. Make sure you have at least one foot on the ground at all times. You tell me how ridiculous it is 31 miles later.

I also can't eat 127 hotdogs in 60 seconds.

I also can't stand with my hand on a brand new car for more than four hours.

I also can't hop on one leg while humming Bohemian Rhapsody for more than eight seconds.

Shall we make Olympic "sports" out of those as well?

Gosling: Slow To Return: A ridiculous made up sport? Without looking, I'm guessing the Chinese nabbed the gold.

Okay, smart guy.

The 50K race walk is on Saturday. Go get your shoes on and start walking as fast as you can. Make sure you have at least one foot on the ground at all times. You tell me how ridiculous it is 31 miles later.

Being difficult has zero to do with being ridiculous. Putting your fist in your own ass is difficult, bu it too is ridiculous and not a sport.

Where was Mr. T during all this?

Came for a Walter White race-walking pic (just finished tonight's Breaking Bad about five minutes ago), leaving very satisfied.

Unfortunately for Stephen Hawking, the Paralympics start next month.