WATER POLO: Dynastic U.S. women three-peat at FINA Worlds off 11-6 win over Spain

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July 26, 2019

tsx pix 2019-726 us womens water polo gold 750 — Thrice as nice for the U.S. women's water polo team after a third consecutive World Championships gold medal (Photo: FINA)

When American Olympic fans think about U.S. teams that simply don’t lose, the men’s and women’s basketball teams immediately come to mind. But let’s add the women’s Water Polo squad to the list after a third consecutive World Championships gold medal in Gwangju, Korea.

The U.S. demolished its group foes by a combined 60-13 score and then stomped Greece, 15-5, Australia – in the toughest match of the tournament – by 7-2 and then Spain in the final, 11-6.

The Americans, coached by Adam Krikorian, once again won as a team. The leading scorer, Maddie Musselman, had just 13 goals during the tournament, but five players scored 10 or more, including Stephanie Haralabidis (12), Kiley Neushul (10), Aria Fischer (10) and older sister Makenzie Fischer (10). All told, the U.S. outscored its opponents, 95-26.

Further, the U.S. defense and goaltending by Amanda Longan and Ashleigh Johnson was superb. In a tournament in which 1,078 goals were scored, the U.S. gave up only 26 in six goals and allowed only 20% of the shots against them into the net. By contrast, the American attack scored on 49% of its 189 shots over six games.

The way the brackets worked out, the “real final” came in the semis against Australia, which has played the U.S. tougher than any other team. Thus the U.S. was aggressive from the start and scored first, with 3:21 to play in the first period on a shot from Alys Williams. Haralabidis scored on a power-play with 1:01 to go and Rachel Fattal ripped in a shot from the center of the pool with just nine seconds left for a 3-0 lead at the end of a period.

Makenzie Fischer scored on a counter-attack in the second period and Haralabidis got a second score with 1:46 before the half and the issued was essentially decided as the Americans took a 5-0 lead to the break. Both teams got two goals in the second half for the final totals of 7-2, with Johnson making 14 saves in goal for the U.S.

In the final, the U.S. was up, 3-1, after one period and 5-3 at half. The third period was the decider, as Aria Fischer, Fattal, and two strikes from Neushul left Spain reeling at 9-3 with a quarter to go. The Spanish outscored the U.S., 3-2, in the final period, but the gold medal was again destined for the U.S. women. Neushul led the U.S. scorers with three goals.

The tournament awards included:

● Most Valuable Player: Roser Tarrago (ESP)
● Most Valuable Goalkeeper: Laura Ester (ESP)
● Highest Goal Scorer: Rita Keszthelyi (HUN: 24)

The tournament All-Stars:

● Laura Estes (ESP: Goalkeeper)
● Aria Fischer (USA)
● Stephanie Haralabidis (USA)
● Rita Keszthelyi (HUN)
● Maud Megens (NED)
● Alena Serzhantova (RUS)
● Rosa Tarrago (ESP)

The American dominance has coincided with the appointment of Krikorian as the head coach in 2009. The astonishing record since:

● 2009: World Champions; FINA World League Champions
● 2010: FINA World League Champions
● 2011: FINA World League Champions; World Championships sixth
● 2012: Olympic Champions; FINA World League Champions
● 2013: FINA World League bronze medalists; World Championships fifth
● 2014: FINA World League Champions
● 2015: World Champions; FINA World League Champions
● 2016: Olympic Champions; FINA World League Champions
● 2017: World Champions; FINA World League Champions
● 2018: FINA World League Champions
● 2019: World Champions; FINA World League Champions

Along with the 2003 world title, the U.S. women now own six World Championships, more than any other squad and have won three in a row. They will go for their third consecutive Olympic gold in 2020. Summary:

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

Women/Final Standings: 1. United States; 2. Spain; 3. Australia; 4. Hungary; 5. Russia; 6. Italy; 7. Netherlands; 8. Greece; 9. Canada; 10. Kazakhstan; 11. China; 12. New Zealand; 13. Japan; 14. South Africa; 15. Cuba; 16. Korea. Semis: U.S. d. Australia, 7-2; Spain d. Hungary, 16-10. Third: Australia d. Hungary, 10-9. Final: U.S. d. Spain, 11-6.

PAN AMERICAN GAMES: Largest-ever Pan Ams start in Lima with Olympic qualifications on the line in 21 disciplines

By

Rich Perelman

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July 26, 2019

The 18th Pan American Games – the largest ever – are actually underway in Lima, Peru, with the Opening Ceremony tonight at the Estadio Nacional and the competition continuing through 11 August.

There was some concern about whether all of the construction would get done, but the venues and the 1,700-unit Villa El Salvador athlete-village facility are open and operating. But the Games are big and have been expanding relentlessly:

● 2003: 5,223 athletes in 338 events in 35 sports in Santo Domingo (DOM)
● 2007: 5,633 athletes in 334 events in 34 sports in Rio de Janeiro (BRA)
● 2011: 5,996 athletes in 361 events in 36 sports in Guadalajara (MEX)
● 2015: 6,132 athletes in 364 events in 36 sports in Toronto (CAN)
● 2019: ~6,700 athletes in 419 events in 39 sports in Lima (PER)

The organizers have noted that more than 100 Olympic medal winners will be in Lima, but the key to the 2019 edition is the Olympic qualifying opportunities. Of the 39 sports, 21 will offer some form of qualification for Tokyo 2020, including archery, artistic swimming, athletics, badminton, diving, equestrian (dressage, eventing and jumping), handball, hockey, karate (kate and kumite), modern pentathlon, sailing, shooting, surfing, swimming, table tennis, tennis, water polo and weightlifting.

