Olympic Times – Sports Daily

The selected host city for the 31st Olympic Games in 2016 will be announced tomorrow (Thursday) at an IOC meeting in Copenhagen. There are currently four cities competing to host what is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world.

Chicago (USA) is the favourite to win the rights to host the 2016 Games, followed by Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Madrid (Spain) and Tokyo (Japan).

The other cities on the shortlist were Prague (Czech Republic), Baku (Azerbaijan), and Doha (Qatar), however they have now been eliminated.

Hosting the Olympic Games is likely to have a positive impact on the winning nation’s property market. Average property prices in the run-up the Olympic Games in the last five host cities – Beijing (China), Athens (Greece), Barcelona (Spain), Atlanta (USA) and Sydney (Australia) – appreciated at a significant pace, outstripping average national property price growth.

source: homesoverseas.co.uk

Asafa Powell cruised to victory in the 100 meters and Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt won the 400 Saturday at the World Athletics Final, which included a world record in the women’s javelin.

With Usain Bolt home in Jamaica celebrating his three Olympic titles and world records, Powell won in 9.87 seconds, far off Bolt’s record of 9.69.

Merritt nipped Jeremy Wariner at the finish to win the 400 in 44.50, repeating his victory over his fellow American at the Beijing Olympics. Wariner finished 0.01 behind.

Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic set a world record in the javelin with a throw of 237 feet, 2 inches (72.28 meters). She collected a bonus of $100,000 for the record and took home $30,000 for winning the event.

“I never expected the record, I did not feel very good in the morning,” said Spotakova, the reigning world and Olympic champion.

She set the record in her first throw, breaking the previous mark of 235-3 (71.70) set by Osleidys Menendez of Cuba at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki, Finland.

Jamaicans swept the top three spots in the 100, with Nesta Carter finishing second in 10.07 and Michael Frater next in 10.10.

In the 100 hurdles, Josephine Onyia of Spain upset American LoLo Jones, winning in 12.54. Jones trailed by 0.02 seconds.

Jones lost the Olympic final after stumbling into the penultimate hurdle and finished seventh, although she had the fastest time in the world this year.

In the 400, Merritt hurled himself forward at the line and fell hard on the ground, clutching his right thigh. He later said he was “all right.”

Merritt said his goal for 2009 is to “start off where I left off this year.”

“Another aim will be to get my time down,” he said. “It is not so much about how often I beat Jeremy Wariner or not.”

In the 400 hurdles, Olympic silver medalist Kerron Clement of the United States caught Danny McFarlane of Jamaica at the final hurdle and won in 48.96. Olympic champion Angelo Taylor of the United States opted to run the 400 and finished fourth.

Bernard Lagat broke from the pack with near the end to win the 3,000 for another U.S. victory.

Olympic pole vault champion and world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva pulled out of the competition because of a cold.

“My body simply said ‘No,’” the Russian said as the two-day competition got under way in damp, cool conditions.

Stefan Holm of Sweden ended his illustrious high jump career by finishing second at 7-feet, 7 3/4 inches. The 2004 Athens Olympic champion was beaten by the Beijing champion, Andrey Silnov of Russia, who cleared 7-8 1/2.

source:ap.google.com

Natalie Du Toit of South Africa won her fourth gold medal in swimming at the Beijing Paralympics, taking the 400-meter freestyle on Friday in a world-record time for her disability group.

Du Toit, who lost a leg in a 2001 motorcycle crash, finished in 4 minutes, 43.81 seconds — 0.15 better than the mark she set three years ago in London.

One of two athletes in the Paralympics who also competed at the Beijing Olympics, Du Toit has set three disability group records in winning four golds. She also set records in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley. Her other gold came in the 100 freestyle, where she already holds the record.

She will wrap up her Paralympic program Sunday in the 50 freestyle, where she also holds the disability group record.

Du Toit won five golds and a silver at the Athens Paralympics, but chose to compete in only five events in Beijing. She said she could have done even better Friday.

“I had a really bad turn and had to stop and start again, which wasted a lot of energy,” she said. “I didn’t think I would do a best time.”

Du Toit finished 16th at the Beijing Olympics in the 10-kilometer open-water swim. A promising Olympian until her injury, she’s hoping to qualify for the 2012 London Games.

Fifty-four medals were up for grabs Friday. In the major disciplines, there were 16 in swimming, 15 in cycling and 18 in track and field. Spain won three golds in swimming to lead all countries.

Britain dominated cycling with four gold medals and six overall. The United States won seven medals in cycling, including three gold. Spain also managed three gold medals in cycling and six overall.

In track, sprinter Oscar Pistorius is expected to win the 200 on Saturday, adding to the gold he won earlier in the week in the 100.

In the medal standings, China leads with 37 gold and 109 overall. Britain has 33 gold and 69 overall, followed by the United States with 23 and 56 overall.

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from: ap.google.com

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

Pontypridd swimming star David Roberts is celebrating a golden hat-trick. Triumphing in the 400m freestyle (S7) in a new world record, won his third gold medal at the Beijing Paralympic Games.

