Home Blog Page 108

BEACH VOLLEYBALL Preview: Acid test for three U.S. women’s duos in Brazil four-star

By
Rich Perelman
-
Three in a row for: Norway's Christian Sorum and Anders Mol

While the sport of beach volleyball was born in Southern California, Brazil has become one of its cultural centers, with a deep connection to the sport and a lot of success.

So the pressure will be on the Brazilian teams at Itapema (BRA) this week to repeat their success of 2018, when Evandro Oliveira and Andre Stein won the men’s division and Agatha Bednarczuk and Duda Lisboa won the women’s tournament. The top seeds:

● Men:
1. Anders Mol/Christian Sorum (NOR) ~ 2018 World Tour Final champions
2. Grzegorz Fijalek/Michal Bryl (POL) ~ 2018 Las Vegas Open 4-star silver medalists
3. Aleksandrs Samoilovs/Janis Smedins (LAT) ~ 2018 Moscow Open 4-star winners
4. Piotr Kantor/Bartosz Losiak (POL) ~ 2018 World Tour Final bronze medalists
5. Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen (NED) ~ 2013 World Champions

● Women:
1. Heather Bansley/Brandie Wilkerson (CAN) ~ 2018 Poland Open 4-star winners
2. Agatha Bednarczuk/Duda Lisboa (BRA) ~ 2018 World Tour Final winners
3. Sarah Pavan/Melissa Humana-Paredes (CAN) ~ AVP Hunt. Beach Open runners-up
4. Alix Klineman/April Ross (USA) ~ AVP Huntington Beach Open winners
5. Barbara Seixas/Fernanda Alves (BRA) ~ Barbara: 2015 World champ; Fernanda: 2015 silver

In the men’s division, the top-seeded American pair is Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb at 14th. Casey Patterson and former NBA player Chase Budinger are in as Wild Card entries; they finished second at the AVP Huntington Beach Open, so it will be fascinating to see how they are against a top-quality international field.

Klineman and Ross scored an emotional win at the famed AVP Huntington Beach Open on 5 May, defeating Canada’s Pavan and Humana-Paredes. Will that translate into more success at the World Tour level? Americans Sara Hughes and Summer Ross are seeded seventh in the women’s tournament and Kelley Larsen and Emily Stockman are seeded 10th. Brooke Sweat and Kerri Walsh Jennings are also in the tournament, but were not among the 24 seeded teams.

The tournament will finish with the medal matches on Sunday (19th). Look for results here.

HEARD AFTER HALFTIME: South Africa confirms it will appeal Court of Arbitration holding in the Semenya case

By
Rich Perelman
-

News, views and noise from the non-stop, worldwide circus of Olympic sport:

● Athletics ● Despite its agreement in June with the IAAF that it would abide by the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in its filing against the federation’s Eligibility Regulations for Female Classification, Athletics South Africa confirmed that it would file an appeal anyway.

Agence France Presse reported that, according to South Africa’s sport and recreation ministry spokesman Vuyo Mhaga, “the appeal, to be lodged at the Switzerland Federal Tribunal, would be based on complaints over the judges’ past record on similar cases, lack of clarity over how the ruling could be implemented and how the evidence was handled.”

The appeal must be filed by 31 May and will be coordinated by Athletics South Africa.

The Court upheld the IAAF’s new regulations, introduced in 2018, and put in effect on 8 May 2019. The new rules require athletes competing in the women’s division in events from the 400 m to the mile – which includes the heptathlon – have a serum testosterone level of 5 nmol/L or less; those with higher levels – such as South Africa’s double Olympic women’s 800 m champ Caster Semenya – would be required to take oral medications to lower their natural levels of testosterone to that level.

● Athletics ● In the latest sign of changes in attitude concerning doping in Russia, Russian Anti-Doping Agency head Yuri Ganus sent a letter to the head of the Russian National Olympic Committee proposing “the dismissal of the federation’s senior officials, including its President Dmitry Shlyakhtin, and all national team athletics coaches, among several other measures.

“‘Given that there is critically little time left until the start of the 2020 Olympics, and there is much to do in coordination with IAAF, work toward the transformation of the federation requires an immediate resolution.’”

This is the most direct evidence yet of a stepped-up effort to end the IAAF’s four-year suspension of the Russian athletics federation. Only “Approved Neutral Athletes” from Russia – approved annually by a special IAAF review committee – are allow to compete internationally. The impact has been severe: as of 28 March 2019, a total of 203 applications have been filed, with 67 approved, 15 rejected and 123 still in process.

● Biathlon ● Following the IAAF’s trailblazing effort to create and fund an independent “integrity unit” outside of its own structure, the International Biathlon Union announced its own “Biathlon Integrity Unit” that will “centrally manage all integrity-related matters concerning biathlon, including anti-doping as well as ethical breaches, betting related issues or any kind of result manipulation.”

The new entity will be incorporated into the new version of the IBU Constitution, which is expected to be reviewed by the sport’s national federations in a special Congress to be held in the fall.

● Cycling ● Spain’s Samuel Sanchez, the 2008 Olympic Road Race gold medalist, had his doping suspension for two years confirmed by the Union Cycliste Internationale.

Sanchez, now 41, failed a doping test on 9 August 2017, but “the UCI has accepted the likelihood that the origin of the [doping positive] was a contaminated supplement Mr. Sanchez was using.” As he was provisionally suspended from 17 August 2017, he will be eligible again as of 17 August 2019.

● Fencing ● American Sabre star and five-time World Championships Team medalist – a 2016 Rio Team bronze medalist – Ibtihaj Muhammad told NBC Sports that “I have unofficially hung up my sabre.” Now 33, she added “I feel really content with my career and where I am right now in my life. You know, fencing is not a big part of it anymore, but it’s always been my intention to transcend sport in a way that reaches people not just in the fencing world but outside of it. I think I’ve been able to best do that, not only representing my sport but representing myself.”

● Judo ● This really happened at last week’s Judo Grand Slam in Baku (AZE): Portugal’s Anri Egutidze, competing in a second-round match in the men’s 81 kg class against Sweden’s Robin Pacek, had his mobile phone drop out of his judogi about 10 seconds into the match.

He was disqualified immediately; you can check out the video here. Wow! Pacek finished seventh overall.

● Luge ● At the SportAccord conference in Australia last week, the Federation Internationale de Luge (FIL) confirmed that the Doubles event is being introduced for women. Said Secretary General Einars Fogelis (LAT), “We are currently developing and working on the inclusion of women’s doubles as a new discipline. This is proceeding extremely well, with a lot of positive feedback from participating athletes. Women’s doubles will be part of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne. This is a great opportunity to grow and at the same time for the sport of luge to achieve our common goal – greater gender equality in sports.”

● Swimming ● There’s no way to pick an athlete as the world’s fittest, but one of the candidates has to be Brazil’s open-water star Ana Marcela Cunha. In the last two weeks:

= 03 May: 2:00:00.17 ~ 1st in USA Swimming 10 km Nationals in Miami
= 05 May: 0:58:26.00 ~ 2nd in USA Swimming 5 km Nationals in Miami
= 12 May: 2:01:34.10 ~ 2nd in FINA Marathon 10 km World Series in The Seychelles

That’s more than 15 miles of competitive swimming in America and Africa in 10 days, with a l-o-n-g plane ride in between. After her silver medal in The Seychelles, she said “I liked the race a lot; last week I swam in the U.S. nationals, so I was a little tired, but at the World Championship I will be swimming in the 5k, 10 km and 25 km events so it is good preparation.”

She won’t just be “swimming.” Cunha – now 27 and standing 5-5 – is a nine-time World Championships medalist and at the 2017 Open Water Worlds, won the 25 km title and bronzes at both 5 km and 10 km.

Is there anyone who can say they are fitter?

● At the BuZZer ● Think there aren’t new sports being introduced around the world? Guess again. At last week’s SportAccord Conference, one of the newest international federations was making the rounds, the International Camel Racing Foundation.

Created in 2018, the ICRF reports 30 members on three continents and states that “With increasing complexity in the sport, professionalization and competitiveness, the foundation of ICRF was essential to unifying this sport and promoting it globally.” The federation’s aims are to govern and promote the sport, “Enforce jockey safety” and “Effectuate camel welfare.” Now you know.

THE BIG PICTURE: Iran’s judo federation pledges not to discriminate against Israel … maybe

By
Rich Perelman
-

All credit to the International Judo Federation, which has consistently championed the right of all countries – notably Israel and Kosovo – to compete in its international competitions, especially those held in nations which either do not recognize their existence, or which do not have diplomatic relations.

This has especially been an issue with Iran, but the IJF has been active, stating in an announcement last Saturday (11th) that:

“After having witnessed on several occasions in recent history a disturbing phenomenon, which involves the sudden ‘injury’ or failure of weigh-in of Iranian athletes, phenomenon which is linked by many observers to the possible obligation of the given athletes to compete against certain countries, the International Judo Federation decided to step up in order to protect the right of athletes to fair competition.”

The result, after multiple discussions was a remarkable letter from the National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Co-signed by NOC chief Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri, and Arash Miresmaelli, head of the Iran Judo Federation, the final paragraph of the letter stated:

“By means of this letter, we would like to confirm that the I.R. Iran NOC shall fully respect the Olympic Charter and its non-discrimination principle, and the I.R. Iran Judo Federation shall fully comply with the Olympic Charter and the IJF Statutes. In the meantime, in collaboration with the I.R. Iran Ministry of Sport and Youth, we are sparing no efforts in negotiating with the Parliament so that we could identify the proper legal resolutions.”

And that last phrase is critical, because the Iranian government’s policy stance is that Iranian athletes should not compete against Israel, in anything. This even extended to the Special Olympics; in the 2015 World Games in Los Angeles, the Iranian delegation asked for a re-draw of a swimming race to avoid having Iranian and Israeli athletes swimming in the same heat!

