SPEED READ: Headlines from The Sports Examiner for Monday, 22 July 2019

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July 22, 2019

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

LANE ONE

Monday: The FINA World Championships, the climax of the Tour de France, the USA Track & Field Nationals and the start of the 2019 Pan American Games all come this week! Each is great in its own way; the swimming Worlds has already stood the world on its head with Australia’s Ariarne Titmus beating Katie Ledecky in the 400 m Free. But there are many winners from that race … unfortunately USA Track & Field is not one of them and is likely to have a rough week ahead.

THE BIG PICTURE

Friday: An error in the production of the USA Track & Field selection procedures for the 2019 Pan American Games resulted in Friday’s decision by an arbitrator that six athletes who were not on the team when announced in June must be placed on the squad … if the Pan Am Games organizers will allow the changes!

AQUATICS

Saturday: The Artistic Swimming, Diving and Open Water disciplines finished at the FINA Worlds, with Russia and China going 21-for-21 in the events they contested in Artistic and Diving. The Chinese won all 12 events (of 13) they contested in Diving and the Russians dominated (9-of-9) Artistic Swimming, but both skipped one event. Wow.

Sunday: The swimming portion of the 2019 FINA World Championships finally got underway in Korea and Australian teen Ariarne Titmus overtook a stunned Katie Ledecky in the final 25 m of the women’s 400 m Freestyle to win her first world title. Australia won the women’s 4×100 m Free relay as expected and Nathan Adrian anchored the U.S. to gold in the men’s 4×100 m Free relay. Oh yes, Britain’s Adam Peaty set a world record in the semis of the 100 m Breaststroke! Quite a first day!

ATHLETICS

Terrific Muller Anniversary Games in London’s Olympic Stadium in the last Diamond League meet for three weeks:

Saturday: Jamaica’s Danielle Williams screamed to a 12.32 win in the 100 m hurdles, fastest in the world this year, plus a world leader and European record from Norway’s Karsten Warholm in the 400 m hurdles!

Sunday: Kenya’s Hellen Obiri won a thriller from Dutch star Sifan Hassan in the women’s 5,000 m, plus two more world leaders in the men’s mile and men’s 4×100 m.

BADMINTON

Sunday: With $1.25 million on the line in prize money, no wonder it’s hard to repeat at the Indonesia Open! But both the men’s and women’s Doubles teams managed it, with Mohamad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan (INA) winning the men’s tourney, and Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Sirota Hayaka taking the women’s title again.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Sunday: Canada’s World Champions Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes gave home fans a thrill in Edmonton by sweeping all six of their matches in the FIVB 3-star tournament, including the final against Americans Betsi Flint and Emily Day. U.S. women scored another silver in the 4-star tournament in Espinho, with Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil reaching the final, but losing to Russians Nadezda Makroguzova and Svetlana Kholomina.

CYCLING

Sunday: After a brilliant stage win on Friday and an equally-amazing second on Saturday, France’s Julian Alaphilippe gave back some time on Sunday to defending champion Geraint Thomas (GBR) in the Tour de France, but still leads by 1:35 going into Monday’s rest day.

Friday: Another brilliant win by Dutch star Marianne Vos, this time in the one-day La Course by Le Tour de France, with an explosive sprint at the finish to win this race for the second time … in the six times it has been held!

GYMNASTICS

Saturday: Simone Biles overpowered a field of the top American gymnasts to win the GK U.S. Classic in Louisville with ease. But Riley McCusker was impressive in second, while 2017 World Champion Morgan Hurd finished sixth.

SPORT CLIMBING

Sunday: Teenagers ruled at the Lead World Cup in France, with Japan’s 16-year-old Hidemasa Nishida and 15-year-old Chae-Hyun Seo of Korea taking the wins. For Nishida, it was his first-ever World Cup medal!

TRIATHLON

Sunday: A return to the top of the podium for Britain’s two-time Olympic medal winner, Jonny Brownlee, at the Edmonton Sprint, just of Spain’s Mario Mola, who is suddenly back in the race to defend his seasonal World Series title! A lot of the top women skipped Edmonton, which opened the door for Australia’s Emma Jackson, who hadn’t medaled in a Series race since 2014, but finished first, ahead of American Summer Rappaport.

UPCOMING

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

● Athletics: Start of the USA Track & Field National Championships in Des Moines;

● Cycling: Final week of the up-for-grabs Tour de France, first the Alps and then to Paris!

● Swimming: The FINA World Championships continue in Gwangju …

And at the end of the week: the 18th Pan American Games get started in Lima, Peru!

SWIMMING: MacNeil stuns Sjostrom in 100 m Fly final and Dressel takes 50 m Fly title at Worlds

By

Rich Perelman

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July 22, 2019

tsx pix 2019-412 dressel, caeleb 750 — Another win for U.S. sprint superstar Caeleb Dressel!

If Katie Ledecky’s loss in the 400 m Freestyle was an upset, the idea of seeing Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom beaten in the final of the World Championships 100 m Butterfly was sheer fantasy.

Holder of the world record and the top 11 times in history, Sjostrom had hammered everyone during spring’s FINA Champions Swim Series and looked ready to win her fourth straight world title Monday night in Gwangju (KOR). And she was the leading qualifier at 56.29.

But Canada’s 19-year-old Maggie MacNeil – who just finished her freshman year at Michigan – was moving up. Coming into the Worlds, she had a best of 57.04, but lowered that to 56.90 in her heat, then 56.52 in the semi … as the clear favorite for the silver medal.

In the final, American Kelsi Dahlia got out quickly, but Sjostrom had control of the race by the turn, leading Dahlia by 25.96-26.48, with Australia’s Emma McKeon coming on. But MacNeil found another gear in the last 35 m, racing up toward Sjostrom and then moving best in the final 10 m to the wall … and won!

The scoreboard showed 55.83 for MacNeil, a lifetime best by a sensational 0.69, to 56.22 for Sjostrom, an unimaginable defeat for the Swede (and everyone else). MacNeil (pictured below) moves to no. 2 all-time – from 21st prior to the Worlds – with the eighth-fastest swim in the history of the event.

Her reaction? “I cant even fathom it right now … It’s crazy.”

Embed from Getty Images

That was the race of the day, but American Caeleb Dressel made some history of his own as the first American to win the world title in the 50 m Butterfly. He had already broken his own American Record in the semifinal at 22.57 and got out well, coming up from the start with a quick stroke and powering to the front by midway. He timed his final stroke perfectly and held a small edge to the wall to win in another American Record of 22.35.

It’s the second-fastest time ever and his final surge to the touch extended his margin to 22.35-22.70 over Russia’s Oleg Kostin. American Michael Andrew missed a bronze medal by .01, 22.79-22.80 behind 39-year-old Nicholas Santos of Brazil. Andrew can take heart, however, from Dressel … who finished fourth in this event at the 2017 Worlds.

Afterwards, Dressel said, “I’m really happy with the outcome tonight. It didn’t come easy, it never does.” Told about making history, Dressel deadpanned, “I guess I’m glad to be the first.”

In the men’s 100 m Breaststroke, Britain’s Adam Peaty won his third straight world title as expected, clocking 57.14, the fourth-fastest race in history. Counting that and his world record of 56.88 in the semis, he now owns the top 16 times in history.

Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu won her fourth straight Worlds gold in the 200 m Individual Medley, winning by more than a second in 2:07.53.

In the evening semifinals, China’s Jaiyu Xu led the 100 m Backstroke qualifiers in 52.17, breaking American Aaron Piersol’s meet record of 52.19 from 2009. Both Ryan Murphy and Matt Grevers qualified for the final.

In the women’s 100 m Breaststroke semis, Russia’s Yuliya Efimova and American Lilly King won their heats; Efimova swam 1:05.56 in heat one and King won in 1:05.66 in heat two.

Summaries so far:

FINA World Aquatics Championships
Gwangju (KOR) ~ 12-28 July 2019
(Full results here)

SWIMMING

Men

400 m Freestyle: 1. Yang Sun (CHN), 3:42.44; 2. Mack Horton (AUS), 3:43.17; 3. Gabriele Detti (ITA), 3:43.23; 4. Danas Rapsys (LTU), 3:43.50; 5. Marco de Tullio (ITA), 3:44.86; 6. Xinjie Ji (CHN), 3:45.64; 8. Zane Grothe (USA), 3:45.78.

4×100 m Freestyle: 1. United States (Caeleb Dressel, Blake Pieroni, Zach Apple, Nathan Adrian), 3:09.06; 2. Russia (Grinev, Morozov, Kolesnikov, Rylov), 3:09.97; 3. Australia (McEvoy, Lewis, Graham, Chalmers), 3:11.22; 4. Italy, 3:11.39; 5. Great Britain, 3:11.81; 6. Brazil, 3:11.99; 7. Hungary, 3:12.85; 8. France, 3:13.34.

100 m Breaststroke: 1. Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.14; 2. James Wilby (GBR), 58.46; 3. Zibei Yan (CHN), 58.63; 4. Yashuhiro Koseki (JPN), 58.93; 5. Kirill Prigoda (RUS), 59.09; 6. Andrew Wilson (USA), 59.11; 7. Dmitriy Balandin (KAZ), 59.14; 8. Anton Chupkov (RUS), 59.19. (In semifinals: Peaty, 56.88, World Record; old, 57.10, Peaty, 2018).

100 m Butterfly: 1. Caeleb Dressel (USA), 22.35 (American Record; old, 22.57, Dressel, in semifinals); 2. Oleg Kostin (RUS), 22.70; 3. Nicholas Santos (BRA), 22.79; 4. Michael Andrew (USA), 22.80; 5. Szebasztian Szabo (HUN), 22.90; 6. Andrii Govorov (UKR), 22.91; 7. Benjamin Proud (GBR), 23.01; 8. Andrey Zhilkin (RUS), 23.11.

Women

400 m Freestyle: 1. Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 3:58.76; 2. Katie Ledecky (USA), 3:59.97; 3. Leah Smith (USA), 4:01.29; 4. Ajna Kesely (HUN), 4:01.31; 5. Jianjiahe Wang (CHN), 4:03.67; 6. Boglarka Kapas (HUN), 4:05.36; 7. Anna Egorova (RUS), 4:06.16; 8. Veronika Andrusenko (RUS), 4:08.60.

4×100 m Freestyle: 1. Australia (Bronte Campbell, Throssell, McKeon, Cate Campbell), 3:30.21; 2. United States (Mallory Comerford, Abbey Weitzeil, Kelsi Dahlia, Simone Manuel), 3:31.02 (American Record; old, 3:31.72, National Team, 2017); 3. Canada (Sanchez, Ruck, Oleksiak, MacNeil), 3:31.78; 4. Netherlands, 3:35.32; 5. China, 3:35.83; 6. Sweden, 3:36.33; 7. Japan, 3:36.79; 8. Germany, 3:39.07.

100 m Butterfly: 1. Margaret MacNeil (CAN), 55.83; 2. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 56.22; 3. Emma McKeon (AUS), 56.61; 4. Elena di Liddo (ITA), 57.07; 5. Brianna Throssell (AUS), 57.09; 6. Kelsi Dahlia (USA), 57.11; 7. Louise Hansson (SWE), 57.16; 8. Marie Wattel (FRA), 57.29.

200 m Individual Medley: 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2:07.53; 2. Shiwen Ye (CHN), 2:08.60; 3. Sydney Pickrem (CAN), 2:08.70; 4. Melanie Margalis (USA), 2:08.91; 5. Rika Omoto (JPN), 2:09.32; 6. Seoyeong Kim (KOR), 2:10.12; 7. Siobhan O’Connor (GBR), 2:10.43; disqualified – Yui Ohashi (JPN).

LANE ONE: Welcome to the best week of the Olympic-sport summer: FINA Worlds, Tour de France, USATF Nationals and the Pan Am Games!

By

Rich Perelman

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July 21, 2019

If you want to be up on your friends on who to look for in Tokyo in 2020, this would be a good week to be on vacation:

● Cycling: One of the most gripping editions of the Tour de France in recent memory is in its final week, with three soul-crushing stages in the Alps on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the final ride into Paris on Sunday. France’s Julian Alaphilippe has this cycling-mad country in a frenzy, leading by 1:35 over defending champion Geraint Thomas (GBR) … and a French rider has not won Le Tour since 1985!

● Swimming: The FINA World Championships continue in Gwangju (KOR), with American distance superstar Katie Ledecky stunned by Australian teen Ariarne Titmus on Sunday in the 400 m Freestyle. They will meet again in the 200 m and 800 m Frees, and U.S. sprinter Caeleb Dressel – who won seven golds at the 2017 Worlds – already smashed his own American Record in the heats of the 100 m Butterfly. Oh yes, and then there’s that Lilly King vs. Yuliya Efimova (RUS) thing going on in the 50-100-200 m Breaststroke races …

● Track & Field: With the exception of eight Americans who have free passes to the IAAF World Championships in Doha as 2017 winners, the U.S. team for the World Championships will be selected on the famed blue track of Drake Stadium at the USA Track & Field National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Because even the 2017 World Champions have to show up to demonstrate that they are fit (really, just alive), all the talent will be there. With spots on the team at stake, what will happen with Noah Lyles (200 m), Michael Norman (400 m), Rai Benjamin (400 m hurdles), Jenny Simpson (1,500 m), Keni Harrison (100 m hurdles), Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad (400 m hurdles), Jenn Suhr and Sandi Morris (pole vault) and all the rest? And what about Allyson Felix, who hasn’t been seen in competition since giving birth to her daughter?

