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THE BIG PICTURE: Remember Dutee Chand?

By
Rich Perelman
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Does the name Dutee Chand ring a bell?

If not, remember that she is the Indian sprinter who filed the action against the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that got its rules on testosterone levels in women thrown out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Chand was dropped from the Indian team for the 2014 Asian Games due to concerns about “female hyperandrogenism” and she appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Her case, decided in mid-2015, resulted in the suspension of the IAAF’s rules limiting women’s testosterone levels pending better research.

Chand began competing again in 2016 and the IAAF returned with more detailed findings about advantages of high testosterone levels in women earlier this year. The new study led to rules limiting testosterone in women competing in events from 400 m up to the mile (now being challenged at CAS by South African star Caster Semenya).

That leaves Chand, 22, a sprinter, in the clear and she won silver medals in the Asian Games in Indonesia in the 100 m (11.32) and 200 m (23.20).

She competing in the Rio Olympic Games and the 2017 World Championships in London; she has personal bests of 11.29 and 23.00, both set this year.

Let’s make the Decathlon and Heptathlon more like the Modern Pentathlon!

By
Rich Perelman
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Track and field athletes, officials and fans have all heard the joke: “What’s more exciting: the Decathlon or watching paint dry?”

If you’re not into the multi-events – and that’s most of you – you’ll nod your head in agreement with those who vote for the paint (!), against both the men’s 10-eventer and the women’s seven-event program.

As IAAF chief Sebastian Coe is always looking for innovative ways to make the sport more enticing, here’s an idea: make the Decathlon and Heptathlon more like the Modern Pentathlon.

Huh? Am I mad? Failed a doping test recently?

Nope; just a way to ramp up the thrill factor, at least at the end of these events.

Let’s face it, the Modern Pentathlon is not seen as a center of excitement in the Olympic Games. Created for the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm (SWE) by either International Olympic Committee founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin (SUI) or organizing committee chair Viktor Balck, it was designed to evoke the pentathlon of the ancient Olympic Games with five sports scored for points: fencing, swimming, riding, shooting and running.

For most of its Olympic history, the sport was a vagabond, wandering among the sites for the first four sports before the running finale. That was changed to a single site for the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and then to a one-day format in 1996 in Atlanta.

The shooting and running phases were combined into a “Laser Run” event beginning in 2009 and re-tooled in 2013 to include four laps of 800 m each, prefaced by laser shooting at five targets.

But the signature element of the format is that based on the points accumulated through the first four events prior to 2009 and since then, after the first three events, the competitors are handicapped by time so that the competition leader starts first, with a handicap, and the first person to cross the finish line is the overall winner of the event.

So, for the decathlon, the obvious corollary would be the use a handicap start in the final event, the 1,500 m, so that the first person to finish will be the winner of the event. Same for the women’s 800 m, the finale of the heptathlon.

Wouldn’t that make the event a lot more interesting?

In fact, you could do the same with the final event of the first day as well: the men’s 400 m and the women’s 200 m, although their short duration makes the timing issues more difficult.

Ah, but what about the scoring? After all, these events are compared across the years by their scores and not just who won and lost. True, but this is also accommodated by this format, since everyone is still running the same distance, but their starting time is staggered by their relative point totals to the other competitors. (For the 400 m and 200 m, how about using blocks that sent a pulse to the feet of the runners when they were supposed to go, and their times and points were calculated from that moment forward?)

The pacing and strategy of these races would be changed, true, but that has been the case forever. Today, the athletes know full well the number of seconds they need to make up to advance to a preferred final place; now, their final placement will be the same as where they finish the last event.

No more clipboards, calculators, apps or other mental gymnastics or references to smart phones to figure out who finished where. Just look at who crossed the line in first, second, third and the rest of the places.

And it’s not only the Modern Pentathlon that proves that this format works, and works well. In winter sport, the Nordic Combined also used to have manual scoring to figure out who placed where. But in 1985, the Gundersen method was adopted that created a handicap start in the cross-country race based on the results of the ski jumping event. The “point-time” differential is reviewed by the Federation Internationale de Ski consistently to keep it current with the advances made by the athletes in the sport.

But in the Nordic Combined, the first person to cross the finish line is the winner; no clipboards needed.

The end-of-event scoring would actually not change, but the excitement level would. Watching the Diamond League Final in Zurich (SUI) on Thursday, I was struck by how the sold-out crowd at the Letzigrund Stadium exploded when the races came down to the end with a tight finish.

There were no world records set on Thursday and not even any world-leading marks. But the racing was compelling, and the crowded responded. In the multi-events, why not give everyone a clear picture of where the medalists are, without having to refer to a scoring table?

Just watch who crosses the line in first, second and third place. A radical change? Sure, but unlike so many others, one that is already proven to work, even at the Olympic Games.

Rich Perelman
Editor

ATHLETICS: Doping positive vs. Savinova upheld by CAS

By
Rich Perelman
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The appeal of Russian 800 m runner Maria Savinova (now Farnosova), the 2011 World Champion in Daegu (KOR), from a doping positive was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The IAAF charged her with doping violations in August of 2015, the case was referred to the CAS in 2017. The 43-page opinion issued by the CAS notes that “It follows from the information and intelligence provided Ms. [Yuliya] Stepanova that the Athlete used prohibited substances over a long period of time.”

The suspension period is four years, starting 24 August 2015 and her results from 26 July 201- to 26 August 2013 were annulled. This means that Caster Semenya (RSA), Janeth Jepkosgei (KEN) and American Alysia Montano are confirmed as the 2011 World Championships medal winners in the women’s 800 m, and that the 2012 Olympic 800 m results are confirmed, with Semenya winning, Yekaterina Poistogova (RUS) second and Pamela Jelimo (KEN) third.

The Athletics International newsletter noted, sadly, that Poistogova herself served a doping ban from August 2015-17!

ATHLETICS: Kenya’s Okeyo banned for life for skimming sponsor funds

By
Rich Perelman
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The continuing problems surrounding Athletics Kenya have not stopped, as David Okeyo, at one time the Secretary General and Vice President of the federation, was banned for life from involvement in the sport and “fined $50,000 after being found guilty of diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars of sponsorship payments for his personal use.”

Reuters reported that a judgement against Okeyo found that he removed funds delivered to Athletics Kenya from Nike under a sponsorship agreement for his personal use. He claimed to have used the funds for appropriate purposes, but could not produce any documentation indicating this.

It’s another mark against Athletics Kenya, which has been battered by repeated allegations of lax doping controls, mis-use of funds and failure to support its athletes. And there is more to come.

SWIMMING: U.S. dominates Junior Pan-Pacific Champs

By
Rich Perelman
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If there’s a Pan-Pacific Championships, there has to be a junior version too, right? The 2018 edition was held in the exotic location of Suva in Fiji, but the main attraction was the dominant U.S. team.

The American squad won 54 medals in all, with 27 gold, 19 silver and eight bronze, ahead of Japan (23: 1-6-16) and Australia (13: 4-5-4).

Freestyler Ross Kibler won two individual golds in the 100-200 m Frees, silver in the 50 m Free and three more relays golds for a total of six medals.

Carson Foster won the 200 m Back and both of the medleys, plus a relay for four golds; Gianluca Urlando won both men’s Butterfly events and two relays, also collecting four golds.

Sprinter Gretchen Walsh won the 100 m Free, earned four relay golds and got a silver in the 50 m Freestyle for a total of six medals. Just as impressive was Australian distance swimmer Lani Pallister, who won the 400-800-1,500 m Frees and was second in the 200 m Free for four individual medals, plus two relay silvers for a total of six. Summaries:

Pan-Pacific Junior Championships
Suva (FIJ) ~ 23-26 August 2018.
(Full results here)

Men

50 m Freestyle: 1. Ash Brinkworth (AUS), 22.72; 2. Drew Kibler (USA), 22.81; 3. Michael Pickett (NZL), 22.86.

100 m Free: 1. Kibler (USA), 49.42; 2. Keisuke Ishizaki (JPN), 49.78; 3. Adam Chaney (USA), 50.01.

200 m Free: 1. Kibler (USA), 1:47.65; 2. Jake Magahey (USA), 1:48.67; 3. Ishizaki (JPN), 1:49.16.

400 m Free: 1. Ross Dant (USA), 3:52.44; 2. Brendon Smith (AUS), 3:52.67; 3. Ethan Healey (USA), 3:53.81.

800 m Free: 1. Dant (USA), 8:00.51; 2. Long Cheng (CHN), 8:02.79; 3. Magahey (USA), 8:06.16.

1,500 m Free: 1. Cheng (CHN), 15:24.55; 2. Arik Katz (USA), 15:30.00; 3. Dant (USA), 15:30.78.

4×100 m Free: 1. United States (Chaney, Kovac, Lasco, Kibler), 3:19.44; 2. Australia, 3:20.86; 3. Japan, 3:21.32.

4×200 m Free: 1. United States (Magahey, Kibler, Rose, C. Foster), 7:16.42; 2. Japan, 7:21.40; 3. Australia, 7:26.57.

100 m Backstroke: 1. Destin Lasco (USA), 55.75; 2. Chaney (USA), 56.18; 3. Daiki Yanagawa (JPN), 56.28.

200 m Back: 1. Carson Foster (USA), 1:59.10; 2. Peter Larson (USA), 1:59.24; 3. Cole Pratt (CAN), 2:00.82.

100 m Breaststroke: 1. Gabe Mastromatteo (CAN), 1:0.27; 2. Daniel Roy (USA), 1:01.85; 3. Yamato Fukasawa (JPN), 1:02.60.

200 m Breast: 1. Roy (USA), 2:11.79; 2. A.J. Pouch (USA), 2:11.80; 3. Yamato Fukasawa (JPN), 2:13.57.

100 m Butterfly: 1. Gianluca Urlando (USA), 52.40; 2. Van Mathias (USA), 53.11; 3. Shaun Champion (AUS), 53.66.

200 m Fly: 1. Urlando (USA), 1:56.25; 2. Mathias (USA), 1:57.64; 3. Tomoru Honda (JPN), 1:58.70.

200 m Medley: 1. C. Foster (USA), 1:59.85; 2. Urlando (USA), 2:00.60; 3. Otake (JPN), 2:00.72.

400 m Medley: 1. C. Foster (USA), 4:14.73; 2. Jake Foster (USA), 4:15.78; 3. Masayuki Otake (JPN), 4:17.79.

4×100 m Medley: 1. United States (Larson, Roy, Urlando, Kibler), 3:39.04; 2. Japan, 3:41.95; 3. Canada, 3:42.05.

Women

50 m Freestyle: 1. Maxine Parker (USA), 25.39; 2. Gretchen Walsh (USA), 25.57; 3. Natasha Ramsden (AUS), 25.65.

100 m Free: 1. G. Walsh (USA), 54.47; 2. Lucie Nordmann (USA), 54.74; 3. Eliza King (AUS), 54.92.

200 m Free: 1. Claire Tuggle (USA), 1:58.58; 2. Lani Pallister (AUS), 1:59.00; 3. Nagisa Ikemoto (JPN), 1:59.02.

400 m Free: 1. Pallister (AUS), 4:07.76; 2. Tuggle (USA), 4:10.31; 3. Denigan (USA), 4:12.59.

800 m Free: 1. Pallister (AUS), 8:29.65; 2. Mariah Denigan (USA), 8:30.01; 3. Emma Weyant (USA), 8:38.88.

1,500 m Free: 1. Pallister (AUS), 16:08.09; 2. Denigan (USA), 16:24.35; 3. Emma O’Croinin (CAN), 16:28.79.

4×100 m Free: 1. United States (G. Walsh, A. Walsh, Ivey, Nordmann), 3;40.10; 2. Australia, 3:41.51; 3. Canada, 3:44.73.

4×200 m Free: 1. United States (Tuggle, Ivey, G. Walsh, Nordmann), 7:57.92; 2. Australia, 7:59.97; 3. Japan, 8:09.03.

100 m Backstroke: 1. Phoebe Bacon (USA), 59.72; 2. Katharine Berkoff (USA), 1:00.16; 3. Madison Broad (CAN), 1:00.53.

200 m Back: 1. Isabel Stadden (USA), 2:09.52; 2. Broad (CAN), 2:10.73; 3. Berkoff (USA), 2:11.87.

100 m Breaststroke: 1. Emily Weiss (USA), 1:07.55; 2. Nina Kucheran (CAN), 1:08.37; 3. Avery Wiseman (CAN), 1:08.52.

200 m Breast: 1. Shiori Asaba (JPN), 2:27.48; 2. Ella Nelson (USA), 2:27.83; 3. Honoka Tatsumu (JPN), 2:29.12.

100 m Butterfly: 1. Maggie MacNeil (CAN), 58.38; 2. Chiharu Iitsuka (JPN), 59.51; 3. Isabel Ivey (USA), 59.81.

200 m Fly: 1. Olivia Carter (USA), 2:09.45; 2. Mana Naito (JPN), 2:10.33; 3. Karin Takemura (JPN), 2:10.66.

200 m Medley: 1. Alex Walsh (USA), 2:12.06; 2. Takemura (JPN), 2:14.90; 3. Mei Ishihara (JPN), 2:41.91.

400 m Medley: 1. Weyant (USA), 4:40.64; 2. Denigan (USA), 4:41.39; 3. Ishihara (JPN), 4:45.43.

4×100 m Medley: 1. United States (Bacon, Weiss, Nordmann, G. Walsh), 4:02.33; 2. Canada, 4:05.21; 3. Japan, 4:07.14.

Mixed

4×100 m Medley: 1. United States (Bacon, Roy, Urlando, G. Walsh), 3:47.01; 2. Canada, 3:51.27; 3. Japan, 3:53.72.

ROWING: U.S. holds trials to qualify to Pan Am Games Trials

By
Rich Perelman
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Because of a change in the qualification procedure for next year’s Pan American Games in Lima (PER), U.S. Rowing held a special regatta to quality for a qualification regatta!

Per U.S. Rowing, “[T]he Pan American Rowing Confederation decided to move away from automatic qualification spots to a qualification regatta. The winning crews at trials will compete at the qualification regatta and, depending on their results in Brazil, will earn the right to be nominated to represent the U.S. at the 2019 Pan American Games.” The qualification event will be from 29 November-2 December in Rio.

Silly, but there you have it. So the U.S. Trials to get to the PAG qualification regatta were held 10 days ago at Mercer Lake off West Windsor, New Jersey. Summaries:

USA Rowing Pan American Games Trials
West Windsor, New Jersey (USA) ~ 20 August 2018
(Full results here)

Men

Single Sculls: 1. Lucas Bellows, 7:47.68; 2. Thomas Phifer, 7:52.06; 3. Ryan Allen, 7:53.32.

Double Sculls: 1. Nathan Lado/Wes Vear, 7:00.23; 2. Kevin Cardno/Frank Horpel, 7:09.48; 3. B. Van der Werf/D. Lee, 7:11.42.

Pairs: 1. Logan Smith/James Garay, 7:22.48; 2. K. Peabody/J. Read, 8:17.24; only entries.

Lightweight Double Sculls: 1. C. Hurley/J. McCullough, 7:22.42; 2. S. McDonald/B. Boehm, 7:36.00.

Women

Single Sculls: 1. Jenifer Forbes, 8:29.51; 2. Michalina Fili, 8;31.77; 3. Meridith Kisting, 8:40.88.

Double Sculls: 1. Julia Lonchar/Margaret Fellows, 7:47.85; 2. R. Springer-Miller/A. Johnson, 8:01.05; 3. L. Miller/M. Hummel, 8:09.73.

Pairs: 1. Liz Euiler/Solveig Imsdahl, 8:12.20; only entry. Lightweight Single Sculls: 1. Jessica Hyne, 8:36.20; 2. Erin Roberts, 8:43.16; 3. Helen Samaniego, 9:45.76.

Lightweight Double Sculls: 1. S. Taylor/K. Twist, 8:08.68; 2. E. Starr/S. Denison-Johnston, 8:14.80; 3. K. Probst/M. Moiser, 8:24.45.

KARATE: Brazil and U.S. go 1-2 at Pan-Am Juniors

By
Rich Perelman
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A massive Pan-American championship of Under-14, Cadet (14-15), Junior (16-17) and U-21 (18-20) Karatekas convened in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) for the 29th Pan American Championships from 20-26 August. In all, some 727 athletes from 21 countries competed in Kata and Kumite divisions.

The hosts ended up being the top medal winners, earning 36 medals in total, with 12 wins. The U.S. scored 25 medals (7-7-11) and Mexico had 24 (6-4-14). Summaries for the U-21 division:

Pan American U-21 Championships
Rio de Janeiro (BRA) ~ 20-26 August 2018
(Full results here)

Men

Kata: 1. Hector Cencion (PAN); 2. Felipe Polo-Florez (COL); 3. Larry Aracena-Duran (DOM) and Rey Chinen (USA).

Kumite -60 kg: 1. Jorge Goni Mottila (MEX); 2. Joao Oliveira (BRA); 3. Gabriel Miranda (BRA) and Paul Lopez (WKF guest).

Kumite -67 kg: 1. Andhi Avila (WKF guest); 2. Cesar Fernandez (BOL); 3. Jose Luque (MEX) and Nino Esparza (MEX).

Kumite -75 kg: 1. Marco Dos (BRA); 2. Luis Calvillo (MEX); 3. Luis Cespedes (CHI) and Jose Valdivia (WKF guest).

Kumite -84 kg: 1. Maxym-Olivier Rivest (CAN); 2. Fernando Candido (BRA); 3. Juan Minuet (ARG) and Maximillian Segal (USA).

Kumite +84 kg: 1. Juan Manuel Castro (MEX); 2. Agustin Perez (ARG); 3. Haroldo Santos Jr. (BRA) and Eder Enrique Gotera (COL).

Women

Kata: 1. Valerya Hernandez-Moyeda (VEN); 2. Heydi Ortiz (WKF guest); 3. Beatriz Thihara (BRA) and Andrea Armada (VEN).

Kumite -50 kg: 1. Thalia Terrero-Alcanatara (DOM); 2. Michelle Navarro (MEX); 3. Selene Rodriguez (WKF guest) and Daniela Nadales (VEN).

Kumite -55 kg: 1. Valentina Toro (CHI); 2. Tihare Astudillo (CHI); 3. Monica Sanchez Zavaleta (MEX) and Sabrina Pereira (BRA).

Kumite -61 kg: 1. Claudymar Garces Sequera (VEN); 2. Tais Oliveira (BRA); 3. Rosalinda Rodriguez (MEX) and Paola Payen (MEX).

Kumite -68 kg: 1. Sachiko Ramos (MEX); 2. Andrea Pinto (CHI); 3. Sharon Torres (COL) and Rafaela Silva (BRA).

