Day 7 - Let's Get This Party Started

August 13th.

And just like that, the start of the Track and Field events cause the numbers to explode. As this is the first time we've got some non-swimming numbers to count it's probably worth a recap of the rules:

Human power only.

No bikes, horses or boats, no projectiles or ball games. If you run or swim or jump or throw something then we count it and add it all up.

If you don't finish you don't count. 

If you pull up 20 miles into the marathon then you'll have to live with me knowing you're a far finer specimen of human endurance than I will ever be. I won't be counting you though. This is more to do with my wish for discrete measurements than any disrespect for your achievement.

Well that was simple.

.....

So Friday at the games gave us a bit of everything including an amazing set of numbers thanks to the Men's 20k race walk; over a million metres from that event alone.

We also have our first jumping and throwing figures so we can finally stop posting 0m now. For the record, EVERY jump and throw that is legal counts. If you take your 3 leaps during qualifying for the Long Jump they all count, every successful clearance of the bar in the High Jump counts. Every metre a Hammer flies if you stayed behind the line counts. As we say at the top, if they swim it run it jump it or throw it, we count it.

All told Day 7 gave us 93,900m of swimming, 1,752,300m of running (although technically a lot of that was walking), 746.15m of jumping and 11,934.03m of throwing. This leaves us with our totals.

Totals:

Swimming: 421,750m
Running: 1,752,300m
Jumping: 746.15m
Throwing: 11,934.03m

Total: 2,186,730.18m

At the equivalent stage of London 2012 we were at 844,284.92m so Rio is sitting on a lead of 1,342,445.26m which you have to say is significant. A big part of that (1,260,000m to be exact), is due to the 20k race walk appearing earlier this year but even accounting for that there's a deficit of 82,445.26m to be explained. I think we have to concede that Rio has a commanding lead at this point.

Hero of the day:

On the first day of really big numbers the 2 heroes today are coming from the opposite end of the spectrum. Today we honour Evelis Aguilar and Sofia Yfantidou who both jumped 1.56m in the Women's Heptathlon High Jump. 

To be clear, they both jumped higher than that in subsequent rounds and will contribute a lot more to our final total by the end of their competition. If 2012 is any guide though, these will be the smallest measures we have at these games. Even then, go grab a tape-measure and mark that distance out. Then imagine jumping over it. They've done that and more but by giving us this towards the total they remind us that every metre counts.

Back tomorrow with the numbers from Super Saturday, see you then.

R

@howfarexactly