[MK Chris]

The Russians need one more gold and they're ahead of us in the medals table. Not that that would be a disaster, if someone said fourth before the Olympics start, very few British people would have turned their noses up. However, having got this far, how brilliant would third be?!

[S4B]

Going back to our earlier discussion about performance enhancing drugs - seems even the bloody horses are at it now!

How do they get the tops off the bottles?

[Yudster]

Opposable hooves.

[S4B]

Hahaha. The showjumping is cracking though!

[MK Chris]

That's one thing I find difficult to watch, sports involving horses.

[Yudster]

Now you know how the rest of us feel about ping pong balls.

[MK Chris]

Ha, I guess I deserved that.. but I stand by my assertion that lower standards of table tennis are exciting to watch (and it's better when it's live, rather than on TV.)

[S4B]

Whereas Showjumping is great live or on TV. The horses win.

[MK Chris]

I don't see how it's great.

[S4B]

Beautiful creatures doing what they were born to do!? How is that not great?

[MK Chris]

Don't get me wrong, I'm an animal lover, but horses aren't my favourite animal anyway, but that's not why I don't like it. And how were they born to jump over man-made fences with a person sitting on top?

Going back to the drugs testing, someone's comment on the BBC Olympic blogs has just made me smile:

A simple solution for the London Olympics:

All drugs tests administered by the Metropolitan police. Any medal winner who tests positive is prosecuted under the Theft Act (1968):

"s15.(1) A person who by any deception dishonestly obtains property belonging to another, with intent to permanently depriving the other of it shall on conviction on indictment be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years."

[MK Chris]

If someone had said before this Olympics that we'd end up with 18 golds, I'd have laughed.. however, with Tim Brabants winning a superb 1000m kayak final, that's what we've got. He's in the 500m final as well, but that's not his favourite event apparently, so we'll have to see how he does. BMX is a cracking addition to the schedule, despite Shanaze's (in Milton Keynes we call that a Lakes Estate name.. non-Milton Keynesers that you all are will probably have your own chav estates to call it) crash!

I thought James Degale did very well against Sutherland to guarantee himself at least a silver medal. Just got Tony Jeffries of Sunderland, who also fights an Irishman, Kenny Egan in the light-heavyweights and super-heavyweight scouser David Price boxes Roberto Cammarelle, the world amateur champion - so he'll be no walkover.. but the guy he knocked out in the first round was favourite for gold, so who knows?

Degale is now favourite for gold and Price must be the overwhelming favourite for gold if he comes through against Cammarelle. If Tony Jeffries gets through, he'll either fight Kazakh Yerkebulan Shynaliyev or the Chinese Xiaoping Zhang. One suspects it'll be the Chinese and if so, how much will the judges impartiality play a part? Just a thought...

[S4B]

Wow! You've been thinking hard about the Olympics haven't you Topher?

I felt sorry for Shanaze bless her but what's wrong with the bloody commentators? She could've had silver but she wanted gold that's what made her crash and all they could say is if she hadn't tried for gold then she would've had a medal! Surely the point is to try your best to come first?!

[MK Chris]

I love the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealths, they're brilliant.

Speaking of Paralympics, how brilliant was the woman with one leg who swam in the 10k open water event and came 16th.. against able-bodied Olympic swimmers. Bloody amazing (she is staying on for the Paralympics apparently).

As far as Shanaze is concerned, I think it's commendable that she went for gold.. she's world champion, she obviously didn't want the silver. They were saying on Five Live this morning that that is a very un-British attitude, which is right... but I think it's the right attitude to have if you want to win things.

[S4B]

Oh that one legged woman was AMAZING!

[S4B]

Ewwwww TOPHER!!! Why are the Ping Pong players spitting on their bats?!

[MK Chris]

Are they? I've never done that myself, but I imagine it's to get more grip on the surface of the rubber. Now that speed glue is banned, they'll be after all the grip they can get to get more spin.

[Yudster]

As far as Shanaze is concerned, I think it's commendable that she went for gold.. she's world champion, she obviously didn't want the silver. They were saying on Five Live this morning that that is a very un-British attitude, which is right... but I think it's the right attitude to have if you want to win things.

She was amazing. She tried to win and left everything she had - including chunks of her body - on the track doing it. She should be applauded and celebrated as much as any of the medal winners. If British sport encouraged that attitude and committment generally then we wouldn't be excited about 18 gold medals, we'd be getting a hell of a lot more.

[S4B]

Are they? I've never done that myself, but I imagine it's to get more grip on the surface of the rubber. Now that speed glue is banned, they'll be after all the grip they can get to get more spin.

Well it's a gross thing to do - especially when the camera does a close up on it. Put me off my toast.

[MK Chris]

Surely that's the fault of the cameraman, not the player. The players are going to do anything that's legal to gain an advantage over their competitor.

[S4B]

Doesn't stop it being gross

[MK Chris]

For someone who is moaning a lot about table tennis, you seem to be watching lots of it.

[S4B]

It's cos it's on at the minute. My red button appears to have gone so I can't turn it over and I want to watch the Olympics.

[Yudster]

The red button seems to have been unavailable more than it has been available this week.

[MK Chris]

It's cos it's on at the minute. My red button appears to have gone so I can't turn it over and I want to watch the Olympics.

Well don't let the commentators put you off. Ian Marshall (the more northern sounding of the two) has never been a very good player, he was head teacher of Grove School, who started a club up and they were quite successful for a time... the other one, Matthew Syed was our best player for a time and probably in the World's top 20. He's popular in China because he was a very good defensive player (and also commentates on snooker and squash), but neither explain the sport very well.