Games of the XVI Olympiad - RP Thread

by **Pemecutan** » Sun Jul 24, 2022 8:56 pm

Soma Paing Wuku Merakih, Pawukon 1783

Battle of the Water Sports

Prescott - Water sports, something that is very familiar with Pemecutanian people. As an archipelagic country, water have become part of their life. Historical records are mentioned how Pemecutanian sailed a long way to the southern point of the region. Despite never crossed the big ocean, but their trade ships were well-known back then. Although there's no record about water sporting at the time. While the meeting of western powers proven to be the reason how the water sports spread and become popular in the country. These water sports includes aquatics, canoeing, rowing, sailing and of course, surfing.

Before the times of the Olympics, these sports are use as a hobby by many. Although for school children and college students, these sports are some of the sports that is included in PORSENI (Pekan Olahraga dan Seni, Art and Sports Week). It is an annual sports and arts competition usually city based or state wide event which competed by school children and college students in the country. The event usually held during the semester break. However, following the country's participation in the Olympics, the sports become the backbone of the country to gain medal. But it turns out otherwise.

With recognition as one of the big 3 sports (because of its huge medal counting), aquatics especially swimming have become a major failure for Pemecutan. From the past 2 participation, the country is only won 2 medals, 1 bronze in XIV edition and another 1 in XV, in swimming. While diving and artistic swimming have only won 1 medal each. Water polo almost got medal last edition when the men's team lost to Britonisea in bronze medal match. This result have stress out PAA officials, Pemecutan Aquatics Association.

It's very unfortunate that with our capabilities, we can't get through from that single medal. Either in swimming, diving or artistic swimming. Although we can't close our eyes with the fact that aquatics is one of the sexiest sports in term of medal gainer. It has a lot of medal to grab. The competition is tight. So our athletes need to break their boundaries and do better.

PAA spokesperson

The recent result have smacked the association after Made Yuliantara, last edition gold medalist was getting his worst time. He was not even qualify to semifinal. While Bagus Supraba who won bronze in 200m backstroke event, haven't start yet. Currently, the possible medal gainer are Nanang Krisnawan in 100m backstroke and Kumala Sari Dewi in 100m breaststroke.

On the other hand, Canoeing has lost another medal after Wisnu Wardana failed to reached final at Slalom men's C-1. With this result, Canoeing is 1 medal short from their last edition. In XV edition, canoeing was the star for Pemecutan. It won a tremendous 4 medals, the most from a single sport. 1 of them were won in slalom, men's C-1. While last year finalist, Putu Weda Adnyani who compete in women's K-1 was lost in preliminary round. Their hope to win medal is now lies in the other 2 events with more pressure given to Eka Rian Winanda who reached final in men's K-1 last edition.

Rowing and Sailing are seen as a progressive sport. Last edition, both sports placed their athletes at final. The first one for sailing as the sport was not placed any athlete at final during the XIV edition. However, the luck only came to rowing as they win 1 medal out of 3 finals. While sailing placed in 6 final events but none of them win any medal. This edition, rowing make a stable progress with 9 out of 14 events advance directly to quarterfinal. While the other 5 have to go through repechage round. Sailing on the other hand currently eyeing in 2 events for final place. Panca Darmawan in one-person dinghy and Ayu Kemala Dewi in heavyweight dinghy. Darmawan currently lead in the leaderboard while Kemala Dewi place second.

The last is surfing. Not much can be said for this edition because the sport has just started. However, it's good to mention that the athletes have a stable performance with all 4 of them once again qualifies from the preliminary round. Another note would be Putu Oka Sulaksana performance. The two times Olympics medalist almost trip from preliminary round. He got just enough point to advance to top 48 with a slight 0.70 points difference with Banijan surfers who placed lower than him. The fans are support him wholeheartedly especially this edition where he in a race to win his third Olympic medal.

Other News

JUDO Will judo make a surprise?
BOXING The rest of Pemecutanian boxers prepare for their first match.
BADMINTON The doubles hope for another good results in their second match
BASKETBALL A win would be good to stay in the position.
ROWING All repechage round are next, 5 events for Pemecutanian athletes are decided there.
SURFING Oka Sulaksana and Angga Sudarsa prepare for the next surf.
SAILING Ayu Kemala Dewi ready for the next sail, defending her position.
SWIMMING Will we have medal this time? Krisnawan and Sari Dewi are under pressure.
WATER POLO Match of the day as Pemecutan will face Britonisea in the upcoming match. A win for a revenge.
DIVING High hope for Yoga/Yogi siblings.

Honorable Mention Day 2
Wisnu Wardana
Semifinalist - Men's C-1 (Canoeing - Slalom)
Indah Dewi Jayanti/Ratna Tri Hapsari
Top 10 - Women's Synchronized 3m Springboard (Diving)

by **Alezian Union** » Sun Jul 24, 2022 10:20 pm

Countries Featured : Team Diarcesian (Diarcesia and Wochaystein)

by **Chromatika** » Sun Jul 24, 2022 11:09 pm

OOC Note: Names of archers and how good they are have been taken from signups and ranks given in the signups. Please let me know if you don't like any of these storylines.

By: Min Do-Hyun, Olympic Correspondent

Last Olympics, the Chromatik Men won the team competition, with Isaak Kristoffer also getting as silver in the individual men's competition. Coming into these Olympics, defending that gold medal was one of the most intriguing storylines of the Olympics. With Cameron St. John taking over for Hugo de Vries. How did they fare?

Men's Archery

Quarterfinals
Chromatika 6-0 The Sarian

Set 1: Chromatika 60 (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10) - The Sarian 58 (10, 10, 9, 10, 10, 9); Chromatika 2-0 The Sarian
Set 2: Chromatika 59 (10, 9, 10, 10, 10, 10) - The Sarian 58 (10, 10, 9, 10, 10, 9); Chromatika 4-0 The Sarian
Set 3: Chromatika 59 (10, 10, 10, 9, 10, 10) - The Sarian 57 (10, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10); Chromatika 6-0 The Sarian

Chromatika:
Frederick von Marshall (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 9): 59 - 9.83 points/arrow
Isaak Kristoffer (10, 10, 9, 10, 10, 10): 59 - 9.83 points/arrow
Cameron St. John (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10): 60 - 10 points/arrow

The Sarian:
Timo Kindvanwilaam (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 9): 59 - 9.83 points/arrow
Dilyn Waltz (10, 10, 10, 10, 9, 10): 59 - 9.83 points/arrow
Pauw Kindvanhuw (9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 10): 55 - 9.17 points/arrow

Nerves? What nerves? Cameron St. John went six-for-six on his first team match, being the anchor for the team as the Chromatiks took advantage of The Sarian's weak link, Pauw Kindvanhuw, to easily advance to the Quarterfinals. The only missed two arrows from the ten point mark, and strutted their stuff.

Semifinals
Chromatika 6-0 Krytenia

Set 1: Chromatika 59 (10, 10, 9, 10, 10, 10) - Krytenia 57 (10, 9, 9, 10, 10, 9); Chromatika 2-0 Krytenia
Set 2: Chromatika 60 (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10) - Krytenia 58 (10, 10, 9, 10, 9, 10); Chromatika 4-0 The Sarian
Set 3: Chromatika 58 (10, 10, 9, 9, 10, 10) - Krytenia 57 (10, 9, 9, 10, 10, 9); Chromatika 6-0 The Sarian

Chromatika:
Frederick von Marshall (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 9): 59 - 9.83 points/arrow
Isaak Kristoffer (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10): 60 - 10 points/arrow
Cameron St. John (9, 10, 10, 10, 9, 10): 58 - 9.67 points/arrow

Krytenia:
Aston Jeavons (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10): 60 - 10 points/arrow
Cho Yeong-Ho (9, 10, 10, 9, 9, 10): 57 - 9.5 points/arrow 
Christopher Jennings (9, 9, 10, 10, 9, 9): 56 - 9.33 points/arrow

For the match against Krytenia, it was Isaak Kristoffer that did the lion's work, going perfect while St. John had two misses. Krytenia was a solid team, but with Christopher Jennings struggling to hit the dead center, and Chromatika having the better team from top to bottom, they made it to the Gold Medal match.

Final
Chromatika 6-0 Ko-oren

Set 1: Chromatika 60 (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10) - Ko-oren 59 (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 9); Chromatika 2-0 Ko-oren
Set 2: Chromatika 59 (10, 9, 10, 10, 10, 10) - Ko-oren 58 (10, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10); Chromatika 4-0 Ko-oren
Set 3: Chromatika 59 (10, 10, 9, 10, 10, 10) - Ko-oren 58 (10, 10, 9, 9, 10, 10); Chromatika 6-0 Ko-oren

Chromatika:
Frederick von Marshall (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10): 60 - 10 points/arrow
Isaak Kristoffer (10, 10, 9, 10, 10,10): 59 - 9.83 points/arrow
Cameron St. John (10, 10, 10, 10, 9, 10): 59 - 9.83 points/arrow

Ko-oren:
Joshimoli Michigami (10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 9): 59 - 9.83 points/arrow
René Didier (10, 10, 9, 10, 10, 10): 59 - 9.83 points/arrow
Christiaan Hooistaart (10, 9, 9, 10, 9, 10): 57 - 9.5 points/arrow

Stepping into the Gold Medal match against Ko-oren, the Chromatika had a rare opportunity - to repeat as Gold Medalists. Shooting a perfect first set, they narrowly edged Ko-oren in the second by a single point. Then, Cameron St. John barely hit the nine point mark on the first arrow of the final set. Thankfully, the Ko-orenites also hit two nines, and Frederick von Marshall and Isaak Kristoffer recovered well for the Chromatiks with two tens.

The young gun from the CCFA stepped up, took a deep breath, and with one pull, hit just a single millimeter from dead center. Ten points, game over.

Chromatika had proven that it was the power in Men's Team Archery, once again.

by **West Phoenicia** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 1:28 am

"It is an honour to be able to compete in the same event as an Olympian great like Laodice Chambers, let alone end up in the same final which produced her a gold."

Andromeda Smith declared during the post-game interview of the Women's 10 m air pistol event. She sat next to her trainer behind a table, dressed in a team jacket, she wore a pink baseball cap with her short ponytail peeking out the back.
Her pleasant and friendly smile displayed a hint of disappointment but overall she was radiating good vibes.

Lights flashed as voices sang out Andromeda's name like a meditation mantra.
She felt like a star even though no medal hung around her neck.

"What made you choose Shooting as a sport?" a bald, overweight reporter with a bright Lavender bow tie and an uncanny resemblance to Humpty Dumpty asked.
He swatted other reporters' hands away, as if they were annoying flies, in the pursuit to have his questions answered.

[/i]"West Phoenicia has obtained 15 Medals in Shooting. Eight of those were won solely by a female athlete.
Four of those resulted in a gold medal win; Lady Ptolemais Dundas, 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol. Princess Rhea Gryphon, Skeet. Laodice Chambers 10 m Air Pistol and Lady Polycratia Dundas Women's Trap."[/i]

Andromeda Smith listed each one off the top of her head. All were heroes and inspirational in assisting her walk-in becoming an Olympian athlete.
Of course, the others winners were also, one didn't need to have won gold to be the only winner. Amber Dances was another name that came to mind. She won bronze at the XII Summer Olympics for 10m Air Pistol then returned for the XIII Summer Olympics and won Silver.

"Two West Phoenician women hold Olympic records, one in Trap and the other 10m Air Pistol. I found the history fascinating. Something to aspire to. When you read statistics like this it is very encouraging and heartwarming. Who wouldn't want to give it a try?
As a child, I always found firearms to be very dangerous and something masculine and male orientated. When I was in high school several female athletes were invited to come and speak. The seminar was encouraging young girls to become more active in sports.
To see women of the aristocracy looking so elegant and dainty yet competitive in shooting allowed me to realise this is something I could also do. I haven't looked back since."

How did you feel after qualifications when you realised you made the finals? a female journalist with silvery short hair in the style of a pixie-cut and heavy mascara and eye-liner asked whilst jotting notes on her notepad.

"A relief I had Happiness Monteiro, my own teammate, neck and neck with me, in addition to several other athletes. It's one of those sports where you need to be mentally strong, any slight distraction can see you miss and a competitor moves forward. I can say I would be happy that at least one West Phoenician progressed, in saying that I am glad it was me, but from the results both Happiness and I are worthy candidates, and this won't be the last time you see either of us."

How did you feel about ending up in the same final as Olympic great Laodice Chambers?

"It was a privilege. I would have loved to have medalled in the event and even had a score closer to that of Laodice Chambers, but it wasn't meant to be. I was eliminated too early after the pressure got to me. There were just 5 other shooters who were more composed, at one with their Pistol and focused. I applaud Ani Herisova of Alezian Union for their gold medal win in the event and applaud they came close to breaking the record."

Andromeda's trainer raised his hand to alert the journalists.

