Andino Beats Florence in Heavyweight US Surfing Match-Up at Olympics
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14 Tuesday, July 27, 2021 Andino beats Florence in heavyweight US surfing match-up at Olympics ICHINOMIYA: Kolohe Andino ousted hurt knee. Surfing legend Kelly Slater — that good’, so I let her have it and she fellow American John John Florence in the who has 11 world titles — was on stand- turned it into a seven. That was the most third round of the surfing competition at by to replace either one of them on the frustrating thing for me,” said Gilmore, the Tokyo Olympics yesterday, as US team. one of the favorites for the gold medal. Australia’s Stephanie Gilmore suffered a Florence, who said he felt “pretty close “There were a lot of waves but maybe not shock exit in the women’s event. to normal” this week, accepted defeat a lot of good ones. But in saying that, I The heavyweight US pair were forced with good grace. “I’d rather see each oth- probably got too picky.” into an early showdown after Florence er go further, but that’s what happens,” he Gilmore was joined in an early exit by failed to qualify from his first-round heat said. “You come to these events to surf French world number two Johanne Defay, and had to advance through the against the best in the world, so I’m not who lost to Portugal’s Yolanda Hopkins. repechage. But Andino set the tone with a bummed that we came up against each The two giant-killings opened up the field massive aerial maneuver as soon as the other. That’s the challenge of being here.” for American world number one Carissa contest got under way, leaving two-time Moore, who safely came through her world champion Florence with too much Gilmore exit contest against Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich. work to do. In the women’s competition, “It was crazy to see some of the top “I was paddling into that wave going, Australia’s Stephanie Gilmore, who has seeds bow out early this morning,” said ‘what am I doing? This wave looks terri- seven world titles to her name, admitted Moore. “It just goes to show that these ble’,” Andino said of his gargantuan first she had been “too picky” after making conditions are very tricky.” effort, which scored 8.50 from the an early exit. Gilmore was bundled out in But Gilmore was left with nothing but judges. “It’s nice that the judges reward- the third round by unheralded South regrets after failing in her bid to add the ed it. John and I, our best surfing is aeri- African Bianca Buitendag — seeded 17 Olympic gold medal to her bulging col- CHIBA: USA’s Kolohe Andino crides a wave during the men’s Surfing third round al surfing, so it was going to be an air out of 20 surfers. lection of world titles. Buitendag, who at the Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach, in Chiba, yesterday during the Tokyo 2020 show no matter what.” Buitendag took the lead at Tsurigasaki needed to come through the repechage Olympic Games. —AFP Andino and Florence both underwent Beach by jumping on the first big wave of second round to reach the head-to-head surgery just weeks before the Games, the contest, and Gilmore was left to rue knockout stage, was happy to throw cau- pressure,” said the 1.85-metre (six feet) was a really comfortable spot to be in. It with Andino recovering from an ankle her decision to let her have it. “I looked at tion to the wind. South African. “I’m the underdog, coming takes away all the nerves and pressure. It injury and Florence coming back from a that wave and I thought, ‘it doesn’t look “I had nothing to lose, absolutely no in as the 17th seed for this event. So it just seemed to go my way.” —AFP hard to be here. It’s a lot of work and dedication, and Bigger than Neymar? they know that. And they like a winner.” Medina and Ferreira — the 2019 world champion — Brazilian surfer Medina both booked their places in the quarter-finals yester- day, with Silvana Lima also progressing in the women’s event. Brazil’s phenomenal surfing success over the past eyes golden future decade has established the country as a global power- house, dubbed the “Brazilian Storm”. ICHINOMIYA: Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina thinks Medina said his 2014 world title was a life-chang- he could be as big as football superstar Neymar in his ing experience, and sparked an interest among home country if he wins Olympic gold, with the sport Brazilian fans usually more interested in football and enjoying a popularity boom. Medina became the first volleyball. “After 2014, I feel like everyone started to Brazilian to win the world title in 2014, catapulting him watch and try to understand more about surfing,” said