Games of the XVIII Olympiad - roleplaying thread

by **Da Cunha** » Sun Sep 15, 2024 12:12 pm

I: "...So that sums up today's events: A gymnastics bronze, finally breaking our dry streak here in Hamilton, a swimming bronze in a very close field, a tenth between 3rd and 7th there, a judo gold and another gold/bronze combo in the taekwondo, so a total of... What's that, 5 martial arts medals now?"

P: "And add to that some mixed rowing results but some good results in the sailing events, and honestly, I think we can say that today was pretty great. That's 10 medals total now, joint third in total medals and 4th in the total medals table if you then sort by golds, as Kelssek's slash line is a bit more gold-heavy than hours. Ahead are hosts Liventia with 14 and Quebec & Shingoryeo with 15."

I: "But that is not the main event for tonight's end-of-day show - Nope, because we promised you a guest, and our faithful producer and behind the scenes wrangler Milána has just let one in, and she's been waiting for us to finish this waffling. Well, we have waffled long enough, so please, allow me to welcome live from this random penthouse we've decamped to: Judo bronze medalist Callísto Vlásicq-Snodgrass!"

Both sisters stand up and move over a few seats as a small, wiry woman around the same age as them enters, vibrantly ginger and quite pale compared to the two hosts.

P: "Congratulations! First ever repeat medalist, as we mentioned yesterday. I imagine you've been told that quite a few times over the last... 36 hours or so."

C: "Only about a million times. It hasn't really sunk in, yet. It's the sort of thing where you go 'Surely someone else has done it', but no, apparently not."

P: "No, I mean, a lot of the repeat medalists you see are swimmers and such, and the national swimming union doesn't allow swimmers to register for more than one event, so that really limits stuff. But let's not get bogged down with that; we'd be here all night if we get Zenzi going on the byzantine bureaucracy back home... Tell me, what's it like to stand there and get the medal around your neck?"

C: "Oh, I mean, it feels even better than last time out. It means so much to be up there and see the flag go up, every time."

P: "Better than last time even though last time was a silver?"

C: "I mean, last time... I was 19... I... I hardly registered what was going on. I had not expected to do anything, not really, so I was too shocked to take it all in. And even then... I mean, medalling once is great, but it matters so much to be back and show that it wasn't a fluke and, you know, I deserve to be here. The bronze is just motivation to come back again and complete the set."

I: "S-so... You're committed to running it back in 4 years?"

C: "I mean, for now. You never know with injuries and all of that, but if I can keep it up. I'm only 26 for the next go-around. Jacúpa is 28, and she got gold today in dominant fashion. I can get better too, definitely. And there's no bigger stage for my sport than this one, so if I have the ability, I want to be here."

P: "That's Jacúpa Nagizmémmmedić who we talked about earlier, for anyone who's tuned in in the meantime."

I: "And it... Does it never get old to go to these things?"

C: "Honestly, it doesn't. There are new experiences every time. And I mean, crucially... Until I've stood upon that podium and heard the national anthem... There'll still be something to do."

P: "Not the same to see teammates do it?"

C: "Not even close! I mean, I'm happy for Jacúpa, and for Alirezána and for Órhan, and of course for Xéngiç and Demír, who won medals before me, and we celebrate all as one, judoka and taekwondo...ka? I don't actually know what the term is there, but we're one family. And despite that... It's... Seeing the others up there just makes the hunger greater. We've gathered a REAL good team, all of a sudden. A real strong group. And that's something to build on, not to just watch and enjoy. Although you can do both, of course. But resting on laurels... No, I cannot do that."

P: "I think we've all been surprised by this strong early pace. Everyone was talking about the swimmers showing the colors early, but the gold's have been nearly all in your little family there."

I: "Is there ever a time to rest on the laurels?"

C: "I think... Look, I... I grew up in Macántiganhrad, even if I'm only halfway descended from Scotsmen, I... I look like them a lot. I don't really look like my dad. And in Macántiganhrad, you grow up learning that you need to have that success and sustain it. All of us have ancestors who ended up here because of hardships; that teaches you not to take things for granted. And I am proud that I've brought that onto the Olympic team and can help inspire others. There aren't a lot of descendants of any of the minority groups on the full team, and they're kinda confined to sports that the majority don't do that much. So I'm so proud that I have the privilege to represent that for everyone."

P: "That's... Well, I don't really know what to say or what to follow up with, so I'll give it the respect of leaving it hanging in the air and instead ask this: Were you not considering staying in Schimpol to see your teammates go for broke?"

C: "Always, but... Again, being who I am, representing a small sport that we're suddenly doing well in... Getting visibility out for that is SO important. I know the rest of them are gonna be supporting the last competitors well, so I am here to show the colors. Besides... Closing ceremony's here, and our committee has main base here. I think most of our athletes intend to come here after they're done competing to celebrate everything."

P: "Well that's good news to hear for me and Zenzi. Send anyone you can find our way, alright?"

C: "Hahaha, I shall, don't worry, it's a great place you've found, and it's the only place we can get to talk to the people back home properly."

P: "Well, I mean, we're very happy you had time to check in with us all the way up here, but we'll let you get to celebrate and enjoy the events. I'm sure it's been a long day for you, too. Any final words for the camera tonight?"

C: "Hi mom! No, kidding aside: Thank you to everyone back home for the support. It means everything. It really does. Phórza Da Cúnha!"

P and I: "Phórza Da Cúnha!"

Callísto stands up, giving both sisters a hug before departing the 'stage'.

The sisters look after her for a moment, in silence.

P: "Zenzi, you okay? You were quiet through... At least two opportunities to rave about NRDU and pals. And you let me lead the interview. Very unlike you."

Innozénza is blushing a bit, mumbling something inaudible to the viewers.

P: "What?"

I: "She was quite different in person, weren't she?"

P: "..."

I: "..."

P: "Well, gang, I think... Yep, that's gonna be it for tonight. I'm gonna go get a cold hose to reboot Zenzi so she's ready for tomorrow. Until then: PHÓRZA DA CÚNHA!"

The screen slowly fades out.

by **Sjovenia** » Sun Sep 15, 2024 3:13 pm

Opening Ceremony at the XVIII Olympics

The opening ceremony to the Olympic Games was truly a sight to be hold! For the Slaveška this was especially true! The team chose to wear traditional clothing in honor of their heritage. The women wore a white sundress with blue puffy long sleeves with embroidered gold floral paired with Drejveškan patterns while the men wore a white linen shirt with a high collar and blue embroidered Drejveškan patterns around the cuffs and lower hem.

The Women had flowers in their hair and most wore their hair in stylised braids while the men wore a Šešir hat, some with a feather while others wore it plain. The fans of Team Slaveška went into a roar as the team made its way down the stage waving the glorious flag of Slaveška. The gold trimmed blue star waving valiantly.

On Today's Sports coverage we have a recap of the most recent events! The Men's National Basketball Team lost to Mytanija with a final score of 78-86. Despite the teams disciplined execution and fluid movement they simply could not make it past the admirable cohesive teamwork Mytanija displayed. The Slaveškan team is placed third in Group A.

Helena Slavojka qualified for the women's Quarter Finals in a tie scoring 14 points. In a Last Chance Race Helena got knocked out with a final sixth place. In a statement she tweeted, "A bit heart broken but will come back stronger for the next one!".

In Rowing Men's Quadruple Sculls, Juro Levstek, Leo Smolej, Lukas Tratnik, Evan Krajnik, displayed exceptional skill during the event by placing first in Repechage 5 with a final time of 5:37.47. The rowers were ecstatic as they cheered on and lifted their coach up in praise. The odds look in their favor as they move on to the Semi-Finals. Ljudmila Kamenšek, Katrin Prašnikar, Anika Ravnjak, Eva Trošt brought on the heat in Heat 4 of the Women's Quadruple Sculls. Through teamwork and thriving spirit they placed first.

In the 32nd round of Men's Boxing - Heavy Weight, Ivo Stojkovič won against Edi Donodan with a 5-0 shut out landing some massive blows in the process!

In Fencing, Anastasija Medvešek held her own in three rounds of Women's fencing before being bested by Jenny Hauge (VAL) with a final score of 15–14. A valiant effort for the newcomer making her Olympic debut, despite her results she was in the best of spirits! Garan Morozov also made it three rounds before getting similar results against Joh Soo-Gyeong in Round 3 of Men's Fencing.

Sofija Deželak showed grit and determination at the Women's table tennis round 64 against Diamond Chen of the KWP. Their playing styles were almost a perfect match making it one of the more entertaining games to watch full of highlights!

Andreja Golub had podium in her sights at the Women's 400m finals but was just shy placing 8th with a final score of 4:39.58.

The Women's National Football team is tied for third in Group D after suffering a crushing defeat against A Kea with a final score of 3-2. The coach and the Women declined to comment on their performance stating that a "post match review was underway to highlight some of the common mistakes." and that "the team needed to get back in the right headspace." The Men's National Football team faired no better against Mytanija with a final score of 1-0. Despite an impeccable defense, a minor slip up cost them the game. They sit in 4th place in Group B.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the games and as always....Thank you for watching!

by **Panay Islands and Guimaras** » Sun Sep 15, 2024 3:48 pm

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to..

(English translation: Olympic Recap)
Where we will cover the Panayense athletes' performance in one recap!

MAEDA TRIES TO WIN, BUT NOT TODAY
Rolanda Maeda's first match was against Sarah Reilly, she did her best by beating her up in the first set, until things go down for her as Reilly manages to take her down. She did her best, but not too much for her.

MOON JAEYOUNG LITERALLY SMASHED UP HUANG
Linda María Huang had her first shot at the Olympics, but was met with the dominant force from Quebec and Shingoryeo, Moon Jaeyoung. She literally beat her in 2 sets. She said that she would promise that she could do better.

MORIYAMA TAKING A BLOW TO A GREAT GOOSELANDIAN
Jorge Moriyama's first fight in the Olympics was against Stefis from Great Gooseland. He made him a basic lesson about boxing, and won by a unanimous decision. He wants to take the medal in boxing, but God wills it.

LORENA REYES KNOCKS OUT LOURDES
Lorena Claudia Reyes's first fight was against a Crpostranian named Angeline Lourdes. She really beat her up in any rounds possible until delivering a blow to the jaw. She didn't expect that this could be her moment in the Olympics, and has high hopes of winning the medal.

RAMÓN DIVINAGRACIA IS DEFEATED BY A FEMALE-SOUNDING COMPETITOR
You may think Kristine Lews is a girl, but he's a man who defeated Ramón Divinagracia, who said that it's unbelievable. But he's not pissed after the match, he literally shake his hand and said that he should do better in the next Olympics.

GUADALUPE AHN BRINGS THE FIRST MEDAL, ITS A GOLD FOR THE NATION!
Guadalupe Ahn's story from a normal farmer girl to a weightlifter who bring glory to the country. She clearly snatch and cleaning then jerk some weights and she did! Everyone in her hometown, which is in Tobias Fornier, Antique is watching her and they were happy about the gold medal. The whole town was full of music and fiestas for her victory.

THE HANDBALL TEAM IS NOW FULL OF HOPE AND AMBITION
In their game against Slavo-Baltia, the Panayenses have their own chance at winning the medal beating the Slavo-Baltians by 6 points. Coach Jorgito Gonzales was happy about the result. And hoping that they would bag another gold.

ALFONSITO MAGBANUA DOES HIS BEST, BUT NOT ENOUGH
Alfonsito Magbanua had his first try in the Olympics, but got beaten up by Heraclides Raptes. He said that, it was worth it to be at the Olympics, but not that really good. He's hoping that in the next Olympics, he could go on and win a medal one day.

That's all for today's Resumen Olímpico, goodbye!

by **Hopal** » Sun Sep 15, 2024 4:38 pm

Along the roaring stands of the Schimpol International Aquatic Centre, squeezed through a slim and rather slight blonde woman. With piercing blue-green eyes, usually emanating a strong, commanding personality, here she was a bit of an imposition, trying to tussle her way through the crowded stands. Her small stature making her seem smaller, even weaker within the crowd as she slid her way through, trying to avoid the agitating fans. She wore a vest of red and yellow, the national colours of Hopal as a representative of the Olympic Committee, with the crest of the committee adorned on her chest. As she made her way through, she made a bit of a fracas with the Liventian fans, yelling at her for bumping into them, disrupting their sightline, and seeking to steal a seat. Few if any knew that the woman that they were contending with was a former Olympic Champion.