Kumite +68 kg: 1. Cirrus Lingl (USA); 2. Eileen Vargas (CHI); 3. Elizabeth Ortiz (MEX) and Brenda Padilha (BRA).

CYCLING: American Ben King wins Stage 4 in Vuelta a Espana

By
Rich Perelman
-

“It’s a dream come true. I really can’t believe it. I didn’t start believing in it until the last kilometer, and I’m really happy for the way it worked out.”

That was 29-year-old American Ben King, who sprinted away on the final climb of Stage 4 at La Vuelta a Espana to win, the first stage victory for a U.S. rider at La Vuelta since Chris Horner in 2013.

“I’m happy for the confidence the team put in me, giving me the opportunity even though we’re riding here in support of Louis [Meintjes],” King said. “I set winning a Grand Tour stage as a goal for myself at the beginning of this year. It’s something I’ve had to keep believing in and have faith that I have that potential. This is really affirming.”

King and Nikita Stalnov (KAZ) broke free of a chase pack heading into the final climb of this 161.4 km, mountainous stage, finishing in Alfacar. With 400 m left, King made his move and secured the stage win, his fourth race win as a professional. He’d previously won the U.S. Time Trial title back in 2010, a 2015 stage in the Criterium International in France and a stage in the 2016 Amgen Tour of California. His prior best in a Grand Tour race was a third in a La Vuelta stage in 2016.

In the overall race standings, Poland’s Michal Kwiatkowski remained in front, but just seven seconds ahead of Germany’s Emanuel Buchmann and 10 seconds up on Britain’s Simon Yates. Less than a minute contains the first 17 riders in the race so far.

The 21 stages include two time trials, five mountain stages, six hilly stages and six which are fairly flat. NBC’s Olympic Channel has daily coverage of La Vuelta, usually beginning at 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. Summaries and stage notes:

UCI World Tour/La Vuelta a Espana
Spain ~ 25 August-16 September 2018
(Full results here)

Stage 1 (8.0 km Indiv. Time Trial): 1. Rohan Dennis (AUS), 9:39; 2. Michal Kwiatkowski (POL), 9:45; 3. Victor Campanaerts (BEL), 9:46; 4. Nelson Oliveira (POR), 9:56; 5. Dylan van Baarle (NED), 9:59. Also in the top 50: 15. Brent Bookwalter (USA), 10:02; … 21. Joey Rosskopf (USA), 10:07; … 24. Ben King (USA), 10:08.

Stage 2 (163.5 km): 1. Alejandro Valverde (ESP), 4:13:01; 2. Kwiatkowski (POL), 4:13:01; 2. Laurens de Plus (BEL), 4:13:04; 4. Wilco Kelderman (NED), 4:13:04; 5. George Bennett (NZL), 4:13:04. Also in the top 50: 48. Ian Boswell (USA), 4:14:06.

Stage 3 (178.2 km): 1. Elia Viviani (ITA), 4:48:12; 2. Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA), 4:48:12; 3. Peter Sagan (SVK), 4:48:12; 4. Nacer Bouhanni (FRA), 4:48:12; 5. Simone Consonni (ITA), 4:48:12.

Stage 4 (161.4 km): 1. King (USA), 4:33:12; 2. Nikita Stalnov (KAZ), 4:33:14; 3. Pierre Rolland (FRA), 4:33:25; 4. Luis Angel Mate (ESP), 4:33:20; 5. Ben Gastauer (LUX), 4:34:51. Also in the top 50: 27. Sepp Kuss (USA), 4:37:04.

Stage 5: 29 August Granada to Roquetas de Mar (188.7 km; medium mountains)
Stage 6: 30 August Huercal-Overa to San Javier (155.7 km); flat
Stage 7: 31 August Puerto Lumbreras to Pozo Alcon (185.7 km’ flat)
Stage 8: 01 September Linares to Almadén (195.1 km; flat)
Stage 9: 02 September Talavera de la Reina to La Covatilla (200.8 km; mountains)

03 September Rest day

Stage 10: 04 September Universidad de Salamanca to Fermoselle (177.0 km; flat)
Stage 11: 05 September Mombuey to Ribeira Sacra (207.8 km; hilly)
Stage 12: 06 September Mondoñedo to Faro de Estaca de Bares (181.1 km; hilly)
Stage 13: 07 September Candas. Carreño to Valle de Sabero (174.8 km; mountains)
Stage 14: 08 September Cistierna to Les Praeres (171.0 km); mountains
Stage 15: 09 September Ribera de Arriba to Lagos de Covadonga (178.2 km; mountains)

10 September Rest day

Stage 16: 11 September Santillana del Mar to Torrelavega (Indiv. Time Trial: 32.0 km)
Stage 17: 12 September Getxo to Balcon de Bizkaia (157.0 km; hilly)
Stage 18: 13 September Ejea de los Caballeros to Lleida (186.1 km; flat)
Stage 19: 14 September Lleida to Andorra. Naturlandia (154.4 km; flat)
Stage 20: 15 September Escaldes-Engordany to Coll de la Gallina (97.3 km; mountains)
Stage 21: 16 September Alcorcon to Madrid (112.3 km; flat)

BASEBALL: Japan, Canada and Chinese Taipei ahead in women’s World Champs

By
Rich Perelman
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The women’s World Baseball Championships entered the playoff round with Japan continuing as the only undefeated team in the tournament with a 3-0 win over the U.S. in Viera, Florida.

Joining the defending champions – now 5-0 – as winners in the Super Round were Canada (5-0 over Venezuela) and Chinese Taipei (4-1 over the Dominican Republic).

In the remaining Super Round games, Japan will play Chinese Taipei and Venezuela, and Canada will play the U.S. and Chinese Taipei. The Americans have Canada and the Dominican Republic and need to win both for a chance to play for a medal.

The top two out of the Super Round will play in the Championship game and the third and fourth-placers in the Bronze Medal games, both on 31 August.

In the group stage, Japan won Group B at 5-0, followed by Canada (4-1) and the Dominican Republic (2-3). Chinese Taipei beat the U.S. to win Group A at 4-1; the Americans were second (also 4-1) and Venezuela finished third (3-2).

The event is being held in the U.S. for the first time; the American team is the only other to win the World Cup, taking the title in the first two editions in 2004 and 2006.

Japan won the World Cup in 2008-10-12-14-16, beating the United States twice, Canada twice and Australia once. The Japanese stomped Canada, 10-0, to win in 2016 with Venezuela third and Chinese Taipei fourth.

Look for results here.

ASIAN GAMES: Samba dances to Asian Games record in 400 m Hurdles

By
Rich Perelman
-

Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba dominated the third day of the track & field program at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia, winning in a Games record of 47.66.

True, it wasn’t close to his stunning 46.98 of earlier this season – no. 2 all-time – but it’s another chapter in an amazing season: eight finals, eight wins and eight times at 47.90 or better. And maybe more?

For comparison, Edwin Moses’s best sub-48 seasons came in 1983 (7 races) and 1981 (6); Bershawn Jackson had seven sub-48 marks in 2005 and six in 2010. The all-time seasonal mark might be Kevin Young in his world-record season of 1992, where he ran under 48 seconds nine different times. Could Samba equal that at the Continental Cup (if he runs) in Ostrava?

Behind Samba in Jakarta were Dharun Ayyasamy (IND), who ran a lifetime best of 48.96 for silver and Japan’s Takatoshi Abe claimed third in 49.12.

Also of note on Monday was India’s Commonwealth Games winner Neeraj Chopra, who moved up to sixth on the year list with a personal best and national record of 88.06 m (288-11). He’s still just 20. Combined with Tajinderpal Singh Toor’s win in the men’s Shot and Manjit Singh’s win in the men’s 800 m, it’s the first time India has won three T&F golds in the Asian Games since 1982!

China is also having a good meet. Shiying Liu won the women’s Javelin with at 66.09 m (216-10) and Wenjun Xie won the 110 m Hurdles in 13.34, defending his 2014 win in the event and continuing China’s streak in the event to nine straight Asian Games!

China continues to run away with the overall medal count at 206 (97-64-45), with Japan second (142: 43-38-61) and Korea third (118: 32-40-46). The Games will finish on Sunday.

CYCLING Preview: Can idle Vos be caught in Boels Ladies Tour?

By
Rich Perelman
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This has been a great year for Dutch women’s cycling, with three of the top four women in the seasonal Women’s World Tour standings from the Netherlands with three races to go:

1. 1,394.88 (+234.55) Marianne Vos (NED)
2. 1,160.33 Anna van der Breggen (NED)
3. 1,125.86 Amanda Spratt (AUS)
4. 1,105.86 Annemiek van Vleuten (NED)
5. 1,012.95 Ashleigh Moolman (RSA)

Can Vos, now 31, be caught? The remaining races:

[1] 28 August-2 September: Boels Ladies Tour (NED)
[2] 16 September: La Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta
[3] 21 October: Women’s Tour of Guangxi

Scoring for World Tour races are 200-150-125-100-85-70-60-50-40-35 for the top ten places and on down to 40th. For the multi-stage Boels Ladies Tour there are also stage points from 25 for a win, down to four for 10th place.

That sets the stage for this week’s Boels Ladies Tour in the Netherlands:

Prologue: 28 August Arnhem to Arnhem (3.3 km): 1. Annemiek Van Vleuten (NED), 4:22; 2. Anna van der Breggen (NED), 4:29; 3. Ellen van Dijk (NED), 4:30; 4. Leah Kirchmann (CAN), 4:31; 5. Lisa Brennauer (GER), 4:31.

Stage 1: 29 August Nijmegen to Nijmegen (132.2 km)
Stage 2: 30 August Gennep to Gennep (129.0 km)
Stage 3: 31 August Stramproy to Weert (124.3 km)
Stage 4: 01 September Sittard to Sittard (158.4 km)
Stage 5: 02 September Roosendaal to Roosendaal (Individual Time Trial: 18.6 km)

The courses are fairly flat and Vos is sitting this one out, opening the door for van der Breggen or Van Vleuten to close in. This is the 21st edition of the “Holland Ladies Tour” as originally known and a race Vos knows well, having won it four times from 2009-12.

In 2018, the prior champions in the race are Van Vleuten (2017), Chantal Blaak (NED: 2016), Lisa Brennauer (GER: 2015), Ellen van Dijk (NED: 2013) and Charlotte Becker (GER: 2008).

Van Vleuten and van der Breggen went 1-2 in the short Prologue race, but the heavy riding will start Wednesday. Look for results here.

BADMINTON Preview: Marin at home for Spain Masters in Barcelona

By
Rich Perelman
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The first Spain Masters tournament is underway at the Vall d’Hebron Olympic Sports Centre in Barcelona (ESP), a perfect setting to salute 2016 Olympic and 2014-15-18 World Champion Carolina Marin in her home country. The top seeds:

∙ Men:
1. Suppanyu Avihingsanon (THA)
2. Rasmus Gemke (DEN)
3. Mark Caljouw (NED)
4. Jan O. Jorgensen (DEN)
5. Yu Igarashi (JPN)

∙ Women:
1. Carolina Marin (ESP)
2. Sayaka Takahashi (JPN)
3. Mia Blichfeldt (DEN)
4. Pompawee Chochuwong (THA)
5. Busanan Ongbamrungphan (THA)

∙ Men’s Doubles:
1. Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen (DEN)
2. Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (DEN)
3. Vladimir Ivanov/Ivan Sozonov (RUS)

∙ Women’s Doubles:
1. Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara (JPN)
2. Ayako Sakuramoto/Yukiko Takahata (JPN)
3. Maiken Fruergaard/Sara Thygesen (DEN)

Among the Singles entries, Avihingsanon is ranked no. 7 worldwide, while Takahashi is seventh in the women’s rankings and Marin is currently 14th. Look for results here.

ATHLETICS Preview: First of two Diamond League Finals in Zurich Thursday

By
Rich Perelman
-

The IAAF Diamond League “preliminaries” are over and the final two meets of the 2018 season come Thursday and Friday at the Weltklasse in Zurich (SUI) and the Van Damme Memorial in Brussels (BEL).

The IAAF finally got the format right and used the first 12 meets to qualify athletes to these finals, where it’s winner-take-all for the seasonal title and two important prizes:

∙ Money: The Diamond League Finals are the best-paying meets outside of a major championship, with $100,000 per event, paid $50,000-20,000-10,000-6,000-5,000-4,000-3,000-2,000 paid to the top eight place winners. A total of 16 events will be held in each meet.

∙ World Championships Wild Card: Perhaps just as important – especially to American athletes – is that the Diamond League champion receives a “wild card” entry into the 2019 World Championships in Doha (QAT). That means no need to qualify in the USATF Championships next July in Des Moines!

Because of this, the Diamond League title has been a season-long goal for several U.S. athletes, especially Keni Harrison and Brianna Rollins-McNeal in the 100 m Hurdles.

A look ahead to the action at the Letzigrund Stadium on Thursday:

∙ Men’s 200 m: What will Noah Lyles do? Dancing, prancing or sobbing?

He could finish off one of the top 200 m seasons ever: in four Diamond League meets, he’s undefeated with wins in 19.83, 19.69, 19.69 and 19.65! That last mark, at the Monaco meet, is the world leader for 2018.

However, he’s not alone under 20 seconds this season; four others in the race are in the 19s, led by World Champion Ramil Guliyev (TUR: 19.76), Alex Quinonez (ECU: 19.93), Aaron Brown (CAN: 19.98) and Jereem Richards (TTO: 19.99). But it’s all about Lyles.

∙ Men’s 400 m: This race should be all about Steven Gardiner of The Bahamas, who has run 43.87 this season, no. 2 on the world list. But it is also a chance for Americans Fred Kerley (44.33 this season), Nathan Strother (44.34) and Paul Dedewo (44.43) to show that they are medal contenders of the future. All have run fast, but none have established themselves among the medal threats for Doha or Tokyo.

No one is quite sure what to expect frm Botswana’s Baboloki Thebe (44.54 this season) or new European champ Matthew Hudson-Smith, whose seasonal best of 44.63 ranks only seventh in this field.

∙ Men’s 1,500 m: No doubt that Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot (3:28.41) has been the best in the world in 2018, defeating countryman Elijah Manangoi – the reigning World Champion – in the race of the year in Monaco. Manangoi ran 3:29.64, followed by Norway’s Filip (3:30.01) and Jakob (3:31.18) Ingebrigtsen, Ayanleh Souleiman (DJI: 3:31.19) and Brahim Kaazouzi (MAR: 3:31.62) and that top six are all in the race. What about Ethiopia’s Sam Tefera, still just 18, who has run 3:31.63 this season? He started out winning the World Indoor Championships, but has been downhill during the outdoor season.

∙ Men’s 3,000 m Steeple: The race has 14 entries, eight of whom are from Kenya. But the focus will be on Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, who ran a world-leading 7:58.15 to win the Herculis meet in Monaco, ahead of American Evan Jager (8:01.02). The Kenyans will counter with Olympic and World Champion Conseslus Kipruto (8:08.40 in 2018) and Benjamin Kigen (8:06.19) and the Diamond League points leader. An underestimated challenger is Ethiopia’s Chala Beyo, 22, who stands no. 4 in the world for 2018 at 8:07.27.

∙ Men’s 400 m Hurdles: Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba is busy at the Asian Games, so it’s World and European Champion Karsten Warholm polishing his Viking helmet in anticipation of a win. He’s run 47.64 this season, but Kyron McMaster (IVB) screamed to a 47.54 behind Samba at the Meeting de Paris and won the Central American and Caribbean Games at 47.60. Add in Yasmani Copell0 (TUR: 47.81) and you have the favorite for the 2019 World Championships bronze medal!

U.S. runner-up T.J. Holmes has run 48.30; is there more there? And this could be/might be/will be the Diamond League finale for retiring Bershawn Jackson of the U.S., who has run 49.07 this season, but stands no. 12 all-time at 47.30 from 2005.

∙ Men’s Long Jump: Olympic gold medalist Jeff Henderson of the U.S. and World Champion Luvo Manyonga (RSA) are in the field, with Manyonga the clear favorite having jumped 8.58 m (28-1 3/4), no. 2 on the world list. Henderson has jumped 8.44 m (27-8 1/4) and South Africa’s Raswahl Samaai has reached 8.42 m (27-7 1/2).

∙ Men’s Shot Put: New Zealand’s Tomas Walsh went crazy early in the season, reaching 22.67 (74-4 1/2) in March and winning the Commonwealth Games. But since June, he’s won four meets and been 2-5-2 in the other three. American Ryan Crouser, the 2016 Olympic winner, won four straight meets to start the season and was out to 22.53 m (73-11) in May, but injuries slow him in June. He’s thrown once since the U.S. Nationals, a 22.05 m (72-4 1/4) win at the Herculis meet in Monaco in mid-July.

If neither is right, look for Poland’s Michal Haratyk, the European champ and the only other putter to reach 22 m this season at 22.08 m (72-5 1/4). Could U.S. champ Darrell Hill pull another one of his surprises, like when he won the Diamond League Final in Brussels last year? He done 21.72 m (71-3 1/4) this season.

∙ Men’s Javelin: Two of the three German stars are in, with Olympic and European Champion Thomas Rohler (91.78 m/301-1 in 2018) and European silver winner Andreas Hofmann (92.06 m/302-0) the leaders. Estonia’s Magnus Kirt (89.75 m/294-5) and Jakub Vadlejch (CZE: 89.02/292-0) ready to challenge … for third.

∙ Women’s 100 m: It did not appear that there would be much suspense in this race, as Marie-Josee Ta Lou (CIV) has been the best in the world all season, winning all eight of her finals and racing to the world lead at 10.85. Then comes Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith with a stunning 10.85 to win the European Championships; those two will be the focus.

There are other contenders, like Michelle Ahoure (CIV: 10.90 in 2018), Blessing Okagbare (NGR: 10.90) and others, but Ta Lou is going to be right there at the finish. Will anyone else be there to challenge her?

∙ Women’s 800 m: OK, Caster Semenya (RSA) is going to win, but no one knows how fast she will run. Her 1:54.25 win at the Meeting de Paris moved to no. 4 all time. Behind her, the situation is getting more crowded. The silver-medal favorite is clearly Francine Niyonsaba (BDI), who ran 1:55.86 behind Semenya in Paris, but Jamaica’s emerging star Natoya Goule (ex-LSU; 1:56.15 in 2018) and American Ajee’ Wilson (1:56.45) are certainly in the fight, along with Ethiopia’s Habitam Alemu (1:56.71).

The U.S. also has Raevyn Rogers (1:57.69) and Charlene Lipsey (1:5805) in the race and this would be a perfect setting for a breakthrough from either!

