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CYCLING Panorama: Stunning breakaway for Masnada and Conti shakes up the Giro d’Italia, while Van Garderen leads the Amgen Tour

By
Rich Perelman
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Italy's Fausto Masnada celebrates his sensational Stage 6 win at the Giro d'Italia!

Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic had been riding steadily through the first week of the Giro d’Italia after winning the opening Time Trial by 19 seconds, but then everything changed on Thursday’s stage from Cassino to San Giovanni Rotundo.

After sprint finishes in stages 2-3-4-5 – two of which were won by Germany’s Pascal Ackermann – the sixth stage covered 238.0 km with a brutal finishing climb over the final 32 km that included a run up the Coppa Casirinelle from about 22 m in altitude to 678 m in just 15 km and then another short climb before the finish.

Who wanted to try that?

It turned out that about a dozen riders were game, especially the Italian duo of Fausto Masnada and Valerio Conti. Masnada led the attack and Conti went right with him, with another 10-11 riders deciding to make the chase. They never faltered and the top 10 finishers were all within a minute and two more following another minute and a half behind.

Then there was a chasm back to the peloton, with another 90 riders bunched to the finish, including Roglic, Simon Yates (GBR), Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) and all the other contenders, more than seven minutes back!

That shook up the overall standings about a third into the race; now:

1. 25:22:00 Valerio Conti (ITA)
2. +1:41 Giovanni Carboni (ITA)
3. +2:09 Nans Peters (FRA)
4. +2:12 Jose Joaquin Rojas (ESP)
5. +2:19 Valentin Modouas (FRA)

Unexpected? Yes. Decisive? Not likely, as there is a lot more racing to go. But a great day for the Italian fans, who saw a countryman win for the first time in the 2019 Giro. There is another hilly stage on Friday, then a sprinter’s stage on Saturday and a second Time Trial on Sunday. The Maglia Rosa could shift again.

At the Amgen Tour of California, windy conditions made the fifth stage hard to navigate in Ventura, California, as Ivan Garcia Cortina (ESP) came through the best in the final sprint to take the stage, while American Tejay van Garderen remained in the overall lead.

Slovakia’s Peter Sagan won a popular sprint victory in the opening stage – his 17th career stage win at the Amgen Tour – but then van Garderen just missed beating Kasper Asgreen (DEN) in the second stage and took over the yellow jersey.

After a runaway win for Remi Cavagna (FRA) in stage 3 – by 7:11 – and a sprint finish for Fabio Jakobsen (NED) in stage 4, the riders faced a heavy crosswind as they rode into Ventura in stage 5. The pelotron stayed cohesive over the hilly course and the final race to the finish turned into another mass sprint with Garcia Cortina registering his first-ever World Tour victory over Argentina’s Maxi Richeze.

That sets up Friday’s decisive sixth stage, a miserable stage of 127.5 km that climbs from the start for the first quarter of the race, descends and then climbs for the last half of the race up to Mt. Baldy, the highest point in the Los Angeles area. Van Garderen, who won the Amgen Tour in 2013 and was second last year, has very little margin for error:

1. 26:13:01 Tejay van Garderen (USA)
2. +0:04 Kasper Asgreen (DEN)
3. +0:06 Gianni Moscon (ITA)
4. +0:16 Tadej Pogacar (SLO)
5. +0:22 Maximilian Schachmann (GER)

There are 18 riders within a minute of Van Garderen; the order could be completely different after tomorrow.

The Women’s Amgen Tour of California started on Thursday, with the 2017 winner – Anna van der Breggen (NED) – and defending champ Katie Hall (USA) expected to battle it out.

Dealing with the heavy winds, Van der Breggen decided to attack on the short final climb with 5 km remaining and broke the race open. She soloed into Ventura, winning by 18 seconds over the rest of the field. Asked about the strategy, she said that the attack “was better than a bunch sprint for us.”

Friday’s race, also finishing at Mt. Baldy, will likely decide the overall finish of the race. Said van der Breggen, “It’s a brutal stage, it’s a climb of 40 k,” and could only offer to do her best. Everyone else will have to do better than on Thursday, when the Dutch star took control.

Summaries so far:

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

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

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

Stage 3 (220.0 km): 1. Gaviria (COL), 5:23:19; 2. Demare (FRA), 5:23:19; 3. Ackermann (GER), 5:23:19; 4. Matteo Moschetti (ITA), 5;23:19; 5. Giocomo Nizzolo (ITA), 5:23:19.

Stage 4 (235.0 km): 1. Richard Carapaz (ECU), 5:58:17; 2. Ewan (AUS), 5:58:17; 3. Diego Ulissi (ITA), 5:58:17; 4. Ackermann (GER), 5:58:19; 5. Florian Senechal (FRA), 5:58:19.

Stage 5 (140.0 km): 1. Ackermann (GER), 3:15:44; 2. Gaviria (COL), 3:15:44; 3. Demare (FRA), 3:15:44; 4. Ewan (AUS), 3:15:44; 5. Matteo Moschetti (ITA), 3:15:44. Also in the top 25: 13. Sean Bennett (USA), 3:15:44

Stage 6 (238.0 km): 1. Fausto Masnada (ITA), 5:45:01; 2. Valerio Conti (ITA), 5:45:06; 3. Jose Joaquin Rojas (ESP), 5:45:39; 4. Ruben Plaza (ESP), 5:45:39; 5. Giovanni Carboni (ITA), 5:45:44. Also in the top 25: 20. Brent Bookwalter (USA), 5:52:20.

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

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

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

Stage 2 (194.5 km): 1. Kasper Asgreen (DEN), 6:17:11; 2. Tejay van Garderen (USA), 6:17:11; 3. Gianni Moscon (ITA), 6:17:15; 4. Tadej Pogacar (SLO), 6:17:21; 5. Maximilian Schachmann (GER), 6:17:27.

Stage 3 (207.0 km): 1. Remi Cavanga (FRA), 5:44:22; 2. Ben King (USA), 5:51:33; 3. Simon Geschke (GER), 5:51:33; 4. Asgreen (DEN), 5:52:09; 5. Jasper Philipsen (BEL), 5:52:09. Also in the top 25: 11. McCabe (USA), 5:52:09; … 25. Kyle Murphy (USA), 5:52:09.

Stage 4 (212.5 km): 1. Fabio Jakobsen (NED), 5:53:22; 2. Philipsen (BEL), 5:53:22; 3. Sagan (SVK), 5:53:22; 4. Nacer Bouhanni (FRA), 5:53:22; 5. Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (RSA), 5:53:22. Also in the top 25: 20. McCabe (USA), 5:53:22; … 22. Bryon (USA), 5:53:22.

Stage 5 (218.5 km): 1. Ivan Garcia Cortina (ESP), 4:56:11; 2. Maxmiliano Richeze (ARG), 4:56:11; 3. Sergio Higuita (COL), 4:56:11; 4. Joris Nieuwenhuis (NED), 4:56:11; 5. Kasper Asgreen (DEN), 4:56:11. Also in the top 25: 12. Gavin Mannion (USA), 4:56:11; … 16. Van Garderen (USA), 4:56:11.

17 May: Stage 6 (127.5 km): Ontario to Mount Baldy (mountain finish)
18 May: Stage 7 (141.0 km): Santa Clarita to Pasadena (mountains)

UCI Women’s World Tour/Amgen Women’s Tour of California
California (USA) ~ 16-18 May 2019
(Full results here)

Stage 1 (96.5 km): 1. Anna van der Breggen (NED), 2:36:17; 2. Elisa Balsamo (ITA), 2:36:35; 3. Arlenis Sierra (CUB), 2:36:35; 4. Leah Kirchmann (CAN), 2:36:35; 5. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA), 2:36:35. Also in the top 25: 7. Emma White (USA), 2:36:35; … 13. Katie Hall (USA), 2:36:37; 14. Kristabel Doebel-Hickok (USA), 2:36:37; … 21. Chloe Dygart (USA), 2:36:39; 22. Coryn Rivera (USA), 2:36:39.

17 May: Stage 2 (74.0 km): Ontario to Mt. Baldy (mountains)
18 May: Stage 3 (115.5 km): Santa Clarita to Pasadena (mountains)

ATHLETICS Preview: Coleman vs. Lyles and Samba vs. Benjamin and a lot more in fabulous Shanghai Diamond League on Saturday

By
Rich Perelman
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Is Christian Coleman (USA) still the world's fastest man?

The 2018 World Championships in Doha (QAT) are a long way off, but this week’s second Diamond League meet has a heavyweight feel to it. The track inside the Shanghai Stadium has been resurfaced and there are more than a dozen thrilling match-ups on paper. The most anticipated:

Men

● 100 m: When he’s been healthy, Christian Coleman has been the fastest man in the world in each of the last two years, running 9.82 in 2017 and 9.79 last year. But he hasn’t always been healthy and Noah Lyles won the U.S. title with his patented late rush in 9.88 and showed he’s ready to go with a fast anchor on the 4×100 m team at the World Relays. Then there is China’s Bingtian Su performing at home; he ran 9.91 last year and seems like he’s ready to break through against the Americans. He will also have to deal with fast-starting Mike Rodgers of the U.S. (9.85 in 2018), Akani Simbine of South Africa, Reece Prescod (GBR) and Tyquendo Tracey (JAM), all of whom ran from 9.93-9.96 last season. Suddenly, the world leader of 9.94 from Divine Oduduru (NGR) seems soft …

● 400 m: A great field with Steven Gardiner (BAH) working his way back from injury and already running 20.04 for 200 m in April; Fred Kerley of the U.S., who logged a 44.4 relay leg at the World Relays last week, Jamaicans Nathon Allen and Akeem Bloomfield, Grenada’s Bralon Taplin (44.92 to win at the Grenada Invitational) and American Nathan Strother. Is one of them ready to run hard this early in the season?

● 5,000 m: After all the screaming about having just the 3,000 m in Diamond League events, the 5,000 m is being run in Shanghai, but just not in the main television window. The field is excellent, although too large at 21 (!) runners. Last year’s sensation, Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega – last year’s world leader at 12:43.02 – is in and seven more starters who have run under 13 minutes. The 2019 world leader, Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha (13:10.72), U.S. champ Paul Chelimo and Rio Olympic bronze medalist Hagos Gebrhiwet are among the top challengers to Barega.

● 110 m Hurdles: Jamaica’s Olympic champ Omar McLeod did not look himself at the Drake Relays and now faces off with the best hurdler from 2018, Russia’s Sergey Shubenkov (12.92 last year). Add in Andrew Pozzi (GBR) and Spain’s Olympic silver winner Orlando Ortega and the winner may be the top challenger to the American collegiate stars Grant Holloway and Daniel Roberts, the co-world leaders at 13.07.

● 400 m Hurdles: For nearly a year, the dream match-up everyone has wanted to see is Qatar’s Abderrahmane Samba and Rai Benjamin of the U.S. Benjamin won the NCAA title last year in a stunning 47.02 – no. 2 ever – only for Samba to run 46.98 in Paris at the end of June. Samba is the world leader at 47.51 already and has an 11-meet win streak in the event. Benjamin is clearly in shape, running a lifetime best of 44.31 at the Mt. SAC Relays, but hasn’t run a hurdle race since the NCAA meet. Who wins … and will the world record of 46.92 survive?

● Javelin: This event has gone crazy with throws past 90 m (295-3) almost common during the past three years. In Shanghai, the 90 m club members involved include Rio Olympic champ Thomas Rohler (GER: 93.90 m/308-1 ‘17), 2015 World Champion Julius Yego (KEN: 92.72 m/304-2 ‘15), Andreas Hofmann (GER: 92.06 m/302-0 ‘18) and 2017 World University Games champ Chao-Tsun Cheng (TPE: 91.36 m/299-9). Wow!

Women

● 100 m: Who’s in shape? This race has big names like Rio Olympic champ Elaine Thompson (JAM), Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, Michelle-Lee Ahye (TTO) and Americans Aleia Hobbs, Ashley Henderson and Jenna Prandini, but only Prandini has run a 100 m this season (11.10).

● 400 m: Qatar’s Salwa Eid Naser has been the world’s no. 2 in the 400 m, winning 13 of her last 15 meets from 2017-19, losing only to Bahamas superstar Shaunae Miller-Uibo. Now Naser will face American Sydney McLaughlin, who opened with an easy 54.14 (!) win in the 400 m hurdles last weekend, no. 2 in the world for 2019. Throw in reigning U.S. champ Shakima Wimbley (49.52 ‘18), European champ Justyna Swiety-Ersetic (POL: 50.41 ‘18) and Jamaica’s Stephenie Ann McPherson (49.92 ‘13) and this should be one of the best races of the evening.

● 1,500 m: Another too-large field with 17 runners, but five who have run under 4:00: Rababe Arafi (MAR: 3:59.15), Winny Chebet (KEN: 3:59.16), Ethiopians Dawit Seyaum (3:58.09) and Gudaf Tsegay (3:57.64) and Dutch star Sifan Hassan (3:56.05), who has been busy with road running and a 31:18.12 lifetime best in her 10,000 m debut. If Hassan has done some speed work, she should win. In any case, the current world lead – 4:06.98 by American Ajee Wilson – will be smashed.

