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© KYODOCanada wins gold in women's speedskating team pursuit after Japanese skater falls
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UK9393
Tragedy? Disappointment maybe, but it wasn't tragic by any means, they secured silver, at the Olympics.
runner3
Congratulations to both teams. It sounds like they are all very gracious sports women. Good luck going forward.
Kuruki
Nawww an unfortunate stumble but still so proud of these women! Congrats to Canada as well, they skated really well!
EdwardCanada
Congrats to the skaters. Both teams were amazing.
Badge213
Aly that is because Japan today and most sites rank by number of gold medals.
By total medals Japan is 7th. He clearly incorrectly claimed Japan was not in the top ten by total numbers.
William77
According to the news and tv there is only Japan.
But how about a single article praising the outstanding performace of a country of only a tiny fraction of this like Norway?
Or yesterday’s historical gold silver bronze in the bob by Germany?
I do understand that one’s own country get the priority but a bit more open information would be more fair.
atomu
@Pukey2 That would be Team GB. :-)
Well done Japan for winning silver. Still a great achievement.
Speed
Man, that was heartbreaking. I was sure they were about to take it and was getting ready to stand up when she fell. I guess it's one of the things that makes sports so exciting. You never know what's going to happen.
justasking
You’re not winning until you’ve actually won.
Other teams might be lagging because they were making mistakes - wrong rhythm, breathing, steps… so until you cross the finish line, you aren’t “winning”.
PTownsend
I echo the posters who applauded the women skaters from both Japan and Canada.
Japanese participants in these Games have been fun to watch, i have seen they are highly skilled and have so much passion. I have enjoyed reading about and watching their accomplishments from a Japanese perspective.
If I want to read about games and sports from other nation's perspectives, there are numerous media outlets I can go to online. I am a US baseball fan, and when I am outside my home town and outside the US do not expect media outlets in a country I'm visiting to have in-depth coverage of my favorite team's games. Nor coverage about political and social issues pertaining specifically to my home town and region.
itsonlyrocknroll
A devastated Nana could not hold back tears as she tried to come to terms with the race.
"It was the very end," she said. "If I hadn't fallen, it looked like we had a winning time. I'm so disappointed."
Devastating, life fate can be grossly unfair.
In_japan
I see load of frustration... ahahaaha. I use to have one when you see all the news and can't figure out who won the match or the final LOL! You live with it.
Yubaru
Keep in mind this is a re-posted article, liberally translated from a Kyodo News service article and it's here on JT.
The US is far worse by comparison. Dont read the press here and jump to the conclusion that it's all on Japan, it's far from it.
Watch the Japanese coverage of the Olympics on TV and you will be heartwarmed to see that Japanese TV coverage covers everything in nearly all events it can, even one's without any Japanese competitors!
kohakuebisu
Just regarding the word "tragedy", Nana Takagi already has three (two?) gold medals from the last Olympics, for which she received 10 million yen each from her sports body (i.e., probably the taxpayer through Monbukagakusho). She got one in the "mass start" speedskating, an event with extremely difficult to understand scoring with points for intermediate sprints as well as the final placings. There was massive confusion with it at the Korean games, and even the commentators struggled to explain what was happening. Takagi got gold simply by finishing first at the end, with the intermediate sprints, which had meant something in the qualifiers, ultimately meaningless in the final itself. The same event is on again this weekend, and I hope they've got some sensible rules for it, because it was a joke the last time. Maybe others disagree, but I think think handing out medals for esoteric and/or hard to justify events just lessens what a gold medal means, even for the blue riband events like the downhill, figure skating or athletics 100m.
None of this is to wish the lady badly, just that her falling was a shame, not a tragedy.
Badge213
What's your point? EVERY country does this. Turn on the USA media and it's nothing but TeamUSA athletes, turn on German news, it's nothing but German team news, Canada Team Canada, and of course in China itself. They need to sell news that caters towards their audience, here in Japan and Japan today it's really no different.
Badge213
In Total number of medals Japan is 7th as of the time of the writing of this post.
Badge213
You're saying you are having a more objective way of getting your information, and claiming Japanese news and I quote from you:
"doesn't give the right information"
Then you yourself in the same post make a factually incorrect comment: "Japan isn't even in the top ten in total of medals" when Japan is factually by total number of medals in the top ten (it's 7th overall).
Badge213
If you want open objective information, then don't get it from the news. Get it directly from the source, the raw scores. Every country is going to be biased towards their teams, why because it sells, and thats where they get their advert funds from, simple as that.
Aly Rustom
Fair enough Badge.
Japantime
Every event at the Olympics is broadcast by the IOC. They have a website with a link to the video and commentary in every event. Hard to believe people complain about the tv coverage in this modern era.
lucabrasi
As someone said of life:
"A tragedy for those who feel, a comedy for those who think."
Jim
They went too fast and she couldn’t control herself… nothing too tragic! It doesn’t necessarily mean that they were going to get the gold. It’s same as a car going over speed and crashing while the other driver goes at a speed that he is sure to control and wins…simple as that! If the Canadians were also just focused on going at that super speed they would have been faster on the clock but would have fell as well.
snowymountainhell
“Congratulations!” to a trio of our favorites. - Agreed @atomu9:51am. One of their own even referred to themselves as an “Eccentric lot” just this morning.