Then there is the Pan American Games in Lima (PER), with about 6,668 athletes from 41 countries contesting a staggering 419 events in 39 sports, many of which are nowhere close to being on the Olympic program. Alongside crucial Olympic qualifying events in many sports, there is Basque Pelota, Bodybuilding, Bowling, Squash, Water Skiing and others. The governing body, PanAmSports, knows the program is too big, so Lima might be the last of this size.

The Pan Ams start on Friday (26th) and run for two full weeks through 11 August, but the others all finish this coming Sunday (28th). This is going to be great.

¶

U.S. audiences won’t see much of the swimming at the FINA World Championships because of the time zone in Korea; the finals sessions come on at 7 a.m. Eastern time and 4 a.m. here in the West. But Titmus’s upset of Ledecky in the 400 m Freestyle was a positive for a lot of people, not just Titmus:

● Winner: NBC. The biggest winner in all of this is NBC, which can now promote an actual rivalry between Ledecky and a person, instead of against the clock. Have no fear that you won’t see the final 25 m of the race, where Titmus passed Ledecky: NBC will show it to you again and again between now and Tokyo.

● Winner: Seven Network Australia. That’s the group that owns the TV rights to the Tokyo Games in Australia and with the resurgence in its swimming fortunes – after a very tough 2016 Olympics and 2017 Worlds – interest will be higher than ever.

● Winner: Ariarne Titmus. The 18-year-old had stardom written all over her before the World Championships in Gwangju, but now she will be a name known worldwide. But as very few people follow swimming closely outside of the Olympic Games, she will be heavily promoted in Australia and elsewhere and will have to manage her media presence, social-media posts and sponsors more carefully. Everyone will want a piece of the woman who beat Katie Ledecky.

● Winner: Katie Ledecky. She wasn’t at all happy about losing the 400 m Free, especially with a 62/100ths lead coming into the final 50 m. But she said afterwards her legs were dead at the end and she would have to figure out the next steps.

Ledecky is going to have more trouble in Gwangju because of the schedule on Tuesday, which has her swimming the 200 m Freestyle at 10:17 a.m., then the women’s 1,500 m Freestyle at 8:10 in the evening – a 15-minute race – and then the 200 m semis at 9:14 p.m. That’s about 49 minutes between swimming almost a mile and essentially a four-lap sprint, with an almost-certain awards ceremony in-between at 8:59 p.m.

But assuming she holds form and wins the 1,500 m on Tuesday and 800 m on Saturday – in which she will be heavily favored – Ledecky’s situation changes drastically for Tokyo. Although she will be favored in the 800 m and 1,500 m, she is now poised to be a hunter and not a defender in the 400 m. Perhaps she even gives up on the 200 m for Tokyo and concentrates more on the 400 m and Titmus. It is, for many athletes, a better psychological position to be in.

And Ledecky, after all, is only 22 and will have had a full year in the transition from college swimmer to professional. In light of all this, it will be fascinating to see how deep her participation will be in the forthcoming International Swim League, starting in October. She’s an ISL ambassador, so she will have responsibilities as a member of the D.C. Trident team, debuting on 4-5 October in Indianapolis in a quadrangular meet. How does that fit into her Tokyo preparation now?

¶

With the Toyota USATF Outdoor National Championships coming up, this should be one of the best weeks of the year for USA Track & Field. But it’s going to be anything but.

In addition to staging the Nationals in Des Moines, the federation has to deal with the arbitrator’s decision on the Pan American Games team handed down on Friday. In addition to the six individuals who filed the complaint and were directed by the arbitrator to be added to the team, the decision specifically requires:

“Selection for the team representing the United States in the [2019 Pan American] Games should be confined to competition results occurring from January 1, 2019 to June 10, 2019.”

The complaint filed by the six athletes specifically asking to be placed on the team also brought in up to 137 “Affected Athletes” which included the other athletes already named by USATF to the Pan Am Team.

This now involves:

● The athletes already named to the team;

● Those who might now be named to the team if they can be found and accept the invitation;

● The USATF coaches and staff for the Pan American Games, trying to coordinate not only who is on the team, but the travel, accommodations, accreditation and uniforming of what could be several dozen new team members;

● The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, already with staff in Lima and having to coordinate the entries as well as the logistics for these new members of the U.S. delegation;, and

● The Lima 2019 organizers, who must be quite bewildered at this point as to why the hemisphere’s superpower is asking for so many changes with a week to go before the Games open.

The arbitrator’s decision, in fact, leaves the entire question of participation in the Games up to the Lima organizers. If they do not allow changes and threatens to simply leave the U.S. out of any affected events, the decision expressly allows the existing team members to compete.

Someone needs to arrange for some very large gift baskets to be delivered to the Lima 2019 athlete registration team for Athletics now.

Rich Perelman
Editor

TRIATHLON: Brownlee and Jackson shine brightest in Edmonton World Series Sprint

By

Rich Perelman

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July 21, 2019

tsx pix 2019-720 brownlee, jonny edmonton 750 — Back in front: Jonny Brownlee (GBR) in Edmonton (Photo: ITU)

Twice an Olympic medalist, Britain’s Jonny Brownlee has not been among the stars of the ITU World Series in 2019, but he looked like his old self Saturday in Edmonton, winning the Sprint-distance race by five seconds over a resurgent Mario Mola (ESP).

Brownlee only took the lead on the run phase, making a move on the final lap to move away from Mola and first-time World Series medal winner Marten van Riel of Belgium.

Said the winner, “On the run I was actually faster than I thought, and I felt really good. I’d be lying to say that it doesn’t hurt when people say he’s past it. But I know from my training that I am fit and I still believe I can have my best racing in the year to come. I am getting there now… It’s about time.”

It was Brownlee’s first Series win since 2017. For defending World Series champ Mola, who won the season opener and then went three races with poor finishes, he claimed a medal for the second time in the last three, and moved into second place in the seasonal standings. Luis still leads at 4,180, with Mola at 3,783.

The women’s race was skipped by most of the seasonal leaders, including American Katie Zaferes. That left the door open for Australia’s Emma Jackson, who hadn’t medaled in a Series race since 2014!

The event came down to the last 200 m of the run, with Jackson dueling with American Summer Rappaport, Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) and Claire Michel of Belgium. Jackson had the speed to get to the line first, saying afterwards, “I’ve had some good runs in Montreal and Hamburg and I have been training really well lately, but I was not expecting this. I just wanted to have a good swim and I think I had a terrible one today, but luckily Taylor Knibb (USA) and Ashleigh Gentle worked really hard to take us back up with the leaders. After so many months out with injuries and after so much time training, this feels quite unbelievable now.”

Zaferes continues to lead in the women’s seasonal standings at 4,925 points, followed by Jessica Learmonth (GBR: 4,170) and Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR: 4,121).

In the four-member Mixed Relay, Brownlee had Britain in front after the second leg, 39:30 to 39:48 over Seth Rider of the U.S., with Australia third. But Nicole van der Kaay changed the race for New Zealand and charged to the front, 13 seconds in front of Knibb of the U.S. Hayden Wilde anchored for the Kiwis and his 19:17 and although not as fast as Matt Hauser (AUS: 19:11) and Gordon Benson (GBR: 19:12), it was enough for a 1:20:14-1:20:23 victory.

Summaries:

ITU World Series
Edmonton (CAN) ~ 20-21 July 2019
(Full results here)

Men (Sprint): 1. Jonny Brownlee (GBR), 54:52; 2. Mario Mola (ESP), 54:57; 3. Marten van Riel (BEL), 55:02; 4. Hayde Wilde (NZL), 55:07; 5. Vincent Luis (FRA), 55:13; 6. Morgan Pearson (USA), 55:19; 7. Ben Kanute (USA), 55:28; 8. Fernando Alarza (ESP), 55:30; 9. Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN), 55:33; 10. Alessandro Fabian (ITA), 55:38.

Women (Sprint): 1. Emma Jackson (AUS), 1:01:23; 2. Summer Rappaport (USA), 1:01:25; 3. Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), 1:01:27; 4. Claire Michel (BEL), 1:01:38; 5. Taylor Spivey (USA), 1:01:47; 6. Lisa Perterer (AUT), 1:01:51; 7. Jaz Hedgeland (AUS), 1:01:55; 8. Jolanda Annen (SUI), 1:02:04; 9. Nicole van der Kaay (NZL), 1:02:55; 10. Kelly-Ann Perkins (AUS), 1:02:09.

Mixed Relay: 1. New Zealand (Thorpe, Reid, van der Kaay, Wilde), 1:20:14; 2. Great Britain, 1:20:23; 3. United States (Summer Rappaport, Seth Rider, Taylor Knibb, Morgan Pearson), 1:20:30; 4. Australia, 1:20:33; 5. Italy, 1:21:37.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL: World champs triumph at home at Edmonton; U.S. takes silvers in Canada and Portugal

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 21, 2019

tsx pix 2019-721 pavan and humana-paredes 750 — Canada's World Beach champs Saran Pavan (l) and Melissa Humana-Paredes (Photo: FIVB)

Fresh from their World Championships victory in Germany, Canadians Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes thrilled a home-country audience with a straight-set win in the Edmonton four-star tournament over Americans Betsi Flint and Emily Day.

It was the fourth World Tour medal of the year for Pavan and Humana-Paredes and second win. They were impressive: in their six matches, they won every set (12-0) and were only taken to extra points in their semifinal win, but just to 22-20.

For Flint and Day, it was their first medal since a silver in the Sydney Open back in March; they reversed that score with a win over Australia’s Nicole Laird and Becchara Palmer in the semifinals.

The U.S. had similar success at the four-star tourney in Espinho (POR), with Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil taking the silver after a two-set loss to Russians Nadezda Makroguzova and Svetlana Kholomina. It’s the third World Tour medal for Claes and Sponcil, who teamed up only last year; they won a silver in The Hague four-star earlier this year.

Said Claes, “It’s disappointing to come this far and take second. I know we’re a lot better than how we played today. That’s frustrating, but we’re just going to keep working on the things we need to work on and keep getting better. The cool thing about our sport is that we have another opportunity next weekend.”

Makroguzova (22) and Kholomina (21) bear watching for the future; this is their second medal on the World Tour, but winning a four-star is much more impressive than their other medal, a gold in a one-star in 2018.

The men’s final in Espinho was an all-Brazilian affair, featuring a victory for the three-months-old team of Alison Cerutti and Alvaro Morais Filho, who overcame Andre Stein and George Wanderley in three sets: 21-13, 15-21, 15-9.

It’s the second World Tour win for the Cerutti and Filho as a team, to go along with gold at the three-star Kuala Lumpur tournament in May. “We are very happy with this gold medal, because we only started playing together three months ago,” said Alison. “We had a win in a three-star tournament, and in a four-star, which is very good. We are evolving very fast and showing a lot of happiness on the field. Playing here at Espinho is great because the Portuguese people are a lot like the Brazilian people and they live through these beach volleyball games with their hearts.”

In Edmonton, the home crowd had high hopes for Canadians Ben Saxton and Grant O’Gorman, who were seeded first. But the title went to 10th-seeded Nico Beeler and Marco Krattiger (SUI) in the final in a tight match: 21-15, 23-25, 15-8. It was the first World Tour win by a Swiss men’s team since 2006!

American pair Stafford Slick and Bill Allen took the bronze; said Slick, “We’ve been hitting our stride. It’s mid-season form and that’s where we wanted to be. We always enter tournaments with the goal of getting to the podium and we managed to do it here, so it was great fun.” Summaries:

FIVB World Tour 4-star
Espinho (POR) ~ 17-21 July 2019
(Full results here)

Men: 1. Alison Cerutti/Alvarho Filho (BRA); 2. Andre Loyola Stein/George Wanderley (BRA); 3. Matins Plavins/Edgars Tocs (LAT); 4. Marco Grimalt/Esteban Grimalt (CHI). Semis: Alison/Alvaro/Filho d. Plavins/Tocs, 2-0; Andre/George d. Grimalt/Grimalt, 2-0. Third: Plavins/Tocs d. Grimalt/Grimalt, 2-0. Final: Alison/Alvaro Filho d. Andre/George, 2-1 (21-13, 15-21, 15-9).

Women: 1. Nadezda Makroguzova/Svetlana Kholomina (RUS); 2. Kelly Claes/Sarah Sponcil (USA); 3. Ana Patricia Silva Ramos/Rebecca Cavalcanti (BRA); 4. Agatha Bednarczuk/Duda Lisboa (BRA). Semis: Claes/Sponcil d. Ana Patricia/Rebecca, 2-0; Makroguzova/Kholomina, 2-0. Third: Ana Patricia/Rebecca d. Agatha/Duda, 2-1. Final: Makroguzova/Kholomina d. Claes/Sponcil, 2-0 (21-17, 21-16).

FIVB World Tour 3-star
Edmonton (CAN) ~ 17-21 July 2019
(Full results here)

Men: 1. Nico Beeler/Marco Krattiger (SUI); 2. Ben Saxton/Grant O’Gorman (CAN); 3. Stafford Slick/Bill Allen (USA); 4. Alex Ranghieri/Marco Caminati (ITA). Semis: Beeler/Krattiger d. Slick/Allen, 2-0; Saxton/O’Gorman d. Ranghieri/Caminati, 2-0. Third: Slick/Allen d. Ranghieri/Caminati, 2-0. Final: Beeler/Krattiger d. Saxton/O’Gorman, 2-1 (21-15, 23-25, 15-8).