● Pole Vault: Long-time foes Sandi Morris of the U.S. (4.76 m/15-7 1/4 outdoors this season) and 2016 Olympic champ Katerina Stefanidi (GRE) are back at it. They’ve met 35 times over the years – starting in 2011 – with Stefanidi holding a 21-14 lead.

● Shot: The top three on the 2019 world list are in: American Chase Ealey (19.67 m/64-6 1/2), Jamaican national-record holder Danniel Thomas-Dodd (19.48 m/63-11) and Chinese star Lijiao Gong, the 2017 World Champion (19.18 m/62-11 1/4), plus U.S. champ Maggie Ewen (18.58 m/60-11 1/2) this season.

There are lots of other good match-ups, but not quite as compelling as these; you can check out the full list of entries here. NBC’s Olympic Channel will have delayed coverage on Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Look for live results here.

THE BIG PICTURE: Poland’s Banka elected next head of the World Anti-Doping Agency

By
Rich Perelman
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The World Anti-Doping Agency is headed by an elected Chair with a six-year term, rotated between a sports-organization candidate and one from governmental authorites.

Poland’s Minister of Sport and Tourism, 34-year-old Witold Banka, was nominated on Tuesday by the the “Public Authorities” representatives on the WADA Executive Committee and Foundation Board. He is expected to be confirmed later this year by the full Foundation Board – appropriately meeting in Katiwice (POL) – and will become head of the organization on 1 January 2020.

He won out over Marcus Diaz, the Vice-Minister of Sports for the Dominican Republic, the only other formal nominee. Norway’s Linda Helleland, a former government minister, had declared her candidacy, but failed to acquire the requisite number of endorsements to stand for election.

Helleland stood as a candidate against WADA’s reinstatement of Russia last year, but that situation has changed rapidly. WADA has retrieved the data it wanted from the former Moscow Laboratory at the center of the Russian doping scandal from 2011-15 as well as 2,262 stored doping samples for re-testing.

From that standpoint, the issues over WADA’s reinstatement of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency from last year are moot. Still to be determined is what the data further reveals about the Russian doping program from 2011-15, and the possible additional sanctions that could come from the testing of the stored samples.

But Banka now heads toward the WADA leadership position with a clear docket, at least for now. He’s a former 400 m runner, with a best of 46.15 in 2007. His last competition was in 2010; he won a bronze medal on the Polish 4×400 m team at the 2007 World Championships.

At its Executive Committee meeting in Montreal (CAN), WADA also released a 133-page report from the Covington law firm on its inquiry into allegations of bullying by Athletes Commission member Beckie Scott (CAN) from last September’s Compliance Review Committee meeting when the Russian reinstatement was recommended. The outcome:

“Our report concludes that no one at the September 20 Executive Committee meeting bullied or harassed Ms. Scott regarding her objection to the conditional reinstatement of RUSADA, or even responded directly to it. The exchange between Ms. Scott and Messrs. [Francesco] Ricci Bitti and [Patrick] Baumann at that meeting took place after Ms. Scott presented the Athlete Commission report, in which she criticized the IOC Athletes’ Commission, a member of which was at the table. While Mr. Ricci Bitti’s response to that report could be viewed as aggressive and disrespectful, his behavior did not rise to the level of bullying or harassment.

“Additionally, while Mr. Baumann objected to Dr. [Edwin] Moses having spoken on a particular issue at the May 2018 Executive Committee meeting, our investigation uncovered no credible evidence that Dr. Moses was told to ‘shut up’ at that meeting or the Foundation Board meeting held the next day.”

A transcript of the relevant portion of the meeting at issue was also released. Scott and Moses did not participate in the inquiry; they have retained counsel and could still pursue legal action if they desire. The report included recommendations, including the adoption of a code of conduct for WADA meetings.

WADA also announced the extension of its headquarters agreement with the city of Montreal through at least 2031. The Canadian, Quebec and Montreal governments have been strong supporters of WADA from its start.

TRIATHLON Preview: Can Zaferes win her third in a row in Yokohama World Series?

By
Rich Perelman
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American triathlon star Katie Zaferes

The third of eight rounds in the 2019 ITU World Series comes this weekend in Yokohama (JPN) for an Olympic-distance triathlon: 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run:

● Swim: Two laps of 750 m
● Bike: Nine laps of 4.45 km
● Run: Four laps of 2.5 km

So far, the season has belonged to American Katie Zeferes, who won both the Abu Dhabi Sprint and the Bermuda tri convincingly, for her second and third career World Series victories. And she was second at Yokohama last year, behind the now-injured Flora Duffy (BER).

But it hasn’t been a cakewalk, as Britain’s Jessica Learmonth also has medals in both events this season: bronze in Abu Dhabi and silver in Bermuda. American Taylor Spivey has started brilliantly, finishing second in Abu Dhabi and sixth in Bermuda to stand third overall. The current standings:

● Men:
1. 1,523 Vincent Luis (FRA)
2. 1,392 Fernando Alarza (ESP)
3. 1,287 Leo Bergere (FRA)
4. 1,142 Mario Mola (ESP)
5. 1,060 Dorian Coninx (FRA)

● Women:
1. 2,000 Katie Zaferes (USA)
2. 1,781 Jessica Learmonth (GBR)
3. 1,602 Taylor Spivey (USA)
4. 1,268 Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR)
5. 1,256 Lotte Miller (NOR)

In the men’s standings, Mario Mola (ESP) had a streak of seven straight World Series races with a medal end in Bermuda, where he got caught in a jam in the bike phase and finished 26th. So he’s only fourth in the 2019 rankings, but looking to move up … and he won at Yokohama in 2018.

At Bermuda, France’s Dorian Coninx won a surprise victory; can he follow it up? Countryman Vincent Luis – fifth at Abu Dhabi and fourth in Bermuda – is now the series leader. He’s used to being in front, as the winner of the 2017 and 2018 Grand Final. Spain’s Fernando Alarza stands second; he finished third in the 2016 seasonal race and was third in Abu Dhabi.

Look for results here.

SPORT CLIMBING Preview: Superstar Garnbret tries to stay perfect in Munich Bouldering World Cup

By
Rich Perelman
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After four rounds of the IFSC Bouldering World Cup, Slovenian star Janja Garnbret is not only in first place, but has a perfect season going, heading into this week’s next-to-last World Cup at the famed Olympiastadion in Munich (GER).

She hasn’t quite clinched the seasonal title yet, but she can this week, to add to her 2018 World Championships title and her favorite’s status for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The standings:

● Women:
1. 400 Janja Garnbret (SLO)
2. 240 Akiyo Noguchi (JPN)
3. 188 Fanny Gibert (FRA)
4. 180 Petra Klingler (SUI)
5. 178 Futaba Ito (JPN)

● Men:
1. 260 Tomoa Narasaki (JPN)
2. 204 Adam Ondra (CZE)
3. 190 Kokoro Fujii (JPN)
4. 171 Rei Sugimoto (JPN)
5. 159 Aleksey Rubtsov (RUS)

Garnbret should win her first-ever seasonal title in Bouldering, but men’s leaders Narasaki and Ondra have already won one each: Narsaki in 2016 and Ondra back in 2010. Each has won once this season, but both have missed one competition each, and so the seasonal battle is still close with the rest of the field.

Qualifying will be on Saturday, with the finals on Sunday. Look for results here.

DIVING Preview: Strong opportunities for home-standing Brits in World Series finale in London

By
Rich Perelman
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Britain's double 10 m World Champion Tom Daley (Photo: Jim Thurston via Wikimedia commons)

The London Aquatics Centre will be the site for the fifth and final leg of the FINA Diving World Series this weekend, with high expectations for the home team.

This is in part because of the strong British squad, including World Championships medal winners Tom Daley, Jack Laugher, Matty Lee, Grace Reid and Lois Toulson, but also because China – the dominant force in the sport – is once again sending a second-tier squad to the meet.

However, the fields will be highly competitive, with a number of familiar stars:

Men:
● Jianfeng Peng (CHN) ~ 2017 World 1 m Springboard Champion
● Jack Laugher (GBR) ~ 2015 Worlds 3 m bronze; 2016 Olympic 3 m Synchro gold
● Tom Daley (GBR) ~ 2009-2017 World 10 m Champ; 2017 Worlds Mixed 3 m silver
● Matty Lee (GBR) ~ 2017 Worlds Mixed 10 m silver medalist
● Evgenii Kuznetsov (RUS) ~ 2017 World 3 m Synchro Champion
● Hao Yang (CHN) ~ 2017 World Synchro 10 m Champion
● Francois Imbeau-Dulac (CAN) ~ 2017 World Mixed 3 m bronze medalist
● Aleksandr Bondar/Viktor Minibaev (RUS) ~ 2017 Worlds 3 m Synchro silver medalists

Women:
● Maddison Keeney (AUS) ~ 2017 World 1 m Springboard Champion
● Jennifer Abel (CAN) ~ 2017 World 3 m Springboard bronze; Mixed 3 m bronze
● Pam Ware (CAN) ~ 2013 Worlds 3 m bronze; 2015 Synchro 3 m silver medalist
● Meaghan Benfeito (CAN) ~ 2017 World 3 m Synchro silver medalist
● Yani Chang (CHN) ~ 2017 World 3 m Synchro gold medalist
● Pandelela Pamg (MAS) ~ 2012 Olympic 10 m bronze; 2015 Worlds 10 m bronze
● Grace Reid (GBR) ~ 2017 World Mixed 3 m Springboard silver medalist
● Lois Toulson (GBR) ~ 2017 World Mixed 10 m Platform silver medalist
● Mi-Rae Kim (PRK) ~ 2017 World 10 m Platform silver medalist
● Il-Myong Hyon (PRK) ~ 2017 World Mixed 10 m Platform bronze medalist

There is prize money of $5,000-4,000-3,000 for the top three places, and seasonal prizes that are only available to athletes who have competed in all of the five World Series events. That will be a fairly short list. Look for results here.

CYCLING Preview: Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup starts in Germany, but can anyone beat Nino Schurter?

By
Rich Perelman
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Swiss Mountain Bike superstar Nino Schurter (Photo: UCI)

The opening of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup season in Albstadt (GER) brings new opportunities, but the same old challenge.

Can anyone beat Swiss star Nino Schurter?

The six-time World Cup champ, he’s now 33, but has won the last four World Championships races in a row and has 30 career World Cup wins, second only to the now-retired Julien Absalon (FRA: 33).

Consider this for dominance: the competitors with the next-highest number of wins are Jasoslav Kulhavy (CZE: 9), then Sam Gaze (NZL) and Mathieu van der Poel (NED: 3). Van der Poel finished second to Schurter in the World Cup standings last year, with France’s Maxime Marotte third (for the third year in a row). .

In the women’s division, another Swiss star, Jolanda Neff, is the defending World Cup champion from 2018 – her third career title – and is tied for the most career wins by active riders. She has 12 World Cup wins, the same as Catherine Prendel (CAN) and just one ahead of Annika Langvad (DEN: 11). All are expected to ride.

Schurter and Neff both won in Albstadt last season. The Cross Country final will be on Sunday. Look for results here.

FENCING Preview: Deriglazova look to continue dominance in Grand Prix Shanghai women’s Foil

By
Rich Perelman
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Russia's Olympic Foil Champion Inna Deriglazova (Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen via Wikimedia Commons)

If the question is who is the best fencer in the world at the moment, the answer must be Russia’s Foil star Inna Deriglazova.

Already the 2016 Olympic and 2017 World Champion, she has been on a tear this season, winning five tournaments outright and claiming six medals in seven starts. She won the World Cup events in Katowice (POL), St. Maur (FRA), Cairo (EGY) and Tauberbischofsheim (GER) and the Grand Prix in Anaheim, California and was third in last November’s World Cup in Algiers (ALG).

So she’s the big favorite in this week’s third Grand Prix of the season in Shanghai (CHN), with the top-10-ranked Foilers in both the men’s and women’s divisions ready to go:

● Men:
1. Alessio Foconi (ITA) ~ 2018 World Champion
2. Race Imboden (USA) ~ 2017-18 Worlds Team silver medalist
3. Richard Kruse (GBR) ~ 2018 Worlds silver medalist
4. Daniele Garozzo (ITA) ~ 2016 Olympic Champion; 2017 Worlds bronze
5. Andrea Cassara (ITA) ~ 2017 Worlds Team gold medalist
6. Giorgio Avola (ITA) ~ 2017 Worlds Team gold medalist
7. Gerek Meinhardt (USA) ~ 2017-18 Worlds Team silver medalist
8. Ka Long Cheung (HKG)
9. Jun Heo (KOR) ~ 2018 Worlds bronze medalist
10. Alexander Massialas (USA) ~ 2016 Olympic silver medalist

● Women:
1. Inna Deriglazova (RUS) ~ 2016 Olympic Champion; 2017 World Champion
2. Alice Volpi (ITA) ~ 2018 World Champion; 2017 Worlds silver
3. Arianna Errigo (ITA) ~ 2017-18 Worlds bronze medalist
4. Ines Boubakri (TUN) ~ 2016 Olympic bronze; 2018 Worlds bronze
5. Lee Kiefer (USA) ~ 2018 Worlds Team gold medalist
6. Ysoara Thibus (FRA) ~ 2018 Worlds silver medalist; 2017 Worlds bronze
7. Leonie Ebert (GER)
8. Elisa DiFrancisca (ITA) ~ 2016 Olympic silver medalist
9. Anastasiia Ivanova (RUS) ~ 2017 Worlds Team bronze medalist
10. Hee Seok Jeon (KOR)

In the one Grand Prix that Deriglazova did not win – in Turin (ITA) – it was Volpi defeating Di Francesca in the final.

