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August 3, 2021

‘Do it the hard way’: Kookaburras primed for Rio redemptionA high five for Tim Sharp after he slotted the Kookas’ opener. Picture: Adam Head

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Two down, one to go.

The Kookaburras were given a Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer run into the final, but after taking down Germany in the semi-finals they now play Belgium in the gold medal match on Thursday.

Their 3-1 win atoned for their heartbreaking 4-2 defeat to Germany at the same point in London, where the Europeans eventually went on to take gold while Australia claimed their second straight bronze medal.

Colin Batch’s men now take on world No.2 Belgium, the 2016 silver medallists who earlier on Tuesday thumped India 5-2 in hot conditions.

A cheerful John Coates said it all as the final whistle was blown: “Well done Australia”, the Australia Olympic Committee boss yelled out on a number of occasions from the stands.

The Kookaburras, whose only gold medal came in 2004 when Batch was an assistant, have had to do it the hard way by taking down the kings of European hockey, having been starved of playing international opposition in the 18 months leading up to Tokyo.

“We’ve kind of had to do it the hard way,” goal-scorer Tim Brand told News Corp.

“You just mentioned Holland, Germany and now Belgium, some of the top teams in the world, but I think almost in a way it was better to have those hard games, I think it prepared us quite well.

“We didn’t have our best game (in the quarter-finals), but it’s probably better we play Holland rather than a lower team and smash them.

“Winning on shootouts (3-0) grew our confidence and I think it helped we had the belief we could beat a top team like that.

“We carried that forward into this game and we will the next too.”

Blake Govers was the star for the Kookaburras.

His exceptional vision to lob the German defence and find an unmarked Flynn Ogilvie, who belted the ball wide of the goal before Brand deflected it from point-blank range led to the early opening goal.

After the heartbreak of seeing the Hockeyroos bow out in the quarter-finals after an early miss which struck the posts, it was just the confidence-building start the Kookaburras were after in perfect conditions at Oi Hockey Stadium.

“He (Ogilvie) hit it pretty hard,” Brand said.

“I was lucky I was pretty close to the goals because it went straight into the roof. I’m happy with that one.”

Then, having conceded a goal at a short corner, it was Govers again.

The striker firing home from a penalty corner, as he beat the outstretched stick of Tobias Hauke to give Australia a lead going into half time.

“It would have to be my most important goal,” Govers said, whose brother Kieran won everything else but a gold medal during his decorated career.

“Definitely the biggest one.”

Australia survived a late raid, with the Germans taking off their goal-keeper with three minutes remaining as they chased to stay in the goal medal match.

It proved a fatal move.

Lachlan Sharp, having been the culprit by giving away the penalty corner that led to Germany’s only goal to Lukas Windfeder, scored a simple tap in with 92 seconds left to send the Kookaburras into the final.

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August 2, 2021

Two words you’re not allowed to say about transgender Olympic starNew Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard made history on Monday.

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The complexities around Laurel Hubbard’s historic appearance in Tokyo were laid bare well before she stepped up to the stage for the first time.

The Kiwi weightlifter made history on Monday night, becoming the first transgender athlete to compete at an Olympics. The decision to allow her to compete among women – because she has testosterone levels below the threshold required by the International Olympic Committee – has sparked plenty of debate.

Some, like sports writer Ewan Mackenna, believe the 43-year-old Hubbard’s appearance, having transitioned to a female in her 30s, is a “massive slap to the face of all women and fair sport, and an indictment of the Olympics and New Zealand sport”. Former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner believes it’s “not fair”, while so too does tennis legend Martina Navratilova.

Others believe denying Hubbard the chance to compete is discrimination. They say she’s done nothing wrong, so why should she be excluded?

Whatever side of the fence you sit on, there was no qestioning the huge level of interest in her showing at the Tokyo International Forum – a huge convention centre in a shiny high-end shopping district of the Japanese capital.

Spectators are banned from the Games because of Covid-19 but there were hundreds of people in attendance as officials, a huge pack of global media and athletes’ team members gathered to watch history be made. Of all the events this reporter has seen in Tokyo over the past week-and-a-half, the crowd here was the largest of any by a country mile. And then some.