Moreover, a report on the Iranian letter in the Israel newspaper Haaretz noted that “After the news of an end to the boycott were reported, however, Iranian media reacted skeptically, denying Iranian athletes would compete with Israelis. One report suggested Iran complying with the Olympic Charter and its non-discrimination principle was ‘nothing new,’ specifying Iran does indeed compete with any country but does not consider Israel a legitimate state.”

A report in Israel Hayom added that “According to Army Radio, the IJF threatened to ban Iran from international competitions, including the Olympics, if it did not agree to fight Israelis.”

So, there is still work to do, as the letter notes, by the Iranian National Olympic Committee with the Ministry of Sport and Youth in dealing with Iran’s revolutionary government on the subject.

This policy may be put to the test quickly, as the IJF World Tour includes four more Grand Prix competitions between now and the 2019 World Championships, to be held in Tokyo at the end of August. Israel is a rising power in judo, currently sitting 11th in the nations ranking, to 42nd for Iran, and both have legitimate medal prospects for the 2019 Worlds.

The IJF, under President Marius Vizer (FRA) is to be congratulated for making a real effort to end discriminatory practices that have been tolerated for far too long. But this announcement of Iranian intentions is only that; the actions to back it up must come through as well.

STAT PACK: Results for the week of 6-12 May 2019

By
Rich Perelman
-

The Stat Pack: a summary of results of international Grand Prix, World Cup and World Championships events, plus U.S. domestic events and Pan American championships events of note.

In this week’s issue are reports on 16 events in 12 sports:

● Archery: Hyundai World Cup 2 in Shanghai
● Athletics: IAAF Race Walk Challenge in Taicang
● Athletics: IAAF World Relays in Yokohama
● Curling: WCF World Cup Grand Final in Beijing
● Cycling: WWT: Tour of Chongming Island in China
● Cycling: BMX Supercross World Cup in Papendal
● Diving: FINA World Series 4 in Kazan
● Fencing: FIE Men’s Sabre World Cup 5 in Madrid
● Fencing: FIE Women’s Sabre World Cup 5 in Tunis
● Judo: IJF World Tour: Baku Grand Slam in Baku
● Rowing: FISA World Cup 1 in Plovdiv
● Rugby: Women’s Sevens Series 5 in Langford
● Shooting: ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Changwon
● Swimming: FINA Champions Swim Series II in Budapest
● Swimming: FINA Marathon World Series 2 in Seychelles
● Wrestling: U.S. Women’s Junior World Team Trials in Irving

plus our calendar of upcoming events through 16 June. Click below for the PDF:

[wpdm_package id=13290 template=”link-template-button-popup.php”]

VOX POPULI: Mixed-gender World Relays events were “refreshing, exciting, fun”

By
admin
-

[≡The Sports Examiner encourages expressions of opinion – we really do – but preferably based on facts. Comments may be sent to Editor@TheSportsExaminer.com. We do not guarantee publication of any comment, but all comments submitted will be considered and your submission implies your agreement to publication (and light editing if needed to meet our grammatical and punctuation standards) at our sole discretion. Please include your name and hometown on any comment submitted for publication.≡]

Having watched the World Relays, I have a few comments to share with The Sports Examiner and subscribers:

● POSITIVE:

Mixed gender relays: refreshing, exciting, fun. Loved the 2x2x4 mixed, the shuttle hurdle mixed, and the 4×400 mixed. Lots of fun, requires strategy, intelligence, and comradeship. We need more of these “revolutionary “ ideas, and they’re becoming more common on all levels of competition.

● NEGATIVE:

The one false start rule.

Historically, the rule was that all competitors would get one false start.

This rule was eventually changed to one false start given to the field, with elimination from the event for a second one, regardless of the perpetrator of the first false start. The reason for this rule was to end the practice, prevailing at the time, of attempting to “steal” a start. It wasn’t unusual to witness three or more false starts in each heat of the shorter sprints and hurdles. This would cause meets to fall behind schedule, annoying athletes, coaches, and spectators.

With the advent of Title IX, where female participants grew in the number of events and competitors, the rule was changed to the current “one and done” on the high school and colleges levels, thereby keeping meets on schedule.

Eventually, the rule (one-and-done) was adopted on the international level. With electronic starting blocks detecting the slightest twitch, athletes would be disqualified for slight twitches, barely visible to the naked eye.

And there’s the rub:

While there is merit in the one-and-done rule, in terms of moving meets along on schedule, we have witnessed the elimination of the biggest track star in the 21st century, Usain Bolt, being eliminated in a World Championship final; and in the recent World Relays, the elimination of the Italian team in the mixed hurdle relay final, due to a false start by their lead-off runner.

With Jamaica dropping out of the final of that race (due to an injury), that left only two teams, the USA and Japan in a World Relays Final. Not a very exciting competition, only two teams in an international final.

These are two examples of the stupidity of the one false start rule. It is destructive to a sport in need of attracting fans. It makes no sense in championship FINALS and/or highly selective invitationals. How attractive would basketball be if players were fouling out with say, 1,2, or 3 personal fouls? Or baseball going to one strike, to move the game along. Ridiculous examples? Maybe, but you get the point. We want to see them play.

So, I propose maintaining the one-and-done rule in all heats, quarters, and semis (where the likelihood of a stolen start would be greatest); but allow the previous allotment of one false start on the field in championship finals and selected invitational finals (such as the Diamond League).

This would allow paying spectators the opportunity to see the best of the best, and forgive a twitch in a final. The athletes deserve it, the fans deserve it, and the sport would be better for it.

I’ll save my other pet peeve for another letter, but here’s a hint-hint: I hate staggers in any race longer than 200 meters. Thanks for listening.

~ Ron Brumel (Los Angeles, California)

SPEED READ: Headlines from The Sports Examiner for Monday, 13 May 2019

By
Rich Perelman
-

Welcome to The Sports Examiner SPEED READ, a 100 mph (44.7 m/s) review of what happened over the last 72 hours in Olympic sport:

LANE ONE

Monday: The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee was criticized last week for not spending enough on venue decor and sport presentation among other things. One International Federation executive had the nerve to say that funding for such “should not be looked at as a cost.” Say what? Are you kidding? When was your last drug test?

ARCHERY

Sunday: Korea’s Chae-Young Kang won her second straight World Archery World Cup, this time in Shanghai, as Korea swept the individual Recurve golds. The U.S. picked up four medals in the Compound Division, including a win for Braden Gellenthien in the men’s division.

ATHLETICS

Friday: A new world leader in the women’s 100 m, plus a new sub-2:00 attempt in the marathon coming for Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge … and more doping news.

Friday: Sensational world leader in the 110 m hurdles by Florida’s Grant Holloway: 13.07 … in the SEC Championships prelims! Wow!

Saturday: More SEC magic, as Kentucky’s Daniel Roberts beats Holloway in 13.07, plus a collegiate record for LSU freshman Mondo Duplantis!

Saturday: The U.S. wins two oddball events in the IAAF World Relays in Yokohama and qualifies for Sunday’s events.

Sunday: The U.S. topped the medal table at the fourth IAAF World Relays and qualified four of its five teams for the World Championships later in the year. But it was hardly a showcase performance …. but it was a lot better than what Jamaica did!

CURLING

Sunday: The finale of the first World Curling World Cup season finishes in a familiar way: golds for the Canadian men’s and women’s teams skipped by Kevin Koe and Jennifer Jones. But Norway took the Mixed Doubles title … beating a Canadian team in the final.

CYCLING

Saturday: Another Dutch win on the Women’s World Tour, as Lorena Wiebes compiles a perfect Tour of Chongming Island, winning all three stages!

Sunday: The famed Giro d’Italia is off and running with an immediate statement made by favorite Primoz Roglic, plus a long-overdue sprint win for Peter Sagan in the opening stage of the Amgen Tour of California!

Sunday: Dutch treat in the BMX SuperCross World Cup in Papendal, with a sweep of the men’s and women’s races by Niek Kimmann, Judy Baauw and Laura Smulders!

DIVING

Sunday: China sent its second team and still won half of the events at the Kazan Diving World Series, including two victories for platform star Hao Yang.

FENCING

Sunday: Germany’s Max Hartung, at 29, is enjoying a career year, including a win in the Sabre World Cup in Madrid, while no. 1-ranked Sofya Velikaya of Russia won her Sabre World Cup in Tunis.

FOOTBALL

Sunday: The U.S. women’s World Cup team defeated South Africa, 3-0, on Sunday, in Santa Clara in the first of its final three tune-up games before the Women’s World Cup in France. It was a dominating performance, but not necessarily one that meant much.

JUDO

Sunday: Homestanding Azerbaijan wins the most medals at the Baku Grand Slam, but Brazil and Japan are the only countries to register two golds.

ROWING

Sunday: The first World Cup of the 2019 season was in Plovdiv (BUL), with three wins for the Polish men and four for the Dutch women, plus a surprise for the World Champion Sinkovic brothers in the men’s Pairs!

RUGBY

Sunday: Fourth win in five tournaments for the Black Ferns of New Zealand in the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series in Canada. The U.S. women finished third and – along with New Zealand – clinched a berth in the Tokyo 2020 tournament with only one stage left!

SHOOTING

Saturday: Three U.S. stars won medals at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup, with Vincent Hancock and Christian Elliott going 1-2 in men’s Skeet and the immortal Kim Rhode won her 21st World Cup gold in the women’s Skeet. Wow!

SWIMMING

Saturday: First day of the FINA Champions Series in Budapest, with two world-leading marks and more wins for Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom.

Sunday: It was the Sarah Sjostrom show at the second FINA Champions Series in Budapest, as she won five events over the two days and $53,000. But two others won three events each and there were five world-leading marks!

Sunday: Brilliant, but close, wins in the FINA Marathon World Series in the Seychelles for Italy’s Arianna Bridi and France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier.

UPCOMING

Highlights of the coming week, with full coverage on TheSportsExaminer.com:

● Athletics: The second IAAF Diamond League comes this Saturday in Shanghai!

● Cycling: Continuing action at the Giro d’Italia and the Amgen Tour of California.

● Swimming: The fourth leg of the Tyr Pro Swim Series fires up in Bloomington, Indiana.