The men’s final in Turin had Imboden of the U.S. claiming victory over Hong Kong’s Cheung, while unheralded Justin Mertine (FRA) won in Anaheim. Look for results from Shanghai here.

Also on this week are Epee World Cups for men (Paris) and women (in Dubai), also with excellent fields, including the top ten in both events:

● Men:
1. Yannick Borel (FRA) ~ 2018 World Champion
2. Bogdan Nikishin (UKR) ~ 2018 Wolds bronze medalist
3. Kazuyasu Minobe (JPN) ~ Bern World Cup winner
4. Ruben Limardo (VEN) ~ 2018 Worlds silver medalist
5. Dmitriy Alexanin (KAZ) ~ Bern World Cup bronze medalist
6. Koki Kano (JPN) ~ Vancouver World Cup winner
7. Curtis McDowald (USA) ~ Buenos Aires World Cup bronze medalist
8. Jacob Hoyle (USA) ~ Vancouver World Cup bronze medalist
9. Gabriele Cimini (ITA) ~ Buenos Aires World Cup silver medalist
10. Sangyoung Park (KOR) ~ 2016 Olympic Champion

After a drought, the U.S. men suddenly hav two men back in the World Rankings, thanks to strong World Cup showings for McDowald and Hoyle. Look for results here.

● Women:
1. Ana Maria Popescu (ROU) ~ 2016 Olympic team gold medalist
2. Mara Navarria (ITA)
3. Man Wai Vivian Kong (HKG) ~ Barcelona & Havana World Cup winner
4. Yiwen Sun (CHN) ~ 2016 Olympic bronze medalist
5. Katrina Lehis (EST)
6. Young Mi Kang (KOR) ~ 2018 Worlds Team silver medalist
7. Violetta Kolobova (RUS) ~ 2016 Olympic Team bronze medalist
8. In-Jeong Choi (KOR) ~ 2018 Worlds Team silver medalist
9. Kelley Hurley (USA) ~ 2018 Worlds Team gold medalist
10. Julia Beljajeva (EST) ~ 2017 Worlds bronze medalist; 2017 Worlds Team gold

Kong has been outstanding lately, with two wins and a bronze in her last three World Cups. Look for results here.

LANE ONE: Suddenly, there is interest in track & field thanks to a Texas high schooler named Matthew Boling

By
Rich Perelman
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Strake Jesuit's sprint star Matthew Boling

One way to gauge where a sport stands in importance across the U.S. is how often it is discussed on the parade of television sports talk shows, such as ESPN’s “Around the Horn” or “Pardon the Interruption.”

Track & field is almost never mentioned, except maybe during the Olympic Games, which ESPN does not televise. But on Monday, these shows – and others – were suddenly foaming at the mouth over a 19-year-old senior from Houston’s Strake Jesuit High School, Matthew Boling.

Why?

After exploding into the consciousness of track fans at the Texas Relays, where he ran a wind-aided 10.20 and long jumped 8.01 m (26-3 1/2) to move to no. 8 on the all-time U.S. high school list, he dominated the 6A division of the Texas State Meet:

● He won the 100 m in 10.13, the best-on-record in a high school-only meet;
● He won the long jump at 25-4 1/2 (wind-aided) and,
● Ran a sensational 44.74 on the anchor of the 4×400 m relay to help Strake Jesuit to a nation-leading 3:10.56 victory.

He had run a wind-aided 9.98 two weeks before (+4.2 m/s), the fastest all-conditions high school 100 m ever. And he is Caucasian, with the nickname of “White Lightning.” So now he’s being called a future Carl Lewis!

Well, let’s hold on for a moment and see how Boling actually measures up.

As for the comparisons to Lewis, it’s a little early. As a prep at Willingboro (New Jersey) High School in 1979, Lewis was primarily a long jumper, with the top six jumps in the nation in 1979, and a best of 26-8. He barely ran the sprints, with a best of 9.5 for 100 yards and 20.9 for the 220. Two years later, he was the top sprinter in the world at 10.00 and the world’s top jumper at 28-3 1/2.

So let’s wait a few more minutes before making that comparison again.

How about his much-cited “national record” of 10.13? The mark is excellent, coming against high school competition – which is where the national record talk comes in – but it’s hardly the fastest ever by a prep; in fact, it moves him to no. 4 on the all-time high school list, with the equal-fifth-fastest performance. The all-time high school 100 m performances list, per Track & Field News:

1. 10.00 Trentavis Friday (Cherryville NC) ‘14
2. 10.01 Jeff Demps (Groveland FL South Lake) ‘08
3. 10.09 Anthony Schwartz (Plantation FL American Heritage) ‘18
4. 10.12 Demps ‘08
5. 10.13 Derrick Florence (Galveston TX Ball) ‘86
5. 10.13 Schwartz ‘18
5. 10.13 Matthew Boling (Houston TX Strake) ‘19
8. 10.14 Noah Lyles (Alexandria VA Williams) ‘15
9. 10.15 Henry Neal (Greenville TX) ‘90
9. 10.15 Schwartz ‘17

Look at the list closely. You’ll see another runner who ran even faster than Boling just last year: Anthony Schwartz. What about him?

Schwartz and Boling were actually teammates on last summer’s U.S. team for the World Junior Championships in Tampere (FIN). Schwartz was the U.S. Junior Champion in the 100 m (10.23) and won the silver medal at the World Juniors in 10.22. He had races of 10.07w, 10.09, 10.13, 10.13w and 10.16, among others, and won a 4×100 m relay gold in Finland.

Boling was known as a quarter-miler last season, with a best of 46.15, and after finishing sixth in the U.S. Junior meet, ran a leg in the heats of the 4×400 m, earning a silver medal when the U.S. team in the final finished second.

Schwartz is attending Auburn, where he played quite a bit as a freshman wide receiver in football, and ran a season best of 10.21 last weekend for sixth in the SEC Championships. That’s worth noting since Boling will be running against him next season as a prize recruit for Georgia.

All of this says that Boling is an outstanding prospect, but any Olympic dreams are some distance away, at least for now.

In fact, his most outstanding performance was not the 100 m or the long jump, but his come-from-way behind anchor leg on the 4×400 m relay, timed in 44.74. That was impressive, really impressive, especially for someone with a seasonal best of 47.23 and a lifetime best of 46.15.

Boling’s future may not be in the 100 m at all, but in the 200 or the 400, based on that superb relay leg, but that’s in the future.

He’s clearly the best high school sprinter in the country, and we may get to know a lot more about him if he competes in the U.S. Junior Championships once again; this year’s meet is in Miramar, Florida on 21-23 June and there are Pan American Junior Championships available to the top finishers in Costa Rica in July.

Or he might tantalize us all by running in the U.S. Nationals in Des Moines at the end of July. It would be a long season for Boling, but the rewards could be worth it. It’s not likely that he would qualify as a member of the U.S. team for the World Championships in Doha (QAT) – although not impossible – but if he made the 100 m semis, or the long jump final, he could find himself on the U.S. team for the Pan American Games in Lima (PER) at the beginning of August. After all, didn’t Lewis win the Pan Am long jump bronze in 1979?

That would be quite an end to a brilliant high school career that has drawn the attention of news media who rarely pay the slightest attention to track & field.

They are paying some attention now, and that his race is noticed is a mark against those who mention it. Let’s hope that Boling himself recognizes that he has the opportunity to be part of athletic experiences that only a precious few can have, and that he is allowed to enjoy it.

Rich Perelman
Editor

SWIMMING Preview: Nathan Adrian returns to the pool in Tyr Pro Swim Series in Bloomington

By
Rich Perelman
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Five-time Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian (USA)

The feel-good story of the 2019 swimming season will come this week at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatics Center at Indiana University with the return of five-time Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian for the fourth leg of the Tyr Pro Swim Series.

Adrian, now 30, disclosed in January that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer, but has fought it off and is returning to the pool. His last race was on 1 December 2018, at the USA Swimming Winter National Championships, finishing second in the 100 m Free. He has been a regular on the Tyr Pro Swim Series circuit, but will make his debut for 2019 in Bloomington.

The meet has some deep fields, especially in the women’s events. Some of the workloads for the top swimmers based on the entries:

Men:
● Nathan Adrian ~ 50-100 m Free
● Blake Pieroni ~ 50-100-200 m Free
● Tom Shields ~ 100-200 m Free, 100-200 m Fly
● Zane Grothe ~ 400-800-1,500 m Free
● Cody Miller ~ 50-100-200 m Breast
● Michael Andrew ~ 50 m Free, 50-100 m Back, 50-100 m Breast, 50-100 m Fly

Women:
● Lilly King ~ 50-100-200 m Breast, 200 m Medley
● Bethany Galat ~50- 100 m Breast, 400 m Medley
● Annie Lazor ~ 50-100-200 m Breast
● Madisyn Cox ~ 200-400 m Free, 100-200 m Breast, 200-400 m Medley
● Simone Manuel ~ 50-100-200 m Free, 50 m Back
● Mallory Comerford ~ 50-100-200 m Free, 50-100 m Fly
● Margo Geer ~ 50-100-200 m Free
● Allison Schmidt ~ 100-200 m Free
● Kelsi Dahlia ~ 50-100-200 m Free, 50-100-200 m Fly
● Katie Ledecky ~ 100-200-400-800 m Free, 400 m Medley
● Ella Eastin ~ 200 m Free, 100 m Breast, 100-200 m Fly, 200-400 m Medley
● Regan Smith ~ 50 m Free, 50-100-200 m Back, 50-100-200 m Fly

There are a modest number of foreign swimmers entered, but they include star freestyler Farida Osman (EGY) and backstroke star Taylor Ruck (CAN).

The crowd favorite will be Indiana’s Lilly King, the world-record holder in the 50 m and 100 m Breast events and the reigning World Champion in both. She’s been a regular performer in the Tyr Pro Swim Series, but – following the end of the collegiate season in late March – this is her first appearance in 2019.

There is prize money of $1,500-1,000-500 for the top three places in each event. The meet will be shown on NBC’s Olympic Channel on Friday at 6 p.m. Eastern time; on NBCSN on Saturday at 6 p.m., and online on Sunday at www.usaswimming.org. Look for a link to results here.

TAEKWONDO Preview: 15 defending champions expected as World Championships start Thursday in Manchester

By
Rich Perelman
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Can Korea's Tae-Hun Kim win a fourth straight World title?

The 24th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships will bring the event to Great Britain for the first time, in specific to the Manchester Arena for competition in eight men’s and women’s classes.

