Games of the XVIII Olympiad - roleplaying thread

[Britonisea]

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

---

Day 9

---

Britonisea prepares for Rugby Union World Cup after Rugby failure at the Games...

Stadium Strata: Telm City is one of the eight cities that will host matches at the Rugby Union World Cup 37...

As Britonisea gears up to host the 37th Rugby World Cup, men’s rugby coach Roger Hill looks back at disastrous Rugby Sevens qualification and RUWC36 failure…

To some within the rugby community, it may seem odd that Britonisea was chosen to host the rugby union world cup. The nation is not amongst the highest ranked in the world and does not have a long-string of consecutive appearances in the rugby union world cup. Despite this, Britonisea is a nation with world-class facilities that are large enough to host a tournament the size of the rugby world cup. It will be the largest tournament in five editions with 32 nations, including Britonisea, set to participate - with a total of 64 matches being played over the course of around three weeks. It is set to be one of the largest tournaments the country has ever hosted, with an expected 400,000 people expected to travel to Britonisea to attend one of the matches across eight cities in the country. The Rugby World Cup is a big deal - it has been hosted by current and former Olympic hosts and giants in the game such as Darmen, Baker Park and Ko-oren. The plan that The BAS (The Britonish Agency of Sport) had put in place was finally beginning to work. After its failed bid attempt at the Independents Cup, this was seen as a massive victory especially as this tournament is of similar size.

Interestingly, the large number of nations participating at this year’s rugby world cup has meant that there are more groups (or pools as they are being called at this year’s tournament) and the number of nations in those groups are small. Four. It means that within a mere three matches, a rugby team’s hopes and dreams could be dashed. Luckily, two of the four nations will qualify out of the group meaning that there is a fifty percent chance of qualification. For Britonisea, it is the joint thirteenth best nation in the tournament and second best in its group behind the Commonwealth of Baker Park. While that nation is expected to beat Britonisea without any issues, the country looks favourable to qualify to the knock-out stages at least. The country has suffered setbacks after setbacks in the lead up to this tournament and so head coach, Roger Hill, is looking for a little bit of redemption, not only for him and his team, but for the country as a whole who has had to put up with the results from the rugby team.

He admits that there has been interest from Britonisea to join the rugby world cup and international league “for a while” but the establishment of The BAS, withdrawal of the previous sporting body, its participation in the V’Unionleague and the pan-ABEN team at the Olympic Games have made the establishment of a successful Britonish international team “quite difficult.”. Roger Hill’s focus, when talking about rugby, is on the men’s team as it was decided that a male-only team would be sent to the rugby world cup even though women tend to be more successful in international competitions than the men’s team - sparking concerns internally. Britonisea participated in the XIV Games, coming last in it’s group in the men’s rugby and while the ABEN Union team at the XV Games finished at the top of its group, it was then beaten by Amuapyle in an embarrassing match which brought the team back down to reality. Britonisea’s men finished last in their group at the XVI Games and did no better at the XVII Games either. Even more soul-crushingly, Britonisea’s men did not even qualify to the main Olympics at these Games. It received enough points but the three way tie decided that Chromatika would qualify over The Sarian and Britonisea. When asked to comment on the Olympic qualifiers, Hill said, “It puts into perspective that the Britonish model in rugby is not as strong as we thought it was. A lot of work will need to be done ahead of the rugby world cup and while sevens is a different form of the game, a lot of those who are in the sevens team will be at the rugby world cup too. It was an embarrassing effort from a country where rugby is otherwise widely played - even more so than football.”

Estogium’s women managed to win a silver medal in the rugby sevens showing that ABEN does take rugby sevens quite seriously and The BAS’ decision to bid for the rugby world cup shows that the country does care for the sport and is interested in its growth within Britonisea. “I will consider the Olympic Games and the last rugby world cup a blip - we will come back stronger and show the world that we are capable of amazing things - with this team here, we can succeed…I have no doubt in my mind about it.” Many of the Olympic team has been confirmed for the final team at the rugby union world cup. It includes, but is not limited to the Robertson brothers, Jayden and Mark playing as part of the starting XV. Hooker Max Easton and flanker Jacques Willis will also make the team. “Participating in a home tournament is a wonderful feeling that I didn’t know I’d get to experience,” explains Easton. “I really hope that after the very poor tournaments that we’ve been having lately, having rugby in our nation will give us the burst of energy we need, we need the fans in our corner to really help us through and remind us how much work we put into this sport. It’s incredibly important to the country, we need to give something back.”

The Rugby World Cup will be broadcast all over BITC this autumn beginning with an Opening Ceremony at the Saintlake Stadium in Doportedas followed by Britonisea versus unranked team Loch Dearg…

[Sargossa]

This was what an Olympics felt like. The Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue was rocking. Down one side of the arena, the women’s triple jump champion would be decided. Out on the running track, the decathletes were in the midst of their 1500m. There was the mixed relay to come, and the crowning of the fastest woman in the sportiverse. But Vicente Japón’s focus was entirely on this end of the stadium, where twelve large men had been whittled down to eight.

Back home, the Azul League season had been a good one for fans of the shot put. With Japón battling it out with this season’s national lead Rufino Borquez and national record holder Carmelo Nogales. Inevitably the trio would end on the podium, although in which order was often a more difficult question. But, according to the rankings at least, Japón was the third ranked of the trio. And yet here he was, contesting the Olympic final. Borquez had fluffed his lines in the preliminary contest, surprisingly falling shy of twenty metres. Then Nogales had an even worst experience in the qualifying round. Pressure can do strange things. Take the Krytenian Geoffrey Skordahl, for example. He was imperious in the prelims but scraped through to the final by the skin of his teeth.

Japón had seen the effect of that pressure first hand, back in the village. His teammate Alarico Gamino had won the decathlon preliminary event. Which had put a target on his back when the main event came around. That main event proved far trickier, which lead to Gamino pushing himself further and further out of his comfort zone. Too far, as it turned out. A false start in the 400m and it was all over after day one. Gamino, who had spent a little bit of time with Japón in an effort to iron out his shot-put technique, was in bits. Conversely, Japón’s own event was proceeding just as he would have hoped. An effort of 20.12m got him into the qualifying round proper. And 20.68m there saw him into the final. That he was the last Sargossan standing was a happy bonus.

The final had started steadily as well. A first round 20.86m was followed by a 20.89m. He knew he had a twenty-one-metre effort in him. He’d done it before. He’d dwelt on that thought a little too long going into his third effort. The overthinking lead to an overstep and a faulted effort. Which in turn had led to a nervous wait. Hande, in the colours of Kanmer, had knocked him down a position. As had the Liventian Baker. But that second round effort was good enough to get him another three attempts. But out had gone Skordahl, and the home favourite Sanjay Gupta. Pressure was turning the screw. Pressure that had only been further enflamed by the unheralded Muhammad Yanuri of the United Mandaran States starting his final with a truly extraordinary effort. The Olympic record was 21.59m. Yanuri’s effort was huge. He didn’t just clear twenty-two metres, he’d threatened the twenty-three-metre mark. The big screen showed a distance of 22.94m, to a collective intake of breath from competitor and spectator alike. Already they’d seen something special.

Round four and Japón was down in seventh. He really needed to make some inroads. He absentmindedly felt the weight in his hands. Up on the big screen he could see the current standings from the triple jump final. Luna Pousa, the only other Sargossan in action this night, was in the always unpleasant position of fourth place. It was better than seventh, but it wasn’t somewhere Japón wanted to be. Hajrúlah Caracójavić had gone clear of twenty-one metres. As had Evan Mills. The Phoenician, Synjag Afanasievich had just fallen shy of twenty-two. Putting him second, behind Yanuri’s mammoth effort. He settled himself in the circle, the weight resting against his next as he began the rotation. He rotated back and then forward, completing a full spin before the release. It felt smooth, it felt good. The shot soared through the air above the cone that stretched out before him. It thudded into the turf, creating another round divot.

It took a moment to register in Vicente Japón’s mind. His personal best was 21.12m. The national record stood at 21.35m. There was a line across the cone that marked the twenty-two-metre mark. And it looked very much like Japón had just cleared it. If he had, that would make him only the second man in Olympic history to do so. And the second man in roughly the last thirty minutes to do so too. The distance came up, 22.12m. Japón was rocked by a huge pat on the back from Isaiah Baker. The other shot-putters joined in too, with pats and hugs and high fives. The track events were often battles, but out here in the field it was a friendlier experience, it was a fraternity. They’d all celebrated Yanuri’s record breaking effort as if he were a teammate rather than a competitor. And now it was Japón taking the plaudits. But it was still a contest, and Vicente Japón was now right in the medal hunt.

[North Oharan Valley Union]

Timestamp: 22 September 2024 - 23h28
Tags: Games of the XVIII Olympiad, Mission Olympica

Finals Fever
Can Gamburyan pull off the stunt and go all the way?

No exuberant celebrations or wild gestures, no jumping into the crowd or explicit dances. Varvara Gamburyan had just won herself an Olympic medal but a simple fistpump seemed to suffice in her mind. Was it some sort of protection from the national hemisphere which had, in a matter of days, turned her from an outsider in an unheralded sport into a media figure? Or maybe it was the natural reaction of a woman who, well aware of the impact of her performance, would not settle for less than gold anymore despite facing an all-odds favorite in the formidable Park Hye-Bin. From the second she made her achievement it was clear that Gamburyan was not done yet. She had not come to Hamilton to win a silver medal, despite her kind demeanor and humble mindset.

Its merits only showed when highlighted in comparison with Davit Chkadua, the Mteborian archer who earned the Union their third medal. Of all compliments to make with the unanticipated medal winner, humility is a key one. Stepping into the tournament, the consensus was an early demise for our sole archer of international status: first round, maybe second, and enough to be a representation of a sport on the fringes of our spectrum. But Chkadua remained calm and took the opportunity to showcase himself. ‘Ice in the Veins’, as his slightly ludicrous nickname goes for a 30-year old bank teller, did almost everything perfectly. A quality performance to eliminate a baffled Nathan Reau, a whitewash against an exhausted Hagelstein and a stunning victory over local McCarthy: anything Chkadua touched turned into success, with the man himself almost as astonished as the international observers.

Chkadua stepped into the final with a certain satisfaction. Winning silver exceeded any expectation and even a clear loss against Quebecois Alanis Laurianitis could not mask that the mission was already accomplished. He placed his sport on the map and deserves credit for that. But not a vein in Varvara Gamburyan breathes that ambience. After a furious start against Pushchina, her opponent from Waisnor found a weakness in the defense and profited from it. But Gamburyan did not accept the equalizing 2-2 and returned to the basics with short rallies and focused serves to beat Pushchina with four sets to two.

The new fangled reality star showed eagerness to complete the tournament unbeaten, seconds within the interview. “You do not start a tournament thinking about gold. But you do not step into a final considering silver.” In theory, Varvara Gamburyan is the underdog. Always in control and fiercely optimistic, we hope that she will put Hye-Bin in a tough situation with her enthusiasm. But she faces an uphill task nonetheless. So far, Gamburyan did not shy away from those. The fact that she volunteered for reality show Last man standing tells you all you need to know about her. Being satisfied with less than gold is below her standards.

---

Alf Eilertsen * Athletics * Oharese athletics fans thoroughly believed that our country had a string of long distance talents but the proof of the pudding tells us that the sprinters are picking up the slack so far. An action packed athletics day will have a clear focus with no less than six fast (wo)men stepping up in Hamilton. Four of them stand in front of their heats, with mixed ambitions: Dom Melville knows there is a big chance that this is the last race of his career as he joins his partner Ruth Griffith in retirement. Ilya Mamaladze, considered as the face of our male sprint selection, will have more ambition, taking the start in his best of three events. Anything less than the semis will be a disappointment. His young teammate Billy Ryan should have more trouble to make the cut but after shattering his PR in the preliminaries, lightning could strike twice for the youngster from Loharmey.

On the women’s side, we keep an eye on that other 19-year old talent Rayisa Bojchenko. In the preliminaries, she showed her capacity for acceleration in the business end and that could allow her to stunt. And then there is Maral Kapoian who dreams of replicating her impressive 100m parcours on the double distance. With 11.10, Kapoian ran her best time in the last three years and came agonizingly close to the final ticket, but Kouyaté (and Asqi) had a better last kick. Her run was prefaced by an exceptional performance by Alf Eilertsen. The 24-year old from Hammersbrig dabbled in football till 16 but despite a successful conversion, he fell short to the standard against which any Oharese 100m runner gets measured: the legendary Oleh Rapchuk, a whirlwind who set the NR on 9.97 18 years ago. The only national ever to beat the legendary ten seconds, generally considered to be a record that could stand for decades to come. Until yesterday evening, the final heat. Some quick countbacks told that 10.10 was necessary for Eilertsen and with a (wind-assisted) PR of 10.17, that means you can only hope for a very slow race. It wasn’t. Seven men under 10.10, for a heat and to everyone’s surprise, led out by Eilertsen. His start was impeccable but Banijan Bah and Alezian Scorsone, all he could hope for was to follow their slipstream as long as possible. But when we thought he would fall back in the last quarter, he found even more speed to record a marvelous 10 flat. Eilertsen was as stunned as us, but who says we cannot witness an earnest attack on Rapchuk’s record in the semis tonight?

