Thursday 30 August 2012

Roddick retirement plans after US Open

Andy Roddick announced his retirement on Thursday, saying his tennis career will close at the U.S. Open, the site of his biggest triumph.

The 2003 champion at Flushing Meadows and former No. 1-ranked player decided to walk away from the sport whenever his U.S. Open ends, making the surprise announcement at a news conference on Thursday, his 30th birthday.

"I'll make this short and sweet: I've decided that this is going to be my last tournament," said Roddick."I think I wanted an opportunity to say goodbye to people, as well," Roddick said during the press conference. "I don't know how tomorrow's going to go, and I hope it goes well, and I'm sticking around."

As noted by Matt Cronin of Tennis.com, Roddick has won two small tournaments this season but fared poorly at the larger tournaments. Novak Djokovic throttled him in the second round at the London 2012 Olympics just weeks after coming up short against David Ferrer in the third round at Wimbledon.

During the press conference to announce his impending retirement, Roddick referred back to his thoughts at the All-England club after that loss to Ferrer.

"Walking off at Wimbledon I felt like I knew. I couldn't imagine myself being there another year," Roddick revealed.“A number is a number,“ he said. “But I think wear and tear and miles is something that’s not really an age thing. If you look at my contemporaries that started with me, Roger (Federer) is the only one that’s still going and still going strong.

“It’s a matter of how I feel. I feel like I’m able to compete at the highest level.

“Frankly, these guys have gotten really, really, really good. I’m not sure that with compromised health that I can do what I want to do right now.“

Few would have guessed after Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003 that he would never win another major title. But his best chances were always thwarted by Federer, the Wimbledon master.

Sunday 12 August 2012

London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony

Fireworks galore and 'The Who' sing My Generation, and with that the closing ceremony comes to an end. “When our time came - Britain we did it right. Thank you!”, said chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, Lord Sebastian Coe and indeed Britain did it right not only in the opening ceremony but also in the closing ceremony as well. At the Olympic Games in London 2012, about 10,500 athletes from 204 countries compete in 26 different sports, comprising 302 medal events. Whether athletes win a medal or not, they can forever call themselves Olympians. The sporting competitions are undoubtedly the central focus of the Olympic Games and participating in the Games is the ultimate goal for most athletes.Featuring more than 4,100 performers, including 3,500 adult volunteers and 380 schoolchildren from the six east London Host Boroughs, the Ceremony will showcase the great creative talent of the UK in a fun, colourful and festive atmosphere.

Following an introduction to daily life in London, the athletes will enter and the volunteers will be thanked. There will then be ‘A Symphony of British Music’ to celebrate the fact that music has been one of Britain’s strongest cultural exports over the last 50 years.

At the end of the Ceremony, there will be a handover to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games, and the Olympic Flame will be extinguished, signalling the end of the Olympic Games.

Saturday 11 August 2012

Usain Bolt and Jamaica Win the Mens 4x100M Relay and Set World Record

Usain Bolt put an exclamation point on his performance at the London Olympics with another gold medal and another world record.

Running the anchor leg in the men's 4x100-meter relay, Bolt helped the Jamaican team win the gold medal in 36.84 seconds, a new world record. Just days after declaring himself "the greatest athlete to live," the charismatic 25-year-old sprinter went back to work bolstering his argument.Jamaica entered the race as a heavy favorite, but there were several other talented teams in the field as well. When Jamaica's entire unit runs its race, however, it is unbelievably difficult for other teams to keep up.

Veteran Asafa Powell was unable to run in the race because of a groin injury, but the younger Jamaicans were able to pick up the slack. Powell wasn't a part of the relay team's world-record effort back in 2011, but most expected him to handle one of the legs in London. He was the anchor in Beijing and ended up finishing off Jamaica's golden performance four years ago.The moment definitely was a crowd pleaser as the Olympic Stadium erupted with excitement when the race began, but after the Jamaican team were announced as winners it appeared that the 50,000 fans in the stadium went wild like never seen before at the London Olympics as they were delighted as anything with Usain Bolt is a fan favorite.

