DT_20190729

Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
SPORTS
D23
LEDECKY BAGS 15TH GOLD
Tough as nails
I got to the pool this morning to warm
up and felt a little nauseous again which
wasn’t great
GWANGJU, South Korea — American swim queen
Katie Ledecky said watching records tumble at the
world championships inspired her to win a fourth
straight 800-meter gold Saturday despite an illness that
threatened to derail her.
Ledecky, 22, withdrew from her 1,500-meter title
defense and 200-meter heat earlier in the week in
Gwangju and feared an early exit from Saturday’s
800-meter final after a return of the mystery bug that
has plagued her for days.
“I got to the pool this morning to warm up and felt a
little nauseous again which wasn’t great,” she said. “I had
a brief moment of doubt there but pulled it together and
made it happen today.
“Last night after watching all the fast swimming I said
(to my coach) I so, so badly want to go have a good swim
tomorrow. Just watching those records tumble... really fired
me up,” she added.
Five-time Olympic champion Ledecky
was given a fright in the 800 meters by
European champion Simona Quadarella
but held off the Italian to win in 8:13.58
and capture a 15th world title.
“Each swim has its own story,” she
said.
“This one definitely has one that I’ll
be telling for a while,” added Ledecky,
revealing that she had spent seven
hours in hospital on Tuesday after being
struck by headaches and insomnia and
experiencing an irregular pulse and
elevated heart rate.
Ledecky, visibly emotional at the
side of the pool, expressed a “sense of
gratefulness” towards the family and
coaches that had helped pep her up
this week.
They were “just supporting me and
reminding me of that toughness inside
of me,” she said.
Earlier this week, Ledecky related that a
late-night text from Michael Phelps boosted
her spirits during one sleepless night in
There’s a reason for everything.
Maybe God made me tall so I
can inspire other people through
volleyball
Just like other members of the Malay race,
Filipinos are naturally short.
That’s why when I was young, a lot of people
always compliment me, saying that because of
my towering frame, I can easily go places and
have a successful career in whatever industry
my heart desires.
But you know what, I used to hate it.
MIKA’S BLOCK
Mika Reyes
Growing up, I used to hear people marveling at my height with
a mix of astonishment and delight. Since I was still a kid back
then and was already 5-foot-5, people would notice how long my
legs were and the possibility of me getting taller than Papa. The
elders would even say that I would even grow tall and my limbs
would get even longer as I get old.
People also loved to ask me about my height and that I should
be a ramp model because of my long legs.
I remember that I also dreamt of becoming a flight attendant
because they say that airline companies employ tall girls so they
can reach the cabin storage (LOL!).
But the best advice I got is when they said that I should be
an athlete. They stressed that because of my height, I would
easily make it to the basketball or volleyball team, which would
be my ticket to get an
athletic scholarship.
Well, I still get those
compliments until
now.
True enough,
I noticed that I’m
getting taller when
I was already in
the puberty stage.
Whenever I measure
myself, I always get
surprised to learn that
I grew again by an
inch or two until I
became a six-footer.
Well, what can I
do? Both my parents
are tall and the
possibility of having
a tall daughter is also
quite high. Maybe it’s really in the genes.
Being tall has some disadvantages.
When I had a pixie cut, people thought that I was a boy simply
because I was a tall girl with super short hair (LOL!).
But of course, the common problem that I encountered was
getting my desired outfit.
Whenever I go to mall and try something that I really want, I
always get the biggest disappointment of my life when I find out
that the pair of jeans or dress that I am eyeing is too short for me.
The good thing is that a lot of international brands are already
here and some of them cater to tall girls. No offense to local
brands, but since all they have are sizes for ordinary Filipinos, it
was quite hard for me to get my preferred size, leaving me with
no choice but to go for international brands.
Fortunately, it’s easy now to find shoes of my size.