All 41 countries which are members of the Pan Am Sports confederation will participate, with the U.S. sending the largest team at over 600. The sports and events:

● Aquatics (50)
. Artistic Swimming (2)
. Diving (10)
. Open Water Swimming (2)
. Swimming (34)
. Water Polo (2)
● Archery (8)
● Athletics (48)
● Badminton (5)
● Baseball (1)
● Basketball (4)
● Basque Pelota (10)
● Bodybuilding (2)
● Bowling (4)
● Boxing (15)
● Canoeing (18)
. Sprint (12)
. Slalom (6)
● Cycling (22)
. BMX (4)
. Mountain Bike (2)
. Road (4)
. Track (12)
● Equestrian (6)
● Fencing (12)
● Field Hockey (2)
● Football (5)
● Golf (3)
● Gymnastics (24)
. Artistic (14)
. Rhythmic (8)
. Trampoline (2)
● Handball (2)
● Judo (14)
● Karate (14)
● Modern Pentathlon (5)
● Racquetball (6)
● Roller Sports (8)
. Figure Skating (2)
. Speed Skating (6)
● Rowing (14)
● Rugby Sevens (2)
● Sailing (11)
● Shooting (15)
● Softball (2)
● Squash (7)
● Surfing (8)
● Table Tennis (7)
● Taekwondo (12)
● Tennis (5)
● Triathlon (3)
● Volleyball (4)
. Beach (2)
. Indoor (2)
● Water Skiing (10)
● Weightlifting (14)
● Wrestling (18)
. Freestyle (12)
. Greco-Roman (6)

The program is so massive that the governing Pan Am Sports board has already signaled that it has to be trimmed in the future.

The Games will be shown on ESPN channels in the United States, with about 200 hours scheduled across ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Deportes. Look for results here.

CYCLING: Stage 19 cut short thanks to a hailstorm that gives Colombia’s Egan Bernal the lead

By

Rich Perelman

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July 26, 2019

tsx pix 2019-317 bernal, egon 750 — Another win coming for Colombian star climber (and Tour de France winner) Egan Bernal?

It was happening all over again. A fabulous climb by 22-year-old Egan Bernal of Colombia over the highest peak of the 2019 Tour de France had him well in front, but race leader Julian Alaphilippe of France was cutting into the lead quickly on the descent, and getting ready for the final climb up to the finish line in Tignes.

But we’ll never know how the strategies would work out, because a bad hailstorm at the bottom of the descent caused the organizers to stop the stage on the way down, one of the few times this has happened in the Tour history.

So the decision was made to (a) stop the race to keep the racers from severe danger in riding through the snowy, flooded conditions on the way to Val d’Isere and (b) calculate the race standings at the crest of the Col de l’Iseran – the highest point on the Tour – and pick it up tomorrow.

That leaves Bernal, who rode brilliantly to the top of the Col de l’Iseran and forged a two-minute advantage, ended up with the race lead and with another climbing stage on Saturday, is now the overwhelming favorite to win the Tour.

Alaphilippe will rightly say that he was cheated out of a chance to catch up on the ride down the Col de l’Iseran, but there were no timing stops past the summit that would allow accurate placements and times.

The man expected to challenge Bernal in the Alps, France’s Thibaut Pinot, had to abandon the race early on with a left leg injury that simply was too painful for him to continue.

On the descent, Bernal was joined by Simon Yates (GBR), already the winner of two stages and with thoughts of a third, but this was wiped out by the stoppage of the race and reversion to the standings at the top of the Col de l’Iseran.

The jury issued the final standings, taking into account the time bonus for the top of the Col de l’Iseran, but no bonuses for the stage win:

1. 78:00:42 Egan Bernal (COL)
2. +0:48 ~ Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)
3. +1:16 ~ Geraint Thomas (GBR)
4. +1:28 ~ Steven Kruijswijk (NED)
5. +1:55 ~ Emanuel Buchmann (GER)

Said Bernal afterwards, “To be honest, I didn’t know what was happening. I’ve been told in the radio that the race was finished and I said ‘no I want to keep going’. There were talking to me in English and I was not sure. Only after I stopped and my director told me that I was in yellow, I felt relieved. It’s incredible. I can’t believe it. I want to ride full gas tomorrow and then arrive to Paris and once I cross the line, I’ll start believing this is true. There’s one hard stage remaining. It’s a short one. I’ll give it all on the road. To become the first Colombian winner of the Tour de France would be amazing.”

Bernal will be expected to pad his lead tomorrow in the final Alps stage and then cruise in to Paris on Sunday. Alaphilippe, after leading for so long, will have to fight to stay on the podium, as Thomas, Kruijswijk and Buchmann are all expected to be better climbers on Saturday. That would be a cruel end to a brilliant Tour de France for Alaphilippe.

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. 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. Julian 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.

Stage 16 (177.0 km): 1. Ewan (AUS), 3:57:08; 2. Viviani (ITA), 3:57:08; 3. Groenewegen (NED), 3:57:08; 4. Sagan (SVK), 3:57:08; 5. Niccolo Bonifazio (ITA), 3:57:08.

Stage 17 (200.0 km): 1. Matteo Trentin (ITA), 4:21.36; 2. Kasper Asgreen (DEN), 4:21:13; 3. Van Avermaet (BEL), 4:21:17; 4. Bauke Mollema (NED), 4:21:17; 5. Teuns (BEL), 4:21:17.

Stage 18 (208.0 km): 1. Nairo Quintana (COL), 5:34:15; 2. Romain Bardet (FRA), 5:35:50; 3. Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ), 5:36:53; 4. Lennard Kamna (GER), 5:37:23; 5. Damiano Caruso (ITA), 5:37:15.

Stage 19 (126.5 km; stopped due to weather; no official stage results): 1. Bernal (COL); no time; 2. S. Yates, +0:05; 3. Warren Barguil (FRA), +0:41; 4. Laurens De Plus (BEL), +0:50; 5. Steven Kruijswijk (NED), +0:50.

27 July: Stage 20 (130.0 km): Albertville to Val Thorens (high mountains)
28 July: Stage 21 (128.0 km): Rambouillet to Paris (flat)

SWIMMING: World records for Caeleb Dressel and Regan Smith; Manuel stuns Campbell in 100 Free!

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 26, 2019

tsx pix 2019-726 smith, regan 750 — Sure she's happy: Regan Smith is the new world-record holder in the women's 200 m Backstroke!

At the 2003 World Championships, an 18-year-old Michael Phelps announced that he was someone who had to be watched at the Athens Olympics the following year by winning four gold medals, two silvers and setting five world records.

