THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2016 SPORTS Number one golfer Day withdraws over Zika

MELBOURNE: World number one Jason Organization says is spreading rapidly in goal to compete in the Olympics on said in a statement. “He is a family man Ireland Olympic golf team captain Day became the latest top golfer to the Americas, can cause crippling behalf of my country, playing golf can- and he has put his family first.” Paul McGinley said the withdrawals withdraw from August’s Rio de Janeiro defects in babies and has been linked to not take precedent over the safety of Ireland’s Shane Lowry, the world were not good for the image of the Olympic Games because of the Zika the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre our family. I will not place them at risk.” number 25 who finished joint runner-up sport. “I agree it doesn’t particularly virus on Tuesday. in adults. The decision mean Australia’s top in this month’s U.S. Open, also withdrew reflect well on golfers when they seem Golf is returning to the Olympics for “The reason for my decision is my three golfers have now withdrawn their on Tuesday and said his decision was to be the only ones withdrawing but the first time since 1904, but a number concerns about the possible transmis- names from consideration for the based on firm medical advice. when it is for their own personal rea- of big names, including four-times sion of the Zika virus and the potential Games with world number eight Adam “While I am bitterly disappointed to sons, we have to respect that,” he told major champion Rory McIlroy, Fiji’s Vijay risks that it may present to my wife’s Scott blaming his busy schedule and be missing out on that experience and national Irish broadcaster RTE. “The risk Singh and Charl Schwartzel of South future pregnancies and to future mem- Marc Leishman, who is ranked 39th in the opportunity to win an Olympic is very, very, very small but ultimately Africa, have also pulled out due to Zika bers of our family,” Australian Day, 28, the world, also citing Zika. medal for Ireland, on this occasion I it’s a risk they’re not willing to take.” The concerns. The mosquito-borne Zika said in a statement. “We respect Jason’s decision,” the have to put my family’s welfare first,” Rio Olympics, the first in South America, virus, which the World Health “While it has always been a major Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) said Lowry who recently married. take place from Aug.5-21. —Reuters

Kenyan milers headline selection trials in Eldoret

NAIROBI: Three-time world 1500m cham- find the form that carried him to an pion Asbel Kiprop and women’s silver Olympic title and world record in in medallist Faith Kipyegon will headline the 2012. Despite a dominant pre-season race list of top Kenyan performers at the performances over two in Olympic selection trials which start today. Australia in March, and in the rarely-run The two-day event is being held at Eldoret’s 600m at Birmingham, where he set an Kipchoge stadium, right in the heartland of African record of 1:13.10, Rudisha was how- the sport, outside its traditional venue of ever well beaten at the Shanghai and Nairobi for the first time. Stockholm meetings. The trials come with Kenya under scruti- A starter’s error caused him a late start ny over its flagging doping system, necessi- in Shanghai, but the two-time world cham- tating changes to legislation to avoid pion threw away a commanding lead in the explusion of its world-beating distance run- Swedish capital to finish a disappointing ners from August’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics. fourth behind his Kenyan arch-rival In May, the World Anti-Doping Agency , France’s Pierre-Ambroise (WADA) declared Kenya non-compliant Bosse and Poland’s world silver medallist after the legislation to criminalise doping Adam Kszczot. Rotich, who was only fourth passed in parliament failed to meet its at the world championships in , won requirements, forcing a review to include both the Shanghai and Stockholm races, sections which had been left out from the and will be hot favourite to win at the trials, original draft passed by WADA. where the top two athletes across the line “Our athletes have performed well since will be guaranteed places for Rio. the start of the season, and we expect very World junior champion tough competition in Eldoret,” Kenya’s vet- (1:45.93), Willy Tarbei and , eran athletics coach Julius Kirwa told AFP. who secured Kenya’s 1-2 for the first time in “We should be able to pick one of the 10 years at last year’s IAAF World Youth best teams for Rio. It will have a nice mix- Championships in Cali, Colombia will also ture of both veteran and up-and-coming be in contention. Others are newcomers athletes.” Kiprop, the 2008 Olympic champi- Nicholas Kiplangat Kipkoech and Jonathan on and Kipyegon, who won the 1500m sil- Kiprotich Kitilit, who hold the season’s best ver at the Beijing world championships times of 1:43.37 and 1:43.48 respectively. behind Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia, are Like Rudisha, world javelin champion Julius both unbeaten this season and are current- Yego hopes to improve on his performance ly top of the leaderboard in the IAAF ahead of the Rio Olympics. Diamond League in their respective events. Unbeaten at home, Yego, Kenya’s first The powerful duo arrive at the Olympic ever world field gold medallist, has strug- trials fresh from their wins in the Oslo gled on the Diamond League against the Diamond League earlier this month and are resurgent African champion, Ihab both expected to shine on Thursday and Abdelrahman of Egypt and world record Friday. The men’s 800 metres, which pits holder, Thomas Rohler of Germany. Olympic champion against a Yego was placed third behind SOPOT: In this March 8, 2014 file photo, Australia’s Sally Pearson clears a hurdle in her 60m hurdles semi-final during the Athletics World Indoor host of young pretenders, is likely to be just Abdelrahman and Rohler at the Stockholm Championships in Sopot, Poland. Hurdles gold medalist Pearson has reportedly withdrawn from the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro because of a one of many intense encounters. The 27- Diamond League with a throw of 83:09 hamstring injury. — AP year-old Rudisha has been struggling to metres.—AFP Australia’s hurdler Pearson devastated at missing Rio

SYDNEY: Australian Olympic hurdles champion take me a couple of weeks and I’ll be alright,” she backs and still deliver my best.” But Pearson also Sally Pearson withdrew from the Rio games yes- said. “But, we went and got scans, and it showed admitted she was struggling to regain fitness. “I terday, saying she was devastated she had it was actually a tendon tear. have now been home for six days. I have left injured her hamstring during training and could Any tendon in the body takes a long time to nothing in the tank on my return,” she said. not compete. Pearson, Australia’s top athlete, recover.” The 29-year-old only returned to com- “Training has been intensely hard and I am who won 100 metres hurdles gold at London in petition in June after spending a year on the exhausted from it but at this stage I have 2012, told the Nine Network she did not want to sidelines following a fall that shattered her wrist, absolutely no other choice if I am going to be risk a career-ending injury by going to Brazil. which affected the technique she uses at the competitive in Rio. “I have just less than nine “The risk of going to compete at the start of a race. weeks until I compete and I am going to do Olympics could do major damage to my ham- But her return did not go to plan, with everything in my power to be the best athlete I string, and there’d be no opportunity to come Pearson trailing in after pacesetting Americans can be while representing my country in the back and try to go to the Commonwealth Games in three races in Europe. Earlier this month she biggest sporting event in the world.” The on the Gold Coast in two years’ time,” she said. pulled out of her last scheduled race in Australian Olympic team’s chef de mission Kitty “It’s heartbreaking and devastating that I can’t Stockholm to return to her Gold Coast base and Chiller had earlier yesterday praised her courage. be in Rio, as the Olympic champion, and run at focus on training for Rio. “She’s fought so hard over the last year,” the 100 percent and be proud to represent my coun- Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted her try, it’s just not going to happen this year-my ‘VERY, VERY SAD’ as saying in Perth. body won’t allow it.” In confirming earlier reports In a blog post on June 18, Pearson reflected “It is just such a shame for a fantastic champi- that she would miss the games, Pearson said the on the “broken bones, torn calf, degenerative on, a fantastic fighter and if she doesn’t run in new injury had come “out of the blue” and at a achilles and hammy problems” that have Rio I’ll be very, very sad for Sally and the team.” time when she was training well. plagued her over the past year. Pearson, who also won hurdles silver at the She said her heart sank when she felt “two “What brings athletes back even after we get 2008 Beijing Olympics and gold at the 2011 sort of squeezes in my hamstring” when she pushed down time and time again from disap- Daegu Athletics World Championships, is the Usain Bolt went over two hurdles during training on pointment?” she wrote. Australian team captain and was Monday. “It was very disappointing, but I “For me, it’s the excitement, the fun and the due to race her opening Olympic heat on Bolt gears up for thought it was just a hamstring tear, probably pure determination that I can overcome the set- August 16. — AFP Olympic trials

KINGSTON: Usain Bolt will embark on the of the 100m berths, Ashmeade will likely first major test of what he plans to be a tri- face competition from Asafa Powell and umphant swansong here today as the Kemar Bailey-Cole for the third spot. Jamaican Olympic athletics trials get under Heats begin Thursday at Kingston’s way. With less than 40 days to go before National Stadium with the final set for the Olympics, the sprint superstar will aim Friday. While Bolt has yet to run a 200m so to seal his ticket to Rio as he targets a far this year, he will start as favorite to win defence of his 100 metres, 200m and over the longer distance with Ashmeade, 4x100m crowns. the fastest Jamaican so far this year with Bolt, who completed an unprecedented 20.07sec, Julian Forte, Warren Weir and second consecutive set of victories in all Commonwealth Games champion Rasheed three events at the London 2012 Games, is Dwyer all in the mix. hoping to complete a remarkable “Triple In the women’s events, Shelly-Ann Triple.” Fraser-Pryce will aim to book her place for So far this season, the signs have been Rio after a season which has been disrupt- encouraging that Bolt is firmly on track, ed by an injury to a big toe. Fraser-Pryce, with the 29-year-old clocking a blistering the 100m champion at the 2008 and 2012 9.88 seconds at a meeting in Kingston on Games and reigning world champion, is June 11, the second-fastest time in the also chasing a place in the 200m contin- world this year. Only France’s Jimmy Vicaut, gent. Veteran Veronica Campbell-Brown, who clocked a wind-assisted 9.86sec earlier 34, will also be running in the 100m and in June, has run faster this season. 200m as she attempts to qualify for what Unlike the IAAF world Championships, would be her fifth and possibly last there are no byes to the Olympics and Olympics. under the rules of the Jamaica Athletics Campbell-Brown who has eight Olympic Administrative Association (JAAA) rules medals, is the Jamaican leader in the 100m every athlete seeking to be chosen for Rio while Elaine Thompson who took silver in Games must compete at the trials. the World Indoors this year, leads the 200m Bolt’s main challenge is likely to come rankings. from Yohan Blake and Nickel Ashmeade, Elsewhere this weekend, world leader both of whom have clocked under 10 sec- Omar McLeod and Olympic bronze medal- onds this season at 9.94sec. Blake commit- list Hansle Parchment are on course to ted the cardinal sin of defeating Bolt at the clash in the 110m hurdles on Sunday. trials for London four years ago but ulti- McLeod has the four fastest times in the mately finished behind his training partner world so far this year while Parchment is at the Games themselves. third and their battle could overshadow BEIJING: Athletes parade during a ceremony to unveil the Chinese Olympic team’s uniforms for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, in Beijing yesterday. With Bolt and Blake favored to take two the 200m. —AFP The uniforms were unveiled at a ceremony in the Water Cube, the venue for the swimming competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. — AFP