Before competition got underway on Monday night, journalists at the venue were given a 20-page guide on how to report appropriately on transgender athletes. Among the guidelines was an instruction not to use the two-word phrase “born male” to describe Hubbard because: “No one is born with a gender identity. Everyone is born a baby and their gender is assigned to them by doctors and family members based on physical sex characteristics that may not correspond to their gender identity as it develops over time.”

There were also instructions not to report trans athletes as having an unfair advantage over their rivals. According to the booklet, that’s “misinformation”.

A list of LGBTQ+ “athletes to watch” was also provided, as was a rundown of the history of LGBTQ+ athletes at the Games, in addition to definitions of terms such as “nonbinary”, “gender identity” and “cisgender”.

It seemed more than just coincidence when Jon Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life blared over the loudspeakers before the first lift. “It’s my life, it’s now or never. I ain’t gonna live forever. I just want to live my life while I’m alive. It’s my life!”

Poignant lyrics for a poignant occasion.

Hubbard gave a short wave to the crowd when all 10 competitors were introduced at once. There was warm applause, but not the same rousing ovation reserved for other athletes.

It was a similar story when the Kiwi star came out for her first lift – a 120kg effort she failed to clear. “Go on!” yelled a voice from the seats. “Go Laurel!” shouted another.

In the end Hubbard’s history-making appearance was an anticlimax. She failed all three of her lifts in the snatch component of the event – the first at 120kg and two at 125kg – to become the first competitor knocked out, not even making it to the second clean-and-jerk phase.

All those critics concerned Hubbard would have an unfair advantage over everyone else could sleep easy. It proved to be nothing of the sort. She later jokingly referred to her Olympic flop as a “non-performance”.

READ MORE: Aussie’s bike falls apart mid-race

A huge throng of reporters rushed to catch a glimpse of Hubbard behind the scenes after her early exit, hoping the media-shy star would front reporters. Journalists ran and pushed past one another to hear Hubbard speak.

They didn’t need to rush. About 20 minutes later, Hubbard fronted approximately 40 reporters, giving a short statement but not taking any questions.

She was humble, polite, emotional and above all, genuine as she thanked everyone – including the International Olympic Committee and New Zealand Olympic Committee – who made it possible for her to compete in Tokyo.

“They (the IOC) have reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of Olympism. They‘ve demonstrated that sport is something for all people around the world to do. It’s inclusive, it’s accessible and I think that’s just really fabulous,” Hubbard said.

“The NZOC have supported me through what have been quite difficult times. I know my participation at these Games has not been entirely without controversy but they have been just so wonderful.”

The haters won’t go away but Hubbard, after all she’s been through, was just happy to be here.

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August 1, 2021

Stars agree to share gold medal in Olympic ‘farce’Pure elation (Photo by Odd Andersen/AFP).

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That was the option offered to Mutaz Essa Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi in the final of the men’s high jump and the pair gladly accepted.

It meant both athletes walked away with gold, sparking wild scenes especially from Tamberi, who collapsed to the ground in tears and celebrated with Lamont Marcell Jacobs after his fellow Italian won the men’s 100m final.

Tamberia and Barshim, of Qatar, were the last two standing after successfully clearing the bar at 2.37m. But they both missed their allotted three attempts at 2.39m.

It led to officials asking whether they wanted to compete in a jump-off, to find a definitive winner, or share the gold medal. Unsurprisingly, they agreed to option B.

Barshim and Tamberi embraced as they sealed the deal that makes both of them Olympic champions.

A jump-off can occur when there is a tie, as was the case on Sunday night. It results in the bar being lowered to the previous height both jumpers cleared. Each athlete gets one jump, and the bar is alternately lowered and raised to a different height each time until the first person fails to clear the bar.

Channel 7 athletics commentator David Culbert tweeted an explanation. “They changed the rules a few years ago so athletes can decide no jump off. Share the gold,” he wrote. “They both deserve it … A jump off would have been an anti climax.”

