Olympic Times – Sports Daily

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic kicked off her 2009 season ahead of the Australian Open with victory over Petra Kvitova at the Brisbane International.
Serbian Ivanovic, 21, who reached the Australian Open final last season, overcame the Czech 6-4 6-2 to set up a second-round match with Roberta Vinci.
Another former world number one Amelie Mauresmo also opened with a win in the ATP-WTA Australian Open tune-up event.
The Frenchwoman edged past Australia’s Jelena Dokic 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5).
The victory will provide a welcome boost for Mauresmo, whose ranking has slipped to 24 from a high of number one in 2006 when she won two Grand Slam titles.
She has been working with new coach Hugo Lecoq since failing to finish in the top 20 last year – the first time in a decade.
But she had to fend off two first-set points before overcoming Dokic, who herself has slumped in the rankings to 177th from a career high of number four.
“It was a tough first match – she was playing some good tennis and gave me a bit of trouble,” Mauresmo said. “But there were good things. Physically I felt good on the court. That’s a key point for me.”
It was a lot more comfortable for Ivanovic, who ended last season at five in the rankings following an injury-hampered mid-season.
“The end of last season was a bit of a disappointment for me so I was looking forward to a good start,” she said.
Three seeded players suffered an early exit, though, with fourth seed Daniel Hantuchova of Slovakia beaten 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-0 by Italy’s Sara Errani.
Italy’s number eight seed Francesca Schiavone also fell, ousted 7-5 6-2 by Olga Govortsova of Belarus, and Ai Sugiyama of Japan, seeded ninth, was defeated 6-2 6-3 by home favourite Samantha Stosur.
Italy’s Vinci beat Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld 0-6 6-3 6-1 to earn her place in the second round.

source: bbc.co.uk

THE past year will be remembered as the year of the “Lightning” Bolt that struck at the Beijing Olympic Games. Usain Bolt certainly stunned the world with his world record-breaking performances in the 100 and 200 metre sprints. Next year‘s world championship meeting in August in Berlin will be the highlight of the world athletics calendar and will surely deliver another round of explosive performances from the sprinter.

The question is: How much faster can Bolt still go? Then the question is also asked whether defending world champion Tyson Gay will be able to bounce back or will Asafa Powell be the dark horse to content with?

Bolt has been hinting at competing in the 400m and a Bolt, Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merrit race might just blow some life into the sport again.

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Two weeks after stunning spectators when he came from 65th to finish second in a downhill in Lake Louise, Switzerland’s Carlo Janka clinched his career first World Cup win during a giant slalom in Val d’Isere. The U.S. Ski Team’s Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) struggled under tough light and snow conditions to finish 12th.

The men’s giant slalom, along with the rest of this weekend’s alpine coverage, will be webcast on demand at UniversalSports.com.

Italy’s Massimiliano Blardone took second in the giant slalom and Gauthier De Tessieres of France was third.

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World champion Mao Asada‘s skill with the triple axel earned her a victory over longtime rival Kim Yu-na at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating finals on Saturday.

Jeremy Abbott of the United States won after hitting every jump in the free skate.

Asada’s triple axels — two launched at the start of her free skate_ proved decisive as she won with a total of 188.55 points, just 2.2 ahead of South Korea’s Kim at the Goyang Ice Arena north of Seoul.

“I am happy that I could land two triple axels in my program and that I was able to win here in Korea,” Asada said. “It is really special.”

It was a particularly satisfying victory for Asada of Japan, who had finished second to Kim at the last two Grand Prix finals.

Abbott breezed past Takahiko Kozuka of Japan for gold in his first Grand Prix final. Abbott earned 237.72 points, while Kozuka had 224.63.

Ice dancing world champions Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder capped off a victorious Grand Prix season with gold, and Pang Qing and Tong Jian of China rallied to win the pairs title.

But it was the showdown between Kim and Asada, rivals since their days as juniors, that took center stage at the sellout event. Even South Korea Prime Minister Han Seung-soo was in the audience.

Kim, the world bronze medalist, had won her last five consecutive Grand Prix series events. Asada, the reigning world champion, won the NHK Trophy but the finals title had eluded her.

Kim admitted to nerves Friday but pulled off a narrow, half-point lead over Asada in the short program. Fans showed their love for “Queen Yu-na” by throwing more than 550 stuffed animals and 500 flowers onto the rink, organizers said.