∙ Women’s 5,000 m: This should be great … unless it descends into a tactical slumberfest. The top six on the 2018 world list are all in: Hellen Obiri (KEN: 14:21.75), European champ Sifan Hassan (NED: 14:22.34), Ethiopians Letesenbet Gidey (14:23.14) and Senbere Teferi (14:23.33), Kenya’s Agnes Tirop (14:24.24) and then what about Genzebe Dibaba (ETH: 14:26.89)? Wow!

The top five performers in 2018 all came out of the Rabat Diamond League race, won by Obiri. American Shelby Houlihan, whose finishing speed makes her a threat anywhere and any time, did not quality for the Diamond League Final.

∙ Women’s 400 m Hurdles: The four entrants who have run in the 53s this season are American champion Shamier Little (53.32), Olympic champ Dalilah Muhammad (53.65) and Georganne Moline (53.90), plus Jamaica’s Commonwealth Games Janieve Russell (53.46). Who’s still hot? The most impressive race of the last month was Little’s 53.32 win at the NACAC in Toronto on 12 August.

∙ Women’s High Jump: Russia’s Mariya Lasitskene won 45 meets in a row until she finished third at Rabat, losing to Bulgaria’s Mirela Demireva and Yuliya Levchenko (UKR). Lasitskene is still the world leader at 2.04 m (6-8 1/4), but Demireva has done 2.00 m (6-6 3/4) and Levchenko has cleared 1.97 m (6-5 1/2). Out of nowhere came Elena Vallortigara to clear 2.02 m (6-7 1/2) at the Muller Grand Prix in London; can she challenge? Vashti Cunningham of the U.S. did not qualify for the Final.

∙ Women’s Pole Vault: World Indoor Champion Sandi Morris of the U.S. or Greece’s Olympic and European Champion Ekaterina Stefanidi? These two have dominated this event for the last three years, and Morris is the world leader at 4.95 m (16-2 3/4) from a street meet in Greenville, South Carolina in late July. Stefanidi found her form after a series of injuries and won the European title at 4,85 m (15-11), while Russia’s Anzhelika Sidorova has cleared the same height earlier in the season. Don’t count out American Katie Nageotte, who just cleared a lifetime best 4.80 m (1-9) in a small meet in Beckum (GER) last Sunday.

∙ Women’s Triple Jump: This event has gone quiet since the mid-season duel for the world lead between 2016 Olympic champ Caterine Ibarguen (COL) and American Tori Franklin. Ibarguen seems to have settled the issue with a 14.96 m (49-1) win at the Rabat Diamond League meet in mid-July. But Franklin is still second with her American Record of 14.94 m (48-8 1/4) from May. Commonwealth Games champ Kimberly Williams (JAM: 14.64 m/48-0 1/2) will be in the hunt as well.

∙ Women’s Javelin: The top two throwers on the world list didn’t qualify, so the event appears to be between Asian Record holder Huihui Lu (CHN: 67.69 m/222-1), teammate Shiying Liu (CHN: 67.12 m/220-2) and Tatsiana Khaladovich (BLR), who threw a national record 67.47 m (221-4) to win the Bislett Games in June.

Pretty good meet, huh?

On Wednesday, there is an exhibition men’s pole vault at the Zurich Hauptbahnhof – the enormous main train station – which features 2012 Olympic champ Renaud Lavillenie (FRA), reigning World Champion Sam Kendricks (USA), 2015 World Champion Shawn Barber (CAN), 2016 Olympic winner Thiago Braz da Silva (BRA) and Russia’s Timur Morgunov, who jumped 6.00 m (19-8 1/4) at the European Championships and lost!

NBCSN has coverage of the Zurich competition beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, with the NBC Olympic Channel showing the Brussels meet on Friday, also at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

THE BIG PICTURE: New doping lab to be placed in Kenya

By
Rich Perelman
-

Kenya has been one of the countries significantly impacted by doping issues, but a new development may help to convince its athletes that if they cheat, they will be caught.

The World Anti-Doping Agency announced that in cooperation with the International Athletics Foundation (IAF), the Athletics Integrity Unit and the Lancet Group East Africa, a new anti-doping lab for blood testing (only) has been created in Nairobi (KEN).

It’s the first accredited doping laboratory in Africa and will begin operations in September. It’s been sorely needed as 25% of the 3,500+ blood samples collected by the AIU were from East African athletes.

AIU chair David Howman noted that “This is the first time since WADA’s inception that an International Federation has taken the initiative to establish a WADA-approved laboratory in an area of real need. It shows that the AIU is not accepting of the status quo, but is taking responsibility for the integrity of athletics and getting things done with a proactive and innovative approach.”

In the meantime, another Kenyan athlete has been suspended for doping.

It’s 2017 World Championships 800 m bronze medalist Kipyegon Bett, who was cited on 15 August for failing to appear for a doping test, and then on 23 August for the presence of the blood-booster EPO in an earlier test.

He has been provisionally suspended by the AIU, and Bett, 20, could be suspended for four years.

He’s the fourth Kenyan to be cited for doping in 2018, all distance runners, including 2008 Olympic 1,500 champ Asbel Kiprop, 2006 Commonwealth Games 10,000 m gold medalist Lucy Wangui Kabuu and 2017 Athens Marathon winner Samuel Kalalei.

Better than Bolt? Noah Lyles isn’t yet, but he’s more entertaining

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S. sprint star Noah Lyles

What will happen to track & field without Usain Bolt?

Remember that?

The wails following the end of the 2017 World Championships have been replaced with a legion of new stars – even in Bolt’s own events – that can continue the party.

Thursday’s IAAF Diamond League Final in Zurich’s Letzigrund Stadium will showcase one of them who has surpassed Bolt’s achievements at the same age: American Noah Lyles.

He’s fast, he’s fun and he’s undefeated in the 200 m and will run for his second straight Diamond League title in the event as the favorite and world-leader in the event at 19.65 … at 21 years old. He hasn’t lost a 200 m outdoor race since 2016 and can finish one of the best 200 m seasons in history with a win on Thursday. In 2018:

04 May: 19.83 1st Diamond League/Doha
26 May: 19.69 1st Diamond League/Eugene
05 July: 19.69 1st Diamond League/Lausanne
20 July: 19.65 1st Diamond League/Monaco

Four races, four wins, four sub-20 performances. And if he can win and run 19-something this week, who else has run five sub-20s in a single season?

Not many. The list looks like this for sub-20 200 m races in one season (includes heats):

7 Frankie Fredericks (NAM) in 1996, plus an eighth indoors
6 Usain Bolt (JAM) in 2008
6 Justin Gatlin (USA) in 2015
6 Wallace Spearmon (USA) in 2007
6 Spearmon in 2010
5 Michael Johnson (USA) in 1996
5 Spearmon in 2006

So Lyles could join Johnson and Spearmon with five in a season and become just the sixth man in history with 5+ sub-20s in one year. Not bad for 21, and his 19.65 best already ranks him ahead of Fredericks (19.68 ‘96) on the all-time list and equal with Spearmon (19.65 ‘06).

And it has been noted that Bolt, considered a 200 m specialist as a junior, and Lyles have similar progressions at 200 m:

Lyles:
16 2013: 21.28
17 2014: 20.71
18 2015: 20.18
19 2016: 20.09
20 2017: 19.90
21 2018: 19.65

Bolt:
16 2002: 20.58
17 2003: 20.13
18 2004: 19.93
19 2005: 19.99
20 2006: 19.88
21 2007: 19.75

Of course, Bolt exploded in 2008 with world records of 9.69 and 19.30 in the Beijing Olympic Games and we’re still a ways off from Tokyo in 2020. In the 100 m, Lyles’ 9.88 at age 21 is better than Bolt’s 10.03 in 2007, a year in which he only ran the distance once.

(Lyles has been named to the Americas team for the IAAF Continental Cup in September in the 100 m, but not in the 200, since he did not win that event at the USATF Nationals.)

Those are the stats and Lyles’ future is bright. But his personality is even brighter and this is where he has a chance to even eclipse Bolt as his career progresses.

If he wins, he dances. He does back flips. He has a smile that lights up a stadium, thanks to today’s massive video boards. He’s gracious, fun and personable. At the news conference for the Diamond League meet in Birmingham (GBR), he told reporters, “I want to find my own way; I want to transcend the sport also and find new ways to get fans interactive.”

Asked if he could rap freestyle, he thought for all of four seconds and came back with – in part:

I’m a sight for sore eyes
I’m a man with little time
The future’s so bright, I make your eyes go blind
But I’m quicker than you think, so don’t blink
Or you’ll find yourself in the upside down, like an unfunny clown

By contrast, Bolt was thoughtful and somber at the start, but grew into his role as a global superstar. Lyles is already there.

And it hasn’t all been fun: he came back from a right leg hamstring tear in 2017, taking off three months to heal and then won the Diamond League crown from lane nine in 20.00 in Brussels. He’s learning to be a professional fast, as an athlete and – just as important today – as an entertainer.

Rich Perelman
Editor

ATHLETICS: ’88 OG decathlon champ Schenk admits doping

By
Rich Perelman
-

The 1988 Olympic Decathlon winner, then-East German Christian Schenk, now 53, admitted in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that he was doping since at least age 20. A Google translation of his comments included, “For me, [doping] was like reaching the next level, almost a tribute. Getting the pills meant I was on the squad that was expected to perform well.”

Schenk has an autobiography coming out in the next week in which he details a devastating bout with mental illness since 2009, in which he identified with an ISIS assassin. He said he’s not sure if the doping program he was a part of during time as a GDR athlete was a cause of his later mental trauma.

Schenk, then 23, led a 1-2 decathlon finish for the GDR in Seoul, scoring 8,488 points ahead of Torsten Voss (8,399) and Canada’s David Steen (8,328). Will the IAAF do anything about this? Prior IAAF presidents have shied away from re-assigning medals from the 1970s and 1980s, but here is another case of a GDR athlete who admits participation in the state-sponsored doping scheme.

TRIATHLON: Mola and Zaferes stay on top of World Series rankings

By
Rich Perelman
-

All but one race of the 2018 ITU World Series is now complete, with the seasonal leaders clear, but the races not at all decided.

Spain’s Mario Mola continued his sensational season with another win, his fourth in the seven races this season. He finished 16 seconds ahead of Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt to continue as the men’s seasonal leader with 4,925 points, well ahead of Aussie Jacob Birtwhistle – who was third – but within range of being overtaken in the World Series Final at Gold Coast Australia next month.

The women’s race got really tight on Saturday, as Britain’s Vicky Holland won her second race in a row and third in the last four, in 1:59:29. But right behind was seasonal leader Katie Zaferes of the U.S., finishing in 1:59:51 to win her five medal in the six races she has finished this season. But Zaferes’s lead is down to just 34 points going into the deciding final. The current standings:

∙ Men:
1. 4,925 Mario Mola (ESP)
2. 4,101 Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS)
3. 3,810 Vincent Luis (FRA)
4. 3,722 Richard Murray (RSA)
5. 3,021 Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR)

∙ Women:
1. 4,418 Katie Zaferes (USA)
2. 4,384 Vicky Holland (GBR)
3. 3,459 Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR)
4. 3,237 Jessica Learmonth (GBR)
5. 3,098 Rachel Klamer (NED)

Summaries:

ITU World Series Montreal
Montreal (CAN) ~ 25-26 August 2018
(Full results here)

Men: 1. Mario Mola (ESP), 1:47:46; 2. Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), 1:48:02; 3. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS), 1:48:28; 4. Richard Murray (RSA), 1:48:36; 5. Andreas Schilling (DEN), 1:48:57; 6. Henri Schoeman (RSA), 1:49:10; 7. Joao Pereira (POR), 1:49:25; 8. Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN), 1:49:26; 9. Bence Bicsak (HUN), 1:49:28; 10. Antonio Serrat Seoane (ESP), 1:49:31.

Women: 1. Vicky Holland (GBR), 1:59:29; 2. Katie Zaferes (USA), 1:59:51; 3. Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR), 2:00:23; 4. Joanna Brown (CAN), 2:00.39; 5. Nicola Spirig (SUI), 2:00:52; 6. Jodie Stimpson (GBR), 2:01:07; 7. Taylor Spivey (USA), 2:01:40; 8. Jessica Learmonth (GBR), 2:01:53; 9. Taylor Knibb (USA), 2:02:16; 10. Lotte Miller (NOR), 2:03:01.

TABLE TENNIS: Franziska/Groth and Ishikawa defend titles at Czech Open

By
Rich Perelman
-

The German-Dutch combo of Patrick Franziska and Jonathan Groth and Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa defended their Czech Open titles from 2017 with impressive wins in Olomuoc on Sunday.

Franziska and Groth were top-seeded in the men’s Doubles and swept aside the finals challenge from Swedes Mattias Falck and Kristian Karlsson, 3-1, while Ishikawa, now ranked no. 4 worldwide, defeated China’s Jia Wen, four sets to two.

China provided the winners in the men’s Singles with Peifeng Zheng and the women’s Doubles with Rui Zhang and Gaoyang Liu. Summaries:

ITTF Czech Open
Olomuoc (CZE) ~ 23-26 August 2018
(Full results here)

Men’s Singles: 1. Peifeng Zheng (CHN); 2. Marcos Freitas (POR); 3. Liam Pitchford (ENG) and Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN). Semis: Zheng d. Pitchford, 4-1; Freitas d. Harimoto, 4-3. Final: Zheng d. Freitas, 4-2.

Men’s Doubles: 1. Patrick Franziska (GER)/Jonathan Groth (DEN); 2. Mattias Falck/Kristian Karlsson (SWE); 3. Ruwen Filus/Ricardo Walther (GER) and Anders Lind (DEN)/Bence Majoros (HUN). Semis: Falck/Karlsson d. Filus/Walther, 3-0; Franziska/Groth d. Lind/Majoros, 3-0. Final: Franziska/Groth d. Falck/Karlsson, 3-1.

Women’s Singles: 1. Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN); 2. Jia Wen (CHN); 3. Saki Shibata (JPN) and Yang Wu (CHN). Semis: Ishikawa d. Shibata, 4-1; Wen d. Wu, 4-1. Final: Ishikawa d. Wen, 4-2.

Women’s Doubles: 1. Rui Zhang/Gaoyang Liu (CHN); 2. Jiayi Sun (CRO)/Jian Zeng (SGP); 3. Miu Hirano/Hina Hayata (JPN) and Mima Ito/Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN). Semis: Sun/Zeng d. Hayata/Hirano, 3-1; Liu/Zhang d. Ishikawa/Ito, 3-2. Final: Zhang/Liu d. Sun/Zeng, 3-0.

GYMNASTICS: Dina Averina nearly sweeps Rhythmic Challenge Cup

By
Rich Perelman
-

There was no doubt that the focus of the third Rhythmic World Challenge Cup in Kazan (RUS) was going to be on the Russian entries with less than a month left before the 2018 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Sofia (BUL) from 10-16 September.

Even with the pressure competing at home, three-time World Champion Dina Averina left no doubt as to who is the favorite in all five events in Sofia next month. She is.

Averina, competing without her sister Arina in this meet, tied teammate Aleksandra Soldatova for the All-Around top score, but was classified second. Averina then proceeded to sweep the titles in all four of the apparatus finals, winning by big margins – by Rhythmic Gymnastics standards – of 1.00 (Hoop), 0.350 (Ball), 0.350 (Clubs) and 1.00 (Ribbon).

The surprise came in the performance of Israel’s Linoy Ashram, who finished third in the All-Around and then second in all four apparatus finals. She won bronze medals in the 2017 Worlds in the All-Around and Ribbon and looks ready to do much more next month in Sofia.

Soldatova won the bronze medals in three of four apparatus finals; will she or Arina Averina be nominated for Sofia? The U.S. had Laura Zeng and Evita Griskenis in the meet, who finished ninth and 13th in the All-Around.

FIG Rhythmic World Challenge Cup
Kazan (RUS) ~ 24-26 August 2018
(Full results here)

All-Around: 1. Aleksandra Soldatova (RUS), 80.400; 2. Dina Averina (RUS), 80.400; 3. Linoy Ashram (ISR), 78.800. Also: 9. Laura Zeng (USA), 69.150; … 13. Evita Griskenis (USA), 67.300.

Hoop: 1. Dina Averina (RUS), 20.800; 2. Ashram (ISR), 19.800; 3. Boryana Kaleyn (BUL), 19.550.

Ball: 1. Dina Averina (RUS), 20.200; 2. Ashram (ISR), 19.850; 3. Soldatova (RUS), 19.800.

Clubs: 1. Dina Averina (RUS), 20.550; 2. Ashram (ISR), 20.200; 3. Soldatova (RUS), 19.500. Also: 5. Zeng (USA), 18.100.

Ribbon: 1. Dina Averina (RUS), 19.850; 2. Ashram (ISR), 18.950; 3. Soldatova (RUS), 18.700. Also: 8. Griskenis (USA), 15.600.

Team Qualifications: 1. Italy, 43.950; 2. Russia, 43.950; 3. Bulgaria, 43.800.

Team/5 Hoops: 1. Russia, 23.100; 2. Bulgaria, 22.600; 3. Italy, 22.000.

Team/3 Balls + 2 Ropes: 1. Russia, 22.800; 2. Italy, 22.200; 3. Japan, 22.100.

FOOTBALL: Japan wins first women’s U-20 World Cup

By
Rich Perelman
-

The final of the FIFA women’s U-20 World Cup in Vannes (FRA) was a re-match of a Group C match between group winner Spain (at 4-0-1) and runner-up Japan (4-1-0).

In the first match, the Spanish took a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute and held on for a 1-0 win. The script was different this time.

Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa scored the only goal of the first half in the 38th minute and then extended their lead to 3-0 after two goals within eight minutes by Saori Takarada (57th) and Fuka Nagano (65th).

Firmly in control, Japan did concede a goal to Candela Andujar in the 71st minute, but it was not enough and the Japanese had a 3-1 win and the women’s World U-20 title.

The Spanish, as they are famous for, had 61% of the possession, but could manage only 15 shots and four on goal. The Japanese had 16 shots in total, but 10 on goal and three scores.

The tournament awards went to:

∙ Golden Ball: Patri Guijarro (ESP)
∙ Silver Ball: Saori Takarada (JPN)
∙ Bronze Ball: Moeka Minami (JPN)

∙ Golden Boot: Guijarro (6 goals and 3 assists)
∙ Silver Boot: Georgia Stanway (ENG: 6 goals)
∙ Bronze Boot: Takarada

∙ Golden Glove: Sandy MacIver (ENG)

∙ Fair Play: Japan (fewest yellow cards)

England won the bronze medal, tying France, 1-1, and then winning in a penalty shoot-out, 4-2.