" Just a reminder, Andromeda's Smith's next event will see her teamed up with Tyrique Persaud for the Mixed Pistol Team event. Make sure not to miss out on this event. We have high hopes they may medal in this event."

by **Ko-oren** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 2:38 am

On short notice, the Ko-orenite Federation des Cyclistes has put together a 'tour' of seven stages, with seven teams competing. Seven teams, seven cyclists each, and seven stages, this very much sounds like a Drawkian's dream, but please remember it's all done as a practise for the 1728th birthday of Ko-oren. 1728 - that's 12*12*12 - should be celebrated by at least a 12-stage race when the time comes.

Short notice doesn't mean that the preparations were half-butted either - that's Ko-oren for you. Unforeseen circumstances are also a Ko-orenite thing, so do watch out for those, and the Federation has made sure to call each and every preparatory shortcoming an 'unforeseen circumstance'. With that, and the seven teams hastily scrambled together one of our capitals, we announce the results of stage one:

Stage 1: Gehrenna-Senoren (flat, 180.5 km) via Gereninu lake, Gauthizu lake, Maethoru, Gakhithrau

Martin Buriskais (TKT) - Ravenstone                 4:17:13
Harkaitz Aldana (GTK) - Amestapop Recording Co.     4:17:25
Travis Ruan (ZWZ) - Dictine                         4:19:02
Tyson Forgal-Moon (ZWZ) - Dictine                   4:19:18
Hariss Khatri (FLA) - Buzzin Vespia Tourers         4:19:29
Max Rice (FLA) - Buzzin Vespia Tourers              4:19:39
Carla Sauvageau (KOR) - Galbecran                   4:20:47
Joël Galle (KOR) - Galbecran                        4:21:15
Christopher Harrod (FLA) - Buzzin Vespia Tourers    4:21:20
Julie Delaine (KOR) - Galbecran                     4:21:39
Toby Hunt (FLA) - Buzzin Vespia Tourers             4:21:42
Sigurd Dahlman (GTK) - Amestapop Recording Co.      4:21:44
Leander Grant (TKT) - Ravenstone                    4:22:16
Josh Munsterman (SFD) - FNCB Schultz Ny-Ede Cycling 4:22:18
Graeme Hinchcliffe (TKT) - Ravenstone               4:22:20
Brian Cacavas (SFD) - FNCB Schultz Ny-Ede Cycling   4:22:27
Gillis Henriksson (GTK) - Amestapop Recording Co.   4:22:34
Robert Long (SFD) - FNCB Schultz Ny-Ede Cycling     4:22:42
Govert van Sterrenwolde (KOR) - Galbecran           4:23:21
Dechen Cadsu-Aidem (ZWZ) - Dictine                  4:23:37
Bengt Solo (GTK) - Amestapop Recording Co.          4:23:45
Steve Bramble (SFD) - FNCB Schultz Ny-Ede Cycling   4:24:11
Veronica Gamlengard (TKT) - Ravenstone              4:24:21
Anthony Glenton (TKT) - Ravenstone                  4:24:54
Nane Tenjanodhen (KOR) - Dictine                    4:25:16
Esther van Diemen (TKT) - Ravenstone                4:25:24
Koldo Larsson (GTK) - Amestapop Recording Co.       4:25:39
Kazunari Orihara (KOR) - Dictine                    4:26:06
Tarmo Larsson (GTK) - Amestapop Recording Co.       4:26:40
Levi Anglins (KOR) - Chossey-Hakansson              4:27:21
Symon Hoogkornuit (KOR) - Galbecran                 4:27:21
Hilgrim Nieuwbes (KOR) - Galbecran                  4:27:36
Stuart McLeigh (TKT) - Ravenstone                   4:28:54
Sanghun Gim (ZWZ) - Dictine                         4:28:59
John Soye (SFD) - FNCB Schultz Ny-Ede Cycling       4:29:12
Ghazi Karim (FLA) - Buzzin Vespia Tourers           4:29:30
Gideon Brightroot (KOR) - Chossey-Hakansson         4:29:31
Kaleb Barber (SFD) - FNCB Schultz Ny-Ede Cycling    4:29:39
Abby Easlebury (KOR) - Chossey-Hakansson            4:31:18
Terrance Schmid (FLA) - Buzzin Vespia Tourers       4:31:20
Jamie Kelly (FLA) - Buzzin Vespia Tourers           4:31:40
Joseph Barworth (KOR) - Chossey-Hakansson           4:32:18
Tabitha Grassborough (KOR) - Chossey-Hakansson      4:32:55
Cadoc Langlois (KOR) - Galbecran                    4:33:13
Gorka Tjäder (GTK) - Amestapop Recording Co.        4:34:26
Lynn Delaney (ZWZ) - Dictine                        4:34:34
David Johnson (SFD) - FNCB Schultz Ny-Ede Cycling   4:34:41
Bolton Trevelay (KOR) - Chossey-Hakansson           4:40:15
Trevor Rochestone (KOR) - Chossey-Hakansson         4:41:24

No total times for today, because that list is the exact same as this one.

Buriskais, with little support in the final kilometres, puts the team on his back and gets the victory for himself and the domestiques. Aldana wants to make it an interesting sprint into Senoren city centre, but can't touch the untouchable Buriskais. Then we get a Dictine duo from Zwangzug: Ruan and Forgal-Moon. After two Flavovespians, whose teams only announced that they were in this days before the start - we finally get the Ko-orenites. Galbecran shows up Chossey-Hakansson: Sauvageau and Galle carry each other to the final but as Galle hopes to help another teammate, he has to scramble to stay ahead of Harrod. Delaine is shortly behind. We only find the first Chossey-Hakansson teammate in the final half: Anglins just ahead of the tail end of Galbecran.

by **Banija** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 7:07 am

OOC Note: Omugaba translates to Princess

The new Executive Chairman of the Olympic Committee of Banija, Patrick Zervos, at the women's shortboard surfing competition

Patrick Zervos, on his way to this event, had reflected to his rise as the Executive Chairman of the Olympic Committee of Banija. He had been Athletic Director at his own alma mater, Loyola-Istria, for a long time. Spanning multiple decades- he had originally thought that he'd spend a lifetime at his alma mater, as the Athletic Director. He had, by any reasonable means of evaluation, been immensely successful there, and had been synonymous with success at many programs at Loyola-Istria. The Athletic Department at the school had their grand grow tremendously under his leadership, and while their numbers were not publicly known since they were a private school, the revenue numbers at Loyola-Istria were simply eye-popping.

Entry into the NSCF, and support of building a consistent winner. Seemless transition from a head coach who literally got the field named after him (Alastair Jobs) to another head coach (Alanso Isa) to yet another head coach- pulling off a coup, with RFL championship winning head coach, Blue Thunder alumnus, and his own son, Dennis Zervos, convinced to come back to the college ranks to take over. Oversaw a gridiron program that has 3 NSCF titles, tied for the most all-time with the University of Utica. And success across all sports. Even Loyola-Istria's basketball program, well supported, was the first Banijan program to win the NSCAA championship. Hell, look at his efforts to get a unified Loyola team to the International Baseball Slam (even if the team didn't exactly pan out).

But when he really got on the Olympic radar, was his crucial support of the Istria Olympic bid. Of course, to host an event as large as an Olympics, in as small a space as a city, you need total buy-in from basically every and all community stakeholders. Especially in an era of serious cost overruns. Loyola University, and particularly the athletic department, were crucial to making the thing run. The University, as a whole, gave its dormitories and on-campus housing as the Olympic village, and closed campus to students for the summer semester to make it happen. Zervos ensured that fall sports were able to find various places across the country to do pre-season training, and gave a significant number of venues to be used as Olympic venues. The synergy between Olympic Committee, city, and university- so much synergy happened on a number of levels in Banija for that one, and Patrick Zervos was one of many people whose reputations were greatly enhanced by those games.

And so when Ousman Kaba retired, he had been approached to run. And after a few ballots, he was elected. The man with two jobs- still the AD at Loyola-Istria, while championing the cause with the Olympic Committee. "We're going to be the cream of the crop." He had told delegates shortly after his election. And now, here he was, overseeing his first delegation as Olympic chair. One of the most important decisions he had made, was how to house Banijan athletes. Obviously, the vast majority would be staying in the Olympic village. But the gridiron team had just won a world title. Shouldn't they get rewarded? And what about the Royals?

He had made a decision. Quebec's cruise ships, since the Olympiad was on home soil, were going unused. It didn't take much- the relationship between Quebec and Banija was strong and ran deep. He quickly reached the agreement in principle with his Quebecois counterpart, who was far too busy to really worry about it. The accountants figured out a fee, and bam- the Olympic Committee of Banija was renting one cruiseliner for these games. The International,, with a gross tonnage of 130,000. Both of Banija's gridiron teams would stay on that ship, as a reward for the men winning the World Bowl. And then, so would Banijan royals(both competing and visiting), as well as the highest executives of the OCB.

The rest of the athletes, of course, would stay at the Olympic village. In reality, most Banijan royals went back and forth between the village and the ship, while the gridiron teams largely through parties on the ship. Zervos had watched them practice the night before- they had looked sharp, and ready to go. But he was here to watch surfing. Suddenly, Omugaba Zandaba's name was bellowed, and she walked up. "C'mon Zandaba!" Zervos yelled. He was sitting with her husband, Prince Philippe of Quebec was cheering even more loudly for her. Zervos chuckled- Philippe was cheering as hard for her as he did for the Quebecois athletes before her. Good husband, eh?

Zandaba went out and took to the waves. She was excellent, earning a score of 11.84. 3/4s of athletes at this stage went to the next round, so she didn't need a crazy score. But it was the next Banijan athlete, a few moments later, that wowed everybody. Just the first round, yes- but Jasiel Nya stole the show. She finished with the highest score out of any surfer in this competition in the round of 64, being the only surfer to break 15. When a Banijan journalist asked him about it, he was glowing. "We're dedicating resources towards getting better in the water, and both Her Royal Highness Omugaba Zandaba, as well as Jasiel Nya, are integral to that. Very talented surfers, we think can do very well. Banijans do not have a great reputation in the water outside of water polo- and this crop of athletes, this generation, is going to change that."

Banija Aquatics Daily- Surfing, Swimming in full swing at the Olympics, with Banijan athletes improving in both categories

Omugaba Zandaba posing in a promo for the Olympiad

LES TWIN CITIES, QUEBEC & SHINGORYEO- Banijan aquatics has never been known for a history of sustained success. Banijan Olympic Games have mostly gone like this- survive the water, don't embarass ourselves, and wait for the halfway point- when the athletics start. But with a new Chairman, Patrick Zervos, who seems to be more ambitious about getting medals for the Banijan delegation than his predecessor, we're already seeing some results. First, let's start with surfing. Now, of course, things are different- a royal being our most famous surfer helps immensely.

So the women's shortboard surfing competition preliminaries began the other day, and with Zandaba getting through, things went as expected. But it was Jasiel Nya who stole the show. Her scoring 15+ in the preliminary round was first among all competitors, and she went from an unknown to a virtual medal contender in almost an instant. "She was absolutely spectacular." Said Ezekiel Bullo, a 4 time IBC winner with the national basketball team, and now a commentator for these Games. "She was aggressive, she respected the game, she wanted to put on a show for the fans, and she did. There was a surprisingly large Banijan contingent out here, and she quickly endeared herself to be a fan favorite. Hopefully she didn't peak too early."

The other aquatics competition where we've seen success is the men's 100m backstroke. The swimming pool has been a source of grief for basically these entirely Olympic Games. But the 100m backstroke for the men, somehow, has been the opposite. We had two swimmers qualify for the final- Kandita Faho and Jaxat Susafabibe, who both finished top 5 in the semifinals. Susafabibe, of course, is our best hope to medal in the waters. He's an elite swimmer on many levels, and the Northern Moravica swimmer has high expectations for himself. With two in the final, the chances of a medal are fairly high- can one of them finish the job and bring something home?

While it's still early, these show one thing- that the tide, and the narrative, are slowly turning on Banijan athletes in the water.

by **Rarungan** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 7:35 am

Dina 121 Warsa Caturkusuma

Another Medal

Prescott, Electrum - The sport fans back home at Rarungan are overjoyed with the recent news that spread to them. Rarungan have won yet another medal. A bronze medal from canoeing slalom won by Eka Subrata. Subrata was already make a headlines after their best time during preliminary. Finished the slalom track in 82.69 which make him placed first in the leaderboard. Then on semifinal, he once again lead the leaderboard after scoring 83.22 time. A little slower than his preliminary time but still ahead of the other canoers. With that result some fans buzzed around that he might snatch the first gold for the country. However, his final seems to be a disaster for him. Subrata finished in 85.90 seconds which far slower than his best time. Fortunately, he was still finished in the top 3 ahead of Benjamin Gruber of Krytenia. The result give him a bronze. A second bronze for Rarungan.

Eka Subrata celebratory gesture after he finds out that he won a bronze

On an interview after the medal ceremony, Subrata said that he made a few mistakes when he maneuvering which cost him a lot of time to keep him on track. Despite his mistake, Subrata have printed his name as one of the medalist. And whatever medal that he win, the fans back home are still proud of him.

