Sport magazine - Issue 267

Issue 267 | August 3 2012

PhilliPs idowu

agony. ecstasy. victory?

issue 267, August 3 2012 Radar 07 The 100m in numbers

How do Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake shape up on the stats?

09 Kings of the ring

We select our favourite knockout blows – biff!

10 Johnson’s heroes Sprint legend Michael Johnson on his Olympic inspirations

12 Behind the scenes

Sport takes a peek inside the athletes’ village...

oFeatures this coming week

20 Our man at the Games

24

What happened when Sport attended the opening ceremony – but then attempted to leave

24 Phillips Idowu Can he overcome injury and win the gold his talent deserves?

28 Greg Rutherford

The man who could well snatch a long jump medal for Team GB

44

10

31 Robbie Grabarz

56

We very politely ask him to jump.

He asks: ‘How high?’

32 The Blue Riband...

We preview the big one: the men’s 100 metres

extra time 54 Kit Cover image and this page: adidas via Getty Images

Inspired by Bradley Wiggins?

Hit the roads with this lot

56 Louise Hazel The British heptathlete who is not Jessica Ennis

58 Gadgets

31

Including a wireless music player and a rather nice camera...

60 Grooming

Some shower gels that will make you better commuting company | August 3 2012 | 03

Bolt and 1 The Beast 9.58

History is against Bolt. Only one men’s 100m champion has ever successfully defended their Olympic title: Carl Lewis in 1988 (and even he crossed the line in second, promoted to gold after Ben Johnson failed a drugs test).

Usain Bolt and Yohan ‘The Beast’ Blake race to decide the world’s fastest man on Sunday: we pick apart their showdown by numbers

The biggest kahuna: Usain Bolt's world record set in Berlin in 2009. It’s 0.17 seconds (a lot, in sprinting terms) faster than Yohan Blake has ever run. If Bolt can replicate this time, he’ll likely blow the whole field away.

0.11

The amount, in seconds, by which Blake beat Bolt when they raced at the Jamaican trials. One theory is that Bolt is secretly keeping his powder dry for London. If he’s not, it's a considerable gap to make up on a race that took place only five weeks ago.

0.146

Bolt's reaction time off the blocks in Berlin, 2009.

Unbelievably, he was second slowest of the eight finalists. Bolt's start

p10 – Michael Johnson picks his golden 1-2-3 p12 – Inside the Athletes’ Village

reactions are a weakness, but Blake's reaction to the bang isn't always hair-trigger quick either.

The reason he starts more impressively is...

6ins

Blake is, at 5ft 11ins, six inches shorter than Bolt.

It's partly the reason why his drive phase (how quickly he travels as he pushes upright from the start) is so explosive. Bolt’s long strides mean he comes into his own at mid-race.

27.79

Bolt’s peak MPH pace at 60-80 metres. It’s not just his raw pace, however – it’s that Bolt can maintain his velocity remarkably late into races (100m sprinters actually decelerate for the last 10-20 metres).

6/4

The odds on Blake winning. It was pretty unthinkable a year ago, but as rumours swirl about Bolt's injury worries, the quickest human the world has ever seen may not be the clever bet in this race.

See page 32 for a full preview of the men’s 100m

| August 3 2012 | 07

Michael Steele/Getty Images

Radar

p09 – Knockout kings of the canvas, on film

Radar

Knockout kings

to canvas at Ali’s peak in 1966. The ‘Ali shuffle’ blurs his feet, the punches come in crisp combinations and the dangerous ‘Big Cat’ Williams is sent crashing to the canvas four times. Perfect.

As ESPN raid their impressive boxing archive to bring out a DVD on boxing’s best KOs, we pick our own five favourite fistic destructions of all time Mike Tyson KO2 Trevor Berbick If one punch knocks a man down three damn times, we’re guessing that it’s a pretty titanic blow. Watching Trevor Berbick fall down, get up, lurch around, fall down again – then repeat his little routine – after a 20-year-old Iron Mike relieved him of his equilibrium with an humungous left hook in 1983 marked the arrival of Tyson as a jaw-dropping sensation.

Muhammad Ali KO3 Cleveland Williams ESPN feature Ali’s historic KO of George Foreman, but our favourite is this: a seven minutes, five seconds masterpiece etched on

Jack Dempsey KO2 Luis Angel Firpo Argentina’s ‘Wild Bull of the Pampas’ got up from an unbelievable seven first-round knockdowns to punch American heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey clean through the ropes in this 1923 brawl. Dempsey got back into the ring in a daze, survived the rest of the opener, then sat down in corner and allegedly inquired as to which round he’d been knocked out in.

“You’re still in the fight!” roared his trainer.

Dempsey promptly got up and wrecked Firpo.

Naseem Hamed KO4 Kevin Kelley (above) The Prince arrived on Concorde for his US debut in 1997, then got regally dumped on the seat of his leopard-print pants by local favourite Kelley. Both men hit the canvas three times in this featherweight slugfest, before Naz finished it with a pinpoint left hook. The wink he flashed the New Yorker while Kelley was down on the canvas probably hurt as much as any of the Sheffield man’s punches.

Tommy Hearns KO2 Roberto Duran When faced with Panamanian terror Duran, the first man to beat Sugar Ray Leonard and whose chin took Marvin Hagler’s best shots for 15 rounds, Tommy ‘The Hitman’ Hearns did what only he does best: near decapitate him with an elephantine right hand. Frankly, we’d have had Hearns arrested for such a punch.

See the Sport magazine iPad app for highlights of these fights.

ESPN All Time Top 25 Knockouts DVD is out on Monday

Couch coach T

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Al Bello/Allsport

he idea is easy: a Football Managerstyle game in athletics form, in which you coach swimmers or runners or cyclists to global glory via the comfort of your own sofa and/or office toilet. However, it’s still fiendishly challenging. Our young hurdler, Bob, is still more Colin Montgomerie than Colin Jackson, despite us upgrading his track facilities, tailoring his training and even buying in a pinball machine for the resting room. Hmmm. Maybe he just needs another pinball machine? Hey; if you think you can do any better than us, feel free to give it a go.

Medal Bound: available free via the App Store

| August 3 2012 | 09

Radar

The running and jumping starts this weekend, so we asked Michael Johnson about three of his favourite track-and-field athletes “There wasn’t really an athlete that I looked up to when I first started running – I just loved track, so I did it.

It wasn’t until I got into college and really started to study the history of sprinting that I became so hugely impressed with Jesse Owens and what type of athlete he was. And, at first, it was exactly that: as an athlete. It wasn’t until much later that I started to understand him as an individual and a human being, to know the wider magnitude of his performance as a black American in the 1936 Olympics, when he won four gold medals in Germany.

“The first thing that I learned about Jesse Owens – honestly – is that he once broke four world records in one day at the Big Ten Track and Field Championships in Ohio State.

It took him less than an hour to set four new world records. That’s just unbelievable.”

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, USA “On my first year on the professional circuit, I was around established athletes such as Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee – and I got to see just how incredibly professional Jackie was about her approach to the sport.

Watching her work, seeing how seriously she took her training really impressed me. It was something I took a lesson from.

“She also had a similar experience to me in that she had initial Olympic disappointment [as Johnson did because of food poisoning in 1992]. Now, whether it was in or out of your control, you need to use that to make you hungrier. The question you must answer is:

how do I bounce back from this? Jackie understood exactly what she’d done wrong and the adjustments she needed to make so that she would be better prepared the next time. She promised herself: ‘I can get back – nothing is going to stand in my way.’ That is something I can relate to with Jackie.”

Cathy Freeman, Australia “Cathy had a lot of attention in Sydney 2000, similar to the way I had at Atlanta in 1996.

Now, at that time, I didn’t really care. I knew what I needed to do to be successful and if I rubbed somebody up the wrong way, no problem. Cathy is completely the opposite to that, so I knew that it was going to be tough for her. I’ve known her for years and she does not like pressure, never has. Cathy would have much preferred not to have been the face of an Olympic Games. She felt she was representing not just Australia, but [specifically] all Aboriginals too.

“It was funny because my final was right after Cathy’s. I remember walking out and she was sitting there on the track, having won, and for a brief moment I got out of my own focus – which I never normally do – and thought ‘wow!’ I was thrilled for her. The stadium was buzzing like you would not believe.

I really don’t think anybody even paid any attention to my race!”

Gold Rush: What Makes an Olympic Champion by Michael Johnson is out now (HarperSport), £8.99

Never in the shade

10 | August 3 2012 |

From top: Jesse ‘short shorts’ Owens; Jackie ‘shorter shorts’ Joyner-Kersee; Cathy ‘more is more’ Freeman

P

art of the idle fun of any Olympics is judging the fashions of competing nations. From that hooded trenchcoat abomination in which Michael Phelps strides out to the pool to the Russian gym team’s tracksuits that have a distinctly 1980s look (and probably come with a bum bag), there have been some odd choices.

Britain have no such problems. For example, Mark Cavendish may have been denied gold in the road race, but we liked the sleek flair of his and his team’s Oakley shades. So we immediately hunted down their Limited Edition London 2012 Collection. Our pick is the polished black Fuel Cell (first left), with lightweight frames and UV lenses cut to a smooth contour. Sunproof and and stylish.

From £110, uk.oakley.com

Chris McGrath/Getty Images, Corr/AFP/Getty Images, Ron Kuntz/AFP/Getty Images, Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Jesse Owens, USA

Radar

Win-win situation A

fat, white, exasperated high school US football coach doing his utmost to inspire poor black kids sounds like typical Hollywood fare, but that won’t stop it from raising a lump in your throat. Oscarwinning documentary Undefeated starts with coach Bill Courtney listing how many of his players have been shot or arrested (in the past few weeks alone), before focusing on his Tennessee team’s attempts to turn around a history of epic defeats. At its heart, it’s about three young men trying to find a path out of their harsh realities – and understanding that success isn’t just about your win-loss record.

Undefeated is in cinemas from today

Village people A

pparently, taking corporate tickets and then watching the events on TV at home isn’t cool, so when we were invited for an exclusive look at the athletes’ village, we had to go down to have a look.

Located within spitting distance of the stadium, the village is home to athletes from 204 countries and boasts everything an athlete could want – chill-out zone, food halls, beauty salon, bank, even a florist – with the Olympic rings, where our man pulled off his totally original pose (top left), in the centre.

Most impressive to us was the gym – one of 20 (count ‘em) at the Games – which offers 250 pieces of Technogym equipment to keep the athletes in shape. Weirdly, 34-stone Guam judoka Ricardo Blas Jr was nowhere to be seen.

Technogym are Official Fitness Equipment Supplier to London 2012. technogym.com

12 | August 3 2012 |

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Radar Editor’s letter

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Underdressed: free seats at the dressage this week – so who exactly should be sitting there?