Before, whenever I want to buy new shoes, I would check it
Standing tall
in the men’s section. But now, they already have
shoes for tall women like me, making it quite easy
to have new pair of kicks.
But the funniest thing about being tall is when
I ride public transportation.
Shucks, it’s really hard to ride a tricycle
or jeepney. Because of my height, I always
BEING tall has a lot of disadvantages. But I’m gladly
embracing those setbacks and treating them as
blessings.
Gwangju, South Korea.
“It’s a good feeing,” she said. “I went into the race tonight
not knowing how it was going to go when I dove in, but just
again wanted to end on the best note possible.
“I knew I just had to tough it out. It’s special to be able
to pull off something like that and trust that I can do it.”
Ledecky lost her 400-meter world title to Australian
teenager Ariarne Titmus last weekend in a stunning
opening-day upset.
This one definitely has one that I’ll be telling for a
while.
Caeleb Dressel, who scored a hat-trick of gold medals
on Saturday, called Ledecky’s comeback “phenomenal”.
“I didn’t see her for a couple of days,” said the
swimming pin-up. “Knowing Katie, if she says she’s
feeling a little under the weather it probably means
something is very wrong.
“Goodness that girl is tough as nails,” he told
reporters. “How do you swim in the 800 after being sick
for however many days? She’s the world’s best and she
showed it tonight.”
AFP
CHINA’S Sun Yang says he’s not a drug cheat.
have a hard time squeezing myself into public
transportation and there’s a big — I think around
30 to 70 percent — chances of me bumping my
head.
It’s also my problem when I ride an airplane.
Whenever I check in, I always pray that they
give me a seat with bigger legroom. Unless it’s
just an hour or two flight, I have no choice but
to be tiis-ganda rather than spend extra amount
for upgrade to a seat with bigger legroom.
As I’ve said, people look at my height with a mix of astonishment
and delight.
To be honest, I was ashamed of my height before when I was
in high school. I was often the center of attention because of
my height. Since I’m always the tallest, I was a freak of nature
or something as my height makes me different from other kids.
Even worse, there were times when they were calling me “ate,”
thinking that I was way older than them just because I was taller.
Simply put, what I really hated before turned into a
blessing.
Since I was bothered with the way they look at me, I was always
in a slouch. I always shy away from kids of my age because I
felt that I was always being judged.
Oh, and you could also imagine how hard it was having a
lovelife.
Here in the Philippines, they say that in any relationships,
guys should always be taller than girls. Yes, some of them got
intimidated while other guys just preferred to tease me because
I am such a big lady (LOL!).
Of course, I also had crushes. And yes — most of them were
shorter than me!
I think height was one of the main factors why nothing
materialized. It’s either we can’t walk together or they were
too shy to talk to me. The funny thing was that you get to
know them better and their tendencies without you knowing.
Well, in the end, all of them were just petty crushes. They
were just there to provide thrill and romantic excitement for
a young girl like me, which is pretty normal (LOL!).
If there were disadvantages, there were also a lot of
advantages of being taller than usual. One perfect example
is that because of my towering presence, I don’t encounter
difficulties reaching for something or being spotted in a crowd.
But all of these became my ticket to where I am right now.
Since I was the tallest, some of the varsity players in my school
asked me to tryout.
Without hesitation and a tinge of knowledge in the sport, I rolled
the dice and joined the team. It’s good that I was braved enough to
do it. I realized that had I let that golden opportunity slipped away,
I wouldn’t be here playing for Petron in the Philippine Superliga.
Simply put, what I really hated before turned into a blessing.
Who would have thought that a tall girl, who actually hates
being tall, would be a professional volleyball player?
God gave me this blessing and even if I raised a lot of complains
before, I still learned how to embrace it and use it to my advantage.
There’s a reason for everything. Maybe God made me tall so I
can inspire other people through volleyball.
I know God has a plan and I will gladly embrace it no matter
what.