Yeznig Ghazaryan * Athletics * Eleven members of our delegation enter the MPV today but there is only one that might have medals on his mind. Knowing the character of Ghazaryan, I believe that he is thinking about gold. That will not be an easy task: the qualification process made clear that a throw across eighty meters will be required for silverware. The 24-year old high priority courier is one of the seven contestants who already threw past 78 meters in the Red City but the favorites remain Drawklands Domenica, fan favorite Vinh Vo, the consistent Grinevetsky from Waisnor (only one with 4 throws over 75m) and Da Cunha’s Bájrović. Still, it is evident that Yeznig Ghazaryan, the impulsive, powerful but at times erratic thrower, has a rendezvous with history tonight.

It is difficult to determine why the hammer throw is such a pivotal field event for the Oharese. Some believe there are historical roots in price challenges on county fairs, other (not too critical) thinkers claim that the roots of the sport can be found in the valleys. A more likely, less spectacular, explanation could be that it has been a bit of luck: the combination of some big names and duels in the days when athletics meetings became a thing combined with the efforts from a few high-profile coaches who specialized in this event as it was more lucrative than the other field competitions. The fact is that the leading athlete in the hammer throw defaults to a key athlete overall: a face for the sport and a popular figure. Some say, one of the few who can pay the bills as an athlete. Reaching the final combined with the early elimination of nemesis Abelis tilted the advantage to Ghazaryan. A stand-out performance tonight could definitively start a new era.

Lianda Grube * Shooting * Those who expected a disappointed Azaria Kasabian at the press conference after his fifth place in the skeet final were found mistaken. The 41-year old veteran took a philosophical approach to his unlucky elimination after a five-way tie. “If I can downplay the details that got me here,” [he qualified after coming back from 17th place with 51 consecutive scores] “I should not lament it when the coin falls the other way.” Still, his skeet performance confirms that our, often overlooked, sports shooting scene deserves more credit as in the morning, Lianda Grube had surprised by giving the nation its ninth Olympic diploma, the equivalent of a top eight spot. Before the start of the tournaments, delegation leader Zonya Hovenko dreamed of fifteen of those, but that could get exceeded.

Kasabian was quite clear when it came to the possibilities of Grube in the final today: “It warms my heart that so many journalists came out here to hear my story. But I hope that they will be with an even higher number tomorrow when the women’s skeet takes place. If they want to witness medals live, that is.” The 26-year old sergeant remained more modest but showed ambition nonetheless. “All the shooting finals have been really close so far, there are no favorites. But there are also no underdogs, it’s a fifty fifty chance. If I can come as close to perfection as I can be, I will be satisfied. And that should come with a good final position.” In the meanwhile, the regional government leader of Strauzeme, Dominika Klembergs, announced that she will do all she can to get Grube promoted to captain. While that is entirely outside her jurisdiction, we can imagine that a stripe is being added to her uniform as we type.

[StrayaRoos]

The second day was going pretty well for Ben. He’d earned 3500 points from the first four events and was in a fight for gold, with just the 1500 remaining, he might as well be able to do it. Some of his biggest rivals for the win hadn’t had a good day at all, Electrumite Jake Brown being a good example, dropping from second to seventh, while Dicarsean Henri Jardine had taken the lead, sitting 114 points ahead of second place, Quebec’s Jang Jae-Goo, and 121 points ahead of Ben. During the break between Pole Vault and the 1500, his team told him that gold was a bit far away going off his main three rivals' qualifying times. Using the qualifying 1500’s times, To win, he’d have to run an Olympic Decathlon best of 4:25.19, over a second faster than the previous record, and even then he’d need to hope none of the other two bettered their preliminary times.

Lined up before the start of the race, the furthest three athletes to the left were tense. As the pistol went off to start the race, Ben bolted forward. He needed to establish a large lead early, or he could kiss that gold goodbye. A pack quickly established itself in the first 300m race, which Ben was in, and the pack was a second or two behind the leading three. Looking around, he noticed Jardine had fallen back and was in the pack of 6 chasing the main pack. Jang was right behind Ben though, going stride for stride with the Roosian. This continued until the start of the third lap, where Ben broke away from the main group with four others, and gained a 2-second gap to Jang, which should’ve been enough for him to move up. However, by now the clock’s at 2:41, and he’s around the 900m mark. It’s pretty much impossible for him to win gold, but he can push for silver. A few moments later, the bells went off. ‘One Lap. One Lap until it’s over.’ He thought. Pushing forward, he attempted to close the gap with David Rouse but failed. The final 200m, with him having sowed up a medal, saw him and Doubeia’s Asa Dudin battle for 7th, but Ben got the better of Dudin. The finish line was in sight, and once he crossed it, he collapsed, overjoyed. He’d done it. He had won an Olympic medal for his country. This was probably the greatest feeling he’d ever have.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

OOC: It has been long agreed and RP'd at various points between myself and KP that the RQOC, then-led by Youngblood and his predecessor Arlene Lafontaine, have played a major role in securing international and diplomatic support for KYP's return to international sports esp. NSOG. A line of my RP mentions this, and has received KP's endorsement.

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]
Future - Part 7: Song Yeo-Reum[Badminton]
Future - Part 8: Gilles Cha'Akmongwi [Canoeing]

Past - Part 1: Hannah James-Yim [Swimming]
Past - Part 2: Jin Chang-Wook [Volleyball]
Past - Part 3: Park Chae-Yeon [Archery]
Past - Part 4: Elodie Youngblood [Judo]
Past - Part 5: Arnaud Googoo-Desjarlais/Noel Grumier [Fencing]
Past - Part 6: Pierre van Eeden Youngblood [Wrestling]

Pierre van Eeden Youngblood, the former Royal Quebecois Olympic Committee president and former Olympic Council member, was sitting on a foldable chair in middle of the wooden terrace in his lakeside cottage in the highlands of Saguenay province up northeast of country. Wearing sweatpants and tee-shirt, and his pale beard starting to grow more naturally at age seventy, he had a light glass of wine and a jar of nuts conveniently placed on a wooden mini-table in front of him. With his wife, former Slavonic languages professor and a local girl Emma O'Malley, out in the town, Pierre would stay alone in his place as he would spend the afternoon observing the views of the vast, all-encompassing Lac-Valcartier where jetskiiers hummed and river cruises honked in passing, but otherwise would leave him alone to the sound of nature.

Ah, he would quietly whisper, perhaps unaware that hours could easily pass in a state of mind that he was in. This state of mind, one that had only arrived in retirement, was certainly different than his former self as a sports administrator, the two-decade long journey where so much of the journey was every bit formal and quite wearing. They consisted a mix of wearing suits, attending official meetings and most importantly travelling extensively on flights both international and domestic, almost compounded into a routine that became methodical, scheduled and of course, weighed heavy on his body. Most importantly, however, all three had kept him busy all along, to the point where his three children's life had passed by in flashes, missed too much time that he could have spent with his wife, and had minor regrets here and there that he was only getting compensated for in his sixties and soon-to-be seventies.

Still, he knew he had every reason to be proud of what he had accomplished. Quebec and Shingoryeo, since the RQOC's first participation in the 8th Winter Olympics in City Centre, back in 2002; and the 10th Summer Olympics in Centralis and Nassau Bay in 2020, has been one of the more prominent sporting nations present on the NationStates Olympics, so it wasn't as if he had to raise a burgeoning program from zero to hero. Still, Pierre had every bit to be proud as the key architect behind the Quebecois olympic program that had come to become known as it is today. His achievements, whether it be orchestrating major rule/scoring changes for his own sport in wrestling, the rebranding of Team Quebec into the current Tricolour Taegeuk brand after their underwhelming Istria-Orean performance in 2045, or cohosting two Summer Olympics and a Winter Olympics on home soil, were numerous. Team Quebec, with him as vice president under Dame Arlene Lafontaine and then as chair, also performed well with historic finishes, though none were as memorable as the RQOC sponsoring the Kytlerian delegation's return after almost fifty years of absence, or the fact that he was able to award his daughter, Elodie, a gold medal in women's 70kg event of Judo in Twin Cities.

Now, being a sports executive, especially one as highly regarded as the RQOC and the Olympic Council, had many perks and privileges. They were numerous and quite convenient, whether it be the connections he's able to build up, a nicer hotel room he could enjoy, or a seat upgrade the airline provided for him and especially his wife Emma, not to mention occasional trips to owners' booths where he could pick apart the brains of men and women younger and more impressionable than him. He liked that. Still, there's something about retirement and being away from the attention that he just enjoyed lot more than what he had imagined. Even after all the years having to grow up, and act seriously, he was still a kid who just loved Judo and Wrestling on their most basic form, enjoyed reading works of classical literature, and loved spending time with his family. His loves outside of sport, of course, were those that he had missed more often than not in past four decades, as he developed from a recently-retired national team wrestler to national team coach, and eventually a sports administrator who just didn't know how to stop until a post-Jolbonopolis fiasco caused him to retire unexpectedly earlier than usual. He was now only catching up to them, and after having to wait and wait, he was finally at the right moment in time and life to enjoy.

Of course, all of this had meant that Olympics, which had taken up so much of his life, had to take a slight backseat. If truth be told, Pierre wasn't exactly keeping up with the latest events either, mostly being too busy spending time in nature, attending local library book clubs with Emma, or babysitting his grandchildren who couldn't travel to Electrum or Liventia. He was barely able to respond to them in a day's time, let alone hours or even minutes that he used to be able to do so. At least he kept in routine touch with all three children, whether it be Elodie, volleyball coach Laurent, or RFL gridiron quarterback Benoit, but for most part chose not to talk about Olympics much, mostly because he's spent so much time there that Pierre found it better for his stories and know-hows, if they wanted to listen, to be told in person.

---

Maurice Youngblood, his father, was the one who brought him to the mats when Pierre was little. His wife, Emma van Eeden, had just started her time as the Professor of International History at the Latilutakówa National University in Pahkatequayang, a city of 450,000 people southwest of Kingston, and with her still years away from a tenure, it came to their understanding that Maurice, then a low-ranked employee with the LNU Mustangs, to raise the kid. Maurice, who met his wife while completing his comparative literature Masters at their alma mater, the University of Kingston, didn't mind the idea so much, preferring to raise Pierre, who would become first of their three children, over risk navigating another nightmarish job market situation that's been the case since a horrible leg injury ended his once-budding baseball career.

So with this in mind, there's no surprise that Pierre's time on mat was a natural one. With a young household living in a regional centre where there's a strong sense of community and also lots of options available due to its massive catchment basin, Maurice, Emma and their three kids would find many options to be found on its playgrounds and community centres. While Donalda, their youngest, was a natural runner, the other two preferred to spend time roaming on the ground, perhaps an allusion to C.C.'s eventual path as an all-Quebecois safety in college, and would eventually enroll in a local Dojo.

There what was mostly there for Pierre, the elder and lighter of two brothers, to spend after schools would eventually become a distinctive passion by age ten with him placing well in regional and provincial level competition. Eventually however, with his local Dojo set to close, Maurice and Pierre would come to have a chat with someone.

'Mr. Youngblood, I see that you are in a tricky situation with your club, especially with your coach moving abroad and the other Dojos being slightly far for you to travel,' said an old, grey-haired man on the parking lot, as the father and his son was coming out of their Dojo. 'And from what I hear that he's a pretty good Judoka as well. Definitely a national team level potential, if he gets right coaching.'

'I would certainly say so,' said Maurice, who was slightly shorter than the elderly man at five-feet-ten, but carried enough flesh and muscle to not feel intimidated. His son, who lost his grip right at that moment, started walking towards their car on the other side. 'Coach Woo definitely likes the way he has been landing more technical skills. Solid Uchi-mata, Tai-Otoshi, and whatnot.'

It was then that the elderly coach, who noticed that Maurice wasn't just an ordinary parent, found an opening. 'It would be unfortunately if his talent goes to waste by a matter of hesitation, Mr. Youngblood,' said he. 'I am talking to you about this because I've known Coach Woo, a longtime colleague of mine for years, and I do know that he wouldn't be against a promising student of his find a future that's going to be just as bright.'

'I could see that for sure,' Maurice nodded, acknowledging the line of thought he was going for. 'Other Dojos here have either been unconvincing, and we are unsure if we could safely commute the kids to the East End of town or on the outskirts.'

'Would your son consider switching to wrestling?' the elderly man, who coached the nearby club and also helped out with LNU as voluntary assistant coach, asked. 'I think that your son, especially with his strong grip and quickness, would be able to transition fine into wrestling. If anything, I could see him working out better there since you'd be able to score in chains or rows, just by the way he's able to smoothly move and convert the actions.'

Maybe, Maurice thought to himself, as he looked at the wrestling coach again. Maurice knew that while he appeared unassuming for most part, there was a look in his eyes that suggested the elderly man, a bald man of about sixties and modest frame, wasn't lying about his suggestion. Perhaps this might be a good advice for Pierre after all. 'I will have a talk with Pierre, good sir,' Maurice answered back to him, giving a light nod before heading to his car where Pierre was already there.

---

It was at the end of that flashback that his phone rang hummed over the wooden table, causing the wooden minitable to shake a bit. 'Shit,' he said to himself, as he quickly picked up his half-full wine glass before placing it to the floor. He then checked the phone, which was written 'Elodie'. From what he remembered, his daughter was teaching general education courses for the visitors at Joongyeong's Kidokan all summer, with her husband, former basketball star Bahng Se-Woong, looking after their two kids. There was no reason for her to call.

'Allo?' he answered.

'Dad, is this you?' Elodie answered in a messo-soprano pitch, which increasingly sounded like that of Emma in the last couple of years. 'Do you have time?'

'I have all the time in the world baby,' Pierre lifted his voice up in acknowledgement, wondering what Elodie was going to ask. 'What's the matter?'