On the other hand, now the attention turn to the other event. Women's K-1 slalom. Lia Darmawan is in the semifinal after finished 7th at the preliminary. The pressure on her rise up after Subrata's bronze win. 'I have to worry about semifinal first before talking about final. Now I'm focus with semifinal,' Lia said. All eyes are on her tomorrow as she race to the final.

Aside from Lia Darmawan, another highlight events tomorrow are in rowing and swimming. Rarungani rowers will decide their future in the repechage round. There are 6 events where Rarungani rowers are compete in. While in Twin Cities the attention will focused on women's 100m backstroke event. 2 Rarunganis swimmers are competing in the final number of the event. It is the second time that Rarungani swimmers qualified 2 swimmers in a single event. The first one was Women's 400m individual medley which unfortunately not bearing any medal. Windya Margono, the better timed Rarungani swimmer was only finished 5th.

Other news
Swimming - More hope for swimming final placement.
Badminton - The doubles prepare for their second match with a hope for a win to open up chance to advance.
Basketball - Can we get a second win?
Volleyball - The men's team have to win or their position is at stake.

by **Islands Of Ventro** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:13 am

Day 1 wrap up

As the second day of events wraps up, here's a recap of what has happened:

Women's football

IOV defeats Liventia in close match!

On day 1 in IOV's first match, they came out fighting and winning a close game against Liventia 3-2. The team having not played in a international competition before, this was a big step. It showed that they could win, and now that they have won, they want more. A statement from the coach says, "We haven't lost yet and we don't plan to".

Mens Rugby

Islands of Ventro falls off in disappointing matches.

After a strong start on the first matchday IOv falls of as they lose to Quebec and Shingoryeo 24-19 and to Natanians and Nosts 12-22. This was never thought about by the team as they were riding high on their first victory. The coach came out out and said this statement, "We were to high on our own victory we forgot to practice ahead, this won't happen again, this was just a fluke"

Men's Basketball

IOV rides high after first victory

On the first matchday IOV beat St Kristofian Democracy 79-65 . THough this was a outstanding victory, the basketball team is taking a chapter out of the rugby teams book and preparing for the next match instead of preparing for a victory parade. The coach refused to make a statement.

Woman's Handball

Victory with Islands of Ventro

31-24 was the score in the victory against Darman on matchday 1 of Woman's handball. The team prepares for the next match with a high expectancy for victory. A statement from the coach, "Focusing for the future is the past of the present"

Men's Volleyball

3 stroke victory with volleyball!

The men's volleyball team recently came and and beat Coconut Isle in all three sets of their first matchday, though the second match was close (25-23) the IOV team still takes home the victory.

Men's Gridiron

IOV stumbles!

In one of what Islands of Ventro thought would be its strongest games we end up last in the division losing to Electurm 13-23. Many people though that this is where we would excel but lets just hope we can bounce back from this loss.

Women's Lacrosse

IOV loses, but that's ok!

We weren't expecting much for this team ut at least they put up a good fight against New Gelderland 14-9. We actually scored the same amount of points that the other teams in our division won b. So that's something. Well be giving you more information on this team once they have played more games.

Men's Football

IOV takes the division!

After a heated second match in which IOV defeated Cocoabo Forest 2-0 IOV has taken the top of the divios at 1-1, while in this very volatile spot, the team hopes to keep it and not lose it for the rest of the competition.

Woman's Rugby

IOV falls off.

After a great first match the team loses its next two to two big favorite of the game, 33-5, and 19-17. After a amazing first match IOV hopes that it can channel this energy again as it moves onto its next matches.

Woman's Basketball

IOV takes the victory over Mytanija 79-66. A solid victory but Islands of Ventro hopes to keep this momentum going and hopes to win more matches in the future, as that is not set ion stone as of yet.

Men's Handball

IOV loses a close one!

Ina close match with lots of upsets and turns and a startling comeback by Kelssek, IOV loses 24-22. A great match which provided great entertainment for the people back home. THough not what they hoped they got what they wanted which was experience.

Men's Lacrosse

Loses Big!

We recently loss 14-2 to New Gelderland and our station has elected to not run a story on the subject.

Other

Hunter finishes 42nt in Archery

The Ruir Brothers win in the preliminary's for table tennis (follow up story: Lose in 16)

Delilah Poilt finishes 92nd in women's gymnastics

IOV sports newcenter

by **The Daystar Isles** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:21 am

There were parties all over the Daystar Isles tonight, including fireworks over the capital city-island of Shining Heart, as the entire nation celebrated the first Olympic medal in their history! The duo of Kenna Rokimomo and Pixi Dolivosu will become national heroes as they captured a stunning gold in the women's synchronized 3m springboard diving event with a total score of 351.23. Many businesses will be closed tomorrow, as the government has declared a national holiday in honor of the occasion!

Kenna and Pixi's dive program consisted of forward tuck 2.5 somersaults, back straight 1.5 somersaults, reverse pike 4 somersaults, inward tuck 3.5 somersaults, and for their final and most difficult dive, a forward pike 2.5 somersault with 3 twists. Triona Paterson and Isabelle Gass of Kelssek were leading the event with 337.56 points going into Kenna and Pixi's final dive. Kenna and Pixi sat at 244.76 and needed at least 92.81 points to win gold. They smashed through that number with their highest score of the event, scoring 106.47 for their final and most difficult dive. Kenna and Pixi screamed and embraced as their score came on screen and confirmed their insurmountable lead in 1st place. At the medal ceremony, the pair smiled with tear-stained faces and held bouquets of tropical flowers high in the air as "Hymn for the Isles" was played for the first time ever at an Olympic games.

Played for the first time, but hopefully not for the last, as Daystar Islian athletes put up strong performances on Redford Lake and at Blackstone Marina in the continuations of the rowing and sailing events. Any Daystar Islians who were awake early enough to catch the first heats of men's single sculls rowing would have been delighted to see Fez Kenikeni take an easy 1st place in the first heat, coasting past the finishing marker in under 7:00, with a nearly 4-second lead. Fez and his rowing partner Puk Sopalilo will be featured in the quarterfinals of men's double sculls also, taking 3rd in their heat under a hot noonday sun. The Daystar Isles will also be represented in the quarterfinals of the women's double sculls, as Sisi Jimidora and Rona Kumatosu broke the 7-minute mark to take 3rd in their heat. Sisi will be disappointed however, as she missed out on quarterfinal qualification in women's single sculls by less than a second. She will surely be motivated to pull hard in the repechage round!

It was a busy day at Blackstone Marina for Daystar Islian sailors, with singles and doubles events taking place for both men and women, as well as the start of the mixed multi-hull event. In men's one-person dinghy, Dok Bokiboki is likely out of medal contention at 59 points after posting 12th and 15th-place finishes in the day's two races. "I'm probably not going to medal in this event, and that's okay. I have yesterday's race win that I'll never forget, so we'll see if maybe I can't get another one with 4 races to go yet!" he said afterwards. It was much the same for Dok and his crewmate Tag Yasitovi in men's two-person dinghy, as they took 10th and 13th in the first two races of that event. "I guess it's just a middle-of-the-pack kind of day," said Tag. "Wind was good, boat was behaving, just wasn't our day today. We'll fight back!"

On the women's side of the marina, Michu Yorikolu had an outstanding day! Her 22nd-place finish in the first race of women's one-person dinghy could perhaps be chalked up to nerves, since it seems to be distant memory! She took 7th and 6th in her two races and now sits 4th in the standings on 31 points, just 4 back from gold medal position! Michu and her twin sister Sichu got off to a strong start in the women's two-person event as well with 6th and 9th-place finishes putting them in 10th place overall, but strongly-positioned to climb up the standings!

The secondary partners in their respective two-person dinghy events, Tag Yasitovi and Sichu Yorikolu, teamed up for the mixed multi-hull races and continued a strong day on the water for the Daystar Isles, taking 2nd, 14th, and 8th to put themselves in a strong 5th place with 7 races to go. As well as being crewmates, the pair have been a couple for several years, and after the final race of the day Tag dropped to one knee and proposed. Sichu accepted with delight as the entire marina cheered and clapped for the newly engaged sailors. It remains to be seen if their new commitment will make them an even stronger team in the races yet to come!

by **Valanora** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:32 am

The Olympics are in full force but for some reason the games, be it the Summer or Winter, never get much media coverage in the Eternal Empire. This is a bit of an anomaly given the way that sport has been ingrained into the culture of the Empire, particularly in the mainland of Valanora. There have been a few different theories as to why the games suffer from a lack of popularity in the Empire, though there is one that does seem to rise above the others when it comes to a well thought out argument
That is not to discredit the other theories or the work behind those theories to try and uncover the reason why the Games are very lightly covered compared to other sporting events.

The most persuasive argument and theory for that lack of coverage and support is that the very nature of the games undermines the entire culture that Vanorians have with sport as a whole. Generally speaking the Games are a celebration and competition between the greatest individual athletes in a respective sport or discipline, there are not as many events for teams to participate in and compete against. When one considers that it is team.events that are the root of sport in the Empire and that sport is used as a bonding and community building tool, it starts to take shape as to why the Games seem as an afterthought to the media and much of the general population.

A lack of success could also explain a certain amount of apathy that the Empire has, as the citizens of the nation are quite accustomed to high levels of success from.teams representing the Empire. While there has been some success here and there in the team events, a lack of success in other events across the various events has definitely discouraged the populace from tuning in, even in events where Vanorian athletes would be favored. It may not be in line with the spirit of the competition to have a disinterest due to failure but if it is the truth, it can not be ignored. Perhaps it is a time for change but with many of the best chance for medals for the Empire already gone from this Olympiad, it seems change will be later rather than sooner.

by **The Sarian** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:53 am

The Olympics Through Art

To celebrate the Olympics, the Mauritshuis Gallery in Bondstad have commissioned artists from across The Sarian to produce portraits of each Saari Olympian who wins a medal. The final exhibition seeks to highlight the excellence and diversity in both sports and arts across the Saari lands. Where possible, artists have been drawn from the city, state or community of the Olympian. The first five pieces have today been released to the public - highlighting the first five medalists from the games.

Artist Randa Notzri

When I was first approached to create this piece, I must have watched hours and hours of Chanda competing. The initial idea was one of him looking tough and defiant, like a renaissance warrior standing triumphant atop a mound of bodies in battle. He had just won a gold medal, afterall. And I was trying to find the perfect still to capture it. But then there was just a split second, literally moments after he won. It's a real blink and you miss it moment: one second he's focused, utterly engrossed in taking in every single twitch of his opponent. The next second he's got the biggest, beaming smile on his face and his arms are a loft. But between that is this look on his face that just struck me. I like to think of it as his body signalling 'holy shit, what just happened' and realising if it allowed the brain to dwell on it, it would simply overwhelm. I just couldn't get the look out of my face.

Looking into Chanda more, I found out what his route to the gold truly was. The face suddenly made perfect sense. In a multiverse of a million realities, this man wouldn't have been able to compete in most of them - let alone win. I just knew I had to use the almost haunted look in his eyes: behind them is all the hurt, all the times where the only person believing in him was his self. This was the basis for my composition. Having a dark background was thus essential. I didn't want to give it any detail whatsoever. What was behind him was dark, but it was forgotten. In this split second, it didn't matter. Indeed, it would never matter again. The only other place I repeated that darkness was in those eyes. I know that, even if it's subconscious, he's thinking about that too.

Contrast with the foreground. The face is - literally - shining gold. The juxtaposition is what I really love in this. The shining face is something you'd see in the typical celebratory portrait and for the first glance it is what you notice. This is a winner, and then you notice his expression. You notice the dark background. It at first doesn't look quite right in your brain, and that's what I really strived for. I've also gone through the odd dash of red - particularly in those eyes. It's really striking, again signifying the hurt and scars of the journey to this shining gold. This might not be the most celebratory painting of an Olympic champion. But it is very real. It is very Chanda, and we should celebrate the real him. That's what I hope I have done.

Artist Nik Blois

I've known Stefan since we were nine years old at school together. It was quite a small school, and he was that annoying child who was the best at everything. If I wasn't his friend, I probably would have hated him. Still, I was a bit shocked when I was asked to do this piece. I obviously love and appreciate the Mauritshuis but it's very stuffy. You just kinda presume that this series is going to be like that too: a selection of oil paintings of athletes looking like classical heroes. All very traditional and sensible. There might even be an olive leaf crown. Frankly, I thought it was a bit of a crap idea. And frankly, I couldn't think of anything less like Stefan. And then I got a call asking me to paint Stefan, with the free rein to do whatever I pleased. The only brief was to properly capture him. I asked if they knew how I created and if they were sure, and they sounded a bit bemused as if they hadn't explained themselves right. "It's exactly what we want".

I had to draw him as a superhero right? This kid from middle-of-nowhere The Sarian just won a freaking Olympic medal. I don't care what shade his goggles are. They're red now. I don't care what his skimpy swimming trunks look like, he's wearing a blue cape. This is how people back home will always see him. And I had to draw him swimming, it's what he used to wake-up at five am every day to do. It's what he loved doing and it encapsulates him more than standing around posing ever could. The very simple face still captures that determinism. He's had it for as long as I've known him. It came good when he won every award our school had to offer. It came good when he took the fittest girl in the year above to the school dance. And it came good at the world's biggest stage.