And a look at events around the world in more than a dozen sports this week!

CURLING: Canada sweeps men’s and women’s title in World Cup Grand Final, but Norway wins in Mixed Doubles

By
Rich Perelman
-
Canada's Jennifer Jones (at right), skip of the winning World Cup Grand Final women's team

The inaugural season of the World Curling Federation’s World Cup series finished in Beijing (CHN) in a familiar way, with victories for Canada’s men and women.

The Canadians fielded outstanding teams in this all-star match-up, and two-time men’s World Champion Kevin Koe had his rink in excellent form all week. They emerged from Group B with the same number of points as Ross Paterson’s Scotland team, but won that match-up, 7-6, to advance to the final against a surprise Group A winner in China, skipped by Qiang Zou.

They had outlasted Sweden’s world champs skipped by Niklas Edin, and PyeongChang Olympic champ John Shuster’s rink from the U.S. In the final, the game was played tightly, but Koe scored single points in ends 2-3-5-6 and another in the eighth for a 5-3 win.

The women’s tournament had Canada’s Jennifer Jones – the 2018 World Champion – outlasting Japan and Satsuki Fujisawa to advance to the final, while Silvana Tirinzoni’s reigning World Champions from Switzerland made it out of Group B. The final showcased the high skill on both sides, with multiple points scored in five different ends. Ultimately, Jones was able to coax points out of six of the eight ends for a 9-6 win, despite two three-point ends for the Swiss.

In the Mixed Doubles, Norway’s Olympic bronze medalists Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten were able to get past Canada’s Laura Walker and Kirk Muyeres, 8-3, thanks to three big-scoring ends, including three points in the second end and two each in ends 5 and 7.

Summaries:

World Curling World Cup Grand Final
Beijing (CHN) ~ 8-12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Men/ Final: Canada (Koe) d. China (Zou), 5-3. Group A standings: 1. China (Qiang Zou), 12 points; 2. Sweden (Niklas Edin), 9; 3. United States (John Shuster), 8; 4. Canada (Matt Dunstone), 7. Group B standings: Canada (Kevin Koe), 12; 2. Scotland (Ross Paterson), 12; 3. Switzerland (Yannick Schwaller), 9; 4. Norway (Thomas Ulsrud), 3.

Women/ Final: Canada (Jones) d. Switzerland (Tirinzoni), 9-6. Group A standings: 1. Canada (Jennifer Jones), 10; 2. Japan (Satsuki Fujisawa), 10; 3. China (Yulin Jiang), 9; 4. United States (Nina Roth), 7. Group B standings: 1. Switzerland (Silvana Tirinzoni), 13; 2. Russia (Anna Sidorova), 12; 3. Sweden (Anna Hasselborg), 6; 4. Korea (Minji Kim), 5.

Mixed Doubles/ Final: Skaslien/Nedregotten (NOR) d. Walker/Muyeres (CAN), 8-3. Group A standings: 1. Canada (Laura Walker/Kirk Muyeres), 14; 2. United States (Sarah Anderson/Korey Dropkin), 12; 3. Switzerland (Michele Jaeggi/Sven Michel), 7; 4. China (Cao Chang/Yuan Mingjie), 3. Group B standings: 1. Norway (Kristin Skaslien/Magnus Nedregotten), 1; 2. Canada (Kadriana Sahaidak/Colton Lott), 11; 3. Switzerland (Jenny Perret/Martin Rios), 7; 4. Russia (Maria Komarova/Daniil Goriachev), 2.

LANE ONE: Olympic budget pressures mean nothing to those who aren’t paying for the Games

By
Rich Perelman
-

Spending someone else’s money is pretty easy. The Olympic Movement has been great at it for decades.

The International Olympic Committee, especially under the administration of President Thomas Bach (GER), has found that host cities have gotten tired of the continuous bleating from it, from the International Federations and the National Olympic Committees, and has worked diligently to make the Olympic Games less costly.

But not everyone has gotten the memo … or understands it.

That became obvious last week during the SportAccord convention in Gold Coast (AUS), where the Tokyo 2020 organizers came in for considerable criticism – some deserved and some whining – about their preparations, just days after Bach called the 2020 Games one of the best prepared ever with more than a year to go.

There were complaints about the test-event program, accommodations, some athlete services, transportation and the venue decor and sports presentation. The International Tennis Federation’s Chief Operating Officer, Kelly Fairweather (RSA), had some remarkable advice for the 2020 organizing committee. Read this closely:

“The spectator experience is so, so important. I would urge you not to look at this as a cost.

“You spend all this money on construction and getting the Games ready, then cut budgets at the last minute. That is not going to be the best way to showcase the Games, your country and city. It is not worth it at all.”

Really? Not a cost? It is if you have to spend your money for it. And if it’s so important, where is the tennis federation with some help? After all, its 2018 financial statements showed $105 million in assets and annual revenues of $76.6 million for 2018.

This behavior is hardly new to veteran observers of Olympic Games. The senior member of the International Olympic Committee, Canada’s Dick Pound, wrote about precisely this phenomenon in his 1994 book, Five Rings Over Korea, about the IOC’s efforts to ensure the success of the 1988 Seoul Games. Pound noted:

“Often, the main role of the IOC in the period leading up to the Games is to act as referee between the Organizing Committee and the international federations, the latter wanting the best possible installations and some not caring either how much these installations may cost of what possible use the host city may have them for them once the Games are over. This is a standard problem in relation to the Olympic Games. Since they are the showcase for all sports, each international federation wants state-of-the-art facilities, with every imaginable bell and whistle, and as much spectator room as possible. Little, if any, serious thought is given to what the host city will do with the facility after the two weeks of the Games are finished. The IOC uses its influence to moderate these demands.”

It may have to do so again.

There is a lot to consider when reviewing Fairweather’s comments and those of Larisa Kiss (HUN) of the International Judo Federation, who complained that the current decor program is less than that used for major non-Olympic judo competitions in Japan.

Having worked on organizing committees for 20 different multi-day, multi-venue events, it’s never pleasant to be criticized, but it is also true that outsiders do not appreciate the internal processes and pressures of staging a large event. Tokyo 2020 has created one of the largest – if not the largest – national sponsorship programs in Olympic history and has just begun selling tickets for the Games to very high initial interest.

But it is also clear that it is having financial challenges. During its presentation to the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), Tokyo 2020’s Hide Nakamura reported that with regard to at least some of the design and presentation costs, “We have counted on the assistance of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Because of some restrictions, we now cannot count on their money.”

That’s a fairly astonishing statement, since venue decor and the execution of the sports program has always been a part of the organizing committee’s costs, and is not a welcome sign for the future. Remember that finances plagued the 2004 Athens organizers as well as Rio in 2016; costs rose substantially in London for the 2012 Games, but the government decided the fund the Games as much as was needed. There has been pushback on this in Tokyo.

But the sports presentation and “Look” concepts are areas which are created by organizing committees according to their needs and funding ability. Fairweather’s comments are especially noteworthy since he was the IOC’s Sports Director from 2003-07 before taking up positions with the International (field) Hockey Federation from 2010-16 and then tennis in 2017. He speaks from experience, but not as an organizer, but as an event owner and licensor.

So let’s cut to reality. There are two groups of spectators at an Olympic Games: (1) a live audience of several million, a vast majority of whom are from the host country, and (2) a television audience in the billions. So if we cut past the chatter, the audience that counts is not the one in the stands; it’s the television viewers and, in addition, readers who see the Games through photography online or in newspapers and magazines.

Any dollars (or yen) which are spent to decorate the venues beyond what the television audience will see is a candidate for reduction or removal. If you don’t have the money for it, it can’t be funded. And, despite what Fairweather says, it’s a cost because the organizers or the Japanese government – at some level – has to pay for it.

Is it better to have robust decor? Sure, but not at the expense of athlete services or safety. The Tokyo 2020 Sports Director, the 2004 Olympic hammer throw champ, Koji Murofushi, struck exactly the right note with his comment “I know there is a budget constraint, but we understand that athletes are first.”

And that is what is important. If the IOC and the International Federations actually believe their mantra that the Games are about the athletes, then they should concentrate on that and support the organizers to the extent they can do more in other areas.

More consultation between the Tokyo organizers and the International Federations will be welcome. Better ideas on how to stretch the budget will be helpful. But whining and saying that millions of dollars in decor for the 2020 Games is not a cost? That’s not only insulting, it calls for a doping-control test to be carried out immediately.

Rich Perelman
Editor

ROWING: Four wins for Dutch boats, three for Poland in opening World Cup in Plovdiv

By
Rich Perelman
-
Upset men's Pairs winners Martin Mackovic and Milas Vasic (SRB) in Plovdiv (Photo: Detlev Seyb via World Rowing)

The first of three World Cup regattas turned into a showcase for the men’s Polish team and the Dutch women’s squad, who came away with seven wins between them.

The Polish men had the best teams in the famed regatta course in Plovdiv (BUL), winning the Quadrupe Sculls, Fours and Eights. The Dutch women won the Fours and Eights, plus Lisa Scheenaard’s victory in the Single Sculls, and Aletta Jorritsma and Jose van Veen in the Women’s Pairs.

This first regatta did not have a lengthy list of Olympic and World Championships medal winners, but Croatia’s Damir Martin, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist in the Single Sculls, impressed with a win by more than six seconds over first-time World Cup medal winner Pilip Pavukou of Belarus.

There was a significant upset in the men’s Pairs, where Serbians Martin Mackovic and Milas Vasic won by almost two seconds over Martin and Valent Sinkovic (CRO), the 2018 World Champions.

China also had a strong showing, with wins in the men’s and women’s Double Sculls and the women’s Quadruple Sculls. The second World Cup will be in Poznan (POL) in late June; summaries from Plovdiv:

World Rowing World Cup I
Plovdiv (BUL) ~ 10-12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Men

Single Sculls: 1. Damir Martin (CRO), 7:26.90; 2. Pilip Pavukou (BLR), 7:33.04; 3. Robert Ven (FIN), 7:37.29.