Caeleb Dressel already did more than that at the 2017 Worlds, winning seven gold medals, but without an Olympics to follow it up, he’s hardly a household name. But people are going to be hearing a lot more about him as he set his first world record with a sensational 49.50 semifinal win in the 100 m Butterfly at the Nambu University Aquatic Center in Gwangju (KOR) during the 2019 FINA World Championships. .

Dressel had shown that Phelps’s mark was under siege in the morning heats at 50.28 and in semi two, he had a significant lead as soon as he came out of the water off the start. He made the turn in 22.83, way ahead of Russia’s Andrey Minakov, and charged home with perfect form to finish a superb 32/100ths faster than Phelps’s 49.82 from the 2009 Worlds in Rome, during the plastic-suit era.

And he wasn’t done, swimming the 10th-fastest 50 m Free in history in 21.18 to secure the top seed in that event. No one was close; Brazil’s Bruno Fratus was second-fastest at 21.53. And both finals are still to come!

After the 50, Dressel said “Both those races hurt pretty bad. It doesn’t matter: you just have to go in with your strategy and stick to it. There is a lot that I need to clean up going into tomorrow: these times mean nothing.” Wow.

He wasn’t the only record-setter, either. American Regan Smith, 17, erased Missy Franklin from the record list for the 200 m Backstroke, winning her semifinal in 2:03.05, more than three seconds ahead of Canada’s Kylie Masse.

Smith was on fire from the start, taking a huge lead in the second semifinal on the first lap, that was well under world-record pace. At the halfway mark, Smith had more than a full-second lead on Masse and was 37/100ths ahead of Franklin’s WR pace. She poured it on and massacred Franklin’s mark of 2:04.06 from the 2012 London Games to set the World Record, the American Record and another World Junior Record. But she still has the final to go on Saturday!

“I’m in shock,” said Smith. “I really don’t believe it. I didn’t think I’d ever do that. It’s crazy but I am very happy with what I was able to do. I really just wanted to get myself in a good lane for tomorrow night’s final and I just hoping to slip under 2:06, that was my goal. If I [did] 2:05-mid or something, that would [have been] amazing. I exceeded my expectations and I’m super, super happy.”

Equally impressive was U.S. teammate Simone Manuel, the defending champion in the 100 m Freestyle, but who had flopped badly in her semifinal, finishing third. She started in lane one, far from the action in the middle of the pool with favorites Cate Campbell (AUS) and Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom.

But she was ready, starting equal-fastest into the pool with Sjostrom and sprinting to the lead, taking almost a body-length on the Swede at the turn in a blistering 24.81, trailed by Sjostrom in lane four at 25.23 and Campbell in lane five at 25.29. The two swimmers in the middle lanes couldn’t see Manuel and as Campbell charged home and just passed Sjostrom to clock 52.43, Manuel had already touched in 52.04 to win once again. Sjostrom was third in 52.46.

Manuel didn’t just win, she showed that at her best, she’s as good as anyone in history. Her time of 52.04 is the third-fastest ever swum, behind only Sjostrom world record of 51.71 in 2017 and Campbell’s 52.03 from the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships. And, of course, it shattered Manuel’s own American mark of 52.27 from the 2017 World Championships.

More history: Manuel became only the second ever to repeat as World Champion in this event; East Germany’s Kornelia Ender did it in the first two Worlds, back in 1973 and 1975. Said Manuel afterwards, “I train really hard and that’s simply it. I had a rough race in the semifinal, but I got a lane and took advantage of the opportunity. I always feel like I have more to bring and can continue to improve. It’s about the love I have for the sport.”

Going into the race, there was little doubt that Campbell would win and possibly set the world record. She had chased down Manuel on the anchor of the Mixed 4×100 m Freestyle and looked all but invincible in the semis. But Manuel’s performance now brings her into the conversation as one of the best ever, going into Tokyo and a defense of her Olympic co-title from Rio.

And there was more from the best night of the Worlds so far, including two more world records:

● Defending champion Anton Chupkov (RUS) won the 200 m Breaststroke ahead of co-world record holders Matthew Wilson of Australia and Ippei Watanabe (JPN) by setting the world record himself in 2:06.12. Wilson led for most of the race and was on pace for another world record – he equaled it in the semifinals – but then Chupkov turned on the jets on the final lap to move from fifth to first in 2:06.10. Wilson swam 2:06.68, 1/100th off his semifinal WR time for second and Watanabe won the bronze in 2:06.73. Those three marks and Wilson’s semi are now four of the five fastest times in history.

● Russia’s Evgeny Rylov, clearly the favorite, swam the 10th-fastest 200 m Backstroke in history to win his second straight World Championship in 1:53.40, ahead of repeat silver medalist Ryan Murphy of the U.S. (1:54.12). The Russian was in front from the start and was shook off a Murphy challenge on the third lap.

● Australia, as expected, won the 4×200 m Freestyle relay in 7:00.85, the sixth-fastest performance ever, with Mack Horton anchoring in 1:44.85, the fastest split of the race. Russia was second and the U.S. finished third.

● Without a challenge from American Lilly King, Russia’s Yuliya Efimova won her third Worlds in the 200 m Breast in 2:20.17, more than two seconds ahead of Tatjana Schoenmaker of South Africa (2:20.17). She’s now won more titles in this event than anyone else.

It was quite a day, but there is more to come. Summaries so far:

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

SWIMMING

Men

100 m Freestyle: 1. Caeleb Dressel (USA), 46.96 (American Record; old, 47.17, Dressel, 2018); 2. Kyle Chalmers (AUS), 47.08; 3. Vladislav Grinev (RUS), 47.82; 4. Blake Pieroni (USA), 47.86; 5. Marcelo Chierighini (ITA), 47.93; 6. Nandor Nemeth (HUN), 48.10; 7. Clement Mignon (FRA), 48.43; 8. Breno Correia (BRA), 48.90.