Aly Rustom
thanks for the info Badge.
quercetum
At least she wasn’t kicked in the face with a blade intentionally or grabbed or pushed like some of the speed skaters.
Mark
NO PROBLEM, congratulation for just being part of the Olympics history, there will always be an Olympics, Better LUCK next time. Hope she is doing fine.
itsonlyrocknroll
Probably no amount of consolation, commiseration will dull the disappointment for Nana Takagi, not at this level of sporting expectation.
One way or another just have to rise above it.
With a little help from family and friends
Badge213
So you claim to know about how most European countries cover the Olympics?
So I must assume that you lived and speak well the languages and watch the Olympics in these countries as well?
Badge213
ROC is Russian Olympic Committee. Taiwan competes internationally as Chinese Taipei TPE.
lostrune2
Go Canada, Japan, and Netherlands!
Pukey2
uk9393:
That was my thought too. It's not as if anyone died. Canada probably didn't think of it as a "tragedy". Who writes or translates this stuff? Silver is great. There are some countries (which I won't mention) who can't even get one medal of any color.
Aly Rustom
I'll be honest, I don't watch the Olympics for a number of reasons, so I'll take your word for it, and I do respect and value your opinion.
William77
I was born and grew up in a western European country with winter olympics culture,and yes having elements of how they cover the Olympics in a more objective way I can say my thing.
If you’re happy with how Japan cover the games then go ahead.
William77
Sorry Ally with all due respect I watch most the winter Olympics because I’m from a country with winter sports culture and they cover the events only with Japanese athletes included.
The bob sleights events were not broadcasted as some slaloms and other golden medals finals just because Japan wasn’t there.
William77
Badge213Today 01:51 pm JST
The whatabautism is strong in this post.
So you claim to know about how Germans cover the Olympics?
So I must assume that you lived and speak well the languages and watch the Olympics in these countries as well?
In Germany as in most of the European countries they DO cover more about the other disciplines and athletes.
I can’t say about the US and Canada because unlike you I don’t play the whatabout game.
Aly Rustom
Never going to happen William- Japan is too self centered for that
William77
Not all of us are Americans,and from where I come from international events like the Olympics are covered in a more wide way.
Furthermore why should we not compare it with Japan?
Japan is where we live and so this is on topic.
smithinjapan
"Japan's Olympic title defense in the women's speed skating team pursuit ended in tragedy Tuesday...."
Yeahhh.... ummmm... "tragedy" is the loss of one's child, just as one example. A "tragedy" this is not. Unfortunate for the Japanese team, and for those who demanded they get gold, yes, but that's it.
Yubaru: "Watch the Japanese coverage of the Olympics on TV and you will be heartwarmed to see that Japanese TV coverage covers everything in nearly all events it can, even one's without any Japanese competitors!"
I wouldn't go that far. I agree 100% that American coverage is just as bad if not worse, and the excuse making is equally as awful (well, I have never heard the "hole in the ice for Hanyu" excuse, but still), but they do FAR from covering everything they can, unless by "can" you mean they are permitted to cover a bare minimum of events they are not in.
In any case, tough break for the J-ladies on this one, and good on Canada. I remember a few years back when a skater knocked out three out of four nations' skaters (Japan was in fourth place) and they ended up winning the gold then. Might have been men's pursuit, but didn't hear that called "tragic" or anything of the sort.
Japantime
Reminds me of the historic first ever gold medal for Australia in the Winter Olympics. This happens often in speed skating. They won the silver which isn’t a bad consolation. It is making me laugh when people complain about the news reporting on Japanese athletes in the games in the country of Japan,
King Minus
Hopefully the Japanese online troll army doesn't drive her to suicide.
Kumagaijin
Good for Canada. The country needs some positive news right now with Trudeau declaring Martial Law. Go truckers!
Aly Rustom
actually I apologize-
S Korea's rank is 15
9 is ROC, so I'm guessing its Taiwan?
Anyway Japan is ranked at 12
Aly Rustom
I hardly think the US is a benchmark to use as a comparison.. No offense, my friend.
I'm not, even though I did go to Uni there.
exactly.
Aly Rustom
That's fine brother! you don't have to apologize to me for that! More power to you!
Point Taken!
William77
japanToday 11:23 am JST
Not frustration but a plain and simple comment of a country which doesn’t give the right information about the whole Olympic event.
According to the media and news there is only Japan,but there are countries and athletes that performed way better but the media won’t even mention them.
Japan is even not in the top ten in total of medals.
Aly Rustom
That is correct. AT LEAST according to Japan Today
The Front page of Japan today has Japan at Number 12
Here are the rankings
NORWAY
GERMANY
US
AUSTRIA5 NETHERLANDS
CHINA
SWEDEN
CHE (Not sure who that is but the flag looks like the Swiss one..)9 S. Korea
10 FRANCE
ITALY12 JAPAN