Belarus and Latvia joined Spain and the Czech Republic in the Beijing Olympics after their quarter-final victories in the women’s Olympic qualifying tournament here on Friday.
Belarus stunned Brazil 86-79 as Natallia Marchanka and Anastasiya Verameyenka scored 21 and 19 points respectively, winning in overtime against the 2004 Olympics’ fourth-placed finishers.
Belarus levelled at 72-72, and ran away 14-7 in the extra period to reach the Olympics for the first time.
Brazil lost captain Iziane Castro Marques who refused to enter the second half after an argument with coach Paulo Bassul at the interval.
“As a leader I have to make difficult decisions. She didn’t just say no to me, but to the group and the country. I don’t know about the future,” Bassul told reporters.
Latvia crushed Angola 84-26 to make the Olympics for the first time, after going on a 17-point scoring run in the second quarter.
However, experienced forward Ieva Tare dislocated her elbow early in the second half.
Earlier, the Czech Republic and Spain booked their places with straight-forward wins.
The Czechs, who beat Spain in the fifth-place play-off game in Athens in 2004, overturned a 10-point deficit before overcoming Japan 76-64.
Forward Eva Viteckova and shooting guard Hana Machova led the way notching 26 and 19 points respectively.
Spain, the European championship silver medallists, scored an 82-68 victory over Cuba.
Elisa Aguilar, the veteran point guard, sank a game-high 28 points, with 17 coming in the second quarter, and was supported by Amaya Valdemoro with 18.
Four quarter-final winners qualify directly, while the four losers play off in semi-finals on Saturday when Cuba will play Japan, and Angola will take on Brazil.
The winners will meet in the final on Sunday to play-off for the fifth and final qualification slot.
Qualifiers join hosts China, world champions Australia, gold medal holders US, Mali, South Korea, Russia, and New Zealand for the Olympics in August.

from: xinhuanet.com

Italy notched up a narrow victory Sunday in the final qualifying round for the Olympics men’s volleyball, securing a berth in the Beijing Olympics.
Italy edged out Argentina by 25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 21-25, 15-5, taking the first place in the eight-team round with seven wins and no defeats.
It is the ninth time in a row that Italy has won the ticket for the Olympics since 1976.

from: xinhuanet.com

TOKYO - World champions Germany secured the final spot in this year’s Beijing Olympics men’s hockey tournament after overpowering hosts Japan 4-0 on Sunday.
The world’s top-ranked side won all six of their matches in the final Olympic qualifying tournament in Gifu, scoring 34 goals without conceding one.
Christopher Zeller scored twice for the Germans, who had defeated Japan by the same scoreline in midweek. They also racked up an 8-0 win over Italy and pummelled Switzerland 10-0.
Japan, bidding to reach their first Olympic tournament since the 1968 Mexico Games, had their chances but were guilty of poor finishing, in contrast to the clinical Germans.
Florian Keller smashed in Germany’s opening goal after 15 minutes before Zeller doubled their lead moments into the second half.
Zeller added another goal in the 47th minute and Sebastian Draguhn completed a comfortable victory for Germany with a smart finish two minutes from time.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Canada’s hopes to qualify in men’s soccer for the 2008 Olympics received a major blow when Haiti rallied late for a 2-1 victory Friday night in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament.

With one game left in Group B play, Canada fell to last place in the four-team group with one point. Haiti earned three points with the victory. Alain Gustave, who entered the game in the 33rd minute, tied the score in the 72nd minute with a 19-yard line drive inside the right post.
Then in the 84th minute, Leonel Saint-Preux won the game with a 40-yard shot from the right flank that fluttered over the outstretched right hand of goalkeeper Josh Wagenaar and into the upper-left corner of the net.
Tyler Rosenlund and Kyle Hall, newcomers to the starting lineup, combined to put Canada ahead in the 17th minute.
Hall dribbled along the right flank, outraced two defenders and crossed the ball to Rosenlund, who redirected the ball from nine yards.
Rosenlund replaced Tosaint Ricketts on the left flank and Hall started at forward for Will Johnson, who was suspended after receiving a red card Wednesday night against Mexico.
The top two teams will advance to the March 20 semifinals in Nashville, Tenn.

source: canadianpress.google.com

Cuba has so far earned 125 berths in 15 sports for the Beijing Olympic Games and it is expected to earn at least 25 more tickets, a Cuban sports official stated on Thursday.