Women: 1. Sarah Pavan/Melissa Humana-Paredes (CAN); 2. Betsi Flint/Emily Day (USA); 3. Akiko Hasegawa/Azusa Futami (JPN); 4. Nicole Laird/Becchara Palmer (AUS). Semis: Flint/Day d. Laird/Palmer, 2-0; Pavan/Humana-Paredes d. Hasegawa/Futami, 2-0. Third: Hasegawa/Futami d. Laird/Palmer, 2-0. Final: Pavan/Humana-Paredes d. Flint/Day, 21-11, 21-16.

BADMINTON: Doubles defenders Gideon & Sukamuljo and Fukushima & Hirota highlight Indonesia Open

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 21, 2019

tsx pix 2019-721 fukushima hirota indonedia 750 — Twice as nice: Second straight women's Doubles win for Japan's Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota at the Indonesia Open (Photo: BWF)

With a staggering $1.25 million in prize money on the line in the Indonesia Open, one of the richest stops on the BWF World Tour, it’s no surprise that repeat winners are fairly rare in this tournament.

But both the men’s and women’s Doubles teams managed it and claimed the $92.500 first prize:

● Indonesia’s no. 1-ranked Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo defended their 2018 title with a victory over countrymen (and 2013 champs) Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, 21-19, 21-16.

● Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota had to defend their title against another former champion, 2016 winners Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi in the final, but won in straight sets, 21-16, 21-18.

Both of the Singles winners were impressive, with Taipei’s Tien Chen Chou continuing his rise up the world rankings. He defeated Dane Anders Antonsen in the final, after getting past 2008-12 Olympic gold medalist Dan Lin (CHN) in the second round and no. 7 Jonatan Christie (INA) in the quarters. Chou is now up to no. 3 worldwide.

Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi now stands fourth in the BWF rankings, after defeating no. 1 Tzu Ying Tai (TPE) in the semis and no. 5 V. Sindhu Pursarla in the final, 21-15, 21-16. Summaries:

BWF World Tour/Indonesia Open
Jakarta (INA) ~ 16-21 July 2019
(Full results here)

Men/Singles: 1. Tien Chen Chou (TPE); 2. Anders Antonsen (DEN); 3. Kantaphon Wangcharoen (THA) and Wing Ki Vincent Wong (HKG). Semis: Chou d. Wangcharoen, 21-19, 18-21, 21-16; Antonsen d. Wong, 21-17, 21-10. Final: Chou d. Antonsen, 21-18, 24-26, 21-15.

Men/Doubles: 1. Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (INA); 2. Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan (INA); 3. Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi (JPN) and Junhui Li/Yuchen Liu (CHN). Semis: Gideon/Sukamuljo d. Li/Liu, 21-9, 21-13; Ahsan/Setiawan d. Hoki/Kobayashi, 17-21, 21-19, 21-17. Final: Gideon/Sukamuljo d. Ahsan/Setiawan, 21-19, 21-16.

Women/Singles: 1. Akane Yamaguchi (JPN); 2. V. Sindhu Pusarla (IND); 3. Tzu Ying Tai (TPE) and Yufei Chen (CHN). Semis: Yamaguchi d. Tai, 21-9, 21-15; Pursarla d. Chen, 21-19, 21-10. Final: Yamaguchi d. Pusarla, 21-15, 21-16.

Women/Doubles: 1. Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota (JPN); 2. Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi (JPN); 3. So Hee Lee/Seung Chan Shin (KOR) and Qing Chen Chen/Yifan Jia (CHN). Semis: Matsutomo/Takahashi d. Lee/Shin, 17-21, 21-14, 21-15; Fukushima/Hirota d. Chen/Jia, 21-14, 21-12. Final: Fukushima/Hirota d. Matsutomo/Takahashi, 21-16, 21-18.

Mixed Doubles: 1. Siwei Zheng/Yaqiong Huang (CHN); 2. Yilyu Wang/Dongping Huang (CHN); 3. Peng Soon Chan/Liu Ying Goh (MAS) and Kian Meng Tan/Pei King Lai (MAS). Semis: Zheng/Huang d. Tan/Lai, 21-12, 21-16; Wang/Huang d. Chan/Goh, 21-13, 22-20. Final: Zheng/Huang d. Wang/Huang, 21-13, 21-18.

SPORT CLIMBING: Japan sweeps Briancon men’s Lead, while Seo & Garnbret both at the top in women’s Lead

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 21, 2019

tsx pix 2019-721 garnbret-seo-tanii briarcon 750 — The Briancon women's Lead podium: Garnbret, Seo and Tanii (Photo: IFSC/Eddie Fowke)

The IFSC World Cup in Lead reached the halfway mark on Saturday, with Japan showing impressive depth with a rare sweep of the men’s Lead competition, as the top three all won their first World Cup medals.

The winner was 16-year-old Hidemasa Nishida, who cleared 39+ holds, one better than Hiroto Shimizu (38+) and 19-year-old Shuta Tanaka. Shimizu moved from eighth at Briarcon last season to the podium in 2019, but Nishida and Tanaka emerged as new stars.

Alexander Megos (GER) finished only 16th, but with so many newcomers scoring this week, he remained in the seasonal lead with 165 points. Swiss Sascha Lehmann is second at 152 and Britain’s William Bosi moved up to third at 122.

The women’s event was another showcase for sudden star Chae-Hyun Seo of Korea – age 15 – who won her second straight World Cup, this time over a resilient Janja Garnbret, the three-time defending champion. Both got to the top, but Seo got her clip in right away and claimed the victory. She has now finished 2-1-1 in the three Lead events so far and leads the World Cup seasonal standings with 280 to 217 for Garnbret. Summaries:

IFSC World Cup
Briancon (FRA) ~ 19-20 July 2019
(Full results here)

Men/Lead: 1. Hidemasa Nishida (JPN), 39+; 2. Hiroto Shimizu (JPN), 38+; 3. Shuta Tanaka (JPN), 38+; 4. William Bosi (GBR), 38; 5. Sean McColl (CAN), 38. Also: 6. Sean Bailey (USA), 34+.

Women/Lead: 1. Chae-Hyun Seo (KOR), Top; 2. Janja Garnbret (SLO), Top; 3. Natsuki Tanii (JPN), 41+; 4. Mia Krampl (AUT), 36; 5. Ashima Shiraishi (USA), 36.

CYCLING: Good day for Britain, as Simon Yates win stage 15 and Thomas claws back 27 seconds on Alaphilippe

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 21, 2019

tsx pix 2019-721 thomas, geraint (geof sheppard) — Back in the hunt: 2018 Tour de France champ Geraint Thomas (GBR) (Photo: Geof Sheppard via Wikimedia Commons)

The unrelenting pressure of one of the hardest routes in the history of the Tour de France continued on Sunday, with defending champion Geraint Thomas gaining back some time on France’s Julian Alaphilippe.

Fellow British rider Simon Yates won the stage – which featured four major climbs – in 4:47:01, thanks to a solo attack about 9 km from the finish up the Prat d’Albis in rainy conditions. It’s his second stage win this year.

Behind him was plenty of drama as the overall race took several new twists. France’s Thibaut Pinot, so brilliant in winning Saturday’s stage, closed well and finished second, 33 seconds behind Yates and just ahead of Spain’s Mikel Landa, who was third.

Further back were Thomas and Alaphilippe, with the Frenchman showing the effects of finishing 1-2 in the previous two stages. Thomas attacked with about 2 km left – going straight uphill to the finish – and ended up eighth, 1:22 behind Yates, but also 27 seconds ahead of Alaphilippe, who crossed the line in 11th place, 1:49 back.

So with a rest day on Monday and the Tour heading from the Pyrenees to the Alps:

1. 61:00:22 Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)
2. +1:35 Geraint Thomas (GBR)
3. +1:47 Steven Kruijswijk (NED)
4. +1:50 Thibaut Pinot (FRA)
5. +2:02 Egan Bernal (COL)
6. +2:14 Emanuel Buchmann (GER)
7. +4:54 Mikel Landa (ESP)

The top six all have a shot at the race. Alaphilippe has been marvelous, but Sunday’s stage showed he’s hardly invincible. The stages on Tuesday and Wednesday are hilly, but manageable. But the next three stages in the Alps are brutal, especially nos. 18 and 20, the latter with a long uphill finish to Val Thorens.

Bernal is considered the best pure climber of the group, but Pinot is certainly not out of contention given his performance in the Pyrenees. Can Alaphilippe hold on? Is Thomas strong enough on the climbs to pass the Frenchman, but keep Pinot and Bernal at bay? Why is no one giving Kruijswijk or Buchmann a chance?

It’s going to be a great final week; remember, a Frenchman has not won this race since 1985! Summaries so far:

UCI World Tour/Tour de France
France ~ 6-28 July 2019
(Full results here)

Stage 1 (194.5 km): 1. Mike Teunissen (NED), 4:22:47; 2. Peter Sagan (SVK), 4:22:47; 3. Caleb Ewan (AUS), 4:22:47; 4. Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA), 4:22:47; 5. Sonny Colbrelli (ITA), 4:22:47.

Stage 2 (27.6 km Team Time Trial): 1. Jumbo-Visma (NED), 28:57; 2. Team Ineos (GBR), 29:17; 3. Deceuninck-Quick Step (GER), 29:18; 4. Team Sunweb (GER), 29:23; 5. Team Katusha Alpecin (SUI), 29:23.

Stage 3 (215.0 km): 1. Julien Alaphilippe (FRA), 4:40:29; 2. Michael Matthews (AUS), 4:40:55; 3. Jasper Stuyven (BEL), 4:40:55; 4. Greg van Avermaet (BEL), 4:40:55; 5. Sagan (SVK), 4:40:55.

Stage 4 (213.5 km): 1. Elia Viviani (ITA), 5:09:20; 2. Alexander Kristoff (NOR), 5:09:20; 3. Ewan (AUS), 5:09:20; 4. Sagan (SVk), 5:09:20; 5. Dylan Groenewegen (NED), 5:09:20.

Stage 5 (175.5 km): 1. Sagan (SVK), 4:02:33; 2. Wout van Aert (BEL), 4:02:33; 3. Matteo Trentin (ITA), 4:02:33; 4. Colbrelli (ITA), 4:02:33; 5. van Avermaet (BEL), 4:02:33.

Stage 6 (160.5 km): 1. Dylan Teuns (BEL), 4:29:03; 2. Giulio Ciccone (ITA), 4:29:14; 3. Xandro Meurisse (BEL), 4:30:08; 4. Geraint Thomas (GBR), 4:30:47; 5. Thibaut Pinot (FRA), 4:30:49.

Stage 7 (230.0 km): 1. Groenewegen (NED), 6:02:44; 2. Ewan (AUS), 6:02:44; 3. Sagan (SVK), 6:02:44; 4. Colbrelli (ITA), 6:02:44; 5. Jasper Philipsen (BEL), 6:02:44.

Stage 8 (200.0 km): 1. Thomas de Gendt (BEL), 5:00:17; 2. Thibaut Pinot (FRA), 5:00:23; 3. Alaphilippe (FRA), 5:00:23; 4. Matthews (AUS), 5:00:43; 5. Sagan (SVK), 5:00:43.

Stage 9 (170.5 km): 1. Daryl Impey (RSA), 4:03:12; 2. Tiesj Benoot (BEL), 4:03:12; 3. Jan Tratnik (SLO), 4:03:22; 4. Oliver Naesen (BEL), 4:03:22; 5. Stuyven (BEL), 4:03:22.

Stage 10 (217.5 km): 1. Wout van Aert (BEL), 4:49:39; 2. Viviani (ITA), 4:49:39; 3. Ewan (AUS), 4:49:39; 4. Matthews (AUS), 4:49:39; 5. Sagan (SVK), 4:49:39.

Stage 11 (167.0 km): 1. Ewan (AUS), 3:51:26; 2. Groenewegen (NED), 3:51:26; 3. Viviani (ITA), 3:51:26; 4. Sagan (SVK), 3:51:26; 5. Jens Debusschere (GER), 3:51:26.

Stage 12 (209.5 km): 1. Simon Yates (GBR), 4:57:53; 3. Pello Bilbao (ESP), 4:57:53; 3. Gregor Muhlberger (AUT), 4:57:53; 4. Tiesj Benott (BEL), 4:59:21; 5. Febio Felline (ITA), 4:59:21.

Stage 13 (27.2 km Indiv. Time Trial): 1. Alaphilippe (FRA), 35:00; 2. Thomas (GBR), 35:14; 3. De Gendt (BEL), 35:36; 4. Rigoberto Uran (COL), 35:36; 5. Richie Porte (AUS), 36:45. Also in the top 25: 9. Joey Rosskopf (USA), 36:01; … 17. Chad Haga (USA), 36:22.

Stage 14 (117.5 km): 1. Thibaut Pinot (FRA), 3:10:20; 2. Alaphilippe (FRA), 3:10:26; 3. Steven Kruijswijk (NED), 3:10:26; 4. Emanuel Buchmann (GER), 3:10:28; 5. Egan Bernal (COL), 3:10:28.

Stage 15 (185.0 km): 1. S. Yates (GBR), 4:47:04; 2. Pinot (FRA), 4:47:37; 3. Mikel Landa (ESP), 4:47:37; 4. Buchmann (GER), 4:47:55; 5. Bernal (COL), 4:47:55.

