Germany clinched the last place in the 12-nation line-up at the Olympic Games men’s basketball tournament on Sunday with a 96-82 win over Puerto Rico.
Greece and Croatia had qualified on Saturday and, with Germany, will join Angola, Argentina, Australia, hosts China, Iran, Lithuania, Russia, Spain and the US in the Beijing tournament.
Dirk Nowitzki starred for Germany with 32 points on Sunday to lead his team to a fifth Olympics place, but their first since 1992.
They were also aided by the efforts of 2.13m Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman who, courtesy of his great-grandparents, became a naturalized German citizen at the start of the month.
Despite not speaking a world of German, Kaman played a key role on Sunday, scoring 10 points with 12 rebounds.
“I’ve only been here 12 days, but Dirk has waited 12 years for this to happen,” Kaman said. “I can’t even imagine the emotions that he must be feeling at this moment.”
At the Games in Beijing, the 12 teams will be split into two groups of six.
Group A sees defending champions Argentina alongside Australia, Iran, Lithuania, Russia and Croatia while Angola, China, Spain, the US, Greece and Germany make up Group B. In Beijing, the US will be looking for their first gold medal in the event since Sydney in 2000.
Since that time, their much-vaunted collection of NBA stars have suffered a series of setbacks with a humiliating sixth place at the 2002 world championships in Indianapolis and a third place finish at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The US were also third at the 2006 world championships in Japan.
Defending Olympic champions Argentina, world champions Spain and Greece will also be among the gold medal favorites.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
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Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
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