The price we pay Empty seats are an inevitable consequence of the dysfunctional Olympic family

F Editor-in-chief Simon Caney @simoncaney

amilies, eh? Who’d have ’em?

There’s always something to worry about. And it turns out the ‘Olympic family’ is just the same as everyone else’s.

Now, admittedly, the Olympic family is bigger than most. And most of them don’t get in touch more than once every four years. Not even a Christmas card.

But this disparate bunch are to blame for the raft of empty seats we have seen this week at most Olympic events. The ‘family’ (this is sounding like an episode of EastEnders now) had tickets, but they didn’t go. Fingers of blame were pointed: it was the sponsors; it was a few rogue nations; it was the governing bodies; it was daft Uncle Brian and his unruly kids.

Problem is, the IOC gets more and more unwieldy by the year. Ever since it launched its Olympic Partner Programme in 1985, bringing massive corporate

sponsors on board, it has had to satisfy the needs of many more people than just the spectators. Some people think those commercial behemoths should not be involved, but the truth is the Olympics would probably have died without them.

They would certainly not be the incredible showcase of sport that we have now.

Inevitably, there is a dance with the devil to be done when something like the Olympics sells a bit of its soul. Occasionally (Atlanta in 1996 being the nadir of greed), it gets it very wrong and does huge damage to the Olympic movement. But mostly it treads that tightrope pretty well.

Empty seats are ugly to see and the issue should have been foreseen. I can sympathise with the frustration of those who wanted to watch the action, and a little more communication could have avoided it. But that’s the problem with families: they don’t talk to each other.

Ten years ago, if you had said that Team GB would have a men’s gymnastics team to challenge the best in the world, you’d have been laughed off the pommel horse. Its rise as a sport is not quite as dramatic as that of cycling, but it is meteoric nonetheless. The acid test will come after the Games: the sport still needs investment. I suspect it will come, though. The Brits could be here to stay.

As glued as I have been to the Olympics, I haven’t watched a minute of tennis or football. I’m still of the view that if an Olympic gold medal is not the pinnacle of the sport, then it has no place in the Games. I admit some sports, such as cycling, provide a grey area to that line of thinking – but, all the same, I can’t think of any great point to 72 holes of strokeplay golf in Brazil in 2016. I love golf dearly, but it should not be an Olympic sport.

Editorial Editor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951) Deputy editor: Tony Hodson (7954) Associate editor: Nick Harper (7897) Art editor: John Mahood (7860) Deputy art editor: William Jack (7861) Digital designer: Chris Firth (7624) Subeditor: Graham Willgoss (7431) Senior writers: Sarah Shephard (7958), Alex Reid (7915) Staff writers: Mark Coughlan (7901), Amit Katwala (7914) Picture editor: Julian Wait (7961) Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963) Commercial Agency Sales Director: Iain Duffy (7991) Business Director (Magazine and iPad): Paul Brett (7918) Business Director: Kevin O’Byrne (7832) Advertising Manager: Steve Hare (7930) New Business Sales Executive: Hayley Robertson (7904) Brand Creative Director: Adam Harris (7426) Distribution Manager: Sian George (7852) Distribution Assistant: Makrum Dudgeon Head of Online: Matt Davis (7825) Head of Communications: Laura Wootton (7913) Managing Director: Adam Bullock PA to Managing Director: Sophia Koulle (7826) Colour reproduction: Rival Colour Ltd Printed by: Wyndeham Group Ltd © UTV Media plc 2012 UTV Media plc takes no responsibility for the content of advertisements placed in Sport magazine £1 where sold Hearty thanks this week to: Laura Summers, Amanda Ellison, Kirsten MacRandal

Cover of the Year

Reader comments of the week @simoncaney has got a point. Take pride in living here and stop moaning #london2012

@vinniesarah Twitter

@regularcaller Twitter

14 | August 3 2012 |

@simoncaney The London 2012 week ahead feature in @sportmaguk is excellent and a life saver.

Thanks

@Damien1968 Twitter

@simoncaney in @sportmaguk rightly threatening to throttle anyone who is already anticipating the new football season #SoMuchSportToGo

I agree with @simoncaney.

I wish people would stop moaning about the Games, and get behind it.

@Teddystwit Twitter

@ndfranklin Twitter

LAUNCH OF THE YEAR

2008

Total Average Distribution: 304,700 Jul-Dec 2011 Don’t forget: Help keep public transport clean

and tidy for everyone by taking your copy of Sport away with you when you leave the bus or train.

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@simoncaney agreed re moaners. The greatest show on earth, sport is drama you cannot write & here is 2 weeks worth.

Can’t wait #London2012

London 2012 Frozen in time

Good evening, Ma’am Danny Boyle’s CV makes impressive reading: Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, Slumdog Millionaire... but surely nothing beats persuading Her Maj The Actual Queen to join in the fun at the opening ceremony last Friday. Not only that, but Mr Bean, seen as comedy royalty the world over, and some massive chimneys (right). It was a crazy, remarkable, brilliant evening. We loved it.

16 | August 3 2012 |

| 17 All pictures Getty Images

London 2012 Frozen in time

Pain and glory Nothing sums up the Olympics better than this selection of images of winners and losers. Four years of training have gone into these emotions...

18 | August 3 2012 |

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All pictures Getty images

London 2012: Diary

If getting into the Olympic Games opening ceremony was a tough task, getting back out again was several hundred times harder, as our man Nick Harper discovered... he big man dressed in army fatigues is standing beside a giant X-ray machine, laughing at me. “Don’t think of it as an X-ray machine,“ he chuckles. “Think of it more as a ’Naughty Boy Scanner’ – it’ll only go off if you’ve been naughty. Have you been a good lad?“ That is debatable. I swore at a taxi driver quietly while cycling to the station, but there’s no way this machine could pick that up, surely.

“No, I’ve been really good today, sir,“ I bluff, and walk through the machine. It doesn’t beep, and we both feign relief. “Good lad,“ says the sergeant major, even though I’m 38.

“Your machine must be knackered,“ I tell him, and we laugh again. Then I shuffle off happy that he didn’t have to pull out the old rubber gloves. Not this time.

Elsa/Getty Images, John Stillwell/AFP/Getty Images

T

his is how it started, last Friday, when Sport joined 80,000 attempting to enter the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony. You know by now what followed, even if it still doesn’t make much sense. A knobbly tree on a

T

20 | August 3 2012 |

big hill, a massive water wheel and a hulking great bell from which a man with giant sideburns yanked out a clang to kick off proceedings – and from there it got weird.

Forty sheep, 12 horses, 10 chickens, 10 ducks, nine geese, three cows, three sheepdogs and two goats. Pretend clouds carried pretend rain below real clouds pissing down the proper stuff. A cast of thousands cavorted about as engineers and Suffragettes, while the world-renowned luvvie Kenny Branagh pioneered the Industrial Revolution.

Massive chimneys rose proud from the ground as 965 drummers banged their drums, and a fleet of Mary Poppinses rained down from the sky in an odd ode to the NHS. The nation welled up with pride, even if it wasn’t entirely sure what it was proud about. And then the Queen skydived in with James Bond from a helicopter high above the stadium. There was more, too – much more, with Beckham and Mr Bean and Pink Floyd’s Pig. But you saw it for yourself. You kind of know what happened.

It was weird and amusing and British and odd. And even the most cynical of curmudgeons – and I was among them –

had to sit back in amazement and admit it had all been spectacularly impressive, whatever it was we’d just witnessed.

But, well, there’s always a but. At the risk of sounding churlish, it dragged on. By the time the main ceremony was winding up, it felt like the end was nigh. But then they sent out the athletes, with Greece leading the way.

That’s where the problems started.

I

left early. I’m not proud to admit this, but with a train to catch and troubled by the talk of travel meltdown during these Games, I decided I could live without seeing several thousand athletes walking really slowly round a running track waving to nobody in particular. The Parade of Athletes is an event made for television, where you can change channels for a while, return to see they’re still only at Gabon and flick around again.

You can’t easily do that in the stadium, so I made my excuses and left. I wasn’t the only one. Dozens streamed towards the doors, even though >

London 2012: Diary

Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images, Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

“If I beat the crowds, I’d be home by Venezuela at the latest”

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: David Beckham sails towards the stadium with the Olympic Torch (top), while 80,000 people inside wonder how they’re getting out (above)

it was hard to tell where the doors actually were – or if they were even open. Because that was the big problem.

Rumours had risen throughout the afternoon that the whole Olympic Park would go into an exciting-sounding ’lockdown’ once the opening ceremony had begun – once you were in, you stayed in until the gates reopened at the bitter end, and 80,000 people surfed back out on a hot wave of British optimism. I’d miss the last train home and be forced to sleep in a ditch, I convinced myself.

So I asked a man in an official overcoat on the gate if I was free to leave at any point.

He looked puzzled that I’d even want to.

“Well, this isn’t a prison,“ he said. “I think we can employ some common sense if you want to leave.“ made my break for it just as Albania arrived in the stadium, and walked the walk of a man pretending he was simply going to the toilet. But I wasn’t coming back. I figured that if I could beat the crowds, even with a 90-minute journey home, I’d be home by Venezuela at the latest

I 22 | August 3 2012 |

– and in place to watch Sir Roger Bannister sprint a lap of the track at full tilt before sparking the Olympic cauldron and punching the air. At least, that was the plan. Outside, I followed the crowds towards a giant gate, manned by a professional jobsworth doing overtime.

“You can’t come out,“ he grunted, and while he wasn’t sure why, rules is rules, see.

“Get back in.“ The growing crowd – which now included celebrity early-bird Matt Dawson – bristled in a very British way at this news. I counted at least three ’buggers’, five ’bloodies’ and one muffled ’bastard’ in the space of 20 seconds, but this bugger clearly wasn’t for budging. And then he radioed for backup and people panicked.

The mob dispersed in search of an alternative escape route, and found one close to a canal that snaked up towards the stadium. Another man blocked this river escape route, and he had similar orders.

“Get back in, you can’t leave yet.“ “Why not?“ “You just can’t. Get back in.“ But he was all bark and no bite, and as soon as it was pointed out that under subsection something or other in the Big Book of Human Rights, he was powerless to physically stop anyone leaving, the floodgates opened.

A quick burst of funny fast-walking took us past him, over a bridge, through a grim canteen and down under the Aquatics Centre. By now the mob had splintered.

I was alone, walking down what felt like an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere.

Suddenly, an official-looking official approached and asked what business I had being there, wherever we were.

“I’m leaving,“ I said.

“Er, I don’t think you’re allowed to,“ he replied, pawing my press pass suspiciously.