More than 1,000 athletes are expected, and even though the entry deadline closed more than a month ago, the actual competitors have not been confirmed. But as the seedings are determined by the current world rankings, these are the top competitors expected in each class:

Men

● 54 kg:
1. Moustapha Kama (SEN)
2. Armin Hadipour (IRI) ~ 2017 Worlds silver medalist
3. Adrian Vicente (ESP)
4. Cesar Rodriguez (MEX)
5. Tae-Hun Kim (KOR) ~ 2013-15-17 World Champion

● 58 kg:
1. Tae-Hun Kim (KOR) ~ 2016 Olympic bronze medalist
2. Jesus Tortosa Cabrera (ESP) ~ 2017 Worlds bronze medalist
3. Mikhail Artamonov (RUS) ~ 2017 Worlds silver medalist
4. Carlos Navarro (MEX) ~ 2017 Worlds bronze medalist
5. Farzan Ashourzadeh (IRI) ~ 2015 World Champion (58 kg)

● 63 kg:
1. Lovre Brecic (CRO)
2. Jaouad Achab (BEL) ~ 2015 World Champion
3. Javad Aghayev (AZE)
4. Shuai Zhao (CHN) ~ Defending World Champion
5. Soroush Ahmadi (IRI)

● 68 kg:
1. Dae-Hoon Lee (KOR) ~ Defending World Champion; 2016 Olympic bronze
2. Alexey Denisenko (RUS) ~ 2016 Olympic silver; 2015 Wolds silver medalist
3. Ahmad Abughaush (JOR) ~ 2016 Olympic gold; 2017 Worlds bronze medalist
4. Yu-Jen Huang (TPE) ~ 2017 Worlds silver medalist
5. Javier Perez Polo (ESP)

● 74 kg:
1. Toni Kanaet (CRO)
2. Nikita Rafalovich (UZB) ~ 2015-17 Worlds silver medalist
3. Thomas Rahimi (USA)
4. Maksim Khramtcov (RUS) ~ Defending World Champion
5. Ali Eshkavarian (IRI)

● 80 kg:
1. Cheick Sallah Cisse (CIV) ~ 2016 Olympic Champion
2. Milad Beigi Harchegani (AZE) ~ Defending World Champion; 2016 Olympic bronze
3. Maksim Khramtcov (RUS) ~ 2017 74 kg World Champion
4. Richard Andre Ordemann (NOR)
5. Raul Martinez Garcia (ESP)

● 87 kg:
1. Vladislav Larin (RUS) ~ 2017 Worlds silver medalist; 2015 Worlds bronze medalist
2. Alexander Bachmann (GER) ~ Defending World Champion
3. Bryan Salazar (MEX)
4. Ivan Trajkovic (SLO) ~ 2017 Worlds bronze medalist
5. Smaiyl Diusebay (KAZ)

● +87 kg:
1. Kyo-Don In (KOR) ~ 2017 87 kg Worlds bronze medalist
2. Vladislav Larin (RUS) ~ 2017 87 kg Worlds silver medalist
3. Abdoul Issoufou (CIV) ~ Defending World Champion
4. Radik Isaev (AZE) ~ 2016 Olympic +80 kg Champion
5. Mahama Cho (GBR) ~ 2017 Worlds silver medalist

Women

● 46 kg:
1. Yvette Yong (CAN)
2. Kyriaki Kouttouki (CYP)
3. Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi (NED)
4. Iryna Romoldanova (UKR)
5. Jae-Young Sim (KOR) ~ Defending World Champion

● 49 kg:
1. Panipak Wongpattanakit (THA) ~ 2017 Worlds silver; 2016 Olympic bronze
2. So-Hui Kim (KOR) ~ 2016 Olympic Champion
3. Kristina Tomic (CRO) ~ 2017 Worlds bronze medalist
4. Vanya Stankovic (SRB) ~ Defending World Champion
5. Jae-Young Sim (KOR) ~ 2017 46 kg World Champion

● 53 kg:
1. Tatiana Kodashova (RUS) ~ 2017 Worlds silver medalist
2. Inese Tarvida (LAT) ~ 2017 Worlds bronze medalist
3. Tijana Bogdanovic (SRB) ~ 2016 Olympic 49 kg silver; 2015 Worlds 49 kg bronze
4. Madeline Folgmann (GER)
5. Zeliha Agris (TUR) ~ Defending World Champion

● 57 kg:
1. Jade Jones (GBR) ~ 2016 Olympic Champion; 2017 Worlds bronze medalist
2. Ah-Reum Lee (KOR) ~ Defending World Champion
3. Hatice Ilgun (TUR) ~ 2017 Worlds silver medalist
4. Nikita Glasnovic (CRO) ~ 2017 Worlds bronze medalist
5. Skylar Park (CAN)

● 62 kg:
1. Irem Yaman (TUR)
2. Nadica Bozanic (SRB)
3. Marta Calvo Gomez (ESP)
4. Magda Wiet Henin (FRA)
5. Ruth Gbagi (CIV) ~ Defending World Champion; 2016 Olympic 67 kg bronze

● 67 kg:
1. Nur Tatar Askari (TUR) ~ Defending World Champion; 2016 Olympic bronze
2. Paige McPherson (USA) ~ 2017 Worlds silver; 2015Worlds bronze medalist
3. Lauren Williams (GBR)
4. Matea Jelic (CRO)
5. Hyeri Oh (KOR) ~ 2016 Olympic Champion; 2017 73 kg Worlds silver medalist

● 73 kg:
1. Milica Mandic (SRB) ~ Defending World Champion
2. Hyeri Oh (KOR) ~ 2015 Worlds gold; 2017 Worlds silver; 2016 Olympic 67 kg gold
3. Maria Espinoza (MEX) ~ Defending Worlds silver medalist
4. Madelynn Gorman-Shore (USA)
5. Yanna Schneider (GER)

● +73 kg:
1. Bianca Walkden (GBR) ~ 2015-17 World Champion; 2016 +67 kg bronze
2. Shuyin Zheng (CHN) ~ 2016 Olympic +67 kg gold; 2017 Worlds bronze medalist
3. Aleksandra Kowalczuk (POL)
4. Briseida Acosta (MEX)
5. Nafia Kus (TUR) ~ 2015 Worlds bronze medalist
6. Jackie Galloway (USA) ~ 2017 Worlds silver medalist; 2016 Olympic +67 kg bronze

The World Championships only take place every other year, so Korea’s Tae-Hun Kim will be trying to extend his gold-medal streak to four World Championships over seven years!

The competition will take place from 15-19 May. The top three placewinners get medals and a certificate, but there is no prize money. Look for results here.

FOOTBALL Preview: Women’s Send-Off Series continues vs. New Zealand in St. Louis

By
Rich Perelman
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Almost 35,000 came out to see the U.S. women prep for the 2015 World Cup at Busch Stadium. Maybe more on Thursday? (Photo: U.S. Soccer)

The U.S. women won the 2015 World Cup in Canada, warming up with a 4-0 win over New Zealand at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in early April before an impressive crowd of 34,817.

It’s deja vu all over again, and the US. Women will play their next-to-last game before the 2019 Women’s World’s Cup vs. the Football Ferns at Busch on Thursday (16th).

The teams have met three times over the past four years, with the U.S. winning 3-1 and 5-0 in back-to-back friendlies in September 2017, and a 2-0 win in Brazil in the group stage of the 2016 Olympic Games. In fact, in its four wins between 2015-17, the U.S. has outscored New Zealand, 14-1.

New Zealand is ranked 19th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, having been as high as 16th in 2015. They’re 2-2 in 2019, having defeated Argentina and Norway, and losing to Australia and South Korea. The Football Ferns are in a difficult World Cup group with the Netherlands, Canada and Cameroons in France.

The American squad defeated South Africa, 3-0, on Sunday in Santa Clara, with a middling performance that got better as the game went on. Sam Mewis came through with two goals and Carli Lloyd scored the final tally in stoppage time.

The U.S. defense was hardly tested by South Africa, but the offense had trouble with the packed-in defense, scoring just one goal in the first half. Things improved when Megan Rapinoe subbed in at half, but how the U.S. does offensively will be a major focus on Thursday.

The match will be televised on ESPN2, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

CYCLING Preview: Misery and pain ahead for riders in the Women’s Amgen Tour

By
Rich Perelman
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Defending Amgen Tour of California women's champ Katie Hall (USA). (Photo: Amgen Tour of California)

The fifth edition of the women’s edition of the Amgen Tour of California borders on the cruel, with a punishing three-stage schedule on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The stages:

● 16 May: Stage 1 (96.5 km): Ventura to Ventura (hilly)
● 17 May: Stage 2 (74.0 km): Ontario to Mt. Baldy (mountains)
● 18 May: Stage 3 (115.5 km): Santa Clarita to Pasadena (mountains)

The second and third stages are especially brutal. The second race begins in Ontario at 337 m elevation (~ 1,105 feet) and ends on Mt Baldy – the tallest mountain in the Los Angeles area – with an elevation of 1,959 m (~ 6,427 ft.). The route essentially climbs continuously during the final 38.5 km of the race! Ouch!

Such a stage would normally decide the overall winners, but is followed by another difficult route on Saturday from Santa Clarita into Pasadena in Southern California. It starts at 350 m (~ 1,148 feet) in Santa Clarita and races over the crest of the Angeles National Forest Highway to 1,471 m (~ 4,826 ft.) before descending into Pasadena to complete the race.

The entries have not yet been completely confirmed, but include a number of stars:

● Katie Hall (USA) ~ Defending champion; second in 2017
● Kasia Niewiadoma (POL) ~ Third in 2018
● Tayler Wiles (USA) ~ Second in 2018
● Arlenis Sierra (CUB) ~ Third in 2017

In addition, previous stage winners returning include Coryn Rivera (USA: one prior stage win), Chloe Dygert (USA: 1) and Kendall Ryan (USA: 1).

World Tour stars to watch include South Africa’s Ashleigh Moolman, the 2018 Giro Rosa runner-up; Finland’s Lotta Lepisto, the 2016 World Road Race bronze medalist; 2017 World Road Race champ Chantal Blaak (NED) and Britain’s Lizzie Deignan, the 2015 World Road Race winner.

Look for results here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is there anyone who can say they are fitter?

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

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

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

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

● POSITIVE:

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

● NEGATIVE:

The one false start rule.

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

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

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

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

And there’s the rub:

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

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

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

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

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

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

~ Ron Brumel (Los Angeles, California)

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

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

LANE ONE

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

ARCHERY

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

ATHLETICS

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

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

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

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

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

CURLING

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

CYCLING

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

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

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

DIVING

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

FENCING

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

FOOTBALL

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

JUDO

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

ROWING

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

RUGBY

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

SHOOTING

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

SWIMMING

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

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

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

UPCOMING

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summaries:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It may have to do so again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman
Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Men

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SWIMMING: Bridi outlasts Cunha again in Seychelles Marathon World Series

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By
Rich Perelman
-
New Zealand's victorious Black Ferns

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Men

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S. midfielder Sam Mewis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Men

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

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

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

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

Women

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

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

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

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

Mixed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Men

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

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

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

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

Women

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

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

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

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

Mixed

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

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

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

By
Rich Perelman
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Swedish swimming sprint superstar Sarah Sjostrom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Men

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mixed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Men

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

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

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

Women

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

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

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

Mixed

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

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

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

SHOOTING: American stars Rhode and Hancock sweep World Cup Skeet titles in Korea

By
Rich Perelman
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ISSF World Cup silver and gold medalists Christian Elliott and Vincent Hancock of the U.S. (Photo: ISSF)

The first half of the ISSF Shotgun World Cup confirmed – once again – that the Skeet favorites for Tokyo are Americans Vincent Hancock and Kim Rhode.

And why not?

Hancock, 30, won the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Skeet events and the 2018-19 World Championships. Rhode, 39, is a living legend, having won six Olympic medals in the last six Games, including the 2008 Skeet silver, 2012 gold and 2016 bronze.

But neither is resting on their reputations. They each won another ISSF World Cup, this time in Changwon (KOR) at the third Shotgun World Cup of the season.

Rhode has dominated the 2019 World Cup season, now winning all three, in Acapulco (MEX), Ai Ain (UAE) and now at Changwon. She won the final with 57 hits out of 60, scoring on 22 of her first 23 shots, then missing two of the next six to stand at 26 of 29. Then she hit her last 31 in a row to finish at 57, three better than 2016 Olympic Champion Diana Bacosi (ITA).

It was Rhode’s 21st World Cup victory in her brilliant career, stretching back to 1996, and a successful defense of her 2018 win at Changwon.

Hancock won his second World Cup of the season – also in Acapulco – by hitting 42 of his first 43 shots. He missed the 44th, then hit 12 in a row to get to 56 of 58 and he finished with 57, the same as Rhode.

A new U.S. star might be on the horizon in 21-year-old Christian Elliott, competing in his first World Cup final. He scored on 37 of his first 40 shots and 46 of 50 to make it to the final round with Hancock. He ended up winning the silver with 53 shots out of 60.

The Changwon World Cup continues next week with the Women’s Trap on Wednesday, men’s Trap on Thursday and the Mixed Trap on Friday. Summaries so far:

ISSF Shotgun World Cup
Changwon (KOR) ~ 7-18 May 2019
(Full results here)

Men/Skeet: 1. Vincent Hancock (USA), 57; 2. Christian Elliott (USA), 53; 3. Mansour Al Rashedi (KUW), 45; 4. Hyun Suk Kang (KOR), 32; 5. Lari Pesonen (FIN), 26.

Women/Skeet: 1. Kim Rhode (USA), 57; 2. Diana Bacosi (ITA), 54; 3. Chiara Cainero (ITA), 44; 4. Danka Bartekova (SVK), 33; 5. Assem Orynbay (KAZ), 24.

ATHLETICS Flash: Roberts beats Holloway in SEC final, matches 13.07 world-leader, plus 6.00 m for Mondo!

By
Rich Perelman
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Daniel Roberts beats Grant Holloway, 13.07-13.12, in the SEC Final. (Photo: Kentucky Athletics)

Even while the IAAF World Relays are ongoing in Yokohama (JPN), the Southeastern Conference Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas has been the performance center of the track & field world. Just today:

● Kentucky’s Daniel Roberts, badly beaten by Florida’s Grant Holloway in the prelims, 13.07-13.31, came back in the final to beat Holloway, 13.07 to 13.12, with a 1.0 m/s wind, well under the allowable for record purposes. So now the two hurlers – both juniors – share the world lead for 2019.