Roberts’s time of 4:52.35 broke the record held by New Zealander Dean Booth’s since 2000 by 1.40 seconds. Not that he was satisfied.

“I expected better from myself this evening. I was really nervous when I was coming out and that doesn’t normally happen to me.

“I wanted to perform better but this is amazing to have my tenth Paralympic gold medal.

“I don’t know why I was nervous. That will be something I will be discussing with my coach before Sunday.”

He has amassed his ten gold medals from Games in Sydney, Athens and Beijing. And his 2008 campaign is not over yet he returns to the starting blocks on Sunday for the 50m freestyle before he competes in the medley relay on Monday.

Philip Carling, Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, was quick said: “David is always striving to excel and to better his performances. Ten gold medals in a career is absolutely superb. His success is particularly impressive considering how the Paralympic movement has moved on since Athens. We have seen other countries catching up yet, David has still maintained dominance in his events.”

Roberts is coached at the Wales National Pool in Swansea which was built with more than 8m pounds of National Lottery funding by the Sports Council for Wales. He is coached by former miner Billy Pye:

“In Billy Pye, we have a world-class coach and he has cultivated the careers of many swimmers including David. We can be very proud of the fact that the pool in Swansea supports many of the Paralympic swimmers competing in Beijing.”

The Pye training stable also features gold medallists Eleanor Simmonds, Rob Welbourn and Graham Edmonds.

Newport’s Pippa Britton faced a difficult encounter in the archery when she came up against fellow Brit Mel Clarke in the quarter-final of the compound. She will return to action next week for the team competition.

On the track, Tracey Hinton of Cardiff and guide runner, Steffan Hughes, qualified for tomorrow’s 400m semi-final.

Wales’s London 2012 hopefuls also put in promising performances. Chepstow sprinter Jenny McLoughlin, who is just 16-years-old, finished seventh in the heats of the 100m.

Meanwhile, her training partner, Kate Arnold of Newport, who turned 20 last week, delivered a new personal best, finishing ninth in the 200m. Arnold, a former swimmer made the switch from pool to track relatively recently and was originally not expected to qualify for Beijing.

Brian Alldis, who is coached by Tanni Grey-Thompson, was unable to advance to the semi-final of the 800m. The Cardiff wheelchair racer finished seventh in his heat which was won by David Weir:

“I’m a bit disappointed. I couldn’t get on the back of the pack as they pulled away and I was about two seconds off my PB. It was good that Dave was in the heat but it probably made it harder for me.”

The shot putt saw two North Walians take season bests. Beverley Jones of Queensferry finished fifth while training partner Rebecca Chin, the youngest member of the Welsh contingent at 16-years-old, finished tenth. Chin will be using the experience from Beijing as she trains towards London 2012.

Rower James Roberts demonstrated his potential for London 2012. Together with Karen Cromie of Northern Ireland, the Prestatyn rower today finished in fifth place in the double sculls at Shun Yi, an event won by hosts, China.

Bridgend footballer Keryn Seal suffered a Spanish inquisition. Paralympic GB’s visually impaired five-a-side football team lost 3-1 to Spain in a dramatic game that saw Britain take an early lead before the European Champions dominated the second half.

Britain now lies fifth in the rankings after three matches with two to play. They take on Brazil on Saturday.

Fortune didn’t shine on the women’s wheelchair basketball team either. Losing 42-50 to Germany in the final group game, Clare Strange, from Newport, and Caroline Matthews of Cardiff will face Japan in tomorrow’s quarter-finals.

Racing has been delayed in Qingdao but sailor Steve Thomas and the Sonar crew lie seventh overall. Not yet halfway through the race schedule, there is still time for the Bridgend man to move into a medal spot.

ONES TO WATCH FRIDAY DAY 6

ATHLETICS Cardiff’s Tracey Hinton and guide runner Steffan Hughes of Aberaeron will be in the line-up for the 400m semi-final. Hinton won three medals at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000.

CYCLING After success on the track, hopes are now riding high for the ParalympicsGB road cyclists. Rachel Morris of Pembrokeshire is making her Paralympic debut in Beijing as she goes in the time trial. As a double world champion though, she will certainly not be fazed. Nor will Simon Richardson. He is also on time trial duty but confidence will be high after winning two gold medals in the Velodrome.

SWIMMING Gareth Duke produced an emotional performance four years ago in Athens but winning gold second time around will really be an achievement. Known as El Dulche to his team-mates, he was victorious over the 100m breaststroke in Athens and he is well remembered for his tearful medal presentation. Twelve months later, his went into the operating theatre to receive a new kidney donated by his father, Trevor. Newport’s Liz Johnson is also in the swim – she will be racing in the women’s 100m breaststroke.

SAILING Steve Thomas of Bridgend will be into races nine and ten in Qindao. They currently lie in seventh position overall.

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL Clare Strange and Caroline Matthews are into the quarter finals and will face Japan.