Tamberi, who missed the 2016 Rio Olympics with a leg injury, was overcome with emotion while Barshim also broke down in tears as he celebrated with his team.

Not many would have known high jumpers had the option to share gold in the event of a deadlock as commentators were stunned by the development.

“That is extraordinary that at the Olympic level it would come down to asking the athletes about the options they have,” Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze said on Channel 7. “I can’t imagine how anyone would choose the alternative (a jump off).”

Fellow Seven presenter Andy Maher also called the ending “extraordinary”.

Sports reporter Darren Walton said on social media it was a “total farce”.

“Sooo it’s penalty shootouts for team events, super tiebreaks in tennis, 1/hundredths of a second deciding swimming/cycling/athletics golds (and dreams),” Walton tweeted.

“But #Olympics officials hand out TWO GOLDS for high jump instead of a jump-off.

Another #Tokyo2020 farce.”

Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus also cleared 2.37m to set a national record but missed out on a share of the gold due to an earlier failure, and left with bronze.

For Barshim, 30, it completes a full house of Olympic medals having taken bronze in London in 2012 and silver in Rio five years ago. Tamberi added Olympic gold to a world indoor and a European title, both in 2016 and celebrated exuberantly despite the absence of spectators at this pandemic-affected Games.

Barshim and Korean Woo Sanghyeok both got over 2.35m at the first attempt. Brandon Starc, brother of Australian cricketer Mitchell Starc, joined them with a clearance of 2.35m. But he got no further and finished fifth.

Barshim upped the ante by clearing 2.37m and Tamberi cleared it too. However, 2.39m became a height too far for the trio of medallists.

Barshim went closest with his third attempt. After knocking off the bar he gave a rueful shake of the head and applauded the onlookers.

With the title at stake as Tamberi jumped last, Barshim still found it within himself to applaud him as he prepared to launch himself at it. But the Italian fell short and moments later the pair hugged as joint winners.

With AFP

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July 31, 2021

Who do the Boomers play next?Patty Mills has been one of the stars of the tournament (Photo by Swen Pförtner/picture alliance via Getty Images)

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The Boomers have taken care of business. Three wins from three pool matches in Tokyo has left Patty Mills’ team in prime position for the first Olympic medal in Australian men’s basketball history.

Even better, the Boomers seem to be getting stronger with every outing.

An 89-76 win over Germany on Saturday evening followed a less convincing victory over Italy and a scrappy opener against Nigeria.

Patty Mills scored 24 points and Jock Landale (18 points) and Nick Kay (16 points) offered strong support to ensure Australia would top group B and earn a coveted spot in Pot D for the quarterfinal draw.

In an exciting wrinkle, the final eight will find out their next opponent on August 2 after the completion of the pool games on August 1.

The three group winners plus the best second-placed finisher will be placed in Pot D. The other two second-placed finishers and the best two third-placed finishers will be placed in Pot E.

There are only two pool games remaining: Argentina v Japan and Spain v Slovenia on Sunday.

Australia and France are the only two teams guaranteed a place in Pot D at this stage. The winner of the game between the undefeated Spain and Slovenia teams will join them.

Fourth position goes to the Americans, who ended as the second-placed finisher with the best points difference after defeating the Czech Republic 119-84 on Saturday.

So if the last two games go to form Pot D will include France, Australia, the US and Spain/Slovenia.

Pot E will likely be Spain/Slovenia, Italy, Germany (-16) and then two teams out of Argentina (-28) and Czech Republic (-49). The Czechs need Argentina to suffer a heavy loss to stay alive after their huge defeat to the US.

Of that potential group Australia will be looking to avoid whichever of the veteran Spain team that stole bronze from us in Rio or the Luka Doncic-led Slovenians drops to Pot D.

The Argentinians are always tricky and Italy proved to be more than a handful in the group stage.

“It is up in the air because of percentage,” Aussie basketball great Andrew Bogut told Channel 7. “Hopefully Czech Republic or Argentina would be the best match up for us.”

