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ADVOCATE / Olympics
Northern Advocate Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The heart of the North
Pursuit team are the wheel deal
Third in the world — and no longer second best in Oceania. New Zealand’s team pursuit team were savouring a rare win over Australia last night — and the country’s sixth medal of these Olympics. After years consigned to the pannier seat by their transtasman rivals, the quartet made up for the despair of missing the gold medal ride by ensuring Australia’s medal drought continued in a sport they are accustomed to dominating. New Zealand won the bronze ride-off with a clinical effort over 4000m, clocking 3min 57.776s, pulling away over the last kilometre. Australia, who trailed from the first lap of 16, timed 3min 59.006 seconds. Britain added Olympic gold to their world title, obliterating Denmark in the final while smashing their own world record. The British, who now have six track golds here, clocked a staggering 3min 53.314secs and almost caught the Danes on the last lap. In the preceding race, New Zealand played their part in diminishing Australia’s legacy by humbling the Athens champions. It was New Zealand’s second medal at Laoshan, following Hayden Roulston’s silver-medal individual pursuit ride on Saturday. Roulston was on the podium again, very much the elder statesman alongside Sam Bewley,
Bewley savours medal win
DELIGHT: Sam Bewley, Hayden Roulston, Marc Ryan and Jesse Sergent celebrate their bronze. PICTURE /AP
The last time the Olympics rolled round, Sam Bewley was 17 — and not getting much sleep. ‘‘I can actually remember setting my bed up in the lounge for three weeks and watching Sarah Ulmer ride,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s definitely unbelievable to now be here. I wouldn’t have believed it could happen four years ago.’’ Bewley was part of a men’s team pursuit that dominated Australia to win bronze in Beijing last night and, besides team-mates Marc Ryan, Hayden Roulston and Jesse Sergent, he paid tribute to two riders who weren’t selected. ‘‘The four of us wouldn’t have medals around our necks if it wasn’t for those two,’’ Bewley said of his best mate Westley Gough and Peter Latham. Roulston delighted in being the first New Zealander to win two medals on the track. ‘‘I’m not finished yet,’’ he said, setting his Marc Ryan and Jesse Sergent. He had the luxury of dropping off for the last kilometre to soak up the surge to the line. ‘‘It was unbelievable. Those guys are so young they don’t even know what they’re doing right now. It’s quite phenomenal riding 3.57. It’s a good sign for the future,’’ Roulston said. Beating Australia for the first time at a major meet just added to the occasion. ‘‘It’s fantastic, to stick it right up them. We haven’t
BEIJING BITES Sticks give Argentina fight HOCKEY: New Zealand last night produced their best display of their fivematch pool in losing 3-2 to world No 2-ranked Argentina. After losses to Japan, Germany, Britain and the US, the Black Sticks troubled Argentina for the full 70 minutes. Down 0-1 after 15 minutes, they turned on some of their best hockey to level through Niniwa Roberts two minutes before halftime. Argentina then surged 3-1 ahead before captain Lizzy Igasan struck a 61st-minute penalty corner and New Zealand could have secured a draw in a frantic finish. Germany and Argentina went through.
Coming out in Olympic Village? ATHLETES: Only 10 of the 10,500 athletes competing in Beijing are openly gay, according to a study — though the report believed there could be as many as 1000. Some athletes fear coming out would bring disapproval from team-mates, while others worry about the damage to endorsements. Just one of the 10, Australian diver Matthew Mitcham, was a man.
Nervy start on water KAYAKING: A broken seat and a nervous Mike Walker were cited as reasons for a spluttering start to the New Zealand K2 1000m Olympic kayaking campaign yesterday. But Walker’s partner Steven Ferguson was confident of finishing in the top three in tomorrow’s semifinal, saying they would ‘‘cruise through’’ to Friday’s final. They finished fourth in their heat. Not so upbeat was K1 1000m Ben Fouhy, who was third in his heat, to make the semifinals, but well beaten home by pacey Canadian Adam van Koeverden.
Phelps wishes Laing well SWIMMING: The world’s greatest swimmer Michael Phelps has passed on his regards to New Zealand swimming coach Duncan Laing, who is ill in a Dunedin hospital. ‘‘I was actually talking to a friend of his and we were relaying email messages back and forward and I was saying hello and sending my best wishes,’’ Phelps told a Beijing press conference after setting a record of eight gold medals at an Olympics yesterday. ‘‘Hopefully I will be able to make it down there and hopefully, all the best for Duncan.’’ Phelps visited Dunedin in 2003 and trained with Laing, who coached Danyon Loader to two gold medals.
Tough return for sisters SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING: Performing a fun routine to a Ukrainian dance tune, Dunedin sisters Lisa and Nina Daniels today became the first New Zealanders to compete in Olympic Games synchronised swimming for 24 years. But the judges were tough on their duet technical routine, giving them 40.500 for execution and 41.000 for overall impression, for a total of 40.750. That placed them last.
beaten them because they haven’t got a good team — we’ve beaten them because we’re better.’’ The contribution of Peter Latham and Wes Gough was not overlooked either, the duo having played an important role over a four-year campaign initiated by New Zealand’s winning of the junior world championships title in 2004. They were not on the podium, but their input has been immense.
Roulston said: ‘‘On any given day we’ve got six riders that are world class. Only four get the ride but the six are along for the journey. ‘‘For those guys sitting out watching, it’s quite hard for them but they’re right behind us,’’ Roulston said. ‘‘One day it might be me that misses out. The thing about this team is we’re a family, there’s no egos.’ New Zealand now have four Olympic track medals. Gary
sights on a third opportunity — the madison, which he rides with Greg Henderson tonight. The remarkable Roulston, who two years ago was told he could never ride again because of a potentially fatal heart condition, said he wasn’t here to break records but was thrilled to have done so. But Roulston rued the fact they were pipped for a gold medal ride-off by Denmark. In the semifinals they were forced to go wide past a slow Spain team, costing them two precious seconds. ‘‘We were very disappointed, the way the competition has been run. ‘‘They put the fastest team versus slowest and you’re going to catch [the slow teams] and it’s so dangerous,’’ Roulston said. ‘‘It’s unfair for some teams and we were one of them.’’ Great Britain, the standard-bearer for track cycling, destroyed the Danes and their own world record in the final.
— Dylan Cleaver
Anderson started the trickle with bronze in the individual pursuit in Barcelona, Sarah Ulmer was without peer in Athens — and then Roulston added the first silver during New Zealand’s record five-medal haul last weekend. Of the Australian quartet that won gold in a then-Olympic record time in Greece, Brett Lancaster flopped in the individual pursuit here while Bradley McGee showed
the exertions of a long road season and was dropped last night. In the women’s 40km points race Catherine Cheatley’s injuryabbreviated season caught up with here, though Dutch champion Marianne Vos was in a class of her own. Cheatley, who finished 53rd in the road race, endured another unfulfilling experience on the track finishing with no points and 17th of 19 riders.
— NZPA
An Achilles twangs, a nation mourns Chinese fans were stunned into silence and tears as national hero and 110m hurdles Olympic champion Liu Xiang hobbled out of the Games injured. The painful departure of the country’s most popular sportsman, poster boy and main hope for a track gold cast a huge shadow over an otherwise magnificent Games for China. The hosts lead the medals table with a seemingly unbeatable 39 golds. The US are way behind, with 22. The 2012 hosts, Britain, are having their best Olympics in almost a century and picked up their 12th gold, to be in third place. But it was Liu’s sad story that dominated attention. He didn’t look comfortable even in the warm-up. After a false start in his firstround heat, the man whose face adorns billboards across China clutched his leg and walked off the track. Fans looked stunned — many wept openly, including his personal coach Sun Haiping. The team’s head coach, Feng Shuyong, said Lui, 25, suffered a tendon injury that compounded a hamstring problem. ‘‘He would not have withdrawn unless the pain was intolerable.’’ Liu was more than just China’s best hope of track gold — he is the country’s marquee sportsman. A David Beckham-esqe figure whose image has been central to the marketing of the Games. Liu became his country’s first male Olympic track champion in Athens 2004 and was among the favourites in the event, though he faced a stiff rival in Cuba’s Dayron Robles. Such was the weight of national
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Tears mark end of an era
A
distraught Sam Warriner broke down after yesterday’s brutal triathlon after finishing 16th in a race she believed she could win. The 37-year-old finished the swim and bike ride in the leading pack but a fall in the transition area before the run got her off to a bad start and she never recovered. Warriner was off her bike and returning to her stand when a Japanese athlete slipped in front of her. Warriner went down in the tumble but appeared to recover. However, it was evident early in the run that Warriner didn’t have her usual legs and quickly drifted out of contention, eventually finishing third of the Kiwis behind Debbie Tanner, 10th, and Andrea Hewitt — who enjoyed the race of her life to cross in eighth. In some respects, it could mark the passing of the baton from Warriner, the dominant force in New Zealand women’s triathlon for some years, to her 25-year-old compatriots. You can guarantee You can Warriner will not be handing guarantee over the baton Warriner without a struggle. At will not be the finish line handing you could clearly over the understand what the sport baton means to her. without a ‘‘I’m pretty disappointed,’’ struggle. she said. ‘‘No excuses, I didn’t perform on the day. Very disappointed. Sorry to New Zealand, sorry to my sponsors in Whangarei and Auckland . . .’’ With that she broke into sobs and was escorted away by media manager Ian Hepenstall. Later she was seen slumped against a fence, consoled by coach Murray Healey. But Warriner had nothing to apologise for. The triathlon can expose you if you’re feeling even a little less than your best on the day. And, on a trouble-free day, it is unlikely she would have challenged Australia’s Emma Snowsill, who ran the 10km more than a minute faster than anyone, including Portuguese legend Vanessa Fernandes. Hewitt, 25, surprised many by hanging tough for as long as she did on the run. At one point she was leading — well, for 200m or so before Snowsill took charge. She had nothing left to give, collapsing at the finish line, with several others. ‘‘I decided to go out hard and I just tried to hang on as long as I could,’’ she said. ‘‘That last 1km, I felt like I had asthma even though I don’t. I was stoked to be the first New Zealander. I said a top 10, so my coach will be happy and I’m really happy.’’ Tanner wasn’t quite as happy, having targeted a top-five finish, but ending five spots lower. ‘‘A top 10 in the Olympics is fantastic,’’ she conceded. ‘‘I did hope for a higher placing, my goal was to do a little bit better than top 10 but my first Games, top 10 I’m happy with.’’
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PAIN AND TEARS: Liu Xiang had been cossetted in the build-up to his gold medal bid. But his injury saw him leave the stadium after PICTURE / AP his heat false-started (above), and left his coach, Sun Haiping, weeping. expectation, Liu had not even been allowed to drive for fear of injury. The son of a Shanghai truckdriver, he was selected when he was seven as a future high jumper but later took to hurdling and became an overnight star and multi-millionaire with gold in 2004. Sports officials had warned failure to
Willis aims to be in the mix The 1500m final is no place for enjoyment, Nick Willis said last night. He is the first New Zealander for 12 years to reach an Olympic final but the USbased Wellingtonian wants more in tonight’s final (2:50am NZT). Willis recalled Toni Hodgkinson running the race of her life to make the 1996 Atlanta 800m final and said: ‘‘I have to make sure I capitalise on this opportunity. Last year at the
beijing olympics
world championships I made the final but, on the start line, I thought ‘I’m here now, it’s just time to enjoy it’.’’ That race was won by American Bernard Lagat — who missed out this final. Willis said: ‘‘I’ve had that experience, now it’s time to get in the mix.’’ He has a new confidence, which stood him in good stead when he was trapped on the rail in the semifinal. ‘‘A long drive out from 600m would suit me well, then I can come home — NZPA strong.’’
win gold here would render his Athens win ‘‘meaningless’’, according to his coach, and some fans reacted in anger. ‘‘Afraid of Robles, so fake an injury?’’ read one website comment. ‘‘Play your role of a coward and people around the world will look down upon you.’’ But as the dust settled, anger seemed
Sarah Walker says the medalwinning New Zealand rowers have given her an added boost in her bid to win an Olympic medal when BMX makes its debut tomorrow. Walker and team-mate Marc Willers attended the Games opening ceremony before heading into training camp — and arrived in Beijing from their base an hour’s flight south on Saturday, in time to soak up New Zealand’s five medals. Walker said: ‘‘I was able to see and touch their medals — now I want one.’’
to give way to sympathy for Liu and the incredible pressure he had been under. Before Liu’s sad drama, Usain Bolt barely broke sweat as he strode through two rounds of the 200m. Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva won gold in the women’s pole vault, breaking her own world record, clearing 5.05m.
Ashley clings on to pole Tom Ashley clung onto his lead as his New Zealand teammates slipped from gold medal contention on a tough day on the Qingdao water. Ashley’s consistency saw him take a three-point lead into the 10th boardsailing race before the medals are decided. New Zealand manager Russell Green said Ashley couldn’t afford to let his rivals out of his sight. ‘‘He’s shown this
week he’s the best all-round sailor in this fleet.’’ It was a struggle for New Zealand’s other top hopes — Star pair Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams slipped from third to seventh in a bunched field and Jo Aleh, in the Laser Radial, continued her plummet down the standings to seventh after leading at the halfway point. Andrew Murdoch (sixth in the Laser) and Barbara Kendall (seventh in women’s boardsailing) remained long— NZPA shots for medals.
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