CYCLING: Schurter & Atherton claim sixth Mountain Bike World Cup titles

By
Rich Perelman
-

As if there was any doubt, count Switzerland’s Nino Schurter and Britain’s Rachel Atherton as two of the best Mountain Bike riders ever, as they clinched their sixth seasonal World Cup titles in the final event of the 2018 UCI Mountain Bike season at La Bresse (FRA).

Both went out in style, as they both won their races, with Schurter in the men’s Cross Country and Atherton in the women’s Downhill. Same for 2017 World Champion Jolanda Neff, who the women’s Cross Country race and won her third seasonal title.

The surprise of the men’s Downhill season, France’s Amaury Pierron finished only 10th, but he had enough of a lead coming in to finish well ahead of Danny Hart (GBR) for his first World Cup championships. The final points standings:

∙ Men/Cross Country:
1. 1,861 Nino Schurter (SUI)
2. 1,355 Mathieu van der Poel (NED)
3. 1,242 Maxime Marotte (FRA)
4. 1,213 Henrique Avancini (BRA)
5. 1,154 Gerhard Kerschbaumer (ITA)

∙ Women/Cross Country:
1. 1,930 Jolanda Neff (SUI)
2. 1,743 Annika Langvad (DEN)
3. 1,305 Emily Batty (FRA)
4. 1,275 Alessandra Keller (SUI)
5. 1,240 Anne Tauber (GER)

∙ Men/Downhill:
1. 1,178 Amaury Pierron (FRA)
2. 884 Danny Hart (GBR)
3. 860 Troy Brosnan (AUS)
4. 835 Loris Vergier (FRA)
5. 696 Laurie Greenland (GBR)

∙ Women/Downhill:
1. 1,476 Rachel Atherton (GBR)
2. 1,316 Tahnee Seagrave (GBR)
3. 1,055 Tracey Hannah (AUS)
4. 810 Myriam Nicole (FRA)
5. 771 Monika Hrastnik (SLO)

Schurter now owns World Cup seasonal titles in 2010-12-13–15-17-18 and Atherton has won in 2008-12-13-15-16-18, coming back from a bad crash in 2017. Summaries:

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
La Bresse (FRA) ~ 24-26 August 2018
(Full results here)

Men/Cross Country: 1. Nino Schurter (SUI), 1:26:25; 2. Gerhard Kerschbaumer (ITA), 1:26:37; 3. Maxime Marotte (FRA), 1:27:57; 4. Mathieu van der Poel (NED), 1:28:44; 5. Victor Koretzky (FRA), 1:28:57.

Women/Cross Country: 1. Jolanda Neff (SUI), 1:33:03; 2. Emily Batty (FRA), 1:33:08; 3. Annika Langvad (DEN), 1:33:30; 4. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (FRA), 1:33:36; 5. Alessandra Keller (SUI), 1:34:30. Also in the top 25: 7. Kate Courtney (USA), 1:35:56; … 11. Erin Huck (USA), 1:37:44; 12. Chloe Woodruff (USA), 1:37:51; … 21. Lea Davison (USA), 1:40:18.

Men/Downhill: 1. Martin Maes (BEL), 2:26:841; 2. Gee Atherton (GBR), 2:28.232; 3. Brook Macdonald (NZL), 2:29.966; 4. Remi Thiron (FRA), 2:30.628; 5. Bernard Kerr (GBR), 2:31.009.

Women/Downhill: 1. Rachel Atherton (GBR), 2:51.421; 2. Tahnee Seagrave (GBR), 2:52.059; 3. Myriam Nicole (FRA), 3:03.083; 4. Tracey Hannah (AUS), 3:04.457; 5. Kelly Curd (GBR), 3:06.533.

CYCLING: Vos pads her seasonal lead with a silver in Plouay

By
Rich Perelman
-

The tight battle for the seasonal UCI Women’s World Tour title continued with a wild final sprint among 15 riders at Saturday’s Grand Prix de Plouay, with Dutch stars Amy Pieters and World Tour leader Marianne Vos getting to the line first.

It was a critical finish for Vos, 31, who extended her seasonal lead to 1,394.88-1,160.33 over Anna van der Breggen, who did not ride. There are three races left, most importantly this week’s Holland Ladies Tour, starting on Tuesday.

For Vos, it’s also her seventh medal at Plouay; she won in 2012-13, was second also in 2009-10-14, and third in 2011. American Coryn Rivera finished third for the second straight week, her third medal of this season.

In Sunday’s men’s Bretagne Classic/Ouest-France, Belgium’s Oliver Naesen won his second title after his 2016 win, outdueling Dane Michael Valgren in the final sprint, with both three seconds ahead of Tim Wellens (BEL), Aussie Michael Matthews and Portugal’s Ruben Guerreiro. Summaries:

UCI Women’s World Tour/Grand Prix de Plouay
Plouay (FRA) ~ 25 August 2018
(Full results here)

Final Results (125.5 km): 1. Amy Pieters (NED), 3:17:18; 2. Marianne Vos (NED), 3:17:18; 3. Coryn Rivera (USA), 3:17:18; 4. Elena Cecchini (ITA), 3:17:18; 5. Amanda Spratt (AUS), 3:17:18; 6. Alison Jackson (CAN), 3:17:18; 7. Malgorzata Jasinska (POL), 3:17:18; 8. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA), 3:17:18; 9. Eugenia Bijak (SLO), 3:17:18; 10. Kasia Niewiadoma (POL), 3:17:18. Also in the top 50: 11. Megan Guarnier (USA), 3:17:18; … 18. Ruth Winder (USA), 3:17:18.

UCI World Tour/Bretagne Classic Ouest-France
Plouay (FRA) ~ 26 August 2018
(Full results here)

Final Results (256.9 km): 1. Oliver Naesen (BEL), 6:16:34; 2. Michael Valgren (DEN), 6:16:34; 3. Tim Wellens (BEL), 6:16:37; 4. Michael Matthews (AUS), 6:17:37; 5. Ruben Guerreiro (POR), 6:17:37; 6. Zdenek Stybar (CZE), 6:17:37; 7. Olivier Le Gac (FRA), 6:17:39; 8. Valentin Madouas (FRA), 6:17:41; 9. Benoit Cosnefroy (FRA), 6:17:42; 10. Fabio Jakobsen (NED), 6:17:48.

CYCLING: Valverde confirms he’s a contender in Vuelta a Espana

By
Rich Perelman
-

The first weekend of the 73rd edition of La Vuelta a Espana has been completed, with an impressive win by 38-year-old Alejandro Valverde of Spain, declaring himself once again a factor in a Grand Tour.

After all, he won this race in 2009, was second in 2006 and 2012 and third in 2013-2014 … and won his 10th career stage at La Vuelta on Sunday.

After the first two stages, Poland’s Michal Kwiatkowski has the overall lead by 14 seconds over Valverde and 25 seconds ahead of Wilco Kelderman (NED).

The 21 stages include two time trials, five mountain stages, six hilly stages and six which are fairly flat. Summaries and stage notes:

UCI World Tour/La Vuelta a Espana
Spain ~ 25 August-16 September 2018
(Full results here)

Stage 1 (8.0 km Indiv. Time Trial): 1. Rohan Dennis (AUS), 9:39; 2. Michal Kwiatkowski (POL), 9:45; 3. Victor Campanaerts (BEL), 9:46; 4. Nelson Oliveira (POR), 9:56; 5. Dylan van Baarle (NED), 9:59. Also in the top 50: 15. Brent Bookwalter (USA), 10:02; … 21. Joey Rosskopf (USA), 10:07; … 24. Ben King (USA), 10:08.

Stage 2 (163.5 km): 1. Alejandro Valverde (ESP), 4:13:01; 2. Kwiatkowski (POL), 4:13:01; 2. Laurens de Plus (BEL), 4:13:04; 4. Wilco Kelderman (NED), 4:13:04; 5. George Bennett (NZL), 4:13:04. Also in the top 50: 48. Ian Boswell (USA), 4:14:06.

Stage 3: 27 August Mijas to Alhaurín de la Torre (178.2 km; medium mountains)
Stage 4: 28 August Velez-Malaga to Alfacar (161.4 km; medium mountains)
Stage 5: 29 August Granada to Roquetas de Mar (188.7 km; medium mountains)
Stage 6: 30 August Huercal-Overa to San Javier (155.7 km); flat
Stage 7: 31 August Puerto Lumbreras to Pozo Alcon (185.7 km’ flat)
Stage 8: 01 September Linares to Almadén (195.1 km; flat)
Stage 9: 02 September Talavera de la Reina to La Covatilla (200.8 km; mountains)

03 September Rest day

Stage 10: 04 September Universidad de Salamanca to Fermoselle (177.0 km; flat)
Stage 11: 05 September Mombuey to Ribeira Sacra (207.8 km; hilly)
Stage 12: 06 September Mondoñedo to Faro de Estaca de Bares (181.1 km; hilly)
Stage 13: 07 September Candas. Carreño to Valle de Sabero (174.8 km; mountains)
Stage 14: 08 September Cistierna to Les Praeres (171.0 km); mountains
Stage 15: 09 September Ribera de Arriba to Lagos de Covadonga (178.2 km; mountains)

10 September Rest day

Stage 16: 11 September Santillana del Mar to Torrelavega (Indiv. Time Trial: 32.0 km)
Stage 17: 12 September Getxo to Balcon de Bizkaia (157.0 km; hilly)
Stage 18: 13 September Ejea de los Caballeros to Lleida (186.1 km; flat)
Stage 19: 14 September Lleida to Andorra. Naturlandia (154.4 km; flat)
Stage 20: 15 September Escaldes-Engordany to Coll de la Gallina (97.3 km; mountains)
Stage 21: 16 September Alcorcon to Madrid (112.3 km; flat)

CANOE-KAYAK: Brendel and Kozak star in World Sprint Champs

By
Rich Perelman
-

If you’re a gold medalist, you’re sure to draw a lot of attention; you’re the one everyone wants to beat.

Germany’s Sebastian Brendel and Hungary’s Danuta Kozak weren’t worried about it. They won anyway.

At the ICF World Sprint Championships in Montemor-a-Velho (POR), Brendel was busy, winning his fourth straight World Championship in the C-1/1,000 m, then the C-1/5,000 m and a silver in the C-1/500 m. The two wins gave him 10 career world titles.

Kozak, coming back after winning three gold medals in Rio – she’s won five all together – and skipping the 2017 Worlds, won the K-1/500 m, the K-2/500 m with Anna Karasz and as part of the K-4/500 m for three golds this year as well. She now owns 14 World Championships gold medals.

There were other stars in Portugal as well:

∙ None were more popular that Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta, who won the men’s K-1/1,000 m and 5,000 m (defending his title in the 5,000 m);

∙ Brazil’s Isaquias dos Santos won the C-1/200 m and the C-2/500 m with Erion Silva;

∙ Canada’s Laurence Vincent-Lapointe was mighty impressive in defending her C-1/200 m title, winning the C-1/5,000 m and winning the C-2/500 m with Katie Vincent (the pair defended their World title in the C-2);

∙ Hungary’s Dora Bodonyi won the K-1/1,000 m and was on the winning K-4/500 m for two golds.

Josef Dostal (CZE) defended his title in the K-1/500 m and Germany’s Yul Oeltze and Peter Kretschmer again won the men’s C-2/1,000 m.

New Zealand star Lisa Carrington, a seven-time World Champion, was also being watched closely in her four events, but ran into Kozak and friends in the K-1/500 m, the K-2/500 m (with Caitlin Ryan) and K-4/500 m, but defended her 2017 title in the K-1/200 m for one gold and three silvers.

Germany led the overall medal count with 13 (7-4-2), trailed by Russia (11: 3-3-5) and Hungary, which won nine (6-1-2). Summaries:

ICF World Sprint Championships
Montemor-o-Velho (POR) ~ 23-26 August 2018
(Full results here)

Men

C-1/200 m: 1. Artsem Kozyr (BLR), 39.810; 2. Ivan Shytl (RUS), 39.970; 3. Henrikas Zustautas (LTU), 40.043; 4. Zasa Nadiradze (GEO), 40.226; 5. Stefan Kiraj (GER), 40.410; 6. Helder Silva (POR), 40.503; 7. Alberto Pedrero (ESP), 40.826; 8. Oleh Borovyk (UKR), 41.306.

C-1/500 m: 1. Isaquias dos Santos (BRA), 1:49.203; 2. Sebastian Brendel (GER), 1:49.496; 3. Martin Fuksa (CZE), 1:50.143; 4. Oleg Tarnovschi (MDA), 1:51.577; 5. Maksim Piatrou (BLR), 1:51.823; 6. Tomasz Kaczor (POL), 1:52.643; 7. Mikhail Pavlov (RUS), 1:52.743; 8. Tamas Kiss (HUN), 1:56.217.

C-1/1,000 m: 1. Brendel (GER), 3:48.390; 2. Fuksa (CZE), 3:49.625; 3. Dos Santos (BRA), 3:50.190; 4. Kirill Shamshurin (RUS), 3:53.300; 5. Oleg Tarnovschi (MDA), 3:53.665; 6. Adrien Bart (FRA), 3:54.221; 7. Andras Bodonyi (HUN), 3:54.496; 8. Carlo Tacchini (ITA), 3:58.826.

C-1/5,000 m: 1. Brendel (GER), 23:40.857; 2. Fernando Enrique (CUB), 23:46.646; 3. Kirill Shamshurin (RUS), 24:09.504; 4. Mateusz Kaminski (POL), 24:25.916; 5. Carlo Tacchini (ITA), 24:31.263; 6. Manuel Campos (ESP), 24:32.367; 7. Thomas Simart (FRA), 25:02.871; 8. Aivis Tints (LAT), 25:04.850.

C-2/200 m: 1. Hleb Saladukha/Dzianis Makhlai (BLR), 37.646; 2. Arsen Sliwinski/Michal Lubniewski (POL), 37.816; 3. Alexander Kovalenko/Ivan Shytl (RUS), 37.993; 4. Antoni Segura/Alfonso Benavides (ESP), 39.396; 5. Jonatan Hajdu/Adam Fekete (HUN), 39.026; 6. Vitaliy Vergeles/Denys Kamerylov (UKR), 39.130; 7. Gheorghe Stoian/Constantin Diba (ROU), 41.323; 8. Aoto Yabu/Masato Hashimoto (JPN), 42.093.

C-2/500 m: 1. Erion Silva/Isaquias dos Santos (BRA), 1:40.043; 2. Viktor Melantev/Vladislav Chebotar (RUS), 1:41.590; 3. Arsen Sliwinski/Michal Lubniewski (POL), 1:41.787; 4. Sergio Vallejo/Adrian Sierio (ESP), 1:41.830; 5. Yul Oeltze/Peter Kretschmer (GER), 1:41.997; 6. Jonatan Hajdu/Adam Fekete (HUN), 1:42.047; 7. Leonid Carp/Victor Mihalachi (ROU), 1:42.650; 8. Dmytro Ianchuk/Taras Mishchuk (UKR), 1:43.300.

C-2/1,000 m: 1. Yul Oeltze/Peter Kretschmer (GER), 3:38.207; 2. Serguey Madrigal/Fernando Enrique (CUB), 3:39.462; 3. Kirill Shamshurin/Ilya Pervukhin (RUS), 3:40.647; 4. Mateusz Kaminski/Vincent Slominski (POL), 3:42.217; 5. Daniele Santini/Luca Incollingo (ITA), 3:42.77; 6. Thomas Simart/Adrien Bart (FRA); 7. Filip Dvorak/Tomas Janda (CZE), 3:45.837; 8. Sergio Vallejo/Adrian Sierio(ESP), 3:46.042.

C-4/500 m: 1. Russia (Petrov, Melantev, Pavlov, Shytl), 1:35.606; 2. Ukraine, 1:36.726; 3. Italy, 1:37.196; 4. Germany, 1:37.290; 5. Romania, 1:37.700; 6. Belarus, 1:38.640; 7. Poland, 1:39.276; 8. Hungary, 1:39.676.

K-1/200 m: 1. Carlos Garrote (ESP), 35.259; 2. Arturas Seja (LTU), 35.366; 3. Evgenii Lukantsov (RUS), 35.512; 4. Balazs Birkas (HUN), 35.576; 5. Aleksejs Rumjancevs (LAT), 35.706; 6. Marko Dragosavljevic (SRB), 35.806; 7. Pawel Kaczmarek (POL), 35.932; 8. Manfredi Rizza (ITA), 36.116.

K-1/500 m: 1. Josef Dostal (CZE), 1:37.905; 2. Tom Liebscher (GER), 1:38.912; 3. Bence Nadas (HUN), 1:39.516; 4. Joao Ribeiro (HUN), 1:39.739; 5. Oleh Kukharyk (UKR), 1:40.659; 6. Roman Anoshkin (RUS), 1:41.306; 7. Etienne Hubert (FRA), 1:41.592; 8. Thomas Green (AUS), 1:42.116.

K-1/1,000 m: 1. Fernando Pimenta (POR), 3:27.666; 2. Max Rendschmidt (GER), 3:28.391; 3. Josef Dostal (CZE), 3:29.177; 4. Balint Kopasz (HUN), 3:29.917; 5. Roi Rodriguez (ESP), 3:31.677; 6. Bartosz Stabno (POL), 3:32.007; 7. Roman Anoshkin (RUS), 3:32.60-2; 8. Rene Poulsen (DEN), 3:32.667.

K-1/5,000 m: 1. Fernando Pimenta (POR), 21:42.196; 2. Rene Poulsen (DEN), 21:43.723; 3. Eivind Vold (NOR), 21:44.849; 4. Javier Hernanz (ESP), 2:46.565; 5. Balint Noe (HUN), 22:07.107; 6. Agustin Vernice (ARG), 22:16.203; 7. Fabio Wyss (SUI), 22:18.170; 8. Artuur Peters (BEL), 22:26.151.

K-2/200 m: 1. Mark Balaska/Balazs Birkas (HUN), 31.873; 2. Saul Craviotto/Cristian Toro (ESP), 32.133; 3. Nebojsa Grujic/Marko Novakovic (SRB), 32.156; 4. Kirill Lyapunov/Alexander Dyachenko (RUS), 32.233; 5. Piotr Mazur/Pawel Kaczmarek (POL), 32.753; 6. Edvinas Ramanauskas/Ignas Navkauskas (LTU), 32.790; 7. Riccardo Spotti/Andrea Di Liberto (ITA), 32.823; 8. Filip Svab/Ondrej Bisicky (CZE), 33.136.

