08112016 sports by tribune242

SPORTS SECTION E

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016

Golden Moments

Rio Olympics, Page 8

Snapshot: Leevan Sands on the beat at Rio Olympics By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunrmedia.net RIO de Janeiro, Brazil — Although he has been busy getting ready to compete, Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands has been actively involved in social media. Sands, the national triple jump record holder who won’t get to compete until Monday when he and NCAA champion Latario Collie contest the preliminaries of the men’s triple jump, has been taking quick interviews with various members of Team Bahamas for his Snapshot. Among those he included were sprinter Teray Smith and quartermilers Alonzo Russell and Demetrius Pinder.

In the lead up to his return to the Olympics after he went down with a near career-ending injury at the last games in London, England in 2012, Sands has been active on social media, documenting his recovery process. And with the limited access into the Games Village where the athletes stay, Sands agreed to conduct one of two interviews for The Tribune. Here’s one that he did with sprinter Jamial Rolle, who will be contesting the men’s 100m along with Adrian Griffith and Shavez Hart. The trio will start competing in the heats on Saturday with the semi-final and final set for Sunday. Leevan: How has the experience been so far?

Jamial: “The experience has been awesome. I’m just taking it one day at a time and just focusing on the goal at hand.” Leevan: What are your expectations for the games? Jamial: “My expectations is to do better than I’ve ever done, run faster than I’ve ever ran before. Wherever that takes me, that’s up to me and God, but my goal is to just go out there and run a complete race, run a relaxed race, run a fast race, run an explosive race and let that be the fastest race that I’ve ever ran.” Leevan: How are you preparing, just a few days before track starts? Jamial: “Just a lot of relaxation. There’s not much you can do right now. Everything has been done.

It’s just focusing on doing what is impossible or what others feel is impossible, but I don’t think so. That’s pretty much it.” Leevan: “What has been your biggest experience so far and what has been your biggest disappointment so far? Jamial: “My biggest experience so far is just taking everything in. This is my second experience at the Olympics and my promise to myself was to enjoy every aspect of it, the competition and everything that comes with making the Olympics. In terms of disappointment, I haven’t had any because my mindset is to keep positive and everything has been great. I don’t have a complaint. Even if I do, it’s minute, not even worth talking about. Everything is great. It’s

Vanderpool-Wallace just shy of 100 free semi-final By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net RIO de Janeiro, Brazil — Having won a medal in all of the major international events except the Olympic Games, Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace finished just two spots shy of qualifying for the semi-final of the women’s 100 metre freestyle yesterday. But she admitted that she has her sights set on her specialty in the 50m free on Friday. The most experienced member of the Bahamas’ three-member team was the last to see action after she opted not compete in the women’s 100m backstroke so that she can concentrate on the 50m free. Vanderpool-Wallace used the 100m free as a prelude to the shorter sprint and in the preliminaries, she touched the wall in 54.56 seconds to place seventh and 18th overall, missing out of the opportunity to make the top 16 to come back for the semi-final. “I was looking for that front end speed and that is what I have,” said Vanbderpool-Wallace, who is competing in the Olympics for the third time. “I just wanted to get in and used to the pool, so I’m excited about it. I feel great, so I’m real excited about going in the 50m.” Entered in the fifth of the six heat of the two lap race, Vanderpool-Wallace reached the halfway mark in her first 50m in a split of 26.11. However, she dropped off the pace coming back in 28.45. The heat was won by world record holder Cate Campbell of Australia, who added the Olympic record

ARIANNA Vanderpool-Wallace has her sights set on her specialty in the 50m free at the Rio Olympics on Friday. to her ledger with her winning time of 52.78. For VanderpoolWallace, she was just thrilled to be a part of the race. “I feel great. I’m getting older now, so for me to compete in a lot of events is kind of difficult,” said Vanderpool-Wallace, one of the elderstateswomen of the sport at age 26. “But I feel good and I’m ready to go.” In the 50m free, she will swim out of lane three in the 12th and final heat where she is considered

a favourite to win a medal. “I really just want to make the Bahamas proud,” said Vanderpool-Wallace, who is aiming to become the first Bahamian to win a medal in swimming at the Olympics. “I know that I have the entire population cheering me on and that means a lot to me. All of the people who are saying prayers, I feel it and I really want to say keep praying for Team Bahamas.” Having gotten her feet wet in

the 100m free, Vanderpool-Wallace said the two-lap race was a good indication of where she’s at going into the 50m. “It takes a lot of enery and a lot of training, but it was great,” she summed up. “I know I have a lot of speed to go out, so we will see what happens.” With seven of her team-mates here from Charlotte, North Carolina, Vanderpool-Wallace said she’s a little jealous because six of them have already medalled with one more to go and then it is all left up to her to clinch her own on Friday. “I hope so. That is the plan,” said Vanderpool-Wallace of getting her opportunity to ascend the dais to receive her medal as she completes the cycle of winning a medal at the Olympics, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Pan American Games, the four most prestigious games in the world. Today, Joanna Evans will be back in the pool as she competes in her final event in her Olympic debut. The 18-year-old Grand Bahamian, who has already set two Bahamas national records in the women’s 400m and 200m freestyle respectively, will be competing in her specialty in the 800m. She will swim out of lane eight in the second of four heats, starting at 12:35 pm EST. Also on Friday as VanderpoolWallace completes her trip here in the 50m free, Emily Morley will be in the E final of the women’s single sculls, while the athletic competition will get underway with the qualifying rounds of the men’s 400m.

a positive mindset right now and that’s what we’re working with.” At the end of the interview, Sands jokingly said to Rolle, “not even the per diam,” to which there was no response. Seems as if Sands is ready to step into his next role as a sportscaster when he hangs out his jumping shoes. We wish Sands, who was recently elected as the new athletes’ representative during the BAAA National Open Track and Field Championships - the final trials for the Olympics - all of the best as he makes a complete circle four years after he went down in the final of the triple jump to getting back to the highest level of sports in the world.

BAHAMIANS IN ACTION THIS WEEK all times Bahamian Thursday Swimming 1.26pm: Joanna Evans Women’s 800m freestyle, heat 2, lane eight Final at 10.18pm Friday Swimming 1.02pm: Arianna VanderpoolWallace - Women’s 50m free, heat 12, lane three Athletics 8.05pm: Steven Gardiner, Chris Brown and Alonzo Russell - men’s 400m prelims 9.40pm: Ty’Nia Gaither Women’s 100m heats Saturday Athletics 10am: Shaunae Miller Women’s 400m heats 11am: Shavez Hart, Adrian Griffith and Jamial Rolle Men’s 100m heats 7.30pm: Men’s 400m semi-final 8pm: Women’s 100m semi-final 9.35pm: Women’s 100m final Sunday Athletics 7.30pm: Donald Thomas, Trevor Barry and Jamal Wilson - men’s high jump qualification. Final Tuesday, August 16, at 7:30pm 7.30pm: Women’s 400m semi-final 8pm: Men’s 100m semi-final 9pm: Men’s 400m final 9.25pm: Men’s 100m final

Proposed IFAF World Championships cancelled By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net A MEETING between government entities and several factions representing American football in the country has resulted in the cancellation of the proposed International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Championships. Executives from the local governing body for American Football, the Commonwealth American Football League, and various representatives from local flag football leagues, sought to shed light on what they interpreted as mismanagement of the event by

the Bahamas American Football Federation and its Local Organising Comitteee for the World Championships. A new timetable for the event has been set targeting January as the early proposed date and a new LOC comprising CAFL and local flag football league members from the Bahamas Flag Football League (BFFL), the Grand Bahama Flag Football League (GBFFL) and the Abaco Flag Football League (AFFL). CAFL executive Michael Foster said the right decision was made to not host the event at this time with the event shrouded in controversy and not properly sanctioned.

“I hope now after this long battle that persons realise and appreciate what we were trying to accomplish. We expect in short order to be granted the status of recognition by the true legitimate IFAF. On the world stage we cannot imagine that we just played a part in crushing a hostile takeover of a rogue IFAF over the legitimate body despite whatever misfortune the legitimate President Wiking has. “We will now at any level in football have the hand to sanction whatever the various leagues endeavour to do,” Foster said. “We appreciated the contributions of BFFL executive Bianca Lee and journalist Fred Sturrup, who at

one point was actually contracted by the LOC for this event. Ms Lee was on point with the issues that would have concerned the flag leagues. The rogue BAFF, run by a foreigner, exhorted 12 years of frustration and showed great respect to foreign entities and no respect to the sovereignty of this country and its people first.” Members of the BAFF and the LOC were not immediately available for comment. The news comes off the heels of a joint statement released by the BFFL, GBFFL and AFFL as the groups announced their intention to boycott in September. The league insists they were purposefully omitted from the

organisation of the event, “setting the stage for a national embarrassment” if the event was hosted as intended this September in Grand Bahama. “This is setting the stage for a national embarrassment as without the league’s involvement, the national team will not be made up of the best the country can offer, and the end result will be a disgrace to The Bahamas in which we could and should have been the stars and earn well-deserved acclaim. We will stand together with all our brothers and sisters in the sport and across the Bahamas in a boycott of such a mess. We

SEE PAGE 5

PAGE 2, Thursday, August 11, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

What to watch at the Rio Olympic Games today RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Day 6 of the Rio Games features medal action in gymnastics, rugby, track cycling, swimming, fencing, judo and more. Here are some things to watch (all times local): GYMNASTICS American Simone Biles heads into the women’s individual all around starting at 4pm. She won the world championships in 2013, 2014 and 2105. Alexandra Raisman, who also shared in the US team gold Tuesday, is in Biles’ rotation. The two start on the vault. Keep an eye on Biles’ floor routine: It includes a move she created and which is named for her. American Gabby Douglas is the defending Olympic champion, but will be on the sidelines Thursday. A day earlier, Japan’s Kohei Uchimura added to his amazing record in the individual all around: He won the worlds in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and was the defending gold medalist. GOLF Golf tees off for the first time at the Olympics since 1904 as the men start their first round play at 7:30am at Olympic Golf Course. It’s a links-style layout stretching 7,128 yards and built in the hopes it can both challenge some of the world’s best in Rio and then grow the game in Brazil. The professionals in Rio include Henrik Stenson, Rickie Fowler, Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson. But officials here are still hoping a good show offsets the negative publicity that arose as the world’s top four players dropped out because of Zika worries. The first tee shot will be struck by Brazilian Adilson da Silva , who learned to play using tree branches for clubs. SWIMMING The gritty and seemingly unbeatable Katie Ledecky is back in

the pool, this time to qualify for the 800m freestyle. Fans shouldn’t be too worried: Ledecky set the world record in the event in January. Oh, she also set the three prior world records. Heats start at 1:26pm. Two days after winning his 20th and 21st golds, Michael Phelps looks to get to another final. At 2:16pm he swims in qualifiers for the 100m butterfly, an event for which he holds the world record. Yesterday, he cruised through a qualifier for the 200 metre individual medley. Later, the world and Olympic record holding Americans look to qualify for the finals of the 4x100 metre medley relay in heats starting at 3:30pm. Medals will be awarded in the women’s 200m breaststroke finals, which starts at 10:17pm, and in the men’s 200m backstroke final, which starts at 10:26pm. RUGBY Powerhouse Fiji goes against surprising Japan at 2:30pm and South Africa faces Great Britain at 3pm to get to the 7pm finals. The Americans missed out by one kick yesterday after New England Patriots player Nate Ebner scored on Fiji with just a minute to go. TABLE TENNIS The gold medal match for men’s singles table tennis is at 9:30pm. China’s Ma Long and Zhang Jike are both into the semi-finals, and we’re sure to see how the subtleties of spin dictate the winner. BEACH VOLLEYBALL At 4:30pm, Americans Philip Dalhausser and Nicholas Lucena take on Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo of Italy. One surprise this Olympics has been the progression of the Canadian players on the beach. TRACK CYCLING The men’s sprint team finals are being held starting at 6:25pm and,

SIMONE BILES, of the US, performs on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women’s team final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday. (AP) aside from the athletes, the bikes just may be the stars of the show. Some high-tech equipment will be on display to help shave seconds off the clock. TENNIS Much of the competition had to be pushed back yesterday because of rain. (SEE PAGE 4) FENCING The women’s team epee gold medal match is at 6:30pm. Hungary’s Emese Szasz took top honours in the individuals. VOLLEYBALL Host Brazil plays the US men at 10:35pm. JUDO Women and men compete for medals in the half heavyweight divisions (78kg and 100kg, respectively), with bouts taking place through the day. Japan swept the golds in the middleweight divisions yesterday.

UNITED States’ gold medal winner Katie Ledecky swims in the women’s 200-metre freestyle final on Tuesday. (AP)

2016 Sprite Tournament Runners Up WESTERN DIVISION

2016 Sprite Tournament Champions NORTHEASTERN DIVISION

Sprite Sportsmanship Award presented to

KENNETH JOHNSON

MVP award presented to

TERELL BUTLER

BRINGING THE ROYAL BAHAMAS POLICE FORCE AND THE COMMUNITY CLOSER TOGETHER

Sprite Basketball in action!

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 11, 2016, PAGE 3

AT THE 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Gray skies and green water are the order of the day in Rio By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Sports Writer RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Skies and pools both darkened yesterday as the sun-splashed Olympics in Rio de Janeiro gave way to gray clouds and murky green waters. The Rio Games were drenched in rain and continued questions about why the diving well and water polo pools look so much like neglected aquariums. The US men’s basketball team got its first good test in fending off Australia 98-88 behind Carmelo Anthony’s 31 points. Anthony hit a flurry of 3s after the Americans, who barely broke a sweat in their first two games, trailed early in the fourth quarter. The third day of the men’s water polo tournament began in green-tinged water, though not nearly as dark as the neighbouring diving pool at the aquatics centre. It was crystal blue the day before. Water quality has been a major issue surrounding the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but in the ocean and lagoons, not pools. A decrease in the alkaline level in the diving well Tuesday afternoon led to the green colour, organising committee spokesman Mario Andrada said. He added that the pool for water polo and synchronised swimming is being affected in the same way but “we expect the colour to be back to blue very shortly.”

A US pool expert said that might not be so easy: “Once you get behind, it gets hard to get back in front of it,” said Jerry Wallace, chairman of the California Pool & Spa Association, a trade group. Rio organisers insisted the athletes weren’t at risk in the green pools. They were on the waters and slippery roadways, though. Strong winds rattled palm trees along the coast and whipped up waves on the scenic lagoon where rowing was postponed for a full day for the second time this week. With winds too blustery, rowers packed up their oars for the day as cyclists hit slick roads on skinny time-trial bikes unsuited to harsh weather conditions. Under dark skies, the cyclists faced lashing rain and wind on the time-trial course along Rio’s southern coast. The conditions might have cost Ellen van Dijk of the Netherlands a medal. She slid off the road and got tangled in weeds before finishing fourth. American Kristin Armstrong won the race. With the cooler weather, away went the bare skin and out came the full leggings and long-sleeve shirts in beach volleyball as temperatures dipped into the lower 60s after sunset, the coldest night yet. Even after a gruelling night at the pool, Michael Phelps cruised through the preliminaries of the 200-meter individual medley.

TODAY AT THE GAMES all times Bahamian Archery Women’s Individual 1/8 Eliminations, 8am. Women’s Individual Quarter-finals, Semifinals, Bronze Medal Match and Gold Medal Match, 2pm Badminton Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles, 7am, 2.30pm, 6.30pm Basketball Men Brazil v Croatia, 1.15pm Nigeria v Spain, 6pm Lithuania v Argentina, 9.30pm Women Belarus v Turkey, 11.15am France v Brazil, 2.30pm Japan v Australia, 4.45pm Beach Volleyball Men’s and/or Women’s Prelims, 9am, 2.30pm. Men’s and/or Women’s Prelims, Lucky Loser, 8pm. Boxing Men’s 56kg, 64kg, 69kg, 81kg Prelims, 10am, 4pm Canoe-Kayak (Slalom) Men’s C-2 Semi-finals, Women’s K-1 Semifinals, Men’s C-2 Finals, Women’s K-1

Yosuhiro Koseki of Japan went out fast and was more than a second under worldrecord pace at the final turn but faded to fifth. Josh Prenot of the United States claimed silver and Anton Chupkov of Russia landed the bronze. EBNER ELIMINATED : Nate Ebner, the safety for the New England Patriots who took a break from training camp to fulfill his Olympic dream, sprinted from almost halfway to score a try in the right corner against Fiji to make it 24-19, piling the pressure on Madison Hughes. But the US captain and goal kicker missed the conversion from out wide, leaving the margin at five. Less than that and the Americans would have advanced.

KAZAKHSTAN’s Dmitriy Balandin celebrates winning gold in the 200m breast yesterday. (AP) With a dazzling 15.8 on the high bar, Kohei Uchimura, the superstar gymnast from Japan, won the men’s all-around title last night, edging Oleg Verniaiev of Ukraine by less than a tenth of the point to capture his second straight Olympic gold. Defending champion

Finals, 11.30am Cycling (Track) Men Team Sprint, Qualifying, 3pm Women Team Pursuit, Qualifying Men Team Sprint, Semi-finals Men Team Pursuit, Qualifying Men Team Sprint, Finals Equestrian Dressage Team Grand Prix Day 2, 9am Fencing Women’s Epee Team First Round, Quarter-finals and Semi-finals, 8am Women’s Epee Team Finals, 4pm Handball Men Tunisia v Qatar, 8.30am Poland v Egypt, 10.30am Denmark v Croatia, 1.40pm Brazil v Germany, 3.40pm Slovenia v Sweden, 6.50pm France v Argentina, 8. 50pm Hockey Men Netherlands v India, 9am Ireland v Canada, 10am Argentina v Germany, 11.30am Spain v Belgium, 12.30pm Women Germany v Spain, 4pm Australia v Argentina, 5pm United States v India, 6.30pm Japan v Britain, 7.30pm Golf Men’s First Round, 6.30am Gymnastics (Artistic)

Mexico was eliminated from the men’s soccer tournament with a 1-0 loss to South Korea. In boxing, Kansas fighter Nico Hernandez is guaranteed to win at least a bronze and become the first American to medal in the Olympics since 2008. Other highlights from Day 5 at the Games:

SWIMMING SHOCKER : Kazakhstan has its first Olympic swimming medal, and it’s golden. Dmitriy Balandin pulled off a stunning upset in the men’s 200-metre breaststroke, winning from the eighth lane to put his central Asian country on the swimming medal stand for the first time.

Women’s Individual All-Around Final, 3pm Judo Men’s -100kg and Women’s -78kg, 9am Men’s -100kg and Women’s -78kg Finals, 2.30pm Rugby Men 11th Place, 11.30am Ninth Place, noon Placings 5-8, 12.30pm, 1pm Sem-ifinals, 1.30pm, 2pm Seventh Place, 4.30pm Fifth Place, 5pm Bronze Medal match, 5.30pm Gold Medal match, 6pm Rowing Men’s Pair B Final, 7.30am Women’s Double Sculls B Final, 7.40am Men’s Double Sculls B Final, 7.50am Men’s Lightweight Four B Final, 8am Men’s Single Sculls Semifinals, 8.10am Women’s Single Sculls Semifinals, 8.30am Men’s Pair A Final, 9am Women’s Double Sculls A Final, 9.20am Men’s Double Sculls A Final, 9.40am Men’s Lightweight Four A Final, 10am Sailing Men’s RS:X, Women’s RS:X, Men’s Finn, Men’s 470, Women’s 470, Mixed Nacra 17, noon Shooting Women’s 50m Three Position Qualification, 8am Women’s 50m Three Position Final, 11am

ROWING AT RISK : Twenty-two races, including the first two medal races, were postponed in the regatta but international rowing federation director Matt Smith said there’s still room on the schedule without having to resort to drastic measures — even if competition is also called off Thursday. LIFE’S A BEACH : The American beach volleyball team of Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson were eliminated from the Olympics on a tiebreaker. That’s the first US men’s team to fail to advance out of pool play since the 2004 Athens Games.

Swimming Men’s 50m Freestyle, Women’s 800m Freestyle, Men’s 100m Butterfly and Women’s 200m Backstroke Prelims, noon Men’s 50m Freestyle Semi-final, Women’s 200m Breaststroke Final, Men’s 200m Backstroke Final, Women’s 200m Backstroke Semi-final, Men’s 200m Individual Medley Final, Women’s 100m Freestyle Final and Men’s 100m Butterfly Semif-inal, 9pm Table Tennis Men’s Singles Semi-finals, 9am Men’s Singles Bronze Medal, 7.30pm Men’s Singles Gold Medal, 8.30pm Tennis Men’s Singles Quarter-finals, Women’s Singles Semi-finals, Women’s Doubles Semi-finals, Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals, 11am Volleyball Men Iran v Cuba, 7.30am Russia v Egypt, 9.35 am Poland v Argentina, 1pm Canada vs. France, 3.05pm Italy v Mexico, 6.30pm Brazil v United States, 8.35pm Water Polo Women Russia v Brazil, 8am Italy v Australia, 9.20am China v United States, 10.40am Spain v Hungary, noon

Meet our Olympians Name: Bianca Stuart Nickname: B.B. Age: 28 High School: Queen’s College College: Southern Illinois University Best subject: Anatomy & Physiology Event (s): Long Jump Best mark: 6.83m International teams competed on: 2008 & 2010 NACAC U-23 Championships, 2010 Sr CAC Games, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013 Sr CAC Champs, 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2011, 2013, 2015 World Championships, 2012 World Indoor Champs, 2012 Olympic Games, 2015 Pan Am Games Coached by whom: Henry Rolle (2010-present) Medals won: Gold- Sr CAC champs 2008, Bronze- NACAC U-23 champs 2008 SilverNACAC U-23 2010, Bronze- CAC Games 2010 Gold- Sr CAC champs 2011 Bronze- CAC champs

2013 Silver- Pan Am Games 2015 Favourite food: Conch Favourite movie: Drumline & Dreamgirls Parents: Shervin & Althea Stuart Sibling (s): Giovanni,

Nyles, & Kristan Stuart Expectations for Rio: To give my best effort in the long jump. • The Tribune is featuring profiles of the Bahamian Olympians daily in the buildup to the 2016 Games in Brazil next month

LONG JUMPER BIANCA STUART

PAGE 4, Thursday, August 11, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

AT THE 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Argentina and Mexico are out of men’s soccer tournament IT’S GOLF’S TIME TO DELIVER A GOOD SHOW By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Men’s golf gets four days to make up for four months of negative chatter about whether it even belongs in the Olympics. Not even a dreary sky with occasional rain could dampen the enthusiasm Wednesday on the final day of practice at Olympic Golf Course. “No matter what happens this week, it’s the greatest week of my life,” two-time major champion Martin Kaymer said. Bubba Watson was buzzing about watching Michael Phelps win the 200-meter butterfly the night before. British Open champion Henrik Stenson, an imposing figure in golf, felt small next to some of the other athletes in the gym at the Olympic Village. “If you want to get motivated, that’s definitely a place to be,” he said. “There’s a lot of athletes from different sports in there, and I didn’t try and go for some dead lifts of 80, 90 kilos when there was a guy holding up 180 kilos on both arms.” The biggest thrill for so many has been hanging around so many Olympians. Now it’s their turn. Adilson da Silva of Brazil was chosen to hit the opening tee shot this morning.

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — There won’t be a third soccer gold medal for Argentina. Nor a second for defending Olympic champion Mexico. The traditional powers were eliminated early from the men’s Olympic tournament, dealing another blow to Argentine soccer following the senior team’s loss in the Copa America final in June and the ongoing crisis enveloping the sport at home. Playing without any of its biggest stars, Argentina needed a win against Honduras but was held to a 1-1 draw at the Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia. Honduras advanced along with Portugal, which won Group D after a 1-1 draw against last-place Algeria in Belo Horizonte. Honduras and Argentina finished with four points each, but Honduras had the edge on goal difference. Striker Antony Lozano scored for Honduras from the penalty spot in the 75th minute and Mauricio Martinez equalized for Argentina on a free kick during second-half injury time. Both teams missed penalties when the match was scoreless. A shot by Honduras captain Bryan Acosta was saved by Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli just before halftime; Argentina playmaker Angel Correa hit the post in the 55th. The Brazilian crowd, disappointed by its country’s two draws at the stadium earlier in the tournament, loudly celebrated the elimination of its South American rival. The hosts have to defeat Denmark later Wednesday in Salvador to reach the quarterfinals and avoid another huge embarrassment at home following the World Cup two years ago.

ARGENTINA’s Angel Correa reacts after missing a penalty kick during a Group D match of the men’s Olympic football tournament between Argentina and Honduras at the National Stadium yesterday. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. (AP) Mexico, which upset Brazil in the final of the 2012 London Games, failed to advance after a 1-0 loss to South Korea in Brasilia. The Mexicans needed a victory to reach the quarterfi-

nals. Germany moved on from Group C after routing Fiji 10-0 with five goals by Nils Petersen and three by Maximilian Meyer at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo

Horizonte, the same place where the country’s senior team embarrassed Brazil 7-1 in the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup. Fiji had already lost 5-1 to Mexico and 8-0 to South Korea.

Argentina won the Olympic gold medal in 2004 and 2008, the last time with a squad that included Lionel Messi. It did not play at the 2012 London Games and was not considered among the favorites in Rio de Janeiro. This latest loss underscored the problems of Argentine soccer. The country’s federation is in financial chaos, and the Olympic team was left without a coach when Gerardo Martino resigned a month before the Rio Games. That left successor Julio Olarticoechea with little time to prepare a team led by youngsters Jonathan Calleri and Correa. There was even the possibility the nation would skip the tournament because of the turmoil. The loss in the Copa America final prompted a startling announcement by Messi that he was retiring from the national squad. Argentina opened the Olympic tournament with a 2-0 loss to Portugal and needed to rally from a goal down to defeat Algeria 2-1 in its second game. Honduras, which also lost to Portugal and beat Algeria, will be playing among the last eight for the second straight Olympics. It was eliminated by Brazil in the quarterfinals in 2012. Portugal is trying to improve on its fourth-place finish from two decades ago, when a squad led by Nuno Gomes and Sergio Conceicao missed on the bronze medal. The last time it played in the Olympics was in 2004, when it failed to reach the knockout stage despite a team featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Alves and Hugo Almeida. Portugal’s senior team won the European Championship for the first time last month. The men’s soccer tournament is played with under-23 squads but nations can add three older players.

Rain, rain, go away: 20 of 26 tennis matches postponed By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rafael Nadal went from being scheduled for a busy-as-can-be day to a day off at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, thanks to rain that forced postponement of 20 of 26 matches. None of the nine courts at the Rio tennis venue has a roof, so near-constant showers Wednesday prevented any competition until at least 6:15 p.m. — 7½ hours after play was supposed to start. After waiting and waiting in the

hope of getting in matches, organizers eventually decided to take all but a half-dozen off the day’s schedule. Among those that were called off: All three that Nadal was supposed to take part in. The 14-time Grand Slam champion and 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medalist originally was slated to play for Spain in the third round of singles against Gilles Simon of France, in the semifinals of men’s doubles with Marc Lopez against Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil of Canada, and in the first round of mixed doubles with Garbine Muguruza against Lucie

Hradecka and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic. Instead, Nadal will wait to get back on court. Another man who wound up without a match to play: 2012 London Games champion Andy Murray, who plays Fabio Fognini of Italy next. Both Murray and Nadal are attempting to become the first tennis player to win two singles gold medals. The six matches that remained on Wednesday’s schedule after all of the changes included two apiece in men’s singles, women’s

singles and mixed doubles. Among those who could wind up playing — weather permitting, of course — is Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who stunned Serena Williams in straight sets on Tuesday. Svitolina faces two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals. The other women’s singles match that wasn’t immediately postponed was Monica Puig of Puerto Rico against Laura Siegemund of Germany. The men’s singles matches left on the schedule were Gael Mon-

fils of France vs. 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia, and No. 4 Kei Nishikori of Japan vs. Andrej Martin of Slovakia. In mixed doubles, these were the two contests organizers were aiming to get on court: Carla Suarez Navarro and David Ferrer of Spain vs. Monica Niculescu and Florin Mergea of Romania; and Agnieszka Radwanska and Lukasz Kubot of Poland vs. Irina Begu and Horia Tecau of Romania. Fans who held tickets for Wednesday’s day session can apply for ticket refunds at the Rio Olympics website .

Meet our Olympians Name: Shavez Hart Nickname: Sparkie Age: 23 High School: St Georges High School College: South Plains College and Texas A&M University Best subject: History Event (s): 100m and 200m Best time (s): 100m: 10:10; 200m: 20.23 International teams competed on: 2011 Carifta and Pan Am Junior teams; 2013 CAC and World Championship; 2014 Commonwealth Games; 2015 Pan Am and World Championship. Coached by whom: Pat Henry Medals won: 2011 Carifta Bronze: 100m, 200m and 4x1, Gold 4x4; 2011 Pan Am Bronze 4x4; 2013 CAC Gold 4x1; 2016 World Indoor Silver 4x4. Favourite colour: Purple. Favourite food: Lobster made in any shape or form Favourite movie: Love and Basketball as well as Scarface. Idol: Nobody in particular, but I love to see males succeed that come from adverse backgrounds such as Jay-Z, who is now an icon

and inspiration to others Parents: Sidney and Shammaine Hart Sibling (s): Sirnado, Shermal and Sarai Har Status - Married, engaged, single: Single and looking • Expectations for Rio: I’m looking forward to making my country proud, mak-

ing the finals and breaking at least one of the Bahamas’ sprint records with God’s help. • The Tribune is featuring profiles of the Bahamian Olympians daily in the buildup to the 2016 Games in Brazil next month

SPRINTER SHAVEZ HART

THE TRIBUNE

CHAMP STUART ON THE RISE WITH METS By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net CHAMP Stuart continues to climb up the ladder in the New York Mets organisation after another promotion this summer. The four-year veteran continues to adjust to life in Double-A baseball for the Binghampton Mets of the Eastern League. In 25 games with Binghampton since his call-up on July 7, Stuart is hitting .181 with nine stolen bases, four RBI and two home runs. In just his fourth game with Binghampton, Stuart went 3-5 and hit his first home-run in Double-A. The Eastern League operates primarily in the Northeastern United States and has played at the Double-A level since 1963. Prior to the call-up, Stuart spent 71 games with the St.Lucie Mets in the SingleA Advanced League. His most notable stretch of the season was an eightgame hit streak and he was one of the driving forces behind the Mets’ resurgence in the league. In his best performance over the course of the streak, Stuart finished 3-5, including a triple, with two runs scored and one stolen base in the Mets’ 10-9 extra innings win over the Dunedin Blue Jays. With St. Lucie he hit .265 with 24 RBI and six home runs. He has also totalled an on-base percentage of .347, slugging percentage of .407 and an OPS of .755 with 25 stolen bases. The four-year veteran received the highlight of his career when he got the Major League call-up during spring training. Stuart made an appearance as a pinch runner in the final Grapefruit League game for the Mets in a loss to the Washington Nationals. In 2013, Stuart was selected out of Brevard College by the New York Mets in the sixth round with the 176th pick. Regarded as “the fastest player in the Mets system” by the club’s minor league scoring report, Stuart is ranked as the Mets’ No.25 prospect. He played his rookie season with the Tennesseebased Kingston Mets before he received the call to Class-A and finished with a productive first season with the Savannah Sand Gnats of the Class A South Atlantic League. A Bimini native, in his three-year collegiate career, Stuart was a two-time All-South Athletic Conference selection at Brevard College.

Thursday, August 11, 2016, PAGE 5

Remembering John Saunders IN life, we make very little known about those that inspire and encourage us to work toward what we want and to, in time, be who we want to be. I humbly ask all of you that seek out this column for a break from the sports norm to allow me this space and period to acknowledge one of my professional idols - ESPN Sports Reporter, John Saunders. As I have said often times on PressBox, my introduction to journalism came as a result of sports, and more specifically sports journalism. Throughout my youth, the lot of ESPN sports reporters provided the prism through which I saw the world, as no international issue or pop culture phenomenon could not be

The official results are as follows: Class A - July 31 1st Place – Red Stripe 2nd Place – Ed Sky 3rd Place – Who Dat Class A – Founders’ Cup Race - July 31 1st Place – Ed Sky 2nd Place – Red Stripe 3rd Place – Who Dat Class A 1st Place – Red Stripe 2nd Place – Ed Sky 3rd Place – Who Dat Class B 1st Place – Susan Chase 2nd Place – Eudeva 3rd Place – Cobra 4th Place – Ants Nest Class B – Cup Race July 30 1st Place – Susan Chase 2nd Place – Ants Nest 3rd Place – Cobra 4th Place – Eudeva

BY RICARDO WELLSedia.net rwells@tribunem

connected, in some way to sports. This week, my “Mount Rushmore” of sports reporters bid farewell to one of its members; Mr Saunders, or as I referred to him, Sir Saunders, passed away on Wednesday. For many of you, the extent of this man’s greatness and capabilities may not be known; or if it is, it may not be firmly understood. Sir Saunders joined the

staff at ESPN in 1986 and from day one worked to blur the lines between everyday sports reporting and critical sports reporting. Shortly after being named the host of the “Sports Reporters”, a Sunday morning editorial style, sports show - the programme that inspired my mind’s fascination to the life of sports. The instructive nature of Sir Saunders provided

JOHN SAUNDERS viewers with angles of some of world’s greatest sporting moments that were rarely being discussed or presented to viewers. It was in this post that Sir Saunders mentored and inspired some of sports’ biggest and best reporters - many of the men and

Ballin By Da Beach basketball clinic hits Kendal Isaacs Gym By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Class B - July 31 1st Place – Cobra 2nd Place – Susan Chase 3rd Place – Ants Nest 4th Place – Eudeva Class C - July 29 1st Place – Dream Girl 2nd Place – Catch Da Cat 3rd Place – Sacrifice Class C – Cup Race July 30 1st Place – Irene Good Night 2nd Place – Sacrifice 3rd Place – Catch Da Cat Class C – Cup Race July 31 1st Place – Sacrifice 2nd Place – Catch Da Cat 3rd Place – Dream Girl The Overall Winners Are: THE C CLASS – SACRIFICE THE B CLASS – SUSAN CHASE THE A CLASS – RED STRIPE

women that I today respect and value. His ability to continuously push the envelope with the style of his reports and research seemed to have inspired the social nature of many that followed him. Saunders was 61.

PROPOSED IFAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS CANCELLED FROM PAGE 1

RECENT National “Walk of Fame” icon Yolett McPhee-McCuin sought to create further ties between her at Jacksonville University Dolphins and the Bahamas with her “JU in the 242” programme. A busy schedule of activities over the past three days was highlighted by the Dolphins’ appearance at the Ballin By Da Beach basketball clinic on Tuesday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. “Coach Yo” and her players facilitated dozens of students through a series of drills and skill challenges while also offering words of inspiration. “I think it was a great experience. The fact that my players were able to come and help with the development of the youth from the grassroots level, I just thought it was a blessing for me just to see it all unfold. I’m just appreciative of the opportunity to be able to come and give back,” she said. “The NCAA makes it tough because of the rules. For us it was a challenge but luckily we were able to make it work and give these kids some inspiration, which they deserve. For them to be able to come out and see people like them and aspire to be where they are, that experience can go along way in shaping their future.” The Dolphins also competed in a pair of exhibition games against a team which includes members of the Bahamian national team. The Dolphins won both matchups 70-55 and 84-49. Beyond the lines of the basketball court, Jacksonville also participated in several community service events including a visit to the Children’s Emergency Hostel. “This trip will most importantly provide educational values through exposure of another culture and customs that one cannot experience in a classroom setting. Along with giving my team exposure, I felt this would be a good opportunity to give the local kids something to work and aspire to. They get to see what it takes to be a college athlete, from

CAT ISLAND REGATTA HELD IN HONOUR OF GODFREY KELLY THE 60th Annual Cat Island Regatta was held in honour of co-founder Godfrey Kelly in New Bight.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS

YOLETT McPhee-McCuin conducts the Ballin By Da Beach basketball clinic at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium on Tuesday. how they play to their structure. We hope that as many people can make it to the gym as possible,” McPheeMcCuin said. “I just want to be able to inspire the youth of The Bahamas and I thought it would be a big deal for us to come down, show our talents and provide some service while we are down there.” Sponsors for the event included the Ministry of Tourism, Bahamas Air, The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and BTC. The NCAA allows teams to take a foreign trip once every four years. Teams taking a foreign trip are allowed 10 full team practices during the summer and this was the Dolphins’ first trip outside of the United States. When she was announced as the Dolphins head coach in April 2013, McPhee-McCuin became the first Bahamian head coach in an NCAA Division I basketball programme. The daughter of legendary Bahamian coach Gladstone “Moon” McPhee and educator Daisy McPhee, she became the third head coach in the 14-year history of Jacksonville women’s basketball.

This past season, her third year at the helm, she led the Dolphins to a 22-11 record, the A-Sun tournament title and their first NCAA Tournament championship berth in school history. McPhee-McCuin took on the role of head coach for the Dolphins after a three-year run at Clemson University, where the National Women’s Basketball Insider named her one of the top assistants in the nation. Lastoff-season, she signed her first Bahamian to the Dolphins’ programme, Shalonda Neely. The Grand Bahama native was a four-year starter at Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Florida. She averaged 12 points and 15 rebounds in her senior campaign en route to the team winning a Deep South Classic Championship. At the national team level, McPhee-McCuin achieved a major milestone as she led the senior women to the Caribbean Basketball Championship title. And with the win, they qualified for the 2016 Centrobasket Tournament.

deserve better and have for a long time been demanding better, but the government has been deaf to our cries,” the statement said. Antonio Maycock, president of the CAFL, previously described the BAFF as a “rogue group” and said his group would not sanction an event hosted by the BAFF. The rift at the local level follows what has happened with IFAF internationally. IFAF has had leadership struggles of its own with one administration, led by IFAF President Tommy Wiking who had been on a leave of absence which concluded in May and another led by the former IFAF vice president and current Finnish federation president Roope Noronen. The group cancelled its 2016 World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden in December 2015 and reached an impasse at the rescheduled event in Canton, Ohio in July 2016. Noronen and his faction denied Wiking a position on the IFAF Executive Board while Wiking and his faction conducted their own alternate congress. The groups have operated independently ever since. The CAFL suggests the BAFF was a part of the faction led by Noronen. The group led by Noronen will host the IFAF U19 World Championship this summer in Austin, Texas, while the opposing group last hosted a Central American Four Nations tournament in Guatemala. The International Olympic Committee has stepped in to solve the dispute, chiding the organisation to solve its leadership structure.

TEAM BAHAMAS ALL SET FOR INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLON UNION GRAND FINAL IN MEXICO By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net ONE of the fastest growing sports in the country, the top triathletes in the country are preparing to face the top competitors from around the world. The Bahamas will field a team to compete at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) Grand Final in Cozumel, Mexico, September 11-18. Team Bahamas will include Dr Kelly Kramp, Dorian Roach, Cameron Roach, Julie Salas, Arturo Salas, Simon Lowe and Anna Zywiolek. The championship event is the culmination of a eight rounds of competition. Athletes compete head-to-head for points in these races that will determine the overall ITU world champion. The elite championship races are held over the standard (Olympic) distance of 1500m mass-start open water swim, 40km draft-legal cycle and 10km run. Kramp is one of the top ranked triathletes in the Bahamas overall and a former elite competitor who once represented Canada. “I think of the athletes that are going are very dedicated. The world champs are very tough and I think we can put in a good showing among this field,” he said.

In May, the Bahamas competed internationally at the inaugural Caribbean Triathlon and Duathlon Age Group Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida. Competing against triathletes from, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Maarten, Trinidad & Tobago and The Virgin Islands; the Bahamas team came away with 16 podium finishes including 11 first places. “The unfortunate part was the Caribbean Championships wasn’t well attended by many of the countries in the region but it does set the stage well. We competed against many talented athletes and we know in Mexico we will face even more really talented athletes around the world. To put it quite simply we are going against the best of the best at this stage,” Kramp said. “I think that event set the stage for what we are about to face. In terms of our training regimen I think ‘more intensity’ is probably the best way to put it. Everyone knows what they have to do, with the heat and humidity this time of year is not ideal to train but we know we have to get it done.” Several races now fill the country’s triathlon calendar - three brand new in the last three years. With the Conchman, Potcake-

man, Pineappleman, UWC, Great Abaco Family Fitness Weekend, Breeze-a-thon and BMC Dri Tri, the popularity of the sport has increased over the years. “I think the triathlon community is doing a great job of expanding the profile just by having more events to allow more Bahamians to look at the sport and say ‘I like that, I want to go into it.’ There are younger and younger people getting involved and with that starting to happen, I think in the next decade you will see some very talented triathletes coming out of the Bahamas,” Kramp said. “I’ve always really liked it because it’s a full body sport, and I think that’s the appeal for most people. Not any one of the three events is going to win it for you so you have to be so well rounded in all there sports to be competitive.” Cozumel has been the host of an ITU World Cup event for three years in a row. Along with these events, for the past eight years Cozumel has also hosted several age group races in Sprint and Olympic distances, half and long distance triathlons and kids triathlons, consolidating itself as the capital of Triathlon worldwide. It will be the third time the venue has been selected to organise the ITU Grand Final and Age group World Championship.

PAGE 6, Thursday, August 11, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 11, 2016, PAGE 7

Kenya’s Olympic track team manager ordered held for 28 days By TOM ODULA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A magistrate ruled yesterday that Kenya’s track and field manager can be held for 28 days while police investigate allegations that he helped cover up doping for cash. Michael Rotich was sent home from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics by Kenyan authorities after the British newspaper The Sunday Times reported allegations that he agreed to take a 10,000-pound ($13,000) bribe in exchange for helping athletes beat doping tests. Police initially asked that he be held for seven days, but they later requested a longer period in order to complete their investigation. In issuing the order, magistrate Christine Njagi called doping a serious offence that needed to be investigated. Prosecutor Duncan Ondimu told Njagi that Rotich was arrested Tues-

in exchange for a payoff. Rotich reportedly said he could protect athletes from doping controls because he is a senior track federation official in the region and knew when the official testers would be targeting athletes, according to the newspaper. Athletes aren’t supposed to be tipped off in advance of tests to ensure that they don’t try to avoid them or manipulate their samples to appear clean. Kenya’s anti-doping programme has been under scrutiny ahead of the Rio Games, with the World Anti-Doping Agency removing the country from its “non-compliant” list on the opening day of the Olympics. At least 40 of the country’s track and field athletes have been banned since the 2012 Olympics. Four senior officials at Kenya’s track federation have been suspended by track’s governing body after being accused of trying to corrupt the anti-doping system.

day at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport upon his arrival from Brazil, and police have not had time to conduct and conclude their inquiry. Rotich’s lawyer, Ham Lagat, said the evidence against his client “is not strong enough.” “It is tenuous, it is whimsical evidence,” Lagat said. “It is about a video, it is about a newspaper, it could be a gutter press,” he added. The Sunday Times reported that Rotich told its undercover reporters who were posing as coaches that he could protect doping athletes from doping tests

KENYA Olympics athletic team Manager Michael Rotich. (AP)

THe WeaTHer repOrT

5-Day Forecast

TOday

OrlandO

High: 91° F/33° C low: 75° F/24° C

Tampa

FrIday

saTurday

sunday

mOnday

Clouds and sun, a t‑storm in spots

Partly cloudy, a t‑storm in spots

Partly sunny with a stray shower

Partly sunny, a shower; breezy

Some sun with a t‑storm in the area

High: 91°

Low: 78°

High: 92° Low: 78°

High: 92° Low: 79°

High: 92° Low: 78°

AccuWeather RealFeel

109° F

90° F

106°-89° F

103°-86° F

106°-90° F

107°-89° F

High: 90° F/32° C low: 76° F/24° C

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

almanac

aBaCO

High: 88° F/31° C low: 82° F/28° C

6‑12 knots

High: 91° F/33° C low: 79° F/26° C

4‑8 knots

FT. lauderdale

FreepOrT

High: 88° F/31° C low: 79° F/26° C

W S

WesT palm BeaCH

uV inDex toDay

TOnIGHT

High: 88° F/31° C low: 77° F/25° C

mIamI

High: 89° F/32° C low: 78° F/26° C

4‑8 knots

Key WesT

High: 90° F/32° C low: 80° F/27° C

eleuTHera

nassau

High: 91° F/33° C low: 78° F/26° C

High: 87° F/31° C low: 82° F/28° C

N E

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

2:29 a.m. 3:12 p.m.

2.4 2.8

8:40 a.m. 9:31 p.m.

Friday

3:24 a.m. 4:07 p.m.

2.4 2.8

9:33 a.m. 0.6 10:29 p.m. 0.8

Saturday

4:20 a.m. 5:01 p.m.

2.4 3.0

10:26 a.m. 0.6 11:23 p.m. 0.7

Sunday

5:15 a.m. 5:51 p.m.

2.5 3.1

11:19 a.m. 0.5 ‑‑‑‑‑ ‑‑‑‑‑

Monday

6:06 a.m. 6:38 p.m.

2.6 3.3

12:13 a.m. 0.6 12:09 p.m. 0.4

Tuesday

6:54 a.m. 7:23 p.m.

2.8 3.4

12:59 a.m. 0.5 12:57 p.m. 0.2

Wednesday 7:41 a.m. 8:07 p.m.

3.0 3.6

1:42 a.m. 1:44 p.m.

0.6 0.9

0.3 0.1

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:42 a.m. 7:47 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

2:14 p.m. 12:53 a.m.

Full

last

new

First

aug. 18

aug. 24

sep. 1

sep. 9

CaT Island

High: 87° F/31° C low: 80° F/27° C

6‑12 knots

8‑16 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 91° F/33° C Low .................................................... 80° F/27° C Normal high ....................................... 89° F/32° C Normal low ........................................ 76° F/24° C Last year’s high ................................. 94° F/35° C Last year’s low ................................... 77° F/25° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 25.96” Normal year to date ................................... 21.45”

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

andrOs

san salVadOr

GreaT eXuma

High: 87° F/31° C low: 80° F/27° C

High: 89° F/32° C low: 82° F/28° C

W S

lOnG Island

insurance management tracking map

High: 88° F/31° C low: 80° F/27° C

7‑14 knots

mayaGuana High: 87° F/31° C low: 80° F/27° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CrOOKed Island / aCKlIns raGGed Island High: 87° F/31° C low: 80° F/27° C

High: 86° F/30° C low: 80° F/27° C

GreaT InaGua High: 89° F/32° C low: 82° F/28° C

10‑20 knots

marine Forecast aBaCO andrOs CaT Island CrOOKed Island eleuTHera FreepOrT GreaT eXuma GreaT InaGua lOnG Island mayaGuana nassau raGGed Island san salVadOr

Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday:

WINDS SE at 4‑8 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 4‑8 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 4‑8 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots

WAVES 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑5 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet

VISIBILITY 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 8 Miles 5 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 5 Miles 8 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 5 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 5 Miles 8 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 86° F 86° F 87° F 86° F 85° F 86° F 86° F 85° F 85° F 86° F 84° F 83° F 87° F 86° F 86° F 87° F 86° F 86° F 85° F 85° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 85° F 85° F

PAGE 8, Thursday, August 11, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

GOLDEN MOMENTS AT THE 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Japan sweeps judo golds in middleweights By MARIA CHENG Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Japan swept the judo gold medals at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday, taking the top spot in both men’s and women’s middleweight divisions. Haruka Tachimoto struck gold first by defeating triple world champion Yuri Alvear in the women’s 70-kilogram division. Despite being penalized for passivity in the first minutes of the final — and a partisan crowd cheering against her — Tachimoto managed to pin Alvear to the ground for 20 seconds, scoring an ippon victory that automatically ends the bout. Alvear, 30, won a bronze at the London Olympics. She was Colombia’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony.

After a disappointing seventhplace finish at the London Games, Tachimoto said she refocused her style, training in Mongolia and England, and honing a more defensive, counterattacking style that she used to defeat Alvear. The women’s bronze medals were won by Britain’s Sally Conway and Germany’s Laura Vargas Koch. A short time after the women’s medal competition ended, Japan’s Mashu Baker took the judo gold in the men’s 90-kilogram division. The second-seeded Baker, 21, defeated Georgia’s Varlam Liparteliani in a cagey final in which Baker managed to score only once. Like Tachimoto, he too was booed by the crowd, which expressed disapproval that Baker appeared to be withdrawing from the fight in its final minutes. But with Liparteliani failing to score,

JAPAN’s Haruka Tachimoto stands on the podium after winning gold yesterday. (AP)

Baker’s one throw was enough to win. Baker, whose father is American, trained at the Kodokan, the spiritual home of the Japanese martial art and its most famed dojo after starting judo at age 6. Baker has won four judo Grand Slam titles and took a bronze at last year’s world championships. He was raised by his mother in Japan and said he was dedicating his gold medal to her. She traveled with him to Rio. “To be an Olympic champion was my dream when I was young, so I’m very happy now,” he said. Baker acknowledged that he fought defensively in the latter part of the fight, seeking to protect his slight lead by not risking being attacked by Liparteliani. Liparteliani was seeded fifth and fought at the London Olympics but got knocked out in the second round. The loss left him in

tears and he struggled to maintain his composure through the medals ceremony. The men’s bronze medals were won by South Korea’s Donghan Gwak and China’s Xunzhao Cheng. Japan’s two golds Wednesday put the country atop the judo medal table, adding to the gold already won by Shohei Ono in the men’s 73-kilogram division Monday. Although Japan dominated for years at the Olympics in the martial art it developed, the country had its worst performance at the London Games, where it won only one gold. “We have to perform graciously and courageously because Japan is the home of judo,” Tachimoto said after her win. “Judo is one of the most important sports to the Japanese people, and they expect gold medals.”

Brits upset Chinese to win synchro 3-metre gold By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — There won’t be a golden sweep in the green Olympic diving pool. Britain upset China to win the men’s synchronized 3-meter springboard Wednesday, with Jack Laugher and Chris Mears totaling 454.32 points for their country’s first Olympic diving gold in history. “When the scores came up and it obviously said that we had won I was still like, ‘No, someone is playing a horrible prank on me,’” Mears said. “It was crazy, absolutely crazy, but I’m absolutely buzzing.” American duo Sam Dorman and Mike Hixon took silver with 450.21. China’s Cao Yuan and Qin Kai settled for bronze with 443.70, ending their country’s bid to sweep the eight diving medals at the Rio de Janeiro Games. The Chinese had won the first three synchro events. On a dreary, windy day at Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre, a steady drizzle fell throughout the six-round final. The pool’s water was green for the second straight day, with games officials struggling to correct what they say is decreased alkalinity that’s causing the change from clear blue to murky green. “Being from the U.K., we’re very much used to

BRITAIN’S JACK LAUGHER, left, and Chris Mears pose with their gold medals after the men’s synchronised 3-metre springboard diving final in the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center yesterday. (AP) rain, wind and all that kind of stuff,” Laugher said. Qin was trying to win a third straight 3-meter synchro gold medal with his third different partner. But the 30-year-old Chinese — oldest in the contest and owner of five Olympic medals — faltered in the third round, dropping his team to second behind the British. “I am the reason I did not do well,” Qin said through a translator. “I wasn’t strong enough in my mindset. I didn’t really focus enough.”

China fell to third in the next round, but moved up to second after its fifth dive. Cao and Qin earned scores ranging from 8.5 to 9.0, leaving them within 2.64 points of Britain heading into the last round. Laugher and Mears nailed the toughest dive any team attempted in the final, scoring 86.58 points in the fifth round. The Brits, Americans and Chinese all attempted the same dive to close the contest.

CHINA’S XIANG RECOVERS FROM BANG TO HEAD TO WIN WEIGHTLIFTING GOLD By JAMES ELLINGWORTH AP Sports Writer RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Taking a 118-kilogram weight to the back of the head? Even that couldn’t stop China’s Xiang Yanmei from winning Olympic gold. Xiang was already the favourite for gold in the women’s 69kg weightlifting class when she dropped the bar on her third attempt in the snatch, and it delivered a glancing blow to her head on the way down. That prompted fears weightlifting superpower China could see another surprise withdrawal in the middle of the competition after it lost world record holder Chen Lijun to a cramp in Monday’s men’s 62kg class. Xiang briefly appeared dazed and admitted to some pain but was fully alert as she closed out China’s fourth weightlifting gold of the Rio Olympics with 116kg in the snatch and 145 in the clean and jerk for a total of 261. “I got hurt a little bit and

I feel hurt when I nod my head,” she said. “I didn’t think about it when lifting weights.” Xiang said she had not seen a doctor. She added Olympic gold to the world titles she won in 2013 and 2015, and continued a resurgence for China’s lifters in Rio following a slow start. The silver medal went to Kazakhstan’s Zhazira Zhapparkul with a 259 total, while Egypt’s Sara Ahmed won bronze with 255 kilos, becoming the first woman from an Arab country to win an Olympic weightlifting medal. The 18-year-old is also Egypt’s first female medalist in its 104-year history at the Olympics. Egypt could also receive a silver medal from the women’s 75kg class in the 2012 London Olympics, in which Abeer Abdelrahman finished fifth behind three lifters currently under investigation after failing retests of their samples. Zhapparkul had faced possible exclusion from the Olympics after the International Weightlifting Fed-

eration proposed to bar the entire Kazakh team for numerous doping failures in retests of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, but the International Olympic Committee did not close those cases in time for Rio, delaying the sanction. Zhapparkul said the uncertainty hadn’t affected her preparation. “I didn’t really feel anything, to be honest,” she said. “I just worked and trained.” Still, the fact that Zhapparkul was allowed to compete along with two weightlifters from Belarus, which was under a similar threat of sanctions, drew the ire of Canada’s ninthplace finisher Marie-Eve Beauchemin-Nardeau. “I don’t think they should have been competing,” Beauchemin-Nardeau, who put her career as a doctor on hold to train for Rio, told The Associated Press. “It’s kind of stupid that they’re going to be banned after the Olympics, because they’re not going to be missing any competitions, so it’s a ban that doesn’t mean anything.”

Dorman and Hixon went first, scoring 98.04 to take over first, with the British and Chinese still to come. The Americans endured a five-minute wait while Mexico’s duo, who competed in front of them, sought a doover. “Leading into the last dive, having the Mexicans try to re-dive was beneficial,” Dorman said. “Having them distract us and me wondering what was going on took a lot off my mind.” Jahir Ocampo and Rom-

mel Pacheco complained to officials after a temporary light on scaffolding above the pool suddenly turned on while they were starting their dive. At first, it appeared the Mexicans would be allowed to go again, and they climbed back on the boards. Hixon had already started up the stairs, thinking it was his turn before going back down to wait. Ocampo and Pacheco stood on the boards waiting for the judges to give the go

signal. It never came. They weren’t allowed another attempt. It wouldn’t have affected the medal finish, but might have moved the Mexicans up to fourth instead of fifth among the eight teams. “We were going to do it again, but when we were up there waiting for the whistle to jump, they announced our scores and we had to come down again to protest,” Pacheco said. He said he thought Mexico would protest to FINA, the sport’s world governing body. “They might admit that they were wrong, but it won’t change anything,” Pacheco said. After Hixon celebrated his team’s execution by punching the water, the Brits grabbed the top spot back, although at 91.20, they didn’t score as high as the Americans. “GB did an unbelievable last dive as well,” Hixon said. “We sort of made them earn it, but they absolutely did.” On China’s last dive, Qin struggled again, failing to enter the water straight on a forward 4½ somersaults dive carrying a 3.8 degree of difficulty that scored 83.22. “It’s a lot of pressure and yes, we were a little bit nervous,” Cao said. China failed to win gold in the event for the first time since the 2004 Athens Games.