each one of us is a brain and an athlete, etc.

August 10, 2024 6:29 AM

This is the closing weekend of the Olympics, and Sally Jenkins is celebrating some of Team USA's athletic geeks in The Washington Post: So many of us, normal people, stroll through the world hoping to project nonchalance because we suppose it means effortlessness — when, really, it’s a kind of abdication. That way, we never really have to lose at anything.

Of course, this observation isn't unique to Jenkins, or only applicable to US athletes.

Kate Mason makes a similar point with British (and Swedish) examples.

Alexander Lee talks about the prevalence of anime celebration poses and references at this year's Olympics for Digiday.

The jock/nerd divide is not real and doesn't need debunking, but it's still a fun excuse to chat about our favorite Olympians as this year's event draws to a close.

If you hate this framing, there are still other open general Olympics threads on the blue and in Fanfare.

Or you might want to pop into one of the threads on specific Olympians like Simone Biles, Mondo Duplantis, Eric Moussambani, Gabriel Medina, or Katie Ledecky.

Perhaps you have opinions on the history of non-sporting events at the Olympics? Or the famous muffins? Or the free healthcare at the Olympic village? Or the proper way to calculate which nation is "winning" the medal count?

Or link your other favorite Olympics related thread here! I got sick of pasting links - I will never reach the Olympic podium of Metafilter posters, alas, with this lack of dedication.

Enjoy the rest of the Olympics and see y'all for Milan Cortina '26 and LA '28!

posted by the primroses were over (5 comments total)

I could not figure out a good segue for this from the nerds/geeks/jocks angle, but I love that Arisa Trew's reward for her Olympic medal will be a pet duck: “My parents definitely wouldn't let me get a dog or a cat because we are traveling so much right now,” Trew also told Australia’s Nine News. "But I feel like a duck might be a little bit easier, and... I don't know, I just want a duck.”

I'm not sure a duck is less work than a cat, but maybe her parents want something they can keep outside...
posted by the primroses were over at 6:35 AM on August 10 [10 favorites]

AskMe: 2024 Olympics Best-Of, Human Interest Edition
posted by box at 3:41 PM on August 10 [1 favorite]

When I was a kid, I briefly owned a baby duck and baby chick. I bet a pet duck will be great. Thanks for posting, the primroses are over! I am not a sporty sort and mostly ignore the Olympics. That is not a brag, it's just how it is. But I just finished watching some of the replay of the Women's weightlifting competition for athletes 81 kilograms and over. I don't know anything about weightlifting but I enjoyed the hell out of seeing 12 big, strong women lift really heavy weights. Like, I can't open a damn jar anymore without a gadget. It was so cool!
posted by Bella Donna at 6:52 AM on August 11 [2 favorites]

Suni Lee's adorable tik tok poking fun at her disappointing performance in the beam final shows that Olympians can also excel at social media trends.

Closing ceremony has an interesting stage and a full orchestra. We'll see what's in store after the athletes all filter in. Weather is better than for the opening, at least.
posted by the primroses were over at 12:25 PM on August 11

British trampoline gymnast Bryony Page won a gold medal this year. She also has a Ph.D. in biology, having done her dissertation on acoustic signaling in dinosaurs.

Her post-Olympic ambitions include performing with Cirque du Soleil.
posted by box at 2:23 PM on August 11 [1 favorite]