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taly’s triumphant Olympic fencers are using their fighting skills to stay in the limelight and promote their sport now that interest has waned after the Beijing Games.

The fencing team drew wide attention after it brought home two individual gold, two individual bronze and three team bronze medals.

The swashbucklers have used media appearances at home to great effect, knowing that soon the focus will return to more traditionally popular sports like soccer and auto racing.

Diego Confalonieri, who won bronze in the team épée, wants to avoid the fate of most smaller Olympic sports that must wait until the 2012 Games in London for another 15 minutes of fame.

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Carolina Kostner earned the Cup of Russia gold on Saturday, topping error-strewn overnight leader Fumie Suguri with an elegant free skate.

Suguri’s mistakes allowed American Rachael Flatt to take the silver medal after posting the session’s top technical score at the Megasport arena. Suguri of Japan finished third.

“I was quite nervous going into my program,” said Kostner, who landed a triple-triple that she missed in her short program. “I got my confidence and then enjoyed my skating.”

She fell on a triple toeloop later in the free skate, but that wasn’t enough to deny her victory.

Suguri, meanwhile, skipped an early double loop, two-footed a triple salchow, and didn’t attempt some other elements.
“I did a lot of mistakes on my jump,” she said. “I was in very good condition over the last two weeks, so I’m very disappointed with how I did.”

Flatt managed to come away with second place.

“I thought I skated very well but it wasn’t my best program. … But I had a lot of fun and it was very exciting,” said Flatt, who adjusted her program after a wobbly landing on an early triple loop.

Kostner and Suguri remain in contention for a Grand Prix Final berth heading into the sixth and final preliminary competition, the NHK Trophy, in Japan next week.

Kim Yu-na and Joannie Rochette have already qualified for the Grand Prix final with two golds apiece. The other four final places remain open.

source: iht.com

Up to 1,000 euros per hour for Carolina, who declines the offer.
Beckham wants Kostner to teach skating to her children.
Victoria will come to Milan with David. On the ‘Spice list’ are a helicopter, big swimming pool and fitness center.

All alone in Milan David Beckham could run the risk of being overwhelmed (as some are saying) by the highlife of some of players? Not ever. Victoria, who at first was thinking to remain in Los Angeles to pursue her fashion career has decided instead to fly to Italy with the whole family and stay with her husband who is on loan to Milan. But she brings with her a few demands to leave you breathless.

THE ‘SPICE LIST’ – At least that’s what American magazines have reported. First on the list, is a private helicopter available 24 hours always ready to take off to follow David in his training. Obviously it is better not to waste time waiting for the ‘popular’ flights. Also on the ‘Spice list’ is a pool of 100 square meters with whirlpool spa, fitness center and a beauty salon built specially for her and her personal hairdresser available 7 days a week.

CAROLINA KOSTNER – According to rumors from friends of the couple, Posh also asked for an ice skating rink for their children, lovers of skating and avid fans of the game “Stars on Ice”, a video game dedicated to skating in winter. According to Star magazine she would be prepared to pay up to 1,000 euros per hour for an international champion to teach their children to skate. Contenders for the post are current world champion Jeffrey Buttle, the American Sasha Cohen and Italian Carolina Kostner.

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Japan’s Fumie Suguri took the women’s lead Friday at the Cup of Russia with a short program that was confident and precise, if short on adventure.

Suguri, who took silver at Skate Canada, is in line for a slot in the Grand Prix final if she gains a gold or silver in Moscow, the fifth of six Grand Prix series competitions. With a score of 58.30 points, she edged Carolina Kostner of Italy, the world silver medalist, and American Rachael Flatt at Moscow’s Megasport Arena.

In a disappointing performance, 2006 world champion Kimmie Meissner was eighth.

Suguri nailed all her jumps, with the only flaw a bit of apparent hesitation before her triple flip. She took fewer risks than Kostner or Flatt, essaying only a triple-double combination and front-loading all her jumps into the start of her program to “Fanfan” by Nicolas Jorelle.

Kostner tried a triple-triple, but put a hand down on the second jump, then fell on a triple lutz. But her drama and elegance won her the highest artistic marks of all the women.