200 m Freestyle: 1. Yang Sun (CHN), 1:44.93; 2. Katsuhiro Matsumoto (JPN), 1:45.22; 3. tie, Martin Malyutin (RUS) and Duncan Scott (GBR), 1:45.63; 5. Filippo Megli (ITA), 1:45.67; 6. Clyde Lewis (AUS), 1:45.78; 7. Dominik Kozma (HUN), 1:45.90; disqualified – Danas Rapsys (LTU).

400 m Freestyle: 1. 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.

800 m Freestyle: 1. Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA), 7:39.27; 2. Henrik Christiansen (DEN), 7:41.28; 3. David Aubry (FRA), 7:42.08; 4. Jack McLoughlin (AUS), 7:42.64; 5. Gabriele Detti (ITA), 7:43.89; 6. Sun (CHN), 7:45.01; 7. Sergii Frolov (RUS), 7:47.32; 8. Mykhallo Romanchuk (UKR), 7:49.32.

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.

4×200 m Freestyle: 1. Australia (Clyde Lewis, Kyle Chalmers, Alexander Graham, Mack Horton), 7:00.85; 2. Russia (Dovgalyuk, Vekovishchev, Krasnykh, Malyutin), 7:01.81; 3. United States (Andrew Seliskar, Blake Pieroni, Zach Apple, Townley Haas), 7:01.98; 4. Italy, 7:02.01; 5. Great Britain, 7:02.04; 6. China 7:04.74; 7. Brazil, 7:07.64; 8. Germany, 7:07.65.

100 m Backstroke: 1. Jiayu Xu (CHN), 52.43; 2. Evgeny Rylov (RUS), 52.67; 3. Mitch Larkin (AUS), 52.77; 4. Ryan Murphy (USA), 52.78; 5. Matt Grevers (USA), 52.82; 6. Ryosuke Irie (JPN), 53.22; 7. Guilherme Guido (BRA), 53.26; 8. Robert Glinta (ROU), 54.22.

200 m Backstroke: 1. Evgeny Rylov (RUS), 1:53.40; 2. Murphy (USA), 1:54.12; 3. Luke Greenbank (GBR), 1:55.85; 4. Radoslaw Kawecki (POL), 1:56.37; 5. Ryosuke Irie (JPN), 1:56.52; 6. Jacob Pebley (USA), 1:56.72; 7. Adam Telegdy (HUN), 1:56.86; 8. Markus Thornmeyer (CAN), 1:58.50.

50 m Breaststroke: 1. Adam Peaty (GBR), 26.06; 2. Felipe Lima (BRA), 26.66; 3. Joao Gomes Junior (BRA), 26.69; 4. Kirill Prigoda (RUS), 26.72; 5. Ilya Shymanovich (BLR), 26.85; 6. Zibei Yan (CHN), 26.86; 7. Michael Andrew (USA), 26.93; disqualified – Fabio Scozzoli (ITA).

100 m Breaststroke: 1. Peaty (GBR), 57.14; 2. James Wilby (GBR), 58.46; 3. Zibei Yan (CHN), 58.63; 4. Yashuhiro Koseki (JPN), 58.93; 5. 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).

200 m Breaststroke: 1. Anton Chupkov (RUS), 2:06.12 (World Record; old, 2:06.67, Ippei Watanabe (JPN), 2017, and Matthew Wilson (AUS), in semifinals); 2. Matthew Wilson (AUS), 2:06.68; 3. Ippei Watanabe (JPN), 2:06.73; 4. Zac Stubblety-Cook (RSA), 2:07.36; 5. Marco Koch (GER), 2:07.60; 6. Andrew Wilson (USA), 2:08.10; 7. Dmitriy Balandin (KAZ), 2:08.25; 8. Erik Persson (SWE), 2:08.39.

50 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.

200 m Butterfly: 1. Kristof Milak (HUN), 1:50.73 (World Record; old, 1:51.51, Michael Phelps (USA), 2009); 2. Daiya Seto (JPN), 1:53.86; 3. Chad le Clos (RSA), 1:54.15; 4. Federico Burdisso (ITA), 1:54.39; 5. Denys Kesyl (UKR), 1:54.79; 6. Zach Hartung (USA), 1:55.69; 7. Leonardo de Deus (FRA), 1:55.96; 8. Tamas Kenderesi (HUN), 1:57.10.

Women

100 m Freestyle: 1. Simone Manuel (USA), 52.04 (American Record; old, 52.27, Manuel, 2017); 2. Cate Campbell (AUS), 52.43; 3. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 52.46; 4. Emma McKeon (AUS), 52.75; 5. Taylor Ruck (CAN), 53.03; 6. Femke Heemskerk (NED), 53.05; 7. Mallory Comerford (USA), 53.22; 8. Freya Anderson (GBR), 53.44.

200 m Freestyle: 1. Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 1:54.22; 2. Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 1:54.66; 3. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 1:54.78; 4. Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 1:54.98; 5. Junxuan Yang (CHN), 1:55.43 (World Junior Record); 6. Penny Oleksiak (CAN), 1:56.59; 7. Charlotte Bonnet (FRA), 1:56.95; 8. Rio Shirai (JPN), 1:57.14.

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.

1,500 m Freestyle: 1. Simona Quadarella (ITA), 15:40.89; 2. Sarah Kohler (GER), 15:48.83; 3. Jianjiahe Wang (CHN), 15:51.00; 4. Ashley Twichell (USA), 15:54.19; 5. Maddy Gough (AUS), 15:59.40; 6. Ajna Kesely (HUN), 16:01.35; 7. Kiah Melverton (AUS), 16:01.38; 8. Mireia Belmonte (ESP), 16:02.10.

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.

4×200 m Freestyle: 1. Australia (Ariarne Titmus, Madison Wilson, Brianna Throssell, Emma McKeon), 7:41.50 (World Record; old, 7:42.08, China, 2009); 2. United States (Simone Manuel, Katie Ledecky, Melanie Margalis, Katie McLoughlin), 7:41.87 (American Record; old, 7:42.56, National Team, 2009); 3. Canada (Sanchez, Ruck, Overholt, Oleksiak), 7:44.35; 4. China, 7:46.22; 5. Russia, 7:48.25; 6. Hungary, 7:54.57; 7. Germany, 7:55.63; 8. Japan, 7:56.31.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Olivia Smoliga (USA), 27.33 (American Record; old, 27.43, Smoliga, 2018); 2. Etiene Medeiros (BRA), 27.44; 3. Daria Vaskina (RUS), 27.51; 4. tie, Georgia Davies (GBR) and Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 27.65; 6. Kathleen Baker (USA), 27.69; 7. Caroline Pilhatsch (AUT), 27.78; 8. Kira Toussaint (FRA), 27.85.