Take a look at the photos of Usain Bolt and his team winning the 4x100 meter relay. This is Usain Bolt's third gold medal at the summer games.

Friday 10 August 2012

Mariana Pajon Wins BMX Gold Medal 2012 London Olympics

Mariana Pajon earned Colombia their first gold medal of the London Games when she thundered to victory in the women's BMX event on Friday.Pajon, who had dominated her three semi-final runs in awe-inspiring fashion, led the eight-rider strong field after the first bend and never looked back.New Zealand's Sarah Walker took silver and Dutchwoman Laura Smulders claimed bronze while local hope Shanaze Reade settled for sixth.Minutes after Pajon, male BMX cyclist Carlos Mario Oquendo won bronze in the men's category, lifting Colombia's total number of medals to eight.

The country's old record was set in 1972 when Colombian athletes brought home three medals. In London, Colombia has so far won one gold, three silver and four bronze medals.

Thursday 9 August 2012

Canada vs France 1-0 Women's Soccer Highlights

Canada's women's soccer team has its first medal in Olympic history.

Diana Matheson scored in the 92nd minute to give the Canadians the bronze medal at the London Olympics with a thrilling 1-0 victory over France.

The bronze marks the country's first Summer Games medal in a traditional team sport since a silver in men's basketball in 1936.

The five-foot midfielder from Oakville, Ont., fired a long shot past France goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi to lift the Canadians over a stunned French side that had been hammering Canada's net all game long.They missed a penalty in their 2-1 defeat by Japan in their semi-final and in Coventry on Thursday afternoon they were made to pay once again for failing to take their opportunities.

Canada were perhaps still tired and mentally drained after their dramatic extra-time defeat by the United States at Old Trafford on Monday.

And after a cagey first half, Bruno Bini's French team took control after the restart, crafting three excellent chances in as many minutes. A bronze isn't what the Canadians came for, but it's some solace after their heartbreaking 4-3 defeat in the semifinals. Plus, it's the first medal in a team sport for Canada since the men's basketball team took silver in 1936.

This is also good news for any of you fans of transitive property banking on the bronze medal match to determine whether the loser of USA-Canada was better than the loser of Japan-France.

Monday 6 August 2012

USA Defeats Canada 4-3 2012 London Olympics

The U.S. women's soccer team defeated Canada 4-3 in an extra-time thriller that is bound for the history books.

Despite trailing the Canadians in the first half, the U.S. team held on and forced the game into extra time, where several failed attempts on both sides culminated in a last-minute header by Alex Morgan that sailed narrowly over the hand of Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod.

The United States will contend for a gold medal Thursday against the Japanese, who defeated the French team 2-1 in the other semifinal match.

The gold-medal match will be a chance for revenge for the Americans, just one year after Japan beat them 3-1 in the 2011 World Cup final.In the 123rd minute, Morgan nodded a cross from Heather O'Reilly into the back of the net to produce the first U.S. lead of the match. Having rallied from deficits all night long at Old Trafford in Manchester, the U.S. women are moving on to face Japan after a thrilling 4-3 win. It took until the second half for the game to completely set alight, and Team USA scored straight from a Megan Rapinoe corner to equalize. Christine Sinclair made it 2-1 to Canada soon after, before Rapinoe equalized again.

Sinclair completed her hat-trick to make it 3-2 before Wambach equalized a third time from the penalty spot.

So it went to extra time and a fiercely competed two periods looked to be heading for penalties before Morgan stepped forward to book Team USA's place in the final and break Canadian hearts.

Sunday 5 August 2012

Usain Bolt Win Gold 2012 Olympics 100 Meters FINAL

Jamaica's Usain Bolt won the gold medal in the most attractive athletic discipline, the 100m in a new Olympic record time of 9.63.
The silver medal was won by another Jamaican Johan Blake at the time 9.75, while the bronze American Justin Gatlin won in 9.79 times.Yohan Blake of Jamaica took silver in 9.75 seconds, with Justin Gatlin of the United States capturing bronze in 9.79 seconds. A training partner of Bolt, Blake equalled a personal best with his runner-up time. Also setting or equalling personal best times were Gatlin and Ryan Bailey of the United States, who finished fifth. Of course, with a who's who of international track stars -- largely hailing from the United States and Jamaica -- it was no surprise to see the scoreboard light up with such stellar times. Bolt's training partner and Jamaican teammate, world champion Yohan Blake, won the silver in 9.75, and 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin of the U.S. took the bronze in 9.79.

