Groundbreaking Olympics for Women in Rio
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TENNIS | Page 9 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 10 Cilic upsets Pak top Test Murray rankings To Advertise here for title in for fi rst time Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 Cincinnati in history Tuesday, August 23, 2016 Dhul-Qa’da 20, 1437 AH FOCUS Athletics nervously enters post-Bolt era Page 3 SPOTLIGHT Goodbye Rio, hello Tokyo Jamaica’s Usain Bolt drew down the curtain on his brilliant Olympic career by securing a sweep of the sprint titles for a third successive Games. And American gymnast Simone Biles, the US flag bearer in the closing ceremony, kicked off her Olympic run by tying the record of four gold medals in a single Games Reuters ing.For all the troubles before and Rio de Janeiro during the Games, Rio will surely be remembered for great sporting mo- blustery storm, a touch of ments. melancholy and a sense of There was the remarkable comeback pride converged at the clos- of American swimmer Michael Phelps, A ing ceremony of the 2016 Ol- who won fi ve golds to reinforce his dis- ympics on Sunday as Brazil breathed a tinction as the most decorated Olym- collective sigh of relief at having pulled pian of all time. off South America’s fi rst Games. Jamaica’s Usain Bolt drew down the After a gruelling 17 days, Rio de Ja- curtain on his brilliant Olympic career neiro cast aside early struggles with by securing a sweep of the sprint ti- empty venues, security scares and a tles for a third successive Games. And mysterious green diving pool to throw American gymnast Simone Biles, the a huge Carnival-like party. US fl ag bearer in the closing ceremony, Samba dancers, singers, drummers kicked off her Olympic run by tying the and a giant plumed macaw fl oat mixed record of four gold medals in a single with hundreds of athletes in the storied Games. Maracana stadium while a fi nal volley But at times it was hard to focus of fi reworks lit up the night sky. on the sporting triumphs taking place Brazilians came to the closing cere- across the sprawling city. mony happy, many wearing the canary A low point for Rio came when Ryan yellow jersey of the nation’s sports Lochte, one of America’s most deco- teams, having won two late gold med- rated swimmers, said he was robbed at als in their two favourite sports, men’s gunpoint. That ignited further secu- soccer and volleyball. rity concerns after a series of assaults But Sunday served up tough weather against government ministers, ath- conditions for such a big party. High letes and tourists. But Lochte’s story winds buff eted the Maracana, power quickly unravelled, enraging Brazilians briefl y went out in the upper part of the and Americans alike. Brazilians could stadium, and rain drenched perform- nevertheless take heart in the fact A photo shows the Brazilian, Greek and Japanese flags flying during the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the ers and athletes as they entered the that there were no major mishaps or Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. ceremony, many with medals hanging breaches after deadly attacks in Europe around their necks. and the United States had prompted To the beat of traditional Brazilian the biggest security operation in Bra- music, Olympians danced and waved zil’s history with 85,000 troops. their countries’ fl ags to celebrate their “Even with all our problems we place on the world’s premier sporting pulled off a good Olympics. Noth- stage. ing too bad happened and I’d say it In the last of 306 medal ceremo- Michael Phelps (top) and Usain Bolt was better than expected,” said Nivea nies, International Olympic Commit- dominated the Olympics with their Araujo, a Rio resident attending the tee President Thomas Bach draped the brilliant individual performances. closing ceremony. gold around the neck of Kenya’s Eliud For many in the soccer-mad nation, Kipchoge, winner of the men’s mara- In the midst of it worst economic re- the best Olympic moments happened thon earlier in the day. cession since the 1930s, Brazil’s open- in the Maracana, where Brazil defeated The city handed over the Olympic ing and closing ceremonies relied more Germany in soccer on Saturday and fl ag to Tokyo, site of the 2020 Summer on the country’s unique talents and pieced together a widely hailed open- Games, and Japanese Prime Minister natural beauty and less on expensive ing ceremony despite the tight budget. Shinzo Abe appeared in the stadium technology. Rio won the right to host the Games dressed as popular video game char- On Sunday, there was an ode to the in 2009, when the economy was acter Mario, tunnelling from Tokyo to white-clad lacemaking ladies and booming and millions were pushing Rio. the forro music of the Northeast that into the middle class. Bach declared the Rio Games closed sparked waves of pride among Brazil- “We are in a diffi cult moment as a and expressed hope that they had left a ians.One of the more stunning mo- country right now, we can’t hide that, lasting mark on the metropolitan area ments of the ceremony focused on the but the Games were scheduled and I’m of 12mn people. ancient art found in the Serra da Capi- glad we could enjoy them,” said Ales- “These Olympic Games are leaving a vara National Park — a Unesco World sandro Freitas, also from Rio. unique legacy for generations to come,” Heritage site in northeastern Brazil One of the major concerns for Bra- he said. “History will talk about a Rio featuring cave paintings, some more zilians is what will be the fi nal cost of de Janeiro before and a much better Rio than 25,000 years old. the Games for a country and how much de Janeiro after the Olympic Games.” But the beauty was betrayed by Bra- they actually helped improve the city’s In a fi nal symbolic act, the Olympic zil’s tough times. infrastructure. Many Rio residents fl ame that had burned since Aug. 5 was Just this week, the foundation that could not aff ord tickets to events, leav- then extinguished in a downpour of ar- maintains the park said it could no ing them feeling on the sidelines of the tifi cial rain. longer do so because of a lack of fund- city’s biggest undertaking. Qatari flags are waved by performers during the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games on Sunday night. BOTTOMLINE Groundbreaking Olympics for women in Rio AFP African-American after Gabby Doug- Kelmendi. Silva, 24, who grew up in Malik, who carried the Indian fl ag at the fi rst US Olympian to wear a hijab — Rio de Janeiro las in 2012 to win the all-around title, Rio’s violent, poverty stricken ‘City of the closing ceremony. a headscarf worn by Muslim women — ending her Olympics in the spotlight God’ slum, won special mention from Women from the Middle East were during competition, came away with by carrying the United States fl ag at IOC president Thomas Bach as the more represented than ever before in a bronze in the women’s team sabre rom the dizzying gymnastics the closing ceremony. Games drew to a close. Rio. event. heights of African-American “I’m not the next Usain Bolt or “Rising from the favela to become Weightlifter Sara Ahmed, wearing a Saudi Arabia’s Kariman Abulja- Simone Biles to Indian wres- Michael Phelps,” the Texan had said. Olympic champion, when you look sports hijab, blazed a trail by becoming dayel — one of four women athletes tler Sakshi Malik and Brazilian “I’m the fi rst Simone Biles.” at her childhood and what she had to the fi rst woman from Egypt to stand sent by the conservative Gulf king- Fgolden girl Rafaela Silva in judo — Rio Despite the shining success of Biles, overcome, she’s an inspiration across on the podium, lifting 255kg to fi nish dom to Rio — competed in the 100m proved a groundbreaking Games for a gender gap remains with 169 events the world,” Bach said. third. sprint. women. for men staged in Rio compared to 137 Malik also told how she had to over- Ines Boubakri won the Arab world’s Emirati swimmer Nada al-Badwawi, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps had for women. come prejudice to become India’s fi rst fi rst ever women’s Olympic fencing who carried her country’s fl ag in the already arrived in Rio as global su- Nevertheless, the Games still had medallist with freestyle wrestling medal, dedicating her bronze to “the opening ceremony, said: “We are slow- perstars of men’s track and fi eld and many fi rsts with judoka Majlinda Kel- bronze. Tunisian women, the Arab woman... ly starting to change the mentality. swimming. mendi winning Kosovo a gold at its The 23-year-old from Rohtak, 76km who has her place in society”. “My main goal is to break down But newcomer Biles’s amazing ac- maiden Games, as Monica Puig gave northwest of New Dehli, said her par- US fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad suc- these gender barriers and pave the way robatic skills also won star billing with Simone Biles of the US competes on Puerto Rico tennis gold. ents had been criticised by local people ceeded in her ambition to show the for other female swimmers.” her record-equalling four women’s the vault during the women’s individual “I just proved that even after we when she started wrestling.