“Oh, go on, please.“ “Alright, go that way then – turn right at the corner and keep walking.“ So, right at that corner, walk a bit, up some stairs and... ah, giant balls. There’s another large gate standing between Sport and its freedom. And they’ll be at Congo by now. The man guarding this one had clearly done all the same training.

“You’re not allowed through here,“ he said, and then he reached into his pocket for what I could only imagine would be a Luger. Instead he pulled out a key, opened the gate and wished us well as we strolled into the night.

It would have been easier escaping Alcatraz than the Olympic Stadium, but we lived to tell the tale and were returned home by Vietnam.

I celebrated my great escape with a chalice of cold, non-Olympics affiliated booze.

Mission accomplished.

NB. What we didn’t realise at the time, was that all the bridges over the canal in the Olympic Park had been shut down to allow David Beckham to ’drive’ a speedboat close to the Olympic Stadium for the penultimate exchanging of the torch. Anyone crossing the bridges could pose a security threat – and while they were hard to spot at the time, several small teams of highly trained men with big guns sat in the shadows of the canal, assessing the threat and preparing to shoot. As Sport crossed that bridge, we can only assume the order came through: a waste of ammo.

Nick Harper

Phillips Idowu

I will not give up!

Ahead of a momentous week for British athletics, Sport speaks to three men hoping to jump-start a golden medal haul. First up, it's triple-jumper, and major injury concern, Phillips Idowu

English Schools Championships: 1990s (6th) “I learned to triple-jump in PE by jumping across the lanes of the track, from lane one to lane eight. Hop, step, jump – just trying to hit each line. That's when my PE teacher realised I had some sort of ability, because everyone else was reaching lane three and I was getting all the way to the infield.

My first big competition was a major shock, though. It was the English Schools Championships in Blackpool and all the kids had spikes on – I thought they were cheating. I'd never seen a pair of spikes in my life at that point. I didn't have a clue – I was wearing basketball boots. [Laughs] So I did pretty well to finish in the top six and pick up a certificate.”

Olympic Games, Sydney: 2000 (6th) “The Sydney Olympics still stands out in my mind quite a lot. I did quite well for my first time on the senior team, qualifying comfortably into the final with my first jump and finishing in the top six. But the best part was the village. I saw NBA players – these guys were my heroes – like Ray Allen, who acted in He Got Game. This guy was acting in a Hollywood movie with Denzel Washington and I saw him walking through the village. I'm thinking: ’That's Ray Allen!’”

24 | August 3 2012 |

World Championships, Edmonton: 2001 (9th) “I flew out to Edmonton for the World Champs at the earliest dates possible, expecting it to be the same as Sydney – and it was a massive disappointment.

It was so boring, and I think that affected my performance. I'd been getting quite a bit of media attention after Sydney and, going into Edmonton, there was all this 'he could possibly win a medal at the worlds' talk.

I was wondering why. I didn't see myself as a medal contender at that point. Finishing ninth there was a blip, though. I knew I'd turn it around.”

Commonwealth Games, Manchester: 2002 (Silver) “I went there with the intention of winning, but someone beat me to it (a certain Jonathan Edwards). He wasn't someone I was ready to start competing with, but someone I was chasing. I was still young, still learning the event and I had a steep learning curve to go through. Up until I jumped over 17 metres, he was good with offering advice – but then that kind of stopped. [Laughs] This was the year when I started to feel like I didn't want to be in the shadows of anyone else. I'd done two years of being part of the team and enjoying the experience, but then it was like: ’I want to start picking up medals.’“

Total knee breakdown: 2003 “I had a loose ligament in my knee, so it was unstable – there was no way I could have landed on it. They had to go in, cut it, twist it, tighten it and stick it back together – I was out of competition for 18 months.

It was a long time to not be able to do what you love. There were days I'd go down to the track just to watch my group train. >

adidas via Getty Images

H

ackney's best known hop, skip and jumper tweeted his defiance after finally revealing his battle for fitness ahead of what should be his fourth Olympics. But if there's one thing Sport learned when we spoke to Phillips Idowu about some of the most important moments in his career, it is that fighting against his body's failings is nothing new. And he'll do whatever it takes to be on that runway come Tuesday morning.

| 25

2002

Phillips Idowu 2001

2006 2004

Olympic Games, Athens: 2004 (three no-jumps) “One of the official’s errors cost me a medal in Athens. They said I recorded three no-jumps, but one of them clearly wasn't.

When the official just raked the pit and put up the red flag, it kind of messed with me.

Being young and inexperienced, I didn't know how to handle that situation. Then it got drilled into everyone's head that I had a problem with no-jumps – to the point that, when I started working with my new coach, Aston Moore, in 2008, one of the first things he said was: ’How are we gonna resolve this problem with your no-jumps?’ I said: ’I don't have a problem. If you go back and check my results, I can tell you I don't have more than two in any competition.’ He checked and was like: ’Oh yeah – why did I think that?’ I was like: ’Because every time you watch me compete, there's Jonathan or someone saying I have issues with no-jumps, and I don't.

I. Do. Not. Have. An. Issue. With. No. Jumps.”

On the brink: 2005 “Taking off the board during my first competition of the summer, I actually heard my groin and hamstring tear. I thought, what's that? Someone's ripping paper in my ears. That was the end of my year, and the toughest time. I was thinking I didn't want to

26 | August 3 2012 |

compete again. Why was I doing this? I could barely get a complete season in without being hurt. I'd had enough of jumping, enough of the sport and was just going to give it up.

I had a conversation with one of my close friends – an ex-hurdler called Damien Greaves. We talked about the sport and where we wanted to go and decided to go to Melbourne really early (for the 2006 Commonwealth Games). We'd train out there for a few months and, if it happened at the Games then we'd continue with the sport.”

Commonwealth Games, Melbourne: 2006 (Gold) “Winning gold meant a lot to me. Before my final round, I was on the runway in tears.

I could barely compose myself, I still had tears streaming down my face. That was a massive moment, a big turning point.

Damien got injured in the heats of the hurdles, though. So while I carried on competing, he retired after the Games. If it hadn't gone so well in Melbourne, I probably would have done the same thing.”

Back on the injury list: 2007 “I picked up a back problem that I carried into the World Champs in Osaka. I managed to finish sixth, but the team physio at the time said the way my back was, they were thinking I wasn't going to be able to jump.

They didn't tell me that until afterwards, though – so I took all six jumps and all were over 17 metres. I got my back looked at afterwards and I can still picture the scans.

Out of the lower six vertebrae, five had stress fractures. My back was really unstable, and I'd been jumping on that.

SEE HIM IN Men’s triple jump

A lot of people said they couldn't believe what I'd done with an injury like that.”

WHEN Tuesday 10.45am (qualification), Thursday 7.20pm (final)

CHANCES The Olympic title is the only one missing from Idowu’s haul.

If fully fit, he’d be a favourite for gold.

As it is, he hasn’t competed since June 2 and is said to have a trapped nerve behind his right knee. If Idowu makes it on to the runway in Stratford, his biggest challenge is likely to come from an American duo including the 2011 world champion, Christian Taylor, and Daegu bronze-medallist Will Claye. With the defending Olympic champion Nelson Evora ruled out through injury, along with world indoor record holder Teddy Tamgho, Taylor will feel he’s favourite for the title.

World Indoor Championships, Valencia: 2008 (Gold) “Just before I competed in Valencia, Chris Tomlinson [GB long-jumper] picked up a silver medal. I watched him charging down the runway for his jumps and remembered having watched him train at Lee Valley a few months earlier. He was having problems with his jumping one day and his fiancée (now wife), had shouted at him: ’Just run, you fanny!’ That stuck in my head and, seeing the way he was running that day at the worlds, I thought: ’That's what I need to do.’ And it got me a British record and the gold medal.”

Olympic Games, Beijing: 2008 (Silver) “I'd been undefeated that whole year, before Beijing. I didn't envisage losing at all. After going through the whole indoor season undefeated, I thought I might keep this up for the rest of the year – why not? So I was definitely disappointed with the silver medal.

I don't think there's any pictures of me smiling after that last round at all. Getting back home and getting the reception from the British public helped, and I had a lot of people telling me it was nothing to be disappointed about. But the thought of losing hadn't entered my head, so having to deal with it was hard to take. I didn't want to experience that feeling again.”

Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag Phillips Idowu will #takethestage at London 2012.

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I wasn't even thinking about the Olympics.

I did have concerns that I may not be able to jump again. But I came back for my first competition in 2004 and jumped the Olympic qualifying distance. But the rest of the season was up and down. I never really found my feet until I got to Athens.”

2008

Greg Rutherford

leading man

Describing yourself as an “Olympian, a ginger and a keen baker” might not have your rivals running scared, but long-jumper Greg Rutherford shares the longest jump in the world this year. That’ll do it...

What do you put your good start to the year down to?

“We tweaked my technique over the winter, after we found out there was a major issue with my penultimate step before take-off. What I do now is based around what Carl Lewis used to do, which is a lateral step outwards in your penultimate step. Rather than putting a lot of strain on my hamstrings – which has caused me a lot of problems – we’re now offloading that on to different parts of my body.”

28 | August 3 2012 |

Was that something that came out of the video analysis you do?

“Yeah, it’s something that’s relatively new to me. It was only when I started training with my most recent coach, Dan Pfaff, that we began using videos as a training aid.

It’s given me the ability to watch back other jumpers’ techniques and compare myself to them, which has really helped me develop.

My coach is a genius. He’ll look at me and say: ‘You can take this aspect of this person’s jump, which works for them, but you can also take this from another person because that will work for you.’ Which is better than: ‘This works for this person – do all of it.’”

Your personal best over 100m is 10.26s, which is fairly rapid. Are you planning to emulate Carl Lewis further by adding ‘sprinter’ to ‘long-jumper’ on your CV? “Well, in 2010 I made the relay squad for the Commonwealth Games and was a bit disappointed not to run. It would have been a great opportunity for me to show I can pass the baton. Sadly, since then I haven’t had a lot of chances to sprint. But, after this year, I want to try and be a relay runner as well as a long-jumper. Dan [Pfaff] tells me he believes I can be good enough, and it would be a great thing to get an individual spot in the 100m. Speed is my major factor when it comes to jumping, so I may as well try to use that to my advantage in other parts of track and field.”

You could have had an altogether different career, though. You had trials at Aston Villa – so why choose athletics over football?

“It came down to enjoyment, really. I was a lazy football player. I played up front, I liked scoring goals, but everything around it – the training and everything else – I wasn’t as keen on. Then I went to a track and really enjoyed working hard there, so I started to lean more towards the track than football.

When I was about 15, I completely stopped playing football. I probably never would have made it as a football player and I’ve been fortunate enough to do well in my athletics career, so I think I made the right choice.”

But football is in your blood, isn’t it?

