Games of the XVIII Olympiad - roleplaying thread

[Diarcesia]

Diarcesian hopscotch enjoyers were ecstatic when they heard one of the sporting giants of the multiverse inaugurated their own federation. For something viewed as child's play, there are lots of nuances and quirks in the discipline that lend it as a legitimate sport. If sports climbing is part of the Olympics, why not hopscotch?

So thought Liam Striker, one of said climbers competing for Team Diarcesian, who failed to stand out in the crowd of sport climbers. But other than that, he is an avid hopscotch player. You wouldn't have guessed from his appearance, which is stereotypically masculine. People would not blame you if at first glance, he might consider hopscotch too serious for someone like him...

One could see his eyes sparkle when he saw the news of Magnus Phoenicia's Hopscotch Federation launch. It so happened that he has someone to talk to about it, a Magnus Phoenician he became fast friends with this Olympics. "I'm jealous. Someday I hope we have our own too. I'd join in a heartbeat and play this competitively. It's deceptively simple, yet very difficult to master," he told his new friend.

[Calgasia]

Home of the Calgasian sports

Water Polo's Flying Magyars into Semifinals! – Men’s Canoeists Advance to Semifinals

Click the video to revive the win of the K2 500

Water Polo QF: Kanmer 10 – Calgasia 14
Great news from the water polo pool in Liventia. The national team secured their place in the semifinals after a convincing 14-10 victory over Kanmer. Michal Schmuck’s squad put on their best performance of the Olympics so far, with a stellar defense led by captain Hans Steijn.
From the start, the Flying Magyars applied high defensive intensity and physical pressure that stifled the attacking efforts of their opponents. Notably, Steijn and Várhegy’s defense against Kanmer’s star players, Mihal Mensell and Uladzimir Kotalin, was exceptional.

“We knew we couldn’t leave any space for their players and had to block the central shots, where they are strong, and that’s what we did. We felt physically superior to them at all times. The semifinals are still ahead, we haven’t won anything yet, but I’m incredibly proud of my teammates; they’re giving it their all. Now we need to rest and regain our strength” said Steijn to CRF Sport after the match.

By halftime, the score was a clear 4-8 for the Flying Magyars. On offense, the Gyarmati-Kárpáty duo once again delighted Calgasian fans, scoring 7 goals between them for the Magyar Swimming Club. The team constantly attacked from the wings, knowing that this was where they could gain an advantage. In the final quarter, with the score at 7-12, the team slightly lowered the pace, focusing on managing their lead. Gyarmati netted 4 goals, Kárpáty added 3, Mayer and Nagy each scored twice, with Steijn, Várhegy, and Radmilovic adding one goal each.
“We’re confident, we feel good. The atmosphere is great, and I believe we have a shot at the semifinals. It will be the match of our lives, but I choose to believe” said Deszö Gyarmati after the match.

At the end of the match, a wave of joy swept through Calgasia, with numerous people, especially young fans and children, celebrating the Flying Magyars’ advance to the semifinals. A large banner was seen over the main building at Charles University of Melperk, with bold letters reading “FORWARD!” in German, Czech, and Hungarian.

Optimism for Flying Magyars is everywhere in Calgasia

The optimism in the streets is everywhere. The nation has erupted in celebration, with flags flying high and pictures of the players displayed everywhere. From the busy streets of Goldstadt to the quiet villages of the Aelleren region, Calgasians of all ages have united behind their team. The electric atmosphere in the country feels like a true celebration of national pride. "We feel their support, we will give our best to give the love back with a medal" said captain Hans Steijn

The Flying Magyars will face powerhouse Britonisea in the semifinals.

Mixed news for our canoeists
A major setback for our women’s team, as none managed to qualify, marking the end of their Olympic journey. “Obviously, we’re disappointed. We came here to learn and compete, not necessarily to win, but we did hope to at least advance through the qualifying rounds. Still, it has been a wonderful experience, and we hope many young girls have been inspired by watching us on TV or online” said a downcast Eszter Nagy after losing her C1 200m heat.

Now, let’s review the men’s results, where they made up for their teammates’ misfortune by advancing through all their qualifying rounds.

- C2 500m – The Wöber brothers finished first in their heat, qualifying directly for the semifinals. “Honestly, we didn’t expect to do so well in our heat, but we grew stronger as the race progressed. Very happy” said Franz Wöber.

- K2 500m – Excellent performance from Horváth and Hofer, finishing first in their heat and dominating the race from the start. “We knew that winning our heat would get us to the semis. We’re aiming for the final, so we’re taking it step by step,” commented Max Hofer.

- C1 1000m – Franz Wöber also qualified in the men’s 1000m event during the heats.

- K4 500m – After failing to qualify in the preliminary round, the K4 team secured their place in the semifinals by finishing first in the quarterfinals. “Phew, we were nervous at first. The preliminary round caught us off guard, but fortunately, we were able to focus and go all out in the quarters. We couldn’t afford to fail, but we pulled through. This has given us a big morale boost, and we’re ready for the semis” said an elated Tim Huffe, a member of the K4, after the race.

Speaking to CRF Sport, canoeing coach Phillip Kandl shared his thoughts: “I feel really sorry for our girls. Not managing to reach the semifinals hurts, and we’ll work on that once the games are over. We’ll reflect and analyze what went wrong so we can improve in the future and prevent this from happening again. That said, they’ve done a great job, and I’m proud of their efforts. There’s nothing to reproach them for.
As for the boys, I feel immense joy. Qualifying for the semifinals in all their heats is an incredible achievement. Now we’ll focus on recovering the athletes after this effort to ensure they’re in optimal condition for the semis. We have a solid plan that’s paying off. As for morale, they’re over the moon. They know they’re up against the best and need to deliver a flawless performance, but if anyone can do it, it’s this group. They’re a special bunch, these lads.”

Tomorrow, flag bearer Attila Horváth is expected to make his debut in the K1 1000m.

Follow all the action from Liventia at CRF Sport!

Images are AI generated

[Magnus Phoenicia]

The Glasshouse- Hamilton; Electrum

Magnus Phoenician News Corp media spotted Sports Minister, Cedric Wyatt and his Diarcesian counterpart Hypurgess Athletism, Ileana Nicolescu engaged in conversation prior to the Women's Light Flyweight Boxing match semi-finals which saw Magnus Phoenician Nancy Drzewiecki up against Diarcesian Masca Escobar.

The two officials clearly enjoyed the fast-paced intensity of the three three-minute boxing rounds. With both cheering for their own boxer.

During the brief one-minute rest breaks between each round, the atmosphere lightened as both government officials took the opportunity to engage in conversation.

Were both exchanging observations about the match or was something else being discussed?

There has been a recent spark of interest from Diarcesia in fielding a team for the Magnus Phoenicia Hopscotch League beginning in 2025. Or even a possible tri-tournament for the Hop to Victory Championships, that would see Diarcesia join Magnus Phoenicia and Annixe Christos, to see which nation has the best strategy and balance to hop to victory in this childhood game turned professional league.

Or, the chatter could be about another rumor circulating. Speculation is growing over whether Team Magnus Phoenicia and Team Diarcesian might be considering the formation of a unified team for the XIX Winter Olympic Games.
Such a move would mark a historic moment in both nations' sporting histories, potentially strengthening their chances of greater success, such a move could also symbolise greater cooperation between the two monarchies.

Here is a quick Pro’s and Con’s analysis.

Cons:

Magnus Phoenicia is no stranger to competing as part of a unified team. Their first experience came during the XII Winter Olympics, hosted in Prescott, Electrum, when they teamed up with the Theocracy of Annixe Christos. The match up was far from a disaster, as the combined team secured 19 medals, alongside a handful of demonstration event medals. However, Magnus Phoenicia contributed the bulk of the success, fielding a larger squad.

Among the Annixe Christonian athletes, Georgie Laidler stood out, winning a bronze medal in Skiing’s Nordic Combined Individual Large Hill event. Two other Annixe Christonians earned demonstration event medals in snowboarding, but the share of the team's achievements were credited to Magnus Phoenicia.

The XVI Winter Olympic Games, hosted by Liventia, marked one of the poorest showings for Magnus Phoenicia and its regional allies: Attancia, North Azarath, Delogie, Fluvannia, New Waldensia, NPC West Florida, Annixe Christos, and The Dodo Republic. Despite their collective efforts, the results fell well below expectations. Post Olympics reflections, had Magnus Phoenicia decide a united option may not be in their sporting futures.

The idea of a unified team was seen by the participating nations' governments as beneficial to promoting greater cooperation between these nations, not only a presence in sports but also strengthening cultural ties and improving foreign relations.

Pre-qualifications for athletes wishing to join the official delegation was brutal. Agreements were made that allocated each nation a specific number of entries to avoid unequal representation. However this affected performance as top athletes from more sports orientated nations of Magnus Phoenicia, New Waldensia and Fluvannia failed to qualify even though they performed better. This result showed a lower success rate at the Games which saw the unified team win only 11 medals.

Magnus Phoenicia: 3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze
New Waldensia: 3 silver, 2 bronze
NPC West Florida: 1 bronze

Magnus Phoenicia and New Waldensia were critical of the remaining delegation, with failing to perform to a high standard, not equally sharing of funding and unbalanced contributions.
Nations not winning a medal accusing those who did of undervaluing the rest of the team. While those medal winning nations clapped back with having to do all the work when several nations voiced a united Summer Olympics team for the next cycle, Magnus Phoenicia vehemently opposed any idea it would join such a united team.

A unified flag may cause some quarrels. Both nations have flags that strongly connect to their culture and history. Would a new flag encourage nationalist pride and unite to complete or create undue drama from diehard national loyalists on both sides?


Pro’s:

A unified team consisting of Magnus Phoenicia and Diarcesian would definitely benefit both teams.
Magnus Phoenicia has certainly been lacking when it comes to team sports, a hope of picking up a medal in ice hockey and curling may lie in a shared talent pool, taking the best athletes from both nations to create one better team.

Reducing the unified team to two nations also opens better opportunities for a nation's athletes to focus on their stronger events, knowing the partnership has their back in events they lack in.
Pre Olympic Qualifiers will also flow more easier as less nations to negotiate with on which athletes who meet the basic level of qualifying should progress.

The ability to share resources; Magnus Phoenicia and Diarcesia can hold joint training sessions, share training facilities, work with different coaches who don't offer experience and coaching expertise and most importantly assist each other with financial resources. Which will help reduce costs for both nations.

A unified team would offer financial benefits and incentives to official team partners and sponsors both before and during the Games through media.
A larger fan base would expose branding and products identified with the unified team
This increased visibility would lead to brand awareness and additional sales customers as loyal fans would be eager to support brands who support their team.
This would create a positive impact on sales and would assist the economies of both nations.

A unified team would also see improved foreign relations between both nations. Possible marriage alliances between both royal houses, strengthening political ties and economic cooperation that go far beyond the sporting world.

Whether Magnus Phoenicia and Diarcesia will unify for the next Winter Olympics remains speculative at this time. News Corp will keep eager sports fans updated as any developments unfold.

We just hope any form of a unified team was not spoiled by the recent Nancy Drzewiecki 5–0 Masca Escobar result, where Masca Escobar secured the bronze after three rounds.
Magnus Phoenicia now looks ahead to the gold medal match. Where win or lose she will walk away with a medal.

[Ko-oren]

Fencing
Foil: lightest and most flexible weapon; tip only, torso only; has a priority system.

Sabre: shortest and fairly heavy weapon; whole blade counts, torso and head; has a priority system. Generally the fastest discipline.

Épée: heaviest weapon; tip only, but touch isn't enough: pressure is needed; whole body counts; has no priority system. Both athletes can get points at the same time. Generally the slowest discipline.

Foil
Foil is the usual domain of Gauhiten, but never count out the three bronze medal winners of the previous Olympics, Aedel, Spenroot, and Aylesett. In the middle of that, Hmwidhen is looking for a breakthrough as well - the Amahne native has undergone spectacular improvement to end up in the group of contenders.