Georgia Juan liked to keep a low profile at these kinds of events. The coach of the Hopalian National Swim Program, she was a legend in Hopal, over a decade ago at the Somer Olympic Natatorium she had earned Hopal’s first Olympic medal, and a gold no less, in the 200 Backstroke. Days later she’d earn another medal, a bronze in the 100 Backstroke, becoming Hopal’s most decorated Summer Olympian. In Hopal, it wouldn’t be uncommon to see her recognized on the street and thanked profusely by fans for her accolades and for bringing the country together all those years ago to cheer her on. Here though, even within an educated and passionate swim crowd at an Olympic event, in Liventia, she wasn’t recognized. But that was the way that she’d have it, as she picked an inconspicuous spot in the corner to take her seat. Even as she grew up hating the fact that she was ignored, past over, and undervalued as a child, she would find that she despised the attention, finding that she performed the best as an underdog.

But she wasn’t the centre of attention today. She was here to see her niece compete, having just come from the locker room, giving a last minute pep talk before she went out to compete. She settled into her seat and the roll was called for the swimmers in this heat of the Women’s 100 Metre Freestyle. That nervous anticipation began to build up again, the type that of course she first began to notice when she herself was competing back in the day, but which she found built up all the more when she watched someone she cared for compete. She had built up mechanisms to block the anxiety before her races, to focus on the task ahead, but there was a certain helplessness to watching a race as an athlete, not being able to affect a result anymore, but still being privy to it. As the name of her niece was called loudly for all to witness at the Aquatic Centre, “Jenny Juan,” and as Jenny walked out to her little stand, Georgia was brought back to that pivotal moment all of those years ago.

Ten Years Ago

Lying in a hospital bed at the sprawling East Hopton General Hospital, Emilia Juan looked up to Georgia with a frail smile. Deathly ill, Emilia had pondered one more thing that she needed Georgia to know. The two sisters hadn’t been particularly close growing up, their parents were a part of that initial generation of immigrants that had come to this land, seeking a better life for themselves, banding to form the nation now known as Hopal. Their parents had a rough upbringing, broken as people, they hadn’t been able to provide for their family and weren’t there for their two daughters. The pair of them had grown up in squalor conditions as didn’t see much of their parents, being raised by extended family and the community around them. This life had made the two of them close initially, but as Georgia famously tried to pursue her swimming career, training at her every waking moment to try to beat the odds, the pair grew apart as Emilia struggled to find her purpose in life. But now, Emilia’s condition had brought them back together, as they looked into each other’s eyes, they saw fragments of their younger selves from all those years ago.

“Georgia… promise me one thing.” Emilia croaked out as moved to clasp her sister’s hand.

Tears welled up in Georgia’s eyes as she hesitantly nodded for her sister to continue on.

“Jenny, well she adores you. She thinks the world of you. And I can see that she wants to be just like you… Promise me Georgia, that you’ll take her on. That you’ll take her under your wing. That you’ll give her an opportunity to train, to be just like you. But most importantly, that you’ll give her a chance to actually do something with her life, unlike me.”

Tears began to flow as Georgia struggled to keep up with her sister's words. “Come now, Emilia. Don’t be like that. This isn’t the end. She still has you. You still have a chance with this life.”

Emilia began to tear up as well, resigning herself to her fate. “Come on now, look at me.” She flailed as she tried to point around her. She sighed. “I know I’ve failed her, I’ve failed myself really. And if I had another chance, I’d do everything differently. I know I need to be a better mother. But I’ve seen her watch you, you’ve seen it too, and it’s clear what she wants in life. She wants to be like you. And I know we haven’t really got on these past few years, and I’m asking a lot. But it’s because I’ve done poorly, with her, with you, with everything, that I’m asking you, regardless of what happens to me, to be better for her.”

Georgia nodded as the tears flowed. Nodding she responded, “Of course, Emilia. If that’s what you want.”

Peeking from the doorway with a whimper, was a very young Jenny Juan being walked in by a nurse. The young girl who the Olympic Champion had just agreed to take on as her pupil. The girl adored her aunt, having religiously attended every single one of her Olympic events at the Somer Olympic Natatorium and having fallen in love with the sport. Cheering on her aunt loudly from the stands, she dreamed that one day she could be in that pool.

Emilia’s face and heart lit up as she saw her only daughter waddle in, and Georgia glanced over with a smile. Emilia opened her arms to her child.

“Oh, come here sweetheart.”

15 Minutes Ago

“Oh, come on sweetheart.”

The pair were sat in the corner in a locker room at the Schimpol International Aquatics Centre where the athletes prepared to take on their races. Jenny had already changed into her swimsuit and was taking in last minute fluids and nutrients as she stood on the precipice of facing what could be her last race of these Olympics. Georgia sitting across from her, could feel the tension and anxiety bubbling up within her niece, after all she had once been an athlete herself. She knew exactly the emotions playing out right, especially with the weight that she knew this race held in her niece’s mind. She had learned ways to tune out the anxiety in her time, but she knew that not every athlete could do that. So as she sat here now, she tried to reinvigorate her niece.

“Remember when you were a little kid, watching me out there. Remember how you told me that one day you’d be the one, racing at the Olympics. And you’ve put in all this work, you did all of the unglamorous and hard and gut wrenching work that goes to getting to the Olympics. You did all that Jenny, and now you can do this.”

“I don’t know, it’s just--”

Georgia put a hand out to stop her niece. “Hey, you don’t think that I was nervous, every time I had a race. That I didn’t worry about how I’d perform, if I could do it, if I let everyone down. That I never let all of these other things get into my head. I know what happened in the 200, I know it scares you now. But this is a different race and I know this will be a different result. You know the work that you put into this, you know who you are. You know how you race, and I know that deep down, you know that you can crush this race.”

Jenny gave a bit of a half-hearted smile and stared into the abyss.

“What would that little Jenny Juan say to you now?”

Both women let that thought hang for tense moments. It would be Georgia who would finally break the silence.

“I think she’d tell you all of this is nonsense. Because you’re the best and everyone else is talking rubbish.”

Georgia used a line that Jenny would always tell her back when she was a competitive swimmer. That made Jenny smile and she continued on.

“This is your dream, Jenny. You do it for yourself. Go out there and swim your race. Don’t do this for anyone else. Go and crush it, because you know you can.”

Georgia checked her watch.

“Well, I think it’s about time for me to go. But remember, your race.”

Georgia left shooting fingers at Jenny, another nod to a young Jenny. The swimmer who stuck behind sighed, trying to refocus and regather her thoughts as she prepared to set out there for another race. Images of a younger version of herself struck through her head, of the dream she had finally realized. It was time for her to lock in, and head out there to crush this swim. So with trepidation, she stood and went out to face whatever it was to come.

Team Hopal Events - Day 4

Badminton - Men's Singles Round of 32
Harry Unsern

Badminton - Women's Doubles Round of 32
Liliana Tajovic/Polly Clegg

Badminton - Mixed Doubles Round of 32
Harry Unsern/Liliana Tajovic

Table Tennis - Men's Singles Round of 32
Chen Li

Tennis - Women's Singles Round of 16
Madeline Jeffries

Swimming - Men's 100m Freestyle Heats and Semifinals
Eric Kulko

Swimming - Women's 100m Freestyle Heats and Semifinals
Jenny Juan
Jessie Duclaire

Swimming - Women's 1500m Freestyle Heats
Reyna Ione

Rowing - Men's Pair Repechage
Matty Bernier/Alex Linden

Rowing - Women's Pair Repechage
Mary Hind/Patty Lindholm

Rowing - Men's Four Repechage
Greg Tangent/Mark Tengent/Alex Tangent/Will Tengent

Rowing - Women's Four Repechage
Jaye Swanson/Freya Humphries/Leah Anderson/Polly Ortega

Rowing - Men's Eight Heats
Hopal

Rowing - Women's Eight Heats
Hopal

Sailing - Men's Windsurfer Races 5-8
Ryan Lopez

Sailing - Women's Windsurfer Races 5-8
Layla Lee

Sailing - Men's Skiff Races 7-9
Ryan Lopez/William Schofield

Sailing - Women's Skiff Races 7-9
Layla Lee/Victoria Neuhart

Surfing- Men's Round 1
James Culver

by **Chromatika** » Sun Sep 15, 2024 5:01 pm

KEY MOMENTS FROM THE XVIII OLYMPIAD
Day 3

JI HYUN-GYEOL

It was the moment that he had been working for for the last decade, ever since he proudly told his parents that he was going to focus on Archery full time. His Mother and Father had gone all-in with him, and despite the tragedy that his family had suffered five years ago with Mr. Ji Hyun-Min passing away from a car accident, the Ji family had only continued on. Lady Park Hyee-Jung, who worked for the Chromatik Ambassadorial Corps as Head Secretary of the Anaian Affairs office, made a point to go to every meet of her son's. The twenty-four year old had really taken over the scene in the last three years; he excelled in the tryouts, and came into these Olympics knowing what his role was on the team.

as leadoff shooter, it was Ji's job to set the tone and test the wind. He would point out his observations to David and Francis. David would use that to get the team on the right pace, and Francis would then be the one to close out the deal. Placing first, sixth, and twelfth in the Ranking Round, the trio had set a new Olympic record; they were seeded #1, and knowing that the Women's team had lost to Quebec and Shingoryeo the day prior, they knew they had work to do.

Facing Krytenia on the first round wasn't the easiest draw, but they made it look easy, winning in three straight sets, 57-56, 57-56, and 59-57. Ji was a bit mad at his own performance - he only shot three tens in the mix - but the way with which he had relayed the information to the rest of the team had set them up brilliantly. David led the way with five of his six arrows being a ten as he continued to shine. They blew by Barkhastan in the Quarterfinals, another straight-set victory in which Ji did much better, shooting four tens.

Which set up a match against Electrum, the host country. Min Woo Kim, Ranald McCarthy, and Ryan Singh had had to fight off stiffer opposition to get to this point, winning their opening two sets by 5-3 sets apiece; they weren't going to make things easy for the Chromatik squad.

It would the the Electrumites who would win the first set, shooting an impressive 59, while the Chromatik squad only managed a 56. Ji had two of the team's four nines in the set, and the momentum was with the hoe squad. Chromatika would tie the set score, equaling the 59 scored, while Electrum only managed a 57. The host nation would take a 4-2 lead with 58 scored in the third set - the Chromatiks struggled to a 55 - meaning that they would need to win the fourth set to force the shoot-off.

The first three arrows fired all hit the center of the target. Electrum tried to follow suit, but a miss put the score at 30-29. Ji fired his second ten of the set, David got the second, and though Francis did miss to make it 59, Chromatika forced Electrum to get a perfect score to win the match. They would falter, getting a nine, and the match headed into the shoot-off.

As the team that had just tied up the score, Chromatika would shoot first. Ji gathered himself, remembering the countless hours he had spent shooting arrows in the last ten years. He looked at their Coach, William Harvard, who had been with him through thick and thin. Harvard gave Ji a curt nod, and Ji released his arrow. Dead center, almost the very dead center. David follows up with another ten, and Francis completed Chromatika's set with a nine that was very close to being a ten.

The pressure was now on Electrum, and it happened to be too much. Two nines were fired, and Chromatika made it to the Gold Medal Match - to face the old foe, Quebec and Shingoryeo.

As the lower seed, Quebec shot first. Nine, ten, nine. The Chromatiks responded with three tens to get the lead by two. They cruised through the rest of the first set to take the lead, 59-57.

It was the second set that showed the sheer quality of the archers that were pitting their talent against each other. The Quebecois fired three straight tens, and Ji and his friends were happy to answer in kind. Alanis Laurianitis was the only one to fire a nine, putting all the pressure back on the Chromatiks; Ji answered by firing his fourth ten of the Finals, and when David and Francis also completed the perfect sixty-point set for Chromatika, it seemed like they were unstoppable.

Sure enough, although Quebec and Shingoryeo gave it a good game on the third set, Ji fired two more tens to make it six for six as Chromatika prevailed 59-58 to win the Gold Medal. They had finally achieved the goal that they had set out to complete so many years ago.

Of course, he had the Mixed Team event and the Individual event to prepare for, but it was with immense pride that he stood with his two teammates on the podium, listening to Frescesca's Tears, his Mother filming the entire thing.

He could swear that in the warmth of the sunlight hitting him, he also felt a smile from his Father.

PAKHOMOVA VYACHESLAVOVNA

"Don't play combat sports for Chromatika unless it's Fencing," the pundits said.

"They don't care about you if you don't play one of their pet sports," her friends and family had said.

For one Pakhomova Vyacheslavovna of Urrheddiao, however, Judo wasn't just a sport - it was her way of life. Her father ran the local gym where she first picked up the sport, and when he noticed that she had an aptitude for flipping people, he enrolled her into academies immediately. Some injuries stopped her from competing in a serious fashion in high school, but by the time she hit nineteen, she was rearing to go. It was never an instantaneous rise for Pakhomova, taking years to gradually move up the ladder; then, she surprised most by winning the Chromatik Olympic Trials at the Women's 57kg level.