Double Sculls: 1. Zhiyu Liu/Liang Zhang (CHN), 6:31.32; 2. Dominik Czaja/Adam Wicenciak (POL), 6:33.93; 3. Stanislau Shcharbachenia/Dzianis Mihal (BLR), 6:35.95.

Quadruple Sculls: 1. Poland, 6:01.260; 2. Moldova, 6:10.520; 3. Romania, 6:10.730.

Pairs: 1. Martin Mackovic/Milas Vasic (SRB), 6:34.05; 2. Martin Sinkovic/Valent Sinkovic (CRO), 6:36.03; 3. Jaime Canalejo Pazos/Javier Garcia Ordonez (ESP), 6:37.50.

Fours: 1. Poland, 6:08.400; 2. Romania, 6:10.700; 3. Austria, 6:14.110.

Eights: 1. Poland, 5:54.380; 2. Romania, 5:57.350; only finishers.

Lightweight Single Sculls: 1. Peter Galambos (HUN), 6:54.55; 2. Milosz Jankowski (POL); 3. Luka Radonic (CRO), 7:04.89.

Lightweight Double Sculls: 1. Tim Brys/Niels van Zandweghe (BEL), 6:40.40; 2. Artur Mikolajczewski/Jerzy Kowalski (POL), 6:42.99; 3. Pedro Fraga/Afonso Costa (POR), 6:43.71.

Women

Single Sculls: 1. Lisa Scheenaard (NED), 8:04.01; 2. Yan Jiang (CHN), 8:05.37; 3. Mirka Knapkova (CZE), 8:08.45.

Double Sculls: 1. Shiyu Lu/Yuwei Wang (CHN), 7:14.46; 2. Tatsiana Klimovich/Krystsina Staraselets (BLR), 7:17.97; 3. Aimee Hernandez Delgado/Yariulvis Cobas Garcia (CUB), 7:21.99.

Quadruple Sculls: 1. China, 6:38.34; 2. Netherlands, 6:39.72; only entries.

Pairs: 1. Aletta Jorritsma/Jose van Veen (NED), 7:22.70; 2. Miaomiamo Qin/Linlin Guo (CHN), 7:23.31; 3. Felice Mueller/Emily Regan (USA), 7:23.56. Also: 5. Erin Reelick/Madeleine Wanamaker (USA), 7:25.75.

Fours: 1. Netherlands, 6:42.82; 2. United States (O’Brien, Doonan, Regan, Mueller), 6:45.93; 3. China, 6:48.02. Also: 4. United States (Opitz, Musnicki, Mooney, Bruggeman), 6:53.82; 5. United States (Reelick, Wanamaker, Huelskamp, Coffey), 7:05.73.

Eights: 1. Netherlands, 6:38.840; 2. China, 6:45.180; 3. Romania, 6:50.420.

Lightweight Single Sculls: 1. Alena Furman (BLR), 7:36.48; 2. Wenyi Huang (CHN), 7:45.50; 3. Kenia Lechuga Alanis (MEX), 7:51.22.

Lightweight Double Sculls: 1. Qiang Wu/Dandan Pan (CHN), 7:23.04; 2. Martine Veldhuis/Ilse Paulis (NED), 7:26.97; 3. Katarzyna Welna/Joanna Dorociak (POL), 7:28.14.

SWIMMING: Bridi outlasts Cunha again in Seychelles Marathon World Series

By
Rich Perelman
-
The idyllic scene for the FINA Marathon Swim Series in the Seychelles. (Photo: FINA)

A strong turnout of 75 swimmers from 19 countries came to the exotic location of The Seychelles off the African coast for the second of nine stages of the 2019 FINA Marathon World Series. While the men’s race had plenty of twists and turns, the women’s race was a re-run of 2018.

The six-lap race started slowly, but by the fifth lap, the speed was increasing with two-time World Champion Aurelie Muller (FRA), Olympic silver medalist Rachele Bruni, 2017 World Series winner Arianna Bridi and four-time Series winner Ana Marcela Cunha pressing the pace.

On lap six, Cunha attacked with 500 m remaining before the finish and only Bridi went with her and out-touched her for a 2/10ths-of-a-second victory. It was the same 1-2 finish as in the 2018 race at the Seychelles.

France’s Lara Grangeon came up for third and won her first career World Series medal.

The men’s race featured a strong pace from 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Marc-Antoine Olivier, but he was under pressure from a line of swimmers. As the finish neared, the sprint for the touch was won by Olivier, but with three more right behind, finishing within three more seconds. Australia’s Nicholas Sloman got to the line second, just ahead of Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky.

Olivier said afterwards, “It was difficult with the hot weather; I’m very happy to win. At the finish, I was thinking about my last heat swimming a 100 m race and think about the pain in that race. The Seychelles is beautiful and yesterday I enjoyed myself swimming in the sea with many fish.”

Ah, the life of an open water swimmer! Summaries:

FINA Marathon World Series
Seychelles ~ 12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Men (10 km): 1. Marc-Antoine Olivier (FRA), 1:56:02:00; 2. Nicholas Sloman (AUS), 1:56:04.10; 3. Kristof Rasovszky (HUN), 1:56:04.30; 4. Ferry Weertman (NED), 1:56:04.80; 5. Bailey Armstrong (AUS), 1:56:14.10; 6. Kai Graeme Edwards (AUS), 1:56:24.70; 7. Hayden Paul Cotter (AUS), 1:56:29.70; 8. Matteo Furlan (ITA), 1:56:33.20; 9. Yuval Safra (ISR), 1:56:38.70; 10. Evgenii Drattcev (RUS), 1:56:59.60.

Women (10 km): 1. Arianna Bridi (ITA), 2:01:33.90; 2. Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA), 2:01:34.10; 3. Lara Grangeon (FRA), 2:01:41.10; 4. Rachele Bruni (ITA), 2:01:41.70; 5. Aurlie Muller (FRA), 2:01:44.40; 6. Kareena Lee (AUS), 2:01:55.70; 7. Angelica Andre (POR), 2:01:57.00; 8. Chelsea Gubecka (AUS), 2:01:57.10; 9. Anna Olasz (HUN), 2:01:57.50; 10. Mackenzie Brazier (AUS), 2:01:57.90.

CYCLING: Roglic confirms his favorite’s status with Time Trial win in Giro d’Italia; Sagan wins opening sprint in Amgen Tour

By
Rich Perelman
-
Two-time Tour de Romandie winner Primoz Roglic (SLO) (Photo: Geof Sheppard via Wikimedia)

Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic entered this year’s Giro d’Italia undefeated in his three races in 2019: the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Romandie. And he wasted no time taking charge of the Maglia Rosa – the pink leader’s jersey – by winning the time trial on Saturday’s first day of the 2019 race. “It’s a really nice feeling,” he said. “We did a perfect job and I’m super happy.”

He finished the 8.0 km course in just 12:54, giving him a 19-second edge over Simon Yates (GBR) and 23 over Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali. He maintained that edge through the second stage, a sprinter’s finish won by Germany’s Pascal Ackermann over Elia Viviani (ITA) and Caleb Ewan (AUS).

This week’s stages are all hilly; the first mountain stage is on 23 May. Summaries and stage profiles are shown below.

In Sacramento, California, Slovakian superstar Peter Sagan won the final sprint with a perfectly-positioned, perfectly-timed flyer at the end of the flat first stage in the Amgen Tour of California.

It was not only the 17th stage win for Sagan in the Amgen Tour – the most of anyone all-time – but his first win since January in Australia, a long drought for the three-time World Road Race Champion. He was a happy rider when he crossed the line first, barely ahead of USA Cycling rider Travis McCabe. Summaries are below.

UCI World Tour/Giro d’Italia
Italy ~ 11 May-2 June 2019
(Full results here)

Stage 1 (8.0 km Time Trial): 1. Primoz Roglic (SLO), 12:54; 2. Simon Yates (GBR), 13:13; 3. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), 13:17; 4. Miguel Angel Lopez (COL), 13:22; 5. Tom Dumoulin (NED), 13:22. Also in the top 25: 21. Chad Haga (USA), 13:48.

Stage 2 (205.0 km): 1. Pascal Ackermann (GER), 4:44:43; 2. Elia Viviani (ITA), 4:44:43; 3. Caleb Ewan (AUS), 4:44:43; 4. Fernando Gaviria (COL), 4:44:43; 5. Arnaud Demare (FRA), 4:44:43.

13 May: Stage 3 (220.0 km) ~ Vinci to Orbetello (hilly)
14 May: Stage 4 (235.0 km) ~ Orbetello to Frascati (hilly)
15 May: Stage 5 (140.0 km) ~ Frascati to Terracina (hilly)
16 May: Stage 6 (238.0 km) ~ Cassino to San Giovanni Rotondo (hilly)
17 May: Stage 7 (185.0 km) ~ Vasto to L’Aquila (hilly)
18 May: Stage 8 (239.0 km) ~ Tortoreto Lido to Pesaro (flat)
19 May: Stage 9 (34.8 km Time Trial) ~ Riccione to San Marino
20 May: Rest day
21 May: Stage 10 (145.0 km)~ Ravenna to Modena (flat)
22 May: Stage 11 (221.0 km) ~ Carpi to Novi Ligure (flat)
23 May: Stage 12 (158.0 km) ~ Cuneo to Pinerolo (hilly)
24 May: Stage 13 (196.0 km) ~ Pinerolo to Ceresole Reale (mountains)
25 May: Stage 14 (131.9 km) ~ Saint Vincent to Courmayeur (mountains)
26 May: Stage 15 (232.0 km) ~ Ivrea to Como (hilly)
27 May: Rest day
28 May: Stage 16 (226.0 km) ~ Lovere to Ponte di Legno (mountains)
29 May: Stage 17 (181.0 km) ~ Commezzadura to Anterselva/Antholz (mountains)
30 May: Stage 18 (222.0 km) ~ Valdaora / Olang to Santa Maria di Sala (flat)
31 May: Stage 19 (151.0 km) ~ Treviso to San Martino di Castrozza (mountains)
01 June: Stage 20 (194.0 km) ~ Feltre to Croce D’Aune-Monte Avena (mountains)
02 June: Stage 21 (17.0 km Time Trial) ~ Verona to Verona

UCI World Tour/Amgen Tour of California
California (USA) ~ 12-18 May 2019
(Full results here)

Stage 1 (143.0 km): 1. Peter Sagan (SVK), 3:14:10; 2. Travis McCabe (USA), 3:14:10; 3. Max Walscheid (GER), 3:14:10; 4. Kristoffer Halvorsen (NOR), 3:14:10; 5. Michael Morkov (DEN), 3:14:10. Also: 13. Miguel Bryon (USA), 3:14:14; … 20. Michael Hernandez (USA), 3:14:14; … 22. Gavin Mannion (USA), 3:14:14; … 25. Neilson Powless (USA), 3:14:14.