100 m Backstroke: 1. Kylie Masse (CAN), 58.60; 2. Minna Atherton (AUS), 58.85; 3. Smoliga (USA), 58.91; 4. Taylor Ruck (CAN), 58.96; 5. McKeown (AUS), 59.10; 6. tie, Baker (USA) and Natsumi Sakai (JPN), 59.56; 8. Vaskina (RUS), 59.74.

100 m Breaststroke: 1. Lilly King (USA), 1:04.93; 2. Yuliya Efimova (RUS), 1:05.49; 3. Martina Carraro (ITA), 1:06.36; 4. Reona Aoki (JPN), 1:06.40; 5. Jingyao Yu (CHN), 1:06.56; 6. Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA), 1:06.60; 7. Molly Renshaw (GBR), 1:06.96; 8. Arianna Castiglioni (ITA), 1:07.06.

200 m Breaststroke: 1. Efimova (RUS), 2:20.17; 2. Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA), 2:22.52; 3. Sydney Pickrem (CAN), 2:22.90; 4. Shiwen Ye (CHN), 2:23.15; 5. Molly Renshaw (GBR), 2:23.78; 6. Kelsey Lauren Wog (CAN), 2:25.14; 7. Fanny Lecluyse (BEL), 2:25.23; 8. Kaylene Corbett (RSA), 2:26.62.

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 Butterfly: 1. Boglarka Kapas (HUN), 2:06.78; 2. Hali Flickinger (USA), 2:06.95; 3. Katie Drabot (USA), 2:07.04; 4. Franziska Hentke (GER), 2:07.30; 5. Alys Thomas (GBR), 2:07.48; 6. Liliana Szilagyi (HUN), 2:07.68; 7. Svetlana Chimrova (RUS), 2:08.70; 8. Laura Stephens (GBR), 2:09.35.

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).

Mixed

4×100 m Medley: 1. Australia (Larkin, Wilson, McKeon, Cate Campbell), 3:39.08; 2. United States (Ryan Murphy, Lilly King, Caeleb Dressel, Simone Manuel), 3:39.10; 3. Great Britain (Davies, Peaty, Guy, Anderson), 3:40.68; 4. Russia, 3:40.78; 5. Canada, 3:43.06; 6. Italy, 3:43.27; 7. Germany, 3:45.07; disqualified – Netherlands.

LANE ONE: “The World Championships aren’t important. The Olympics are important.”

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 25, 2019

tsx pix 2019-725 kornheiser & olbermann 750 — Tony Kornheiser (;) and Keith Olbermann on the set of ESPN's "Pardon The Interruption"

Olympic sport is often ignored in the U.S., even at the level of the World Championships, when the same athletes who will be in the Olympic Games the following year are competing.

There are many people for whom this makes very little sense, and I am one of them. But I got a first-hand exposition on this view from ESPN’s “Pardon The Interruption” talk show that airs from Monday through Friday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time.

The show features long-time friends and one-time sports columnists for The Washington Post, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon discussing the major sports topics of the day. In a half-hour of chatter, they cover about 20 stories and it’s a good way to get a rapid read on what two very experienced journalists see as the most important items of the day.

On Thursday, Kornheiser was teamed with guest-host Keith Olbermann, and one of the topics – amazingly – was about American Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky. Said Kornheiser in introducing the topic:

“Ledecky had come to these championships seeking five gold medals, but a mysterious illness, characterized by dehydration has caused her miss two races and under-perform in two others. Her last event is tomorrow; it is her signature event, the 800 meters [Freestyle]. Keith, how important is it that Ledecky swim in that?”

Olbermann opined that it was not important for her to swim, as her health is more important and added, “This seems like not just a question of ‘how is she going to do?,’ ‘is she going to improve on her world record?,’ ‘is she going to win?,’ ‘how is she going to prepare for the Olympics?,’ this sounds like a health crisis in the making that could be averted by some rest at this time.”

Kornheiser’s response was partly about Ledecky and a lot about the place of the Olympic sports in he United States today:

“I am going to agree and disagree to certain points. It’s not important because the World Championships aren’t important. The Olympics are important. Only people in swimming even know this event is even going on, and everybody else knows when the Olympics go on.” (Emphasis added)

Before you get mad at Kornheiser, now 71, he’s been writing and talking about sports for almost a half-century, having started at Newsday in New York in 1970, joining The Post in 1979 for a nearly 30-year run. He’s no stranger to the Olympic Games and American Olympic athletes.

But his comment cuts to the heart of the problem of the vast majority of Olympic sports in the United States. Basketball and football (soccer) have domestic professional leagues that are widely popular and the sports are popular in schools. Golf and tennis have professional tours that are also highly popular and do not depend on Olympic exposure (or money) for promotion, or survival.

The rest are in more difficulty in the U.S., although some sports – alpine skiing and cycling, for example – have significant followings and revenue from events and television in other countries.

That Kornheiser deflated the FINA World Championships is especially galling since the United States has been the absolute global power in the sport for decades. Same for track & field; the U.S. is unquestionably the world’s no. 1 nation, but there is little appreciation in this country.

There are many people who have strong feelings about the Olympic Movement and Olympic sports in the U.S. who simply shake their heads and sign, “that’s the way it is, and that’s the way it will be.”

There are others who want to change the situation, but haven’t found a solution. International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach (GER) now says the IOC has to take sport “to where the people are,” and waxes enthusiastic about the opening of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in the center of Buenos Aires (ARG) at the famed Obelisco, with an estimated 200,000 in attendance.