Bogut believes the Boomers will make the semfinals.

“We have a role to play in our fate, but it is going to be us, France, USA and Spain as (the) top four, I‘m calling it now.

“I think a smoky is Luka Doncic and Slovenia. It’s very exciting. I am proud of the boys, having been part of the group and knowing what they’re about.”

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July 30, 2021

Controversy erupts as US disqualified from Olympic relayThat’s not where you’re supposed to be.

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The United States is awaiting the result of an appeal after being disqualified from the mixed 4x400m relay on the opening day of track and field action in Tokyo.

Lynna Irby, the second runner for the US, waited too far up the track to receive the baton and despite finishing first, the Americans were ruled out for breaking rule 24.19 which states: “For all takeovers, athletes are not permitted to begin running outside their takeover zones, and shall start within the zone. If an athlete does not follow the this rule, their team shall be disqualified.”

Irby was out of position when getting ready to receive the baton from Elijah Godwin. She needed to be behind the blue line you can see in the photo below, but she waited in front of it by mistake.

There’s no doubt Irby was in the wrong place but the US has appealed, claiming she was told to stand in the incorrect spot by a trackside official. American sports reporter David Woods tweeted: “I’m told Team USA is appealing DQ in mixed 4×400 relay because officials put No. 2 runner Lynna Irby at wrong exchange line. So what looked like Irby’s error might be official’s error.”

American four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson also said Irby did nothing wrong.

“Our @BBCSport coverage saw 2 athletes in heat 2 also lined up in the wrong place and corrected themselves last minute,” Johnson tweeted.

“Officials either lined them up wrong or didn’t give direction. US should win appeal.”

Adam Kilgore, a journalist for the Washington Post, then reported Irby’s coach Lance Brauman also blamed the mix-up on an official.

“It wasn’t her fault that they made the mistake, and she ran very well,” he said.

If the disqualification stands, it will rob American star Allyson Felix of the chance to win a record 10th Olympic medal.

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July 29, 2021

America’s new gymnastics queen is crownedSunisa Lee wins gold for the United States.

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A wide-open meet due to Simone Biles’ withdrawal resulted in Unites States gymnastics teammate Suni Lee seizing an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo to continue the Americans’ recent domination of the individual all-around competition.

With Biles seated in the stands after the defending gold medallist dropped out of the team and individual competitions for mental-health reasons, the 18-year-old Lee became the fifth straight American to win the marquee individual event at the Summer Games.

Lee, whose father John was paralysed in a 2019 tree-trimming fall from a ladder while helping a friend, already was the first Hmong-American Olympic gymnast in US history.

Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade stepped out of bounds twice on the floor exercise with a chance to surpass Lee, but she still became the first gymnast in her country’s history to earn a medal in the all-around.

Angelina Melnikova of the Russian Olympic Committee grabbed the bronze. Biles’ replacement, Jade Carey, finished eighth.

Team USA had earned the previous four Olympic golds in this event: Biles (2016 in Rio de Janeiro), Gabby Douglas (2012 in London), Nastia Liukin (2008 in Beijing) and Carly Patterson (2004 in Athens).

Lee received a promising score of 14.600 with a double-twisting Yurchenko on her vault, not her strongest event, and the Minnesota native moved within seven-hundredths of point behind Andrade for the lead with a 15.300 with a stuck landing on the uneven bars.

Lee nearly fell from the balance beam on a triple wolf turn but steadied herself for a score of 13.833, enough for her to take over the top spot by barely one-tenth of a point over Andrade entering the final rotation.

Lee’s score of 13.700 on floor exercise opened the door for Andrade to pass her to take the gold with a score of at least 13.801, but Andrade stepped outside the boundaries on two of her three tumbling passes for a 13.666.

READ MORE: Awkward photo proves Tokyo Games are too cruel

Carey, who finished ninth overall in the preliminary round, made a small hop on her vault landing for a 15.200, one point behind Andrade in that rotation. But the 21-year-old Arizona resident scored a 13.5 on the uneven bars and then just an 11.533 following a fall from the balance beam to effectively eliminate her from medal contention.