WHEELCHAIR RUGBY The rugby tournament kicks off which will see Oswestry’s Jason Roberts and Abergavenny’s Josie Pearson. Pearson is the only female in the entire competition to be playing murderball, as it is fondly described by Paralympians.

from: newswales.co.uk

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

China and Algeria both received double happiness in judo as they each wrapped up the two golds in women’s and men’s competition respectively at the Beijing Paralympics on Sunday.

Guo Huaping and Cui Na both surprised their coaches and themselves after winning the women’s -48kg and -52 kg divisions.

Guo overwhelmed Brazilian Karla Cardoso, silver medallist at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, by an ippon.

The 27-year-old from a farmer’s family in east China’s Jiangxi Province participated in the Athens Games where the women’s judo made its Paralympic debut and finished fifth.

Guo started strongly to throw Cardoso for yuko in the final while the Brazilian could hardly cope with the aggressive rival. A determined Guo ended the match after throwing Cardoso for ippon.

Earlier, Carmen Brussig from Germany and Russian Victotia Potapova conquered the bronze medals.

“I didn’t do well in Athens 2004, because I was too nervous since it was my first major competition. I worked very hard in the past four years, but I didn’t expect a gold medal. I was just thinking to make the top three,” said Guo. “I have no time to call my families so far, but I can’t wait to share my happiness with them.”

Less than six minutes after Guo’s inspiring triumph, her teammate Cui Na defeated Sandrine Aurieres-Martinet from France in women’s -52 division.

Cui, a Paralympic debutant, won over the stubborn French rival by waza-ari 30 seconds before the five-minute bout ended.

The 19-year-old, who plans to extend her golden trip to London in 2012, took the gold not only as a reward to her own effort, but a morale booster for all disabled people in China.

“I’ve been training for seven years. It’s very hard. This is the first gold medal for our country in the -52kg division. I think it’s a breakthrough,” she said. “I also want to say, although we are disabled, we have very strong minds.”

The bronze medals went to Russia’s Alesya Stepanyuk who beat the Japanese Minako Tsuchiya by awasete ippon, while Brazilian Michelle Ferreira overcame Sheila Hernandez from Spain by ippon.

While China dominated the judo mat in women’s event, Algerian judokas made a gold sweep in men’s competition.

Mouloud Noura captured the gold of men’s -60kg class after overcoming Iranian Saeed Rahmati, while Sidali Lamri beat three-time Paralympic champion Satoshi Fujimoto from Japan to win the gold in the men’s -66kg division in overtime.

Noura sailed into the final with two straight ippon victories and the 26-year-old showed even stronger determination in the final. The victory came less than 40 seconds into action and the Algerian threw his Iranian rival for ippon.

“There’s a loser and a winner in any competition and the only thing I’ve thought is to win the gold medal. I’ve made every preparation to win the Games,” said Noura.

China’s Li Xiaodong won his second Paralympic bronze medal after the Athens Games by overcoming the Russian Said Shakhmanov in less than one minute with an ippon, while Ramin Ibrahimov from Azerbaijan shared the third place with the Chinese by beating Britain’s Ben Quilter.

In the last match of the day, Algerian Lamri upset Japanese Fujimoto, the favorite for men’s -66kg division, in the golden score period. The Japanese had his right arm injured during the regular five-minute bout, but he was unremitting until Lamri finally threw him for waza-ari.

“In the name of God, I would first like to say that winning this medal was very and very difficult,” said Lamri. “I am very happy and proud winning this gold medal. I have known Fujimoto for a long time. I have defeated him before and he did too.”

Despite letting go a fourth Paralympic gold, Fujimoto was satisfied with his performance.

“A lot of people expected me to get the gold, but I’ve got the silver. But I’m still proud to return to Japan with it,” he said.

In the bronze medal matches, Victor Sanchez from Cuba defeated Ukrainian Sergii Karpeniuk Arpeniuk by waza-ari and Jani Kallunki beat Reza Golmohammadi Andarian from Iran by osaekomi ippon.

from: xinhuanet.com

The futuristic aquatic venue Water Cube witnessed the tumble of 15 swimming world records at the Beijing Paralympic Games here on Sunday.

Rudy Garcia Tolson, who refreshed the world record in 2 minutes 37.80 seconds at men’s 200m individual medley SM7 in the morning’s heat, equaled his own mark in the finals and clinched the gold for the United States.

“I got some rest, I got some food and I mentally prepared for the final race. It has been a great experience.

“I swam my best race, I really focused on my race, not my competition, and not what’s beside me. I definitely have more in the tank.” said the American.

In women’s 100m butterfly S8, Rudy’s compatriot Amanda Everlove also updated the world record in the heat but failed to repeat her good shape in the evening’s final.

She finished second in 1:12.16, a shy of 0.48 seconds for her morning’s new world mark. Fortunately, her teammate Jessica Long wrapped up the gold by a winning margin of 0.20 seconds.

The Americans showed their dominance in the women’s 200m individual events. Miranda Uhl and Erin Popovich each shattered the world record in SM6 and SM7 class successively. Four golds with four new records put USA to the top of medal standings after Sunday’s competitions.