Bach is on the right track, but is using the wrong medium. The acceleration of the popularity of the four large professional sports in the U.S. coincided with the expansion of cable television in the U.S. after the 1984 Cable Act relaxed restrictions on the expansion of this technology. With the growth of the Internet and broadband speeds, the need for a television set and a set-top box was eliminated and mobile phones and tablets could host almost any kind of signal from anyone who wanted to act as a broadcaster and provide content on free-to-view platforms such as YouTube.

In the 20th Century, if an event was not sold out, then it didn’t appear on television. Now, an event simply isn’t important if it isn’t available for viewing online, whether there are any spectators or not. The NBC Sports Gold program offers large numbers of cycling races, for example (among many sports), on a subscription basis, almost all of which are held outside the U.S., and which are not even shown on cable television.

In its early years, ESPN became a must-see television network because of its sports news show – “SportsCenter” – which gave fans constant coverage of sports beyond the live event. As it has grown and become a provider of live events – for which it pays billions to the big professional leagues – it has tried to support those programs with what is essentially promotional programming.

There is “The Jump” covering the NBA, “NFL Live” on professional football, “College Football Live” about the NCAA teams and “ESPN FC” covering soccer. All of these are broadcast on an ESPN network and also available on-demand and some as podcasts.

Where are these shows for Olympic sports and for the Olympic Games?

The IOC’s Olympic Channel, which is a video-on-demand service which also provides some live event coverage, has no such shows. This makes sense, since it would have produce different shows in every different language in the Olympic world, and even country-by-country for most areas of the world.

NBC’s Olympic Channel is on cable, but is primarily concerned with live events and re-runs of live events; same for NBCSN, but it also has “Pro Football Talk” to support its “Football Night in America” game on Sunday evenings.

For better or worse, U.S. audiences are widely accepting of being told what is important and what is not by news media of various kinds and types. What appears to be important and what apparently isn’t is sometimes little more than what television or online or newspaper folks tell us is or isn’t important.

In this battle of bullhorns, the Olympic Movement in the U.S. is silent. Although production costs have never been lower, there is no daily or weekly show about Olympic sport and the new heroes who will light up NBC’s screens from Tokyo in 2020.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee already has too much on its plate, but could use another outlet to support its existing sponsors and attract new ones. USA Swimming has the right idea with its fairly-new “Deck Pass” programming and USA Track & Field has also done some original post-meet online programs, but even these National Governing Bodies are too small on their own to command the audiences needed.

NBCSN? ESPN? TBS? Facebook? YouTube? Hulu? Amazon?

Olympic sport needs to be more important and media support is the key. An outside agency could step in and develop this, much as IMG and the West Nally Group helped expand corporate sponsorship as a major-league marketing tool in the aftermath of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

But it needs to happen, and soon.

As for Kornheiser, he felt Ledecky should swim in the 800 m Free:

“But I will say this as someone who has followed her career; she’s local for me, I know her. This feels like the first crisis in her life. She has won everything to this point. This feels like mortality for swimmers. She’s 22 years old, which used to be ancient, but she’s a professional swimmer now so she’s going to keep swimming. I think if she gets in the water and she wins, it feels like vindication and a reprieve, and if she gets in the water and she loses, she says, ‘you know what, I was sick and I’ll be better for the Olympics.’ I’m wondering if it’s not important to her, actually, to get in this time and see how she does.”

Ledecky swam in the heats on Friday morning (Korea time) and finished with the second-fastest qualifying time for the final on Saturday night. Unlike Kornheiser, for Ledecky, the World Championships are important. Good for her.

Rich Perelman
Editor

ATHLETICS: Lomong defends 10,000 m title with blistering last lap, while Felix advances at USATF Nationals

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 25, 2019

tsx pix 2019-725 lomong, lopez 750 (2018) — Another U.S. national title for Lopez Lomong!

The USA Track & Field National Championships got busy on Thursday and Lopez Lomong knew he would have to do something special to be competing at the IAAF World Championships in Doha (QAT) later this year.

Although the defending U.S. champion, the former Sudanese refugee had to not only win, but run faster than the Worlds qualifying standard of 27:40.00 to get on the team. Considering he entered with a best of 28:21.37 from last year, that was going to be a challenge.

But Lomong hooked up with fellow ex-Africans Shadrack Kipchirchir and Leonard Korir and set a strong pace, passing 5,000 m in about 13:46. Korir fell back, but Kirchirchir and Lomong continued together until three laps to go and then Lomong let loose. He finished with laps of 64.1, 64.3 and 55.6, shattering his lifetime best and easily finishing ahead of the qualifying standard in 27:30.06, the fastest time this season by any athlete not from east Africa.

Kipchirchir was second in 27:47.71 and Korir was third in 28:01.43, and as all three are qualified, all can go to Doha.

That race wrapped up a fairly eventful first day, in which Allyson Felix made her return to the track and was fast enough to advance to run another day. She finished fourth in the first heat of the 400 m in 52.20 and was a time qualifier in a race won by Lynna Irby in a season’s best of 51.14. Felix’s time was 11th-best overall and she advanced to tomorrow’s semifinals.

“I felt rusty which was to be expected,” she said afterwards. “I’ve known for a while that I was going to run in the championships; it was always my goal. It was just a matter of what type of form I would be in and it’s not up to my standard. I’ve been at this a long time so it’s always nice to feel the support of the crowd.”

The 2017 World Champion in the women’s 100 m, Tori Bowie, did not start in the heats of the women’s 100; she is also entered in the long jump and 200 m. The other qualifying events were fairly uneventful.

The major shock of the day came in the men’s discus, where Worlds medalist Mason Finley and defending champion Reggie Jagers were both awful and finished seventh and ninth! Sam Mattis won his first national title at 66.69 m (218-9), ahead of Brian Williams (65.76 m/215-9) and Kord Ferguson (63.25 m/207-6). While Ferguson had a lifetime best, he has not met the Worlds qualifying standard; while the USATF procedures do not allow do not allow selection of Finley (who has the qualifying standard and is the U.S. leader in the event this season), he could be invited by the IAAF based on his world ranking.

Asked if anyone could have predicted the discus results, Mattis deadpanned, “If you could bet on track, you could have made a lot of money.