Flatt stepped out of the first part of her triple-triple and only doubled the toe loop jump when she tried to add it on to her ensuing triple lutz.

But she held back a double axel until more than two minutes into the program, and got the second-highest technical marks.

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The IOC are growing increasingly frustrated at Britain’s refusal to introduce legislation to outlaw the possession, supply and distribution of performance-enhancing drugs.

Their stance leaves them out of step with other European countries such as Sweden, France, Italy, Greece and Germany where anti-doping laws mean athletes and their suppliers can go to jail.

Arne Ljungqvist, the chairman of the IOC’s medical commission, said he would be pressing for a change in the British law, which would be an important legacy of the 2012 Olympics.

The subject will be raised by the IOC when Olympic host and bidding cities gather in London later this month for a post-Beijing debrief.

The IOC are considering making it a condition of bidding for future Olympic Games that candidate countries have anti-doping laws. In the meantime, just as the Chinese authorities were persuaded to introduce new legislation in the run-up to this summer’s Games, Britain will be under pressure to fall into line.

Ljungqvist, who is also a board member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said: “I think legislation is very important that criminalises certain offences as detailed in the WADA code because it allows public authorities to intervene where we cannot.

“We as sports authorities have our limited possibilities regulated by our code. We can do testing but we cannot do searches.”

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Rupert Murdoch’s media group scored another Olympic coup Friday when it was awarded the Turkish broadcast rights to the 2014 and 2016 games.

The International Olympic Committee announced the deal with Fox Turkey, part of the Fox entertainment network owned by Murdoch.

It is the IOC’s third Olympic deal with a Murdoch channel in Europe this year, and second this month. On Oct. 21, SKY Italia was awarded the 2014 and 2016 rights in Italy, following the contract announced in February for the 2010 and 2012 games.

Fox Turkey will provide coverage on free-to-air television, pay channels, and through the Internet and mobile phones.

The value of the contract was not disclosed. It covers the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 2016 Summer Olympics. The 2016 host city will be chosen next October, with Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro the finalists.
“Fox Turkey presented a comprehensive package that will allow not only the broadest coverage of the Olympic Games but also the promotion of Olympic sports and Olympic values beyond the 16 days of competition,” IOC president Jacques Rogge said in a statement.

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News Corp. subsidiary Sky Italia will pay about 80 million euros ($109 million) for broadcast rights to the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2012 Summer Games, the broadcaster said Wednesday.

To gain the rights, Sky Italia reportedly outbid state broadcaster RAI, which offered 60 million euros ($82 million) for the same package.

The Summer Olympics are traditionally the most important nonsoccer sports broadcast in Italy.

source: hollywoodreporter.com

Ronaldinho picked the ideal time to open his AC Milan account as his first-half goal gave it a 1-0 win over city rivals Internazionale on Sunday.

The Brazilian powerfully headed home a cross from compatriot Kaka in the 36th minute as Jose Mourinho tasted his first defeat as Inter boss.

The Nerazzurri finished the game with 10 men after Nicolas Burdisso was sent off in the 77th minute, while Marco Materazzi was also sent to the stands from the Inter bench for protesting too strongly in a fiery end to the derby.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side look to have banished their woeful early-season form though after their third straight win lifted them up to sixth in the Serie A table.

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Emma Pooley, the Olympic silver medallist, missed out on a medal in the women’s time-trial at the Road World Championships in Varese, Italy.

The 25-year-old, who finished second in the time-trial in Beijing Olympics and played a key role in Nicole Cooke’s gold medal success in the road race, posted a time of 34min 48.87sec to finish eighth.

Amber Neben, of the United States, claimed the title in a winning time of 33min 51.35sec, a result that put her ahead of her more fancied compatriot Kristin Armstrong, the Olympic champion, who could only finish fifth.

Christiane Soeder, of Austria, took second place with Germany’s Judith Arndt in third.

from: timesonline.co.uk

The Montreal Canadiens will roll out the red carpet to welcome goaltending great Patrick Roy back to the club.

The NHL team announced Thursday that it will retire Roy’s jersey No. 33 at a Bell Centre ceremony before a game against the Boston Bruins on Nov. 22.

BEIJING – Canada’s Michelle Stilwell captured her second Paralympic Games gold medal Thursday, but her first as a wheelchair racer.