22 July: Rest day
23 July: Stage 16 (177.0 km): Nîmes to Nîmes (hilly)
24 July: Stage 17 (200.0 km): Pont du Gard to Gap (hilly)
25 July: Stage 18 (208.0 km): Embrun to Valloire (high mountains)
26 July: Stage 19 (126.5 km): Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Tignes (high mountains)
27 July: Stage 20 (130.0 km): Albertville to Val Thorens (high mountains)
28 July: Stage 21 (128.0 km): Rambouillet to Paris (flat)

ATHLETICS: Obiri beats Hassan in terrific 5,000 m; Fraser-Pryce wins 100 m in 10.78 in London

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 21, 2019

tsx pix 2019-721 fraser-pryce shelly-ann london 750 — The world's fastest woman (right now): Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM), winning in London in 10.78 (Photo: IAAF)

The second day of the Muller Anniversary Games in London (GBR) produced more fireworks, including a sensational women’s 5,000 m where reigning World Champion Hellen Obiri (KEN) managed a last half-lap win over countrywoman Agnes Tirop and mile world-record holder Sifan Hassan (NED) in 14:20.36, the 11th fastest mark in history.

This was a preview of what should be a gripping race at the World Championships in Doha (QAT), with Hassan taking over at 3,600 m and leading until 200 m to go, when Obiri moved by. Tirop also passed Hassan and finished in 14:20.68, becoming the sixth-fastest ever, with Hassan third in 14:22.12, a European Record.

Obiri was delighted. “I am so happy because this is my favorite track and I have done my best and I ran the way I wanted to. In the last lap I was thinking, work hard and I said to myself when I went past Hassan: ‘let me go and see if you can catch me.’”

Hassan wasn’t disappointed. “I went out fast, but I’m still very tired from the mile in Monaco last week, both physically and emotionally. But I still ran a PB, so I’m happy.”

Counting the first day’s events, the meet produced five world leaders:

● Men/Mile: 3:49.45, Samuel Tefera (ETH)
● Men/400 m hurdles: 47.12, Karsten Warholm, (NOR)
● Men/4×100 m: 37.60, Great Britain
● Women/5,000 m: 14:20.36, Hellen Obiri (KEN)
● Women/100 m hurdles: 12.32, Danielle Williams (JAM)

Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce confirmed her position as the favorite in the women’s 100 m for Doha with another dominating win, in 10.78. She was well clear of Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (10.92) and Marie-Josee Ta Lou (CIV: 10.98).

“I am definitely happy,” said Fraser-Pryce afterwards. “It’s a long season and I’ve been training and training. To come out here and run 10.78 is a fabulous time.

“I feel good. The aim is to make sure when I get to Doha that I’m on point. Right now the females are so close in terms of time so you definitely just have to come out and make sure that you’re ready to run.”

There was other good sprinting in London, including the British men leading off the elite program with a world-leading 37.60 in the 4×100 m. The Brits beat the U.S. in 2017 and with good passing, are going to be hard to beat in Doha.

Further, China’s Zhenye Xie ran an Asian record of 19.88 in the 200 m; pencil him into the chase pack for the 200 m in Doha behind American Noah Lyles.

Although inferior to the world-leading 1,500 m (3:28.77) by Kenya’s Tim Cheruiyot, Ethiopia’s Samuel Tefera had to overcome a national-record run by Norway’s Filip Ingebrigtsen to win the Emsley Carr Mile in 3:49.45-3:49.60 for the fifth world leader of the meet.

Germany’s Malaika Mihambo scored a significant win over four-time World Champion Brittney Reese of the U.S. in the women’s long jump, 7.02 m (23-0 1/2) to 6.82 m (22-4 1/2). Mihambo is the only one to surpass 7 m this season and now has three meets past that mark.

Said Reese afterwards, “I’m satisfied. It’s early season and I didn’t get to do any indoor season this year so I’m just jumping myself into shape, getting into form. I’m really pleased with what I did today considering I came overseas and now I get ready for U.S. Championships.

She said of jumping against the German, “It’s going to be good! We already know seven meters is going to be the mark to beat, so I just need to be in seven meter shape and hopefully retain my title.”

Summaries of both days:

IAAF Diamond League/Muller Anniversary Games
London (GBR) ~ 20-21 July 2019
(Full results here)

Men

100 m (wind: +0.5 m/s): 1. Akani Simbine (RSA), 9.93; 2. Zharnel Hughes (GBR), 9.95; 3. Yohan Blake (JAM), 9.97.

200 m (non-Diamond League; +0.9): 1. Zhenye Xie (CHN), 19.88; 2. Miguel Francis (GBR), 19.97; 3. Aldemir Junior (BRA), 20.17.

400 m: 1. Akeem Bloomfield (JAM), 44.40; 2. Jonathan Jones (BAR), 44.63; 3. Nathon Allen (JAM), 44.85. Also: 4. Obi Igbokwe (USA), 45.06; … 9. Marcus Chambers (USA), 46.26.

800 m: 1. Ferguson Rotich (KEN), 1:43.14; 2. Wyclife Kinyamal (KEN), 1:43.48; 3. Marcin Lewandowski (POL), 1:43.74.

Emsley Carr Mile (non-Diamond League): 1. Samuel Tefera (ETH), 3:49.45; 2. Filip Ingebrigtsen (NOR), 3:49.60; 3. Jake Wightman (GBR), 3:52.02.

5,000 m (non-Diamond League): 1. Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH), 13:01.86; 2. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR), 13:02.03; 3. Nicholas Kimeli (KEN), 13:05.48.

110 m hurdles (non-Diamond League; +0.4): 1. Wenjun Xie (CHN), 13.28; 2. Wil Belocian (FRA), 13.28; 3. Omar McLeod (JAM), 13.32.

400 m hurdles: 1. Karsten Warholm (NOR), 47.12; 2. Yasmani Copello (TUR), 48.93; 3. Amere Lattin (USA), 49.18. Also: 4. Byron Robinson (USA), 49.29.

4×100 m (non-Diamond Leage): 1. Great Britain (Ujah, Hughes, Kilty, Mitchell-Blake), 37.60; 2. Japan, 37.78; 3. Netherlands, 37.99.

High Jump: 1. Majd Eddin Ghazal (SYR), 2.30 m (7-6 1/2); 2. Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT), 2.27 m (7-5 1/4); 3. Tihomir Ivanov (BUL), 2.24 m (7-4 1/4).

Long Jump (non-Diamond League): 1. Luvo Manyonga (RSA), 8.37 m (27-5 1/2); 2. Tajay Gayle (JAM), 8.32 m (27-3 3/4); 3. Ruswahl Samaai (RSA), 8.11 m (26-7 1/4). Also: 5. Trumaine Jefferson (USA), 7.89 m (25-10 3/4).

Triple Jump: 1. Pedro Pablo Pichardo (POR), 17.53 m (57-6 1/4); 2. Christian Taylor (USA), 17.19 m (56-4 3/4); 3. Hugues Zango (BUR), 16.88 m (55-4 3/4).

Discus: 1. Daniel Stahl (SWE), 68.56 m (224-11); 2. Fedrick Dacres (JAM), 67.09 m (220-1); 3. Andrius Gudzius (LTU), 65.40 m (214-7).

Women

100 m (+0.7): 1. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM), 10.78; 2. Dina Asher-Smith (GBR), 10.92; 3. Marie-Josee Ta Lou (CIV), 10.98.

200 m (+1.1): 1. Elaine Thompson (JAM), 22.13; 2. Marie-Josee Ta Lou (CIV), 22.36; 3. Beth Dobbin (GBR), 22.50.

400 m: 1. Shericka Jackson (JAM), 50.69; 2. Stephenie Ann McPherson (JAM), 50.74; 3. Laviai Nielsen (GBR), 50.83.

800 m (non-Diamond League): 1. Lynsey Sharp (GBR), 1:58.61; 2. Catriona Bisset (AUS), 1:58.78; 3. Alexandra Bell (GBR), 1:59.82.

1,500 m: 1. Laura Muir (GBR), 3:58.25; 2. Winny Chebet (KEN), 3:59.93; 3. Gabriela Debues-Stafford (CAN), 4:00.26.

5,000 m: 1. Hellen Obiri (KEN), 14:20.36; 2. Agnes Tirop (KEN), 14:20.68; 3. Sifan Hassan (NED), 14:22.12.

100 m hurdles (+0.8): 1. Danielle Williams (JAM), 12.32; 2. Nia Ali (USA), 12.57; 3. Queen Claye (USA), 12.64. Also: 8. Evonne Britton (USA), 13.15.

400 m hurdles: 1. Rushell Clayton (JAM), 54.16; 2. Zuzana Hejnova (CZE), 54.33; 3. Tia-Adana Belle (BAR), 54.54.

4×100 m: 1. Jamaica (Morrison, Thompson, Smith, Fraser-Pryce), 42.29; 2. Great Britain, 42.30; 3. China, 42.71.

Pole Vault: 1. Anzhelika Sidorova (RUS), 4.75 m (15-7); 2. Katerina Stefanidi (GRE), 4.75 m (15-7); 3. Holly Bradshaw (GBR), 4.65 m (15-3).

Long Jump: 1. Malaika Mihambo (GER), 7.02 m (23-0 1/2); 2. Brittney Reese (USA), 6.82 m (22-4 1/2); 3. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (UKR), 6.78 m (22-3).

Javelin: 1. Tatsiana Khaladovich (BLR), 66.10m (216-10): 2. Kelsey-Lee Barber (AUS), 65.85 m (216-0); 3. Christin Hussong (GER), 65.73 m (215-7). Also: 9. Kara Winger (USA), 60.08 m (197-1).

SWIMMING: Titmus stuns Ledecky with 400 m Free win in final meters; Adrian anchors men’s relay gold in Gwangju

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 21, 2019

tsx pix 2019-721 titmus, ariarne 2018 750 — World 400 m Freestyle champ Ariarne Titmus (AUS)

Australia’s 18-year-old distance sensation Ariarne Titmus arrived on the world stage at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju (KOR) and was 62/100ths behind world-record holder Katie Ledecky in the 400 m Freestyle with one lap left to go.

The half-a-body length lead for the Ledecky did not deter Titmus, who started closing halfway through the final lap and surged past Ledecky to win in an Australian record of 3:58.76 to Ledecky’s 3:59.97.

It was the eighth fastest-swim of all time and the fastest in the world this year, moving Titmus to no. 2 all-time.

Titmus started fast and had a small lead on Ledecky halfway through. But Ledecky roared to the lead in the third 100 m and appeared to be steadily moving toward another victory. But in the final 50 m, it was Titmus’s 29.73 finish to Ledecky’s 31.34 that made the difference.

“I feel pretty normal, it was just a swimming race,” Titmus said. “There was no pressure really coming into this race. I just wanted to fight as hard as I could – in that last 50 m I gave it everything.”

But the headline is the defeat of Ledecky, 22, who came in with the 12 fastest times in history and was World Champion in 2013-15-17. American fans in Gwangju were stunned and so was Ledecky.

“I just got to the last turn and felt like I just tightened up,” Ledecky said. “My legs were just dead. Obviously, Ariarne took advantage of that. Obviously, this stings a little, unfamiliar and different.

“My physical preparation has been great for this meet, really expected to be a lot faster than that. I knew it was going to be a tough race going in. I was nervous for it.”

Almost lost in the race for the gold was American Leah Smith, who put on her own surge in the final 100 m to pass Hungary’s Anja Kesely, 4:01.29-4:01.31 for the bronze medal, her fifth career World Championships medal.

The U.S. men swam what was essentially a world record in the 4×100 m Freestyle Relay, finishing in 3:09.06, the no. 3 performance in history and easily the fastest ever in textile suits. Only the iconic 3:08.24-3:08.32 Olympic win by the U.S. in 2008 (with Jason Lezak on anchor) over France produced faster times, but the swimmers had the advantage of the now-banned plastic suits.

The American quartet started with reigning 50 m Freestyle World Champion Caeleb Dressel (47.63), his 0.20 lead was extended by Blake Pieroni (47.49), Zach Apple (46.86 ~ yes, 46.86!) and Nathan Adrian, who timed 47.08. The U.S. was 0.91 up on Russia, which authored the eighth-fastest relay ever, in 3:09.97.

The U.S. women won silver, as expected, in the 4×100 m Free Relay to Australia, setting an American Record of 3:31.02, while the winners swam the no. 2 time ever in 3:30.21. The Australian foursome of Bronte Campbell, Brianna Throssell, Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell didn’t lead until the final leg, but Cate Campbell’s split of 51.45 was the fastest of the race and brought home the gold.

The U.S. team of Mallory Comerford, Abbey Weitziel, Kelsi Dahlia and Simone Manuel had the lead at halfway, but Penny Oleksiak brought Canada in first after 300 m. While Campbell ran away for the win, Manuel swam brilliantly – in 51.92 – to grab silver. The American Record time moves the U.S. to no. 2 on the all-time list (ahead of the Netherlands) and is the fifth-fastest relay ever. It broke the mark of the 2017 World Championships teams, which had Comerford, Dahlia (then Kelsi Worrell), Ledecky and Manuel.

China’s Yang Sun won his fourth consecutive 400 m Free title, ahead of Australia’s Mack Horton, 3:42.44-3:43.17. Sun took charge by the 200 m split and powered home for a clear win.

The first evening session has plenty of additional action in qualifying:

● Britain’s Adam Peaty set a world record of 56.88 in the 100 m Breaststroke, his ninth individual world mark and fifth in this event. He became the first person to swim the distance in under 57 seconds and now owns the top 15 times in history in the event. And all this in the semifinals!

● Dressel showed that he will be hard to beat in the 50 m Butterfly, winning his semi and leading all qualifiers in 22.57, an American Record, besting his own 22.76 mark from the 2017 Worlds semifinals in Budapest. He moves to no. 3 on the all-time list, behind only world-record holder Andriy Govorov (UKR: 22.27 ‘18) and Rafael Munoz Perez (ESP: 22.43 ‘09). Dressel was 0.20 ahead of Brazil’s Nicholas Santos in his heat; Govorov won the first semi in 22.80. American Michael Andrew was fifth overall and into the final at 22.95.

● Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu overwhelmed the field in the 200 m Medley, posting the fastest times in the heats (2:07.02, seventh-fastest of all time) and 2:07.17 in the semis (11th fastest ever).

Quite a first day, and much more to come! Ledecky and Titmus will be head-to-head again in the heats of the 200 m Free on Tuesday, and Ledecky swims the 1,500 m Free that evening, in which she is the overwhelming favorite. She and Titmus will also lock up again in the 800 m Free on Saturday. Summaries:

FINA World Aquatics Championships
Gwangju (KOR) ~ 12-28 July 2019
(Full results here)

SWIMMING

Men

400 m Freestyle: 1. Yang Sun (CHN), 3:42.44; 2. Mack Horton (AUS), 3:43.17; 3. Gabriele Detti (ITA), 3:43.23; 4. Danas Rapsys (LTU), 3:43.50; 5. Marco de Tullio (ITA), 3:44.86; 6. Xinjie Ji (CHN), 3:45.64; 8. Zane Grothe (USA), 3:45.78.

4×100 m Freestyle: 1. United States (Caeleb Dressel, Blake Pieroni, Zach Apple, Nathan Adrian), 3:09.06; 2. Russia (Grinev, Morozov, Kolesnikov, Rylov), 3:09.97; 3. Australia (McEvoy, Lewis, Graham, Chalmers), 3:11.22; 4. Italy, 3:11.39; 5. Great Britain, 3:11.81; 6. Brazil, 3:11.99; 7. Hungary, 3:12.85; 8. France, 3:13.34.

Women

400 m Freestyle: 1. Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 3:58.76; 2. Katie Ledecky (USA), 3:59.97; 3. Leah Smith (USA), 4:01.29; 4. Ajna Kesely (HUN), 4:01.31; 5. Jianjiahe Wang (CHN), 4:03.67; 6. Boglarka Kapas (HUN), 4:05.36; 7. Anna Egorova (RUS), 4:06.16; 8. Veronika Andrusenko (RUS), 4:08.60.

4×100 m Freestyle: 1. Australia (Bronte Campbell, Throssell, McKeon, Cate Campbell), 3:30.21; 2. United States (Mallory Comerford, Abbey Weitzeil, Kelsi Dahlia, Simone Manuel), 3:31.02; 3. Canada (Sanchez, Ruck, Oleksiak, MacNeil), 3:31.78; 4. Netherlands, 3:35.32; 5. China, 3:35.83; 6. Sweden, 3:36.33; 7. Japan, 3:36.79; 8. Germany, 3:39.07.

CYCLING: Vos wins La Course for the second time with final, explosive sprint in Pau

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 20, 2019

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

Dutch dominance of the 2019 UCI Women’s World Tour continued with Marianne Vos (NED) taking her second win in the six editions of the one-day La Course by Le Tour de France in Pau (FRA).

Early breakaways were reeled in and on the last of the five laps of the course, another group tried to break off, including two-time defending champ Annemiek van Vleuten (NED), Amanda Spratt (AUS), Lucinda Brand (NED), Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) and Dane Cecile Uttrup Ludwig.

Spratt then attacked, but the other racers closed in and as the race neared the finish, Vos had moved up into position to sprint and no one could catch her. Spratt faded to 24th in the mass finish that followed; Vos won by three seconds and the next 29 riders followed runner-up Leah Kirchmann (CAN) en masse.

Vos won the first Le Course race back in 2014 and has now won two of the six races held. It’s Vos’s second race win of the season, to go along with five other stage wins (four in the Giro Rosa). Van Vleuten, the seasonal leader, ended up seventh.

Dutch women have now won 10 of the 15 races on the World Tour this season, with eight races remaining. Summaries:

UCI Women’s World Tour/La Course by Le Tour de France
Pau (FRA) ~ 19 July 2019
(Full results here)

Final Standings (121 km): 1. Marianne Vos (NED), 3:15:20; 2. Leah Kirchmann (CAN), 3:15:23; 3. Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (DEN), 3:15:23; 4. Lucinda Brand (NED), 3:14:24; 5. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA), 3:15:26; 6. Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA), 3:15:26; 7. Annemiek van Vleuten (NED), 3:15:27; 8. Soraya Paladin (ITA), 3:15:27; 9. Ane Santesteban (ESP), 3:15:27; 10. Anna van der Breggen (NED), 3:15:27. Also in the top 25: 19. Katie Hall (USA), 3:15:33.

GYMNASTICS: No doubt about Biles in GK U.S. Classic, but McCusker shines in second

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 20, 2019

tsx pix 2019-720 mccusker, riley 750 — World Championships Team gold medalist Riley McCusker (USA)

Superstar gymnast Simone Biles easily won the All-Around at the GK U.S. Classic and confirmed her position as the top American gymnast with an impressive 60.00 score at the Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

In a very large field of 21, she won the Vault (15.650), was just fifth on the Uneven Bars (14.450), then third on the Beam (14.900) and won the Floor Exercise at 15.000.

Riley McCusker finished second with 57.900 points and was second on Beam (15.300) and third on the Uneven Bars at 14.550. Grace McCallum’s encouraging third-place finish included a tie for second on Floor (14.250) and a tie for third on the Uneven Bars (14.550).

The 2017 World All-Around Champion, Morgan Hurd, did not fare as well, finishing sixth. Jade Carey, a specialist on Vault and Floor, competed in the All-Around and placed 10 (54.950), but was second to Biles on both Vault (14.900) and Floor (tied-14.250).

Biles won her fourth All-Around title – previously in 2014-15-18 – and became the winningest gymnast ever in the U.S. Classic, breaking a tie with Aly Raisman (2011-12-16).

The U.S. Pan American Games team will be selected from this meet; eight gymnasts were in contention to go; the five who finished highest were McCusker, Eaker, Wong, Hurd and Aleah Finnegan. Summaries:

GK U.S. Classic
Louisville, Kentucky (USA) ~ 20 July 2019
(Full results here)

Women/All-Around: 1. Simone Biles, 60.000; Riley McCusker, 57.900; 3. Grace McCallum, 57.700; 4. Kara Eaker, 56.800; 5. Leanne Wong, 56.650; 6. Morgan Hurd, 56.500; 7. Aleah Finnegan. 55.500; 8. Faith Torrez, 55.250. Event winners: Vault: Biles, 15.650; Uneven Bars: Hurd, 14.700; Beam: Eaker, 15.400; Floor: Biles, 15.000.

SWIMMING Preview/Men: Questions about Sun and the U.S., but not about Peaty in men’s World Championships

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 20, 2019

tsx pix 2019-309 andrew, michael 750 (fly) — Two American Records on the first day of the U.S. Olympic Trials for Michael Andrew

Like the women’s events at the 2019 FINA World Championships, the men’s events are marked by a huge question mark from the United States.

Caeleb Dressel won seven gold medals and was the break-out star of the 2017 Worlds, but there’s no indication that he’s ready to challenge that performance. The emerging star of the 2018 U.S. Nationals, which was the selection meet for the 2019 Worlds, was sprinter Michael Andrew, but he had only modest success at the FINA Champions Series.

There are very few doubts about Adam Peaty (GBR) in the Breaststroke events, but there could be surprises in the Backstroke and Butterfly events. The dominant Medley swimmer of 2017 and 2018 – Chase Kalisz of the U.S. – has not been at his best so far in 2019.

Then there is China’s star Freestyler Yang Sun, winner of nine World Championships gold medals, but dogged by doping accusations that will be decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport later this year.

A check of the top five on the 2019 World list in each men’s event:

● 50 m Freestyle:
1. 21.31 Bruno Fratus (BRA)
2. 21.48 Ben Proud (GBR)
3. 21.51 Caeleb Dressel (USA)
4. 21.54 Kristian Gkolomeev (GRE)
5. 21.55 Vladimir Morozov (RUS)

● 100 m Freestyle:
1. 47.35 Kyle Chalmers (AUS)
2. 47.43 Vladislav Grinev (RUS)
3. 47.68 Marcelo Chierghini (BRA)
4. 47.79 Zach Apple (USA) ~ not entered
5. 47.86 Caeleb Dressel (USA)
6. 47.87 Duncan Scott (GBR)

● 200 m Free:
1. 1:45.46 Martin Malyutin (RUS)
2. 1:45.56 Danas Rapsys (LTU)
3. 1:45.63 Katsuhiro Matsumoto (JPN)
3. 1:45.63 Duncan Scott (GBR)
5. 1:45.73 Yang Sun (CHN)

Dressel dominated the sprints in 2017, winning the 50/100 m, with Fratus second and Proud third in the 50 m and Nathan Adrian (USA) second and Metella third in the 100 m. Adrian will be on relay duty only and star sprinter Michael Andrew will contest the 50 m for the U.S. and Blake Pieroni will swim the 100 m. Australia’s Chalmers, the 2016 Olympic 100 m winner looked marvelous at the national trials and remains the world leader. The 200 m Free appears to be wide open; Sun won a 2015 Worlds silver in the event.

● 400 m Free:
1. 3:42.75 Yang Sun (CHN)
2. 3:43.36 Gabriele Detti (ITA)
3. 3:43.36 Danas Rapsys (LTU)
4. 3:44.34 Jack McLaughlin (AUS)
5. 3:44.67 Elijah Winnington (AUS) ~ not entered
6. 3:45.55 Alexander Krasnykh (RUS)

● 800 m Free:
1. 7:42.49 Mykhaylo Romanchuk (UKR)
2. 7:43.03 Florian Wellbrock (GER)
3. 7:43.83 Gabriele Detti (ITA)
4. 7:45.11 Henrik Christiansen (NOR)
5. 7:45.35 Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA)

● 1,500 m Free:
1. 14:38.34 Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA)
2. 14:42.91 Florian Wellbrock (GER)
3. 14:46.51 Daniel Jervis (GBR)
4. 14:48.52 Jan Micka (GBR)
5. 14:49.67 Henrik Christiansen NOR)

The focus will be on Sun, who owns nine gold medals in the Worlds: 2013-15-17 wins in the 400 m, 2011-13-15 in the 800 m and 2011-13 in the 1,500 m. He’s in the middle of a doping controversy, of course, with the World Anti-Doping Agency questioning an incident where he allegedly destroyed a doping specimen before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Wellbrock, the winner of the Open Water 10 km title could be dangerous for medals at these shorter distances, too. Detti and Paltrinieri are the defending champs in the 800 m and 1,500 m.

● 50 m Backstroke:
1. 24.23 Mark Nicolaev (RUS) ~ not entered
2. 24.39 Michael Andrew (USA)
3. 24.46 Zane Waddell (RSA)
4. 24.47 Jiayu Xu (CHN)
5. 24.48 Justin Ress (USA) ~ not entered
6. 24.54 Dmitry Maltsev (RUS) ~ not entered
7. 24.58 Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS)
8. 24/59 Robert Glinta (ROU)

● 100 m Back:
1. 52.27 Jiayu Xu (CN)
2. 52.38 Mitch Larkin (AUS)
3. 52.81 Evgeny Rylov (RUS)
4. 52.99 Ryan Murphy (USA)
5. 53.03 Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS)

● 200 m Back:
1. 1:54.00 Evgeny Rylov (RUS)
2. 1:55.03 Mitch Larkin (AUS)
3. 1:55.24 Jiayu Xu (CHN)
4. 1:55.77 Ryan Murphy (USA)
5. 1:55.79 Ryosuke Irie (JPN)

Xu won the 100 m Back in 2017, as did Rylov in the 200 m Back; Murphy won the 100/200 m at the Rio Olympic Games. In his first senior-level World Championships, what will Andrew do? Larkin was the World Champion in the 100/200 m Back in 2015 and has raced better this year than anytime since then.

● 50 m Breaststroke:
1. 26.33 Felipe Lima (BRA)
2. 26.42 Joao Luiz Gomes (BRA)
3. 26.49 Adam Peaty (GBR)
4. 26.55 Ilya Shymanovich (BLR)
5. 26.75 Felipe Franca Da Silva (BRA)

● 100 m Breast:
1. 57.87 Adam Peaty (GBR)
2. 58.29 Ilya Shymanovich (BLR)
3. 58.66 James Wilby (GBR)
4. 58.74 Zibei Yan (CHN)
5. 59.05 Fabio Scozzoli (ITA)

● 200 m Breast:
1. 2:07.00 Anton Chupkov (RUS)
2. 2:07.02 Ippei Watanabe (JPN)
3. 2:07.16 Matthew Wilson (AUS)
4. 2:07.49 James Wilby (GBR)
5. 2:07.96 Ross Murdoch (GBR)

The Breaststroke events have been the private reserve of Peaty, the 50/100 m winner in both 2015 and 2017 and three world-record holder. Gomes won the 50 m silver in 2017. Chupkov is the defending World Champion in the 200 m. Watanabe is the world-record holder in the 200 m.