● LSU freshman Mondo Duplantis (SWE), already the world leader at 5.94 m (19-6), cleared 6.00 m (19-8 1/4) on his final try to win the SEC title, increase his own world lead and set the U.S. Collegiate Record held by Tennessee’s Lawrence Johnson from way back in 1996. Duplantis has a lifetime best of 6.05 m (19-10 1/4) from last year.

● Texas A&M’s men’s 4×400 m relay team won the conference title in 3:01.77, faster than any of the national teams running in the heats in Yokohama! LSU’s runner-up finish in 3:02.09 was faster than all of the World Relays teams except the U.S.!

● Arkansas soph Janeek Brown (JAM) lowered her world lead in the women’s 110 m hurdles to 12.55 (from 12.57) in winning the SEC title. The wind was legal at +1.3 m/s.

Although not a world leader, Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown – running for Florida – won the men’s 100 m in 9.99, moving him to no. 4 on the 2019 world list. LSU frosh Sha’Carri Richardson won the women’s 100 m in 11.00, but wind-aided at +2.1 m/s, and the 200 m with a wind-legal 22.57.

Meanwhile, in Tucson, Arizona, USC’s women’s 4×100 m team won its heat in 42.44, also a world leader and faster than the U.S. national team (42.51) at the World Relays. Wow!

CYCLING: New Dutch star Wiebes sweeps all three stages to win the Tour of Chongming Island

By
Rich Perelman
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New Dutch cycling star Lorena Wiebes (Photo: Wikipedia)

Just 20 years old, the newest of the deep list of Dutch women’s cycling stars is Lorena Wiebes.

In her second season on the UCI Women’s World Tour, she won silver medals in two of the spring Classics, the Three Days of DePanne and Gent-Wevelgem and dominated the Tour of Chongming Island by winning all three stages on her way to a 22-second victory over Thailand’s Jutatip Maneephan.

All of the stages were flat, sprinter’s races and Wiebes managed to get to the line first each time, with multiple riders being awarded the same in each stage.

True, this was nowhere near the strongest field on the Women’s World Tour this season, but a win is a win and Wiebes is quickly building a resume to be respected. She’s now fourth in the seasonal Women’s World Tour standings (590) behind leader Annemiek van Vleuten (NED: 850). Summaries:

UCI Women’s World Tour/Tour of Chongming Island
Shanghai (CHN) ~ 9-11 May 2019
(Full results here)

Stage 1 (102.7 km): 1. Lorena Wiebes (NED), 2:29:29; 2. Lotte Kopecky (BEL), 2:29:29; 3. Nina Kessler (NED), 2:29:29; 4. Lucy Garner (GBR), 2:29:29; 5. Marta Tagliaferro (ITA), 2:29:29.

Stage 2 (126.6 km): 1. Wiebes (NED), 3:05:25; 2. Jutatip Maneephan (THA), 3:05:25; 3. Garner (GBR), 3:05:25; 4. Kessler (NED), 3:05:25; 5. Pascale Jeuland-Transchant (FRA), 3:05:25.

Stage 3 (118.4 km): 1. Wiebes (NED), 2:52:01; 2. Maneephan (THA), 2:52:01; 3. Kopecky (BEL), 2:52:01; 4. Xia Sha Zhao (CHN), 2:52:01; 5. Garner (GBR), 2:52:01.

Final Standings: 1. Lorena Wiebes (NED), 8:26:14; 2. Jutatip Maneephan (THA), +0:22; 3. Lotte Kopecky (BEL), +0:27; 4. Nina Kessler (NED), +0:35; 5. Lucy Garner (GBR), +0.37; 6. Marta Tagliaferro (ITA), +0.37; 7. Tatsiana Sharakova (BLR), +0:38; 8. Maaike Boogaard (NED), +0:38; 9. Valeriya Kononeko (UKR), +0:39; 10. Pascale Jeuland-Tranchant (FRA), +0:41.

SWIMMING: Two wins for Sjostrom and Efimova, two new world leaders in day one of FINA Champions Series Budapest

By
Rich Perelman
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Brazil's world leader in the 50 m Fly: 39-year-old Nicholas Santos!

The crowd at the Duna Arena in Budapest (HUN) was in a lather after the first two events of the FINA Champions Series went to home favorites Ajna Kesely in the women’s 400 m Freestyle and Kristof Milak in the 200 m Butterfly.

Those were the last wins by Hungarians in the session, but there were plenty of highlights, including two world-leading performances:

● Men/50 m Butterfly: 22.60, Nicholas Santos (BRA)
● Women/50 m Breaststroke: 30.26, Yuliya Efimova (RUS)

In addition, Russian Evgenii Rylov swam the no. 2 time of the year (52.81) in the men’s 100 m Back, and teammate Anastasia Fesikova – the women’s 50 m Back World Champion in 2011 and now 29 – authored the no. 2 time of the year in her specialty at 27.58.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom won four of her five events in Guangzhou and she continued her winning ways in Budapest, winning the 100 m Free in 53.03 and the 100 m Fly in 56.78. She and Efimova were the only double winners on Saturday.

Compared to the first Champions Swim Series in Guangzhou (CHN), the times were improved, with the winning marks in 10 of the 14 individual events better in Budapest.

The line-ups changed quite a bit from Guangzhou to Budapest, but there were five repeat winners:

● Men/50 m Freestyle: Ben Proud (GBR)
● Men/100 m Breaststroke: Fabio Scozzoli (ITA)
● Men/50 m Butterfly: Nicholas Santos (BRA)
● Women/100 m Freestyle: Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)
● Women/100 m Butterfly: Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)

Brazil’s Santos, however, might have been the swimmer of the day. At 39 years old, he scored a world-leading mark in the 50 m Fly (22.60), improved his lifetime best by 0.01 and strengthened his grip as the no. 3 performer in history in that event!

The prize money for each event is $10,000-8,000-6,000-5,000 ($812,000 total) and $16,000-12,000-8,000 for the relays ($72,000 total); Efimova was actually the money leader for the first day thanks to two wins and a share of the third-place relay.

The meet concludes on Sunday and will be televised on NBC’s Olympic Channel at 2 p.m. Eastern time. Summaries so far:

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

Men

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mixed

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

ATHLETICS: U.S. starts World Relays with wins in two oddball Mixed events

By
Rich Perelman
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American middle-distance star Donavan Brazier

The Shuttle Hurdles and 2x2x400 m relays are – at best – fun events for U.S. spring relay meets, but they were front and center as the highlights of the first day of the fourth IAAF World Relays.

In front of an announced crowd of 15,000 in the Yokohama International Stadium, these were the only two finals on the first day of the meet. In the 2x2x400 m, Kenya took the lead by running Collin Kipruto on the first leg – one of just two teams to run a man first – and grabbed a seven-second lead over the rest of the field, including Ce’Aira Brown of the U.S.

American Donavan Brazier made up most of the deficit on his leg and handed off to Brown just behind Kenya’s Eglay Nalyanya. But Kipruto took over again and handed off with a 7.0-second lead over Australia and 7.8 seconds over the U.S.

But Brazier was up to the challenge and ran the final 400 m in 48.82 and took the lead into the final straightaway for a 3:36.92 win and a “world record” … according to Brazier. Australia’s Joshua Ralph came home second, but the Kenyans were disqualified for running inside the curb.

In the Shuttle Hurdles, only the U.S. and Japan actually ran, as Jamaican injuries prevented them from running and Australia was disqualified for a false start. Japan had the lead for 2 1/2 legs, but then Sharika Nelvis took control on the third leg and Devon Allen finished cleanly for an easy U.S. victory.

In the races that the fans had actually seen before, Great Britain led the men’s 4×100 m qualifying with a world-leading 38.11, with the U.S. winning its heat in 38.34 with Michael Rodgers, Justin Gatlin, Isiah Young and Cameron Burrell. The time was only the fourth-fastest of the day, but the U.S. was not pressed.

In the men’s 4×400 m, the U.S. led the qualifying at 3:02.06, with Nathan Strother (44.80), Josephus Lyles (46.40), Paul Dedewo (45.10) and Ja’Von Hutchison (45.76) handling the stick. Trinidad & Tobago ran 3:02.49 as the next fastest, winning heat three.

The U.S. led the women’s 4×1 heats, running a world-leading 42.51 with Mikiah Brisco, Ashley Henderson, Dezerea Bryant and Aleia Hobbs on board. Germany was next fastest at 43.03. In the women’s 4×4, the U.S. ran a world-leading 3:25.72 with Jaide Stepter (51.60), Jordan Lavender (51.50), Joanna Atkins (51.40) and Courtney Okolo (51.22) cruising; no one else broke 3:28.

The final day (Sunday) begins at 5:00 a.m. Eastern time and will be televised in the U.S. on NBC’s Olympic Channel. Summaries:

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

Mixed

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

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

ATHLETICS Flash: World-leading 13.07 for Grant Holloway in SEC Prelims!

By
Rich Perelman
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Wold 110 m hurdles leader Grant Holloway (Photo: jenaragon94 via Wikimedia)

The conditions were perfect at John McDonnell Field at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville for the Southeastern Conference Championships, and Florida’s Grant Holloway took advantage.

In the first race of the evening, Holloway blasted out of the blocks in the heats of the men’s 110 m hurdles and didn’t hit a single barrier on the way to a new lifetime best of 13.07, with a legal 1.8 m/s wind behind him.

He had competition from Kentucky star Daniel Roberts two lanes over, but he finished a distant second in 13.31.

For Holloway, still a junior at Florida, it was also a world-leading mark, much faster than the 13.21 from China’s Wenjun Xie to win the Asian Championships on 24 April.

Holloway is the U.S. hope in the hurdles; consider that his 13.07 is the fastest American time in the event since Devon Allen’s surprise 13.03 to win the 2016 Olympic Trials. He still has the finals ahead of him on Saturday, but with the weather not expected to be as helpful.

Much more, including replays of the race here.

ATHLETICS Panorama: White runs world-leading 10.96; U.S. Conference Champs this weekend; another sub-2:00 try by Kipchoge

By
Rich Perelman
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Another sub-2:00 marathon try for Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge

The U.S. collegiate season is reaching its peak beginning this weekend with a mass of conference championships across the country. The early meets have already produced one world-leading mark, a 10.96 women’s 100 m from North Carolina A&T senior Kayla White, who won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) at Greensboro, North Carolina.

To follow the conference meets individually, check out the USTFCCCA portal site here, or you can see a rolling summary of what’s going on at the USTFCCCA weekend-in-review page here.

The International Olympic Committee announced a couple more doping positives from its re-analysis program from the London 2012 Games, including Ineta Radevica (LAT), who finished fourth in the women’s long jump.

Her re-test showed the presence of the prohibited anabolic steroid Oxandrolone in testing done in September 2018 and after all of the procedures were followed, giving Radevica the opportunity for a hearing (she provided a defense in writing), the decision was announced on Friday (10 May).

The winner of the women’s long jump silver in the 2011 IAAF World Championships, she retired after the 2012 Games. Her disqualification is the fifth in the women’s long jump, with athletes from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Turkey already identified, and affecting places 4-5-7 in the final.

More doping news: the Athletics Integrity Unit has been busy and issued five sanctions in the past week:

● 02 May: Reneilwe Aphane (RSA) ~ 3 1/2 years ineligibility
● 05 May: Glory Nathaniel Onome (NGR) ~ 4 years ineligibility
● 06 May: Aleksei Savin (RUS) ~ 4 years ineligibility
● 06 May: Kseniya Savina (RUS) ~ 12 years ineligibility
● 09 May: Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez (MEX) ~ 4 years ineligibility

Aphane is a South African triple jumper and 2017 national champion with a best of 16.75 m (54-11 1/2); he is banned from 28 February 2018.

Nathaniel Onome (NGR) was the 2018 African Champion in the 400 m Hurdles with a best of 55.01. She was caught for the steroid Stanozolol, as of 30 August 2018.

Savina was a former Ukrainian national who transferred allegiance to Russia in 2014. She had an 800 m best of 1:59.97 from 2017, but was caught for doping (EPO) and then tampering with the doping control “process” by providing forged records of her medications. Her reward is 12 years of ineligibility, with her results annulled from 16 May of 2018. She can appeal the decision, but at 29, her career is likely over, and she has reportedly retired. Her husband and coach, Aleksei Savin, was also found to be part of the tampering scheme and given a four-year ban.

Savina is also reportedly being investigated for using an assumed identity to allow her to compete, of Ukrainian friend Galina Syshko.

Guadalupe Gonzalez was the Olympic silver medalist in the women’s 20 km walk in Rio in 2016 and at the 2017 World Championships in London. She was found to be using steroids including Trenbolone and is banned for four years from 16 November 2018.

WADA and the AIU are getting more efficient at finding the cheaters, but it does not appear to have stopped them. More work is needed.

After his dominating performance at the London Marathon, winning in the no. 2 time ever, Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge appears ready to take another shot at a time trial to break the 2:00 barrier.

Reuters reported that his second time trial at he distance will apparently come in London in a “Ineos 1:59 Challenge” underwritten by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, head of the Ineos chemical firm.