Still, many doubted her. They said that she would not win even one match in the Olympics, saying that her opponent in the Final, Beatrice Asylovna, should've been there instead.

She proved them wrong, submitting four of her five opponents to become one of the unlikeliest athletes to win a medal in these Olympics - in Judo, nonetheless.

"I want to remind every athlete out there that the only person that's holding you back from fulfilling your destiny is yourself," commented Pakhomova afterwards, "Don't listen to the naysayers, believe in yourself. Put in the hard work, and trust that it will come through for you in the end."

by **Polkopia** » Sun Sep 15, 2024 7:33 pm

..From Hero to Zero — Cosmin Nistor's Early Exit ..

Cosmin Nistor sat hunched over in the athlete’s lounge, staring blankly at the television replaying highlights from the Olympics. Each smash, every serve, felt like a punch to his gut. None of it registered, except his own defeat. He had been Polkopia’s flag bearer. The pride of the delegation. Now? He was the laughing stock of the entire nation.

“It should’ve been me out there. I was the one they believed in. I carried the flag for God's sake.”

He slammed his fist onto the arm of the chair, startling his coach, Aleksei, who had been approaching from across the room. Aleksei took a seat beside him, carefully placing a hand on Cosmin’s shoulder.

“Cosmin, I get it. You’re angry. I’m angry too. But you’ve got to stop beating yourself up like this,” Aleksei said gently.

Cosmin didn’t look at him, keeping his eyes trained on the screen. “I didn’t just lose a match, Aleksei. I let down an entire country. I was the face of this delegation. Now I’m a joke.”

His voice trembled, but the sharpness of his anger cut through. He remembered walking into the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony, the weight of the flag in his hands, the cheers of the crowd. They had put all their hopes on him. Now, with a humiliating defeat in the round of 64, he felt like he’d let them down.

“It wasn’t just the match, though, was it?” Aleksei’s tone softened, but there was an edge to it. “There’s more you’re not dealing with.”

Cosmin clenched his jaw, unwilling to meet his coach’s gaze. He knew what Aleksei meant -- the scandal. The rumors had spread like wildfire, transforming into ugly headlines. “Polkopia’s Golden Boy Caught in Scandal!” “Olympic Hero in Shameful Affair!”

He had become more of a tabloid sensation than an athlete.

“Everyone’s talking about it,” Cosmin whispered, more to himself than to Aleksei. “I was supposed to be an example, the one people looked up to. And now... I’ve destroyed everything. My career, my reputation... how am I supposed to come back from this?!"

Before Aleksei could respond, Vasili Fomin, another badminton athlete for Polkopia and one of the few people who had tried to comfort Cosmin during the Games, walked over. His expression was stern, though his eyes betrayed a hint of concern.

“Cosmin, you need to stop this spiral. We’ve all heard the rumors, but you’re letting this control you. It’s not too late to salvage your career.”

He scoffed, finally lifting his head to meet his gaze. “Salvage what? Do you think any sponsors want to work with me now? Do you think anyone here wants to even talk to me after all this?”

Vasili crossed his arms, unfazed by his outburst. “You made a mistake. You’re not the first athlete to go through something like this. The scandal will die down eventually. But how you handle it... that’s what’s going to determine your future.”

“It’s not just a mistake, Vasili,” Cosmin snapped, his frustration boiling over. “I let everyone down! I let myself down! You don’t know what it’s like to have the entire world watching you, expecting you to succeed, only to throw it all away! I didn’t just lose. I embarrassed myself, my country.”

“Cosmin,” Aleksei cut in, his voice firmer now, “you’re allowed to be angry at yourself. No one’s telling you that you need to feel good about what happened. But you need to stop thinking it’s the end. You’re acting like your career is over.”

“It might as well be,” Cosmin muttered, standing up abruptly and pacing the room. His mind was racing, headlines flashing in front of his eyes. Every interview he’d given, every promise he made to the fans who believed in him. All of it seemed meaningless now.

Vasili's voice broke through his spiraling thoughts. “Do you remember when you beat me at the Polkopian Grand Prix last year? Everyone wrote me off. I wasn’t supposed to come back from that, but I did. And you can too.”

Cosmin shook his head, his expression hardening. “It’s different. You didn’t have this scandal hanging over you. You didn’t have your face plastered across tabloids for something you should’ve never done in the first place.”

Vasili stepped closer, his voice soft, yet firm. “Cosmin, you made a mistake. That doesn’t mean you’re done. But if you keep drowning in shame, you’ll never be able to move forward. You need to own up to it, face the consequences, and start working on your comeback. You can’t control what’s happened, but you can control what comes next.”

He stopped pacing, his breathing uneven, his fists clenched. “I don’t even know where to start. Everyone’s talking about me behind my back. I can’t face them. How do I show my face after this?”

Aleksei stood, placing a hand on Cosmin’s shoulder. “You show them you’re more than this moment. You’ve got to face it, Cosmin. Look your team in the eye, look the delegation in the eye, and tell them you’re ready to work to earn back their respect. You still have the mixed doubles. You and Kateryna are killing it out there, you just need to remain focused.”

Cosmin’s shoulders slumped, the weight of his failure still pressing down on him. “I just... I was supposed to win. I was supposed to be the hero.”

“And you still can be,” Vasili said softly. “But heroes aren’t the ones who never fall. They’re the ones who get back up, even when it feels impossible.”

Cosmin looked at him, his anger slowly giving way to something else, something softer. Regret? Hope? He wasn’t sure. But the burning shame still lingered.

“What if I can’t fix this?” he whispered.

Vasili smiled faintly. “Then you’ll find a new way forward. But you won’t know until you try.”

Cosmin exhaled, the tension in his chest loosening, though only a little. He wasn’t sure what the future held. Was his career even salvageable at this point? Would he remain in the shadows of his own scandal? One thing was clear: he couldn’t stay in this state of mind any longer. Not here, not like this.

“I’m going to go for a walk, clear my head,” he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Aleksei patted him on the back. “That’s the first step, Cosmin. Take as much time as you need, but don't forget why you came here in the first place.”

As he walked toward the door, the echoes of his defeat still rang in his ears. But maybe, just maybe, he could still be more than his mistakes.

by **United Mandaran States** » Sun Sep 15, 2024 7:34 pm

Home > Sports > Olympics

Priyasti Losing Her Medal
15th September 2028

Hamilton (AMP) - After their inclusion, weightlifting has been a great medal gainer for the delegation. It has brought a total of 7 medals to the country, making it the fourth largest by total medal below Athletics, Swimming and Canoeing. And their only gold medal was won by Ayu Priyasti in the XVII edition. She also breaks the clean and jerk result with 120 kg of weight. With the result, Priyasti is hoped to bring another gold for the country in this Olympics. However, she was really underperformed in her performance today.

Priyasti start her snatch lift with 93 kg weight, the same weight that she lifts on the XVII edition. Although a little struggling, she was able to lift the weight in her first attempt. After seeing Maria Ttonda able to lift 94 kg in her snatch, Priyasti up the bar. She was trying to lift a 95 kg weight in her second attempt. Her attempts failed as the weights fall from her hands midair. She felt devastated. Then she decided to cutback and lift a 94 kg weight in her third attempt. The lift was wobbly and her legs shaking badly. But in the end, she was able to defend her snatch position for a few seconds to be passed by the jury. She screams loudly after she was passed. The lift however is her personal best for snatch. And it is also the best snatch list at the moment where she tied for first with Ttonda.

Priyasti start the clean and jerk in moderate weight. Her plan was to lift another 120 kg, the same lift as her record. She starts with 107 kg as a warming up. And she lifts it easily. To secure her lead, Priyasti tried to lift a 112 kg weights in her second attempts, the same weight that was lifted by Hakimova. This is the same weight as her last Olympics performance. The weight will give her a total of 206 kg which might be hard to chase. However, she failed miserably in her lift as the weight fallen out of her hands when she jerks them up. The crowd was surprised by Panay Islands' lifter who was able to lift a 118 kg weights in her third attempts and lead the table with 207 points.

At the moment, there was a struggled in Priyasti's mind. She wants to defend her gold medal and with that, she has to lift a 114 kg weights. But the truth that she was failed to lift a 112 kg weights haunts her. During the interview after the competition, her coach said that they were arguing backstage about that. The coach convinced her that it is okay to get only silver. And Priyasti seems to make a deal with herself and accept the silver. She then came out with a decision to once again try for 112 kg lift in her third and last attempt. The total score will be 206, 1 score below the leading but above Ttonda, Hakimova and Bergas who all get 205 total score. She still looks struggled as she lifts the weight to her shoulders. She seems to balance her focus and her breathing. And when she was ready, she jerks the weight up. But then suddenly, she screams as the weights falls down again. Priyasti also fall down and cried out loud while hiding her face between her hands. The coach runs out and try to calm her down while brought her to the backstage. The crowd especially UMS' supporters were looked crying when Priyasti failed to lift her last weights. The moment was captured by the broadcaster and viewed live nationwide where the supporters were also felt the sorrow and disappointment that Priyasti felt.

With only 107 kg weight lifted in the clean and jerk, Priyasti's total score was 201 which put her in the 9th place. Far below the medal bout. With this result, the weightlifting contingent medal hope will be dependent on Sulistyo Hadi Purnomo in the +102 kg event.

Olympic Fun Fact of the Day

Despite its low popularity within Mandaran states, there are two fighting or martial arts sports that continue to give medals for the delegation. They are Boxing and Judo. Since its inclusion in the XV Summer Olympics, Boxing give one medal to the delegation. And the medal came from Jandiyuha Targaroha who won 3 medals, 2 silvers and 1 bronze. While Judo was also included in the XV Summer Olympics and there were 2 athletes that have brought medals for the delegation. 2 medals, a silver and a bronze were won by Sukma Ayu Widiari. And a gold medal was won by Duwanisarga Marabansa.

Related News

Made Yuliantara bring bronze as the first medal for UMS.
14th September 2028
Participated in the men's 100m breaststroke, Made Yuliantara start from lane 2 in the final race. He was able to keep his pace and edge out with two other swimmers in the medal bout, Rossi (KRY) and Dracosvárić (DCU) while keeping himself from getting chase by another two swimmers behind him. The intense race between the top three ended with Yuliantara finished third with 0.03 seconds slower than Scott Rossi, the silver medalist.

Gede Mahayasa losing his bronze medal match
14th September 2028
Mahayasa was quite supported after his preliminary round's win in the men's 66kg event. The judoka went on to the quarterfinal where he was defeated by Ruben Brien of Ko-Oren. In the repechage, he success to knockout Banijan judoka which bring him to the bronze medal match. He was definitely being crushed by Britonish judoka, Florencio del Cid. He had to letting go the defeat. On the other hand, the supporter still praises him for his great achievements.

Rahman/Yasid wins their opening match
14th September 2028
In men's beach volleyball match, UMS' second pair, Fathir Rahman and Harun Yasid gets a better result than his teammate. They were success to defeat Afanc Strait pair, Green/Wilcox in straight set.

UMS placed in 4 rowing events semifinal.
15th September 2028
After women's single sculls, Widya Ariyanti and men's double sculls pair, Yahya Hamzah and Komang Ananda advance to semifinal in the first day of rowing, another 2 events placed their athletes in the semifinal from the second day of rowing. They were the women's quadruple sculls team who advance from the repechage and men's fours team. While five other events will decide their faith in the repechage. They are men's and women's pair, men's and women's lightweight double sculls and women's fours.

Eka Purnama failed to defend his silver medal in Taekwondo 68kg event.
14th September 2028
Eka Purnama was a silver medalist at the XVII edition where he was defeated by Brookstation fighter in the final. With the Brookstation absent, many of the fans hope for a medal from him. However, his run in the event was stopped at the quarterfinal where he was defeated by Sattar Shavkatov from Barkhastan.

Duwanisarga Marabansa unable to defend his gold medal
15th September 2028
A huge pressure falls upon Marabansa as he has to defend a gold medal in the judo 73kg event where he participated. Feling motivated after winning the Round 32, he was crushed by another Barkhastan judoka in the Round 16. The judoka, Zandos Bekbolatov didn't give him a chance in the fight and able to throw him to the ground which ended the fight. Bekbolatov in the end success to win bronze medal.

