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LONDON: Rule Britannia? Try cruel
Britannia. An unrepentant ex-doper
from Kazakhstan kissing his gold
medal on the queen’s front drive was
hardly how Brits had imagined Day 1
of their Olympics. Instead of a British
champion in cyclist Mark Cavendish,
they got Borat without the fun and a
lesson in how to lose. As if they needed
one.
The omens for Britain had been so
good. Everyone figured Cavendish -
a.k.a “the Manx Missile,” on account of
his ungodly speed in the finishing
straight - as a sure thing. Prince
Charles and his wife, Camilla, came to
give Cavendish a royal send-off. The
world champion also had Bradley
Wiggins in his corner, ready to repay
one good turn with another after
Cavendish helped the rider now universally
known across these isles as
“Wiggo” (soon to be Sir Wiggo?)
become the first Briton to win the Tour
de France. “Cav,” the thinking went,
would get Britain’s first gold of 2012 -
hopefully, the first of many.
Only hours earlier, director Danny
Boyle had made maximum use of his
license to thrill and ensured everyone
had a gas, gas, gas at the opening ceremony.
If Cavendish could then follow
James Bond and the rock of the
Rolling Stones by kick-starting Britain’s
medal count, then London 2012
would be off to the best possible
beginning. IOC President Jacques
Rogge himself had said beforehand
how important an early British medal
would be to the mood and atmosphere
of the London games.
But what’s that phrase about best
laid plans going awry? Alexander
Vinokourov had it memorized. Wiggo
huffed, puffed and gave his all, as did
Cav’s three other teammates in their
Team GB jerseys, as they guided and
pulled him across the English countryside.
They’d hoped to maneuver their
human rocket into a sprint finish on
The Mall, the road that leads to Queen
Elizabeth II’s rather large pad. But
Vinokourov shot off too far ahead to
be caught.
Britain agonized long and hard
before these games about whether its
own ex-doper cyclist, David Millar,
deserved a spot on Team GB. After
strong-arming from the World Anti-
Doping Agency and sport’s highest
court, which ruled that Millar and other
Britons who served doping bans
can’t be barred from the games for life,
British Olympic officials held their nose
and let him in.
Kazakhstan, as far as we know, had
no qualms fielding Vinokourov. Unlike
Millar, now an ardent and eloquent
campaigner against doping, he’s never
been keen to come clean about his
past, the blood doping at the 2007
Tour de France and his subsequent
two-year ban. Nor was he about to
start now, not after the Grand Duke of
Luxembourg hung the gold medal
around his neck on the top step of the
podium set against the backdrop of
Buckingham Palace.
“I’ve turned the page on 2007. I’ve
shown and proved to everyone that
Vino is still here,” he said. “Today is not
the day to talk of that.”
Just because Vino says so doesn’t
actually make it so. Still, American rider
Chris Horner said Vinokourov has
served his time, “done the same drug
tests all of us have done” and should
be cut some slack.
“I haven’t seen anything out of him
that tells me that he’s still doing any-
thing sketchy,” Horner said. “Those are
the rules and that’s the way it is. It’s
crazy to think that those are the rules
and you come back and then all of a
sudden everybody still wants to hang
you.”
Well, not exactly. But a “sorry” from
Vinokourov would have been good.
Millar’s readiness to address his doping,
why and how he started and his
subsequent repentance, has made it
easier to forgive him.
But, hey, that’s sports. Win some,
lose some, sometimes to people who
don’t feel quite right. As the British
say, on T-shirts and tea mugs, Keep
Calm and Carry On. There will be
medals aplenty for Team GB in the two
weeks ahead.
Plus, it wasn’t all negative. The
monster crowds - pre-race estimates
of about 1 million looked on the mark
- that lined the 250-kilometer route
Saturday from the British capital
through rolling countryside and back
again had a jamboree, at least until
Cavendish proved the streets of
London aren’t paved with gold.
If their enthusiasm is a foretaste of
things to come, Rogge has nothing to
18
MONDAY, JULY 30, 2012
London 2012 learns again how to lose
LONDON: Maria Sharapova of Russia returns to Shahar Peer at the All England
Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon at the 2012 Summer Olympics. —AP
Murray, Sharapova win
at Wimbledon wash-out
LONDON: Hail and heavy
rain caused chaos at the
Olympic tennis at
Wimbledon yesterday as
play was forced indoors
for the first time in 100
years. Andy Murray and
Maria Sharapova were among just a
handful of winners under the Centre
Court roof, which was hastily closed after
a cloudburst as play was about to get
under way. Out of a schedule of 43
matches, only three results were possible
by 6:00 pm (1700 GMT). Olympic tennis
had not been played indoors since
Stockholm 1912. Despite the disruption,
Murray and Sharapova both enjoyed the
first Olympic wins of their careers. The
Scot beat Swiss flag-bearer Stanislas
Wawrinka 6-3, 6-3, while French Open
champion Sharapova thrashed Israel’s
Shahar Peer 6-2, 6-0.
