Sports FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2016 BADMINTON Spain’s Marin in final as Chinese woe continues RIO DE JANEIRO: Spanish badminton world number one Carolina Marin took a RIO DE JANEIRO: American swimmers Gunnar Bentz (L) and Jack Conger leave the police station at the Rio de Janeiro International major step towards a first Olympic gold Airport after being detained on the plane that would travel back to the US. —AFP medal yesterday by beating defending champion Li Xuerui to progress to the final. Marin’s defeat of Li piled further misery on Swim stories, IOC scandals China, who won a clean sweep of five bad- minton gold medals at London 2012, but can now only win two. The 23-year-old overshadow Bolt’s advance Spaniard took the first game 21-14 and the second 21-16. She will play either Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara or Indian PV Sindhu in today’s showdown. RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian police detained two US swimmers and arrested a wouldn’t make up a story like this nor would the others-as a matter of fact we all “I don’t know what’s going to happen in top International Olympic Committee official on Wednesday as scandal over- feel it makes us look bad,” he was quoted as saying. the final but I feel emotional because I have shadowed the Rio Games and Usain Bolt’s progress toward a new gold. Jack Hickey, an IOC executive member, head of the European Olympic worked so hard for this and I want to col- Conger and Gunnar Bentz were taken off a flight leaving Rio de Janeiro by Committees and the Irish national committee, spent Wednesday night in hospi- lect the reward tomorrow,” said Marin. authorities investigating doubts over their claim of having been mugged. That tal after being detained at his luxury hotel. Accused of ticket scalping, ambush China’s shuttlers have struggled in Brazil came hours after top European Olympic official Patrick Hickey was arrested in marketing and conspiracy after tickets were seized from another Irish business- after a formidable showing four years ago. an investigation into black market Olympic ticket sales. Conger and Bentz, along man, Hickey has “temporarily” stood down from his posts. The Asian giant missed out on Olympic with star US swimmer Ryan Lochte and squad member James Feigen, said they Following a raid similar to the arrest of seven top FIFA officials at a Zurich women’s doubles badminton gold for the were held up at gunpoint in the early hours of Sunday. hotel last year, Hickey was shown in media video answering his hotel room door first time since the 1992 Barcelona Games However Brazilian judge Keyla Blank ordered the passports of all four to be unclothed before putting on a bath robe. Police said they suspect he had when Tang Yuanting and Yu Yang lost in seized to prevent them leaving the country. Lochte had already gone home. changed rooms to try to evade arrest. Hickey’s wife was in another room and at the semi-finals on Tuesday. The Globo media organization posted a video online showing Conger and first told them Hickey had left the country, police told reporters. Brazilian police It was a second blow to China in the Bentz walking into a police station on Wednesday. They were released late at have launched a widening investigation after seizing more than 1,000 premier space of 24 hours after both their pairs lost night “with the understanding that they would continue their discussions about tickets for Games events, including the opening ceremony. the incident on Thursday,” Sandusky said. Tickets with a face value of about $1,000 dollars were sold for $8,000, in a in the semi-finals of the mixed doubles, Lochte, who returned to the US before Brazilian authorities ordered the racket prosecutors said yielded profits of $3.0 million. The head of a sports which was was eventually won by swimmers’ questioning, and Feigen, who remains in Brazil, will cooperate with ticketing firm, THG Sports, was detained with the tickets on August 5. Hickey’s Indonesia. Their final shots at glory come in the investigation, US broadcaster NBC reported. The four made headlines with son once worked for THG, but the sports powerbroker denied any wrongdo- the men’s singles and men’s doubles. their terrifying account while returning from a party. Lochte said they were ing in an interview with Irish television last week as the scandal mounted. The Double Olympic champion Lin Dan and held up by muggers posing as police as they left a party just after 4:00am. In arrests diverted attention from the sporting action as Usain Bolt reached the Chen Long play in separate men’s semi- interviews, he described how he had a hand gun put to his head and handed final of the 200m-the second of his targeted three-gold-medal sweep of the finals today while Fu Haifeng and Zhang over his money and wallet. Olympic sprint titles. Nan will compete in the men’s doubles final While Bolt ran the season’s best 19.78 sec, his American arch-rival Justin later that day. “Our team is strong and Victims laughed Gatlin, 34, failed to reach the final. Gatlin, who won the 100m silver behind Bolt we’ve tried our best to perform well but However, the judge said their story was full of inconsistencies. NBC quoted at the weekend, said he had not fully recovered from an ankle injury suffered in now it’s really competitive. Every team from witnesses as saying the swimmers were at the party until daybreak. And Britain’s November. “I definitely think I can try for the world record, I definitely feel that,” around the world is strong and powerful,” Daily Mail obtained video surveillance showing the four laughing as they Bolt said.Drug-tainted Russia’s only competitor in the track and field, Darya said Li following her loss to Marin. —AFP returned to their accommodations at 6:56am on Sunday. Speaking to NBC late Klishina, failed to reach the final medal battle in the long jump. The 25-year-old Wednesday, Lochte strongly denied that the swimmers fabricated their story. “I blamed the turmoil of the doping scandal for her disappointment. —AFP Neymar, Brazil come out blazing in semis Brazil started the day 16th in the medal standings, with But the team picked up the pace and will face Germany, only three golds in the first 11 days. which beat Nigeria 2-0 in the other semifinal match. Two of the country’s best chances remaining to Germany’s senior team trounced Brazil 7-1 in the SOCCER reach the top of the podium competed on Wednesday. semifinals of the World Cup in Rio two years ago. “Hey The men’s soccer team survived, but Agatha and Barbara Germany, just wait, your turn is coming up!” a fired-up lost in the beach volleyball gold medal match to fan base chanted. Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn became RIO DE JANEIRO: Maybe Neymar and his teammates Germany. Empty seats have been prevalent across Rio, the first 18-hole leader in the history of women’s golf in can make the Olympics a success for Brazil after all. but not at the Maracana Stadium, where they packed in the Olympics. Jutanugarn shot 6-under 65 for a one-shot Brazil’s celebrated men’s soccer team rolled to a 6-0 win to watch Neymar and Co. They didn’t have to wait long, lead over seven-time major champion Inbee Park and over Honduras in the semifinals Wednesday to earn a with Neymar scoring 15 seconds into the game. It was Seiyoung Kim, both of South Korea. This is the first time spot in the gold medal match. In other action across the the fastest goal in men’s Olympic history, and Brazil led 3- for women’s golf in the Olympics since the Paris Games RIO DE JANEIRO: Spain’s Carolina Rio Games, the United States men’s basketball team 0 going into halftime to cruise into the final. “We don’t in 1900, and back then it was only a nine-hole competi- Marin, reacts as she won a women’s beat Argentina 105-78, Americans Kerri Walsh Jennings want to disappoint the fans,” Brazil midfielder Renato tion. Agatha and Barbara, the defending world champi- singles semifinal match against and April Ross won bronze in beach volleyball and the Augusto said. “They want us to play well and they want ons, beat Americans Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross China’s Li Xuerui at during a Jamaicans had a big night at the track with Elaine us to win the gold.” Neymar added a goal on a penalty in the semifinals on Tuesday night to reach the finals. But women’s singles semifinal match at Thompson winning the women’s 200 meters and Usain kick in stoppage time, and Gabriel Jesus also scored twice Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst dispatched them 21- the 2016 Summer Olympics. —AP Bolt cruising to a win in the semifinals of the men’s 200. for Brazil, which got off to a slow start in the tournament. 18, 21-14, leaving Neymar as Brazil’s only hope. —AP.