With Gadanbala failed in men's C-1 slalom, the medal hope falls on Ayu Suryani
15th September 2028
From the start of the participation under Pemecutan, Canoeing slalom has always brought at least one medal for the delegation. This edition however, the contingent has loose 2 athletes in the preliminary round, both in kayak events. Then Duwanisarga Gadanbala losing in the final race of men's C-1 slalom where he only finished 9th. Ayu Suryani who participated in women's C-1 event is their last medal hope.

All-Mandaran Press

Home   Video   Gallery   Current Issue

Cookies  Terms of Use  Privacy   About Us  Site Feedback
@ 2028 AMP. All rights reserved

by **The Afanc Strait** » Sun Sep 15, 2024 8:29 pm

Terranean Broadcasting Company

Darlcheri and Andiam turfed out in super tiebreak shocker

By Zion Berik
TBC Sport in Hamilton, Electrum

After holding three match points in the super tiebreaker, the new pairing of Coosal Darlcheri and Botack Andiam suffered a surprise loss to the Kannapian pairing of Jim Surin and Wayne Humber in one of the most epic super tiebreaks that I’ve seen in my career.

The unseeded Kannapian pair took a strong start to the match against the fourth seeds with an early break in the fourth game of the match, taking advantage of some inconsistencies in the Cenians’ games.

Darlcheri and Andiam, who are partnering for the first time in international competition, struggled to adapt to each other’s playing styles. For instance, Andiam aggressively poached to his team’s detriment, opening up too much of the court space and leaving an ageing Darlcheri to cover much of the baseline.

For his part, Darlcheri, seemed to want to adapt to the clay courts a little too much, not being hardly as aggressive as Andiam and, in fact, staying back on far too many an occasion.

And so despite some strong serving from Andiam, the relatively unknown Surin and Humber managed to claim the first set 6-4, with Andiam and Darlcheri putting a decent amount of pressure on the Kannapians’ serves but never quite managing to put enough pressure to get their break back.

In the second set, Surin and Humber’s momentum began to flag as the more experienced Cenians’ games began to gel more together. Andiam started poaching less, Darlcheri moved into the net more, and their game looked more like a well-oiled machine rather than the misfiring one that cost them the crucial game in the first set.

Like the first set, the second set turned on one break, but this time, Andiam and Darlcheri broke Surin and Humber. Surin started out that fateful game with a double fault, and matters did not improve for them. Darlcheri deftly won the next point with a drop volley, catching Surin and Humber at the baseline, and a furious exchange at the net on the next point ended up with Humber plopping the volley at the net. To close out the break at love, Darlcheri masterfully drove a backhand down the tramlines for a beautiful winner.

In the end, Andiam and Darlcheri took the second set 6-4, the same scoreline as the first, sending the match to a match tiebreak: first to ten, win by two.

At first, the momentum looked like it would continue in the fourth seeds’ favour. Andiam and Darlcheri quickly shot out to a 7-4 lead, thanks to two mini-breaks. The Cenians continued their pressing brand of tennis that they had utilized to such success in the second set, and they took advantage of Surin and Humber’s lack of experience on the international stage. Indeed, both minibreaks resulted from mishits and unforced errors from the Kannapians.

The two teams continued to exchange points until Andiam and Darlcheri were up 9-6, with the match and a sigh of relief on order for the fourth seeds. But the tide would soon turn in the Kannapians’ favour.

The Kannapians saved the first match point when a lucky net cord swung in their favour. They saved the second match point after a fairly long rally ended in a misfire from Andiam. They saved the third match point after a double fault from Darlcheri.

So much for the momentum swinging towards Darlcheri and Andiam.

The next few points seemed like a game of cat-and-mouse, with the hot conditions clearly taking their toll on their players. But Darlcheri and Andiam looked more gassed, both having recently played across the world in Mercedini. The Kannapians had no such jet lag, so they appeared to have a little more gas in the tank.

Nonetheless, Darlcheri and Andiam managed to hang on, clearly trying to close off the point at the earliest opportunity, with Surin and Humber trying to prolong the points on the clay courts infamous for their long rallies.

Clearly, the latter team had the better of the two strategies. But Andiam and Darlcheri hung on.

Adrenaline and sweat both flowing, the two teams reached 17-all. There, a stroke of good fate once again swung towards Surin and Humber. The wind pushed down a topspin-heavy forehand from Surin, which landed right on the baseline.

Mini-break for the Kannapians, and match point.

It all ended anticlimactically for Surin and Humber on their first match point. Surin served right up the T, and Andiam plunked the ball into the net.

“Man, what a horrible match,” said Andiam afterwards. “We hung on to the very end, and then two points there sank us.”

Darlcheri echoed his partner’s words. “We had a tough first set, and we overcame that,” he said. “We couldn’t overcome the heat and Margaret’s intervention in the end.”

“After all that, 36 points in the tiebreaker, one error and one lucky ball doomed us,” Andiam further lamented, somewhat repetitively.

In other tennis results, first seeds Gyrachor Rentos and Val Korekal escaped Hámid Aligánić and Taricqhásan Másopuxt of Da Cunha in a match tiebreak, while both Lonus Varalin and Xander Foyner-Evatee survived their singles matches in three sets.

by **Crpostran** » Sun Sep 15, 2024 10:33 pm

[*]OOC Note: All images are from real-life events, credits to photographers & athletes. Using these for the time being as AI-image gen credits are over lol

. Comic Strips taken from https://121clicks.com/funny/funny-singl ... nate-fakes. A big shoutout to Lisander for the pictograms. AI-image used for the plane & background in the poster, rest are my creations. Enjoy!

by **North Oharan Valley Union** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 12:47 am

Timestamp: 16 September 2024 - 8h47
Tags: Games of the XVIII Olympiad, Mission Olympica

Three to Watch Today

Davit Chkadua * Archery * In a way, we want your focus on Chkadua as it might be the last chance to see Oharese action coming from the Desert Pea Gardens. As Juul and Smits (narrowly) dropped out in the preliminaries, it is up to the 30-year bank teller to fly the flag. Mikhail Evristheni, from A Kea, could prove to be a difficult opponent: two years ago he came close to the quarterfinals. Chkadua, who was endearingly supported by his three young children, looked to the confrontation with confidence. “The gap between us is smaller than the ranking round tells you, I found the 10’s as should. But during the opening I could not avoid the grave errors, like sixes and sevens. Improve that and it could be fifty fifty.” If Chkadua demonstrates the same cool of his analysis in the shooting range, Evristheni could have a tough nut to crack.

Ivis Kulmanis * Weightlifting * A genuine amateur in the traditional sense: Kulmanis makes his mark in the 79 kg and combines that with a position as night security guard. Weightlifting only has a small community in the valleys but a dedicated one and luckily for Ivis, there is a second strong competitor in his weight category. That man, Zhoran Hytourian, made the qualifying bar himself but had to stay home due to the entry restrictions. But Hytourian will be here as part of the crew for Kulmanis, a sign of their friendship and respect: the duo push one another to a next level and that could be seen in the nationals where Kulmanis improved his clean-and-jerk record to 193. Ahead of the competition, Ivis Kulmanis was realistic about his chances but he does hope for an Olympic diploma: “I am curious to see whether the circumstances will humble me or let me push above my limits.”

Marjus Riekstins * BMX Racing * The fact alone that he will be racing the semifinals is a small miracle for this cyclist from Strauzeme but it gives us a great motivation to tune in on this exciting, fast-paced event. The inclusion of Riekstins, who lost most of his races domestically to Ekram Ladourian, was rather controversial. He hails from Erkaune, the small birth village from federation president Pauls Rukaitis who shook and twisted the qualifying process long enough to get the son of an old friend on board for the Olympics. But, to Riekstins’ credit, the 22-year old outdid the expectations. First of all, contrary to female rider Krumina, he survived the preliminaries. His three heats in the quarters were far from spectacular but in the last chance race, with the worst starting position, he made a daredevil cut through the inside and overtook all but Kannapian Soda. All or nothing, but it was all for Riekstins who managed to hold off Vance and Griffith in the next turn to keep hold of the coveted semifinal ticket.

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 12:53 am

Tricolour Taegeuk: Days of Future Past

Future - Part 1: Juliette Oleksiak-Collinson [Athletics]
Future - Part 2: Abdullah Ibn Salam [Association Football]
Future - Part 3: Taras Sen [Rhythmic Gymnastics]
Future - Part 4: Princess Adelaide [Sailing]
Future - Part 5: Olivia Neubauerova [Basketball]
Future - Part 6: Serguei Borisenko [Shooting]

Past - Part 1: Hannah James-Yim [Swimming]
Past - Part 2: Jin Chang-Wook [Volleyball]
Past - Part 3: Park Chae-Yeon [Archery]

'The life does feel different for you now, doesn't it?' asked rifle shooter Serguei Borisenko to his longtime colleague and friend, 31-year old Hector Benayoun, as they started eating their early breakfast of Day Three. It was around seven in the morning, about half an our or so before a majority of the Olympians were set to enter the dining halls of the Olympic Village in Hamilton. 'I've been hearing from others, after all, that it does glow them up a bit when you walk with your medal on your neck on the street.'

Hector Benayoun, a long, lanky pistolero with all of his facial hair shaved, certainly stood out in the crowd. Whether it was a good thing or not, of course, depended on the person, and more often than not Hector, who insisted on keeping his facial hair to very minimum out of personal conviction for the solitary goal, looked awkward whenever he was out in competitions or, as of late, social functions.

'It does feel that way indeed,' Hector answered in a gracious smile. 'I know it's hard to believe it, and for me to say stuff like that after that mid-stretch into the final, but man, it's the greatest feeling in this world my friend. So so worth it.'

huh, thought Serguei, as a light lift in Hector's voice briefly ticked him. Of course Serguei knew that Hector, whose intentions were often misrepresented enough with intimidating impressions, intended it well. They have also known each other for over a decade now, dating back to their roommates dating back to their days in Institut Royal du Sport, de l'Expertise et de l'Athletisme [IRSEA].

He quickly gathered his thoughts, and then decided to ask in a more casual, anticipatory manner. 'Did people ask about it when you hit up the clubs last night?' Serguei asked about how Hector's adventures went in the nightclubs of Hamilton, where he was seen last night their boxer friend Ion Petrescu, a couple of women's gymnasts needing consolation and others. 'I mean, it seems like you managed to get everybody in with that medal as a hall pass...'

'Of course, gotta find a good way to use it, my friend,' Hector gave a light smile in acknowledgement. 'It was all in all good fun though. Drank a glass of gin here, maybe bought a couple of shots for the ladies there, and then just danced to the H-pop [Hannasean pop which, from my knowledge is an Esportivan version of dreampop mixed with Europop, -e.d.-].' He then briefly looked up to suggest light satisfaction before continuing. 'The lights man...they were all glowing and coming into life. And to hear the words just melt into the background...'

Still drunk over last night, he is, thought Serguei, as he was reminded that Hector still had one more event to play in the mixed team pistol. Of course, that was less of a concern for everybody right now with the first shooting medal having come this early into the competition. The line of expectation for the Team Quebec shooters heading into this Olympic was that they likely challenge for two to three medals, giving them a modest follow-up to their five-medal performance in Jolbonopolis.

But the Quebecois, while having decent history in all three gun types, tend to perform their best in shotgun events with slightly more mixed record in pistol or rifle, so anything like that of Hector's surprise gold last night had meant a ton, perhaps motivating enough for those of Team Quebec banner in Hamilton who, in all fairness, were off to a solid start.

And that's what Serguei Borisenko, a relative late-bloomer on his first olympics, wanted too. A moment to show it to Irina, his four-year old daughter from a previous relationship who was with his parents back home in Anju. 'You know what,' Serguei just smiled back at Hector, who kept the grin and the dreaminess around him. 'I wanna feel the same tonight man. I wanna feel like I'm on the top of the world and show it. Maybe then I'll understand why you are feeling this way today.'

Men's 10m Rifle Final, later that day...

232.9. 232.6. 232.2.

Serguei Borisenko knew the final two shots were about to come.

Shortly after he had finished firing his last shot, the scores came up to announce that Xoán del Alcázar of Afanc Strait, who had given him a strong challenge on the stage one, where two series of five shots were fired, was eliminated. The Xenian, who waved back at the crowd, was still going to walk off with a bronze medal given to his name, but once the audience stopped applauding for him, the shooting range was once again back to complete silence, as it came down to the 31-year old and his Chromatik opponent, Basile Favre, to settle score.

Here we go, thought Serguei, as he fired his shot. As a professional and more importantly, national team shooter, he had been under many situations like this where the leads this close were overtaken in a matter of difference made in single shots. After all, it was only six years ago at the same event final in Fort Jubong shooting centre when Kytlerian John Matthews, who looked likely to finish third, managed to hold off Sargossa's Vicente Pinon before prevailing over A Kea's Demitres Yokas with an immaculate pair of 10.8 and 10.5 in the end.