Beyond that, there are loads of little details I hope people notice when they look at this for the second time. The muscle lines in the shape of the breaking water, showing where they have been forged. The hand like the spring tide wave: he climbed it and rode the momentum to the medal. The thumb jutting out forward, where he was going. Every stroke (not a pun) of this painting is deliberate.

This is Stefan as the people who know him see him, I am so fucking glad that the world gets to see it.

Artist Simeon Kindvanerik

There's a strange phenomenon documented in psychology that silver medalists are by far the most miserable people on the podium. It makes sense that gold medalists beat them, but it seems common sense that the simple laws of hierarchy dictate that the silver medalists should be happier than those wearing bronze. Instead, the winner of silver is left miserable, pondering what could have been if they had just stepped it up a little bit. Meanwhile, the bronze medalist is thankful to win a medal at all - overjoyed that they overcame the hurdle and thankful they weren't that second slower. It was this paradox which inspired this composition.

Contained within the composition is a lot of really interesting imagery. I particularly like the purple ahead of her. Traditionally associated with royalty and the ultra-wealthy, it is still the colour of the elite. It touches her nose, she can smell it. She can almost touch it. But she is in blue: a colour so close yet with a meaning so far. There are pops of red in there too: to signify that the ingredients for purple were there but didn't come together. She has one of each finger on the medal. She is proud, yes, but it's not being grasped. It is slightly raised, it is not held aloft. Her head is raised, but the eyes are closed. Perhaps she's dreaming of what could have been, or maybe holding back tears. Would they be of joy or of sadness? In every action I wanted to show that conflict between pride and disappointment.

This series is one of celebration, so the question has to be asked: why show this friction? First, I knew that Sofia was the perfect subject. Her career has had scenes of uncomplicated joy: she's won those gold medals, she's carried the flag at an Olympic ceremony. And it has had moments of utter misery: missing out on medals, stuttering at the worst moment. She's been disqualified in medal finals three times. She's come fourth more than she's won: and she's won a lot. But this moment isn't one of those black and whites, it's the glistening grey of a silver medal. That's much more interesting than any depiction of triumph or of catastrophe.

I want people to see that conflict, I want them to take it in. I want them to look at this painting and feel those emotions. And then I want there to be this final wave of something else: she still stands defiant. She still stands proud. Are the eyes really closed in bitter fantasy, are they really holding back tears? Or is she at peace? I don't think Sofia knows, I certainly don't know. I want you to go and view this piece and tell me: is this a happy painting or a sad one? The forever question of a silver medal.

Artist Erika Goedbakkeur

I had one conversation with Tess before creating this. And there was one thought going through my head: "this girl is cool."

I love the history of Judo in The Sarian because it's fed by two women. You wouldn't necessarily think that for a conflict sport, but they were the pioneers who won those first medals and brought this sport all the funding and love to make it big. Tess is a product of that: she's the modern woman we all wish we were. Who knows she's the shit and isn't afraid to let everyone know it. It's the attitude that had made her into this star, I just had to get it on the canvass.

The most important part to me was getting that smile right. It's confident but not smug. Happy but not gloating. And with that fabulous lipstick on: she's a champion because of her self-assured femininity not in spite of it. To tell the truth, it took a few tries to it perfect. I am so glad I finally got there.

Oh, and notice how tiny the medal is? Originally, it wasn't there at all. I didn't want it to be the focus, I wanted that to be Tess. But I think it works even better with it on but almost insignificant.

I hope I've got Steff as she sees herself. She's a bad-ass, boss bitch, bisexual icon. And the world should know it.

Artist Haifen Loug

Would it be a bit on the nose if I say I saw Kalum as a superstar and worked from there? I’m an artist, I watch a bit of the Olympics here and there but the whole thing mostly passes me by to tell you the truth. When I was told they were looking for interesting artists from Olympians hometowns and asked if I would be interested in doing a portrait of Kalum, I said I would think about it. Honestly, I'm not sure I had ever watched Weightlifting before, and frankly didn't see much potential for joy in watching strong people lift things. But I watched the video of Kalum's performance (or, to tell the truth, put the wrong one on and saw his performance from the last Olympics). It was mesmerizing. Extraordinary is a word we use a lot without ever thinking what it actually means, but it's perfect: this guy just wasn't ordinary. No human should be able to do what he does. An even though I've seen it with my own eyes, I still don't quite believe that they can.

After watching that video a few times, I never again looked at a picture of Kalum. That might be strange for composing a portrait, but my goal was not to transpose him onto a canvass but instead capture the feeling I had watching him compete for the first time. Looking at him again would take away from that. As it turns out, the likeness is good but not great. He's a lot larger in my head. You have to be quite off in a portrait to make an Olympic medal-winning weightlifter look scrawny. Yet, the first time I saw him next to it that's embarrassingly what how he looked. But this wasn't taking a photograph, it was recreating a feeling.

I knew that this to be otherworldly. It had to be convey both some punky ultra-futurism and some primordial masculinity. Had to be sci-fi and fantasy all at the same time. Here stands a giant on a supernova. A demigod in a singlet. Look at those eyes. He's looking down on you, but you don't care. You know he's better than you. I want you to take away this confusion and understanding at the same time. This is how I felt watching Kalum, I hope I'm not alone.

by **Hannasea** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 11:14 am

Selection of articles from Hannasean news media.

Mechanistic Results Regurgitation: Piss Missile Express founder against Kriegiersien but progress to playoffs

Gymnasts approve of scoring rethink

joy

Article Where The Whole Joke Is One Line And That’s It: Former Olympic great goes pro, immediately gets kicked in the face

by **Mytanija** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 11:23 am

MEHMEDBASIC SPRINTS FOR SILVER!
MYTANAR CYCLING SAVES FACE IN THE WOMEN’S ROAD RACE

by Alen Kujovic

Following a disastrous performance at the Terranea / Bunjil Olympic Games, Mytanar Cycling had a lot of work to do to bring back a layer of respectability at the Prescott / Twin Cities Games. Last time Mytanar cyclists managed a gold and two bronze medals which would be a relative success for most nations, but in Mytanija cycling is one of the most passionately followed sports and those results were regarded as a bit of a national embarrassment. Visnja Lenaric’s gold in the mountain biking was heralded with the reception it deserved; and Karina Yablokova and Adam Zajkovski were given the credit they deserved for their bronze medals in the women’s time trial on the road and the men’s BMX racing event. However, there was a feeling of disappointment around the sport, not living up to the standards previous generations have set, with no medals on the track being seen as a particular point of failure.

Amina Mehmedbasic has already got things back on track, with a silver medal in what is seen as one of the true blue riband events in Mytanija, the cycling road race. The previous day the men’s team had performed better than they had in Bunjil, placing riders within seconds of the winner and only missing a couple of key moves. The feedback Mehmedbasic received from her colleagues proved beneficial as she tracked the key moves with support from Solumija Karadaglic and Natasa Chakalarova before launching the winning move inside the final kilometre alongside Aboveland’s Åsa Pesälä and Chromatik rider Oba Hiromi. They gapped their rivals on the climb – knowing that a small gap could be maintained on the steep downhill slopes to the finish – and the few seconds (rather than minutes) difference eventually decided the race. Hiromi was jettisoned on the descent, unable to keep up with the daredevil bike-handling skills of Pesälä and Mehmedbasic and despite a concerted chase effort from behind those two would sprint for the victory.

Pesälä edged Mehmedbasic out by a hair in one of the most exciting finishes of a race in recent memory, the two congratulated one another selflessly and Mehmedbasic was joyous having restored a layer of respectability for the Mytanar road racing teams. A fine finish which gets one of the country’s key sports off to a really strong start, Mytanar Cycling will be hoping for more success over the next couple of weeks and an improvement on the gold and two bronzes from Bunjil is thought to be a must lest the OKM wheel out the chopping block to make some major changes to the governing body’s performance management.

“We always know there’s pressure from back home when it comes to this sport,” Mehmedbasic said perceptively. “You can’t escape the history of cycling that Mytanija has, people like Wes van der Stijnen and Anisya Polyakova are legends of this sport both at home and more globally. They have the track records to back it up, too, so that’s always there and is something that we want to live up to. Results like this feel like they’re of that calibre, so it’s a real honour for me to carry that legacy forward and hopefully other cyclists can use this as inspiration to create even more great memories both at these Olympics and in future events.”

Mehmedbasic will not have any opportunities to add to the legacy herself at these Games, Karina Yablokova (a bronze medallist last time around); and Zaklina Nedeljkovic are preferred for the women’s time trial. She will be sticking around to cheer her teammates on, though, along with the BMX, mountain bike and track teams:

“Yeah, it’s just great to be here really, such a fantastic atmosphere and it feels like such a wonderful thing to be a part of so I think we’ll all be sticking around. We’ll try to cheer Karina and Zaklina on and hopefully they can put in some great performances too!”

The road race events are notoriously difficult to control, but the Mytanar women did so expertly this time around and it assisted Mehmedbasic in this success. The time trial events are a pure battle between the cyclist, the terrain and the clock. There are fewer variables and that is something which could stand both Yablokova and Nedeljkovic in good stead to succeed if they are on good form on Day Five of the Games. Yablokova’s bronze last time was the highlight of a disappointing Olympics for the Mytanar road team, but she remains optimistic for the event this year:

“Bronze was fantastic last time and we were really pleased with that as a team, it made all our hard work and preparation worthwhile and we felt that a similar approach this time could see us do something very similar. Naturally we’ve tweaked a few things, some minor changes to the set-up on the bike and with our training, but we feel like we’re going in the right direction so we didn’t want to make wholesale changes when we felt like we were close to where we needed to be. There’s a couple of days where I can rest now following the road race, we’ll cheer the mountain bikers on and try to get ourselves prepared and hopefully both myself and Zaklina can deliver when it comes to race day.”

Judo success continues

Zlatko Stepinac added a bronze medal to Zehida Plavec’s gold with a fine performance in the men’s 66kg judo. He was dominant for much of his journey through the tournament, securing victory via ippon in the Round of 32 against Sargossan rival Bernabé Seco before repeating the feat in the Round of 16 against talented Krytenian Walt Neuer. Ko-orenite Ruben Brien was seen off with a technically challenging pinning manoeuvre which had the commentators eulogising Stepinac’s improvement from the Bunjil Games.

Unfortunately Electrum’s Kai Fujino managed to give Stepinac a taste of his own medicine with a dominant victory via ippon in the semi-final. It meant that Stepinac would head to a bronze medal bout against Diarcesia’s Edward Amos. Amos had come through the repechage and seemed to be hitting a fine vein of form, causing Stepinac some early issues before he was able to find his rhythm and repeat the pinning manoeuvre from the quarter final versus Brien. It was a slightly more untidy version of the same move, rewarded merely with waza-ari rather than ippon, but a sound defensive showing following that allowed Stepinac to stay ahead and earn a fantastic bronze medal.

Stepinac was tearful following the result, announcing that he will be retiring from competing in the sport following the Olympics and saying that he knew he had to give his very best because he had made that decision before the Games. This was his very last chance to medal and he did it. Stepinac may move into coaching following the Games, with Zehida Plavec apparently already very interested in incorporating him into her team for the next Olympics.

Kamkamania 2.0; swimming and gymnastics qualification

Unexpected badminton gold medallist Kamka Svrzikapa got her Olympics underway with a comprehensive straight sets victory over Lisander’s Mariana Uehara in her opening group match. Chromatika’s Miranda Guillem could be Svrzikapa’s biggest rival in Group 1, improving her record to 2-0 with a straight sets win over Louisa McDermott. Svrzikapa’s success brought an enormous amount of attention to a sport which previously failed to register in Mytanija and the 27 year old is hoping that she can improve funding for future generations with repeated success in Twin Cities.

“Badminton’s not got the support which other sports enjoy,” Svrzikapa told reporters in a more serious manner than the happy-go-lucky tone many have become used to. “It’s something which we can only change through our performances, so we’re all trying our very best here to ensure that future generations can have a slightly easier route than the ones we have had to take to get to the top of the sport. It took a minor miracle for me to win gold and it’s difficult to think about all those who might not get that slice of luck they deserve, their talent goes unrewarded, so we want to try to change that here.”

A mixed day in the pool saw Arsenije Radulovic start by reaching the semi-final of the men’s 100m backstroke before then missing the final by one hundredth of a second. A tough one for him to take, probably his last opportunity at glory before the ending of his competitive career. The men’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay team – silver medallists back in Bunjil – failed to reach the final of their event with a dismal showing in the heats, ending up tied for 18th. The Krytenian team ended up winning gold with an impressive showing, finishing two-tenths up on the Liventians in the final.

Mia Oreskovic will be disappointed with her showing in the heats for the women’s 400m freestyle, missing out on the final too but it was better news for Irma Jakovac and Zlata Skoric in the women’s 100m backstroke – the pair qualified from their heats and Skoric managed to qualify for the final with the fastest time, .13 better than her nearest rival. Skoric will hope that that is a good omen and that she can repeat the feat when it comes to the final. Miljusa Kavaric impressed in the women’s 100m breaststroke, qualifying with minimal fuss and clocking another fastest time in the semi, whilst Elena Dimusheva missed out on the semi-finals by a single position.