*  League Phase              Pld    W   L 
 1 Bernice Aylesett           15   14   1
 2 Eblu Aedel                 15   12   3
 3 Aossa Auhnelin             15   10   5
 4 Upek Gauhiten              15   10   5
 5 Romboud Steenregen         15   10   5
 6 Sujabu Wafusen             15   10   5
 7 Ehshihnak Luhwagun         15    8   7
 8 Aaron Hmwidhen             15    8   7
 9 Nancy Spenroot             15    7   8
10 Dick Berroot               15    6   9
   Malena Lahsehdhen          15    6   9
   Satsuo Dozaten             15    6   9
13 Bertram Helashejuten       15    6   9
14 Ehahhoru Zohdigun          15    4  11
15 Gohkes Thehnihgun          15    2  13
16 Jemima Dhetaten            15    1  14

Knockouts:
Bernice Aylesett (f) 14–15 Upek Gauhiten (m)
Eblu Aedel (f) 15–6 Aossa Auhnelin (f)

Upek Gauhiten (m) 15–11 Eblu Aedel (f)

The one name we didn't expect was Auhnelin's, and she was easily a few sizes too small for Aedel. We were treated to Aylesett versus Gauhiten in the other semifinal, where it was extremely close but Gauhiten's parrying earned him the extra points needed to win, continuously making sure that the priority was his. In the final, Gauhiten defeated another bronze medal winner to get the national title.

Sabre
More athletes from the Capitals appear here: Tenjanodin, the expected winner from Gehrenna, but also Eidikuhnnau from Mayara, and the only reason this wouldn't be the final is if they appear in the semifinal instead. Chances of them missing out are slim, with Geilouzhen, Aolgea, and Anos looking to complete the bracket.

*  League Phase               Pld    W   L 
 1 Sithuk Tenjanodin           15   12   3
 2 Tomoyuki Geilouzhen         15   12   3
 3 Dinune Eidikuhnnau          15   11   4
 4 Upton Gerrenseed            15   11   4
 5 Aodo Aolgea                 15   10   5
 6 Cynthia Readskill           15    9   6
 7 Aovore Anos                 15    9   6
 8 Aevea Aoefolin              15    8   7
 9 Rwi Krejuhithen             15    7   8
10 Bernlef Slotels             15    6   9
11 Gauthizas Moredhendin       15    5  10
   Welmoed Ganzenhaag          15    5  10
   Zhehfuth Ujuhzhudhen        15    5  10
14 Rudidwizeu Mikaden          15    4  11
15 Adele Kweoghin              15    4  11
16 Geertruida Zadelaar         15    2  13

Knockouts:
Sithuk Tenjanodin (m) 15–7 Upton Gerrenseed (m)
Tomoyuki Geilouzhen (m) 6–15 Dinune Eidikuhnnau (f)

Sithuk Tenjanodin (m) 15–12 Dinune Eidikuhnnau (f)

The relative unknown Gerrenseed qualifies in fourth place with an impressive eleven victories in the league stage, but he's quickly cast aside by Tenjanodin. The other semifinal has the establishment Eidikuhnnau versus a hopeful challenger in Geilouzhen, but the score betrays that on the day, the two favourites are ruthless in taking down the rest of the field. In the final, Tenjanodin confirms his status as the number one ranked sabre in the nation - though Eidikuhnnau makes it close.

Épée
In Épée, three athletes have been more than worth looking at: Monradhauten, Sauzharegaunten, and Shazenregaunau, all from the capitals. The trio have been upended by Namofan's arrival, who's more than ready to tell the old guard that the world is different now. Outside chances exist for Tohpodhen, Rangizhen, and maybe even Valkenheide, but if she's going to do something, it'll be one of the last showings.

*  League Phase                Pld    W   L 
 1 Helonu Sauzharegaunten       15   11   4
   Magdaleen Valkenheide        15   11   4
   Porthos Roussel              15   11   4
 4 Volakaek Namofan             15   11   4
 5 Senkichi Rangizhen           15   10   5
 6 Sithru Monradhauten          15   10   5
 7 Mufe Tohpodhen               15    9   6
 8 Dwoidu Weuden                15    8   7
 9 Emilien Deboe                15    7   8
10 Tarja Djumeden               15    7   8
11 Jolenta Ahjokuhden           15    6   9
12 Urinen Shazenregaunau        15    6   9
13 Mukheuk Niminau              15    5  10
14 Burdan Vilhuten              15    4  11
15 Rwi yFynlimac                15    2  13
16 Njameme Ljegoten             15    2  13

Knockouts:
Helonu Sauzharegaunten (f) 10–15 Volakaek Namofan (m)
Magdaleen Valkenheide (f) 15–13 Porthos Roussel (m)

Volakaek Namofan (m) 15–11 Magdaleen Valkenheide (f)

As if it has been scripted, Namofan first deals with one of the Capital three in the semifinal and then takes the crown from Valkenheide herself. In both knockouts, Namofan was aggressive and happily gave up a point if she'd also get one in the same movement. Over time, that added up with points she got herself, punishing Sauzharegaunten who was a little too defensive, and Valkenheide, who couldn't match the pace.

[Waisnor]

Another day, another bronze

This day finally broke the two day streak of Waisnor without any medals at these Olympics, finally bringing something to the medal table. Although the sight of another bronze wasn't the most appealing for Waisnorian fans, especially considering what could have been at stake. But still, besides it, Waisnor still has some results to flaunt:

The bronze in question was won, or should we say, lost, by Marina Kalashnikova in women's heavyweight in boxing. After her performance in the quarterfinal, Waisnorian fans expected her to go even further, especially since the medal was already guaranteed to her. But before any dreams about gold, Marina needed to face Aleta Boda from Sargossa. And she already proved herself as a tough opponent, if she were to be judged from her previous performances at the Olympics. Before the bout, Marina said that she could definitely handle her and her previously unmatched attacks, but soon enough these words turned into nothing, since Aleta was not letting go on her and was intent on quickly putting an end to the fight. Even if Kalashnikova tried to defend herself and counterattack, her usually strong punches weren't even registering with Boda, and she wasn't about the let the Waisnorian go scot free from these attacks. In the middle of the bout, a timeout from Waisnorian side was called, where Marina's coach tried to get into her head with new strategies to handle Aleta. But even if Kalashnikova did listen to her advice, it wasn't getting through Sargossan boxer. Aleta continued to deliver Marina a beatdown which she would definitely remember, even if she tried to forget it. In the end, when time came to decide the winner, it was a no-brainer: all 5 judges decided on Aleta and advanced her to the final to the battle for gold, while Kalashnikova was left eliminated. But thanks to boxing system at Olympics, even with the defeat she gained herself and Waisnor a bronze medal, now 6th for the country.

Going over to the handball stages, and there Waisnorian women's team, which already got herself the whole nation watching, was beginning their way in the play-off stages. After performing a rousing 3 match streak of victories, Waisnorian team positioned themselves pretty nicely in the quarterfinals, setting themselves up as a pretty unpredictable team. Although to perform to their fullest extent, Waisnorian handballers should not have forgotten that other teams could deliver a beatdown to them as well. And the quarterfinal match against Mytanija would be a good test of where Waisnorian team stands as of this moment. And as it turned out in the beginning, their footing was a pretty strong one. Waisnorian girls knew that it was better to take advantage from the very beginning, and quickly did so, easily rounding up themselves a handful of shots at the goal of Mytanija and got a pretty comfortable lead in the game. Now it was the matter of preserving it, and in this regard, unlike in some of their other matches, Waisnorians knew what to do. And now, the defending part of the team really came into play, blocking the shots from Mytanija any which way they can and keep their goal relatively safe. With that, and with some pretty successful counterattacks if Mytanija did score against them, the gap of Waisnorian team was still as safe as it was in the beginning. Even when in the end of the game Mytanija launched a pretty hard counterattack against Waisnor, the defending line was able to hold on until the end of the game, which signaled Waisnor qualifying to the semifinal with the score of 32-26.

Other Waisnorian results:
Victoria Kakhovskaya qualified to the next round in diving's women's 3m springboard preliminaries, placing 14th
In women's C-1 200m in canoe sprint, Larisa Danilkova placed 6th in her heat and then 5th in her quarterfinal
So far in men's kiteboard in sailing, Mikhail Pugach is 24th
In men's 200m semifinals in athletics, Artur Erokhov places 5th in his semifinal
Anton Govorov places 4th in his semifinal in men's 110m hurdles
In another of Govorov's competitions, men's 400m hurdles, he was also eliminated, placing 3rd in his semifinal
Inna Streshneva finished last in her heat in women's 100m hurdles heats
In women's javelin throw, Daria Zhuravleva wins the qualification
Semyon Yukovsky reaches second round in men's 125kg freestyle wrestling, where he lost to Marc Maltesors of Kriegiersien

Random Waisnorian tweets about Olympics:

[Crpostran]

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[*]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!

[North Oharan Valley Union]

Timestamp: 27 September 2024 - 16h04
Tags: Games of the XVIII Olympiad, Mission Olympica

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Conall Cuts to the Chase
Gledeiradh’s Conall Moynihan takes silver with tactical masterclass

When the fifteen participants to the steeplechase took their positions, the handful of Oharese in the stands hoped to see a positive signal from the men’s delegation. Up to that point, only Levan Iosava had managed to get them on the benches when he ran a very controlled heat in the five kilometers to come home in third. The elegant 32-year old had the power left in the final laps to push forward and looked towards the final with great anticipation. In what will be his final track race, as he aims to convert to the marathon, he hopes to be in the mix for the podium. In the first 5km heat, Artem Sydorenko showed to be well recovered from his heat stroke in the preliminaries but he could not pack that final punch and crossed the line far outside the top eight.

He joined a larger group of eliminated athletes: Hovhannisyan had a clean first attempt in the triple jump with 16.97 but could not improve on that in his next two jumps. The required 17.10, let alone an improvement of his brand new national record, remained out of reach but the 26-year old geography teacher still left satisfied. That could not be said about Arkadij Horbatchuk who already struggled at 2.12 and ultimately failed on the next height: he had peaked in the preliminaries but disappointed now. In the 800m, Tymchuk made a decent effort but he started his final sprint too soon. Nais, Pritchard and Li eclipsed him before sending him to the repechage. And then there were the semifinals in the 200m where neither MacGrath nor Mamaladze proved up for the task. The broad shouldered Gledeiradhi started well but fell completely flat in the last fifty. Paddy MacGrath could not find a cause, something Mamaladze managed to do. The Mteborian Olympic sensation blamed tiredness after combining three events, something that manifested itself later in the evening as well as he finished last in a blistering fast 400m final that saw four competitors obliterate the Olympic record.

A tired Ilia Mamaladze only gets one rest day ahead of the relay event.

All those worries were quickly washed away when Conall Moynihan stepped up the plate. The runner from Almacorkey is known as a solid but modest athlete, who rather avoids the journalists and focuses on performing: far more widespread than his oneliners are the amount of kilometers he runs in training, a number that even his biggest domestic rival Frode Asker calls ‘a sign of insanity’. But Moynihan proved before that he knows his body best and confirmed that in the tournament so far: second in his heat and his semifinal, he kept true to a tactic that sounds far more easy than it is. Just follow the trail of the first runner. Moynihan, known more for his character than his elegant running style, completed the task in style and arrived at the starting line of the final with limited ambitions.

That did not mean he would not take off without a plan. As many athletes desired a fast pace, he let them quarrel at the front and hung by the back. He even seemed to let go for a second as halfway through, the group had improved on the previous Olympic record by nearly five seconds. But the pace also had its victims: Putra, who did much of the pace setting, had to abandon, and when the last four hundred approached, everyone seemed to be at the limit already. Everyone except for the Libesians who raised the tempo even further, first through Wanyoike and in the final turn his compatriot Nabil Gafsi took over. Chromatika’s Tijselink remained stuck in his slipstream but from the outside, Moynihan suddenly appeared. He had focused on overtaking anyone who had to let go, which proved to be useful if only five more runners remain. Wanyoike paid for his effort and on the outside, he also got past Septiana and Tijselink. It was a jump for the line and the first few seconds, there was the hope that he had even pipped Gafsi on the line but the finish photo confirmed the silver medal.

A surprising silver for Conall Moynihan in a fast-paced race.

