Welcome to the Cheeky Armchair Expert Daily Recap for Saturday, the 2nd of August. We're going to talk through the key events from last night. Uh, mostly the men's 1500 metre rep a charge and the women's 800 metre rep a charge, as well as a few bonus events that were pretty exciting. And then we're also going to preview what's to come for the events over the next two days. So, Anna, first of all, Um, how is, hello, how is Paris, and how, you got to go to an Olympic event today, how was that?
I did. Um, Paris is really good. It is currently like 11. 30 on a Sunday night and it is absolutely bustling. Um, went to the swimming this morning, which, although it was like, it was just the heat, we got to see the 53 women's, um, and then the four by 100 medleys for men and women, which was just sick. You know what I, the thing that I, I think I like kind of forgot and you easily forget on TV, but seeing swimmers in real life, they are just like absolute weapons. Like they are so strong.
I was just like, my jaw was literally on the floor, just like looking at everyone's shoulders, being like, what the hell? I was like, this is insane. Um, but yeah, it was so good. And the atmosphere was just so sick. And the French are like mad, with their supporting. Oh my gosh, if there's one Frenchie, In the race. It is insane. So they say uh, allez le bleu.
I'm going to, I butchered that probably, but it's like go the blow, which is apparently what they say to the rugby team, anyway, there was judo on, there was a final on and everyone around us, like in the pubs and restaurants, it's like going nuts. It
Oh my god. That is so fun. So you're
Yeah.
up the atmosphere.
Yeah. so cool. So, so cool.
I've just caught up on the night's events.
Mmm.
rewatched some and I'm excited to walk through. So let's start with the Women's 800 Meter Rapper Charge because, um, that was pretty bloody exciting.
Yeah, so it's the first round of the repercharge. Um, yeah. Probably butchered the pronunciation once again. Um, so we saw two Australian dinner, Abby Caldwell and Katrina Bisset. So you had to win your like repercharge heat or be in the two fastest. I feel like if they didn't have the people also qualifying off times. It could have meant that the races were just like so, so slow. Um, but anyway, so we had Abby Caldwell up first and she just like absolute, like she was like a woman on a mission.
She absolutely dominated and won. So he's now through the semifinals, which is so, so exciting. Did you, yeah. What Did you, think of the race?
yeah. I was watching this, um, from my phone in a car on the way to a 30th and I was getting car sick and I was like, I don't care, like, I cannot take my eyes off
I need to watch this.
just looked, she just looked so focused, like, it was like game face on and like, she was like, I don't know, she just like looks like a fighter. Don't you reckon the way she runs? She's just like head
yeah,
Yeah, I was like, okay, you got to go, you got to go. And everyone's kicking, everyone's kicking. And it's just sort of a matter of like, who can kick the best, I
best, yeah,
she had it. She had them covered. So it was, it was very cool to see because I think we were both like, I feel like she's at that level that she should be in the semis. And this really confirmed that she is.
yeah, agreed, yeah. So, um, yes, very excited to watch her in the semis. The second Australian, in the semis for the 800 metres. Yes. Yes. So yeah, obviously we already had Claudia going through. She got through straight through in the heats. Um, and then Katrina Bissetts, was in another one of the repercharge heats.
Unfortunately, I feel like, um, I feel like she'd be really disappointed with how she went because I feel like she, she didn't really perform at her best in the sense of like times and just looked a little bit flat throughout so I mean it's like such a good effort what she's done and going through the heats and backing up again like it would be so so tough but really feel for her because I feel like she'd be really disappointed at the moment.
Um, but very exciting that we've got two women through. So did you watch the men's 1500?
I did, I caught up on that this morning. Pretty disappointing. I guess just like, I think I woke up being like, alright, this is it, we've got three men in there.
Yeah. Um,
we'll see who gets through. The first race that I watched, stewie McSwain's Heat. And, he, um, led out as he is wont to do. Um, and as you said, he would. If he was, if he was racing, he'd be leading. And, he, he ran fearlessly. Like, he just, he gets up the front and he pushes the pace and he gives it, he gives it his all. Everything he's got. But in this case, he maybe gave it much.
watch Ollie's and Adam Spencer's and yeah, they just, they were sort of like struggling a little bit as well. I actually thought that for a while Ollie would, you know,
Yeah.
but I think it would just be like such hard racing, sort of back to back 1500s. Um, and like, I feel like it kind of looked like you blew up a little bit, which is probably very easy to do. Cause you probably under the, um, like you're probably under the proviso that you're maybe not as tired as you actually are. So yeah, it would have been really tough.
Unfortunately we didn't have any of the guys that will go through to the semi finals, Although a little left of field, not quite in the middle distance, long distance space, is Bree Masters, who qualified, was the first, he's the first Australian since the, Sydney 2000 Olympics to qualify for a 100 metre semi final, um, which is just insane. And I don't know if you saw, but like the footage of her after the heat, she was just so happy.
But before she ran, so she was in the semifinal with two of the absolute FA favorites Shell Ann Fraser Price, from Jamaica and Chari Richardson Richardson from America. But there was a little bit of drama before the semifinal. Did you see this?
yeah. I did. Well, I just, I was just watching it, um, this morning and I was listening. So basically, um, I was looking at the start line and you know, it's a hundred meter start line and then there was one person in the middle missing and it's like, what's going on here? And then the commentator started saying that Shellyann Fraser Price, who, as you say, is like race favorite, like absolute superstar of the event has won multiple gold medals, right? She's.