The question, of course, wasn't what he had expected from Elodie. 'I was with a colleague just earlier today in the capitol, and there we were talking about the various what-ifs we had all carried in our lives.' She then continued, with Pierre giving a light nod of an 'uh-huh' to it. 'With him, how he had gotten into canoeing was because of a girl he had met on the summer camp. He told me that to wait for that right time to impress her one summer day, he would do the machines and do all the exercises at home during the winters and whatnot.'

'That's always good, you always need to have a balanced diet,' Pierre nodded, sounding slightly distant but also on point. 'And?'

'So then he asked me about the what-ifs on my life, both in Judo but also in life. So I told him that I started playing Judo when I was around twelve, and then just went with it, all the way to UKS, IRSEA, yadayada, and the life's been generous with me when it comes to this sport,' she said. Pierre could notice that his daughter was taking a way around with his words with minimal effectiveness. 'But this does make me wonder if I could have done well on a different sport, and if so, what sport would that be. I know you originally started out in Judo, and mum still runs triathlons, so I wonder what you think.'

'Honestly, honey, that's a good question,' Pierre answered, even as he tried his best to think about such a possibility. The problem with old age, especially for a man who's lived through plenty like Pierre, was that his earlier-life events and deliberations didn't last the time or were at least distorted. 'These kinds of questions always come up, don't they? I mean, would I have done better in Judo? Would your mum have done better in cycling? Would you have done better in wrestling or boxing? They are always there right?'

'Yeah, so I wonder what your thoughts on this kind of what-ifs,' Elodie answered, a sense of uncertainty remaining on her voice.

'Honestly, wish I had an answer for you, Elodie,' Pierre sighed, before thinking back to the other moments of his wrestling career. He had a decent career since switching club to the elderly man, late Horace Eagle whose grandson Boris was his teammate around same time as well. Memories of junior tournament wins, national championships, an all-Quebecois career with Mount Ester, a school not really known for a strong wrestling team, followed, as did joining ArrosiaLife, then the semi-professional powerhouse club to go to. 'I don't think I would have done better in Judo or Boxing or elsewhere, really. I had the benefit of being under the right coach, the right teammates, and most importantly being able to have your grandparents by my side when I needed support on the tournaments, and all that. That's what we tried our best, admittedly with the errors and flaws in our own ways, for you and your brothers too.'

Then there were two Olympic trials, both where he had come up just short. Well, at least his first did, the second being held back by the actual injuries he sustained even as the winner. 'that said, I think the biggest one I've had is if I didn't get injured on the second trial and actually made it to Aeropag that summer of 2024,' Pierre looked up to the sky, trying his best not to be emotional over the said what-if. 'I'm sure your mother knows the best about it, since she was there, but it does really hurt when you win the ticket to the Olympics but was too injured to go.'

This was true, especially when considering that his runner-up, the eventual-selection Henri Paquette-Brazeau, would go onto win a bronze medal on Greco-Roman men's 74kg in Aeropag. 'I know my coaches, from time to time, would say that had I been there, I would have won gold. And you know how much that meant to my coaches back then, you've met them before,' Pierre said.

'I see,' Elodie said, trying her best to find right follow-up. 'I guess you don't think too much of it much though, at least with the way life's turned out.'

'How could I? Life's brought me joy in other ways, namely be Emma, you kids, or just the joy of coaching,' Pierre smiled as he gave out his response, reminding himself that Emma had agreed to go out with him a week after the trials in Songak, three and a half years after they had first met in graduate school. 'Young lady, if there is one thing I could tell you in my old, damned life is that life's best enjoyed appreciating the joy it brings and not so much wondering and mourning over the what-ifs. It's certainly addicting to think about them, I get that, but it's just not the way to live out your life. So what I'd tell you and your colleague, the next time you guys talk, is to stop thinking about those things and look into what it brings you in terms of joy right at that moment and in future. Just embrace life.'

Pierre could hear Elodie giving a light giggle, mostly in a good manner. Even when pressured, Pierre seemed to have the ability to bring out positive emotions among those around him. 'Thanks dad,' she said. 'I'll talk to you tonight.' Then she hung up the phone.

[Alezian Union]

Irina Elinova's match in women's singles tennis against Madeline Jeffries of Hopal proves to be a high-stakes, nerve-wrecking match for Elinova. Remember, she was LUCKY she recovered in time from her cold so she can compete in her best abilities. But nevertheless, Alezia's best tennis player who ranked in the tennis rankings previously proved once again that she can still internationally prove herself and her country in the international stage. And with how she scored and do her spin attacks, with a commanding 6-4 and 6-3 score... It's the best day to be an Alezian the whole year, in a year where it's not been such a nice year for the country. A lot of external challenges currently challenged the country but not with the Lady of Spinning Alezia, spinning tennis balls... and also spinning international perceptions.

There's been a lot of Alezian glory to be had in this Olympics. However, one can't deny that this one is the biggest. Alezians are hooked to their TV, everyone is following tennis again, and once again, Irina Elinova becomes a name that everyone says with pride. Whatever growth will come out of the country's star tennis player will come soon. However, it shouldn't be much issue now.

In other more positive Alezian news that makes Alezians go out and fly flags: The possibility of Ismailyan vs. Martilla in men's single badmintons fighting for gold is even much more apparent. Additionally, Michael Watterson is guaranteed a medal since he qualified for the final round of men's single table tennis. The Alezian women's team are going to compete in a further round in field hockey, and there are just so many that we can't mention. The Alezian Union might be situated in an uncertain impossible to understand world, but Alezia is Alezia, and Alezia will stay.

[Krytenia]

Mixed fortune, not mixed fortunes

As the pool swimming events draw to a close, Krytenia will probably look at these Olympics as "relatively successful". It might not be the nine-medal haul of four years ago, but three golds and two silvers will still be a decent return for our swimmers. The last of those, a gold in the mixed medley relay, felt almost like a greatest hits album as four of the team's best claimed victory.

For those who've never seen this race in action, it's quite the spectacle. The rules on picking the quartet are simple; two men, two women, race in medley order (back, breast, fly, free). There's no rule on which leg is raced by which gender, however, so there will usually be a mix of men and women swimming against each other on any given stroke. This leads to the lead ebbing and flowing as the race progresses, and explains why the four teams with male backstrokers hit the front early. It's important, then, to not think about the gaps too much at this early stage, and Chantelle Maitland is no slouch in the pool, so touching in fifth position was no disaster, especially as this unleashed Scott Rossi into the water. Rossi claimed silver in the 100m breaststroke early in the Games, and his class showed. He quickly caught up to Beza Ruku and Madison Johnson, and touched slightly ahead of Elena de la Cavallería, leaving Krytenia in second at the halfway mark, behind only a Kelssek quartet who had used up their complement of Y-chromosomes.

That meant Olivia Naylor entered the pool. Now in her third Olympics, it's easy to forget the all-rounder is only twenty-two. Selected for the butterfly leg, Naylor powered through the water, overtaking the other Olivia, Kelssek's O'Toole. This would be bad news for the Kelssek team, who were hoping to be in the lead after the butterfly leg owing to being the only foursome with a female freestyler. Case in point; the A Kea and Britonisea teams rapidly catching the field, having gone with their female swimmers for the first two legs.

That left Ian Howard to bring it home. The twenty-seven year old is now in his third Games, but it's never quite worked out for him. Gold eight years ago in the men's 4x100 freestyle relay was his only trip to the podium in his career, and he was determined not to let things slip. Brienne Dagrou was left in his wake as Kelssek slipped away, but Bojan Ignjatović had the bit between his teeth as the Sargossan looked to snatch gold. Howard, though, dug into his reserves, keeping his nose ahead of Ignjatović as the Olympic record was not only beaten, but sent flying into a heap in the corner.

For Maitland, this is likely her last Games, and she signs off with a third career gold. For Howard, it's gold number two, and for Naylor, it's a fourth - and she's plenty young enough to add to that total. The future, hopefully, is bright.



Oarsome gold...at last!

Krytenia. Liventia. The Licentian Isles. These are the nations that usually spring to mind when the sport of rowing is mentioned. It's a travesty, therefore, that before today Krytenia's last golds on the lake came on the Terranean Coast, twelve years ago - two in the same afternoon. Motson Lake, meanwhile, had been a bit of a dry well before today, with only a bronze in the women's quad sculls for our efforts.

Enter, stage right, the lightweight double sculls pairing of Evelyn Rivas and April Stonehouse. The duo hadn't looked massively impressive coming through the rounds, but they were here, and they were determined to make the most of their opportunity. The early stages saw three boats making early waves, as the Krytenians matched the Liventian and Britonisean pairs stroke for stroke, the other three boats clearly not able to keep up with the pace.

As the race hit the halfway mark, it was Everly Wakefield and Océane Roche who decided to take matters into their own hands. They opened a half-length lead before the other two medal contenders responded, with Rivas and Stonehouse a picture of calm as they slowly ate back into the Britonisea boat, with Holly Lachenal and Steff Carter keeping pace. Unfortunately for Wakefield and Roche, it soon became clear they'd gone off too early, and they were not only caught, but left behind as the race entered the last three hundred metres. It was now down to Krytenia and Liventia for the gold, and you'd have put money on Lachenal and Carter bringing it home in front of their own supporters. The Krytenians, though, are made of sterner stuff, and as the race reached its closing stages, Rivas and Stonehouse eked out a small lead, enough for them to cross the line barely a second ahead of the home pair.

It wasn't to be the only medal for Krytenia on the lake, either. The men's coxless pair of Ian Evans and Lee Watkinson couldn't match the feats of the girls, but after watching the boats from Darmen and West Phoenicia disappear into an unassailable lead, they kept their cool to finish in a comfortable third place. With one day to go on Lake Motson, it's now down to the men's octet to try and bring home another medal for the sky blue.

Inspired to try rowing? 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.

[A Kea]

Olympic Nights

by KTV

A: Day 8 of the Olympics was yet another success for our island, as we've achieved our best ever Olympic performance in our 4th participation.
I: Schimpol was the city were history was written, firstly in swimming our swimmers in mixed 4x100 medley relay managed to achieve the bronze in a close race with the 4th and 5th places. Evlambia Hatzilefteris, Dimitra Zaharia, our bronze medalist in 50m freestyle Nikiforos Papastavros and Andrew Lakes managed to make our nation proud in our last swimming final these games.

T: Congratulations guys, 4th ever Kean medal in swimming, 3rd these games and first ever for female swimmers. This bronze was a huge milestone for our nation. Can you tell us about this final and your experiences.
A: After placing 5th in the 200m backstroke final, I realized had to give it my all here. My last chance at an Olympic medal, and with that being the case for the girls as well, we all tried much harder than we would've if we did have more finals coming. Being an Olympic medalist in my 4th games is so fulfilling, hopefully I can keep it up in individual events next year.
E: I couldn't leave this opportunity go to waste, with no individual finals this year this was my only chance. First medal for Kean women in swimming, it's already a very important achievement. Hopefully next year we'll get our very first individual ones.
D: First time in the relay team, I was incredibly nervous at the qualification and semifinals but the guys calmed me down, we're a good team. I'm still in tears, I never saw myself as an Olympic medalist, I never even made it to any finals in my individual events but somehow this happened. This has to be the peak of my career. Next year I'll be back with the main goal being an individual final, and hopefully defending this podium result in relay.
N: Well, two medals in one Olympiad, after 0 in the past 3 I was just hoping to get one but things went better than anticipated. Today's relay was our best and most coordinated ever. We broke the national record by over a second, that says a lot by itself. My next steps are to celebrate obviously, and then get back home and reflect on this Olympic journey before starting it all over again for next year.

I: Our last rowing final in these games also led to success as Konstantinos Rigas and Eleftherios Hallis rowed all the way to an Olympic gold, our 3rd these games and 6th in our Olympic history.

M: Guys, this was a phenomenal performance. You didn't even make it past the quarterfinals last year, now you're raising our flag to the top.
K: What a race that was. Last year we were a relatively new crew, we had just a few months experience with each other and were clearly not prepared enough for the Olympics. Now, we've been together for well over a year and as you can see our coordination and collaboration has majorly improved. This medal is so important for Kean rowing, after the "disastrous" last Olympiad we're back in the medals. This means a lot both for the morale of the federation and obviously for securing more funding.
E: I have to thank everyone, my family, friends the federation and obviously this guy for this gold. I know it means a lot to return to the big days of Kean rowing. A very popular sport in our island, I know locals were very disappointed after we returned mdalless last year. Well, now this changed even if it's just for one medal. I hope our entire delegation comes back stronger to further dominate rowing next year, we certainly are capable.

A: With 13 total medals, A Kea surpassed our best ever result, being the 11 of last year's games. And hopefully we won't stop here as we got half of the games left to hopefully gain more.
I: And we're already on a good track as all our teams (baskteball, football and volleyball both men's and women's teams) have qualified to the quarterfinals. And then there's athletics in full swing with much Kean representation.
A: Mihalis Sanatas, our only remaining boxer and former medalist, has made it to the quarterfinals and needs one more win to secure a medal, and don't forget to tune in for wrestling, it debuts tomorrow but without any Kean representation yet. Our wrestlers are set to start in the coming days.

[Crpostran]

---

[*]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 . A big shoutout to Lisander for the pictograms! Viva la Crpostran!