The event is likely to be held in September or October on a loop course and if carefully staged, might be eligible for world-record consideration by the IAAF. Nevertheless, Kipchoge said at the announcement of the event last Monday, “This would really surpass everything because this will go in the history as far as the human family is concerned.

“It is not about recognition or ratification but to make history and to pass on a message that no human is limited. Running the fastest-ever marathon of 2:00.25 was the proudest moment of my career.”

The announcement itself had some drama, being made at the Iffley Road running track in Oxford where Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile barrier on the same date in 1954.

Kipchoge’s decision for another sub-2:00 try in the fall means he will skip the IAAF World Championships in Doha (QAT). He has never run the marathon at the IAAF Worlds, but knows the event well from his five entries in the 5,000 m, where he won a gold and a silver in 2003-07.

Athletics International reported that Kenya will still field an excellent Worlds marathon squad of defending champ Geoffrey Kirui (2:06:27 lifetime best in 2016), Laban Korir (2:05:54 ‘16), Amos Kipruto (2:05:43 ‘17), Paul Lonyangata (2:06:10 ‘17) and Ernest Ngeno (2:06:41 ‘18).

CYCLING Preview: No clear favorite as former champs Sagan, Van Garderen and Bennett return for Amgen Tour of California

By
Rich Perelman
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Another win in Quebec coming up for Slovakia's Peter Sagan? (Photo: Amgen Tour of California)

The 19th Amgen Tour of California kicks off on Sunday, just a day after the start of the Giro d’Italia. Does this make any sense at all?

Maybe only in the cycling world, where the Amgen Tour has become an important prep race for the Tour de France. The 2019 course runs, as usual, from northern California south and has four mountainous stages out of seven. The schedule:

● 12 May: Stage 1 (143.0 km): Sacramento to Sacramento (flat)
● 13 May: Stage 2 (194.5 km): Rancho Cordova to South Lake Tahoe (hilly)
● 14 May: Stage 3 (207.0 km): Stockton to Morgan Hill (mountains)
● 15 May: Stage 4 (212.5 km): Raceway Laguna Seca to Morro Bay (hilly)
● 16 May: Stage 5 (218.5 km): Pismo Beach to Ventura (mountains)
● 17 May: Stage 6 (127.5 km): Ontario to Mount Baldy (mountain finish)
● 18 May: Stage 7 (141.0 km): Santa Clarita to Pasadena (mountains)

In terms of the field, there are five prior medal winners participating this year:

● Peter Sagan (SVK) ~ Winner in 2015
● Tejay van Garderen (USA) ~ Winner in 2013; second in 2018
● George Bennett (NZL) ~ Winner in 2017
● Rohan Dennis (AUS) ~ Second in 2016
● Lawson Craddock (USA) ~ Third in 2014

In addition, Sagan leads the field with 16 prior stage wins , with Mark Cavendish (GBR) second with 10 and Toms Skujins (LAT) with three.

There’s no clear favorite, and there are lots of starters who will be looking to find their form ahead of Le Tour, including David de la Cruz (ESP), Danny van Poppel (NED), Maximilian Schachmann (GER), John Degenkolb (GER), Richie Porte (AUS), Fabio Jakobsen (NED), Rigoberto Uran (COL) and Nacer Bouhanni (FRA).

NBCSN will have coverage of the Amgen Tour, beginning at 3:00 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday, for Stage 1. The complete broadcast schedule is here. Look for results here.

SWIMMING Preview: World champions Weertman and Muller headline second World Series race in the Seychelles

By
Rich Perelman
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Dutch Olympic 10 km Open Water Champion Ferry Weertman

The second of nine 10 km Marathon World Series events is getting ready at Beau Vallon Beach in the Seychelles. The fields are good, including the world champs from 2017:

Men:
● Allan Do Carmo (BRA) ~ 2014 World Series winner
● Marc-Antoine Olivier (FRA) ~ 2016 Olympic bronze; 2017 Worlds bronze
● Christian Reichert (GER) ~ 2015 World Series winner
● Ferry Weertman (NED) ~ 2016 Olympic Champion; 2017 World Champion
● Kristof Rasovszky (HUN) ~ One win, one third in 2018 World Series
● Matteo Furlan (ITA) ~ 2015 Worlds 5 km and 25 km bronzes

Women:
● Samantha Arevalo (ECU) ~ 2017 Worlds silver medalist
● Aureile Muller (FRA) ~ 2015-17 World Champion; 2017 5 km silver
● Arianna Bridi (ITA) ~ 2017 Worlds 10 km & 25 km bronze
● Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA) ~ 2015-17 Worlds 25 km golds, 2015-17 10 km bronzes
● Rachele Bruni (ITA) ~ 2016 Olympic silver medalist
● Anna Olasz (HUN) ~ 2015 Worlds 25 km silver medalist

In the first World Series race in Doha, Germany’s Florian Wellbrock won a tight race over Rasovszky (HUN) and Jordan Wilimovsky of the U.S. The women’s winner was Brazil’s Cunha, who won the race to the touch over Kareena Lee (AUS), Bruni (ITA) and Haley Anderson (USA).

The U.S. swimmers are taking this race off after the national championships last week, but Cunha won that race in Miami and is now racing again in the Seychelles!

There is $30,000 in prize money, paid $3,500-3,000-2,500-1,700-1,500-1,200-950-650 to the top eight finishers in both the men’s and women’s races. Look for results here.

SPEED READ: Headlines from The Sports Examiner for Friday, 10 March 2019

By
Rich Perelman
-

Welcome to The Sports Examiner SPEED READ, a 100 mph (44.7 m/s) review of what happened this week in Olympic sport:

LANE ONE

Wednesday: Three days after International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach praised how ready the Tokyo organizers are, multiple International Federations criticized the organizing committee for shortcomings in athlete services, cost of accommodations, preparations for heat and the Look of the Games. So now what? It comes down to one word …

Friday: Thirty-five years ago this week, the Olympic Games was at a crossroads as the first-of-its-kind nation-wide Torch Relay started in advance of the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, and the USSR announced that it would boycott the Games. What happened next created the mammoth success we now know as the Olympic Movement.

THE BIG PICTURE

Wednesday: IOC chief Thomas Bach send the clearest signal yet that the days of AIBA’s control over Olympic boxing may be numbered. After all, according to Bach, putting on boxing tournaments isn’t “rocket science.” Wow!

HEARD AFTER HALFTIME

Tuesday: Australia’s star sprinter of the 1960s and 1970s, Raelene Boyle, wants the IOC to revisit the East German doping program that kept her from winning two golds in the Munich Games. The IOC said too much time has passed, but that’s not what they said in 1982 about restoring Jim Thorpe’s 1912 medals! And much more …

Thursday: In an interview on the sidelines of the SportAccord convention in Australia, World Anti-Doping Agency head Craig Reedie (GBR) says he is “unsure” whether the battle again doping is being won; Sebastian Coe’s advice to Tokyo 2020; problems for gymnastics star Kohei Uchimura and Lithuanian swimmer Ruta Meilutyte, and much more …

ARCHERY

Tuesday: Second World Cup ready to go in Shanghai (CHN), with American Brady Ellison and Korea’s Chae-Young Kang trying for two wins in a row to start the season!

ATHLETICS

Thursday: The fourth edition of the IAAF World Relays comes this weekend in Yokohama, Japan. The U.S. has the best team there, but victories are hardly assured in events where passing the stick is required. Check out the top contenders for honors in our preview, with qualifying for the World Championships in Doha on the line.

CURLING

Tuesday: Grand Finale of the first season of the World Curling Federation’s World Cup, with U.S. star John Shuster’s rink in contention for top honors once again!

CYCLING

Thursday: The 102nd Giro d’Italia starts this weekend, but former winners Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) and Tom Dumoulin (NED) are not the betting favorites. How about undefeated Primoz Roglic of Slovenia!

FENCING

Wednesday: The Sabre stars are out in Madrid, including no. 1-ranked Eli Dershwitz of the U.S. and no. 8-ranked Anne-Elizabeth Stone, plus a powerful U.S. men’s squad in the Team event.

FOOTBALL

Thursday: U.S. women’s National Team begins three-game “Send-Off Series” prior to the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, vs. no. 49 South Africa on Sunday in Santa Clara, California.

ICE HOCKEY

Wednesday: After no NHL players participating in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Korea, they’re all over the 2019 IIHF World Championships in Slovakia. Thanks to this, both Canada and the U.S. are expected to be serious contenders for medals.

SHOOTING

Tuesday: The ISSF World Cup for the Shotgun event is getting ready in Changwon (KOR), with American Olympic gold medalists Vincent Hancock and Kim Rhode ready to defend their 2018 World Cup titles.

SWIMMING

Thursday: The second leg of the FINA Champions Series is in Budapest on Saturday and Sunday. Sure, first-leg star Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden is back for more, but Hungary’s Olympic superstar Katinka Hosszu figures to get the loudest cheers at the Duna Arena. We have a full preview.

MORE PREVIEWS

Cycling: Three returning medalists at the women’s Tour of Chongming Island
Cycling: BMX SuperCross in Papdnedal, featuring Dutch stars Kimmann & Smulders
Diving: Wide-open Diving World Series in Kazan as China sends its second team
Judo: Six no. 1-ranked judoka in the Grand Slam in Baku!
Rowing: First World Cup of the season is in Plovdiv, with 157 entries from 24 nations
Rugby: New Zealand, Canada and U.S. try to clinch Tokyo 2020 spots in Langford round

UPCOMING

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

● Athletics: Second installment of the IAAF Diamond League in Shanghai (CHN).

● Cycling: The Giro d’Italia continues in Italy with the opening, flat stages.

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

And much more with a busy week of sport coming up on five continents!

LANE ONE: Remembering the day the Olympic Movement didn’t collapse: 8 May 1984

By
Rich Perelman
-

(This is a reprint of our Lane One column of 9 May 2018, which was available in our old PDF format and not as widely accessible as our current format. Thirty-five years afterwards, the 8th of May, 1984, is still a day to be remembered as the start of the modern Olympic Movement.)

Everyone involved with the organization of the 1984 Olympic Games knew that 8 May 1984 was going to be a historic day.

No one knew just how historic.

It was raining in New York City, where an unprecedented edition of the Olympic Torch Relay was going to start with a short ceremony at United Nations Plaza.

The relay itself was controversial before it started. The Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (LAOOC) decided to re-imagine the concept of the relay and use it to bring the Games to the entire United States and to raise money for charitable purposes, neither of which had ever been done before.

The plan finally settled on a stunning route of 15,000 km (~ 9,375 miles) across the U.S., through 33 states and the District of Columbia. Individuals could carry the torch for one kilometer through the Youth Legacy Kilometers program – for $3,000 – with the money going to the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the Special Olympics.

No one had ever tried anything like this before and on top of the logistical nightmares were the howls of protest from the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) in Greece. In a country where the national carrier is named Olympic Airways (!), the Greeks hysterically claimed that the LAOOC has “commercialized” the Olympic flame and would not participate in the lighting of the torch at Olympia unless sales of the Youth Legacy Kilometers was ended.

The LAOOC finally agreed and 3,436 kilometers were sold near the end of March, when the program was closed at the HOC’s request, providing $10,950,567.68 to the youth organizations. Even so, the HOC threatened not to provide the flame at a ceremony at Olympia and a cloak-and-dagger operation was initiated and obtained a flame from the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne (SUI) and flown to New York … just in case. At the last moment, the Greek government intervened and a scaled-down ceremony was held and the flame presented to the LAOOC at Olympia in time to start the relay on 8 May.

Problems solved, right?

The Torch Relay was opened with a short ceremony in New York, hosted by 1960 Olympic Decathlon Champion Rafer Johnson and the first torchbearers – the grandchildren of Jesse Owens (Gina Hemphill) and Jim Thorpe (Bill Thorpe, Jr.) started the route together.

Then, everything changed.

About two hours later, an announcement was made on an evening news program from Moscow that “the National Olympic Committee of the USSR is compelled to declare that participation of the Soviet sportsmen in the [1984] Games is impossible.” There were supposed “security concerns,” but in fact the decision was a reply to the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Games in Moscow. There was no doubt that the other Warsaw Pact countries would follow, but who else?

At the time, I was the Vice President/Press Operations for the LAOOC and like the rest of the roughly 1,750 staff members, working feverishly to make the Games happen. The boycott announcement was hardly a surprise, although the LAOOC had all but turned itself into a pretzel trying to assure the Soviet sports officials that there were no actual grounds for a boycott, but the timing was.

There was a plan to move forward, however.

LAOOC General Manager Harry Usher – one of the true heroes of the Games – called a staff meeting in the afternoon at the LAOOC headquarters and explained what was known at the time and that anyone who had contacts at any level with officers or staff at National Olympic Committees, national sports federations or International Federations in foreign countries needed to make themselves known and be ready to act.

The LAOOC had a lot of people who fit that description. In a break from what many had expected, the LAOOC – at the urging of both Usher and LAOOC chief Peter Ueberroth – had been hiring people from all over the world to help with the organizing effort. We had a brilliant Turkish statistician, Nejat Kok, working in Press Operations who was well connected with his National Olympic Committee. Other departments had folks from many other countries as well.