13 May: Stage 2 (194.5 km): Rancho Cordova to South Lake Tahoe (hilly)
14 May: Stage 3 (207.0 km): Stockton to Morgan Hill (mountains)
15 May: Stage 4 (212.5 km): Raceway Laguna Seca to Morro Bay (hilly)
16 May: Stage 5 (218.5 km): Pismo Beach to Ventura (mountains)
17 May: Stage 6 (127.5 km): Ontario to Mount Baldy (mountain finish)
18 May: Stage 7 (141.0 km): Santa Clarita to Pasadena (mountains)

RUGBY: Fourth win for the Black Ferns as U.S. clinches Tokyo 2020 spot in Langford Sevens

By
Rich Perelman
-
New Zealand's victorious Black Ferns

New Zealand’s Black Ferns have been in charge of the Women’s Sevens Series from the start, winning the first three series and now taking their fourth title of the season in Langford (CAN) by defeating Australia, 21-17, in the final.

With just one leg to go, the Black Ferns have 92 points to 80 for the United States, 78 for Canada and 74 for Australia. The top four finishers in the seasonal standings will be qualified for the Tokyo 2020 tournament; with France fifth with 60 and one more tournament to go, New Zealand and the U.S. are in and Canada and Australia are almost in.

It’s a considerable achievement for the U.S., which has never finished higher than fourth in the seasonal standings!

Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. all had perfect, 3-0 records in pool play. The U.S. edged Canada, 12-7, in the quarterfinals and met New Zealand in the semis, losing 26-12. The Black Ferns moved on to the final and had a tough time with Sevens Series defending champion Australia, finally winning, 21-17.

The U.S. met France in the third-place match and won easily, 26-5. It was the fourth medal of the season and the American women have finished 2-4-3-3-3 in the five legs this season.

Canada’s superstar Ghislaine Landry led the scoring in this round with 42 points, just ahead of Ireland’s Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Ellia Green (AUS) and Tyla Nathan-Wong (NZL), all with 40. The top U.S. scorer was Alev Kelter with 30. Summaries:

World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series
Langford (CAN) ~ 11-12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Final Standings: 1. New Zealand; 2. Australia; 3. United States; 4. France; 5. Canada; 6. England; 7. Russia; 8. Spain. Semis: New Zealand d. U.S., 26-12; Australia d. France, 26-19. Third: U.S. d. France, 26-5. Final: New Zealand d. Australia, 21-17.

JUDO: Azerbaijan scores seven medals to lead Japan in Baku Grand Slam

By
Rich Perelman
-
Brazil's Olympic Champion Rafaela Silva (in blue) (Photo: IJF/Gabriela Sabau)

A large field of 431 judoka from 57 countries entered the Baku Grand Slam, and the home team came through with the most medals.

Azerbaijani fighters collected seven medals in all, including a win from Hidayat Heydarov in 73 kg, plus two silver medals and four bronzes for a total of seven. That was two better than Japan (5) and three more than Spain and Russia (4).

Japan and Brazil were the only countries with two wins. The Japanese, which sent a parial squad of their top judoka, had victories by Miko Tashiro in the women’s 63 kg class and from two-time World Champion Chizuru Arai in the women’s 70 kg division.

Brazil’s 2016 Olympic star Rafaela Silva showed she will be in the conversation in Tokyo next year with another win at 57 kg, and Felipe Kitadai won the men’s 60 kg class. Summaries:

IJF World Tour/Baku Grand Slam
Baku (AZE) ~ 10-12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Men

-60 kg: 1. Felipe Kitadai (BRA); 2. Temur Nozadze (GEO); 3. Amartusvshin Dashdavaa (MGL) and Yago Abuladze (RUS).

-66 kg: 1. Denis Vieru (MDA); 2. Nijat Shikhalizada (AZE); 3. Bogdan Iadov (UKR) and Baskhuu Yondonperenlei (MGL).

-73 kg: 1. Hidayat Heydarov (AZE); 2. Tohar Butbul (ISR); 3. Telman Valiyev (AZE) and Rustam Orujov (AZE).

-81 kg: 1. Sagi Muki (ISR); 2. Ivaylo Ivanov (BUL); 3. Matthias Casse (BEL) and Tato Grigalashvili (GEO).

-90 kg: 1. Nemanja Majdov (SRB); 2. Mammadali Mehdiyev (AZE); 3. Krisztian Toth (HUN) and Nikoloz Sherazadishvili (ESP).

-100 kg: 1. Michael Korrel (NED); 2. Kazbek Zankishiev (RUS); 3. Zelym Kotsoiev (AZE) and Benjamin Fletcher (IRL).

+100 kg: 1. Gela Zaalishvili (GEO); 2. Ruslan Shakhbazov (RUS); 3. Vladut Simionescu (ROU) and Anton Krivobokov (RUS).

Women

-48 kg: 1. Laura Martinez Abelenda (ESP); 2. Julia Figueroa (ESP); 3. Catarina Costa (POR) and Milica Nikolic (SRB).

-52 kg: 1. Amandine Buchard (FRA); 2. Ai Shishime (JPN); 3. Gefen Primo (ISR) and Larissa Pimenta (BRA).

-57 kg: 1. Rafaela Silva (BRA); 2. Tsukasa Yoshida (JPN); 3. Helene Receveaux (FRA) and Hedvig Karakas (HUN).

-63 kg: 1. Miku Tashiro (JPN); 2. Tina Trstenjak (SRB); 3. Juul Franssen (NED) and Martyna Trados (GER).

-70 kg: 1. Chizuru Arai (JPN); 2. Anna Berholm (SWE); 3. Maria Bernabeu (ESP) and Gemma Howell (GBR).

-78 kg: 1. Luise Malzahn (GER); 2. Anna Maria Wagner (GER); 3. Shori Hamada (JPN) and Madeleine Malonga (FRA).

+78 kg: 1. Yalyzaveta Kalanina (UKR); 2. Larisa Ceric (BIH); 3. Iryna Kindzerska (AZE) and Anamari Veleksek (SLO).

FOOTBALL: U.S. hardly sharp, but dominates South Africa, 3-0, in Santa Clara

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S. midfielder Sam Mewis

The United States women’s national squad didn’t have to play much defense against South Africa, but found the going tougher on offense and settled for a 3-0 win at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on Sunday.

The South Africans, who will play in the 2019 World Cup in France, were unable to manage any sustained offense against the U.S., which played almost all of the game on offense.

The first half was slow, but got a goal in the 37th minute on a right-footed rocket on a twist-and-shoot move from midfielder Sam Mewis for a 1-0 lead and the only goal of the half.

U.S. coach Jill Ellis subbed liberally in the second half, including bringing Megan Rapinoe – recovering from a calf injury – into the game for more offense.

That proved to be a key move, as Rapinoe was the key to a second goal, in the 78th minute. Her cross into the box pinpointed where Mewis and South Africa substitute keeper Kaylin Swart were going to collide, and as the ball ricocheted off of Swart, it hit Mewis and dribbled into the goal for a 2-0 advantage. The two goals were Mewis’s 10th and 11th career international goals.

The game was well decided, but the U.S. kept attacking into stoppage time. That resulted in a third goal, as Rapinoe’s cross found Mallory Pugh in the box. There was a lot of congestion, but Pugh’s left-footed boot dribbled toward Carli Lloyd, who kicked the ball into the goal for the final score. It was the 108th international goal for Lloyd.

The U.S. has a 19-5 advantage in shots and a 69-31% advantage in possession.

The U.S. women have their next tune-up match against another 2019 Women’s World Cup team, New Zealand, on Thursday (16th) in St. Louis.

FENCING: Veterans Hartung and Velikaya score tight wins in Sabre Grand Prix events in Europe

By
Rich Perelman
-
German Sabre star Max Hartung (Photo: Wikipedia)

Germany’s Max Hartung may be, at 29, entering his prime. His victory in the FIE Sabre World Cup in Madrid (ESP) has moved him up to no. 3 in the federation’s world rankings, his highest ranking ever, with a 15-14 win over Hungary’s 2012-16 Olympic gold medalist Aron Szilagyi (HUN).

The victory continues a career year for Hartung, who also won the Budapest World Cup and took a bronze in the Seoul Grand Prix. He’s now up to seven career World Cup medals in his career (3-0-4).

American Eli Dershwitz came into the tournament ranked no. 1 and finished fifth – losing in the quarterfinals – for the fifth tournament in a row! That has to be some kind of record, but his strong showings have kept him at the top of the rankings.

The women’s Sabre World Cup in Algeria showcased no. 1-ranked Sofya Velikaya (RUS), who won over surprise finalist Jiarui Qian, 26. It was Qian’s first-ever World Cup final; she had only won one prior World Cup medal – a bronze – back in 2016.

The final was tight, with Velikaya winning, 15-12, for her third World Cup and Grand Prix medal this season. She now has, at 33, 16 career World Cup medals (7-3-6) and 23 career Grand Prix medals … that’s 39 all told, and she’s far from done. Summaries:

FIE Sabre World Cup
Madrid (ESP) ~ 10-12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Men’s Sabre: 1. Max Hartung (GER); 2. Aron Szilagyi (HUN); 3. Jun-Ho Kim (KOR) and Sang-Uk Oh (KOR). Semis: Szilagyi d. Oh, 15-8; Hartung d. Kim, 15-14. Final: Hartung d. Szilagyi, 15-14.

