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Home , Becky James, Ecaterina Szabo, Simone Biles

THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2016 SPORTS Rivals question Britain’s mystery cycling advantage

and do what Britain has done today and know the week we’ve had,” she added. Vogel, who beat Britain’s Becky James CYCLING into silver in the sprint, suggested other countries should follow Britain’s lead. “That’s what they’re working for, just working for : Germany’s Olympic the Olympics. Maybe that’s our fault, or our sprint gold winner has com- nations’ fault,” she said. “But we want to plained that her dominant British rivals compete well between these four years.” have an unfair advantage though she is not British coach Iain Dyer insisted it was a falla- sure what it is. Several riders in Rio have cy to suggest his team is not successful at GALLERY grumbled about Britain’s cycling hegemo- the worlds. They topped the medals table at ny for the past three Olympics. Britain has the worlds in 2013 and 2016, finished fourth won 20 of the 30 golds disputed going in 2014 and only 2015 was a real blip-a 10th back to Beijing 2008. Although they won place finish without a single gold medal. only six this time-one less than the previ- There are twice as many titles up for grabs ous two Games-Britain only had entrants in than the Olympics at world championships. nine of the 10 events as the women’s sprint “We set ourselves up to be successful every team didn’t qualify. four years. If you are to peak every four Just to highlight the level of Britain’s years, it needs to be a bloody good peak, control, in the three events they did not otherwise it’s just a pimple,” said Dyer. RIO DE JANEIRO: Britain’s Jason Kenny (center) crosses the finish line to win the win, they took silver. Yet at the world cham- He said some nations at the Olympics Men’s finals event at the Velodrome during the Rio 2016 Olympic pionships between each Olympics, Britain are only on a par with World Cup or World Games. — AFP never enjoys anything like the same domi- Championship performances “whereas nance, leading some, such as Vogel, to ask keirin, admitted that he feels “frustrated” at the same Olympic equipment, the same we’ve been able to make that step because questions. “Of course I’m not saying that the single-minded Games focus. His skin-suits, the same wheels,” she moaned. this is the event we’re focused on the most. they took drugs or had an engine in the fiancee Laura Trott won the omnium to “You realise how everything was good, the “But I would like to add that in these four bikes,” said the 25-year-old, who won the earn her fourth Games gold, making her form you had, during the Olympics.” Trott years we’ve won 12 world titles.” That puts team sprint gold in London.”It’s just that it Britain’s most successful female Olympian, has twice won the omnium world title, Britain second only to Germany with 13 seems that they don’t train for three years, while Kenny joined former track sprint king each time in an Olympic year before going over the same period and one ahead of and then they start and at every Olympic as the number one of all time. on to win Games gold as well. But between France and Australia. Yet when it comes to Games they kill every nation! “I just want to Trott said the Brits simply do not have the 2012 and 2016, she finished second at the the last three Games put together, Canada’s Derek Drouin competes in the Men’s High know what they’re riding and I’m not!” same equipment outside of the Olympics. world championships every time-to riders Germany have managed two gold, Jump Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 British sprint star Jason Kenny, who won “You come back and you go to the she blitzed in Rio. “If you can win the worlds Australia one and France none, compared at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de his sixth Olympic gold on Tuesday in the world championships, and you don’t have with basic equipment, you can come here to Britain’s 20. — AFP Janeiro. — AFP Jamaica, Kenya US, strike gold Kipyegon trumps Dibaba for 1500m Olympic gold

with a leap of 6.64m Klishina said she missed having team mates. “It is very hard being the only Russian,” she said. “Unfortunately, I am here alone and this is ATHLETICS a big responsibility.” She looked to have missed her chance to compete at all when RIO DE JANEIRO: Jamaica, Kenya and the the IAAF suspended her last Saturday, only added to their athletics for the Court of Arbitration for Sport to medal tallies in the 110metres hurdles, over-rule. women’s 1,500m and men’s triple jump on In the hurdles, McLeod beat Cuban- Tuesday, while ’s sole track and field born Orlando Ortega who won silver for competitor survived to compete another Spain, and Frenchman Dimitri Bascou, who day at Rio. Athletes from Kenya, Croatia took bronze. The left the United States Russia’s Dariya Klishina competes in the Women’s Long and Canada also claimed Olympic gold in a with a medal in the event for the first time Jump Qualifying Round during the athletics event at the largely empty stadium, where announcers in 120 years - with the exception of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium. — AFP urged rowdy Brazilian fans to restrain boycotted 1980 Moscow Games Kipyegon themselves after provoking a French pole bided her time through the slow early vaulter with a chorus of boos the night stages of the 1,500 race before setting off before. Jamaica’s Omar McLeod earned the on a blazing second half with Genzebe country its first gold in the men’s sprint Dibaba but then pulling clear of the world hurdles, Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon devastated record holder. High jumper Derek Drouin the field in the 1,500m and American earned Canada’s third gold medal of the Christian Taylor successfully defended his Games, clearing 2.38 meters to beat triple-jump gold. Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim. However, the loudest cheers of the night came for native pole vaulter Thiago ‘Best day of my life’ da Silva as he received the gold medal he In the morning session, American Taylor won on Monday night. The crowd once earned a second straight triple-jump gold again booed silver medalist French with a 17.86m leap that is the furthest any- Renaud Lavillenie, ignoring Da Silva’s ges- one has jumped this season, sailing 10cm tures asking for quiet. Lavillenie, who the longer than team mate Will Claye. But the night before had complained about the 25-year-old silver medalist had one more booing during his final attempt, apolo- good jump left in him, into the stands ’s Anna Jenny Fransson competes with Japan’s where he proposed to long-time girlfriend Sara Dosho during the women’s wrestling 69kg gized on Tuesday for having compared his experience to the hostility of Nazi and former Olympian Queen Harrison, freestyle semi-final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at who burst into tears and accepted. “When I the Carioca Arena 2 yesterday. — AFP Germany towards Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Games. woke up I was like, today is going to be the The announcer at the Rio Olympic best day of my life,” Claye told reporters. Stadium at least four times during “I’m going to go out there and do what I Tuesday’s evening competition asked the have to do on the track and I’m going to crowd to be respectful to the competitors, make her my fiancee.” a reaction the Carioca fans’ flashes of bel- Croatia’s Sandra Perkovic also retained ligerence. Russian athletes in particular her shot put title with a third-round throw have faced hostile crowds in Rio as the of 69.21 metres, 2.48 metres further than result of a doping scandal that has shad- Melina Robert-Michon, who at 37 became ed the Games. Long jumper Darya France’s oldest Olympic medal winner in Klishina, the sole athlete from her country athletics. “I have been working for this for competing in track and field after the rest 20 years,” Robert-Michon said. “An of the team was banned, escaped their Olympic medal is above all other medals wrath, but that was probably more a and it is the reward for a lot of sacrifices result of her slipping in unannounced and and work.” Four more athletics medals unnoticed rather than an overnight RIO DE JANEIRO: Kenya’s Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon (center) reacts after she won were on offer yesterday, including the change of attitude. ahead of Ethiopia’s (right) and USA’s Jennifer Simpson the Women’s men’s 3,000m steeplechase and the After earning a spot in yesterday’s final 1500m Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. — AFP women’s 100m hurdles. — Biles bows out with four golds, name in lights

Just standing next to her is amazing. It’s the she brushes aside all comparisons. “I’m not says that when she was small she thought all cherry on top me and Aly finishing 1-2 on the the next or , I’m the children were adopted. She started gymnas- Qatar’s Hassan Mabrouk (right) stops Germany’s Paul .” Her long-time coach Aimee Boorman first ,” she says. tic lessons after a daycare field trip to a Drux besides Germany’s Finn Lemke during the men’s believes the sport will never be the same gym aged six. Her raw talent and quarterfinal handball match between Germany and after the Biles whirlwind. ‘Kid has something’ ability to do amazing flips soon caught the Qatar at the 2016 Summer Olympics yesterday. — AFP “Right now I would say she’s the greatest It has been a long journey for the 1.45m attention of Boorman. “When I first saw her, I RIO DE JANEIRO: Simone Biles bowed out of gymnast,” said Boorman, who has coached (4ft 9ins) gymnast who moved to Texas from was like, ‘Wow, this kid has something’. But her fabulous Olympic debut in Rio with a Biles since she was six years old. “She has real- her native Ohio at the age of three, adopted what it was and how far she could go with it, I record-equaling fourth gold, short of the ly raised the bar. But then four years ago with her little sister Adria by her maternal had no idea,” Boorman said. record five she sought, but with her name in nobody thought they would see a Simone grandfather Ron Biles and his wife Nellie. The Biles’ talent developed from a bungling lights among the gymnastics greats. “It’s been a Biles.” Her epic Olympic adventure has seen children had been in foster care as their novice who could not stay on the beam and long journey, but I’ve enjoyed every moment,” Biles photographed alongside Jamaican mother struggled with alcohol and drug struggled with because her hands said the Texan whose early life struggles had sprint star Usain Bolt and US swimming addiction. For Biles it all seems normal. She were so small. Under Boorman, 43, Biles has not set her out as the future face of women’s greats Michael Phelps and . But calls her grandparents ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ and won more world championships than any oth- gymnastics. The 19-year-old took gold on floor er woman in history, taking two gold at her on Tuesday ahead of US teammate Amy first worlds in 2013. Four more gold at worlds Raisman, muscles flexed and with the steely in Nanning 2014 made her realize it was no determination she had shown on her way to fluke. “When I was young like every kid I always the team, all-around and titles. said I wanted to go to the Olympics but I The only blip standing between her and wasn’t really serious about it,” recalls Biles. history, a slip on the beam on the penulti- “Everything just hit me. I thought maybe I’m mate day of competition, which gave her good! It’s unreal how it happened,” she said. bronze. She is the fifth woman to win four She is the first woman to win three gold at the same Games after Hungarian straight world all-around titles and first to win Agnes Keleti (1956), Soviet Larissa Latynina ten gold medals at world championships. (1956), Czech Vera Caslavska (1968) and Everything has been geared towards her Romanian (1984). But Biles drive to become the greatest gymnast ever. remains unfazed. “To walk away from your Biles spent all her secondary education being first Olympics with five medals and four in homeschooled. “I wanted to see how far I gold, how can you be disappointed,” she said. could go in this sport. I don’t have any “It’s exciting it’s over, but kind of sad too.” regrets, because of how far I’ve come.” The Biles missed London 2012 because she task now will be getting back to normal with was too young to compete but has dominat- college on the horizon. “We’ll make it as nor- Nicholas Long of the United States (right) Luis ed gymnastics in the four-year cycle since. mal as possible. It will be crazy. I don’t think Brethauer of Germany (center) Yoshitaku Nagasaki of Finishing off on the podium beside her idol anybody is ready for it but Aly and Gabby Japan (left) ride their bicycles on a practice session at Raisman, 22, was more than she could have (Douglas).” Boorman added: “One thing is the Olympic BMX Center during the 2016 Summer hoped for. “I remember watching her (in RIO DE JANEIRO: US gymnast Simone Biles competes in the women’s floor event sure, she definitely won’t be back in the gym Olympics yesterday. — AP London) and saying ‘I just want to be like her’. final of the at the Olympic Arena. — AFP next week, except to sign autographs.”—AFP