NURSING an illness, USA’s Katie Ledecky pockets her 15th world gold medal.
Sun’s rising cause
AFP
I shouldn’t have to put up with these kinds of insults
GWANGJU, South Korea — China’s Olympic swimming champion Sun
Yang has hit back at sniping rivals accusing him of doping violations,
telling them: “I’m standing up for all of you!”
Athletes have vilified Sun at the world swimming championships
in South Korea this week following a leaked International Swimming
Federation (FINA) doping panel report that alleged the Chinese giant
allowed blood vials to be smashed with a hammer after being visited
by testers last year.
FINA cleared Sun to compete after agreeing that the testers had
failed to produce adequate identification or follow correct protocol,
prompting World Anti-Doping Agency to appeal that decision to the
Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
After reclaiming his 400 and 200 meters’ freestyle world titles earlier
this week, both Australia’s Mack Horton and Briton Duncan Scott staged
dramatic podium protests, refusing to shake Sun’s hand, provoking a
furious reaction from triple Olympic champion.
“I shouldn’t have to put up with these kinds of insults,” growled Sun
after closing his punishing Gwangju schedule in the men’s 4x200-meter
free on Friday.
“But I have a big heart — there are millions of athletes in the world
and if a few want to hurl insults, I can take it,” added the 27-year-old.
“It’s pointless arguing with them, it means nothing to me. FINA
made it clear I didn’t commit any doping violation. What I’m doing is
protecting the rights and interests of every athlete.”
The 11-time world champion grew suspicious of the independent
testers who knocked on the door of his Hangzhou villa late at night last
September, insisting they were not properly accredited.
“Imagine if testers without the right documents show up at your
home to take blood and urine,” said Sun, whose case is set to be heard
by CAS in September.
“And if they make out a false report, I would have no opportunity to
argue,” he added.
“Every word I’ve said is true and I have all the evidence to prove it.
I’m simply standing up for myself and every athlete out there.” AFP
Taurasi, Bird banner U.S. 5
It’s not only about trying to win another gold medal. It’s
about trying to win our seventh in a row
WASHINGTON — Reigning world and Olympic champion United States
unveiled an expanded training program Saturday ahead of next year’s
Tokyo Olympics featuring eight core players from the women’s basketball
team’s long-running dynasty squad.
Four-time Olympic champion guards Diana Taurasi, 36, and Sue Bird,
37, are among eight players who will take part in five of seven sessions
from November to April with other US national team players taking part
as schedules allow during the off-season for the Women’s NBA.
The US women, who won their third consecutive women’s world crown
last year, seek a seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal and ninth in
their past 10 attempts.
That would match the American men’s gold run from 1936 to 1968
as the longest by any team in all Olympic sports.
“It’s not only about trying to win another gold medal. It’s about trying
to win our seventh in a row,” Bird said. “That’s the story. But above all
it gives us a chance to get together as potential Olympians and play.”
Starting with a home-court title at the 1984 Los Angeles Games,
the US women are 63-1 in Olympic play, losing only a 1992 semifinal to
the Commonwealth of Independent States collection of former Soviet
Union talent.
The Americans clinched their spot in Tokyo by taking their seventh
world crown in nine attempts last year.
“I’m very excited about this program. It’s the right amount of training
so we can gear up and get ready for the Olympics,” Bird said. “It gives
us the right amount of exposure where we can really create some
momentum heading into the Olympics.”
“Every year it gets tougher,” said Taurasi. “Every competition gets
a little bit harder. So this is a great opportunity to train, play, be in
competitive situations with a team that hopefully is going to Tokyo to
win a gold medal.
“We know how important it is to have a good last hurrah. We
brainstormed with a couple other players and put together a plan. It’s
just something that came together literally at dinner on a piece of paper
with some crayons.”
AFP
DAWN Staley (from left), Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi lead USA’s seventh
straight Olympic gold medal bid in Tokyo.
AFP
AFP