Team Sabre: 1. Italy; 2. Russia; 3. Korea; 4. Hungary. Semis: Russia d. Korea, 45-41; Italy d. Hungary, 45-41. Third: Korea d. Hungary, 45-38. Final: Italy d. Russia, 45-31.

FIE Sabre World Cup
Tunis (ALG) ~ 10-12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Women’s Sabre: 1. Sofya Velikaya (RUS); 2. Jiarui Qian (CHN); 3. Charlotte Lembach (FRA) and Irene Vecchi (ITA). Semis: Velikaya d. Lembach, 15-6; Qian d. Vecchi, 15-14. Final: Velikaya d. Qian, 15-12.

Team Sabre: 1. Italy; 2. Ukraine; 3. Korea; 4. Japan. Semis: Ukraine d. Korea, 45-39; Italy d. Japan, 45-30. Third: Korea d. Japan, 45-43. Final: Italy d. Ukraine, 45-42.

DIVING: China’s second team wins five of 10 events at Kazan World Series

By
Rich Perelman
-
Double World Series winner in Kazan: Hao Yang (CHN)

The FINA World Series is designed to be the highest level of “regular-season” competition in diving, but China’s domination of the sport was demonstrated in the meet in Kazan (RUS).

The Chinese sent a second-line team, which still managed to win five of the 10 events and won 11 medals overall, by far the most of any country. Hao Yang won two events, the men’s 10 m Platform and the Synchro 10 m with Junjie Luan.

Great Britain’s two-time World 10 m Champion Tom Daley was the busiest performer, winning three medals with a bronze in the men’s 10 m Platform, a bronze in the Synchro 10 m with Matthew Lee and a bronze in the Synchro 3 m with Grace Reid.

The World Series will finish with the fifth leg, in London (GBR), next week. Summaries:

FINA Diving World Series
Kazan (RUS) ~ 10-12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Men

3 m Springboard: 1. Jack Laugher (GBR), 499.30; 2. Evgenii Kuznetsov (RUS), 466.60; 3. Jianfeng Peng (CHN), 464.95.

10 m Platform: 1. Hao Yang (CHN), 537.05; 2. Aleksandr Bondar (RUS), 522.60; 3. Tom Daley (GBR), 520.40.

Synchro 3 m: 1. Oleg Kolodiy/Oleksandr Gorshkovozov (UKR), 403.26; 2. Nikita Shleikher/Evgenii Kuznetsov (RUS), 401.94; 3. Juan Manuel Celaya/Yahel Castillo (MEX), 400.53.

Synchro 10 m: 1. Hao Yang/Junjie Lian (CHN), 444.18; 2. Aleksandr Bondar/Viktor Minibaev (RUS), 403.02; 3. Matthew Lee/Tom Daley (GBR), 395.82.

Women

3 m Springboard: 1. Jennifer Abel (CAN), 330.60; 2. Shan Lin (CHN), 303.60; 3. Yani Chang (CHN), 302.20.

10 m Platform: 1. Mi Rae Kim (PRK), 373.40; 2. Minjie Zhang (CHN), 364.60; 3. Yuxi Chen (CHN), 356.95.

Synchro 3 m: 1. Shan Lin/Yani Chang (CHN), 302.01; 2. Annabelle Smith/Maddison Keeney (AUS), 283.98; 3. Viktoriya Kesar/Anna Pysmenska (UKR), 273.60.

Synchro 10 m: 1. Haoyan Yuan/Yuxi Chen (CHN), 338.70; 2. Mi Rae Kim/Jin-Mi Jo (PRK), 315.42; 3. Ekaterina Beliaeva/Iullia Timoshinina (RUS), 292.20.

Mixed

Synchro 3 m: 1. Domonic Bedggood/Maddison Keeney (AUS), 318.12; 2. Yiwen Chen/Xiaohu Tai (CHN), 313.26; 3. Tom Daley/Grace Reid (GBR), 304.14.

Synchro 10 m: 1. Yu Duan/Minjie Zhang (CHN), 339.42; 2. Il Myong Hyon/Jin-Mi Jo (PRK), 314.28; 3. Vincent Riendeau/Caeli McKay (CAN), 312.42.

CYCLING: Kimmann, Baauw & Smulders sweep BMX Supercross World Cup in Papendal

By
Rich Perelman
-
Dutch World Champion and 2012 Olympic BMX bronze winner Laura Smulders

The BMX SuperCross World Cup in Papendal (NED) figured to be friendly to the homestanding Dutch riders, but world champs Niek Kimmann and Laura Smulders dominated the two days, winning four medals between them, including three golds.

Kiemmann won cleanly on both days, finishing 0.446 ahead of Alfredo Campo (ECU) in Saturday’s race and 0.252 up on France’s Joris Daudet on Sunday. Kiemann, the reigning World Cup champ, now has four wins at Papendal in his career, more than anyone else.

Smulders, the three-time defending World Cup winner, won for the sixth time at Papendal in the 12 races held there. She won on Sunday after finishing third to teammate Judy Baauw and American Alise Willoughby on Saturday. Willoughby was again second on Sunday, her third top-four finish in four races this season. Summaries:

UCI BMX World Cup
Papendal (NED) ~ 10-12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Men I: 1. Niek Kimmann (NED), 35.306; 2. Alfredo Campo (ECU), 35.772; 3. Jeremy Rencurel (FRA), 36.369; 4. Kai Sakakibara (AUS), 36.594; 5. David Graf (SUI), 37.057.

Men II: Kimmann (NED), 34.951; 2. Joris Daudet (FRA), 35.203; 3. Sylvaina Andre (FRA), 35.365; 4. David Graf (SUI), 35.543; 5. Jared Garcia (USA), 36.265. Also: 7. Corben Sharrah (USA), 36.594.

Women I: Judy Baauw (NED), 37.516; 2. Alise Willoughby (USA), 37.660; 3. Laura Smulders (NED), 37.956; 4. Simone Christensen (DEN), 37.988; 5. Ruby Huisman (NED), 38.283. Also: 6. Felicia Stancil (USA), 39.769.

Women II: 1. Smulders (NED), 36.556; 2. Willoughby (USA), 37.159; 3. Stancil (USA), 37.769; 4. Lauren Reynolds (AUS), 37.840; 5. Baauw (NED), 38.214.

ARCHERY: Kang takes second straight World Cup win; U.S. takes four Compound titles in Shanghai

By
Rich Perelman
-
Korea's World Cup winner Chae-Young Kang (Photo: World Archery)

It’s early in the season, but Korea’s Chae-Young Kang is making it clear that despite her youth, she is going to be a candidate for all honors at the World Championships and the Olympic Games in the women’s division.

The 22-year-old from Seoul won the second World Cup of the season with an emphatic 6-0 win over Tomoni Sugimoto of Japan, to go along with her 6-0 win in the opening World Cup in Colombia over Melanie Gaubil (FRA).

Korea swept the individual Recurve honors as Woo-Seok Lee overcame American Brady Ellison in the semifinals – Ellison won in Colombia – and won the final against 2015 World Champion Woojin Kim, 6-2. Ellison finished third, swamping Dutch shooter Sjef van den Berg, 6-0.

The U.S. scored well in the non-Olympic Compound division, winning the men’s individual title (Braden Gellenthien) and taking silver (Sophia Strachan) and bronze (Alexis Ruiz) in the women’s competition. For Strachan, 20, it was her first career World Cup medal, and those two combined with Jamie Van Natta to win the women’s Team Compound title. Gellenthien, Kris Schaff and Matt Sullivan won the men’s Team Compound division. Sullivan and Ruiz won the Mixed Doubles Compound title. Summaries:

World Archery World Cup
Shanghai (CHN) ~ 6-12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Men

Recurve: 1. Woo-Seok Lee (KOR); 2. Woojin Kim (KOR); 3. Brady Ellison (USA); 4. Sjef van den Berg (NED). Semis: Kim d. van den Berg, 7-1; Lee d. Ellison, 6-4. Third: Ellison d. van den Berg, 6-0. Final: Lee d. Kim, 6-2.

Team Recurve: 1. Chinese Taipei (Wei, Deng, Tang); 2. Turkey; 3. Korea; 4. Bangladesh. Semis: Chinese Taipei d. Korea, 5-1; Turkey d. Bangladesh, 5-3. Third: Korea d. Bangladesk, 6-2. Final: Chinese Taipei d. Turkey, 5-1.

Compound: 1. Braden Gellenthien (USA); 2. Brend Frederickx (BEL); 3. Roberto Hernandez (ESA); 4. Evren Cagiran (TUR). Semis: Gellenthien d. Hernandez, 147-146; Frederickx d. Cagiran, 147-146. Third: Hernandez d. Cagiran, 146-144. Final: Gellenthien d. Frederickx, 148-147.

Team Compound: 1. United States (Matt Sullivan, Kris Schaff, Braden Gellenthien); 2. Korea; 3. China; 4. Turkey. Semis: U.S. d. China, 237-236; Korea d. Turkey, 235-234. Third: China d. Turkey, 230-229. Final: U.S. d. Korea, 238-235.

Women

Recurve: 1. Chae-Young Kang (KOR); 2. Tomoni Sugimoto (JPN); 3. Ya-Ting Tan (TPE); 4. Nur Afisa Abdul Halil (MAS). Semis: Sugimoto d. Tan, 6-2; Kang d. Abdul Halil, 6-0. Third: Tan d. Abdul Halil, 6-2. Final: Kang d. Sugimoto, 6-0.

Team Recurve: 1. Korea (Kang, Choi, Chang); 2. China; 3. Chinese Taipei; 4. Iran. Semis: Korea d. Iran, 6-2; China d. Chinese Taipei, 6-0. Third: Chinese Taipei d. Iran, 6-2. Final: Korea d. China, 6-0.