''It just feels good to be back,'' said Gatlin, who served a four-year ban after testing positive for excessive testosterone.

''To be honest, I went out there to challenge a mountain. I went out there to challenge the odds. Not just myself and everything I've been through, but the legacy of Usain Bolt,'' Gatlin said. ''I had to go out there and be fearless.''Bolt and Blake will be back Tuesday in the 200 meters. Gatlin and Gay return for the 4 x 100 relay Friday and Saturday.

More American disappointment came in the semifinals of the men's 400 meters, where USC's Byshon Nellum and University of Florida's Tony McQuay failed to make the cut for Monday night's final. That meant for the first time in Olympic history (save the boycotted 1980 Games), the U.S. will not have a male 400 finalist. The U.S. streak of seven consecutive men's 400 golds is done, too.

The fastest of all 400 qualifiers in 44.58 was Queens resident Lalonde Gordon, running for Trinidad and Tobago.

The day began with the women's marathon. For most of the race, it was a four-woman duel, but Tiki Gelana pulled away and crossed the line in 2:23:07, an Olympic record performance. "As soon as the rain started, I said to myself, thank God," Gelana said. "I loved running in the rain, I've been doing that since I was a small child."

Saturday 4 August 2012

Michael Philips 4x100-Meter Medley Relay London 2012 Olympics Games

Swimming the butterfly leg for the U.S. team in the men's 4x100-meter medley relay, Phelps has completed his program at the London Olympics -- and his swimming career -- with yet another gold medal. That makes 18 gold and 22 total medals over four career trips to the Olympics, including a pair of unprecedented individual three-peats. Having accomplished more than any other Olympian in history, the 27-year-old from Maryland is ready to walk away.

"I told myself I never want to swim when I'm 30," Phelps told reporters after his final race, making it clear that he won't be back in the pool for the 2016 Olympics. "No offense to those people who are 30, but that was something I always said to myself, and that would be in three years. I just don't want to swim for those three years."Entering the London Olympics, the U.S. had never lost the 4x100-meter medley relay. The American team swam in the fourth lane after recording the fastest qualifying time (3:32.65). Turning over the team after that performance, the swimmers representing the U.S. in the final were among the most impressive of the London Games. Phelps swam the fly leg and was joined by Matt Grevers (who had won gold in backstroke), Nathan Adrian (who won gold in freestyle) and Brendan Hansen (who won bronze in the breaststroke). Not surprisingly, this star-studded quartet captured the gold medal, finishing in 3:29.35. Phelps’s meet here started poorly, with a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter individual medley, the first time he had failed to medal in an event since he made his Olympic debut as a 15-year-old at the 2000 Sydney Games. But he finished with six medals in his remaining six events, including golds in his final four races: the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, the 200 individual medley, the 100 butterfly and the medley relay.

Usain Bolt advances to Olympic 100 semifinals

LONDON — In his first appearance at the London Olympics, Usain Bolt did what he had to do to advance to the 100-meter semifinals, overcoming a slow start to win his heat in 10.09 seconds Saturday.Bolt dominated the Beijing Games four years ago, winning golds in world-record times in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay — something no man had ever done at an Olympics. At the 2009 world championships, he lowered his 100 mark to 9.58, which still stands.

But he's been less than outstanding more recently. A false start knocked him out of the dash at last year's world championships, and he lost to training partner Yohan Blake in the 100 and 200 at the Jamaican Olympic trials. Bolt blamed his poor showings at home on back and hamstring issues.At the 2009 world championships, he lowered his 100 mark to 9.58, which still stands.

But he's been less-than-outstanding more recently. A false start knocked him out of the dash at last year's world championships, and he lost to training partner Yohan Blake in the 100 and 200 at the Jamaican Olympic trials.