[Libesia]

Expected competitors on Day 9:

MusaweNkosi Kuhlesbonge, men’s 100 m semi-finals
Kaulanda Gadabu, Thaddäus Olufunmilola and Kobamelo Tshephang, men’s 400 m heats
Joaquin Keambiroiro, men’s 1,500 m semi-finals
Abdou Kambaye, men’s 110 m hurdles heats
Luca Katzenbach and Raphaël Benz, men’s long jump qualification
Mariame N’Guessan and Adja Irie, women’s 200 m heats
Adélaïde Wathelet, women’s 400 m hurdles heats
Florence Nakalama and Tseday Merhawi, women’s 3,000 m steeplechase heats
Khadidja Meziane, women’s hammer throw qualification
Anwar Kanaan, Adel Nazari and Hamed Nazari, men’s team foil fencing
Christoph Gerber, men’s golf day 4

Askari Lahlou, men’s kayak cross heats
Fatima Hadidi, women’s kayak cross heats
Najat Assaraf and Alexander Semmelweis, equestrian eventing jumping round 2
Mohammed Shalhoub, men’s one-person dinghy sailing
Sohaila Kassab, women’s one-person dinghy sailing
Isabel Schimscheiner, women’s surfing round 2

Athletics: Medal for Tegene, reality check for the rest

An enjoyable first week of Olympic action has brought a diverse array of new and interesting sports to Libesian sports screens and radio broadcasts, but with the athletics finally getting underway, it’s fair to say national attention will refocus. With the rugby team eliminated in the quarter-final by Lisander and the football team failing to even qualify, it’s athletics that remains the most popular national sport and by which the Libesian performance at this Olympics will be graded. And the grade so far? B-, good but needs improvement. “The Olympics have been a bit of a wake-up call to Libesian distance runners, so used to dominating at the local and sub-regional level, that international standards are far higher,” says athletics pundit Mengisto Bullo. Disappointments in the women’s 800 m and 5,000 m saw Leah Chomba, Mekdi Baslios and Maria Nyambugi fail to advance to the later rounds, and it took a repêchage for Joaquin Keambiroiro to sneak through in the 1,500 m. Joy did, however, come in the blue riband distance run: the men’s 10,000 m¹, where Bekila Tegene became the first Libesian runner to win an Olympic medal, and the first Kuroo as well as the multiethnic diversity of Libesia continues to prosper.

“It was an astonishingly fast race,” Tegene said, somewhat understating things about a final in which no fewer than 25 runners finished inside the previous Olympic record, set all the way back in the 5th Summer Olympics by Landau Institute professor Abreu Vilela de Souza. The 27 minute mark that had endured for decades was shattered, with commentators attributing the breakthrough to improved nutrition and running shoe technology, among “other factors”.² The fast pace suited the Libesian runners, Tegene and Paul Mbatia, with Libesians generally preferring a front-running style rather than tactical jostling. Tegene’s thin frame, characteristic of the Kuroo people of the Tusk of Libesia, didn’t need to get tangled up in a bunched pack slow-pacing it for a sprint, and he instead opening up his legs in the stretched out field. Four runners, led by Tegene, distanced the pack with 3 laps to go, but in the last lap Kastor Mengakis of A Kea passed Tegene, who was unable to hold his sprint. Tegene kept his nose in front of home favourite Wyatt Wood, and celebrated afterwards with Mbatia, who came in 5th at the front of the second group. Bullo says: “The fast times we’re seeing in Hamilton should suit Libesians, but of course they have to match them!” Tomorrow’s key race will be the steeplechase heats featuring Florence Nakalama and Tseday Merhawi.

Most epic Libesia – Drawkland encounter yet ends in gold for the good guys

Despite the fact that Drawkland has not been Libesia’s most frequent opponent at these Olympics (that has been, fittingly, Banija) something of a rivalry has developed between the postcolonial republic and their 7 foot interstellar peers, particularly as Drawkish teams were responsible for the elimination of both of Libesia’s teams in football and basketball. So the final of the mixed 4×400 m relay was a fitting venue for another showdown between the two nations, and this time it ended in golden glory for Libesia, who claimed their first ever top step of the Olympic podium.³ In a race that usually sees huge time gaps accumulate, no fewer than five teams finished within a little more than a tenth of a second; all five finished comfortably within the existing Olympic record, set by the Mytanar team in Jolbonopolis. Drawkland led through the first two laps, with Michelle McReynolds distancing Adannaya Chimaijem, but Chidike Ikem battled to overtake Leone Sartore and hand over to Eden Nyota at a jostling and contested baton exchange. Nyota stretched out the lead again over the back straight but Anna Mount rallied and threatened to run down Nyota in the final 100 m; Nyota’s lunge for the line saw her lose her balance, and the baton, just after crossing, for a dramatic but ultimately gold medal winning finish and raucous celebrations from her teammates.

---

¹ Account based on A Kea’s portrayal of the event.
² Hmmm.
³ The identity of Libesia’s first gold medalist is thus somewhat subject to debate. Thaddäus Olufunmilola was listed first owing to running the opening leg, but when the medals were presented, Adannaya Chimaijem received hers first as her name comes first alphabetically.

[Electrum]

DAY 9 CUTOFF

The next cutoff will be in 40 hours from this post. Americans take note that there will still be a cutoff on Monday and Tuesday your local time. The cutoff times will be adjusted from 1000 UTC to 0200 UTC in this next stage of the Games with Liventia cutting off and Liventian results coming first. See here for more information.

[Magnus Phoenicia]

MP||VIBRGOLD

Chatrooms || Consumer and Business Portal || Fan Pages|| Gossip & News|| Groups || Live Streaming || Message Boards || Movies & Television World || Music|| Polls||Vibr Gold Encyclopaedia

Going….Going…Gone

Several high profile Olympians have confirmed the XVIII Summer Olympic Games will be their last hurrah.
Many have stated it is time to retire and move onto other endeavours in their life

Name: Noni Poseidon
Sport: Triathlon
Achievements: Bronze medal in the Triathlon – Mixed relay at the XVIII Summer Olympic Games
Where to from here:Since debuting at the
Games of the XII Olympiad in her late teens she has been a fixture in Triathlon. She holds the record in Triathlon for most appearances. However she never could quite win in the individual challenge. While she has chosen to retire from the competition, she will still be active in the triathlon community. She accepted an offer to work at the MP Institute of Sport where she will help mentor members of the Para-Triathlon team and will work on becoming a guide for a PTVI1 or PTVI2 athletes.
Noni Poseidon expressed delight in this transition. The sport has always been her passion and she looks forward to mentoring the next generation.


Name:Kim Bong-Cha
Sport:Tennis
Achievements:Gold in the women's tennis at the XVII Summer Olympic Games.
Where to from here:
Kim Bong-Cha teamed up with Tiffany Love, a two time bronze medalist in women's and mixed doubles.
Based on Tennis Federation statistics, the pair up offered a ton of potential. Both are talented women who played both singles and doubles successfully. Their time to shine was short lived. At the Round of 32 stage against Putu Listya Dewi and Putu Ayu Maherani of United Mandaran States (UMS), they lost 4-6, 5-7.
While she has officially declared she will not appear in a future Olympics.
Kim Bong-Cha wishes to spend time working her way up the NSTT rankings and competing in other international tennis tournaments. Kim Bong-Cha also announced on her VibrGold social media page that she will be taking a break after the Olympics to focus on her upcoming nuptials with Wissam Dallas, a two time bronze medalist in men's doubles alongside his tennis champion brother Kamal Dallas.
Both brothers belong to the sporting and aristocratic Dallas dynasty, a family renowned for several Olympic medals in tennis, weightlifting, snowboarding and fencing.


Name:Zain Hussein
Sport: Shooting
Achievements: Bronze medal in the 50 m rifle 3 positions at the XVII Summer Olympic Games.
Where to from here:
Zain first appeared as a member of the Magnus Phoenician Olympic delegation during the XVI Summer Olympic Games. His favourite event is the 50 m Rifle Three Positions. At his first games he qualified for the finals but finished in 6th place losing out to team mate Liam Murphy who won silver.
He returned and claimed bronze at the XVII Summer Olympic Games. For these Games he qualified for the 50 m Rifle Three Positions and Men’s 10 m Air Rifle. While he qualified for the finals in the 10 m Air Rifle, he finished in 7th. In his favourite event he fared far worse finishing in 14th place ending any hope of outdoing his bronze win. The shooting results have not only shocked Zain, but also the Shooting Federation, who have shown their disappointment at only 1 medal in a shooting event, a far cry from the usual 3 or 4.
Zain Hussein has declared he will be taking a break to focus on his well-being after his poor performance and may look at foregoing any future Olympics due to the pressure of having to be successful.

Name: Donatella Vicage
Sport:Gymnastics- Rhythmic
Achievements: Silver medal in the Women's Rhythmic Team at the XVI Summer Olympic Games
Where to from here:
Donatella Vicage turned 28 on May 22nd, making her a proud Gemini. While still in her prime as an athlete, Miss Vicage is currently the oldest member of the rhythmic gymnastics team and has decided put away her ball, hoops, club and ribbons so someone younger can join the team.
Donatella Vicage has stated during interviews she enjoys the choreography of rhythmic gymnastics and is open to joining the support staff as a team choreographer.
In the meantime Miss Vicage will be taking an extended break to focus on travel, wanting to spend the next six months exploring the tourist sites and hidden gems in Liventia, Electrum, Kelssek, Diarcesia and Britonisea.

Name: Pak Hye-Seok
Sport: Basketball
Achievements:No Olympic medals.
Where to from here:
33 year old Pak Hye-Seok has been a forward for the Men's Olympic team since the XVI Summer Olympic Games.
At the national level he plays for the Aegyptus Crocodiles where he was apart of the squad which win the 2021 MP Basketball Championships (MPBC) It was his performance during the championships and throughout the season which helped elevate him to the Olympic Basketball team.
The team had 2 wins and 2 losses in the pre-qualifiers, which prevented them from progressing. During their last match, where the Empire of Kanmer defeated them 87-80, he injured his right calf and knee and will focus on healing upon returning to Magnus Phoenicia.


Name:Sidd Pattel
Sport:Golf
Achievements:
-MP Professional Golfers' Association
-MP Golf Grand Prix
Where to from here:

Hailed as the golfer most likely to win a medal at the Olympics, Sidd Patel was chosen as a flag bearer for Hamilton, Electrum, during the opening ceremony. Unfortunately, his dream of winning a medal was dealt a crushing blow when he failed to make it through the highly competitive pre-qualifier. Sidd Patel has returned home, embarrassed that he couldn't fulfill the nation's expectations.


Sidd Patel is on the fence whether he wishes to attempt one last try at the next Olympics or give up and focus solely on the national golfing circuit. He asked for the media to allow him space to focus on his mental health and wellbeing and would arrange a sit down interview after the Games.

Name:Inga Horne
Sport:Canoe-Sprint
Achievements:
-Gold in the Canoe-Sprint- Women’s C-2 500 m at the XIV Summer Games
-Bronze in the Canoe-Sprint -Women's C-2 500 m at the XV Summer Olympic Games
- Silver in the Canoe-Sprint-C-2 500 m Womens at the XVII Summer Olympic Games
Where to from here:

Inga Horne announced her retirement which will commence after these Games. Where she will be competing one last time in the Women’s C-2 500 m alongside new team mate Blossom Goodnight.

Canoe Sprint is by far the most favoured canoe discipline in Magnus Phoenicia, with the nation having accumulated 13 medals in this event. Inga Horne is also the country's most outstanding medalist in Canoe Sprint.
Inga is looking to retire from sports, wanting to spend more time with her family and tending to her garden. After so many years in the water, she is looking forward to thrusting her hands into the soil of the earth.


Don't forget to head over to these athletes fan pages on VibrGold and post some hearts and comments of support to these talented athletes who worked tirelessly for our nation.

[Malta Comino Gozo]

Malta Comino Gozo at the XVIII Olympiad




Hello everyone! Thanks for joining us! It's been an exciting couple of days at the XVIII Olympiad, so here is a roundup of Team MCG.

Earlier, we saw Athletics -Women's 100 m - preliminary rounds heats where Francesca Muscat and Kate Cauchi both competed. Sadly both women failed to qualify with Muscat coming incredibly close in 5th position. Both athletes have vowed to come back stronger next time!

In the same event in Preliminary Heat 10, Victoria Scicluna (44) finished in first place with an incredible time of 11.27! She went to place third in Heat 3 seeing her qualify for the semi finals. Sadly, the finals were just out of reach for Victoria, who finished 8th out of 9 in her heat despite running her second fastest time.

Speaking to Alexia Castillo at MCG Sports Victoria was overjoyed with her performance. "I've run three of my quickest times ever in this Olympiad. This is a new PB for me, and even though I'm not in the finals, I am so so proud of what I've achieved!"



Emma Bezzina, in the women's shooting 25m pistol, failed to make the top 8 to qualify, unfortunately.

MCG had high hopes with Timothy Caleskos in the men's over 105kg weightlifting and despite great results, it just wasn't quite enough for the young strongman who finished with a respectable 444 points 18 shy of a medal.

Alexia Castillo: "Timothy, MCG had high hopes for you today. You put in a great performance with 444 points, but just 18 shy of a medal. How are you feeling big guy?"

Timothy: (grinning, despite the result): "You know, it’s tough missing out on a medal, especially when you're that close. But I’m proud of what I did today. The competition was fierce, and I gave it everything I had."

Alexia Castillo: "You’ve made huge strides already. You are the heaviest guy in the whole Olympiads! What’s next for you?"

Timothy: "Bigger. Stronger. Maybe 400 pounds next time!" (He laughs and flexes.) "I’m going to come back even better trust me. This isn’t the end this is just the beginning."