The 24-year-old Biles had led the field following the qualifying round, but the four-time Olympic gold medallist withdrew following a faulty vault on her first rotation during Tuesday’s team competition finals.

Biles’ teammates – Lee, Grace McCallum and Jordan Chiles — earned the silver medal despite her absence, finishing behind the ROC contingent.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

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July 28, 2021

‘Easiest record ever’: Aussie stuns the worldEverything is going to plan so far for Emma McKeon.

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Aussie superstar Emma McKeon is on the path to greatness.

With the likes of Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeown dominating proceedings, McKeon has set up a massive program that could see her smash all kinds of records.

After her first swim of the meet was overshadowed by a touch pad dead heat controversy, McKeon has won bronze in the 100m butterfly — in an Australian record time, no less — and gold as part of the stunning performance by our 4x100m freestyle relay team.

Her time in that event of 51.35 seconds was the fifth fastest split in history.

The no nonsense superstar could bring home seven medals from Tokyo, which would be the biggest ever haul by an Aussie.

Seven would equal the most medals won by a woman at an Olympics, after Soviet Union gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya had a wild time at the 1952 Games.

The trend of McKeon breaking records continued in the 100m freestyle heats on Wednesday night, with the Aussie star breaking the Olympic record so effortlessly that nine-time Olympic medallist Leisel Jones was left stunned as McKeon cruised into the wall.

“That was probably the easiest Olympic record I’ve seen,” Jones said in commentary for Channel 7. “She’s not even puffing. Look at that. Not even sucking any oxygen at all. That was super cruisy and the fastest time. She’s put the world on notice.”

McKeon said she’d had a day off and was feeling good as she continued to be humble in front of the camera.

“Yeah, I’m pretty happy with that,” McKeon said. “An Olympic record is pretty cool. But I guess I had yesterday off and this morning off, so I think it freshened me up a bit.

McKeon was fastest, while compatriot Cate Campbellwas fourth fastest heading into the semi-finals.

McKeon also has the 50m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay on her program. She also looks like racing in the mixed 4x100m relay and women’s 4x100m medley relay, likely doing the butterfly.

That gives her seven medal opportunities.

It’s something Aussie legend Ian Thorpe believes is a real possibility.

“So the 50m is a toss of the coin, I can’t call that one at all,” he said. “The 100 I think she medals and she’s in good form. She has the fastest time in the world.

“But, of course, she’s up against Cate Campbell and the likes of the best competitors in the world. So that one’s a tough one to call as well but I think she will medal in that.

“When it comes to our relays, our women’s team is swimming exceptionally well. So when it comes to the mixed medley and relays, they are all medal prospects.”

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July 27, 2021

Sad reason Simone Biles suddenly walked out on Olympics finalSomething was wrong from the beginning.

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We’re used to perfection from Simone Biles but the American superstar sparked concerns on Tuesday night when she pulled out just minutes into the women’s team gymnastics final in Tokyo.

The USA started on the vault – the place Biles has gone where nobody ever has before with the incredible Yurchenko double pike – but the four-time gold medallist baulked on her first attempt.

The bizarre incident meant she only completed 1.5 rotations instead of 2.5 and failed to stick the landing. Biles was clearly irked and grimaced on her way back the side, earning a 13.766 — which was the lowest score of all six American and ROC (Russian) competitors.

USA Gymnastics later confirmed Biles would not play any further part in the final.

“Simone has withdrawn from the team final competition due to a medical issue,” a statement said. “She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions.

“Thinking of you, Simone!”

America dealt with her exit admirably though. Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum and Sunisa Lee Grace fought through adversity to win a memorable silver medal, behind Russia and ahead of Great Britain.

In a team event, three members compete on each apparatus, and one is a reserve. That’s why America was able to continue and secure second place despite being a woman down.

Speaking after the event, Biles said she did not know where she was in the air on her first vault and explained she had been “fighting all those demons” inside hear head.

She pulled out because she did not want to jeopardise her team’s chances of winning a medal.