Finally Ioanna Melnikova qualified for the women’s all-around final with a strong showing across the different apparatus. Melnikova’s performance on the vault was the strongest in the competition and she will expect to contend in both, though she will need to ensure that she improves on what was a highly disappointing performance on the beam. Ajsa Levstek, Majda Predojevic and Delila Arnautovic were all distanced by the strong level of competition; but as a team Mytanija managed to sneak into the top eight and qualify for the team all-around final. Any medal would be a truly historic performance in this event given the otherworldly level of competition. Majda Predojevic will have an opportunity at an individual medal too due to her strong performance on the uneven bars, the third best on that apparatus in the competition.

by **Brookstation** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 12:45 pm

One for the nation
Part-2

by Jeremiah Rhodes

Iron Lady suited in Gold

IRenita Halam also known as Brookstation's Iron Lady became the first female player to win a gold for her nation and subsequently the third woman to achieve a medal for Brookstation in this edition. Halam's teammate and friend Tofig Abdullyaev had already brought a bronze in her discipline and now it was time for Halam to shine. Halam, aged 32 has been one of Brookstation's most experienced athletes when it comes to fencing and her experience finally paid off on the international stage when she managed to win gold after defeating Quebec's Claire Ahn by a considerable margin of 9 points.

From the very preliminary round, Halam showed a sense of dominance. None of her wins were particularly close and with every win, Halam just got more and more destined to win one for the nation. She wasn't alone on her journey however. Her teammate Anna Stefano managed to make it till the Round of 32 before getting knocked out after a face off with Alanis Antonis. After bidding goodbye to her teammate, Halam had to take matters on her own shoulders. It is difficult to stay consistent in the sport of fencing but Renita just didn't seem to slow down. With her foil and stealthy footwork, Renite pierced through the chances of other athletes winning and made it till the semi final. There was just one more stage left and if she could manage to overcome it, she would be ensured a medal. Chromatika's Park Do-Yeun wasn't an easy opponent to face but Renita was able to take her down with ease. Renita always played aggressively owing to which the first few minutes actually seemed as if Halam was at a loss but after figuring out the weaknesses of her opponent, it was just a matter of time before she could pounce.

Renita was delighted about her win and there was good reason for her to be so. Fencing is still a sport that is more or less unknown in the nation and thus two medals in this sport is a massive achievement for this nation's athletes in particular. Furthermore the fact that both times, it has been women who have managed to wear the medals makes it more interesting. The series of victories will now also popularize the sport in Brookstation and hopefully the nation can work towards building a bright future in this sport.
" Fencing is yet to grow in our country but we have still done it. I never thought I would come this far, especially when you have world class players facing you. This is the beginning of a new legacy and I am pretty sure that the women of our nation will uphold it in the best spirit."

Drowning in a pool of tears

When it comes to water sports, aquatics or whatever you would call them, the prospect of achieving success is always high. In fact Brookstation's first ever Olympic medal , which was fortunately a gold came in a discipline that falls under the category of water sports. A wide range of events would basically mean an automatic increase in the chances of winning a medal but for Brookstation, things aren't the same way. Leaving aside Brookstation's terrible record of grabbing medals, the sad part lies in the fact that quite a large number of athletes had reached extremely close before missing out just by a little. Even if these athletes' efforts won't go down in the history books, their performances are worthy of appreciation.

Starting with Maria Conte, Brookstation's fastest female athlete. Conte would make her first appearance in the 400m freestyles, one of the most widely contested swimming disciplines in the Olympics. In the heats, Conte would display phenomenal skills and eventually finish her four laps in a period of 4:01.96 (which is better than the timing of the eventual gold medallist) neck to neck with Electrumite Jarell-Stephens. If Conte could produce a similar result in the finals, victory would definitely be hers but for some reason, Conte would just not be able to bring back that same energy, losing out on her chances of a medal by quite a large margin. However, the young Conte has quite a few years with her and in the course of the next few years, one can only hope that she improvises to become the champion one day.

But Conte's loss wasn't nearly as disappointing to that of the men's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay team comprising of Olympic gold medallist Edward Bender. Had Bender's men been 1 second faster in their manuevre, Bender would've become the first Brook to win two medals in the Olympics. Finishing 5th in the heats, pressure had already started to build up on the four of them. However, they still had a pretty good shot when it came to grabbing a medal. Starting the drill for his team, Bender would dive into the pool and immediately complete his part before passing the baton to Alquati. The Brook team had a quite good chance and was in fact in the lead for quite some time but Sargossan swimmer Arturo Galeano's split second advantage over Garcia would change the course of the race. There was definitely a sense of disappointment among the team but they had to come out of it and think about the future. Bender, still having a few events left commented, "I believe it's fine. The better team won and that is how everything works. Someone or the other had to come fourth eventually and this time it was us."

Vogel aces forward

Brook table tennis player Brett Vogels is one of Brookstation's potential hope for a medal. Vogels has dominated the sport in Brookstation and there is no dispute regarding his skills in the court. However the Bunjil Olympics was disappointing if not disastrous for Vogels as he would lose out after a matter of just a few rounds. This time in Twin Cities, Vogels thus had a determination to make a comeback. Playing against Vanorian Ludvik Nikolaisen , this would be the first match of the day. Vogels' first set would go completely in his favour but Ludvik wouldn't take much time to make his comeback. But this cat and dog chase between the two players would continue for quite a long time. None of them was ready to give up their chances on a medal and thus the next five sets would basically be the players equalizing the set scores. Vogels would finally win after a solid 2:30 hours of play and advance to the Round of 16. Vogels heavily appreciated Ludvik's merit.

Vogels would have another match during the latter part of the day, this time in the mixed doubles category with his partner Hanne Platzer against the Banijan duo. Contrary to his first match, this match would be a rather simple one for the duo as they would smoothly escalate through the sets with wins before knocking the Banijan duo out. This dominance in the match was due to the widespread coordination between Brett and Hanne which enabled both the players to cover their respective areas at length and play their shots with ease. Hopefully the pair can produce a similar result in their upcoming features.

by **A Kea** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 12:46 pm

KTV

Second day of the olympics is over now, and Kean success of day 1 wasn't repeated unfortunately. Our female gymnasts, including last olympiad's silver medalist Pulheria Hatzisavva, were all wiped out in the team all around event, it's just Katerina Eleou that qualified to the individual vault final for the second time in a row.
On a positive note, our sailor Simeon Kalousis got back in the top 10 of the ranking after some successful runs, while his younger brother Evristhenis is doing an amazing job at his solo olympic debut, having never finished outside the top 10 thus far.
Our table tennis queen, Djiva Trudeau easily beat her opponent, Kjersti Haugland from Brookstation, qualifying to the round of 16, where she was eliminated 4 years ago. We can only hope that she'll manage to make it further in the competiion this time around.
Also our first ever boxer in the Olympics, Mihalis Sanatas, made it to the round of 16 as well.

Boxing is a popular sport in A Kea, but not on local stage. Keans prefer to see boxing games from abroad with big stadiums and popular athletes, not the small miserable Kean ones. I'm glad to have been invited to join our olympic team, and I'm glad that Keans were able to watch a local boxer succeed in an international stage. I hope that next match won't be my last here, I love the olympic spirit and the amazing infrastructure Electrum has, we don't have that back home.

by **Britonisea** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 12:59 pm

OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT (LAST FIFTEEN MINUTES)

Today At The Games
Games of the XV Olympiad
Day Two

The opposite to "At The Games: Sunrise" is this show, which will be presented by Nicky Samuels and Sandra Nicholls. Nicky Samuels is one of Britonisea's biggest news presenters and a highly popular figure amongst younger people in the country. With a large online presence of over 1.5 million subscribers on Instagram alone, she definitely has a loud of appeal, probably done to her humour and the warmth that she gives off - but can also get into the nitty-gritty of an issue to find out a solution to it. She will be bringing that to the Olympic Games in Electrum and Quebec & Shingoryeo as they analyse the best performances from Britonisea and the wider ABEN delegation and also the performances that didn't quite live up to standard. Joining her Sandra Nicholls who is a talented presenter with lots of experience behind her.

The studios of Today At The Games is in Doportedas, Britonisea.

At the start of the broadcast, Nicky Samuels and Sandra Nicholls both went through the different sports that Britonisea, and other ABEN Nations did well in, including the bronze medal that was won but said that they would address this right at the end of the show. Topics that were spoken about the most for Day 2's recap show included the Women's Water Polo debut. The team were in a relatively strong team, alongside Liventia, Alezian Union, Kalosia and Saterun. Britonisea didn't have to play on Day 1 as they had a bye, but in Day 2 they played against Alezian Union, beating them 13-8. Water Polo is a highly regarded sport in Britonisea, especially on the Men's side with the men winning a medal at the last three Olympic Games. The women's team have an undeniable pressure to do well at these Games to level up with the men at these Games. Britonisea's win against Alezian Union meant that it jumps to '#1 in the table despite only playing once meaning that it is already looking good for the Britonish bunch. Women's 3x3 Basketball also went ahead with Britonisea debuting there against Titaniumland, winning 21-11. Britonisea sits second place in the table, with former hosts New Gelderland leading the pack with two wins after playing twice. Isaac Burlew lost out in the Men's individual épée in the bronze medal match which was addressed. In Women's Gymnastic, Lane Reese and Robin Dittman qualified to the All-Round finals, with the former coming 2nd in qualification, the uneven bars and the balance beam. Britonisea also qualified in the Women's team all-around in fifth - a much more successful day in gymnastics than yesterday. The table tennis mixed duo, George Meyer and Lucy Meyer from Britonisea have made it to the quarterfinals. Women's indoor volleyball also saw a Britonish win too, against Islands of Ventro with Britonisea topping the table too. After that, the topic turned to the judoka, Florencio del Cid who stunned the world to win a bronze medal against Julien Martenet from the host nation.

Nicky Samuels: Now whilst the ABEN Union has yet to win a gold medal - don't worry, I'm sure it will happen soon - we did win our second medal of these Olympic Games.

Sandra Nicholls: This means that as a Union, we are on par with the two medals we received at Day 2 last year, and in actual fact, as a country, this time last Olympics, we only one medal. Now we have two.

Nicky Samuels: Since our debut at the Olympic Games, Britonisea had previously won five medals in Judo. Zero golds, one silver and four bronze - with the last one being Daniella Thompson
in the Women's 78kg Plus in Electrum last year.

Sandra Nicholls: Five turned to six today as Florencio Del Cid beat home favourite, Julien Martenet, from Quebec and Shingoryeo.

Nicky Samuels: Florencio Del Cid played Dalacar Tiricu of the Vilitian Union during the preliminary round - 10-0. She then goes onto beat Kristoveur Jakyn of The Sarian, and then Afif Darul Hakim from Alezian Union beat our Florencio right when he needed to win the most. Though, in the repechage, it was decided that Julien Martenet would face off against Florencio for a bronze medal.

Sandra Nicholls: Should we have a look back at the match?

During the VT, we could see the match between Julien and Florencio. It was an intense and excitable match, and due to his nationality, Florencio was definitely seen as the underdog. Though, Florencio was able to ignore that and fight 'till the end, becoming Britonisea's second medalist of the Games.

Nicky Samuels: Should we have a quick look at the Britonish medals so far?

Sandra Nicholls: Britonisea, and the ABEN Union are now down in 23rd in the medal tally, with Quebec and Shingoryeo leading at the moment with four gold medals. Rounding out the top five are Krytenia and New Gelderland, Alezian Union and Chromatika. We mustn't worry, however, Britonisea and the rest of the ABEN Union won their first Gold medal on Day 3 and it was Day 15 that was our most successful day last year when we won seven medals!

Nicky Samuels: We're slow starters but the ABEN Olympic Committee has given us full reassurances that we're more ready than ever. Now we haven't got too long left until the end of the show, but I did want to quickly speak about Day 3 with what we're expecting.

As the pair of them started speaking about what there was to expect at tomorrow's Games, we could see a montage of all the athletes that they were speaking about;

Sandra Nicholls: Starting with the events in Electrum, JONG Payton has a medal in the C-1 from the last Olympic Games, but she will be hoping to do well in the K-1 tomorrow as she goes into the Semi-Finals and hopefully tomorrow's final too. She's qualified in 12th in a field of 18, but after speaking to her, she believes that she's got what it takes to get to the final, at least.

Nicky Samuels: Kurtin Cun and Doug Cruiel will go in the Men's Mountain Bike tomorrow alongside Alonzo Vandervoort who is hoping to get Britonisea's first ever long-distance cycling medal...

Sandra Nicholls: I can't believe we've never won even a single medal before, wow! Rugby Sevens will be continuing with the men tomorrow, match four and five. Britonisea is currently in the lead of Group C but Chromatika is hot on our heels. Britonisea will have a bye for match five so will only need to prepare for Juvencus who are favourites to win. Can Britonisea upset the apple cart here? We're hoping so!