A medal won rather than a gold lost, Moynihan confirmed. “At this Olympic record pace, it is crucial to run as fast as you can, not as fast as someone else can. In the middle portion I felt that some guys would crack and that gave me the strength to focus on the hurdles and avoid falling back. To be able to reach that podium means the world to me. Everyone prefers gold but if I see the stars who come home without medal… I take silver.” With his remarkable technique, clearing the jumps with both legs at the same time, Moynihan turned a few heads. “It is something I have been doing as far as I can remember. It works for me.” As every member of the journalistic guild has been doing these days, the usually soft spoken Moynihan was asked about the ‘Kapoian Incident’ and he had clearly spent some time during training to think it through. “I am not that close to Maral but I know that she started her protest in the knowledge that she would get a shitstorm. She’s a strong one, she can handle it. But the way people are now hounding our whole delegation just to score some political points at the expense of others… It is disgusting. Our 4x100m team has to perform tomorrow but they get in the middle of this mud slinging. Far more than the opinions on both sides, I learn a lot about the way people are bringing their point. From a moral basis or just to get attention.”

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Three to watch today

Julia Pakradouni * Canoeing * After a rather disappointing day at Lake Motson, which saw both the highly anticipated K-4 and a frustrated Sopio Kvernadze (who blamed algae on her paddle for missing the required victory in the quarters), all eyes turn to Julia Pakradouni. With her surprise victory in the Saintland Regatta, the 26-year old medical assistant from Luyhatsak immediately placed herself in the small circle of potential medal winners. And she quickly became a star among the fans with her vibrant presence on social media: these last ten days, she made a lot of vlogs from the Schimpol University to hype everyone for her events. The boomerang in which she uses her paddle on a high jump course while athlete Melkonyan tries to row with his pole vault became a viral hit. But all jolliness aside, Pakradouni came to Schimpol to perform. In the K-2, she and Talar Pogosian twice posted a decent time but in the final meter, they missed the punch to win a spot for the next round. In the solo event, the expectation is that today is a warm-up for the semi finals but with Kvernadze and the K-4 falling short, it became clear that there are no assurances. She even explained that these will be the ‘harder’ races, from a mental point of view: Pakradouni prefers to sit in the middle of the pack till 300m before putting all cards on the table. As a social media personality, she of course was quizzed as well about the Kapoian situation and offered a clear point of view: “You can debate whether the Olympics offer room for politics. But what Maral protested for has nothing to do with politics but with human rights. I am not even going into the vile follow-up #StandByLarisa”

Zoya Litvinenko * Track Cycling * Can the Oharese bounce back after an abysmal day at the track. Things started averagely for Raits Krancis with a modest tenth spot in the scratch. The Strauzeme powerhouse had hoped for more but did realize that his worst element of the four lay behind him. The hunger with which he started the tempo race quickly died down when he touched wheels with Lugasa and flew over his handlebars. The Banijan could continue but Krancis, who had nasty wounds on his right side from the wooden track, had to abandon this element. He tried to return in the elimination race but was easily boxed in at the fifth elimination sprint. With the pain manifesting itself and his chances at medals evaporating, Krancis quickly abandoned the final race. Fighting against the tears, he hoped to be better again for the madison. To make the day worse, our second Oharese Litvinenko could not excel in the keirin. Our twenty-year old talent attempted the same tactical ploy of last time: starting near the back to wait for a move forward in the second-to-last round. As four of the six racers progressed, it seemed easy enough but the pace was higher than yesterday. In a desperate attempt to move up, she touched shoulders twice with Krytenian Sanderson before hindering Eira Alaxor from the Afanc Strait on the inside. Fourth, but a complaint was filed and accepted. According to a furious Pauls Rukaitis, cycling federation representative for the track, it was ‘a typical decision taken against a rider from a smaller country’ but the blind could see that it was a miracle that Alaxor nor Sanderson crashed on a bike without breaks. Litvinenko herself was rather disappointed and vowed to prove the doubters wrong in her second competition, the sprint.

Katie Darchidze * Sports Climbing * So far, it did disappear a little under the athletics highlights and controversy, but our sports climbing quartet did an impeccable job so far as all four participants in the boulder and lead category managed to qualify for the final, lifting our number of top-eight performances to the coveted twenty. Even the speed climbing duo got inspired, both surviving the opening round even if their specialization is newer and less widespread in the Valley Union. Still, all eyes will be on Katie Darchidze as she competes as one of the two top favorites in the B&L, together with Kalosian Kastor, the only one to top all four problems in the semis. Darchidze, who has a wide experience as an outdoor climber, showed her qualities: excellent analysis skills and the capacity to use her time well. Darchidze rarely stops before the time ends but can keep on going again and again to search for an alternative. The 28-year old star tried to downplay her chances but could not hide her ambition. “Everyone in this final can be a winner so it will really depend on the specific problems given: some days they just don’t suit your skills and then your toast. Look at Carballo, who triumphed in the elimination but fell out in the semis. But,” she added, “so far the walls at Harley Square worked to our advantage, so we hope for more of the same.” It is not accidental that Darchidze uses the plural: Anais Babajanian has been consistent as well and can be seen as a candidate for the medals along with last year’s bronze Arnal, lead specialist Kumazawa and home climber Lucile Olivier.

Pictures - AI - ignore

[United Mandaran States]

Home > Sports > Olympics

Day 12 and Sixteen Medals, Can the Athletes Pull Through?
27th September 2028

Hamilton & Schimpol (AMP) - Another slow day for UMS delegation as the athletes were only able to win a medal today. A silver was received in Women's Dinghy. Despite finished the medal race at 9th, it was enough for Eka Erisanthi to secure the silver medal. While several upsets happen such as the Artistic swimming team who only placed 7th and Lukas Pramudya who finished 6th in Men's Omnium. On the other hand, Canoeing contingent are success to place some of their athletes in the semifinals such as Yudha Aryawan, Ayu Weda Ningsih and the men's and women's K-4 teams. And don't forget Wayan Rangga and Putu Dewi Ginanti who leads the sailing Mixed Multihull event with 3 races left before the medal race.

Back in Hamilton, more upsets happen. 4 upsets happened in Athletics. First was Julian Karsidi who stuck in the middle, racing head-to-head with Erick Romero. Then Wayan Eka Septiana who was 0.65 seconds behind the bronze medalist of men's 3,000 steeplechase while his teammate, Raka Jayadi Putra failed to finish the race. He was stumbled mid race and injured his right foot. In men's discus throw, Kompyang Raka Ardana was only able to throw as far as 67.97 meters which only make him place 10th. That result however was his personal best in the Olympic surpassing his qualifying result of 66.52 meters. And the fifth upsets happened in Gymnastics as Wahyu Mahayana failed to replicate his best performance at the last edition. He only finished 9th out of 10 gymnasts.

Kristina Amalia, the Chief de Mission, said that many factors affected the results of the athletes. Huge pressure, intense rivalry and stage fright are some of them. She mentioned how some sports only focus on one person to win a medal, like judo with Duwanisarga Marabansa or Boxing with Jandiyuha Targaroha. When the most hope person failed to achieve the contingent target, it affected the performance of the whole team. "I think this will be our most evaluation for the future. We have to push for the sports associations to develop their athletes further so they can be ready to compete in international competition," she commented. Amalia also pointed out about regeneration. This in line with the failure made by Surfing contingent who's after their senior athlete retire, no one is covering the sports. And they were going home with empty hand. Aside from Surfing, 3 other sports fail to replicate their medal success. They are Weightlifting, Judo and Taekwondo. And with the women's team losing today at the quarterfinal, Table Tennis also failed to defend their medal.

With the time getting nearer and the delegation currently received half of their medal target. Would the target still be a realistic? Ask during an interview after the Canoeing events, Kristin Amalia who watch the events said that despite it might be not relevant anymore, she still hopes the athletes can perform at their best. "We might be aiming for 20 or 25 medals obstacle first before seeing if the target is realistic or not. We are at 16 medals now and aiming for 20 medals," she commented.

In the interview, she also mentioned that the country still has chances in Athletics and Canoeing to add their medal count. Currently, Athletics contingent have collected 2 medals. Both were gold and both broke the Olympics Record. While Canoeing collected 1 medal from the slalom with the sprint events are still ongoing. Other possible medals including in Sailing where Wayan Rangga and Putu Dewi Ginanti are the most possible medal contenders. Then we have Gymnastics rhythmic with the men's team competing for the final round. The sport climbing speed events, where previously Duwaniyuha Kasamoha won bronze in men's speed category. The hopeful medal contender. And lastly, Diving might come in handy with possible medal in the few last events.

All in all, the officials hope that the athletes do their best in the last days of the Olympics.

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Related News

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All 3 men's triple jump advance to final
27th September 2028
It was a rare occasion for the delegation where all of its participants advance to the final round in the athletics event. And it was happening today where all 3 of the country's triple jumper advance to final. Kevin Mulyanto surprise everyone with a 17.40 jump in his first attempt. It was later become his best results out of the three attempts. The second jumper is Edi Subandi. He also achieved his best result in his first attempt with a failed third attempt after he was falsely doing the triple jumping before the last jump. And the third is Lukman Trisman. He starts his first attempts hastily that he failed to jump correctly which makes his first attempt didn't count. He did a good jump in the second attempt although still below the qualification bar. It was still better than his teammates second attempts' results. In the third attempt he manages to perfected his jump and landed further than his second attempt. Passing the qualification bar, he is also advance to final round.

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Table tennis medal hope lost after the women's team defeated at quarterfinal
27th September 2028
Despite quite popular amongst the suburban population, table tennis doesn't have a good representative in the Summer Olympics. Toluiwa break the norm by winning a medal in the sports in the last Olympics edition. And the athletes hope to replicate their success this edition. It was reflected in the sports association's target of 1 medal. In the course of the event, the hope came in the women's single as Fitria Yahya continued to advance further and further. However, her dream was crushed by Victorina Pushchina of Waisnor in the quarterfinal. And the hope builds up again with the success of the women's team advancing until their campaign were also stop in the quarterfinal. This time, they were being defeated by the Quebecois women's team. With the result, the contingent missed their medal target.

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Soramila Ugurdanti shines in the first round of women's individual golf event
27th September 2028
In the first round of women's individual golf event, Soramila Ugurdanti success to score 3 under par which is the best result between her teammates. The result put her on 8th place overall. Her best hole was Hole 6 where she success to score an eagle. It was a great comeback after a triple bogey that she received on Hole 5. She then managed to maintain her performance until the 18th hole and booked a total 69 strokes. While her teammate, Gina Widyaputri only able to collect 77 total strokes.

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[Da Cunha]

P: "Good evening everyone, we have another special guest tonight, which hopefully will make up for the fact that Innozénza has unfortunately caught a stomach bug and won't be here tonight. With me tonight, as you can see,"

She points to the woman next to her, a thin, tall woman with a military buzz cut and sharp gray eyes.

P: "is Omúcqia Bázdulh, fresh off of a silver medal winning performance in the women's doubles yesterday. Omúcqia, thank you for coming.

O: "Thanks for having me," she says in a surprisingly high-pitched, airy voice.

P: "So, I... Want to say congratulations on the silver medal, but at the same time, commiserations for the close finals loss. Does... Have you had time to digest it?"

O: "It... Stings, yeah, when you lose the last game, but... They way I see it, there was only one doubles pair that could beat us, and we made it very close. It wasn't as if we got blown out. So yes, I think by the time we got to the ceremony, I was happy to get that silver medal around my neck."

P: "You mention the final, and obviously, You're up against tough opposition with Ishaqina and Hasan from the Alezian Union, and you take them pretty far. Is there anything, looking back, that was key in that game in determining the result of the final?"

O: "I... Well, I mean, badminton as a team game is a lot about trust and communication. And on that front, me and Presenánda have played together for a decade, so we now what the other is going to do, so on our side of the net, we didn't do anything wrong. You know, sometimes, you're just the second-best on the day. On another day, we could have beaten them. Not yesterday. Full credit to them."

P: "So there's no single point?"

O: "That's for some actual hard analysis when we get back home. I mean, you can always go 'If I had stretched a bit further there, maybe we could've returned that', but returning is no promise of a point. A bad return is sometimes just prolonging the inevitable, so I can't really answer that right now. Certainly not on my own."

P: "No, I guess that makes sense. You're known for being very analytical about your badminton, of course. How has that helped you get to where you are today?"

O: "Oh, tremendously. It's... If you know how your opponent plays and which parts of your arsenal best counters that, you've halfway won the game already. It's like... You ever seen 'Moneyball'?"

P: "Uh... Yes..?"