For the hosts, Du Jianping’s gold medal was much more important than his world record breaking show. His victory in men’s 100m freestyle at S3 class gifted the hosts their first gold at the Beijing Paralympics.

The 25-year-old Du, who set a new Paralympic record in the morning’s heat at 1 minute and 42.95 seconds, took the winning time further down to 1:35.21 in the finals, shaving 5.87 seconds of the former world mark.

“I only won a silver last time, missing the gold, which I had wanted badly for three years. This time I competed on the home ground and it made me feel more excited and special,” said the winner.

Du’s harvest was also the hosts’ only gold medal on the first day of swimming contest. China took the second place on the gold medal tally with one gold, four silvers and five bronzes.

Australia finished the third place with two silvers less than China but their ace swimmer Peter Leek beat the host’s favorite Wang Xiaofu in men’s 100m butterfly S8.

The in-form Aussie not only won the gold, also refreshed the world record twice of the day.

“I knew I could break the record again. It was great, I was feeling fairly nervous before the race.

“I have been waiting for this moment and it has finally come. It has been very hard. It has been 18 years of hard work, but when you win that Gold medal it feels like it all pays off.” said the beaming winner with tears swelling in the eyes after the clash.

The other eight new world records were created by Patricia Valle of Mexico, Tamas Sors of Hungary (twice), Dmitry Kokarev of Russia, Dzmitry Salei of Belarus, Daniel Dias of Britain, Teresa Maria Perales of Spain, and Du Toit Natalie of South Africa.

Beijing Paralympic swimming competitions have attracted 560 athletes in 81 men’s and 59 women’s events.

The nine-day contest, held at the National Aquatics Centre “Water Cube”, runs from September 7 to 15.

source: xinhuanet.com

– Russia won the Synchronized Swimming Team Event gold medal after they finished a perfect 100.000 performance in the Team Free Routine on August 23, scoring a cumulative total of 99.500 points. Spain won the silver medal with a total score of 98.251. Host China earned the bronze medal with 97.334 points. Placing fourth was Canada at 95.668.

from: beijing2008.cn

Germany’s Jan Frodeno, who took up triathlon because a girl he fancied did it, won the Olympic gold medal on Tuesday in a dramatic sprint over the last few meters.

Close behind him, Sydney gold medalist Simon Whitfield of Canada won the silver in the baking hot Beijing swim-bike-run event, and New Zealand’s Bevan Docherty the bronze.

Frodeno, a former swimmer and surf-lifeguard who took up triathlon eight years ago while living in South Africa, battled

with Docherty and 2008 world champion Javier Gomez of Spain, both heavily tipped for gold, for front position in the last two laps.

But the lanky German, whose nickname is “Frodo”, strode ahead at the final bend, overtaking all of them and leaving a crushed-looking Gomez in fourth place, a full 20 seconds behind his finish time of one hour, 48 minutes and 53 seconds.

“It was a moment I had dreamed of so many times in my head. During the race I told myself: ‘Boy, be greedy — it’s champagne or fizzy water’,” an overwhelmed Frodeno said afterwards.

“I tried not to think that the others behind me were the fastest guys and the most famous triathletes,” he said, adding he had learned his lesson from losing a lot of sprints this year.

“I knew I had to be hard and bite and fight,” he said.

The all-round fitness event came down to a running race, as the best sprinters held back and then surged past the winners of the swim and bike sections in the four-lap final section.

Frodeno, whose gold medal surprise came a day after his 27th birthday, punched the air triumphantly after breaking through the ribbon at the Ming Tombs reservoir course north of Beijing.

He told reporters he lay awake tossing and turning on Monday night plotting how to beat Gomez, an 11-times world cup winner.

EXASPERATED RIVALS

Gomez has dominated his sport this year despite an abnormal heart valve that kept him out of competitions for several years.

The Spaniard, who prefers racing in cooler weather, said he tired himself out when he bolted ahead and ran the first two laps in a spectacular 14 mins 10 secs to make up for lagging badly coming out of the bike transition.

“I just had a not very good day on the run,” said Gomez, who is dating a German triathlete in Monday’s women’s race.

He said it had been hard to run fast in the 31 degree Celsius (88 degree Fahrenheit) heat and 84 percent humidity.

“I got tired. I did train well but today there were three athletes better than me,” he told Reuters.

Whitfield said Gomez’s exasperated rivals decided ahead of the Games that the way to beat him was to join forces and all run against him. “We all raced today watching him. Everywhere he went in the pack, we all knew where he was and paid attention.”

For Docherty, beating Gomez was not quite enough, however.

The mop-haired New Zealander has gained a tiresome reputation for always coming second or third.

“I’m super happy to get another medal. I’m slowly building up a collection. Unfortunately I’ll have to go to London to get the gold,” he said, dolefully.

from: reuters.com

America’s NBA stars showed Germany on Monday why they are gold medal favorites at the Beijing Olympics, dispatching a team led by Dirk Nowitzki 106-57.

