USA Stars Fail to Earn Stripes in More Athletics
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39 Friday, August 6, 2021 USA stars fail to earn stripes in more athletics woe TOKYO: The United States underwhelming “I just think the nerves, the big atmosphere athletics campaign suffered further blows yes- got the best of me a little bit,” said Holloway. “But terday with favorite Grant Holloway beaten in I’m young (he’s 23), I’ve got a lot of races under the 110 meters hurdles and their men’s 4x100m my belt so I’ll take this with a grain of salt and I relay team failing to qualify for the final. keep moving forward. This was not the outcome There was some respite for the Americans in that I wanted but it enables me to say I’m an the shot put with a 1-2, Ryan Crouser success- Olympic medalist.” fully defending his title with world champion Joe Only Fred Kerley of the relay quartet will be Kovac taking silver as he did in Rio in 2016. But able to leave Tokyo saying he is an Olympic there was more disappointment in the men’s medalist having taken silver in the 100m individ- triple jump. ual event. The US quartet of Trayvon Bromell, Will Claye — favored at last to win a gold Kerley, Ronnie Baker and Cravon Gillespie medal after twice finishing runner-up in the trailed in sixth in a time of 38.10sec, a perform- Olympic final behind Christian Taylor, who ance US sprint great Carl Lewis branded a “total missed Tokyo due to injury — came up short in embarrassment.” fourth place. Gold instead went to Portugal’s Cuba-born Pedro Pichardo, who showed Claye ‘Chasing time’ how to transform minor medals into gold having Though the USA has suffered multiple dis- previously won two world silvers when repre- qualifications over the years, yesterday marked senting Cuba. the first time an American 4x100m squad has The USA came as ever with great hopes of failed to make the Olympic final from a com- dominating track and field but have just four ti- pleted heat. Kerley was terse in his assessment TOKYO: Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment (left) crosses the finish line to win ahead of second-placed USA’s Grant Holloway tles thus far and missed out on the 100/200m of their performance. “We just didn’t get the job (right) and third-placed Jamaica’s Ronald Levy (center) in the men’s 110m hurdles final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic sprint titles. Their women’s 100 and 200m sextet done today,” he said. “No excuses.” Games at the Olympic stadium in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP yielded just a bronze — Gabby Thomas in the Britain’s performances on the track have also 200m — whilst the men managed two silvers been hugely disappointing. Their 200 world and a bronze in the 100 and 200m. champion Dina Asher-Smith had pulled out of though they had both the USA and Jamaica be- “After the 100m I did say that there was no Holloway was circumspect about having led the 200m due to a hamstring problem earlier in hind them neither of those teams fielded their big way that I wasn’t going to be here for the girls in till the final hurdle only to be overhauled by Ja- the week but on Thursday she was fit enough guns. Asher-Smith revealed after bowing out in the 4x100m relay,” said Asher-Smith. “I’ve been maica’s Hansle Parchment. Holloway reflected on to run a scintillating third leg of the 4x100m the semi-finals of the 100m she had been run- training really hard this week, I only had one day how different and more imposing a stage an relay heat. ning with an injured hamstring. However, she said off. It is just one of those things where I am chas- Olympic final is to the world championship final The British quartet won their heat setting a after yesterday’s run she was determined to line ing time and I need a few more sessions and I will — which he won in Doha in 2019. new national record of 41.55sec. However, al- up in the relay. be closer to where I am used to being.” — AFP Warner outstrips Belgium’s Thiam Mayer for Olympic retains Olympic decathlon gold heptathlon gold TOKYO: Canada’s Damian Warner produced two days of con- TOKYO: Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam successfully defended her sistent excellence to win the men’s Olympic decathlon gold yes- Olympic heptathlon title yesterday, a task made easier by the terday. Warner finished the 10-discipline, two-day event with withdrawal of British world champion Katarina Johnson-Thomp- 9,018 points, with France’s world record holder Kevin Mayer son. Thiam amassed 6,791 points in the seven-discipline, two-day doing well to battle back for silver with 8,726 points. Australian event made even more grueling because of hot, humid conditions Ashley Moloney claimed bronze on 8,649 points. at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium. Anouk Vetter of the Netherlands Warner had ended the first day of the Olympic decathlon on claimed silver with 6,689pts, with teammate Emma Oosterwegel Wednesday in top spot, with the fancied Mayer in fifth after com- taking bronze (6,590). “It feels so good. I can’t believe it,” said TOKYO: An overview shows Gold medalist Canada’s Damian Warner (center), plaining of back problems. Warner, 31, is a seasoned campaigner, Thiam. “I am so emotional I can’t describe it.” silver medalist France’s Kevin Mayer (left) and bronze medalist Australia’s having finished in the top five at the past six outdoor global cham- The 26-year-old Belgian Thiam registered 13.54 seconds in the Ashley Moloney (right) posing after the men’s decathlon event during the Tokyo pionships, picking up Olympic bronze in 2016 as well as world sil- opening 100m hurdles, 1.92m in the high jump, 14.82m in the shot 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP ver in 2015 and world bronze in 2013 and 2019. put and 24.90sec on the first day of action. That was followed up At a baking hot Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, he by 6.60m in the long jump, 54.68m in the javelin and 2:15.98 in opened up with a startling world decathlon best of 10.12 seconds javelin, in fourth spot and was able to claw back some valuable the final, strength-sapping 800m. “The first day was difficult for in the 100 meters before soaring out to 8.24m in the long jump — points with a massive personal best of 73.09m on his second me,” said Thiam. “So on day two I had to really focus. I knew I enough to have won him bronze in the individual event. Warner throw. Warner managed 63.44, but Mayer moved back into sec- had to do something really good in the long jump and javelin. My then registered 14.80m in the shot put and 2.02m in the high jump, ond place on 8,066pts, 214 behind the Canadian. Warner went coach was so positive and told me he believed in me today. I am and ran 47.48sec in the final event of the day, the 400m, for the into the 1,500m, the final event, knowing he had to run 4:33.80 to really happy I was able to go through that and put my perform- overnight lead ahead of Moloney and Canadian Pierce Lepage, break the 9,000-point barrier. Mayer, the world record holder ances together.” Injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic meant it with Mayer fifth. Warner opened up the second day of action with with 9,126 points, didn’t have quite enough to threaten the Cana- was the first time Thiam and Johnson-Thompson had contested a an Olympic decathlon best of 13.46sec in the 110m hurdles before dian in the final 1500m. Warner dug deep to somehow find enough full heptathlon since their clash at the Doha world championships a credible 48.67m in the discus and 4.90m in the pole vault. energy to produce a last sprint finish for fifth place, 12sec ahead in 2019. But the Briton, who suffered a ruptured achilles earlier Mayer, who won silver behind then world record holder Ashton of the Frenchman. His time of 4:31.08 ensured a memorable points this year but returned to competition at the end of June, pulled Eaton at the Rio Olympics, went into the penultimate event, the finish and, finally, a first gold at a global championships. — AFP up with a calf injury in the 200m. — AFP.