# Olympics question **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 16, 2016, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024 "2016-08-16T23:10:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/1 "2016-08-16T23:10:37Z")
Hi Diving across a finish line rather than sprinting across is allowed. Why is this allowed? I look forward to your feedback. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkICia0y-jU) ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/2 "2016-08-16T23:13:33Z")
Its all about who gets their torso over the line first. Which is why I like track over swimming. In track, it makes no difference how you run, as long as you stay in your lane and don’t false start. Swimming you have to then also worry about doing whatever stroke instead of just getting to the line first. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/3 "2016-08-16T23:20:01Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Its all about who gets their torso over the line first. Which is why I like track over swimming. In track, it makes no difference how you run, as long as you stay in your lane and don’t false start. Swimming you have to then also worry about doing whatever stroke instead of just getting to the line first. You can swim any stroke you want in freestyle. (That’s why it’s called freestyle.) Most swimmers prefer to swim the fastest stroke, though, I assume for the same reason that most track athletes prefer run instead of hop-scotch. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/4 "2016-08-16T23:22:23Z")
Diving is obviously dangerous. Miller fell (IMO). Sometime soon someone will dive. Sometime after diving will be forbidden by the rules. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/5 "2016-08-16T23:51:10Z")
My understanding is that track officials stretch a tape across the finish line, first runner to touch the tape wins. Lunging for the tape is acceptable technique, and sometimes a runner will loose their balance and fall. The way things are now, there’s nothing to be judged, it’s just simply who touches the tape first. So how would we tell the difference between a lunge and a dive without depending on some human’s opinion? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/6 "2016-08-16T23:55:21Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > My understanding is that track officials stretch a tape across the finish line, first runner to touch the tape wins. Lunging for the tape is acceptable technique, and sometimes a runner will loose their balance and fall. The way things are now, there’s nothing to be judged, it’s just simply who touches the tape first. So how would we tell the difference between a lunge and a dive without depending on some human’s opinion? High level meets, college and some high schools have automatic timing for the finish. No more tapes. Also, if hand timing is used, there’s a timer and a judge for each lane. (if you can round up enough people) ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/7 "2016-08-17T00:24:48Z")
As I was thinking about this, I wondered about the, often debated, head-first slide into first base, which is more of a lunging dive, exactly like what happened here. Does this not suggest that the head-first slide is, in fact, faster than the full run? Would it be a fluke and not comparable to to baseball. Or should I shut up and open the thread in the Game Room? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/8 "2016-08-17T00:31:13Z")
**Moderator Action** Since this is about Olympic sports, let’s move it to our sports section. Moving thread from General Questions to the Game Room. ETA: Hmmm… another mod broke the tape first and beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/9 "2016-08-17T00:31:50Z")
Moving from General Questios to the Game Room. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/10 "2016-08-17T00:36:11Z")
A photo finish mod forum change ninja’ing! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/11 "2016-08-17T00:40:26Z")
> [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](#): > > As I was thinking about this, I wondered about the, often debated, head-first slide into first base, which is more of a lunging dive, exactly like what happened here. Does this not suggest that the head-first slide is, in fact, faster than the full run? Would it be a fluke and not comparable to to baseball. Or should I shut up and open the thread in the Game Room? The head-first slide is slower if it’s more than maybe a stride length. [Deadspin.](http://regressing.deadspin.com/yes-sliding-into-first-can-be-faster-no-you-still-sh-1652854913) Includes videos. > [@](#): > > Here’s one of the times where ESPN’s Sport Science manages to actually be useful. In the video below, Sport Science demonstrates that as a runner begins to lay out for a slide, he actually pulls ahead of a runner running through the bag. This is because your center of gravity continues its forward momentum while also moving it closer to the bag—vertical momentum—and for a brief pico-moment, you’ve gained an advantage. But like the Science Guy observed, once you leave your feet, you’ve lost all power to thrusters, so