The game was never in doubt as the NBA All Stars pressured Germany early with a stifling defence, while cruising with an attack led by 22 points and 10 rebounds from Dwight Howard and 18 from Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James.

“We’re pretty excited about finishing pool play undefeated and getting onto the medal round,” US coach Mike Krzyzewski said of the game.

“We are healthy, I think the team has played well and we are very excited about getting into the medal round, it is time to win a gold medal.”

Balanced scoring by the US was again in evidence as Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant finished with 13 and Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade had 10 each.

The US began the game by establishing Orlando Magic centre Howard in the middle as they jumped out to a 20-5 lead that also featured some explosive dunks by NBA scoring champ James.

“I just had to get myself going running the floor and getting deep in the paint and going right into the shot and being a big presence for the team,” Howard said.

Howard had eight of his points in the first quarter, while James notched 16 of his in the first 20 minutes as the US shot 55 percent from the field including 11 for 26 on three pointers.

Nowitzki, who finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, knew he was in for a long night in the first minute when he suddenly found himself surrounded by four Americans as he tried to take the ball to the hoop.

The US team has prided itself on a swarming, pressuring defence, while its high-octane offence is geared to always find uncontested shots for unmarked players.

“What we have seen is they (US) play extremely hard on the defensive end, they are very unselfish, they always find the open guy and they also shot the three point very well,” said German coach Dirk Bauermann.

“When they have these three things, great defense, share the ball and shoot the ball well, they are unbeatable.”

The US had won its previous four preliminary-round games by an average of 28 points, including a devastating 119-82 win over reigning world champions Spain on Saturday.

Renamed the “Redeem team,” the current group of American players are seeking to make amends for a disappointing bronze medal at the Athens Games four years ago and poor showings at the 2002 and 2006 world championships.

In Wednesday’s quarter-final knock out round, the US will meet Australia, while Spain faces Croatia, China goes up against Lithuania and Argentina meets Greece.

In earlier games Monday, Greece beat hosts China 91-77, while Australia primed itself for its quarter-final against the US by annihilating powerful Lithuania 106-75.

Milwaukee Bucks centre Andrew Bogut top-scored for Australia with 23 points, while Brad Newley led a three-point attack with 16 as the Boomers shot 64 percent from behind the arc.

“Everybody is talking about the USA,” Australian coach Brian Goorjian said.

“We’re in a tournament and now we get to play the best team in the world and have a swing at the big dog. I’m confident we are going to go out there and play ball.”

Despite falling behind to Greece by 24 points, China came back to get within 10 points with three minutes left, but could not overcome the inside play of Ioannes Bourousis who netted 19 points and nine rebounds for Greece.

Floor general Vasilieios Spanoulis spearheaded the Greek attack with 19 points and four assists.

Meanwhile Spanish centre Pau Gasol scored 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the reigning world championships dispatched Angola 98-50.

In the other preliminary round match up Monday, reigning Olympic champs Argentina beat current European title holders Russia 91-79, with Houston Rocket Luis Scola scoring 12 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter for the winners.

In the early game, Croatia beat winless Iran 91-57.

from: afp.google.com

The United States delivered a powerful message of intent by pulverizing world champions Spain 119-82 in the men’s Olympic basketball tournament on Saturday.

A fired-up Yao Ming was close to tears after driving hosts China into the quarter-finals with a 59-55 victory over Germany.

The Spanish players wore the look of weary men as they trudged off after being put to the sword by a U.S. team still smarting after finishing third at the 2004 Olympics and 2006 world championships.

“They are more intense now,” Spanish forward Pau Gasol said. “They play with a purpose and that’s to show everyone else they’re superior. That’s the bottom line.”

LeBron James led the Americans with 18 points while Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony each added 16 in a one-sided game where they outscored Spain 32-0 on fast-break points.

“Spain were in the way of our gold medal,” shrugged Anthony after helping the U.S. to a fourth straight victory, securing top spot in Group B.

“When we get everybody on the same page it’s kind of hard to beat us.”

DEAFENING ROARS

Energized by a huge crowd, Yao poured in 25 points, leaving the court with 7.2 seconds left pumping his fists in triumph to deafening roars.

“It’s a moment you never want to forget in your life,” an emotional Yao said. “It’s not just about five players. We had 18,000 fans with us — that’s a very strong power behind us.

“We survived the ‘group of death.’ China will bring more surprises. It feels like we won a medal already.”

China led by 12 points on a Yao jumper before Dirk Nowitzi fuelled a German fightback.

A turn-around jump shot from Yao made it 56-52 with 2:14 before Nowitzki, who finished with 24 points, replied with a long three as a furious clash of NBA titans went down to the wire.

An offensive foul called on Nowitzki effectively sealed China’s second win in Group B and ended Germany’s hopes of a place in the last eight.

Reigning Olympic champions Argentina advanced to the last eight with a 97-82 win over Iran, San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili exploding for 32 points.

