Sports FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

Bolt ready for key test ahead of Rio

LONDON: Usain Bolt insists he is ready for his first Bolt’s outing at the Olympic Stadium, the scene of Despite doubters questioning his fitness, Bolt 200 meters of the season in the Anniversary Games his three Olympic gold medal wins at 2012 points to his triumph at last year’s World today as the star sprinter tests his fitness ahead of in the 100m, 200m and sprint relay, will be his last Championships in Beijing when he trailed Justin the Rio Olympics. Bolt, a six-time Olympic champion, before the Games. The 29-year-old has set his sights Gatlin in the 100m and 200m world rankings, only faces a key stage of his fitness recovery when he on an unprecedented ‘triple triple’ of Olympic to leave China with the complete set of gold races for the first time since pulling out of the crowns in what will likely be his last Games. “I’ll defi- medals. “I’m definitely a tough competitor,” Bolt Jamaican trials with a hamstring strain. “I’m good, nitely be there, I’m excited to go,” Bolt said of the said. “Last year Gatlin was just not ready, it was the I’m feeling good, been training good now, I’m happy Olympics, which get underway in on August 5. first time he was being chased. “It was hard for with where I am,” Bolt told reporters in London on “This is where history is going to be made, I’m excit- him, but this year is not going to be the same, I am Thursday. “My hamstring is good, I have no issue ed to put on a show for the entire world to see. This in much better shape, so I won’t leave it to the last right now. I know I’m in good shape.” is my final Olympics, it’s a big one.” second.” — AFP

Korea’s Lee’s weight may cost a taekwondo gold

SEOUL: South Korea’s two-time world taek- wondo champion Lee Dae-Hoon has a weight problem when it comes to securing the Olympic title he craves. And it’s a conundrum that has only two solutions: slim down or bulk up. A quirk of taekwondo is that its Olympic weight classes are different from those that feature in the and World Championships. Lee’s natural fighting weight of 63 kilo- grams fits the latter, but for the Olympics he must choose to shift up or down. In London in 2012, he opted to shed five kilos and com- pete in the 58-kilogram division-a decision he now regrets and partially blames for his silver- medal finish. The rationale for dropping down was that his height would give him an advantage in the 58kg class, but the regimen sapped his energy and Lee says he ran out of power following two overtime bouts. Most of his training for the London Games had been focused on making the chosen NEW YORK: In this May 19, 2016, file photo, ’s Pehman Yarahmadi, left, grapples with of the in a 163-pound weight, which meant a sacrifice in terms of match during the Beat the Streets exhibition. — AP strength. “Even after I gained my weight back after the Olympics, I struggled because I had lost a lot of muscle,” Lee, 24, told AFP follow- Star Jordan Burroughs key to ing a training session at the Korea National Training Center in Seoul. With his sights firmly on gold in Rio, Lee and his trainers decided to wrestling’s popularity push make 68 kilos his “new normal” and he is cur- rently ranked number one in the world at that weight division. LINCOLN: Jordan Burroughs used his gold-medal wrestling-mad Iran, which sent him a traditional Twitter handle @alliseeisgold, a cocky moniker Lee admits the weight changes have been moment at the 2012 Olympics in London to Persian blanket after the recent birth of his second more suited for a boxer. But Burroughs backed it a challenge, but says he has “gained a lot of emerge as one of wrestling’s biggest stars. A year child - even though Iranian is one up, later joking that he’d “double-leg the Queen” confidence” competing against-and beating- later, the world’s oldest sport turned to Burroughs of Burroughs’ biggest rivals. after winning gold in London. Burroughs’ budding powerful fighters in the higher class. Lee was to help save its future. “They needed someone who It’s a gift that Burroughs keeps on the mantle of popularity proved crucial during the sport’s biggest barely more than a toddler when he first tried was consistent, who was marketable, who was elo- his fireplace in his home in Lincoln, Nebraska. “We crisis. Burroughs learned that the IOC had dropped out the sport at his father’s taekwondo acade- quent enough in their speech and articulate respect his personality, and that’s just as important wrestling from the Olympic program starting in my in Seoul 20 years ago. By the time he was enough to engage with the media, and who was as his athletic skills,” presi- 2020 while in an airport in . He took to 18, he was the youngest taekwondo fighter interested in engaging with the fans via social dent Nenad Lalovic said. “He became a superstar. Facebook that day to share his thoughts in a post on the South Korean national team when he media,” Burroughs said. “It was amazing timing for He’s a great fighter, and he deserves all the plaudits that soon helped crystallize the hastily-assembled clinched a gold medal at the 2010 Asian me.” that he gets.” While Burroughs’ persona made him “Save Olympic Wrestling” movement. Games in Guangzhou, China. Burroughs’ charismatic personality, electric a hit outside of wrestling, those within the sport “If wrestling is axed, it will be tough to look kids With two world titles, two Asian Games wrestling style and savvy use of social media has have long been drawn to his perseverance and grit. in the eye for the rest of my life and tell them that gold medals and two Asian championships made him the face of the sport and one of the they can’t follow their dreams anymore, they’re no under his belt, the quest for gold in Rio is biggest stars the US will send to next month’s Rio Classic underdog longer Olympic hopefuls. They’ve lost to an oppo- about securing his legacy as one of the Games. In fact, he’s become the rare wrestler to Burroughs was a classic underdog, a scrawny nent that they’ve never had a shot against,” sport’s greats. The Korean martial art only transcend a sport that in the past often closed itself high schooler from New Jersey who signed with Burroughs wrote. The movement brought the became a full-time Olympic medal sport at off to outsiders. Burroughs has even garnered Nebraska after being overlooked by bigger-name international wrestling community together like the 2000 Games in Sydney, and South Korea media attention and endorsements typically programs. It took a few years for Burroughs to grow never before. It worked: The IOC reinstated currently tops the accumulated medal table reserved for gymnasts, swimmers and track stars - into his body and refine a style highlighted by his wrestling seven months later. with 10 golds. The sport’s growing popularity just three years after wrestling briefly was booted “double-leg” takedown, akin to a sack in football. As Still, the near-Olympic death sentence forced has resulted in stronger competition, with from future by the IOC in part a junior, Burroughs hit his stride and cruised to his the sport to confront some problems that weren’t fighters from and Iran among those because it was seen as unappealing to modern first NCAA title. He returned two years later, follow- easy to solve, chief among them a lack of mar- grabbing top honors. viewers. ing a serious knee injury, as the best wrestler in the ketable athletes. Burroughs, who’s as popular on Lee knows there is a lot of pressure for him Burroughs is indeed a whiz online, with over country, going 36-0 while earning universal respect Instagram in and Moscow as he is in New to deliver the country’s first men’s taekwondo 230,000 followers on Instagram, 170,000 on from a wrestling community with a soft spot for York City, was clearly the guy who could change all Olympic title since 2008. “Many say I’m the Facebook and over 140,000 on Twitter attracted in kids who emerge from less traditional powers. that. But the newly-married star knew he had to number one Olympic gold hopeful, but I part to his family-friendly persona. The fact that Burroughs earned the world’s respect just six keep winning, even though having two kids could lose and not bring home any medals,” Burroughs always seems to be smiling in a sport months later by winning a world championship in between London and Rio forced him to cut down he said. “I will bring my best to each match, where intimidating stares are ubiquitous has only his first try. In 2012, the Olympic spotlight allowed his travel schedule and re-work his training rou- but at the same time I want to enjoy the added to his appeal. He’s especially popular in Burroughs’ personality to emerge. He adopted the tines.—AP Olympics to the fullest.” — AFP