“I was trying to focus on just one thing and let the throw come to me. It’s been a tough season for most of it. However far I was going to throw today was how far I was going to throw and I just wanted to let it come to me.”

Molly Huddle won the women’s 10,000 m for her fifth consecutive national title, finishing just ahead of Emily Sisson, 31:58.47-32:02.19, with Kellyn Taylor third. Both Huddle and Sisson have the qualifying standard and will go to the Worlds.

As expected, the U.S. had two qualifiers for the Worlds in the women’s triple jump and javelin. Year leaders Keturah Orji (14.56 m/47-9 1/4) and Ariana Ince (61.06 m/200-4) won the events, with Tori Franklin (TJ) and Kara Winger (JT) second. For Orji, it was her fourth U.S. national title in a row, while Ince won her first.

The meet continues through Sunday; NBCSN has coverage on Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern time, on NBC on Saturday at 4 p.m. Eastern and on Sunday on NBC from 8 p.m. Eastern time.

USATF National Championships
Des Moines, Iowa (USA) ~ 25-28 July 2019
(Full results here)

Men

10,000 m: 1. Lopez Lomong, 27:30.06; 2. Shadrack Kipchirchir, 27:47.71; 3. Leonard Korir, 28:01.43; 4. Connor McMillan, 28:20.18; 5. Kirubel Erassa, 28:20.20; 6. Connor Winter, 28:21.81; 7. Reid Buchanan, 28:22.80; 8. Reed Fischer, 28:23.30.

Discus: 1. Sam Mattis, 66.69 m (218-9); 2. Brian Williams, 65.76 m (215-9); 3. Kord Ferguson, 63.25 m (207-6); 4. Luke Vaughn, 61.78 m (202-5); 5. Jared Schuurmans, 61.37 m (201-4); 6. Eric Kicinski, 61.28 m (201-0); 7. Mason Finley, 61.05 m (200-3); 8. Jordan Roach, 60.47 m (198-4); 9. Reggie Jagers, 59.78 m (196-1).

Women

10,000 m: 1. Molly Huddle, 31:58.47; 2. Emily Sisson, 32:02.19; 3. Kellyn Taylor, 32:02.74; 4. Stephanie Bruce, 32:09.99; 5. Marielle Hall, 32:14.41; 6. Sarah Pagano, 32:48.58; 7. Hannah Everson, 32:54.47; 8. Jessica Tonn, 33:01.84.

Triple Jump: 1. Keturah Orji, 14.56 m (47-9 1/4); 2. Tori Franklin, 14.36 m (47-1 1/2); 3. Imani Oliver, 13.86 m (45-5 3/4); 4. Lynnika Pitts, 13.50 m (44-3 1/2); 5. Tiffany Flynn, 13.35 m (43-9 3/4); 6. Ciynamon Stevenson, 13.24 m (43-5 1/4); 7. Crystal Manning, 13.11 m (43-0 1/4); 8. LaChyna Roe, 13.10 m (42-5 1/2).

Javelin: 1. Ariana Ince, 61.06 m (200-4); 2. Kara Winger, 59.73 m (195-11); 3. Jenna Gray, 57.29 m (187-11); 4. Avione Allgood, 55.29 m (181-4); 5. Maggie Malone, 54.47 m (178-8); 6. Kylee Carter, 54.27 m (178-0); 7. Seri Geisler, 54.11 m (177-6); 8. Katie Reichert, 53.53 m (175-7).

HEARD AFTER HALFTIME: Another 2012 gold medalist caught for doping; Katie Ledecky speaks and remembering the first “perfect 10″

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 25, 2019

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

● Games of the XXX Olympiad: London 2012 ● The International Olympic Committee sent out another of its now-familiar notices that included the details:

“Artur Taymazov, 40, of Uzbekistan, competing in the men’s freestyle 120kg wrestling event (qualifications and finals), in which he ranked 1st and was awarded the gold medal, has been disqualified from the Olympic Games London 2012. Re-analysis of Taymazov’s samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (oral turinabol).”

This is an especially problematic case, as Taymazov was a three-time gold medalist in the 120 kg Freestyle class, winning in Athens in 2004, then in Beijing in 2008 and at London, But he was disqualified for doping in the IOC’s re-testing of the 2008 samples, and now in 2012 as a result of the latest re-test.

He still has the 2004 gold and a silver medal from Sydney in 2000.

The 2012 results were already marred by a doping positive for the silver medalist, Davit Modzmanashvili of Georgia. That means Iran’s Komeil Ghasemi and Russian Bilyal Makhov could end up as co-gold medalists, since wrestling awards two bronze medals. And the new co-bronze medalists for London would be American Tervel Dlagnev and Daulet Shabanbay (KAZ).

The IOC also updated its statistical report, showing that 60 doping positives have been identified from the London Games in 2012, to go along with the nine found during the Games. The Beijing Games in 2008 had the most ever: seven announced during the Games and 65 more found after the Games (72 total).

Although Taymazov wrestling for Uzbekistan, he is now a Russian politician, elected to the Duma in 2016.

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● The Tokyo organizers unveiled the medal designs for next year’s Olympic Games, based on an open, nationwide submission contest won by Junichi Kawanishi, Director of the Japan Sign Design Association and the Osaka Design Society.

The medals themselves are being made with metals donated by Japanese citizens through the recycling of mobile telephones. According to the announcement, more than 1,300 schools and 2,100 electronics retailers were involved in the recycling program. It was impressive:

“With more than 90 per cent of Japan’s local authorities participating, a total of 78,985 tons of discarded devices were collected, a haul which included approximately 6.21 million used mobile phones, along with digital cameras, handheld games and laptops, all of which were then classified, dismantled and melted down by highly trained contractors.

“This meant that the final goals of 30.3kg [66.8 lbs.] of gold, 4,100kg [9,039 lbs.] of silver and 2,700kg [5,952 lbs.] of bronze were reached by the time the collection cycle closed on 31 March 2019.”

About 5,000 medals will be produced.

● Gymnastics ● It was a week ago, but worth commemorating the 43rd anniversary of the first score of “10.00″ in the Olympic Games, achieved by then-14-year-old Nadia Comaneci of Romania at the Montreal Games in 1976.