Argentina improved to 3-1 in Group A behind three-times bronze medalists Lithuania, who posted their fourth win, beating Croatia 86-73.

from: reuters.com

Chris Hoy of Britain took his second cycling gold medal of the Beijing Olympics in the keirin Saturday, while his compatriot Bradley Wiggins got his first. Both are hoping the eventual tally will be three apiece.
Earlier, Joan Llaneras of Spain took gold for a second time in the men’s points race.
Two-time
keirin world champion Hoy dashed away from the field in the final of the keirin, a sprint race paced by a motorized bike, and none of his rivals could get near him.
Hoy’s compatriot Ross Edgar had a harder struggle, but he managed to slip across the line for the silver medal, just ahead of Kiyofumi Nagai of Japan.
The keirin is an eight-lap race, where riders spend 5 1/2 laps jockeying for position behind a pacesetting motorcycle that accelerates steadily before leaving the competitors alone on the track for the final 625 meters.
Hoy was part of the British team that won the team sprint on Saturday. He will be going for his third gold in the individual sprint on Tuesday.
The event in which Hoy won gold in Athens, the 1-kilometer time-trial, has been dropped to make way for the BMX competition.
It was a bad night for the Dutch sprinters. Theo Bos was brought down in the second round by Polish rider Kamil Kuczynski, who crashed in front of him, and he did not take part in the restarted race. His compatriot, world championship silver medalist Teun Mulder, also went out. He won the first-round repechage but was disqualified for riding outside the racing area.
In the 4,000 meters individual pursuit, Wiggins finished almost three seconds ahead of Hayden Roulston of New Zealand, completing the race in a time of 4 minutes, 16.977 seconds. Steven Burke of Britain _ selected to race only days ago _ took the bronze.
Wiggins, 28, is hoping to improve on the gold, silver and bronze he took on the track in Athens. The British are seeking eight of the 10 track golds, and they are on target so far.
If Wiggins wins three medals at these games, he will become the track cyclist with the most medals in Olympic history, breaking a record that has stood for 104 years.
Wiggins broke the Olympic record in qualifying Friday _ the record he himself set when he took gold in Athens.
Llaneras, the champion eight years ago in Sydney and silver medalist four years ago, scored 60 points in the race, coming in ahead of Roger Kluge of Germany and World Cup champion Chris Newton of Britain.
In the points race, racers ride 160 laps of the track, taking part in sprints every 10th lap for points. Most important, however, is the bonus of 20 points they get for lapping the field.
Llaneras, Kluge and Newton were the only three riders to lap the field twice.

Speaking shortly after his victory, Llaneras said he was thinking of his former madison partner, Isaac Galvez, who died after crashing during a race in Belgium in 2006.
«I remember all the people who support me. At this very moment, I remember Isaac,» Llaneras said.
Saturday also saw the first round of the women’s individual pursuit, and again it was a British rout.
World champion Rebecca Romero will face her compatriot Wendy Houvenaghel in the gold medal race on Sunday afternoon, while Alison Shanks of New Zealand will face Lesya Kalitovska of Ukraine for the bronze medal.
Shanks put out two-time world champion Sarah Hammer of the United States and Romero beat Athens silver medalist Katie Mactier of Australia.
Romero is competing in her first Olympic cycling event but already has a medal _ she was part of the British team that took silver in the quadruple sculls in rowing, four years ago in Athens.
Houvenaghel, a 33-year-old dental surgeon, began cycling only six years ago. She took gold with Romero in the women’s team pursuit at the world championships in March.