Stilwell, from Nanoose Bay, B.C., a gold medallist in wheelchair basketball in 2000 in Sydney, raced to gold in the 200-metre T52 classification race in a Paralympic record time of 36.18 seconds.

MILAN, Italy – Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa resume their tight title chase at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, the last European race of the Formula One season.

Hamilton’s lead over Massa in the overall standings dwindled to two points after a time penalty cost the McLaren driver a dramatic victory at the Belgian GP last weekend.

SUANCES, Spain – Italian rider Paolo Bettini won the 12th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Thursday while Egoi Martinez of Spain retained the overall lead.

Bettini, a Quick Step rider who also won the sixth stage, completed the 186 kilometre trek from Burgos to Suances with two major mountain climbs in four hours 42 minutes 44 seconds.

CONOVER, N.C. – Jay Haas has a chance to widen his lead over Bernhard Langer in the Charles Schwab Cup standings with a good finish in the Greater Hickory Classic.

The Champions Tour event begins Friday at Rock Barn Golf and Spa’s Robert Trent Jones course and features five of the top 10 players in the standings.

ROLLA, Mo. – Canadian Michael Barry pulled away from a group of four riders to win the fourth stage of the Tour of Missouri on Thursday while Christian Vande Velde maintained his overall lead.

Barry, riding for Team Columbia, emerged alone approaching the three 2.1-mile finishing circuits. The Toronto native completed the 152.95-kilometre race from Lebanon to Rolla with a 46-second margin in three hours, 16 minutes, three seconds.

The new leader of USA Track and Field analyzed the team’s underwhelming performance at the Beijing Olympics – including dropped batons and a record-low men’s gold medal count – and judged the federation’s overall performance to be “seriously deficient.” After watching both U.S. relay teams drop the baton in the 400-metre preliminaries and seeing the U.S. men win only four gold medals, CEO Doug Logan has decided to form a panel of former athletes and coaches to analyze USATF’s high performance programs. “This will probably be an uncomfortable exercise,” Logan wrote Tuesday in his blog on the USATF website. “But, this is not a ‘knee jerk’ reaction, or a ‘witch hunt,’ or an attempt to castigate anyone. Indeed, this panel may determine that the factors leading to less-than-optimal performance were beyond anyone’s control.”

The Americans took home 23 medals from Beijing – most of any country – but the results were still disappointing on many levels.

Everyone is chasing Usain Bolt.

The world’s fastest man is in high demand, the latest invitations coming from David Letterman and the Real Madrid soccer team.

STUTTGART, Germany – Asafa Powell will get another shot at regaining the world record in the 100 metres at the World Athletics Final this weekend.

After five races in eight days, however, Powell may not have enough left to challenge his Jamaican countryman Usain Bolt’s 9.69-second mark set at the Beijing Olympics.

BEIJING – For 14 years Steven Daniel viewed life through a soldier’s eyes.

The Sudbury, Ont., native sees things a lot differently since a parachuting accident left him in a wheelchair and rearranged his priorities.

BEIJING – Canadian swimmer Stephanie Dixon won her second medal at the Paralympic Games on Thursday, finishing runner-up to Natalie du Toit in the SM9 200 metres.

The Victoria resident finished more than nine seconds behind the South African swimming machine who picked up her third gold of the Paralympics after competing at the Olympic Games.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando Magic forward Pat Garrity is retiring from the NBA.

Garrity played 10 pro seasons – nine with the Magic – after spending his rookie year with the Phoenix Suns. He appeared in 513 games for Orlando, second most in franchise history.

LONDON – Manchester United is expected to unveil its new strike force of Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney this weekend, and it couldn’t come at a better time for the defending champions as they travel to fierce rival Liverpool.

Liverpool, which plays United on Saturday (7:45 a.m. ET), is level on points with early leader Chelsea, which is at Manchester City in another of the day’s eight matches.

BRUSSELS, Belgium – Stefan Schumacher of Germany has joined the Quick Step team of world champion Paolo Bettini and sprint ace Tom Boonen, the team said Thursday.

Schumacher finished third in last year’s world championship and won two stages in the Tour de France this year. He is an expert time-trial rider and has good climbing abilities that serve him well in the hilly, one-day classics.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The Swedish wrestler stripped of his bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics for protesting during the medal ceremony filed an appeal Thursday with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Ara Abrahamian, who was disqualified from the games after the protest, asked the top court in international sports to downgrade his punishment to a warning. CAS said it would rule within four months.