The Caribbean country has guaranteed its presence in track and field with 34 Olympic slots, baseball (24), women’s volleyball (12), wrestling (10) and boxing (9), said Cuba’s Sports’s Institute, Physical Education and Recreation’s (INDER) technical department chief Jorge Luis Llano.
Cuban athletes will also participate in rowing (9), weightlifting (6), diving (5), judo (5), taekwondo (3), shooting (3), rowing (2), archery (1), pentathlon (1) and cycling (1).
Liano said that women’s basketball and handball, table tennis and fencing may assure their participation, which adds 19 more Olympic berths.
Cuba has won 179 medals in its Olympic Games history, including 65 gold, 53 silver and 52 bronze medals.
In Athens-2004, the Cuban delegation stood 11th overall, with nine gold, seven silver and 11 bronze medals.

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

Despite a rather disjointed performance, the United States under-23 men have put themselves in good position to advance to the semifinals of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying with a 1-0 victory over Panama in a Group A match last night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla..
By defeating Honduras in Saturday’s group finale, the U.S. would win Group A, while a draw would mean second place and also a berth in the semifinals. Should Panama defeat Cuba in their final group game, the Americans would advance regardless of their result. The two semifinal winners earn a spot in this summer’s Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The U.S. edged Panama on a penalty kick from striker Freddy Adu just before halftime. The only other times it came close to scoring was on dead-ball situations, the best opportunities coming just after intermission on a Stuart Holden free kick from the left side that a Panama defender almost steered into his own net and a Holden free kick in the 74th minute which he curled over the defensive wall. Panama goalkeeper Jose Calderon made a diving save.
“I’m really pleased with the effort,” U.S. coach Peter Nowak said, despite his team’s obvious shortcomings. “I think our team played with a lot of heart tonight and we got the result after a very hard fight on the field. . . We’re going to recover now and make sure we’re ready for the third game.”
Panama tried to play defensively, starting a single striker — slightly built Gabriel Torres. The Americans countered with a three-man back-line which easily handled Torres and allowed the Panamanians only four shots on goal, none very dangerous.
Nowak made six player switches from the team that drew Cuba 1-1 Tuesday, sending Holden, Eddie Gaven and Sacha Kljestan in as attacking midfielders. Gaven, for the most part, stayed wide on the left side, while Kljestan was more central allowing the U.S. to play more down the middle than against Cuba.
However, the Americans could not establish a consistent attack. Except for a few minutes at the start of the game and at the beginning of the second half, the U.S. lacked continuity. The two best Americans against Cuba, Adu and midfielder Dax McCarty, seemed to tire noticeably in the second half, showing the effects of two physical matches in two days.
The U.S. did play at a better tempo than it did against Cuba, but the up-tempo movement did not really result in many quality scoring chances. For long stretches, it Americans seemed to be on cruise control and content to not allow Panama much of anything.
Panama’s best chance came in the 85th minute when substitute Erwin Aguilar was sent down the right side with U.S. defender Nathan Sturgis out of position. American central defender Michael Orozco came over to close him down but, despite staring at plenty of net, Aguilar shot wide.

