Costa strike gives King Rudisha Conte a winning defends 800m Chelsea debut in career high WEDNESDAY, AUGUST16 17, 2016 19 Silva ton puts Sri Lanka in charge against Australia Page 17 RIO DE JANEIRO: USA’s Christian Taylor competes in the Men’s Triple Jump Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium yesterday. — AFP Taylor, Perkovic retain Olympic crowns It’s actually much better for the 200m so we have time the track, Ethiopia’s newly-crowned 10,000m champion world champion, who won his 1500m heat easily in to recover over the days. “For me it’s easy I’ve been and world record holder Almaz Ayana moved closer to a 3:38.97.Brazilian hopes of an Olympic pole vault double doing it for years. You just celebrate on the night, just distance double as she won her 5000m heat in 15:04.35 came to an abrupt end when home medal hope ATHLETICS be happy and then you refocus the next day to go to progress to Friday’s final. Defending silver medalist Fabiana Murer bombed out of the women’s qualifying again.” The morning session’s two medal events went and two-time former world champion Vivian Cheruiyot, competition after failing to register a mark. Rio’s the way of defending champions. silver medalist behind Ayana in the longer distance in Olympic Stadium lit up Monday when Murer’s team- RIO DE JANEIRO: Usain Bolt took the next step in his In the triple jump, Taylor set a season’s best 17.86 Rio, Hellen Obiri and Mercy Cherono will make up a mate Thiago Braz Da Silva trumped Frenchman Renaud quest for a “triple triple” of sprint golds yesterday as metres with his first leap, good enough to beat compa- strong Kenyan contingent. Lavillenie for gold in the men’s competition with an American Christian Taylor and Croat Sandra Perkovic triot Will Claye in a repeat of their one-two finish in Algerian defending champion Taoufik Makhloufi Olympic record of 6.03m. both retained their Olympic crowns. Bolt, fresh from London four years ago. “The job is done,” said Taylor. overcame just two hours sleep after bagging silver in Murer, world silver medalist last year in Beijing, winning the 100m title for an unprecedented third time, “Back to back, it’s very special.” Claye celebrated his sil- the 800m to advance from round one of the 1500m. failed to live up to expectations however. The 35- safely came through the first round of his favored event, ver by proposing to long-time girlfriend, hurdler Queen Makhloufi, who came in second in the 800m behind year-old skipped the three first entry marks of 4.15, the 200m. Running in lane five of heat eight of 10, the Harrison. “I woke up this morning and said today is David Rudisha late Monday, timed 3min 47.07sec to 4.30 and 4.45m, coming in at 4.55m. But she failed 29-year-old coasted home in 20.28seconds. American going to be the best day of my life,” he said. “It was win his heat. “I had some massage after the 800m,” he with her three attempts at the height, well below her rivals Justin Gatlin and Lashawn Merritt also qualified stressful, man, because I didn’t know if she was going to said. “I was in my bed at 4 o’clock in the morning and I personal best of 4.87m which she vaulted this season. for today’s semi-finals, with the final slated for tomor- say yes or not.” slept only two hours! “This part between the 800m and There was no such drama for current world and row. The women’s discus went the way of Perkovic, the the heats of the 1500m was always going to be the Olympic champion Jennifer Suhr of the United States, “It’s a morning session and I’m not really a morning Croat in imperious form as she dominated the competi- most difficult part in qualifying for the semi-finals of Cuba’s defending Olympic silver medalist Yarisley person. I just came out to qualify and that’s what I did,” tion, her best of 69.21m out-distancing France’s Melina the latter.” Silva and European champion Ekaterini Stefanidi who said Bolt, praising the scheduling. “I’m surprised it’s so Robert Michon (66.73m) and world champion Denia Makhloufi’s main rival will likely be Kenyan Asbel all comfortably vaulted the qualifying mark of settled. Normally we have to do two rounds in one day. Caballero of Cuba (65.34) by some way.Elsewhere on Kiprop, 2008 gold medalist and three-time defending 4.60m.— AFP Rio boxing embroiled in judging controversy Irish bantamweight blasts ‘corrupt’ AIBA from the enraged 9,000-seat arena, even as the and I was boxing the ears off him. I don’t know giant Russian collected his medal. Conlan how it went against me. wagged his finger in the air as the judges con- “I watched Russia last night in the final and by demned him to defeat and for a while refused to all means Kazakhstan beat him and didn’t get the BOXING leave the ring, tearing off his top and flexing his decision. “The judges are corrupt, it’s as simple as RIO DE JANEIRO: China’s Fu Haifeng (left) and China’s Zhang Nan react after muscles defiantly to a sympathetic crowd, which that. I’ll never box in an AIBA competition again... winning against Great Britain’s Marcus Ellis and Great Britain’s Chris Langridge cheered him in return. not even Olympic Games. Corruption runs deep.” RIO DE JANEIRO: An Irish amateur world champi- during their men’s doubles semi-final badminton match yesterday. — AFP on accused Olympic boxing of corruption yester- Conlan, 24, who had been heavily fancied for “He was cut everywhere. Did you see his face? day as the sport was embroiled in fresh contro- a medal in Rio, eventually clambered out of the You saw by his reaction that he knew he didn’t versy barely 12 hours after a Russian was booed ring and hurled abuse to at least one of the win,” Conlan added of Nikitin, whose face was China ends Britain’s to the Rio podium. The International Boxing judges, branding one of them corrupt, while also badly mangled and next faces a stern test in Association (AIBA) vehemently rejected the having strong words with the referee and offi- Thursday’s semi-final against hot American claims after a seething Michael Conlan was cials. The irate Irishman struggled to contain his prospect Shakur Stevenson. “He was a quality run in men’s doubles anger after the quarter-final, as a trail of blood opponent, but he did not win, as simple as that,” turfed out of the competition in a surprise unani- in that (mixed doubles) match wasn’t ideal,” mous points decision to another Russian, the trickled down his face. “AIBA are corrupt,” he said, added Conlan, before storming off. his face twitching with rage and his voice quiver- The allegations were immediately rejected by he told reporters. “I was disappointed but it bantamweight Vladimir Nikitin. didn’t really affect us today.” Fu and Zhang Towering heavyweight Evgeny Tishchenko ing, tears welling in his eyes. “They’ve robbed me amateur boxing’s governing body. “Michael is a of my Olympic dream. I said before that I was current world champion and he came here with will face the fired-up Malaysian duo of Goh won a highly contentious gold on Monday in a BADMINTON V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong who played judging decision that drew derision and jeers going to be Olympic champion. I was in first gear high expectations,” said an AIBA spokesman. “His disappointment is massive, we can all understand out of their skins to defeat Chinese pair that. It’s his personal judgment. “AIBA is striving for RIO DE JANEIRO: China’s Fu Haifeng and Chai Biao and Hong Wei in the earlier semi- a fair, level-playing field. The idea is not to benefit Zhang Nan ended Britain’s dream run in final. Roared on by a huge contingent of one country towards another. We represent 200 the men’s badminton doubles yesterday to Malaysian fans, the 12th-ranked pair were national federations. “These statement are found- set up a gold medal decider against hugely impressive in their 21-18 12-21 21- less, but he’s free to have his opinion.” Conlan’s Malaysia. The 22nd-ranked Marcus Ellis and 17 win, which gives Malaysia another defeat means there are no Irish boxers left in Rio, Chris Langridge battled hard at the chance to win its first ever Olympic title. capping a desperately disappointing Games for Riocentro but were ultimately outclassed Mixed doubles pairing Chan Peng Soon the Irish team. Olympic boxing has ditched the by the powerful Chinese duo who kept and Goh Liu Ying will have the first shot to punch-counting method of scoring bouts that in them at arm’s length in a 21-14 21-18 victo- grab the steamy Southeast Asian a long- the past threw up numerous controversies and ry. Both the Chinese will have a chance to awaited title today when they contest the replaced it with judges in a method that replicates clinch their second Olympic golds in final against Indonesia’s Tontowi Ahmad and professional boxing. Friday’s final. Fu won the doubles with Cai Liliyana Natsir. Ellis and Langridge will play But that has not prevented several fighters and Yun four years ago, while Zhang clinched Chai and Hong in the bronze playoff tomor- coaches in Rio levelling accusations at the AIBA the mixed doubles title with Zhao Yunlei at row and have a chance to grab Britain’s first and the judges.