Nicky Samuels: It's also the start of Men's Tennis tomorrow which might see Kush Acharya in the preliminary round, though this has not been confirmed yet. Kush, of course, is the most recent Britonish player to break into the Top 100 of the NSTT so that's quite exciting!

Sandra Nicholls: In Quebec and Shingoryeo, the events start a few hours after with Men's Water Polo going ahead...we will see the Britonish team spring into action as they hope for their fourth Olympic medal.

Nicky Samuels: That's also the case for the Men's 3x3 Basketballers too! We're wishing them the best of luck.

Sandra Nicholls: Rodrick Elderson of Nightom is looking to get a gold medal in the Fencing Men's Individual Foil after the Union's pretty poor form at the sports so far - a complete difference to last year, I'm afraid.

Nicky Samuels: It will also be the Mixed Doubles quarterfinals tomorrow too - with Lucy and George get to the Semi-Finals to give Britonisea a 75% chance of a medal, my lord, we're hoping for something! Gabina Anderson of Nightom will also be fighting to get into the quarter finals of the women's table tennis singles too.

Sandra Nicholls: In Diving, the Men's synchronized 10m platform, Estogian male duo George Harrington and Carl Sinner are looking on good form and they will be hoping to get a medal there.

Nicky Samuels: And that isn't all - there will be plenty more coverage of all Olympic sports across BVC. Thank you for joining us at Today At The Games. Set your alarm for 5AM tomorrow for Sunrise At The Games. For now, goodbye!

At the end of the broadcast, we could see Nicky and Sandra turning to one another as they started to have a chat - the screen then faded to black...

by **The Licentian Isles** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 1:07 pm

The Cyan-and-Gold Observer

The Olympic Overview from the Observer

Each morning of the Olympics, this newsletter from the Cyan-and-Gold Observer will give you three highlights from the day prior, and three things to watch in the day to come. To subscribe and receive this in your inbox before the events get started each day, click here. To unsubscribe, email STOP to ooo@cg-observer.co.li.

Our picks of the action from Day 2:

Women’s 100m Butterfly, Final – Yongma College Aquatics Centre, Daehakro, Quebec and Shingoryeo
The first medal of the Games for the Isles, and it’s once again in a swimming event that nobody expected. Last time, it was Pip Bosman in the individual medley: this time, it’s Stella McLaughlin, who narrowly missed out on winning the top prize. When I say narrowly, a writer more uncouth than me would refer to it as a “bawhair”. At the end of 100 metres of swimming, it was McLaughlin and New Gelderland’s Cathy Storm separated by the narrowest of margins, with Adeline Byeon-Milliken of the host nation just under two tenths behind the leaders to take bronze. McLaughlin certainly brought a pleasant surprise for Licentian fans watching the swimming, who might have expected more from Elise Rankin instead. McLaughlin has the opportunity for a second medal, albeit in her weaker event, when the 200m butterfly begins tomorrow. – Annie McFarlane

Men’s One Person Dinghy, Race 5 and 6 – Black Stone Marina, Port Grenville, Electrum
It’s been a rough start to the regatta for Lincoln McArthur, who replaced Freddy Ramsay in the one-person dinghy event for this Olympics. His best result on the first two days came with a 16th place in the third race, but he quickly followed that up with Leonora Gunn, the Quebecois official, giving him a black flag in race 4, after his boat strayed into the triangle formed by the starting line and the first mark. Today then, was a much better day for the youngster, as he started the day with a third place finish, only trailing Neville of Lisander and Tryier of Kelssek. His post on Twii.tur afterwards, declaring “the comeback is on”, was perhaps shown to be slightly premature when he came home 8th in the next race. Either way, a thorough improvement on the first two days for the youngest Licentian in the fleet: long may it continue. – Simon Bosman

Men’s Handball, Matchday 2 – National Steelworkers Union Centre, Mipo, Quebec and Shingoryeo
Handball is one of those sports where the Licentian Isles don’t regularly excel, but you’ll find a lot of people watching it when the Olympics come around. It’s an exciting sport filled with highlight-worthy moments, and Licentians love some of the acrobatic goalscoring you’ll see. After a comprehensive loss to the Krytenians on the first day of men’s handball, the Isles, led on the court by Alex Turner, needed a comeback against the Alezian Union in order to give themselves a chance of getting out of the group stage. It was tight for the Cyan-and-Gold, but they did manage it, with William Watson leading the team with seven goals as they outdid the Alezians by one, despite an admirable effort from Alezian winger Maliq Harun-Auri, who got eight goals for his side. – Kai van der Laan

Unmissable events on Day 3:

Men’s mountain biking – Mount Buckley National Park, Electrum
The eyes of the Isles will once again turn towards Mount Buckley on Day 3 of these Olympics, as the men’s mountain biking takes place in the muddy, redwood-lined hills of this beautiful national park. It’s an event that came with a little disappointment in Bunjil, as Murdo Laird fell just short of a medal in the last Olympics. He returns last time, but with another four years in his legs you’d think he’ll struggle to match that on this occasion. Instead, Licentian hopes will likely rest with Christopher Gillies, who returns hoping to better his 18th place finish from Bunjil, and an exciting youngster in George Montgomery, who qualified by beating his countrymen on the hills of Hessington Island at the tender age of 19. He might not win a medal this time, but there’s no doubt that he is one to watch for the future of Licentian cycling. – Max Allan

Women’s Doubles, Badminton – Rudy and Alma Greenbaum Centre, Daehakro, Quebec and Shingoryeo
A title defence begins for Isabelle Allan and Flick Wallace in the women’s doubles badminton here in Quebec. The two women finished on top of the world four years ago in Bunjil, and the age does not seem to be stopping Isabelle Allan, who led the renaissance in badminton in her home parish of Colesham, particularly after bringing home a gold with Wallace from the last Games. This time, the doubles is the only opportunity for Allan, who at the age of 34 has decided that her focus will be on retaining her doubles title, rather than going for the singles gold as well. The two of them will be hoping that they can get their Games off to a good start in the Twin Cities, though they will be taking on the pair that won the first Group 1 game, Kindvanwilaam and Stanlie of the Sarian. In Group 7, Bonnie Clarke and Rosie Hill will be hoping to continue the way they started, as they take on the pair from Macbon, Mallette and Maurice. – Elsie Davidson

Men’s individual triathlon – Habpo Commons, Habpo, Quebec and Shingoryeo
Day 3 also brings with it another event where Licentians will traditionally hang their medal hopes, as the triathlon begins in Habpo. There will also be plenty of room to improve on the last Olympics, where the triathlon team failed to return to the Isles with a single medal. Pepijn Jonker went the closest, coming home in fourth in the men’s event, about a second behind bronze medallist Jason Ramirez of Northwest Kalactin, before a crash in the bike leg for Jonker in the mixed team relay meant that the much-vaunted Licentian foursome failed to finish. They’ll be hoping for more this time, and Jonker will be hoping to put things right four years on from Bunjil. For the men’s event, he’s joined by Iain Mullen, who also finished in the top ten four years ago, along with young Ruben Maas, who will be hoping to put in a good performance before joining Jonker, Dewar, and Pollock in the mixed team relay later in the Games. – Stuart Gilmour

by **Kelssek** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 2:52 pm

The Olympic Village cafeteria was slightly less crowded at this time of day, but the sheer number of athletes, officials, and other assorted lanyard-deserving persons meant it never exactly got quiet while it was open. Emma Davies lingered over the scraps of her lunch as Charlotte flicked through her phone, seeing it her duty as captain to shepherd the rookies a little, as tired as she was from the mid-afternoon workout they’d just returned to the village from.

“This coffee is terrible.” Charlotte said, abruptly putting down both phone and mug.

“What? Did you get it here?”

“I brought it from upstairs. It’s the instant stuff we had in the lounges.”

Emma examined the contents of the mug. “...You know you need hot water, right.”

“You’re gonna have to show me how the kettles work.”

Emma held back a snort of disbelief and reminded himself that not only was her teammate barely an adult, this was her first time out of the country. She tried to remember what it was like being a teenager the first time she’d made it to the Olympics. No, she’d clearly been much more mature and put together than this. Right? Right.

WATER POLO (W)
Rust sparks Kelssek to opening match win

KELSSEK 6
Rust (3), Davies, Vliegen, Torche
NEW GELDERLAND 4
CommitAndRunError409&nbw;sx
(3-0, 0-1, 2-2, 1-1)

Taylor Rust scored twice in the opening three minutes and Kelssek ran off with a 3-0 lead by quarter time, a lead they would hold through the rest of the match. Rust added another goal, this time a tip shot at the right post on a powerplay for Kelssek, late in the third quarter to lead the team with three goals.

“We had a good work by our hole set throughout the match, and dominating in that area is always good. Our shooting was something to be better, sometimes the wrong shot selection, sometimes the wrong decision. Some early nerves happen, it’s possible.” said head coach Jean-Francois Treppanier.

Maude Vliegen also scored her first goal for Kelssek to round out the first quarter as the Colwyn Aquatics player made her mark for the team.

“It’s obviously a big source of satisfaction for me, just because to get here has been a long-drawn effort. I’ve gone to training camp and been cut from the final squad twice before so this time I’m really going to make sure I treasure every moment. It’s hard to get here.”

by **StrayaRoos** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 3:21 pm

Highlights
Boccia
For those who don't know Boccia is a sport similar to Bowls and Petanque for Para-Athletes, and it turns out we have one of the best players in the Multiverse at it, Which is 22 Year Old Lena Sidili, who has won her first two matches by two of the Biggest margins in all classifications, first 10-2 against Fellow Roosian Francis Dreil, then 12-0 against Erica Hainsey of Quebec and Shingoreyo later in the day.
Rugby Sevens
We Seem to be Quite good at Rugby Sevens, with our Men's team currently 2-0,and our Women's team's performance today was very good, winning 2 in a row, first against Hosts Quebec and Shingoryeo by a margin of 33-17 and then Huron League by 22-12,and are now second in Group D despite Losing their opening game against Brookstation on Day 0
Lacrosse
Unsurprisingly, Yuga Kiuba led our Lacrosse team to their second ever win this one against Valanora, but it was Quite close with the Vanorians Leading 6-4 at halftime, then a comeback was in order for the Eagles, who scored 7 Goals to Valanora's 3 in the second Half
Volleyball
A Close battle against Brookstation for our Women's team who nearly threw away the match after leading 2-0 and then losing the Third and Fourth sets 25-15 and 25-21 respectively, but a 15-8 Victory secured a Win for the team
Basketball
Basketball was Disappointing today with our Women's 5v5 and 3x3 Teams losing against Kriegiersien and Tjorl respectively,despite leading at Halftime for the 5 a side team and a Early 10-2 lead in the 3x3,so we hope that they'll both turn this around

by **Krytenia** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 3:54 pm

Épée curse put to the sword

After over half a century of competition, and a litany of underperformances, disappointments, and heartbreak, the wait is finally over. Tonight saw history made in the Habpo Convention Centre as Krytenia, at last, broke their long-standing duck in épée fencing.

It didn't look on early in the day, though. Mark Cooper-Johnson, the man touted as Krytenia's most likely medal winner, was bumped out early by Luca Jiqul of StrayaRoos, whilst Deon Jones laboured unconvincingly past Aboveland's Yvan Fordring. Perhaps, then, it would be Francis Highsmith who was to carry the nation's hopes? A 15-9 victory over Ikham Mammadov, representing Brookstation, helped raise his stock in that regard. Both remaining Krytenians went on to safely negotiate the round of thirty-two, but in his next match, Highsmith was simply outfenced by Noel Grumier. The partisan crowd getting behind the Quebecois may have been a factor too.

Jones, on the other hand, was still going. Another Brookstation fencer - Michael Commens, to be precise - was beaten by the narrowest of margins, before the Krytenian became the first fencer to beat one of the three Quebecois in the competition, starting hard against Goh Seung-Hoon and maintaining the intensity to win his quarter-final by a score of 15-9.

This landed Jones in the final four, as close as any Krytenian had come before to that elusive épée medal. Standing between him and a guaranteed silver was New Gelderland's Harrison Chase, who started brightly and raced into a 5-2 lead in the semi-final. The Krytenian fencer dug deep, grinding through the points and geting on level terms at seven-all. With momentum in his favour, and the adrenaline pumping through his bloodstream, Jones took control of the bout and never looked back. As the scoring tower lit up to register his winning touch, the realisation of what he had just done dawned on Jones, and he dropped to his knees, arms aloft, and place in history confirmed.

Of course, the day was not quite done; there was a gold medal still to play for. Jones' opponent in the final would be another fencer from the host nation, Park Joo-Seong; an opponent very familiar to the Krytenian. Quebecois fencers of all statuses and abilities often come to Escrime Emberton's manor house facilities to train and compete with their Krytenian counterparts, and Jones and Park had crossed swords before on the Oakwood pistes. Those bouts, though, didn't have a title on the line, nor did they take place in an arena packed full of baying Quebecois.