O: "Well, you shouldn't take lessons from it. Bad movie. But the analysis of it is kinda getting somewhere in that you need to spot the best and worst parts of a whole and construct your game based on that. Is it a taller opponent? What is their reach? Do they have a bad side for their returns? How did the like to serve? Can they be annoyed into making mistakes? All of that is very crucial, and being analytical is key to gathering all that up into a comprehensive plan.

Of course, sometimes you do get opponents with no weak point, and then you just gotta go out there and give it your all and hope they've not spotted anything on you."

P: "I can see you care a lot about this."

O: "If I were in Moneyball, I'd have blown those silly video boys out of the water."

P: "Did they use video in Moneyball? I only saw it once, I can't remember."

O: "I dunno. Never saw it. My favourite movie is Hoodwinked."

P: "...Right. Does that... Does that influence your badminton?"

[Chromatika]

KEY MOMENTS FROM THE XVIII OLYMPIAD
Days 11-12

PAUL GAUL

When you face an opponent that's set records, it influences the match in a variety of ways. If you let it get to your head, it can intimidate you into submission before you even begin. However, if you use it as motivation, it can fuel you to be more than you ever were in the past. Paul Gaul and the three other athletes that made up the Men's Team Pursuit squad for Chromatika knew this heading into the Men's Team Pursuit final against The Kytler Peninsulae. The Kytlerans had set an Olympic Record in the seeding round, and now, the two were going to square off for the Gold Medal.

"Hang onto them early, and pull away late," reminded their Coach, Miles Morley, before they hit the track, "If you catch the right timing, you'll get ahead of them before they know what's going on, and that'll take care of that."

They carried the plan to perfection. For the first half of the race, they kept pace - and then, as promised, the four of them really picked up the pace, finishing more than 2.5 seconds ahead of the Kytlerans for the Gold Medal. Their time, 3:43.038, may not have been a National Best nor an Olympic Record, but it had been the exact time needed to win the Gold.

All according to plan.

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ALEKSI SALO

Recovery. The ability to turn things around after things haven't gone your way, especially in the cruel world of sports. In Beach Volleyball, all that mattered was who won two sets, not whether you lost the first set or not.

Aleksi Salo saw his efforts dashed by Linton Marchesi and Max Cole of Tema Diarcesian in the first set, 18-21. However, Siert Levie and he had bigger plans than to lose in the Round of Sixteen.

Noticing a tendency for the Diarcesians to lean left, the Chromatik duo recovered - and followed it up by leaving nothing to doubt as they dominated the third set, 15-8.

"It can take a while for us to get going," admitted Salo, "But once we get going with our game, it won't be easy to beat us."

The going will only get harder from here - but if Salo and Levie can continue to adjust as fast as they have so far, there's no reason why they can't win a medal.

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MICHELLE ETOILE

It was always bittersweet to face your own countrymen at the Olympics, especially when you weren't playing for a Medal.

In the case of the Chromatik Women's Beach Volleyball duos of Michelle Etoile/Charisma Lariott and Harley Evins/Riley Slavins, it was even worse. The four women trained together all year long, going to different beaches throughout Anaia and the world at large to tune up their game. At the moment, the more experienced Etoile and Lariott were better, but they always joked that the mantle would pass to Evins/Slavins sooner rather than later.

That would not be today. A 21-12, 21-9 domination saw Etoile and Lariott through to the next round at the expense of their countrywomen - though it must be acknowledged that not many saw Evins and Slavins making the knockout rounds at all.

"It's always a shame to have to knock off your teammates," stated Etoile ruefully, "We'll play with even more urgency now that we know that we're playing for them, as well."

It remains a very stacked field in Women's Beach Volleyball - and part of it is because Etoile and Lariott are still playing.

[A Kea]

Olympic Nights

by KTV

Α: Another Olympic day, more Kean success. First of all, Mariantha Hatzistavros brought Kean diving a 3rd medal in these games, placing 2nd in women's 10m platform.

T: Second medal in the same games, you've never even made it to an individual final before, did the duet silver help you mentally?
M: Obviously, it's one thing competing after disappointment and another competing after such success. It was my best performance ever and for good reason. These games have been historic for Kean diving, from 0 medals in the past three games to three now, and Yiannis Pavlakos will compete in the 3m final tomorrow so hopefully it'll get up to four.
T: You surpassed our expectations and made us all proud. What's the next step?
M: First some good lengthy vacations, and then hopefully more training for next year, and hopefully with the funding our committee will be able to send more athletes, just because it's just the 4 of us here, doesn't mean A Kea lacks talented people, you'll see more of diving next time.

I: 3/3 so far in diving, with everyone achieving medals, and hopefully Pavlakos will make it a perfect score tomorrow, unprecedented success regardless. Back in Electrum, wrestling brought us more success as last year's bronze medalist, George Takmenides, managed to upgrade his medal all the way to gold, a new milestone for Kean wrestling and an amazing performance by our medalist.

M: You lost the semifinal last year, now you just won everything. How was this experience compared to your debut last year?
G: I'm more mature now, last year was the Kean debut in wrestling so we came here without many expectations, now things are different. We spent the whole year training hard and scouting new team members to be stronger, coming from a surprising bronze I was more determined than ever to get back on the podium and well, thankfully all went well.
M: Can you tell us about the drama that almost cost you participation?
G: Well, when the Kean Olympic Committee submitted the athletes they left out the wrestlers, they never even contacted the Wrestling Committee to give them the athletes' list. It was on them and we almost missed the opportunity to compete here because of their mistake. Thankfully the wrestling committee fought back and didn't sit and accept the situation. It almost went to court but the Kean Committee resubmitted the list with our names a few days before the games began. It was a close call, and honestly if they forget us again after this gold I don't know if I'll even want to compete. It was disrespectful to omit an entire sport like that.
T: Eveerything went well in the end though, you improved your already impressive result of the previous games and made us all proud.

A: Well, this wasn't the only gold we received. Nefeli Jinorou has finally made her dream of an Olympic medal reality, after winning gold in pole vault, a first for A Kea in this event.

K: It was bound to happen, congratulations Nefeli. In your 3rd consecutive final, you've finally achieved this extremely deserved gold. How do you feel?
N: I don't even know how to express it, I've been working so hard for this, especially in the past 3 years. After getting 4th and narrowly missing out in Prescott I was determined to do it last year. Not clearing any height in the final broke me, I was so prepared and yet failed to perform. That's why I came here with less expectations, I wanted to outdo myself, not the others. I don't know how it worked. Coming here I had no expectations of winnign and yet here I am. I have to thank my committee, my fellow athletes, my sponsors, everyone that helped make this possible.

I: The final medal of the day came from Jason Gryffin Fields, the popular skateboarder has finally broken his Olympic curse, placing 3rd in the mens park final and bringing us our first skateboard medal in our Olympic history.

M: It was long overdue wasn't it? Congratulations Jason, you've been a big medal hopeful since our debut 4 years ago and now you've finally achieved what you came here for.
J: Yes, the curse is freaking broken after all this time. I'm very happy to place 3rd and get a medal. I've been striving for this for a while now, and to finally do it on home soil, since I'm Electrum born and raised, is even more special. My Olympic debut was here, when my dreams first got crashed, just 4 years ago, and now 3 games later after constantly improving my result it's finally happened.
M: So, two eliminations in the semifinal, a 6th place, a 3rd place, what comes next?
J:Gold hopefully? As long as the curse doesn't return that is. Evrything is going better and better every year though so we can keep our fingers crossed. Anyway let's focus on now and celebrate, I'm over the moon to finally have this medal in my hands.

A: A great success for the Kean delegation as now we're at 19 medals, 20 with Mihalis Sanatas' guaranteed one in boxing, making it our best performance by quite a margin.
I: Our athletes have been outdoing themselves constantly and you surely don't wanna miss another thrilling day of sports so tune in for the events tomorrow, including Mihalis' boxing semifinal.
A: And obviously yet another Olympic Nights coming after all the action.

[Libesia]

Expected competitors on Day 13:

Prinz Quoi, men’s 200 m final
Georg Umoja, men’s 800 m repêchage
Abdou Kambaye, men’s 110 m hurdles final
Elsa Wakeyo, women’s 1,500 m semi-finals
Valentine Lajoie, women’s 100 m hurdles repêchage
Bosede Olowosulu, women’s long jump final
Jasmin Meissner and Hannah Kogler, women’s golf day 2

Aaliyah “Aaliyah” Abdessalam, B-girls pre-qualifier rounds
Achraf Qureshi, men’s modern pentathlon final
Julian Huber, men’s speed sport climbing qualification

Steeplechase gold overshadows Meissner’s hole-in-one

Ordinarily, netting a hole-in-one would be an historic moment in a golf tournament. Recording a hole-in-one on a par four, for an albatross, the kind of achievement that’s worthy of a special feature. But at the Red Sands Country Club in Hamilton, where holes-in-one have been bizarrely common, it barely raised on eyebrow. When Jasmin Meissner’s tee shot dribbled into the hole at the 6th, she could do little more than raise a polite smile: after all, she wasn’t even the first person to make a one-shot at the hole that day. “It does make it a little less special,” Meissner admitted. The tee positions and manicured greens will be under scrutiny, but course scoring will also be questioned. But for now, with everyone playing under the same par, Meissner has notched an achievement no one can take away from her. She finished 4 under, three shots off the lead of Erika Haram (who also notched a hole-in-one at the sixth!), and came into the clubhouse strongly with birdies on each of the last four holes. “It’s difficult to say where I stand right now, the course has played crazy uneven day to day,” said Meissner. “But I’m hopeful that if I find the fairway a little more regularly tomorrow, then I know my short game can carry me through.”

Meissner and teammate Hannah Kogler (+1) enjoyed good days on the course but attracted little attention from Libesians. Golf is not a popular sport in Libesia for any but the white minority, and most clubs carry uncomfortable memories of colonialism. But also, because other events drew more eyeballs. Nabil Gafsi and Simon Wanyoike showed a rare moment of Watoto-Ihlathi cooperation, working together to pace a fast, very fast, 3,000 m steeplechase final. When Wanyoike’s work was done Gafsi pulled away and ran in for an Olympic record, becoming in the process the first Libesian man to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics. The history making picture of him crossing the line arms spread before falling in the sujūd, with Wanyoike – who despite finishing 4th beamed in celebration – will make the cover of every newspaper in the country this morning.

Separately, reports linked an address in Onikoto, the district of Ouwarongo notorious for its proliferation of internet cafes where cyber crimes such as romance fraud and advance-fee fraud are conducted, to a bot that briefly crashed the Olympic website. While initially attributed to notorious cyber criminal General Error, further research indicated the bot activity originated in Onikoto and consisted of repeated posting of

༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ SLAVO-BALTIA TAKE MY ENERGY ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

by bot accounts, during the penalty shootout involving Drawkland in the men’s semi-finals.

[Britonisea]

Jordan Lacoste reportedly "CRIED LIKE A BABY" when he lost his Olympic titles in Rhythmic Gymnastics...

Breaking News: Jordan Lacoste did not qualify for either the men's solo rhythmic gymnastics or the team rhythmic gymnastics meaning he has lost both of his titles and the man from Eaux City will leave Electrum with nothing...

In a SHOCKING turn of events, one of the biggest medal hopes for Britonisea at the Games of the XVIII Olympiad will leave Electrum without a medal after failing to qualify for both the Men's Team Rhythmic Gymnastics and the Men's Individual Rhyhtmic Gymnastics. At the last Olympics, Jordan Lacoste became the first person (alongside Ria Preston) to win two gold medals at the same games for Team Britonisea. Jordan wanted to become one of the first Britons to win three gold medals at the Olympics (alongside William Johnson in badminton) but he was not able to do that as he not only didn't qualify in the individual event but his team failed to make it through that as well in one of the biggest FLOPS of the Games so far. In the men's individual event, his ribbon and ball routines scored very highly amongst the field - but his hoop routine did not seem to impress the judges with Lacoste scoring one of the WORST totals in the qualification. He missed out on qualification in the end by a MEASLEY .200 while unknown gymnast, Walerian Ritwan from Kanmer made it in, instead. Ritwan ended up getting the bronze while Lacoste waited for the team event to see whether he could qualify there. After Théotime Abbott's MINDBLOWING...ly bad performance in the final of the men's individual event, things were not looking good for Team Britonisea and in the qualification, despite there only being 14 nations - somehow Britonisea could not qualify to the final despite being reigning Olympic Champions. Countries like The Da Cuhna Islands, Crpostran(?) and even Electrum, I know right, somehow qualified.