K-2/500 m: 1. Artem Kuzakhmetov/Vladislav Blintcov (RUS), 1:30.666; 2. Stefan Vekic/Vladimir Torubarov (SRB), 1:30.953; 3. Ricardas Nekriosius/Andrej Olijnik (LTU), 1:31.449; 4. Cyrille Carre/Francis Mouget (FRA), 1:31.786; 5. Erik Vlcek/Juraj Tarr (SVK), 1:31.886; 6. David Toth/Tamas Kulifai (HUN), 1:32.243; 7. Albert Marti/Juan Oriyes (ESP), 1:33.469; 8. Saeid Fazloula/Kostja Stroinski (GER), 1:33.606.

K-2/1,000 m: 1. Max Hoff/Marcus Gross (GER), 3:15.797; 2. Francisco Cubelos/Inigo Pena (ESP), 3:16.617; 3. Marko Tomicevic/Milenko Zoric (SRB), 3:17.407; 4. Riley Fitzsimmons/Jordan Wood (AUS), 3:17.432; 5. Rene Poulsen/Morten Graversen (DEN), 3:20.228; 6. Peter Gelle/Adam Botek (SVK), 3:20.843; 7. Maxime Beaumont/Guillaume Burger (FRA), 3:21.113; 8. Pavel Miadzvedzeu/Aleh Turenia (BLR), 3:22.143.

K-4/500 m: 1. Germany (Rendschmidt, Liebscher, Rauhe, Lemke), 1:20.056; 2. Spain, 1:20.423; 3. Hungary, 1:21.480; 4. Australia, 1:21.780; 5. Russia, 1:22.006; 6. France, 1:22.530; 7. Slovakia, 1:22.596; 8. Czech Republic, 1:23.050.
K-4/1,000 m: 1. Germany (Gecso, Thordsen, Schopf, Reuschenbach), 2:57.947; 2. Slovakia, 2:58.914; 3. Spain, 2:59.341; 4. Russia, 2:59.981; 5. Belarus, 3:01.801; 6. Hungary, 3:02.821; 7. Bulgaria, 3:04.468; 8. Portugal, 3:11.665.

Women

C-1/200 m: 1. Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (CAN), 45.567; 2. Olesia Romasenko (RUS), 46.242; 3. tie, Dorota Borowska (POL) and Alena Nazdrova (BLR) 46.812; 5. Virag Balla (HUN), 46.972; 6. Luqi Zhang (CHN), 47.232; 7. Staniliya Stamenova (BUL), 47.282; 8. Nikolina Mijuskovic (SRB), 48.087.

C-1/500 m: 1. Kseniia Kurach (RUS), 2:10.991; 2. Alena Nazdrova (BLR), 2:11.631; 3. Katie Vincent (CAN), 2:12.148; 4. Shixiao Xu (CHN), 2:12.875; 5. Zsanett Lakatos (HUN), 2:19.448; 6. Liudmyla Luzan (UKR), 2:21.115; 7. Magda Stanny (POL), 2:22.118; 8. Mariami Kerdikashvili (GEO), 2:24.365.

C-1/5,000 m: 1. Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (CAN), 27:43.020; 2. Annika Loske (GER), 27:52.541; 3. Maria Mailliard (CHI), 27:59.547; 4. Volha Klimava (BLR), 28:11.793; 5. Shixiao Xu (CHN), 28:42.314; 6. Zsanett Lakatos (HUN), 28:59.046; 7. Maria Corbera (ESP), 29:04.735; 8. Lucia Valova (SVK), 29:36.998.

C-2/200 m: 1. Alena Nazdrova/Kamila Bobr (BLR), 45.234; 2. Sylwia Szczerbinska/Dorota Borowska (POL), 46.158; 3. Kseniia Kurach/Olesya Nikiforova (RUS), 46.668; 4. Nadya Crossman-Serb/Hannah MacIntosh (CAN), 47.185; 5. Qi Li/Yajue Zhan (CHN), 48.131; 6. Blanka Nagy/Csenge Molnar (HUN), 48.185; 7. Maria Perez/Antia Jacome (ESP), 48.358; 8. Maria Olarasu/Daniela Cociu (MDA), 49.118.

C-2/500 m: 1. Laurence Vincent-Lapointe/Katie Vincent (CAN), 1:56.395; 2. Virag Balla/Kincso Takacs (HUN), 1:58.632; 3. Nadzeya Makarchanka/Volha Klamava (BLR), 2:00.485; 4. Irina Andreeva/Olesia Romasenko (RUS), 2:02.279; 5. Shixiao Xu/Zheyi Xu (CHN), 2:02.579; 6. Lisa Jahn/Sophie Koch (GER), 2:03.352; 7. Eugenie Dorange/Flore Caupain (FRA), 2:04.912; 8. Liudmyla Luzan/Anastasiia Chetverikova (UKR), 2:04.935.

K-1/200 m: 1. Lisa Carrington (NZL), 38.821; 2. Emma Jorgensen (DEN), 40.548; 3. Linnea Stensils (SWE), 40.585; 4. Marta Walczykiewicz (POL), 40.685; 5. Jessica Walker (GBR), 40.728; 6. Ivana Mladkova (SVK), 40.745; 7. Sarah Guyot (FRA), 40.795; 8. Teresa Portela (ESP), 40.978.

K-1/500 m: 1. Danuta Kozak (HUN), 1:47.254; 2. Lisa Carrington (NZL), 1:47.984; 3. Volha Khudzenka (BLR), 1:48.724; 4. Anna Pulawska (POL), 1:49.614; 5. Elena Aniushina (RUS), 1:50.759; 6. Linnea Stensils (SWE), 1:51.034; 7. Alyce Burnett (SWE), 1:51.034; 8. Milica Starovic (SRB), 1:52.199.

K-1/1,000 m: 1. Dora Bodonyi (HUN), 4:02.892; 2. Lizzie Broughton (GBR), 4:03.927; 3. Bridgitte Hartley (RSA), 4:04.017; 4. Nina Krankemann (GER), 4:04.662; 5. Anastasia Panchenko (RUS), 4:09.423; 6. Inna Hryshchun (UKR), 4:12.313; 7. Alyssa Bull (AUS), 4:12.333; 8. Netta Malinen (FIN), 4:16.348.

K-1/5,000 m: 1. Lizzie Broughton (GBR), 24:01.377; 2. Maryna Litvinchuk (BLR), 24:12.014; 3. Jennifer Egan (IRL), 24:15.075; 4. Caitlin Ryan (NZL), 24:25.572; 5. Tamara Takacs (HUN), 24:27.214; 6. Emma Jorgensen (DEN), 24:36.180; 7. Kristina Bedec (SRB), 24:37.829; 8. Bridgette Hartley (RSA), 24:42.207.

K-2/200 m: 1. Franziska Weber/Tina Dietze (GER), 37.157; 2. Kayla Imree/Aimee Fisher (NZL), 37.197; 3. Mariia Kichasova-Skoryk/Anastasiya Horlova (UKR), 37.294; 4. Reka Hagymasi/Agnes Szabo (HUN), 37.411; 5. Karolina Markiewicz/Helena Wisniewska (POL), 37.437; 6. Natalia Podolskaia/Vera Sobetova (RUS), 37.631; 7. Marharyta Makhneva/Maryna Litvinchuk (BLR), 37.794; 8. Jamie Roberts/Jo Bridgen-Jones (AUS), 37.844.

K-2/500 m: 1. Anna Karasz/Danuta Kozak (HUN), 1:43.065; 2. Lisa Carrington/Caitlin Ryan (NZL), 1:43.088; 3. Jasmin Fritz/Steffi Kriegerstein (GER), 1:45.589; 4. Manon Hostens/Sarah Guyot (FRA), 1:45.682; 5. Justyna Iskrzucka/Paulina Paszek (POL), 1:46.832; 6. Mariya Povkh/Liudmyla Kuklinovska (UKR), 1:47.902; 7. Ana Lehaci/Viktoria Schwarz (AUT), 1:48.272; 8. Teresa Portela/Joana Vasconcelos (POR), 1:49.665.

K-2/1,000 m: 1. Tamara Csipes-Galbacs/Erika Medveczky (HUN), 3:39.811; 2. Justyna Iskrzycka/Paulina Paszek (POL), 3:43.758; 3. Sarah Brussler/Melanie Gebhardt (GER), 3:45.091; 4. Kira Stepanova/Svetlana Chernigovskaya (RUS), 3:48.595; 5. Roxana Cuir/Elena Meroniac (ROU), 3:52.695; 6. Penille Knudsen/Julia Funch (DEN), 3:53.035; 7. Natalie Davison/alanna Bray-Lougheed (CAN), 3:53.218; 7. Barbara Padro/Estefania Fernandez (ESP), 3:55.402; 8. Sara Sotero/Rita Fernandes (POR), 4:02.432.

K-4/500 m: 1. Hungary (Karasz, Medveczyk, Kozak, Bodonyi), 1:33.761; 2. New Zealand, 1:33.771; 3. Poland, 1:34.568; 4. Belarus, 1:34.885; 5. Germany, 1:36.298; 6. Ukraine, 1:36.515; 7. Australia, 1:37.385; 8. Denmark, 1:39.245.

BASEBALL: Japan and U.S. on collision course in women’s World Champs?

By
Rich Perelman
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The recent women’s World Softball Championships ended in a classic showdown between Japan and the United States – in Japan – with the U.S. winning the title in extra innings. That match-up could be repeated at the women’s Baseball Worlds – in Viera, Florida (USA) – as both are moving toward the playoff round:

∙ The U.S. is leading Group A with a 4-1 record, dispatching Puerto Rico (14-0), the Netherlands (18-0), Korea (11-1), Venezuela (3-1), but losing to Chinese Taipei (4-3). Both Puerto Rico and Chinese Taipei have rescheduled games on Monday, so the U.S. could win the group, but will finish no lower then second.

∙ Japan, looking for its sixth straight world championship, won Group B with a 5-0 record. They defeated the Dominican Republic (8-0), Hong Kong (23-0), Canada (2-1 after a long weather delay), Cuba (4-1) and Australia (5-1).

Because of weather delays, round-robin play in the groups will finish on the 27th; the top three teams in each group will play in a “Super Round” with the top four playing in the Championship and Bronze Medal games on 31 August.

The event is being held in the U.S. for the first time; the American team is the only other to win the World Cup, taking the title in the first two editions in 2004 and 2006.

Japan won the World Cup in 2008-10-12-14-16, beating the United States twice, Canada twice and Australia once. The Japanese stomped Canada, 10-0, to win in 2016 with Venezuela third and Chinese Taipei fourth.

Look for results here.

ASIAN GAMES: Japan’s Ikee wins 50 m Free for eighth medal, sixth gold

By
Rich Perelman
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The 18th Asian Games in Indonesia still has a week to go, but it will take a stunning turn to keep Japan’s teenage swim star, Rikako Ikee, from being the star of the event.

She finished off her Asian Games with a sixth gold medal, winning the 50 m Freestyle in an Asian Games 24.53, beating Liu Xiang, China’s world-record holder (in the 50 m Back), by 0.07. It gave Ikee eight medals (6-2-0) and tied her with North Korean shooter Gin Man So (8: 7-1-0) from 1982. She’s the sixth woman to win six golds in a single Asian Games in swimming.

“Pressure for me is something I thrive on,” Ikee, 18, told the Agence France Presse. “There will be a lot of Japanese fans cheering for me at the Tokyo Olympics in my home city – maybe even some from overseas too – and that’s going to give me great strength.

“The more fans that come, the stronger I’ll be. When it comes to swimming, I just really hate to lose.

“I had targeted five gold medals so I was happy to tick that box first. I can definitely swim faster. But going through this kind of experience will give me extra motivation to improve.”

Keep her name in mind as we get closer to Tokyo. But there were more highlights from the pool on the final night:

∙ Men’s 1,500 m Freestyle: Yang Sun of China won in 14:58.53, for his third straight Asian Games gold medal in the event. He’s still the world-record holder at 14:31.02 from his Olympic win in 2012 in London, but won his 14th career Asian Games medal to tie Korea’s Tae-Hwan Park (2006-10) for the most career swimming medals ever.

∙ Men’s 50 m Breaststroke: Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki completed his triple win in the 50-100-200 m Breast events with a win in 27.07, ahead of China’s Zibei Yan (27.25), who swam a Games Record 27.06 in the prelims.

∙ Women’s 400 m Freestyle: China’s Jianjiahe Wang set an Asian Games record of 4:03.18, no. 3 on the world list for 2018, completing another triple win in the 400-800-1,500 m Frees (plus a fourth gold in a relay). Her teammate, also 16 years old, Bingjie Li, was second in 4:04.46.

∙ Women’s 200 m Medley: Japan’s Yui Ohashi came in as the Pan-Pacs champ and the fastest swimmer in the world this year in the event, but Korea’s Seo-Yeong Kim won the race in a Games record time of 2:08.34. Kim moves to no. 2 on the 2018 world list with the time.

China finished off the meet with the world’s best time in 2018 for the men’s 4×100 m Medley in 3:29.99, just ahead of Japan (3:30.03). China’s Jiayu Xu won his fifth gold on the relay; he’s the second man to win five swimming golds at a single Asian Games, after Jianqiang Shen in 1990. With a silver in the final relay, Ryosuke Irie (JPN) also won a 14th career swimming medal at the Asian Games.

The Japanese finished the meet with 52 total medals in swimming to 50 for China and each won 19 golds. Beyond Ikee’s brilliance, the meet also featured a world record of 26.98 by Xiang in the 50 m Backstroke and 21 Asian Games marks, plus one tie.

=¶=

Elsewhere at the Games, the Athletics competition started with modest performances; the best included:

∙ India’s Tajinderpal Singh Toor’s Games record of 20.75 m (68-1) in the men’s Shot;

∙ China’s Bingtian Su won the men’s 100 m impressively in 9.92, also an Asian Games record, and

∙ Qatar’s Abdalelah Haroun won the men’s 400 m in 44.89 and Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) won the women’s 400 m in an Asian Games record of 50.09.

In weightlifting, Iran’s Sohrab Moradi set a world record of 189 kg in the Snatch in the 94 kg class on his way to a gold medal in the event. The Snatch lift surpassed the 188 kg mark by Akakios Kakiavilis (GRE) from 1999.

The men’s and women’s road cycling events were unusual in that one man and one woman won both the Time Trial and the Road Race! Ahreum Na (KOR) took the women’s 20 km Time Trial and 100 km Road Race, while Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) triumphed in the 40 km Time Trial and the 150 km Road Race.

Halfway through the Games, China continues to run away with the overall count at 178 (78-60-40), with Japan second (124: 40-34-50) and Korea third (96: 28-31-37).

THE BIG PICTURE: No Asian Games for “new” Uzbek cyclist Zabelinskaya

By
Rich Perelman
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The story of ex-Russian cyclist Olga Zabelinskaya and her desire to ride for Uzbekistan has come to a halt for now.

The silver medalist in Rio in the Track Cycling Time trial and bronze medalist in London 2012 in the women’s Olympic road race and Track Cycling Time Trial, she had her change of nationality approved by the Union Cycliste internationale (UCI) earlier in August. The Uzbekistan National Olympic Committee immediately registered her for the Asian Games women’s Track Cycling Time Trial in Indonesia, scheduled to be held on 24 August.

The Olympic Council of Asia, which operates the Asian Games, refused to allow her entry into the race, “in accordance with the OCA Constitution, which provides that any athlete who has changed his/her nationality shall not participate in the Asian Games to represent his/her new country until three years after such change.”

Zabelinskaya and the Uzbek NOC filed an action with the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ad hoc division at the Asian Games and a hearing was undertaken the day before the race (23 August). The CAS panel of three arbitrators (from China, Iran and the Philippines) dismissed the application and “confirmed the OCA decision.”

A full discussion of the grounds for the decision is to be published “shortly.” Hopefully, this will come sooner than the full CAS decisions from the Russian participation cases for the PyeongChang Winter Games, only two of which (out of more than 30) have been published so far.

Want to promote your sport? Start with better statistics!

By
Rich Perelman
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Did you know that Teddy Riner is undefeated since 2010 and riding a 144-match winning streak?

Do you know who Teddy Riner is and what sport he competes in?

You aren’t alone.

Riner, the French judoka who is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic heavyweight champion and a nine-time World Champion, now owns a 144-match winning streak after winning two world titles in 2017.

Although just 29, he’s taking it easy in 2018 and likely again in 2019 and so when he roars back to competition in 2020, who will remember him?

It will start with the sports statisticians, who will be the first to remind people of the historic achievements of the 6-8 giant from Guadeloupe. But as of today, you can’t find a salute to Riner on the International Judo Federation’s Web site; his biography doesn’t mention the win streak.

If you want to promote a sport, an athlete or an event, start with statistics. It’s utterly amazing to see how many federations, teams, agents and athletes miss this simple approach.

Those who have paid attention have often reaped remarkable dividends. For example, a sleepy event in track & field was transformed by one man who could not be beaten. Remember Edwin Moses? Yes, you certainly do.

Sure, he was the Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder in 1976 in the 400 m Hurdles in Montreal, but his unbeaten streak of 107 finals and 122 races in all from 1977-1987 made him a worldwide superstar. It’s not as well known or appreciated that he won 23 of his next 24 races, giving him 145 wins in 147 races between 1977-88.

But now you know.

The same situation happened in 2017-18 in the women’s high jump, as Russian Mariya Lasitskene won 45 meets in a row. No one paid too much attention until she started piling up the wins, but she’s a lot better known now.

Sports can use statistics to create new angles for appreciating a performance, an athlete or an event. The clear leader among the international federations for this is the IAAF for track & field, which devotes an enormous amount of time and resources to records, historical lists, lists of best marks by year, by continent and by age.

Let’s take just the men’s 100 m, about the most basic event there is. The IAAF site lists the top 4,941 performers in 2018, from American Ronnie Baker’s world-leading 9.87 to everyone who has run 11.00 this season! Wow! You can also filter the list to provide just the best mark for an athlete, or all of an athlete’s marks.

So for Baker, you can see that he has the best mark in the world for 2018, but also that he has run five of the top eight times this season.

This is especially important in the all-time lists, where, for example, in the women’s heptathlon, Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) has the top six performances of all time. The IAAF has this for men and women, indoor and outdoor, plus numerous sets of records.

Moreover, in addition to the IAAF, there are independent groups which provide databases of track & field statistics, like the Finnish site Tilastopaja.eu, which has some free statistics and a much deeper subscription service with access to deep biographies and even stats on head-to-head competitions between two athletes!

One federation which would very much benefit from this kind of depth in statistics in FINA, which includes swimming. Just as in track & field, there are performers and performances, short course (25 m) pools and long course (50 m) statistics.

But FINA’s approach has been minimalist, to say the least. It has a well-maintained “world rankings” service which offers up the lists of best performers for any recent year, but it does not include an easy way to get an all-time list – you have to specify the years you want surveyed – or any way at all to get a list that includes more than one performance per athlete.