10.4. 10.8.
243.3. 243.4.

Shit, was all that Serguei said to himself, as he saw the 10.4 appear on the screen. A draw of breath by the crowd, who looked every bit surprised with how quickly the tides turned, suggested that the tide has turned. This wasn't a good sign for Serguei, whose score's been tied a couple of times in earlier rounds before seemingly found his groove, and the nerves of being the leader for most of the day seemed to have gotten him at a less ideal moment.

Still, it wasn't the one that's shocked him much - the Chromatik has been having a great day of own matching his or del Alcazar's score from the beginning to now - and he knew that all that he could do is to give himself a best shot, and see if the 0.2 point deficit were going to flip again. He gathered himself, picked up the rifle, and then fired the next shot as both him and Basile Favre shot.

Tang, tang, came the noise as they both, feeling the momentum, watched the screen for sometime before slowly placing their rifle to the stand.

Then came a massive round of applause, as they both checked the score:

10.9. 10.4.
254.2 [OR]. 253.8

Crazy, Stupid, Sport. That's shooting babey.

by **Sargossa** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 1:24 am

SSM | Sargossan State Media

International Edition - Olympics

Another Thriller In The Pool

Raquel Solana writes;

Some years ago, after a period of sustained success, the Sargossan swimming programme seemed to be losing its way. Then Jovana Krsmanovic cropped up on her shores. She was one of a number of Mytanars who emigrated around the same time, their political ideologies not entirely in lockstep with the new regime in Esca. The fact she was an elite level swimming coach was just a happy bonus. Not one to waste an opportunity, the Sports Ministry were quick to find her employment within the Jucaro-based National Centre of Aquatics. Since then, Krsmanovic has risen through the ranks to become the nation’s Director of Elite Aquatics. Her talents have polished up the nation’s swimming talents. Her contacts back home have helped to fill some of the problem areas of the team, specifically in the freestyle contingent. On day two, one of those recruits showed his value again. Four years ago, Bojan Ignjatović swam the freestyle legs in the gold medal winning men’s and mixed relay teams, and picked up a bronze in the individual 100m event to complete a thoroughly impressive personal Games. At Schimpol’s International Aquatics Centre, Ignjatović was in 200m action, qualifying for the semis as the fastest qualifier. The semi was less comfortable, with the Mytanar-born freestyle specialist squeezing into the final as the eighth and final qualifier. Andrea Krsmanovic, Jovana’s niece and part of that amazing gold medal winning and record breaking 4 x 100m relay team, qualified for the semis of the women’s event. But went no further, in a race in which Noemi Parrano shaved a fraction of a second off another Olympic record.

Emilio Elvira is having a busy Games. He was the fastest qualifier into the final of the men’s 100m backstroke. An effort that perhaps did not leave enough in the tank for the breaststroke final that same evening. Sargossa has a proud tradition in breaststroke, holding the Olympic records in both the men’s and women’s 100m events. So, Elvira’s seventh place in the final was a disappointment, but not as disappointing as the lack of any representation in the women’s final. But that was tempered rather nicely by a golden end to day two in the pool. Lía Puig had needed a swim-off to reach the final of the 100m butterfly. But having been granted that reprieve she took full advantage, taking the nation’s first gold in the event since Naomí Alarcón did the same the last time Liventia hosted an Olympics, in Orean. It had for a time looked like a Sargossan double on the podium, but María José Sarmiento faded in the last 25 metres to finish sixth. There’s never been any Sargossans on the men’s 400m medley podium, until now. Just sixteen competitors took to the water in what is a particularly tough event. Samuel Sánchez won his heat and kept that momentum to take gold in front of a raucous crowd, spurred on by the presence of two home favourites in the final. A new personal best, a new national record and a gold medal completed quite the day for Sánchez. Carina Aguayo will contest the 100m backstroke final but Sofija Kostić, another Krsmanovic recruit, wilted in the semi. Her double compatriot Bojan Ignjatović wasn’t quite done though. His 200m freestyle final saw another amazing finish, in which Philippe Privot took gold by a whisker from three men, Ignjatović included, who could not be separated and duly shared the silver. The events in the Schimpol International Aquatics Centre have thus far not disappointed.

Neither have those in Hamilton’s Old Town Hall, where Team Sargossa’s fencers once again showed they could cut it with the very best. In the women’s foil contest naturally all the attention fell on Elena Delgado-Emparán, daughter of state president Gregorio Emparán. Due to her ranking, Elena entered the contest in round two, at which point both Débora Abellán and Paula Osorio had dispatched Phoenician opposition in round one. All three made it through to round three, where Osorio lost a tight encounter to Valanora’s Selma Lyssand. After successfully negotiating their fourth-round ties, the Delgado-Emparán journey came to and end in the quarterfinals, as she lost a 15-14 thriller to Loch Dearg’s Muireann Mc Carrick. While Débora Abellán scored an upset win over Quebecois Tatiana Kovaleva to make the final four. There Priya Saini, the last Phoenician left standing, would gain some revenge for her beaten teammates. But Abellán scored a revenge win of her own, beating Mc Carrick 11-5 in the bronze medal matchup. Foil and épée are weapons for the discerning, sabre is shouty and uncouth. Such was the prevailing thought back home. Although that might be about to change. Alejandra Costa entered the women’s sabre competition in round two and, after besting the Alezian Union’s Colette Houdin, was the only Sargossan left in round three. Drawkland’s Stacy Ragno and Aksana Kohein of Kanmer were dispatched next, before a solid win over another talented member of the Phoenician delegation in Bellatrix de Saint-Nectaire. The semifinal saw an encounter with Noh Ga-Ram of Quebec, another nation with huge fencing pedigree. An extraordinary run of seven straight points won in the mid-section of the contest saw Costa take a stranglehold on what had been a tight bout until then. Her opponent came roaring back but couldn’t close the gap enough, as the Sargossan reached the magic fifteen-point mark. Into the final and a showdown with Ko-oren’s Aodo Aolgea. The fencing aficionados were treated to a sparkling contest, one worthy of a gold medal bout. And it was Sargossa’s Alejandra Costa with a beaming smile at the end of it, triumphing 15-14 to win the nation’s first ever medal in sabre.

Fencing in Sargossa is a popular sport in the military, particularly among the officer corps, and is consequently well funded by the Ministry of Defence. As is boxing, a discipline in which the nation has consistently won medals. Although the men’s flyweight competition saw a big upset, with reigning champion Raúl Marciel dumped out in the round of thirty-two. As was César Olmos, a bronze medallist eight years ago, in the featherweight category. Marisa Seco was eliminated from the women’s light flyweight, before Reina Parra stopped the rot with a win in the middleweight. Since then, Zacarías Ocampo advanced in a one-sided contest in the men’s light middleweight and Žarko Karanović, who ditched the Mytanar system to don the darker blue of Sargossa, edged through in the heavyweight category. Ivanna Águila, a reigning bronze medallist, cruised into the last sixteen of the women’s bantamweight. And two big guns, looking for third straight medals advanced too. Faustino Sandoval, who won a bronze four years ago to go with his silver from the 16th Games, may have been a rare Sargossan presence in the play-in round. But the super heavyweight had no trouble in putting Girolamo Shresth on the canvas to advance. And former bronze medallist and now reigning women’s heavyweight champion Aleta Boda is safely into the last sixteen of her event.

Unlike Fencing and boxing, the nation’s taekwondo programme must rely on smart coaching and talented individuals. One such talent is Mía Morterero, a bronze medallist eight years ago. She again went deep into her competition, before Kriegiersien’s Ephrael Sankt proved an immovable object in the quarters. In the men’s 80kg contest Benito Arrabal got even closer to a medal, bowing out to the Afanc Strait’s Connor Jones in the repechage.

Gymnastics is another area in which Sargossa has shown it can compete on the world stage. Although very much split along gender lines, with the sport an increasingly attractive option for the nation’s girls but still largely avoided by the boys. Because the better part of a decade ago, those girls were presented with some serious role models. A very young team went to Quebec & Shingoryeo, itself a gymnastics hotbed, and stars were born. Lilian Agramonte, Tatiana Carballo and Rebeca Abasto all won individual golds, and the team took a bronze in the rhythmic all-around. Four years later, Agramonte and Carballo added individual silvers to their list of honours, as did newcomer Antonia Cicerón. In Hamilton, Team Sargossa qualified for the rhythmic team all-around event proper by topping the preliminary table, while Ivanna Ordóñez and the returning Carballo were among the sixteen to qualify for the trampoline event. Here at the Games themselves, in the artistic event, Rebeca Abasto, who had considered retiring after a disappointing campaign four years ago, is probably glad she didn’t. The two-time medallist was peerless in the vault, topping the standings, and came fifth on the uneven bars to qualify for the final of the individual all-around in third place. Where she was joined by Lucía Cicerón, Antonia’s younger sister, who’s second place in the floor event, helped her to eleventh overall. Their efforts also helped the team into the final in a highly creditable fourth place. With this likely to be the last hurrah for the heroes of Twin Cities, the sporting hierarchy would have been hoping for a big finish to inspire the next generation. So far, the ladies are delivering just that.

And on that theme, it’s probably worth noting that of the nation’s eight medals won in Hamilton and Schimpol, six of them have come from the women’s half of the delegation. Which is nice.

by **Haruhata** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 2:22 am

The Butterfly and the Beast

"You qualified, so what's the next step for you?"

Ageheisen Huuwali was prepared for questions like these. "To try my hardest at the Olympics. That's all anyone can do!" He would say. It was a simple, inoffensive answer that anyone could say for almost any situation. The interviews were the easiest part of being an athlete for Huuwali. The same questions would be asked every single time, and he could reply with the same answers. It was getting boring. Being one of Haruhata's 30 Olympic athletes, meant despite his low relative ability, he still received plenty of media attention and fan support. And that, he didn't quite understand. As an athlete, you strive for number one. They say anyone can win but with only one winner, it's not just anyone that gets the gold. Especially not Ageheisen.

"Well, we believe you have the stuff to make it all the way Ageheisen! Huuganba!" the interviewer chimed in, holding his fist up as to wish him luck. Whilst questions were easy to answer, statements like that stumped him. He wondered if they really believed that he could win, or if they were just being polite. Even though Ageheisen managed to qualify, against all odds, it wasn't like he qualified in 1st or 3rd. 17th and 20th. If he was from a larger delegation, he might be just another athlete. It felt like he was unworthy of the support of his people. Even so, he'd smile and thank the interviewer, knowing full well he was not going to go all the way. He had reached far further than he thought he would, and any further would be a miracle.

"I just don't understand. I'm obviously not gonna win." Huuwali said, sat slumped over on the end of the bed. These thoughts had been brewing in his mind ever since he qualified, where his onslaught of interviewers had bombed him with some form of "we think you can win!". He did not need to be reminded that he most likely couldn't. "Do they really think I can win?" He scoffed. Arms slunk around him from behind, coupled with a kiss on the cheek.
"Yeah. They do." he muffled into Ageheisen's ear. "You don't." Ageheisen tried to shrug him off, but his embrace felt too good. "I mean, have you ever tried to become number 1?" He asked simply.
"Of course." Ageheisen replied curtly. "Everyone has tried to be number 1 at some point in time."
"But right now?" Ageheisen stopped. Of course he tries hard. He swims like his life depends on it each time. But to win? He supposed not. The thought of winning didn't even cross his mind during the preliminaries.
"That's what I thought." He said with a giggle. "And maybe you won't win tomorrow. Or even qualify-" He was cut off with a swipe from Ageheisen, laughing a little. "But you shouldn't let go of that dream. You will be number 1 one day. I know it." The two were still for a second, the city lights of Schimpol reflected in their eyes as their gaze drifted to the skyline. The night sky was lit in a gold hue from the city below, the lights like a sea of stars. Even at night did the city bustle with a hum of life.

"Number one's get views like this."

by **A Kea** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 2:34 am

Olympic Nights

by KTV

A: Good evening everyone, I'm Athanasia Karvela and this is Iordanis Hatzinasios and we'll inform you about the Kean Olympic results of today.
I: The 3rd day of the games saw the Olympic miracle of our men's rugby team end with a loss to Lisander in the final, therefore achieving a well deserved silver medal with out medal tally increasing to 3. Kristie interviewed the team right after the medal ceremony in Hamilton.

