To find watching the 100 m sprint a bit meh?

[Scrambledchickens]

Love love love watching the Olympics but find the hullabaloo surrounding the shortest sprint a bit odd. 9-10 seconds of athletes running almost the same speed is a bit underwhelming no? Events like the triathlon I find so much more interesting lots of different stories within each race. 800 m yes please, 100 m not so much. Anyone else?

Couldn't agree more

Different people like different things. We follow athletics as my dc both compete and for us the 100m is the most exciting part of any competition and the short time makes it more thrilling not less.

It’s a highlight for me. I find the longer races e.g. Mens 1500m boring though.

Frankly, I find the whole olympics “meh”. And, yes, therefore I haven’t watched any of it.

I thought the build up was hilarious - “A race of such importance that for 9 seconds tonight the world will stand still”

The men’s 100m sprint is a spectacle enjoyed by many, but it is not remotely important!

Yip. One fast guy beating other equally fast guys by a bawhair does not compelling telly make.

I thought it was a fascinating race. Don't remember the whole field being so close before.

I'm not really interested in running, so the 100m and 200m sprints are the perfect length to be vaguely interesting.

Watching the same people do multiple laps of anything (running, swimming, driving race cars) is tedious to me.

I didn't enjoy the triathlon at all and I thought I would. Seven laps of running around and around.

I agree. Especially with the repeat events of doing nearly the same thing. 100m versus 200m basically the same. I find swimming the worst. It should be who is the fastest at swimming and then ditch the slow styles - it doesn't really feal fair that some people get lots of medals for the same thing

200m has a bend, so is a slightly different race.

I do like the events which are a more sustained test of a skill, like the gymnastics or the show jumping or the skateboarding. Just run as fast as you can for nearly ten seconds doesn’t have the same level of suspense and anticipation.

I love the sprint races, but different strokes for different folks and all that.

The hype and build-up to the 100m is essentially because the 100m is a chance to see a human moving faster than any other human being has ever moved in history, which is, in terms of human and sporting achievement, obviously quite a big deal! But obviously it doesn't mean everyone will find it interesting to watch.

I tend to be a bit meh about the swimming, for some reason.

Anything horsey is ridiculous unless the horses get the medals.

I love it when anyone refers to any sporting event as "making history".

Unless you're Jesse Owens or the bloke who ran the first marathon mate, nope, you're just someone really into a niche skill who's a bit better at everyone else who does the same niche skill that most people haven't even tried.

(I don't underrate people's abilities, I just tend to find that most people who are really good at anything are so because they stuck it out and worked hard.)

The second week of the Olympics is all a bit meh to me. All the fun stuff is in the first week - gymnastics, trampoline, diving, BMX, triathlon in our house. This week's endless heats running around the track and people chucking various objects about is way less interesting.

They've really spread the diving out so it's this week too. Usually it would be done by now.

The 100m is irrelevant to me. Lots of guys with massive egos try to be fastest, a lot of whom end up to be proven as drugs cheats. Give me 800/1500 any day. So much more tactics involved. And Brits are much better at these distances too.

For crazy fun, check out the kayak cross this afternoon.

I would say it depends on the individual race. Last night I was a lot less bothered during the build up than usual (haven't followed athletics this year as much as usual) but in the end I quite enjoyed it; with no one knowing who won for a bit. Them watching the replays and you could see what happened to each athlete through the race so clearly. Such a short race but actually a lot happened.

YABU. The 100m is a blue riband event and the amount of sacrifice and work that goes into training at that level is probably incomprehensible to you.

it’s just as much psychological as it is physical hence the build up and showmanship at the beginning.

Although the track cycling is just starting, open water swimming to come and lots more.

I was hearing on the radio the other day that, for LA 2028, the US is thinking of starting with the track and field in week 1 as it should boost the medals for the US and generate better viewing figures early on .

Yay for Kayak Cross @Blackbirdinfinity

I was thinking yesterday while watching the 100m that the longer races are much more interesting. I don't mind the 100m but it isn't my favourite. I guess the fuss is because it's where the fastest world records are set and broken.

Is that the one where they all go crashing into each other? I watched something last night and no amount of money would get me to do that.😄

Omg! Just watching Kayak Cross! Brutal! But with a touch of Its A Knockout.