source: pr-inside.com

Spain’s Rafael Nadal underlined his dominance of men’s tennis with a three-set win over Novak Djokovic to reach the Olympic Games final on Friday.
Nadal, who will face Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez on Sunday, overcame a second-set lapse to win 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in two hours and 10 minutes.
A horrendous error from the third-ranked Djokovic sealed it for Nadal when the Serb missed the open court with an overhead on match point.
Nadal, who becomes world number one the day after the final, is now just one match away from adding the gold medal to this season’s seven-trophy haul including the French Open and Wimbledon.
“For me it’s a dream have be in this final,” he said. “When I arrived here, I didn’t expect be in the final. I was very tired, with a lot of matches and not playing my best tennis.
“But during the week I’ve felt better and better. So today was very important. Even if I lose the final I’ll have one medal for me and for my country.”
The high-energy 22-year-old started with a bang, breaking at 1-0 and again at 3-1, before Djokovic picked up the pace.
He struck again in the decider when Djokovic was serving to stay in the match, returning the Serb’s hardest forehand and retrieving a drop shot. Djokovic fired his smash wide on the second match point.
Earlier a blazing row overshadowed the other semi as beaten American James Blake accused Gonzalez of lacking sportsmanship.
In the women’s draw, Russian sixth seed Dinara Safina won 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 to hand Jelena Jankovic her first defeat as world number one.
And Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson won a marathon 59-game doubles match — the longest men’s three-setter in Olympic history.
Blake and Gonzalez’s semi-final was not much shorter at 42 games, and bitter controversy erupted after the 2004 bronze-medallist’s 4-6, 7-5, 11-9 win.
US number one Blake, who stunned top seed Roger Federer in the quarters, claimed the Chilean touched a ball which went out but didn’t admit it to the umpire.
Blake said he had lost “a little faith” in the 2004 bronze medallist and doubles champion over the incident, which happened at a crucial moment in the deciding set.
“Playing in the Olympics, in what’s supposed to be considered a gentleman’s sport, that’s a time to call it on yourself. Fernando looked me square in the eye and didn’t call it,” Blake said.
“That’s a disappointing way to exit the tournament when you not only lose the match, but you lose a little faith in your fellow competitor,” he added.
Gonzalez, who saved three match points, denied any wrongdoing and said if he was sure he touched the ball, he would have said so.
“If I’m hundred percent sure about it, I will give it. But I’m not sure,” he said.
Safina will meet China’s Li Na in the women’s semi-finals while Vera Zvonareva and Elena Dementieva go into an all-Russian clash.
Jankovic was pleased with her run to the quarter-finals despite being plagued by a calf injury.
“You cannot expect miracles to happen when you have some problem. I’ve been taking injections before I went on court just to be able to perform, otherwise I couldn’t play,” she said.
Meanwhile, Aspelin and Johansson beat Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra of France in the longest three-set men’s match in Olympic history.
The eventual scoreline of 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 19-17, played over four hours and 46 minutes, added up to 59 games plus a tie-break, beating the previous record of 53 games.
Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka upset top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan to reach the final, assuring the 12-time Grand Slam winner of his first Olympic medal.
Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko and Kateryna Bondarenko reached the doubles semis with a 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 win over Italians Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone.

from: afp.google.com

Some interesting change on this Beijing Olympic games 2008 in Beijing?
Four years ago at the Athens Olympics 2004 the United States of America won most medals. This year it seems China will win the rankings.
You Think the US will still win more gold medals as China?

Number one seeds Croatia made it three wins from three in the men’s water polo competition with a 13-5 thrashing of Germany in the Yingdong Natatorium.
Damir Buric scored three goals and four others added two each as Croatia scored on every power play.

“Croatia is, at the moment, the favourite for the final,” said Germany coach Hagen Stamm.

Elsewhere, Canadian coach Dragan Jovanovic was ejected as his side lost 8-5 to Australia.

Jovanovic received a red card in the third quarter for arguing a call with the referees and was eventually escorted from the pool area.

He will not be allowed to coach in Saturday’s match against Greece.
“Honestly, I don’t care,” said Jovanovic, whose team have yet to record a win from their three games.

“I’m going to prepare the team the next couple of days for the game against Greece, but execution is coming from the players in the water.”

In other Group B matches, Italy claimed their first win of the tournament with a 19-7 victory over winless China.

Serbia defeated the United States 4-2 to join them on two wins.

The Americans had plenty of chances to pull off an upset but were only two from 27 on their shooting.

Montenegro remain top of Group A thanks to a 10-6 victory over Greece.

Hungary, the Olympic champions in 2000 and 2004, are also on five points after they beat Spain 8-5.

The winners of each group qualify for the semi-finals, with the teams finishing in second and third playing for place in the last four.

Chinese officials defended their decision to pass off the voice of a 7-year-old songbird as that of another girl at the Olympic opening ceremony, calling it a simple casting choice. Critics said it was a step too far in China’s obsession with the perfect Olympic Games.

Beijing organizers of the games faced tough criticism Wednesday after a whistleblower revealed that the 9-year-old who performed a song during the spectacular opening ceremony was lip-synching to another girl’s vocal track.

Yang Peiyi, a 7-year-old with bright eyes and a smile made crooked by the stubs of her first grown-up teeth, was heard by an audience estimated in the billions during Friday night’s ceremony, singing “Ode to the Motherland.”

But they never saw her face.

Organizers passed the song off as being sung by Lin Miaoke, another perky schoolgirl who donned a sparkly red dress and soared on wires above the 91,000-strong crowd at the Bird’s Nest stadium.

Beijing officials on Wednesday defended the decision to use both girls, saying the artistic directors could cast whoever they saw fit. And they were unapologetic about keeping the lip-synch a secret.

“There were a number of candidates to sing that song and at the end of the day the artistic directors picked the best voice and the best performer,” Beijing organizing committee spokesman Sun Weide said.

Wang Wei, executive vice president of the organizing committee, said the job of the ceremony’s directors was “to achieve the most theatrical effect.”

“I don’t see there is anything wrong with it if everybody concerned agrees,” he said.

But the world’s press ridiculed the move on front pages from Romania to Australia.

“The counterfeit Games: designed to look good from every angle,” said a headline in The Times of London. The Daily Telegraph urged organizers of the 2012 London Games to “bring some sanity and proportion back to both the opening ceremony and the games themselves.”

In Spain, one newspaper called it “Olympic karaoke.” A commentator for The Age newspaper in Australia called it “the great Beijing lip-synch switcheroo” and news on the incident was headlined “China’s wrong child policy.” The Romanian daily 7Plus ran this on its front page: “Hoax! Made in China.”