Friday 3 August 2012

London Olympics 2012:Mahe Drysdale wins olympic gold

Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand, who has been crossing rowing finish lines first for almost a decade, finally did so at the Olympics Friday.

Drysdale is a five-time world champion in the single sculls and has been a dominant force in the sport, but he finished fourth at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and was third in Beijing four years ago.

Four of the top five competitors from the 2008 Olympics were back to challenge for the gold medal this time and Drysdale made sure he would not be denied this time. He got an early lead and powered his way along the 2,000-meter course in the time of 6:57.82.Drysdale went into the Beijing Games in 2008 as a huge favorite but fell ill days before the final and struggled to a bronze. He had to be helped onto the podium that day after vomiting behind the scenes.With the men's pair of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray also winning their final on Friday, New Zealand tops the rowing medals table with three golds with four final races left. Joseph Sullivan and Nathan Cohen won the men's double sculls Thursday.

Drysdale appeared in danger of missing the London Games when he crashed his bike into a car before a World Cup regatta in Munich in June. He sustained minor joint injuries, grazes and bruises.

It was Synek's second straight Olympic silver. The gold medalist from Beijing, Olaf Tufte of Norway, failed to reach the final.

Lassi Karonen of Sweden was overtaken in the final 150 meters by Campbell, whose bronze added to the two thirds he has won at the last two world championships.

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Nathan Adrian Wins Gold Medal In 100-Meter

Nathan Adrian took out the Missile by a fingertip. Daniel Gyurta and Rebecca Soni took down two more world records at the pool.

Adrian, a 23-year-old largely overshadowed by American stars such as Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, made a name for himself by winning the 100-meter Olympic freestyle Wednesday. He lunged to the wall to edge James "The Missile" Magnussen by one-hundredth of a second - the slighest margin possible - and again deny Australia its first individual swimming gold of the London Games.Adrian clocked 47.52 seconds to win by 0.01 ahead of world champion James "The Missile" Magnussen of Australia.

Magnussen touched in 47.53 to take the silver medal and Brent Hayden of Canada finished in 47.80 for bronze.

Olympic badminton pairs face match-fixing probe

A disciplinary hearing began Wednesday to investigate eight women badminton players, including the reigning world champions from China, charged with trying to throw their matches at the London Olympics to secure a favourable draw.

The Badminton World Federation said in a statement it had charged the doubles players from China, South Korea and Indonesia under its players' code of conduct with "not using one's best efforts to win a match" and "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport" in matches Tuesday night."China has been doing this so many times and they never get sanctioned by the BWF," Thohir said. "On the first game yesterday when China did it, the BWF didn't do anything. If the BWF do something on the first game and they say you are disqualified, it is a warning for everyone."

IOC vice president Craig Reedie, the former head of the international badminton federation, welcomed the decision.

"Sport is competitive," Reedie told the AP. "If you lose the competitive element, then the whole thing becomes a nonsense.

"You cannot allow a player to abuse the tournament like that, and not take firm action. So good on them."

The eight disqualified players are world doubles champions Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China and their South Korean opponents Jung Kyun-eun and Kim Ha-na, along with South Korea's Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung and Indonesia's Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii.Petya Nedelcheva, the Bulgarian women's singles 15th seed, who was playing on an adjacent court at the time of the first incident, was forthright in her general criticism of China. "China control everything," she said. "I don't know who controlled the match to lose, but if it is China again … They did it so many times last year, they didn't play against each other in 20 matches. They do what they want."

The online magazine Badzine published figures in December last year showing that of the 99 all-Chinese matches played in major tournaments in 2011, 20 were walkovers or ended in a retirement.

Emms said that the potential for spot-fixing was raised in a manager's meeting on Monday but that the referee had dismissed their concerns. "All the managers got together with the referee and said, 'look, this has happened; in Group D you will find some very dodgy matches going on in the evening because of it' and the referee laughed and said 'oh don't be silly'," she said. "And the managers said 'we know the game, we know the players and we know the teams and we know this is going to happen."

She added: "Badminton, in the Olympics and in all tournaments across the circuit, it's never played in a group stage, it's always a straight knockout system and for some reason they decided that the Olympic Games in 2012 should be this group stages.