- 31 Jul 08, 11:04 AM
A rainstorm in Macau is something to behold. From nowhere, the sky turns a deathly black, an almighty downpour ensues.
Then as quickly as it started the deluge relents, the sun reappears and dries the ground so quickly you'd have a hard time convincing anyone there had ever been any rain in the first place.
And if you're looking for more extremes, how about comparing taekwondo and synchronized swimming?
Roughly translated as "the way of the fist and the foot", taekwondo is mainly about the kicking , specifically to the body and the head, and shouting - which not only helps to nurture aggression, team leader Gary Hall tells me, it could sway a judge to award a point.
Tactical hollering - great stuff!
Taekwondo is the national sport of South Korea and Britain are pretty good at it too.
Sarah Stevenson, now a 25-year-old veteran pondering her third Olympics ("Less of the old!" she warns me, "I'm experienced!") is a former world champion and reached the Olympic semis in Sydney, when the sport first entered the games.
Athens wasn't so successful. "I was too anxious about my goals and forgot to just concentrate on doing the best I could," she explains
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Concentration is paramount as you're only a knockout kick away from seeing your Olympic dream reduced to tatters, so psychologists are used to help with mental fortitude.
Seventeen-year-old Aaron Cook is the new kid on the block and he's oozing confidence having just claimed the world junior title.
He took up the martial art at the tender age of five. The reason? "I wanted to be a Power Ranger!" Don't we all?
Hopes are high in the camp that the team might just bring back a medal. Hall declares them "streets ahead of where we were in Athens" and that's largely due to a top-notch training facility (formerly a factory) in Manchester.
"It doesn't look great from the outside" says Sarah, friendly but menacing in her black belt. "But it's one of the best [facilities] I've used.
"We can now train together all the time. It's much more professional. I know I can win a medal, I wouldn't be here otherwise."
Medals aren't necessarily on the minds of teenagers Olivia Allison and Jenna Randall as they get excited about their first ever Olympic experience as synchronised swimmers.
Podium plans are more for London 2012 but they can't wait to strut their stuff in Beijing.
Artistic underwater dance it may be, but this sport is as demanding as any.
You need strength endurance and flexibility which means plenty of weight-lifting and power swimming; you have to be able to count to music; you have to learn how to stay underwater for what Olivia describes ominously as "a very long time" and most importantly of course, you must do it all in perfect harmony, and that level of synchronicity takes years to master.
This pair are clearly having a ball, and they're blazing a trail for the sport in Britain. You have to go back to Barcelona in '92 for the last time we had anyone competing in this event.
And their choice of music?
"Our tech event is quite bubbly backbeat stuff," says Jenna, "but the free dance features something angry and heavy."
Olivia reveals with a beaming smile: "We want to show our power and strength!"
One thing's for sure, they won't be fazed by a bit of Macau rain.
Go girls!
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
If one synchronised swimmer drowns, do they all have to?
Sorry, couldn't resist. Nice to see we have some potential stars in lesser known events.
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Are you enjoying Macau? Unless your into gambling its not really that interesting. I bet you wish you were based in Hong Kong.
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I just wish that Olympic TKD on offer wasn't the full contact version where the contestants are dressed head to foot in 2 inch thick body armour.
The semi contact is much better to watch and more skill is involved in controlling the punches/kicks and avoiding being punched or kicked.
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As a Tae Kwon Do practitioner myself, I sure hope the sparring at this year's Games is more exciting than in Athens.
The majority of bouts in 2004 consisted of several minutes of competitors bouncing on the spot. Not exciting viewing to say the least, and I was somewhat embarassed to admit that I practiced the same sport.
Fingers crossed there will be more explosive action involving high kicks and spinning techniques, which made this sport so popular in the first place.
Perhaps the semi-contact variation would prove more popular (it resembles kickboxing).
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Looking at the recent interview and video footage I don't think Sarah has a chance do you really.... come on. Someone give her a Blue Peter Badge for trying though. LOL.
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I think we should stop mocking these athletes and back them.
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In response to comment No.4 by realityleak: Have you ever actually watched WTF Taekwondo in action?
You've obviously never done it yourself, as your comment about being 'dressed head to foot in 2 inch thick body armour' is a load of nonsense. The chest protectors aren't even an inch thick and offer very little resistance when met with the kicks you face in top-level TKD. The only other protection is the helmet and basic shin and fore-arm guards. Again, more token gestures than any real protection.
Likewise your comment that semi-contact (ITF?) requires more skill is just plain ignorant. I can't imagine how you've come to that conclusion, since you've quite clearly not experienced both (if either at all)!
I have trained and fought in both ITF and WTF and both have their own merits and failings.
I'll certainly be watching to see how the GB team get on next week and think that Sarah has every chance of getting into the medals.
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Tae Kwon Do is weird.
All that bouncing up and down and the odd kick.
It's not really fighting is it.
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Macau is only a short trip from Hong Kong
I suspect that the team wants somewhere peaceful rather than frantic
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i have read all the comments ref TKD and i would have to say you are all right and all wrong .. i was told when i started TKD that its not the be end to it all as it what you make of it that counts . well i took that and used it to train in many other arts and stlye ( I.T.F G.T.I T.A.G . W.T.I ) . and i got what i wanted from it . and i hope the team GB does the same win or not . ( can not say lose as they are all winners for getting this far in first place )
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Just saw Aaron Cook loose. I am completely devestated for him.
IMo should have easily won.
On the bright side he'll be even better in 2012 and will be ear marked for a definate gold.
Well done Aaron!
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I'm sorry, but I'm absolutely fizzing with fury with the results of the Taekwando for Aaron Cook and Sarah Stevenson........ do the judges have white sticks and labradors????
As someone who doesn't know the sport particularly well, but has a healthy pair of eyes surely it was completely clear that the hits were spot on??
The judging should be reviewed and video footage studied to ensure GBR get a fair and just result.
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as an instructor and student of ITF TKD for over 26 years and watching WTF TKD at the Olympics, as TKD is a foot and hand martial art, why does the current Olympic style TKD not use their hands as much as ITF TKD. Surely it will appeal to many as more exciting and more what TKD is about. Also, is the body armour really necessary? Do boxers wear body protection?
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