There was little to choose between the two in the opening exchanges, with both men trading points in quick succession as the score raced to four apiece. The crowd were in rapt attention as two fencers of equal ability played out their ballet of carefully-timed violence. As the bout wore on, though, Jones began to get himself on top, edging clear of Park and opening the gap to three points at 9-6. With glory on the line, though, the Quebecois found something deep within, pulling the score back to 11-10 and threatening to deny Jones the gold.

It was not to be for the home fencer, though, as Jones thrusted, parried, and countered his way to four consecutive points, securing a 15-10 victory and the title of Olympic Champion. With victory secured, Jones' first act was to embrace his erstwhile opponent, a small but poignant showing of the bond shared between Krytenian and Quebecois fencers. On the podium, Jones would then lose a fight for the first time that day, unable to prevent the tears flowing as O Celesta was played and the sky blue banner raised high.

Time will tell if this was a seminal moment in Krytenian fencing or simply lightning caught in a bottle. For now, it hardly matters; regardless of the future of épée on these shores, the nation's heavy sword corps will just be glad to have this kaiju of a monkey off their collective backs.

Devereux doubles up

The track cycling is still some time away, but in its absence, the Yongma College Aquatics Centre is doing a pretty good job acting as a pop-up Medal Factory. Two days into the competition, and the nation's swimmers have already produced two golds and a silver. Paul Devereux in particular is having an absolutely stellar Games, and he helped his team-mates collect the title in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay.

It wasn't without hairy moments, though. The morning session saw the Krytenians scrape into the final in a lowly eighth place, the heats being challenging affairs that saw first place and failure to qualify separated by barely a fifth of a second. Perhaps this helped the foursome later in the day, placing them in an outside lane without the distraction of the expected duel between the teams from Sargossa, Ko-oren, and Diarcesia. Ellis Quinlan started the team on a strong foot, in third place at the turn of his leg and second at the changeover. As the gaps began to widen a little in the field, Ian Howard swam a solid leg in what was fast beginning to look like an unusual final, with Krytenia on one side of the pool and Liventia on the other contesting the lead with the centrally-placed Sargossans. At the end of the third leg, Devereux entered the pool around a tenth of a second ahead of the Liventia's Jacob Barker, and kept his nose in front for the final two lengths, touching the wall two tenths in front of Barker to claim the gold.

Devereux still has a few chances to add to his tally as well. A crack at the rescheduled 200m freestyle - alongside relay team-mate Quinlan - is next on the docket with a potential four more medals to be won. Devereux surely can't win all six...right?

Lift with Beck, not back

Krytenian weightlifting medals are as rare as hen's teeth, with just a gold and a bronze to call our own prior to the start of the Games. So when Caroline Dangerfield suffered her heartbreaking fourth place on Day 1, you would have been forgiven for thinking that would be the high point for our lifters.

You would also be wrong.

Enter Hoxton's Paul Beckham, an unfancied contender in the men's under 61kg, who by his own admission would have been more than happy with a top ten finish. In the snatch competition, Beckham had never previously lifted more than 130kg; if you're going to smash your PB, though, do it at the Olympics. A first lift of 129kg was completed without too much fuss, before Beckham hitting a personal best with 132kg on his second lift. The Krytenian felt confident after that one; confident enough, indeed, to skip 135kg entirely and complete his round with a crack at 137kg. The effort and strain was visible on Beckham's face as he lifted the bar over his head, but his form held enough to get the white lights and finish the snatch tied for third.

In the clean and jerk, Beckham again recorded a lifetime best, lifting 166kg; failure at 168kg with his final lift, however, meant an anxious wait. First, Sargossa's Fernando Tejedor dropped the bar at the same weight - and with no prior lift recorded, that was Tejedor out of the reckoning entirely. When Banijan lifter Sunjoo Dubalo suffered a similar fate, having been second after the snatch, a medal for Beckham was in the bag.

The colour, though, was still to be decided. Zeius Harrison of West Phoenicia was a class above the field and easing to gold, but fifth placed Liventian, Charles Harper, still had two lifts in hand. Harper cleared 172kg, a weight that Harrison couldn't manage, to guarantee at least a bronze, but when trying 175kg - a lift that would deny Beckham the silver, it all went wrong betwixt chest and overhead. In the warm-up room, Beckham punched the air with joy at securing Krytenia's first ever weightlifting silver.

The mood around our team of lifters is, frankly, buzzing. Dangerfield and Beckham have set the tone; the question now is whether the rest of the squad can follow suit.

Going for gold, netting bronze

What the women could do eight years ago, so the men can do today. OK, so it wasn't quite the level of bling that Kat Kristensen and her charges managed in Istria, but a bronze medal in the men's team event - their first men's team medal since all the way back in Columbia - will still be well received. Indeed, it was only a Chromatik team on fire that prevented that medal being even more valuable.

Krytenia started in ruthless fashion, swatting the Vilitan Cove team aside in the opening round before Diarcesia met a similar fate in the quarter-finals. Chromatika, though, would be a bridge to far. Though Aston Jeavons was shooting so well he could hit a sparrow blindfolded, a scant few missed arrows from Cho Yeong-Ho and Chris Jennings were enough to decide the match as the Chromatik trio barely put a tow wrong, never mind a foot, and advanced to the final, where they would be similarly dominant against Ko-oren.

For Krytenia, meanwhile, there was the consolation of the bronze medal playoff. In truth, it was barely a game. Kriergersien were barely at the races, and were put to the sword...arrow...by Krytenia's archers. For Ashton Jeavons, a second bronze of his career; for Krytenia's women, a benchmark to try and beat.

Aiming to try archery? Information on how to get involved is available at kbs.kt/sportforall

Watch all the action from Electrum at home with sixteen dedicated streams on KBS Interactive, or on the go from your device at kbs.kt/smartview or on the SmartView app.

by **Krytenia** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:28 pm

Medal Hopes - Prescott
Benjamin Gruber may have narrowly missed out on a medal, but there's still medals to be won on the whitewater. Day three sees the turn of Mona Gelders in the women's kayak slalom. Gelders may have only qualified for the semi-final in tenth place, but she'll feel she has more in the tank and could get herself in contention in a competitive field.

Elsewhere, hang on to your hats; Krytenia have three - yes, three - medal hopes in the shooting. The skeet finals both have competitors from these shores in the final six, as Emerson Mariano qualified third for the men's event...and for the first time ever, a shooting final contains two Krytenians with both Lana Nash and Laura Blissett have made it into the women's final.

The world might just be upside-down right now.

Medal Hopes - Twin Cities
Can we win another medal in the weightlifting? Anna Miles seems to think so. Miles finished seventh in the women's under 55kg event four years ago; older, wiser, and with Paul Beckham to try and emulate, she could well steal a medal on day three.

In more traditional fare, the last of the individual fencing events take place tomorrow, and Honey Boden has some scores to settle in the women's sabre. To do so in Quebec and Shingoryeo would be even sweeter. You could even say she'd be buzzing if she ends up queen of the piste.

OK, we'll stop droning on with these puns; besides, there's also Elizabeth Washington and Diane Veratti competing, both of whom are also absolutely in with a chance of being the bee's knees.

Devereux's impossible(?) dream
Two down, four to go. Paul Devereux has been untouchable in the pool thus far, and he'll be looking to continue that in the men's 200m freestyle. Also looking to qualify for the final is Ellis Quinlan, who swam the first leg of the gold medal winning relay performance. There's also the actual debut of Olivia Naylor in the women's 200m individual medley alongside Lorraine Imlach, and Georgina Lewis looking to qualify for the finals of the women's 200m freestyle.

Something Different
It's an interesting question; what's the ultimate test of an Olympian's athletic prowess? Some may say the endurance of the marathon or open-water swimming, or maybe the variety of skills required for modern pentathlon. There is, though, one event that combines endurance and variety, and leaves you exhausted just watching: triathlon. The events this year take place in the scenic university park of Habpo Commons, with the men's individual event scheduled for the third day of competition. Three Krytenians participate, but a medal is unlikely; honestly, we're just impressed at the fitness required for Alexander Duff, Tim Sweeney, and Paul Evans to do this for a living.

Watch all the action from Electrum at home with sixteen dedicated streams on KBS Interactive, or on the go from your device at kbs.kt/smartview or on the SmartView app.

by **New Gelderland** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 5:05 pm

Terranean Broadcasting Company

Table tennis: Zara Pennington vs. Inita Oaganara — as it happened

By Garo Thule
TBC Sport in Hapbo, Quebec and Shingoryeo

We're live from the Round of 32 match here in the relatively anodyne halls of the Habpo Convention Center between top seed Zara Pennington of New Gelderland and underdog Inita Oaganara of Vilita and Turori in the table tennis — women's singles event. Although we won't be posting after every point, do tune in every so often as we try to post as quickly as we can type! (Editor's note: Apparently Garo can't type that fast.)

Pennington wins Game 1, 11-9
Pennington starts out the game with a dominant serving display, blasting Oaganara off the table with her first serve before stymieing her with a short serve close to the net for two service winners. Those two serves set the tone for the game's first half, as Oaganara could barely get points in play with several quick shots either dumped into the net or sent catapulting into the empty space around the table.

After conceding a 6-0 lead, though, Oaganara displayed the first inkling of the flashes of brilliance that she would bring to the match's second half. After a ferocious forehand crosscourt back-and-forth, Oaganara redirected the ball to Pennington's backhand, forcing an error. With the change in momentum, Oaganara recovered to reach only a one-point deficit at 9-8. But Pennington then sent a rocketing return to Oaganara's backhand corner to set up match point. Despite solid defense from Pennington, Oganara saved the game point, but a botched return of serve handed Pennington the first game.

Pennington wins Game 2, 11-8
Unlike Game 1, which looked more like a roller coaster ride, Game 2 proved more contentious from the start. Both players traded service winners, and both players traded return winners. Two points showed the close margins separating the players: trailing 7-5, Oaganara slammed a cross-court return on a fairly weak Pennington serve and began to fist-pump, clearly expecting a winner. But Pennington noticed the ball hurtling towards her and simply blocked it back into the open court. On the next point, though, the two players traded shots with heavy pace right down the middle until Oaganara got the opportunity to redirect the ball into the corner for a winner. It was tit for tat.

But in a game like ping-pong, the smallest of margins can separate players. With the players tied at 8-8, after an intense rally, Oaganara hit a shot that hit the tape on the net, rolled to the side, and then settled back on her side of the net. Although the crowd collectively awed for Oaganara's misfortune, that didn't save her as Pennington mounted two serves with extreme sidespin to close out the game 11-8 and continue her favorable momentum from the first game.

Pennington wins Game 3, 11-8
Pennington solidified her control over the match with a third consecutive game. Although the game remained close, Pennington earned a 3-0 lead in the game's initial stages that she never relinquished. Showing her dexterity and well-honed reflexes, Pennington managed to recover as an Oaganara shot hit the net cord and actually made it over this time — but Pennington reached out for the ball and batted it back down the line to stay in the point. Oaganara hit the ball cross-court hoping for a winner, but Pennington managed to react quickly enough to bat the ball back down the line again, this time with enough spin to notch a winner. Pennington closed the game out after Oaganara pummeled a ball into the net.

Oaganara wins Game 4, 11-4
After winning three close games in a row, Pennington must have looked to close matters out quickly to avoid fatigue for the next few rounds. Instead, she got a total pummeling. How did she get to the total change in fortune? On the one hand, errors did begin to creep into her game as Pennington started to hit wilder and wilder shots, perhaps buoyed by the high gained from winning three games in a row. On the other hand, Oaganara started getting lucky, perhaps karma for the rejected shot that had decided Game 2. One shot just clipped the net cord and dribbled over; another shot hit the left edge of the table and bounced funnily. Game point proved more straightforward for her, though, as she hit a shot right down the middle that had too much pace for Pennington to handle.

Pennington's victory would have to wait one more game.

Oaganara wins Game 5, 11-7
Well, we will have a Game 6 as Oaganara forces the match to continue! Certainly, Oaganara did not have as much luck as she had in Game 4, nor did Pennington hit as many cocky shots as she had in the previous game. But it was Oaganara who took advantage of the crucial points in this game to win by a four-point margin. At 6-6, for instance, Oaganara found a wide-angled shot that caught Pennington out of position. But Pennington reacted quickly enough to mount another angled shot of her own. Oaganara found a winning response, however, by redirecting the ball into open court. And serving to stay in the game at 7-9, Pennington missed two serves in a row, a big mistake at a crucial juncture in the match.

Oaganara wins Game 6, 16-14
WHAT. A. GAME. Oaganara saves no fewer than SIX match points to force a seventh game and take this match to a seventh game. We had previously thought this to be a relatively straightforward victory for Pennington; now, with the momentum having clearly shifted in Oaganara's favor, the match looks like it could be headed for a very different outcome indeed.

We'll skip over the straightforward first half of the game, which might have constituted a whole game if it hadn't spiraled into this marathon. With Pennington serving at 10-9 at match point (after having already squandered two match points with errors), Oaganara hit a blistering return to Pennington's backhand. Pennington tried to get the ball to angle away from Oaganara's backhand, but with so much pace on it, the ball landed smack dab in the middle. Oaganara smashed the ball; Pennington managed to recover. This paradigm lasted for several shots, but eventually, Oaganara managed to hit a shot hard enough that Pennington could not reach it.