It was a cathartic victory for Murray,
who was back on Centre Court for the
first time since crying tears of frustration
after his Wimbledon defeat against
Roger Federer exactly three weeks ago.
The 25-year-old, who had hoped to
become the first British man to win
Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936,
brushed aside Federer’s compatriot to
set up a last-32 clash with Finland’s
Jarkko Nieminen or India’s Somdev
Devvarman. Murray admitted he had
been keen not to repeat his first round
exit in Beijing at the hands of Taiwan’s Lu
Yen-Hsun. “I was disappointed with the
way I played in Beijing. I didn’t understand
what the Olympics meant to me,”
he said. “I know how much that loss hurt
me and I wanted to come here as well
prepared as I could be. Today was a
good start.” For Sharapova, beating Peer
meant more than just a place in the last
32 as the Russian finally got to savor a
taste of the Olympic experience-as she
chases a career “Golden Slam” of all four
grand slam titles and Games gold.
Sharapova missed Beijing 2008 with a
shoulder injury and the world number
three looked determined to make up for
lost time as she reached the second
round for the loss of just two games.
The 25-year-old, who carried her
country’s flag at the Games’ spectacular
opening ceremony at the Olympic Park
on Friday, will play Britain’s Laura Robson
or Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic
for a last 16 berth. Meanwhile, world
number two Agnieszka Radwanska
endured more Centre Court woe as the
Polish second seed was beaten 7-5, 6-7
(5/7), 6-4 by Germany’s Julia Goerges,
less than a month after her Wimbledon
final defeat to Serena Williams.
The 23-year-old was the first Pole to
reach a Grand Slam singles final since
1939 when she got to this year’s
Wimbledon title match, an achievement
which lifted her to a career-high second
place in the world rankings.
But she was unable to recapture that
magic under the Olympic banner and
stumbled to a lacklustre defeat against
the world number 24, who was making
her Games and Centre Court debuts.
Goerges, who served 20 aces and hit
56 winners, will play Varvara Lepchenko
of the United States or Paraguay’s
Veronica Cepede Royg in the last 32.
“It was great,” she said. “I know if I
play well it’s dangerous for anyone and
that’s how it was today. It was a lucky
day.” —AFP
US impress despite
Wieber heartbreak
LONDON: Jordyn
Wieber’s dream of emulating
her World
Championship title with
Olympic gold ended in
tears yesterday as she
failed to qualify for the women’s artistic
gymnastics individual all-around final.
While the United States shone in qualifying
for the team event, the 17-year-old
from Michigan was left in tears as she
missed out on a place in the individual
final by the narrowest of margins.
Wieber’s score of 60.032 was the thirdhighest
of the session but because she
was beaten by two of her own teammates,
Alexandra Raisman (60.391) and
Gabrielle Douglas (60.265), she will not
be able to compete in Thursday’s final.
“It is a bit of a disappointment,”
Wieber said, before pledging to throw
her support behind her USA team-mates.
“It has always been a dream of mine to
compete in the all-around final of the
Olympics but I’m proud of Aly and Gabby
and happy that they reached the allaround
(final) and that I was able to help
the team get to the finals.” Wieber had
been expected to compete in the allaround
final alongside Douglas but a
superb 15.325 floor routine from Raisman
saw the 18-year-old from Boston surge to
the top of the individual standings at her
room-mate’s expense. “She’s a really
good friend and I know that she’s going
to support me,” said Raisman. “I’m really
proud of her and I hope that she’s happy
with how she did today.” — AFP
LONDON: With US First Lady
Michelle Obama and a host
of top US Olympic athletes
watching them, the
American collection of NBA
stars sent a message to
Olympic rivals-we’re ready for you.
Kevin Durant scored 22 points and
grabbed nine rebounds to lead the United
States over France 98-71 on Sunday in their
opening game of Group A round-robin play
at the Olympic men’s basketball tournament.
“It was important for us to come out
and make a statement for ourselves,” US
guard Chris Paul said. “We are the most talented
team on paper. You don’t win a game
on paper.”
After the victory, US players traded hugs
with Obama, who had also watched them
in a pre-Olympic exhibition game in
Washington. Also in the stands were some
US Olympians who were not competing
yesterday. “We’re representing all the country,”
US playmaker LeBron James said. “We
understand that every time we step on the
floor, it’s about the name on the front of the
jersey (USA) not the one on the back (of a
player).”
Kevin Love added 14 points for the NBA
multi-millionaire squad while Kobe Bryant
had 10 points. James and Carmelo Anthony
each had nine as the Americans rose to 55-1
since revamping the team after taking
bronze at the 2004 Olympics.
“It’s a huge responsibility,” Paul said of
defending 2008 Olympic gold. “We don’t
take that lightly. We know about what
we’re here for. That’s what makes this special.”
For spectators, what made the game
special were some spectacular slam dunks
and fast breaks by the US stars, especially
from Durant, the reigning NBA scoring
champion.
“We just played with attitude, fighting
for each ball, defending hard and getting
every rebound,” Durant said. “That’s how
we beat teams that are hard to beat. We
just have to play hard and we’ll be fine. “
Durant produced two electrifying back-to-
back slam dunks in the early minutes-one
off a half-court-length pass from James in a
game that became a romp after the opening
quarter.