CHICAGO – The Toronto Bue Jays’ 10-game winning streak came to an end Wednesday thanks to Chicago White Sox veterans Mark Buehrle and A.J. Pierzynski.

Buehrle outpitched Toronto’s Roy Halladay and Pierzynski had three RBIs against the Blue Jays ace as the White Sox won 6-5 to stay one game ahead of Minnesota in the AL Central. “I’ve never had a loss that wasn’t frustrating,” said Halladay, who’d won five in a row. He lasted six innings, giving up nine hits and five runs.

BEIJING – A pair of powerlifters caught using banned substances Thursday increased to four the number of athletes found guilty of doping violations at the Paralympic Games.

Fracourou Sissoko of Mali and Liudmyla Osmanova of Ukraine both failed drug tests, the International Paralympic Committee said in a release.

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from: ckwstv.com

British rowers dominated the Beijing Paralympics by claiming two golds at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park on Thursday while China and Italy shared the remaining two golds.

Britain pulled off a gold double in the women’s and men’s single sculls.

Helene Raynsford made history by winning the first Paralympic Games gold medal ever awarded in the sport of rowing with a runaway 12-second edge over Luidmila Vauchok from Belarus and Laura Schwanger of the United States.

Reigning world champion Tom Aggar followed Raynsford’s victory moments later by taking the men’s single sculls.

“I was listening out at the start line, but I didn’t hear the result of (Raynsford) as I was focusing more on my own race. It’s a bit of a shame, maybe they could have swapped the order and put me on first,” joked Aggar after claiming his gold.

In attempting to claim the gold medal, Aggar found himself in the unfamiliar position of having a determined rival on his stern for the entire journey, Ukraine’s Oleksandr Petrenko.

Petrenko had a great regatta through the preliminary races and pushed Aggar all the way to claim the silver with a mere 3.94 seconds in arrears. Israel’s Eli Nawi took the bronze.

“It was a great race, I was happy to be pushed all the way,” said Aggar, who has compiled the Grand Slam, having won the world championships and the World Cup. “It’s been an amazing experience to be here competing. I started rowing one year and a half ago, to make it here is indescribable.”

“It’s a long way off (from the London 2012), but I’ll be sticking with rowing. I love rowing, I’m really passionate about it and I’ll be looking forward to competing on home soil.”

China’s Tan Yeteng finished fourth, with American Ron Harvey and Australia’s Dominic Moneypenny in fifth and sixth.

Home excitement then bubbled over when China held off a fast-finishing Australia to take the gold medal in the mixed double sculls.

Shan Zilong and Zhou Yangjing scored a hard-fought victory with only 0.89 seconds over Australia’s Kathryn Ross and John Maclean, early leaders and eventual bronze medallists Josiane Lima and Elton Santana from Brazil 7.67 seconds further behind.

“Indeed, our rivals are very strong, especially the Brazilian and Australian teams,” said Zhou. “They finished first and second in the world championships in 2007 and we were in the seventh place. And today’s result has proved that we have the potential and the ability to compete with them.”

Brazil started strongly, leading China and the rest of the field through the halfway mark by over two seconds, but that early pace seemed to take its toll as China noticeably lifted their stroke and work rates, an effort Brazil couldn’t match.

As the tempo of the race increased, the Chinese pair maintained their rhythm and by the 750 meters mark had enough fuel in the tank to hold off a fast-charging and increasingly-threatening Australian combination over the closing stage.

Italy then took its turn to step onto the top of the podium after their quartet scoring a hugely impressive all-the-way win in the mixed coxed fours.

IF Australia’s wheelchair basketballers roll to a medal in Beijing, Brad Ness won’t have much time to celebrate.

Barely a week after the Games end, Ness is due back with his team in Europe, where growing numbers of disabled players are breaking down barriers as full-time professionals.

With a comfortable salary and a free car, apartment and other perks thrown in by his Rome club, athletes such as Ness are enjoying some of the rewards and recognition of able-bodied counterparts.

“Guys are able to live by playing their sport. It’s every athlete’s dream,” said Ness, who has been Australia’s top scorer at the Paralympics.

Ness played the last two seasons in Taranto, where players are local celebrities.