Alexia Castillo: "You heard it here folks! I'm looking forward to seeing that, Tim! Thanks for your time."

Timothy: Anytime and Grazzi! MCG's strongest man is only getting stronger!"

---

Meanwhile, in the Swimming – Women's 800m freestyle – Heats, Louise Zammit pinched qualification coming 8/8, meaning she just qualified for the round. Her fellow countrywoman, Alexandra Cummings, was sadly not so lucky, coming in 17th place.

In the final Zammit lost out to a bronze medal by 0.8 of a second. "Skin of my teeth!" she told Alexia "There was less than a second or so in it, so it seems time to up my game again to win a medal next time!"

Meanwhile, over in the men's badminton Malta Comino Gozo now have the chance to win at least a silver medal as Tim Abela beat Silvain Khogun (KOR) 2-1. Despite being thrashed second game 21-5, Tim was able to come back and win the third set comfortably 21-11, qualifying him for the semi-finals, where he faced Aleksi Marttila (ALE) . Tim went on to win 2 games to nil and will now have another Alezian athlete, Vagharsh Ismailyan, in the final!

[i]"I knew that the second game was rough, but I told myself to reset and focus on the final set. I just stuck to my strategy and played with confidence. It feels amazing to come back and win. Facing Vagharsh Ismailyan in the final will be tough though, but I’m ready. I’ve worked so hard to get here, and I’m giving it everything I’ve got for that gold. I wish Vagharsh all the best I cant wait."

We wish Tim Abela the best of luck in the men's badminton final!

[Da Cunha]

I: "Hello everyone, and welcome to a special exclusive here from me and Phatíma on the day after some historic athletic acheivements for our country."

P: "And we really do have mean an exclusive, for now at least, because we have, visiting us here poolside, looking great, looking golden, looking silver... It's Chantale Saint-Celestin AND Hadçacqméta Černesúnxić!"

As an overlay sound effect of clapping is played, a trio of young women join the two sisters, who have moved back to the poolside bar for this segment. One is the by now familiar ginger form of Callísto Vlásicq-Snodgrass, the judoka who was the first guest in the penthouse. The other two have the built form of sprinters. One, the older looing of the two, is very dark with long hair tied in a ponytail, while the other, the youngest, has the familiar olive complexion and dark hair of a native of Da Cunha.

I: "Oh, yeah, and Callísto is still here, because she's been a great source of stories and connections, so you should thank her for setting this up."

The two sprinters sit down while Callísto retreats off camera somewhere again.

P: "Well, I mean, it's an honour to have You here, both You! We're so thankful you wanted to come join us at this ramshackle operation."

H: "For my sake, I'm honestly kind of honoured I got an invitation. I've been a fan for a while, but... I mean, this was not how I expected I'd get to meet any of You."

I: "Well, after tonight, I think You both will have more fans than us, by rights. I mean... Gold, silver, olympic record. It literally could not be any better. Did You... Did You know it was going to be that kind of night?"

Ch: "You always have good feelings when you've been quickest in the semifinal, and I knew I could run quicker. But I also knew that others could be quicker as well, so the biggest thing was not getting complacent."

H: "I was sweating bullets! I mean... I didn't... I honestly didn't think I was that good right now. I... I was hoping, of course, you have to be hungry for it, but against the opposition you get at Olympics... No way did I think I was going to do what I did. I didn't even really believe I was 2nd quickest in the semifinal."

Ch: "I mean, most of all, I was spending time trying to get her calm enough to not freak me out next to me, heh... We knew, both of us, what kind of hopes would be on us, but I've... I've been there before, and I get it harder than most, so in this situation, for the sake of the team, I need to help Hadça. It was honestly calming to do it."

I: "So even in a solo sport like sprinting, there was still teamwork?"

H: "Definitely! I mean, of course I'd have loved to have beaten Chantale, but the mission was for one of us to win, and that was mission accomplished. That I could hang in for silver was just a cherry on top. And Chantale crushing the record was then a metric ton of icing on top of that again."

I: "Hahaha. Yeah, I mean, you improved your personal best in the final after matching it in the semis, just barely clearing, but of course, Chantale, you completely eclipsed yours. It was unreal. How... How does it feel being the fastest woman on the planet?"

Ch: "I mean, I don't think that's really quite hit me yet. I talked to my family yesterday on the phone, back in Bísna Pláxa, and they were jumping still. I think they'd had like... 50 neighbours come through to congratulate them at that time. Probably in the hundreds now. I'm... I'm a little worried about them upending the city when I come back home."

I: "I mean, you've got to get a parade, surely? It is after all probably the greatest single performance by someone from Da Cunha."

Ch: "I know, and... That's also what makes it a bit scary. I was talking to Callísto on the way up here, and y'know, we're both from minorities, so we know what it sometimes can be to be the outsider in the club and how difficult that makes it on these high levels of our sports. Of course, Callísto Scots roots have merged a lot more with Da Cunha than mine have, so I think... I think it means extra much to my home right now that they get to be part of this, and they get to see that we get celebrated as well."

P: "I mean, if they end up not doing it, I mean, screw it, we'll host the biggest beach party we can manage for You. You deserve every accolade you get. That goes for both of you, of course, because you have both contributed to something truly special. I mean, we were falling out of our seats yesterday. We were... Screaming like idiots, honestly."

I: "Yeah, it was truly a special thing to see... Did you... Did you know it was going to be a record when you were crossing the line?"

Ch: "No. No no. The moment you start running, you forget what the record is. Time ceases to exist, honestly. I knew it was quick. I got a good jump, and... I mean, everyone was just gone immediately. I saw later that it was a real close heat behind, but... I was alone, there was just noise in the air, and you tune everything out."

H: "From where I was she sure looked like she was beating it. Felt like she was in a different universe."

Ch: "I kinda black out when running. All of a sudden you've crossed the line, and I knew I'd won, of course, but... What time? No, no clue at that time."

I: "So when..."

Ch: "-Of course, then you look up at the big teletron, and you see what it says, and you don't process it, because... I mean, it can't be. You don't believe it, honestly. And then it was just bedlam for a little while."

P: "Have you had time to relax at all since then?"

Ch: "I mean, I don't think I slept at all.

H: "Me neither. It was a hell of an evening."

I: "Well, I mean, thank You for coming to see us on no rest. It... It means the world to us, and I am sure on behalf of all of our countrymen watching, I can congratulate You both for an incredible achievement and..."

P: "And we should let you have a rest. You've earned it."

Ch & H: Laughing "Thanks."

P: "And we wish you success in the future of course. Until then, as always, Phórza Da Cúnha. We'll see You next time!"

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

This audio RP is effectively the continuation of this one, but now from NBO's TV coverage of the Games rather than the radio. We join it at the start of the bike leg of the men's triathlon (which I've assumed to ICly start at 8am local time, matching the Paris schedule). Commentary is by Julian Randolph and Angufams Pipletone.

The voice of Alice Mulholland-Pearce is generated using the Eleven Labs LLM-based text-to-speech tool. All male voices in the audio RP are my own.

JULIAN RANDOLPH: So there's five in the leading pack coming out of T1, including Brian Murphy who is in second at the moment, Pyfaultu of Kelssek has the lead and then also in this group you have his compatriot Syed, along with Robillard the Libesian, David Cohen the Krytenian was there but he seems to have dropped back all of a sudden, not sure if that's a mechanical problem?

ANGUFAMS PIPLETONE: Looks like it - oh!

JR: He's stopped! Clearly a problem for Cohen, he's back on his bike again, but that's a concern and he's - lost him ground.

AP: Definitely some kind of small problem with his bike, but that is indeed a real concern for him, obviously a lot of time to come back but there were six in that lead group coming out of the water but Octavian Lopez of Magnus Phoenicia had that problem in T1 and apparently Cohen has had one right after that.

JR: So we have a little lead group of four already then, with Murphy and Robillard and the two from Kelssek, and that's a good number to try and form a breakaway but we still have an awful long way to go in this and as we've just seen, things can change in a hurry.

AP: You never know when something might happen, when something might go wrong and then everything changes, in life generally but also of course in triathlon.

JR: So as the race sets off on this 40km bike leg, which does form the largest part of the race by time as well as distance...

Julian's voice fades away as studio anchor Paul Sanderson fills in.

PAUL SANDERSON: Apologies for the interruption, but we are going to have to pull away from the triathlon, you can continue to follow that over on the NBO website and on the red button, but here on NBO we now go to the news studio and Stephen Fisher.

STEPHEN FISHER: Good morning. We're interrupting regular programming because we are expecting a statement from the Deputy Prime Minister Alice Mulholland-Pearce shortly regarding the health of Clituleng Giisost, who was taken to St Margaret's Hospital in Zube yesterday following what was reported to be an epileptic seizure on his flight home from the World Cup. And this is the scene live from outside Government Cottages (a gated cul-de-sac close to the parliamentary building that serves as the home of leading Kytlerian ministers, effectively a variant on Downing Street in London within the context of a purpose-built capital) where, as you can see, a podium has already been set up for this speech, so it should begin at any moment, and in fact here is the Deputy Prime Minister now.

ALICE MULHOLLAND-PEARCE: Good morning. I returned to St Margaret's Hospital a short time ago at the request of medical staff treating the Prime Minister. Due to the nature of his initial symptoms, he was given an EEG upon arrival to monitor the electrical activity in his brain. St Margaret's has a resident neurologist, who viewed and assessed the EEG last night, and reaffirmed that the Prime Minister has a form of epilepsy and expressed concern that there was a heightened risk of longer-term neurological damage. It was at this point that I received a call from the hospital to visit the Prime Minister and the medical staff treating him, to discuss the implications of this testing.

A substantial, painful pause.

This morning, I regret to inform the nation that it is likely, though as yet not certain, the Prime Minister will need to resign from office.

While, to repeat, nothing is yet certain, I feel as though I owe it to the nation not to allow false hope or unfounded speculation to thrive in the frantic news environment in which we all live. I would also like to stress that there is no immediate threat to the life of the Prime Minister, whose rapid diagnosis has allowed him to receive suitable drug treatment overnight that will continue in the short term whilst further testing takes place. I will serve as Acting Prime Minister during this period of uncertainty, and have remained in touch with opposition leaders from the NUP and FFP, as well as the Greens and PIN (the parties that back the governing Workers' Party in a confidence and supply arrangement).

Regardless of his political future, I would hope and expect that all of us can wish him a successful recovery with as few long-term repercussions as possible.

[North Oharan Valley Union]

Timestamp: 23 September 2024 - 23h23
Tags: Games of the XVIII Olympiad, Mission Olympica

---

Romanovske Impresses, Kapoian Shocks
Hammer throw final becomes major deception for underperforming Yeznig Ghazaryan

During the Olympics, our reporter Kristaps Rozentals shares his experiences in Hamilton and Schimpol in this live blog series

D9: 7h41 * Hotel
There seem to be no more calm days left in this Olympic tournament as the athletics competition has kicked off. But there is also abundant action outside of the stadium with two potentially iconic finals on the agenda. At Wilkita Shooting Centre, we can witness a skeet medal contest with Lianda Grube, the charismatic captain-to-be who showed potential in the qualifiers. And late in the evening, everyone in the nation will tune in to the third court of the tennis park where Varvara Gamburyan takes on Park Hye-Bin from Chromatika to gold. Whom of these two will be our first female medal winner?

D9: 9h12 * Athletics, Hamilton Multipurpose Venue
It is early in the morning but the temperature already starts to warm up as the men from the one hundred meters dash prepare themselves. Yesterday, Alf Eilertsen made a surprising attack on the national record from Rapchuk which stands at 9.97, now the Dinsdaller gets a new chance to break a record that was considered ‘unbeatable’ for ages. With his excellent time in the heats, Eilertsen can start next to Fulvio Jeronimo, the title candidate from Crpostran. The sprinter from Hammersbrig looks surprisingly relaxed, considering what is at stake but it helps him to come out of the starting blocks with the second reaction time. He clings on to his neighbor for a while but in the final third, he must let go of the top three. A poorly timed final jump allows competitors to overwhelm him and as seventh, the main focus is on his time. Eilertsen holds a hand to his face, clearly wondering what feeling should get the upper hand now: he broke the mythical ten second barrier as second Oharese ever, yet with 9.99, the NR from Rapchuk remains on the tables for a bit longer.

D9: 10h26 * Athletics, Hamilton Multipurpose Venue
Some athletes are here with a medal or a final on their mind, others are just enjoying the moment and Dom Melville falls in the latter category. His partner Ruth Griffith surprisingly bowed out in the preliminaries of the javelin competition but she is here to support him on what could be his second-last appearance (considering the repechages). At 32, he exceeds the age of almost all his competitors and his career in the military might be on his mind already. But first, he wants to put the crown on the work with a good run: not the fastest start but technical perfection to clear all the hurdles without losing pace, it gets you somewhere. In the case of Melville, it keeps you in the slipstream of Krytenian Warburton but his late surge only brings him in fifth spot. Another four hundreds better, Melville did well and gets another chance in two days.

D9: 10h47 * Athletics, Hamilton Multipurpose Venue
So far, Maral Kapoian has been one of our most consistent performers in Hamilton: with an 11.10 in the semifinals of the 100m, she came very close to partaking in one of the most coveted finals of the Olympics. Whether she laments it or takes (deserved) pride in her 12th spot finish, the only road is forward as today her second event takes off. In the preliminaries, she did not have to go full gas but today, she continues her fast start all the way to the line in the 200m. Only Nicole Summers challenges for more but in the last bit, the top three is assured. Still, her top eight qualifying time is not what gets the audience talking.