Yeah. She's won a medal at the last three Olympics in this race. Yeah.
then the comment, the commentator, and I'm very keen to hear if you have more information here, because the commentator said, apparently, and this is, um, hasn't been confirmed, but apparently, Shellyann Fraser Price was staying somewhere separate. than from the American team, as a few of the athletes are.
And so I had private transport to the stadium, and the same entry gate that she came in the day before, there'd been a rule change and you can't go in there that day anymore, and they didn't let her in.
Yeah, so the, um, for like, apparently like it's happened to like quite a few people. It's like not super well known, but in order to gain entry into the warmup track, um, you have to have gone on, you have to have actually like gone on, um, the athlete shuttles provided by the Olympic organizers, but both of like those individuals, Fraser Price and Richardson. Arrived
it happen to I
Yeah, it happened to both of them. Yeah, and, um, both were denied, entry at the main gate to the Walmart track, um, which is just insane. It's not, confirmed why she didn't start, but
Yeah, because then Shikari did,
Yeah, so I don't know if, like, I don't know, who knows, like, maybe she was sort of, like, juggling a niggle, so I had to, like, warm up properly and then didn't get the opportunity to do so. I mean, like, she's pretty, sort of, she's like a bit of a veteran in the field, um. So, and like, she's been to so many Olympics, like, wouldn't be, wouldn't surprise me if she sort of like, was like, more sort of like, tuned into her warm up than maybe like, some of the others.
But yeah, so at this stage, it hasn't been reported why she didn't start, um, but we do know that she, uh, like, went to go and warm up, and then, yeah, originally wasn't allowed,
I saw, have you seen the video? The
oh, yeah,
It's like, she's like there with her, like, um, backpack on.
I know,
in, trying to talk to them. It is literally, it's like the stuff of nightmares. Like, that's the kind of thing you
I know. Mm hmm.
before the race. Being like, something happens and they don't let me in and I miss the start.
Yeah, yeah. What do you think about it? Like, what do you think of the, like,
I find it, I find it very hard to understand. I'm sure the officials? were just doing their job, but how they didn't escalate it to someone else who then approved it is beyond me. Like what, I, maybe they just didn't have a system for that, but
I don't know if that's the reason why she didn't start, but, Either way, it seems like the perfect storm, if that's why she didn't start. But anyway, yeah, Bree ended up coming seventh in her heat, but she was competitive, the whole way. Like, she did so well. Um, so, yeah, pretty exciting. I'm so excited for the women's 4x100 relay.
Yeah, that is gonna be amazing. Speaking of fun, of relays, I was telling Anna this off air, but I just watched the 4x400 mixed relays, and it was like the most exciting race. I, I literally just had a few minutes before we jumped on, I was like, oh yeah, let's see what happened here, but like you Anna, I just thought America had it in the bag. And for listeners. It is So worth watching because Femke Boll, who is, she's this incredible 400, she's a freak 400 meter athlete for the Netherlands.
She just destroys the field and she takes, I mean, I kind of don't want to ruin it, but it's obviously happened. She takes the Netherlands from like 30 meters behind in fourth place and just cruises through and, and they win gold medal, which is extremely exciting. You don't expect to see the
I know,
that race.
no, particularly when, cause America broke the world record in the heat. So I kind of just assumed it was like a shooting. There's something like so sweet about the underdog winning
I know, I know, especially I love that. So, um, Femke Boll didn't race in the heats and so on for this event. Obviously cause her, she's a real medal chance for her main event, 400 metres. But then they
400 hurdles.
400 hurdles. That's right. That's
Yeah.
Um, they, you can make us a sub and she was like the big dog. They called in and she,
I know. What a legend. Um, so what are we looking forward to tomorrow?
Tomorrow, I mean, the main thing is 800 semis.
Yeah.
Yep. So we've obviously got Claudia and we have Abby. They are racing in different heats. And then I was saying before, like, gosh, they've both got hard hates, but then we're like, Oh Yeah. it is the semifinals. Like it's the best of the best. Um, I don't know. What are your predictions? What do you think is going to happen?
Oh, I don't know. I reckon I, I think this is like wishful thinking. I reckon cloudy is going to go through to the final.
I think she might as well. I
I reckon it will be the three British girls. Um, so Keely, my gal, Gemma and Phoebe, and then I think it will be cloudier. And then. Mary Mora from Kenya and then I can't remember her name but there's a really good Ethiopian girl
Uh, yeah.
I'll leave one to
One bonus. So you have to come top two in your heat, because there are three heats. Or, um, the second fastest, like the two next fastest, across the three heats get in.
yeah, yeah, yeah. So automatic top two in each semi final and then the two fastest overall. So very exciting.
yeah? And then, we won't do an episode this time tomorrow, but we will, um, the next day. So what's coming up the night after,
So, we've got the 800 final, which is huge. The 5K women's final with Rose Davies in it. Um, and also the 200 semis will be on for the women as well, which will be exciting.
yeah, that is exciting. How good, well, plenty more fun to come. Um,
will, I'll see you in a couple of days.
sounds good. Bye!
Bye!