“I threw it because I could get it to him,”
James said. “He got it with one hand, dribbled
it and finished it off. “KD is on this
team for a reason. We don’t need him to be
reserved.” The US NBA stars led only 22-21
after the first quarter, but began the second
quarter with an 11-0 run, stretching the
margin to 12 points and keeping the French
fighting an uphill battle. “Defence is our
strength. I’m glad we could take advantage
of it,” James said. “We’ve still got room for
improvement. We had too many turnovers
(14). We can cut down on the fouls (26). We
can get more rebounds (56).”
The Americans pulled ahead 52-36 by
half-time and from there it was simply a
worry about. The landmarks of London
- the queen’s palace, the royal guards
in the bearskin hats whose band
regaled the crowds with the James
Bond theme and music from “Chariots
of Fire,” the lush parks - provide
pathos and stunning images. Even
without gold from Cav, one felt
London 2012 will still be quite a party.
“Exceptional. Even at the Tour de
France, I’ve rarely seen so many people,”
French rider Sylvain Chavanel
said.
“Insane,” Horner said, “but to a
degree that it was just absolutely,
probably, the most dangerous and
crazy race I’ve done, for sure.”
And besides, it’s not as if Brits don’t
know how to lose. Learning how to
laugh off defeat is practically the only
way to stay sane for a country that
invented modern football but hasn’t
won the World Cup since 1966, and
hasn’t seen a British man win
Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
Richard Jones, a Londoner who
hustled over to Buckingham Palace,
got the tone just right when Cav didn’t
deliver. “I was there when he didn’t
win it!” he yelled. —AP
US NBA stars rip
France in opener
LONDON: Neymar
showed just why
the world’s top
football clubs
want to sign him
with a virtuoso
display as Brazil
came from a goal behind to beat
Belarus 3-1 at a packed Old
Trafford on Sunday.
Spanish giants Barcelona are
the latest leading club to have
expressed an interest in the 20year-old
and it was easy to see
why as, thanks largely to
Neymar’s brilliance, they qualified
for the quarter-finals of the
Olympic tournament with a
match to spare.
Belarus took a shock lead in
front of a crowd of more than
66,000 at the home ground of
English giants Manchester United.
But from then on Brazil battled
back in this Group C clash, with
Neymar setting the seal on a
superb display with a 65th minute
free-kick bent over the wall and
beyond the reach of diving
Belarus keeper Aleksandr Gutor.
Brazil, five-times the world
champions but still seeking a first
Olympic gold medal, were 1-0
down when Belarus’s Renan
Bardini Bressan opened the scoring
with an eighth minute header.
However, Neymar then took
centre stage, crossing for AC
Milan star Pato to equalise, then
putting Brazil in front and also
setting up Oscar for the clinching
third goal.
Earlier at Old Trafford, Egypt’s
last eight hopes suffered a setback
when they were held to a 1-
1 draw by New Zealand. The All
Whites took the lead through a
16th minute strike from Chris
Wood, who plays his club football
dominant US side flexing its muscles to the
finish.
“The first half they were able to slow the
game down,” Anthony said. “The second
half we were able to shut them down.”
In their first Olympic meeting since the
US squad outlasted France 85-75 in the
2000 Sydney final, the Americans served
notice by half-time that this matchup
would not have such drama in the final
minutes. “It seems like we get better as the
game progresses. We have to get better at
LONDON: US guard Kobe Bryant (right) is challenged by French guard Tony Parker during
the Men’s Preliminary Round Group A match at the London 2012 Olympic Games. —AFP
the start,” Paul said. “We learned a lot of different
things about how the game will be
officiated. You have to adjust every game.”
Ali Traore led France with 12 points while
San Antonio Spurs playmaker Tony Parker
added 10 in a losing cause. “USA played a
great game, especially defensively,” Parker
said. —AFP
Neymar the star as Brazil bounce back
LONDON: Brazil’s Neymar (right) vies with Belarus’ Aleksei Kozlov
during the London 2012 Olympic Games men’s football match
between Brazil and Belarus at Old Trafford. —AFP
for English Premier League West
Bromwich Albion.
Mohamed Salah equalised
from close range shortly before
the break and the Africans could
have had several more goals by
the final whistle but instead
squandered a host of chances.
Now Egypt must beat Belarus
on Wednesday to get to the quarter-finals
while New Zealand will
have to cause one of the great
upsets by defeating Brazil if they
are to go any further in this tournament
than the group stage.
Elsewhere Tottenham
Hotspur’s Giovani dos Santos
scored both goals in Mexico’s 2-0
Group B win over Gabon at the
City of Coventry Stadium.
Giovani, who struggled to earn
a place at White Hart Lane under
former Spurs manager Harry
Redknapp, broke the deadlock in
the 63rd minute after coming on
as a second-half substitute and
then scored from the penalty spot
in injury-time. This was Mexico’s
first win of the tournament and it
kept their quarter-final hopes
alive. —AFP