OVERWHELMED with emotions of failure, Jordan Lacoste broke down LIVE on BVC's excellent coverage of the Olympic Games - "I have let myself down because I really thought I was going to win here in Electrum but no. Maybe I was too complacent. I was only .200 from qualification and I think that really got into my head and I let the rest of my team down. I am so disappointed... *sniffles*". Hilariously Heartbreakingly, the camera operator and commentator decided to focus on Lacoste, offering the viewers a close up of his face as tears started to stream down his face in an EXTREMELY awkward interview. About 30 seconds into Lacoste breaking down, the commentator offered a hand on his chiselled shoulders before he continued, "I really hope I haven't let too many people down - I need to go away, have some time off and come back strong. I need to come back and win this title."

After saying this, he walked away without saying goodbye to the commentators. His defeat makes it the first time that a double Britonish Olympic medallist in a singular Games loses BOTH titles and wins NO medals at the next Games. While Britonisea is currently ahead of its gold medal haul these Games compared to the last, alongside women's water polo and artistic swimming (men's only), Britonisea will not win any male rhythmic gymnastics titles. Britonisea reaching a record-breaking 22 gold medals by Day 16 is looking unlikely, but the nation is still on course for one of the best hauls ever.

[Drawkland]

HAMILTON ATHLETE'S VILLAGE
Elias Keys was stressing a little bit. Sure, there was the men's football semifinal approaching, but Elias was used to that kind of pressure. Really he should've been stressing about the steeplechase final, but the luck of the draw had screwed him out of a final position. Eli finished at 8:15.12, a mere .02 seconds behind Sargossa's Novio Yanes in the 5th and final qualification spot for that heat. Meanwhile, 8:15.12 would've comfortably seen Elias qualify in the last spot from the first heat, or the third spot in the third heat. Whatever, Elias had already come to terms with the misfortune.

Instead, it was this article he held in his hand that was more concerning. It was mostly meaningless, an opinion piece tucked away in a tabloid that was probably read by 24 people. However, it represented a massive security risk. There was information in there that nobody outside of the Elite and a few trusted friends knew. At least, that's what they thought until they read the article.

Elias knew that he couldn't involve anyone else, though. Finding out who wrote that article and how they came to know that information was going to require finesse and subtlety. Half the Elite possessed none of the latter, and most of the other half (Ross and Jaxon in particular) had their individual events to worry about still. It would also be foolish to pull half the team on a potential wild goose chase the morning before the semifinal match.

The obvious choice would be to ask Dominic if he knew anybody that could have any connections with him. Perhaps he had a secret mortal girlfriend back home that wanted to write about him. Eli wasn't convinced about that. Also, trying to get answers out of Dom would usually end up like talking to a pile of dirt. Maybe eventually you'll get an answer, but you'd have to water and care for it for a few weeks before you'd see any payoff. There was no time for that now.

Elias gathered a few things, then left his room in the Athlete's Village. When he stepped into the hallway, he ran into the person he really didn't want to.

"Hey Eli." Jaxon Madison gave a sharp nod of recognition as he walked past Elias's room.

"Sup." Elias said shortly, trying to get around Jaxon as quickly as possible.

"Woah, woah." Jaxon turned as Elias tried to brush past. He noticed something odd. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Elias sighed, and pretended to relent. "Okay, I'm just stressed about the match, is all."

"No you're not." Jaxon narrowed his eyes, and waved his hand vaguely in Eli's direction. "That's not the color of pre-match stress. That's something else."

"Ugh." Elias knew that Jaxon wasn't going to let him get away without a real explanation. He pulled the folded article cutout from his pocket and handed it to Jaxon. "This was in the Sadeg Enquirer yesterday."

"The tabloid?" Jaxon asked, carefully unfolding the article and scanning its contents. He kept his face neutral, but Elias knew what he was thinking. Jaxon knew it too, but he asked the question aloud anyway. "Who wrote this?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out. See if I can find any clues around here." Elias reached out to take the article back.

"I'm coming with." Jaxon pulled the article away from Eli's grasp.

"No you're not." Elias stepped closer. "You've got a squad and a medal final to worry about today and tomorrow. You've got enough to deal with."

"This is a huge security risk, Eli." Jaxon waved the paper in front of him. "Not just for us. This could get us in trouble with the Immortals Accords if it gets to them. Yeah it's just in a tabloid and nobody's going to take it seriously, but it's-"

"-less about the article itself and more about the fact that somebody unknown has that information in the first place." Elias finished his sentence. "I know, Jaxon. That's why I'm working on it. But I'm not going to put another thing on your plate, and I'm not gonna do that to Ross either."

"Fine." Jaxon said after a moment to consider. He slowly dropped his arm, placing the article back in Eli's hand. "But you have to take somebody with you. Buddy system. If there's somebody with that level of information about us, this could get ugly very quickly."

"What are they gonna do? Shoot me?" Elias joked, but then he realized what Jaxon meant.

"If they know that much about our inner workings," Jaxon murmured, "then there's no telling what materials they may have at their disposal. Secrecy was our greatest defense. If we can't count on that, we can't count on anything."

"Okay, okay." Elias nodded. He thought for a moment. "I guess I could grab one of the Grid Corps guys if I end up going out in the field. I was just going to do a preliminary scan." He patted on the pants pocket that held his phone.

"Good man." Jaxon nodded, then blew out a discontented sigh, as if he'd been holding his breath for the past minute. "This is not what I needed today."

"Hence why I was trying to avoid you." Elias put on a humorless smile. "Lay off it, Jax. Let me handle it, and forget about it. When have I ever let you down?"

"Was that question rhetorical, or..?" Jaxon cracked into a smirk. "Alright, Eli, go on. Just don't be late for the walkthrough."

"Yes sir!" Eli broke into a mock salute, then turned and half-walked, half-jogged down the corridor.

---

TUMBARAMA PARK
Thankfully for Jaxon, the action of the semifinal against Slavo-Baltia was enough to keep him distracted. Like the quarterfinal, qualification losses by a couple of the Elite in their individual events meant the full-strength team was available for the semifinal match and the Grid Corps goons would be safely on the sideline, uninvolved in the action.

The game itself was a tightly-contested banger. Slavo-Baltia's team was in top playing condition, despite their senior national team being just 180th by KPB reckoning. To be fair, the Elite hadn't played in a WCC tournament in years, so they could be considered in the same category. The action was back-and-forth, with Mike Rodney opening the scoring in the 21st minute, but Slavo-Baltia responding soon after.

At halftime the score was 1-1, and once again the Elite would score the go-ahead goal (this one thanks to Nicholas Kingston on a nice arcing shot from the perimeter), but once again the defense would crack under pressure and surrender the tying score. The final whistle from referee Max Xenos blew, and regular time was over, 2-2. Extra time would be a lot tougher, with both defenses refusing to allow the potential game-winning goal. In the waning minutes of the second extra time period, it felt like both squads were content to punt it to the shootout and take their chances ... and so they did. Roger Apollo perfectly called the coin heads and called for the Elite to kick first, a marginal advantage secured.

Elias, of course, was stressing. The first two listed to take their shots for Drawkland were Jaxon and Ross, the two that knew about the article and worried about it. Despite all the action of the game, he couldn't shake the anxiety about it. His initial snooping had led to him finding something that was potentially a recording device, but he didn't have time to fully investigate, nor had he employed anybody's help for backup. He had to pull out, and now felt a looming shadow over him.

Thankfully, Jaxon and Ross were on their game. If they had the article on their mind, they didn't show it, with two excellent shots in the opposite direction from Slavo-Baltia's keeper. Unfortunately, the Slavo-Baltia shooters were taking advantage of Septimus Xander just as easily. Just like that, the shootout score mirrored that of the final score, 2-2.

"Who are those weirdos? They just started screaming like wild animals." Nicholas pointed at a pair of fans in the front row, just beyond the edge of the goal.

"That's weird. They're wearing green." Roger, who was due up next in the shootout, eyed the fans Nick referred to. They weren't wearing the dark blue or black colors you'd expect from Slavo-Baltia or Drawkland fans. "Oh, man. Those look like Libesia uniforms."

"Dude, I think you're right." Nicholas cocked his head to one side as the Slavo-Baltia keeper made his way back into the goal. "What the hell are they doing here?"

"Maybe they were overconfident in their squad and bought the tickets in advance." Roger grinned. "Maybe they're just grade-A haters. They are sitting on the Slavo-Baltia half, after all."

"You must be public enemy number one for them!" Nicholas nodded. "Since you drew the straw that eliminated then from the Games and all."

"Most definitely." Roger made eye contact with the Libesian fans and winked at them, which only served to incense them further. "Watch this."

Roger Apollo casually trotted to the penalty marker and placed the ball down. He eyed the Slavo-Baltia keeper carefully, then took his steps back. With an almost flawless touch, Roger fired the ball right in the direction of the Libesian fans sitting in the front row. As the ball shot past the keeper's arms and buried in the top left corner of the net, Roger could see those fans cursing with undying outrage once the ball dropped to the ground inside the goal.

"Make that Roger 2, Libesia 0," Roger said as he gave a not-so-subtle adjustment of his shorts in the direction of the Libesian fans.

Still, Slavo-Baltia refused to go away. It progressed to 4-4, going to the last of the normally prescribed kicks, and Elias Keys was due up. It was effectively sudden death from here on out. Even with the hugeness of the moment ahead of him, even as he walked to the penalty spot, Elias couldn't seem to concentrate. He put a solid shot on the ball, but it didn't skip far enough. Slavo-Baltia's keeper snagged it safely, and now his team had a chance to take the victory.

Now it was down to Septimus Xander, who was already annoyed at having given up 4 goals and 0 saves in the shootout thus far. As they crossed paths, Elias gave a sincerely apologetic look.

"I got you, kid," Septimus replied with a grin, trying his best to keep his composure. He was far from composed, but he was certainly determined. As Slavo-Baltia's anchor man came up for the potential game-winning shot, Septimus dug in and got ready. The shot came to Sep's left, he leaped, and swatted the ball away with the tips of his fingers. It spun well wide of the goal, and the penalty shootout was going to continue.

Next up was Nicholas, who put Drawkland up, but once again Slavo-Baltia came back to tie. It was now 5-5, and it was starting to get to the back of the rosters. Out of all people, Dominic Southers was written as next up for the Elite.

Dominic, who was typically a defender for the Corps and rarely scored. Dominic, who's had to battle through several rounds of tough boxing matches, including a gold medal match in a few days still to worry about. Dominic, who just had potentially compromising information about himself published for the world to see. Dominic, the gentle giant of the Elite Eleven, set up for the shot. He fired the ball dead center, bouncing in on one hop as Slavo-Baltia's keeper dove wildly to the right on a bad guess. 6-5 Drawkland.

Now, it would once again be down to Septimus Xander in goal, hoping he could actually get a save when Drawkland was ahead. Luckily for Septimus, he was now facing the 7th-best shooter on Slavo-Baltia's team. Which is to say, somebody that's not very good at shooting. The kick came in, and it soared well over the goal. Not even close. Septimus jumped instinctively, but he just had to slap the crossbar in celebration.

Drawkland had won. They were going to the gold medal final. Even through the suckage of the Elite in their individual events (besides a couple notable examples) was painful to watch for most, they were playing their best ball as a team. I guess that's the point of it all, isn't it?

[Tero al Disco]

BASKETBALL: TERO AL DISCO TO FACE MYTANIJA AGAIN FOR GOLD

Schimpol's Arena Wilson saw another stupidly close match for the semifinals of men's basketball. After Mytanija defeated co-hosts Electrum by 86-75 (Electrum weren't playing at home), it would be time for Tero al Disco, coming from that scandalous defeat of Hispinas, to face A Kea for a chance at the grand final. It would be again that the match practically wouldn't be decided until the last second, with A Kea actually having the lead for most of the match, until the Teros caught up and ran out as the winners of what was basically a lottery in the last quarter.