K: Panagiotis, you've told us about the big financial and not only sacrifices you had to make to scout and coach this team with basically no support from any officials. Now this silver ensures government funding as they promised to split 1 million between the federations that won medals. You must feel vindicated already, but what are your plans for next year?
P: What can I say? My boys made me proud, we started from nothing and finished 2nd in the world, losing only to Lisander, a traditionally good rugby nation, and even that was close with 21-24. I never expected such a huge success for our newly found team. Now that we're getting the funding, the only way is up. I'm going to repeat the scouting process abroad, this time for a women's team so we get double representation in the next games. I want A Kea to be a usual participant in rugby events, and with this silver I feel like the viewers would be motivated to watch and support our efforts.
K: Damian, you were tipped as our star player throughout this tournament, do you think that your performance will influence young Keans to take up rugby?
D: I hope so. I was privilged to be born and raised in a country where rugby is very popular, grew up with some big players being my heroes. Just the thought of me being considered a hero by children here is giving me shivers. I owe everything to coach, if he didn't convince me to move to A Kea and start practicing with the newly formed team I'd never make it all the way to the Olympics, my homeland made it sure they have better rugby players for their national team after all. Now I plan to move permanently to A Kea, back to the land of my ancestors that gave me this huge opportunity.
K: You'll be warmly welcomed, by the way I see your teammates with their medals, where is your?
D: I gifted it to the coach, he made this all happen so he definitely deserves one, and since the organizers won't give him any it's up to me. Fingers crossed I'll get to keep my next Olympic medal, gotta start preparing for next year

A: Who would've thought, our Olympic debut in Rugby leads to a silver medal. I wish the boys more success in the years to come, they made a sport no one's ever heard of here, popular in just a few days.
I: Kean teams had further success in team events with a massive basketball victory over Hispinas with a score of 102-82. A great opening game for our men's team with captain Martin Deanford being the match's MVP with 27 points all to himself.
A: And now it's time for the devastating news of today. Djiva Trudeau has failed to earn her much anticipated first medal in table tennis, after an elimination in the quarterfinals in mixed doubles and a shocking early elimination in the first round of women's singles.

I really don't understand what I'm doing wrong. Every Olympics the same story, having great prospects for something big and underperforming massively. I want to keep trying for as long as I can but there's a point where the heartbreak is too much to handle. I think I'm not there yet. Next Olympics though, they might be my last if the same situation happens. I'll have to see a psychologist to help cause I know I'm physically able to go all the way and fight for gold, what's stopping me comes from me myself and I have to find what it is and fight it. I'm still not done yet, we got the women's team event coming soon but it's historically our worst one so I don't have many hopes for it, I'm only playing to help the other girls improve.

I: As for Schimpol and Liventia, our rowers keep having success with the men's pairs crew winning their heat and going directly to the semifinals. So far all our rowers have qualified with the only exception being our gold medalists of two years ago, Speranza Isidorou and Christine Salvakou who placed 2nd in the repechage and failed to progress in women's double sculls. Marios Papapetrou has interviewed them after the elimination.

M: Unfortunately you couldn't defend your gold yet again. But you're both in other events too so it's not over yet.
C: Yes, we still got chances to win medals, I'm in women's single sculls and we're both in the quadruple sculls crew. Although this was a great race, we were just unlucky.
S: Exactly, I'm very satisfied by our time, we got the 2nd best time overall in all repechages, the draw was flawed we should've qualified but we had the only crew faster than us in the same heat. I'm proud of what we did with Christine, it should've been enough to get us to the semis, technically it was enough but a bad draw is a bad draw.
C: I'm not losing my head over it, we were good, it was a race to be proud of. Now we're aiming for more in our other events. We clearly can do it.

A: Great to see all this optimism, I hope the girls can avenge this "unfair" elimination. They seem ready for it.
I: And they need the optimism cause the quadruple sculls semifinal is tomorrow. Rowing in general is an event Keans should stay tuned for, including swimming, sailing obviously, basketball and judo and the final taekwondo events, where we got representation.
A: As for Electrum's events, you obviously have to watch shooting, and then we got athletes in boxing, football, tennis, volleyball and weightlifting, as well as archery, that commences with men's individual where we have Mikhail Evristheni and Dimos Evzona set to begin their attempts. See you all in tomorrow's Olympic Nights.

by **Britonisea** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 2:40 am

Sports News
Brityunik Vefecosoin Cairkovoin
http://www.bvc.com/news
Day 3

Meyer siblings make it to table tennis semi-finals...

It has been a quiet day on the medal front for Britonish Olympic athletes as zero was picked up on Day 3, but small successes could lead to big rewards in the coming days...

While Britonisea had won a medal at every single day of the Games last time around, that does not seem to be the case at these Olympics. With that being said, that does not mean that the country is not going to meet its medal targets or is underperforming. In the grand scheme of things, Team Britonisea is still making quite good progress in certain sports. In tennis, the former Olympic champions, Jaguar Zenteanite and Zeke Newham are still in with only two matches between them and a guaranteed medal, the same with the new Britonish pairing Rachel Archibald and Leone Na in the women's doubles.

Olympic record holder and reigning champion, Usman Cameron made it to the Men's 800m freestyle final where he will be hoping to retain his title, Britonish rowers finished at the top of their races in 5 out of 6 of the events in the heat stage, while further qualifications in repechages mean that Britons still have a very stacked team in rowing - perhaps a good omen after hosting the Saintlake Regatta. Rein Biermann and Carl Summers, while they have dropped to second place, remain very close to the leaders in the men's skiff event and have enough time to claw it back to improve on the silver they won at the last Games. Table tennis also seems to be going quite well for Team Britonisea as well...

Despite Britonisea's record in tennis and badminton, the nation does not have a great reputation in table tennis. In total, Britonisea has picked up one singular medal in table tennis - that was the women's team event where Lovella Credle, Lucile Dancy and Paulita Donnelly won gold in the XI Games - that's seven Olympic cycles ago. That should put into perspective how table tennis is not a sport that is on the radar for the Britonish.

However, siblings George Meyer and Lucy Meyer have made it to the semifinals which means they have a three in four chances of picking up a medal at these Games, but before a guaranteed silver or gold, they will need to play against Afanc Strait's Oscar Green-Hennessey and Zara Pennington. Afanc Strait has more of an illustrious background in table-tennis compared to Britonisea with the country expecting the likes of Green-Hennessey and Pennington to bring back medals. No doubt those two are in strong form going into the semifinals against the Britons.

Both George Meyer and Lucy Meyer made the finals of the individual events at the IBA Sports Championships earlier this year which came as good practise as many nations that are competing in the Olympics had participated in that event. They will be hoping that, in a much more difficult field, they can still persevere and make it all the way to the end...

by **Barkhastan** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 2:54 am

Doubly landlocked nation struggles in water sports

The sight of Kamol Shukrullayev and Khudayberdi Qasimov wheezing over the line of the men’s lightweight double sculls heat nearly half a minute after the next best finisher is merely the latest of a series of uninspiring performances from a delegation that took the medal table by storm on the first day – but shrank from sight whenever a lick of water was involved. Most Barkhastani swimmers failed to even qualify for the Olympics and those that did have had little success, and prospects are barely brighter in sprint canoe; sailing, at least, should avoid any humiliation – because no Barkhastanis have even qualified in the sport.¹ Fierce fighters, who’ve picked up four medals in judo and added to their collection in the women’s 49 kg weightlifting – but the Barkhastanis are not good on water. And it’s not surprising, because it’s one of the few natural resources of which their country is in short supply.

Barkhastan is one of the only “doubly landlocked” nations in the world, meaning that not only is it landlocked (with no territory connected to an ocean) but that every country surrounding it is also landlocked. Given the absence of international law on the rights of landlocked nations² that has left Barkhastan with very limited access to international waters, with a corresponding knock-on effect on the country’s sporting infrastructure. The Soviet-era sports clubs teach a range of martial arts, traditional pursuits such as archery, falconry and horse riding remain popular, and football’s ubiquitous global reach has penetrated even the isolated steppes, but water sports have very limited appeal, and those Barkhastanis who do venture into canoe, rowboat or sailboat have few opportunities for practice or elite competition.

Of course the Barkhastani desperation over their doubly landlocked status does not stop at sports. The nation remains on a permanent war footing with Chile, which it describes as a “shit” country in official press releases, and in a bid to gain a coastal foothold embarked on an ill-fated military venture, “Operation Invade Liechtenstein”, to seize the blue-water ports of a small European principality. Landlocked status is linked to underdevelopment and lack of economic opportunity, and the Barkhastani government has estimated that they could increase their GDP by 10% with access to a coastal port. On the other hand, doubly landlocked status does lend the nation a distinctive status that, if not unique, stands out among most nationstates; as such Barkhastan enjoys something of an ambivalent relationship with its status.

The most obvious route to Barkhastani improvement in water sports is Lake Zhaltyr, one of the largest endorheic basins in the world. Not officially classed as a sea, its size nonetheless offers the possibility of significant aquatic activity. However, it is heavily polluted by years of industrial waste dumping during the Soviet era, something that college students in kefiyehs seem curiously ill at ease acknowledging while campaigning to reinstate socialism in the interests of environmentalism. “It’s not really possible for us to practise on Lake Zhaltyr,” says kayaker Turlan Yerzhanev. “It would eat right through. And I don’t just mean the boat, I mean our skin.” A clean-up operation is underway but has made slow progress; the Barkhastani government is currently crowdfunding a bigger tea-cup.

In the mean time, even as Barkhastanis continue to impress at taekwondo and boxing and look forward to the wrestling beginning, don’t expect too much in the way of dramatic success on the water. Ruslan Shukrullayev, brother of Kamol and a light middleweight boxer, said after winning his opening bout with Alezia’s Samuel Markinson that his brother was the braver of the two of them. “I just get punched in the face for a living,” said Ruslan. “Trying to be a rower in Barkhastan is much harder than that.”

¹ There wasn’t any qualifying for sailing, but let’s imagine.
² The WA would rather legislate unenforceable diktats on minor aspects of domestic policy.

by **Kanmer** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 2:56 am

OLYMPIC RECORDS, BUT SADLY ALMOST NO MEDALS.

— "Harugwahandirs curse"? What the hell is it?
probably Ulyana Reisen, about 15 September 2024.

And with those words, she, together with Uladzimir Rikasen, started the way to the mixed relay finals. Scoring 583 points, the pair managed to show the best result among the 30 nations. But the most important thing was that with this score, Uladzimir Rikasen and Ulyana Reisen managed to beat the old Olympic record of 582, that was set by Kriegiersien at the Games of 15th Olympiad. The Kanmerin athletes became the record-holders. An unthinkable achievement that was very important to the Kanmerin sports fans. On the day 3, Imperial performance at the Games became gradually worse, and the nation failed to get any medals. This record, the only bright spot of the day 3, gave hope to the sports fans again, and they again started to believe in the Olympic Delegation. The Enlightened Emperor himself sent his personal congratulations to Rikasen and Reisen, praising their triumph of will and spirit. After Ulyana Reisen, a golden medalist of the past games, failed to qualify for the final in the individual competition, some people started to think that she went to the Olympic with the worse form then the last year. But now, after the success in pairs, she proved that everything is alright and deserved praise. Uladzimir Rikasen, another shooting hope and the winner of 2024 Imperial Shooting Tournament in the 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol, deserved his long-awaited praise too.
Moreover, this was not the only record set by the Imperial athletes. Earlier, Karina Keinerin, the silver medalist of the past Games, achieved the score of 633.3 in the qualification of the 10m air rifle. This score was enough to have a joint first place in the qualification, and, what is the most important thing, with this score Keinerin, together with the Kriegiersien athlete Sister Valeria, repeated the Olympic Record set by the Lôýà Sölâvös of Farfadillis on the 14th Olympiad. After that, it is very sad, that Karina failed to win her second medal.
The first place in the qualification was earned by Kanmer for three times, the athlete who made it to the three, was Rindeslau Sawinder in the man's trap. After a long shoot-off, he managed to stay calm and finish ahead of the Fred Wilkins of Electrum.

The fourth good result of the past days was recieved, of course, from Judo. Mikalai Sorin repeated the way of Kensorin Korinder and, after going through repechages, managed to win the bronze medal. Mihal Kanmada, on the other hand, sadly failed to repeat his success of the past Games, losing the match for the bronze medal.

MIKALAI SORIN'S ROAD TO THE BRONZE

R16: vs. Peter Smith (KRY) 10-0
QF: vs. Florencio del Cid (BRI) 0-10
RP: vs. Román Gallo (SRG) 10-0
BM: vs. Ruben Brien (KOR) 10-0

Imperial hockey team had a bad debut match at the main Olympic tournament, losing to Afanc Strait. But on the second match, they managed to improve the situation, defeating Qasden. Now, the hockey team of Dantagain and Kirinman sits on the second place.