source: http://www.soccertimes.com/usteams/2008/u23men/mar14 

A series of injuries derailed Stacy Dragila’s pole vaulting career, but the 36-year-old is back in Idaho with her focus on Beijing.
The 2000 Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion is on the comeback trail from her second Achilles surgery in two years, and her journey brings her to the Treasure Valley on Saturday.
The Blue & Orange Classic begins at 9 a.m. at the Jacksons Track at the Idaho Sports Center in Nampa and will feature college athletes from Boise State, Arizona, California and Stanford among others. The women’s pole vault is scheduled for 1 p.m.
“I’m kind of just getting the rust and the cobwebs out,” said Dragila, a 1995 Idaho State graduate who hopes to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “I think it’s feasible to jump 14 feet this weekend, maybe a little higher. I would be really happy with that.”
This coming from a two-time Olympian, the pioneer who once dominated the sport and still holds the American indoor record of 15 feet, 9 1/2 inches.
Dragila was the gold-medal favorite for the 2004 Athens Olympics, but failed to qualify for the finals when Achilles’ tendinitis in both heels grounded her. It happened again at the 2005 world championships in Finland.
Dragila didn’t throw in the towel, and in the summer of 2006, had surgery on her right Achilles. But after a strong comeback season last spring, Dragila again struggled with injuries and couldn’t compete at the U.S. outdoor championships.
In June, she had surgery on her left Achilles and spent the summer and fall rehabbing the injury. Dragila, who moved to Phoenix in 2003, moved back to her house in Pocatello earlier this month, where she’s training under Idaho State head track and field coach Dave Nielsen.
“I got the OK from my doctor to go full steam ahead and decided to come back to Idaho,” Dragila said. “Judging by the weather, I picked a bad time, but it’s nice to see the snow again.”
Dragila will compete against American outdoor record-holder Jenn Stuczynski, 25, at the Millrose Games in New York next week. Stuczynski bettered Dragila’s U.S. outdoor record by half an inch last May with a vault of 15-10› and later became the first American to clear 16-0.
“I think (qualifying for Beijing) is quite realistic for Stacy,” Nielsen said. “Not to say it’s easy, but frankly, watching what she does and what other gals have been doing, (Stuczynski) is the only one who can hold a candle to her in the U.S. She’s still very strong and athletic.”
Dragila vaulted 12-11 using a short approach at a meet in Pocatello last week.
“I wasn’t trying to make a huge height. I just wanted to make sure I was ready before I came up to Boise,” Dragila said. “I feel like (the Blue & Orange Classic) is a good, low-key way to prep for Millrose.”
After her trip to New York, Dragila said she plans to come back to Idaho for two meets. She’ll compete in Pocatello’s Mountain States Invitational on Feb. 8-9 and will do some exhibition vaults at the Simplot Games the following week.
The U.S. indoor championships, where Dragila is an eight-time champion, are Feb. 23-24 in Boston. To qualify for Beijing, the nine-time U.S. outdoor champion must finish in the top three at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., on June 27-July 6.

from: idahostatesman.com 

Kenyan-born American Bernard Lagat hopes to repeat his world championship 1,500-5,000 double at the Beijing Olympics this year.

Lagat, 33, became the first man to complete the world double in Osaka, Japan, last year and now wants to emulate Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj, who won both events at the 2004 Athens Games.
“It is do-able,” Lagat told a news conference in Glasgow on Thursday. “If I keep the same mental focus I will be able to do both. After the first round of the 5,000 it hurt. After I did the 1,500 I was feeling fresh but then when I went to my first race in the 5,000 I realised I was tired. Thankfully, we had two days off.”
Lagat, who won silver in the 1,500 in Athens 0.12 of a second behind El Guerrouj, is competing in an international indoor meeting in the Scottish city on Saturday.
He said he did not plan to run at the world indoor championships in Valencia, Spain, in March. “I thought about doing the world indoors but decided not to do it because I want to concentrate on good training for the Olympics,” he said.
“I have to qualify in both so I will continue in my season for now and then around July or August I can make my decision. I do not have to make my decision now.
“When I ran the 1,500 and 5,000 in Osaka (Japan) it gave me a different look on how things are. It is not easy doing the double. “People may have thought that ‘it seems like he is winning so easy’ but the burn was hurting on the third day of competition.
“It is also a great challenge that I have come through and have to keep trying it again. Hopefully, I will not be tired.”

from: chinadaily.com.cn