● 50 m Butterfly:
1. 22.60 Nicholas dos Santos (BRA)
2. 22.74 Oleg Kostin (RUS)
3. 22.87 Andriy Govorov (UKR)
4. 23.06 Andrey Zhiliken (RUS)
5. 23.09 Benjamin Proud (GBR)

● 100 m Fly:
1. 50.36 Caeleb Dressel (USA)
2. 50.85 Mehdy Metella (FRA)
3. 51.25 Chad LeClos (RSA)
4. 51.34 Sebastian Sabo (SRB)
5. 51.35 Marius Kusch (GER)

● 200 m Fly:
1. 1:53.19 Kristof Milak (HUN)
2. 1:53.42 Tamas Kenderesi (HUN)
3. 1:53.84 Luca Urlando (USA) ~ not entered
4. 1:53.84 Daiya Seto (JPN)
5. 1:54.64 Federico Burdisso (ITA)
6. 1:55.26 David Morgan (AUS)

Proud won the 50 m at the 2017 Worlds with Dressel fourth, but Dressel won the 100 m Free, with Milak second. Brazil’s dos Santos and South Africa’s Le Clos (the 2013-15 gold medalist) should have a lot to say about these races and Le Clos is the 2013-15 World Champion in the 200 m Fly.

● 200 m Individual Medley:
1. 1:55.72 Mitch Larkin (AUS)
2. 1:56.65 Duncan Scott (GBR)
3. 1:56.66 Shun Wang (CHN)
4. 1:56.69 Daiya Seto (JPN)
5. 1:56.89 Jeremy Desplanches (SUI)

● 400 m Medley:
1. 4:07.95 Daiya Seto (JPN)
2. 4:10.94 Max Litchfield (GBR)
3. 4:11.90 David Verraszto (HUN)
4. 4:12.54 Yuki Ikari (JPN)
5. 4:12.80 Peter Bernek (HUN)

Chase Kalisz of the U.S. dominated these events at the 2017 Worlds, winning both and relegating Wang to the 200 m bronze and two-time defending champ Seto to bronze in the 400 m. But Kalisz lost to Andrew in the 200 m Medley at the 2018 Nationals and they are 6-7 on the world list for 2019 (1:57.49 for Andrew; 1:57.68 for Kalisz). In the 400 m Medley, Kalisz is currently seventh on the world list at 4:13.45. Is he ready to defend? Larkin was the 200 m Medley winner at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and was great at the Australian Trials.

NBC’s Olympic Channel has coverage from Gwangju, usually at 7 a.m. Eastern time; the schedule is here. The line-timing site for the Worlds is excellent; it’s here.

SWIMMING Preview/Women: Will Australia, Sjostrom and Hosszu bury the U.S. women in Gwangju?

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 20, 2019

tsx pix 51718 ledecky katie wr 1500 m — Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky (USA)

Time for the main event: the swimming portion of the FINA World Championships in Gwangju (KOR), starting on Sunday morning. And for the world’s dominant power, the United States, it’s hard to know what to expect.

Sure, superstars like Katie Ledecky and Lilly King are in Korea, ready to go. But this U.S. team was not picked a few weeks ago, with the swimmers selected at the height of their powers. Instead, following a tradition of recent years, the Worlds team in the year before the Olympic Games was selected at the U.S. Nationals of the year prior, in this case, 2018.

Further, only the American team itself knows what kind of shape it’s in, after many weeks of heavy training and then tapering for its test in Korea. Another dominant performance as in 2017, when the U.S. stomped its way to 38 medals (18-10-10), with Australia (1-5-4), China (3-3-4) and Russia (3-3-4) at 10 each?

By contrast, in 2015, the U.S. led the medal table with 23 (8-10-5), with Australia (7-3-6) at 16 and China (5-1-7) at 13.

So let’s look ahead to the women’s events, with the top five or so in the world list (accounting for those not entered) and the prospects:

● 50 m Freestyle:
1. 23.78 Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)
2. 24.00 Cate Campbell (AUS)
3. 24.08 Pernille Blume (DEN)
4. 24.17 Bronte Campbell (AUS)
5. 24.25 Emma McKeon (AUS) ~ not entered
6. 24.32 Maria Kameneva (RUS)
7. 24.34 Simone Manuel (USA)

● 100 m Free:
1. 52.12 Cate Campbell (AUS)
2. 52.41 Emma McKeon (AUS)
3. 52.76 Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)
4. 52.84 Bronte Campbell (AUS) ~ not entered
5. 53.18 Shayna Jack (AUS) ~ not entered
6. 53.26 Taylor Ruck (CAN)
7. 63.29 Charlotte Bonnet (FRA)

● 200 m Free:
1. 1:54.30 Ariarne Titmus (AUS)
2. 1:54.55 Emma McKeon (AUS)
3. 1:55.39 Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)
4. 1:55.42 Federico Pellegrini (ITA)
5. 1:55.78 Kate Ledecky (USA)

The sprint event have been owned by Sjostrom, who swept just about everything in sight at thje FINA Champions Swim Series earlier this year in the Freestyle sprints and Butterfly events. She will get a severe argument from Australia’s Cate Campbell and Dane Pernille Blume, and maybe American Simone Manuel. Ledecky will contest the 200 m in a great test of her speed at the lower end of her range.

● 400 m Free:
1. 3:59.28 Katie Ledecky (USA)
2. 3:59.35 Ariarne Titmus (AUS)
3. 4:03.29 Bingjie Li (CHN)
4. 4:03.77 Jianjiahe Wang (CHN)
5. 4:03.86 Leah Smith (USA)

● 800 m Free:
1. 8:10.70 Katie Ledecky (USA)
2. 8:14.64 Jianjiahe Wang (CHN)
3. 8:16.33 Leah Smith (USA)
4. 8:18.23 Ariarne Titmus (AUS)
5. 8:21.20 Simona Quadarella (ITA)

● 1,500 m Free:
1. 15:45.59 Katie Ledecky (USA)
2. 15:46.69 Jianjiahe Wang (CHN)
3. 15:48.84 Simona Quadarella (ITA)
4. 15:51.68 Delfina Pignatello (ITA)
5. 15:55.25 Erica Sullivan (USA)

Ledecky is the favorite in all three of the longer-distance Frees, but one of the highlights of the meet could come on Sunday in the 400 m free final. Ledecky owns the world record (3:56.46 ‘16) and the Worlds meet record (3:58.34 ‘17) and both could fall in Gwangju. Ledecky also owns the longer distances and is an overwhelming favorite to win both, but the progress of China’s Li and Wang will be closely watched.

● 50 m Backstroke:
1. 27.36 Etienne Medeiros (BRA)
2. 27.58 Anastasia Fesikova (RUS)
3. 27.60 Yuanhui Fu (CHN)
4. 27.65 Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
5. 27.66 Maria Kameneva (RUS) ~ not entered
6. 27.74 Daria Vaskina (RUS)

● 100 m Back:
1. 58.16 Kylie Masse (CAN)
2. 58.45 Regan Smith (USA) ~ not entered
3. 58.55 Taylor Ruck (CAN)
4. 58.73 Olivia Smoliga (USA)
5. 58.92 Margherita Panziera (ITA)
6. 59.05 Kathleen Baker (USA)

● 200 m Back:
1. 2:05.72 Margherita Panziera (ITA)
2. 2:05.92 Kylie Masse (CAN)
3. 2:06.35 Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
4. 2:06.47 Regan Smith (USA)
5. 2:06.70 Taylor Ruck (CAN)

Who’s in shape? Are Canada’s Masse and Ruck, both brilliant when right, ready to win? Baker set the world record in the 100 m Back (58.00) last year, but hasn’t been as fast in 2019. And McKeown? These events could be wide open for others.

● 50 m Breaststroke:
1. 29.63 Lilly King (USA)
2. 29.93 Yuliya Efimova (RUS)
3. 30.13 Benedetta Pilato (ITA)
4. 30.40 Molly Hannis (USA) ~ not entered
5. 30.42 Jhennifer Conceicao (BRA)
6. 30.45 Martina Carraro (ITA)

● 100 m Breast:
1. 1:05.13 Lilly King (USA)
2. 1:05.51 Yuliya Efimova (RUS)
3. 1:06.03 Annie Lazor (USA) ~ not entered
4. 1:06.32 Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA)
5. 1:06.34 Anna Belousova (RUS)
6. 1:06.44 Reona Aoki (JPN)

● 200 m Breast:
1. 2:20.77 Annie Lazor (USA) ~ not entered
2. 2:21.07 Evgeniya Chikukova (RUS) ~ not entered
3. 2:21.39 Lilly King (USA)
4. 2:21.59 Yuliya Efimova (RUS)
5. 2:22.53 Shiwen Ye (CHN)
6. 2:22.63 Sydney Pickrem (CAN)
7. 2:22.82 Kelsey Wog (CAN)

The expectation is another set of showdowns between King and Efimova; the American won all three in the FINA Champions Series in Indianapolis. King already owns the world records in the 50 m (29.40 ‘17) and 100 m (1:04.13 ‘17) events and has improved dramatically in the 200 m.

● 50 m Butterfly:
1. 25.32 Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)
2. 25.65 Farida Osman (EGY)
3. 25.68 Holly Barratt (AUS)
4. 25.84 Louise Hansson (AUS)
5. 25.85 Arina Surkova (RUS)

● 100 m Fly:
1. 56.42 Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)
2. 56.85 Emma McKeon (AUS)
3. 57.04 Margaret Macneil (CAN)
4. 57.35 Louise Hansson (SWE)
5. 57.39 Anastasiya Shkurdai (BLR)

● 200 m Fly:
1. 2:06.40 Hali Flickinger (USA)
2. 2:06.62 Katinka Hosszu (HUN)
3. 2:06.67 Katie Drabot (USA)
4. 2:07.21 Suzuka Hasegawa (JPN)
5. 2:07.31 Franziska Hentke (GER)

Sjostrom blew away everyone in the 50/100 m in the FINA Champions Series and it is hard to see anyone beating her in Gwangju. One of the Australians, perhaps? Flickinger’s world leader came on 1 June at the FINA Champions Series and won the Pan-Pacific title in the event last year’ she’s never won an individual Worlds medal.

● 200 m Individual Medley:
1. 2:08.28 Katinka Hosszu (HUN)
2. 2:08.61 Sydney Pickrem (CAN)
3. 2:08.64 Rika Omoto (JPN)
4. 2:09.14 Yui Ohashi (JPN)
5. 2:09.24 Shiwen Ye (CHN)

● 400 m Medley:
1. 4:32.52 Katinka Hosszu (HUN)
2. 4:33.02 Yui Ohashi (JPN)
3. 4:35.15 Sydney Pickrem (CAN)
4. 4:36.09 Mireia Belmonte (ESP)
5. 4:36.98 Aimee Wilmott (GBR)

Hosszu has been just about unbeatable in these events, taking the double at the 2013-15-17 Worlds and in Rio in 2016. She’s expected to win here too. But watch these Japanese entries for a clue to the possibility of making a challenge in Tokyo next year, when Hosszu will be 31.

You don’t see too many Americans on these lists and U.S. athletes, for the most part, have been quiet this year. But there will be new stars out of these Championships thanks to the combination of raw talent and having had the team selected a year ago … and not having to peak twice for a selection meet and then the Worlds.

The U.S. and Australia have the most depth and should be the top finishers in the relays.

NBC’s Olympic Channel has coverage from Gwangju, usually at 7 a.m. Eastern time; the schedule is here. The line-timing site for the Worlds is excellent; it’s here.

AQUATICS: China and Russia go 21-for-21 in Diving and Artistic Swimming, but leave one event each for others

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 20, 2019

tsx pix 2019-720 romashina and kolesnichenko 750 — Golden girls Svetlana Romashina (l) and Svetlana Kolesnichenko of Russia

A cynic would say that the Artistic Swimming and Diving competitions at the FINA World Championships in Gwangju (KOR) were too lopsided. Others would express admiration for the supreme skill and consistency of the Russians and Chinese.

You can pick which side you prefer after both disciplines concluded on Saturday, with Russia winning nine of 10 events in Artistic and the Chinese winning 12 golds in 13 events in Diving. What about the lone events they didn’t win? They didn’t compete.

In diving, the final-day program included the Mixed 3 m Synchro event at 3:30 p.m. and the men’s 10 m Platform final at 8:45 p.m. In the morning, the Chinese pair of Hao Yang and Yani Chang withdrew from the Mixed event. Said Yang:

“I withdrew from the Mixed 3 m Springboard Synchro to be better prepared in the platform. I thought that worked and helped me a lot. I was satisfied with my performance as I scored 13 perfect marks tonight. It was the first time I competed in the individual event. I was thrilled to experience the breath-taking contest.”

He finished second in a sensational battle with teammate Jian Yang, 25, who took gold with an absurd total of 598.65 points, a World Championships record, including what is reportedly the highest Worlds score ever for a single 10 m dive of 114.80 points on his final effort, a forward 4 1/2 somersault pike, that secured his victory.

That dive had a degree of difficulty of 4.1; no one else in the event tried anything higher than a 3.7!

But Hao Yang has his moments, piling up 15 (not 13) scores of 10.0 on his dives to four for Jian Yang and one for Tom Daley (GBR), and finished second at 585.75, more than 44 points ahead of third-place Aleksandr Bondar (RUS).