Men's hockey, matchday 2.
Qasden 2-4 KANMER
Kanmer goals:
9' — Mihal Hegeisen
43' — Mihal Hegeisen
52' — Yury Kasen
56' — Ranmir Dantagain

Sadly, almost all other results were not too hopeful for Kanmer, but still, currently the Pure Empire has a chance to win two medals in the foreseeable future. The record-holders Rikasen and Reisen are qualified for the golden medal final, where they will compete against Christoffer Haugen and Emma Foss of Valanora. It means that Rikasen and Reisen will at least win the silver medal, and Reisen will became two-times medalist. And in the table tennis, another pair, Wiktar Kefirnin and Darina Harodka, advanced to the semifinals and, in any case, will participate in a match for a medal.

After the first match of men's hockey team, some fans started to worry... while some showed their ignorance, insulting the team.

DAY 1
Paulina Korinka FENCING – Women's individual épée
Parfenia Rosenshinde FENCING – Women's individual épée
Kensorin Korinder TAEKWONDO – Men's 58 kg

DAY 2
Mikalai Sorin JUDO – Men's 66 kg

1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze

GOLDEN MEDALS: 13th place
OVERALL: 13th place

by **Electrum** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 3:19 am

DAY 4 CUTOFF

Next cutoff in 48 hours

by **Magnus Phoenicia** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 5:29 am

MP||Magnus Phoenicia Global News Corp

Sports || Health || Technology || Gossip || Domestic Politics || International Politics ||Food|| Entertainment || World || Religion || Weather

Did you hear the story about the Graeco-Roman wrestler who was dropped from the Olympic delegation due to a social media post calling for the fall of the Magnus Phoenicia empire?

Did you hear the rumour of the Magnus Phoenician surfer who fails to deliver at the Olympics but keeps getting selected due to allegedly blackmailing the selection team?

Have you caught wind of the rumors circulating about a boxer who suffers from hemophobia?

Could the gossip be true of a love triangle between two rugby players and a member of the Equation team? That's taking Pony play to a new level!

The most influential gossip columnists spanning the entire Magnus Phoenicia Empire are poised to stir up controversy and intrigue with their latest revelations as the Olympics kicks into gear.

In corner one we have Norma Mansfield. A veteran when it comes to the Olympics and sharing athletes dirty hidden secrets.
She has traveled for both Summer and Winter Games for several cycles gaining dirt to share on her extremely popular nationally syndicated column and television show The Cats Meow.
Ms Mansfield is over the moon about the Olympics. “It feels like Christmas every day.” She once declared.

Her snooping skills know that with all the athletes gathered in one place is a melting pot ready to boil over.
All those hot blooded men and women in one place, there's bound to be plenty of drama and romance. These sizzling stories are boosting her followers and, as a result, her profits are soaring.

In corner two is the dazzling Kim Chin-Sun. Known for colourful wigs, over the top pop art make up, and multilingual awesomeness.
Kim Chin-Sun has risen in the ranks to be a social media influencer and a next generation gossip columnist, using wit, art and VibrGold reels and daily live streaming to reach her millions of fans.
Her gossip targets focus on Generation Z. A firm belief that the younger generation has more creative flair when it comes to gossip.

“My fans don't want to see the tiring traditional love triangles or some athlete passed out drunk in a hotel with a prostitute. They wanna see edgy, they want to cancel people for social justice blunders and harming the environment. My readers demand fresh and exciting, Less sex and more non binary folk gluing themselves to Liventia and Electrum artwork In the name of ending world wide reliance on fossil fuels.”

At the Olympics, her focus will be on the athletic Zoomers, with her fans demanding gossip on skaters, break dancers, and surfers, like Casey Addararachchi, a member of the Breaking team. Her VibrGold fan page lists her as a vegan, but there are rumors circulating that she is being socially irresponsible by secretly eating real meat.

Hank K is known as the podcast gossip king of the West Coast. While his VibrGold social media account boasts an impressive 3.2 million subscribers, his passion and preferred way to reach his followers is through podcasts and radio. He releases a new podcast weekly under the title Whispers in the Dark and hosts Gossip and Entertainment twice a week on FM radio station Harlequin 85.3.

Madame Eunice Culpepper sits in corner four. A former governess for the royal family's children, she rose to fame by breaking a cardinal rule; she penned a tell all book revealing juicy secrets about the Magnus Phoenician aristocracy.

Madame Culpepper was offered a weekly column on the East Coast, which eventually became syndicated in several northern and southern states. However, she has struggled to make a significant impact on the West Coast, where people find her methods and style too old fashioned.
Madame Eunice Culpepper enjoys shining a spotlight on the upper class, stage actors, politicians, and athletes who participate in prestigious sports such as sailing, equestrian, tennis, and shooting.

Magnus Phoenician News Corp has thrown out a challenge for this fabulous four. Whoever can reveal the most legitimate sordid secrets from athletes during the Olympics, will win a cash prize of $300,000, a new weekly national syndicated column, a book deal, servants for one year and bragging rights for a year to speak ill of your competition.

The top contenders have risen to the challenge, fiercely competing for dominance in the gossip columnist hierarchy. The race is on to uncover the juiciest scandals and deliver the most tantalising rumours to their eager followers.
The stakes have never been higher as all have their eyes on the fabulous prizes.

“Game on moles,” Norma Mansfield declared.

by **Kelssek** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 7:16 am

SWIMMING
Cailbhin, Louis set records for a double gold day

Another brilliant result in the pool for Kelssek as Emily Louis set a new Olympic record and won gold in the women’s 200 metres freestyle, beating the mark that had just been set yesterday in the semifinals. Jared Cailbhin followed that up with an Olympic record of his own in the men’s 100 metre freestyle. His time of 52.16 broke a record set in Provinsk.

This made it the fourth gold medal in swimming for Kelssek at these Olympics, which is already the most for Kelssek since the 9th Summer Olympics, and marks a massive turnaround from the shock felt in the nation’s sporting universe when the swimmers came away with zero medals at the Ceni-Jolbonopolis Olympics.

“It’s really a testament to the work that has been put in by the athletes but also the younger generation. We’ve sort of had a kink in the hose and we were wondering whether the newer talent was ready to make the jump, and they have really answered in a big way,” said Brandon Chang, KBC commentator and former Olympic champion.

TENNIS
Loutway and Perez through to quarterfinals after tense tie-break

The men’s doubles pair of Tim Perez and Neil Loutway scored a thrilling upset over home favourites Jack Ho and Marcus Hathwar to move into the quarterfinals of the tournament. Perez and Loutway benefited from some unforced errors by the third-seeded pair in the first set tiebreaker, which they cruised through to send a ripple through the spectators. Ho and Hathwar struck back with a dominant second set they won 6-2. They didn’t carry that momentum into the deciding tie-break, however, as Perez and Loutway were able to fight their way back into a back and forth series of points. They eventually won the match on their opponents’ serve when Loutway was able to paint the baseline with a volley from the net to finish it 11-9.

“It was all to play for, right, so when we thought to ourselves, this is the situation, let’s reset and we can win this thing,” said Loutway.

They’ll be joined in the last eight by Alex Haldi and Aaron Ashton, who also needed a match tiebreak to win 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 over Nathan Bensaïd and Ronaldo Katsouris of Britonisea.

“They’re not easy opponents when we had to fight from behind, it was a bit of being more positive in our play after we dropped the first set. We had one chance to break them in the second set and we got it, so that was a crucial point. I don’t want to say the tie-break was easy, but I think we just played out of our minds in that one, and luckily it was enough,” said Aaron Ashton.

by **Sjovenia** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 2:01 pm

Olympic Events Update

It was a bright and sunny day as the teams entered their boats. The feeling of determination displayed on each of the athletes faces. With a great send off, the Men's Quadruple Sculls ended with Juro Levstek, Leo Smolej, Lukas Tratnik, and Evan Krajnik placing first. Their hard work and dedication dripping from their brow as a testament to their mighty efforts int he Semi Finals. The team placed first with a final time of 5:37.93. The Women's team showed just as much dedication with a valiant push towards the end resulting in their semi final position of 4th. The Women's quadruple sculls final time was 6:18.58. Their respective coaches could not have been any happier for both of them!

Natalia Župan tried her best but unfortunately placed 18th in the Women's 1500m freestyle. She was heart broken but said she would be returning next year and vowed to make a podium!

Lana Doberšek absolutely dominated her fight with a 5-0 score against her opponent, Sakura Nakamura, in Boxing - Women's Lightweight - Round 32. This is her first time on the Olympic World Stage and she is making a name for herself. Her coach expressed "We are so happy with the results. I cannot think of a more determined fighter who maintains the highest discipline for herself than Lana. We are rooting for her and want to thank all the fans back home!" Lana was seen blowing kisses and waving at the camera after her fight with a smile from ear to ear.

The Men's National Football Team duked it out against Crpostran. Unfortunately for them the match ended in a tie with a final score of 3-3. The Goalie was seen shaking his head and exchanging words with both the Team Captain and Head Coach. "The boys have been doing well up until this point. It's hard to say what is going on at the moment but todays match was a lot better than the previous one. Plenty of work to do and theres always room for improvement. But leagues better than the previous match!" The goalie said in a post match interview. We know the fans back home will be rooting for them while the local bars have promised free alcohol if the team podiums. I'm sure that will get the spirits up for every one involved!

In a three way tie, Lili Tušar places 25th along with Sheila Garner and Iúlia dos Santos. The weightlifter wasn't happy with the results but was in good spirits and happy to have been on the Olympic Stage. She was seen in a group photo with Garner and Dos Santos flexing and posing while making silly faces. "Sometimes its about the friend you make along the way!" Lili said.

by **Krytenia** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 2:16 pm

Don't call her a lightweight...

Rachel Atkinson is 5'3" tall, and a shade under 130lb soaking wet. Not exactly the measurements you think of when someone mentions the word "weightlifter". There again, we're talking about humans who lift considerably more than their own body weight above their head for a living, so maybe we should just dispense with any semblance of what constitutes normal here. Why does this matter? Well, Atkinson made history this afternoon by becoming only the second woman to win weightlifting gold for Krytenia, and the first non-heavyweight of either gender to do so. Her success came in the under-59kg category, and was served with a side order of tension in a closely-contested affair.

The snatch did little to separate the wheat from the chaff, save for eliminating six lifters who failed to register a valid attempt. Atkinson lifted 104kg - for comparison, imagine lifting a fridge-freezer above head height - but five other competitors also did so, with another half dozen within two kilos of the leaders. It would be a question of bravery as well as brawn, with three attempts each at the clean and jerk. Doubeia's Genesis Martini was first to blink, coming in for a first attempt at 120kg; she'd fail two higher weights to end up all the way down in 22nd. Banker clearances came with a ceiling, too, for a couple of other competitors before Atkinson came in to attempt 129 kg. A slight wobble in the jerk was a heart-in-mouth moment, but the Krytenian locked it in, got the three white lights, and set a marker. The onus now was on others to beat here, while Atkinson stayed in the waiting room, biding her time. Olympic record holder Bibiana Geronimo of Britonisea cleared 130kg with her first lift - no matter, she was still a couple of kilos behind - but Claire Mostinckx's lifting of the same bar was the call to action Atkinson was waiting for, with the Chromatik now occupying top spot. First, though, came Ndidi Okorie's second lift at 131kg. The Libesian made it look - well, easy would be a bit glib, but it certainly looked like she had more left into the tank, dropping the Tyfield lifter into bronze in the process.

Over to Atkinson, then. Deep breaths. Chalked hands. Lift to the chest, hold, then over the head. The fridge-freezer is now fully laden. Atkinson holds stance, and explodes with joy at a clear lift. 131kg on the board - pressure back on everyone else. Mostinckx also clears 131kg, tying things up at the top...but that was also the Chromatik lifter's last attempt. If Atkinson, Okorie, or anyone else were to go ahead of her, all she'd be able to do is watch.

One more kilo on the bar. Atkinson takes 132kg for her last, thinking the weight should nail down a medal at the very least. The sinews strain, but the Krytenian completes. Mostinckx's dreams of gold are over. Quebecois lifter Ophelie Ochumwhowurst clears the same weight to slip into bronze with her final lift. Okorie passes. The bar gains another thousand grams. Geronimo takes her second lift and clears 133kg - still outside the medals, but still with a lift in hand. Okorie would need to pass for a shot at gold, but she's also still behind Mostinckx and with Geronimo having a lift in hand...she can't risk losing a medal entirely. She clears despite a slow jerk, but Atkinson still leads her on countback.