But first let's take a closer look at what happened. The eyes were on Paulo Sferrazza, who had a near-perfect game against Hispinas, as well as Mytanija early on. Coach Juan Cruz Vivona had him slowly get the Defensores de Boca small forward adapted to top-class international basketball, with Paulo not playing that many minutes against Ralsalin and Slaveska. However, when closing the groups against the Mytanars, he proved to be the key on the attack to the Tero al Disco side, and also a key piece in the Terenses putting up a fight against Mytanija, a remarkable fight. It's true that they lost by a buzzer-beater three-pointer, but his performance couldn't go unnoticed. In the quarter-final matchup against Hispinas, he scored a whopping fifteen points off the bench, with Isidro Messore having a bad day, so much so that Vivona started Sferrazza for the A Kea match.

Well, in the first quarter we saw the Terense team be broken down by a Kean attack that decided to show what they could do. Seemingly, the instance of being in a match like this for the Terense team got way too much in their heads. The flanks were a target that the Keans exploited very well, with Peter Jacobs being a very prolific scorer all throughout the match. Although the Teros went into the end of the first quarter with a shock 10-point deficit, Vivona looked to tighten up the defense considerably, score some points, and restart from there. With Pedro Píriz playing much of the second quarter in place of Hernán Tellería (Tellería having looked tired from starting in many matches), Píriz made an important contribution as an assister, with the Keans having a hard time defending on the paint and therefore letting Paulo Sferrazza and Aníbal Franco score plenty from close-range shots and lay-ups.

Although the defending was flawed on the part of A Kea, their attack was still going strong, and the Terense defenders suffered from giving up way too many free throws. What made the matter worse was that Leónidas Gregori had fouled out by the start of the third quarter, and Paulino Rapoza entered the floor in his place for the remainder of the match. The second and third quarters, because of this, were entertaining end-to-end contests, and fortunately for us the Terense team was slowly getting and closer to the Keans. Sferrazza had been essential from close up, as he has showed many times in these Olympics, and his thundering pace got the best of the Keans. The last quarter was characterised by fouling and defensive play in general, because every single point was solid gold, so screwing around was not allowed (especially in a match which decided who'd go to the final of one of the most important basketball competitions in the multiverse). Although it did not get particularly heated, there were lots of interruptions, whether that be for timeouts, or "small" fouls. Iñaki Morandi was the second Terense to foul out, and Stefan Katsyan, despite having played few minutes compared to the Kean starters, did so as well. The match was essentially in a permanent deadlock, with the two teams fighting tooth and nail to not concede a single point, however the Terenses would finally win by 84-83.

In the final for gold, they'll face Mytanija, a foe which has already eat them in the group stages (as we've mentioned before), in another hard-fought, tight match, which ended in the Mytanars winning 80-77 after a "miracle" three-pointer in the last second. That match helped decide who won Group A in the finals, and the rematch will decide who takes gold in Schimpol.

[Kelssek]

Breaking goes Olympic: inside the sport's first-ever Kelssek Olympic trials

Tension was high at Hall 4 of the Metropolitan Exhibition Centre on the Winter Harbour district of central Kirkenes. Confused patrons looking for a snowmobile trade show in Hall 5 had to be occasionally redirected as the first ever national Olympic qualifiers in breaking reached the final stages.

Kirkenes itself has a vibrant scene, and there was some city-based rivalry evident as crews travelling in most notably from Outineau, Latrobe, Saint-Rémy, and Burnaby formed knots outside the ticketed area. Inside, it was sweaty and crowded with local rap legend Why’vern nodding regally from his stage-side seat.

Only one B-boy and one B-girl – the preferred terminology in this sport that may be more properly considered a scene and a subculture in its own right, could be the winner. And at stake was the possibility of being the first to represent Kelssek at the Olympics, something completely inconceivable just a few years ago even as the competitive aspect of breaking has long been accepted.

Uniquely, and something that was insisted would transfer to the big stage with the addition of the sport to the Olympics, competitors go by their own self-invented nicknames. They might be plays on their real names, like Rooquest (Rupert Tang), nods to their family’s background, as with Crytenia, or something else entirely, like text-align:top, who might someday make that anarchic trickery work.

The competition narrows the field, amping up the intensity of an atmosphere that started out pretty relaxed and friendly. Energy drink cans pile up and overflow the recycling bins – the event is sponsored by one such brand. At some point a number of them were given out free, and some spectators are constructing a pyramid of empty cans by the side of the stage.

Antonius Brenton, or “Antdeck” as he’s known here, wins a quarterfinal and, doing something that must have tempted some of the other competitors, celebrates by spinning on his head and them leaping athletically off the stage and right into the pyramid.

The men’s final is ultimately won by Angelo “Livewire” Tschadella. At one point, while it’s his rival in the final’s turn, he does the exact same move at the same time. Fellow spectators inform me this likely played a role in the judges’ decisions, showing not only his own ability but his rival’s lack of originality.

On the women’s, or rather b-girls’ side, the final is a close contest. It’s often a fairly clear decision who wins, a reassuring sign the judges are working on the same albeit subjective criteria. But a margin of two votes awards Angela “Magenta” Yamagata the victory and the right to represent Kelssek at the 18th Summer Olympics, leaving Ella “Crytenia” Pritchard to hope there’ll be a next time.

---

Water polo (M): Kelssek vs. Valanora

“...they’ve got to stop just dumping it into the middle and expecting the hole player to do all the work. You’ve got to create options, make a drive, get inside water on your player, the outside players have got to do better here.”

“Valanora on the attack, and good tight defence by Kelssek on this possession. Keeping them on the outside and being careful not to foul. Four seconds on the shot clock... a rushed shot goes wide and Kelssek could have a counter here. They’ve got a three on two opportunity as Kalata makes the pass... and Chin scores! Kelssek goes three goals ahead, it’s 7-4!”

“Well executed, made it look just like in a training drill. They keep a triangle formation and as the player with the ball gets closer to the goal, the defender’s gotta make a decision whether to close him down or let him shoot. Either way, someone’s open and Kalata finds the open player and it’s a powerful shot off the pass from Graham Chin... Kelssek have the semifinal in their sights with one more quarter to play...”

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Interview with women’s 3x3 basketball team, broadcast studio
Women’s 3x3 basketball gold medallist Alys Hartwoll: “I don’t think this should be considered a surprise medal. People don’t think Kelssek is a basketball country but that’s not the point. Plenty of people are playing it, it’s a sport everyone knows so maybe we should be paying more attention basketball and then next time, it won’t be a surprise.”

---

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[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

It was the end of Day Ten when Brooke Angelhart-Milner found herself playing a role in middle of a historical event.

It was around ten in the evening, with the Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue becoming quiet, almost fully deserted of any spectator, participant or their coaches, present. Brooke, of course, was one of those who stayed, the 32-year old mid-distance runner having already showered and then celebrated in the podium by nine, before being asked by the RQOC officials to stay and wait on one of the stands.

Most of crowd, by this point, had already left, and even her national team coach, Wendie Viel-Meekitjuk, had left the stadium to tend to the shorter-distance athletes she had coached. Tomorrow's slate of events, after all, featured women's 200m finals, 400m repechage and the 400m hurdles, all of which required Wendy, whose reputation as a trailblasing coach had so far been proven by bringing an unlikely candidate in Flo-Lynn Hendrickson to the 200m final, to stay focused on all her athletes.

Brooke understood that, though was starting to feel frustrated with how she had been left alone all of sudden. This gave her flashbacks to the earlier days of her career when Brooke, a scrawny kid of country, northeastern bred whose career had started on the school carnivals long before catching the attention of her first coach, Arnaud Gibbes-Ebert Banbh Bremer Athletic Club's coach, was left mostly underappreciated and undersupported. Each and every race nobody had looked or talked about her, perhaps out of teenage peevishness or sheer underestimation, and found themselves befuddled by how someone they had not regarded to be 'serious' win races after races.

As depressing as it was, that's mostly been the story of her early career, one that's not helped by the reputation of Arnaud as a hardliner coach with weird quirks, and would continue all the way until she had joined Yoseo-Montevicio Kodiaks' program for college. After that, most have come to accept her as a high-level runner, even more capable than ever, and eventual national team and olympic selections proved to that. If anything, her two medals in two Olympics - a 4x400m relay bronze at Jolbonopolis Coliseum, and today's gold in Hamilton - were enough to prove people wrong, and she should've been proud for it.

Only except that nobody else was proud. On surface they should have been. Brooke, after all, won the first athletics medal for Quebec and Shingoryeo, to break the silence on the discipline where the Quebecois had performed modestly on the preliminary rounds two to three weeks earlier, but atrociously on their stronger suit of field events. Track events, so far had all been fine, with slight shortcomings on the longer-distance events made up by genuine, exciting surprises on the shorter-distance events, but this wasn't the medal they had expected.

Heading into Hamilton, Brooke was mostly considered an afterburner, possibly a pacemaker candidate in comparison to more heralded runners on the team. Mid-distance, after all, put their hopes on Audrey Oleksiak-Collinson, 16-year old Quebeco-Kytlerian phenom who also happened to be the daughter of her idol, 2050 Bunjil 1500m gold medalist Belanna Mitchell-Oleksiak, and the longer-distance Paisley Vesterby, a collegiate phenom at Abitibi. Not to mention the level of talent the men had. Brooke knew of the expectations, and having entered the Olympics as the second in depth chart to Kamali Surgener and Oleksiak-Collinson in both 400m and 800m, didn't expect to capture the heart of the country. At least it seemed that way she had crashed out of the preliminaries on her primary event.

Only except that there was a twist. It was a gold - one that would see her beat out Virginia Thera of Drawkland, and Caroline Stoll of Krytenia, as well as her own compatriot Ophelie Bourcier - but one that nobody celebrated. 1:54.90 wasn't an Olympic Record by any means - she was still thirty seconds behind the record set by Holly Sparks of Electrum sixteen years ago - but it was close enough, a positive achievement for the country that didn't exactly made themselves known to be a track and field powerhouse.

Instead, nobody viewed it that way. In the eyes of everybody else, Brooke Angelhart-Milner was a Judas. a Judas who had pushed Audrey Oleksiak-Collinson, an athlete and phenom half her age, in middle of the 800m pack that knocked her off balance. Caught by her inexperience addressing the field on the semifinals, Oleksiak-Collinson tried to bring herself back to groove and almost came back to secure her spot in the final. Unfortunately, the most brutal outcome had occurred as she would came up short:

Semifinal 3
1 Melpo Hatziavvati (AKE)            1:57.03  Q
2 Ella Robinson (LEN)                1:57.54  Q
3 Caroline Stroll (KRY)              1:57.68  q
4 Brooke Angelhart-Milner (QUE)      1:57.69  q
5 Audrey Oleksiak-Collinson (QUE)    1:58.17
6 Djula Ostapenko (ETM)              1:58.36
7 Yukako Kokawa (ALE)                1:59.33
— Leila Shah (ETM)                       DNF

Then the rest pretty much fell apart for both parties, but especially Brooke as the scoreboard listed the qualification spot. Brooke may have qualified, but nobody liked the possibility that a veteran may or may not have deliberately pushed someone half her age. In the subsequent hours things would quickly devolve around the saga, as the image of Brooke's post-run celebration, one that saw her leaping in the air over joy, was reproduced and shared in the social media like a wildfire. While many of those posts, especially those considered to be libelous and even inciteful, were flagged and addressed to be deleted, the wave of social media hate she would receive ended up becoming much more than what she had initially anticipated. Hate mail would be sent her way, fans openly condemning her act, and you could guess the rest.

But none of this had prepared Brooke for what eventually transpired at the actual final. Considered one of the less-likelier candidates, especially in comparison to more in-form athlete of two in Ophelie Bourcier, Brooke came to the race in search of redemption, one that with strong performance she would be able to make up for a push that she didn't exactly intend, but had come at a spur of decision. And deliver she did, winning the gold medal in one of the lesser heralded stories of this Olympics for the Tricolour Taegeuk, perhaps spurring a node of inspiration for the nation that needed to break its silence.

Only except that it didn't come. All that she's received at the end of the race, which continued onto the podium ceremony, was a stunned silence of the nation. This was then followed by a massive round of boos, which were complimented by jeers and nonsensical chants directed her way, from the very own Quebecois fans. While on most occasions Brooke was able to handle her emotions well, even going as far as being able to maintain calm face after the previous semifinals, she couldn't this time, as she broke down in tears.