Compound: 1. Chae-Won So (KOR); 2. Sophia Strachan (USA); 3. Alexis Ruiz (USA); 4. Sha Luo (CHN). Semis: So d. Ruiz, 145-145 (shoot-off: 10-9); Strachan d. Luo, 146-140. Third: Ruiz d. Luo, 147-146. Final: So d. Strachan, 148-140.

Team Compound: 1. United States (Alexis Ruiz, Sophia Strachan, Jamie Van Natta); 2. Korea; 3. Turkey; 4. Korea. Semis: Turkey d. Korea, 231-226; U.S. d. Chinese Taipei, 232-229. Third: Turkey d. Chinese Taipei, 227-225. Final: U.S. d. Korea, 229-229 (shoot-off: 30-29).

Mixed

Team Recurve: 1. Ya-Ting Tan/Chih-Chun Tang (TPE); 2. Yasemin Anagoz/Mete Gazoz (TUR); 3. Mi-Sun Choi/Woo-Seok Lee (KOR); 4. Bryony Pitman/Tom Hall (GBR).
Semis: Turkey d. Korea, 6-2; Chinese Taipei d. Great Britain, 5-1. Third: Choi/Lee d. Pitman/Hall, 6-2. Final: Tan/Tang d. Anagoz/Gazoz, 6-0.

Team Compound: 1. Alexis Ruiz/Matt Sullivan (USA); 2. Sarah Prieels/Brend Frederickx (BEL); 3. Seyedeh-Vida Halimianavval/Mohammad Palizban (IRI); 4. Hung-Ting Cheng/Ka King Yen (HKG). Semis: Prieels/Frederickx d. Halimianavval/Palizban, 158-155; Ruiz/Sullivan d. Cheng/Yen, 159-150. Third: Halimianavval/Palizban d. Cheng/Yen, 153-151. Final: Ruiz/Sullivan d. Prieels/Frederickx, 156-150.

SWIMMING: Sjostrom wins 5, Hosszu and Efimova win 3 in Budapest FINA Champs Series

By
Rich Perelman
-
Swedish swimming sprint superstar Sarah Sjostrom

One of the goals of the FINA Champions Series was to showcase the world’s finest swimmers. It has created a focus on one swimmer as the one to beat later this summer at the World Championships: Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden.

She won four of five events at the first stop in Guangzhou (CHN) and returned to Europe to sweep all five of her events at the second leg at the Duna Arena in Budapest (HUN). She won the 50-100-200 m Freestyles and the 50-100 m Butterfly events, logging a 2019 world leader in the 50 m Fly in 25.32. Her 23.97 winner in the 50 m Free was the second fastest time in the world this season, with only her 23.91 world leader faster.

Sjostrom won $50,000 for her trouble, with $10,000-8,000-6,000-5,000 paid to the four finishers in each individual race.

Meanwhile, two more stars won three races each: Russian Yuliya Efimova won all three women’s Breaststroke events, including a world-leading 1:05.99 in the 100 m Breast, and home favorite Katinka Hosszu won the 100 m Back, 200 m Fly and 200 m Medley, each earning $30,000.

Sjostrom and Efimova also won some relay bonuses, with a second (Sjostrom) and a third (Efimova), earning another $3,000 and 2,000, respectively. That gave Sjostrom a total prize haul of $53,000 for the week, on top of the $51,000 she won in Guangzhou.

Besides Sjostrom, Efimova and Hosszu, there were two other multi-event winners on the weekend: Danas Rapsys (LTU) in the men’s 200-400 m Frees and Russia’s Evgenii Rylov in the 100-200 m Backstrokes. Rapsys was especially impressive in winning the 200 m Free in 3:43.36. equal-second-fastest in 2019, and moving him to equal-11th all-time in the event. So, five swimmers won 15 of the 28 events on the program.

Although the fields in Budapest were quite different from Guangzhou, there were still repeat winners in 10 of the 28 individual events, with Sjostrom accounting for four:

● Men/50 m Freestyle: Ben Proud (GBR)
● Men/100 m Freestyle: Pieter Timmers (BEL)
● Men/100 m Breaststroke: Fabio Scozzoli (ITA)
● Men/200 m Breaststroke: Anton Chupkov (RUS)
● Men/50 m Butterfly: Nicholas Santos (BRA)
● Women/100 m Freestyle: Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)
● Women/200 m Freestyle: Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)
● Women/50 m Butterfly: Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)
● Women/100 m Butterfly: Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)
● Women/200 m Medley: Katinka Hosszu (HUN)

How good was the swimming? The meet produced – during a time of heavy training for many swimmers – five 2019 world leaders:

● Men/50 m Butterfly: 22.60, Nicholas Santos (BRA)
● Women/50 m Breaststroke: 30.26, Yuliya Efimova (RUS)
● Women/100 m Breaststroke: 1:05.99, Yuliya Efimova (RUS)
● Women/50 m Butterfly: 25.32, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)
● Women/200 m Butterfly: 2:06.62 Katinka Hosszu (HUN)

The U.S. got a win – its first of the series – in the final men’s individual race, as Justin Ress, 21, won the 50 m Backstroke, just ahead of 2012 Olympic champ Matt Grevers, 24.68-24.88.

Attendance was good, but well short of capacity at the 6,000-seat Duna Arena in Budapest and the now-normal razzmatazz of loud music, a screaming announcer and lighting effects served to hype up the event, but not draw a sell-out crowd. But for a first-year event, it’s a good start, and there is one more leg – in Indianapolis – in three weeks. Summaries:

FINA Champions Series II
Budapest (HUN) ~ 11-12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Men

50 m Freestyle: 1. Ben Proud (GBR), 21.52; 2. Bruno Fratus (BRA), 21.67; 3. Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 21.77; 4. Anthony Ervin (USA), 22.82.

100 m Free: 1. Pieter Timmers (BEL), 48.32; 2. Mehdy Metella (FRA), 48.62; 3. Morozov (RUS), 49.03; 4. Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 49.07.

200 m Free: 1. Danas Rapsys (LTU). 1:46.74; 2. Aleksandr Krasnykh (RUS), 1:46.91; 3. Dominik Kozma (HUN), 1:47.12; 4. Chad le Clos (RSA), 1:48.82.

400 m Free: 1. Rapsys (LTU), 3:43.36; 2. Mykhallo Romanchuk (UKR), 3:47.08; 3. Krasnykh (RUS), 3:47.85; 4. Peter Bernek (HUN), 3:56.40.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Justin Ress (USA), 24.68; 2. Matt Grevers (USA), 24.88; 3. Robert Glinta (ROU), 24.98; 4. Kolesnikov (RUS), 25.06.

100 m Back: 1. Evgenii Rylov (RUS), 52.81; 2. Grevers (USA), 53.09; 3. Kolesnikov (RUS), 53.75; 4. Jiayu Xu (CHN), 54.65.

200 m Back: 1. Rylov (RUS), 1:55.02; 2. Jacob Pebley (USA), 1:56.67; 3. J. Xu (CHN), 1:59.74; 4. Rapsys (LTU), 2:04.96.

50 m Breaststroke: 1. Joao Gomes. Jr. (BRA), 26.64; 2. Felipe Lima (BRA), 26.86; 3. Michael Andrew (USA), 27.10; 4. Fabio Scozzoli (ITA) , 27.14.

100 m Breast: 1. Scozzoli (ITA), 59.05; 2. Anton Chupkov (RUS), 59.21; 3. Ross Murdoch (GBR), 59.63; 4. Kevin Cordes (USA), 1:00.75.

200 m Breast: 1. Chupkov (RUS), 2:08.23; 2. Ippei Watanabe (JPN), 2:08.61; 3. Dmitriy Balandin (HUN), 2:10.73; 4. Josh Prenot (USA), 2:11.60.

50 m Butterfly: 1. Nicholas Santos (BRA), 22.60; Andrii Govorov (UKR), 22.87; 3. Michael Andrew (USA), 23.19; 4. Proud (GBR), 23.68.

100 m Fly: 1. Le Clos (RSA), 51.25; 2. Kristof Milak (HUN), 51.67; 3. Laszlo Cseh (HUN), 52.20; 4. Piero Codia (ITA), 52.22.

200 m Fly: 1. Milak (HUN), 1:53.64; 2. Masato Sakai (JPN), 1:55.40; 3. Le Clos (RSA), 1:55.95; 4. Cseh (HUN), 1:56.83.

200 m Medley: 1. Jacques Desplanches (SUI), 1:57.01; 2. Chase Kalisz (USA), 1:57.74; 3. Philip Heintz (GER), 1:58.39; 4. Shun Wang (CHN), 1:58.54.

Women

50 m Freestyle: 1. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 23.97; 2. Pernille Blume (DEN), 24.52; 3. Etiene Medeiros (BRA), 24.85; 4. Farida Osman (EGY), 25.12.

100 m Free: 1. Sjostrom (SWE), 53.03, 2. Blume (DEN), 53.40; 3. Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 53.91; 4. Penny Oleksiak (CAN), 54.45.

200 m Free: 1. Sjostrom (SWE), 1:56.58; 2. Pellegrini (ITA), 1:57.09; 3. Veronika Andrusenko (RUS), 1:58.04; 4. Bingjie Li (CHN), 1:59.26.

400 m Free: 1. Ajna Kesely (HUN), 4:05.92; 2. Jianjiahe Wang (CHN), 4:07.50; 3. Holly Hibbott (GBR), 4:08.18; 4. B. Li (CHN), 4:12.39.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Anastasia Fesikova (RUS), 27.58; 2. Georgia Davies (GBR), 27.89; 3. Medeiros (BRA), 28.25; 4. Emily Seebohm (AUS), 28.51.

100 m Back: 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 59.58; 2. Fesikova (RUS), 59.73; 3. Seebohm (AUS), 1:00.44; 4. Davies (GBR), 1:00.85.

200 m Back: 1. Margherita Panziera (ITA), 2:06.41; 2. Hosszu (HUN), 2:08.16;
3. Seebohm (AUS), 2:08.89; 4. Katalin Butian (HUN), 2:09.00.

