12 Established 1961 Sports Sunday, March 4, 2018 Vogel beats Morton for sprint title, equals Meares with 11 world titles

Wild wins second gold of championships

APELDOORN: Germany’s claimed a race, won the last sprint of the points race in the multi- record-equalling 11th world title as she powered to vic- discipline omnium to secure the title in style, delighting tory in the individual sprint at the UCI track champi- the home crowd. onships in Apeldoorn on Friday. Vogel followed up her It was an eighth world championships medal for the victory in the team sprint to move level with ’s 35-year-old but first gold in the omnium, having won Anna Meares on the all-time women’s list. silver last year. Amalie Dideriksen of Denmark was sec- The 27-year-old was taken to a deciding sprint by ond with Rushlee Buchanan of New Zealand third. Australia’s , the fastest qualifier in Earlier in the day Australia’s con- the heats, but once again the trolled the men’s points Olympic champion showed race to win his fifth world her quality when the pres- title in the event and ninth sure was on. rainbow jersey in total. “It’s “At the moment and on special,” Meyer, who won this day I’m not counting,” five intermediate sprints Vogel, who sat on the track I’m just proud and took two laps on the draped in a German flag field, said. “Every one of after her victory, said of to make this them is special when you matching Meares. “It was world title win a gold medal in the very hard at the end and it world championships. took me three final heats to “To win today was not get the gold medal. easy. To be one of the “Today it took everything favourites every time is a lot to make it to the finish line. I’m just proud to make this of pressure, but I enjoy it.” Jan Willem van Schip won world title.” There were more home celebrations as silver, adding another medal to the hosts’ total, with claimed her second gold medal of the Britain’s Mark Stewart third. APELDOORN: Gold medalist Germany’s Kristina Vogel (L) and Bronze medalist Germany’s Pauline Sophie week to make it three wins for the Dutch so far. Italy’s won the men’s individual pur- Grabosch celebrate after the women’s sprint final during the UCI World Championships in Wild, who delivered Dutch gold on the opening day suit, storming back to beat Portugal’s Ivo Oliveira in a Apeldoorn on Friday. — AFP of the event when she topped the podium in the scratch nailbiter. — Reuters

Campbell breaks

narrowing the gap to 10-3. Australia swim Rebels down The Japanese side levelled the match 10-10 after William Tupou record in Sunwolves for intercepted the ball and crossed for an easy try, followed by the conversion just before half-time. But the Rebels Games trials second straight took back the lead early in the second GOLD COAST: Cate Campbell yesterday half as Sefanaia Naivalu bagged a try. broke the Australian record in the 50-metres The Rebels secured victory as Super Rugby win freestyle final on the last night of the national Maddocks grabbed his second and selection trials for next month’s Gold Coast TOKYO: The reinforced third tries with brilliant runs on the . Campbell set a new Rebels won their second straight right to complete his hat-trick. national mark of 23.79 seconds, narrowly Super Rugby match yesterday as Jack Flanker Edward Quirk posted a try for missing the world record of Sweden’s Sarah Maddocks claimed a hat-trick of tries the Sunwolves following a repeat of Sjostrom by 0.13 seconds. Campbell edged against the injury-hit Sunwolves in scrums but the game ended with a sister Bronte for gold, while training partner Tokyo. The Rebels, bolstered by key penalty try for the Rebels just on the Shayna Jack was third. off-season signings including final whistle. It was the second Australian record for Wallabies scrum-half Will Genia, Last week, the new-look Rebels got Cate Campbell Campbell at the trials, having also broken the scored five tries and a penalty try, off to a flying start to the season, beat- 50m butterfly mark on Friday, and her 11th beating the Japanese side 37-17. ing the Queenland Reds 45-19. national title after also winning the 50m fly Returning from a year off after a shoulder winning the men’s 400m individual medley. A Rising star Maddocks scored the Reinforced by 12 new players from the and 100m freestyle crowns. reconstruction, Magnussen finished third in former world champion in the 100m and opening try for the Rebels after an jettisoned Western Force, the Rebels “It is a personal best. They don’t come the 50m freestyle final, with James Roberts 200m backstroke, Larkin has added the indi- excellent run on the left flank at the set records with seven tries in their around often at the ripe old age of 25 so I will securing his first national title. Roberts vidual medleys to his programme. Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium. biggest match score in Super Rugby take them when I can,” Campbell laughed. clocked 21.97 seconds ahead of Cameron After racing the events over four days at The Melbourne side swiftly extended under former Force coach Dave “It’s a big weight off my shoulders knowing I McEvoy with Magnussen claiming bronze. selection trials, Larkin is confident adding a the lead as No. 8 Amanaki Mafi dived Wessels. The Sunwolves were forced can come out and improve under pressure. Other winners on the final night were Jack single relay to what will be a six-day Games over for a try while the conversion was to make a number of changes to their “I feel I am in a much better place to cope O’Loughlin who upset Mack Horton in the programme will be achievable. “A few of the just missed. The Sunwolves, cheered side with Lomano Lemeki and others with that.” Former dual world champion 1,500m freestyle, Emily Seebohm in the 50m changes that I made (to my training pro- on by the local crowd, struck back as injured during their loss to the James Magnussen didn’t get a win on his backstroke, and Blair Evans in the women’s gramme) are just about building that confi- Ryoto Nakamura booted a penalty, Brumbies last week. — AFP return but he did make the most of his final 400m individual medley. dence again and trusting my stroke and chance to claim a top-three finish and earn an Mitch Larkin is set to tackle five individual knowing it’s there under those pressure situa- individual swim for the Games. events at the Commonwealth Games after tions,” Larkin said. — AFP

space to test Lyon’s defence. “It wasn’t a Aussie Harris great match to watch I imagine,” said Star gymnast sues Lyon flanker . A listless kicks Lyon to first half finished 6-3 to the hosts with two Harris penalties to one from Belleau. US Olympic The hosts were denied a potential try- victory over scoring opportunity for former England Committee over international Delon Armitage early in the Toulon second period by an unkind bounce of the ball into touch that slipped through Nassar sex abuse PARIS: Australian international fly-half the wing’s fingers. “If I was five years Mike Harris kicked all their points as younger, it would have been a try under Lyon dragged themselves back into a the posts,” Armitage 34, told Canal Plus. NEW YORK: US gymnast Aly Raisman has play-off position with a tough 15-6 Top But in truth, neither side threatened often sued the US Olympic Committee and USA 14 win over in-form Toulon yesterday. In to cross the whitewash. Three second half Gymnastics over decades of sexual abuse by what was a largely uninspiring affair, penalties from Harris sealed the victory former national team doctor Larry Nassar, Harris nailed five penalties to two from and denied Toulon a losing bonus point. saying they put “money and medals” before young international Anthony Later on Saturday, leaders Montpellier the safety of athletes. Belleau in response to move Lyon up to travel to relegation-threatened Agen while Raisman, a three-time Olympic gold medal- fifth ahead of the rest of the weekend second-placed Racing 92 host second ist, said in November that she was sexually Aly Raisman programme. Toulon, who remain fourth, from bottom Brive. On Sunday, champions abused by Nassar, who pleaded guilty last came into the match on a three-game Clermont will bid to end a six-game losing year to molesting female athletes under the winning run but could not get the streak-which included a home loss to guise of medical treatment for nearly 20 years. vened. The lawsuit said the defendants, suit against the USOC and other defendants league’s top try-scorer or rock-bottom Oyonnax last week-against “I refuse to wait any longer for these organi- including two former USA Gymnastics offi- in December on behalf of McKayla Maroney, his fellow wing Semi Radradra into La Rochelle. — AFP zations to do the right thing. It is my hope that cials, could have prevented the molestation if a 2012 Olympic gymnastics gold and silver the legal process will hold them accountable they had been serious about their duty to medalist. Attorney David Mittleman repre- and enable the change that is so desperately protect young athletes but instead they “put sents 90 of the 256 plaintiffs already suing needed,” she said in a statement on Friday. their quest for money and medals above the USA Gymnastics in federal court in According to her lawsuit, which seeks safety” of the plaintiff and other athletes. Michigan. On Friday he said the plaintiffs had unspecified damages, Raisman still suffers The USOC did not immediately return yet to decide whether to broaden the lawsuit from “depression, anxiety and fear” stem- requests for comment. USA Gymnastics to include the USOC. The USOC, which has ming from the abuse. It was filed on declined to comment on the lawsuit, but reit- faced months of criticism over the scandal, Wednesday in California state court in Santa erated that it first learned in June 2015 that said on Wednesday that its chief executive Clara County. The 23-year-old athlete was an athlete had “expressed concern about a officer, Scott Blackmun, was resigning for among nearly 200 gymnasts, including several procedure by Larry Nassar” and that it health reasons. It did not say if the scandal Olympic medalists, who spoke out during reported it to the Federal Bureau of had played a role in Blackmun’s departure. Nassar’s televised sentencing hearings about Investigation. In its statement, USOC outlined reforms decades of abuse. In January and February, in The Nassar scandal prompted the entire aimed at protecting its athletes from abuse. separate sentencing hearings in Michigan, board of directors at USA Gymnastics to Raisman said in her statement on Friday that Nassar received prison terms of 40 to 125 resign, along with the president and athletic the organizations were still “unwilling to con- years and 40 to 175 years. He is also serving a director at Michigan State University, where duct a full investigation, and without a solid 60-year federal term for child pornography Nassar also worked. It spawned several law- understanding of how this happened, it is convictions. suits and criminal and civil investigations. delusional to think sufficient changes can be The lawsuit contends that the U.S. Raisman’s lawsuit was the latest civil com- implemented.” Last month, USOC Board of Olympic Committee (USOC), USA plaint filed by California attorney John Manly Directors Chairman Larry Probst said the US LYON: Lyon’s Australian number 8 Liam Gill (L) vies with Toulon’s Fiji wing Gymnastics and former executives of the on behalf of former Olympic gymnasts and Olympic system had “failed” the hundreds of Semi Radradra (R) during the French match between Lyon sport’s governing body had the authority and national gymnastics team members concern- young female athletes who were sexually (LOU) and Toulon (RCT) yesterday, at the Matmut stadium in Lyon. — AFP mandate to discipline Nassar but never inter- ing the Nassar abuse. Manly also filed a law- abused by Nassar. — Reuters