[Liventia]

DAY 13 CUTOFF

[Diarcesia]

Conservative Play Style of Leaning Left Spell Defeat for Marchesi, Cole

HAMILTON, ELECTRUM — Team Diarcesian's male volleyballers Linton Marchesi and Max Cole started hot and flamed out in their fall to Aleksi Salo and Sierte Levie of Chromatika. The Diarcesians aggressively challenged the Chromatiks with their power serves and pinpoint spikes in set one, allowing them to take the early lead after a close score.

Their failure to adjust from their ultimately one-dimensional strategy allowed Salo and Levie to catch up and surpass Marchesi and Cole in the second set, and leave no doubt on their victory in the third. The apparent tendency of the Diarcesians to lean left belied a too-safe style behind their aggressive plays, dooming their quest for a medal in the Round of 16.

Although visibly heartbroken on the loss of initiative and ultimately the match, Marchesi and Cole exhibited superb sportsmanship in the end with their genuine congratulations to their victorious foes.

---

Article by: Patroclus Papademetriu
(Visited 1,234,567 times, 8,432 visits today)

[United Mandaran States]

Home > Sports > Olympics

Two Additional Medals in Hamilton
28th September 2028

Hamilton (AMP) - It was another medal day for the UMS' delegation. In the Day 13, the country adds two other medals into their collection. The first came from Athletics where Ratih Purnami finished second in the women's 400m hurdles event. Become a strong contender, Purnami breaks the former Olympic record in the previous race in the edition. She leads the race from the start and got an intense rivalry Doubeian runner, Charlotte Loginovskaya. Her teammate, Avika Wirya also fueled the rivalry. But her progress become slower and slower that she was then surpassed by Charlotte Michaud of Diarcesia. Loginovskaya made a sprint a few meters before the finished line and able to surpass Purnami in the nick of time. She claims the gold and Purnami get the silver. While Wirya was unable to getting back to her running rhythm. She continues to lag behind. It resulted with her failure to the bronze medal which was acquired by Michaud.

In another athletics events, Suryono Hadi failed to give his best. Despite his best performance to actually getting better and better each round, it is still not enough for the medal contenders. Beginning the javelin' throw event, Suryono Hadi booked 84.79 m throws which place him at 10th and made him qualify to the main event. It was a lucky throw as his 2 other throws failed to land perfectly. In the qualification round, from the 3 attempts that he did, his best throw was at 85.86 which was better than the preliminary one. But still, his throw was quite inconsistent with his third throw landed below 80 meters bar. In the final, his first attempt placing him 4th overall. He got a better throw in his second attempt but his placed drop to 5th. And even with a better result, he drops again to 7th place after the third attempt. Then he made a mistake in his fourth attempt. Fortunately, he made a comeback in the fifth attempt and able to climb 2 positions to 5th place. But in the last attempt, he failed to get a better throw. His best throw was his fifth attempt's throw which recorded at 88.96 and the result made him stayed at 5th place at the end of the event. While good news surrounded the 4x100m relay events with both men's and women's team successfully advance to the final race. And back at hurdle, Chandra Yuliana success to finished second in her group race of the repechage round. The result was enough for her to advance to semifinal of the 100m hurdle event.

The second medal came from the gymnastics rhythmic event where the men's team competing. Placed 5th in the qualifying round, the team managed to perform better in the final round. Well technically, some of other teams had performed poorly during the final. Magnus Phoenicia, Crpostran and Chromatika who excelled in the qualifying round were all performed poorly in the final. The surprise came from Quebec and Shingoryeo team who success to finish their performance far better than their qualifying round which garnered them the silver medal. And the UMS' team? They actually performed slightly worse in the 5 hoops parts, but they managed to make up their mistakes by performing better in the second part of rings and balls. Their combine points were only 0.100 better than the qualifying round. Though fortunately, it was enough for them to win the bronze medal. The result brings the third medal from the gymnastics contingent. It makes them the largest medal gainer without any gold so far with the same amount of medal with Athletics and Swimming.

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Related News

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Men's beach volleyball one step closer to the medal
28th September 2028
Two UMS' men's beach volleyball pairs success to reach the quarterfinal round in the continuation of the competition. They are the last hope of the volleyball contingent after the others fail. Laksana/Gumintang play an intense match against Darmeni pair. Drop the first set, the UMS' pair success to overcome their difficulties and rise to the victory. This means that they have a larger chance into the medal bout. Their success however was not followed by their teammate. Also playing in the quarterfinal, Rahman/Yasid have to accept their opponent superiority. The Krytenian pair defeated them in 2 sets, 21-14 and 21-7. It was an unfortunate result. If ever Rahman/Yasid win the match, they will secure one place in final because they will face Laksana/Gumintang in semifinal. But now, Laksana/Gumintang have to take a revenge for their teammate and securing a place in final.

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Dian Krisna Pratiwi to the final of 3m springboard
28th September 2028
It was really a shocking result for Dian Krisna Pratiwi to be able to advance to the final of the women's 3m springboard event. She acknowledged that some of her dives were far from perfect and produce a low score. But she was glad that she still has the chance to advance to final. Her total point of 297.75 put her in the 11th place of the top 12 that advancing. In the interview after the result announcement, she said that she has to work hard to perfect her dives.

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Two to semifinals in Canoeing
28th September 2028
Canoeing adds another 2 athletes in the semifinal after Oka Wijayadi and Komang Putri Andini advance from their respective events. The Saintlake medalist, Oka Wijayadi failed to impress in his heat race where he only finished 5th in his group. Fortunately, he makes up his mistakes in the quarterfinal. He scored a better time with around 7 seconds faster than his heat's time and secure a place in the semifinal. While Komang Putri Andini success to lead her heat group race and advance automatically to semifinal without the need to compete in the quarterfinal again. Their success adds more UMS' athletes to compete in the semifinal of Canoeing events.

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Rangga/Ginanti to the medal race of Mixed Multihull
28th September 2028
Rangga/Ginanti success to defend their lead in the continuation of Mixed Multihull event race for a place in the medal race. Despite having a bad result in Race 10, the pair managed to overcome their mistakes and finished 2nd in the next two races. They finished behind Kalousis/Tserkou of A Kea in Race 11 and behind Zenic sailor, Bustillo/Wakana in Race 12. Despite leading the table, the points of the qualifiers are quite close together. They need to focus on their sailing to defend their position.

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[Magnus Phoenicia]

Welcome back to another fun filled Non Politically Correct episode of……Dr Rainbow and the Amazingly Shameless Puppet Company.

I wish to thank the bosses over at Purple & Gold for inviting me back to fill in the 2am to 2.30am time slot on the official Olympics television channel.

It was reported that after the last Games, many, many viewers wrote in demanding my show be taken off the air. Apparently, I managed to upset a very mixed group;; Concerned Parents of Magnus Phoenicia, Vegans, True Path Faith evangelicals, Feminists, Animal Lovers, Union Internationale de la Marionnette, The Ornithologists Society, and, of course, one very angry Parent Teacher Association from some rural school.

Heaven help me, when you’ve got a bunch of vegans and puppet enthusiasts joining forces with birdwatchers and PTA moms, you know you've really hit a nerve with a wide mix of the general population. Good for me.
I expect my next hate mail to come with an origami bird made out of Brussel sprouts, signed by a marionette.

This coalition of snowflakes found my show in poor taste. They claimed watching garbage getting compacted was more appealing. Well, lucky for me, the network ignored them tossing their baby rattles from their prams and asked me to return.

It does appear to be for the late, late, late night slot again, right after the 10th replay of an event we placed fourth in or thirty minutes of airing an empty pool before some realised swimming is over and the guy who folds the towels wasn't available for comment. So the network turned to me, knowing I would be more than happy to entertain insomniacs, night shift workers and ladies and gentlemen of the evening between clients.

But hey, while these delicate little snowflakes are melting into their cesspool of outrage, I’ll be laughing all the way to the bank, cashing my very lucrative pay cheque. So, if you don't like my humour, feel free to switch off. Plenty of people do, but plenty still don’t. To those still watching, let’s keep the fun going. I'll help you unwind after a tough day on the couch watching your favourite athletes rise to the challenge or crash and burn faster than the Hindenburg.

We have a brilliant show lined up for you tonight! Lots of guests. We did ask athletes to send in photos to inspire fans and future athletes on what it means to represent Magnus Phoenicia at the Olympics.

Salome Mundi, a star of the Team Jumping Equestrian event which claimed gold yesterday, has sent in some behind-the-scenes photos of her intense training sessions.
Trust me, you won’t want to miss this! Here is a sneak preview.

We’ve also got Michael Rhodes and Valentine Minh, representing Magnus Phoenicia in the Mixed Multihull event. The pair showed the world the current state of Magnus Phoenician sailing. Once a powerhouse in the sport, our reputation as sailing champions has sunk faster than the Lusitania.

In this photo, you can see Rhodes and Minh playing what looks like the 'illegal boat immigration' card, probably hoping Liventia will take pity on them and grant them asylum. Honestly, with how things are going, it might be their best shot hitching a ride with the Coast Guard should get them to the finish line quicker than they have been doing.

The mixed marathon walk was a new event at these Games. We actually do very well in this sport? Event? 6 medals overall.
And Juno Cartier did add a gold to that tally with a brilliant 20km Walk. I'm not a big walker, but I do move as fast as they do when I really gotta go and I can't find a toilet. We have 2 teams competing.
Clyde Richards and Shelley Dutivaas were kind enough to send through a photo of them preparing in the lead up to the Olympics. Not gonna lie, they wear the purple proud, they are just missing the gold to represent our two team colours. Surely if they didn't win, they could at least be awarded best uniform and synchronisation.

I do have to cut to commercial now, but don’t go anywhere! When we come back, I’ll be going live to Liventia to interview the real golden heroes of the Equestrian Jumping event. And no, it’s not Gajanayake Jayawardene, Crispin Thumotose, or Salome Mundi, those folks just sit pretty while the real stars get to work
I’m talking about the horses, Hold Your Horses, Ventorum Cursor, and Friday’s Child. Yep, the only trio that can jump higher than my hopes for a decent time slot.
You won’t want to miss all the hay they will spill.

[Waisnor]

Finally, another gold

This day certainly had reasons to be celebrated for, because finally, after so many close calls, Waisnorian team won another gold medal to match their previous results at the Olympics. But besides that, Waisnor had even more great results, some would even guarantee them another medal:

The victory in question was achieved by Tatiana Laburenko and Svetlana Egorova in women's K-2 500m tournament in canoeing. This sport is one of the biggest Waisnorian specialties in the Olympic competitions with many medals, gold in particular, being won in it. And Laburenko and Egorova were if not to favourites for Waisnorians to win them, but at least something of a dark horse pick. Before, they seemed pretty unstable with their performances, one day delivering a stunning swim, and completely flaundering on the next. And so, for the Olympics people and coaches hoped that Tatiana and Svetlana would have some actual consistency in this regard. Their great performance in the quarterfinal wasn't that convincing in this matter, so they needed to keep up the good results to change opinions about them, and the semifinals would be a good ground for it. And in it, they set themselves as actually strong opponents who were able to take their good results and run with them - their semifinal was won by them by about half a second from their closest competitors, and so, the road to final for them was open. But there, the pressure was even stronger, and Laburenko and Egorova would be tested on how they could handle it. Especially when they started, because besides them, there were another big competitors for the gold medal - Alessandra Bellomi and Cymbahil Atalamiriel of Diarcesia, who quickly began battling with Tatiana and Svetlana for the first place. And for the entirety of the swim, this race was completely neck in neck - the leader was mostly decided by who make the last round with their paddles, but not before other pair took the lead from them. And so, at the end of the distance, both pairs raced to the finish line. But as it turned out, Laburenko and Egorova got a little bit more energy into their swim, taking the first place and the gold for them, leaving Alessandra and Cymbahil only 0.16 seconds behind. With that, a second gold medal for Waisnor was won, with this matching their medal result for the previous Olympics.

