SPORTS
Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
The Sentinel-Record, Wednesday, August 10, 2016 1B
Hogs start slowly in Spanish tour FROM STAFF REPORTS
The Associated Press
GOLDEN GIRLS: U.S. gymnasts, left to right, Simone Biles, Gabrielle Douglas, Aly Raisman, Madison Kocian and Lauren Hernandez wave to the audience after winning the gymnastics women’s team gold medal Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro. The Americans successfully defended the title they won at the 2012 London Olympics.
Karolyi’s ‘Final Five’ bring US gold WILL GRAVES
The Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO — Martha Karolyi leaned forward, her hands clutching the railing in front of her seat. Knuckles white. Head tilted. Body tense. It didn’t matter that the U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team had already sewn up the team gold by the time three-time world champion Simone Biles saluted the floor-exercise judges during the final event on Tuesday night.
Winning isn’t enough for Karolyi. Never has been. For 90 seconds the longtime national team coordinator leaned one way and then another, following Biles’ every move. Only after Biles’ score was posted — one that served as an exclamation point on two hours of nearly flawless gymnastics — did the architect of a dynasty relax. Then, something else happened. Something she never saw coming. She started crying. And not just a little.
“I pride normally being very tough,” Karolyi said. “I was ‘Oh, what’s happening to me? What is this?’” It’s goodbye. The 73-year-old is stepping away from the program she has spent the last 15 years turning into one of the most dominant forces at the Olympics. Her athletes — all of whom she’s nurtured from prodigies to champions — repaid her hard work with a fitting tribute of precision and tenacity.
FINAL FIVE, PAGE 3B
Ukraine netter knocks out Serena in Rio THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RIO DE JANEIRO — Out of sorts and out of answers, defending champion Serena Williams is out of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Shanking shots of all sorts, including five — yes, five! — double-faults in one game alone, Williams lost to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-4, 6-3 in the third round in a real shocker Tuesday, ending the No. 1-seeded American’s bid to become the first tennis player to collect a pair of singles golds. Against an unheralded opponent who at times couldn’t seem to miss, Williams had problems right from the start, when she got broken to fall behind 2-1 with a badly missed overhead into the net. That set a pattern. By match’s end, Svitolina had won 63 points, but merely nine came via clean winners of her own doing. The others came thanks to Williams’ 37 unforced errors and 17 forced errors. After winning golds in singles and doubles at the 2012 London Olympics, Williams heads home from Brazil with nothing. She and her older sister Venus, who sat in the stands Tuesday, lost in the first round of doubles — their first defeat in the Olympics after going 15-0 with three golds. The 20th-ranked Svitolina, meanwhile, never before played in the Olympics and only once has been to a major quarterfinal. She also entered the night 0-4 against Williams, an owner of 22 Grand Slam singles championships. Their most recent match came at the French Open on June 1, and it ended with Williams winning 6-1, 6-1. So that gives another indication of how unforeseeable Tuesday’s result was. Give credit to Svitolina, who played a fearless brand of big-strike tennis, sending deep groundstrokes off both wings toward lines and managing to put most right where she wanted them.
Cover
Soccer draw for U.S.: With time running out, Catalina Usme beat Hope Solo with a free kick from a tight angle to give Colombia a 2-2 draw against the United States. Usme also scored in the 26th minute to give the Colombians an early 1-0 lead. It was the team’s first-ever Olympic goal, and first-ever goal against the United States. Despite the draw, the top-ranked United States still finished atop Group F. Teenager Mallory Pugh became the youngest player to score for the United States in an Olympics with her goal in the 59th minute, giving the Americans a 2-1 lead. Crystal Dunn also scored for the defending champions. The U.S. women’s team, the reigning World Cup champions, is vying for its fourth straight Olympic gold medal. Pugh, just 18, came into the game as a firsthalf substitute for midfielder Megan Rapinoe, who played in her first match since having ACL surgery in December. In addition to Rapinoe, United States coach Jill Ellis made several other changes to her starting lineup, sitting regular starters Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath and Meghan Klingenberg. Julie Johnston, who sat out the second game with groin injury, was also on the bench. Morgan came in after the half for Carli Lloyd. Pugh, who hurt her ankle in the 2-0 opening win against New Zealand, went in when Rapinoe was pulled in the 33rd minute as temperatures hovered in the upper 80s. Armchair warriors: NBC said its Olympic audience reached parity with the London Games for the first time on the third night of competition. But there’s an asterisk involved in the claim. The network said that its “total audience delivery” was 31.5 million for the Olympics on
OLYMPICS, PAGE 3B
girl
The Associated Press
MEETS HER MATCH: American Serena Williams goes down to defeat against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina at the Summer Olympics Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro.
The Associated Press
CRYSTAL CLEAR: Crystal Dunn, center, celebrates scoring the United States’ first goal against Colombia in an Olympic women’s soccer match Tuesday in Manaus, Brazil.