50 m Breaststroke: 1. Yulia Efimova (RUS), 30.26; 2. Molly Hannis (USA), 30.77; 3. Imogen Clark (GBR), 30.85; 4. Katie Meili (USA), 30.98.

100 m Breast: 1. Efimova (RUS), 1:05.99; 2. Meili (USA), 1:07.28; 3. Hannis (USA), 1:07.66; 4. Siobhan O’Connor (GBR), 1:12.84.

200 m Breast: 1. Efimova (RUS), 2:22.52; 2. Eszter Bekesi (HUN), 2:27.54; 3. Meili (USA), 2:27.86; 4. Hannis (USA), 2:29.57.

50 m Butterfly: 1. Sjostrom (SWE), 25.32; 2. Osman (EGY), 25.90; 3. Oleksiak (CAN), 26.04; 4. Blume (DEN), 26.91.

100 m Fly: 1. Sjostrom (SWE), 56.78; 2. Osman (EGY), 58.32; 3. Oleksiak (CAN), 58.52; 4. Dana Vollmer (USA), 1:01.23.

200 m Fly: 1. Hosszu (HUN), 2:06.62; 2. Franziska Hentke (GER), 2:07.31; 3. Boglarka Kapas (HUN), 2:07.67; 4. Alys Margaret Thomas (GBR), 2:08.52.

200 m Medley: 1. Hosszu (HUN), 2:08.81; 2. Seoyoung Kim (KOR), 2:09.97; 3. O’Connor (GBR), 2:11.36; 4. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN), 2:14.12.

Mixed

4×100 m Freestyle: 1. Team 1 (Desplanches/SUI, Ress/USA, O’Connor/GBR, Okelsiak/CAN), 3:27.63; 2. Team 3 (Cseh/HUN, Grevers/USA, Medeiros/BRA, Hibbott/GBR), 3:29.43; 3. Team 4 (Metella./FRA, Timmers/NED, Efimova/RUS, Kesely/HUN), 3:31.69; 4. Heintz/GER, Prenot/USA, Clark/GBR, Davies/GBR), 3:33.64.

4×100 m Medley: 1. Team 3 (Fesikova/RUS, Meili/USA, Andrew/USA, Morozov/RUS), 3:47.40; 2. Team 4 (Pebley/USA, Clark/GBR, Heintz/GER, Sjostrom/SWE), 3:47.95; 3. Team 2 (Seebohm/AUS, Balandin/HUN, Cseh/HUN, Hibbott/GBR), 3:48.43; 4. Team 1 (Kolesnikov/RUS, Gomes, Jr./BRA, Hentke/GER, Kesely/HUN), 3:50.20.

ATHLETICS: U.S. wins five, loses two 4x400s, Jamaica wins nothing at World Relays in Yokohama

By
Rich Perelman
-
Donatavius wright anchors the U.S. win in the Mixed 4x400 m relay in Yokohama (Photo: IAAF)

The IAAF World Relays is a fun event, but so is the Demolition Derby. And that’s about what happened at the Yokohama International Stadium in Japan the fourth edition of the IAAF World Relays.

The only important races were the 4×100 m and 4×400 m, which offered World Championships qualification to the finalists. And the U.S., which has been dominant in the prior three Relays, was – to be charitable – ordinary:

● Men’s 4×100 m: Great Britain led the qualifying on Saturday in a world-leading 38.11. The U.S. had a strong group of Mike Rodgers, Justin Gatlin, Isiah Young and Noah Lyles, but the passes let them down. Gatlin had the U.S. in the lead, but the pass to Young was poor and his leg was worse, handing off to Lyles who had to make a move from fourth place. He was flying, but Paulo Camilo de Oliveira was also good and held on for a 0.02 victory for Brazil in a world-leading 38.05. The Brazilians were more shocked than anyone else with their win over the U.S.

● Men’s 4×400 m: Fred Kerley got the U.S. a lead on the second leg with a 44.4 split, equal-fastest of the day, but Paul Dedewo was run down on the anchor by Trinidad & Tobago’s Machel Cedenio – also 44.4 – at the tape for second, 3:00.81 (world leader)-3:00.84. But Dedewo took the baton from Michael Cherry in lane one and then moved into lane two for a few steps and was disqualified. Ridiculous.

● Women’s 4×100 m: The U.S. had the fastest qualifying mark at 42.51, a world leader at the time, with Mikiah Brisco, Ashley Henderson, Dezerea Bryant and Aleia Hobbs, and ran the same team in the finals. Henderson made a charge on the second leg to give the U.S. the lead and the passes to Bryant and Hobbs were good enough to secure the lead. Jamaica’s Jonielle Smith almost got to Hobbs at the line, but the U.S.’s much slower time of 43.27 was enough to win by 0.02.

● Women’s 4×400 m: The U.S. was looking good with strong legs – and the lead – from Jaide Stepter (52.5) and Shakima Wimbley (50.8), but Jessica Beard fell apart on the third leg, running 53.3 and passing to Courtney Okolo in fourth place. Poland took advantage and Justyna Swiety-Ersetic ran 51.6 to win in 3:27.49. Okolo ran 51.0 to close, but finished second in 3:27.65.

● Mixed 4×400 m: Here, the U.S. did everything right. All of the finalists ran men on the first and fourth legs; perhaps that’s the standard strategy for the future. My’Lik Kerley – Fred’s younger brother – gave the U.S. the lead, but the women’s legs from Joanna Atkins (51.6) and Jasmine Blocker (52.3) gave Dontavius Wright a big lead which he did not relinquish. He finished in 46.2 and the Americans won by almost two seconds over Canada.

The other world-leading mark was France’s 1:32.16 in the women’s 4×200 m. The U.S. won the men’s 4×200 m in 1:20.12.

The U.S. won the overall points title for the fourth World Relays in a row, with 54 points to 27 for Jamaica; Japan also had 27 points and was placed third. The Americans won five golds and two silvers; the shock was Jamaica’s failure to win any of the races, winning just two silvers and a bronze (and the men’s 4×100 m was sixth).

The American men’s 4×400 m disqualification means they will still have to qualify for the World Championships as one of the top six on time, but that should not be a significant issue as a U.S. pick-up team has already run 3:01.46 at the Florida Relays in March, currently no. 2 worldwide.

This was also not a fully-stocked U.S. team in multiple events, so the teams at the World Championships should be much better. But except for the men’s 4×4, the U.S. is now into the other four relays for Doha and that’s actually what counts. Summaries:

IAAF World Relays
Yokohama (JPN) ~ 11-12 May 2019
(Full results here)

Men

4×100 m: 1. Brazil (Rodrigo Do Nascimento, Jorge Vides, Derick Silva, Paulo Camilo de Oliveira), 38.05; 2. United States (Michael Rodgers, Justin Gatlin, Isiah Young, Noah Lyles), 38.07; 3.Great Britain, 38.15; 4. China, 38.16; 5. France, 38.31.

4×200 m: 1. United States (Chris Belcher, Bryce Robinson, Vernon Norwood, Remontay McClain), 1:20.12; 2. South Africa, 1:20.42; 3. Germany, 1:21.26; 4. Kenya, 1:22.55; 5. Japan, 1:22.67.

4×400 m: 1. Trinidad & Tobago (Deon Lendore 45.9, Jereem Richards 44.8, Asa Guevara 45.7, Machel Cedenio 44.4), 3:00.81; 2. Jamaica, 3:01.57; 3. Belgium, 3:02.70; 4. Japan, 3:03.24; 5. 3:04.96. Disqualified: United States (Nathan Strother 45.7, Fred Kerley 44.4, Michael Cherry 45.1, Paul Dedewo 45.6), 3:00.84 [2].

Women

4×100 m: 1. United States (Mikiah Brisco, Ashley Henderson, Dezerea Bryant, Aleia Hobbs), 43.27; 2. Jamaica, 43.29; 3. Germany, 43.68; 4. Brazil, 43.75; 5. Italy, 44.29.

4×200 m: 1. France (Carolle Zahi, Estelle Raffai, Cynthia Leduc, Maroussia Pare), 1:32.16; 2. China, 1:32.76; 3. Jamaica, 1:33.21; 4. Japan, 1:34.57; 5. Germany, 1:34.92. Disqualified: United States (Kyra Jefferson, Shania Collins, Gabby Thomas, Jenna Prandini), 1:32.78 [3].

4×400 m: 1. Poland (Malgorzata Holub-Kowalik 52.6, Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz 51.1, Anna Kielbasinska 52.1, Justyna Swiety-Ersetic 51.6), 3:27.49; 2. United States (Jaide Stepter 52.5, Shakima Wimbley 50.8, Jessica Beard 53.3, Courtney Okolo 51.0), 3:27.65; 3. Italy, 3:27.74; 4. Canada, 3:28.21; 5. Jamaica, 3:28.30.

Mixed

4×400 m: 1. United States (My’lik Kerley 46.3, Joanna Atkins 51.6, Jasmine Blocker 52.3, Dontavius Wright 46.2), 3:16.43; 2. Canada, 3:18.15; 3. Kenya, 3:19.43; 4. Italy, 3:20.28; 5. Poland, 3:10.65.

2x2x400 m: 1. Ce’Aria Brown/Donavan Brazier (USA), 3:36.92 (world best); 2. Catriona Bisset/Joshua Ralph (AUS), 3:37.61; 3. Ayano Shiomi/Allon Clay (JPN), 3:38.36; 4. Anna Dobek/Patryk Dobek (POL), 3:42.14; 5. Marina Arzamasova/Aliaksandr Vasileuskiy (BLR), 3:51.64.

Shuttle Hurdles: 1. United States (Christina Clemons, Freddie Crittenden, Sharika Nelvis, Devon Allen), 54.96; 2. Japan (Kimura, Takayama, Aoki, Kanai), 55.59; only finishers.

1...107108109...206Page 108 of 206
© 2017-2023 Perelman Pioneer & Company