It's almost time now, phew! The quadrennial celebration of sport that is the Summer Olympics is at our doorsteps and that means most of us will be glued to our television/mobile screens watching athletes we rarely do otherwise and discussing sports that we may not exactly be subject matter experts in. But how do you sound like an expert when you talk about it? Don't fret, we have you covered.
If you're hanging out at school/college and discussing the Olympics or just having a chat over chai in the office or with your neighbours, drop a couple of these phrases and nod on:
"Oh, don't worry, she can still go through via repechage"
If an Indian wrestler loses in the early rounds, and everyone around you moans about how that's that for her, interrupt and say this. And then add, "You see, repechage is a way in which eliminated contestants have another chance to qualify for the next rounds. So, all we need is for the wrestler he/she lost to, to continue winning. Let's root for Bulgaria now!"
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"You know what's more impressive? That win was by RSC"
When you're discussing, say, Nikhat Zareen's march through the Games, drop this one in on occasion. Nikhat, especially, specialises in wins by RSC -- referee stops contest. i.e. the losing boxer got beat up so bad, the referee simply decided to stop the bout to save them from a knockout.
Path to Paris: Why Nikhat Zareen wants that Olympic medal - and has a good shot at it
"She's got the clean and jerk down, it's all about the snatch"
India has only one weightlifter in the fray, but as detailed here, if she lifts to her full potential, that's a medal for sure. So, when talking about Mirabai Chanu's chances ahead of her lift, you can say this.
Weightlifting is divided into two: snatch, where the lifter has to lift the bar above their head in one quick motion. And clean and jerk, where they lift the bar onto their shoulders first and then above their head. Mirabai is excellent at the latter and so-so in the former.
Path to Paris: Mirabai Chanu goes back to basics for a shot at second Olympic medal
"Now that's how you execute a dragflick"
It's India at the Olympics, which means hockey will be front-and-centre. So, when India score a goal, and if it's by Harmanpreet Singh (trust us, it's usually him), you can say this.
What is a dragflick you ask? Well, that's when the hockey player runs at a stationary ball, crouching low and kind of scoops it along the ground (drag) before slamming it at goal in a slinging action (flick). This is usually done off a penalty corner (PC).
Oh, and also can use: "That's not a penalty corner" (no one is really 100% sure about hockey rules that govern PCs, so you can always get away with this) and "we don't have enough dragflickers!" (Harmanpreet is the only specialist in the squad of 16).
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"Let's just hope she doesn't bogey now"
Golf, when cut down to the brass tacks is easy enough... there are 18 holes, you take four rounds of the course (at the Olympics) and if you finish the resulting 72 holes having taken the least shots of all, you win. Each course has a par score: i.e. how many shots are generally needed to finish one hole. So if you birdie, you've finished it in one shot less than par, if you bogey that's one shot more. The rarer 'eagle' is two shots less (good), and a double bogey is two shots more (bad, really bad) - and we have the 'hole-in-one' which is fairly obvious.
So the next time you see Aditi Ashok charging through the field, or holding off opponents from a medal place, nod your head and say this. Can also add a, "obviously she can't afford a double bogey now"
Path to Paris: Aditi Ashok has form and experience, can she shake off big-event bogey?
"That side of the court has too much drift, that's the problem"
No, not Tokyo Drift (what a title song, though, eh?) but the one you see in badminton. With so many big names in the sport, there will always be a chance to say this, especially if you notice scores are skewed towards athletes playing on one side/end of the court. A drift is like a breeze that moves the shuttle unpredictably, and players have to be quick on their toes to adapt to it.
The science behind it is simple, really: drift is caused by strong air conditioning... or currents that arise when hot, humid air enters from open doors and meets colder air inside the arena. And it usually affects one end of the court more than the other. So, if you see, say a Lakshya Sen winning one game 21-9 and losing the next 8-21, odds are that drift has wreaked havoc.
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"She won by ippon, wow!"
If you see Tulika Maan (India's only participant in judo at the Games this time) walk away with a 10-0 win at any stage, loudly exclaim this. For that's the score awarded when a judoka wins by ippon, which is basically a finishing move (if you're familiar with WWE or Mortal Kombat, you'll know what that means).
You can score an ippon when you throw an opponent on their back, pin them for 20 seconds or force a submission via choke or joint lock. Now you see why winning by ippon is such a big deal.
"No, they didn't 'settle' for silver"
If anyone around you says that athlete X "settled" for silver, be ready to admonish them (or wave your fist at the screen if you're reading/hearing it there). Nobody at this absolute elite level "settles" for anything other than gold and it's extremely harsh to use that phrase when referring to a second-place finisher.
Bonus: "Now, that would be a miracle"
When something absolutely incredible happens, like if someone says that an athlete who is not from China will win a Table Tennis gold medal (they have won 32 of 37 golds in Olympic history), or an athlete not named Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis will take gold in the men's pole vault (he has broken the world record eight times in the last four years).