Welcome to The Sports Examiner SPEED READ, a 100 mph (44.7 m/s) review of what happened this week in Olympic sport:
LANE ONE
Wednesday: The International Olympic Committee released its Annual Report last week and it’s all good news, with more than $2.2 billion in revenue for 2018 and assets of more than $4 billion. But it doesn’t take too much imagination to see that there could be problems coming when the current U.S. television contract expires after the 2032 Olympic Games. There are measures the IOC can take now to help, but will it?
Friday: Former Rio State Governor Sergio Cabral told a Brazilian court on Thursday that he approved $2 million in bribes to assure that Rio de Janeiro would get the 2016 Olympic Games. His explosive revelations finally tie together the details of how former IAAF head Lamine Diack was used to help Rio win.
THE BIG PICTURE
Wednesday: The World Anti-Doping Agency confirms that 298 possible (probable?) doping cases have been identified – so far – from the Moscow Lab data and the information has been sent to the relevant International Federations for further action. It’s just as Canadian law professor Richard McLaren predicted …
HEARD AFTER HALFTIME
Monday: French indictment of Lamine Diack and others shows millions in extortion, spent on luxuries like watches … major changes in Track Cycling that are not being well received … the World Equestrian Games might not be dead … USA Synchro educates against concussions and USA Swimming begins ticket sales for the 2020 Olympic Trials.
ATHLETICS
Monday: NBC’s Craig Masback says Swiss Federal Tribunal unlikely to overturn IAAF gender-eligibility rules as appealed by Caster Semenya … how the new pros did at the Pre Classic … Nafi Thiam injured, but Mutaz Essa Barshim finally returns!
Friday: Lausanne (SUI) turned into Speed City on Friday, with sensational sprinting in the Athletissima meet! American Noah Lyles ripped through the men’s 200 m in 19.50, making him no. 4 all-time in the event, with the fastest time in seven years! Justin Gatlin won the men’s 100 m in 9.92, Jamaica’s Shelly-Anne Fraser-Pryce won the women’s 100 m in a superb 10.74 and there were world leaders in the men’s 1,500 m by Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN: 3:28.72) and men’s vault by Poland’s Piotr Lisek (6.01 m/19-8 1/2). And much more!
CYCLING
Tuesday: The USA Cycling Track Nationals are on in Carson, California, with star Jennifer Valente looking for more national titles; at 24, she already has 12, including four last year!
Thursday: The Tour de France starts in Brussels on Saturday, with defending champ Geraint Thomas (GBR) in and four-time winner Chris Froome (GBR) is out with an injury. But there are multiple contenders, and the home crowd is hoping for a French champion for the first time in 34 years!
Thursday: All the Dutch superstars are lined up for the 30th Giro Rosa, the top women’s road race on the UCI Women’s World Tour, with 10 stages in northern Italy on this year’s route. The favorite has to be current World Tour leader Annemiek van Vleuten, but there are other options, both Dutch … and Italian!
FENCING
Tuesday: Five first-time individual champions at the USA Fencing Nationals in Columbus, but also a familiar face in Alexander Tsinis, the U.S. Epee champion from way back in 2012 and 2013.
FOOTBALL
Tuesday: It was tight, but the U.S. women squeezed past England, 2-1, in the semis of the FIFA Women’s World Cup on Tuesday. Leading 2-1, the U.S. had to weather a equalizing goal that was called offsides and got an Alyssa Naeher save on a terribly-struck penalty kick by the English. But it’s on to the final against the Dutch or – can it be – the Swedes on Sunday!
Wednesday: The Dutch women out-lasted Sweden, 1-0, in extra time to get to its first Women’s World Cup final on Sunday.
Wednesday: It wasn’t pretty, but the U.S. men finally unlocked Jamaica’s defense and compiled a 3-1 win in Nashville in a game that had goals, fouls and a lengthy 87-minute lightning delay, sending the U.S. into the CONCACAF Gold Cup final against Mexico on Sunday!
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday: The USA Gymnastics National Championships in Acrobatic, Rhythmic and Tumbling & Trampoline are on in Des Moines, with Rhythmic star Laura Zeng looking for her fifth All-Around title in a row and to add to her total of 13 senior-level titles in the past four years.
HOCKEY
Monday: The inaugural FIH Pro League finals were held in Amsterdam, with the home crowd happy that the Netherlands won the women’s title over Australia in a 4-3 shoot-out after a 2-2 tie in regulation time. The men’s championship went to the Australian men, who overcome Belgium by 3-2 in the final.
SHOOTING
Monday: Olympic Rifle champ Ginny Thrasher and emerging Pistol star Lexi Lagan each won two events at the USA Shooting National Championships in Ft. Benning, Georgia, and Nick Mowrer and Mike McPhail also defended their 2018 titles.
TRIATHLON
Friday: American Katie Zaferes has dominated the first five races of the 2019 ITU World Series, winning four and finishing second once. This week’s stop is the biggest tri of all, a Sprint in Hamburg (GER). Can she do it again?
VOLLEYBALL
Tuesday: The U.S. women are the defending champions in the FIVB Nations League and after a 12-3 round-robin season, are in the final in Nanjing (CHN) with a good chance to advance to the semifinals.
PREVIEWS
● Archery: Brady Ellison tries for a third World Cup win this season in Berlin
● Cycling: Can anyone stop American Kate Courtney from a third straight XCO win?
● Judo: Three World Champions and two Olympic gold medalists in Montreal Grand Prix
● Sailing: Men’s Laser Standard class holds World Championships in Japan
● Table Tennis: Strong fields, with Olympic champs, in Busan for the Korean Open
UPCOMING
Highlights of the coming week, with previews in the coming days on TheSportsExaminer.com:
● Aquatics: The FINA World Championships finally begin in Korea!
● Athletics: What will Noah Lyles do in this 100 m race vs. Justin Gatlin in Monaco?
● Cycling: Climax of the season, with the men’s Tour de France and women’s Giro Rosa on!
And a look at the finances of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee!