“It’s just me in my head,” she said. “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardise my health and wellbeing.

“We have to protect our body and our mind.

“It’s very unfortunate this has to happen at this stage … it just sucks when you’re fighting with your own head.”

“Tonight they (her teammates) get a gold medal from me for fighting.”

Speaking to NBC, Biles added: “Physically, I feel good, I’m in shape. Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment.

“Coming here to the Olympics and being the head star isn’t an easy feat, so we’re just trying to take it one day at a time and we’ll see.”

Biles said she will wait and see before deciding whether she will compete in her individual event.

World in shock over Biles drama

Nobody could quite believe what they’d seen from the undisputed queen of gymnastics, who has done things in the sport nobody thought possible.

American Olympics reporter Callie Caplan said Biles “looked near tears as she walked off the podium” following her first vault.

“Simone Biles got lost in the air during her last warm-up vault and bailed out of the Amanar early. She just did the same during competition, completing 1.5 twists instead of 2.5,” Caplan tweeted.

Shelia O’Connor added: “Did … did Simone Biles just bail out of her vault?” with a shocked hands-on-face emoji.

US sports columnist Nancy Armour said: “OMG. Simone bailed out of the Amanar, does a 1.5. Nearly lands it on her knees. And looks as if she’s about to cry as she comes off the podium, Cecile immediately goes and puts arm around her.”

American TV presenter Hoda Kotb said “the place was just stunned” at the unexpected development.

The plot thickened when Biles soon walked off the competition floor with a team trainer, sparking speculation she’d suffered an injury.

Her teammates walked over to the uneven bars and were forced to compete without her. Chiles was supposed to sit out the bars portion of the night but had to scramble to take part because of Biles’ absence.

Before moving on to the beam, USA Gymnastics confirmed Biles had withdrawn from the competition.

In the final stages of the bars, Biles returned to the floor but had put her white team tracksuit on because she was done for the night. She walked with the team around to the beam and supported her comrades as they tried to claw their way up the leaderboard.

Just because Biles was out of action it didn’t mean she wasn’t going to contribute. She cheered louder than anyone as she encouraged Team USA to power on towards a medal.

The rest of the team’s mood wasn’t dampened as they rose to the challenge. They hugged Biles and the quartet engaged in animated chats, looking like they were having the time of their lives.

Coach Cecile Landi also showed her star pupil plenty of love, as did those members of the media allowed in the stands.

There were awesome scenes at the end of the night as Biles celebrated on the podium with her teammates.

Brilliant Biles in a league of her own

Biles underscored her greatness at this year’s US Classic by becoming the first woman ever to pull off a Yurchenko double pike — a complex, gravity-defying vault that no other woman has attempted in competition.

Unfortunately for Biles, the judges weren’t as enamoured with her vault as everyone else, as they gave it a provisional scoring value of just 6.6. There have been suggestions the low score was delivered because the International Gymnastics Federation wants to protect athletes’ safety by discouraging them from attempting a move as difficult as what Biles pulled off.

Then there’s the train of thought if Biles is the only person on the planet capable of pulling off such extreme vaults, she will simply be impossible to beat if the judges deem them worthy of more points.

“I feel like now we just have to get what we get because there’s no point in putting up a fight because they’re not going to reward it,” Biles said at the time.

“They’re too low and they even know it. But they don’t want the field to be too far apart. And that’s just something that’s on them. That’s not on me.

“They had an open-ended code of points and now they’re mad that people are too far ahead and excelling.”

With AFP

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Hidilyn Diaz’s Weightlifting Gold Comes with a $660,000 Prize

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , , — admin @ 2:22 am

The Philippines have been sending athletes to the Olympic Games since 1924. On the 3rd day of the Tokyo Olympics, on a last gasp lift that held everything in the balance, 30-year-old weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz clean and jerked 127 kg to give her a 224 kg total and the gold in the women’s 55 kg division.

