Income Access 2012 Olympic Games Predictions

Image: digitalart

When it comes to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, or really just sports in general, everyone tends to have a prediction for the final outcome, whether they explicitly state it or not. We at Income Access are by no means different, so here are some Olympic predictions from three of our staff writers.

James

I foresee a lot of cool things happening in London: Michael Phelps becoming the all-time Olympic medal leader (he needs only three more), BMX cycling in general, Oscar Pisorius not only running against the field, but prejudice too, and also the handball tourneys. I’d also like to make the bold prediction that canoe slalom will make a huge splash. Seriously through, that is the event I’ll most probably be watching the most of – it looks crazy-good.

That being said, the number one thing I see happening at this summer’s Olympics – and the thing I’d love to see the most, for that matter – is Roger Federer parlaying his recent resurgence into a gold medal for Switzerland. The current number-one tennis player in the world has battled hard to get back to the top; it’s taken him two years, but he’s finally regained his place on the throne. In the process, Federer has set the record for most weeks ever at No. 1 with 287 (surpassing hero Pete Sampras). By winning at Wimbledon this past June, for the 7th time (another record), Federer once again appears to be in top form. Because of this, he has received No. 1 seed ranking for the upcoming Olympic tournament.

For me, I see no reason barring Federer from continuing this streak; he’s on a current high, playing some of his all-time best tennis (especially considering his age), and hungry for something he’s yet to accomplish. This is basically the only thing he has left to achieve, and in that, I believe Federer will win the gold.

Rodion

In the 2008 Olympiad, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt dominated the 100m and 200m events in an unprecedented manner. Last time around, Bolt set the world record with a 100m sprint of 9.69 seconds. Even more impressively, Bolt set this mark while actually slowing down at the end of the run. In the 200m event, Bolt set a world and Olympic record, eclipsing Michael Johnson’s time, with a run of 19.30 seconds despite running against the wind.

With such resounding victories in the 100m and 200m runs, a la Carl Lewis in 1984, and Bolt’s age of 25, it would seem all but certain that he is going to run through London just as explosively as he did through London. Well, my prediction is that Usain Bolt won’t win gold in either of the events.

Now before you think I’m crazy or a contrarian, my prediction has less to do with Bolt than it does with one of his countrymen: Yohan Blake. Blake, also affectionately known as the Beast, is both Bolt’s former training partner and current biggest opposition. The two stopped training once the rivalry became too intense, and Blake has bested Bolt in two recent competitions. Blake is now the world 100m champion, after Bolt was disqualified at the most recent World Championships, and is also a workhorse to boot. Given Blake’s intensity and dedication to training and sprinting, I think this Olympics might be his coming-of-age party, much like the 2008 ones were for Bolt.

Sal

Kobe Bryant recently suggested that the 2012 Men’s Olympic Basketball team was better than the 1992 edition. You might remember that team; they were called the Dream Team, and Jordan, Bird, Magic, and company lived up to that moniker, making the rest of the world look like fat kids who had never played the game.

This year’s team – featuring Kobe, Lebron, and Kevin Durant, among others – certainly has what it takes to win gold, but to match 1992’s dominance? That’s different. These days, the international competition has picked up its game. Teams like France and Spain, for example, can now count on NBA talent (the Spanish alone boast Pau and Marc Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, Jose Calderon, and Serge Ibaka) to match up against the American superstars. Should the US take anyone lightly, they will lose. In fact, I think this is precisely what will happen and that the 2012 “Dream Team” will not win the gold.

Bryant’s comments don’t really help, adding unnecessary pressure. After all, even if they win gold, it’s unlikely they can eliminate the aura of what many feel is the only “Dream Team.” It might even be impossible, something Larry Bird recently seized on: when asked if the 2012 edition could beat the 1992 team, he said, “They probably could. I haven’t played in 20 years and we’re all old now.”

So that’s it for our predictions. Do you have any predictions of your own? Got something to say about ours? Comment below, we always want to hear what you’re thinking, and be sure to stick around for the rest of our 2012 London Olympics blog coverage.

Tagged as: Basketball, dream team, jamaica, London 2012 Summer Olympics, olympic history, olympics predictions, olympics2012, roger federer, sprinting, tennis, usain bolt, yohan blake