Biles Set for Olympic Return As Hassan Wins 5,000M Gold
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Established 1961 Sport TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021 Biles set for Olympic return as Hassan wins 5,000m gold TOKYO: US gymnastics star Simone Biles is due to gives little people hope,” said Camacho-Quinn. “I make a dramatic return to Olympics action after her am just glad I am the person to do that.” well-publicized struggles with mental health issues, as Dutch runner Sifan Hassan took a first, giant step ‘Double-double’ bid in her bid for an unprecedented Olympic treble In the men’s long jump, European champion when she sprinted to gold in the 5,000m yesterday. Tentoglou leapt a best of 8.41 meters on his sixth After pulling out of her first events with the and final attempt to snatch victory from Cuban Juan “twisties”, a disorientating mental block, Biles was Miguel Echevarria, who also managed 8.41m but included on the list of eight finalists for Tuesday’s had an inferior second-best jump. closing beam competition. “We are so excited to Defending 200m champion Elaine Thompson- confirm that you will see two US athletes in the bal- Herah continued her audacious bid for an unprece- ance beam final tomorrow - Suni Lee AND Simone dented Olympic women’s sprint “double-double” as Biles!! Can’t wait to watch you both!” tweeted USA the Jamaican advanced to the 200m semi-finals. Gymnastics. Biles came to Tokyo seeking five gold Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, outgunned by her team- medals to equal the Olympic all-time gymnastics mate in the 100m final, also progressed, but 100m career record of nine, but her mental struggles have bronze medalist Shericka Jackson, also of Jamaica, wrecked those plans. failed to make it through after inexplicably slowing Ethiopian-born Hassan, 28, produced a devastat- with 40 meters to run. Christine Mboma of Namibia, ing final-lap sprint to time 14min 36.79sec. Her vic- who has to run the distance because her high tory was all the more remarkable given she had testosterone levels mean she is barred from the competed, and fallen, in the 1500m heats earlier in 400m, clocked the fastest time, 22.11sec, to finish the day. Kenya’s two-time world champion Hellen ahead of hot US favorite Gabby Thomas. TOKYO: Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan celebrates winning the women’s 5000m final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Obiri claimed 5,000m silver in 14:38.36, with Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali won the men’s Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay taking bronze with Olympic 3000m steeplechase gold, breaking a 14:38.87. Kenyan stranglehold on the event dating back to (65.72m). Two-time defending champion Sandra Elsewhere on day 10 in a steaming Japan, 1984. El Bakkali, a two-time world medalist, pro- Perkovic of Croatia finished fourth. Elsewhere, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn claimed Puerto Rico’s first duced a well-timed last-lap sprint to clock 8min Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler Mijain Lopez won athletics gold in Games history, and Greece’s 08.90sec, with long-time leader Lamecha Girma of his fourth Olympic gold medal in the heavyweight Miltiadis Tentoglou won the men’s long jump. Ethiopia taking silver in 8:10.38. Kenya’s Benjamin category. Camacho-Quinn, 24, who had set an Olympic Kigen claimed bronze in 8:11.45. Track cycling started with a bang as the German record 12.26sec in the semi-finals of the women’s Valarie Allman gave the United States their first team smashed Britain’s world record in women’s 100m hurdles, surged home to claim her first major track and field gold of the Tokyo Olympics, on the team pursuit qualifying ahead of the team sprint title in 12.37sec. fourth day of competition, as she won the women’s finals later at the Izu Velodrome. China’s Liu Yang Tokyo Olympics medals table after yesterday’s World record-holder Keni Harrison of the United discus. The 26-year-old won gold with a best mark won gymnastics’ men’s rings, and China beat events (G = Gold, S = Silver, B = Bronze, T= Total): States took silver in 12.52sec while Jamaica’s Megan of 68.98 meters with Germany’s Kristin Pudenz tak- Germany in the women’s team sprint final as the G S B T Tapper claimed bronze. “For such a small country it ing silver (66.86m) and Yaime Perez of Cuba bronze track cycling competition got under way. — AFP China 29 17 16 62 United States 22 25 17 64 Japan 17 6 10 33 Poland offers visa to Australia 14 4 15 33 Russian Olympic Committee 12 21 17 50 Belarus athlete at Olympics Great Britain 11 12 12 35 France 6 10 7 23 TOKYO: Poland yesterday granted a Tsimanouskaya spent the night in an air- Germany 6 6 11 23 humanitarian visa to Belarusian athlete port hotel after asking officials to help South Korea 6 4 9 19 Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who claims her avoid being flown back to Minsk. Netherlands 5 7 6 18 her team tried to forcibly send her back She was supposed to compete in yes- Italy 4 9 15 28 to her authoritarian homeland from the terday’s 200 meters heats, but instead New Zealand 4 3 4 11 Olympic Games in Japan. A virtual became the subject of intense diplomat- Czech Republic 4 3 1 8 Canada 3 4 7 14 unknown until the weekend, the 24- ic wrangling. Switzerland 3 4 5 12 year-old finds herself at the center of a Her husband Arseny Zdanevich told Croatia 3 2 2 7 major scandal after criticizing the AFP he had fled Belarus and was hoping Taiwan 2 4 4 10 Belarusian athletics federation for enter- to join his wife “in the near future”. “I Brazil 2 3 5 10 ing her into a relay race in Tokyo with- believe it would not be safe for me to be Cuba 2 3 3 8 out giving her notice. Tsimanouskaya’s there,” the 25-year-old fitness trainer Hungary 2 2 2 6 treatment recalled the Soviet practice of said by phone from Ukraine. Denmark 2 1 2 5 forcing disloyal athletes home and Poland is a staunch critic of Slovenia 2 1 1 4 quickly sparked political uproar. Lukashenko’s regime and has become Ecuador 2 1 0 3 Tsimanouskaya said she feared home to a growing number of dissidents. Greece 2 0 1 3 Belarus was no longer safe for her, and US ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher Kosovo 2 0 0 2 several countries, including Poland, saluted Japanese and Polish officials, TOKYO: Belarus athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who claimed her team tried to Qatar 2 0 0 2 offered to host her. Polish Deputy tweeting, “Tsimanouskaya is able to force her to leave Japan following a row during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Georgia 1 4 1 6 Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said evade the attempts of the Lukashenka walks with her luggage inside the Polish embassy in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP Spain 1 3 3 7 the athlete was “safe on the grounds of regime to discredit and humiliate this Romania 1 3 0 4 our embassy” in Tokyo, adding that #Tokyo2020 athlete for expressing her going on with the girl,” head coach Yuri onboard. Lukashenko and his son Viktor Sweden 1 3 0 4 Warsaw has granted her a humanitarian views.” The IOC has said UNHCR offi- Moisevich told Belarusian television, have been banned from Olympic events Venezuela 1 3 0 4 visa and would do “whatever is neces- cials were involved in the case. which has scorned the athlete. The run- over the targeting of athletes for their Hong Kong 1 2 0 3 sary to help her to continue her sporting Slovakia 1 2 0 3 ner has said she has no psychological political views. South Africa 1 2 0 3 career”. ‘Not safe’ issues. The IOC has demanded a full Shortly before the Tokyo Games, Austria 1 1 3 5 Belarus strongman Alexander Tsimanouskaya told Belarusian written account from the Belarus Lukashenko warned sports officials and Indonesia 1 1 3 5 Lukashenko has been cracking down on sports website tribuna.com that her Olympic Committee. athletes that he expected results in Serbia 1 1 3 5 any form of dissent since mass protests coach said her fate was being decided Anatoly Kotov, Polish-based head of Japan. “Think about it before going,” he Jamaica 1 1 2 4 erupted after elections last year “not on the level of (the athletics federa- the Belarusian sport solidarity founda- said. “If you come back with nothing, it’s Belgium 1 1 1 3 deemed unfair by the West. tion), not on the level of the sports min- tion’s international department, said better for you not to come back at all.” Ethiopia 1 1 1 3 Tsimanouskaya was one of more than istry, but much higher up”. supporters were trying to bring her to Amnesty International said many Norway 1 1 1 3 2,000 Belarusian sports figures who She said she feared Belarus “was not Poland safely. “We are currently work- athletes have been punished for Poland 1 1 0 2 signed an open letter calling for new safe” for her anymore, after being given ing to organize all the logistics,” he told speaking out against Lukashenko. “It Tunisia 1 1 0 2 elections and for political prisoners to less than an hour to pack her things and AFP. “We know that she is okay, she’s is not surprising that athletes who Turkey 1 0 4 5 be freed.