There’s no doubt that the Chinese could have won the Mixed 3 m Synchro and had Hao Yang finish second to Jian Yang in the Platform final, but as it was, the Chinese established a new record of 12 golds in the World Diving Championships. China won 8/13 events in 2017, 10/13 in 2015, 9/10 in 2013 and swept all 10 events in 2011. In the 12 events they contested, China’s average margin of victory was 29.60:

● 20.10 ~ Men/1 m Springboard: Zongyuan Wang
● 27.50 ~ Men/3 m Springboard: Siyi Xie (over Yuan Cao/CHN)
● 12.90 ~ Men/10 m Platform: Jian Yang (over Hao Yang/CHN)
● 24.72 ~ Men/3 m Synchro: Siyi Xie/Yuan Cao
● 42.33 ~ Men/10 m Synchro: Yuan Cao/Aisen Chen
● 23.45 ~ Women/1 m Springboard: Yiwen Chen
● 18.15 ~ Women/3 m Springboard: Tingmao Shi (over Han Wang/CHN)
● 61.20 ~ Women/10 m Platform: Yuxi Chen (over Wei Lu/CHN)
● 30.90 ~ Women/3 m Synchro: Han Wang/Tingmao Shi
● 32.52 ~ Women/10 m Synchro: Jiaqi Zhang/Wei Lu
● 34.86 ~ Mixed/10 m Synchro: Junjie Lian/Yajie Si
● 26.60 ~ Mixed/3 m+10 m: Shan Lin/Jian Yang

Looking ahead to the 2020 Tokyo Games, China will be favored to sweep all eight events (no 1 m or Mixed Synchro events) and win eight gold and four silver medals. But things happen; since the Olympic program was expanded to eight events with the Synchro additions in 2000, China has won 5-6-7-6-7 golds, and has not swept a Games yet.

Russia did almost the same thing in Artistic Swimming, winning the nine events it entered and leaving the Team Highlight event to Ukraine. These scores were much closer than in Diving, but it’s important to note the achievements of Svetlana Kolesnichenko and Svetlana Romashina, who won the Solo events individually (one each) and teamed up to win both Duet events. In their careers:

● Kolesnichenko, 25, now has 16 Worlds golds (no silvers, no bronzes) from 2011-19
● Romashina, 29, now has 21 Worlds golds (no silvers, no bronzes) from 2005-19

A combined total of 37 golds is pretty impressive! A repeat performance is certainly possible in 2020, but with only a combined Duet and Team event on the schedule. Kolesnichenko owns an Olympic Team gold from 2016, while Romashina has five Olympic golds from 2008-12-16.

The Artistic, Diving and Open Water events have concluded; Swimming takes over on Sunday and Water Polo is continuing. Summaries:

FINA World Aquatics Championships
Gwangju (KOR) ~ 12-28 July 2019
(Full results here)

ARTISTIC SWIMMING

Solo Technical: 1. Svetlana Kolesnichenko (RUS), 95.0023; 2. Ona Carbonell (ESP), 92.5002; 3. Yukiko Inui (JPN), 92.3084; 4. Marta Fiedina (UKR), 91.3014; 5. Jacqueline Simoneau (CAN), 89.2932; 6. Linda Cerruti (ITA), 88.0378; 7. Evangelia Platanioti (GRE), 86.2921; 8. Vasiliki Alexandri (AUT), 85.6098.

Solo Free: 1. Svetlana Romashina (RUS), 97.1333; 2. Carbonell (ESP), 94.5667; 3. Inui (JPN), 93.2000; 4. Fiedina (UKR), 92.5667; 5. Simoneau (CAN), 90.7000; 6. Cerruti (ITA), 90.4667; 7. Platanioti (GRE), 88.6667; 8. Alexandri (AUT), 87.1667. Also: 12. Anita Alvarez (USA), 84.7333.

Duet Technical: 1. Svetlana Romashina/Svetlana Kolesnichenko (RUS), 95.9010; 2. Wenyan Sun/Xuechen Huang (CHN), 94.0072; 3. Anastasiya Savchuk/Marta Fiedina (UKR), 92.5847; 4. Megumu Yoshida/Yukiko Inui (JPN), 92.116; 5. Linda Cerutti/Costanza Ferro (ITA), 90.1743; 6. Jacqueline Simoneau/Claudia Holzner (CAN), 88.8659; 7. Paula Ramirez/Sara Saldana Lopez (ESP), 87.2960; 8. Eirini Alexandri/Anna-Maria Alexandri (AUT), 87.0654. Also: 12. Ruby Remati/Anita Alvarez (USA), 84.0190.

Duet Free: 1. Romashina/Kolesnichenko (RUS), 97.500; 2. Huang/Sun (CHN), 95.7667; 3. Fiedina/Savchuk (UKR), 94.1000; 4. Inui/Yoshida (JPN), 93.0000; 5. Carbonell/Ramirez (ESP), 91.7000; 6. Cerruti/Ferro (ITA), 91.0000; 7. Holzner/Simoneau (CAN), 89.7667; 8. Charlotte Tremble/Laura Tremble (FRA), 88.0000. Also: 12. Remati/Alvarez (USA), 83.6333.

Team Technical: 1. Russia, 96.9426; 2. China, 95.1543; 3. Ukraine, 93.4514; 4. Japan, 92.7207; 5. Italy, 91.0411; 6. Spain, 90.2506; 7. Canada, 89.4990; 8. Greece, 87.0863. Also: 11. United States, 84.0566.

Team Free: 1. Russia, 98.0000; 2. China, 96.0333; 3. Ukraine, 94.3667; 4. Japan, 93.3667; 5. Italy, 91.6000; 6. Spain, 91.4000; 7. Canada, 90.1000; 8. Greece, 88.3333. Also: 11. United States, 84.4000.

Team Combination: 1. Russia, 98.0000; 2. China, 96.5667; 3. Ukraine, 94.5333; 4. Japan, 92.3333; 5. Italy, 91.4667; 6. Greece, 87.6000; 7. Israel, 83.7667; 8. Brazil, 83.6333.

Team Highlight: 1. Ukraine, 94.5000; 2. Italy. 91.7333; 3. Spain, 91.1333; 4. Canada, 89.3333; 5. France, 87.2000; 6. Israel, 83.7000 7. Hungary. 77.5667; 8. Thailand, 71.1333.

Mixed Duet Technical: 1. Mayya Gurbanberdieva/Aleksandr Maltsev (RUS), 92.0749; 2. Manila Flamini/Giorgio Minisini (ITA), 90.8511; 3. Atsushi Abe/Yumi Adachi (JPN), 88.5113; 4. Bill May/Natalia Vega Figueroa (USA), 86.9235; 5. Haoyu Shi/Yayi Zhang (CHN), 85.5881; 6. Pau Ribes/Emma Garcia (ESP), 84.4015; 7. Renan Souza/Giovana Stephan (BRA), 79.4495; 8. Jennifer Cerquera Hatiusca/Gustavo Sanchez (COL), 77.5388.

Mixed Duet Free: 1. Gurbanberdieva/Maltsev (RUS), 92.9667; 2. Flamini/Minisini (ITA), 91.8333; 3. Abe/Adachi (JPN), 90.4000; 4. May/Vega Figueroa (USA), 88.3000; 5. Garcia/Ribes (ESP), 86.3667; 6. Wentao Cheng/Haoyu Shi (CHN), 85.6667; 7. Cerquera Hatiusca/Sanchez (COL), 78.7000; 8. Dinara Ibragimova/Vyacheslav Rudnev (UZB), 74.4333.

DIVING

Men

1 m Springboard: 1. Zongyuan Wang (CHN), 440.25; 2. Rommel Pacheco (MEX), 420.15; 3. Jianfeng Peng (CHN), 415.00; 4. Haram Woo (KOR), 406.15; 5. Patrick Hausding (GER), 405.05; 6. Briadam Herrera (USA), 399.90; 7. Oleg Kolodiy (UKR), 396.40; 8. Kacper Lesiak (POL), 380.05.

3 m Springboard: 1. Siyi Xie (CHN), 545.45; 2. Yuan Cao (CHN), 517.95; 3. Jack Laugher (GBR), 504.55; 4. Haram Woo (KOR), 478.80; 5. David Boudia (USA), 458.10; 6. Patrick Hausding (GER), 452.25; 7. Mike Hixon (USA), 449.95; 8. Rommel Pacheco (MEX), 443.30.

10 m Platform: 1. Jian Yang (CHN), 598.65; 2. Hao Yang (CHN), 585.75; 3. Aleksandr Bondar (RUS), 541.05; 4. Oleksii Sereda (UKR), 490.50; 5. Benjamin Auffret (FRA), 489.20; 6. Haram Woo (KOR), 477.25; 7. Tom Daley (GBR), 470.35; 8. Brandon Loschiavo (USA), 470.10. Also: 12. David Dinsmore (USA), 438.15.

3 m Synchro: 1. Siyi Xie/Yuan Cao (CHN), 439.74; 2. Jack Laugher/Daniel Goodfellow (GBR), 415.02; 3. Juan Celaya/Yahei Castillo (MEX), 413.94; 4. Lars Rudiger/Patrick Hausding (GER), 399.87; 5. Nikita Shleikher/Evgenii Kuznetsov (RUS), 396.81; 6. Oleksandr Gorshkovozov/Oleg Kolodiy (UKR), 393.24; 7. Sho Sakai/Ken Terauchi (JPN), 389.43; 8. Andrew Capobianco/Mike Hixon (USA), 388.08.

10 m Synchro: 1. Yuan Cao/Aisen Chen (CHN), 486.93; 2. Viktor Minibaev/Aleksandr Bondar (RUS), 444.60; 3. Tom Daley/Matty Lee (GBR), 425.91; 4. Oleksii Sereda/Oleh Serbin (UKR), 412.62; 5. Domonic Bedggood/Declan Stacey (AUS), 411.24; 6. Yeongnam Kim/Haram Woo (KOR), 401.67; 7. Kevin Berlin Reyes/Ivan Garcia (MEX), 400.71; 8. Benjamin Bramley/Steele Johnson (USA), 383.79.

Women

1 m Springboard: 1. Yiwen Chen (CHN), 285.45; 2. Sarah Bacon (USA), 262.00; 3. Suji Kim (KOR), 257.20; 4. Katherine Torrance (GBR), 255.40; 5. Kristina Ilinykh (RUS), 252.80; 6. Yani Chang (CHN), 251.95; 7. Elena Bertocchi (ITA), 245.60; 8. Elizabeth Cui (NZL), 244.20. Also: 10. Maria Coburn (USA), 237.75.

3 m Springboard: 1. Tingmao Shi (CHN), 391.00; 2. Han Wang (CHN), 372.85; 3. Maddison Keeney (AUS), 367.05; 4. Jennifer Abel (CAN), 333.35; 5. Sayaka Mikami (JPN), 323.05; 6. Esther Qin (AUS), 302.85; 7. Pam Ware (CAN), 290.20; 8. Grace Reid (GBR), 286.95.

10 m Platform: 1. Yuxi Chen (CHN), 439.00; 2. Wei Lu (CHN), 377.80; 3. Delaney Schnell (USA), 364.20; 4. Melissa Wu (AUS), 360.20; 5. Pandelela Pamg (MAS), 349.25; 6. Meaghan Benfeito (CAN), 347.80; 7. Caeli McKay (CAN), 331.40; 8. Noemi Batki (ITA), 328.90. Also: 11. Amelia Magana (USA), 305.00.

3 m Synchro: 1. Han Wang/Tingmao Shi (CHN), 342.00; 2. Melissa Citrini Beaulieu/Jennifer Abel (CAN), 311.10; 3. Paola Espinosa/Melany Hernandez (MEX), 294.90; 4. Kristina Ilinykh/Mariia Poliakova (RUS), 292.80; 5. Grace Reid/Katherine Torrance (GBR), 289.80; 6. Annabelle Smith/Maddison Keeney (AUS), 278.13; 7. Celine Van Duijin/Inge Jensen (NED), 277.50; 8. Yan Yee Ng/Nur Dhabitah Sabri (MAS), 277.35. Also: 10. Krysta Palmer/Alison Gibson (USA), 274.47.

10 m Synchro: 1. Jiaqi Zhang/Wei Lu (CHN), 345.24; 2. Mun Yee Leong/Pandelela Pamg (MAS), 312.72; 3. Murphy Bromberg/Katrina Young (USA), 304.86; 4. Meaghan Benfeito/Caeli McKay (CAN), 304.05; 5. Iullia Timoshinina/Ekaterina Beliaeva (RUS), 291.30; 6. Lois Toulson/Eden Cheng (GBR), 289.14; 7. Chiara Pellacani/Noemi Batki (ITA), 280.38; 8. Melissa Wu/Emily Chinnock (AUS), 277.44.

Mixed

3 m Synchro: 1. Matthew Carter/Maddison Keeney (AUS), 304.86; 2. Francois Imbeau-Dulac/Jennifer Abel (CAN), 304.08; 3. Lou Massenberg/Tina Punzel (GER), 301.62; 4. Tom Daley/Grace Reid (GBR), 298.47; 5. Briadam Herrera/Maria Coburn (USA), 295.95; 6. Osmar Olvera/Dolores Hernandez (MEX), 288.30; 7. Stanislav Oliferchyk/Viktoriya Kesar (UKR), 282.84; 8. Sebastian Villa Castenada/Diana Pineda (COL), 279.87.

10 m Synchro: 1. Junjie Lian/Yajie Si (CHN), 346.14; 2. Ekaterina Beliaeva/Viktor Minibaev (RUS), 311.28; 3. Maria Sanchez/Jose Balleza (MEX), 287.64; 4. Noah Williams/Robyn Birch (GBR), 285.18; 5. Olivia Rosendahl/Zach Cooper (USA), 267.96; 6. Maicol Verzotto/Noemi Batki (ITA), 259.62; 7. Jiwook Kim/Halim Kwon (KOR), 247.20; 8. Ingrid Oliveira/Isaac Filho (BRA), 239.46.