As Kapoian crosses the line, she copies the gesture from Polkopian Larisa Kravtsyeva and crosses her arms over her chest, searching for the cameras to pick it up. With it, Kapoian, one of our few openly gay athletes, shows support for the Polkopian LGBTQ+ community in defiance of their new right-wing president. Her action immediately got the social media channels buzzing in the Union. A part of the Oharese believes she should not mingle with ‘internal discussions in far away countries’ and condemns her usage of the Olympic stage for political messages, with a handful wondering whether this could get her banned, either by the organization or by the delegation. But there is a different group that praises her courage in her action and the hashtag #StandByLarisa, used in a message shared by Kapoian and all her 4x100m teammates immediately after the race, has been booming. It shows that this was not a spontaneous action from the sprinting star of our selection: it is no surprise that she, who has always been vocal about her identity, took this stand but the magnitude of this stage takes exceptional courage. Intriguing detail: in the previous 200m heat, Polkopian Vasiliyeva triumphed but seemingly had to keep quiet as the condemnation by the government of Kravtsyeva must reverberate through the Polkopian selection.

Maral Kapoian not only performed, she also took a stand

D9: 11h50 * Athletics, Hamilton Multipurpose Venue
In all the commotion around Kapoian, one would almost forget that the hammer throw qualifiers are taking place. In a way, that is a positive thing for Sibyl Zadian. Her opening throw fails to reach a measly 67 meters and from that point on, it only goes further downhill. It is hard to pinpoint where it is going wrong but it is visible that the usually enthusiastic and charming Zadian, who is not afraid of a bit of crowd interaction, is struggling with herself. With two failed throws, she leaves the tournament through the backdoor and no Oharese woman comes close to the final. We will remember the beautiful gesture from Zadian when she comforted her lifelong opponent Bogosian during the preliminaries but from a sporting point of view, there is little that will stand the test of time.

D9: 13h14 * Athletics, Hamilton Multipurpose Venue
Have we imagined it or do we hear a few boo’s in the stands when the athletes for the third heat in the 400m hurdles are presented? Maybe it is the backlash of the action from Kapoian but it seems as if Rayisa Bojchenko could not use that kind of disrespectful feedback from the crowd. The 19-year old from the region of Cherpahor looks quite tense in her Olympic debut and is seen fidgeting with her shoe very close to the gun. But she starts properly, trying to catch up with Burnham in the lane to her right. For two-hundred meters, things look alright: who knows what is possible with a late surge? But in the second turn, her steps do not align anymore with the hurdles and it takes some short steps to properly get across them. Needless to say that it is detrimental to her pace, so she finishes last. Interestingly in the exact same time as in the preliminaries but in this field, a 55.74 gets you nowhere. A useful experience for Bojchenko, but now she has to learn from it.

D9: 15h26 * Shooting, Some BBQ Place
People, or mainly my mother, might be wondering how I am surviving the busy days where sports are taking up every second around the clock. To avoid hunger, my savior is a small, sympathetic barbecue joint in the city center with an owner who can already predict my order. When he comes and serves me a hearty snack for a reasonable amount of Synergies, he checks my screen, informs for what sport I am watching and mumbles that the ‘South Olara Valley Conference’ is doing fine so far. Today, they again were my source for subsistence but as I came in, he switched the blaring music channel to the sports channel that featured the women’s skeet final. “The West Ibaran River Nation shoots in this final,” he proclaimed proudly and yes, I will be eating there in the next five days as well. Good diets are for the actual sporters.

But with my new friend, I saw how Lianda Grube started the final with a perfect ten. The whole format of the shooting finals revolves around one thing only: finding a way to put pressure on the shooters, the knowledge that every miss can eliminate them to ensure some shaking hands. A good start is the ticket out of that continuous battle for survival, so when the Strauzeme-based sergeant scored a perfect ten in the first volley, she took a key step in the right direction. Halfway, that led to a three-way tie with Lana Nash from Krytenia and Deodáta Marinović from Da Cunha. Most eyes were on Nash, who won gold last year, but she was the first of the trio to crack. Grube, on the other hand, remained unshaken and when she delivered her third ten in the final round, the gold medal was a fact. An unanticipated success, celebrated by the owner and me as if we were compatriots.

D9: 18h19 * Athletics, Hamilton Multipurpose Venue
Still filled to the brim with adrenaline over our second gold medal, it was back to the MPV where the first 400m heats were on the agenda. In the third one, Ilia Mamaladze tried to turn the first of his three Olympic appearances into a semifinal spot from the third lane on. Not a bad spot to be as Diarcesian Payton Wexler formed a useful target. The level proved to be astonishingly high, with all nine nearly side by side coming out of the last turn, on their way to sub 45 times. Mamaladze had kept a little kick in the end but the posterboy of our line-up had to dig deep to grab the third place. For 19-year old Billy Ryan in the next heat, that was too tall an order. Ryan took a risk following Liventian Xavier Thompson from the sixth lane but fell a bit flat in the last hundred meters. His 45.24 remains respectable, but not near his brand-new PR.

Revita Romanovske shows strength in the way she qualifies for the final

D9: 19h04 * Athletics, Hamilton Multipurpose Venue
As was the case in the preliminary race, Yachvili and Romanovske were grouped in the same race, a potential advantage in a tactical race. Although she denies it, Anna Yachvili did exactly that when she took over in the third lap to set a harder pace after a slow start. But it really erupted with a kilometer to go. Lilian Jerotich, the controversial Barkhastani after her defection from Libesia, turned on the screws. A near-crash by Chester and Mullin on the water jump led to four leaders: Jerotich, Yook-Milner and two Oharese. Of them, Romanovske looked extremely comfortable: she even managed to win the prestige sprint against Jerotich without digging to the bottom. The three years old Yachvili clung on till the last water jump but completely collapsed in the home stretch. One by one, opponents overtook her and eventually she finished outside of the final spots. Only Romanovske through, but with a performance that gets her on the radar of the analysts.

D9: 20h16 * Athletics, Hamilton Multipurpose Venue
It is not going well in the hammer throw and that is an understatement. Yeznig Ghazaryan, 24 years old, believed he had a date with history but so far he seems to have been stood up. Her first throw appeared to be sailing past eight meters but he had not stayed inside the circle. The second attempt was even worse and we witnessed a different athlete than in the qualifiers: no genuine confidence, loudly cursing to himself and insufficiently turning his power into precision. It is all on the third throw now if he doesn't want it to be his final one. His approach is good and as he freezes to watch its trajectory, Ghazaryan too feels it to be a close call. The officials do the measuring and show it is not, a meter short of savior is quite a lot in this sport. It is a flabbergasted Ghazaryan who leaves the grounds: the potential is there for more but in those three throws, he could not show it. After the initial confidence, this can only feel very disappointing.

Disappointment for Yeznig Ghazaryan in the hammer throw final

D9: 20h53 * Athletics, Hamilton Multipurpose Venue
Despite the stellar performances of an outspoken Kapoian and a composed Romanovske, the night ends on a false note with Andrij Tymchuk. The fair-haired runner from Cherpahor became the prisoner of a tactical race where everyone can beat everyone. Only Volodko and Gallant held a minor lead to the pack before the last turn but it becomes a chaotic sprint. Tymchuk, stuck in the back, tries his luck on the inside but that proves to be a mistake. His path is blocked by Kikunta and Miller. By the time he decides to go outside, the finish is approaching fast. A semifinal is an excellent result for this youngster but the way he goes out is a hard lesson to learn.

D9: 21h33 * Table Tennis, Court 3 of Hamilton Tennis Park
The early demise of Ghazaryan allows to rush out of the stadium in search of a pub that shows table tennis. We don’t know about any given Tuesday in Hamilton but tonight that is an actual option. When I find an available chair across a focused group of Chromatik fans, the score reads 2-0 for Gamburyan. Park Hye-Bin is visibly frustrated, our Oharese star looks unsettlingly calm. The third set is not even close. But with her eyes on the prize, Varvara Gamburyan starts to doubt and Park smells blood. The Luyhatsaki table tennis hope starts to avoid risks a bit too much, giving her opponent just enough space to return.

The pub starts to get rowdier, especially as they spotted the small Oharese flag on my lanyard and the 3-2 in sets gets on the board. But in set six, Gamburyan refuses to let go. 5-2, 7-4 and 9-7 down, but she knows that if she gives away this one, the mental advantage is all for Park Hye-Bin. The favorite from Chromatika gets a set ball but after a long rally, Gamburyan can smash it to safety. It’s a hit that takes a second for Park to take in and in that time, the tables turn (proverbially, luckily). The first match point goes out but the second one is the good one. Overcome with emotion, she almost freezes for a few seconds before turning to her coach Martunyan and her husband actor Zemyon Baronak. Until today, she was the wife of the movie star but it seems as if he will be cast as the man of an Olympic hero from now on. I get a free beer from the disappointed but sporting Chromatik fans. After two golden medals in one day, a single beer feels as an insufficient celebration.

D10: 3h17 * Hotel
With the sound on muted and the contrast as low as possible, I try to catch some glimpses of the boulder climbing semi final in Schimpol. It remains a mesmerizing spectacle, seeing people conquer the dimension they are not supposed to do. It is intriguing to see the difference in approach between Darchidze, who carefully studies each problem like an intricate puzzle to find that one detail that allows her to top, and Babajanian who seems more driven on instinct: any redo is as much about regaining physical and mental strength as it is about tactics. Both roads pay off as both North Oharese representatives manage to top thrice: only Maržia Kastor from Kalosia manages to improve on that. Things are looking good for the final, but a solid lead climb remains crucial.

---

Three to watch today

Dzudite Smuge * Gymnastics * Yes, we have not one but two finalists in the Bryson Memorial Arena but there is a stark difference in their odds. The head of the gymnastics federation, Ilena Sarpisa, described it succinctly. “Whether Monika Kjoss can win a medal? Yes, but she will need to have a great day. For Smuge, she will need to avoid a bad day.” The leading lady of our gymnastic quartet gets a redo on the floor to prove that the individual final was the odd one out in an otherwise excellent row of performances. The most talented one of our selection should be close under any circumstances and should have the cool to finish it off.

But exactly that was missing with the 21-year old two days ago, to the astonishment of everyone. Teammate Nina Graudina elaborated, “we are used to Dzudite being the one who comes over to you after a poor result and she tells you something calm or lighthearted, to snap you back in focus for the next performance. I don’t think many people considered the option where Dzudite needed that. Her weak routines are too rare for that.” Smuge herself, after her emotional reaction and leaving the arena without a chat to the press, sounded her confident self again two days later. “It was an offday, yes. And then you go home, cry in bed and the next morning you wake up and do your floor routine ten times, till you find perfection. I know I will bring that version in the final as well.” Refound, warranted confidence or clutching at straws? The reply will be known by the evening.

Sergejs Builis * Shooting * Reaching an Olympic final is the dream of any sporter and the sign of an accomplished athlete. But what do you call someone reaching two? Builis, a 34-year old tax accountant who had to carefully plan his leave days around this event, writes Oharese history but a calm, composed man as he is, he barely minds that the spotlights are not there. His unexpected silver with the air pistol got less feedback than expected due to the skateboarding gold around the same time. And this afternoon, the gold medal from Grube soaked up most of the attention for Wilkita Shooting Range. Even with his thrilling finale, scoring a much-needed ten for his last six shots to qualify, Builis remains in the shadows.

It echoes the situation of the shooting sport in the valleys. There are definitely decent facilities, with a network of eleven ranges across the country and a surprisingly professional federation that was rather frustrated that they could only allow four of their best shooters to make the trip to Hamilton. We can imagine that this will have changed by the next Olympiad. Because the quality is evident: four finals out of eight events is an unseen average and the two medals only highlight that. Additionally, it gets underrated how many Oharese possess basic shooting skills, allowing a wide net to be cast to search for talent. The federation already announced that this talent detection will be their first focus after the successes in Hamilton. Another bullseye performance from Builis can only help to secure the required funds, giving shooting the ‘focus sport’ status it deserves.

Theo Coghlan * Table Tennis * Today, we suddenly wake up in a nation that seems to have some sort of table tennis tradition and obviously, the attention gets cast to the remaining chances to confirm that theory. As such, Theo Coghlan gets a lot of press as head of the men’s team. The 34-year old Coghlan, who remained top of the national ranking across three generations, downplayed the chances, pointing to his youthful teammates. “Myron is 21 and Eugenijs officially should be in the U18. This tournament is an investment in the future.” The more interesting question is what part in that future will be played by Coghlan.

The days of his domestic dominance seem to be numbered as a new wave of players comes through and his international debut lasted two rounds before falling to Green-Hennessey from the Afanc Strait. At his age, there is little progress left to make and even maintaining his level will require a lot of time from his busy schedule as an IT manager in an insurance company. Over the last few days, rumors started to go round that Coghlan could be a nominee for the new role of ‘Olympic coordinator’, an organizing position that forms the right hand of the more ceremonial position of Zonya Hovenko, head of the Olympic Committee. Theo Coghlan, beloved by his peers and respected across the sports, is both a non-controversial option (with table tennis being a smaller sport, no other federation feels rivaled) and one who combines analytic skills and a shared experience with the sporters. With that perspective, the men’s team event could be a last stand. We are sure that someone who was national number one twelve times will not let that go down unnoted.

All pictures are AI generated and should not be considered

[Panay Islands and Guimaras]

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to..