“My great-grandfather played for Arsenal and Newcastle and he won 11 caps for England as well. I’m a Manchester United fan, though. Being from Milton Keynes, before the Dons came along there was no local football team, so really you could give your allegiance to anybody. My dad supported them, so I decided to as well.

I was born in 1986, though, and United weren’t very good in the ‘80s. So I’m not really a glory hunter, honest.”

Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag Greg Rutherford uses Maximuscle, the UK and Europe’s number one sports nutrition brand, to optimise performance. Visit maximuscle.com

See Him in Men’s long jump

WHen Friday 7.50pm (qualification), Saturday 7.55pm (final)

CHanCeS Rutherford is among a handful of British athletes who could medal in London, but it’s sturdy Aussie Mitchell Watt who arrives as favourite.

He won silver at the worlds last year behind London sicknote Dwight Phillips – and, while 8.28m remains Watt’s longest leap of 2012, he has a PB of 8.54m from last summer. Russian Sergey Morgunov equalled Rutherford’s PB of 8.35m before winning gold at the World Juniors, but this summer could be too soon for him.

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With current world champion Dwight Phillips out injured and you holding the longest jump of the year (8.35m, shared with Russian teen Sergey Morgunov), does that make you a gold-medal contender?

“I’m among them, but Mitchell Watt from Australia takes the title of favourite going into it. After some of the distances he jumped last year, he’ll go in there with people expecting him to jump really far.

I’m in the top three or so who go in thinking that, if things go well, they should win a medal. I’ll put that pressure on myself, too, because I want to win. I expect nothing less than winning a medal.

I’d be devastated to come away without one – it would make my year a complete disaster, no matter what I did before or afterwards.”

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Robbie Grabarz

On a high

Sport chats to British high-jumper Robbie Grabarz, who has vaulted into contention for Olympic gold with an incredible leap in form in 2012

S

It’s been an incredible year for you so far, with hopefully an Olympic medal to crown it.

What’s behind the sudden improvement?

“I’ve just really focused on myself, to be honest. I was really committed to this, and I made sure I was really passionate about it. I just really focused, so if there were bad moments, it was just a matter of not wanting that to happen again. I decided to

turn it on and do it my own way – see what I was made of. It turned out quite well.”

to be honest. You just challenge yourself and compete with you and that bar.”

Was losing your funding the kick-start you needed?

“No, not particularly for me, because at the end of 2011 I knew I was going to lose it.

So if you leave it until the decision is made in December and then you think ‘oh, I’ve lost my lottery funding, I need to prove a point’, then it’s too late – you’ve just lost two, three months of training. So I just decided to put it behind me and just train hard and focus hard during the winter, ready for the summer.”

Who would you say are your main rivals?

“My main rival is probably [US high-jumper and current world champion] Jesse Williams. But yeah, I’m third on the world rankings at the moment. Jesse jumps about the same as me, and then there’s the Russians [Ivan Ukhov and Andrey Silnov] as well. They’re the ones I have to look out for.”

SEE hiM in Men’s high jump

Is there a mental focus required, as well as being dedicated to training?

“Yeah, there is a mental difference in competitions as well, and just focusing myself. It’s just focusing and concentrating yourself, and making sure that my mind is where it should be.”

How much of high jump success is mental?

“100 per cent. Once your body is in a good position, it’s just a mind game, basically.

You set yourself up, you train, you do all your drills and you get there on the day – and it’s just a head game with yourself,

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You played hockey to county level and could have gone on – why did you decide to focus on the high jump?

“I enjoyed high jump more. It was more of a challenge, and I’m not much of a team player when it comes to sports. I like to have full accountability for my performance, and in high jump it’s just me – so I enjoy that. It’s more challenging and a lot more fun for me.”

Are you confident?

“Yeah, you have to be if you want to pick up a gold medal. Dream big and let it happen – and enjoy yourself.” amit Katwala @amitkatwala Robbie Grabarz was talking to Sport during a media day with Bjorn Borg clothing

WhEn Sunday 7.05pm (qualification), Tuesday 7pm (final)

ChanCES Will need to be at his best – or likely better – to come away with gold, given his competition. But with the amount Grabarz has improved over the past year – his best of 2.36m puts him joint-third on the world list for 2012 – you wouldn’t put it past him. A jump of 2.31m was enough to seal European Championship glory in Helsinki in June, although that would have got him only eighth at last year’s World Championships.

| August 3 2012 | 31

Michael Steele/Getty Images

ometimes, in sport, it’s all in your head. It’s evident when a footballer succumbs to pressure and fails to convert a penalty. Or, as in the case of 24-year-old high-jumper Robbie Grabarz, when everything suddenly clicks. Last autumn, Grabarz’ career was languishing – he’d had his lottery funding withdrawn, and had failed to reach the Olympic qualifying standard for more than a year.

Then, something happened, and 2012 has been an amazing year for the Enfield-born jumper, who has added eight centimetres to his personal best since January. Along the way, he’s become European champion, and risen to third in the world rankings. With the Olympic high-jump starting on Sunday, Grabarz has timed his leap to perfection – and he was in confident mood when we spoke to him before the Games.

The fastest men in the world begin their quest for Olympic glory tomorrow morning, with the final set to light up London 2012 late on Sunday evening. Sport takes a look at the major contenders, starting with the man desperate for lightning to strike twice...

The Schedule Saturday 10am Saturday 12.30pm Sunday 7.45pm Sunday 9.50pm

32 | August 3 2012 |

Preliminaries Round 1 Semi Finals Final

Usain Bolt Jamaica

Yohan Blake Jamaica

Age 25 PB 9.58s (Berlin, August 2009) Season's best 9.76s (Rome, May)

Age 22 PB 9.75s (Kingston, June 2012) Season's best 9.75s (Kingston, June)

Pedigree Decent. It is now four years since Bolt ushered in a spectacular new era of sprinting in Beijing, destroying a supposedly world-class field in an Olympic final he turned into a one-man show. He followed up his world record 9.69s with a barely believable 9.58s at the Berlin World Championships a year later, securing his place as a sporting immortal in the process, but he hasn't quite hit such heights since.

Disqualified from the Daegu world final 12 months ago and twice beaten by Yohan Blake at the recent Jamaican Olympic trials, Bolt arrives in London with questions to answer. He's still lightning fast, but he's under a cloud.

Pedigree Blake isn't just the kid who profited from Bolt's false start to win gold in Daegu – he's also the youngest athlete ever to break the 10-second barrier for 100m (doing so at 19 years and 196 days) and, perhaps more importantly, the fastest man in the world this year. His season's best of 9.75s, set at the Jamaican trials, also makes the 22-year-old the fourth quickest ever over the distance. That the three men to have gone faster are all competing in London will be of little concern to Blake – he's the man in form and, as such, is the one to be most feared.

Verdict Despite those defeats, Bolt is only one-hundredth of a second behind Blake on their season's best times. If he turns up fit and with his notoriously dodgy start sorted out, the defending Olympic champion is still the man to beat.

Verdict Bolt remains the bookies' favourite, but Blake isn't far behind.

His ability to finish races off (he's the second fastest in history over 200m) has put extra pressure on the fragile Bolt start – in the heat of an Olympic final, that could give him a crucial edge.

Stu Forster/Getty Images, Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images, Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images, Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images, David Ramos/Getty Images, Mark Dadswell/Getty Images

London 2012: The Men’s 100m

The Brits

It is now nine years since Darren Campbell won Britain's last medal in a major 100m, and there is nothing to suggest that the wait will come to an end soon.

Headlines were naturally made by the decision to select former drug cheat Dwain Chambers (himself a world medallist in Seville in 1999) after his win in the UK trials in June, but the stark reality is that the 34-year-old has a season's best of 10.25s and will need a miracle to make it out of the heats.

Of more interest is the richly talented 18-year-old Adam Gemili (right), who ran second behind Chambers at Birmingham but flew to 10.05s to win world junior gold in Barcelona last month.

There is more to come, but these Games may come a touch too soon.

And that leaves James Dasaolu, and his season's best of 10.18s. This will be a great experience for the 24-year-old, even if it doesn't last overly long.

Tyson Gay usa

Justin Gatlin usa

Asafa Powell Jamaica

Age 29 PB 9.69s (Shanghai, September 2009) Season's best 9.86s (Eugene, June)

Age 30 PB 9.80s (Eugene, June 2012) Season's best 9.80s (Eugene, June)

Age 29 PB 9.72s (Lausanne, September 2008) Season's best 9.85s (Oslo, June)

Pedigree He may be a relative veteran at the age of 29, but the former world champion arrives in London as something of an Olympic rookie; a hamstring injury picked up at the 2008 US trials severely hampered Gay's efforts in Beijing, where he failed to make it through the individual semi finals and helped contribute to yet another American relay disaster. He ran the returning Justin Gatlin very close in the recent US trials and looked good when winning Diamond League races in Paris and London, but his season's best of 9.86s represents his slowest season since 2005.

Pedigree Rightly or wrongly, Gatlin is back to try and reclaim the Olympic title he won as a 22-year-old in Athens in 2004. The New Yorker produced the fastest time ever for a man over 30 when winning the US trials in June, and has cut an impressive figure both on and off the track since returning from a four-year doping ban in 2010.

Diamond League victories in Doha and Eugene proved that he hasn't forgotten how to win races, but the likelihood is that he will have to go faster still if he wants to medal in London – under the Olympic spotlight, there must be doubts over his ability to do so.

Pedigree Two World Championships bronzes and a Commonwealth gold seem scant reward for an individual career that has seen Powell set two world records and compete at the top of the sport for the best part of a decade, but he has just never been able to reproduce his spectacular Grand Prix form on the biggest stage.

A genial and relaxed figure off the track, the 29-year-old heads for London as very much the third Jamaican and with the pressure well and truly off. That makes him a dangerous floater, but does he still have the raw pace required to challenge for medals?

Verdict At his very best, Gay would be a genuine contender for gold – but the reality is that he hasn't been quite at his best this season. It would be no surprise to see the American make the podium, but a big one to see him stand atop it.

Verdict Gatlin has been there and done it, granted – but that was eight years ago, and no man has ever regained the Olympic 100m title.

Simply winning a medal on his Olympic return would be redemption enough, you suspect.

Verdict Sadly, probably not. Powell is still very quick, but the younger men in this field are quicker still – the probability is that he will have to content himself with an Olympic relay gold to go with the one he won four years ago.

The Rest

It would be something of a shock if anyone from outside the big five were to claim a medal, but if they did then Keston Bledman (right) may be the man; the 24- yearold set a huge personal best of 9.86s when winning the Trinidad & Tobago Olympic trials in June. Others to note include Bledman's compatriot Richard Thompson, who won silver behind Bolt in Beijing – and the third American, Ryan Bailey, whose season's best of 9.93s leaves him a bit to do. Forget Europe's fastest man, though.

Christophe Lemaitre misses the 100m, instead saving himself for the 200m and 4x100m relay.

| 33

Phillips LondonIdowu 2012: The Men’s 100m

olympic 100m finals

We’re always up for a bit of nostalgia, so here we go with our favourite five olympic men’s 100m finals of all time. starting, naturally, with a British victory

5

4

3

Allan Wells, 1980

Looking back, we still don't really understand how the fastest qualifier from the semi finals found himself in lane eight for the final – but that didn't stop the powerful Scotsman Allan Wells from flying to gold in Moscow, beating Cuba's Silvio Leonard (way over in lane one, almost equally as oddly) by the breadth of a hair on his Edinburgh breast. Yes, we know that 65 nations had boycotted the Games in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (who'd do a thing like that?) – and that Wells no doubt benefited from the absence of the United States, West Germany and Papua New Guinea. But, come on, a Scot winning the Olympic 100m final... how brilliant is that?

Jim Hines, 1968

Against the backdrop of raging race riots back in his native United States, the young black sprinter Jim Hines booked his own special chapter in Olympic history at the Mexico City Games of 1968. Qualifying for the final in an impressive 10.08s, the 22-year-old sprouted wings in the final,

34 | August 3 2012 |

claiming gold in an electronically timed new world record of 9.95s. Hines thus became the first man ever to officially break the 10-second barrier in the 100m – and would have been the undoubted star of the Games, had Bob Beamon not leapt about seven miles in the long jump a few days later.

moral victory: owens takes the 100m at the 1936 olympics in Berlin

Carl Lewis, 1988

Not so much for the gold medal he inherited after Ben Johnson was so sensationally outed as a massive, yelloweyed drugs cheat, Lewis thus becoming the only man ever to retain the Olympic 100m title. Rather, for the look of absolute disbelief on the great American's face during the race itself, as he repeatedly looked across to see the steroid-fuelled Canadian disappear into

the distance. Linford Christie, sipping from a cup of ginseng tea back in third, was to have his moment of glory four years later – but that one doesn't make our list.

2

Jesse Owens, 1936

The American flying machine Jesse Owens and his compatriot Ralph Metcalfe flanked the field in the 1936 Olympic 100m final in Berlin, two isolated black athletes drawn outside a field of supposedly superior white sprinters. So thought Hitler and his cronies, anyway. Turned out they were wrong, as Owens and Metcalfe raced to respective gold and silver, leaving those representing the Aryan master race trailing in their wake. Few will have witnessed the race at the time, of course, but no one in the modern world could ever now question what Owens' victory represented.

1

Usain Bolt, 2008

As if we were ever going to choose anything else. The 2008 Olympic men's 100m final (above) was by no means the closest in the history of the event, but it ticked pretty much every other box you could imagine. Bolt ran a huge world record of 9.69s, but did so while beating his not insignificant chest and looking at the crowd for much of the last 20 metres. Raw pace, extreme showmanship and a winner who has since established himself as the greatest personality the sport of athletics may ever have seen. Plain awesome.

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The Greatest…

London 2012: The Week Ahead

Golden times?

Friday Our pick

Don't miss

Swimming: Women's 800m Freestyle Final Aquatics Centre, 7.45pm Betting on Rebecca this year over her chosen distance, Adlington (above) to and will start favourite to see off retain her Olympic the challenges of Lotte Friis and the 800m freestyle title American wunderkind Katie Ledecky. won't make you a rich Some 20 minutes later, the fastest man – but watching her do so should swimmers in the world take to the make you a happy one. The 23-yearwater for the final of the men's 50m old is the fastest woman in the world freestyle. Blink and you'll miss it.

Rowing: Women's Double Sculls Final Eton Dorney, 10.30am A date with destiny for which Grainger met her silver in the Katherine Grainger, quad sculls four years ago was one surely, as the of the defining images from Beijing. three-time Olympic Now 36, this is almost certainly her silver-medallist goes last shot at the gold she craves and with her partner Anna Watkins (both deserves – the good news is that she above) in the final of the women's and Watkins remain unbeaten in the double sculls. The look of dismay with two years they have rowed together.

Day-planner 10.05am Athletics Day 1 of the women's heptathlon begins with the 100m hurdles – in which Jess Ennis, the darling of Team GB, should be scoring a whole load of points.

The high jump, shot put and 200m follow in a long old day of competition that doesn't end until going on 9pm.

36 | August 3 2012 |

12pm Football Kick-off in the first of the four women's football quarter finals, all of which are being played on the same day – and one of which will feature Hope Powell's improving Team GB. Sneak through to the semi finals, and a medal is within touching distance.

6.38pm Cycling Team GB go for gold in the men's team pursuit at 5.59pm, but little over half an hour later all eyes will be on Victoria Pendleton as she (hopefully) gets on her bike for the inaugural Olympic women's Keirin finals at the Velodrome. Best of luck, old girl.

9.25pm Athletics The first track final of the Games, as popular veteran Jo Pavey and Julia Bleasdale go for Britain in the women's 10,000m. Neither have a hope in hell of claiming a medal from a race that should be won by the current world champion, Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya.

Week two of London 2012, when the pool gives way to the track and a whole host of Team GB gold-medal chances take to the stage. Here's our pick of the week's action, which begins with two very special ladies in and on the water

Saturday Don't miss

Athletics: Women's Heptathlon 800m Olympic Stadium, 8.35pm The seventh and final throughout the second day of event in the women's competition at the Olympic Stadium, heptathlon, when in tune in at 10.05am for the long jump a perfect world Jess and 11.40am for the event most likely Ennis (above) coasts to throw her off target – the dreaded round and claims the gold medal the javelin. If Ennis is still in the hunt whole nation desperately wants her to. after that, it could prove one of the If you want to follow her progress longest afternoons of her life.

Rowing: Men's Four Final Eton Dorney, 10.30am Can Team GB secure a fourth consecutive Olympic gold in the men's coxless fours?

Three of the quartet (all four of whom are pictured above) who rowed to glory in Beijing – Tom James, Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs

Hodge – are back for more, with Alex Gregory replacing Steve Williams.

The Australian four will again be the main threat, and set a new Olympic record in the heats on Monday. But a nation expects victory, and canny coach Jurgen Grobler will have them primed to deliver just that.

Day-planner 9am Triathlon An early-morning jaunt for the ladies in Hyde Park, as reigning world champion Helen Jenkins leads the British trio entered in the women's triathlon. The Scot could manage only 21st when heavily fancied in Beijing, but more is expected in London. Much more.

5.42pm Cycling The final of the women's team pursuit. A new Olympic event for 2012, but Rebecca Romero took individual gold in Beijing, so we have real heritage here.

Romero is long since gone, but Laura Trott features in a strong British team for whom gold is definitely within reach.

7.30pm Swimming The Olympic swimming draws to a close in the Aquatics Centre, with Fran Halsall a serious medal chance for Team GB in the women's 50m freestyle final.

It all ends at 8.27pm, when Michael Phelps and the Americans look good for gold in the men's 4x100m medley relay.

7.55pm Athletics Jess Ennis aside, it could still be an awesome night for Britain in the Olympic Stadium. Chris Tomlinson and Greg Rutherford kick things off in the men's long jump final at 7.55pm – and then, at 9.15pm, Mo Farah takes to the track for the 10,000m final.

Can he break the African dominance? >

| 37

Francois Xavier Marit/AFP/Getty Images, Martin Rose/Bongarts/ Getty Images, Ian Walton/Getty Images, Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images

Our pick

London 2012: The Week Ahead

Sunday Don't miss

Gymnastics: Men's Pommel Horse Final North Greenwich Arena, 3.41pm Since making his including an historic bronze in Beijing breakthrough with four years ago. The 23-year-old gold at the 2006 produced an awesome display in Commonwealth qualification on Saturday, breaking Games in Melbourne, down in tears afterwards. Can he Peterborough's Louis Smith (above) reproduce his very best form and has won eight major championship claim gold on home, er, horse? Tune medals on the pommel horse, in on Sunday afternoon to see.

Athletics: Women's 400m Final Olympic Stadium, 9.10pm Forty minutes before the men's 100m final (we've covered that already), Christine Ohuruogu could be lining up to defend her Olympic title in the women's 400m final. It's a tough ask – the American Sanya Richards-

Ross is a warm favourite and world champ Amantle Montsho of Botswana is no mug either – but Ohuruogu is in the best shape she has been in since Beijing and looks to be hitting form at just the right time. A proven big-race performer on home soil, a medal is by no means beyond her.

Day-planner 1pm Sailing

4pm Hockey

Could be a huge day for Team GB on the water, with Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson aiming to retain their Olympic title in the men's Star medal race at 1pm. Then, an hour later, Ben Ainslie will do likewise in the Finn class.

The world's best four hockey nations meet in two huge matches at the Riverbank Arena. First up is the Group B clash between the Netherlands and Germany; then, at 7pm, Great Britain take on the mighty Australia. Well worth a watch.

38 | August 3 2012 |

7.35pm Athletics The first final to get under way at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday evening is actually the women's triple jump – in which the Cuban-born world indoor champion Yamile Aldama should be going for Team GB. Outside medal hope.

8.30pm Boxing To the ExCeL, where the Olympic boxing is just getting serious. Britain's Luke Campbell – world amateur silver-medallist in Azerbaijan last year – should be in action in the quarter finals of the men's bantamweight competition. >

Paul Gilham/Getty Images, Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Our pick

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London 2012: The Week Ahead

Monday Our pick

Athletics: Men's 400m Hurdles Final Olympic Stadium, 8.45pm One of the most eagerly anticipated track finals of the Games (at least in Great Britain), as the Welsh wonder Dai Greene (left) attempts to follow up the world title he won in Daegu last year with an Olympic gold medal. Puerto Rican Javier Culson is the man most likely to stand in his way – either way, this is not a race to be missed.

Don't miss

Cycling: Men's Sprint Finals Velodrome, 5.43pm Stupid new rules may have robbed Chris Hoy of the chance to defend his Olympic sprint title from Beijing, but he will be cheering on Jason Kenny (left) with the rest of us come Monday evening. Can Kenny – individual silver-medallist four years ago – make the most of home advantage to get the better of hot favourite Gregory Bauge of France?

Day-planner 2pm Sailing The medal race in the men's Laser class, in which Team GB's Paul Goodison is defending champion. Australia's Tom Slingsby, a five-time world champ at the event, will be desperate for gold after bombing out in Beijing four years ago. Could be a close call.

2.50pm Gymnastics Another medal hope in the North Greenwich Arena, as Beth Tweddle – the grand old lady of British gymnastics – goes in the final of the women's uneven bars.

Olympic success in a discipline in which she is a two-time world champion would be a poignant way for her to bow out.

7pm Athletics The evening session of athletics gets under way with the women's pole vault final. Two-time champ Yelena Isinbayeva is on a hat-trick, but she will face a stern test from the American Jennifer Suhr, Germany's Silke Spiegelburg and Team GB's own Holly Bleasdale.

10.30pm Boxing Some late-night action from the ExCeL, where they've reached the last eight of the men's super-heavyweight competition. Assuming he's through a beast of a first-round bout against Cuba's Erislandy Savon, London's own Anthony Joshua will be featuring.

Our pick

Cycling: Men's Keirin Finals Velodrome, 5.50pm The last day of track cycling from inside the Velodrome, and what a day it could be for Team GB. There will not be a dry eye in the house if Sir Chris Hoy (left) brings the curtain down on a glorious Olympic career with gold in the men's Keirin. If he does (and he will), then it's only a matter of time before he follows Seb Coe into the House of Lords.

Don't miss

Triathlon: Men's Triathlon Hyde Park, 11.30am How many events at London 2012 will feature two Brits at the head of the betting? Not many, that's how many – but that's the state of play in the men's triathlon, in which the extraordinary Brownlee brothers go for glory on Tuesday morning. Older brother Alistair (left) will start favourite to sneak home just before baby bro Jonathan.

Day-planner 3pm Synchronised Swimming Back to the Aquatics Centre for the one sport at London 2012 in which only women compete. It's synchronised swimming, and on Tuesday afternoon Jenna Randall and Olivia Allison will hopefully be going in the final of the women's duets. Bravo!

40 | August 3 2012 |

4.53pm Cycling And you thought today was all about Hoy? Oh no.

The time above is when Laura Trott completes her omnium campaign with a 500m time trial, and then at 5.26pm it's Victoria Pendleton in the finals of the women's sprint. Both want only gold.

7pm Athletics A night of relative calm at the Olympic Stadium, but the home crowd will go mad if Robbie Grabarz can sneak a medal in the men's high jump. Two hours later, the all-conquering Aussie Sally Pearson should win the women's 100m hurdles.

8.30pm Boxing We're down to the last eight in the men's flyweight division, where it just so happens that 23-year-old Welshman Andrew Selby is ranked number one in the world. As such, he should be involved here – and progress, too. >

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Antonin Thuillier/AFP/Getty Images, Mark Dadswell/Getty Images, William West/AFP/Getty Images, Ernst Wukits/AFP/Getty Images

Tuesday

C ett elli GehT121©02012 The Gillette Company.

MANY ROADS LEAD TO THE MEDAL, BUT ALL BEGIN WITH A GREAT START. SIR CHRIS HOY, 4X OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST

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London 2012: The Week Ahead

Wednesday Our pick

Canoe Sprint: Men's K1 1,000m Finals Eton Dorney, 9.30am Make sure you switch on early to follow the progress of the good doctor, Tim Brabants (left), in his fourth and final Olympics. The 35-year-old won K1 1,000m bronze in Sydney 12 years ago, but followed that up with gold in Beijing four years ago. He may not be expected to repeat the feat on home waters, but you can bet your life he won't be far away.

Don't miss

Athletics: Women's 400m Hurdles Final Olympic Stadium, 8.45pm Two days after Dai Greene goes for gold in the men's 400m hurdles, Londoner Perri Shakes-Drayton (left) should be doing just the same in the women's equivalent. The 23-year-old set a personal best in winning at Crystal Palace only three weeks ago – 20 years on from Sally Gunnell's emotional Barcelona gold, Shakes-Drayton could emulate her.

Day-planner 10.45am Athletics With qualification for the men's pole vault and women's hammer going on in the background, Mo Farah takes to the track for what should be a penalty kick of qualification for the men's 5,000m final.

Wouldn't it be nice if he did so with a 10,000m medal already in the bag?

3pm Cycling To the BMX Track in the Olympic Park, where the always exciting Shanaze Reade opens her London campaign at the seeding run for the women's BMX competition.

With a bit of luck, rider and bike will return safe and intact ahead of the semis and final to come on Friday.

8.05pm Athletics The women's long jump final, in which national record-holder Shara Proctor will hope to go for Great Britain. Other finals to note on Wednesday evening: the women's 200m, featuring Sport crush Allyson Felix, at 9pm; and the men's 110m hurdles at 9.15pm.

9pm Beach Volleyball Watch the athletics first, obviously – but when it's all done and dusted at the Olympic Stadium, turn over and catch the end of the women's gold-medal match from Horse Guards Parade. The men's final, probably featuring Maverick and Goose, takes place 24 hours later.

Our pick

Athletics: Men's 200m Final Olympic Stadium, 8.55pm Assuming both come out of the 100m final fit and well, Thursday evening should see the second meeting of London 2012's two Jamaican sprint kings. Usain Bolt (left) and Yohan Blake are the two fastest men in the world, and the 200m final will decide whether they share the sprint gold medals between them in London – or whether one man rules supreme.

Don't miss

Swimming: Women's 10km Marathon Hyde Park, 12pm The Serpentine is the venue as Keri-Anne Payne (left) tries to go one better than the silver she managed in this event in Beijing. The 24-year-old became the first Brit to qualify for London when winning gold at the worlds in Shanghai last year.

She's had long enough to wait to see action at these Games – let's hope it proves totally worth it.

Day-planner 9am Taekwondo No Aaron Cook, of course, but two of Team GB's squad of four are in action on Thursday. Jade Jones kicks off in the women's -57kg category at 9am, with Martin Stamper doing likewise in the men's -68kg division 15 minutes later.

42 | August 3 2012 |

10am Diving Stacie Powell and Monique Gladding (who almost died after a freak accident while diving in Russia last February) go in the semi finals of the women's 10m platform competition. The final, should either make it, starts at 7pm.

1pm Wrestling Qualifications in the women's 55kg freestyle category – which we're mentioning because they will feature Team GB's sole wrestler at the Games, the Ukraine-born Olga Butkevych. How will she do? Your guess is as good as ours.

8pm Athletics The men's 800m final, in which Kenya's David Rudisha can add an Olympic gold medal to the world title and world record he already holds. Andrew Osagie is the Brit most likely to make it to the final – it'll be a tough gig if he does.

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Thursday

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Holly Bleasdale

work in progress She’s repeatedly shocked herself with the heights she’s reached, but GB pole-vaulter Holly Bleasdale is going to London 2012 with a shot at a medal – whether she believes it or not

Is Rio in 2016 your best chance of gold?

“Yeah, Rio is the place I wanna win gold because I need more time. I’ve only been doing it for three and a bit years, and you can’t learn everything in that time. After London I can train harder, work on so many different aspects and I’ll keep getting better. Give me another four years so I can work on my technique, get more experience, and it will all come together at the right time.”

What made you first pick up the pole?

“At first I was doing high jump, javelin – just a bit of everything. But our club would go into competitions in which other clubs would have pole-vaulters – so they would get points for that, whereas we didn’t have anyone so we’d get zero points. They told me to give it a try just so we’d have someone in it. I didn’t have any training, but I just went down and cleared the opening bar. Then they decided to promote it more, so they got Julien [Raffalli] – who’s my coach now – to come in and do a six-week taster block at my club in Blackburn. I gave it a try and Julien thought I had some talent, so invited me down to train with him in Manchester.”

It’s an event that can go very wrong with the slightest error in timing. Did you have any fears when you first started vaulting?

“That first six weeks I was scared. When you first start you don’t bend the pole – it just stays stiff and you use it to get on to the bed.

44 | August 3 2012 |

But when you run in harder and push your arm, it bends a bit – and that phase is scary because you’re not good enough to control it yet. You feel like you’re pinging off it.”

When you won bronze at the World Junior Championships in 2010, was that when you realised how good you could be?

“I was surprised to get a medal knowing I’d only been doing the sport for a year and a bit, but I felt like if I’d been in better shape I could have done even better. The World Indoors this year was the first championships where it finished and I felt in good shape – like I could compete again a few days later. ” Was that the problem at the worlds in Daegu last summer [where Bleasdale failed to register a height in three attempts]?

“Yeah, because I had two weeks leading up to Daegu when I couldn’t sprint fast and everything was going wrong for me. It’s hard to stay motivated and confident when there’s nothing to be confident about.

I knew going into it that I was dipping, but I tried to stay positive and it was a learning curve for me – it’s made me a better athlete.”

Was it a relief when you won your first major senior medal at the World Indoors this year?

“It was. People said I didn’t do well in Daegu because of the pressure, and I knew for a fact it wasn’t that. In Istanbul, I just wanted to go out and show people that I can back up the kind of jumps I’ve been doing, and I did jump 4.70m again. So I was happy to show that I didn’t fluke it and I am consistent.

It was a big confidence boost for me.”

You were only 16 when the Beijing Olympics was on – did you watch much of it?

“I remember bits of Beijing. Not just for athletics, but other sports as well. It’s weird to think I didn’t even know pole vault existed when Beijing was on, though.” sarah shephard @sarahsportmag The Nike+ House of Innovation at Selfridges, Oxford Street, London, is open until August 12

see Her in Women’s pole vault

wHen Saturday 10.20am (qualification), Monday 7pm (final)

CHAnCes With the world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva going for her third consecutive Olympic gold, Bleasdale faces a difficult task against more experienced opposition. While the Russian has struggled at times this season with her consistency, there’s also the USA’s Jenn Suhr, who jumped a world-leading 4.83m earlier this month.

Blesdale’s best outdoors so far this year is 4.71m. She’ll likely have to improve on that to medal in London.

Stu Forster/Getty Images

You’ve been pole vaulting for only about three and a half years, but have already smashed the UK record and cleared the third greatest height of all time indoors.

So, does this Olympics come at the right time or too early for you?

“London will be a massive opportunity, and I just want to seize it and make the most out of it. I’ve come into form at just the right time, but I know I still have so much more room to improve. People will put pressure on me for a medal in London, but for me it’s all about making the final, enjoying it and hopefully getting into the top six.”

Abdul Buhari

THROWING FOR GOLD How excited are you about being part of the Games in London?

“I can’t wait to get started. The week I got the call, I was still in shock because it had been such a long qualifying process.

We have four athletes with the A standard in Great Britain, so that made it very competitive and meant we had to do well at every trial. It makes it more special once you make the team though, because you know your hard work has paid off. So that’s when the excitement really started to kick in.”

Did missing out on Beijing motivate you?

“Definitely. To be honest, I didn’t expect not to make it – so it totally rocked me. Even to this day, it haunts me sometimes. But I think it needed to happen because it made me realise I needed to make big changes in my life. I got married, went from working full time to just two days a week, relocated from London to Loughborough, changed my coaching programme – and it’s all paid dividends. At the time, I was trying to

46 | August 3 2012 |

become a world-class athlete but not putting in the work of a world-class athlete. That’s what I’m doing now, and that’s the difference.”

How important was going to the World Championships in Daegu last year?

“I took away a lot in terms of experience.

People say it doesn’t matter if you have no experience of these events, but I strongly believe it does. I’d never been to a major championship in my life, so it was daunting going up against the best in the world. I was in awe of them before I went out there, but I came away realising that I’m not that far away from these guys. It helps to know that going into the Olympics.”

As you said, you still work two days a week.

How hard is it to balance your work life with your competitive life?

“It’s incredibly challenging, especially having to switch my head on and off between work and training. I work for Credit Suisse on Mondays and Tuesdays, then head up to

SEE HIM IN Men’s discus throw

WHEN Monday 10am (qualification) Tuesday 7.45pm (final)

CHANCES In truth, pretty slim.

Buhari is in good form, throwing a season’s best 65.24m at the end of June, but that places him only 37th in the world – the same position he inhabited in the qualifying round of the worlds last year. Compatriot Lawrence Okoye should make the final and has an outside chance of a medal, but the man to beat is double world champion Robert Harting of Germany.

Loughborough, where I complete up to three sessions a day until about 7pm. On Saturdays and Sundays, I do my hardest work – big strength sessions, a lot of cardio work and some volume work – before heading back to London on Sunday night to start the whole cycle again.”

Do you do it for the money or the variety?

“It’s a combination of both. Lottery funding doesn’t cover a lot, so I need the money.

But I also enjoy working because I don’t think I could be a full-time athlete. I’ve always liked to do something on the side, whether that be coaching, working or whatever. I just feel it’s important to have that opportunity to come away and think about something other than track and field.

It gives you a more balanced approach.

We forget that sport is fun and is there for entertainment. And we all have to come back into the real world once the sport is over.”

Before that, though, the aim is gold in London?

“Yeah, definitely. You’ve got to take it one stage at a time, obviously – avoid illness, avoid injury, make it through the early throws. But once you’ve made the final, it’s all about going for gold.””

Mark Coughlan @coffers83

Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images

British discus thrower Abdul Buhari’s route to the Olympic Games has been harder than most. No stranger to tough times, he tells Sport why he’ll not be looking for any excuses at London 2012

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7 Days OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD

AUGHIGHLIGHTS 3-AUG 9 » Football: Premier League Friendlies » p50 » Football: Celtic v Aberdeen » p50 » Rugby Union: Super 15 Final » p52 » World Superbikes: Round 10 » p53 » Best of the Rest » p53

THURSDAY > GOLF | US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP | KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA | SKY SPORTS 1 6PM

Fore on the shore It’s taken 21 years, but finally Kiawah Island – venue of the infamous Ryder Cup ‘War on the Shore’ in 1991 – stages a major championship when the US PGA comes to town next week.

The PGA is traditionally regarded as the fourth of the four majors, and not just chronologically; it simply doesn’t have the history of the Open Championship or the US Open, or the je ne sais quoi of the Masters.

Until 1957 it was a matchplay tournament, and there are plenty who would welcome a return to that format to make a change from the traditional 72 holes of strokeplay. Instead, it becomes just another tournament – and at this stage of the season, there are plenty of equal monetary value surrounding it.

Of course, players are desperate to win it to get a major to their name – but equally, it throws up an awful lot of random winners, just like any other regular tour event. The past three years have seen YE Yang, Martin Kaymer

48 | August 3 2012 |

and Keegan Bradley prevail – between them, those three have won only one other PGA Tour event in the US in that time (Bradley, at last year’s Byron Nelson Classic).

Conversely, it also throws up top-quality winners – since 2000, multiple major winners Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington have all had their hands on the enormous Wanamaker Trophy.

So what to expect next week? For a start, Kiawah Island possesses some very impressive alligators, though they probably won’t come into play. Otherwise, it is like no other course in America in terms of how it’s affected by the wind – in the Ryder Cup, players who used 8-irons on certain holes in practice found they were using 3-woods in the match itself. It also claims to have more holes (10) running directly beside the sea than any other course in the northern hemisphere, and legendary designer Pete Dye

has done his level best to create a traditional links course.

In terms of looking to a winner, then, it would be wise to look to those who play well on links courses – but an added dimension is the Bermuda grass used on the greens at Kiawah Island. There is no doubt that some players putt well on it – Jim Furyk, Nick Watney and Bubba Watson all spring to mind.

Furyk, that doughty old stager, may be the one who can take in his stride all that the elements throw at the players next week. He has good form in the wind (some excellent results in Hawaii testify to that) and has shown already this year that he still has another major championship left in him. Were it not for some inexplicable mis-clubbing towards the end of the US Open, he would have won that tournament – and he’ll be very keen to exorcise its ghost. He’ll be carrying the Sport fiver: you have been warned.

The record score at the US PGA – set twice by Tiger Woods (in 2000 and 2006)

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Wolf’s clothing

Football’s juggernaut moves up a gear or two, with pre-season friendlies in full swing and the start of the new season just days away.

The pick of this week’s televised games sees

champions Man City (if you needed reminding) take on Wolfsburg on Saturday, on their return to Europe after an Asian tour that included a 2-0 defeat of Arsenal in Beijing.

Die Wolfe were German champions in 2009, propelled to a surprise title by the goals of Edin Dzeko, who subsequently departed for Manchester. Neither he nor Wolfsburg have been the same since – the Bosnian’s old side have been more of a sheep in disguise for the past two seasons, but should still huff and puff enough for City to have to break sweat before they blow the door down.

THURSDAY FOOTBALL | FriendLy: VALenciA v TOTTenhAM | esTAdiO MesTALLA, sPAin | esPn 9PM

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SATURDAY FOOTBALL | scOTTish PreMier LeAgue: ceLTic v ABerdeen | ceLTic PArk, gLAsgOW | 3PM

Onehorse town The Scottish league season starts this weekend – minus a certain sPL giant from 2011-12. dunfermline’s relegation aside, the other big pre-season talking point was newco rangers and their re-entry to the scottish league, eventually at its fourth tier. This leaves the sPL in an odd position: a two-horse race with one horse out of the running. in such a situation, Aberdeen – the last team to win a scottish title outside of the Old Firm (back in 1985, under Alex Ferguson) should be one of the trickier visitors to Parkhead this season.

except that their recent record against celtic tends to be either a close, valiant defeat – or getting horsed 9-0. however, while the dons are shorn of two key midfielders in kari Arnason and Wigan’s new recruit Fraser Fyvie, they do boast a number of new additions.

Former celtic forward niall Mcginn has been among the goals in pre-season, while winger Jonny hayes adds a quality attacking option. even if it is the dons’ most promising squad in a while, it won’t intimidate celtic.

Their main worry is injury problems, with neither kris commons nor Anthony stokes fully fit after pre-season injuries picked up as celtic played out an impressive 1-1 draw against inter Milan. Add in the fact that the hoops will be focused on their champions League qualification campaign, and this could be an ideal time to play them.

The game’s a sell-out, so expect a raucous atmosphere between fans keen to show there is sPL life without rangers. That said, a one-way celtic walkover will send a further chill down the spine of those who care about the competitiveness of scottish football.

Pete Norton/Getty Images, Paul Gilham/Getty Images, Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

Andre Villas-Boas takes his Spurs side to the Mestalla to face Valencia in their final friendly of a pre-season full of selection problems for the Portuguese manager – largely because he’s short on numbers. Luka Modric seems to finally be on his way, Scott Parker is absent with an Achilles injury and Gareth Bale is a doubt after another needless Charlie Adam challenge in a friendly against Liverpool. Gylfi Sigurdsson remains AVB’s major signing, but with a deal for Emmanuel Adebayor stalling, the manager will wonder how he will fill his teamsheet come the start of the season.

Other games Of interest this Week

SATURDAY BrighTOn v cheLseA, AMex sTAdiuM, BrighTOn, 3PM SUnDAY VALerengA v MAnchesTer uniTed, uLLeVAAL sTAdiOn, OsLO, 3PM SUnDAY nigeriA v ArsenAL, ABuJA nATiOnAL sTAdiuM, 4PM WeDneSDAY reAL MAdrid v Ac MiLAn, yAnkee sTAdiuM, neW yOrk, esPn 1AM 50 | August 3 2012 |

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| 51

7 Days FRIDAY rugby union | JP MorgAn PreMiershiP rugby 7s series | The recreATion ground, bATh | esPn 7PM

six sevens superstars

Ahead of the final of the JP Morgans 7s tonight, we pick our men to watch from each of the six sides on display

SaracenS James short

London IrISh alex Gray

London WeLSh Iolo evans

SaLe Johnny leota

GLouceSter Ian Clark

Bath tom BIGGs

The man Chris Ashton is looking to replace in the Sarries line-up is perfectly suited to the short form of the game because of his incredible acceleration and deceptive running style.

Offer him the outside and you’ll soon be waving him goodbye.

In a team well stocked with Premiership experience, England’s U20 captain stepped up to the plate with his impressive workrate across the park, scoring two tries en route to winning player of the round in London. Expect more of the same.

The former Scarlets winger – London Welsh drafted in a number of sevens specialists – made a huge impact as Welsh racked up 19 tries in three games. His combination of speed and size makes him hard to stop once he has space.

The Sharks are among the favourites going into the final, and in a side full of pace and power it’s Leota’s quick feet and impressive fend that often creates space for his team. Check Charlie Amesbury’s pool-stage try against Leicester to see what Leota can do.

With Freddy Burns (still facing a race to be fit for tonight’s final) creating the gaps, a team boasting Jonny May, Henry Trinder and Gareth Evans were always going to shine – but the young winger’s six tries in three games showcased his stunning finishing ability.

Tom Heathcote runs the plays, and Matt Banahan and Olly Woodburn hold the power, but it’s the raw pace of Tom Biggs – as it so often is in the 15-a-side game – that makes the difference for this Bath side. His quick hands helps create as many as he scores, too.

SATURDAY rugby union | suPer rugby FinAL: chieFs v shArKs | WAiKATo sTAdiuM, hAMiLTon, neW ZeALAnd | sKy sPorTs 2 8.30AM

All pictures Getty Images

Fifteen to one

After 124 games across three continents over six months, it’s time for the super XV final tomorrow – and for home side Waikato chiefs, it’s time to set the record straight after their only previous final appearance in 2009 ended in a humilating 61-17 defeat to the bulls. it might have taken a rare dan carter missed kick to secure the chiefs place in the final this time around, but dave rennie’s first season has reinvigorated this chiefs side. The combination of Aaron cruden and sonny bill Williams (right) makes them a side to fear, particularly when you have to keep your eyes on sona Taumalolo as well – the prop has weighed in with nine tries this season. home advantage could count for a lot: hamilton isn’t the easiest place to go, and two

52 | August 3 2012 |

tough games in two weeks isn’t ideal preparation for the durban sharks before a long journey south.

While those two knockout victories might have surprised some, the sharks are actually on a run of eight wins in nine games in super rugby, and last week’s win over the table-topping stormers was built on their usual style of a strong start – they raced into 20-6 and 17-0 leads in their last two games – and a big defensive performance.

With Frederic Michalak pulling the strings at 10, the pace of JP Pietersen outside him and the possible return of Patrick Lambie from injury, this set of backs can finish a chance. it’s up front where the sharks’ real strength lies, though, in a pack that can boast no fewer than seven springboks and includes the power of Willem Alberts, Keegan daniel and Tendai Mtawarira.

The sharks definitely have the players to beat anyone, but the chiefs are still haunted by 2009 and come into the game with home advantage and a fresher squad – which could prove vital. Frankly, we’re just excited that top-class rugby is back.

SUNDAY World SuperbikeS: round 10 | SilverStone | britiSh euroSport 2 12pm

Helly Hansen catwalk

Rea of light It’s not just the Olympics that’s packed with UK hopefuls – the exciting World Superbikes championship has its fair share. We spoke to Northern Irishman Jonathan Rea, currently sitting fifth in the world championship, ahead of Sunday’s meet at Silverstone.

Are you happy with your season so far?

“Yeah, it’s been okay. The previous round in the Czech Republic was a bit of a disappointment because I was battling for the win in race one – but a rider went wide, and when he came back we touched and I went down. Then, in race two, I got a dodgy tyre. Until that point in the season we were sitting pretty nice in third position, and really feeling strong to push on in the last half of the season. But now the points difference is quite a lot, so we just need to play it race by race and see what happens.”

You’ve had a couple of wins, though?

“This year we expected to challenge for the title, so we really wanted to see more wins. But it’s supercompetitive this year – I think five different

BEST OF THE REST

FRIDAY

CriCket england v South Africa: Second test day 2, headingley, Sky Sports 1 10.30am CriCket West indies v new Zealand: Second test day 2, Sabina park, kingston, Sky Sports 3 3.55pm

manufacturers have won races, and so many different riders that on any given weekend you have a chance to win. In qualifying, one second can split the top 16 riders – so from that point of view it’s really motivating. This weekend is my home round at Silverstone, so we hope to make a bit of an impact there and come away with two solid races.”

What’s it like racing at Silverstone?

“I really enjoy it – to see the home fans again, and bring that kind of British passion you don’t see anywhere else. When you come to Silverstone there’s that special feeling – I grew up racing in the UK, so it feels more like home.”

Can you still win the World Championship?

“We have to be realistic – Max Biaggi and Marco Melandri are having a pretty good run right now, and if they continue to finish on the podium I think it’ll be hard for us. But anything can happen – we can’t let our heads drop. There are a lot of points to play for.” jonathan-rea.com

SUNDAY

TUESDAY

motorSport indyCar: honda indy 200, mid-ohio, lexington, ohio, Sky Sports 4 5.30pm

CriCket Cb40: Warwickshire v Yorkshire, edgbaston, Sky Sports 1 4.30pm

SpeedWAY elite league: Swindon v poole, Abbey Stadium, Sky Sports 3 7.30pm

tenniS WtA montreal day 1, uniprix Stadium , british eurosport 2 5pm

MONDAY

WEDNESDAY

ruGbY leAGue Super league: St helens v Warrington, langtree park, Sky Sports 1 8pm

CriCket Cb40: derbyshire v Sussex, County Ground, derby, Sky Sports 1 4.30pm

AuSSie ruleS AFl: Collingwood v St kilda, melbourne Cricket Ground, eSpn 10.30am

tenniS toronto masters 1000 day 1, rexall Centre, toronto, Sky Sports 2 4pm

CriCket Cb40: northamptonshire v Yorkshire, County Ground, northampton, Sky Sports 2 4.30pm

FootbAll liga total! Cup 2012: bayern munich v Werder bremen, imtech Arena, hamburg, eSpn 5.30pm

CYClinG eneco tour Stage 1, Waalwijk-middelburg, british eurosport 2 1.30pm

bASebAll houston v Washington, minute maid park, houston, texas, eSpn 1am

ruGbY leAGue Super league: Wigan v hull, dW Stadium, Sky Sports 2 8pm

SATURDAY

THURSDAY

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand | 53

Helly Hansen beauty and tHe beast a 26.2 mulit-lap trail maratHon cHallenge for induviduals and teams 22nd september 2012, stonor park, Henley-on-tHames. sign up and join us on tHe Helly Hansen catwalk at www.

HellyHansenbeautyandtHebeast.co.uk

Extra time Kit

P58 Packing a powerful punch at a reasonable price – the IdeaPad is no Audley Harrison

Making the most of your time and money

Saddle up in style

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The roads will be filled with Wiggins wannabes in the next few weeks.

Stand out, without wearing yellow 1. Boardman Pro C Helmet The strong carbon fibre inside ensures your head is protected, while the white, grey and (okay, a little dash of) yellow make you look like a Transformer. £70 | boardmanbikes.com

2. ODLO Flash Cycling Shorts With a zip pocket at the back and anti-slide tape on the inner leg, these padded shorts are all you need to give your lower half a comfy ride. Time to cancel that order of Vaseline. If it was for cycling, that is. £75 | odlo.com

3. HBH MTB Cycling Shoes We still swear by our 1978 velcro-fastened Golas, but some people prefer modern technology on their feet.

These four-studded beauties fit the cycling bill. £50 | halfords.com

4. Adidas Team GB Short Sleeve Jersey Whether taking on the daily commute or hitting the road for a long weekend ride, the Team GB top will help you look the part. If nothing else, drivers will be flooded with national pride as they cut you up and flip you off. £58 | evanscycles.com

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5. Eastpak Kruizer L Velow Bag A specialist bike strap and large storage – including a laptop sleeve – make this a must-have.

No laptop? Don’t panic. This bag even comes with an iPad. And we’re faster than Mark Cavendish. £80 | eastpak.com

6. Adidas Adizero Tempo Glasses They might offer double-snap nose pads for a comfy fit and a blocker to stop sweat getting in your eyes, but the thing we really like is that these make you look like Cyclops from X-Men. He’s no Gambit, but he’ll do. £120 | cyclesurgery.com

7. Carrera Virago Road Bike Last but not least, all the gear is a bit useless without an actual bike. This light carbon-fibre number comes with Shimano gearing (that’s a good thing) and is perfect for all levels of bike rider. £899 | halfords.com

54 | August 3 2012 |

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END OF SEASON SALE NOW ON!

UP TO 50% OFF

SUMMER OUTDOOR CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR & EQUIPMENT

Stores: Brighton • Chertsey • Croydon • Hemel Hempstead • Romford • Portsmouth • Covent Garden • Holborn • Kensington • Monument

www.snowandrock.com for a full list of stores

SUMMER SALE!

BIG SAVINGS ON BIKES UP TO 40% OFF CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES Nationwide Stores: Chertsey • Croydon • Hemel Hempstead • Romford • Portsmouth London Stores: Camden • Fulham • Great Portland St • Highbury • Holborn • Kensington • King’s Cross • Moorgate • Shepherds Bush • Southward Bridge • Spitalfields • Victoria • Wandsworth • Waterloo Bridge • West Hampstead

See

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SUMMER SALE! STARTS TODAY

UP TO 40% OFF SHOES & CLOTHING

Nationwide Stores: Brighton • Chertsey • Croydon • Hemel Hempstead • Romford • Portsmouth London Stores: Camden Town • Canary Wharf • Fulham • Holborn • Kensington • King’s Cross • Liverpool Street • Monument • Moorgate • Oxford Circus • Southwark Bridge • Victoria • Wandsworth • Waterloo Bridge

See

www.runnersneed.com for full list of stores

T

he women’s heptathlon begins in the Olympic Stadium today, with all eyes on Jess Ennis.

Well, maybe not all eyes. Because also running, jumping, shot-putting, running some more, jumping again, throwing and finally – one last time – running, will be British number two and current Commonwealth champion Louise Hazel.

As if her sport of choice wasn’t evidence enough of her many talents, Hazel is also a graduate in French Studies from the University of Birmingham. And the Gallic influence of Baudelaire, Breton and Gainsbourg (probably) remains, with Hazel publishing her own poetry on her website. One verse that caught Sport’s eye was Our Time, from which we’ve pulled these words of Hazel’s wisdom: “If our time’s not now then tell me when Will your time and my time ever be our time again?”

As team captain, Dai Greene might be the go-to guy for morale-boosting speeches. He could do worse, however, than have a word with Hazel before his next one.

Lucky seven

Extra time Louise Hazel

56 | August 3 2012 |

| 57

Jonathan Glynn-Smith/Celebrity Pictures

Extra time Gadgets

Blue tunes A wireless music player and some stuff perfect for that douche from Eiffel 65

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1. Pure Sensia 200D Connect

2. Panasonic RP-HS200 sport headphones

Wirelessly streaming music from your smartphone is a bit old hat now – everyone’s doing it.

Cleverly, Pure’s latest device does so much more, including internet radio over Wi-Fi and a touchscreen for easy navigation. The screen also lets you access weather reports and browse photos. Handy. £250 | pure.com

Every Team GB athlete has been given a pair of these ‘phones, to add to the neverending pile of sponsors’ gear that must be flowing out of their gym bags.

Still, these are great for listening to Chariots of Fire while you try and emulate your Olympic heroes. You will have to pay for them yourself, though. £26 | shop.panasonic.co.uk

58 | August 3 2012 |

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3. Lenovo IdeaPad U410

4. Canon EOS M

5. Seagate Backup Plus

If, like the derelict computers here at Sport Towers, your laptop screams in protest if you try and do something as brazen as opening a Word document while watching a YouTube video, it might be time for an upgrade.

You could do worse than this icy blue ‘ultrabook’ – which, given its price point, packs a surprisingly powerful punch.

From £649 | pcworld.co.uk

Late to the party, but looking immaculate, Canon have joined the compact DSLR game. The EOS M, out in October, packs the image quality of a ‘proper’ camera into a slender body. It’s the best of both worlds: manual control of exposure and shutter speed, but with live previews and a tap-to-focus screen. £770 with 18-55mm EF-M lens | canon.co.uk

First thing we do when we get back from holiday is upload our travel snaps. But what if evil Mark Zuckerberg decides to delete your account, even though you were joking when you posted those things? Fear not, this external hard drive makes backing up photos from Facebook and Flickr as easy as posting online abuse.

From £70 | amazon.co.uk

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

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Extra time Grooming

Absolute shower