AP, BEIJING
There were plenty of shocks in the women’s long jump in Beijing yesterday with world indoor champion Naide Gomes of Portugal the main victim during a brutal day of qualifying.
Joining the year’s top performer on the sidelines was five-time world indoor champion Tatyana Kotova, who finished 14th with only the top dozen advancing.
PHOTO: AFP
Triple jump bronze medalist Hrysopiyi Devetzi of Greece was also eliminated in 15th place, and triple jump world champion Yargelis Savigne of Cuba lagged in 18th.
“It’s a shame. A final should be with the best ones,” said Carolina Kluft of Sweden, who did advance.
Anju Bobby George of India, the 2003 world championship bronze medalist, hurt her foot on her last warmup jump and failed on all three attempts.
PHOTO: AFP
She said the surface was too fast and “we’re not getting the rhythm.”
“It’s good for the runners, not so good for the jumpers,” she said.
US jumper Brittney Reese had the top mark of 6.87m, ahead of Maurren Higa Maggi of Brazil at 6.79.
The runway also took Reese by surprise.
“It was good I scratched my first jump,” Reese said. “I had to adjust and once I did, I pulled out a big one.”
Heptathlon silver medalist Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine was third at 6.76, edging triple jump runner-up Tatyana Lebedeva.
And after failing to make the triple jump final, Kluft saved her Olympics by getting comfortably through in the long jump.
“I just want to jump my best and try to break my PB. We’ll see how far that takes me,” Kluft said, referring to her mark of 6.97.
The 2004 Olympic heptathlon champion switched away from her best event to try a new challenge.
Gomes was a strong favorite to add the Olympic gold to the indoor title she won in March.
She set a season’s best of 7.12m in the run-up to the Olympics last month.
But she imploded at the Bird’s Nest, fouling on her first two attempts before she stutter-stepped during her final attempt for a jump of 6.29 that left her 32nd overall.
“I am not happy but it’s life,” Gomes said.
Only those reaching 6.75 or the top 12 jumpers qualified for Friday’s final.
Jesper Boqvist on Tuesday scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period as the Florida Panthers, after raising their second straight NHL Stanley Cup banner, opened the defense of the title by beating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2. Mackie Samoskevich — getting his second assist, the fifth two-point game of his career — chipped the puck toward the goal and Boqvist knocked it out of the air for the lead with 10 minutes, 20 seconds left. A.J. Greer and Carter Verhaeghe also had goals for Florida, who got 17 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky. Frank Nazar had a goal and an assist and Teuvo
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Monday said that he was playing “terrible tennis” after he was knocked out of the Shanghai Masters by France’s Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. His exit leaves Novak Djokovic as the tournament’s top-ranked player, increasing the 38-year-old Serb’s chances of winning a record-extending fifth title in the Chinese financial hub. In stifling conditions, world No. 54 Rinderknech came back from a set down to stun an increasingly rattled Zverev into submission. It is the second time the Frenchman has beaten him, after bundling him out of Wimbledon earlier this year. A despondent Zverev told reporters the match had
‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’: Nathan Lukes hit a two-run single and Addison Barger had three of Toronto’s 12 hits as the Blue Jays bounced back After taking down the storied New York Yankees in their own ballpark in their American League Division Series on Wednesday, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider was ready to revel in the triumph. “Start spreading the news,” Schneider said while popping a bottle of bubbly to set off the Blue Jays’ jubilant celebration inside their Yankee Stadium clubhouse. With the party under way, the familiar lyrics from Frank Sinatra’s version of New York, New York — the Yankees’ long-time victory anthem — sounded in the background as roaring Toronto players sprayed each other with booze in the Bronx. This time, it was their
‘IT’S BASEBALL’: In just the second error to end a post-season series in the MLB, the Phillies reliever fumbled a comebacker and threw to home, despite the signal Eyes red, Orion Kerkering on Thursday received words of support from his Philadelphia Phillies teammates. “Just keep your head up. It’s an honest mistake. Just, it’s baseball,” he remembered hearing. “You’ll be good for a long time to come,” they added. “It’s not my fault, then. We had opportunities to score,” was the message he kept getting. Kerkering made a wild throw past home plate instead of tossing to first after mishandling Andy Pages’ bases-loaded comebacker with two outs in the 11th inning. Pinch-runner Kim Hye-seong scored and the Phillies were eliminated with a 2-1 loss that gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a
RSS