So, per the FINA site, there’s no way to tell how many of the top 10 or 20 times in history have been swum by Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) in the 100 m Freestyle or 100 m Fly, or how many of the top 20 times in history are owned by Adam Peaty (GBR) in the 100 m Breaststroke, or in any of the women’s Freestyle distance events by American Katie Ledecky?

With the 2019 World Championships and the 2020 Tokyo Games coming, wouldn’t this be good information to have to promote swimming’s superstars?

FINA can benefit by doing more, but at least it has some statistics online. Other federations miss the boat entirely, and more statistics – while not an end in itself – can create stories that can help promote their sport. You can count on that.

Rich Perelman
Editor

MLB Detailed Standings August 26, 2018

By
Rich Perelman
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CYCLING: Details now available on USA Cycling Track Nationals

By
Rich Perelman
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Further to our report on the USA Cycling National Track Championships in the 8 August issue, led by Jennifer Valente’s triple win in the Points Race, Scratch Race and Omnium, we have more details and times from USA Cycling.

So, for the record, here are the more-detailed summaries:

USA Cycling National Track Championships
Carson, California (USA) ~ 4-7 August 2018
(Full results here)

Men:

Sprint: 1. Sandor Delgado, 10.581 (best time across all rounds); 2. Joe Christiansen, 10.583; 3. James Mellen, 10.343; 4. James Alvord, 10.532; 5. Andrew Carlberg, 10.596; 6. Giddeon Massie, 10.720; 7. Rex Ainslie, 10.736; 8. Zachariah McClendon, 10.828.

Team Sprint: 1. Josh Hartman/Joe Christiansen/Dominic Suozzi; 2. Zach McClendon/James Mellen/James Alvord; 3. JeanLuc Contant Galitello/Louis De Leon/Rex Ainslie.

Time Trial: 1. John Croom, 1:03.520; 2. Andrew Carlberg, 1:04.497; 3. Massie, 1:04.922; 4. Cade Bickmore, 1:05.177; 5. Rex Ainslie, 1:05.671; 6. Ashton Lambie, 1:05.681; 7. Dominic Souzzi, 1:06.100 ; 8. Delgado, 1:06.104.

Indiv. Pursuit: 1. Ashton Lambie, 4:27.497; 2. Croom, 4:31.795; 3. Gavin Hoover, no time; 4. Samuel O’Brien, overtaken.

Team Pursuit: 1. Hegyvary/Lambie/Kline/ Hoover, 4:07.611; 2. Holloway/Lange/Croom /Cassin, 4:10.251; 3. Kovalcik/Butsavage/ Seliverstov/Clarke, 4:27.391.

Keirin: 1. Christiansen; 2. Mellen; 3. Massie; 4. Joshua Hartman; 5. Rex Ainslie; 6. Edward Horvet; 7. Evan Thomson; 8. Jack Lindquist.

Points Race: 1. Daniel Holloway. 97; 2. Colby Lange, 91; 3. Shane Kline, 79; 4. Adrian Hegyvary, 73; 5. Zachary Kovakcik, 60; 6. Robert Mayfield, 52; 7. Thorsten Askervold, 32; 8. Lucas Clarke, 31.

Scratch Race: 1. Justin Butsavage; 2. Mac Cassin; 3. Thorsten Askervold; 4. Alex Brewer; 5. Kovalcik; 6. Rail Arias, Jr.; 7. Bryan Larsen; 8. Ryan Jastrab.

Omnium: 1. Holloway, 175; 2. Kline, 154; 3. Ashton Lambie, 153; 4. Kovakcik, 152; 5. Hegyvary, 140; 6. Lange, 123; 7. Zachary Carlson, 105; 8. Butsavage, 91.

Madison: 1. Hegyvary/Holloway, 145; 2. Justin Williams/Shane Kline, 60; 3. Kovalcik/ Butsavage, 47; 4. Zach Carlson/R. Jastrab, 11; 5. Ian Oelrich/Alesander Lochmiller, -54; 6. Jeromy Cottell/Bryan Larsen, -97; 7. Brendan Cowley/Robert Mayfield, -110.

Women:

Sprint: 1. Madalyn Godby, 11,299 (best time across all rounds); 2. Mandy Marquardt, 11.372; 3. Ivy Koester, 12.709; 4. Allyson Wasielewski, 11.928; 5. Dawn Orwick, 12.360; 6. C.J. Boyenger, 12.720; 7. Sydney Richardson, 12.786; 8. Janelly Prieto, 12.895.

Team Sprint: 1. Katie Uhlaender/Mandy Marquardt, 35.526; 2. Heather Gray/Madalyn Godby, 35.860; 3. Sarah Fader/Dana Feiss, 37.489.

Time Trial: 1. Mandy Marquardt, 35.395; 2. Sarah Fader, 37.156; 3. Dawn Orwick, 37.498; 4. Katie Uhlaender, 37.671; 5. Heather Gray, 38.043; 6. Wasielewski, 38.480; 7. Jennifer Wheeler, 38.577; 8. Boyenger, 39.147.

Indiv. Pursuit: 1. Jennifer Wheeler, 3:44.396; 2. Molly van Houweling, 3:52.163; 3. Chelsea Knapp, 3:54.655; 4. Alijah Beatty, 3:56.337.

Team Pursuit: 1. Van Houweling/Wheeler/ Birch/Munoz; 2. Seigle/Wilson/Taylor/Chong; 3. Wilson/Sempere/Franco/Cushen.

Keirin: 1. Godby; 2. Mandy Marquardt; 3. Wasielewski; 4. Kyo Mars; 5. Richardson; 6. Janelly Prieto; 7. Andrea Fisk.

Points Race: 1. Jennifer Valente, 52; 2. Christina Birch, 25; 3. Megan Jastrab, 16; 4. Esther Walker, 10; 5. Kate Wilson, 10; 6. Kendall Ryan, 8; 7. Chelsea Knapp, 5; 8. Colleen Gulick, 5.

Scratch Race: 1. Valente; 2. Ryan; 3. Gulick; 4. Eva Burke; 5. Jessica Chong; 6. Amanda Seigle; 7. Kyo Mars; 8. Courtney O’Neill.

Omnium: 1. Valente, 156; 2. Kimberly Geist, 129; 3. Birch, 116; 4. Gulick, 115; 5. Burke, 78; 6. Sawyer Taylor, 76; 7. Chelsea Knapp, 74; 8. Jennifer Wilson, 68.

Madison: 1. Birch/Valente, 42; 2. Megan Jastrab/Zoe Ta-Perez, 25; 3. Gulick/Ryan, 23; 4. Kate Wilson/Shelby Reynolds, -14; 5. Jessica Chong/Eva Burke, -17.

ASIAN GAMES/SWIMMING: Japan’s Ikee has seven medals so far, but she’s not done yet

By
Rich Perelman
-

The 18th Asian Games rolls on in Indonesia, with excellent swimming competition in Jakarta, including a monumental medal haul from Japan’s Rikako Irie.

With a gold in the women’x 4×100 m Medley Relay, she now has – with one day of swimming still to go – seven medals in all and five golds. That total of seven is second only to North Korean shooter Gin Man So (8: 7-1-0) from 1982 and ties Irie with seven others. The five golds is second only to So and is also tied with seven others. But she’s not done.

More highlights from the pool:

Men’s 200 m Backstroke: China’s Jiayu Xu won his third gold, sweeping the 50-100-200 m Backs, this time in 1:53.99, moving him to third on the world list for 2018. He finished well ahead of Ryosuke Irie (JPN: 1:55.11) and Keita Sunama (JPN: 1:55.54), but they moved to nos. 4-5 on the year list.

For Irie, it’s his 13th career Asian Games medal!

Men’s 100 m Breaststroke: Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki completed a 100-200 m Breaststroke double, landing at no. 3 on the 2018 world list at 58.86, an Asian Games Record.

Men’s 100 m Butterfly: Singapore’s Joseph Schooling became the first swimmer to win an event who was not from China or Japan! He started with a successful defense of his title in the 100 m Butterfly, winning in an Asian Games record 51.04. That’s no. four on the world list for 2018.

Schooling came back on Thursday to win the 50 m Freestyle in 23.61.

Men’s 400 m Medley: Japan’s Daiya Seto and Kosuke Hagino went 1-2 in 4:08.79 and 4:10.30, placing them no. 2 and no. 4 on the world list for 2018, with Americans Chase Kalisz (4″07.95) and Jay Litherland (4:10.21) at nos. 1 and 3.

Women’s 200 m Butterfly: An impressive win by Yufei Zhang (CHN) in the no. 3 time for 2018, an Asian Games record of 2:06.61.

The swimming finishes on Friday; the track & field action starts on Saturday (25th).

Through the first five days of overall competition, China leads with 116 medals (55-40-21) to 86 for Japan (25-28-33) and 64 for Korea (17-20-27). Next best is Iran with 27 (10-9-8).

Behind Ikee as individual multi-medalists is Chinese swimmer Jaiyu Xu with four golds (4-0-0); swimmers Junxuan Yang (CHN: 2-2-1), Yang Sun (CHN: 3-2-0) and Japan’s Natsumi Sakai (JPN: 3-1-1) have five total medals.

TRIATHLON Preview: World Series races too close to call in Montreal

By
Rich Perelman
-

The seventh of eight stops on the International Triathlon Union’s World Series for 2018 comes in Montreal, Quebec (CAN), with a tight battle for the seasonal title in the women’s division and a near-runaway in the men. The standings right now:

Men:
1. 4,850 Mario Mola (ESP)
2. 3,810 Vincent Luis (FRA)
3. 3,245 Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS)
4. 3,085 Richard Murray (RSA)
5. 2.947 Fernando Alarza (ESP)

Women:
1. 4,170 Katie Zaferes (USA)
2. 3,579 Vicky Holland (GBR)
3. 3,098 Rachel Klamer (NED)
4. 2,872 Kirsten Kasper (USA)
5. 2,658 Jessica Learmonth (GBR)

Although both Mola and Zaferes appear to have large leads, the winner of this week’s race will score 1,000 points (and less for each place below) and then 1,250 points for a win at the Grand Final at Gold Coast (AUS) in mid-September. So, there’s a long way to go.

Mola has dominated this season, winning three of the six stops so far and placing second twice for five medals in six races. The other races have been won by Henri Schoeman (RSA), Norway’s Casper Stornes and Murray.

Zaferes hasn’t won any races so far, but has been a consistent high place. She’s been second once and third three times out of six races and will need to maintain that pace to stay ahead of Holland and Klamer. Holland has won two of the last three races – in Leeds (GBR) and Edmonton (CAN) – and Klamer won the season opener in Abu Dhabi.

Actually, that Zaferes is the series leader is pretty remarkable since she didn’t finish in the season opener; she finished sixth in the last race in Edmonton. She’s no stranger to the seasonal podium, having finished third in 2017.

The courses are for the Olympic distance of 1.5 km swim (two laps), 40 km bike (10 laps) and 10 km run (four laps). The women’s race is scheduled for Saturday and the men on Sunday. Look for results from Montreal here.

GYMNASTICS Preview: Averinas are on stage in Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge Cup

By
Rich Perelman
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The third Rhythmic World Challenge Cup is in Kazan (RUS) this week, and with the time getting short before the 2018 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Sofia (BUL) from 10-16 September, what is normally a second-level competition is suddenly an all-star warm-up, including:

∙ Arina Averina (RUS) ~ 2017 World Champion in Ball and Ribbon
∙ Dina Averina (RUS) ~ 2017 World Champion in All-Around, Hoops and Clubs
∙ Linoy Ashram (ISR) ~ 2017 World Championships bronzes in All-Around and Ribbon
∙ Katsiaryna Halkina (BLR) ~ 2017 World Championships silver in Clubs
∙ Kaho Minagawa (JPN) ~ 2017 World Championships bronze in Hoop

This group of five gymnasts won 14 of the 15 individual medals at last year’s World Championships, with the Averina twins winning all five golds and four of the five silvers (plus one bronze) between them. Thus, this weekend’s events are very much a preview of what is to come in Sofia in less than a month.

The U.S. has Laura Zeng and Evita Griskenis competing; Zeng is the six-time defending U.S. All-Around Champion and was sixth in the Worlds All-Around last year. Griskenis has been second to Zeng the last two years and won the U.S. title in Ball this year.

Look for results here.

CYCLING Preview: Three titles available in Mountain Bike World Cup finale in La Bresse

By
Rich Perelman
-

The final chapter of the 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup for the Cross Country and Downhill disciplines comes this weekend in La Bresse (FRA) with the incomparable Nino Schurter (SUI) assured of his sixth career World Cup Cross Country title, but all of the others up for grabs:

Men/Cross Country:
1. 1,546 Nino Schurter (SUI)
2. 1,080 Mathieu van der Poel (NED)
3. 1,061 Henrique Avancini (BRA)
4. 1,022 Maxime Marotte (FRA)
5. 933 Gerhard Kerschbaumer (ITA)

Women/Cross Country:
1. 1,600 Jolanda Neff (SUI)
2. 1,458 Annika Langvad (DEN)
3. 1,077 Maja Wloszczowska (POL)
4. 1,070 Emily Batty (FRA)
5. 1,060 Alessandra Keller (SUI)

Men/Downhill:
1. 1,088 Amaury Pierron (FRA)
2. 781 Loris Vergier (FRA)
3. 776 Danny Hart (GBR)
4. 776 Troy Brosnan (AUS)
5. 648 Luca Shaw (USA)

Women/Downhill:
1. 1,226 Rachel Atherton (GBR)
2. 1,116 Tahnee Seagrave (GBR)
3. 905 Tracey Hannah (AUS)
4. 689 Monika Hrastnik (SLO)
5. 640 Myriam Nicole (FRA)

Schurter has run away with the Cross Country title, but 2017 World Champion Jolanda Neff and 2016 World Champion Annika Langvad (DEN) are still fighting for the women’s title. Neff won the World Cup in 2014 and 2015; this would be the first for Langvad.

In the Downhill, the surprise of the season has been France’s Amaury Pierron, who has won his first World Cup title after finishing 11th last year. The women’s race is ongoing, with Rachel Atherton and Tahnee Seagrave in an all-British fight for the title. Atherton has won the title five times in 2008-12-13-15-16, Seagrave was second last year and third in 2016.

Look for results and final standings here.

CYCLING Preview: Sprint double-header on tap in Plouay

By
Rich Perelman
-

The annual sprint races in Plouay (FRA) are tap for Friday and Saturday, with the 125.5 km women’s race on Saturday and the men’s 256.9 km race on Sunday.

Both are on courses that have hills, but no serious climbs and a mostly downhill final kilometer, so this should be a good weekend for the sprinters.

In the women’s race, the Grand Prix de Plouay, the main combatants are expected to include the seven former medalists:

∙ Marianne Vos (NED) ~ winner in 2012-13, second in 2009-10-14, third in 2011
∙ Eugenia Bujak (SLO) ~ winner in 2016
∙ Elena Cecchini (ITA) ~ second in 2016
∙ Tiffany Cromwell (AUS) ~ second in 2012
∙ Sarah Roy (AUS) ~ third in 2017
∙ Anna van der Breggen (NED) ~ third in 2013
∙ Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) ~ third in 2012

The UCI Women’s World Tour standings have been turned inside out by Vos, 31, who took over the seasonal lead from countrywoman van der Breggen with wins at Postnord Vargarda and in the Ladies Tour of Norway.

Vos now has a tight 1,244.88-1,160.33 lead with four events to go, with Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) third at 1,105.86.

But there are lots of other contenders in an all-star field, including American sprinter Coryn Rivera and 2016 Women’s World Tour winner Megan Guarnier, Dutch stars Chantal Blaak and Amy Pieters, Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma, Australians Amanda Spratt and Chloe Hosking, South Africa’s Ashleigh Moolman and Finland’s Lotta Lepisto. All have won medals in Women’s World Tour races this season.

The men’s race, the Bretagne Classic-Ouest-France, comes on Sunday and includes six prior champions in the field, plus six other medal winners:

∙ Alexander Kristoff (NOR) ~ winner in 2015, second in 2017, third in 2016
∙ Simon Gerrans (AUS) ~ winner in 2009
∙ Filippo Pozzato (ITA) ~ winner in 2013
∙ Grega Bole (SLO) ~ winner in 2011
∙ Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) ~ winner in 2012
∙ Oliver Naesen (BEL) ~ winner in 2016
∙ Samuel Dumoulin (FRA) ~ third in 2013
∙ Yoann Offredo (FRA) ~ third in 2010
∙ Rui Costa (POR) ~ second in 2012
∙ Alberto Bettiol (ITA) ~ second in 2016
∙ Arthur Vichot (FRA) ~ third in 2014
∙ Sonny Colbrelli (ITA) ~ third in 2017

Kristoff will be trying for a fourth consecutive medal in the race and has to be the favorite. If the race comes down to a mass sprint at the end, Germans John Degenkolb and Niklas Arndt will likely be in the mix.

Look for results from both races here.

CYCLING Preview: Wide-open field in 73rd Vuelta a Espana

By
Rich Perelman
-

The third of cycling’s annual Grand Tours starts on Saturday in Malaga, Spain, beginning the 73rd edition of La Vuelta a Espana.

This will be a different race from the two earlier Grand Tours in 2018: neither of the winners – Chris Froome (GBR: Giro d’Italia) or Geraint Thomas (GBR: Tour de France) nor the runner-up, Tom Dumoulin (NED) – are in.

In fact, the last Grand Tour not won by these three was the 2017 La Vuelta, won by Colombia’s Nairo Quintana, who is entered and hopes for a better performance than his 10th-place finish at the Tour de France, although he did win one stage.

The route:

• Stage 1: 25 August Malaga to Malaga (Indiv. Time Trial: 8.0 km)
• Stage 2: 26 August Marbella to Caminito del Rey (163.5 km; flat)
• Stage 3: 27 August Mijas to Alhaurín de la Torre (178.2 km; medium mountains)
• Stage 4: 28 August Velez-Malaga to Alfacar (161.4 km; medium mountains)
• Stage 5: 29 August Granada to Roquetas de Mar (188.7 km; medium mountains)
• Stage 6: 30 August Huercal-Overa to San Javier (155.7 km); flat
• Stage 7: 31 August Puerto Lumbreras to Pozo Alcon (185.7 km’ flat)
• Stage 8: 01 September Linares to Almadén (195.1 km; flat)
• Stage 9: 02 September Talavera de la Reina to La Covatilla (200.8 km; mountains)
03 September Rest day
• Stage 10: 04 September Universidad de Salamanca to Fermoselle (177.0 km; flat)
• Stage 11: 05 September Mombuey to Ribeira Sacra (207.8 km; hilly)
• Stage 12: 06 September Mondoñedo to Faro de Estaca de Bares (181.1 km; hilly)
• Stage 13: 07 September Candas. Carreño to Valle de Sabero (174.8 km; mountains)
• Stage 14: 08 September Cistierna to Les Praeres (171.0 km); mountains
• Stage 15: 09 September Ribera de Arriba to Lagos de Covadonga (178.2 km; mountains)
10 September Rest day
• Stage 16: 11 September Santillana del Mar to Torrelavega (Indiv. Time Trial: 32.0 km)
• Stage 17: 12 September Getxo to Balcon de Bizkaia (157.0 km; hilly)
• Stage 18: 13 September Ejea de los Caballeros to Lleida (186.1 km; flat)
• Stage 19: 14 September Lleida to Andorra. Naturlandia (154.4 km; flat)
• Stage 20: 15 September Escaldes-Engordany to Coll de la Gallina (97.3 km; mountains)
• Stage 21: 16 September Alcorcon to Madrid (112.3 km; flat)

The 21 stages include two time trials, five mountain stages, six hilly stages and six which are fairly flat.