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

A RESPECTFUL EXIT FOR THE 3X3 BASKETBALL TEAM

Before they go to the quarterfinals, the StrayaRoosians have defeated the boys in azure, 13-17. Even though they lost, they go to the quarterfinals, which they face Polkopia, when they lost again, but with a different score of 13-15. "We should've been do better.", says Tsushima. "And we hope next Olympics, we will win."

TO THE QUARTERFINALS WE GO, BUT AT WHAT COST?

It's a neck-and-neck situation as the hosts, Liventia won over the Panayenses. Where Nagashima and Larssen, the trouble double duo, gave their best in front of a vocal home crowd, but the thing is, both of the teams were qualified. "We may be lost but luckily, we got into the quarterfinals.", says Jorgito. "We not just rely on our tactics, we rely on our passion and fierce." The Panayenses will face the Drawklandians in the Quarterfinals.

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

[Hopal]

It’s a strange feeling to be alone in an Olympic venue. The crowds were long gone from the Schimpol International Aquatics Centre, it was getting quite late. It had no doubt been an exciting night at the Centre, an evening full of tense Olympic finals, medals handed out. But there would be no afterparty at the venue where it all happened. There had been some late stragglers who’d struggled to exit the facility, a little too much entertainment for them, perhaps. But after ten days of exhilarating Olympic swimming at the Schimpol International Aquatics Centre, the cleaners were beginning to move in. The women standing there in the hallway, just a wall separated from the pool where it all happened, made for a strange and solitary sight. Looking around she felt the security guard beginning to eye her up and likely try to shoo her out.

Georgia Juan was not a woman who’d be shooed away. In a way she had a right to be, as a former Olympic champion swimmer and now an Olympic coach. This was her home, her temple. If the security guard had dared approach, they would have seen the official badge of the Hopalian National Olympic Committee on her sweater denoting her status, and likely would have received a very generous chewing out from the woman in question. Georgia Juan was not a pushover, all of her life she’d been looked over, ignored, coming from a disadvantaged background, where even her parents barely cared who she was. She had to work for every single thing that she had, she had to show everyone what she was capable of, until it became impossible to deny her anymore. But now, as she’d completed a well decorated athletic career, reaching every height that she had imagined, and was now even a successful Olympic coach, she deigned to think of what was next.

This had been a competition well done. She had seen another Olympic Games. She had coached an entire program of athletes to reach the Olympic Games. She had reached success in every realm of her professional athletic life as possible. It hadn’t been a perfect meet, there were many of her prized athletes who didn’t meet their expectations of what they hoped to come out of this competition. But in many respects, it was a success. They’d snatched their fair share of medals, including for the retiring veteran leader Jessie Duclaire, an old friend, when they hadn’t been on many people’s radars a few weeks ago. In her mind, just the experience had been valuable for the program, after the squabbling within the Hopalian Olympic Committee, the success was in being able to make the competition. Most of these athletes had never faced this kind of high-level competition, and even if they didn’t come out of it with the results they wanted, the experience would propel them to grow and come back again hungry for more.

Most of the team was out celebrating a competition well done and wishing Jessie Duclaire a good time in retirement. And so they should, she thought. While Georgia was close with the team, there was a time and a place to go in with them, and right now she felt that they should have a night out without feeling that she was looking over their shoulders supervising. So thus she ended up here, in her own thoughts in an empty Schimpol International Aquatics Centre. Looking over, she saw the security guard still looking at her quizzically, even if she wasn’t going to be pushed out, she pondered that she probably should get a move on this hallway.

Moving now, inside towards the pool, she looked at the space where so much history had been made over the past few days. It was strange to see such an empty venue, with the bright lights still shining, the whir of the generator in the background. Yet the water sat peacefully still, I sight not much seen as Olympic racers from around the multiverse stormed to break records. She thought back to her own time swimming professionally. How she’d look on at the pool with trepidation before every race, the anxiety building up within her, how she’d have to force it out at every turn. But when she got into the water, she was in the zone, it was where she felt the most comfortable. Tuning everything else out, she swam her race, focusing on every kick, stroke, and turn that she needed to swim her race well. It had served her well, coming up to Olympic Gold and Bronze medals. But she didn’t have long to stick here, the cleaning staff were moving in, time to get a move on.

She got to the locker room, which had been her purpose for staying behind all along. It was relatively quiet now. She’d miss this place, she thought. She gathered all of the things from the Hopalian team left behind, everything she needed, she even grabbed some mementos of the Games that she had found lying around. If no one was going to claim it, it might as well find a home, she thought. She came to rest on a bench as she looked over the place for one last time. She’d come a long way, from the young passionate girl with dreams of making it in swimming now to guide and mentor the next generation of Hopalian swimmers. They were her children, she’d seen them grow, guide them, bring them along this journey, and this had been the culmination of all of that.

She’d like to have children, she thought. It was always an idea that she was fond of. Her parents weren’t there for her as a child and she always thought that she should rectify that by becoming one herself. She supposed she’d always put it off because of her focus on her own professional aspirations. Then raising her niece to become an Olympic swimmer, she’d never had time to contemplate having her own children. In her 40s now though, was it too late? She knew that there was technology now to help with that. But could she really pull it off? Who would she have it with? She knew that she didn’t necessarily need another person, but she’d always envisioned it that way.

Actually, she knew that there was a person. Always known, they’d gotten on well and tension and chemistry was there. He was seemingly waiting for her, back in Hopal. She pulled up his contact on her phone. John. It read. She'd always sworn off romantic relations as she claimed that it would interfere with her highly focused professional career. But now with that in the books, and even her coaching career begin to take a back seat, she had no more excuses. But she still looked at the phone with trepidation. Truth be told, she'd grown up underestimated, ignored, and she'd never had the chance to develop good relations with other people. Could she pull it off? The fear paralyzed her. But her whole career, she'd spent pushing herself, silencing all of the doubters, herself included. She'd prided herself on being brave, and if she didn't do this could she really be calling herself brave.

She pushed call.

She'd invite him to Liventia, she resolved.

[Chromatika]

KEY MOMENTS FROM THE XVIII OLYMPIAD
Day 9

LEE GA-YEONG

Public sentiment can be a funny thing.

One minute, you've won the Silver Medal in Team Archery, while the Men won the Gold. The other, you're the only Individual Archer that's made it to the Round of Sixteen - none of the men did - and the Chromatik public is starting to view this Olympics as a failure. A failure, because they only won two medals, and no individual ones.

The only one standing in the way of that reality? Lee Ga-Yeong, the twenty-five year-old, blue-haired beauty that's taken the Chromatik fashion world by storm. A teenage model, she discovered archery by pure luck when she picked up a bow in the middle of a shoot. The shoot organizer contacted an archery coach, and the rest was history. Now, six years later, she found herself in the knockout rounds - and it was going to be hard.

Victoria Ainslie of Krytenia was her first opponent. The opening set didn't go so well, but Lee put together three sets of shooting twenty-nine to make it. There was hardly any wind at all - which made things easier to handle. Kohaku Chihiro of Zenic in the Quarterfinals was more of the same - though the Zenic international shot a thirty to win the lone set.

That carried Lee to the Semis - Ahaoyuan Arangyon of Haruhata waited, and that ended up being the hardest set yet. For some reason, Lee couldn't focus on the first set - losing it 26-28; she won the second 29-27, but Arangyon put together a neat 29-28 to take the lead. Sharing a quick word with her Coach, Madelene Boissard, who told her to remember to ease up, Lee got the fourth set back, 29-28. One set to decide who goes to the Gold Medal Match.

As the one that tied things up, she shot first. Ten. Arangyon flinched. Nine. Lee kept up the pressure with a second ten, and when Arangyon fired a second nine, it was over. It didn't matter that Lee fired a nine - Arangyon would end the match with a ten, but Lee was through.

Cassíma Mutimíravić-Pjánić of The Da Cunha Islands waited in the final. This time, Lee was the aggressor, winning the first two sets; then, Mutimíravić-Pjánić responded with two 29s herself, and things headed toward a fifth set. As the one that tied things up, Mutimíravić-Pjánić went first.

Ten. Nine. Nine. Ten.

The crowd was going wild. Both archers were on their game, and it looked like things would head to the one-arrow playoff.

Then, Mutimíravić-Pjánić flinched, shooting a Nine.

Lee smiled as she fired her last arrow.

Ten.

The first individual Gold Medal in Chromatik Archery history was hers, as the story changed once again. This Olympics was now a success for the Chromatik team - all due to her.

That was just how sports worked.

---

EMIL LAZARZ

The previous day, Love Edlund and Kim Tae-Hee had made history by being the first Chromatik Artistic Gymnasts to participate in individual finals. Now, it was Emil Lazaraz's turn.

As the youngest of the Men's Team, Lazarz missed the Individual All-Around final by .233 points. He made it to the Vault Final by virtue of the difficulty of his vault - which meant that he had to turn it up a notch.

As the last one to make it to the Final, he went first, completing the best vault of his adult career, ending with a 15.233 that took the air out of the building. Two others beat him - dropping him to third - but he was in the mix.

His second vault wasn't as good, as he made a minor error; however, the 15.067 he scored would end up being the best of the top three, as he finished the competition with a score of 15.150 - making him the first Chromatik to ever win Gold in an Artistic Gymnastics event.

From the Men's Team making the Final to three Gymnasts making event finals to a Gold and a Bronze, Chromatik gymnastics had hit a new high.

---

PARK HYE-BIN

Heading into these Olympics, a sport where Chromatika had spent a lot of money in was Table Tennis. Sending six Korean Chromatiks, they were hoping for at least one medal.

Han Gyung-Jeon and Park Hye-Bin were the two to make it to the Semifinals; Han lost, while Park won. Facing Varvara Gamburyan of the North Oharan Valley Union, Park was simply outmatched in the first three games. She made a spirited comeback for the next two - using her knifing forehand - but Gamburyan caught on, and won the sixth set 13-11. Still, it was the highest finish in Chromatik history in Table Tennis.

Oh, and it helped that Han Gyung-Jeon won the Bronze Medal match.

Chromatika will have two more chances in the Men's and Women's Team events to truly leave their mark in Table Tennis.

---

LUCIE EHRLER

What does it mean to be a savant, a prodigy, a wonderkid in a sport?

Imagine you're nineteen. You've been wrestling at the high school level for four years, and since you've won the national title three years in a row, you decide to take up your Mother's advice and try out for the Olympics. You sweep through the competition, and win the final narrowly, 5-4, to make it.

Then, you overcome an early 0-2 deficit to win the first round, using some sharp counterattacks to the trick. You take a three-point lead in the Round of Sixteen and don't let go of the lead to make it to the Quarters, where you thoroughly dominate, never letting your opposition get a breath in as you stonewall them 7-0.

A tight match waits you in the Semifinals - but, by forcing the opponent to one more caution than you, you make it to the Gold Medal Match. The Gold Medal Match, in your first Olympics, when a half year ago, you were still wrestling in high school!

The Gold Medal Match lives up to its billing. You trade blows with your opponent, to the point where it's 3-3 with less than twenty seconds left; then, you do your bread and butter move, feinting a move with one leg before utilizing the other, and successfully pin your opponent for the final margin.

5-3. Olympic Champion.

At nineteen.

That's what it means to be a prodigy.

[Kelssek]

Water polo (W): Da Cunha Islands vs. Kelssek

“...Kelssek indeed keeping the pressure on. Evrard is with the ball up top. Vliegen has been held back on that drive and it’s going to be a powerplay!... Time-out for Kelssek! Ashton McCann was immediately to her feet and Kelssek has the chance to go for a winning goal with the score tied at 10 and 31 seconds left.”

“Crucial situation here, and this is their chance to take the lead and possibly win this game. When you think about how they were completely off colour the first quarter, went three goals down, and worked their way back to equalize at 8-8 at three quarter time. That’s what championship teams need to be capable of, it’s a big performance and test they’ve already come through here. They were determined to make it five wins here.”

“And it looks like Kelssek are going to set up with four players on the two-metre line as the game gets back under way. An extra player for 20 seconds...”

“Looking for the wing-to-wing pass, I think. They also want to use up a bit of the clock.”

“Nordstrom to Chaney... fakes a shot. Back to Nordstrom on the right wing. Nordstrom with the pass and that shot is back off the bar from Lafontaine!! Da Cunha nearly stole it back but Chaney was there to recover! Back down low... they’ve got a fresh shot clock and 6 seconds left on the extra-man... Nordstrom finds Everard who SCORES!! Kelssek take the lead with 12.4 seconds on the clock!!”

“...Da Cunha in desperation time now. Kelssek are pressing tight, they’re determined to stop Da Cunha even setting up on offence... there’s a wild shot by Alecqsándra Dçínović as time expires and that’s it! Kelssek comes out on top of a close contest and it’s 11-10 and five wins from five games in the group stages!”

---

Rowing

“That makes it bronze medals for both the men’s and women’s eights, it’s a great outcome that will really help the rowing community get a bit of a boost. But there’s no hiding from the disappointment they’ll be feeling not to have had more of a haul from this Olympic regatta. There’s a lot of work to do to figure out what they need to do better and where things have gone wrong...”

---

Swimming finals

“as Avril Bolduc in the women’s 50 metre freestyle – the splash and dash, they call it – wins the one gold medal for Kelssek in the pool today... and so your thoughts, as we wrap up what’s been a marvellous Games for Kelssek swimming?”

