THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2016 SPORTS Number one golfer Day withdraws over Zika MELBOURNE: World number one Jason Organization says is spreading rapidly in goal to compete in the Olympics on said in a statement. “He is a family man Ireland Olympic golf team captain Day became the latest top golfer to the Americas, can cause crippling behalf of my country, playing golf can- and he has put his family first.” Paul McGinley said the withdrawals withdraw from August’s Rio de Janeiro defects in babies and has been linked to not take precedent over the safety of Ireland’s Shane Lowry, the world were not good for the image of the Olympic Games because of the Zika the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre our family. I will not place them at risk.” number 25 who finished joint runner-up sport. “I agree it doesn’t particularly virus on Tuesday. in adults. The decision mean Australia’s top in this month’s U.S. Open, also withdrew reflect well on golfers when they seem Golf is returning to the Olympics for “The reason for my decision is my three golfers have now withdrawn their on Tuesday and said his decision was to be the only ones withdrawing but the first time since 1904, but a number concerns about the possible transmis- names from consideration for the based on firm medical advice. when it is for their own personal rea- of big names, including four-times sion of the Zika virus and the potential Games with world number eight Adam “While I am bitterly disappointed to sons, we have to respect that,” he told major champion Rory McIlroy, Fiji’s Vijay risks that it may present to my wife’s Scott blaming his busy schedule and be missing out on that experience and national Irish broadcaster RTE. “The risk Singh and Charl Schwartzel of South future pregnancies and to future mem- Marc Leishman, who is ranked 39th in the opportunity to win an Olympic is very, very, very small but ultimately Africa, have also pulled out due to Zika bers of our family,” Australian Day, 28, the world, also citing Zika. medal for Ireland, on this occasion I it’s a risk they’re not willing to take.” The concerns. The mosquito-borne Zika said in a statement. “We respect Jason’s decision,” the have to put my family’s welfare first,” Rio Olympics, the first in South America, virus, which the World Health “While it has always been a major Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) said Lowry who recently married. take place from Aug.5-21. —Reuters Kenyan milers headline selection trials in Eldoret NAIROBI: Three-time world 1500m cham- find the form that carried him to an pion Asbel Kiprop and women’s silver Olympic title and world record in London in medallist Faith Kipyegon will headline the 2012. Despite a dominant pre-season race list of top Kenyan performers at the performances over two 800 metres in Olympic selection trials which start today. Australia in March, and in the rarely-run The two-day event is being held at Eldoret’s 600m at Birmingham, where he set an Kipchoge stadium, right in the heartland of African record of 1:13.10, Rudisha was how- the sport, outside its traditional venue of ever well beaten at the Shanghai and Nairobi for the first time. Stockholm Diamond League meetings. The trials come with Kenya under scruti- A starter’s error caused him a late start ny over its flagging doping system, necessi- in Shanghai, but the two-time world cham- tating changes to legislation to avoid pion threw away a commanding lead in the explusion of its world-beating distance run- Swedish capital to finish a disappointing ners from August’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics. fourth behind his Kenyan arch-rival In May, the World Anti-Doping Agency Ferguson Rotich, France’s Pierre-Ambroise (WADA) declared Kenya non-compliant Bosse and Poland’s world silver medallist after the legislation to criminalise doping Adam Kszczot. Rotich, who was only fourth passed in parliament failed to meet its at the world championships in Beijing, won requirements, forcing a review to include both the Shanghai and Stockholm races, sections which had been left out from the and will be hot favourite to win at the trials, original draft passed by WADA. where the top two athletes across the line “Our athletes have performed well since will be guaranteed places for Rio. the start of the season, and we expect very World junior champion Alfred Kipketer tough competition in Eldoret,” Kenya’s vet- (1:45.93), Willy Tarbei and Kipyegon Bett, eran athletics coach Julius Kirwa told AFP. who secured Kenya’s 