All of them were immediately recruited to use their contacts to urge their NOCs to formally reply that they would attend the Games. Bilingual staff members made phone calls directly to NOC president and general secretaries to urge acceptance to the invitation in their own languages.

The LAOOC’s government relations team in Washington, D.C. – yes, we had an office there, under the excellent direction of Jay Moorhead – visited more than 50 embassies to promote formal, positive responses to the invitation to compete in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, the first African-American mayor of the city, who had strong contacts with African nations, made calls and sent personal messages by telex asking for confirmations of attendance to African NOCs and governments.

The IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch, himself a former Spanish ambassador to Moscow, was busy too. He convened a face-to-face between the LAOOC and the Soviet NOC in Lausanne on 18 May, where the same excuses were given. No progress, but the impact on others was positive.

Then Samaranch jetted off and attended the annual meeting of Socialist Sport Ministers in Prague (CZE) on 24 May. It was at that meeting that Romania announced its intention to attend the Games, despite being a Warsaw Pact member. This was excellent, but getting the Soviets to reverse course looked hopeless.

If this sounds like a lot of scurrying around, it was. And at the LAOOC, it came in addition to the continuing workload of organizing the Games, ordering equipment, recruiting and training volunteers and trying to keep everyone focused on the tasks at hand.

It worked, and almost too well!

By the 2 June deadline for acceptance, a stunning total of 142 countries signaled that they would attend the Games. This included Romania, and the People’s Republic of China; this was the first time that Communist China would participate in the Games. This shattered the prior record of 122 countries from Munich in 1972, but there was more to do.

Ueberroth went to Cuba to try and convince Fidel Castro to at least send a baseball team – a demonstration sport in 1984 – and if not, to refrain from promoting the boycott elsewhere. Castro said he had to stand with the Soviets on participation, but would otherwise keep quiet. That was a considerable plus, and Ueberroth also left with a considerable load of gifts, including Habana Club rum and Cohiba cigars!

In the meantime, there was another meeting in Lausanne from 28-30 May, to take the entry places assigned to the boycotting countries – including the powerhouse USSR, East German and Cuban teams – and re-allocate them to other countries. Many NOCs were only too happy to get more chances to compete in Los Angeles and actually asked for more places during their messages confirming their attendance at the Games!

Even in Press Operations, we were asked for more media credentials for some nations as the allocations from the boycotting countries would – for the most part – not be used. We were happy to make the substitutions.

We lost Angola later and Libya on the eve of the Games, so 140 NOCs competed in Los Angeles, still a record by a long way. There was some worry about our agreement with ABC, which called for a rebate on some of its $225 million rights fee if a boycott caused a reduction in their planned-for ratings. Instead, their ratings went up and set new records (no, the LAOOC didn’t get a bonus).

The outcome was both gratifying and energizing for those of us on the LAOOC staff. We were going to do everything in our power to make the Games so good that it would shame the Soviets into attending every Games in the future.

And we did. As it turned out, the great success of the Olympic Movement over the next 30 years, after financial ruin and boycotts, started upward on the 8th of May in 1984. A bad day? No, a good one.

Rich Perelman
Editor

FOOTBALL Preview: Top-ranked U.S. Women’s National Team tunes up against no. 49 South Africa

By
Rich Perelman
-
Mallory Pugh celebrates one of her two goals in the 5-3 win over Australia (Photo: U.S. Soccer)

With the team selection process finally completed, the U.S. Women’s National Team now enters its final preparation phase prior to heading to France for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in June.

The “Send-Off Series” includes three matches over two weeks:

● 12 May: vs. South Africa at Santa Clara, California (4:30 p.m. Eastern time)
● 16 May: vs. New Zealand at St. Louis, Missouri (8:00 p.m. Eastern time)
● 26 May: vs. Mexico at Harrison, New Jersey (11:30 a.m. Eastern time)

South Africa and New Zealand are both World Cup teams, while Mexico is not.

The full U.S. team is expected to be present for these games, which on paper should be victories. After all, the U.S. women continue to be ranked no. 1 in the world, while South Africa is no. 49, New Zealand is ranked 19th and Mexico, 26th.

But that’s why they play the games. After starting out the year at 1-1-2, the U.S. women have won their last three games by a 12-3 margin, including an impressive, 5-3 win over Australia on 4 April.

The U.S. has had a somewhat recent game against South Africa, winning 1-0 in July 2016 in Chicago on a Crystal Dunn goal.

Sunday’s game will be shown on Fox, which will also televise the Women’s World Cup. Look for results here.

RUGBY Preview: New Zealand, Canada and U.S. looking to clinch Tokyo 2020 berths in Canada Sevens Series

By
Rich Perelman
-
Women's Sevens Series scoring leader Ghislaine Landry (CAN)

Four legs down, two to go in the 2019 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series, with Tokyo 2020 qualification on the line for the top four teams in the standings after this week’s tournament in Langford (CAN) and the finale in Biarritz (FRA). So far:

1. 72 New Zealand
2. 66 Canada
3. 64 United States
4. 56 Australia
5. 46 France
6. 38 Ireland

This is the seventh season for the Women’s Sevens Series, with New Zealand winning the first five and finishing second to Australia last year. The U.S. has never been better than fourth in any season (2012-13) and was fifth last year.

But the U.S. has placed 2-4-3-3 in the four legs so far and could clinch a spot in Tokyo if all of the results fall right. The pools:

● Pool A: Canada, Australia, Ireland, Brazil
● Pool B: England, New Zealand, Russia, China
● Pool C: United States, France, Fiji, Spain

Pool play will be held on Saturday and Sunday morning; the playoffs will be on Sunday as well.

Canada’s Ghislaine Landry continues as the top scorer in the tournament with 143 points, ahead of Tyla Nathan-Wong (NZL:133) and Emma Sykes (AUS: 132). Canada’s Bianca Farella has the most tries, with 24, one more than Aimee-Leigh Murphy (IRL), who has 23.

Look for results here.

CYCLING Preview: Kimmann and Smulders home in Papendal for second leg of the BMX World Cup

By
Rich Perelman
-
Dutch BMX star Niek Kimmann, the 2015 World Champion

The Dutch have been among the most successful riders in the BMX Supercross series and this week’s second stage of the UCI BMX World Cup is in Papendal for two races on Saturday and Sunday, for both men and women.

The line-ups are outstanding:

Men:
● Sylvain Andre (FRA) ~ 2018 World Champion
● Joris Daudet (FRA) ~ 2011-16 World Champion, 2018 Worlds silver; 2011 World Cup gold
● Anderson de Souza Filho (BRA) ~ 2018 World Championships bronze medalist
● Niek Kimmann (NED) ~ 2015 World Champion; 2018 World Cup seasonal winner
● Corben Sharrah (USA) ~ 2016 World Cup winner; 2017 World Champion
● David Graf (SUI) ~ 2016 World Cup seasonal silver medalist
● Tre Whyte (GBR) ~ 2014 World Championships bronze medalist
● Kye Whyte (GBR) ~ 2019 World Cup/Manchester II winner

Women:
● Simone Christensen (DEN) ~ 2016-17 World Cup seasonal bronze; 2015 Worlds bronze
● Mariana Pajon (COL) ~ 2012-16 OG gold; 2013-15 World Cup gold; 2014-16 World Champ
● Laura Smulders (NED) ~ 2016-17-18 World Cup winner; 2018 World Champion
● Merel Smulders (NED) ~ 2018 Worlds silver medalist
● Judy Baauw (NED) ~ 2018 Worlds bronze medalist
● Sarah Walker (NZL) ~ 2011 World Cup winner
● Saya Sakakibara (AUS) ~ 2018 World Cup runner-up
● Alise Willoughby (USA) ~ 2012-15 World Cup bronze; 2017 World Champ; 2016 OG silver

In the opening races in Manchester (GBR), Daudet and the surprising Kye Whyte won the men’s races and Christensen and 2013 Worlds bronze medalist Manon Valentino (FRA) took the women’s events.

Dutchstars Kimmann and Laura Smulders have to rank as favorites in Papendal: Kimmann has won there in 2015 and 2018, and Smulders has won there five times in 2014-16-17 (2)-18, including four wins in a row until Willoughby won the final race last year. Andre has also won there for the men as well as Daudet. Pajon owns wins in Papendal in 2013 and 2015.

Look for results here.

SWIMMING Preview: Sjostrom is back, but will Hosszu be the star of the second Champions Series in Budapest?

By
Rich Perelman
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Hungary's swimming superstar Katinka Hosszu

FINA’s new Champions Series had an entertaining debut in front of an interested crowd in Guangzhou (CHN) in late April and is now ready for its second leg, at the famed Duna Arena in Budapest (HUN), with a capacity of about 5,000.

The program order has been changed around a little, but the components are the same:

● 50-100-200-400 m Freestyle
● 50-100-200 m Backstroke
● 50-100-200 m Breaststroke
● 50-100-200 m Butterfly
● 200 m Medley
● Mixed 4×100 m Freestyle, 4×100 m Medley

The fields are generally of high quality, at least on paper, and the Budapest edition has – as expected – more European and American swimmers compared to the Guangzhou line-up. Some of the expected highlights:

Men

● 50-100 m Freestyles: The 2016 Rio champ, Anthony Ervin of the U.S. is matched up in the 50 m with the silver and bronze winners from the 2017 Worlds, Bruno Fratus (BRA) and Ben Proud (GBR). Proud won in Guangzhou, ahead of Vladimir Morozov (RUS), who is also in the field. Rio silver winner Pieter Timmers (BEL) won the 100 m in Guangzhou, ahead of Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) and Morozov. France’s Mehdy Metella, the 2017 Worlds bronze winner, joins the party in Budapest.

● 200 m Free: Rio silver winner Chad le Clos (RSA) and 2017 Worlds bronze medalist Aleksandr Krasnykh (RUS) are in, but Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys beat Le Clos in Guangzhou, finishing second to China’s Yang Sun.

● 50-100-200 m Backstrokes: The amazing Matt Grevers, the London 2012 100 m Back champ, is in the 50-100 m races and still going strong at 34. He’ll race against Kolesnikov, who won the 50 m race in Guangzhou, and 100-200 m Guangzhou winner (and Rio silver medalist) Jiayu Xu of China. Xu is also in the 200 m Back, against American Jacob Pebley, the 2017 Worlds bronze medal winner.

● 50-100-200 m Breaststrokes: Brazil’s 2017 Worlds 50 m silver winner Joao Gomes Jr. will face American Michael Andrew, but Felipe Lima (BRA) beat them both in Guangzhou. Worlds silver winner Kevin Cordes (USA) will be looking to beat Italy’s Fabio Scozzoli and Anton Chupkov (RUS), who were 1-2 in the Guangzhou 100 m. Chupkov, the 2017 World Champion at 200 m, won that race in China, but now faces Rio 200 silver winner Josh Prenot (USA) and world-record holder Ippei Watanabe (JPN).

● 50-100-200 m Butterflys: 2017 World Champion Proud (GBR), silver medalist Nicholas Santos (BRA) and bronze winner Andriy Govorov (UKR) will battle again against Andrew (USA) in the 50 m; Santos beat Andrew in Guangzhou. Rio silver winner Le Clos will be battling two home favorites: Hungarians Kristof Milak (2017 Worlds silver in 100) and the legendary Laszlo Cseh, the 2015 World Champion. Le Clos is the 2017 World 200 m Fly champ, but lost to Rio 2016 silver medalist Masato Sakai (JPN) in Guangzhou; they will be in a re-match, but with Cseh and Milak as well.

● 200 m Medley: The 2017 World Champion, Chase Kalisz of the U.S., is here, but will have his hands full with China’s Sun Wang, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and winner in Guangzhou.

Women

● 50-100 m Freestyles: The big star of the Guangzhou leg was Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, and she’s back for more in the 50-100-200 m Frees and 50-100 m Flys. She won four and one silver the first time out and will be favored in all five in Budapest. Rio Olympic champ Pernilla Blume (DEN) will challenge in both; Egypt’s Farida Osman will be a factor in the 50 m and Rio co-100 m gold winner Penny Oleksiak (CAN) should be Sjostrom’s main competition.

● 200-400 m Free: Italy’s 2008 Olympic gold medalist and 2009-11-17 World Champion Federica Pellegrini will challenge Sjostrom, along with China’s Bingjie Li. Pellegrini, who won world titles in the 400 m Free in 2009-11, will face Li, who earned a 400 m Worlds bronze in 2017 and an 800 m Free Worlds silver.

● 50-100-200 m Backstrokes: Australia’s outstanding Emily Seebohm will be in all three races, but with a considerable challenge at 50 m from the 2017 World Champion, Brazil’s Etienne Medeiros. At 100 m and 200 m, home favorite Katinka Hosszu will be the focus; she was the Olympic 100 m champ in Rio and the 200 m Worlds silver medalist (to Seebohm) in 2017.