Hogs tweak O-line players, positions NATE ALLEN
Special to The Sentinel-Record
The Associated Press
Outdueling Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom in the women’s 200-meter freestyle, American swimmer Katie Ledecky wins her second gold medal of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics Tuesday night. Surging ahead before the last turn for home, the 19-year-old Ledecky (Bethesda, Md.) finished in 1 minute, 53.73 seconds, two nights after setting the world 400 record (3:56.46). Sjostrom finished in 1:54.08 and Emma McKeon of Australia took the bronze in 1:54.92.
MADRID — Arkansas’ men’s basketball team started slowly in its Spanish exhibition tour, falling 81-75 to Euro Colegio Casvi Tuesday night after a second-half rally. Arkansas trailed by up to 16 points midway through the quarter before chipping the lead to 11 at period’s end. A layup by Anton Beard and a three-point basket by Daryl Macon pulled the Razorbacks within five points, the closest Arkansas had been since trailing 8-2 in the opening minutes. Dustin Thomas’ basket tied it at 75-75 with 1:09 left, but ECC scored the final six points of the game. “Our energy level just wasn’t where it needed to be early on, but credit our guys for fighting back and tying the game,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. “We had a few bright spots from the younger players, but all in all this is going to be a learning experience as we grow as a team.” Three Razorbacks scored in double figures, Manny Watkins and Dusty Hannahs with 11 points each and Macon adding 10 points and two steals in 17 minutes. Trey Thompson had seven rebounds, Thomas tallying six boards and four assists. Arkansas travels to Albacete, Spain, today for a 10:30 a.m. CDT tip-off against Albacete Basket. Afterward, the Razorbacks proceed to Valencia for the second portion of the three-city tour of the country. Hogs vs. Cowboys: Arkansas, one of three Southeastern Conference winners last year in the annual challenge with the Big 12, goes on the road for a Jan. 28, 2017, game against Oklahoma State. Tip-off is 3 p.m. at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., for the 51st meeting between the two programs. Oklahoma State leads the series 36-14, with 46 matchups coming prior to the 1972-73 season. Arkansas’ last win came in Stillwater Dec. 7, 1966. Dusty Hannahs scored 25 points and Moses Kingsley tallied a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds as Arkansas downed Texas Tech 75-68 in overtime at Walton Arena in Fayetteville in the 2016 Big 12/SEC Challenge. In other Challenge games, ESPNU is also airing LSU at Texas Tech (1 p.m.) and Auburn at TCU (5 p.m.). ESPN has the marquee matchup of Kansas at Kentucky at 5 p.m., following Texas A&M at West Virginia, Florida at Oklahoma and Texas at Georgia. ESPN2 will carry Kansas State at Tennessee, Iowa State at Vanderbilt and Baylor at Ole Miss. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Tuesday that Arkansas will play Sam Houston State Dec. 22 in Verizon Arena in the Razorbacks’ annual game in North Little Rock. Nonconference opponents coming to Walton Arena who hadn’t been reported are Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne Nov. 11, North Florida Dec. 10 and North Dakota State Dec. 20. Previously reported games include Dec. 1 against Stephen F. Austin and Dec. 6 against Houston, both in Fayetteville, and Dec. 17 against Texas in Houston. CBS has reported Arkansas will play at Minnesota, but a date hasn’t been announced.
FAYETTEVILLE — Anybody formulating a Razorback depth chart should write in the offensive line in faint pencil with an arsenal of erasers. Tuesday’s offensive line first-team during the first four practice periods open to media had only sophomore left guard Hjalte Froholdt in place from the beginning of preseason drills Thursday. Tuesday’s practice, the first in full pads after two totally noncontact and two in shoulder pads, was first conducted inside Walker Pavilion because of potential rain, moved outside to the practice field when it didn’t rain then moved back inside when lightning and rain briefly prevailed. The f irst-team O-line opened with University of
Texas graduate transfer Jake Raulerson at center, Frank Ragnow at right guard, Dan Skipper at left tackle and Brian Wallace at right tackle. The preceding practices, other than a slew of right guards including Raulerson, sophomore Zach Rogers and Wallace , had senior 3-year starter Skipper at right tackle, redshirt freshman Colton Jackson at left tackle and Ragnow at center. Any offensive alignment at any time during the preseason seems possible as Bielema and offensive-line coach Kurt Anderson said they will keep mixing and matching to “find their best five.” Whether Ragnow is a center or a guard, or Skipper a right tackle, left tackle or a guard, they know they are starting somewhere and
played before where they have started each practice. “We just kind of show up every day and it’s a new front,” Ragnow said. “You’ve just got to kind of handle adversity and deal with it. I mean, it’s fun. It’s fun seeing guys step up at new positions … It’s been good.” Does he have a guard (his position as a starter last year) or center (his position as a backup in 2014) preference? “I feel comfortable at both,” Ragnow said. “But I like center a lot. I learned to love it a lot. There’s a lot more there mentally. You’re kind of the head guy up front. But I like football the most.” Ragnow was asked if he frets redshirt freshman Jackson will take a confidence jolt practicing second-team for the
HOGS, PAGE 3B