3 m & 10 m: 1. Shan Lin/Jian Yang (CHN), 416.65; 2. Iullia Timoshinina/Sergey Nazin (RUS), 390.05; 3. Andrew Capobianco/Katrina Young (USA), 357.0; 4. Mun Yee Leong/Yiwei Chew (MAS), 347.80; 5. Laura Hingston/Cassiel Rousseau (AUS), 329.30; 6. Ross Haslam/Eden Chang (GBR), 327.90; 7. Sebastian Villa Castenada/Diana Pineda (COL), 325.40; 8. Lars Rudiger/Maria Kurjo (GER), 324.50.

OPEN WATER SWIMMING

Men

5 km: 1. Kristof Rasovszky (HUN), 53:22.10; 2. Logan Fontaine (FRA), 53:32.20; 3. Eric Hedlin (CAN), 53:32.40; 4. Matej Kozubek (CZE), 53:33.60; 5. Domenico Acerenza (ITA), 53:34.00; 6. Daniel Szekelyi (HUN), 5:34.40; 7. Bailey Armstrong (AUS), 53:34.80; 8. Kirill Abrosimov (RUS), 53:35.50. Also: 14. Brennan Gravley (USA), 53:37.80

10 km: 1. Florian Wellbrock (GER), 1:47:55.90; 2. Marc-Antoine Olivier (FRA), 1:47:56.10; 3. Rob Muffels (GER), 1:47:57.40; 4. Rasovszky (HUN), 1:47:59.50; 5. Jordan Wilimovsky (USA), 1:48:01.00; 6. Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA), 1:48:01.00; 7. Ferry Weertman (NED), 1:48:01.90; 8. Alberto Martinez (ESP), 1:48:02.20. Also: 25. David Heron (USA), 1:49:57.60.

25 km: 1. Axel Reymond (FRA), 4:51:06.2; 2. Kirill Belyaev (RUS), 4:51:06.5; 3. Alessio Occhipinti (ITA), 4:51:09.5; 4. Simone Ruffini (ITA), 4:51:14.9; 5. Kai Edwards (AUS), 4:51:17.2; 6. Evgenii Drattcev (RUS), 4:51:19.6; 7. Alberto Martinez (ESP), 4:51:44.1; 8. Andreas Waschburger (GER), 4:52:26.3. Also: 14. Heron (USA), 4:55:11.8; 15. Gravley (USA), 4:57:17.5.

Women

5 km: 1. Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA), 57:56.0; 2. Aurelie Muller (FRA), 57:57.0; 3. tie, Hannah Moore (USA) and Leonie Beck (GER), 57:58.0; 5. Rachele Bruni (ITA), 57:58.7; 6. Giulia Gabbrielleschi (ITA), 57:59.0; 7. Ashley Twichell (USA), 58:00.0; 8. Yawen Hou (CHN), 58:00.9.

10 km: 1. Xin Xin (CHN), 1:54:47.20; 2. Haley Anderson (USA), 1:54:48.10; 3. Bruni (ITA), 1:54:49.90; 4. Lara Grangeon (FRA), 1:54:50.00; 5. Cunha (BRA), 1:54:50.50; 6. Twichell (USA), 1:54:50.50; 7. Kareena Lee (AUS), 1:54:50.50; 8. Finnia Wunram (GER), 1:54:50.70.

25 km: 1. Cunha (BRA), 5:08:03.0; 2. Wunram (GER), 5:08:11.6; 3. Lara Grangeon (FRA), 5:08:21.2; 4. Lisa Pou (FRA), 5:08:28.4; 5. Erica Sullivan (USA), 5:11:23.2; 6. Anna Olasz (HUN), 5:11:51.5; 7. Arianna Bridi (ITA), 5:11:52.6; 8. Onon Somenek (HUN), 5:11:54.7. Also: 9. Katy Campbell (USA), 5:11:59.6.

Mixed

5 km Relay: 1. Germany, 53:58.7; 2. Italy, 53:58.9; 3. United States (Haley Anderson, Jordan Wilimovsky, Ashley Twichell, Michael Brinegar), 53:59.0; 4. Brazil, 54:24.5; 5. Australia, 54:36.8; 6. France, 54:37.1; 7. Netherlands, 54:37.2; 8. Hungary, 55:02.7.

ATHLETICS: Jamaica’s Danielle Williams rockets to no. 7 all-time in 100 m hurdles: 12.32!

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 20, 2019

tsx pix 2019-720 williams, danielle muller gms 750 — No one was close to Danielle Williams (JAM) on her way to a world-leading 12.32 in the Muller Anniversary Games (Photo: IAAF)

In an Olympic or World Championships year, you can see the increasing intensity of the season as athletes get into condition to be tested against the rest of the world. At the Muller Anniversary Games in London (GBR), Jamaica’s Danielle Williams and Norway’s Karsten Warholm signaled that they need be accounted for when considering the contenders for gold in Doha in September.

Williams served notice that something special was coming in the heats of the 100 m hurdles, when she ran away from the field and led all the qualifiers in a very fast 12.41, a lifetime best and no. 2 on the world list for 2019.

She then got a good start in the final and ran smoothly to the finish all alone for another lifetime best, but also a world leader in 12.32, moving her to no. 7 on the all-time world list.

“I am thrilled with that,” she said afterwards, adding, “my aim was always to run fast. It has been coming all season and it was just about when. This track is a fast track and the fact that we get two opportunities because of the heats, you can fix what you did wrong ready for the final.”

Behind her, American Nia Ali was a distant second in 12.57, but was hardly unhappy, as it was her fastest race in two years. “I am very pleased with that performance, it is slowly coming together,” she said. “It wasn’t the greatest performance in terms of where I want to be but this time is awesome for me. It is really huge for me to be progressing so quickly, so I am pleased.”

Williams’ 12.32 was one of two world leaders on the day, the other being Warholm’s sensational 47.12, a new national record and moving him to no. 7 all-time.

This wasn’t a Diamond League event, but Warholm was ready to put on a show. “I always try to surprise but at the same time it’s not a given. It takes hard work, dedication and a lot for me to get out those extraordinary times.

“I feel really good, but at the same time it’s a long time until the championships. I’ll try to do my own thing. Do what I think is the best.”

In an event in which advances are measured in 100ths, Warholm, 23, has taken his lifetime best from 47.64 to 47.12 in half a season in 2019. Almost an afterthought behind the sensational running of Rai Benjamin (USA: 47.17) and Qatar’s Abderrahmane Samba (47.27) earlier this year, he’s now faster than both and has won his three meets in 2019 in 47.85, 47.33 and 47.12! Wow!

This was the first of two days of the Muller Anniversary Games and while the times were fast, field conditions were mixed with plenty of wind. Portugal’s Pablo Pedro Pichardo handed American World Champion Christian Taylor with a rare loss in the triple jump, 17.53 m (57-6 1/4) to 17.19 m (56-4 3/4). But Taylor said there were other things on his mind:

“I am happy to come out healthy, it was difficult. There was a lot going on today, the crowd are really into the event but there is so much going on that it is hard to concentrate.

“It is always good to have Pichardo pushing me because this is what we need. It’s good for the spectators as well because of the rivalry. We still have two months before the World Championships so there is no rush and I am just happy to be here with this being my first [Anniversary] Games. Its always special to be back here, I would like have to put on a better show but I was battling the elements.”

South Africa’s Akani Simbine (9.93) and Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson (22.13) were impressive winners in the sprints, but the winning interview was from Jamaica’s 2011 World 100 m champ, Yohan Blake, third in 9.97: “Thank God I came out injury-free. I wanted to make a race of it, but I could tell I just stumbled, which kind of knocked me off, but I’m feeling great. In the season it’s a bit early with me running times like this right now. But come Doha, I’m going to bring it.”

The crowd roared loudest for home favorite Laura Muir in the 1,500 m, as she won impressively in 3:58.25. “It may have looked easy, but it wasn’t!” she said afterwards

“I didn’t realize I ran a 57-second last lap and I’m so so happy about that. The girls are really strong and I know that my advantage is in that kick, so I just sat in there and tried to take it easy. It was all about winning today and I did that.”

The meet continues tomorrow; summaries so far:

IAAF Diamond League/Muller Anniversary Games
London (GBR) ~ 20-21 July 2019
(Full results here)

Men

100 m (wind: +0.5 m/s): 1. Akani Simbine (RSA), 9.93; 2. Zharnel Hughes (GBR), 9.95; 3. Yohan Blake (JAM), 9.97.

800 m: 1. Ferguson Rotich (KEN), 1:43.14; 2. Wyclife Kinyamal (KEN), 1:43.48; 3. Marcin Lewandowski (POL), 1:43.74.

5,000 m (non-Diamond League): 1. Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH), 13:01.86; 2. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR), 13:02.03; 3. Nicholas Kimeli (KEN), 13:05.48.

400 m hurdles: 1. Karsten Warholm (NOR), 47.12; 2. Yasmani Copello (TUR), 48.93; 3. Amere Lattin (USA), 49.18. Also: 4. Byron Robinson (USA), 49.29.

Long Jump (non-Diamond League): 1. Luvo Manyonga (RSA), 8.37 m (27-5 1/2); 2. Tajay Gayle (JAM), 8.32 m (27-3 3/4); 3. Ruswahl Samaai (RSA), 8.11 m (26-7 1/4). Also: 5. Trumaine Jefferson (USA), 7.89 m (25-10 3/4).

Triple Jump: 1. Pedro Pablo Pichardo (POR), 17.53 m (57-6 1/4); 2. Christian Taylor (USA), 17.19 m (56-4 3/4); 3. Hugues Zango (BUR), 16.88 m (55-4 3/4).

Women

200 m (+1.1): 1. Elaine Thompson (JAM), 22.13; 2. Marie-Josee Ta Lou (CIV), 22.36; 3. Beth Dobbin (GBR), 22.50.

400 m: 1. Shericka Jackson (JAM), 50.69; 2. Stephenie Ann McPherson (JAM), 50.74; 3. Laviai Nielsen (GBR), 50.83.

1,500 m: 1. Laura Muir (GBR), 3:58.25; 2. Winny Chebet (KEN), 3:59.93; 3. Gabriela Debues-Stafford (CAN), 4:00.26.

100 m hurdles (+0.8): 1. Danielle Williams (JAM), 12.32; 2. Nia Ali (USA), 12.57; 3. Queen Claye (USA), 12.64. Also: 8. Evonne Britton (USA), 13.15.

4×100 m: 1. Jamaica (Morrison, Thompson, Smith, Fraser-Pryce), 42.29; 2. Great Britain, 42.30; 3. China, 42.71.

Pole Vault: 1. Anzhelika Sidorova (RUS), 4.75 m (15-7); 2. Katerina Stefanidi (GRE), 4.75 m (15-7); 3. Holly Bradshaw (GBR), 4.65 m (15-3).

Javelin: 1. Tatsiana Khaladovich (BLR), 66.10m (216-10): 2. Kelsey-Lee Barber (AUS), 65.85 m (216-0); 3. Christin Hussong (GER), 65.73 m (215-7). Also: 9. Kara Winger (USA), 60.08 m (197-1).

CYCLING: The pain was worth the gain, as Alaphilippe now up 2:02 on Thomas after stage 14!

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 20, 2019

tsx pix 2019-720 pinot, thibaut 750 — Tour de France Stage 14 hero Thibaut Pinot (FRA)

Brutal, uphill climbing stages are what win major stage races like the Tour de France. Saturday’s final climb up the Col de Tourmalet in the Pyrenees Mountains was the kind of soul-testing challenge that showed France’s Julian Alaphilippe could be the first French winner of the most famous race in cycling since 1985.

After scaling the 1,469 m Col du Soulor earlier in the stage, the final climb up the Tourmalet – a 1,114 m climb over 19 km with grades of 7.4% – was sure to break almost everyone. In the final 5 km, a group of about a dozen riders started to break up. Colombia’s Nairo Quintana fell back, as did Alejandro Valverde (ESP) and Mikel Landa (ESP). New Zealand’s George Bennett was at the front, leading his Jumbo-Visma teammate Steven Kruijswijk (NED), trying to get back into contention for the overall title.

Defending champion Geraint Thomas (GBR) and fellow Team INEOS rider Egan Bernal (COL) were right in the mix, but so was Alaphilippe, riding right on Thomas’s wheel.

As the climb continued and the riding got harder, Bennett fell back, so did some of the contenders, like Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) and Rigoberto Uran (COL). With just more than 1,000 m left, Alaphilippe moved past Thomas, who began to fade.

A group of five, led by a suddenly-fresh Thibaut Pinot (FRA) moved toward the finish and Pinot sprinted away with about 250 m left and easily won the stage at the end, six seconds ahead of a storming Alaphilippe, who held off Kruijswijk at the line, followed by Emanuel Buchmann (GER) and Bernal.

Thomas has tired noticeably, but rallied to finish eighth, 36 seconds behind Pinot, but also 30 seconds behind Alaphilippe, who with the six-second time bonus for finishing second, added 36 seconds to his overall lead, now 2:02. The leaders:

1. 56:11:29 Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)
2. +2:02 Geraint Thomas (GBR)
3. +2:14 Steven Kruijswijk (NED)
4. +3:00 Egan Bernal (COL)
5. +3:12 Emanuel Buchmann (GER) and Thibaut Pinot (FRA)

For cycling-mad France, having Pinot as the stage winner on the Tourmalet and Alaphilippe extending his lead in the yellow jersey is as close to a perfect summer’s day as it gets.

Embed from Getty Images

The race is hardly decided, however. On Sunday is another climbing stage, with four major ascents over 185 km, including a final 12.5 km up the Pray d’ Albis, and the final week of racing has three punishing stages in the Alps before the final ride into Paris.

But right now, you’d much rather be in Alaphilippe’s position than anywhere else. Summaries so far: