4 olympics FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2012 CHINA DAILY Unbeaten US one step HOTONWEB closer to gold @SUN Yujie “Time diff erence! It is all because of time diff erence. I can’t sleep at night and can’t wake in the daytime.” Chinese epee gold medalist Sun Yujie after returning home from the in volleyball London Olympics @Scola By ASSOCIATED PRESS The South Koreans denied the US “Wow, another Olympic semifi nal, I’m in London team its fi rst chance at set point before proud and happy. The medals are only Kim Yeon-koung’s serve sailed out to one game away. I’m so anxious.” Th e unbeaten US women’s volley- give it to the Americans. Argentine basketball player Luis ball team will get another chance at its South Korea took a 14-11 advantage Scola on the national team entering fi rst gold medal. in the second on Jung Dae-young’s the top four The Americans advanced to the kill, but mistakes cost them in the end. Olympic fi nal with a straight-set vic- Kim’s misplayed spike gave the United @Xie Wenjun tory over South Korea on Th ursday. States a 23-22 lead, and Han Yoo-mi’s “A little pity, but no regret. Fighting for Th e team will play for the title Satur- kill went wide for set point. the next four years! Go fi ghting!” day against the winner of a later semi- Jordan Larson’s spike made it 15-10 Chinese hurdler Xie Wenjun on fi nal between Brazil and in the third set but South Korea losing in the 110m hurdles semifi nal Japan. fought back to even it at 18 on Kim’s The top-ranked US ace. Th e US wouldn’t let the South @Feng Zhe Xiao Pang has dropped just two Koreans take the lead. Hooker’s mon- “I’m leaving London! My feelings sets in London. In the ster spike set up Logan Tom’s kill for on this Olympics: long foreplay (the time of preparation), quick climax latest victory, Destinee Hooker scored match point as the crowd at Earls (competition), lower quality (mistakes 24 points in the 25-20, 25-22, 25-22 Court chanted “U-S-A! U-S-A!” made by organizers) and insuffi cient win at Earls Court. Kim scored 20 points for the South aftertaste (unbearable memories).” Th e American women made it to Koreans. Chinese gymnast Feng Zhe talks the final at the 2008 Beijing Games Berg, a three-time Olympian, hurt about the London Games but settled for the silver medal aft er her leg in the Americans’ fi nal prelim- falling 3-1 to Brazil. Th e team has won inary-round match against Turkey on @He Zi silver twice and the bronze once since Sunday, and the US was tightlipped “Little Pig (Show Lo) is not only volleyball joined the Olympics in 1964. about the timetable for her return handsome but also very nice.” But the gold has eluded the team. because it could give its opponents a Chinese diving Olympic champion Th e US got an emotional boost for competitive advantage. talks about a photo taken with the match with the return of captain Berg warmed up before the US Taiwan-based singer Show Lo in Lindsey Berg, who was held out of women’s volleyball straight-set vic- London the team’s straight-set quarterfinal tory the Dominican Republic in the victory over the Dominican Republic quarterfi nals on Tuesday night but @Pique with an injury to her lower left leg. didn’t play. Courtney Thompson “I missed the fi nals. I was preparing Fifteenth-ranked South Korea started in her place. the match against Manchester U. Congratulations to Liu Guoliang and upset No 4 Italy in four sets on Tues- Aft er the match, US coach Hugh his team for another Gold Medal!” day to advance. Th e team’s best result McCutcheon made a point of Barcelona star player Gerard Pique in Olympic play came at the 1976 embracing Berg. on China winning the men’s table Montreal Games. It will be the second straight Olym- tennis team championship Th e United States has a 6-2 record pic fi nal for McCutcheon, who guid- against South Korea in Olympic ed the American men to a gold medal @Ma Lin matches, including a 3-1 US victory in in 2008. “I have found a nickname of mine: chef the opening match of the tournament. South Korea went 2-3 in the pre- Ma. Ha ha ...” Th e semifi nal was tight at the start, liminary round, sweeping Brazil and CHRIS O’MEARA / ASSOCIATED PRESS Chinese table tennis player Ma Lin but the United States pulled ahead beating Serbia 3-1. It lost to China, US’ Destinee Hooker goes up for a smash in front of South Korea’s Han Song-yi during their women’s volleyball jokes about the nickname given to 20-16 in the fi rst set on Hooker’s kill. Turkey and the United