into the national spotlight and igniting an unprecedent- Medina, who also won the world title in 2018. ed run of success for the country’s surfers. “Everywhere I go in Brazil, people recognize me as a CHIBA: Brazil’s Gabriel Medina rides a wave during a Medina, Italo Ferreira and Adriano de Souza have all surfer. It’s crazy. Before 2014 was one life, and after free training at the Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach, in claimed the world title since then, but Medina believes that was a different life.” Chiba, on July 23, 2021 during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic winning Olympic gold would send surfing’s popularity Ferreira, who learned to surf standing on the foam Games. —AFP into the stratosphere. “Probably, yeah,” he said on box his father sold fish from, believes a gold medal in Monday, when asked if winning the sport’s first-ever Tokyo would cement Brazil’s recent rise in world surf- gold medal would make him as popular as Neymar in ing. “It’s special representing your country and having surfers in Brazil, it’s special because in the past, Brazil. “A medal here means a lot to us because it’s so support from the Brazilian guys,” he said. “To the Australia and the USA has dominated surfing.” —AFP said Djokovic. “Being a Grand Slam champion and Djokovic, Osaka being number one in the world carries a lot of weight.” TOKYO: Japan’s Momiji Nishiya competes in the Osaka raced into the last 16 as she powered past skateboarding women’s street final of the Tokyo cruise at Olympics as Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic 6-3, 6-2 in just over 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Sports Park in an hour, playing her second match in as many days Tokyo yesterday. —AFP women’s seeds tumble after lighting the Olympic cauldron on Friday. “Honestly, I feel like I was a bit more nervous before TOKYO: Novak Djokovic strolled into the third the match,” said Osaka. “I felt a lot of butterflies, but round of the Tokyo Olympics tennis tournament I think as I started playing and feeling more com- Japan’s Nishiya, 13, yesterday as Japanese star Naomi Osaka’s path to fortable, I knew that no matter what it would be a gold opened up further after a host of leading great match.” Before arriving at the Games, Osaka first women’s Olympic women’s seeds exited. had not played since May, when she walked out of Djokovic smacked 14 aces in a 6-4, 6-3 win over the French Open saying media commitments were harming her mental health. skateboard champion Germany’s 48th-ranked Jan-Lennard Struff and will TOKYO: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates after play Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for a defeating Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff during their TOKYO: Japan’s Momiji Nishiya became one place in the quarter-finals. The world number one Sabalenka, Swiatek and Kvitova lose Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games men’s singles second of the youngest individual Olympic champi- had led calls for organizers to push back start times The second seed is the highest-ranked player round tennis match at the Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo ons in history when she won the inaugural to avoid the worst of the punishing heat after blaz- left in the women’s draw following the shock first- yesterday. —AFP women’s skateboarding gold at the age of 13 ing sunshine brought the extreme weather policy round exit of world number one and Wimbledon into play in round one. champion Ashleigh Barty. Third seed Aryna years and 330 days yesterday. Nishiya fin- of Barty with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Fiona Ferro. ished ahead of Brazil’s Rayssa Leal — who at But a gentle breeze and slightly overcast skies at Sabalenka was beaten by Donna Vekic in the sec- ond round yesterday. Elina Svitolina was in danger of joining the exodus 13 years and 203 days could have become Ariake Tennis Park made for less brutal conditions “It definitely would mean a lot for me to win gold of top players, but the Ukrainian scrapped her way the youngest ever individual Olympic cham- on the third day of the Games. “I was struggling with certain things in the first round, but today was here, but I know it’s a process,” said Osaka, who past Ajla Tomljanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. French Open pion — and Japan’s Funa Nakayama, 16. far more pleasant to play, just a higher level of ten- next plays 2019 French Open runner-up Marketa champion Barbora Krejcikova beat Canadian teenag- Nishiya starred in the tricks section to nis on my side,” said Djokovic. “I’m very pleased Vondrousova.