“You can’t complain with seven gold medals. You definitely can’t. This is a historic milestone and a brilliant result, and a lot of this from the younger talent. Three teenagers, Jared, Emily, Kayley among them, that’s a bright future ahead. I suppose there’s some scope for disappointment that we’ve only got one relay medal. Three fourth place finishes, if I’m remembering correctly. Which is still not bad, it does show we’ve got work to do because those relays are a test of the depth of a swimming program. I’m hoping that as these youngsters take up the torch next Olympics we’ll also be getting on the podium as much in the relays. We can’t expect seven gold medals every Games, but this really is looking like a great era for Kelssek swimming in the years ahead.”

[Krytenia]

Bridled glory as Morley retains title

All bow down to Amelia I, Queen of Horse. Despite having to change mounts a couple of months before the Games, with her eventing horse Mata Hari suffering a likely career-ending leg injury, Amelia Morley simply went "next steed up", retaining the gold medal she won four years ago.

Certainly, Morley was noticeable when she rocked up to Schimpol's Island Cricket Arena - the venue repurposed for dressage and showjumping for the Olympics. Her "emergency" horse, Matón Cervata, is unusual amongst thoroughbreds for being completely black. Whether this affected the judges or not (probably not, I don't think they're swayed by "ooh, cool looking horse" in that manner), the relatively unpolished pairing performed excellently in the dressage, second only to Kean rider Athina Olga Karpeti. Hopes of the team gold also being retained, though, were pretty much dashed before day one was over, with Catherine Oakes' collection of minor mistakes adding up to a fifty-sixth place finish at the end of the dressage.

Day two, as always, is the cross-country; always a stern test of skill and endurance for both rider and horse. As always, there are those who fall by the wayside - often literally. There's always that one rider who ends up on the blooper reel shown before the Closing Ceremony that gets dumped into the water by a horse going "absolutely not" - this year, that accolade goes to Bradford Ott of the Afanc Strait. Thankfully, only Ott's pride was hurt. Oakes and Paul Morrisey both made errors again, putting themselves and the team further out of contention, but Morley was not to be denied. Only a tiny time penalty blotted the copybook - crucially, though, it was a smaller one than Karpeti, whose lead was reduced to just 1.3 points going into the showjumping.

Round one of the jumps was relatively uneventful for Morley. Her 2.1 penalty points weren't ideal, but crucially, they were less than Darmen's Severin Leifson, which at least consolidated her silver medal position with only Karpeti to jump. All was going well for the Kean until the ninth fence; an awkward jump and a poor landing dislodged rider from mount, and both Karpeti and her medal hopes crashed to the ground. Thankfully, she got up under her own power, clearly winded and completely inconsolable as Morley found her self top of the standings. Could she keep it up in the second round?

Of course she could. Okay, so Matón Cervata lacks the pure jumping ability of Mata Hari, but only a tenth of a point was dropped, and with a two-point cushion, it was more than enough to secure gold for the Krytenian. Morley joins a select group of people who have gone back-to-back in the same event for Krytenia, and she's not done yet. The all-round horsewoman also competes in the dressage and showjumping events later in the Games, and will be looking to upgrade from a silver four years ago in the former.



Production down at the Medal Factory

The roar of the crowd. The scent of waxed pine. The squeak of rubber on wood. It can mean only one thing - the track cycling is upon us once more, and that means medals incoming for Krytenia...right?

Well, there's the thing. Three events got underway on the track in Orean today, and the words of the day were "underperforming Krytenians". It started well enough in the morning, with the women's sprint team breaking the Olympic record before the trio from Electrum took it from them mere minutes later. That left the track clear for the men to emulate them. Unfortunately, it just didn't seem to click for the trio of Dennis McCall, Benjamin Holmes, and Luis Navas, McCall's determined last lap not enough to save the Krytenians from elimination. Worse was to follow in the men's team pursuit, with James Siddow detached early, leaving the remaining three riders with too much to do to make it into the final eight.

That left the women's sprinters to fight for the medals. Emma Downes, Catherine Sanderson, and Juliette Bastogne performed well enough to defeat the trio from Diarcesian, but their time was a little off their best. The nature of the team sprint means there's no semi-finals, and if you don't win your heat in one of the two fastest times, that's your hope of gold gone without a fight. So it was that the Krytenians found themselves in the bronze medal race. Thankfully, though, they had few problems against the threesome from the Alezian Union, and Emma Downes steered the metaphorical ship home for a first track medal of the Games. Krytenia expects more, though, in the coming days.

Inspired to try cycling? 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.

[Crpostran]

[align=][/align]

---

[*]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 . A big shoutout to Lisander for the pictograms! Viva la Crpostran!

[Sjovenia]

Day 9 Recap

Welcome back to another great Olympic Day! Today we cover the highlights and recap the events of Day 9!

Lena Žagar places first in the Women's 800m Semi-finals with an impressive time of 1:57.08. She was followed closely by Virginia Thera of DRK who alos qualified in second place with a time of 1:57.75. Lena had this to say... "I couldn't have asked for a better result today! My dedication and training are paying off and Im excited to be able to continue forward not just for myself as an athlete but to inspire future athletes as well! I would like to thank my coach and friends and family who believed in me and pushed me to be the best that I can be!"

In Men's Boxing [Heavyweight], Ivo Stojkovič defeated Jax Fuimaono with a final score of 3-2. Ivo had this to say post performance...."As with all the athletes present, Jax is a formidable opponent. There is no better man to share a ring with. HIs fighting style is aggressive and yet he his humble...He will wear you out and trust me he did. I have nothing but love and respect for him and all the other fighters out here representing their nations on the world stage. It is an honor!"

In the Men's quarter Finals, Team Slaveška takes on Polkopia, securing a win with a final score of 4-1. The Men's Football Team will move forward to face Reginalida. Here is what the coach had to say during a press interview..."The boys have been playing really well! There was some slight issues with defence in the past but with good coaching we got them in the right head space. Polkopia played really well defensively but we were able to break through and get four goals. I would like to express my gratitude to the fans who have been supporting us here on the side lines but also the fans back home!"

[Britonisea]

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

---

Day 9

---

Britonisea improves in rowing ending the programme with three medals...

After a disappointing Games of the XVII Olympiad, the way that Rowing Britonisea has spent their money has changed - and success seems to be coming slowly but surely...

After the shocking details of Justin Coates' investigation found out that the organisation behind Rowing Britonisea was spending millions on lottery funds on personal reasons only for The BAS to threaten complete defunding unless they 'change their ways', it seems as though Britonish fortunes in the sport have improved. Despite being a nation by water, the country does not have an impressive medal haul in the sport. Prior to these Games, over the past nine Games, Team Britonisea had only won a grand total of three gold medals - that's less than the number of golds picked up by the rhythmic gymnastics team at least year's Olympic Games alone. Two of those medals, however, came only two Olympics ago at the XVI Games and while hopes were high going into the last Games, Britonisea fell short - leaving with only one. However, at these Games, a total of three means that these were the best Olympics that Rowing Britonisea has ever had and they believe that things can only get better from this moment.

GOLD - ROWING - Women's Eight
Roster: Olivia Gardens, Brianne Powell, Verna Tremble, Maj Edwards, Maxine Kinsley, Kaydence Roy, Ferne Allard, Sélène Gabriels, Lennox North (Cox)

At the Saintlake Regatta, neither the main team nor the Britonish B Team made it to the Women's Eight finals, though Britonisea clocked a time of 6:07.06 which, while it was a little bit of the pace for an Olympic race, was enough to show that the team had what it took to step it up a gear by the time they reached Liventia. Though, the likes of Polkopia, Ko-oren and Crpostran reached the finals there, with Crpostran taking the bronze. Fast forward weeks later and Crpostran finds themselves in another final, but this time Britonisea is there along with the likes of Hopal and Kelssek too. They had rowed much faster than they did in Saintlake, but the Britonish team were giving it more than their all, with a time less than the previous Olympic best set by Kelssek of 5:54.79. It is redemption for half of the team members who participated in other events but didn't get a medal - to walk away with gold - the first Britonish rowing gold in two Games is a blessing.

SILVER - ROWING - Men's Four
Roster: Henton Bloom, Jason Johnny, Thomas Sandberg, Prince Edwards

The men's four final was not really a close race. The four from Zenic were out fast and set a pace that the rest of those on the field could not catch up to. In reality, it was a pretty boring final in the way that once each boat set off, they had raced in the position they ended in for long periods of the race. It was three seconds between the Zenic four and the Britonish four, and another three seconds between them and the United Mandaran States. Regardless, having to race at a pace where you're uncatchable (to the other four boats) for six minutes, is a tall order and something that the Britonish men can be proud of. This medal marks the first time that the Britonish have won a medal in this event (in either gender).

BRONZE - ROWING - Women's Lightweight Double Sculls
Roster: Everly Wakefield and Océane Roche

When it comes to double sculls, the Brits know what they are doing. It is one of the events that they usually do well in even if they hardly win a medal in it. Both the men and the women teams qualified for the final, and the men missed out by coming fourth by about nine seconds in a race that was split in half. The women, spurred on by this and not wanting to do worse than the men, stayed close behind the Krytenian and Liventian boats in their event. While, by the time it hit the 6 minute mark the Britonish ladies were allowing the other two boats to drift away ahead of them, they had made up so much space between them and the Polkopians that bronze was assured. At Saintlake, there were two Britonish boats in the final with Wakefield/Roche winning the ticket to Liventian and they certainly proved why they were chosen.

While rowing is complete, we still have medal chances in the canoeing kayak-cross before we head to the canoeing sprints that will see the likes of Tion/Usnavi defend their Olympic title.

[Waisnor]

Two bronzes with a different taste

This day at the Olympics nabbed Waisnor another two medals, although not the gold ones for with nation strived for so long - two bronzes, actually. But even if one of them was nothing out of the ordinary, the other was akin to gold for Waisnorians:

This bronze in fact came from Victoria Pushchina in women's singles tournament in table tennis. As it has been already said, Pushchina already exceeded her expectation long time ago when she got into the quarterfinals. But Victoria had to push even further when she progressed into the semifinals, even if she would fall there to the eventual gold medalist Varvara Gamburyan of North Oharan Valley Union. Even then, Victoria still had the opportunity to deliver the ultimate shock and bring a medal to Waisnor by defeating Tatiana Lerchiundi from Tero al Disco in the bronze medal match. And this match began very fortunately for Victoria, who, managing to keep her emotions in check, delivered a very strong 1st match, winning it with the score of 11-7. The things didn't change dramatically in the 2nd match, because if even Tatiana nabbed herself one point more than in the 1st match, the victory was still for Victoria with the score of 11-8. After 2 won rounds, Waisnorian player was feeling pretty confident in herself, and that might have been her undoing in next 2 matches, since Lerciundi got her rhythm back and easily snatched 3rd and 4th matches with the score of, ironically, 11-7 and 11-8 respectively, giving Pushchina taste of her own medicine. And now, it was time for Victoria to fight back and regain her footing in the battle, which she began with winning the 5th match with the score of 11-8. Now, she was 1 match away from winning an unprecedented medal for Waisnor, and she knew that she better not slip this oppotunity up. And so, Victoria clinged to her winning ways towards the very end, when, after winning the 6th match with the score of 11-6, Victoria fell right on the table, screaming from joy, and then immediately running towards her coaching staff and fans to celebrate. And she definitely had something to celebrate. Before this Games, Waisnorian medal in table tennis seemed unthinkable, but look where Victoria Pushchina was now...

The second bronze medal of the today came from a more conventional sport for Waisnor, that being swimming, already getting Waisnor several medals at these Games, with the medalist in question being Lyudmila Korzun in women's 50m freestyle. Korzun is one of the fastest on the fastest distance in swimming out of Waisnorians, getting through qualifying stages of Waisnorian tournaments to Olympics with seemingly no big effort on her part. And since competitors from her own country seemed to not prove her a worthy competition, why not to try and butt heade with the best in the multiverse? And so, Lyudmila got her place at the Olympics. But there, going to the final itself was no easy quest. Well, heats were actually easy enough, landing her among the best times in them. It's the semifinals that proved tricky with her seemingly losing her energy very fast and dropping several positions. But even with that, her 8th place in the semifinals was enough to put her on the list of finalists, and with a day of relative rest, Lyudmila could now collect all her forces and perform to her fullest extent. And then, the day of the final came - at first, Korzun seemed to have a good start, immediately catapulting herself in top 3. The trouble was that she was the last in this 3, with Avril Bolduc of Kelssek and Irina Orlova of Polkopia ahead of her, and accounting for the length of the distance, ahead by far. Even if Lyudmila tried to speed up, she just couldn't reach these two swimmers, and when dust settled for everyone and the race was over, Lyudmila found herself at 3rd place with 24.01 seconds as a result. Even then, she was able to add a bronze medal to Waisnorian medal tally, 5th now for the nation.

Other Waisnorian results:
In men's 1500m semifinals in athletics, Alexey Volodko qualified to the final placing 3rd in his heat
Anton Govorov qualified to the semifinals in men's 110m hurdles via tiebreaker
In men's long jump, Alexander Slepchenko finished 26th in qualification
Andrey Grinevetsky placed 7th in men's hammer throw
In women's 400m hurdles, Ludmila Komarovskaya won her heat and qualified to the semifinals
Alexandra Trubetskaya qualified to the final in women's hammer throw, placing 11th in qualification
In boxing women's heavyweight, Marina Kalashnikova won her quarterfinal bout against Aisa Marong from Banija
In men's single sculls in rowing final B, Bogdan Barsukov placed 4th and 10th overall

Random Waisnorian tweets about Olympics: