TSX DAILY: USOPC self-vaccinates to ward off Congressional surgery ~ USOPC reprimands Pan Am protesters ~ Fab Georgia FB practical joke starring Matthew Boling!

August 21, 2019

≡ TSX DAILY ~ 21 August 2019 ≡

| 1. | LANE ONE: USOPC tries self-vaccination to ward off possible Congressional surgery over governance

After a devastating series of Congressional hearings in 2018, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the U.S. National Governing Bodies are in line for potentially severe changes to their charter from the U.S. Congress and a bill to do so has already been written by Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut).

Knowing this, and having read the Senate sub-committee report, the bill and the report of its own Borders Commission, the USOPC announced on Monday a lengthy set of proposed amendments to its By-Laws that would make significant changes along the lines proposed in all three.

In the dull language of governing documents, the changes would include:

● Changes to the USOPC’s Board of Directors, following the suggestion of the Borders Commission and including five independent directors, three directors elected directly by the Athletics Advisory Council, three elected directly by the National Governing Bodies Council and two from former athletes who are part of the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association. Required additional directors would include U.S. members of the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee.

● Much stronger oversight and audits – on compliance to regulations and performance – of the National Governing Bodies, to be done annually by 2021. That’s a higher level than recommended in the Moran-Blumenthal bill and the requirements are significant and deep.

● Stronger athlete support from a dedicated “Office of the Athlete Ombudsman,” upgraded from a single person to a full-time group, paid for by the USOPC. Grievance procedures would be supported by a USOPC-provided fund for athletes who do not have the funds to challenge an NGB or the USOPC on compliance, selection procedures or other matters.

● The USOPC would make annual reports to the Congress, instead of one report every four years.

The proposed amendments are now in a public comment period. The critics are already shrieking, but the USOPC’s approach to integrating change before change is forced on it is worthwhile and in some areas, genuinely helpful. There will be more changes to come, as new By-Laws can’t solve everything, but this is a good start.

As with many vaccinations, while it may not completely prevent a change in status, it may cushion the impact. Time will tell.

| 2. | U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE: Reprimands sent to Imboden and Berry for Pan Am podium protests, but no sanctions

USA Today’s Christine Brennan reported that the USOPC sent letters of reprimand to both fencer Race Imboden and hammer thrower Gwen Berry for their protest actions on the medal stand at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

Imboden (pictured) kneeled during the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” during the medal ceremony for the men’s Team Foil fencing event and Berry raised her right fist during the victory ceremony for the women’s hammer throw.

Both had signed a pledge – as did all of the 643 athletes on the U.S. team – that they would refrain from political protests. They did not. But the letters sent by USOPC Chief Executive Sarah Hirshland indicated:

“This letter will serve as a formal reprimand from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Additionally, the USOPC considers you to be in a probationary period for the next 12 months. This means you could face more serious sanctions for any additional breach of our code of conduct than might otherwise be levied for an athlete in good standing.”

Hirshland further explained:

● “And while I respect your perspective – and that of every athlete for whom I’m lucky enough to serve – I disagree with the moment and manner in which you chose to express your views. …

● “The goal of a Games that are free from political speech is to focus our collective energy on the athletes’ performances, and the international unity and harmony each Games seek to advance. When an individual makes his or her grievances, however legitimate, more important than that of their competitors and the competition itself, that unity and harmony is diminished.”

Brennan noted that Hirshland plans to discuss the issue with the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee to “more clearly define for Team USA athletes what a breach of these rules will mean in the future.” Next summer’s Tokyo Games will come in the midst of the 2020 U.S. Presidential cycle, between the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

The raised-fist salute of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Games after the men’s 200 m resulted in the pair being banned from the Games. Same for the casual stance on the victory stand of Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett in Munich in 1972 after the men’s 400 m.

Ahead of 2020, the issue must be discussed, since a repeat may not be as lightly treated by the IOC or IPC.

| 3. | CANOE-KAYAK: New Zealand’s Carrington goes for seventh straight gold in Worlds K-1 200 m as Vincent-Lapointe sits

The shocking suspension of Canada’s 11-time World Champion Laurence Vincent-Lapointe for doping on Monday cast a shadow over the 2019 ICF World Championships, now ready to start in Szeged, Hungary.

But there will still be stars on the water, including two mega-stars on the same level as Vincent-Lapointe:

● New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington (pictured) has dominated women’s kayaking for almost a decade and will be looking for her seventh straight title in the K-1 200 m and more in the K-1 500 m and the K-2 and K-4 events.

● Germany’s Sebastian Brendel has been equally successful in the men’s canoeing events, with 10 career golds in the C-1 1,000 m, C-1 5,000 m and C-4 events from 2013-18.

The program in Szeged runs through Sunday in 30 different events, of which just 12 are on the Olympic program for Tokyo. Our preview is here.

At a Montreal news conference, Vincent-Lapointe responded to the doping positive announced by the International Canoe Federation on Monday, accompanied by her attorney, Adam Klevinas.

Klevinas explained the next steps. “For the moment, what we know is that the concentration that was found in Laurence’s sample is compatible with contamination. That’s where we’re looking now

“We’re confident that it isn’t an intentional ingestion. Ligandrol is an illegal substance in Canada; it’s not something you would find in medication. It’s not something you could find in food, like you would with Clenbuterol in certain parts of the world, so contamination, for us, especially with the concentration that we found is the scenario that we have to investigate and we’re looking at every possibility.”

He went on to explain that the logical culprit would be supplements, which have been shown to create these kinds of positives before. “There is an explanation and we have to find it.”

Vincent-Lapointe expressed her dismay with clarity and emotion:

“As a person, my dream to go to the Olympics started when I was seven, right? I saw someone do synchronized swimming in the Olympics ad I was just, like, amazed.

“I have not gone to school since the fall because I decided to really focus and get ready for this Olympic selection this year, and I’ve been working so hard and – just every single day – putting all my heart and all my strength into everything I do, and last week, it just all fell down.

“My world fell apart literally. I received the news, and I was like, ‘How could I ever want to risk something like that?’ … I’ve been winning for almost 10 years now and I know I can beat all of these women with my own strength. I know I can win. I know I can be the best, and I don’t need anything to boost me or something.

“For me – doping – I’ve always seen people who do that as cheaters.”

For now, she is suspended and the investigation will continue. The normal penalty for doping violations is four years, which could not only wipe out her ambitions for Tokyo, but given the timing, potentially for Paris 2024 as well.

| 4. | FOOTBALL: Belgian federation NOT interested in hosting FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023

Not interested, just looking. The Royal Belgian Football Association said on Tuesday that it was not, in fact, going to bid on the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but was interested in knowing more about the requirements in order to consider a future bid.

Belgian Football Union spokesman Stefan Van Loock told the Belga news agency, “What is correct is that we asked for information on the terms of reference, the criteria for application and the needs for such an organisation, but for information purposes only and certainly not for the 2023 edition. If we were to apply, it would be for a later edition, but it is much too early.”

FIFA had announced that Belgium was going to apply; there are nine countries now interested who must formally confirm their intention to bid by 2 September and then submit the documentation by 13 December.

The U.S. Soccer Federation is planning to bid on the 2027 Women’s World Cup, to be held a year after Canada, Mexico and the U.S. hold the 2026 FIFA World Cup and a year prior to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

| 5. | ATHLETICS: Croatia’s Perkovic targets Los Angeles 2028 as final destination in discus career

Although she is not having the season she would prefer in 2018, Croatia’s double Olympic discus champion Sandra Perkovic still has her goals ahead of her. Still just 29 in an event where competitors can approach 40, she already has Olympic golds in 2012 and 2016 and World Championship victories in 2013 and 2017.

Interviewed for the IAAF “Inside Athletics” series (available here), she has a good idea of what the next 10 years could look like:

“Becoming the first woman to win three Olympic discus titles is my wish for 2020. But I know that I need to go there and be prepared to give my best.

“My wish is to go to five Olympic Games – one for each of the Olympic rings. I’ve been to two now, in London and Rio, and my next one will be Tokyo. After that, I want to compete in Paris in 2024 and in Los Angeles in 2028. Maybe that will be my last Olympics and my last season.

“That’s 10 more years of competing, but during that time I’d like to become a mother and continue doing the sport. After that, there are lots of jobs I’d like to do but I’d like to stay involved in sport because I’ve learned a lot during my career. But who knows, maybe I’ll have five or six kids and be a housewife!”

She’s hardly the stay-at-home type. In addition to her discus life, she also served a shortened term in the Croatian Parliament from 2015-16. According to her Wikipedia profile, she didn’t attend any of the legislative sessions except the swearing-in ceremony – not a big surprise given the timing prior to Rio, a season with 13 competitions – and her term ended when the Parliament dissolved and new elections were called. Once a politician …

One more note on Perkovic. She ranks “only” 16th on the all-time list with her best of 71.41 m (234-3) from 2017, but all of the throws and throwers ahead of her are Eastern Europeans from the 1980s plus one throw from Yangling Xiao (CHN) in 1992. You can make the inference that Perkovic is the world-record holder in the event in the post-state doping era (although she served a six-month ban back in 2011).

| 6. | THE LAST WORD: Matthew Boling already becoming a legend at Georgia, even before his first race!

This is just absolutely a scream.

Matthew Boling has enrolled as a freshman at Georgia after a record-setting senior season at Strake Jesuit High School in Houston, Texas, where he won the state title in the 100 m and ran sensational times of 9.98w and 10.13. He also won the Pan American Junior titles in the 100 m and 200 m (10.11 and 20.31 at altitude) and in the 4×100 m.

But he’s already the talk in Athens for a stunt he collaborated on with Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart on Monday. According to Dawgs247:

“The fourth-year head coach had his players line up for sprints after the workout and before they started running, he offered them the option of sprints or a 4×100-meter relay race with the players vs. the coaches. It featured freshman offensive lineman Warren McClendon, redshirt sophomore cornerback Ameer Speed, freshman defensive lineman Tymon Mitchell, and junior safety Richard LeCounte III against three UGA staffers and, well, a guy who can be safely labeled as a ringer.”

The ringer was Boling, running anchor after the players established a healthy lead on the coaches. You can watch the mayhem here:

https://twitter.com/GeorgiaFootball/status/1163593991725690881

Great way to bring the football and track programs together; wow!

LANE ONE: USOPC tries self-vaccination to ward off possible Congressional surgery over governance

Rich Perelman

August 20, 2019

Over the last 150 years, medical science has created solutions for many diseases which have plagued people for centuries. We often take these miracles of research for granted, but most Americans receive vaccinations against all kinds of threats almost from the day we were born.

It’s much better to ward off potential killers like diphtheria, polio, hepatitis and many others before they become a problem. So the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) took steps on Tuesday to protect itself against invasive surgery by future Congressional legislation by proposing a lengthy list of changes to its by-laws that will align it with the desires expressed by the Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2019 created by Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut).

In addition, the USOPC-commissioned Borders Commission Report also suggested many changes in structure, policies and procedures and some of these were included as well.

The USOPC’s Public Notice and draft text runs to 92 pages and the introduction spells out the limitations of what changes to the USOPC’s governing documents can do:

“[N]early 200 recommendations have been compiled in three significant areas:

“- Curating an athletes-first culture
“- Ensuring athlete safety and well-being
“- Requiring accountability for the USOPC and its member organizations.

“Not all of the recommendations are governance-related, nor are all immediately actionable, but a consensus has emerged on those that are both. These are reflected in the proposed amendments below.”

The text of the proposed changes – quite dull, but now in a public comment period for 60 days – includes:

● Board Structure

The Borders Commission called for a 13-member USOPC Board, with three athletes elected by the Athletes Advisory Council, two former athletes elected by the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association, three reps from the NGBs and five independent directors. That’s exactly what is proposed, with additions of ex-officio members including the U.S. members of the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the chair of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation (non-voting) and the USOPC Chief Executive (non-voting).

With five athletes – three “current” athletes from the AAC and two older athletes from the Olympians & Paralympians Association – on the Board, a voting share of 33% is mandated, as recommended in the Moran-Blumenthal bill.

The selection of Board members from the Athletes Advisory Council, the National Governing Bodies and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Association will be up those bodies, but with specific election procedures. The Board members from the USOPA may have been Olympic or Paralympic athletes “at some point in their lives,” instead of the current reference in the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act defining “athletes” as those who have represented the U.S. within the preceding 10 years. This provision was also in the Moran-Blumenthal bill, but applied more widely to the Athletes Advisory Council; this is not in the proposed changes.

A program of Board member training and evaluation of the performance of Board members is to be instituted through the Nominating and Governance Committee; this has also been suggested by Congressional witnesses as a way to better hold the USOPC Board accountable.

● National Governing Bodies

A long list of changes to the responsibilities of the NGBs is included, creating much tighter oversight by the USOPC as required by the Moran-Blumenthal bill and as recommended by the Borders Commission.

National Governing Bodies are explicitly required to maintain good governance practices, have a code of conduct for employees, ethics policies, “demonstrate an organizational commitment to diversity and inclusion,” post financial statements and IRS Form 990 tax returns (for non-profit corporations), and comply with the U.S. Center for SafeSport and U.S. Anti-Doping Agency regulations. Grievance procedures and whistleblower protections are also mandatory.

NGBs are charged with creating and implementing “a strategic plan that is capable of supporting athletes in achieving sustained competitive excellence, and in growing the sport,” “establish clear athlete, team, and team official selection procedures” and “maintain and implement effective plans for successfully training Olympic, Paralympic and Pan American Games athletes.” These elements are not further defined in the proposal and, as written, are sure to lead to challenges to NGB certifications by members – athletes, coaches and others – who are not satisfied with the standing, funding or profile of their sport in the U.S.

Many of these items were listed before, but there is greater detail here and a notice that “These standards and the particular measures to be used in evaluating compliance with them will be set out in the corporation’s NGB Certification Standards Policy approved by the Board and administered by the corporation’s NGB Audit team.” The USOPC’s “NGB Compliance Team” will be responsible to oversee “potential or actual failures of any NGB” with these regulations.

Audits will be annual, with requirements phased in during 2020 and fully applicable in 2021. This is much more aggressive than in the Moran-Blumenthal bill, which required audits of all 50 NGBs within each four-year period.

Also, anyone within an NGB, or affected by an NGB, can ask the USOPC to investigate and take action concerning NGB compliance.

Athlete representation on NGBs Boards and committees was maintained at 20%, which is somewhat surprising given the Moran-Blumenthal suggestion of 33%. However, the proposed regulations do provide more independence to the Athletes Advisory Council, except, of course, where more money is involved.

● Athlete Grievances

Minor changes were made to the grievance procedure, but they will now be handled by a USOPC “dispute resolution team” rather than the legal division. Arbitrations do not need to be handled by offices of the American Arbitration Association, but can be any designated arbitrator.

The USOPC’s “office of Athlete Ombudsman” is defined to provide “information, support and guidance to athlete members of NGBs.” To further this, the bylaws require the USOPC to provide a fund for use by athletes “lacking adequate resources” to file disputes against an NGB. This was a specific request made by Athletes Advisory Council Han Xiao in his Congressional testimony and should be welcomed by athletes. However, there is no amount specified in the proposed Bylaws.

● Reports to Congress

The new language requires the USOPC to submit reports to the Congress annually instead quadrennially, and allows the Athletes’ Advisory Council and the National Governing Bodies Council to submit their own supplements. This is as listed in the Moran-Blumenthal bill.

Will all this really make a difference?

In some ways, yes. The changes which are proposed meet many of the requests of Xiao – representing the Athletes Advisory Council – in his Congressional testimony, but certainly not all. The compliance requirements for NGBs are much higher and there will be turmoil somewhere until one or more compliance complaints about whether a specific NGB is developing athletes or promoting its sport properly.

There is more independence for the AAC and more funding to support athlete grievance complaints, also a specific request of Xiao and included in the Moran-Blumenthal bill.

Many suggestions of the Borders Commission were also included, although their approach to multiple issues concerned funding and support and are not addressed by changed in the by-laws.

There are already loud critics of the proposed by-law changes out there, but the only reviewers who count are Senators Moran and Blumenthal, and the House of Representatives sub-committee which is still to consider the USOPC’s future under new chair Diana DeGette (D-Colorado).

This is a good first step for the USOPC; it could have taken a stronger vaccine … and may have to in the coming months. But for now, it can truthfully say that it has listened and proposed change. That’s good.

Rich Perelman
Editor

TABLE TENNIS Preview: Ishikawa looks for repeat; Harimoto for second straight Tour wins in Czech Open

Rich Perelman

August 20, 2019

tsx pix 2019-820 ishikawa, kasumi 750 — Defending Czech Open women's Singles champ Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN)

The ITTF World Tour continues through Europe, this week in Olomouc (CZE) for the annual Czech Open at the Omega Sports Center.

China has very little presence at this week’s tournament, so Japan has three top seeds, including defending champion Kasumi Ishikawa and teenager Tomokazu Harimoto, who won the Bulgaria Open last week for third career World Tour victory … at age 16! The top seeds:

● Men/Singles:
1. Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN: 4)
2. Hugo Calderano (BRA: 7)
3. Timo Boll (GER: 8)

● Men/Doubles:
1. Kwan Kit Ho/Chun Ting Wong (HKG)
2. Cheng-Ting Liao/Yun-Ju Lin (TPE)
3. Chien-An Chen/Chih-Yuan Chuang (TPE)

● Women/Singles:
1. Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN: 6) ~ Defending Champion
2. Mima Ito (JPN: 7)
3. Miu Hirano (JPN: 8)

● Women/Doubles:
1. Miyuu Kihara/Miyu Nagasaki (JPN)
2. Barbora Balasova (SVK)/Hana Matelova (CZE)
3. Miu Hirano/Saki Shibata (JPN)

● Mixed Doubles:
1. Sangsu Lee/Jihee Jeon (KOR)
2. Lubomir Pistej/Barbora Balasova (SVK)
3. Stefan Fegerl/Sofia Polcanovs (AUT)

Look for results here.

CYCLING Preview: A three-peat in the works for Vos at the Ladies Tour of Norway?

Rich Perelman

August 20, 2019

tsx pix 3029-324 vos wins alfredo binda 750 — Dutch cycling star Marianne Vos

The sixth edition of the Ladies Tour of Norway starts on Thursday and continues through Sunday with four hilly stages with one major climb on stage one, up the Haneklieva on the way from Asgardstrand to Horten.

The field is pretty good and include three prior medalists:

● Marianne Vos (NED) ~ Winner in 2017-18; bronze in 2014
● Kasia Niewiadoma (POL) ~ Third in 2014
● Coryn Rivera (USA) ~ Third in 2018

The race will also pit last week’s sprint finishers at the Vargarda WestSweden road race, where Marta Bastianelli (ITA) edged Vos at the tape. It’s the first time in this race for the Italian; also look for sprinters – especially on the flat third stage – like Chloe Hosking (AUS), Dane Amalie Dideriksen and Canadian Leah Kirchmann.

Vos has been on fire for the last month, finishing second in the Dutch national road race championship, 20th in the Giro Rosa (with four stage wins!), winning the La Course by Le Tour de France and sixth at the Prudential RideLondon Classique before just missing the win in Vargarda last week.

Look for results here.

CANOE-KAYAK Preview: Carrington looks for seventh K-1 200 m title at World Champs in Szeged

Rich Perelman

August 20, 2019

tsx pix 2019-524 carrington, lisa 750 — New Zealand's kayaking superstar Lisa Carrington

The canoeing world was sent into shock on Monday when 11-time World Champion Laurence Vincent-Lapointe of Canada was suspended for a doping positive from a test in July. That takes her out of this week’s ICF World Sprint Championships in Szeged (HUN), where she would have been defending her 2018 victories in the C-1 200 m, C-1 5,000 m and the C-2 500 m with Katie Vincent.

Now, those events are wide open; Olesia Romasenko (RUS) won silver in the C-1 200 m race in 2018 and Annika Loske was runner-up in the C-1 5,000 m final. Hungary’s Virag Balla and Kincso Takacs won silver in the 2018 C-2 500 m.

All of that will focus even more attention on New Zealand superstar Lisa Carrington, who has dominated the women’s K-1 200 m and 500 m races for almost a decade:

● K-1 200 m: World Champion in 2011-13-14-15-17-18; Olympic Champion in 2012-16
● K-1 500 m: World Champion in 2015-17; silver medalist in 2018; Olympic bronze 2016

Carrington has also been active in the K-2 500 m and K-4 500 m races, so she could have a big week.

Among the men, Germany’s Sebastian Brendel will be defending the C-1 1,000 m and C-1 5,000 m titles from 2018. He now owns 10 World Championships golds and three Olympic golds from 2012-18:

● C-1 1,000 m: World Champion in 2014-15-17-18; Olympic Champion in 2012-16
● C-1 5,000 m: World Champion in 2013-14-15-17-18

He has also been part of winning c-2 1,000 m (Rio 2016) and C-4 1,000 m (2017 Worlds) teams, so look out for him there too.

In Kayak racing, Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta won the K-1 1,000 m and K-1 5,000 m races in 2018 and is back for more.

Heats start on Wednesday; the finals schedule and defending champions:

● Friday/23 August:
C-2 200 m Men ~ Hleb Saladukha/Dzianis Makhlai (BLR)
C-2 500 m Men ~ Isaquias Queiroz/Erlon Silva (BRA)
K-1 500 m Men ~ Josef Dostal (CZE)
K-4 1,000 m Men ~ Germany

C-1 500 m Women ~ Kseniia Kurach (RUS)
K-2 200 m Women ~ Franziska Weber/Tina Dietze (GER)
K-2 1,000 m Women ~ Tamara Csipes/Erika Medveczky (HUN)

● Saturday/24 August:
C-1 500 m Men ~ Isaquias Queiroz (BRA)
C-2 1,000 m Men (OG) ~ Yul Oeltze/Peter Kretschmer (GER)
K-1 200 m Men (OG) ~ Carlos Garotte (ESP)
K-1 1,000 m Men (OG) ~ Fernando Pimenta (POR)
K-2 500 m Men ~ Artem Kuzakhmetov/Vladislav Blintsov (RUS)

C-1 200 m Women (OG) ~ Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (CAN)
K-1 200 m Women (OG) ~ Lisa Carrington (NZL)
K-1 1,000 m Women ~ Dora Bodonyi (HUN)
K-2 500 m Women (OG) ~ Anna Karasz/Danita Kozak (HUN)

● Sunday/25 August:
C-1 200 m Men ~ Artsem Kozyr (BLR)
C-1 1,000 m Men (OG) ~ Sebastian Brendel (GER)
C-1 5,000 m Men ~ Sebastian Brendel (GER)
C-4 500 m Men ~ Russia
K-1 5,000 m Men ~ Fernando Pimenta (POR)
K-2 200 m Men ~ Mark Balaska/Balazs Birkas (HUN)
K-2 1,000 m Men (OG) ~ Max Hoff/Marcus Gross (CAN)
K-4 500 m Men (OG) ~ Germany

C-1 5,000 m Women ~ Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (CAN)
C-2 200 m Women ~ Alena Nazdrova/Kamila Bobr (BLR)
C-2 500 m Women (OG) ~ Laurence Vincent-Lapointe/Katie Vincent (CAN)
K-1 500 m Women (OG) ~ Danuta Kozak (HUN)
K-1 5,000 m Women ~ Lizzie Broughton (GBR)
K-4 500 m Women (OG) ~ Hungary

The ICF has excellent coverage on its Web site; results can be found here.

BADMINTON Preview: World Champs to answer whether China is still the top power in Badminton

Rich Perelman

August 20, 2019

tsx pix 2019-710 ma, long 750 (ittf) — China's Olympic champ Long Ma (Photo: ITTF)

A large field of 359 competitors from 45 countries are assembled in the St. Jakobshalle in Basel (SUI) for the 25th BWF Total World Championships. In the year before the Tokyo 2020 Games, the question is whether China can regain its pre-eminent spot in the sport.

There’s no doubt that the Chinese have the world’s top team. Their depth makes this clear. But at the very top end of the sport – the medal-winning end – it’s a closer question. Consider:

● 2012 Olympic Games: 5 events ~ China won 5 golds and eight total medals
● 2016 Olympic Games: 5 events ~ China won 2 golds and three total medals
● 2017 World Champs: 5 events ~ China won 2 golds and seven total medals
● 2018 World Champs: 5 events ~ China won 2 golds and eight total medals

China is still no. 1, but by a smaller margin. In Basel, of the top five seeds in the five events, Chinese entries earned six spots, but Japan led with nine and Indonesia had four. We’ll see how the medals come out; the top seeds:

● Men/Singles:
1. Kento Momota (JPN) ~ Defending Champion
2. Tien-Chen Chou (TPE)
3. Long Chen (CHN) ~ 2014-15 Champion; 2016 Olympic Champion
4. Jonatan Christie (INA)
5. Anders Antonsen (DEN)

● Men/Doubles:
1. Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (INA)
2. Junhui Li/Yuchen Liu (CHN) ~ Defending Champions
3. Takeshi Kamura/Keigo Sonoda (JPN) ~ 2018 runners-up; 2017 bronze medalists
4. Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan (INA) ~ 2013-15 World Champions
5. Hiroyuki Endo/Yuta Watanabe (JPN) ~ Endo: 2015 bronze medalist

● Women/Singles:
1. Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) ~ 2018 bronze medalist
2. Tzu-Ying Tai (TPE)
3. Nozomi Okuhara (JPN) ~ 2017 World Champion
4. Yufei Chen (CHN) ~ 2017 bronze medalist
5. V. Sindhu Pursarla (IND) ~ 2017-18 runner-up; 2013-2014 bronze medalist

● Women/Doubles:
1. Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara (JPN) ~ Defending Champions
2. Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota (JPN) ~ 2017-18 silver medalists
3. Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi (JPN) ~ 2017 bronze medalists
4. Qingchen Chen/Yifan Jia (CHN) ~ 2017 World Champions
5. Greysia Polii/Apriyani Rahayu (INA) ~ 2018 bronze medalists

● Mixed Doubles:
1. Siwei Zhang/Yaqiong Huang (CHN) ~ Defending Champions
2. Yilyu Wang/Dongping Huang (CHN) ~ 2018 runners-up
3. Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino (JPN)
4. Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai (THA)
5. Peng Soon Chen/Liu Ying Goh (MAS)

It’s worth noting that three-time World Champion and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Carolina Marin (ESP) is out after suffering a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in January.

Semifinals will be held on Saturday (24th) and the finals on Sunday (25th). Look for results here.

TSX DAILY: Let the lobbying start for new sports in 2028 ~ Heat-stroked French triathlete is fine ~ 11-time World Champion caught for doping!

Rich Perelman

August 20, 2019

≡ TSX DAILY ~ 20 August 2019 ≡

| 1. | GAMES OF THE XXXIV OLYMPIAD: LOS ANGELES 2028: Let the (sports) lobbying begin

The International Olympic Committee has mostly deflated the circus atmosphere that has surrounded the selection of hosts for the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games. In fact, with its new, consultative approach, the actual selection by vote for the 2026 Winter Games between Milan-Cortina and Stockholm-Are might be the last of its kind for a while.

But while one kind of election ends, there are others which are now open. Next up – although not for a few years yet – will be the request by LA28 for some additional sports to be added to the 2028 Olympic program.

The option to add sports was a regular feature of the Olympic organizing effort for many years; Tokyo in 1964 added Judo and Volleyball and they are both still part of the Games today. After a long hiatus, Archery was brought back into the Games by the Munich organizers in 1972.

With the Games expanding so greatly, the IOC stopped the practice until President Thomas Bach’s reforms were instituted beginning in 2014. The Tokyo 2020 organizers were allowed to add some sports and chose five: Baseball (men) and Softball (women), Karate, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing and Surfing, all with very limited participation.

The Paris 2024 organizers offered their recommendations earlier this year and were heavily pressured by multiple International Federations, all asking for a spot in the 2024 Games. Ultimately:

● Selected (4): Breaking, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing and Surfing.

● Rejected: Baseball/Softball, Boules, Chess, Karate, Snooker, Squash, Motorcycling (Trial-E) and others.

The IOC agreed in June, on a provisional basis, to add the four requested sports, with the final confirmation not due until after the Tokyo Games have concluded.

So now what? Time for reflection and quiet? Ha!

The newest sport to launch itself into the discussion is Cricket. For Los Angeles in 2028?

A statement issued last week from the World Cricket Committee of the Marylebone Cricket Club – the game’s rule-making body – noted that “There is still much to be done if cricket is to be included in the Olympics, with Los Angeles 2028 the earliest likely opportunity, and the [International Cricket Council] continuing to work internally to align cricket to pursue the sport’s Olympic ambitions.”

The chances of cricket making it into the Los Angeles Games is quite poor, given its tiny profile in the U.S. compared to other sports such as Baseball and Softball, which seem certain to be included (as Baseball was in 1984, as a demonstration sport). However, if the 2032 Games were to be handed to Queensland in Australia, then cricket would make some sense.

All of the other sports which lost out in Paris will start lobbying the Los Angeles 2028 organizers after Tokyo.

Breakdancing – when it was new – was actually a small part of the 1984 L.A. experience, as an exhibition for (mostly bewildered) news media during the welcoming party on the pool deck of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel on the night before the Opening Ceremonies! But whether it makes sense in 2028 is another matter.

Forgetting about Baseball and Softball, which are deeply ingrained in the Los Angeles sports experience today, it will be fascinating to see what these other sports will cite as the advantages they bring to a 2028 Olympic Games.

Surfing is already a part of the Southern California sports scene, but as a lifestyle rather than a competition sport. Same for Skateboarding, and there are riders who do not want to have the Olympics somewhat transform their experience into primarily a competitive, judged sport.

And by 2028, will these activities actually represent the youth culture that the IOC so desperately wants to be a part of?

Any discussion of added sports for 2028 will require the sports proposing their addition to show how they fit into the LA28 venue model. How many people do they bring? What impact on traffic? Are the sports packaged in a way that’s convenient for broadcasters?

What is sure is that the Los Angeles plans as envisioned now will change, at least somewhat, in the coming years. That’s because the Southern California venue profile continues to change. The NBA’s Clippers want to build an 18,500-seat arena in Inglewood, and the Los Angeles Convention Center could add a 200,000 sq. ft. exhibition hall and another 100,000 ft. “multipurpose” space, both of which could house additional sports. And if the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim relocate to a new baseball park to be built where the Long Beach Arena sits now, handball will have to be moved somewhere, although there are many options.

If you’d like to pick your favorite suggestion for the LA28, you can check the list of “recognized” federations – those are the ones whose sports are approved to be added to the Games if desired here.

My suggestion? In order to properly represent Los Angeles, California and the U.S. to the world, the return of Tug-of-War to the Games would be appropriate!

| 2. | FOOTBALL: U.S. Women’s National Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation heading the court … faster than expected

Trial in the class-action “equal pay” lawsuit by the U.S. Women’s National Team players against the U.S. Soccer Federation has been set to start on 5 May 2020.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the players had asked for the trial to start in November 2020 and the USSF has preferred December 2020.

The timing is interesting inasmuch as it comes prior to – rather than after – the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The football matches are scheduled to begin on 22 July, prior to the Opening Ceremony; however, the trial is expected to last from 2-4 weeks, and could have some impact on the schedules of the U.S. players who will testify.

The case is under the jurisdiction of Judge R. Gary Klausner of the U.S. Central District of California, in Los Angeles.

| 3. | TRIATHLON: Beaugrand comes back from hospital to lead off the French Mixed Relay win

There was a lot of coverage of French triathlete Cassandre Beaugrand (pictured) last week when she finished 19th in the ITU Olympic Qualification Event in Tokyo and was hospitalized for possible heatstroke after the race.

So where was the coverage of Sunday’s Mixed Relay, won in dramatic fashion by French anchor Dorian Coninx over Britain’s Alex Yee at the tape?

As it turns out, Beaugrand led off the French team and handed off first – each leg includes a 300 m swim, 7.5 km bike phase and 2.0 km run – with the fastest run in the field. France held the lead with Pierre LeCorre and Leonie Periault following and Coninx on the finish. Both the French and British teams were timed in 1:26:33, with the U.S. third (1:27:09), anchored by Ben Kanute.

So Beaugrand is just fine, although you wouldn’t know it by the media coverage. The Agence France Presse story noted that she was “treated for heatstroke” last Thursday, but failed to mention that she competed in the race! More from Tokyo:

● The hot conditions for Thursday’s women’s race will change some plans for athlete preparations next summer. South African Gillian Sanders told AFP, “I don’t think it’s too hot not to race or too hot to reduce the distance. Personally, I don’t think I’ve acclimatized properly because I haven’t been here for long. I’ve been here five days and I think you need two or three weeks. So it’s a really good learning curve.”

● The bike crash that took American star Katie Zaferes out of the race had repercussions, but they are manageable according to a Facebook post by Katie’s husband, Tommy Zaferes, also a talented sports photographer and one of the best on the World Triathlon circuit. He posted:

“#DRAMA. #Tokyo2020 Test Event was pretty wild! I will not be discussing my thoughts on the incidents that occurred, other than it’s a huge bummer for all parties involved. Please enjoy my favorite photos from the elite women’s race and take your discussion of the events to the @worldtriathlon page.

“Katie update: 23 stitches in her mouth, possible broken nose, but she is okay.”

The next major race is the World Triathlon Grand Final in Lausanne (SUI), starting on 29 August, where Katie Zaferes will try to win her first World Series title after finishing second last year.

| 4. | CANOE-KAYAK: On the eve of the World Championships, Canadian star Vincent-Lapointe caught for doping

One of the most decorated canoeing stars in history, Canada’s Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (pictured), was suspended for a positive doping test by the International Canoe Federation.

The ICF statement noted that “Vincent-Lapointe will remain provisionally suspended until due process has been completed. A full hearing will be held at a later stage.”

This eliminates her from this week’s World Sprint Championships in Szeged (HUN); she is the defending champion in the C-1 200 m and C-1 5,000 m races and, with Katie Vincent, the C-2 500 m. She has a career total of 11 World Championships gold medals, from 2010-11-13-14-17-18.

Canoe Kayak Canada issued its own statement that included:

“The substance that was found in Ms. Vincent Lapointe’s sample has been the subject of recent established contaminated supplement cases and the preliminary information, available at this time, supports that Ms. Vincent Lapointe’s adverse analytical finding may have been caused by inadvertent and unknowing use of a prohibited substance from such a source.”

The test took place on late July and the notice of finding was received on 13 August.

Said Vincent-Lapointe, 27, in the statement: “I am shocked and completely devastated by this situation because I have done absolutely nothing wrong and I have nothing to hide. I am a person of integrity and any form of cheating disgusts me.

I believe in clean sport and it is what I apply as a principle in my life as an athlete. I would never put my name, my reputation, or my career at risk to improve my performances and widen the gap with my opponents. This feels like a nightmare; I still cannot believe what has happened. Since learning of my positive test just a few days ago, I have done everything possible, with the support of CKC and within a short period of time, to determine the source of the prohibited substance that was found in my sample so that I can prove that I am innocent and that I am an honest and clean athlete.”

She is expected to have a news conference in Montreal on Tuesday.

| 5. | ATHLETICS: Miller-Uibo confirmed for 400 m only in Doha; Felix to run in Zagreb on 3 September

After her brilliant performance in winning the 200 m at the IAAF Diamond League meet in Birmingham, England, Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) – who hasn’t lost a race at that distance since 2017 – confirmed after her win that she will skip the 200 m and run only the 400 m at the upcoming IAAF World Championships in Doha (QAT).

There’s no lack of interest on her part, but the two events are being run on exactly the same days, so a 200/400 double is essentially impossible. That’s almost the case in Tokyo in 2020, but the overlap is confined to one day where there are 400 m heats in the morning and the 200 m final as the last event of the day on 4 August. But that’s next year.

In the meantime, American Allyson Felix (pictured),who finished sixth in the USATF Nationals at 400 m in her return from maternity, is scheduled to race for the first time since on 3 September at the IAAF World Challenge meet in Zagreb (CRO).

Felix has said that she will compete in the relays in Doha if she feels she can contribute to the success of the U.S. team. She will face strong opposition, with defending World Champion Phyllis Francis of the U.S. and 2017 silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) also slated to compete.

| 6. | FOOTBALL: Expanded Women’s World Cup for 2023 draws expanded field of potential hosts

FIFA confirmed that the national federation of Belgium has entered into the race to host the (now) 32-team FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.

That brings the total number of signaled bids to 10, including Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, Korea (joint North-South bid), New Zealand, South Africa and now Belgium.

Additional bids are possible, with a 2 September deadline for expressing interest. The selection is expected to be made by May 2020.

STAT PACK: Results for the week of 12-18 August 2019

Rich Perelman

August 19, 2019

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 11 events in 10 sports:

● Archery: USA Archery National Championships in Dublin
● Athletics: IAAF Diamond League 11: Muller Grand Prix in Birmingham
● Beach Volleyball: FIVB World Tour 4-star in Moscow
● Cycling: UCI MWT: Binck Bank Tour in Belgium & Netherlands
● Cycling: UCI WWT: Postnord Vargarda in Vargarda
● Gymnastics: FIG Rhythmic World Challenge Cup 1 in Minsk
● Shooting: IAAF Shotgun World Cup in Lahti
● Sport Climb: IFSC World Championships in Hachioji
● Swimming: FINA World Cup 3 in Singapore
● Table Tennis: ITTF World Tour: Bulgaria Open in Panagyurishte
● Triathlon: ITU Olympic Qualification Event in Tokyo

plus our calendar of upcoming events through 25 August. Click below for the PDF:

[wpdm_package id=16129 template=”link-template-button-popup.php”]

For the stories behind the stats, be sure to visit TheSportsExaminer.com often!

TSX DAILY: New ESPN promo urges kids to keep playing, but are they really quitting? ~ U.S. hoops team hysteria tamed ~ 13 lifters banned in 5 days!

Rich Perelman

August 18, 2019

= TSX DAILY ~ 19 August 2019 =

| 1. | LANE ONE: U.S. survey says most kids quit sports by age 11, but is there really a problem?

A scary headline on the Web site of Channel 41 KSHB in Kansas City announced “Study shows more young athletes calling it quits, U.S. Olympic Committee concerned.”

The story came courtesy of The Aspen Institute, which was trumpeting its own research survey showing that youngsters are entering and exiting organized sports after an average of 2.86 years, starting as early as age six and leaving by age 13.

This was a survey, not a full-blown study and was interesting, showing the average entry age and exit age for nearly two dozen sports. The sports taken up the earliest included gymnastics (average entry age 5.75), soccer (6.11) and football (flag: 6.35); the oldest entry ages were for cross country and track & field (age 11).

The research showed kids leaving after an average of three years, with the oldest departures at age 13 for cross country and track. This is obviously a critical issue and a clear path to adult obesity as kids leave the playgrounds for the nearest gaming computer.

So The Aspen Institute is partnering with ESPN on a series of public service announcements called “Don’t Retire, Kid” and featuring Kobe Bryant and other major-sports stars to stem this epidemic.

The series is no doubt well produced and sincere. But let’s go deeper into the numbers. There’s another survey, wholly unconnected with The Aspen Institute, which has been going on for more than a half-century, tracking participation in interscholastic athletics at the high school level. Contrary to The Aspen Institute’s downward spiral, the number of prep athletes continues to increase.

Over the last 20 years, an additional 1.5 million boys and girls are playing high school sports. Over the last 10 years, with the increase in girls sports more widely implemented, the increase has been more than 550,000 nationwide. Future U.S. Olympians will come from this expanding pool.

The Aspen Institute research also does not reference the impact of the presence or elimination of physical education programs in middle schools on the children playing, and coupled with the continuing increase in high school athletes, raises more questions rather than providing a definitive answer.

One element which was worth noting was the study’s brief mention of the increased difficulty for youth of modest means to access youth sports programs. That is an element of today’s youth sports program which can be worked on, and brings a new urgency to turn Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s call for a $1 billion surplus from the 2028 Olympic Games to expand and fund City youth sports programs into perpetuity from an idea into a rallying cry.

| 2. | ARCHERY: Ellison and Kaufhold take U.S. Nationals, start path to Tokyo

The long road to Tokyo began for American archers in Dublin, Ohio with the 135th U.S. National Target Archery Championships, and the front-runners for the U.S. team became obvious.

Reigning World Champion Brady Ellison won the double ranking-round competition – in windy conditions – shooting 1,351, ahead of two teenagers: 16-year-old Josef Scarboro (1,330) and 19-year-old Jack Williams (1,325). This is the first of four stages in the Olympic qualifying process for U.S. archery; the next comes at College Station, Texas in late September.

Shooting star – pun intended – Casey Kaufhold (pictured), still just 15, won the women’s double ranking round at 1,314, defeating Eliana Claps (1,297) and Crystal Gauvin (1,276).

In the U.S. Open elimination tournament that followed, Ellison won again, out-shooting his 2016 Olympic teammate Zach Garrett in the final, 6-2. Kaufhold lost to 45-year-old Khatuna Lorig – remember her from the Bridgestone Tires commercials? – in the Open final, 7-3. That’s the second time Lorig beat Kaufhold in a couple of weeks; she did it in Lima at the Pan American Games in the way to a silver medal, while Kaufhold took the bronze.

There were also national titles awarded in Compound and Barebow, which are not Olympic disciplines. More coverage here.

| 3. | ATHLETICS: Miller-Uibo, Wilson and Williams make strong statements in Birmingham Diamond League

Although there was a good crowd on hand at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham (GBR) for the IAAF Diamond League meet on Sunday, the athletes were also met with cool temperatures in the 60s (F) and lots of wind. So the times were down, but the competition was hot. Three stars made it clear they are the favorites for the upcoming Worlds in Doha in late September:

(1) Shaunae Miller-Uibo of The Bahamas got a slow start, then blew past everyone – including British star Dina Asher-Smith and Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce – to win the 200 m going away in 22.24 (to 22.36-22.50). Miller-Uibo is now undefeated for two years at the distance and she is the world leader this season at 200 m, 300 m and 400 m.

(2) American Ajee Wilson knew what to do and then did it expertly in winning the women’s 800 m, facing many of the same runners who will challenge her in Doha. The winning time was only 2:00.76 – with difficult winds on the backstraight – but as Wilson noted “We don’t focus on times, it’s all about the win, that’s first on the list.” She ran away from Lynsey Sharp (GBR: 2:01.09) and training partner Raevyn Rogers (2:01.40) as Jamaica’s Natoya Goule faded to sixth.

(3) Jamaica’s Danielle Williams was easily the best in the women’s 100 m hurdles in 12.46, dispensing a good field that included world-record holder Keni Harrison (USA: 2nd/12.66) and Olympic champ Brianna McNeal (USA: 6th/12.90).

There were other highlights, notably 4:21.11 mile win for Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen and a 4.75 m (15-7) clearance in a windy pole vault event for Greek Olympic and World Champion Katerina Stefanidi, with American Jenn Suhr third at 4.65 m (15-3). More coverage here.

| 4. | BASKETBALL: U.S. World Cup team eases past Spain, 90-81, to tamp down media hysteria

There were loads of stories online about how bad the U.S. men’s national team headed for the FIBA World Cup is, with so many of the top NBA stars passing on the event and reports of the team being out-classed in two scrimmages against a G-League pick-up team.

So Friday’s exhibition game in Anaheim against no. 2-0-ranked Spain, with NBA veterans like Marc Gasol and Ricky Rubio was widely seen as a real test.

The U.S. passed with flying colors, winning 90-81 in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. The American squad took off, from a 10-10 tie to a 31-20 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 54-41 halftime lead. Spain challenged in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to eight, but a U.S. flurry built the lead back up to 88-72 in the last two minutes.

The U.S. shot 54.8% from the field and held the Spanish to 40.8% shooting and out-rebounded Spain, 42-20. But 23 turnovers were a problem for the U.S., especially vs. 11 for Spain.

Donovan Mitchell led the U.S. with 13 points, Khris Middleton had 12 and Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum had 11; Spain got 19 points from Gasol and Rubio had 16.

More details here. The U.S. team is now in Australia and will play three more exhibitions (next on 22 August vs. Australia in Melbourne) before heading to China for the World Cup itself.

| 5. | SPORT CLIMBING: Garnbret wins two, cements favorite’s role for Tokyo at World Champs

The most important IFSC World Championships in history continues in Hachioji, Japan as the sport prepares for its Olympic debut in 2020. The first week showcased the favorite for the women’s Olympic title, Janja Garnbret of Slovenia.

She immediately won the Bouldering competition, extending her perfect six-for-six World Cup season. Then she overpowered everyone in the Lead event, where she won her second World Championship gold in the event, well ahead of runner-up Mia Krampl of Austria.

She was not a factor in the Speed event, won for the second consecutive year by Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw, who posted the fastest time of the day in the final to defeat China’s Di Niu.

The men’s Lead event was won by Czech Adam Ondra for the third time in the last four Worlds; he now has medals in the last seven World Championships in the event. Defending champ Jakob Schubert (AUT) finished third.

Italy’s Ludovico Fossali won the men’s Speed contest in a comical series of events. After qualifying into the quarterfinals, his next two opponents both false-started, advancing him to the final. Once there, Czech Jan Kriz fell and Fossali scampered up the 15 m wall and claimed his first world title all alone!

More coverage here; the Combined events – the one to be held in Tokyo in 2020 – continue this week.

| 6. | SWIMMING: Like old times, Morozov and Hosszu win cluster prizes as Rapsys gets 200 m Free world leader

Swimming fans have been this picture before, in fact, as recently as last year, when Russian Vladimir Morozov and Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu won the second cluster and collected a $50,000 bonus.

So it was in Singapore, where Morozov was protecting a 96-87 lead over American breaststroke star Andrew Wilson. Morozov won three events – the 50-100 m Frees and the 50 m Back – and had the top-scoring individual performance of the meet to score the maximum 60 points and win decisively, 156-129, with Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys third (111).

Rapsys had the race of the meet – regardless of the scoring tables – with his brilliant 1:44.38 win in the 200 m Freestyle, the fastest in the world in 2019. In fact, it moved him to no. 6 on the all-time performers list, and it’s especially noteworthy as it’s the no. 4 performance ever in a textile suit!

The women’s cluster scoring showed Australia’s sprint star Cate Campbell leading Hosszu, 105-102 going into the meet. But Hosszu (pictured) won three events and had the no. 2 performance of the meet on the scoring tables for 54 points and Campbell finished first and second in two of her events and skipped a third. Even with the best single performance of the meet – her 24.02 win in the 50 m Free – she finished with 150 points to 156 for the Hungarian.

However, Campbell, Wilson and others didn’t simply get a handshake and a copy of the home game; cluster prizes were $50,000-35,000-30,000-20,000-10,000-5,000-4,000-3,000 for the top eight scorers.

More coverage of day 2 and day 3 is available; the World Cup is off now until October.

| 7. | WEIGHTLIFTING: Bad week for Russian lifters as 13 are suspended in five days!

The International Weightlifting Federation may have been re-admitted to the Olympic program with full status by the International Olympic Committee, but it is well aware that could change at any time.

So it has been one of the first to distribute suspensions to Russian lifters based on the new evidence distributed to the International Federations by the World Anti-Doping Agency, based on the information retrieved from the Moscow Laboratory of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency when it ran its infamous doping cover-up program from 2011-15.

The IWF announced five suspensions on Monday (12th), but then added seven more on Friday (16th), including penalties for two lifters who won Olympic medals in 2008, but had already been disqualified for doping back then!

● Dmitriy Lapikov: 2008 Olympic bronze medalist at 105 kg (DQ in 2016)

● Nadezhda Evstyukhina: 2008 Olympic bronze medalist at 75 kg (DQ in 2016)

In addition, the Russian weightlifting federation itself posted an eight-year ban on 2017 European 90 kg winner and 2019 87 kg silver medalist Diana Mstiyeva, caught in an out-of-competition test in May (and previously caught for doping in 2014). That’s 13 suspensions in one week!

| 8. | FOOTBALL: Spectre of match-fixing descends on Nigerian coach Samson Siasia

FIFA issued a lifetime ban on Friday of Nigerian Olympic soccer team coach Samson Siasia for match-fixing and fined him CHF 50,000 for agreeing “to receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches.”

Siasia was the coach for Nigeria’s silver-medal-winning Olympic men’s team in 2008 and the 2016 team that won bronze. The sanction was the latest outcome of a continuing investigation into the efforts of Singaporean match-fixer Wilson Perumal.

| 9. | THIS WEEK: Four Worlds ahead, the Diamond League in Paris and the final Grand Tour for 2019

Get set for a busy week of action this coming week, with the start of four world championships:

● Badminton, in Basel (SUI),starting Monday
● Canoe-Kayak Sprints, in Szeged (HUN), starting Wednesday
● Judo, in Tokyo (JPN), starting next Sunday
● Rowing, in Linz-Ottsnehim (AUT), starting next Sunday

The last IAAF Diamond League meet before the two “finals” events will be held on Saturday with the annual Meeting de Paris. And cycling fans will be wearing their red jerseys for the start of the annual La Vuelta a Espana, beginning next Saturday and continuing through 15 September.

| 10. | THE LAST WORD: If you think the USOPC is bad, you haven’t seen this …

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee has come in for lots of criticism, along with the U.S. National Governing Bodies for a myriad of issues, starting with the sexual-abuse scandals in multiple sports. But at least they aren’t like Kenya.

Last Wednesday, Kenyan track & field and volleyball teams in Rabat (MAR) to compete in the African Games were thrown out of their hotel rooms over unpaid bills.

CapitalFM reported “The athletes were thrown out of their rooms with their luggage and prevented from leaving the hotel until their bills were paid, with World [javelin] Champion Julius Yego posting the sorry photos on social media.

“‘At around 5pm when we came back from training, we were told to leave our rooms with our luggage. They refused to let us leave the hotel until their dues were paid. It is such a shame for us sports people to be treated this way,” Yego told Capital Sports.”

The situation was eventually resolved that night and the athletes returned to their rooms. The story concluded:

“This is the latest in the case of a government that treats its sports people with a lot of lack of respect, coming hot on the heels of the national basketball team literally begging for help for their allowances to be paid at the FIBA Afrobasket in Dakar, Senegal.

“Just last month, the volleyball team faced similar tribulations of feeling like a forgotten lot at the African Championship in Egypt while the men’s and women’s hockey teams had to travel at the 11th hour for their Olympic qualifiers in South Africa after the government delayed in releasing cash for tickets.”

Say what you will about the USOPC or the NGBs; we

LANE ONE: U.S. survey says most kids quit sports by age 11, but is there really a problem?

Rich Perelman

August 18, 2019

A breathless story posted last Friday on the Web site of station 41 KSHB in Kansas City announced:

“Study shows more young athletes calling it quits, U.S. Olympic Committee concerned”

The lead paragraphs were dramatic:

“The Olympic games [sic] in Tokyo are less than a year away, and while the focus is on who will compete for Team USA next year, there is a growing concern about having enough athletes for the 2028 Olympics.

“The reason being more and more young athletes are calling it quits.”

And there are specific reasons for this, leading to increased worry:

“A recent study by the Aspen Institute says the average kid today spends less than three years playing a sport and quits by age 11. The study lists costs and overbearing parents as a few factors to the falling participation numbers.

“According to a separate study from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), only 38 percent of kids aged 6 to 12 played team sports on a regular basis in 2018. That’s down from 45 percent in 2008.”

The link was to some research – not a full-blown, published study – by The Aspen Institute, which is promoting its own program, “Don’t Retire, Kid,” with public-service announcements running on ESPN urging children (and parents) to continue to play sports.

The research numbers are interesting. The Aspen Project’s National Youth Sports Survey shows that across 21 specific sports, the average age of youngsters (boys and girls) getting involved in a sport varied widely. A sample:

● 5.75 years old: Gymnastics
● 6.11 years old: Soccer
● 6.35 years old: Flag Football (9.16 for Tackle Football)
● 6.93 years old: Cycling
● 7.12 years old: Baseball (7.59 for Softball)
● 7.78 years old: Skiing & Snowboarding
● 7.99 years old: Basketball
● 8.97 years old: Golf
● 8.98 years old: Tennis
● 11.02 years old: Cross Country (11.05 for Track & Field)

The study also listed the average amount spent by parents to support these endeavors, with the mean ranging from a low of $191.04 for track & field to more than $2,000 a year for Ice Hockey ($2,583), Skiing/Snowboarding ($2,249) and Field Hockey ($2,125). The average was $693 across all sports, with travel often the biggest cost, especially for team sports.

The key finding was that once kids get into sports, they get out after an average of 2.86 years. The “average” entry was at 7.65 years and the “average” exit was at 10.52 years. The sports with the latest age of exits included:

● 13.00 years: Track & Field
● 12.71 years: Cross Country
● 12.30 years: Volleyball
● 12.11 years: Skiing & Snowboarding
● 12.00 years: Skateboarding

The earliest exits were for Gymnastics (8.72), Soccer (9.08) and Martial Arts (9.17).

So there is a new campaign that you will see on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” that features Kobe Bryant as the lead spokesperson, along with six current or former baseball players, three other basketball players or coaches and one ice hockey, soccer and tennis player, all recognizable stars, but most of whom have had little to do with Olympic sports.

Important issue, right? Good for them, right? Critical national issue for our national health, fitness and the future quality of our Olympic teams, right?

Hold on, just a minute.

If The Aspen Institute’s study is on target, then by ages 11-13, kids should be leaving sports and throwing away their bats, balls and gloves and taking up the nearest gaming console, never to return to the field or gym.

So why does the number of participants in high school sports keep going up?

A completely separate survey, done for more than a half-century by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), tracks the number of sports programs offered by high schools in each state as well as the number of actual participants in each sport. And contrary to the crisis portrayed by The Aspen Institute, the numbers keep going up. The 2017-18 survey showed the continuation of consistent growth:

● 2017-18: 7.98 million participants (4.56 million boys + 3.42 million girls)
● 2007-08: 7.43 million participants (4.37 + 3.06)
● 1997-98: 6.33 million participants (3.76 + 2.57)

Instead of going down, as children “quit sports,” the high school numbers are up more than 1.5 million nationally over 20 years and about 550,000 over the last 10 years, even with the crisis in public-school funding across the nation and the cutting of sports teams in many systems. And it is from this continuously-expanding pool of athletes that the American Olympic teams of the future will be stocked.

Obviously, these studies were not coordinated and that’s good, because it raises serious questions about The Aspen Institute’s findings about young people and sports and the apparent “turnaround” in interest in high school years of roughly 14-18. And the numbers shown in the NFHS survey only include participation in interscholastic programs and do not include those involved in club or non-high school activities (track clubs, for example).

The Aspen Institute’s research did not include a key area related to young people at the age which it says that many exit organized sports: the presence – or lack thereof – of physical education in middle schools. Once de rigeur in junior high schools, funding crises in school districts across the United States have curtailed or eliminated these programs, to the lifelong detriment of the fitness of those who do not get such instruction (and daily exercise).

The disconnect of The Aspen Institute work, the role of middle-school curricula, and the continuing rise in high school sports participation create more questions than answers.

Should more kids play sports longer? That a separate question from how children should learn lifetime habits of physical fitness. But lifetime fitness is important.

The Aspen Institute research noted that it’s harder for children growing up in less-well-off families had less access to organized sports programs. No surprise there. And breaking down the need for pay-to-play programs to allow more children of all economic backgrounds to participate is worthwhile.

In fact, it is another reason why Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s hope/idea/suggestion that a $1 billion-plus surplus from the hosting of the 2028 Olympic Games could expand and fund City youth sports programs in perpetuity makes perfect sense.

That’s something the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, not to mention the LA28 organizers, should happily get concerned with.

Rich Perelman
Editor

TABLE TENNIS: Japan’s prodigy Harimoto claims third World Tour win in Bulgaria

Rich Perelman

August 18, 2019

tsx pix 2019-818 harimoto tomokazu 750 (ittf) — Third World Tour win for Japan's 16-year-old Tomokazu Harimoto (Photo: ITTF)

The story of Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto is an amazing one, showcased on Sunday with his 4-2 victory over China’s Zihao Zhao in the finals of the Bulgaria Open in Panagyurishte.

It’s not that Harimoto won the tournament; it’s his third win on the World Tour, following victories in 2017 and 2018. But he’s doing all this at age 16, after becoming the youngest player ever to win a World Tour event, at age 14, at the Czech Open two years ago.

He was born to play, the Japanese-born son of two professional table tennis players from China, and was handed a paddle at age two. He was the top seed in this tournament and ranks no. 5 in the world; he’s the top-ranked non-Chinese men’s player in the world.

He dominated this event, winning 20 sets to five for his opponents and scored his third win in five appearances in an ITTF World Tour final.

Harimoto’s win was one of two victories for Japan, with Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito winning the Mixed Doubles. China swept the women’s division with wins by Xingtong Chen and the team of Yuting Gu and Zi Mu. Korea’s Youngsik Jeong and Sangsu Lee continued their run as the world’s top doubles team with a win in the men’s Doubles. Summaries:

ITTF World Tour/Bulgaria Open
Panagyurishte (BUL) ~ 15-18 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men/Singles: 1. Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN); 2. Zihao Zhao (CHN); 3. Marcos Freitas (POR) and Quadri Aruna (NGR). Final: Harimoto d. Zhao, 4-2.

Men/Doubles: 1. Youngsik Jeong/Sangsu Lee (KOR); 2. Yukiya Uda/Kazuhiro Yoshimura (JPN); 3. Yizheng Xia/Peifeng Zheng (CHN) and Nima Alamian/Noshad Alamiyan ((IRI). Final: Jeong/Lee d. Uda/Yoshimura, 3-1.

Women/Singles: 1. Xingtong Chen (CHN); 2. Zhuojia He (CHN); 3. Mima Ito (JPN) and Yang Wu (CHN). Final: Chen d. He, 4-1.

Women/Doubles: 1. Yuting Gu/Zi Mu (CHN); 2. Miu Hirano/Saki Shibata (JPN); 3. Sofia Polcanova (AUT)/Bernadette Szocs (ROU) and Xingtong Chen/Jiayi Li (CHN). Final: Gu/Mu d. Hirano/Shibata, 3-0.

Mixed Doubles: 1. Jun Mizutani/Mima Ito (JPN); 2. Te Ma/Yang Wu (CHN); 3. Ovidiu Ionescu/Bernadette Szocs (ROU) and Tomokazu Harimoto/Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN). Final: Mizutani/Ito d. Ma/Wu, 3-1.

SHOOTING: Veterans best in Lahti World Cup Trap finals, but Australia’s Smith wins too

Rich Perelman

August 18, 2019

tsx pix 2019-818 scanlan, laetisha trap lahti 750 — A driving rain did not deter Laetisha Scanlan (AUS) or the other shooters in Lahti (Photo: ISSF/Photo Rosane)

There was sunshine and rain in Lahti (FIN) for the ISSF World Cup in Shotgun, but the competition continued with veteran shooters showing they have lost nothing to time.

The men’s Trap title match went to a shoot-off, with Russia’s 2004 Olympic gold medalist Alexey Alipov, 44, winning the decision over his youthful counterpart, Portugal’s Joao Azevedo. At “just” 35, this was Azevedo’s first-ever World Cup medal.

The women’s Trap final was held in a driving rain, but this time it was the youngster who won. Competing against Finland’s 2008 Olympic gold medalist, Satu Makela-Nummela, Australia’s Penny Smith was brilliant, scoring 45/60 in the difficult conditions for the win. Makela-Nummela, now 48, was second with 40 and Australia’s 29-year-old Laetisha Scanlan captured the bronze medal – her first World Cup medal – with 33 points.

The Mixed Trap title went to San Marino’s duo of Alessandra Perlli and Gian Marco Berti. The Skeet finals will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. Summaries so far:

ISSF Shotgun World Cup
Lahti (FIN) ~ 13-23 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men/Trap: 1. Alexey Alipov (RUS), 43; 2. Joao Azevedo (POR), 43 (shoot-off: Alipov 2, Azevedo 1); 3. Mauro de Filippis (ITA), 34.

Women/Trap: 1. Penny Smith (AUS), 45; 2. Satu Makela-Nummela (FIN), 40; 3. Laetisha Scanlan (AUS), 33.

Mixed Trap ~ Final: 1. Alessandra Perilli/Gian Marco Berti (SMR), 40; 2. Selin Ali/Marin Kirilov (BUL), 38. Third: 1. Silvana Stanco/Giovanni Pellielo (ITA), 40; 4. Safiye Sariturk/Murat Ilbigli (TUR), 39.

GYMNASTICS: Averinas and Ashram win 14 of 15 medals in Minsk World Challenge Cup

Rich Perelman

August 18, 2019

tsx pix 2019-87 averina, dina minsk wchall cup 750 — World Champion Dina Averina (RUS)

As if there was any doubt about the class acts in Rhythmic Gymnastics, it was underlined at the Minsk World Challenge Cup:

(1) Dina Averina (RUS): 4 wins, one bronze.
(2) Arina Averina (RUS): 4 silvers, one bronze.
(3) Linoy Ashram (ISR): 1 win, 1 silver, two bronzes.

The Averinas won medals in all five events and Ashram missed a fifth in Ribbon, where she finished fourth to Italy’s Milena Baldassarri, 21.600-20.350.

All of this is in preparation for the World Championships, coming to Baku (AZE) from 16-22 September, and the Russians are obviously ready. There was prize money for the All-Around of CHF 700-550-450-300-250-200-150-100 and for the apparatus finals of 600-450-300-200-150-100-100-100 for the top eight places. Summaries:

FIG Rhythmic World Challenge Cup I
Minsk (BLR) ~ 16-18 August 2019
(Full results here)

All-Around: 1. Dina Averina (RUS), 93.450; 2. Arina Averina (RUS), 91.950; 3. Linoy Ashram (ISR), 86.650; 4. Alexandra Agiurgiuculese (ITA), 84.750; 5. Nicol Zelikman (ISR), 84.600.

Hoop: 1. Ashram (ISR), 23.500; 2. A. Averina (RUS), 23.450; 3. D. Averina (RUS), 23.100.

Ball: 1. D. Averina (RUS), 23.600; 2. A. Averina (RUS), 23.200; 3. Ashram (ISR), 22.900.

Clubs: 1. D. Averina (RUS), 23.500; 2. Ashram (ISR), 23.400; 3. A. Averina (RUS), 22.700.

Ribbon: 1. D. Averina (RUS), 22.150; 2. A. Averina (RUS), 21.850; 3. Milena Baldassarri (ITA), 21.600.

Group/All-Around: 1. Russia, 59.050; 2. Bulgaria, 57.650; 3. Belarus, 57.450.

Group/5 Balls: 1. Italy, 29.800; 2. Russia, 28.450; 3. Bulgaria, 29.450.

Group/3 Hoops+2 Clubs: 1. Bulgaria, 28.600; 2. Belarus, 28.450; 3. Ukraine, 28.100.

CYCLING: De Plus comes on late to lead Belgian sweep of the Binckbank Tour; Bastianelli wins Vargarda

Rich Perelman

August 18, 2019

tsx pix 2019-818 bastianelli wins vargarda 750 — Marta Bastianelli wins the 2019 PostNord Vargarda WestSweden Road Race (Photo: VargardaCycling.se/Christer Hedberg)

The final, hilly loops on the final day of the 15th Binckbank Tour of Belgium and the Netherlands figured to be the deciding factor, but no could foresee the all-Belgian finish at the end of the seventh stage.

Heading into Sunday’s finale, Belgian Tim Wellens clung to an eight-second lead over Swiss Marc Hirschi, but there were 14 riders within a minute of the lead.

But it was the all-Belgian trio of Laurens de Plus, Oliver Naesen and Greg van Avermaet who broke away with about 20 km to go and were never headed to the finish that changed the race for good. Naesen won the sprint to the line for the stage win, with van Avermaet second and de Plus third, but as de Plus was only 12 seconds behind the lead at the start – and Naesen and van Avermaet almost a minute back – he knew he had his first World Tour title.

The final accounting showed de Plus and Naesen 1-2 in the overall standings, Wellens third and van Avermaet fourth for a 1-2-3-4 Belgian sweep of the final honors.

In the women’s Vargarda WestSweden road race, it came down – as expected – to the final five-lap finish to decide the winner, and only then in a final sprint.

Defending champion and three-time winner Marianne Vos (NED) attacked with 3 km left, but was reeled in by the other riders. That left everyone to wait for the final sprint to the line and it was Italian Marta Bastianelli who came around to reach the line first.

Back in form after an injury break, it was Bastianelli’s first win since the Tour of Flanders in April and her third win of the season. Summaries:

UCI World Tour/Binckbank Tour
Belgium & the Netherlands ~ 12-18 August 2019
(Full results here)

Final Standings: 1. Laurens de Plus (BEL), 21:29:55; 2. Oliver Naesen (BEL), +0:35; 3. Tim Wellens (BEL), +0:36; 4. Greg van Avermaet (BEL), +0:37; 5. Marc Hirschi (SUI), +0:44; 6. Mike Teunissen (NED), +1:06; 7. Ivan Garcia Cortina (ESP), +1:13; 8. Stefan Kung (SUI), +1:16; 8. Simon Clarke (AUS), +1:19; 10. Michael Valgren (DEN). +1:23.

Stage winners:
(1) 167.2 km ~ Sam Bennett (IRL): 3:42:57
(2) 169.1 km ~ Bennett (IRL): 3:45:20
(3) 166.9 km ~ Bennett (IRL): 3:44:04
(4) 96.2 km ~ Tim Wellens (BEL): 2:20:41
(5) 191.4 km ~ Alvaro Jose Hodig (COL): 3:54:48
(6) 8.4 km Time Trial ~ Filippo Ganna (ITA): 9:16
(7) 178.1 km ~ Oliver Naesen (BEL): 3:52:40

UCI Women’s World Tour/PostNord Vargarda WestSweden
Vargarda (SWE) ~ 17-18 August 2019
(Full results here)

Team Time Trial (35.6 km) 1. Trek-Segafredo (USA), 43:53; 2. Canyon SRAM Racing (GER), 44:18; 3. Team Sunweb (NED), 44:39; 4. Boels-Dolmans Racing (NED), 45:10; 5. Team Virtu Cycling (DEN), 45:41.

Road Race (145.3 km): 1. Marta Bastianelli (ITA), 3:37:43; 2. Marianne Vos (NED), 3:37:43; 3. Lorena Wiebes (NED), 3:37:43; 4. Chloe Hosking (AUS), 3:37:43; 5. Amy Pieters (NED), 3:37:44. Also in the top 25: 8. Ruth Winder (USA), 3:37:46.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Heidrich and Verge-Depre claim first-ever World Tour golds in Moscow

Rich Perelman

August 18, 2019

tsx pix 2019-818 samoilovs, aleksandrs moscow 750 — A happy Aleksandrs Samoilovs (LAT) celebrates a win over world champs Krasilnikov and Stoyanovskiy at the Moscow 4-star (Photo: FIVB)

The first win is always the hardest and for Swiss Olympians Joana Heidrich and Anouk Verge-Depre, it finally came in the Moscow four-star tournament with a three-set win over Brazil’s Taiana Lima and Talita Antunes.

Heidrich and Verge-Depre had lost twice in World Tour finals – one each in 2017 and 2018 – and after winning the first set, 21-18, they dropped the second by 16-21 and had to go to the tie-breaker. The third time was different and with a 15-8 third set finally got their long-sought World Tour victory.

“We just kept saying we need to stay calm, stay focused on the game and put any drop of energy that we still have into every single point. We kept believing and I think that was the key,” said Verge-Depre. “I just want to say ‘thank you’ to all the people who work with us. I think it’s very important. We had a rough start of the season, but there are a lot of people behind us, who are giving everything to make this possible.”

The third-place match went to 10th-seeded Brooke Sweat and Kerri Walsh-Jennings, who defeated Karla Borger and Julia Sude (GER), 2-1. It’s their fifth World Tour medal (third bronze) this season; Walsh Jennings noted the importance of playing on the FIVB circuit while many of the top U.S. teams were home for the AVP Manhattan Beach Open:

“It was an important victory for us,” she said. “We’ve played Karla and Julia three times this year and we’ve been successful all three now. We knew they were going to change something and come out aggressively, because we all want to go to Tokyo. For us it was important to finish third so we can pull away from the other Americans and we feel proud to have beat such a good team.”

The men’s final completed a stunning run for Latvia’s Janis Smedins and Aleksandrs Samoilovs. The 2013 and 2014 World Tour champions only reached the round of 32 at the 2019 World Championships, but scored a stunning 21-19, 23-25, 15-12 victory over Russia’s reigning World Champions Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Oleg Stoyanovskiy – on home sand – in the quarterfinals.

Said Samoilovs, “We also felt like we had the home-court advantage, because Moscow is one of the best tournaments for us. We won it last year, we won the Grand Slam six years ago and we have a lot of friends here and a lot of fans as well.

“Today we just played our best match of the season and I hope we can keep this level over the next two days and over the next tournaments. Our situation with in the Olympic ranking is tough and it’s the right moment to change something and keep going at our best.”

They sailed into the final and then claimed their first title of the season with a 21-12, 21-16 win over Brazil’s Alison Cerutti and Alvaro Filho.

There are some smaller tournaments remaining on the schedule, but the star teams are now looking forward to the season-ending World Tour Final in Rome from 4-8 September. Summaries:

FIVB World Tour 4-star
Moscow (RUS) ~ 14-18 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men: 1. Janis Smedins/Aleksandrs Samoilovs (LAT); 2. Alison Cerutti/Alvaro Filho (BRA); 3.
Julius Thole/Clemens Wickler (GER); 4. Guto Carvalhaes/Saymon Barbosa Santos (BRA). Third: Thole/Wickler d. Guto/Saymon, walkover (injury). Final: Smedins/Samoilovs d. Alison/Alvaro Filho, 2-0 (21-12, 21-16).

Women: 1. Joana Heidrich/Anouk Verge-Depre (SUI); 2. Taiana Lima/Talita Antunes (BRA); 3. Brooke Sweat/Kerri Walsh Jennings (USA); 4. Karla Borger/Julia Sude (GER). Third: Sweat/Walsh Jennings d. Borger/Sude, 2-1. Final: Heidrich/Verge-Depre d. Taiana Lima/Talita, 2-1 (21-18, 16-21, 15-8).

ATHLETICS: Miller-Uibo, Wilson and Williams star in wind-swept Diamond League in Birmingham

Rich Perelman

August 18, 2019

tsx pix 2019-818 wilson ajee birm 750 — Ajee Wilson (USA) winning the Diamond League 800 m in Birmingham (Photo: IAAF)

“It’s a beautiful place. I better pack a raincoat and a sweater next time.”

American 400 m runner Obi Igbokwe just about summed up the conditions at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham (GBR), with the resumption of the IAAF Diamond League in front of a good crowd, but with a lot of wind and temperatures in the mid-60s F.

So the marks were down, but the competition was good and three women’s stars made it clear they are going to be the ones to beat at the World Championships in Qatar at the end of September:

● Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) hasn’t been beaten in the 200 m since the 2017 Worlds and showed no signs of opening the door for anyone else with a commanding run down the straight for a 22.24-22.36 win over Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith. Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was third in 22.50 and Miller-Uibo extended her unbeaten streak in the event to 11 straight finals.

Another win for Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) in the women’s 200 m, this time over Dina Asher-Smith (GBR). (Photo: IAAF)

But Miller was hardly pleased. “The race didn’t go to plan. My start was just horrible and had to rely on that 400 m speed to get through. Before the race we had an idea of how we wanted the race to go and it didn’t go as planned so I’m happy for the win and ready to move on to the next.”

● American Ajee Wilson took control of the race at the bell and was never headed in the women’s 800 m. Facing a good field, she had to deal with a fierce headwind on the back straight, but maintained her composure and the lead over Lynsey Sharp (GBR) and finished well in front in 2:00.76 to 2:01.09. Jamaica’s Natoya Goule faded to sixth (2:02.70) while Wilson’s training partner, Raevyn Rogers, made a dash on the final straight to get up to third in 2:01.40.

Said the winner, “It felt good, it’s a good race to get in heading towards the back end of the season and prior to the World Championships. We don’t focus on times, it’s all about the win, that’s first on the list.”

● Jamaica’s Danielle Williams has the fastest time in the world this season in the 100 m hurdles and she looked like a World Champion-to-be with a dominating 12.46 win, ahead of American Keni Harrison (12.66).

Harrison almost didn’t make it to the final after hitting the third hurdle in the heats and making it only as a time qualifier. But running in lane two, she made a race of it despite not knowing exactly where Williams early on. “I couldn’t see her so I had to keep going because I knew she would keep pushing me. At the next Diamond League, I hope we can be next each other and bring out a good performance.”

The wind kept many of the performances down, but Belgium’s World Heptathlon Champion Nafi Thiam showed she’s in good form with a lifetime best (and national record) in the women’s long jump at 6.86 m (22-6 1/4), just a half-inch better than Serbian Ivana Spanovic (6.85 m/22-5 3/4) and fellow heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR: also 6.85 m).

Christian Coleman opted out of the men’s 100 m, so that left the door open for 2011 World Champion Yohan Blake (JAM) to win in 10.07, even while aided by a +2.0 m/s wind. Blake withstood a late rush from Britain’s Adam Gemili, also timed in 10.07.

Jamaica’s Omar McLeod was impressive in handling the conditions and his competition in the 110 m hurdles, winning in 13.21. American Freddie Crittenden was second (13.31) and Daniel Roberts – second on the world list this year at 13.00 – was fourth at 13.48.

The conditions held back the distance runners, but Kenya’s world-record holder, Beatrice Chepkoech, won the 3,000 m Steeple from the front in 9:05.55 from Celliphine Chespol (9:06.76), and German Konstanze Klosterhalfen fought through the wind to take the women’s mile in a national record of 4:21.11. Summaries:

Mile winner Konstanze Klosterhalfen (GER) battling the wind on the back straight (Photo: IAAF)

IAAF Diamond League/Muller Grand Prix Birmingham
Birmingham (GBR) ~ 18 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men

100 m (wind +2.0 m/s): 1. Yohan Blake (JAM), 10.07; 2. Adam Gemili (GBR), 10.07; 3. Michael Rodgers (USA), 10.09. Also: 4. Chris Belcher (USA), 10.09.

400 m: 1. Akeem Bloomfield (JAM), 45.04; 2. Obi Igbokwe (USA), 45.54; 3. Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR), 45.55. Also: 4. Kahmari Montgomery (USA), 45.59; 5. Michael Cherry, 45.61; … 7. Vernon Norwood (USA), 45.79.

800 m: 1. Mark English (IRL), 1:45.94; 2. Alfred Kipketer (KEN), 1:46.10; 3. Eliot Giles (GBR), 1:46.27. Also: 6. Erik Sowinski (USA), 1:46.80.

1,500 m: 1. Ronald Musagala (UGA), 3:35.12; 2. Stewart McSweyn (NZL), 3:35.21; 3. Craig Engels (USA), 3:35.51

110 m hurdles (non-Diamond League; -0.2): 1. Omar McLeod (JAM), 13.21; 2. Freddie Crittenden (USA), 13.31; 3. Wenjun Xie (CHN), 13.43. Also: 4. Daniel Roberts (USA), 13.48 … 8. Isaiah Moore (USA), 13.81.

400 m hurdles: 1. Yasmani Copello (TUR), 49.08; 2. Alison Santos (BRA), 49.20; 3. David Kendzeira (USA), 49.29. Also: 8. Amere Lattin (USA), 51.15.

High Jump: 1. Brandon Starc (AUS), 2.30 m (7-6 1/2); 2. Ilya Ivanyuk (RUS), 2.23 m (7-3 3/4); 3. Mathew Sawe (KEN), 2.23 m (7-3 3/4). Also: 7. Jeron Robinson (USA), 2.19 m (7-2 1/4).

Javelin: 1. Chao-Tsun Cheng (TPE), 87.75 m (287-10); 2. Jakub Vadlejch (CZE), 85.78 m (281-5); 3. Magnus Kirt (EST), 85.29 m (279-10).

Women

100 m (non-Diamond League; -0.9): 1. Tatjana Pinto (GER), 11.15; 2. Dezerea Bryant (USA), 11.21; 3. Teahna Daniels (USA), 11.24.

200 m (+0.4): 1. Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH), 22.24; 2. Dina Asher-Smith (GBR), 22.36; 3. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM), 22.50. Also: 6. Bryant (USA), 22.84; 7. Payton Chadwick (USA), 23.71.

800 m: 1. Ajee Wilson (USA), 2:00.76; 2. Lynsey Sharp (GBR), 2:01.09; 3. Raevyn Rogers (USA), 2:01.40. Also: 7. Kate Grace (USA), 2:03.19.

Mile: 1. Konstanze Klosterhalfen (GER), 4:21.11; 2. Gabriela Debues-Stafford (CAN), 4:22.47; 3. Eilish McColgan (GBR), 4:24.71. Also: 7. Elinor Purrier (USA), 4:30.30; …9. Heather McLean (USA), 4:31.13; 10. Helen Schlachtenhaufen (USA), 4:35.70.

3,000 m Steeple: 1. Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN), 9:05.55; 2. Celliphine Chespol (KEN), 9:06.76; 3. Winfred Yavi (BRN), 9:07.23. Also: 14. Mel Lawrence (USA), 9:53.61.

100 m hurdles (-0.2): 1. Danielle Williams (JAM), 12.46; 2. Keni Harrison (USA), 12.66; 3. Toni Amusan (NGR), 12.71. Also: 4. Nia Ali (USA), 12.73; … 6. Brianna McNeal (USA), 12.90; 7. Chadwick (USA), 12.92; 8. Tiffani McReynolds (USA), 13.16.

Pole Vault: 1. Katerina Stefanidi (GRE), 4.75 m (15-7); 2. Alysha Newman (CAN), 4.65 m (15-3); 3. Jenn Suhr (USA), 4.65 m (15-3). Also: 7. Katie Nageotte (USA), 4.55 m (14-11).

Long Jump: 1. Nafi Thiam (BEL), 6.86 m (22-6 1/4); 2. Ivana Spanovic (SRB), 6.85 m (22-5 3/4); 3. Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR), 6.85 m (22-5 3/4). Also: 8. Sha’Keela Saunders (USA), 6.26 m (20-6 1/2).

Discus: 1. Yaime Perez (CUB), 64.87 m (212-10); 2. Dania Caballero (CUB), 64.59 m (211-11); 3. Sandra Perkovic (CRO), 63.80 m (209-4). Also: 6. Valarie Allman (USA), 61.42 m (201-6); … 10. Whitley Ashley (USA), 56.98 m (186-11).

SPORT CLIMBING: Miroslaw repeats as women’s speed champ, while Fossali falls into men’s world title

Rich Perelman

August 17, 2019

tsx pix 2019-817 fossali, ludovico (ifsc eddie fowke) — Joy for World Speed Champion Ludovico Fossali (ITA) (Photo: IFSC/Eddie Fowke)

The IFSC World Championships in Hachioji (JPN) took a strange turn in the Speed competition, with one champion confirming her status and the men’s competition almost disintegrating.

None of the Bouldering or Lead medalists figured to have any say in the Speed event and they didn’t. Among the women, Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret was the best, finishing 23rd. Among the Speed specialists, defending champion Aleksandra Miroslaw had the fastest mark in the qualifying (7.377), the third-fastest in the Round of 16 (7.472) and the second-best in the quarterfinals (7.337).

In the semis, the two fastest climbers faced off: China’s 18-year-old YiLing Song, whose 7.192 in the quarters was the fastest of the day, and Miroslaw. The Pole scaled the 15 m wall in 7.337, but Song fell and Miroslaw was going to get the chance to defend her title. Opposing would be China’s Di Niu, 22, who knocked out French star Anouck Jaubert.

It wasn’t close. Miroslaw posted the fastest time of the day – 7.129 – to reach the top first, with Niu at 8.363. Jaubert won the bronze at 7.534 as Song slipped, and finished in 9.768.

The men’s event advanced smoothly into the quarterfinals and then got crazy. Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) was the best of the Bouldering and Lead medalists in 22nd. The fastest qualifier was 2012 Worlds bronze medalist Dmitrii Timofeev of Russia at 5.542, but he was promptly bounced out of the Round of 16.

In the quarterfinals, Russia’s Stanislav Korkorin, a three-time Worlds medalist, had the fastest climb at 5.808. Italy’s Ludovico Fossali advanced because QiXin Zhong of China suffered a false start. In the semis, Fossali advanced again without climbing thanks to another false start from 2014 World Champion Danyil Boldyrev (UKR). Jan Kriz (CZE) was also an upset winner in his semi, as Korkorin fell.

In the final, Fossali actually did climb, finishing in 6.871 seconds, while Kriz fell. Korkorin won the bronze in the fastest time since the Round of 16 in 5.835, but Fossali is now World Champion!

There is prize money for the Worlds, for the top six placers in each discipline: € 3,990-2.490-1,445-783-508-375 (€1=$1.12). Next up is the Combined competition, which will be the one held in Tokyo in 2020. Summaries so far:

IFSC World Championships
Hachioji (JPN) ~ 11-21 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men

Bouldering: 1. Tomoa Narasaki (JPN), 2t4z ~ 12/20; 2. Jakob Schubert (AUT), 0t3z ~ 0/10; 3. Yannick Flohe (GER), 0t3z ~ 0/13; 4. Kokoro Fujii (JPN), 0t3z ~ 0/18; 5. Keita Dohi (JPN), ot2z ~ 0/9; 6. Adam Ondra (CZE), 0t0z ~ 0/0.

Lead: 1. Ondra (CZE), 34+; 2. Alexander Megos (GER), 33+; 3. Schubert (AUT), 33+; 4. Narasaki (JPN), 30; 5. Sean McColl (CAN), 30; 6. Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA), 29+; 7. Kai Harada (JPN), 28+; 8. Hannes Puman (SWE), 27+.

Speed ~ Final: 1. Ludovico Fossali (ITA), 6.871; 2. Jan Criz (CZE), fell. Third: Stanislav Kokorin (RUS), 5.835; 4. Danyil Boldyrev (UKR), 5.934.

Women

Bouldering: 1. Janja Garnbret (SLO), 3t3z ~ 8/8; 2. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN), 2t2z ~ 4/2; 3. Shauna Coxsey (GBR), 2t2z ~ 6/6; 4. Ievgeniia Kazbekova (UKR), 1t2z ~ 3/4; 5. Miho Nonaka (JPN), 1t2z ~ 5.6; 6. Nanako Kura (JPN), 0t1z ~ 0/1.

Lead: 1. Garnbret (SLO), 43+; 2. Mia Krampl (AUT), 39+; 3. Ai Mori (JPN), 38+; 4. Chae-Hyun Seo (KOR), 38+; 5. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN0, 38+; 6. Jessica Pilz (AUT), 35+; 7. Vita Lukan (SLO), 30+; 8. Julia Chanourdie (FRA), 30+.

Speed ~ Final: 1. Aleksandra Miroslaw (POL), 7.129; 2. Di Niu (CHN), 8.363. Third: 3. Anouck Jaubert (FRA), 7.534; 4. YiLing Song (CHN), 9.768.

ARCHERY: Ellison sweeps men’s titles; Kaufhold and Lorig share women’s crowns at U.S. Archery Nationals

Rich Perelman

August 17, 2019

tsx pix 2019-817 kaufhold-ellison nationals 750 — 2019 U.S. National Champions Casey Kaufhold (left) and Brady Ellison (Photo: USA Archery)

The beginning of a long process of selecting the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team in archery began in Dublin, Ohio at the 135th USA Archery National Target Championships and confirmed what everyone already knew.

Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold are going to be difficult to beat.

Both won the double-ranking round comfortably, Ellison shooting 1,351 and Kaufhold, age 15, shooting 1,314.

“I felt like my shot was a little off the first half,” said Ellison. “I was still catching some but it wasn’t quite there and then as soon as the wind started blowing, I started shooting better. It was a weird wind on the field today that not a lot of us saw, but still a lot of people were shooting pretty good. I’m happy to win another one, happy to be leading Trials, but wish I could have shot two 680s instead of 670s but I’m feeling good and looking forward to Texas [for stage 2 of the Trials].”

Ellison won over another prodigy, 16-year-old Josef Scarboro (1,330), followed by 19-year-old Jack Williams (1,325). Some of the famous Olympians from prior years who shot included Vic Wunderle (15th with 1,286), Butch Johnson (30th: 1,253) and Justin Huish (35th: 1,247).

Kaufhold ended with a 1,315-1,297 lead over Eliana Claps, with Crystal Gauvin third at 1,276. Khatuna Lorig, 45, the Pan American Games silver medalist in Lima, finished seventh at 1,244.

On Saturday, the U.S. Open was held, using the elimination format of the Olympic and World Championships finals. Ellison was again the best, winning in the final over 2016 Olympic team silver medalist Zach Garrett, 6-2.

Kaufhold made it through to the women’s final, but there was Lorig to defeat her again,. 7-3. Lorig and Kaufhold met in the semifinals of the Pan American Games, with Lorig moving on to the final and Kaufhold eventually taking the bronze medal.

In the Compound division, Louis Price was the upset winner among the men (1,426), while Slovenia’s Toja Ellison – shooting as a guest – won the women’s division at 1,412. Alexis Ruiz was the top American, in third place, and was named National Champion, scoring 1,388.

Price won the U.S. Open elimination tournament, but Nationals runner-up Tanja Jensen (DEN) came back to defeat Ellison in the women’s final, 137-131. Summaries:

USA Archery National Target Championships
Dublin, Ohio (USA) ~ 14-17 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men

Recurve: 1. Brady Ellison, 1,351; 2. Josef Scarboro, 1,330; 3. Jack Williams, 1,325; 4. Thomas Stanwood, 1,321; 5. Joonsuh Oh, 1,318; 6. Alex Bourdage, 1,315; 7. Zach Garrett, 1,314; 8. Jacob Wukie, 1,314.

Compound: 1. Louis Price, 1,426; 2. Matthew Sullivan, 1,415; 3. James Lutz, 1,413; 4. Braden Gellenthien, 1,412; 5. Tate Morgan, 1,412; 6. Don Jasa, 1,408; 7. Shawnn Vincent, 1,406; 8. Kris Schaff, 1,403.

Barebow: 1. John Demmer III, 1,326; 2. John Dillinger, 1,265; 3. Jason Lintner, 1,223; 4. Joseph Cashuric, 1,194; 5. Marcus Cooley, 1,194; 6. Srirama Phani Kumar Gottipati (IND), 1,192; 7. Scott Bills, 1,187; 8. An Nguyen, 1,164.

Women

Recurve: 1. Casey Kaufhold, 1,314; 2. Eliana Claps, 1,297; 3. Crystal Gauvin, 1,276; 4. Alexandria Zuleta-Visser, 1,264; 5. Erin Mickelberry, 1,261; 6. Nicole Turina, 1,259; 7. Khatuna Lorig, 1,244; 8. Amy Jung, 1,244.

Compound: 1. Toja Ellison (SLO), 1,412; 2. Tanja Jensen (DEN), 1,388; 3. Alexis Ruiz, 1,388; 4. Sophia Strachan, 1,386; 5. Savannah Vanderwier, 1,386; 6. Linda Ochoa-Anderson (MEX). 1,385; 7. Sarah Lance, 1,377; 8. Lexi Keller, 1,377.

Barebow: 1. Claire Xie, 1,200; 2. Susan Snider, 1,186; 3. Melody Richards, 1,168; 4. Kay Earls, 1,091; 5. Antonella Bath, 1,015; 6. Melissa Tennant, 1,006; 7. Amy Rayner-Cooley, 988; 8. Marissa Wolf, 959.

USA Archery U.S. Open
Dublin, Ohio (USA) ~ 14-17 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men

Recurve: 1. Brady Ellison; 2. Zach Garrett; 3. Jack Williams; 4. Joonsuh Oh. Third: Williams d. Oh, 6-5. Final: Ellison d. Garrett, 6-2.

Compound: 1. Louis Price; 2. Matthew Sullivan; 3. James Lutz; 4. Tate Morgan. Third: Lutz d. Morgan, 149-145. Final: Price d. Sullivan, 139-137.

Barebow: 1. John Demmer III; 2. John Dillinger; 3. Marcus Cooley; 4. Jason Lintner. Third: Cooley d. Lintner, 6-2. Final: Demmer d. Dillinger, 6-5

Women

Recurve: 1. Khatuna Lorig; 2. Casey Kaufhold; 3. Erin Mickelberry; 4. Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez. Third: Mickelberry d. Mucino-Fernandez, 7-1. Final: Lorig d. Kaufhold, 7-3.

Compound: 1. Tanja Jensen (DEN); 2. Toja Ellison (SLO); 3. Alexis Ruiz; 4. Jamie van Natta. Third: Ruiz d. van Natta, 146-140. Final: Jensen d. Ellison, 137-131.

Barebow: 1. Claire Xie; 2. Melissa Tennant; 3. Antonella Bath; 4. Amy Rayner-Cooley. Third: Bath d. Rayner-Cooley, 6-0. Final: Xie d. Tennant, 6-0.

SWIMMING: Morozov clinches World Cup cluster title, Hosszu overcomes Campbell and world lead for Rapsys in Singapore

Rich Perelman

August 17, 2019

tsx pix 2019-817 rapsys, danas 750 — New world leader in the 200 m Freestyle: Lithuania's Danas Rapsys

The first group of the meets in the 2019 FINA Swimming World Cup came to a close in Singapore on Saturday, with a demonstration that baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra was right:

“It ain’t over until it’s over.” In this case:

● The men’s cluster title, worth $50,000, went to Russia’s Vladimir Morozov, who not only won three events – the 50-100 m Frees and 50 m Back – but also set three World Cup records and importantly, had the performance with the highest FINA points score that gave him a 24-point bonus that proved critical, with his 24.40 50 m Back win.

He was chased to the finish by American Andrew Wilson, who had the no. 2 performance of the meet (per the FINA scoring table) with his 2:09.11 victory in the 200 m Breast, and ended up with 129 points to 156 for Morozov.

● Even though it didn’t score as high as Morozov’s 50 m Back or Wilson’s 200 m Breast, Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys won the 200 m Free in a world-leading 1:44.38 time, moving him to no. 6 on the all-time performers list. It’s the second lifetime best in two meets for Rapsys, whose time is further noteworthy as it’s the no. 4 performance ever in a textile suit. That earned him 12 bonus points and vaulted him into third in the cluster scoring. The final men’s totals:

1. 156, Vladimir Morozov (RUS)
2. 129, Andrew Wilson (USA)
3. 111, Danas Rapsys (LTU)
4. 108, Mitch Larkin (AUS)
5. 78, Michael Andrew (USA)

● The women’s cluster race came down to the final event, which Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu needed to win to clinch the $50,000 first prize. She won easily, and benefited from Australia’s Cate Campbell choosing to swim in only three races and finishing first, second and then skipping the 50 m Back, scoring no points. Campbell had the top performance among the women, her blazing 24.02 in the 50 m Free (956), but Hosszu nearly caught her with an all-out performance in the 200 m Medley heats. The Iron Lady’s 2:08.15 time was the second-fastest of the year (she has done 2:07.02) and scored 953 points.

But with three wins (and a second) plus the no. 2 performance, she scored 54 points at the meet to total 156, six better than Campbell (150). Hosszu took the $50,000 cluster first prize, but Campbell earned $35,000 for second and there were prizes of 30,000-20,000-10,000-5,000-4,000-3,000 down to eighth. The top women:

1. 156, Katinka Hosszu (HUN)
2. 150, Cate Campbell (AUS)
3. 105, Emily Seebohm (AUS)
4. 75, Michelle Coleman (SWE)
5. 66, Holly Barratt (AUS)

● The amazing endurance performance of Russia’s Vitalina Simonova continued, as she completed – for the third meet in a row – swimming in 14 of the 16 individual events. She had her greatest success in Singapore, winning four medals, including a win in the 200 m Breaststroke for the second meet in a row.

Among the multi-medal winners in Singapore, the most prolific was American Michael Andrew, who won six medals, including a win in the 50 m Fly and the lead-off leg on the winning U.S. 4×100 m Mixed Medley relay.

Australia’s Larkin, Hosszu and Morozov all won three individual events and Larkin won a fourth in the 4×100 m Mixed Freestyle.

The World Cup is in hiatus now until 4-6 October in Budapest (HUN). Summaries:

FINA World Cup no. 3
Singapore (SGP) ~ 15-17 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men

50 m Free: 1. Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 21.27; 2. Michael Andrew (USA), 21.78; 3. Santo Condorelli (ITA), 22.21.

100 m Free: 1. Morozov (RUS), 47.88; 2. Szebasztian Szabo (HUN), 48.53; 3. Condorelli (ITA), 48.72.

200 m Free: 1. Danas Rapsys (LTU), 1:44.38; 2. Fraser-Holmes (AUS), 1:48.69; 3. Jiwen Cao (CHN), 1:50.56.

400 m Free: 1. Danas Rapsys (LTU), 3:45.59; 2. Henning Muhlleitner (GER), 3:52.12; 3. Ben Roberts (AUS), 3:53.27.

1,500 m Free: 1. Roberts (AUS), 15:21.58; 2. Muhlleitner (GER), 15:35.06; 3. Owen Ngan (SGP), 16:33.03.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Morozov (RUS), 24.40; 2. Andrew (USA), 24.66; 3. Tristan Hollard (AUS), 25.80.

100 m Back: 1. Larkin (AUS), 53.43; 2. Andrew (USA), 54.29; 3. Hollard (AUS), 54.93.

200 m Back: 1. Mitch Larkin (AUS), 1:56.60; 2. Tristan Hollard (AUS), 1:58.39; 3. Jorden Merrilees (AUS), 1:59.98.

50 m Breaststroke: 1. Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA), 27.23; 2. Felipe Silva (BRA), 27.27; 3. Andrew (USA), 27.28. Also: 4. Andrew Wilson (USA), 27.49; … 6. Jonathan Tybur (USA), 28.43.

100 m Breast: 1. A. Wilson (USA), 58.93; 2. Martinenghi (ITA), 59.58; 3. Andrius Sidlauskas (LTU), 1:00.08.

200 m Breast: 1. A. Wilson (USA), 2:09.11; 2. Sidlauskas (LTU), 2:11.04; 3. Tybur (USA), 2:12.36.

50 m Butterfly: 1. Andrew (USA), 23.07; 2. Szabo (HUN), 23.14; 3. Yauhen Tsurkin (BLR), 23.74. Also: 4. Giles Smith (USA), 23.82.

100 m Fly: 1. Grant Irvine (AUS), 51.26; 2. Szabo (HUN), 51.28; 3. G. Smith (USA), 52.23.

200 m Fly: 1. Irvine (AUS), 1:56.77; 2. Nic Brown (AUS), 1:57.20; 3. Navaphat Wongcharoen (THA), 2:00.44.

200 m Medley: 1. Larkin (AUS), 1:57.43; 2. Rapsys (LTU), 1:59.14; 3. Thomas Fraser-Holmes (AUS), 1:59.98. Also: 8. Tybur (USA), 2:04.42.

400 m Medley: 1. Fraser-Holmes (AUS), 4:17.14; 2. Yizhe Wang (CHN), 4:25.32; 3. Wilrich Coetzee (NZL), 4:29.17.

Women

50 m Freestyle: 1. Cate Campbell (AUS), 24.02; 2. Michelle Coleman (SWE), 24.65; 3. Holly Barratt (AUS), 24.80.

100 m Free: 1. Coleman (SWE), 53.63; 2. Barratt (AUS), 55.16; 3. Camille Chang (HKG), 55.19.

200 m Free: 1. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN), 1:58.40; 2. Coleman (SWE), 1:58.74; 3. C. Cheng (HKG), 2:00.20.

400 m Free: 1. Maddy Gough (AUS), 4:08.09; 2. Erica Sullivan (USA), 4:09.28; 3. Moesha Johnson (AUS), 4:13.55.

800 m Free: 1. Sullivan (USA), 8:26.60; 2. Gough (AUS), 8:31.98; 3. M. Johnson (AUS), 8:44.95.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Barratt (AUS), 27.95; 2. Stephanie Au (HKG), 28.16; 3. Emily Seebohm (AUS), 28.18.

100 m Back: 1. Seebohm (AUS), 59.43; 2. Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 59.48; 3. Au (HKG), 1:00.22.

200 m Back: 1. Seebohm (AUS), 2:10.50; 2. Toto Wong (HKG), 2:15.79; 3. Sullivan (USA), 2:17.78.

50 m Breaststroke: 1. Alia Atkinson (JAM), 30.31; 2. Breeja Larson (USA), 30.98; 3. Ran Suo (CHN), 31.13.

100 m Breast: 1. Atkinson (JAM), 1:07.35; 2. Larson (USA), 1:07.55; 3. Vitalina Simonova (RUS), 1:09.33.

200 m Breast: 1. Simonova (RUS), 2:25.65; 2. Larson (USA), 2:28.75; 3. Phiangkhwan Pawapotako (THA), 2:33.67.

50 m Butterfly: 1. Barratt (AUS), 25.31; 2. C. Campbell (AUS), 25.49; 3. Jeanette Ottesen (DEN), 25.92.

100 m Fly: 1. Yufei Zhang (CHN), 57.94; 2. Jakabos (HUN), 58.43; 3. Ottesen (DEN), 58.49.

200 m Fly: 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2:07.07; 2. Jakabos (HUN), 2:07.48; 3. Jing Wen Quah (SGP), 2:10.26.

200 m Medley: 1. Hosszu (HUN), 2:08.63; 2. Jakabos (HUN), 2:13.64; 3. Simonova (RUS), 2:18.43.

400 m Medley: 1. Hosszu (HUN), 4:39.76; 2. Jakabos (HUN), 4:45.28; 3. Simonova (RUS), 4:52.49. Also: 4. Sullivan (USA), 4:57.96.

Mixed

4×100 m Freestyle: 1. Australia (Fraser-Holmes, Larkin, Seebohm, C. Campbell), 3:26.45; 2. Singapore, 3:31.53; 3. China, 3:32.64. Also: 4. United States (Michael Andrew, Giles Smith, Breeja Larson, Erica Sullivan), 3:34.56.

4×100 m Medley: 1. United States (Michael Andrew, Breeja Larson, Giles Smith, Erica Sullivan), 3:52.17; 2. Australia, 3:53.09; 3. China, 3:58.43.

THE BIG PICTURE: Seven more Russian weightlifters suspended for suspected doping by IWF

Rich Perelman

August 16, 2019

The International Weightlifting Federation announced its second batch of provisional suspensions this week of Russian weightlifters who competed between 2006 and 2017, for violations of the federation’s anti-doping code.

Like the five suspended previously on Monday, all were charged with violations of “Article 2.2 of the IWF Anti-Doping Policy” which is for “Use or Attempted Use by an Athlete of a Prohibited Substance or a Prohibited Method.”

The seven new cases include six who won international medals and two already-disqualified Olympic medal winners:

Men:
● Dmitriy Lapikov:
-105 kg: 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, disqualified for doping in 2016; he previously tested positive at the 2011 European Championships and was suspended. He won silver medals at the 2006 and 2009 World Championships.

● Chingiz Mogushkov:
+105 kg: 2015 European Championships bronze medalist.

● Adam Maligov:
-85 kg: 2014 European Championships silver medalist;
-94 kg: 2017 European Championships gold medalist.

● Magomed Abuev
+105 kg: 2012 World Junior Champion and European Junior Champion

● Maksim Sheyko:
-105 kg: 2012-13 European Championships silver medalist

Women:
● Nadezhda Evstyukhina:
-75 kg: 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, disqualified for doping in 2016;
-75 kg: Six-time World Championships medalist from 2006-14, including 2011-13-14 golds

● Yuliya Konovalova:
+75 kg: Fifth at the 2014 World Championships

These are cases based, once again, on evidence originally submitted by Canadian Prof. Richard McLaren in his 2016 reports and information gleaned by the World Anti-Doping Agency from its review of data and samples retrieved from the Moscow Laboratory of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency earlier this year.

The IWF is not the only one in the suspension business in Russian weightlifting. The Russian Weightlifting Federation announced last Tuesday an eight-year ban on 2017 European 90 kg winner and 2019 87 kg silver medalist Diana Mstiyeva. She was caught in an out-of-competition test in May and earned the long suspension because of a prior drug suspensions from 2014-16.

That’s 13 suspensions in a week!

BASKETBALL: U.S. men defeat Spain, 90-81 in reassuring exhibition in Anaheim

Rich Perelman

August 16, 2019

tsx pix 2019-816 plumlee vs gasol us-esp 750 — The U.S. men's World Cup team tips off with Mason Plumlee (in blue) vs. Marc Gasol in Friday's exhibition win over Spain (Photo: USA Basketball)

The nearly hysterical reports from earlier this week about the U.S. men’s national team being out-classed in scrimmages against pick-up teams of G-League players and free agents looked out of place on Friday evening as the American World Cup team defeated a quality Spanish team, 90-81 at the well-attended Honda Center in Anaheim.

This is the Spanish team which will be one of the favorites in the upcoming FIBA World Cup in China, and while the intensity was not at the same level as it will be when the games count, the U.S. demonstrated good defense and rebounding, lots of shot-making ability and a penchant for turnovers which has to get fixed.

With a starting line-up of Mason Plumlee, Donovan Mitchell, Kemba Walker, Khris Middleton and Harrison Barnes, the U.S. was tied at 10 after three and a half minutes, but then ran away to a 31-20 first-quarter lead and was never headed.

The halftime lead was 54-41 and 71-58 after three quarters. In the fourth, Spain got as close as 80-72 on a Sergio Llull three-pointer, but a Joe Harris three-pointer, a Derrick White jumper and another three from Jayson Tatum made the score 88-72 and ended the issue.

The U.S. shot 54.8% from the field and held the Spanish to 40.8% shooting and out-rebounded Spain, 42-20. But 23 turnovers were a problem for the U.S., especially vs. 11 for Spain.

Mitchell had 13 points, Middleton had 12 and Walker and Jayson Tatum had 11 as the top scorers for the U.S. Center Marc Gasol led all scorers with 19 points for Spain and Ricky Rubio had 16.

The U.S. controlled the game throughout and moves on to a training camp in Australia, where they will play Australia twice and Canada once before heading to China for the World Cup, which will tip off on 31 August.

The box score and play-by-play can be found here.

TRIATHLON: Canada’s Mislawchuk surprises with men’s Olympic qualifier win in Tokyo

Rich Perelman

August 16, 2019

tsx pix 2019-816 mislawchuk, tyler oly qualifier 750 — A happy winner: Canada's Tyler Mislawchuk in Tokyo! (Photo: ITU)

The conditions were cloudy and less harsh for the men at the ITU Olympic qualifier at Odaiba Marine Park on Friday, and Canada’s unheralded Tyler Mislawchuk took advantage.

The winner of one World Series medal in his career – a bronze in front of home fans in the Montreal Sprint in late June – Mislawchuk found himself in the lead pack as the 10 km run phase started.

By the end of the second lap of the run, Mislawchuk, Hayden Wilde of New Zealand and Casper Stornes of Norway – certainly not the favorites going in – were in the lead and determined to stay there. Wilde moved first, with 1,500 m to go, but Mislawchuk and Stornes stay close. The effort tired Wilde and he lost contact and two were left.

The issue was not decided until the final sprint to the tape and Mislawchuk had more in the legs than Stornes and managed a four-second win, the biggest of his career.

“That’s the biggest race outside of the Olympics for me so that’s just unbelievable,” said Mislawchuk. “I had good legs on the day and I want to thank the boys out there for helping me out, we worked as a team and I couldn’t have done it without them. I can’t believe it.

“We prepared specifically for this. Me and Hayden turned well the whole way and we knew we were in it for the medals if we worked together. It came down to a sprint and I had the legs and I wanted it more than anything today. I thought I may never have the chance to win a big race like this ever again so I’ve got to take it now.”

The water and air temps were 84 degrees F at the start of the racing, with 72% humidity and significant winds as well.

There was one reported hospitalization from the women’s race on Thursday. France’s Cassandre Beaugrand, who finished 19th, was treated for potential heatstroke, but no further word has been reported on her condition.

The Mixed Relay will be held on Sunday. Summaries so far:

ITU Olympic Qualification Event
Tokyo (JPN) ~ 15-18 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men (1.5 km swim/40 km bike/10 km run): 1. Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN), 1:49:51; 2. Casper Stornes (NOR), 1:49:55; 3. Hayden Wilde (NZL), 1:50:03; 4. Gustav Iden (NOR), 1:50:25; 5. Jonny Brownlee (GBR), 1:50:28; 6. Joao Silva (POR), 1:50:36; 7. Bence Bicsak (HUN), 1:50:41; 8. Pierre LeCorre (FRA), 1:51:00. Also in the top 25: 16. Matt McElroy (USA), 1:52:00; … 25. Morgan Pearson (USA), 1:52:54.

Women (1.5 km swim/40 km bike/5 km run): 1. Flora Duffy (BER), 1:40:19; 2. Alice Betto (ITA), 1:40:54; 3. Vicky Holland (GBR), 1:41:11; 4. Vittoria Lopes (BRA), 1:41:21; 5. Summer Rappaport (USA), 1:41:25; 6. Laura Lindemann (GER), 1:41:27; 7. Non Stanford (GBR), 1:41:32; 8. Taylor Spivey (USA), 1:41:38. Also in the top 25: 14. Kirsten Kasper (USA), 1:42:40.

SPORT CLIMBING: Garnbret storms to win in Lead, Ondra rebounds for Lead title at World Champs

Rich Perelman

August 16, 2019

tsx pix 92818 garnbret janja — Slovenia's climbing star Janja Garnbret

Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret is leading little doubt at the IFSC World Championships in Hachoji, Japan that she wants to be – and is – the favorite for the inaugural Olympic climbing event in Tokyo next year.

She won the Bouldering crown to extend her perfect season of World Cup wins with a world title. But on Thursday, she crushed the world-class field by leading after every phase and winning with 43+ holds, an amazing four better than runner-up Mia Krampl of Austria. Korea’s Chae-Hyun Seo, who won two World Cups earlier in the year, finished fourth.

Garnbret is not done, as there is more on the schedule:

● 17 August: Speed
● 20 August: Combined/Women (Speed/Bouldering/Lead)
● 21 August: Combined/Men (Speed/Bouldering/Lead)

In the men’s Lead action, Czech star Adam Ondra won his third world title in the last four championships and has now won a medal in the last seven Worlds (3-2-2) dating back to 2009. He managed 34+, one hold more than World Cup leader Alexander Megos (GER) and 2018 World Champion Jakob Schubert (AUT), both at 33+.

There is prize money for the Worlds, for the top six placers in each discipline: € 3,990-2.490-1,445-783-508-375 (€1=$1.12). Summaries so far:

IFSC World Championships
Hachioji (JPN) ~ 11-21 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men

Lead: 1. Ondra (CZE), 34+; 2. Alexander Megos (GER), 33+; 3. Jakob Schubert (AUT), 33+; 4. Narasaki (JPN), 30; 5. Sean McColl (CAN), 30; 6. Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA), 29+; 7. Kai Harada (JPN), 28+; 8. Hannes Puman (SWE), 27+.

Women

Lead: 1. Garnbret (SLO), 43+; 2. Mia Krampl (AUT), 39+; 3. Ai Mori (JPN), 38+; 4. Chae-Hyun Seo (KOR), 38+; 5. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN), 38+; 6. Jessica Pilz (AUT), 35+; 7. Vita Lukan (SLO), 30+; 8. Julia Chanourdie (FRA), 30+.

SWIMMING: Morozov wins two, sets two World Cup records and in line for $50,000 cluster prize

Rich Perelman

August 16, 2019

tsx pix-83116 vlad morozov-santa clara 2015 (bob stanton) 750 — Russia's two-time World Cup champ Vladimir Morozov (Photo: Bob Stanton)

Russia’s Vladimir Morozov knew what he needed to do on Friday to clinch the $50,000 first prize for the FINA Swimming World Cup’s three-meet cluster finishing in Singapore: win two races and swim fast.

He did both of those things and barring a world record from American Andrew Wilson in the 200 m Breaststroke on Saturday, Morozov should be in the money

Morozov won the 50 m Backstroke in a speedy 21.40, a World Cup record and a season’s best, vaulting him to no. 1 on the 2019 world list. That swim was worth 951 points on the FINA scoring tables, a mark which will be very hard to surpass and should give him the bonus points he needs to win the cluster.

He then won the 100 m Free in 47.88, moving to equal-10th on the year list and setting another World Cup record; it was worth 940 points.

Morozov’s top challenger, American breaststroker Andrew Wilson, finished fourth in the 50 m Breast, essentially ending his chances of catching Morozov. He would have to set a world record on Saturday in the 200 m Breast to have a chance to overtake Morozov.

In the very tight women’s race, Australia’s Cate Campbell came in with 105 points to 102 for Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu. Campbell swam a ridiculously fast 24.02 in the 50 m Free on Thursday and sits atop the bonus-points board at 956. However, she was second in the 50 m Fly and did not place in the 50 m Back, so her max point total is 141. Hosszu has won two events and will win the 200 m Medley on Saturday, moving her to 138 and if she has a performance in the top three of the meet, she can win the cluster. But that will all be known on Saturday,

Russia’s Vitalina Simonova swam in all five women’s events and has nine in after two days. She swam in 14 events in Tokyo and Jinan and looks to do the same in Singapore. Wow!

Summaries so far:

FINA World Cup no. 3
Singapore (SGP) ~ 15-17 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men

50 m Free: 1. Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 21.27; 2. Michael Andrew (USA), 21.78; 3. Santo Condorelli (ITA), 22.21.

100 m Free: 1. Morozov (RUS), 47.88; 2. Szebasztian Szabo (HUN), 48.53; 3. Condorelli (ITA), 48.72.

400 m Free: 1. Danas Rapsys (LTU), 3:45.59; 2. Henning Muhlleitner (GER), 3:52.12; 3. Ben Roberts (AUS), 3:53.27.

1,500 m Free: 1. Roberts (AUS), 15:21.58; 2. Muhlleitner (GER), 15:35.06; 3. Owen Ngan (SGP), 16:33.03.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Morozov (RUS), 24.40; 2. Andrew (USA), 24.66; 3. Tristan Hollard (AUS), 25.80.

200 m Back: 1. Mitch Larkin (AUS), 1:56.60; 2. Tristan Hollard (AUS), 1:58.39; 3. Jorden Merrilees (AUS), 1:59.98.

50 m Breaststroke: 1. Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA), 27.23; 2. Felipe Silva (BRA), 27.27; 3. Andrew (USA), 27.28. Also: 4. Andrew Wilson (USA), 27.49; … 6. Jonathan Tybur (USA), 28.43.

100 m Breast: 1. A. Wilson (USA), 58.93; 2. Martinenghi (ITA), 59.58; 3. Andrius Sidlauskas (LTU), 1:00.08.

100 m Fly: 1. Grant Irvine (AUS), 51.26; 2. Szabo (HUN), 51.28; 3. Giles Smith (USA), 52.23.

200 m Fly: 1. Irvine (AUS), 1:56.77; 2. Nic Brown (AUS), 1:57.20; 3. Navaphat Wongcharoen (THA), 2:00.44.

200 m Medley: 1. Larkin (AUS), 1:57.43; 2. Rapsys (LTU), 1:59.14; 3. Thomas Fraser-Holmes (AUS), 1:59.98. Also: 8. Tybur (USA), 2:04.42.

Women

50 m Freestyle: 1. Cate Campbell (AUS), 24.02; 2. Michelle Coleman (SWE), 24.65; 3. Holly Barratt (AUS), 24.80.

200 m Free: 1. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN), 1:58.40; 2. Coleman (SWE), 1:58.74; 3. Camille Cheng (HKG), 2:00.20.

400 m Free: 1. Maddy Gough (AUS), 4:08.09; 2. Erica Sullivan (USA), 4:09.28; 3. Moesha Johnson (AUS), 4:13.55.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Barratt (AUS), 27.95; 2. Stephanie Au (HKG), 28.16; 3. Emily Seebohm (AUS), 28.18.

100 m Back: 1. Seebohm (AUS), 59.43; 2. Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 59.48; 3. Au (HKG), 1:00.22.

100 m Breast: 1. Alia Atkinson (JAM), 1:07.35; 2. Breeja Larson (USA), 1:07.55; 3. Vitalina Simonova (RUS), 1:09.33.

200 m Breast: 1. Simonova (RUS), 2:25.65; 2. Larson (USA), 2:28.75; 3. Phiangkhwan Pawapotako (THA), 2:33.67.

50 m Butterfly: 1. Barratt (AUS), 25.31; 2. C. Campbell (AUS), 25.49; 3. Jeanette Ottesen (DEN), 25.92.

200 m Fly: 1. Hosszu (HUN), 2:07.07; 2. Jakabos (HUN), 2:07.48; 3. Jing Wen Quah (SGP), 2:10.26.

400 m Medley: 1. Hosszu (HUN), 4:39.76; 2. Jakabos (HUN), 4:45.28; 3. Simonova (RUS), 4:52.49. Also: 4. Sullivan (USA), 4:57.96.

Mixed

TSX DAILY: Australia is having the “Olympic Talk” about Queensland; the Diamond League, money and more

Rich Perelman

August 16, 2019

= TSX DAILY ~ 16 August 2019 =

| 1. | LANE ONE: With a possible 2032 bid ahead, Australia’s Queensland region is now having the “Olympic talk”

Even though the International Olympic Committee has tried to deflate much of the silliness out of the bidding process for the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games, it’s back in the news … in Australia.

The state of Queensland, which includes Brisbane and 2018 Commonwealth Games host Gold Coast, is highly interested in bidding for 2032 and is led to believe by Australian IOC member John Coates that a bid could be secured as early as 2020. It has commissioned a study to look into the public costs, with the report due next year.

In the meantime, a public discussion is taking place about whether such a bid is worthwhile. Shane Wright, the senior economics writer for several major Australian newspapers, filed an opinion piece saying that hosting the Games always results in cost overruns and that public money is better spent elsewhere.

Coates responded with his own article, citing the IOC’s reforms that allow a Games to be staged over a wide area – not just in one city – and emphasizing the use of existing and temporary facilities. What’s more, he notes, is that the IOC’s financial support will help ensure that the operating costs of the Games will be covered privately.

Ah, but what of the public costs for construction and the like? Coates says that major works in transportation and related areas are not about the Games and should be done because they are needed in any case. Wright cites a study stating cost overruns are inevitable.

Wright’s reliance on the British study he cites is a problem because it overlooks the one Games where these things didn’t happen. The 1984 Games in Los Angeles – finally adopted, about 30 years late, as the IOC’s new paradigm – was not only staged at no cost to the City of Los Angeles and State of California taxpayers, but ended with a surplus that has gone into the service of youth sports locally and Olympic sport in the U.S. nationally.

That happened because of a referendum in Los Angeles in 1978 that required the City to forego sending any money unless it could recover it from Games revenues. And it did; the organizing committee’s central focus was on containing costs and making the Games work with private financing.

The same options are open to the Queensland folks: existing facilities, private financing if desired and the opportunity to put the question to a vote. That there is a lively public debate about a Queensland bid is a good thing. Coates himself, in recommendations adopted by the IOC last June, suggested that bidding cities or regions hold any necessary referenda before formally submitting their bid for Games. He may have prescribed the answer to the question of whether Queensland should bid for 2032.

| 2. | ATHLETICS: Diamond League resumes in Birmingham with a major Caribbean showdown

After a month’s break for national championships and the Pan American Games, the IAAF Diamond League resumes on Sunday in Birmingham (GBR) with what are essentially previews of the upcoming World Championships on Qatar.

One of the most compelling events is the women’s 200 m, where Pan American Games champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (pictured) – twice Olympic champion at 100 m – will face Olympic 400 m champ Shaunae Miller-Uibo from The Bahamas. The latter has not been beaten over this distance in two years, winning 10 finals in a row. The two have not met since 2015 in this event and are 1-1 lifetime against each other. Both will have to contend with Blessing Okagbare, no. 2 on the 2019 world list at 22.05.

In the women’s 100 m hurdles, world-record holder Keni Harrison of the U.S. and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Brianna McNeal (USA) will face the top two on the 2019 world list: Danielle Williams (JAM: 12.32) and Janeek Brown (JAM: 12.40). The same four are expected to fight for the medals at the World Championships.

There are many other individual stars entered, including American sprinter Christian Coleman in the 100 m, American – and Worlds favorite – Ajee Wilson in the women’s 800 m, pole vault stars Katerina Stefanidi (GRE) and Jenn Suhr and Katie Nageotte of the U.S. and many more. Our in-depth preview is here.

| 3. | SHOOTING: 19 Olympic or Worlds medalists at Lahti Shotgun World Cup

The ISSF World Cup series for Shotgun events – Trap and Skeet – has started in Lahti (FIN), with more than 400 shooters on the line, and Olympic qualifying slots in play.

The event has attracted 19 current or recent Olympic or World Championships medalists, including Americans Caitlin Connor, the 2018 World Skeet Champion and Amber English, the 2018 Worlds Skeet bronze medalist.

Competition continues through the 22nd; our preview is here.

| 4. | SWIMMING: Morozov and Campbell win big at FINA World Cup to stay in front

The third meet of the FINA Swimming World Cup in Singapore is the final leg of the first “cluster” of meets and carries major prize money, including $50,000 for the winners of the men’s and women’s point standings.

On the first of three days, Russia’s Vladimir Morozov and Australian Cate Campbell both tried to make sure that they would not be overtaken.

Morozov (pictured) won the 50 m Freestyle in a World Cup record of 21.27, a season’s best, no. 2 in the world for 2019 and moving him to no. 7 on the all-time list. Campbell swam the women’s race in 24.02, a time only she and Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom have bettered this season.

They aren’t home free yet, with two more days to go. Their closest pursuers, American Andrew Wilson and Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu, both won races on Thursday as well. But the quality of their marks wasn’t as good as Morozov and Campbell and – if all four win three events each, as planned – the bonus points from the FINA scoring tables will make the difference in the final standings.

Morozov and Campbell took major steps toward winning the first prize, but there are other prizes and second also comes with a handsome payday of $35,000 each. More here.

| 5. | BASKETBALL: U.S. men’s World Cup team to face Spain in Anaheim Friday

The U.S. men’s National Team will play its first exhibition game ahead of the FIBA World Cup in China on Friday against Spain at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California at 7 p.m. Pacific time.

This will be the first game that the U.S. team will play a full game against. With many of the NBA’s top stars passing on playing for the national team this year, alarming reports of the current team being badly outplayed by a team of G-League players and free agents in two scrimmages on Wednesday have circulated widely.

The game vs. Spain will give a better reading, as will two games in Melbourne against Australia and one vs. Canada. The American squad opens World Cup play in Shanghai (CHN) vs. the Czech Republic on 1 September.

| 6. | FOOTBALL: U.S. Women’s National Team reps walk out of mediation talks

The negotiations between representatives of the U.S. Women’s National Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation over compensation and conditions ended on Wednesday.

According to women’s team spokeswoman Molly Levinson, “We entered this week’s mediation with representatives of [U.S. Soccer] full of hope. Today we must conclude these meetings sorely disappointed in the Federation’s determination to perpetuate fundamentally discriminatory workplace conditions and behavior.”

Federation spokesman Neil Buethe countered, “We have said numerous times that our goal is to find a resolution, and during mediation we had hoped we would be able to address the issues in a respectful manner and reach an agreement. Unfortunately, instead of allowing mediation to proceed in a considerate manner, plaintiffs’ counsel took an aggressive and ultimately unproductive approach that follows months of presenting misleading information to the public in an effort to perpetuate confusion.”

The players filed a class-action lawsuit in March, alleging unequal pay and working conditions. If the talks to do not resume, the suit will proceed. The USSF ha presented data showing the women’s team created less revenue than the men’s team did, which of course is disputed by the women’s players (and the men’s, too).

| 7. | TRIATHLON: Canada’s Mislawchuk wins men’s Olympic test event in Tokyo; one women’s athlete treated for heat

The second day of the ITU Olympic Qualifying event at the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo saw Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk post a swift run to win in 1:49:51, just ahead of Norway’s Casper Stornes (1:49:55) and New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde (1:50:03).

Temperatures were down to 84 degrees F at the start and the water temp was also 84 F. This allowed the full Olympic distance to be run (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run). One case of heat stroke was reported from the women’s race; France’s Cassandre Beaugrand was taken to a hospital after finishing 19th in 1:43:39.

LANE ONE: With a possible 2032 bid ahead, Australia’s Queensland region is now having the “Olympic talk”

Rich Perelman

August 15, 2019

The tumult over bids for the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games should have subsided after the selection of Milan-Cortina to host the 2018 Olympic Winter Games last June. But just weeks later, it’s back in full swing, at least in the Australian state of Queensland.

There, the government is intrigued by the idea of bringing the Games back to Australia for a third time, after Melbourne’s 1956 hosting and the Sydney Games of 2000. Queensland includes the cities of Brisbane and Gold Coast, where the 2018 Commonwealth Games was successfully staged. But the central issue has become – as you would expect – costs.

What will it cost to host the Games? Who pays for it? What assurances are there that it won’t be a disaster? These are the questions that have been asked over and over.

Far from behind discussed behind closed doors, the debate is quite public.

On 5 August, an opinion piece from Shane Wright, the senior economics correspondent of The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald appeared in the Brisbane Times, titled “Olympics – what are they good for?”

He quite correctly asked the question this way: “let’s work out whether this investment will be a huge white elephant that will leave future generations with old ticket stubs on the fridge and a hole in their wallets.”

Wright went through the litany of possible Games problems: existing venues which may or may not be in shape in 2032, an economic lift that is always short-term, little evidence of a permanent boost in tourism and the opportunity cost of spending money on Olympic projects instead of needed civic infrastructure and programs. He concludes that “all that is left for the locals is a $15 billion-sized hole.”

On 16 August, the reply came from John Coates, perhaps the second-most influential member of the International Olympic Committee (to President Thomas Bach of Germany), also in the Brisbane Times.

His opinion piece – “The new case for staging the Olympics: an infrastructure legacy with no cost burden” – emphasized the changes in bidding requirements from the IOC, emphasizing existing venues and spreading the event beyond a single host city.

Wrote Coates (costs are in Australian dollars):

“This is what makes the proposition for Queensland so attractive. At least 85 per cent of venues for a prospective 2032 Games already exist or are already scheduled for construction. In the cases of Paris and Los Angeles, which will host the 2024 and 2028 Games respectively, the use of existing and temporary facilities sits at more than 90 per cent.

“A Queensland Olympic Games in 2032 should be at least cost neutral, if not turn a surplus for the legacy of sport. With operational costs expected about $5.3 billion, based on the IOC contribution to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the IOC has indicated it would contribute a minimum $2.5 billion, with the remainder generated by sponsorship, tickets sales and the commercial program.”

That’s fine for the costs of operating a 2032 Games, but not the infrastructure cost of stadiums, roads, accommodations and so on. He noted that “For Queensland, there is the opportunity for long-term urban and infrastructure development for south-east Queensland – jobs and economic growth. Improved road and rail infrastructure linking the Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast is a pressing priority now and is not Games-driven. The report by Infrastructure Australia released this week points to the need for immediate action to reduce current and future congestion.”

And there is where the issue really sits. What public costs will be associated with a 2032 Games in Queensland? Wright mentions a $15 billion (Australian) figure without any basis for it. The Queensland government has commissioned a study to determine the projected costs of a possible 2032 Games, to be completed sometime in early 2020.

A group of city Mayors from the southeast Queensland area did its own study and suggested a cost of A$5.3 billion to upgrade some venues and build at least one new site.

Countered Wright: “An Oxford University/SAID Business School study in 2016, which compared every summer and winter Olympic Games since 1960, found any community taking on the event pays through the nose.

“‘All Games, without exception, have cost overruns,’ it noted.”

Unfortunately for Wright, that study conveniently omitted the IOC’s new-found paradigm – adopted more than 30 years late – for the Olympic Games: Los Angeles in 1984. Somehow that 2016 study (here) managed to miss the one example where an organizing concept was right … on the money. In short:

● Los Angeles taxpayers voted, in 1978, to prohibit the City from expending any funds on the 1984 Games “unless the direct and indirect costs to be incurred … do not exceed the direct receipts received or to be received no later than June 30, 1985 by the City in connection with said 1984 Olympic Games.”

● The Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee was formed and staged the Games at no net cost to the City of Los Angeles or the State of California, reimbursing both for the security services rendered that were related to the Games. The contribution of the U.S. government was limited to a one-time grant of $50 million for security equipment and staffing.

● The Games were held on a budget of $546 million, but realized revenues of about $779 million, with the final surplus at $232.5 million after all of the after-Games receipts came in. Those funds went to the United States Olympic Committee (60%) and to what is now the LA84 Foundation (40%), which has been investing in local youth sports ever since.

Those of us who worked on the Games in 1984 – I was in charge of Press Operations and was editor-in-chief of the Official Report afterwards – have been continuously baffled why future host cities wasted so much money on an event that need not have been that expensive. The IOC contributed to a lot of this nonsense, but the crisis in bidding finally led to the recent reforms by which new bidders are encouraged to use existing facilities and to have the “Games fit the city” rather than the other way around.

In the latest set of reforms which was passed by the IOC membership in June, a Coates-chaired IOC working group recommended that “cities interested in hosting the Games should hold referendums before submitting official tenders to avoid having to withdraw their candidacy at a later date.”

It worked for us in Los Angeles in the run-up to 1984. Inside the organizing committee, waste was chased, hiring was delayed as long as possible and everyone understood that the Games must pay for itself. Los Angeles has a wealth of facilities, far more than almost any other city, but not more than an entire region, such as Queensland.

It can be done; I saw it happen in Los Angeles and again when working with the Salt Lake City organizers in 2002, where the Olympic Winter Games realized a surplus that paid back the state of Utah for its investment in facilities for the Games.

Coates was right in his working group’s recommendations that were approved by the IOC in June and Wright makes the point that the question of opportunity cost – where money could otherwise be spent – must be considered.

It’s great that Queensland is having “the [Olympic] talk” before its bid is actually made. Next year’s report will showcase the projected issues and costs.

Then, Queensland, as Coates so rightly stated, can vote on it. Simple, right?

Rich Perelman
Editor

GYMNASTICS Preview: Averina and Averina headline Rhythmic World Challenge Cup

Rich Perelman

August 15, 2019

tsx pix 2019-407 averina dina+arina 750 — Dominant: Dina and Arina Averina (RUS)

The World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships will be in Baku (AZE) from 16-22 September, so the biggest stars are in Minsk (BLR) for the first FIG World Challenge Cup to help retain peak sharpness.

Usually, the World Challenge Cup series is a level down from the World Cup tour, but with the Worlds coming, any international-level competition will do for:

● Arina Averina (RUS) ~ 2017 World All-Around silver, Ball & Ribbon gold medalist
● Dina Averina (RUS) ~ 2017-18 World All-Around-Hoop-Clubs Champion
● Katsiaryna Halkina (BLR) ~ 2017-18 World Clubs silver medalist
● Neviana Vladinova (BUL) ~ 2017 World Ball bronze medalist
● Linoy Ashram (ISR) ~ 2018 World All-Around & Hoop silver medalist
● Alexandra Agiurgiuculese (ITA) ~ 2018 World Ball bronze medalist
● Milena Baldassarri (ITA) ~ 2018 World Ribbon silver medalist
● Kaho Minagawa (JPN) ~ 2017 World Hoop bronze medalist

The Individual All-Around and Group All-Around will be held Friday, with the individual apparatus finals on Saturday and Group finals on Sunday (18th).

Prize money for the All-Around is CHF 700-550-450-300-250-200-150-100 and for the apparatus finals is 600-450-300-200-150-100-100-100 for the top eight places. Look for results here.

SHOOTING Preview: 19 World or Olympic medalists at last Shotgun World Cup of 2019 in Lahti

Rich Perelman

August 15, 2019

tsx pix 2019-815 connor, caitlin 750 — 2018 World Skeet Champion Caitlin Connor (USA)

A very large field of 407 shooters from 66 countries is in Lahti (FIN) for the final Shotgun World Cup of 2019. Beyond the medals are two Olympic quota places for each of the four individual events, to be contested over the next week:

● 16 August: Women’s Trap
● 17 August: Men’s Trap
● 18 August: Mixed Team Trap
● 21 August: Women’s Skeet
● 22 August: Men’s Skeet

The fields are quite good, although many stars have already earned Olympic quota places and therefore have no need to attend. But there are 17 Olympic or World Championships medalist from 2016-19 entered:

Men:
● Erik Watndal (NOR) ~ 2018 Worlds Skeet silver
● Mauro de Filippis (ITA) ~ 2019 Worlds Trap silver medalist
● Khaled Al-Mudhuf (KUW) ~ 2019 Worlds Trap bronze medalist
● Tomas Nydrle (CZE) ~ 2019 Worlds Skeet gold medalist
● Jeremy Bird (GBR) ~ 2019 Worlds Skeet bronze medalist
● Abdullah Al-Rashidi (KUW) ~ 2016 Olympic Skeet bronze medalist
● Marcus Svensson (SWE) ~ 2016 Olympic Skeet silver medalist
● Giovanni Pellielo (ITA) ~ 2016 Olympic Trap silver medalist
● Edward Ling (GBR) ~ 2016 Olympic Trap bronze medalist

Women:
● Caitlin Connor (USA) ~ 2018 Worlds Skeet gold medalist
● Amber English (USA) ~ 2018 Worlds Skeet bronze medalist
● Xiaojing Wang (CHN) ~ 2018 Worlds Trap silver medalist; 2018 Worlds silver
● Silvana Stanco (ITA) ~ 2018 Worlds Trap bronze medalist
● Meng Wei (CHN) ~ 2019 Worlds Skeet silver medalist
● Victoria Larsson (SWE) ~ 2019 Worlds Skeet bronze medalist
● Natalie Rooney (NZL) ~ 2016 Olympic Trap silver medalist
● Catherine Skinner (AUS) ~ 2016 Olympic Trap gold medalist

The ISSF has an excellent Web site for coverage of the World Cup; you can find results here.

SWIMMING: Campbell swims 24.02 and Morozov wins 50 Free in 21.27 to stay ahead in FINA World Cup

Rich Perelman

August 15, 2019

tsx pix 2019-815 campbell, cate 750 — Australian sprint star Cate Campbell

The opening day of the FINA World Cup in Singapore was an exercise in urgency for cluster leader Cate Campbell (AUS) and Vladimir Morozov (RUS).

Both need to win three events and have one of the top three performances of the meet to hold off their prime challengers and they were both ready:

● Campbell won the women’s 50 m Free in a speedy 24.02, a mark only she (24.00) and Sarah Sjostrom (SWE: 23.78) have bettered this year. She earned a sensational 956 points on the FINA table for the race, well ahead of the 880 points that Katinka Hosszu (HUN) got for winning the 200 m Fly in 2:07.07.

But there are two days left; if both win three races and Hosszu can finish ahead of Campbell on the points table, she will win the cluster and the $50,000 first prize.

● Morozov won the men’s 50 m Free in 21.27, a lifetime best and moving him from 18th to 10th on the all-time list and no. 2 for 2019. He earned 909 points for the effort.

He needed to, as American challenger Andrew Wilson won the 100 m Breast in 58.93, a season’s best and worth 880 points on the FINA table. If both win three events, Wilson has to finish first on the FINA performance list for this meet and Morozov would have to be third for Wilson to win the cluster.

Russia’s Vitalina Simonova continued her amazing endurance performance, entering four of the five events and actually winning – for the second straight meet – the 200 m Breaststroke, defeating American Breeja Larson. Summaries for day one:

FINA World Cup no. 3
Singapore (SGP) ~ 15-17 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men

50 m Free: 1. Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 21.27; 2. Michael Andrew (USA), 21.78; 3. Santo Condorelli (ITA), 22.21.

400 m Free: 1. Danas Rapsys (LTU), 3:45.59; 2. Henning Muhlleitner (GER), 3:52.12; 3. Ben Roberts (AUS), 3:53.27.

200 m Back: 1. Mitch Larkin (AUS), 1:56.60; 2. Tristan Hollard (AUS), 1:58.39; 3. Jorden Merrilees (AUS), 1:59.98.

100 m Breast: 1. Andrew Wilson (USA), 58.93; 2. Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA), 59.58; 3. Andrius Sidlauskas (LTU), 1:00.08.

100 m Fly: 1. Grant Irvine (AUS), 51.26; 2. Szebasztian Szabo (HUN), 51.28; 3. Giles Smith (USA), 52.23.

Women

50 m Freestyle: 1. Cate Campbell (AUS), 24.02; 2. Michelle Coleman (SWE), 24.65; 3. Holly Barratt (AUS), 24.80.

400 m Free: 1. Maddy Gough (AUS), 4:08.09; 2. Erica Sullivan (USA), 4:09.28; 3. Moesha Johnson (AUS), 4:13.55.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Barratt (AUS), 27.95; 2. Stephanie Au (HKG), 28.16; 3. Emily Seebohm (AUS), 28.18.

200 m Breast: 1. Vitalina Simonova (RUS), 2:25.65; 2. Breeja Larson (USA), 2:28.75; 3. Phiangkhwan Pawapotako (THA), 2:33.67.

200 m Fly: 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2:07.07; 2. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN), 2:07.48; 3. Jing Wen Quah (SGP), 2:10.26.

CYCLING Preview: Vos starts Scandinavian sked looking for fourth PostNord Vargarda win

Rich Perelman

August 15, 2019

The final third of the 2019 UCI Women’s World Tour moves to Scandinavia for four of the next five races, which have taken on more importance with the announcement last March that a 10-stage “Battle of the North” will be staged in three countries in 2021. The 2019 schedule:

● 16 August: PostNord Vargarda WestSweden Team Time Trial (35.6 km)
● 18 August: PostNord Vargarda WestSweden Road Race (145.3 km)
● 22-25 August: Ladies Tour of Norway
● (31 August ~ GP de Plouay in France)
● 03-08 September: Holland Ladies Tour

The idea is to combine the Swedish races and Ladies Tour of Norway with the PostNord Danmark Rundt for a 10-stage program that would rival Italy’s Giro Rosa as the top women’s cycling race in the world. (This would not impact the Holland Ladies Tour.)

This would be an important development for the Women’s World Tour, but more immediate is the two races in Vargarda this weekend. The Time Trial on Friday will feature 15 teams over a flat, 35.6 km course.

The road race on Sunday is a bit more challenging, finishing with six hilly loops over a 145.3 km route. Eight former medalists will return:

● Marianne Vos (NED) ~ Winner in 2009-13-18; runner-up in 2017; third in 2012
● Amy Pieters (NED) ~ Second in 2014; third in 2013
● Chantal Blaak (NED) ~ Winner in 2014
● Ellen van Dijk (NED) ~ Second in 2011
● Roxane Knetemann (NED) ~ Third in 2014
● Lisa Brennauer (GER) ~ Third in 2015
● Charlotte Becker (GER) ~ Third in 2008
● Leah Kirchmann (CAN) ~ Third in 2017

Vos has owned this race, with five medals over the last 10 years; in fact, she has finished in the top 10 in seven of her nine appearances in the race. Vos has won twice on tour this season, including the La Course by Le Tour de France on 19 July.

She can also use the points if she wants to get back into the chase for the seasonal lead:

1. 1,367.67 ~ Annemiek van Vleuten (NED)
2. 1,106.17 ~ Kasia Niewiadoma (POL)
3. 1,018.00 ~ Marianne Voss (NED)
4. 826.33 ~ Anna van der Breggen (NED)
5. 790.00 ~ Lorena Wiebes (NED)

The top spots get 200-150-125-100-85 points for the Vargarda Road Race. Dutch riders have been amazing this season, winning 11 of the 16 races held so far, and eight of the 13 prior editions of the Vargarda WestSweden Road Race. Look for results here.

ATHLETICS Preview: Fraser-Pryce vs. Miller-Uibo at 200 m headlines Diamond League in Birmingham

Rich Perelman

August 15, 2019

tsx pix 2019-815 fraser-pryce shelly-ann PAG 200 m 750 — Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce celebrates her 200 m win at the Pan American Games in Lima (Photo: Lima 2019)

After almost a month off for national championships (and the Pan American Games in the Western Hemisphere), the IAAF Diamond League resumes in Birmingham (GBR) at the 12,700-seat Alexander Stadium on Sunday (18th).

This is the 11th out of 12 of the “regular-season” Diamond League meets before the finales in Zurich (SUI) and Brussels (BEL). So the qualifying for the finals is now a consideration, as well as the implications these races have for the World Championships in late September in Doha (QAT).

Conditions are expected to be cool and windy, with temperatures in the low-to-mid 60s and winds up to 18 miles per hour. That could impact a number of events and not favorably.

There are some real showdown events, like the women’s 200 m, but most of the fields are of good but not great quality. Some of the expected highlight events:

● Men/100 m: There are 16 entries, but only one question. Can anyone run with American Christian Coleman? He’s the world leader at 9.81 and has won the Bislett Games, Pre Classic and U.S. Nationals since losing in a photo finish to Noah Lyles in Shanghai back in May. There are challengers such as Akani Simbine (RSA: 9.92), Arthur Cisse (CIV: 9.93), 2011 World Champion Yohan Blake (JAM: 9.96) and Pan Am champ Michael Rodgers (USA: 10.00). And what about China’s Bingtian Su, at just 10.05 this season?

● Men/400 m: If you were cynical, you would say this is a great race to see who will contend for the bronze medal at the Worlds behind Americans Michael Norman and Fred Kerley. More logically, this will be an indicator of which Americans – Michael Cherry (44.69 this season), Kahmari Montgomery (44.23) and Vernon Norwood (44.40) – are the real deal and which were just mirages (good and bad) at the USATF Nationals.

● Men/1,500 m: Not a Diamond League race, and the headline Kenyans are getting ready for their national championships in Nairobi on 22-24 August. But Ethiopia’s Sam Tefera (3:31.39) is in, along with U.S. champ Craig Engels (3:35.32) in a good test of fitness.

● Men/110 m hurdles: Not a Diamond League event, but another lesson for NCAA runner-up Daniel Roberts, who has transitioned pretty well to post-collegiate racing. He will face 2016 Olympic champ Omar McLeod (JAM), who has run just 13.12 this season, and China’s Wenjun Xie (13.17).

● Men/High Jump: World leader Ilya Ivanyuk (RUS: 2.33 m/7-7 3/4) and Syria’s Majed El Dein Gazal (2.31 m/7-7) and China’s Yu Wang (2.33 m/7-7) are the biggest names, but the wind could play havoc with this event. The cold won’t help either.

● Men/Javelin: World leader Magnus Kirt (EST: 90.61/297-3) will try to hold off Germany’s Rio Olympic champ Thomas Rohler (86.99 m/285-4 in 2019), world no. 2 Andreas Hofmann (89.65 m/294-1) and Bernhard Seifert (89.06 m/292-2).

● Women/200 m: Now this is a showdown. It’s not known if Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (22.22 in 2019) will show up in the all-green hair she wore at the Pan American Games, but she will be racing against Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare (22.05 this season) and Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH: 22.09), who has won her last 10 finals in a row in this event, dating back to the 2017 World Championships, won by Dafne Schippers (NED). Head-to-head, Fraser-Pryce and Miller-Uibo are 1-1 all-time over 200 m, but haven’t been in the same race since 2015.

● Women/800 m: With South Africa’s Caster Semenya sidelined by the IAAF eligibility regulations, American Ajee Wilson (1:57.72) is the Worlds favorite now and she will be tested by Jamaica’s Natoya Goule (1:57.90), Britain’s Lynsey Sharp (1:58.61) and fellow American Raevyn Rogers (1:58.65).

● Women/3,000 m Steeple: All of the top Kenyans are here, running at sea level instead of in altitude in Nairobi next week. World-record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (8:55.58) is the only one under nine minutes this season, but she will be challenged by Hyvin Jepkemoi (9:05.81), Norah Tanui (9:03.71), Daisy Jepkemei (9:08.45) and Celliphine Chespol (9:11.10).

● Women/100 m hurdles: There are 16 entries for two heats and then the final, with eight Americans and five Jamaicans. World-record holder Keni Harrison (12.43 this season) is in, as is 2016 Rio champ Brianna McNeal (12.61) and silver medalist Nia Ali (12.55). But the top two on the world list are Jamaicans Danielle Williams (12.32 in London in 20 July) and Janeek Brown, who won the NCAA title for Arkansas at 12.40 in June. Add in Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan (12.49) and this is a preview of the Doha final.

● Women/Pole Vault: World leader Jenn Suhr (4.91 m/15-9 1/4) is here, but that mark was way back in April at the Texas Relays. World and Olympic champ Katerina Stefanidi of Greece is slowly but surely working back to form and is up to 4.83 m (15-10) this season. American Katie Nageotte cleared 4.82 m (15-9 3/4) on July and lost a tense battle to Cuba’s Yarisley Silva at the Pan Am Games, with the Cuban reaching a season’s best 4.75 m (15-7).

● Women/Discus: The top six on the world list for 2019 are here, but the focus is now on 2013 and 2017 World Champion Sandra Perkovic (CRO). Troubled by injuries, she has been slow to get up to speed, but suddenly added almost 4 m to her season best with a 68.58 m (225-0) win at the European Team Champs in Varazdin (CRO) last week. The Cubans ahead of her, Yaime Perez (69.39 m/227-8) and Denia Caballero (69.20 m/227-0) both had their bests in June. We’ll know a lot more about the World Champs after this showdown.

There are several other events, including the men’s 400 m hurdles and women’s long jump with good fields; the long jump will tell us something about heptathlon star Nafi Thiam (BEL) and her current state of health.

There is no cable broadcast of the meet on U.S. TV (you can see it on the NBC Sports Gold online service). Look for results here.

TSX DAILY: Crazy 2020 Triathlon qualifier ends in double disqualification

Rich Perelman

August 15, 2019

tsx pix 91717 duffy, flora — Comeback complete for Bermuda's Flora Duffy, winner in Tokyo! (Photo: ITU)

= TSX DAILY ~ 15 August 2019 =

| 1. | TRIATHLON: Women’s Olympic qualifier ends with hand-in-hand Brits disqualified, but Summer Rappaport makes U.S. team

This is why races are held and games are played. The Tokyo 2020 test event for Triathlon doubled as an Olympic qualifying race for several countries, and turned out to be one of the wildest races ever.

First, the run phase was shortened from 10 km to 5 km because of the heat; the event started in 89 degree (F) temperatures at 7:30 a.m. at the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo. That made it essential that American Katie Zaferes, ranked no. 1 all season, get out of the water fast since she was the strongest runner in the field … and lost half the distance.

She did so and finished in the top three in the swim – in 86-degree (F) water – then took off on the bike phase and promptly crashed; she did not finish. Others avoided the mess and by the start of the run, it was Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown and Jessica Learmonth leading, with Bermudan star Flora Duffy (pictured above), coming back from injury that had sidelined her for more than a year. Italy’s Alice Betto and Brazilian Vittoria Lopes just seconds behind the first three.

Learmonth and Taylor-Brown moved ahead smartly on the shortened run course and ran through the finish together, hand-in-hand. That’s a no-no, and specifically prohibited in the International Triathlon Union rules, leading to disqualification.

So both were disqualified, leaving Duffy – third by 11 seconds – as the winner, with Betto second. Another British star, Vicky Holland, had the fastest run time in the field and picked up third place. Lopes was fourth and American Summer Rappaport, who also sprinted through the field on the final lap of the run, finished fifth and since she finished in the top eight, made the U.S. team for 2020 on the spot.

If Rappaport had finished in the top three, she and Taylor Spivey (eighth) would both have earned places on the U.S. squad. But only Rappaport is in; Zaferes, Spivey and others will have another chance later.

Taylor-Brown and Learmonth learned a lesson about ITU rules, but it’s now clear that any discussion about medal-winners at Tokyo 2020 must include the two-time World Champion from Bermuda. The men’s race is on Friday (Tokyo time). More coverage here.

| 2. | ARCHERY: Can the U.S. team for Tokyo really include two mid-40s shooters and a 15-year-old?

The USA Archery National Championships are on this week in Dublin, Ohio with a gold-medal ghost from the past returning to the range in search of another Olympic opportunity.

Sure, the U.S. already has 2019 World Champion Brady Ellison (left), who just set a world record of 702 for the 72-arrow ranking round, but the question being asked is about a former star, 1996 double gold medalist Justin Huish.

Now 44, Huish famously scored an upset win in the 1996 Olympic tournament in Atlanta and then teamed with Richard “Butch” Johnson and Rod White to win the team event for a second gold. He’s entered in the 2019 Nationals, the first step in the U.S. Olympic selection process. So is Johnson, a four-time Olympian from 1996-2000-04-08 who also won a Team bronze in Sydney.

In the women’s Recurve division, 45-year-old Khatuna Lorig, who just won the Pan American Games silver medal in Lima (PER), is starting the process to make her sixth Olympic team for her third country. She won a team medal as a teen back in 1992 for the Unified Team (former Soviet Union), the competed twice for Georgia and twice for the U.S. in 2008-12.

She will be challenged by 15-year-old Casey Kaufhold, who won the Pan American bronze, teamed with Lorig and Erin Mickelberry to win the women’s team gold, and with Ellison to win the Mixed Team event.

There’s more drama; our preview is here.

| 3. | SWIMMING: First World Cup cluster ends in Singapore with $314,000 in bonuses on the line

Big paydays are few and far between in professional swimming, but there is real money on the line at this week’s third stage of the FINA Swimming World Cup in Singapore.

As this is the last meet in the first group of World Cup meets – a cluster in FINA-speak – bonuses for the top six finishers in the point standings for men and women are available to the tune of $50,000-35,000-30,000-20,000-10,000-5,000-4,000-3,000!

That means a lot to the current top scorers in both divisions:

● Men: 1. Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 96; 2. Andrew Wilson (USA), 87; 3. Mitch Larkin (AUS), 72.

● Women: 1. Cate Campbell (AUS), 105; 2. Katinka Hosszu (HUN; below), 102; 3. Emily Seebohm (AUS), 63.

The scoring is complicated, with points for placing in the top three in up to three events and then – critically – bonus points for the top three performances in the meet according to the FINA scoring tables. This is why FINA has Omega Timing doing these meets, to keep track of all this.

Wilson won two relay silvers for the U.S. in the recent World Championships in Korea and finished sixth in the 100 m Breaststroke; he’s entered in the 50-100-200 m Breast evens and has a chance at the $35,000 second prize. U.S. sprinter Michael Andrew stands sixth (48 points) and could move up to fifth with a strong showing; he’s entered in eight events! Our full preview is here.

The SwimSwam.com Web site reported that 1,115 American swimmers have met the qualifying standard (so far) for at least one event at next summer’s Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.

That’s good news for USA Swimming and the Omaha organizers … and Omaha-area hotels, motels and Airbnb locations!

USA Swimming expects to have 1,200-1,400 swimmers at the Trials in total. SwimSwam.com posted a list of 28 swimmers who have achieved the Trials standard in six events or more; the leader in qualifying events in Hali Flickinger, the Worlds 200 m Butterfly silver medalist this year, with nine. Madisyn Cox and Melanie Margalis have eight each; Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky are among those with seven.

| 4. | THIS WEEK: World Championships in Sport Climbing, IAAF Diamond League revs up again

With the Pan American Games completed and the mid-summer national championships break – in multiple sports – completed, the pace of international events is picking up again. On tap:

● The IFSC World Championships in Sport Climbing is continuing in Hachioji (JPN), with Slovania’s Janja Garnbret looking for a second win in Lead – after her Bouldering title on the 13th – and another in the Combined, to establish her as the favorite for Tokyo. Check the recap of the Bouldering and preview of the other events here.

● The IAAF Diamond League resumes on Sunday in Birmingham (GBR) with Christian Coleman (USA: 100 m), Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH: 200 m), Keni Harrison (USA: 100 m hurdles), Nafi Thiam (BEL: long jump) and many others expected. Look for a meet preview on Thursday.

● The U.S. men’s national team for the FIBA World Cup is opening its exhibition schedule on Friday (16th) in Anaheim against Spain.

Check our site for updates on all of these events … and more.

| 5. | WEIGHTLIFTING: Thailand’s self-imposed ban at Worlds maintained by IWF

As a gesture of goodwill after nine Thai weightlifters were suspended for doping late last year, the country agreed to refrain from entering any athletes in the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships … which it is hosting in Pattaya from 18-27 September.

In the interim, the source of the positive tests was reportedly found: a pain relief gel that included a small amount of a prohibited steroid. Agence France Presse reported that the Thai weightlifting federation [TAWA] petitioned the International Weightlifting Federation to allow those lifters not suspended to be able to compete “because the source of the problem had been discovered.”

No go. No Thai entries will be allowed: “The IWF Executive Board will not be reviewing TAWA’s decision at its meeting in September and therefore TAWA’s self-suspension and the suspension of Thai athletes from competing in weightlifting events will remain in place.”

| 6. | FOOTBALL: Another honor for double World Cup-winning coach Jill Ellis

UCLA announced that Jill Ellis, who coached the Bruins with remarkable success from 1999-2010, will be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in the Class of 2019.

Ellis, who coached the U.S. Women’s National Team to back-to-back World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019, compiled a record of 229-45-14 in her 12 years in Westwood. Her teams made it to the College Cup (final four) eight times, but never won an NCAA title.

The Bruin Hall of Fame class also includes two Olympic gold medalists in Tairia (Mims) Flowers and Courtney Mathewson. Mims won gold on the U.S. Softball Team at the 2004 Games in Athens and a silver in 2008 in Beijing. Mathewson was a four-time NCAA champion in water polo and won gold medal on the U.S. teams in 2012 and 2016.

| 7. | UNITED STATES OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE: Hall of Fame class of 2019 nominees announced

“The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced the finalists for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame class of 2019, consisting of 15 Olympians, nine Paralympians and three teams. … “The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame finalists for 2019 include:

“Olympic:
“Gary Anderson, shooting; Greg Barton, canoe/kayak; Laura Berg, softball; Anne Donovan, basketball; Lisa Leslie, basketball; Nastia Liukin, gymnastics; John Mayasich, ice hockey; Misty May-Treanor, beach volleyball; Jonny Moseley, freestyle skiing; Apolo Anton Ohno, short track speedskating; Mark Reynolds, sailing; Angela Ruggiero, ice hockey; John Smith, wrestling; Dara Torres, swimming; Brenda Villa, water polo.

“Paralympic:
“Cheri Blauwet, track and field; Candace Cable, track and field, Nordic skiing, alpine skiing; Muffy Davis, cycling, alpine skiing; Bart Dodson, track and field; Greg Mannino, alpine skiing; Erin Popovich, swimming; Marla Runyan, Para track and field, Para-cycling, Olympic track and field; Chris Waddell, alpine skiing, track and field; Trischa Zorn, swimming.

“Team:
“1996 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team; 1998 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team; 2010 U.S. Olympic Four-Man Bobsled Team.

“The finalists will be narrowed down to five Olympians, three Paralympians and one team for induction into the class of 2019.”

The announcement also noted that “Team USA fans can cast their vote at TeamUSA.org/Vote from today through Sept. 3 to help determine the class of 2019, which will mark the first class inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame since 2012.”

| 8. | GAMES OF THE XXXII OLYMPIAD: TOKYO 2020: Here we go again about boycotts …

If you want to get some attention, anywhere in the world – including a photograph – just go to a government facility having anything to do with the next Olympic Games and hold up a sign that says “boycott.”

That’s what a couple dozen Koreans did in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday.

The caption said they were environmentalists, but who really knows. And if they want Korea to stay away from the Games, did they ask any Korean athletes?

By the way, you didn’t see Japan boycotting the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, did you?

Anyway, the picture is here.

| 9. | GAMES OF THE VIII OLYMPIAD: ANTWERP 1920: Debut of the Olympic flag and the Athlete’s Oath.

The fighting of World War I had ended, but the rebuilding was just beginning when the 2910 Olympic Games were held in the Belgian city of Antwerp. Now 99 years ago, this Games was special for two innovations which had been years in the making.

The International Olympic Committee noted that:

“The Antwerp Olympic Stadium, with a capacity of 35,000 spectators, was built specially for the 1920 Games, and the Opening Ceremony was held there on 14 August. It was notable for at least two reasons: the Olympic flag made its first appearance, and the athletes’ Olympic oath was pronounced for the first time. The five interlinked rings (blue, yellow, black, green and red on a white background) express the activity of the Olympic Movement: they represent the union of the five continents and the gathering of the world’s athletes at the Olympic Games. This highly symbolic flag was designed by Pierre de Coubertin in 1913, but was first flown in this Belgian city.”

That flag has been with the Movement ever since and when used in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies is known affectionately as the “Antwerp flag” to this day.

TRIATHLON: Crazy double disqualification leaves Bermuda’s Flora Duffy as the ITU 2020 qualifying event winner

Rich Perelman

August 14, 2019

Anything can happen in a single race, and it did on Friday in Tokyo, as an entire season’s worth of results was upended by a bicycle crash, a double disqualification and the return of a World Champion in the International Triathlon Union’s Olympic qualification event.

Because of high heat expected – temperatures were already at 89 degrees (F) when the race started at 7:30 a.m. at the Odaiba Marine Park – the run phase was shortened from the normal 10 km to 5 km.

That was important for the season’s dominant force, American Katie Zaferes, who is an excellent runner and with the shorter distance, needed to get out of the water quickly. With water temps at 86 degrees (F), she was one of the leaders at 19:38, behind only Jessica Learmonth (GBR: 19:26) and fellow American Summer Rappaport (19:36) and just ahead of Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes.

But Zaferes was once again caught in a bike crash and didn’t finish the race. Fellow American Kirsten Kasper also crashed, but was able to continue and finished 14th. Rappaport and Taylor Spivey of the U.S. managed to avoid the traffic.

On the bike, the comeback of Bermuda’s past World Champion Flora Duffy was looking good, as she covered the 40 km in 1:01:47, second-fastest in the race and got into the run phase in a battle with British stars Jessica Learmonth (1:22.56 at the start of the run, with Duffy) and Georgia Taylor-Brown (1:22:57) with Italy’s Alice Betto and Brazilian Vittoria Lopes just seconds behind.

Taylor-Brown and Learmonth proved to be the best of the leaders on the run, clocking 17:11 and 17:12, with Duffy at 17:23. Not the fastest in the race, but both were clear of the field and took the finish line hand-in-hand in 1:40:08, 11 seconds clear of the Bermudan.

The hand-in-hand, deliberate finish was a problem and the ITU officials involved Rule 2.11.f, which states “Athletes who finish in a contrived tie situation, where no effort to separate their finish times has been made, will be disqualified.” And they were.

That left Duffy was the winner and everyone else moved up two places. Betto was now second (1:40:54) and a furious sprint (16:30!) by Vicky Holland (GBR) ended up earning her third. The second-fastest time on the run was from Rappaport, who moved up many placed on the final lap to get to fifth overall (after the disqualifications).

That finish – within the top eight – put her on the U.S. team for Tokyo. There will be another chance for Zaferes, Spivey, Kasper or someone else to qualify, but that will be next year.

Learmonth and Taylor-Brown learned a lesson about the ITU rules and Duffy demonstrated that she will be a major factor in Tokyo. Zaferes will have another chance later. The men go tomorrow. Summary:

ITU Olympic Qualification Event
Tokyo (JPN) ~ 15-16 August 2019
(Full results here)

Women (1.5 km swim/40 km bike/5 km run): 1. Flora Duffy (BER), 1:40:19; 2. Alice Betto (ITA), 1:40:54; 3. Vicky Holland (GBR), 1:41:11; 4. Vittoria Lopes (BRA), 1:41:21; 5. Summer Rappaport (USA), 1:41:25; 6. Laura Lindemann (GER), 1:41:27; 7. Non Stanford (GBR), 1:41:32; 8. Taylor Spivey (USA), 1:41:38. Also in the top 25: 14. Kirsten Kasper (USA), 1:42:40.

TABLE TENNIS Preview: Japan and Korea expected to top Asarael Bulgaria Open in Panagyurishte

Rich Perelman

August 14, 2019

tsx pix 121718 harimoto tomokazu (ITTF) 750 — Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto (Photo: ITTFWorld)

With a very limited entry of Chinese players – who won three of the four titles available last year – the door is open for Japanese and Korean teams to shine at the Asarael Bulgaria Open in Panagyurishte. The top seeds:

● Men/Singles:
1. Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN: 4)
2. Dimiitrij Ovtcharov (GER: 11)
3. Koki Niwa (JPN: 12)

● Men/Doubles:
1. Kwan Kit Ho/Chun Ting Wong (HKG)
2. Youngsik Jeong/Sangsu Lee (KOR)
3. Chien-An Chen/Chih-Yuan Chuang (TPE)

● Women/Singles:
1. Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN: 6)
2. Mima Ito (JPN: 7)
3. Miu Hirano (JPN: 9)

● Women/Doubles:
1. Jihee Jeon/Haeun Yang (KOR)
2. Miyuu Kihara/Miyu Nagasaki (JPN)
3. Barbora Balasova (SVK)/Hana Matelova (CZE)

● Mixed Doubles:
1. Sangsu Lee/Jihee Jeon (KOR)
2. Stefan Fegerl/Sofia Polcanova (AUT)
3. Tomokazu Harimoto/Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN)

None of last year’s winners are entered in 2019; this is the first of five straight tournaments in Europe, leading to the Grand Final at the end of the season in December.

The season has been completely dominated by China, which through seven events has won 28 of the 35 events. However, the Korean men’s Doubles team of Jeong and Lee are coming off of their first victory of the season in the Australian Open last month.

Look for results here.

SWIMMING Preview: $314,000 in bonuses available as World Cup cluster ends in Singapore

Rich Perelman

August 14, 2019

tsx pix 80817 hosszu katina 2013 750 — Triple Olympic Champion Katinka Hosszu (HUN)

The third meet in the 2019 FINA Swimming World Cup is getting ready at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore, with some big money on the line as the first “cluster” of the meets ends and $314,000 on bonuses are on the line.

There is prize money at each meet – from $1,500 down to $200 for sixth place – but the top six in scoring in each gender at the end of the first cluster will receive $50,000-35,000-30,000-20,000-10,000-5,000-4,000-3,000.

So after the first two legs:

● Men:
1. 96 ~ Vladimir Morozov (RUS)
2. 87 ~ Andrew Wilson (USA)
3. 72 ~ Mitch Larkin (AUS)
4. 66 ~ Danas Rapsys (LTU)
5. 51 ~ Szebasztian Szabo (HUN)

● Women:
1. 105 ~ Cate Campbell (AUS)
2. 102 ~ Katinka Hosszu (HUN)
3. 63 ~ Emily Seebohm (AUS)
4. 45 ~ Michelle Coleman (SWE)
5. 36 ~ Alia Atkinson (JAM)

A total of 305 swimmers – 143 international and 162 from local clubs – have registered for the World Cup, to be held in a long-course pool (50 m). The top entries:

Men:
● Mitch Larkin (AUS) ~ 50-100-200 m Back, 200 m Medley
● Danas Rapsys (LTU) ~ 100-200-400 m Free, 50-100 m Back, 50 m Breast, 100 m Fly
● Szebasztian Szabo (HUN) ~ 50-100 m Free, 50 m Back, 50-100 m Fly
● Vladimir Morozov (RUS) ~ 50-100 m Free, 50 m Back, 50 m Fly
● Joseph Schooling (SGP) ~ 200 m Medley
● Michael Andrew (USA) ~ 50 m Free, 50-100 m Back, 50-100 m Breast, 50-100 m Fly, 200 m Medley
● Andrew Wilson (USA) ~ 50-100-200 m Breast
● Blake Pieroni (USA) ~ 50-100-200-400 m Free, 50-100 m Fly

Women:
● Cate Campbell (AUS) ~ 50 m Free, 50 m Back, 50 m Fly
● Emily Seebohm (AUS) ~ 50-100-200 m Back, 50 m Breast, 200 m Medley
● Katinka Hosszu (HUN) ~ 100-200-400-800 m Free; 50-100-200 m Back, 100-200 m Breast, 50-100-200 m Fly; 200-400 m Medley
● Alia Atkinson (JAM) ~ 50-100-200 m Breast, 50-100 m Fly
● Vitalina Simonova (RUS) ~ 50-100-200-400-800 m Free, 50-100 m Back, 50-100-200 m Breast, 50-100 m Fly, 200-400 m Medley
● Michelle Coleman (SWE) ~ 50-100-200 m Free, 50-100-200 m Back
● Erica Sullivan (USA) ~ 200-400-800 m Free, 200 m Back, 200 m Fly, 400 m Medley

The World Cup scoring only allows swimmers to score in three events, so for Hosszu to enter in 13 is simply a menu to select from and she will likely swim 4-6 events in total. Scoring is 12-9-6 in individual races, but the key will be the bonus points for the top performances (24-18-12) according to the FINA points table; the performance bonuses will decide the cluster winner.

The endurance award for the first cluster goes to Russian Vitalina Simonova, who has entered 14 events in each of the two meets so far and completed them all, swimming at least in the heats. She actually won her specialty, the 200 m Breaststroke, in last week’s meet in Jinan (CHN).

Local fans will be watching for Rio 2016 hero Joseph Schooling, who won the 100 m Butterfly over U.s. superstar Michael Phelps, and is entered in the 200 m Medley.

It should be quite a tussle. Look for results here.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL Preview: Brazil vs. U.S. showdown in women’s 4-star in Moscow

Rich Perelman

August 14, 2019

tsx pix 2019-814 moscow beach volley 2018 750 — The FIVB World Tour returns to Moscow for the 12th straight season this weekend, (Photo: FIVB)

The FIVB World Tour will conclude with the World Tour Final in Rome (ITA) in early September, and this week’s tournament in Moscow (RUS) will be the last 4-star event before the season-ender.

Some of the top teams have skipped this week’s event, but the Brazilians are entered in force and Brazil and the U.S. both have three seeds in the top 10 in the women’s event:

● Men:
1. Viacheslav Krasilnikov/Oleg Stoytanovskiy (RUS)
2. Alison Cerutti/Alvaro Filho (BRA)
3. Evandro Goncalves Oliveira/Bruno Oscar Schmidt (BRA)
4. Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen (NED)
5. Paolo Nicolai/Daniele Lupo (ITA)

● Women:
1. Maria Antonelli/Carol Salgado (BRA)
2. Agatha Bednarczuk/Duda Lisboa (BRA)
3. Nina Betschart/Tanja Huberli (SUI)
4. Ana Patricia Ramos/Rebecca Cavalcanti (BRA)
5. Sanne Keizer/Madelein Meppelink (NED)

Seeded in the top 10 in the women’s tournament are American pairs Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil (6), Kelley Larsen and Emily Stockman (7) and Brooke Sweat and Kerri Walsh Jennings (10).

Summer Ross and Sarah Hughes (USA) won in Moscow last year, trailed by Agatha/Duda and Betschart and Huberli. The men’s tournament was won by Latvia’s Janis Smedins and Aleksandrs Samoilovs, who defeated Alison and Andre Stein in the final, with Stoyanovskiy and then-partner Igor Velichko (RUS) third.

Semifinals are planned for the 16th and the medal matches for the 17th. Look for results here.

ARCHERY Preview: National Championships begin process of Olympic selection for 2020

Rich Perelman

August 14, 2019

tsx pix 2019-423 ellison, brady 750 medellin — American archery star Brady Ellison (Photo: World Archery)

It’s been a busy time for American archers, coming off a very successful Pan American Games in Peru, but immediately heading to Dayton, Ohio for the 135th U.S. National Target Championships.

The Nationals are the first of many steps toward making the U.S. team for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The schedule:

● 15 August: 1st ranking round: 72 arrows; Mixed Team rounds
● 16 August: 2nd ranking round: 72 arrows; Team rounds
● 17 August: U.S. Open elimination rounds

There are essentially two tournaments going on: the National Target Championships, which are based on the two 72-arrows rounds, and then the U.S. Open, which includes the elimination rounds on Saturday.

All the stars are expected, including two stars from the great 1996 Olympic tournament in Atlanta. The top Recurve (Olympic) division entries are expected to include:

● Brady Ellison ~ 2019 World Champion; 72-arrow World Record holder (702)
● Jacob Wukie ~ 2012 Olympic Team silver medalist
● Vic Wunderle ~ 2012 Olympic silver medalist and Team bronze medalist
● Richard Johnson ~ 1996 Olympic Team gold medalist
● Justin Huish ~ 1996 Olympic gold medalist and Team gold medalist
● Jack Williams ~ 2019 Pan American Gams Team bronze medalist

● Khatuna Lorig ~ 2019 Pan American Games silver medalist
● Casey Kaufhold ~ 2019 Pan American Games bronze medalist

Ellison, 30, is ranked no. 1 in the world and has won three Olympic medals: Team silvers in 2012 and 2016 and an individual bronze in 2016; he’s made it clear that a Tokyo gold is his next goal.

Lorig, 45, will be trying for her sixth Olympic team with three countries; she won a Team bronze with the Unified Team (former Soviet Union) in 1992, then competed for Georgia in 1996 and 2000 and for the U.S. in 2008 and 2012.

Kaufhold, 15, was a sensation on the World Archery Indoor circuit, winning a tournament at age 14. She was impressive last week in Lima, winning an individual bronze, women’s Team gold and a Mixed Team gold with Ellison!

Huish, now 44, was part of the astonishing U.S. performance in Atlanta in 1996, winning the individual gold over Sweden’s Magnus Pettersson, 112-107, then teamed with Rod White and Johnson to win the team gold over favored South Korea, 251-249.

In addition to the Olympic Recurve division, championships will be held in Barebow and Compound. The U.S. has the top-ranked Compound archers in the world right now in Braden Gellenthien and Alexis Ruiz, with Jack Lutz the reigning World Champion and Paige Pearce the current Worlds silver medalist and Pan Am Games bronze medalist.

Look for results here.

TSX DAILY: If you’re looking for sponsorship, the only thing worse than track really is field, and the numbers prove it

Rich Perelman

August 14, 2019

= TSX DAILY ~ 14 August 2019 =

| 1. | LANE ONE: If you’re a track & field athlete and looking for sponsorship, there isn’t much outside of the shoe companies

It isn’t easy to try and train to be a world-class athlete, and make a living at it. And if you are fortunate enough to become sponsored, it’s probably from one of the shoe companies involved in the sport.

A study by Rich Benoy of VS Athletics of the recent USA Track & Field Championships analyzed the entry affiliations of the 419 men and 383 women participating and found 264 had corporate sponsorship – about a third – and all of those were from the major shoe companies.

Of course, athletes still in high school or college are not allowed to have such affiliations and the survey is not completely accurate, but it is instructive. Among the findings:

● Sponsorship of men showed 112 track athletes and just 13 field athletes
● Sponsorship of women showed 120 track athletes and just 19 field athletes

There was even a variance within the track group: 47% of the men’s entries and 53% of the women’s entries in the flat races – 100 m to 10,000 m – were sponsored, but only 25% (men) and 32% (women) in the hurdles. That’s a lot better than the 8% of men’s field eventers or 13% of women field-event entries (including the decathlon and heptathlon) who were sponsor-affiliated.

In terms of the companies themselves, the numbers will come as no surprise. Of the total of 264, some 124 were affiliated with Nike (47% ), 53 for adidas (20%, 30 for Hoka (11%), 21 for New Balance, 16 for Brooks, 7 for Asics, 6 for Saucony and seven for others like Puma, Reebok and Under Armour.

These companies are to be appreciated for their sponsorship of Olympic-sport athletes, but where are the other companies that used to support track and other athletes? Toyota just announced its Team Toyota program for Tokyo. It has nine Olympic-sport athletes and one in track & field.

It isn’t easy.

| 2. | DOPING: Five Russian weightlifters cited for doping, based on McLaren and Moscow Lab evidence

The International Weightlifting Federation announced on Monday the provisional suspensions of five athletes for violations of the federation’s anti-doping code. They include two World Champions – 2013-14 +105 kg gold medalist Ruslan Albegov and 2013 63 kg winner Tima Turieva – and Albegov was also a bronze medalist at the 2012 London Games.

The key element of these suspensions was that they were based not on positive tests, but instead of a combination of evidence from the 2016 McLaren Reports (by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren) and information and samples retrieved by the World Anti-Doping Agency from the infamous Moscow Laboratory, center of the country’s doping campaign from 2011-15.

This is the second such suspension to be announced in the last week. Russian heptathlete Tatyana Chernova had her suspension confirmed on the same basis. McLaren himself thought that as many as 300-600 new doping cases could be unearthed with the Moscow Lab information and samples.

Albegov’s London bronze is the last medal still on the book for the Russians in men’s weightlifting. If his suspension is confirmed, the International Olympic Committee will undoubtedly ask for his medal to be returned as well. More details here.

| 3. | DIVING: Sensational victory for 13-year-old Ukrainian diver at European Championships

The European Diving Championships finished on Sunday in Kiev (UKR) and a 13-year-old local hero sent the event into the headlines across the continent.

Oleksii Sereda won the 10 m Platform title, scoring 488.85 points to finish ahead of France’s Benjamin Auffret (474.90) and Russia’s Ruslan Ternovoi (445.25). It’s an amazing result and the British press noted that he is three months younger than Tom Daley (GBR) – later World Champion – when he won his first European title in 2008.

Sereda will be 14 in December, so he will be eligible on age to compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games. But Ukrainian officials are already worried.

“He’s still a child,” said Ukrainian Diving Federation sports manager Yaro Tokmachov. “Now it’s very important to manage all things around him properly because he’s become very popular in Ukraine and around the world.

“His subscribers on Instagram and other social media is growing like crazy. It’s very important how he and his parents behave now.

“The strategy of his coaching and management are some of the many important things we need to take care of.”

Sereda is no strange to world-class competition, as he competed at the recent FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. He finished fourth, about 51 points short of a medal and 108.15 points behind China’s gold medalist, Jian Yang. So let’s not hand him a medal just yet.

| 4. | SPORT CLIMBING: Garnbret continues perfect season, winning Bouldering World title

The most important World Championships in the history of the International Federation of Sport Climbing has started in Hachioji, Japan. For the first time, the sport will be featured on the Olympic program in 2020 and this week’s events will select the first athletes to qualify to compete in Tokyo.

Individual competitions are being held in Bouldering, Lead and Speed and, following a rest day, the Combined event that will be contested in 2020 will be held. The top seven finishers in that event will earn a place in the Olympic tournament.

Bouldering was completed in Tuesday, with Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret completing a perfect season. She won all six World Cup contests and won her first world title in Bouldering, finishing ahead of Japan’s Akiyo Noguchi. The home crowd was thrilled when Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) was the only one to successfully solve any of the Bouldering problems and won his second career title over likely Olympic favorite Jakob Schubert (AUT).

Perfect: Janja Garnbret (SLO) on her way to the Bouldering world title (Photo: IFSC/eddie Fowke)

Looking ahead to the Lead and Speed disciplines, Garnbret is the defending World Champion in Lead, but the sensation of the season has been 15-year-old Chae-Hyun Seo, the World Cup seasonal leader. The men’s division is fairly open, but Schubert is a two-time World Champion and won last year.

In Speed, look for another teen, 18-year-old YiLing Song (CHN) as one of the favorites, along with reigning World Cup champ Anouck Jaubert (FRA). The French also have the current men’s World Cup leader in Bassa Mawem. Our complete preview is here.

| 5. | TRIATHLON: Major test for Tokyo and for triathletes this week in 2020 test event

It’s not a part of the World Series circuit, but this week’s Tokyo 2020 test event has become a crucial competition for both the organizers and the athletes.

The brutal summer heat wave in Tokyo is continuing and air temperatures will be about 80 F for the 7:30 a.m. start of the men’s and women’s races over the Olympic distances of 1.5 km for the swim, 40 km for the bike and 10 km for the run. Rain is possible and the humidity will be high; water quality is also a concern.

For the competitors, some will be vying for an Olympic berth this week. The rules for USA Triathlon specify that winning a medal in this race will place an athlete on the U.S. Olympic Team for 2020. That could be good news for no. 1-ranked Katie Zaferes, the ITU World Series leader, but other U.S. stars such as Summer Rappaport and Taylor Spivey also have their eye on a return trip to Tokyo.

Along with a powerful British women’s contingent – including Jessica Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown – much attention will be focused on the return of Bermuda’s past World Champion, Flora Duffy. Off the circuit due to injury, she is apparently ready to go and could be the most serious challenger of all to Zaferes.

American triathlon star Katie Zaferes wins in Montreal (Photo: ITU/Wagner Araujo)

Australia’s two-time winner on the 2019 circuit, Jacob Birtwhistle, is the leading men’s entry in what should be a fascinating look ahead. Our preview is here.

| 6. | COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Shooting confirmed off the program for 2022 in Birmingham

An event which means nothing to Americans is the Commonwealth Games, originally held in 1930 as the British Empire Games, and still an important event for countries still affiliated with Great Britain.

The 2022 edition will be held in Birmingham, England and the program was finalized in a vote of Commonwealth Games Foundation members. The event is far smaller than the Olympic Games and the Birmingham sports roster will not include archery or shooting.

That did not please India, which won 16 medals in shooting in 2018 in Gold Coast (AUS) and a boycott has been threatened … which would then surely remove India from any candidature for a future Olympic Games, Asian Games or Youth Olympic Games.

While those discussions are to come, the 2022 program will have 135 medal events for women and 133 for men, plus seven mixed events. That’s considered to be the first time that a major Games will have more event for women than men. More here.

All of this will not come cheap, however. The costs have been projected at £778 million, or about $986 million U.S. and will be publicly funded. Even so, it’s less than the £967 million spent at Gold Coast for last year’s Games (about $1.167 billion U.S. today).

LANE ONE: If you’re looking for sponsorship, the only thing worse than track really is field

Rich Perelman

August 13, 2019

tsx pix 2019-813 pole vault pit richey 750 — For field-event athletes, finding sponsorship can be the pits.

The recent USA Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, were not only the selection meet for the United States team for the upcoming IAAF World Championships in Qatar, but also a showroom for the major shoe and apparel companies that sponsor the athletes.

Companies like Nike, adidas, New Balance, Brooks, Asics and many more all had athletes wearing their shoes, clothes and equipment. A quick study showed that in 2019:

(1) If you want to be sponsored, you’re better off being a track athlete than a field athlete.

(2) World-class track & field athletes in the U.S. are sponsored by shoe companies and essentially no one else.

One of the keenest observers of the sport, across the youth, high school, collegiate and professional ranks is Rich Benoy, an owner of VS Athletics, a full-line seller of track & field equipment and team gear. He was an outstanding hurdler in his competition days – 13.49 for the 110 m hurdles back in 1995 – and has been a fixture in the broadcast booth at the NCAA Championships and other meets as a statistician for television.

With his background in the sport and in statistics, he went through the entries for the 2019 Nationals and picked out each athlete who declared a sponsorship affiliation. Many of the athletes who are not high schoolers or collegians declare themselves as running for “Nike” or “adidas” or “Hoka” or some other such company.

As he explained: “I looked at all the entries that competed at the U.S. Nationals, and who the signed up to compete for. I am going off of what the athlete or agent signed them up under.

“The one thing I noticed was none of the Track Clubs (TC) are sponsored by any company besides a shoe company. Plus there are very few other companies that sponsor athletes that are not the big shoe companies.”

His spreadsheet – based on the entries, so not completely accurate, but an excellent indication – told a lot about track & field in the U.S. today:

(1) Athletes indicating sponsorship of some kind:

● 125 out of 419 men: 30%.
● 139 out of 383 women: 36%

(2) Track athletes vs. field (and multi-event) athletes:

● Men: 112 track athletes in 10 events vs. 13 field athletes in 9 events
● Women: 120 track athletes in 10 events vs. 19 field athletes in 9 events

Note that the majority of entries – 70% of men and 64% of women – did not declare for a company, and many of these were preps or collegians. There are more athletes who are getting some support from these companies who did not indicate that, but it’s easy to see the imbalance here.

All of the flat running events had good sponsorship representation: 47% of the entries for men and 53% for women. The hurdles had less: 25% sponsorship for men and 32% for women, but those are much better figures than 8% of men’s field eventers or 13% of women field-event entries (including the decathlon and heptathlon).

To paraphrase the infamous maxim espoused by Jones Ramsey, the long-ago sports information director at the University of Texas: “The only ones who do worse than track are field athletes.”

In terms of the companies themselves, the numbers will come as no surprise:

(3) Sponsorship of men’s athletes by company (125):

● 66 ~ Nike
● 25 ~ adidas
● 13 ~ Hoka
● 9 ~ Brooks
● 4 ~ Saucony
● 2 ~ Asics, New Balance and Puma
● 1 ~ Reebok and Under Armour

(4) Sponsorship of women’s athletes by company (139):

● 58 ~ Nike
● 28 ~ adidas
● 19 ~ New Balance
● 17 ~ Hoka
● 7 ~ Brooks
● 5 ~ Asics
● 2 ~ Saucony
● 1 ~ Puma, Reebok and Under Armour

Add them together and you get 124 by Nike (47% of the total), 53 for adidas (20%, 30 for Hoka (11%), 21 for New Balance, 16 for Brooks, 7 for Asics, 6 for Saucony and seven for others.

Noted Benoy, “The lack of other sponsors is very concerning. I go back to my days of competing, and we had other companies involved.”

There are plenty of people who have plenty of bones to pick with all of these companies, especially Nike, given its size and prominence. But from the perspective of Olympic sports, at least these companies are involved. Yes, their products are directly related to this sport, but that’s better than not having any athlete sponsorship at all.

USA Track & Field lists six Official Sponsors, including Nike, Toyota, Garden of Life vitamins, The Hershey Company, Next College Student Athlete (a service to match athletes and colleges) and Nationwide financial services and insurance. Beyond Nike, Toyota announced its 2020 Team Toyota, which included nine Olympic-sport athletes with one track & field member: 400 m star Michael Norman. It doesn’t appear the other four are involved with athlete sponsorship in track & field at all.

Benoy’s research confirms the anxiety of world-class track & field athletes in trying to achieve greatness in their sport while finding little support away from the track (and almost none on the infield).

Should something be done? Sure, but who will do it? There are no obvious candidates on the horizon.

But it does confirm that even in track & field – among the best funded of the Olympic sports in the U.S. – it’s a hard road to make ends meet on the way to Tokyo … or Paris in 2024. If nothing else, these athletes deserve our appreciation.

My appreciation to Benoy for compiling the statistics and sharing them.

Rich Perelman
Editor

CYCLING: Ireland’s Bennett owns BinckBank Tour after two stages

Rich Perelman

August 13, 2019

tsx pix 2019-813 bennett, sam binckbank 750 — Two straight wins for Ireland's Sam Bennett to open the 2019 BinckBank Tour!

We’re in the waiting period before the last of the Grand Tours – the Vuelta a Espana – gets started on 24 August and this week’s racing on the men’s World Tour is the sprinter’s special, the 15th edition of the BinckBank Tour in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The first two stages have been flat, with Ireland’s Sam Bennett winning both in mass finishes. He now leads the race by just 12 seconds, with 122 other riders within 20 seconds! The third stage is also made for the sprinters, with hillier terrain planned for stages four and seven.

The race has five prior medal winners in the field:

● Lars Boom (NED) ~ Winner in 2012
● Tim Wellens (BEL) ~ Winner in 2014-15; third in 2018
● Zdenek Stybar (CZE) ~ Winner in 2013
● Greg van Avermaet (BEL) ~ Second in 2015
● Philippe Gilbert (BEL) ~ Second in 2011

With so many flat stages and a Time Trial in the sixth stage, other sprinters to look for include Dylan Groenewegen (NED), Arnaud Demare (FRA) and Mike Teunissen (NED) among others.

The race will finish for the third straight year in Geraardsbergen in Belgium. Look for results here.

SPORT CLIMBING: Narasaki and Garnbret take gold in Bouldering World Champs in Hachioji

Rich Perelman

August 13, 2019

tsx pix 2019-813 garnbret, janja wch boulder (eddie fowke) — Perfect: Janja Garnbret (SLO) on her way to the Bouldering world title (Photo: IFSC/eddie Fowke)

The 16th IFSC World Championships are unlike any other, as the event will qualify athletes to the first appearance of Sport Climbing in the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year.

The 2019 Worlds are being held in Japan for the first time, in the familiar venue at Hachioji, with 253 athletes from 39 countries entered in Bouldering, Lead and Speed. It’s already been a good event for the hosts, with Tomoa Narasaki taking the Bouldering title on Tuesday, as did Janja Garnbret (SLO) in the women’s competition. The remaining finals schedule:

● 15 August: Lead
● 17 August: Speed
● 20 August: Combined/Women (Speed/Bouldering/Lead)
● 21 August: Combined/Men (Speed/Bouldering/Lead)

On Tuesday, the Bouldering finals reflected the reality of the World Cup season that ended in June: Narasaki and Garnbret are the best in the world:

● Narasaki won the World Cup over Czech Adam Ondra by 340-335, but it wasn’t that close in the final. An exceedingly difficult course was mastered only by Narasaki, who cleared two boulders and four zones in 12 and 20 tries, respectively. No one else in the six-man final could clear any of the problems and Austria’s Jakob Schubert, Yannick Flohe (GER) and Kokoro Fujii (JPN) managed to score three zones for second, third and fourth place.

It was the second world title for Narasaki, who also won in 2015. Schubert, a star in Lead and Combined, won his first Bouldering World Championships medal, as did the surprising Flohe, who never ranked higher than 10th in all of his four World Cup events this season.

● Garnbret was an enormous favorite as she completed a perfect World Cup season: six wins in six events. Japan’s Akiyo Noguchi ranked second in the World Cup and these two set the pace. Both were perfect in qualifying and Garnbret cleared one more boulder than Noguchi in the semis.

In the final, Garnbret was the only one to master all three problems, taking eight attempts to complete them. Noguchi, four times a Worlds medal winner, managed to clear two and reach two zones, the same as Britain’s Shauna Coxsey, the 2016 favorite who could not compete due to injury. Noguchi had less attempts than Coxsey and won her third Worlds silver (2007-18-19) with Coxsey taking her first Worlds medal.

Garnbret defended her 2018 title and will be one of the favorites in Lead and for the Combined title.

Looking ahead to the remaining events, the top contenders are shown by the World Cup standings so far this season:

● Lead/Men (3 events so far):
1. 165 Alexander Megos (GER) ~ Second in Chamonix
2. 152 Sacha Lehmann (SUI) ~ Winner in Villars
3. 122 William Bosi (GBR)
4. 117 YuFei Pan (CHN) ~ Second in Villars
5. 110 Domen Skofic (SLO)

Ondra won the Lead event in Chamonix and Japan’s Hidemasa Nishida won the last event, in Briancon (FRA) in mid-June. Schubert is the defending World Champion from 2018 and also won in 2012, with silvers in 2011 and 2016. Ondra won the 2014 and 2016 world titles and was second in 2009 and 2018.

● Lead/Women (3 events so far):
1. 280 Chae-Hyun So (KOR) ~ Winner in Chamonix and Briancon
2. 217 Janja Garnbret (SLO) ~ Winner in Villars, second in Briancon
3. 164 YueTong Zhang (CHN) ~ Second in Chamonix
4. 145 Natsuki Tanii (JPN) ~ Third in Briancon
5. 137 Mia Krampl (SLO)

The 15-year-old Seo has been a sensation, beating Garnbret – now 20 – in two of the three events so far. Zhang is just 16 and has finished 9-2-6 in the three events this season. Garnbret won the world title in 2016 and was second to Jessica Pilz (AUT) in 2018, but the two youngsters have thrown this event into question.

● Speed/Men (5 events so far):
1. 300 Bassa Mawem (FRA) ~ Winner in Moscow, second in Wujiang
2. 271 Vladislav Deudin (RUS) ~ Second in Moscow, third in Chamonix
3. 260 Dimitri Timofeev (RUS) ~ Winner in Wujiang, second in Villars
4. 253 Alfian Muhammad (INA) ~ Won in Chongqing and Chamonix
5. 197 Reza Alipour (IRI)

Only Muhammad has won twice in the circuit this year. Alipour has enormous experience: third at the 2014 Worlds, second in 2016 and winner in 2018. Mawem was second at the 2018 World Champs and has been the most consistent performer so far. Russians have won at least one medal in Speed in 14 of the 16 Worlds held to date, but haven’t won since Vladimir Netsvetaev in 1993. Timofeev won a Worlds bronze in 2012.

● Speed/Women (5 events so far):
1. 400 YiLing Song (CHN) ~ Winner in Moscow, Chongqing and Chamonix
2. 320 Anouck Jaubert (FRA) ~ Winner in Villars, second in Moscow
3. 261 Elizaveta Ivanova (RUS) ~ Second in Chamonix
4. 247 Aries Susanti Rahayu (INA) ~ Second in Wujiang
5. 197 Anna Tsganova (RUS)

Song, 18, is another teen sensation, breaking into the tour placing 1-1-16-2-1 in her five events. Jaubert, 25, won the World Cup last season and owns a Worlds silver from 2016. The most decorated contender is Russia’s Tsyganova, champion in 2016 and silver medalist in 2011.

Once these events are completed, a combined ranking will be compiled and the top 20 men and women will advance to the Combined event, which is the one to be held in Tokyo in 2020.

All three disciplines will be in the Combined event, which will be held over about a four-hour time frame for men and women. At last year’s World Championships, Schubert and Ondra were 1-2 for the men and Garnbret won for the women. The top seven in each event will qualify directly to the Tokyo Games.

There is prize money for the Worlds, for the top six placers in each discipline: € 3,990-2.490-1,445-783-508-375 (€1=$1.12). Summaries so far:

IFSC World Championships
Hachioji (JPN) ~ 11-21 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men

Women

TRIATHLON Preview: Tokyo test event is also an Olympic qualifier, for U.S. and others

Rich Perelman

August 13, 2019

tsx pix 2019-629 zaferes, katie montreal 750 (Wagner Araujo) — World Champion: American triathlon star Katie Zaferes (Photo: ITU/Wagner Araujo)

Most pre-Olympic test events are just that: tests, of the venue and staff. But for many of the world’s top triathletes, this week’s program is literally their opportunity to seal their return to Tokyo for the Olympic races in 2020.

For example, for the U.S. athletes, if two of the five American women win medals, they will both guarantee their spot for next year. If one wins a medal, a top-eight finish would be enough to earn the second qualification place.

There are other countries who are also looking at this event very seriously, with similar impact. The schedule:

● 15 August (0730): Women
● 16 August (0730): Men
● 18 August (0800): Mixed Relay

The course at the Odaiba Marin Park includes:

● Swim: 1.5 km = 2 laps x 750 m
● Bike: 40 km = 8 laps x 5 km
● Run: 10 km = 4 laps x 2.5 km

Part of the challenge will be the weather, with temperatures continuing in the low-80s in the morning, with humidity at 80% , a 50% chance of rain on Thursday and Friday and winds up to 22 miles per hour.

The entries include 67 men and 67 women, with at least 10 men’s medal winners from this season and nine women’s medalists:

Men:
● Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) ~ Won at Leeds and Hamburg
● Jelle Geens (BEL) ~ Won at Montreal
● Dorian Coninx (FRA) ~ Won at Bermuda
● Marten van Riel (BEL) ~ Third at Edmonton
● Matthew McElroy (USA) ~ Second at Leeds
● Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) ~ Winner at Edmonton
● Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN) ~ Third at Montreal
● Henri Schoeman (RSA) ~ Second at Yokohama
● Gustav Iden (NOR) !~ Third at Bermuda
● Alex Yee (GBR) ~ Second at Abu Dhabi

Women:
● Katie Zaferes (USA) ~ Won at Abu Dhabi, Bermuda, Yokohama and Montreal
● Jessica Learmonth (GBR) ~ Second in Bermuda; third at Abu Dhabi, Leeds & Montreal
● Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) ~ Won at Leeds; second at Montreal
● Non Stanford (GBR) ~ Won at Hamburg
● Taylor Spivey (USA) ~ Second at Abu Dhabi; third at Yokohama
● Summer Rappaport (USA) ~ Second at Yokohama and Edmonton
● Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) ~ Third at Edmonton
● Emma Jackson (AUS) ~ Won at Edmonton
● Joanna Brown (CAN) ~ Third at Bermuda

Although out of action with injuries over the past two years, Bermuda’s Flora Duffy, a two-time World Champion, is back on the start list and will be watched closely.

While the heat and water quality will be issues to be tracked, the athletes looking for places in Tokyo should make this event spectacular. Look for results here.

THE BIG PICTURE: Five Russian weightlifters charged with doping violations

Rich Perelman

August 13, 2019

The treasure trove of laboratory data and doping specimens retrieved from the Moscow Laboratory by the World Anti-Doping Agency earlier this year appears to be paying dividends at last.

The International Weightlifting Federation announced provisional suspensions effective on Monday against five Russian lifters, including two past World Champions:

Men:
● Oleg Chen:
-69 kg: 2011-13-15 World Champs silver medalist; 2017 Europeans silver medalist

● Egor Klimonov:
-96 kg: 2019 European Champs silver medalist

● David Bedzhanyan:
-105 kg: 2013-15 Worlds silver medaist, 2014 bronze; 2017 Europeans silver medalist

● Ruslan Albegov:
+105 kg: 2012 Olympic bronze; 2013-14 World Champion gold
+109 kg: 2018 World Championships fifth

Women:
● Tima Turieva:
-63 kg: 2013 World Champion; 2014-15 Worlds silver medalist

All were charged with violations of “Article 2.2 of the IWF Anti-Doping Policy” which is for “Use or Attempted Use by an Athlete of a Prohibited Substance or a Prohibited
Method.” The IWF confirmed that these charges are a follow-up to the McLaren Reports and work by the WADA Intelligence and Investigations Department; the McLaren Report of July 2016 noted that there were 117 “disappearing positive test results” of Russian weightlifters between 2011-15, second only to Athletics (139).

Now come the hearings and the decisions of the IWF, which can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The IWF noted in each instance “In any case where it is determined that the athlete did not commit an anti-doping rule violation, the relevant decision will also be published” and “IWF will not make any further comments on the case until it is closed.”

This is the second mention in doping reports of use of the McLaren evidence; the Athletics Integrity Unit announced last week that a final decision against Russian heptathlete Tatyana Chernova on the basis of the same evidence. This is only the start; Prof. Richard McLaren himself estimated that from 300-600 new cases could be brought based on the information retrieved from the Moscow Lab.

As to those charged, the only Olympic medalist is Albegov, whose bronze at +105 is the last standing medal by a Russian man at London. Medalists in two other events were disqualified for doping previously

TSX DAILY: The life of a triple Olympic champion includes “I just fainted, and my chest is really tight”

Rich Perelman

August 13, 2019

tsx pix 2019-813 bartoletta tianna 750 (fernando frazao) — Olympic gold medalist Tianna Bartoletta in Rio in 2016 (Photo: Fernando Frazao/Agencia Brasil via Wikimedia Commons)

= TSX DAILY ~ 13 August 2019 =

| 1. | ATHLETICS: Tianna Bartoletta’s odyssey now includes anemia

If you read her resume, you’d think Tianna Bartoletta would have it made by now.

Pictured above, she’s a three-time Olympic gold medalist, having led off two winning 4×100 m relays for the U.S. in London (a world record) and Rio and won the Rio long jump with a lifetime best of 7.17 m (23-6 1/4). Add in two World Championships long jump golds in 2005 and 2015 (and a bronze in 2017) and she should be looking ahead to Tokyo in 2020.

Instead, her 2019 has been a disaster. Plagued by a messy divorce and the financial ebbs and flows of being a track & field athlete – see our story about her situation a year ago here – she has managed only 6.32 m (20-9) this season and was 17th at the U.S. National Championships in Des Moines last month, jumping just 5.66 m (18-7).

What’s gone wrong? In her latest blog entry from last Friday (9th), she explained that she finally found out … the hard way. Excerpts:

“I passed out.

“I collapsed behind an armchair with my backpack and MacBook Pro being the only things standing between me and a concussion.

“I went down in slow motion…

“In my head I was screaming no no no no no

“but it sounded like yelling underwater.

“I blinked my eyes and gathered myself.

“I thought…yep I’m on the floor.

“I think it was a split second.

“I think it was forever.

“I slowly pushed myself up like they teach you to in yoga coming out of savasana slowly with your head coming up last.

“I peeked over the back of the armchair like a meerkat coming out of his hole looking for danger.

“There wasn’t a soul in sight. Not a single witness.

“I climbed into the chair.

“My chest was so tight.

“I took some deep breaths and decided to go ask for a doctor.”

Bartoletta was in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s training complex and was taken to a hospital, where she was already scheduled to have exams on her legs. That’s when the truth came out:

“What turned into a visit to get MRIs on my feet and ankles turned into blood labs, EKGs, and more walks down sterile hospital corridors than I ever cared to imagine taking.

“Turns out…

“the Anemia is what laid my ass out.

“It’s what was blurring my vision

“What was making me dizzy

“Why I was tasting metal in my mouth (bleeding gums apparently).

“Why I was struggling to get out of bed.

“Why I couldn’t focus.

“Couldn’t perform.”

There’s a lot more to her story and it’s an amazing, compelling, can’t-stop read (so go here now). Bartoletta says her divorce proceedings are continuing and money, as is the case for most Olympic-sport athletes, is an issue.

But she says she is on the way back. Her story is not “typical” but none ever are; but it’s a reminder that sport isn’t all training and competing, glory and disappointment. Real life gets in the way

| 2. | BASKETBALL: Serbia’s Djordjevic unconcerned about playing U.S. in FIBA World Cup: “May God help them.”

The world championship of international basketball – now called the FIBA World Cup – starts in China on 31 August, but the trash talking has started. In Serbia.

Interviewed on the public broadcast service in Serbia (RTS), Serbian coach Aleksandar Djordjevic (pictured below) was asked about the numerous American stars who had declined to participate in the event.

“Welcome to the club. That’s what happened to us, just thinking of us and some other teams that are less mentioned. For example, Germany, in recent years, has been raising its national team successes. We have played against them twice in qualifying and lost both times. Here, Greece, Russia , France, Argentina, Canada, Brazil, Spain … don’t think about Americans at all.”

He added at the end, “Let’s let them (Americans) play their basketball, ours, and if we meet, may God help them.”

His team includes five NBA players, including point guard Miles Teodosic (L.A. Clippers), shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (Sacramento Kings) and star center Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

Impressed? The oddsmakers aren’t, with the current line showing the U.S. as 5/11 favorites and Serbia the next choice at 5/1, followed by Greece (with Giannis Antetokounmpo) at 11/1 and Spain at 18/1.

The Serbs are in preliminary group E and the Americans in group F, meaning the earliest they could meet is in the semifinals.

As to the World Cup, while the U.S. has won the last two editions – in 2010 and 2014 – the prize for most teams is Olympic qualification, which is available to the teams finishing in the top seven in the tournament.

| 3. | FOOTBALL: Kate Markgraf hired as first-ever General Manager of U.S. women’s team

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and 1999 World Cup winner Kate Markgraf, a sterling defender as a player, was named on Monday as the first General Manager of the U.S. Women’s National Team by the U.S. Soccer Federation.

At the same time, former U.S. striker Earnie Stewart was promoted to Sporting Director of the federation, also a new position, with oversight over the entire on-field program for the USSF. A new General Manager for the men’s team will now be sought.

In the USSF announcement, Markgraf’s responsibility were described as:

“Manage, hire and develop senior and youth Women’s National Team coaches, technical and administrative staffs to maximize potential

“Create, implement, and manage a technical plan for the Women’s National Teams at all ages to meet specific, agreed upon milestones and metrics

“Create, implement, and monitor performance standards for the Women’s National Teams at all ages”

There is nothing in that portfolio which touches the issue of “equal pay” for the women’s team, which has filed a lawsuit against the federation. As a former player, Markgraf will come in with plenty of credibility, but will have some fast decisions to make, including a coach to follow Jill Ellis after her retirement following the end of the in-progress “Victory Tour” games.

And there will be pressure. While the U.S. women won the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2020 Olympic Games comes quickly and the U.S. will have to qualify and then take on the same opponents they faced at the World Cup in France in June, this time in Tokyo. Even with the World Cup triumph, the quarterfinal loss to Sweden in 2016 is still remembered; that loss was the launch point for the tactics and team which won the world title this year.

| 4. | GAMES OF THE XXXII OLYMPIAD: TOKYO 2020: The heat is on, and athletes don’t like it

The hot summer weather in Japan is now the prime topic of discussion during the test events for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Two events were held last weekend, with the World Junior Championships in rowing and a 5 km Open Water swimming event. The World Rowing post on the second day of competition summarized the overall view:

“It was hot. The pace was fast. The 2019 World Rowing Junior Championships moved on to day two of heats at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo, Japan. With a strong tail wind, the boats moved quickly, but they had to deal with rough water and hot, humid conditions.”

Temperatures were in the high 80s (F) to low 90s, but the official word was that “Five days of racing at the 2019 World Rowing Junior Championships finished with Tokyo’s new regatta venue passing its test with flying colours and Germany winning the most medals.”

The Open Water event was held last Sunday (11th) and it was hot in and out of the water. The racing started at 7 a.m., with air temps already around 88 (F). London 10 km gold medalist Oussama Mellouli (TUN) told reporters, “That was the warmest race I’ve ever done. It felt good for the first 2 km, then I got super-overheated.”

FINA, the international governing body for aquatics, is working with the organizing committee to monitor the environment and find the right solution to the water temperature and water quality. Secretary-General Cornel Marculescu (ROU) explained “Based on this information, we will decide the time the event will start. Could be 5 a.m., could be 5:30 a.m., can be 6 a.m., can be 6:30 a.m. — depends on the water temperature. Working with a specialized company like we are going to do here in Tokyo, we will have the right information to take the right decision.”

The heat is an issue which will not go away for the Tokyo organizers. The Japan Times reported that during the week of 28 July-3 August, 57 people died across the country from heat-related issues and 18,347 were hospitalized.

| 5. | XVIII PAN AMERICAN GAMES: LIMA 2019: Doping positive costs Puerto Rico bowlers their gold medals

Doping was not a significant news item during the just-completed Lima Games. The organizers reported one positive during the first 16 days of the Games, by a Dominican baseball player, Audrey Joel Perez.

However, the shocker came on Sunday, when Puerto Rican bowler Jean Perez (pictured above) “tested positive for Chlorthalidone, belonging to the S5 group of diuretics and other masking agents.”

Bowling? The violation cost Perez and teammate Ristian Azcona their gold medals in the men’s Doubles (5,816) and elevated the U.S. pair of Jakob Butturff and Nicholas Pate, who had been second at 5,545, with Manuel Otalora and Alfredo Quintana (COL) getting the silver for their score of 5,151.

Those are the only two doping positives reported so far, but even with the Games having ended, the testing will go on.

STAT PACK: Results for the week of 5-11 August 2019

Rich Perelman

August 12, 2019

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 six events in five sports:

● Canoe-Kayak: U.S. Sprint National Championships at Lake Lanier
● Cycling: UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill-XCO-XCC at Lenzerheide
● Cycling: UCI MWT: Tour de Pologne
● Gymnastics: USA Gymnastics National Artistic Champs in Kansas City
● Swimming: FINA World Cup 2 in Jinan
● Volleyball: FIVB Men’s Olympic Qualification in six cities

plus our calendar of upcoming events through 25 August. Click below for the PDF:

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STAT PACK: Results of the 2019 Pan American Games

Rich Perelman

August 12, 2019

tsx pix 2019-809 cecilia tait (1988 vb silver) lima opcer — Olympic volleyball silver medalist Cecilia Tait lights the Pan American Games torch at the Lima 2019 Opening Ceremony (Photo: Lima 2019)

A TSX Stat Pack Special: the consolidated results of the XVIII Pan American Games in Lima, Peru: all 39 sports and 416 events in one, easy-to-use package! Click below for the PDF:

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TSX DAILY: Terrific Pan Am Games close in Lima, with clouds ahead, while Biles and Mikulak make history at U.S. Gymnastics nationals

Rich Perelman

August 12, 2019

tsx pix 2019-811 PAG closing ceremony people 750 — Lots of happy faces from the cast of the Lima 2019 Closing Ceremony! (Photo: Lima 2019)

= TSX DAILY ~ 12 August 2019 =

| 1. | LANE ONE: What did we learn from the Lima Pan Ams? It’s going to get harder going forward

Any retrospective on the just-completed XVIII Pan American Games must start with this: the Games was a success.

With 6,687 athletes and 11,192 volunteers, this was the largest sporting event ever held in Peru and if the country can harness the energy it took to put on the Pan Ams – and the Parapan American Games coming on 23 August – the future opportunities could be significant.

Peru’s legacy from this Games will depend on its leadership, not the buildings it built. More takeaways from Lima 2019:

● The PanAm sports folks who own the Pan American Games will have their hands full over the next four years to try and generate more interest in the U.S. and Canada. Neither sent their best teams and the U.S. still ran away with the medal count with 293 (120 golds), the most it has won at this event in 20 years! Canada won 152 medals, third-best behind Brazil (171).

In 2023, the event will be held in Santiago (CHI) starting in late October. What U.S. athletes are going to be interested in going there? Not the top stars in track or swimming, whose seasons are already over. Not collegiate athletes, already back in school. And the pro basketball season will be starting as well. Good luck on that one.

● There were U.S. athletes who were brilliant in Lima who will become much better known in the coming months. Teens like Evy Leibfarth (Canoe Slalom), Hannah Roberts (BMX Freestyle) and Casey Kaufhold (Archery) all won gold in Lima. And veterans like 45-year-old Khatuna Lorig (Archery) and the immortal Kim Rhode (Shooting) will be medal contenders long after most athletes have retired.

● The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is going to have its hands full in 2020. In addition to the Larry Nassar-related lawsuits and Congress looking at deeper oversight, two American athletes staged awards ceremony protests: Race Imboden took a knee during the Team Foil ceremony and hammer thrower Gwen Berry raised a clenched fist during her ceremony. Statements were issued about both and future sanctions will be considered.

● ESPN did a credible job in covering the Games, but did not make a substantial investment in added cameras or technology at the Games. However, the announce teams were generally good and the track and swimming teams were excellent. Could the network have done more to promote its coverage? Sure, but to tell the truth, the Pan Am Games is just not as important today as it was once was.

The future? It gets bumpy from here.

| 2. | PAN AMERICAN GAMES: Busy final day sees U.S. score more gold in archery and BMX

The United States sent a team of 643 athletes to the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima confident of coming back with the most medals. Boy, did they.

Even on the final day of the Games, the U.S. was thriving, scoring two golds, two silvers and a bronze on the archery field alone. World record-setter Brady Ellison missed a medal in the men’s individual event, but 45-year-old Khatuna Lorig won the women’s silver and 15-year-old Casey Kaufhold won the bronze.

Those two combined with Erin Mickelberry to win the women’s team title (pictured below) and Ellison, Tom Stanwood and Jack Williams won the men’s team bronze. Finally, it was Ellison and Kaufhold shooting together to score gold in the Mixed Team event and earn the U.S. another spot in Tokyo in 2020.

Another teen, Hannah Roberts, remained the queen of the BMX Freestyle set. One day after her 18th birthday, she won the first-ever women’s BMX Freestyle gold, scoring 86.67 on her first run. She was satisfied, but knew there was more in the tank if she needed it. “Today has been breathtaking, it’s awesome,” she said. “I held a few things back from my bag of tricks that aren’t quite ready for contests yet. I had a few mistakes and I just had to work through them. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do but I am happy to take the win.”

The U.S. ended with a total of 293 medals (120-88-85), well ahead of Brazil (171) and Canada (152) and the most medals won by the U.S. since 1999. More details? Sure! Click here.

You can check out all of our Pan Ams coverage here.

| 3. | GYMNASTICS: Biles storms to sixth national title, but Suni Lee stuns as runner-up

Barring a catastrophic injury, Simone Biles was going to win her sixth national All-Around title at the USA Gymnastics National Championships in Kansas City, but she was a lot happier with Sunday’s performance that the one she had on Friday.

No stumbles, no hops, and near-perfection on all four apparatus, as she scored 59.850 this time – a full point better than Friday – to win going away with a sensational total of 118.500. Biles’ sixth title ties her for the most ever with Clara Schroth, who won hers between 1945-52.

Biles’ score gave her a huge margin of victory of 4.95 points, which was not unexpected. The shocker was that 16-year-old Suni Lee, competing in the senior division for the first time at the Nationals, finished second on Friday and then tied for the third-highest score on Sunday and ended with second overall and a prime candidate for the U.S. team at the 2019 World Championships.

Lee further had the best scores on the Uneven Bars on the field – Biles included – and won the event title with a combined (two-night) score of 29.800.

Grace McCallum and Morgan Hurd mounted major charges on Sunday. McCallum, only ninth after Friday’s All-Around, had the no. 2 score on Sunday at 56.950 to move to third overall. Hurd, the 2017 World Champion, was eighth after Friday, but tied for third-best on Sunday (56.650, with Lee) and finished fourth, missing a medal by 0.150.

It was an impressive show for the U.S., which now has more depth than ever and will make the choice of the Worlds team – after a September training camp – extremely difficult. More coverage here.

| 4. | GYMNASTICS: Mikulak makes history with sixth Nationals A-A win, but the story was Shane Wiskus

After his excellent opening-night performance last Thursday, there was little doubt that Sam Mikulak (pictured above) was on his way to a sixth U.S. national All-Around championship and he was even better on Saturday, increasing his score from 86.750 to 87.400 to finish with a total of 174.150, with a dominating winning margin of 5.55 points.

With six wins, he tied Makoto Sakamoto, who won six All-Around titles between 1963-70 for second all-time. The all-time leader in national titles is Alfred Jochim, who won seven between 1925-33.

Behind Mikulak came the drama, as Minnesota sophomore Shane Wiskus – who tied for third on Thursday – performed brilliantly and even saved a sure fall on his High Bar routine with one hand to move into second place in the final rotation. That put the pressure on 2017 national champ Yul Moldauer and veteran Akash Modi, but both scored well: Modi on Vault (14/.500) and Moldauer on Floor (14.700) to secure second for Moldauer and third for Modi.

However, the fourth-place finish suddenly puts Wiskus into the mix for the U.S. team for Tokyo and could help the U.S. men in their search for an Olympic Team medal for the first time since Beijing in 2008.

On Saturday, Mikulak won the Horizontal Bar and Parallel Bars and tied with Moldauer for the Pommel Horse honors. Modi won the Vault and Trevor Howard had the top score on Rings. For more, check our coverage for Thursday and Saturday.

| 5. | SWIMMING: Morozov, Campbell and Hosszu star in second FINA World Cup

The competition level came down a notch in Jinan (CHN) for the second leg of the FINA Swimming World Cup, but the race for the big bonuses for the first three-meet “cluster” got hotter on the women’s side.

Two-time World Cup champion Vladimir Morozov (RUS) continued his steady march to a $50,000 bonus with three more wins, but American breaststroke ace Andrew Wilson suddenly got into the conversation with a win and two seconds, but also a big points bonus for the best mark of the meet, his 2:08.24 to win the 200 m Breast.

So, going into the final meet of the first cluster in Singapore, Morozov has a 96-87-72 lead over Wilson and Australia’s Mitch Larkin, and all three will be looking for that one fast time that will give them more bonus points. However, second isn’t all that either, at $35,000.

In the women’s event, Hungary’s five-time World Cup champ Katinka Hosszu won four events, but only three count for the points standings. Australia’s sprint star Cate Campbell (pictured above) won three events, but her impressive 52.34 to win the 100 m Free won 24 bonus points as the best performance of the meet and now she leads with one meet to go. Campbell has 105 points, to 102 for Hosszu and 63 for Emily Seebohm.

While Hosszu is rightly known as “The Iron Lady” for her ability to swim in multiple events, Russian Vitalina Simonova completed 14 events out of the 16 contested for the second World Cup in a row. With less world-class competition, she got a win too, in her specialty, the 200 m Breaststroke! More details here.

| 6. | VOLLEYBALL: U.S. storms through Rotterdam to join five others as Tokyo qualifiers

The U.S. men’s volleyball team joined Brazil, Italy, Poland, Russia and Argentina as qualifiers for the 2020 Olympic tournament in Tokyo by winning its pool in Rotterdam (NED). The U.S. won nine of 11 sets, sweeping past Belgium (3-1), South Korea (3-0) and the Netherlands (3-1) to secure its spot in its ninth straight Olympic Games.

The most impressive pool winner was probably Russia, which won all nine sets in sweeping Iran, Cuba and Mexico. Brazil had the most trouble, going down 0-2 to Bulgaria in the deciding game of its pool, then surviving the third set with a 32-30 win. It then won the final two sets by 25-16 and 15-11 to advance. More details here.

| 7. | ATHLETICS: Former World Champion Tatyana Chernova’s doping ban finalized

The lengthy doping saga of 2011 heptathlon World Champion Tatyana Chernova (RUS) has apparently come to a close as the IAAF’s Athletics Integrity Unit announced the finalization of her disqualification on Friday.

The case is important not only for the results which are altered, but because – per the AIU – “she accepted an anti-doping rule violation following charges based on McLaren evidence. This means her career results from Aug ‘08-Feb ‘16 have been disqualified.”

The “McLaren evidence” refers to the reports filed by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren in 2016, detailing the Russian doping scandal and providing significant additional evidence to assist federations in determining which athletes were doping. It’s an important precedent as the IAAF tries to determine whether to reinstate the Russian Federation and for the AIU as it works its way through the mountain of evidence provided to it by the World Anti-Doping Agency from the Moscow Laboratory earlier this year.

Chernova, now 31, was the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the hep, then won the 2011 World Championships and the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. She has been disqualified from these events. Her best score of 6,880 from 2011 would rank her 11th all-time, but with the annulment of her results from 2008-16, she reverts to her 2007 score of 6,768, now 22nd.

LANE ONE: What did we learn from the Pan American Games in Lima? It’s going to get harder from here

Rich Perelman

August 11, 2019

tsx pix 2019-811 PAG closing ceremony fireworks 750 — Fireworks mark the end of the Closing Ceremony in Lima (Photo: Lima 2019)

Make no mistake: the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima was a success.

The venues all worked, the competitions rolled on without too many problems, attendance at many of the venues was excellent and although it was unusually cold for this time of the year in Lima, the environmental problems were minimal (unless you had to compete outdoors in 60-degree weather).

PanAm Sports President Neven Ilic of Chile praised the Games and the hosts, calling the event the “best ever” Pan American Games multiple times, including during a passionate speech during the Closing Ceremony.

So what did we learn from Lima?

(1) Congratulations to Peru: they did it and did it well. Now what?

The Pan American Games were big. The organizers said that the Games welcomed 6,687 athletes, who were supported by an army of 11,192 volunteers. The cost was reported at $1.2 billion, including $430 million to organize the event, $180 million to build the Pan American Village – 1,700 new housing units – plus $470 million in venue construction. (For perspective, Peru’s government spent ~$65 billion in 2017 alone.)

Worth it?

Peru had never hosted an event of this size before, so the achievement is noteworthy. If the experience and expertise gained over the Pan Am Games, and Parapan American Games to come in two weeks, this can be the start of new enthusiasm in the country.

The intangible legacies of civic confidence, exposure to more people outside of Peru and the impact of having an event touch so many inside the country can be leveraged into new opportunities. But that takes considerable leadership and who can say what will happen?

(2) The credibility of the Pan American Games is an issue

Last Friday’s Lane One comment noted PanAm Sports Secretary General Ivar Sisniega’s comment that “Some countries … maybe need to open up to what happens in the world and not be so involved with what just happens (at home). …

“We have spoken to USA and Canada about these issues, it’s a perception that they have that the Games are not of a high quality. … It is certainly a challenge we have for the future.”

It’s a challenge they have right now. The United States won more medals in Lima (293) than it has won since 1999, led by teams that were third-tier in swimming (44 medals) and less than that in track & field (33). Where the U.S. sent strong teams, as in fencing (11 medals: 10 gold) and wrestling (15 medals: 9 gold), they dominated.

So what is the benefit to the U.S. to send stronger teams? Olympic qualifying ties are not the answer, since the international federations are not going to give away their own events to the Pan American Games. Just one example: while the PAG was ongoing, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) was running Olympic qualification tournaments for women and men in 12 different cities worldwide. The U.S. won both of its qualifying tournaments and is in Tokyo. The developmental U.S. teams sent to Lima finished sixth in the men’s event and seventh in the women. Track and swimming are time-based and not event-based, and are not really candidates for Olympic qualifying.

Looking ahead to 2023, the situation gets worse. Lima is in the middle of South America, on the west coast. The next PAG will be in Santiago (CHI), much further south and also close to the western coast. Given that the North American summer is the dead of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, the 2023 Games will be held from 20 October to 5 November.

Trying to get U.S. athletes even interested in Santiago will be extremely difficult. Collegiate athletes won’t be available as school will already be in full swing, the professional basketball leagues – major and minor league – will be starting in the U.S. and the track & field and swimming seasons will long be over and heavy training underway for the 2024 Olympic Trials and Olympic Games in Paris.

True, the 2011 Games in Guadalajara (MEX) were from 14-30 October, but that trip was an easy and quick one for U.S. athletes; that will not the case for Santiago. Excepting 2011, there hasn’t been a Pan Ams as late as the 2023 dates since Mexico City in 1975 (also much easier to get to from the U.S.).

Lima also had 39 sports and 419 events; even the PanAm Sports folks have recognized that the program is simply too big.

(3) Stars of 2020 showed well in Lima and will be a lot better known a year from now

Especially among the American team, multiple storylines came out of Lima that will become amplified as we move toward Tokyo.

Look for names like Evy Leibfarth, the 15-year-old Canoe Slalom gold medalist; 18-year-old Hannah Roberts, who won the BMX Freestyle gold with ease; 15-year-old Casey Kaufhold, who won a bronze medal in women’s archery and then teamed with World Champion Brady Ellison to win the Mixed Team gold.

On the other end of the spectrum, 45-year-old Khatuna Lorig won the women’s archery silver and will be trying to make her fifth Olympic team for three different countries in 2020. And we dare not forget 40-year-old Kim Rhode, who won the Skeet competition in Lima and will be trying to extend her record of having won a medal in each of her six Olympic Games so far.

The U.S. teams are already for most formidable in the world in track and swimming, but there were new stars there, too. The U.S. swimming performance, especially, was remarkable, with top-10 swims in multiple events and an encouraging return for cancer survivor Nathan Adrian in the Freestyle sprints.

(4) The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is going to have its hands full next year

Remember the line in “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” from Mr. Scott to the future-bound Dr. Gillian Taylor as the makeshift Klingon cruiser headed toward the sun to initiate a time warp:

“Hold on tight, lassie. It gets bumpy from here.”

That’s the kind of journey it’s going to be for the senior managers of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heading into 2020.

Beyond its already full plate in dealing with the fallout of the Larry Nassar mess and related sex-abuse scandals in other sports, moves by Congress to change the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act to install more oversight and the pressure to manage a team with high expectations for Tokyo came more controversy in Lima.

Fencer Race Imboden went to one knee on the victory stand during the playing of the U.S. national anthem in the Team Foil awards ceremony. Where PanAm Sports’s Sisniega urged the U.S. and Canada not be so involved in domestic affairs, Imboden got more involved, tweeting:

and a president who spreads hate are at the top of a long list.
I chose to sacrifie my moment today at the top of the podium to call attention to issues that I believe need to be addressed. I encourage others to please use your platforms for empowerment and change.

— Race Imboden (@Race_Imboden) August 10, 2019

USOPC spokesman Mark Jones released a statement noting:

“Every athlete competing at the 2019 Pan American Games commits to terms of eligibility, including to refrain from demonstrations that are political in nature. In this case, Race didn’t adhere to the commitment he made to the organizing committee and the USOPC.

“We respect his rights to express his viewpoints, but we are disappointed that he chose not to honor his commitment. Our leadership are reviewing what consequences may result.”

Imboden’s gesture preceded a similar protest on Saturday by American hammer thrower Gwen Berry, who raised her fist at the end of the national anthem after winning gold. The USOPC issued a similar statement.

Let’s look ahead a year: the Tokyo Olympic dates are 24 July-9 August, starting eight days after the end of the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and ending 15 days prior to the start of the Republican Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Those athletes who wish to make a political statement will be in political prime time. However, on this topic, the Congress will hardly be on a single mind.

(5) ESPN did a pretty job with a hard-to-cover Games

In case you missed the Games entirely, many of the competitions from Lima were televised in the U.S. on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Deportes. Working on a budget that was a tiny fraction of that used by NBC in bringing the Olympic Games to U.S. screens, the ESPN announce teams did fairly well.

ESPN did not produce the coverage; as with most events of this type, there was a host feed for all of the events, which could be supplemented if desired by a specific network. ESPN had reporters in the mixed zones at several venues speaking with athletes, with some success.

It spent considerable time covering track & field and swimming and both of those crews were very good. Dwight Stones, Jill Montgomery and Dan O’Brien, who cover track & field for ESPN during the collegiate season, did the work in Lima and were excellent, especially with no ability to call for replays or for shots in a specific direction. Jason Knapp and Rowdy Gaines, familiar voices on NBC’s coverage of swimming on NBCSN and NBC’s Olympic Channel, did a very nice job on both the morning heats and evening finals.

Could ESPN have done more, especially to promote the Games? Yes, of course. But the Pan American Games does not have the ring of quality in 2019 that it had in the 1980s and 1990s when it was heavily covered; it wasn’t as much of an attraction.

Congratulations to Lima; good luck to PanAm Sports and the USOPC. No doubt, it gets bumpy from here.

Rich Perelman
Editor

GYMNASTICS: Biles sensational on all four apparatus to wrap up sixth U.S. title, but Lee surprises in second

Rich Perelman

August 11, 2019

tsx pix 2019-811 biles, simone 750 (USAGym) — Back in action: the iconic Simone Biles! (Photo: USA Gymnastics)

Simone Biles is nothing if not determined. And after a hop here and a stumble there, she was resolute that Sunday evening’s second All-Around would be better than the first at the USA Gymnastics Championships at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

And it was, a lot better. She completed each event with precision, hitting her landings on the Beam, Vault and Uneven Bars with big smiles and completing her triple-double flip-and-twists tumbling run without error this time. The reward was the top score of the day – 59.850 – a full point better than Friday evening, and a total score of 118.500.

That gives her, at age 22, six U.S. All-Around titles, in 2013-14-15-16-18-19 and ties her with Clara Schroth, who won her six between 1945-52. She won the individual titles (both rounds added together) in the Vault, Beam and Floor and was third on the Uneven Bars.

There’s no doubt that Biles is head and shoulders above the rest of the world, but behind her is the rest of the team that will be needed for the U.S. to win another team title at the World Championships this year and in Tokyo in 2020.

That competition mirrored the men’s competition, where Minnesota’s Shane Wiskus was second for much of the final rotation and then finished fourth overall, shooting him into contention for the U.S. team. On Sunday, Suni Lee – competing in her first year as a senior – did even better.

Lee, 16, compiled the third-highest score of the day (56.650) and had the highest score of all on the Uneven Bars (15.050), winning the national title in that event. She finished third on Floor over the two days and fourth on Beam and ended up in second overall at 113.550. That’s a long way behind Biles, but ahead of Grace McCallum (111.850), Morgan Hurd (111.700) and last year’s junior champ, Leanne Wong (111.250).

Riley McCusker, who stood fourth after day one, had her program cut short by her coach after two events on Sunday and did not compete on Beam or Floor.

Jade Carey, whose Olympic path is through the FIG World Cup series for individual events, performed strongly in her specialties of Floor (14.875: 2nd) and floor (14.100: 2nd) and ended up second in the cumulative scoring for both of those events.

USA Gymnastics will have a training camp next month from which the team for the Worlds in Stuttgart (GER) will be selected. It will not be an easy choice. Summaries from Kansas City:

USA Gymnastics National Championships
Kansas City, Missouri (USA) ~ 8-11 August 2019
(Full results here)

Women

All-Around I: 1. Simone Biles, 58.650; 2. Suni Lee, 56.900; 3. Jade Carey, 56.100; 4. Riley McCusker, 55.700; 5. tie, Leanne Wong and Trinity Thomas, 55.400; 7. Jordan Chiles, 55.350; 8. Morgan Hurd, 55.050.

Event leaders:
● Vault: 1. Biles, 15.300; 2. Jade Carey, 15.000; 3. Jordan Chiles, 14.750.
● Uneven Bars: 1. Lee, 14.750; 2. Hurd, 14.400; 3. Thomas, 14.200.
● Beam: 1. Biles, 14.950; 2. McCusker, 14.500; 3. Lee, 14.350.
● Floor: 1. Biles, 14.350; 2. Carey, 14.300; 3. Lee, 13.950.

All-Around II: 1. Biles, 59.850; 2. McCallum, 56.950; 3. Lee and Hurd, 56.650; 5. Wong, 55.850; 6. Chiles, 55.500; 7. Skinner, 54.700; 8. Finnegan, 54.350.

Event leaders:
● Vault: 1. Biles, 15.450; 2. Carey, 14.875; 3. Skinner, 14.800.
● Uneven Bars: 1. Lee, 15.050; 2. Biles, 14.750; 3. Hurd, 14.600.
● Beam: 1. Kara Eaker, 14.900; 2. Biles, 14.700; 3. Wong, 14.550.
● Floor: 1. Biles, 15.100; 2. Carey, 14.100; 3. McCallum and Lee, 14.000,

Final standings: 1. Biles, 118.500; 2. Lee, 113.550; 3. Grace McCallum, 111.850; 4. Hurd, 111.700; 5. Wong, 111.250; 6. Chiles, 110.850; 7. Carey, 109.950; 8. MyKayla Skinner, 109.600.

PAN AMERICAN GAMES: Lima finishes successful Games with a busy Sunday as U.S. collects 293 total medals

Rich Perelman

August 11, 2019

tsx pix 2019-811 PAG archery usa women gold 750 — The joy of winning: U.S. women's Archery Team gold medalists (l-r): Khatuna Lorig, Casey Kaufhold and Erin Mickelberry (Photo: World Archery)

The final day of the XVIII Pan American Games will finish with the Closing Ceremony, but there was still competition in seven sports with considerable drama.

Archery had already been the scene of excitement early in the Games, as American Brady Ellison set a world record of 702 (out of 720) points for the 70 m ranking round. But that guaranteed him only the top seed in the eliminations.

In fact, Ellison was shut out in the quarterfinals by Canada’s Eric Peters, 6-0, and left without an individual medal. But he was busy later.

Peters ended up third as fellow Canadian Crispin Duenas, who had won a Pan Am silver back in 2011, took the gold medal (and an Olympic qualifying place) with a 6-4 victory over Brazil’s Marcus d’Almeida.

In the women’s Recurve final, Alejandra Valencia (MEX) won the gold medal (and Olympic qualifying spot), but the story of the silver and bronze medalists was equally compelling. Both were from the U.S., but the backgrounds of Khatuna Lorig and Casey Kaufhold could not be more different.

Lorig is now 45 and trying to make her fifth Olympic team for her third country, having won a Team bronze medal at age 18 for the Unified Team (former Soviet Union), then competed in Atlanta in 1996 for her native Georgia and in 2008-12 for the U.S. She missed out on 2016, but she’s on target for Tokyo.

Kaufhold is all of 15 and made her debut on the senior level during the World Archery indoor season, winning the GT Open in Luxembourg last November. She’s been improving steadily and in Lima, reached the semis before losing to Lorig, 6-4, and then winning the bronze medal, 6-0, over Ana Rendon of Colombia. But she wasn’t done for the day either.

In the team events, the U.S. won two golds and a bronze with Ellison, Lorig and Kaufhold in the middle of all of it. Ellison – who was selected to carry the American flag into the Closing Ceremony – teamed with Tom Stanwood and Jack Williams to win the men’s Team bronze, 5-3, over Mexico. Lorig, Kaufhold and Erin Mickelberry won the women’s Team gold, defeating Mexico, again by 5-3, in the final. Kaufhold’s bow broke just before the event started and had to shoot with her stabilizer, destroying her balance. She got a four on her first arrow, then re-adjusted her aim … and shot 10 and won the end. Repairs were made before the next end, but that second arrow might have won the match for the U.S.

Then Ellison and Kaufhold teamed up to win the Mixed Team event, 5-3, over Colombia and earn another Olympic quota spot. Said Kaufhold, “Shooting with Brady is always fun. I always shoot almost always my best when I shoot with him because he gives me confidence like nobody else does. It’s just great to be able to shoot next to him and compete with him. He’s just one of the best teammates I could ask for. It’s such an honor to win the medal with him.”

At the same time as one of the world’s oldest sports was finishing, one of the newest events on the Olympic program was being held: BMX Freestyle. The queen of this event is American teen Hannah Roberts, and she scored another victory on the day after her 18th birthday.

She was an easy winner, scoring 86.67 on her first run and that was more than enough to outdistance Macarena Perez of Chile (76.67). Asked about winning the first-ever BMX Freestyle event in the Pan American Games, she said “It’s the craziest experience. BMX Freestyle is getting out there and it’s meaning a lot to the riders that the professional aspect of the sport is being recognized at this level.

“Today has been breathtaking, it’s awesome. I held a few things back from my bag of tricks that aren’t quite ready for contests yet. I had a few mistakes and I just had to work through them. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do but I am happy to take the win.”

Venezuela’s Daniel Dhers, a star on the BMX Freestyle World Cup circuit, took the men’s title at 88.50 in a tight battle with three others who scored 83.50 or better.

The U.S. women’s basketball team was trying to win the Pan American Games tournament for the first time since 2007, but fell short against Brazil, falling 79-73 in the final late Saturday night.

Brazil led, 55-53, starting the fourth quarter, but after the U.S. tied the game at 55-all, the Brazilians went on a 10-4 run and then converted seven of its final eight foul shots to finish with a 79-73 victory. It’s the second straight silver for the U.S.

“It’s tough,” said U.S. (and Michigan State) head coach Suzy Merchant. “You have to give Brazil credit. Their guard play; they were better than our guards tonight, especially Taina Da Paixao. And, we turned it over early, uncharacteristically. So, you’d like to take maybe four or five of those back and have a shot at it again.”

At the end, the U.S. dominated the Games, winning 293 medals, its highest total since the 1999 Games in Winnipeg (296 or 304 depending on who you believe.). Americans won 120 golds, 88 silvers and 85 bronzes, ahead of 171 medals for Brazil (55-45-71) and 152 for Canada (35-64-53). A total of 31 of the 41 nations who competed in Lima won at least one medal.

You can find the complete results of the Games here.

One of the images of the Games that will be remembered is the mascot Milco, as each medalist was presented with a statuette instead of the traditional, wasteful flowers.

The Games ended without serious incident and the Peruvian organizers are to be congratulated for getting the construction completed on time and the events appeared – for the most part – to run fairly well. The cost to produce the event was reported at more than $1.2 billion (U.S.), with only about $430 million to organize the Games, and the rest for construction and state services.

The organizers said that the Games welcomed 6,687 athletes, who were supported by an army of 11,192 volunteers.

And, of course, Lima is not done yet. The Parapan American Games start on Friday, 23 August.