4 olympics THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2012 CHINA DAILY Hoops Finally, Felix breaks through springs By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in London to life, America’s Allyson Felix made it third time lucky to win the Olympic 200m crown here on at last Wednesday and deny Jamai- ca’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce a sprint double. By PATRICK GRAHAM Felix, a silver medalist at the in London 2004 and 2008 Reuters Games over the distance, powered France’s Ronny Turiaf’s fla- to victory in 21.88 grant foul in the fourth quarter sec to thwart Fras- of Wednesday’s quarterfi nal was er-Pryce’s hopes of adding the bad, but a chorus of boos from 200m title to her newly acquired a largely Spanish crowd was 100m crown. unlike anything the London “Finally, it has been a long Olympic basketball tournament time coming,” a delighted Felix had seen. said. “I’ve waited so long for this Organizers and MCs have moment and I am just over- worked hard to raise the tem- joyed. perature during a week of oft en “Th ere are so many people uncompetitive games in the I love here tonight and I am Olympic Park’s temporary bas- just overjoyed to share it with ketball arena, but for most pure them,” the 26-year-old from basketball fans something has Los Angeles added. been missing. Fraser-Pryce took silver in Maybe it is the ballot system 22.09 sec with Carmelita Jeter that awarded many Londoners of the United States winning tickets for what is a marginal bronze in 22.14 sec. sport in Britain just to go to the Jamaica’s Veronica Camp- Games, but there are no chants bell-Brown — chasing a histor- of “De-fense”, no noise when ic third consecutive Olympic players are taking free throws 200m gold aft er pipping Felix OLIVIER MORIN / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE and only the odd awestruck roar at the two previous Games — US gold medalist Allyson Felix refl ects after winning the women’s 200m fi nal at London Olympics on Wednesday. for a big dunk. was fourth in a time of 22.38 If not for the hotdogs, half- sec. Th e United States, formerly time kiss-cam and domination Felix looked smooth the undisputed kings of sprint- of the latest installment of a throughout, coming off the ing, have been forced to watch US Dream Team packed with bend with a significant lead as the Caribbean island of National Basketball Associa- and holding her nerve in the Jamaica has stolen its mantle. tion stars, one would say it was home stretch to win a long- Th e Jamaicans dominated in almost British. overdue fi rst gold. Beijing in 2008, winning all four But the switch to the 15,500 Felix is a three-time world individual sprint races and the seat Greenwich Arena for the champion over 200m but could men’s 4x100m relay and Usain knockout stages may be just only manage bronze at last Bolt has already taken gold in the tonic, helped by a competi- year’s World Championships the men’s 100m in London. tive edge that saw two rough, in Daegu, South Korea. foul-packed opening games on But she came into the Olym- 110m hurdles Wednesday go down to the wire. pics in top form having clocked Meanwhile, Aries Merritt “For sure it was a different the fastest time in the world led a US one-two in the men’s game now we’re in the quarter- this year, running 21.69 at the Olympic 110m hurdles on fi nals,” Spain’s Sergio Rodriguez US Olympic trials. Wednesday as Cuba’s defend- said after it pulled away from America’s Sanya Richards- ing champion Dayron Robles France in the final minute to Ross, aiming to complete a rare pulled up injured halfway make the semifi nals. 200m-400m double in London through the race. “We played some great hard aft er winning the 400m earlier Merritt, the fastest hurdler in defense and so did France. We in the Games, fi nished fi ft h in the world this season, clocked came off three games where we 22.39 sec. a personal best of 12.92sec, the played really badly and really Felix’s victory is America’s second fastest time in Olympic upped our game.” fi rst gold in the event since 1992, history. Th e fi rst session on Wednes- when Gwen Torrence won in His time beat the 12.93sec day was dominated by Span- Barcelona and is a rare recent that the American has run three DAVID J. PHILLIP / ASSOCIATED PRESS ANJA NIEDRINGHAUS / ASSOCIATED PRESS ish red and gold flags carried success in the battle against times this year and the 12.94sec Russia’s Natalya Antyukh (right) crosses the fi nish line to win US’ Aries Merritt lunges over the line to win the men’s 110m by some of the fl ood of young sprinting powerhouse Jamaica. he timed in the semis. gold in the women’s 400m hurdles on Wednesday. hurdles fi nal. Spaniards who have fled to London from a country where half of those under 25 are out of work. “It was like a little bit of Spain here today,” said Luciana Ex-retiree justifi es Rodriguez, a 29-year old from Madrid, waiting in line for a burrito on the arena concourse. decision with victory “We love basketball and I really hope this team has a chance By AGENCE FRANCE- drew a blue ball and again of giving us something at the PRESSE made the most of her good Olympics.” in London fortune to secure a bronze Initially used as the home of medal. Olympic gymnastics, an army Japan’s Hitomi Obara justi- In the other bronze bout, of 300 workers descended on fi ed her decision to come out Clarissa Chun of the United the North Greenwich Arena the of retirement by winning the States produced a takedown moment the last spectator left women’s 48kg freestyle wres- with a couple of seconds on Tuesday — tearing out gym tling gold in her fi rst Olym- remaining in the opening apparatus, adding 2,000 extra pic Games at London’s ExceL period to go 1-0 up against seats and laying down a basket- Arena on Wednesday. Irini Merleni of Ukraine, the ball court in just more than 18 Obara, who under her inaugural 2004 Athens Games working hours. maiden name of champion and Beijing bronze Th e change of venue was cit- Sakamoto won medalist. ed by some players as a factor in seven world Merleni attacked hard in the a low-scoring start to the quar- titles in the non- second period but Chun’s hip- terfi nal round between Lithu- Olympic 51kg toss extended her lead and she ania and Russia, where the per- class, defeated Azerbaijan’s took the bout 3-0. centage of successful shots was Mariya Stadnyk 3-1 in a repeat Merleni was applauded off down on average and a third of of last year’s World Champi- the mat by Ukraine sporting free throws went astray. onship fi nal in Istanbul. great and former Olympic PETR DAVID JOSEK / ASSOCIATED PRESS “It’s very complicated when Stadnyk won the opening pole vault champion Sergei Brazil’s Juliana Felisberta (left) and Larissa Franca react after defeating China’s Zhang Xi and Xue Chen (right) in their women’s you play in a diff erent gym in period convincingly, but the Bubka. bronze medal beach volleyball match on Wednesday. such an important game. You 31-year-old Obara stormed Later on Wednesday, Japan’s saw that both teams in the fi rst back into the contest with sev- Kaori Icho won her third suc- half couldn’t really make a shot,” eral well-judged takedowns cessive Olympic women’s said Russia’s Andrei Kirilenko. and, after her referee raised freestyle wrestling 63kg gold Chinese duo fl ops on the beach After cruising through the her arm to confi rm her victo- medal, defeating China’s Jing group stage, a powerhouse US ry, dissolved in fl oods of tears. Ruixue in the final at the By REUTERS reigning world champions, their dreams of gold unraveled Olympic gold twice. side remain firm favorites to Canada’s Carol Huynh, the ExceL Arena. in LONDON recovered their fi ghting spirit when they were upset in the The two American pairs take gold, as well as the tourna- 2008 Beijing champion who Her victory meant Icho and drew level. semifi nals by Americans Jen- meet in the gold medal match ment’s biggest draw by far. lost to Obara in the semifi- remained the lone Olympic Brazil’s Juliana Felisberta and Th e second set was too close nifer Kessy and April Ross on later on Wednesday. Some of the team’s biggest nals, took an early lead in her champion in an event which Larissa Franca staged a daz- to call almost until it was over. Tuesday. Juliana and Larissa, who stars including LeBron James bronze medal bout when, aft er only made its debut at the zling comeback to win bronze Xue and Zhang led 19-17 but Xue and Zhang, bronze have been playing together and James Harden strolled in to the opening period ended 2004 Games in Athens. in the women’s Olympic beach the Brazilians held their nerve, medalists in Beijing, had been since 2004, are six-time win- take a seat among the fans and scoreless, Senegal’s Isabelle Mongolia’s Battsetseg volleyball on Wednesday by clawed their way back and expected to do better than in ners of the professional beach check out the Brazil-Argentina Sambou drew a blue ball — Soronzonbold, the 2010 world beating China’s clinched it 21-19.