Baltimore Sun reporter Jill Rosen said the switch was hardly the first case of lip-synching, but was “possibly the cruelest.”

New York Magazine called on record executives to give Peiyi a record deal, saying “She’s 7! She has buckteeth! She is adorable!”

The Chinese leadership consider the Beijing Olympics a matter of national prestige and the opening extravaganza, attended by a host of leaders including President Bush, was intended to wow the world.

“Our president may have gone there just to watch the games. The Chinese leadership does not take that view,” said Andrew Nathan, political science department chairman at Columbia University. “They want to send a message … the message of flawless execution.”

He said reports that a top official from China’s highest decision-making body, the Politburo Standing Committee, demanded Miaoke’s voice be dubbed at the last minute “shows once again how political the sponsorship of the Olympics is for the Chinese.”

The secret of Peiyi was revealed Sunday by the ceremony’s musical director Chen Qigang in a radio interview. He said a senior Politburo member had said after the final dress rehearsal that Miaoke’s voice was not good enough and that Peiyi did not look right.

Chen, a French national, told AP Television News he felt compelled to “to come out with the truth.” Peiyi was “a magnificent singer” who “doesn’t deserve to be hidden,” he said, declining to comment further.

The parents of both girls said separately Wednesday they did not want their daughters to speak to the media, and said each felt privileged just to have taken part.

But many Chinese said Peiyi deserves the spotlight, and some suggested organizers find a place for her in the games closing ceremony Aug. 24.

“This is pretty unfair for the girl who was not picked to perform live,” said Cui Fengsi, a Beijing driver-for-hire in comments typical of several people who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday, and of numerous blog posts. “This girl has a great voice and they should recognize that she deserves to be seen. She should definitely perform at the closing ceremonies.”

Officials sought to avoid the idea that Peiyi did not appear because she was judged to be not cute enough, suggesting instead that the two girls were a sum greater than their parts.

One International Olympic Committee member, Gilbert Felli, likened the decision to a coach benching one player in favor of another.

“If your son is playing on a football team, suddenly the coach may decide that he’s not playing, he’s going to stay on the bench,” Felli said. “That’s what it is in sport, and in life.”

But he added, “The right information has to be given to the people.”

Wang Liping, one of Peiyi’s tutors, posted photos of the girl on her blog because she wanted the world to know the face behind the voice.

One photo shows a pretty girl in a white dress with a pink clip in her hair. She appears to be losing her milk teeth, and her new front teeth are only partially grown, and angled slightly. Another shows her rosy-cheeked with fluffy pink toy bunny ears.

Wang said Peiyi was backstage during the opening ceremony and recognized her voice when she heard the song.

Miaoke’s father, Lin Hui, said both girls are cute but he agreed that Peiyi’s voice was “a bit better” than his daughter’s. He said both girls played important roles, but the organizers should have made clear who was singing.

“Letting everybody know is a must,” he told the AP.

from: ap.google.com

Thursday’s Table Tennis competition determined the line up for all Bronze medal and semifinal qualifiers. In the Men’s competition there were few surprises other than Japan’s win over Hong Kong, but overall, the Chinese team continues to dominate the Table Tennis competition. And on the Women’s side, all four top seeds cruised to the semifinal without upsets.

Men’s side:

In Group A, China beat Australia and Austria to secure the top spot in the group and qualify for the semifinal. Austria beat Greece, and earned the second spot in the group to qualify for bronze.

Second-seed Germany, having won a tough contest against Croatia in their opening Group B contest, bounced back and smashed Canada and Singapore to qualify for the semifinal. Croatia won the duels between Singapore and Canada to take second.

Progress from Group C was determined by the Republic of Korea’s overpowering Chinese Taipei despite its leading star Ryu Seung-min’s defeat in the first match. Chinese Taipei took second place by beating Sweden and Brazil on the opening day

Group D’s fourth-seed Hong Kong faced world No. 5 Japan and lost 0-3. Having recorded convincing wins over Nigeria and Russia yesterday, Japan marched into the semifinal while Hong Kong has to deal with a second-class rank and fight for the bronze.

Women’s side:

China thrashed Austria in their remaining Group A contest and cruised onto the semifinal to join in the conquest for gold. Australia’s victory over Croatia and the Dominican Republic on the opening day sent it to the bronze medal play-offs.

Singapore, unbeaten in Group B on day one, won their third match against the Netherlands to enter the semifinal. The U.S. clinched the second spot by overcoming Nigeria.

It came as no surprise that group C team Hong Kong beat Romania and Germany to rank first in the group. The more interesting game was the competition for the second-ranking spot. Romania, who upset the seedings on opening day by beating Germany, grabbed second by beating Poland on Thursday.

Group D’s Japan scored a hard win over Spain before going into a tough game with the Republic of Korea. As expected, Japan faced fierce competition from both teams. The ROK finally powered through and Japan qualified for the Bronze medal draw.

from: beijing2008.cn