There are six returning medalists:

∙ Alejandro Valverde (ESP) ~ Won in 2009, second in 2006 & 2012, third in 2013-2014
∙ Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) ~ Won in 2010, second in 2013 and 2017
∙ Fabrio Aru (ITA) ~ Won in 2015
∙ Nairo Quintana (COL) ~ Won in 2016
∙ Rafal Majka (POL) ~ Third in 2015
∙ Ilnur Zakarian (RUS) ~ Third in 2017

Nibali owns four Grand Tour wins, taking the Giro d’Italia in 2013 and 2016, the Tour de France in 2014 and La Vuelta in 2010. Quintana is the other multi-Grand Tour winner, also taking the Giro in 2014.

Unfortunately, Nibali is still recovering from a crash at the Tour de France and may not be in shape to challenge for the overall title.

Beyond these, look for the British brothers Adam and Simon Yates. Simon was second in the Tour de Pologne this year and Adam was the Criterium du Dauphine runner-up in June. Simon led the Giro d’Italia from stages 6-18, then faded to finish 21st overall; he’s finished as high as sixth at La Vuelta, back in 2016.

Some of the oddsmakers like Australia’s Riche Porte, who looked like a contender at the Tour de France, but crashed out in the ninth stage. A case can be made for Miguel Angel Lopez (COL), Thibaut Pinot (FRA), Rigoberto Uran (COL) and Elia Viviani (ITA), among others.

In the sprint stages, Peter Sagan (SVK) won the Tour de France points classification in a rout, but might be looking ahead to the World Road Championships rather than the Points jersey here. There are plenty of other sprinters in the field, notably Italians Matteo Trentin, who has won four stages in this race, and Viviani.

Look for results here.

BASEBALL Preview: Japan tries for sixth straight women’s Baseball world title

By
Rich Perelman
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The seventh edition of the women’s Baseball World Cup is underway in Viera, Florida, with Japan looking for its sixth consecutive win in the biggest tournament in women’s baseball.

This is baseball, not softball, and Japan has won the World Cup in 2008-10-12-14-16, beating the United States twice, Canada twice and Australia once. The Japanese stomped Canada, 10-0, to win in 2016 with Venezuela third and Chinese Taipei fourth.

The event is being held in the U.S. for the first time; the American team is the only other to win the World Cup, taking the title in the first two editions in 2004 and 2006.

In 2018, the initial play will be in groups:

∙ Group A: Chinese Taipei, United States, Korea, Venezuela, Netherlands, Puerto Rico
∙ Group B: Japan, Canada, Australia, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Hong Kong

Round-robin play in the groups will continue through the 26th; the top three teams in each group will play in a “Super Round” with the top four playing in the Championship and Bronze Medal games on 31 August.

Look for results here.

Bach on why an Olympic Games could be canceled

By
Rich Perelman
-

During his lengthy interview with CNN Money Switzerland host Martina Fuchs, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was asked about the IOC’s financial reserves and he noted that “What we try to have are reserves which could make us surviving the cancellation of an Olympic Games.”

Fuchs then followed up and asked if cancellation of a Games was really a possibility. Bach said:

“No, it’s not a high probability, but in our fragile world, you never know what’s going to happen. You may remember discussions about the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, Korea, when the missile tests were taking place, when there was the threat of a military strike.”

Those tests were at their height in the mid-summer and early fall of 2017. How close did we get to a cancellation of the Games?

“Very close, because for the cancellation of a Games, the threshold is not military action.

“The threshold is that one country would say, ‘We are not going, because we do not see there the safety and security of our athletes being guaranteed.’ And there the discussions were not so easy to say, diplomatically.”

Those discussions did take place in the U.S. and elsewhere. So Bach’s comments are a worthwhile insight into his thinking about boycotts and non-participation in the Games, centered – as he always is – on the athletes as representatives of their countries, rather than on security issues which the IOC cannot impact anyway, at least not directly.

And it all turned out well, as the North Koreans decided to use the PyeongChang Games for a “charm offensive.” And as Bach noted later in the interview, “If a charm offensive leads to a peace negotiation, every charm offensive in this world is welcome by the IOC.”

The death of track & field starts next year in Minsk

By
Rich Perelman
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From Michelangelo's immortal "The Last Judgment" (1535-41) in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

The just-completed European Championships in Berlin (GER) was the best meet of the year and included four world-leading marks and a sensational 6.05 m (19-10 1/4) victory by Swedish teenager Mondo Duplantis in the pole vault.

The Euros, which take place every two years, is the showpiece event for European Athletics, who take great care to ensure that it remains a major attraction for spectators and television viewers alike.

Perhaps that explains why the same people – European Athletics – have come up with a Frankenstein monster of a program to include in the 2019 European Games in Minsk (BLR): something called “Dynamic New Athletics.”

This is a national team event with 17 athletes and six reserves, scheduled to last two hours and is so complicated that your head will spin after watching the two-minute animated video explanation of it. “DNA” includes:

(1) A “track’athlon” – billed as an “Athletics Assault Course” – in which men compete in a first lap consisting of:

∙ 50 m run pulling a sled;
∙ Shot Put toss, shown as a two-handed, underhand toss in the video;
∙ Standing Long Jump;
∙ Water Jump, as in the Steeplechase, but without the rest of the race;
∙ 50 run carrying a medicine ball.

The women run the second lap, including:

∙ 50 m run while wearing a parachute or wind resistance;
∙ Shot Put Toss;
∙ Standing Long Jump;
∙ Water Jump;
∙ 50 m Medicine Ball run.

(2) Field events, which have been “rewired” to include (according to the video) a javelin throw and high jump in which each attempt counts in the scoring independently of any others;

(3) Team Races, which are “supercharged” and include:

∙ 100 m for men and women;
∙ 110 m Hurdles for men and 100 m Hurdles for women;
∙ Mixed 4×400 m Relay.

(4) “The Hunt,” which is the concluding event. It’s a Distance Medley Relay of 800 m for men, 600 m for women, 400 m for men and 200 m for women, with a handicapped start based on the point total amassed through the first three stages. Whomever crosses the finish line first is the overall winner.

The video, from the DNA.run Web site states that the event “can be played by any sports club, anywhere, anytime.” That’s where it belongs. As an elite-level event, it’s a joke.

Remember, this event is a product of long research and development by European Athletics, which copyrighted the Web site for the event back in 2013! It’s billed as a “new athletics for a digital world.” According to Marcel Wakim, Head of New Business Development at European Athletics, “The purpose behind the new format is to appeal to a younger audience between the ages of 15 and 34. We currently see these demographics walking by our common athletics house. We see DNA as a new entry point, a new door, to our house.”

No it’s not. It’s a summer camp playday, designed to be even more of a circus than a standard track meet and still missing key elements such as the bean bag throw, hopscotch and the obstacle course.

(Even the video is sloppy, listing the “Javlin Throw” and “100 m Womans Hurdles” as events.)

The summer-camp aspect of the event is underlined by the European Games competition schedule, which will award medals to the top three teams and the top three finishers in each of the 10 individual events contained within in. Lots of winners, lots of medals for everyone. And lasting two hours? Am I really supposed watch this for two whole hours?

The IAAF’s international schedule stopped this year for the European Championships. What about for the European Games? Not a chance; the European Games are scheduled for 14-30 June 2019. During that time:

∙ 16 June: IAAF Diamond League/Meeting Mohammed VI in Rabat (MAR)
∙ 20 June: IAAF World Challenge/Ostrava Golden Spike in in Ostrava (CZE)
∙ 28-29 June: IAAF Diamond League/Pre Classic in Eugene or somewhere close (USA)

Why did European Athletics do this? Since that organization owns, runs and profits by the European Championships and has little stake in the European Games, why not offer it a monstrosity in place of a proper track meet? In the name of “participating” in the European Games, European Athletics instead will simply embarrass the sport and embarrass itself. Have a coffin on standby.

Rich Perelman
Editor

ATHLETICS: $17 million for World U-18 Champs missing in Kenya

By
Rich Perelman
-

Kenya was awarded the IAAF World U-20 Champs last month, but maybe there are second thoughts after a report in the Kenyan newspaper, The Nation, that half of the government’s grant for the 2017 World Youth (U-18) Championships was “diverted” and cannot be accounted for.

That’s about $17 million U.S., which is being investigated by the Kenyan Auditor General, Edward Ouko. According to the report, “theft of the IAAF funds was perpetrated through single-sourcing, undelivered supplies, and lack of documentation. And there is still Sh138 million ($1.38 million) in pending bills to be paid.”

The story noted “that the State Department for Sports and Development was allocated Sh1.7 billion ($17 million), Sports Kenya Sh1.1 billion ($11 million) and Kenyatta University Sh689.6 million ($6.89 million) in preparation for the championship.” That’s almost $35 million, so what happened?

ATHLETICS: Baker runs world-leading 9.87 in Poland

By
Rich Perelman
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Just because he didn’t run in Birmingham doesn’t mean we should forget Diamond League men’s 100 m points leader Ronnie Baker of the U.S.

Already the co-world leader with Noah Lyles at 9.88, he did 1/100th better in winning at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzow (POL) on Wednesday in a world-leading 9.87.
He crushed the field, with American Mike Rodgers second in 10.10 and Turkey’s Olympic 200 m champ Ramil Guliyev third in 10.24. “I felt ready,” Baker said. “This is good motivation before the Diamond League final.”

It’s hard to say if Baker’s 9.87 was the highlight of the meet, or if it was the attendance of 41,200 (!!!), which the IAAF reported was the largest for a meet in Poland since the 1960s!
The meet had numerous stars, including Steven Gardiner (BAH), who won the men’s 400 m in 44.43, and Caster Semenya (RSA), who won the women’s 400 m in 50.06.

Poland had winners everywhere: Marcin Lewandowski won the men’s 800 m in 1:44.99, Piotr Lisek won the vault at 5.85 m (19-2 1/4) and Michal Haratyk threw 21.33 m (69-11 3/4) to defeat New Zealand’s world-leader, Tom Walsh (21.28 m/69-9 3/4).

American Colleen Quigley scored a lifetime best of 4:03.02 to win the women’s 1,500 m in a surprise over Poland’s European silver medalist, Sofia Ennaoui (4:03.28). It moves Quigley to no. 17 on the all-time U.S. list.

Last question: who was Kamila Skolimowska and why did she get a meet named after her? She was the 2000 Olympic hammer throw champion, who died much too soon, at age 26, in 2009 from a heart attack at a Polish training camp in Portugal.

FOOTBALL: Japan and Spain into the final at Women’s U-20 World Cup

By
Rich Perelman
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Two tight semifinals produced victories for Japan and Spain, who will meet on Friday (24th) for the championship in the FIFA women’s U-20 World Cup in Vennes (FRA).

The Spanish eked out a 1-0 victory in a battle of group winners vs. host France on a goal in the 51st minute from Patri Guijarro. They then had to hold on after a red card was issued in the 69th minute to Aitana Bonmati and the Spanish had to hold up with 10 players for the final 21 minutes of the match.

In the other semi, Japan took care of business in the first half, with goals from Riko Ueki in the 22nd minute and Jun Endo in the 27th minute to take a 2-0 lead over England. That proved to be enough, as Hannah Stambaugh turned away two shots on goal.

So the final will pit the two top teams of Group C: winner Spain (now 4-0-1) and runner-up Japan (4-1-0). They played back on 9 August, with Spain winning by 1-0 on a Carmen Menayo goal in the 16th minute.

France and England will meet for the bronze medal earlier on Friday. Look for match results here.

ARCHERY: Four U.S. team golds at Pan American Championships

By
Rich Perelman
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The United States dominated the team events at the XXIV Pan American Championships in Medellin, Colombia last weekend, winning the men’s Team Recurve, women’s Team Recurve and the Mixed Team Recurve and Team Compound titles, plus two Team Compound medals.

Brady Ellison and Mackenzie Brown won two golds each, in the Team Recurve and Mixed Team Recurve events, the only double-gold winners in the Senior division. Otherwise, Mexico was outstanding, winning the men’s and women’s Recurve with Ernesto Boardman and Alejandra Valencia, and the men’s Compound with Antonio Hidalgo.

Colombia’s Sara Lopez, the best women’s Compound archer in the world, won the women’s individual division and then silvers in the Team Compound and Mixed Team Compound events.

The U.S. won individual medals in men’s Recurve (Jack Williams: bronze), men’s Compound (Bridger Deaton: silver) and Mackenzie Brown and La Nola Shepherd (women’s Recurve: silver and bronze). Summaries:

Pan American Championships
Medellin (COL) ~ 14-19 August 2018
(Full results here)

Men:
Recurve: 1. Ernesto Boardman (MEX); 2. Crispin Duenas (CAN); 3. Jack Williams (USA); 4. Luis Antonio Alvarez Murillo (MEX). Semis: Duenas d. Alvarez Murillo, 6-0; Boardman d. Williams, 6-5 (9-8 shoot-out); Third: Williams d. Alvarez Murrillo, 7-3; Final: Boardman d. Cuenas, 6-4.

Team Recurve: 1. United States (Brady Ellison, Matt Requa, Jack Williams); 2. Chile; 3. Colombia; 4. Guatemala. Semis: United States d. Colombia, 6-0; Chile d. Argentina, 5-1. Third: Colombia d. Argentina, 6-0. Final: United States d. Chile, 6-0.

Compound: 1. Antonio Hidalgo (MEX); 2. Bridger Deaton (USA); 3. Camilo Andres Cardona (COL); 4. Kris Schaff (USA). Semis: Deaton d. Cardona, 144-144 (10-9 shoot-off); Hidalgo d. Schaff, 146-143. Third: Cardona d. Schaff, 148-146. Final: Hidalgo d. Deaton, 141-141 (10-10 shoot-off).

Team Compound: 1. Colombia (Daniel Munoz, Camilo Andrea Carmona, Sebastian Arenas); 2. United States (Reo Wilde, Kris Schaff, Matt Sullivan); 3. Puerto Rico; 4. El Salvador. Semis: United States d. El Salvador, 233-231; Colombia d. Puerto Rico, 231-226. Third: Puerto Rico d. El Salvador, 230-229. Final: Colombia d. United States, 233-233 (29-29 shoot-off).

Women:
Recurve: 1. Alejandra Valencia (MEX); 2. Mackenzie Brown (USA); 3. La Nola Shepherd (USA); 4. Ana Paula Vazquez. Semis: Valencia d. Vazquez, 7-1; Brown d. Shepherd, 6-0. Third: Shepherd d. Vazquez, 6-2. Final: Valencia d. Brown, 6-5 (9-8 shoot-out).

Team Recurve: 1. United States (Khatuna Lorig, Mackenzie Brown, La Nola Shepherd); 2. Mexico; 3. Brazil; 4. Colombia. Semis: United States d. Brazil, 5-4 (28-23); Mexico d. Colombia, 6-0. Third: Brazil d. Colombia, 6-2. Final: United States d. Mexico, 6-2.

Compound: 1. Sara Lopez (COL); 2. Nora Valdez (COL); 3. Mariana Bernal (MEX); 4. Linda Ochoa-Anderson (MEX). Semis: Lopez d. Ochoa-Anderson, 149-147; Valdez d. Bernal, 147-145. Third: Bernal d. Ochoa-Anderson, 147-145; Final: Lopez d. Valdez, 148-142.

Team Compound: 1. Mexico (Linda Ochoa- Anderson, Esmeralda Sanchez, Andrea Becerra); 2. Colombia; 3. United States (Jamie van Natta, Paige Pearce, Cassidy Cox); 4. Puerto Rico. Semis: Colombia d. Puerto Rico, 229-220; Mexico d. United States, 234-228. Third: United States d. Puerto Rico, 230-220. Final: Mexico d. Colombia, 233-231.

Mixed:
Team Recurve: 1. Brady Ellison/Mackenzie Brown (USA); 2. Marina Canetta/Marcus d’Almeida (BRA); 3. Alejandra Valencia/Luis Antonio Alvarez Murillo (MEX); 4. Ana Maria Rendon/Andres Pila (COL). Semis: Ellison/Brown d. Rendon/Pila, 5-4 (17-14); Canetta/d’Almeida d. Valencia/Alvarez Murillo, 6-2. Third: Valencia/Alvarez Murillo d. Rendon/Pila, 6-2. Final: Ellison/Brown d. Canetta/d’Ameida, 5-1.

Team Compound: 1. Paige Pearce/Matt Sullivan (USA); 2. Sara Lopez/Daniel Munoz (COL); 3. Esmeralda Sanchez/Antonio Hidalgo (MEX); 4. Marla Cintron/Bryan Alvarado (PUR). Semis: Pearce/Sullivan d. Cintron/Alvarado, 155-154; Lopez/Munoz d. Sanchez/Hidalgo, 156-154. Third: Sanchez/Hidalgo d. Cintron/Alvarado, 156-143. Final: Pearce/Sullivan d. Lopez/Munoz, 158-156.

ASIAN GAMES/SWIMMING: World 50 m Back record for China’s Xiang Liu

By
Rich Perelman
-

The 18th Asian Games is continuing in Indonesia, with excellent swimming competition in Jakarta, including a world record in the women’s 50 m Backstroke. Highlights of the first three days in the pool:

Men’s 200/400/800 m Freestyles: China’s Yang Sun won his sixth, seventh and eighth career Asian Games golds, winning the 200-400-800 m races and has the possibility for another gold in the 1,500 m if he chooses to compete.

His 200 m win in 1:45.43 is the no. 2 time in the world this year, and his 400 m win in 3:42.92 was the top mark in the world for 2018.

Men’s 50/100 m Backstrokes: A brilliant duel in the 100 m Back ended in a 52.34-52.53 win for China’s Jiayu Xu over Japan’s Ryosuke Irie with the no. 2 and 3 times in the world for 2018, behind American Ryan Murphy’s 51.94.

The same 1-2 finish was recorded on the second night of the Games in the 50 m Back as Xu won by 24.75-24.88.

Men’s 200 m Medley: China’s Shun Wang moved to no. 3 on the world list for 2018 with a 1:56.52 win over Japan’s Kosuke Hagino (1:56.75).

Women’s 50 m Backstroke: A nine-year-old record went down as China’s Liang Xiu – no relation to the 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the 110 m Hurdles in track & Field – swam 26.98 for the first world record of the Asian Games. China’s Jing Zhao had the old mark of 27.06 from the 2009 World Championships in Rome (ITA).

Women’s 400 m Medley: Japan’s Yui Ohashi was already the world leader at 4:33.77 at the Pan-Pacific Championships, but recorded the no. 2 time in the world at 4:34.58.

There are three more nights of swimming to go; the track & field action starts on Saturday (25th).

Through the first three days of overall competition, China leads with 62 medals (32-18-12) to 48 for Japan (12-18-18) and 34 for Korea (8-12-14). The biggest individual winner – and she’s not done – is Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee with five (4-1-0).

TABLE TENNIS Preview: Defending champs all return in Czech Open

By
Rich Perelman
-

The ITTF’s World Tour is heading for the close and the 10th event of 13 scheduled is the Czech Open in Olomouc. The top seeds include all four defending champions from 2017:

Men:
1. Dmitrij Ovtcharov (GER: 4)
2. Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN: 8)
3. Koki Niwa (JPN: 12)
4. Marcos Freitas (POR: 16)
5. Jonathan Groth (DEN: 17)

Women:
1. Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN: 4)
2. Mimo Ito (JPN: 5)
3. Miu Hirano (JPN: 8)
4. Hitomi Sato (JPN: 14)
5. Hina Hayata (JPN: 15)

Men’s Doubles:
1. Patrick Franziska (GER)/Jonathan Groth (DEN)
2. Ruwen Filus/Ricardo Walther (GER)
3. Nandor Ecseki/Adam Szudi (HUN)
4. Mattias Falck/Kristian Karlsson (SWE)
5. Tomokazu Harimoto/Yuto Kizukuri (JPN)

Women’s Doubles:
1. Hina Hayata/Miu Hirano (JPN)
2. Kasumi Ishikawa/Mima Ito (JPN)
3. Matilda Ekholm (SWE)/ Georgina Pota (HUN)
4. Barbora Balazova (SVK)/Hana Matelova (CZE)
5. Dora Madarasz/Szandra Pergel (HUN)

Defending champions from 2017 include Ishikawa and Ito in the Singles class, Franziska and Groth in men’s Doubles and Hayata and Ito in women’s Doubles. Ishikawa and Ito won last week in Bulgaria.

Look for 2018 results here.

CANOE-KAYAK Preview: Sprint World Championships start in Portugal

By
Rich Perelman
-

The ICF World Sprint Championships are on this week in the familiar Portuguese canoeing capital of Montemor-o-Velho, with 17 events for men and 13 events for women planned, plus a large number of paracanoe events. A total of 66 nations are entered. The defending World Champions from Racice (CZE) in 2017:

Men:
∙ C-1 200 m: Artsem Kozyr (BLR) ~ also won in 2015
∙ C-1 500 m: Martin Fuksa (CZE) ~ also won in 2015
∙ C-1 1,000 m: Sebastian Brendel (GER) ~ also won in 2014-15
∙ C-1 5,000 m: Brendel ~ also won in 2014-15
∙ C-2 200 m: Ivan Shtyl/Alexander Kovalenko (RUS) ~ Shtyl won in 2014-15
∙ C-2 500 m: Ivan Shtyl/Viktor Melantyev (RUS) ~ also won in 2013
∙ C-2 1,000 m: Peter Kretschmer/Yul Oeltze (GER)
∙ C-4 500 m: Germany (Brendel, Kiraj, Vandrey, Scheibner)

∙ K-1 200 m: Liam Heath (GBR)
∙ K-1 500 m: Josef Dostal (CZE)
∙ K-1 1,000 m: Tom Liebscher (GER)
∙ K-1 5,000 m: Fernando Pimenta (POR)
∙ K-2 200 m: Balazs Birkas/Mark Balaska (HUN)
∙ K-2 500 m: Rodrigo Germade/Marcus Walz (ESP)
∙ K-2 1,000 m: Milenko Zoric/Marko Tomicevic (SRB)
∙ K-4 500 m: Germany (Liebscher, Rauhe, Rendschmidt, Lemke)
∙ K-4 1,000 m: Australia (Wallace, Wood, Fitzsimmons, Stewart)

Women:
∙ C-1 200 m: Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (CAN) ~ also won in 2010-11-13-14
∙ C-1 500 m: New event
∙ C-1 5,000 m: New event
∙ C-2 200 m: New event
∙ C-2 500 m: Katie Vincent/Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (CAN) ~ Vincent-Lapointe also won (with a different partner) in 2011-13

∙ K-1 200 m: Lisa Carrington (NZL) ~ also won in 2011-13-14-15
∙ K-1 500 m: Volha Khudzenka (BLR)
∙ K-1 1,000 m: Alyce Burnett (AUS)
∙ K-1 5,000 m: Dora Bodonyi (HUN)
∙ K-2 200 m: Reka Hagymasi/Agnes Szabo (HUN) ~ Hungary has won 8 of the last 11
∙ K-2 500 m: Caitlin Ryan/Lisa Carrington (NZL)
∙ K-2 1,000 m: Erika Medveczky/Ramona Farkasdi (HUN)
∙ K-4 500 m: Hungary (Takacs, Medveczky, Fazekas-Zur, Vad) ~ Hungary has won this event in 2009-10-11-13-14-15-17!

New Zealand’s Carrington owns seven world titles in all, also winning the K-1/500 m in 2015, and was second in 2013 and 2017 and third in 2011; with a K-4 500 m bronze last year, she has a career total of 11 medals.

The canoeing worlds date back to 1938 and are generally held in every non-Olympic year. Only the men’s K-4/1000 m and the women’s K-2/500 m have been held in all 43 editions.

Look for results here.

THE BIG PICTURE: 53% support Calgary’s Olympic bid for 2026

By
Rich Perelman
-

The coming referendum in Calgary (CAN) about the city’s candidature for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games is heating up.

According to the GamesBids.com site, the Calgary bid committee will provide a Games “concept plan” to the public, which will include information on costs and sustainability.

Council member Evan Woolley said that “The host plan will be that value proposition: what are the costs? What are the risks? What are the rewards? All of those things (will) become available to Calgarians September 10.”

While the report is slated to be available to Council members about a week before, the September 10 date is the same day on which the Council has an “off-ramp” vote scheduled which could end the bid altogether.

Assuming the bid continues to the 13 November public referendum date, expect plenty of fireworks. According to a poll commissioned by the City, 53% currently support the bid effort, with 33% opposed and 13% undecided.

That’s good news for the Games supporters. But there are still concerns about costs, acknowledged by both the for-the-Games and against-the-Games activists.

The CBC reported Erin Waite, a spokeswoman for the group No Calgary Olympics, as saying “At some point, there’s got to be a value proposition where you understand the cost, the risks, cost overruns, contingency issues, as well as the benefits. Then you can make a decision for yourself.”

Both sides appear to agree on that.

Stephen Carter, a spokesman for Yes Calgary 2026, noted that “The entire time, we’ve talked about ‘not at any cost.’ In fact, I haven’t spoken to anybody who says we should do the Games regardless of the cost,” he said. “It needs to make sense to the city of Calgary.” Stay tuned!

Bach to CNN Money: “Organizing the Olympic Games is a feasible investment”

By
Rich Perelman
-

Say what you will about the International Olympic Committee and its 64-year-old president, Thomas Bach of Germany, but he’s not shy.

Bach gave a wide-ranging, 27-minute interview with Martina Fuchs on the CNN Money Switzerland program, “The Newsmaker” and covered almost every hot topic in the Olympic Movement today.

Fuchs let him speak and wasn’t too aggressive with follow-up questions, but Bach had a lot to say, especially about his anxiety with the way the Olympic Games is being characterized in potential candidate cities, especially for the 2026 Winter Games.

Asked about the defeat of the 2026 candidature of Sion in a referendum on the Canton (state) of Valais, Bach was ready.

“This is a referendum, this is a democratic procedure; we respect this. Even if we would have wishes that the arguments of the responsible people who were bringing this candidature forward would have been heard a little bit better, because the Olympic Agenda [2020] played an important role.

“And what is a little bit of pity maybe, is that the emotions around the Olympic Games, the magic of the Olympic Games, the support for the Swiss athletes, that all this did not play a real role. This is, at the end, what the Games are all about. They are about the athletes, they are about this magic, they are about the emotions, they are about excellence, they are about being good hosts.

“And all of this was reduced to a financial question and not discussed in a way which really reflected all the options which the Olympic Agenda is offering.”

Fuchs pointedly asked if a lack of trust in the IOC was a factor in the loss. Again, Bach was ready:

“This discussion took place more in some media than among the population. We have seen the polls and we have had constant contact with the candidature committee and there we were told it was three topics which played a role: the first one was money, the second was money and the third was money. And there, even with respect to money, the IOC has a lot to offer, because we are contributing to the success of Olympic Winter Games, with about $1 billion – to be precise – 925 million U.S. dollars.”

And Bach, at the end, emphasized what he felt is the key element not being discussed in potential host cities that is the core of why the Games are important:
“The Olympic spirit today is more important than ever, I think, because we are living in a very fragile world. And the Olympic Games are maybe the only event in this world which still manages to get the whole world together.

“You have 206 National Olympic Committees in one place at the same time, the athletes competing with each other, but living at the same time in the Olympic Village together under one roof. And this without any kind of discrimination , regardless of any of the backgrounds, be it political or religious or sexual orientation or whatever.

“And this unifying power of the Olympic spirit, we need more than ever because we see that the world becomes more and more ego-centric, that it’s more and more individualization and therefore, we are happy that we can still present this unity in all the diversity of humanity.”

He noted, with considerable satisfaction – not quite glee, but as close as Bach will allow in public – the role that the Winter Games in PyeongChang earlier this year played in Korean politics. Fuchs opened the door by noting that the Games presented an opportunity for the North Koreans to stage a “charm offensive.” Bach replied:

“If a charm offensive leads to a peace negotiations, every charm offensive in this world is welcome by the IOC. And this is what, in effect, we managed there with the actions in the Olympic Winter Games – and we [had] there the joint march of the two Korean teams, the joint women’s ice hockey team – they opened the door for the peace talks which were following there. Then the politicians were walking through this open door. This is why we are extremely happy with this achievement and why we are very satisfied that these talks are going on and that since then, the tensions on the Korean Peninsula are much, much lower than even the day before the Olympic Winter Games.”

Bach’s subtle point, made throughout the show, was that if these achievements are also placed on the scale of public opinion – along with money – that the scale will tip more toward the Games than away from them.

However, he also had a lot to say about money.

“One four-years term – the Olympiad – is our budgeting time. And there, we hope, and we are pretty sure, given the success we enjoy on the marketing front and on the TV front, that for this Olympiad – that means from 2017 to 2020 – that we will exceed revenues of 6 billion U.S. dollars, 90 percent of which are going directly back to sport. So, this is from where you can see that we are a not-for-profit organization, because we are investing in the development of sport in all parts of the world and in supporting athletes all over the world.

“We are offering a lot of possibilities for organizing committees to cut the budget, and as one of the implementation measures of Olympic Agenda 2020, we have made more proposals and recommendations, what we are calling ‘The New Norm.’ And applying these ‘new norms’ can lead to budget cuts – additional budget cuts – of a potential of about one billion U.S. dollars [per Games] more.

“But speaking of Tokyo, you always have to take into consideration that you cannot speak only of expenditures. You also have to speak about the revenues. And there you see that Tokyo will achieve the most successful – by far – marketing program in the Olympic history, and that Tokyo will enjoy the support of the IOC with about 1.6 billion U.S. dollars. So there you can see that organizing the Olympic Games is a feasible investment. And in PyeongChang 2018, you will hear in the near future that there the budget will again make [an operating] profit.”

Fuchs had all of the rest of the hot-button questions ready, about doping, eSports and more. Highlights:

On doping: “The IOC is taking a tough position. We excluded Russia from the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. This is the toughest sanction we can impose there on a National Olympic Committee, and now we have seen many reforms in Russia in the anti-doping system. I hope that they will bear fruit and I hope that this will have a deterrent effect on all those who may consider to support such a system, but I have no indication that it’s happening in this way [again].

“But doping will always happen. This is one of the wars you cannot win.”

On eSports: “It’s obviously a very growing phenomenon; this is why we established a dialogue with the eSports industry.

“[W]e see the development, we see the differences and we are looking for things we may have in common. And the differences are pretty clear; we have on the one hand, an industry – a profit-oriented industry – and we have on the other hand, a values-based, not-for-profit organization and to being these together is not easy.”

On unused stadiums from prior Games: “We could now enter into a long discussion about which facilities are used or allegedly not used there. The storytelling is not always reflecting the reality, but we have anyway turned the page in this respect and we make it now obligatory for every city which want to be a candidate for the Olympic Games to present a sustainability plan from the very beginning of the candidature. And then we are following this up during all the candidature phase, so this is one of the reforms we have undertaken.”

Bach was asked what was his biggest challenge right now. He didn’t hesitate: “The biggest challenge is to make people believe that the reforms are really bearing fruit, and to get this message across. The other big challenge for the Olympic Movement is to keep its political neutrality … to keep the athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement and to make sure that the sports competitions are in clean competitions and good governance measures are also applied, not only in the IOC, but across the Olympic Movement.” He has the ideas right, but convincing others is, as he says, “not easy.”

Rich Perelman
Editor

TABLE TENNIS: China dominates World Tour in Bulgaria

By
Rich Perelman
-

China fielded three Olympic gold medalists from Rio in the Asarel Bulgaria Open in Panagyurishte and all three ended up with wins.

Olympic women’s Singles winner Ning Ding won her division as China won gold, silver and one of the two bronze medals in the women’s Singles, then Xin Xu – a Team gold medalist in Rio – defeated Kenta Matsudaira (JPN) for the men’s Singles title. It’s Xu’s second straight win in a World Tour event after the Australian Open in July.

Xu then teamed with Rio Singles winner Long Ma to win the men’s Doubles title. Japan’s third-seeded Mima Ito and Kasumi Ishikawa won the women’s Doubles title. Summaries:

ITTF World Tour/Bulgaria Open
Panagyurishte (BUL) ~ 16-19 August 2018
(Full results here)

Men’s Singles: 1. Xin Xu (CHN); 2. Kenta Matsudaira (JPN); 3. Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) and Te Ma (CHN). Semis: Matsudaira d. Harimoto, 4-2; Xu d. Ma, 4-0. Final: Xu d. Matsudaira, 4-1 (12-10, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6, 11-4).

Men’s Doubles: 1. Long Ma/Xin Xu (CHN); 2. Masataka Morizono/Yuya Oshima (JPN); 3. Paul Drinkhall/Liam Pitchford (ENG) and Cheng-Ting Liao/Yun-Ju Lin (TPE). Semis: Ma/Xu d. Liao/Lin, 3-1; Morizono/Oshima d. Drinkhall/Pitchford, 3-2. Final: Ma/Xu d. Morizono/Oshima, 3-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6).

Women’s Singles: 1. Ning Ding (CHN); 2. Yidi Wang (CHN); 3. Gaoyang Liu (CHN) and Hitomi Sato (JPN). Semis: Wang d. Sato, 4-2; Ding d. Liu, 4-1. Final: Ding d. Wang, 4-3 (11-7, 10-12, 8-11, 1-8, 11-6, 4-11, 11-2).

Women’s Doubles: 1. Mima Ito/Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN); 2. Gaoyang Liu/Rui Zhang (CHN); 3. Hina Hayata/Miu Hirano (JPN) and Honoka Hashimoto/Hitomi Sato (JPN). Semis: Liu/Zhang d. Hashimoto/Sato, 3-0; Ishikawa/Ito d. Hayata/Hirano, 3-2. Final: Ito/Ishikawa d. Liu/Zhang, 3-1 (10-12, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6).

SPORT CLIMBING: Kruder & Nonaka win World Cup Bouldering titles

By
Rich Perelman
-

Two new names are World Cup champions in the Bouldering division of Sport Climbing as Slovenia’s Jernej Kruder and Japan’s Miho Nonaka held on to their leads at the final event of the year in Munich (GER).

Both came in with tiny leads in their events: Kruder had a four-point edge over Japan’s 2016 World Cup winner Tomoa Narasaki and Nonaka was just five points ahead of countrywoman Akiyo Noguchi.

As it turned out, neither Kruder or Nonaka won. Instead, it was Slovenians Gregor Verzonik, who claimed his first career World Cup win, and Janja Garnbret, who competed in only her third Bouldering World Cup and got her second win to move up to fourth in the seasonal standings.

But Kruder and Nonaka both finished second, just enough to give them the season titles. As Narasaki tied for ninth in Munich, Kruder won the overall title buy 442-400. But Nonaka finished second only because she took just five tries to claim four Tops and four zones, while Noguchi took seven for the same results. So, in the seasonal standings, it was Nonaka 500 and Noguchi, 495. Summaries:

IFSC World Cup
Munich (GER) ~ 17-18 August 2018
(Full results here)

Men/Bouldering: 1. Gregor Vezonik (SLO), 2T4z ~ 12; 2. Jernej Kruder (SLO), 2T3z ~ 9; 3. Jakob Schubert (AUT), 2T3z ~ 19; 4. Yoshiyuki Ogata (JPN), 2T3z ~ 11; 5. Yuji Fujiwaki (JPN), 2T2z ~ 5.

Bouldering/Final Standings: 1. Jernej Kruder (SLO), 442; 2. Tomoa Narasaki (JPN), 400; 3. Rei Sugimoto (JPN), 334; 4. Alexsei Rubtsov (RUS), 296; 5. Gregor Vezonik (SLO), 280.

Women/Bouldering: 1. Janja Garnbret (SLO), 4T4z ~ 4; 2. Miho Nonaka (JPN), 4T4z ~ 5; 3. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN), 4T4z ~ 7; 4. Fanny Gibert (FRA), 1T4z ~ 1; 5. Katja Kadic (SLO), 1T2z ~ 1.

Bouldering/Final Standings: 1. Miho Nonaka (JPN), 500; 2. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN), 495; 3. Fanny Gibert (FRA), 320; 4. Janja Garnbret (SLO), 280; 5. Katja Kadic (SLO), 246.

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