 

Read Hidilyn Diaz’s Weightlifting Gold Comes with a $660,000 Prize at its original source Breaking Muscle:

https://breakingmuscle.com/news/hidilyn-diazs-weightlifting-gold-comes-with-a-660000-prize

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July 26, 2021

Aussie star highlights beautiful reality of Olympic boxingNicolson has her eyes on the prize.

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The cruel reality of the Olympics is you can spend four years – or in this case, five – training for something only to have it ripped away from you in seconds.

For swimmers competing in 50m races or sprinters on the track, one tiny mistake can crush your dream before it’s ever really begun.

With that in mind, nine minutes may seem like a long time. That’s how long boxers in Tokyo are given to either knock their opponent out or convince the judges they deserve to fight another day.

In the world of amateur boxing, bouts comprise of three, three-minute rounds – a far cry from the professional realm where men’s fights can go for 12 rounds of three minutes each.

But whereas sprinters and swimmers may have even smaller windows to nail their skills, at least they’re not getting the absolute snot beaten out of them in the process. Imagine flying halfway around the world, getting punched in the head for nine minutes (or even less) then hopping back on a plane to lick your wounds.

Thankfully, that was never part of the plan for Skye Nicolson.

The 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, who also won bronze at the 2016 World Championships, was determined to strut her stuff in Tokyo, her desire to fight not dimmed one bit by the 12-month postponement.

Gifted a bye in the opening round, Nicolson faced Im Aeji of South Korea on Monday night in her first ever Olympic bout inside a stadium more used to hosting crowds for sumo wrestling matches.

Although she admitted to some ring rust, having not fought in 18 months because of the pandemic, Nicolson was as clinical as she could have hoped, though somewhat surprisingly won by split decision rather than a unanimous one.

After a cagey opening where both fighters felt each other out, Nicolson landed some slick combinations and rocked Aeji with the best punch of the night when her left hand made sweet contact on the button.

The Aussie maintained her upper hand in the third round to progress and keep her medal hopes alive.

But for Aeji, her Olympic dream was shattered in just nine minutes.

Olympic boxing is easy to appreciate

Boxing at the Olympics is a far cry from what you’ll see when you fork out $50 to watch a Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury pay-per-view. The very top echelon of the pro ranks is defined by obscene amounts of money and the type of cringe-worthy, concocted drama normally reserved for The Bold and the Beautiful.

From fake, childish insults to threats of cancellation because the gloves aren’t the right shade of red or – heaven forbid – one wants to walk out after the other, the cash in professional boxing is made before the fighters even step into the ring. That means a whole Hollywood production is needed to convince the public they should care enough to cough up for a pay-per-view.

Olympic boxing is a world away from that. The Games are the pinnacle for most sports – though not all, it must be said – and watching two amateurs beat the living daylights out of each other for no more than nine minutes carries with it a certain appeal you don’t get in the big time.

Even without Covid-19 restrictions limiting the amount of spectators in attendance, one doesn’t get the feeling boxing would draw the biggest crowd at an Olympics. The silence during Monday night’s bouts was pierced in eardrum-shattering fashion by boisterous teammates yelling out support from the top tier of Tokyo’s Kokugigan Arena. At least we hope it was support. If this reporter were fighting, he would have found the advice from the back-seat drivers more annoying than helpful.

Though we would never want to encourage violence, there’s a beautiful simplicity to Olympic boxing which, like we said, you don’t find on pay TV.

Boxing has its problems – allegations of corruption are rife at almost every level. But for nine minutes there are no staged press conference stunts, no diamond chains and no entourages of hangers-on desperately trying to ride the coat-tails of someone more talented than they.

Olympic boxing is pure — at least when it comes to the physical side of things inside the ring. The sport’s sometimes seedy underworld may always linger in the background but that can be put aside when watching brave souls who fight for love over money.

In a largely empty stadium, the sound of gloves on ribs echo more than they would in a packed house in Vegas. Each grunt and gasp of air Nicolson took could be heard, as could the squeak of her shoes on the canvas and the thump of her right hook landing flush on her opponent’s chin.

Let’s hope to hear plenty more of her in Tokyo.

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