1-2 for the first time in “We should be able to pick one of the 10 years at last year’s IAAF World Youth best teams for Rio. It will have a nice mix- Championships in Cali, Colombia will also ture of both veteran and up-and-coming be in contention. Others are newcomers athletes.” Kiprop, the 2008 Olympic champi- Nicholas Kiplangat Kipkoech and Jonathan on and Kipyegon, who won the 1500m sil- Kiprotich Kitilit, who hold the season’s best ver at the Beijing world championships times of 1:43.37 and 1:43.48 respectively. behind Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia, are Like Rudisha, world javelin champion Julius both unbeaten this season and are current- Yego hopes to improve on his performance ly top of the leaderboard in the IAAF ahead of the Rio Olympics. Diamond League in their respective events. Unbeaten at home, Yego, Kenya’s first The powerful duo arrive at the Olympic ever world field gold medallist, has strug- trials fresh from their wins in the Oslo gled on the Diamond League against the Diamond League earlier this month and are resurgent African champion, Ihab both expected to shine on Thursday and Abdelrahman of Egypt and world record Friday. The men’s 800 metres, which pits holder, Thomas Rohler of Germany. Olympic champion David Rudisha against a Yego was placed third behind SOPOT: In this March 8, 2014 file photo, Australia’s Sally Pearson clears a hurdle in her 60m hurdles semi-final during the Athletics World Indoor host of young pretenders, is likely to be just Abdelrahman and Rohler at the Stockholm Championships in Sopot, Poland. Hurdles gold medalist Pearson has reportedly withdrawn from the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro because of a one of many intense encounters. The 27- Diamond League with a throw of 83:09 hamstring injury. — AP year-old Rudisha has been struggling to metres.—AFP Australia’s hurdler Pearson devastated at missing Rio SYDNEY: Australian Olympic hurdles champion take me a couple of weeks and I’ll be alright,” she backs and still deliver my best.” But Pearson also Sally Pearson withdrew from the Rio games yes- said. “But, we went and got scans, and it showed admitted she was struggling to regain fitness. “I terday, saying she was devastated she had it was actually a tendon tear. have now been home for six days. I have left injured her hamstring during training and could Any tendon in the body takes a long time to nothing in the tank on my return,” she said. not compete. Pearson, Australia’s top athlete, recover.” The 29-year-old only returned to com- “Training has been intensely hard and I am who won 100 metres hurdles gold at London in petition in June after spending a year on the exhausted from it but at this stage I have 2012, told the Nine Network she did not want to sidelines following a fall that shattered her wrist, absolutely no other choice if I am going to be risk a career-ending injury by going to Brazil. which affected the technique she uses at the competitive in Rio. “I have just less than nine “The risk of going to compete at the start of a race. weeks until I compete and I am going to do Olympics could do major damage to my ham- But her return did not go to plan, with everything in my power to be the best athlete I string, and there’d be no opportunity to come Pearson trailing in after pacesetting Americans can be while representing my country in the back and try to go to the Commonwealth Games in three races in Europe. Earlier this month she biggest sporting event in the world.” The on the Gold Coast in two years’ time,” she said. pulled out of her last scheduled race in Australian Olympic team’s chef de mission Kitty “It’s heartbreaking and devastating that I can’t Stockholm to return to her Gold Coast base and Chiller had earlier yesterday praised her courage. be in Rio, as the Olympic champion, and run at focus on training for Rio. “She’s fought so hard over the last year,” the 100 percent and be proud to represent my coun- Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted her try, it’s just not going to happen this year-my ‘VERY, VERY SAD’ as saying in Perth. body won’t allow it.” In confirming earlier reports In a blog post on June 18, Pearson reflected “It is just such a shame for a fantastic champi- that she would miss the games, Pearson said the on the “broken bones, torn calf, degenerative on, a fantastic fighter and if she doesn’t run in new injury had come “out of the blue” and at a achilles and hammy problems” that have Rio I’ll be very, very sad for Sally and the team.” time when she was training well.