● 50-100-200 m Breaststrokes: Russian star Yuliya Efimova is in all three and won Rio silvers in the 100-200 m and world titles at 50 m (2009-13), 100 m (2015) and 200 m (2013-17). She will be challenged at all three distances by the American pair of Katie Meili, the Olympic bronze medalist at 100 m and Worlds bronze medalist at 50 m in 2017, and Molly Hannis, who was second in Guangzhou in the 50 m (to Imogen Clark/GBR) and 100 m (to Shiwen Ye/CHN).

● 50-100-200 m Butterflys: Sjostrom won the 50-100s in Guangzhou and will have familiar company from the Freestyle races in Osman (EGY) in the 50 m, and Blume (DEN) and Oleksiak (CAN) in the 50 and 100 m, plus Rio 2016 bronze medalist Dana Vollmer of the U.S. in the 100 Fly. Hosszu will headline the 200 m Fly, along with teammate Boglarka Kapas (HUN).

● 200 m Medley: Hosszu is the dominant performer in this event, winning the Rio gold and the 2017 Worlds. Britain’s Siobhan O’Connor won silver in Rio and will challenge Hosszu again.

A great meet ahead? Maybe, but it should be entertaining at the very least. The prize money for each event is $10,000-8,000-6,000-5,000 ($812,000 total) and $16,000-12,000-8,000 for the relays ($72,000 total); there is also a $20,000 bonus for a world record.

NBC’s Olympic Channel will have coverage in the U.S. at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday and Sunday. Look for live results here.

CYCLING Preview: Roglic the favorite, but just barely ahead of Nibali and Dumoulin in 102nd Giro d’Italia

By
Rich Perelman
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2017 Giro d'Italia winner Tom Dumoulin (NED)

One of the three annual Grand Tours, the 102nd Giro d’Italia gets going on Saturday, covering 3,518.5 km (~ 2,186 miles) over 21 stages, including three time trials, eight sprinter’s stages, four hilly stages and six mountain stages. The schedule:

● 11 May: Stage 1 (8.0 km Time Trial) ~ Bologna to Madonna di San Luca
● 12 May: Stage 2 (205.0 km) ~ Bologna to Fucecchio (flat)
● 13 May: Stage 3 (220.0 km) ~ Vinci to Orbetello (flat)
● 14 May: Stage 4 (235.0 km) ~ Orbetello to Frascati (flat)
● 15 May: Stage 5 (140.0 km) ~ Frascati to Terracina (flat)
● 16 May: Stage 6 (238.0 km) ~ Cassino to San Giovanni Rotondo (hilly)
● 17 May: Stage 7 (185.0 km) ~ Vasto to L’Aquila (hilly)
● 18 May: Stage 8 (239.0 km) ~ Tortoreto Lido to Pesaro (flat)
● 19 May: Stage 9 (34.8 km Time Trial) ~ Riccione to San Marino
● 20 May: Rest day
● 21 May: Stage 10 (145.0 km)~ Ravenna to Modena (flat)
● 22 May: Stage 11 (221.0 km) ~ Carpi to Novi Ligure (flat)
● 23 May: Stage 12 (158.0 km) ~ Cuneo to Pinerolo (hilly)
● 24 May: Stage 13 (196.0 km) ~ Pinerolo to Ceresole Reale (mountains)
● 25 May: Stage 14 (131.9 km) ~ Saint Vincent to Courmayeur (mountains)
● 26 May: Stage 15 (232.0 km) ~ Ivrea to Como (hilly)
● 27 May: Rest day
● 28 May: Stage 16 (226.0 km) ~ Lovere to Ponte di Legno (mountains)
● 29 May: Stage 17 (181.0 km) ~ Commezzadura to Anterselva/Antholz (mountains)
● 30 May: Stage 18 (222.0 km) ~ Valdaora / Olang to Santa Maria di Sala (flat)
● 31 May: Stage 19 (151.0 km) ~ Treviso to San Martino di Castrozza (mountains)
● 01 June: Stage 20 (194.0 km) ~ Feltre to Croce D’Aune-Monte Avena (mountains)
● 02 June: Stage 21 (17.0 km Time Trial) ~ Verona to Verona

The race includes just six men who have finished as medalists before:

● Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) ~ Winner in 2013 & 2016; third in 2010-11-17
● Tim Dumoulin (NED) ~ Winner in 2017; second in 2018
● Esteban Chaves (COL) ~ Second in 2016
● Miguel Angel Lopez (COL) ~ Third in 2018
● Mikel Landa (ESP) ~ Third in 2015
● Thomas de Gendt (BEL) ~ Third in 2012

However, the entries also include 38 men who have won one or more stages in the Giro. The top multi-stage winners:

● 8: Vincenzo Nibali (ITA)
● 6: Diego Ulissi (ITA)
● 5: Elia Viviani (ITA)
● 4: Tom Dumoulin (NED)
● 4: Fernando Gaviria (COL)
● 3: Mikel Nieve (ESP)
● 3: Mikel Landa (ESP)
● 3: Simon Yates (GBR)
● 3: Enrico Battaglin (ITA)
● 3: Esteban Chaves (COL)

Who’s the favorite? The betting lines show Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic, undefeated this season in the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour de Romandie, at 7/4, followed by Dumoulin (5/2), Simon Yates (GBR: 11/4) and then Nibali (13/2), followed by Lopez at 9/1.

At the pre-race news conference, Roglic showed he understands the attention being paid to him “It’s true that we started the season really strong as a team. After Tirreno-Adriatico, we had a hard training camp and the Tour de Romandie has been a good preparation but the Giro will be a totally different race.

“Every race I start, I do it for winning. The Giro looks hard on paper. I can do well on all terrains. I feel more tension than before my first Giro three years, but it’s normal and we also need to enjoy, have fun, and like it, otherwise a three-week race is too long and too hard for everyone.”

Said Nibali, “I’m very calm ahead of this Giro. As always, I prepared for the race well and I aim to race with the team as united as possible. We decided to have the Giro as my main goal this year. More and more riders come to Italy with a great shape every year and it makes the Giro more and more international.

“Being superstitious, I don’t want to say more than that I’m here for a nice result. I miss winning. My last victory was too long ago [the 2018 Milan-Sanremo]. Raising the arms up in the air is the nicest thing for an athlete.”

Dumoulin was more optimistic: “I have the feeling that I’m in a good condition right now. Liege-Bastogne-Liege [50th] was bit of a downer but hopefully it was due to the weather. I don’t know if it’s possible to win the Giro and the Tour the same year but I’m here to win the Giro. I don’t expect anything at the moment. It’s a beautiful time trial that we start with. I love this kind of uphill finish.”

If you’re looking for a wild card, perhaps Poland’s Rafal Majka or Russian Ilnur Zakarin could be considered. They have both finished as high as fifth in the Giro in prior years.

In the U.S., the Giro is only available via the online site FloBikes.com. Look for results here.

ATHLETICS Preview: Fourth World Relays debut in Yokohama with World Champs qualifying available

By
Rich Perelman
-

The IAAF got onto the relay bandwagon in 2014 when the first World Relays was held in Nassau (BAH) and became an instant hit. The event was fun, fast and different and exposed track & field fans worldwide to the joy of relays already well known in the U.S.

After three editions in The Bahamas – in 2014-15-17 – the island’s government decided not to continue to invest approximately $5 million per edition and the event is being held in Yokohama (JPN) this weekend. The finals schedule:

● 11 May: Mixed 2x2x400 m, Mixed Shuttle Hurdles Relay
● 12 May: Men’s and women’s 4×100 m, 4×200 m, 4×400 m, Mixed 4×400 m

In keeping with the IAAF’s movement away from distance races, there is no 4×800 m, 4×1,500 m or Distance Medley. Instead, we have the Mixed races: 4×400 m, the Shuttle Hurdles and the 2x2x400 m, in which two athletes – one man, one woman – each run two legs of 400 m in any order desired.

Important? No. Fun? Maybe; we’ll see.

There is one important aspect to the meet: qualification for the 2019 World Championships in Doha (QAT). The top 10 teams in the men’s and women’s 4×100 m and 4×400 m, and top 12 in the Mixed 4×400 m will qualify for Doha. That’s important: even if a team drops the baton in the final, it needs to try and complete the race without disqualification in order to be assured in a place in the Worlds.

There is also some good prize money on offer: $50,000-30,000-20,000-12,000-10,000-8,000-6,000-4,000 for the top eight places and half of that for the 2x2x400 m, which has two athletes per team instead of four. There is a $50,000 bonus for a world record, but this does not apply to the Mixed 4×400 m, Shuttle Hurdles or 2x2x400 m races.

The 72,000-seat Yokohama International Stadium will be the site, with 761 athletes from 45 countries registered for the event. A look at some of the potential highlights:

● Men/4×100 m:

On paper, the U.S. has the best team, with five nominated: Chris Belcher (9.93 in 2017), Cameron Burrell (9.93 in 2018), Justin Gatlin (10.03 in 2018), Noah Lyles (9.88 in 2018) and Michael Rodgers (9.89 in 2018). As always, the question is whether they can get the stick around the track. Gatlin eased up, fearing injury, in the Grenada Invitational 200 m on 13 April, but is listed as ready to run.

If the U.S. is right, everyone else is running for second. Canada should have an excellent team with Aaron Brown, Gavin Smellie, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse all available and the next generation of Jamaican sprinters will be on display with veteran Nesta Carter teaming with Julian Forte, Jevaughn Minzie and Tyquendo Tracey. Great Britain has three quality legs available in Adam Gemili, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and C.J. Ujah and China will always be a factor with Bingtian Su on anchor.

The wild card is Japan, running in front of a home crowd. With perfect passing, it claimed the bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships, running 38.04. This week’s team is different, but precision passing can make them a contender again.

● Men/4×400 m:

The U.S. has won all three editions of this race at the World Relays, each time anchored by LaShawn Merritt. He’s not around this time, but the U.S. has a good foursome available with Paul Dedewo, Michael Cherry, Josephus Lyles and Fred and My’Lik Kerley.

But no one is going to be surprised if someone else wins this time, although no one knows who that will be. The Bahamas has Steven Gardiner available and if he gets the stick and is close to the leaders, he’ll likely win. Belgium has the three Borlee brothers – Dylan, Jonathan and Kevin – and with Jonathan Saccor, could win. Botswana has Isaac Makwala and Baboloki Thebe, but what about the other two legs?

Maybe Jamaica should be favored, with Nathon Allen, Akeem Bloomfield and Demish Gaye all capable of running with anyone, but what about the fourth leg? The same could be said for Trinidad & Tobago, which has quality legs in Machel Cedenio, Deon Lendore and Jereem Richards, but what about a fourth? This should be one of the really exciting races of the meet.

● Women/4×100 m:

The U.S. has a good team, with Dezerea Bryant, Ashley Henderson, Aleia Hobbs, Jenna Prandini and Tori Bowie, but what about the stickwork? Is Bowie healthy again?

The Jamaican and Trinidad & Tobago teams should be able to run with the U.S. Jamaica has Gayon Evans, Shashalee Forbes, Natalia Morrison and veteran Sherone Simpson available and they could be formidable if in shape. Trinidad & Tobago will field Michelle-Lee Ahye, Semoy Hackett and Khalifa St. Fort and hope that either Kamaria Durant or Reyare Thomas are the right fit as the fourth leg.

Poland will have indoor star Ewa Swoboda on anchor; Germany and Japan will depend on perfect passing to be in position for medals.

● Women/4×400 m:

The U.S. is favored here too, but with a good team that should have more depth than anyone else. Jessica Beard, Courtney Okolo, Jordan Lavender, Jaide Stepter and reigning national champ Shakima Wimbley are all quality runners, but hardly unbeatable. Jamaica has two excellent legs in Crisann Gordon and 400 m hurdles star Janieve Russell, and Swiss star Lea Sprunger could do a lot of damage on anchor if she is close.

This is not a superstar-filled meet and coming fairly early in the season, there are a lot of folks who have passed on participating.

In the other events, the Mixed 4×400 m is still a developing event, but has some stars listed as possible entries: Kevin Borlee for Belgium, 800 m star Nijel Amos for Botswana, and the U.S. has Ja’Von Hutchison and Nathan Strother listed, along with Olivia Baker and Jasmine Blocker for the women’s legs, among others.

The U.S. has an excellent entry into the silly 2x2x400 m race with 800 m specialists Donavan Brazier and Ce’Aira Brown, both of whom are in strong shape already this season.

The American team also has a big edge in the Shuttle Hurdles relay for two reasons: (1) it’s an excellent squad with Devon Allen and Freddie Crittenden available for the men, and Shakira Nelvis, Christine Clemons and Queen Harrison available for the women, and (2) most of the U.S. team has actually seen this race take place before, where many of the others will see it for the first time in Yokohama.

During the first three editions, the U.S. dominated the event, winning 17 of the 28 events, to five for Jamaica and three for Kenya.

NBC’s Olympic Channel has coverage of the World Relays, on Saturday at 6 a.m. Eastern time (and a replay at 6 p.m. Eastern), and on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time. Look for results here.

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