Rose Hits Historic Ace As Aussie Holds Lead
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
SPORTS SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2016 TRACK & FIELD Rudisha cruises but keeps mum on coach RIO DE JANEIRO: David Rudisha cruised into the semi-finals of the men’s 800m yes- terday but kept mum on the Kenyan coach sent home in disgrace after having tried to impersonate an athlete for a doping test. Sprint coach John Anzrah offered a urine sample in place of 800m medal hope Ferguson Rotich, who finished fourth in last year’s world championships in Beijing. Anzrah was immediately sent home by the Kenyan Olympic Committee, but with no action having yet been taken against RIO DE JANERIRO: An overview shows Spain’s power forward Felipe Reyes (L), Nigeria’s power forward Ike Diogu 9C) and Spain’s centre Rotich, the 800m runner competed in yes- Pau Gasol (R) eye a rebound during a Men’s round Group B basketball match between Nigeria and Spain at the Carioca Arena 1. —AFP terday’s heats and duly qualified for Saturday’s semi-finals. Rotich did not linger Spain gets first win despite security scare long under the eye of the media, sprinting past awaiting journalists after his race. A Spurs for the coming season. Spain is now 1-2 sides continued to pour in the buckets and third Kenyan, Alfred Kipketer, also shook off and still must face both the tough Argentines the score was repeatedly tied down the questions. “I don’t know, I don’t know,” a and Lithuania in its remaining preliminary- stretch. But Argentina’s smaller veterans flustered Kipketer answered when asked round games. Nigeria dropped to 0-3. couldn’t quite stop the big and quick about the Rotich situation. BASKETBALL A low-scoring first half saw Lithuania lead Lithuanians, who were a force on the glass Rudisha fired out a warning to rivals on Argentina 30-27 at the mid-way point, but with 51 rebounds to Argentina’s 29. the track at the Olympic Stadium, pulling RIO DE JANEIRO: Spain tipped off in an eerily things kicked into high gear from there. Manu In the day’s early game, Bojan Bogdanovic away at 600m to clock the fastest qualifying empty arena due to a security scare but the Ginobili, a former All-Star and four-time NBA poured in 33 points as Croatia beat hosts time of 1min 45.09sec and will be joined in 2012 silver medalists finally showed up on the champ with the Spurs, scored 12 points in the Brazil 80-76, who were hoping to build on the semi-finals by a host of favourites court for an all-important first Olympic bas- first four minutes of the second half and their thrilling upset of Spain two days earlier. including Djibouti’s Ayanleh Souleiman, ketball win on Thursday. After last-second Argentina went on to grab a 42-40 lead. Both Croatia is now 2-1, and Brazil 1-2.—AFP Bosnian Amel Tuka, Poland’s Adam Kszcot losses in their first two games, Spain claimed a 96-87 win over Nigeria in a match-up of win- and American Boris Berian. Botswana’s less teams desperate for a “W”, led by 16 Commonwealth champion and 2012 points from veteran centre Pau Gasol. In other Rose hits historic ace Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos, howev- Group B action, Argentina and Lithuania er, failed to make the cut, fading down the showed why they will both be tough to beat as Aussie holds lead home stretch to come in 5sec down on the in the knockout phase, with Lithuania emerg- lead time. ing 81-73 victors in one of the better-played “It was good,” said Rudisha, whose world age that and go around and play the way I did contests so far. Forward Mindaugas was a real confidence booster.” record, gold medal-winning run at the Kuzminskas led Lithuania with 23 points on 9- London Games was one of the performanc- Rose, a 36-year-old Englishman ranked of-13 shooting. 12th in the world, shared fourth with France’s es of those Olympics. “It was just cruising to Spain and Nigeria tipped off with the GOLF Gregory Bourdy, German Alex Cejka, Spain’s qualify for the semis tomorrow, which is 16,000-capacity venue in Rio’s Olympic Park Rafael Cabrera Bello and Belgium’s Thomas main part of the competition as you have to virtually empty after security forces initially RIO DE JANEIRO: Britain’s Justin Rose made Pieters. Rose won the most recent of his 19 secure your place in the final. “I’m in good prevented fans entering while they staged an the first hole-in-one in Olympic history career titles last October at Hong Kong. form, there’s no doubt about that. I’m very apparent controlled explosion just outside. Thursday as golf ended a 112-year Games Several big names stumbled. Eighth-ranked confident because I’m finding my finishing “We heard the explosion. We didn’t know absence with some dazzling shotmaking, an Rickie Fowler was on 75 with fellow American power in the last 100m, so I think I’m in a exactly what it was. We just kind of looked unheralded leader and some high-ranked Bubba Watson, a two-time Masters champion position to control my races again.” Rudisha around and said, ‘What’s going on?’” said also-rans. Australian Marcus Fraser, who only ranked sixth, on 73 and their 14th-ranked admitted to feeling the pressure of defend- Gasol. “We thought maybe nobody came to became an Olympian after four higher-ranked compatriot Petrick Reed on 72. ing his title over the two-lap race. “There is watch the game.” Spain got yet another scare countrymen declined, fired an eight-under- Fraser has won three European Tour titles, a lot of pressure, of course, coming here as from the African underdogs, who led by a par 63 for a three-stroke lead over British most recently last February in Malaysia, and defending champion, as a world record point to start the final period, fueled by an eventual 13 three-pointers including seven Open chmpion Henrik Stenson of Sweden and played in 12 majors, his best showing a share holder and as a world champion. There’s a Canada’s Graham DeLaet. of 20th at last year’s British Open. “Getting lot of expectation,” he said. from red-hot shooting guard Chamberlain Oguchi. Rose, the 2013 US Open champion who is that ball out of the hole was really special, to “Last year and this year are completely ranked 12th, blasted his tee shot at the par- shoot 63 in the first round golf is back in the different. I feel like I’m in better form, But balanced scoring down the stretch from Spain’s veteran Olympians helped them three fourth hole 188 yards into the cup for Olympics,” Fraser said. “At the moment I’ve almost like my good years between 2010- dodge a potentially fatal third loss. Spain is the first ace in Olympic history on a windy day got the Olympic record. That’s pretty cool. I 12. “My training’s been going well. I haven’t ranked number two in the world and was at the links-style layout. Fraser, ranked 90th, hope it lasts all week,” Fraser said. Fraser, 38, been performing well in some of the races bridesmaid in the past two Games to the birdied five of the first six holes and four more had no birdie putt of 10 feet or more. He I’ve had. “I had a bad start in Shanghai, I powerful USA squad of NBA stars. “Nigeria just on the back nine after feeling nervy at the made bogey at the second after a tee shot came to Stockholm in bad weather. It only kept battling us, but we were able to get out start. “This is probably one of the best rounds into the bunker but birdied the next four improved in Birmingham in the 600m and of it. That was the first step in the right direc- of golf I’ve ever played,” Fraser said. “I was a holes. “It felt like I needed to get off to a fast Budapest where I ran the world leading tion,” said Gasol, who joins the San Antonio little jumpy off the first tee. To be able to man- start,” Fraser said. “It was good I did.”— AFP time.”— AFP .