But record would be made even better because of the work of Kirill Zhebrik in men's light welterweight boxing. He guaranteed himself a medal already when he won a quarterfinal, but after so many Waisnorians were joking about how many bronzes they got instead of a gold medal, Kirill was set on progressing past the bronze medal stage and winning the semifinal. And for that, he needed to triumph against Mevludin Sabic from Mytanija. And to get this objective before himself, he prepared to go hard on his opponent. He already began attacking Mevludin with thunderous attacks, but Sabic would be quick to answer this with his blows. And initially, it was Mevludin who was initially taking the lead, despite the best attempts from Zhebrik, making the Waisnorian to cool down and move to the defensive strategy against Sabic. That's when Sabic slowed down his attacks and began using less powerful strikes on Zhebridk, and here Kirill's furious attacks returned to go over Mevludin and move him to the defense instead. And to give credit to the boxer from Mytanija, his defense was pretty tough to crack. But when Waisnorian managed to get around this defense, attacks of Zhebrik proved to be truly devastating, leaving Mevludin stunned. And so, even if Sabic tried to answer these attacks, Zhebrik was mostly in the lead in this bout. And when time came for the judges to decide, they agreed with this vied on the match: Kirill won the bout 4-1 and got himself a spot in the final along with at least a silver medal for Waisnor.

Other Waisnorian results:
Victoria Kakhovskaya survived in women's 3m springboard semi-final, qualifying to the final from 10th place
In men's K-1 1000m heats, Pavel Ermolenko qualified to the semi-finals, winning his heat
Ekaterina Egorova qualified to the next round in women's spring in track cycling, placing 7th and defeating Isabel Ross from Cannaland Islands and Jrok'k in round 1
After 12 races, Mikhail Pugach is 20th in men's kiteboard in sailing
In men's speed competitions in sport climbing, Nikolay Myagkov was seeded 7th and defeated Peyton Landau of Katzeburg in qualification
In women's 100m hurdles repechages, Inna Streshneva placed 7th in her heat
Lyubov Karbysheva placed 9th in women's long jump final
In women's shot put qualification, Anna Golubtsova qualified to the final placing 7th
Anastasia Kazakova places 17th in women's individual all-around qualification in rhythmic gymnastics

Random Waisnorian tweets about Olympics:

[Diarcesia]

In men's hockey, Diarcesia barely failed to secure bronze medal after conceding a third point to Kanmer. Although the team's consistency showed room for improvement throughout the Olympics, the players stepped up to allow the team to reach as far as they did. The first quarter was challenging for both sides and they exchanged goals. Diarcesia's defense put up a good damper to pressure from Kanmer's star player, Ranmir Dantagain. Still, Kanmer's superior experience and their track record proved decisive as the game wore on.

Kanmer stepped up their offensive play in the third quarter and both teams exchanged goals once again. But in the fourth quarter, the Diarcesians failed to equalize Kanmer's third and decisive goal, courtesy of Euheni Shiyan.

Team Diarcesian hockey head coach David Johnson kept his optimism on the squad's future prospects. "Our match against Kanmer is a trial in our path towards a medal," he answered during the post-match interview.

Day 13 was a productive day overall for Team Diarcesian highlighted by Charlotte Michaud's and the duo of Alessandra Bellomi/Cymbahil Atalamiriel's silver medals in athletics and canoe sprint, respectively.

[North Oharan Valley Union]

Timestamp: 28 September 2024 - 21h49
Tags: Games of the XVIII Olympiad, Mission Olympica

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Fly on the Wall
Gold medallist Darchidze uses platform to demand structural improvements

Second in the qualifiers, first in the semi finals: it was hard to look past Katie Darchidze when the favorites for the women’s boulder and lead were listed. But that did not mean that the Mteborian climber would get a free pass into the medals. The jury had come up with a quartet of the most complex boulder problems and even the best eight in their field were struggling to untangle these challenges. The starter proved to be a spicy one, with only local Lucile Olivier managing to find the top. Darchidze came close but could not figure out the final two holds whilst Anais Babajanian admitted she was lucky to hit the high zone. No improvement on the second wall, where Abbiati from Zenic was the only one to go all the way while our girls struggled. But from then onwards, Katie Darchidze showed that she combines the insight of an outdoor climber with the explosiveness and body positioning of an indoor expert. Two tops brought her back in contention.

The lead leg was up next and it was clear that this one was a doozy. Even Kalosian Marzia Kastor, initially seen as a gold candidate, could not get beyond the 28th hold as could none of the bottom four at that point. Babajanian had given a rather nervous vibe during the boulder but topping the final one had clearly given her more confidence: she passed that difficult point and made it up to 33, putting the pressure on Abbiati for the bronze medal. The climber from Zenic struggled already lower on the wall but just missed grip on hold 30, confirming the two medals for the Oharese duo (bar any grave mishaps). Darchidze was up next, she took it slow, nearly using up the clock, but navigated cleanly past the traps where her competitors had fallen before. On her way to 34, she nearly copied Babajanian but she could correct her loss of balance and from that point on, she steamed forwards to the top (or at least, as near as one could get).

The pressure was now on Lucile Olivier, close to home at Harley Square (or at least, compared to Darchidze) she could fulfill a lifelong dream but that would require making it to hold 36. The Liventian showed the skill she had displayed in the boulder already, navigating easily past the feared 28. But that tricky hold 34 also got the better of her and as Olivier came down to the floor, Darchidze realized that she had won an unbelievable sixth gold for the Valley Union. It is fair to call it a merited triumph for the 28-year old thrill seeker. Her younger compatriot Babajanian, who won our first bronze, joined the celebrations and despite what must have been a tough loss, Olivier showed herself a good sport for what must have been one of the most festive podium photos of these Olympics.

In her post-game interview, she started out ecstatic, thanking her parents, friends, coaches, climbing buddies and (for yet unexplained reasons) her neighbor's dog. Afterwards, she also left some time to discuss more serious things that clearly had been on her mind for a while. With this result, sports climbing became the seventh sport in which Oharese Olympians had won a medal but despite this astonishing result, Darchidze painted a bleak picture of the state of our climbing. “I am not drawing a comparison to these Olympic infrastructures, that would be an unfair burden. But I do feel that it is not too much to ask to hope for two or three places across the country that allow one to train at an Olympic level.” The only large facility, in Ruivi, is decaying fastly and since the unification, the owners have given up. Other places with decently sized walls are worse off, with some becoming near safety hazards or are just closed. Katie Darchidze, known for her outlook beyond her own sport, suggested public-private participation to bolster the costs. “With a good financial incentive from our government, I am sure there are plenty of people interested in owning such a place. And after these medals, I hope we inspired a lot of folks to try out the sport themselves.” Darchidze, not just an Olympic winner but also an advocate for her sport.

---

Three to watch today

Avedissian & O’Casey * Canoeing * It is with great interest that the Oharese audience follows the action on the water of Motson Lake. Demchuk and Zamtaradze came close to winning our first canoeing medal but despite being level at the halfway point to the eventual winners, Liventians Carpentier and Greene, they ended up falling short in the end. As such, the eyes turn to Khatchadour Avedissian to deliver that coveted silverware and he still has, after the untimely demise of the K-4, two opportunities left to deliver. His solo effort in the heats yesterday was promising: Avedissian took the lead after two-hundred meters and never looked back. Only near the end, he calmed down a little to save energy but even then, he posted the second-best time of the group. The confident kayaker looked little like the irritated, doubting man that left the Saintlake Regatta.

Robin O’Casey found his connection with Avedissian just in time.

Some believe that the answer to his worries had, ironically, been sitting in his boat all along. The initial partnership with Robin O’Casey was far from ideal: the upcoming man (still just 24) had hoped to beat the dominance of his seven years older compatriot, not to join him. Needless to say that the initial tension did not help on the water. But somewhere during their time in Britonisea came to a mutual understanding. According to the rumor mill, the last night of the training camp, everyone in the delegation got hammered to celebrate the triumphs of Juliana Pakradouni (who started off her K-1 tournament splendidly as well, by the way). Everyone except for the super professional Avedissian and O’Casey, who is known to be straightedge. The next morning, they were the only two on the lake before departing home: it made them realize they shared more than they had to divide them. The result has been a shattering Olympic Best and a confident belief that they can go deep in this tournament.

Krancis & Blekte * Track Cycling * Raits Krancis appeared at the press conference with a grin that could not hide that any place had been good for him to be, but here. Still, ‘the Polar Bear’ (after his near-white blonde hairs, sparkling white trade jersey at home, impressive strength and nearly insatiable hunger for results) withstood the journalists for the better part of twenty minutes as they tried to get a grip on the madison chances for Krancis and his quick sprinting teammate Aretijs Blekte. “I have had worse nights,” Krancis admitted, referring to the grazes all along his right side, “but not that many.” During the tempo race, the Strauzemer star had touched wheels with a rider in front and was catapulted over his handlebars. “It is just an incident that can happen. At other times you can correct it but now I was just looking for someone who was coming on my inside and I lost all control. Sometimes, there is just no one else to blame for these kinds of things.

Fast man Aretijs Blekte will have to hope that Krancis is sufficiently recovered.

Between the lines, Blekte attempted to believe that the wounds from his teammate could be an advantage. “Of course it is possible that one team just blows away the opposition but to me, it is more likely that a few top teams try to cancel out one another. That can always create interesting situations for duos of the second row.” In a way, that makes sense. Domestically, when competing in the Triple C, the partners are sometimes split to make the racing more interesting and educating: in the last national championships, they lapped the field twice before controlling everything. “It will be a new way of racing for us,” Krancis admitted, “yet it never lies. Yes, the tactics can deal you a better or worse hand but you need to be fast enough to sit at the table.”

Adam Kononenko * Climbing * Who was the most impressive climber to come out of the two qualification rounds for the men’s boulder and lead? Some would go for Rizal Adi Hadad. The Alezian stunned in the qualification by topping all four boulder problems: only the second one posed a real problem. He has not disappointed yet, but the jury is still out whether it was a showcase of his genius or the right form on the right day. Others are warming up to Teódoro Paǧini, whose dashing lead performance in the semis is still on our mind. The obvious choice would be current champion Jean-Michel Villette who did not exert himself in the first round but showed that he is capable of the double two days ago. Others warn for his compatriot Jordan Gauche or our very own Andros Bergmanis, who can look back at a topscore on the difficult boulder problems. But the man who assembled the most points across all disciplines surprisingly is Adam Kononenko, generally considered the not-that-dashing and highly uninteresting understudy to Bergmanis.

The future of our climbing, Adam Kononenko, is already here today.

So far, Kononenko showed unmatched consistency with two exceptional performances on the lead as cornerstone. A few weeks shy of twenty-two, the tall Cherpahorian combines long arms with a great coordination in the air: the way he scaled the tricky 34th hold in the semi final earned him a spontaneous ovation from the crowd. When it comes to the boulder problems, one can see that he still lacks that bit of experience to take on all variations but his remarkable route on the final boulder problem shows that it is not due to a lack of potential. What Kononenko possesses in flair on the wall, he lacks when both feet are on the ground. His colleague Bergmanis once described him as an accidental hero, “to me, he is even better in the mountains when no one is watching him”. But the current run leads to a pressure to medal and obligations with journalists from all corners of the world. Maybe that will be the biggest question mark for Kononenko, how he will manage that.

All pictures are AI created and should not be considered for judging.

[Sjovenia]

Ivo Stojkovič Secures Bronze Medal

Ivo Stojkovič fails to make light work of opponent, Sasha Peshkov, in Medal making match. Despite Ivo's talents and climb to the top, his skill was no match against his opponent in Men's Boxing Heavyweight Semi-finals. The match finaled with a total score of 4-1 in favor of Peshkov. Ivo had this to say, "It's truly challenging to face a loss at this stage however, I am proud of what I achieved. I had my sights set on the Gold Medal but I can go home happy with a bronze. The support from my coaches, trainers, and family and friends back home has been immense! I gave it my all and put in maximum effort to get to the world stage, this has been a huge honor and the experience it has given me is invaluable!"

Another tough loss for Slaveška followed shortly after, when the Men's National Football Team lost against Reginalida. The Semi-FInal match finished with a heart wrenching buzz as the final score stood at 3-0. In a post match interview, the Men's coach had this to say..."Reginalida played extremely well today...it was a hard fought victory for them to be able to get to where they are and where they may be headed next! Despite this loss, I am incredibly proud of the effort the boys gave on the field. There were a few opportunities to score but the match was a shut out. Our defence was no match for their offensive strategies. Despite today's disappointing results...it has been an amazing experience and quite the journey. We aim to come back next Olympiad and come back stronger than ever!"