“In Taranto, everyone recognises you and you’re in the paper regularly. We get up to 2000 people at home games. It’s a great atmosphere. You really get the love there,” Ness said.

Pro leagues are already well-established in Spain and Italy, but other countries such as France, Germany and Turkey are also getting into the act.

Professional opportunities in Paralympic sports remain rare, with the basketballers, a handful of track-and-field athletes and competitors on the world wheelchair tennis tour the only ones to have made it big on pro tours.

“Down in Oz it’s still seen as an amateur sport, almost a disabled sport. You only have to come and watch a game to see that we are athletes and we play hard,” Ness said.

The exposure of the Paralympics makes them a proving ground for aspiring professional players, said South Africa’s top scorer Nicholas Taylor.

“(The Paralympics) give us the sort of competition we need to really prove ourselves at the international level and show pro teams in Europe we can hold our own,” said Taylor, who plays semi-pro basketball in Australia.

Catching the attention of a European club can mean salaries of up to E6000 ($8500) a month. Free cars and apartments are typically provided and clubs also pick up incidental costs including international airfares.

“(The packages) are not as much as an (able-bodied) player, but it’s nothing to scoff at,” said Australia’s Shaun Norris, who has two seasons in the Italian leagues under his belt and will switch to a Madrid club after the Games.

“They try to make you just concentrate on basketball and that’s it. That’s what’s so great — to not have a job and just make it 100 per cent basketball and become an even better player.”

from: theaustralian.news.com.au

Italy hopes the country’s largest-ever Paralympic team will deliver an outstanding performance in Beijing.

Italy has sent 84 athletes to compete in 12 sports, including athletics, cycling, fencing and swimming, at the Beijing Paralympics, hoping to bring back home at least 15 medals, said Luca Pancalli, president of Italy’s Paralympic Committee.

Pancalli had once represented Italy in modern pentathlon at junior level before a fall from horse back left him in a wheelchair.

However, the 44-year-old lawyer did not quit from his athletic career, winning four gold and six silver medals at the 1984 and 1996 Paralympic Games.

Pancalli said he hoped that the increase of the Italian Paralympians at the Beijing Games will encourage more disabled people to go out to take part in sports in the country.

Italy stood 31st on the medal table of the 2004 Athens Paralympics with four golds, eight silvers and seven bronzes.

Italy’s National Olympic Committee has announced that the gold, silver and bronze medal winner at the Beijing Paralympics would be awarded a prize of 75,000 euros, 40,000 euros and 25,000 euros respectively.

from: xinhuanet.com

It was an the end of a journey that started tragically when head coach Hugh McCuthceon’s father-in-law was stabbed to death prior to the start of the games.

The United States men’s indoor volleyball team beat Brazil in four sets Sunday to win the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

The Americans rallied back from an opening-set loss for a 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 victory and their first Olympic medal in men’s indoor volleyball since winning a silver at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

Brazil was trying for an indoor volleyball gold medal sweep after its women’s team defeated the U.S. in four sets on Saturday night.

Earlier on Sunday, Russia defeated Italy in straight sets for the men’s bronze.

The Americans won gold in men’s volleyball for the first time since back-to- back first-place finishes in 1984 and ’88.

They rallied together for a perfect 8-0 record after a family member of head coach Hugh McCutcheon was stabbed to death in downtown Beijing on the first day of competition.

McCutcheon, whose father-in-law was slain by a Chinese attacker, returned to the team for the last five games.

“I think when that kind of thing happens, the guys get a good taste of what’s important in life,” said American Sean Rooney. “We were crushed by that. I mean, when you go out on the court, it’s just a game of volleyball.”

But the U.S. team battled back from being crushed to win the gold medal for the first time in 20 years.

Along the way were five wins in nine days, including a five-set victory against Venezuela on Aug. 10 — two days after to tragic killing of Todd Bachman, father of former U.S. women’s team member Elisabeth Bachman, who is McCutcheon’s wife.

Then, three wins in the medal round, including victories against Serbia and tough Russia. And finally, Sunday’s comeback win over the Brazilians.

“For four years these guys have played for the common goal — to be here for this match,” said Rooney. “We put so much effort and energy into this thing and we spent so much time together.

“Now it has happened for us.”

source: wmtradio.com