Pennington and Oaganara then traded advantage for the next few points, with Oaganara saving a further three match points in the advantage set. On game point at 15-14, Pennington had the advantage for the vast majority of the point, and appeared on the cusp of forcing yet another round of advantage points. But on the last smash in the point, Pennington flubbed the ball right into the net. With the roar of the crowd at her back, Oaganara yelled with a massive fist pump. She had now gone on a three-game streak of her own.

Pennington wins Game 7, 11-7
Elation for the New Gelderlish woman! Despair for the Turorian! After a roller-coaster match, Zara Pennington has emerged victorious.

With both players visibly sagging after the previous marathon game, this game was determined more by errors than by winners. In that sense, Pennington's consistency saved the day for her. She had obviously learned her lesson about going for risky, crazy shots, and seeing the errors that had creeped into Oaganara's game made her double down on hitting more bread-and-butter shots. Sure enough, at 10-7, an Oaganara forehand sailed long, handing Pennington the match after more than two hours of travail.

She will go on to face Nadezhda Shunina of Waisnor, who did win in straight games.

by **Vilitan Union** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 5:44 pm

Football: Vilitan Union off to Fast Start in Group C
Techn-eel Kitties leave Diarcesia, Macbon in the Dust - Set for New Gelderland Showdown on Matchday 3

Matchday 1

Vilitan Union: 4
Team Diarcesian: 0
Matchday 2

Vilitan Union: 3
Macbon: 0

Group C, Electrum :: The Vilitan Union Olympic Footsport squad got off to a strong start with convincing victories on Matchday 1 and Matchday 2 of primary competition scoring seven goals and conceding zero to all but secure their place in the knockout phase of the competition.

The action got started in Electrum for the Vilitan Union Techn-eel Kitties as Vilitan goalkeeper Zelkki Milake Jr. pitched a shutout with help from Turorian defensive stalwart and World Cup Champion Karek Edgeli guiding the defense. The Techn-eel Kitties got things started with a goal from Kunala Jyvaiij, the 18 year old Surf Jettica defender who made a name for themselves along side the Jungle Rebels of Vilita during the World Cup 91 Qualifiers.

Despite dominating the possession, it would be over an hour before the Vilitan Union could nab its second goal of the game. The coaching staff had already done a clean sweep substituting out all three starting defenders knowing that Goal Differential could be important in deciding who was going to advance from Group C. With the midfield doing their job and controlling the game, the Techn-eel Kitties brought in Tsinuzupa Rana'aiao, Lumlao Noauryua and Clarana Refiami in search of goals late in the match. Very quickly the goals would come with Noauryua feeding through Letirspi Vulitn in the 73rd minute to double the lead for the Vilitan Union. There was a scare not long after when Team Diarcesian broke through on the counter attack but Eastal Lunar's Milake Jr. was up to the task and kept hold of their clean sheet in Diarcesia's final quality opportunity of the game. As the game continued it appeared to be settling in 2-0 until the Techn-eel Kitties got the scoreline that their play probably deserved with a late flurry of pressure. Experienced midfielder Lentali Purama of Marine Coast United would get on the scoresheet five minutes from time then the All-Eura attacker Clarana Refiami would cap off a four-star day for the Vilitan Union with their stoppage time tally. Refiama - one of the Vilitan Union's three over-aged players in the competition, was coming off a soul-searching campaign in the World Cup Qualifiers having to re-claim their position on the new look Vilita Jungle Rebels roster under former National Team defender Endur Rotropii.

With their first win in the books, the Vilitan Union marched forth and faced off against a Macbon side that provide to be a more formidable opposition for the Techn-eel Kitties than Team Diarcesian had been. The first half of play was fairly even and Macbon had a couple of quality scoring chances that were stopped by Tropicorper Hanauma Ranbomahi, the oldest player on the Vilitan Union roster for the 16th Summer Olympiad. Ranbomahi was making their first appearance of the tournament after the opener was backstopped by Zelkki Milake Jr. with the team expecting to rotate through its three primary goalkeepers during the group stage. Into the second half the Vilitan Union began to wear down their Macbon opposition and used a tactical substitution to break the game open just after the hour mark. Sending in the fresh legs of 20 year old Turoki Tide attacker Diamoa Waviino, the Vilitan Union quickly found the energy to press forward and attack the game with Waviino scoring a goal within 5 minutes of coming onto the pitch. Waviino's goal would loosen up the match for the Vilitan Union and they would get a second fresh-legged goal in the 66th minute when midfielder Lentali Purama, having just been introduced in place of Lutara Makakio, would score their second goal of the tournament thus far to double the Vilitan Union lead and put the game out of reach for Macbon. Rebel Academy midfielder Jakku’u Naboyavi would score an insurance tally in the 83rd minute that would put the Vilitan Union in prime position to advance as Group C winners heading into the final matchday of group competition, with a seven goals-differential advantage over second placed New Gelderland - their matchday 3 opponents. With the team having failed to concede a single goal thus far in the group stage they would certainly seem favorites to continue their strong performance and complete the sweep although it would likely be up to the teams least experienced netminder to close out the group.

Altirii Touiniki, the 16 year old Rebel Academy prospect is expected to make their Olympic Games debut as the Vilitan Union's goalkeeper against New Gelderland. After seeing the two experienced goalkeepers posting a shutout before them, the pressure will be on for Touiniki to match their performance and lift the Vilitan Union through to the knockout stage. Trained by Endur Rotropii at the Rebel Academy, Touiniki has just one career internationstatal start in all competitions having been given the gloves for a start in an inconsequential match against the Autonomous Vessel Nation late on during World Cup 91 Qualifying. Thanks largely to the performance of the players in front of them, Touiniki was able to record a shutout in their first career start, a 1-0 victory over Aut-Ves-Nat, and will look to repeat that showing as they are set for the Olympic Games Debut.

 Vilitan Union 4 - 0 Diarcesia	
	Vilitan Union Goals:	:: 5' Kunala Jyvaiij:: 73' Letirpsi Vulitn:: 85' Lentali Purama:: 90' Clarana Refiami           
	Stats :: Vilitan Union 	:: Possession: 67%:: Shots: 7:: Corners: 6 :: Diarcesia :: Possession: 33%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 1
	Vilitan Union Lineup :: 	Zelkki Milake Jr., Karek Edgeli (Clarana Refiami 73'), Kunala Jyvaiij (Tsinuzpa Rana’aiao 66'), Awukchu L’bakka (Lumlao Noauryua 69'), Trenian Omalizo, Letirpsi Vulitn, Jakku’u Naboyavi, Lentali Purama, Mikele Alasita, Lutara Makakio, Takaara Milanzi

 Vilitan Union 3 - 0 Macbon	
	Vilitan Union Goals:	:: 64' Diamoa Waviino:: 66' Lentali Purama:: 83' Jakku’u Naboyavi            
	Stats :: Vilitan Union 	:: Possession: 66%:: Shots: 7:: Corners: 15 :: Macbon :: Possession: 34%:: Shots: 2:: Corners: 2
	Vilitan Union Lineup :: 	Hanauma Ranbomahi, Karek Edgeli, Mikaela Äijälä (Takaara Milanzi 65'), Kunala Jyvaiij, Trenian Omalizo, Letirpsi Vulitn, Fyin Miateal (Diamoa Waviino 60'), Jakku’u Naboyavi, Mikele Alasita, Lutara Makakio (Lentali Purama 65'), Clarana Refiami

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 5:48 pm

Here is the Day 3 Cutoff.

The next cutoff will be in 24 hours time.

by **Ioudaia** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 5:49 pm

Swimming, 100m breaststroke
Yongma College Aquatics Centre
Daehakro, Twin Cities, Quebec and Shingoryeo

Ofek ben Atiphates got off the lowest step of the podium and took a moment to give his medal a kiss, before starting to head back to the olympic village. Just after the race, his teammates had been all hugs and high fives; now they were nowhere to be found, either competing in later races, or having gone back to their rooms to console themselves.

"Ah, well," he muttered. He lifted his medal's ribbon off from around his neck, then stopped to admire the bronze disk. The sight brought a huge smile to his face. I have a second medal in breaststroke. I can still compete! He cupped the medal in his hand and walked to the locker room. "Huh! I don't think any other swimmer has two medals in the same event!", meaning, of course, his team. Pausing in front of his locker, he beamed at the medal again, and ran a finger around its rim. He put it down only long enough to change into his street clothes before going to look for the shuttle back to the olympic village.

At the shuttle stop, he found Liliana bat Glauce, his counterpart on the women's team, waiting for the shuttle. "Hey," she began, "What's it like being the third fastest man at the slowest stroke?"

Ofek grinned at her teasing. "Better than being the best wannabe at home streaming the Games." After a silence to look down the street for the shuttle, he added, "I think I'm the first Ioudaian swimmer to get two medals in the same event."

"Actually, you're the first of our summer olympians to do it. Saw it on Champion's website."

"Hot damn!" He pulled his medal out of his warm-up jacket's pocket, and held it up by the ribbon. He ran his fingers over the embossed design on its front, smiling at it. He turned a bit so Liliana could get a better look at it.

She managed a grin. "Congrats!" Ofek moved his arm from the shoulder to bring the medal closer to her. "Thanks, I'll get one of my own."

"Suit yourself." Ofek dangled the medal in front of his eyes until the shuttle came.

Women's Gymnastics – Qualifiers
101st Regiment Armory
Habpo, Twin Cities, Quebec and Shingoryeo

Once again, the entire Ioudaian gymnastics team mobbed the qualifiers, even though the results weren't as spectacular as yesterday: Ati and Pasiphae made the cut for the individual all-around, but that was it. As the crowd filtered away, Pasiphae noticed that Yaari bat Iola seemed on the verge of tears.

"Yaari, what's wrong?

"I'm sorry I did so poorly. I feel like I didn't do my part... I didn't help the team.

"Nonsense! You scored the highest in floor exercise. That's help."

"But it didn't matter!"

Pasiphae took a step towards her and hugged her tightly. "You did your part. You can't be expected to make up for the hole all of us got ourselves into. The only reason Ati and I made the all-around is because they take so many people. It's not like either one of us was at our best." Pasiphae took a step back to look straight at Yaari and smile.

"Really?"

"Really. We've all done better before. Don't worry about it."

She sniffled. "I'll try."

"Good. Now let's head back to our rooms before we have to put up with the guys' bragging."

Nearby, at the same time

Chaim caught up with Anaxagoras Raam as they were walking away from the congratulations. "Raam, do you have a minute? I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Sighing, Raam turned around. "I guess I'm OK. I'm not going to make a scene again, if that's what you're worried about.

Chaim shook his head. "No, I just want to see how you're doing."

Raam glanced around, making sure nobody else was in earshot: no gymnasts, no coaches, not even other Ioudaian athletes. "I want to get back on top again. Really back on top: I wanted to qualify."

With snort, Chaim replied, "In case you didn't get the text, we have practice for the team all-around in half an hour."

"I mean an individual event. To show that I've still got it." He held up a hand, clenching it in frustration. "I'm going to try to get my head together for the team. Focus, do what I have to to bring home another team medal, or die trying.

"But let's be honest here: this isn't my year. But..." He seemed unable to speak for a moment. "I want to qualify so badly I can taste it."

"Alright, I understand that." Nodding, Chaim went on: "If you had to choose, what event do you want to qualify in?"

"The horse. Pure technique, little muscle. The vault's also the same, but eh, the women will always out-shine us. So the horse. Show that I can actually do this gymnastics thing.

"OK, focus on that for next time. And give some thought for tomorrow too." Chaim left him to go chat with Ati.

Later that evening
Olympic Village, Twin Cities, Quebec and Shingoryeo

"Do you really think we can deliver on those medals you promised yesterday?"

"Oh, yeah!" Scylax nodded to Yotam as they sprawled in the team lounge. "We have good chances."

"You're going to have to show your work on this one."

"Sure. Let's start with the big one: team all-around. That's the hardest to predict. Four on each team, six events, eight teams. Woo! So many variables there! All we know is that we finished first yesterday. I'd like to say we'll do that tomorrow, but so many things would have to break our way again. Still, maybe a 10% chance of coming away with something.

"The individual are just as bad: one-on-one, but twenty-four guys competing. No better than another 10%.

"We're both in floor, so two knowns there. The D-score/E-score stuff is supposed to make judging fairer, but if you believe that, I've got some future beach-front property to sell you. Now, you're better than me. So better for you, worse for me. Mmmaybe a 20% chance one of us will win something, and oh! Let's call it five—no, three percent chance we both win a medal.

"I'm up against twelve guys on the rings, so that's a little dicey. Less than 10%. You're in two events, up against eight and ten guys. Way better chances like that. Maybe 3:1, if I was a betting man."

"So how does that add up, genius?"

"I figure... fifty... two percent chance for me, a little more than 60% for you. That's getting anything over the next few days, not a guaranteed gold."

Disbelieving, Yotam frowned as he nodded. "Uh-huh. That almost makes sense, but I think you're over-estimating something somewhere. It's just not that predictable."

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