She received the mark for her routine in the Team compulsory phase on 18 July 1976 and the scoreboard only had room to show three digits – a 10.00 was considered impossible – so the display read “1.00.”

Embed from Getty Images

That opened the floodgates. Comaneci went on to score seven 10s, with four on the Uneven Bars and the other three on Beam. Russia’s Nelli Kim also received a 10.00 on the Vault.

Comaneci won five medals in Montreal, with golds in the All-Around, Uneven Bars and Beam; silver in the Team competition, and a bronze on Floor. She won two more golds in 1980 (Beam, Floor) and two silvers (Team, All-Around).

Comaneci retired in 1984 and was not allowed to participate in the Los Angeles Games. She left the country in 1989, just before the fall of the Communist government in Romania, eventually landing in the U.S. She eventually married American gymnast Bart Conner in 1996.

But she will always be remembered as the first “perfect 10″ in Olympic history.

● Swimming ● A Katie Ledecky update, after her excellent performance in the 4×200 m Freestyle, taking the U.S. into the lead on the second leg and posting the third-fastest split in the race.

After the relay, she told USA Swimming:

“I don’t know what caused this all, but I was feeling the effects of dehydration, loss of appetite, light headedness – just a bunch of different things. It kind of created the perfect storm to pull me out. It’s one of those things where you have to put your health first, and I just put my trust in our great medical staff, and they did a tremendous job of doing everything they could to help me.

“I didn’t get back into the water until last night, and we kept it really easy. We checked my heart rate nearly every 50, and doctors and the coaches felt that I was good to go if I felt that way. I slept on it and woke up and felt I was ready to race.”

In the women’s 800 m heats, Ledecky was in the final race and swam easily, charging only on the final lap, but came up slightly short of teammate Leah Smith, who beat her for the first time ever in 8:17.23-8:17.42, with Australia’s Ariane Titmus third in 8:19.43. Those three had the fastest times in the qualifying; we’ll know a lot more about how recovered Ledecky is when the final comes on Saturday.

Also in the Friday morning heats, American Regan Smith, now 17, won her heat in 2:06.01, a World Junior Record, a lifetime best and moving to no. 9 in history and no. 3 in U.S. all-time, behind only world-record holder Missy Franklin (2:04.06 ‘12) and Maya DiRado, who swam 2:05.99 to win at Rio in 2016!

● At the BuZZer ● Until the shared Japan-Korea World Cup in 2002, the idea that an event like the FIFA World Cup could be held in more than one country was rarely considered. After the 2022 event in Qatar, however, it might become the norm.

The 2026 program will be a combined Canada-Mexico-U.S. production, although most of the games will be in the U.S. For 2030, however, the concept is in overdrive with multi-country bids being discussed from:

● Africa: Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia
● Europe: Great Britain and Ireland
● South America: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay (and maybe Bolivia)

Of course, there is also expected to be a bid from China, the world’s largest country by population and which has never hosted a World Cup previously. The selection will likely be made in 2024.

CYCLING: Alaphilippe flies down the Alps to keep the yellow jersey while Quintana steals stage 18

By

Rich Perelman

-

July 25, 2019

tsx pix 2019-725 quintana, nairo 2017 (filip bossyut) — Colombia's star climber Nairo Quintana (Photo: Filip Bossuyt via Wikimedia Commons)

The experts predicted, yet again, that France’s Julian Alaphilippe would lose his lead on the brutal 18th stage of the 2019 Tour de France on the first day of climbing in the Alps.

In fact, the race did change on Thursday, but Alaphilippe is still in the yellow jersey after a brilliant tactical comeback on the final descent. But he and many of the other leaders were way back of Colombia’s brilliant Nairo Quintana.

Part of a big breakaway group going up the second peak, the Col d’Izoard, Quintana attacked hard at the start of the final climb up the Col du Galibier and ran away from the rest of the field, dominating the climb to the 2,622 m peak and then cruising home with an impressive win over France’s Romain Bardet in 5:34:15, some 1:35 ahead.

In fact, Quintana was so far in front at one point in the race that it looked possible that he could take the race lead, despite starting the day some 9:30 behind Alaphilippe. But the Frenchman had his own plan.

As expected, the climbs broke up the front of the race and while Quintana and Bardet raced for the stage win, Colombia’s Egan Bernal was part of a chase group of four riders in places 6-9. If Alaphilippe faded behind him, Bernal could easily take the lead, starting just 2:02 behind him.

Bernal finished eighth, 4:46 behind countryman Quintana, but the real drama was taking place behind him.

Another pack, with Alaphilippe and defending champion Geraint Thomas, was struggling up the Galibier, with Thomas attacking and trying to break the Frenchman. Thomas forged a solid lead over the top of the mountain, but there was still 19 km left on a hard descent … and Alaphilippe may be the best descender in the world.

Looking more like a motorcycle racer than a cyclist, Alaphilippe tore down the mountain towards the finish, flying through the racers ahead of him and came right back into contact with Thomas, Steven Kruijswijk (NED), France’s Thibaut Pinot and German Emanuel Buchmann. Amazing.

Alaphilippe lost nothing to the others in his group, but Bernal group gained 32 seconds on the leader and is now second, 1:30 behind. There are two more tough mountain stages in a row; Friday’s race is much shorter: 126.5 km compared to 208.0 km on Thursday. The course rises continuously from the start through the first 88.5 km to the highest point in the Tour de France this year, the 2,751 m Col de l’Iseran. There is a long descent, then an uphill finish on a fairly steep route to Tignes.

The current standings:

1. 75:18:49 Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)
2. +1:30 Egan Bernal (COL)
3. +1:35 Geraint Thomas (GBR)
4. +1:47 Steven Kruijswijk (NED)
5. +1:50 Thibaut Pinot (FRA)
6. +2:14 Emanuel Buchmann (GER)
7. +3:54 Nairo Quintana (COL)

Saturday’s stage is even more trying, with a major climb from the start, a short climb in the middle and a massive final climb over 36 km to Val Thorens. That last ascent might decide the Tour. Summaries so far: