WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016 SPORTS Brownlee and Jorgensen set high bar ing ankle surgery after finding he was run- If the reigning champion goes into the bike. For the country that invented the ning almost every race in pain. He still won 10km run anywhere near the front it is sport, the United States has had a thin time most of them. Now fully fit and focused, he almost impossible to see anything but a since it joined the Olympic party in 2000, TRIATHLON looks unbeatable. If something goes badly second gold, though if he does have a weak with Susan Williams’s bronze in 2004 their wrong, hyper-consistent younger brother spot, it could be racing in extreme heat. only medal from the four races to date. Jonny, who took bronze four years ago, and American Gwen Jorgensen should be an Britain has a trio of contenders in with a RIO DE JANEIRO: Alistair Brownlee ended strong runners Richard Murray of South even bigger favourite in the women’s race podium chance- double former world the “favorite’s curse” when he triumphed on Africa and Spaniard Mario Mola look best but, as the previous four Olympics have champion Helen Jenkins, one of the few in home soil in the 2012 Olympic triathlon equipped to challenge him. shown, things rarely go to plan in an event the field to have beaten Jorgensen, 2013 and, due to the absence of Javier Gomez, As in 2012, Britain has selected its third with so many variables. The double reigning world champion Non Stanford, who has the the Englishman starts at even shorter odds man to act as a domestique to the world champion has totally dominated the run speed to challenge the American, and GALLERY in tomorrow’s swim-bike-run event. The Brownlees, with Gordon Benson effectively International Triathlon Union (ITU) circuit Vicky Holland. showdown between Brownlee and multi- sacrificing his own chances to give them a since the last Games, going almost two Also in the field are all three medalists ple world champion Gomez, second in tow through the 40km bike leg that follows years unbeaten, taking 13 races in a row, from London, when Switzerland’s Nicola 2012, disappeared when the Spaniard a 1.5km sea swim off Copacabana beach. and winning the Rio test event last year. Spirig edged out Swede Lisa Norden in a broke his arm in a bike crash last month, The bike course contains two sharp climbs Her long-striding run speed makes her photo finish. Spirig has taken time out to opening the way for Brownlee to become that have to be tackled eight times - just virtually unbeatable if she reaches the sec- have a baby and has raced sparingly, while the first person to win back-to-back the sort of technical and physical challenge ond transition anywhere near contention - bronze winner Erin Densham completes triathlon golds. the Brownlees love, and which should her chances were ended by a puncture in the trio, hoping to maintain Australia’s Brownlee has suffered with injury since break up the field. “It’s a tough, hilly course 2012 - so the rest of the field will be doing record of medalling in every women’s his London triumph, eventually undergo- and I’m excited about the race,” said Alistair. their utmost to do some damage on the Olympic triathlon. — Reuters Netherlands, New Zealand, Britain, Germany book semis HOCKEY RIO DE JANEIRO: Defending champions Puerto Rico’s Grace Claxton warms up before compet- Netherlands will face Germany, while Britain ing in the Women’s 400m Hurdles Round 1 during the take on New Zealand in the women’s hock- athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the ey semi-finals of the Rio Olympics today. Olympic Stadium. — AFP World number one Netherlands, who are seeking a third successive gold, beat Argentina 3-2 in the quarter-finals, while Germany dumped out the United States with a 2-1 victory on Monday. New Zealand hammered world number three Australia 4- 2 in their quarter-final to set up a chance of a rare hockey medal, as Britain, who won the bronze medal in the 2012 London Games, ousted Spain 3-1. Netherlands were quick off the blocks against world number two Argentina as they romped to a two-goal lead thanks to goals from Laurien Leurink and Lidewij Welten in the first half. Kelly Jonker opened up a three-goal gap after she scored from a penalty corner just six minutes into the third quarter but Argentina’s Florencia Habif pulled one back ahead of the final quarter. Delfina Merino scored eight minutes from the final whistle to set up a nervy ending but Netherlands nullified Argentina’s attack- ing threat to book their place in the final- RIO DE JANEIRO: Argentina’s goalkeeper Belem Succi (left) dives to save the shot ball of Netherlands’ Marloes Keetels (right) dur- four. Germany held off a late surge by the ing a women’s field hockey quarterfinal match at 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, Aug 15, 2016. — AP United States to advance to the semi-final. Germany’s Marie Mavers opened the scoring Germans remained strong defensively to set Australia’s Kathryn Slattery scored to cut fortable three-goal lead heading into half- with a goal midway through the first period. up a semi-final clash with Netherlands. New the lead to just one but Gemma Flynn and time. Britain continued their dominance in Lisa Altenburg knocked in a backhanded Zealand took an early lead as Anita McLaren Olivia Merry struck for New Zealand in the the third quarter as they did not give Spain shot high over US goalkeeper Jackie Briggs to converted a penalty corner and Kelsey Smith third period to put the result beyond doubt a sight of goal. Spain piled on the pressure put Germany up 2-0 late in the first. Katelyn handed her side a two-goal cushion prior to as Slattery netted a late consolation. Goals in the fourth period but left it too late as Falgowski’s goal with four minutes left gave halftime when she added another penalty from Georgie Twigg, Helen Richardson- Georgina Oliva only managed to grab a the Americans a glimmer of hope, but the corner goal. Walsh and Lily Owsley gave Britain a com- consolation. — Reuters Miller dives over line Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller dives to cross the finish line ahead of USA’s Chase Kalisz during the Women’s 400m Final. —AFP to deny Felix in 400m American female track and field athlete at the Olympics by bettering Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s tally of six. Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson took bronze in 49.85. Second behind Felix at the ATHLETICS world championships in Beijing last year when her strong finish was not enough to rein in the RIO DE JANEIRO: Bahamian Shaunae Miller American, Miller had clearly learned her lesson. launched herself over the finishing line with a She exploded out of the blocks in lane sev- desperate dive to pip Allyson Felix to the en and went for broke, her long stride giving women’s Olympic 400 metres gold medal by her a good lead on the back straight as the the narrowest of margins on Monday. After fly- shorter Felix powered away inside her. Miller ing across the line in a personal best time of retained her lead coming off the final bend but 49.44 seconds, the 22-year-old lay prone on started tightening up as Felix surged about 50 the track, shaken up and exhausted as she meters from the line and the pair were neck- waited for the scoreboard to confirm she had and-neck until the Bahamian’s gold medal- clinched her first major title. winning dive. Americans Natasha Hastings Felix, who finished in 49.51, also collapsed (50.34) and Phyllis Francis (50.41) finished to the track after failing to win her fifth fourth and fifth. Felix was denied the chance to Olympic gold medal, let alone the 200-400 defend her 200m title, and bid for an unprece- double she had originally planned in her dented double, in Rio after failing to finish in fourth Olympics. The 30-year-old Californian’s the top three at the U.S trials while suffering Bahamas’s Shaunae Miller diving to cross the finish line to win the Women’s 400m silver medal was, though, her seventh in four the effects of an ankle injury she suffered in a Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Games, making her the most decorated gym accident. — Reuters Stadium. — AFP Weertman makes it double Dutch gold SWIMMING Sweden’s Carl Fredrik Stefan Schoen, blue, competes against Cuba’s Yasmany Daniel Lugo Cabrera, red, dur- RIO DE JANEIRO: Ferry Weertman won a ing the men’s wrestling Greco-Roman 98-kg competi- ferocious battle for the men’s 10km open tion at the 2016 Summer Olympics yesterday. — AP water swimming gold at the Rio Olympics yesterday, edging Spiros Gianniotis in a frantic photo finish to cap a Dutch open water double. Weertman’s triumph by the narrowest of margins-both he and Gianniotis were credited with a time of 1hr 52min 59.8sec-followed teammate Sharon van Rousendaal’s victory in the women’s race off Copacabana beach on Monday. But his win bore little resemblance to van Rouwendaal’s victory by a margin of more than 17 seconds. Weertman, the 24- RIO DE JANEIRO: The Netherland’s Ferry Weertman competes in the men’s marathon swimming event at the Summer Olympics in year-old European champion, reached up Rio de Janeiro, Brazil yesterday.