the lost extra step catches up almost immediately. And worse, if you drag on the ground for any length of time, you’re slowing down even more rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/12 "2016-08-17T01:11:36Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > The head-first slide is slower if it’s more than maybe a stride length. > [Deadspin.](http://regressing.deadspin.com/yes-sliding-into-first-can-be-faster-no-you-still-sh-1652854913) Includes videos. Yeah, it would probably have to be a belly-flop to first with your hands the first thing to touch the base or anything else. Very dangerous. But it all reminds me of a Jay Leno joke. For a while it was suggested that runners were using Viagra for performance enhancement. Not applicable in this case, but the joke was: Boy, and you thought winning by a nose was exciting… get it, Viagra. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/13 "2016-08-17T01:41:13Z")
If you think about it, when you are already expending every ounce of thrust to run that fast (you should be), there is no extra thrust left to jump forward. Everything that is gained is because the cg falls forward in an arc. Had there been a tape, she would have gone under it. But now it is the plane of the finish line that counts. She could be the Dick Fosbury of sprinting, this could change everything. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/14 "2016-08-17T02:05:52Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > If you think about it, when you are already expending every ounce of thrust to run that fast (you should be), there is no extra thrust left to jump forward. Everything that is gained is because the cg falls forward in an arc. > > Had there been a tape, she would have gone under it. But now it is the plane of the finish line that counts. > > She could be the Dick Fosbury of sprinting, this could change everything. > > Dennis Go find a running track and try it. I guarantee you’ll find out why it’s not used except in extreme desperation. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/15 "2016-08-17T02:07:11Z")
> [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](#): > > Yeah, it would probably have to be a belly-flop to first with your hands the first thing to touch the base or anything else. Very dangerous. But it all reminds me of a Jay Leno joke. For a while it was suggested that runners were using Viagra for performance enhancement. Not applicable in this case, but the joke was: Boy, and you thought winning by a nose was exciting… get it, Viagra. That wouldn’t work for women. Going by these criteria, women should also get extra-large breast implants to give them a bit of an edge. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/16 "2016-08-17T02:08:49Z")
On “As it Happens” (CBC) the runner they interviewed said “You can Irish dance, you can somersault, you can do the moon walk – all that matters is getting your torso over the line” She also said that you are taught to lean (dip) to get you torso out, the athlete just overdid it (again, totally legal) Brian ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/17 "2016-08-17T04:53:31Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Go find a running track and try it. I guarantee you’ll find out why it’s not used except in extreme desperation. > :eek: Hah! I have to pass because my running days are, oh, 50 years behind me… Heck half the tracks we ran on back then were cinder, that would really hurt. I do remember taking a tumble in a half miler when the pack collided. Cinders stuck in the knees. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/18 "2016-08-17T07:43:29Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > That wouldn’t work for women. > > Going by these criteria, women should also get extra-large breast implants to give them a bit of an edge. 😛 A certain commentator at the Commonwealth Games from those far-less enlightened times of 1982 described Canada as beating Australia in the 4x400 relay ‘by a nipple’. ---
**Author:** ![NorthernStar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c77e96/32.png) [@NorthernStar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NorthernStar)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/19 "2016-08-17T09:26:30Z")
> [@davidmich](#): > > Hi > > Diving across a finish line rather than sprinting across is allowed. Why is this allowed? Your OP presents a faulty premise. It is not about “what is allowed”, rather “what is not disallowed” (e.g. you can’t start before the agreed signal, you can’t cut across the lanes to shorten the distance, you can’t interfere with the runner in the adjacent lane, etc.) So the simplest answer to the question is “because nobody has proposed a good reason for it to be disallowed”. Perhaps you had one in mind? ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024/20 "2016-08-17T11:19:34Z")
She does appear to fall outside her own lane as she crosses the finish line, possibly interfering with the finish of the person of the lane to the inside of her. I wonder what the specific rule says on that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-question/763024.md?page=2)