States. semifi nal match on Thursday. The US won 3-0. him by the rest of the team @MichaelOwen “GB won the gold medal that all my daughters want most. My eldest promises me that she will win an Synchronized swimming not as easy as it looks Olympic Gold at Dressage in 12 years time!!!” Manchester United player Michael Owen on Britain’s gold medals at By CLARA FERREIRA-MARQUES scoreboard aft er Th ursday’s techni- ing and another four in the after- two-thirds of the three or four min- ing — you have to do a lot of things the London Games in London cal round, leading a group of eight noon,” said Russian swimmer Alex- ute sequences — is under water, a at the same time. You also have to Reuters teams battling for Olympic gold. andra Patskevich, dancing in the lung-busting amount for routines remember all your corrections from @Jiao Liuyang China, who narrowly missed out team segment. Russia, famous for that have become increasingly fast. training to bring them into the per- “I feel so good at home.” Imagine yourself dancing the tan- on silver in the duet segment of the precision and technique, have won “It is obviously very diffi cult. Just formance,” Katie Dawkins, of the Chinese swimmer Jiao Liuyang on go, for four minutes, in a 3-meter competition, came second with 97 every Olympic gold since 2000 and trying to tread water — how diffi cult British team, said. “So it is physically returning home deep pool, in full make-up and points thanks to a crisply executed took all seven golds in the 2011 is that — and that is when you are tiring, but mentally as well.” in perfect time with seven others. entry. Spain, with a dance of intricate world championships. trying to get your oxygen back in,” With a chunk of points — as @Zhou Jie1107 Upside down, without ever touching legwork set to the fast-moving guitar “It is very tough, but in our sport said Adele Carlsen, a former syn- much as half in the “free”, or non- “A guy who was born in early 1988 the bottom. rhythms of Mexican duo Rodrigo y there is no other way — everything chronized swimmer who now works prescribed, routine — down to artis- looks younger than a girl born in later Now make it look eff ortless. Gabriela, were third, just 0.8 points depends on synchronization. Th ere with the British team. tic impression, swimmers also work 1991. Should the girl be very sad?” Synchronized swimming is behind. are eight of us and we have to be “If you imagine doing an 800m to achieve original choreography Chinese gymnast Zhou Jie, one of the most eas- Home team Britain, making their identical, in everything we do,” she run, holding your breath for two- and expression. Entries in 2012 have Olympic gymnastic champion Zou ily maligned of the first Olympic appearance, scored said, removing some of the doz- thirds of it, with power movements included a human body themed rou- Kai’s girlfriend, on her and Zou’s less common Olympic 87.3 points, placing them sixth. ens of pins holding in an intricate, in there and trying to synchronize tine with “brain” caps from the Bra- age sports. With its nose Synchronized swimmers train for gelled bun and gold-sequined hair with several other people, then you zilian duo, and a football routine, clips, sequins and heav- longer than many Olympic athletes piece. kind of have an idea of how diffi cult with referees’ whistles and soccer @AndyMurrayAndiMulei ily gelatined hair, it is a far cry from — as much eight to 10 hours a day, Synchronized swimming, which it is. And you have to make it look ball caps, from Canada. “The Royal Mail are making stamps for the overt power, aggression and tes- six days a week. They spend long has its origins in the water ballets easy.” Th e Russian team, the dominant all of the British Gold medalists. Pretty proud moment!” tosterone of the 100m fi nal. hours in the pool, working on fl ex- popular in the 1900s, builds on Synchronized swimmers cur- force in the sport, say they keep their British tennis player and gold But, as the swimmers do not tire ibility, endurance, sometimes swim- swimming basics, such as front crawl rently compete in the Olympics as Olympic sequences under lock and medalist Andy Murray on the stamp of telling reporters on the pool deck, ming with weights of up to 3kg to or backstroke, and adds balletic arm pairs, for the duets, and as a group key, demonstrating them only once featuring him it takes a lot of work to make it look gain the strength required to keep movements, backfl ips or leg raises of eight for teams.