Geronimo is the next to step up. 136kg is below her clean and jerk record, but would provide enough to snatch gold. The bar goes to the chest. The arms begin to rise...but there's nothing left in them, and the bar crashes to the ground. And yet...things are not quite over. Kean lifter Iro Kefalari only lifted 96kg in the snatch, but she's passed everything since her successful second clean and jerk at 131kg. The bar is set at 141. Clear this, and it's gold for A Kea, and a new Olympic record. She couldn't, surely?

Indeed she couldn't. Kefalari can't even get the bar to chest height, and she stays in sixteenth. Atkinson, meanwhile, cries tears of joy in the cooldown room as her gold is confirmed. She joins Gemma Tadden and Ieuan Llewellyn in the hallowed halls of Krytenian weightlifting gold...the question now is, can anyone emulate her?

Skimming past the competition

Schimpol Harbour is no stranger to Olympic sailing, this being the third time that the waters off the coast of Lox Land Island have hosted the sport. This time, though, things are a little different, at least in the windsurfing events. The lightweight crafts are now equipped with a hydrofoil, allowing for great speed from those applying their waterpersonship. Take, for instance, Natalie Croft. The Krytenian has set the sea on fire so far in the competition, despite not having won a race yet.

Croft's superiority has been in her consistency. Whether full-course or slalom, the Reacher Bay based windsurfer has been in the reckoning in seven of the eight races, with only a blown start in race eight blotting her copybook. All this has given her a thumping fifteen point lead at the halfway mark of the fleet racing section, and with the medal race replaced by straight shoot-out knockouts, that lead could prove crucial when we get to the business end of matters.

Things are going somewhat less well in the men's event, meanwhile, with Peter Bianchi lying seventeenth after a horrific day one. A ninth and a seventh today have improved matters, but the Aigburth man has a mountain to climb if he wants to crack the top ten and have any chance of a medal.

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

Watch all the action from Hamilton and Schimpol at home with up to sixteen dedicated live streams plus highlights on KBS Interactive, or on the go from your device at kbs.kt/smartview or on the SmartView app.

by **Zenic** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 3:26 pm

"Hey! Careful with the rigging. We're trying to do research here, not race around continental Rushmore."

Aboard the Present Future sail ship, a group of marine biologists were working on studying the changing patterns of fish schools. They had opted to utilize an older style sail ship in order to minimize the team's influence on the fish they were studying. "Sorry, sorry," replied Jacob, the youngest member of the group in both science and sailing. "Got a little carried away. Been watching the Olympics lately. How about you, Doctor? You've been keeping up?" Doctor Holguín look up from his laptop. "A bit here and there. Mainly the open water events. Which I feel is a bit obvious considering our current situation." Jacob chuckled. "Yeah, I get it. I've been watch as much as I can. A lot of near medals and instant eliminations so been on my toes a lot. But we had a great day rowing and sailing yesterday."

"Shockingly, I concur. In between filling out the paperwork for the ship and packing all the equipment, I managed to catch the events. And considering we won 5 races and heats plus qualified for semifinals in 5 events, repechage in 2 and top 10 or near top 10 for all skiff and windsurfing events, this is the closet the Empire has to a legitimate chance at winning a medal." Jacob was stunned. He knew that Dr. Holguín was more of a out-in-the-field kind of scientist versus a stay-at-home and read kind but he never would have painted him as someone who would pay that much attention to anything not science related or that might impact his ability to perform science. Sports, or athletic activity of any kind, generally didn't fall into that category.

"Wow, you actually watched the Olympics. You always chastised me for having the Copa or World Cup of Hockey on in the background but YOU watched the Olympics?," asked a perplexed Jacob. "I chastised you because you were letting it distract you from your work, not because I hate sports. Some of the samples we work with are time-sensitive and need to be worked on as soon as possible and as quick as possible. Any second waste could mean it deteriorates before we can see it as close to its natural state as we can get." Jacob looked away sheepishly as he knew that the Doctor had a point. "Yeah, that makes sense. How about this: I'll promise to not let myself get distracted as much at work if you keep on watching the Olympics, ALL of the Olympics." The Doctor paused for a moment before answering.

"If that's what it'll take, sure. I agree. Now get back on deck and make sure we're on course for the correct coordinates."

by **Panay Islands and Guimaras** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 5:51 pm

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to..

(English translation: Olympic Recap)
Where we will cover the Panayense athletes' performance in one recap!

OHTANI IS OUT OF THE OLYMPICS
Noliberto Ohtani has been knocked out of the Olympics by Aleirave's Aleksi Marttila. He said that he was too good for him, but he's hoping in the next Olympics he will do better.

IM AND FUJIYOSHI GOES INTO THE R16
Nicolás Im, a guy from the Korean community of Passi, has qualified to the next round by beating Markus Behenas because of his domination in every rounds. Same thing as Mariano Fujiyoshi to Salvador Ros, but a knockout in the 3rd round. Both Im and Fujiyoshi would hope to win a medal, either bronze, silver, or the most important, gold.

GEO MATSUMURA BEATS UP BLINSTON
Geo Matsumura, who is a #1 featherweight contender in the whole Islands, has beaten Julia Binston by decision. She hopes that she could win but nobody knows why. She'll do her best to win a medal, but if not, she did her best to the Islands.

CARLITOS FUENTES HAD THE OLYMPIC RECORD SNATCH, BUT AT WHAT COST?
Carlitos Fuentes, from Sibunag, Guimaras, has been a weightlifter for some years. He didn't know he was going to the Olympics, but he does his own way to let them know who he is, even though he didn't won a medal. He hopes that he could go out and win next Olympics.

3X3 GOES DOWN AND UP IN THE OLYMPICS
They fought against the Polkopians, but the Polkopians absolutely dominated them even though the Panayenses tried their best to get an upset. But at the game against the hosts, Electrum, had some high hopes, where Manu Shin scores the winner that made the crowd go crazy and running unto the court to declare it a victory. "This is the best thing ever!", says Shin. "We are going to have a gold medal with this one!"

3X3 WOMEN'S DIDN'T GET THE DUB, BUT THE MAIN WOMEN'S TEAM IS
In the 3x3 tournament, Carlita Kim and Lorena Ferrer did their best to beat both Tero al Disco and Krytenia, but no to avail, hoping they would someday win the medal, but not for the Nísperos's girls who beat a whopping 90-75 against Lisander. All thanks to the rising star, Yolanda Uehara. Odilón says that he was happy about the score.

That's all for the Resumen Olímpico for today, goodbye!

by **Polkopia** » Mon Sep 16, 2024 8:32 pm

..It's Much More Than A Game ..

Viktor Yakovenko found himself on the tennis court again, but something was off. A dark cloud loomed overhead the Cauldron, covering the entire stadium in darkness, and there were no fans, no linesmen, no officials - just an eerie silence, interrupted only by the sound of his rapid breathing. Across the net stood Ricardo Toli, the Britonish athlete, his eyes cold and calculating.

In Viktor's hand was not a tennis racket, but something much heavier - a strange object, like a metal rod. His heart raced. He didn't want to hold it, but his hands wouldn't let go. Toli was still waiting, and Viktor felt himself choking on anticipation, like an invisible hand was wrapped around his throat and wouldn't let go. He found himself struggling to breathe, but the harder he held on to the metal rod, the more he was able to focus.

Suddenly, without meaning to, Viktor swung the rod. It flew through the air, fast and violent. He shouted at himself to stop, but his body wouldn’t listen. The metal collided with Toli, who crumpled to the ground in slow motion, the thud of his fall echoing like a thunderclap. Viktor stared in horror as Toli lay there, motionless.

"No..." Viktor whispered. "No, no, no..."

Blood seeped across the clay court, staining the white lines. As the puddle beneath Ricardo expanded, the silence deepened, crushing Viktor’s chest, filling him with a suffocating guilt. He dropped the rod, but the damage was done. A voice echoed from the stands, his own voice, cold and unrecognizable.

"You did what you had to do."

Viktor screamed, hands clawing at his own head, desperate to undo it all, but the scene blurred and twisted, trapping him in this nightmare.

"Viktor! Wake up!"

His body jolted as Sergei Pavlinov’s voice pierced the darkness. Viktor shot up from his bed, drenched in sweat, his heart thumping like it was about to burst through his chest. The dim light of the Olympic village room came into focus, and there was Sergei, standing over him, his face etched with concern.

"Are you alright?" Sergei asked, pulling up a chair beside Viktor’s bed. "You were shouting in your sleep."

Viktor ran a shaky hand through his hair, trying to steady his breathing. "I... I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you."

"Forget about that. What happened?" Sergei pressed, sitting back with a tired sigh. His loss to Ricardo Toli earlier still lingered in the air like an unspoken weight.

Viktor swallowed hard, the image of Toli’s body still fresh in his mind. "I... I dreamed that I hurt him. Toli. Badly."

Sergei’s eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I don’t know. I was on the court, and it wasn’t a match. It was something worse. I hit him... but it wasn't with a racket or a ball or anything. I just... It felt so real, Sergei." Viktor's voice cracked, and he buried his face in his hands. "I think I’m going mad."

"You know," Sergei said with a chuckle, "maybe if something had happened to Ricardo, I wouldn’t have had to face him earlier. Could’ve saved myself a lot of trouble."

Viktor's head snapped up, alarmed by Sergei's casual tone. "You don’t mean that, right?"

Sergei grinned, waving off Viktor’s concern. "Come on, it’s just a joke. The guy’s a machine on the court. I wouldn’t mind if he twisted an ankle or something, give us all a better shot."

Viktor frowned, the tension in his chest refusing to ease. "I can’t joke about this. It felt too real. I don’t want to think like that."

Sergei sighed and leaned forward, rubbing his temples. "Look, Viktor. It’s a dream, alright? You’ve been under so much pressure, it’s getting into your head. It happens. You know I didn’t mean anything by it."

But Viktor couldn’t shake the image from his mind. The blood, the overwhelming sense of powerlessness. It gnawed at him. Sergie's casual attitude left him feeling even more unnerved by the entire experience.

"It’s not just the dream, Sergei," Viktor said slowly, his voice quiet. "I feel like I’m losing myself here. Every match, every point... it’s like my mind is splitting apart. This isn’t just about the game anymore. It’s consuming me."

Sergei raised an eyebrow, giving Viktor a long look. "You’ve always been intense, but this? Come on, man. You’re stronger than that. You’ve got to shake it off. We all feel the pressure, but it doesn’t mean you’re going mad."

Viktor shook his head, gripping the edge of the bed. "I don’t know if I can, Sergei. You don’t understand. It’s not just about winning or losing. It’s like... like the only way forward is to destroy everything in my path. Even if that means destroying myself."

Sergei’s laughter faded as he took in Viktor’s words, realizing how deeply the nightmare had affected him. He leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms. "I get it, Viktor. It’s brutal out there. But this is just your head playing tricks on you. You’ve been training your whole life for this moment. Don’t let a bad dream throw you off. You’re better than that."

Viktor stared at Sergei, seeing the exhaustion etched on his friend’s face. He knew Sergei had his own battles to fight, having just lost to Ricardo himself. But this feeling, this creeping sense of madness, was unlike anything Viktor had ever experienced before.

"What if I’m not better than that?" Viktor muttered. "What if this competition is turning me into someone I don’t want to be?"

Sergei let out a deep sigh and shrugged. "If that’s the case, then welcome to the club. We’re all losing a bit of ourselves here. You think I haven’t had my own nightmares after that loss? But we push through, we keep going. That’s all we can do."

Viktor glanced at Sergei, who gave him a tired, knowing smile. "Hell, if something did happen to Ricardo, maybe I’d be thanking you instead of trying to snap you out of this," Sergei joked again, though this time his voice was softer, more understanding.

But Viktor couldn’t laugh. He couldn’t shake the fear gnawing at him that he was closer to that breaking point than he’d ever imagined. "I don’t want to lose myself over this," he said quietly.

Sergei’s smile faded as he stood up, putting a hand on Viktor’s shoulder. "You won’t. You’re not going mad, Viktor. You’re just feeling the weight of it all. But you’re still you. And you’ve got to remember that, no matter how tough it gets."

Viktor nodded, though his mind still churned with doubt. As Sergei moved toward the door, he paused, turning back. "Get some rest, alright? You’re going to need your strength for tomorrow."

"Yeah," Viktor said, his voice distant. "Thanks, Sergei."

As the door clicked shut, Viktor lay back down, staring at the ceiling. The darkness of the room felt oppressive, the silence unnerving. He closed his eyes, but the nightmare still lingered, lurking in the back of his mind like a shadow that refused to leave. He closed his eyes, but sleep remained elusive, and the weight of the competition loomed larger than ever.

Games of the XVIII Olympiad - roleplaying thread

Part 1 of Rivalry in the Pool: The Jenny Juan Story

BVC Sports

Who is online