Thema drucken
14.12.2019 06:36
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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Thiago Braz da Silvas surprising pole vault victory ensured Brazils first gold medal in the Olympic Stadium and sparked euphoric celebrations.It also ensured some unpleasant fallout for the hosts.The heckling was so intense that when Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie prepared for his last attempt to extend his title and potentially bump Braz da Silva to silver, he lost his concentration and gave a thumbs down to the thousands of local fans. He lost his gold when he failed at 6.08 meters, and that allowed Braz da Silvas 6.03 Olympic record to stand.The party was on, though not for Lavillenie.If you get no respect in the Olympics, where can you get respect? Lavillenie said. If this is a nation where they only want Brazil, and they spit on others, then you should not organize the Olympics.In his rawest anger immediately after the three-plus-hour competition, which was extended because of rain, he even made a reference to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the propaganda Games of Hitler. He later apologized for that at a news conference.I did a big mistake for that. It was my first words, after competition, he said. Of course we cannot compare the two.The 22-year-old Braz da Silva acknowledged that he fed off the fervor of the crowd in a positive sense, thanks to the raucous cheers.The public helped me a lot, was supporting me, and that was really important for me at this time in my home to get a medal, the champion said.Asked what he thought of the relentless booing of those who got in the way of Brazils budding champion, Braz da Silva said, I understand the people from Brazil.In our country, they want the guy from Brazil to win, he said. They cannot control emotions, you know.The competition had all the drama needed. Early on, Lavillenie did all the right things. Wait late to come in and not waste energy, then scale every height on the first attempt to lead throughout.But Braz da Silva didnt wilt and produced an Olympic-record vault for the lead.Incredible. My first time over 6 meters, he said.Yet Lavillenie still had a chance to win. He raised the bar to 6.08 for one final attempt, and as he prepared, the crowd started booing him. The Frenchman went up for the last attempt but failed.Braz da Silva was celebrating. The host nation, which had been counting on female vaulter Fabiana Murer to win gold later in the Olympics, had a new star. And as with their famous soccer players, the full name doesnt matter. The champion is known here as Thiago Braz.I like that, he said.For Lavillenie, it was the second shocking defeat of a bad summer. Last month, he lost the European title when he failed to clear his opening height. This one will feel far worse, as he had worked for this night the entire season.The loss mattered less than his treatment.I could never leave Rio with a smile when you get booed for doing your sport, Lavillenie said. Air Max 90 Black Australia . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Vapormax 2019 Sale Australia . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. http://www.salenikeshoesaustralia.com/air-force-1-clearance/air-force-1-low-cheap.html . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Onitsuka Tiger Sale Australia . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. "This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. Air Max 270 Cheap Australia .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. NEW ORLEANS -- Saints linebacker Craig Robertson sounded confident that he knew the main reason why New Orleans looked as locked-in as the club has been all season during a lopsided victory over Los Angeles Rams.It wasnt because of a motivational speech. It wasnt because of a desire to show up a certain former Saints defensive coordinator now serving in the same capacity in Los Angeles.And it wasnt because the Saints have adopted as their theme song The Circle of Life from the Disney movie, The Lion King, which blared from the Superdome sound system after a second-half touchdown.Really theres only one factor, Robertson said. We just know we have to win. Thats it.In their 49-21 victory over the Rams on Sunday, the Saints improved to 5-6, keeping them two games behind Atlanta (7-4) in the NFC South and 1+ games behind Washington (6-4-1), which is in the final wild-card playoff spot.Like Robertson, right tackle Zach Strief suggested that a sense of desperation might have brought out the best in the Saints.I dont know how exceptionally motivated anybody was by the Rams game so much as the fact that were essentially in a win-or-go-home situation, Strief said.This team right now feels like its back is against the wall and we dont have any room for error.And maybe, for this team, thats what we need, Strief said.New Orleans has five games left to make up ground, starting when the Detroit Lions (7-4) visit the Superdome this Sunday.The recent adoption of the Lion King theme song is coincidental, said Strief, who declined to get into specifics of why the song has meaning to the club beyond saying it has to do with the position that were in and the mentality that we need to have going forward.The Saints have played in a slew of close games this season, but often struggled to pull them out. Five of their six losses have come by six or fewer points, including four by a field goal or less, one by two points and one by a single point.Saints coach Sean Payton said that with so many close games across the NFL, the ability to minimize errors and make playss in the clutch can be the difference between a successful season and a disappointing one.ddddddddddddIts an emotional game to begin with, Payton said. If you had the exact recipe each week, it would be a lot easier.The Lions, Payton noted, have found a way to win some of those (close) games, and as a result of that, theyre having a real good football season.Detroit has won five games by four or fewer points, including its most recent triumph over Minnesota on Thanksgiving Day, won by a late field goal set up by an interception.Time will tell if the Saints are evolving into the type of team the Lions have been to this point.There are several reasons for optimism, though, starting with a league-leading offense that put up a whopping 555 yards on a Rams defense that arrived in New Orleans ranked sixth in the NFL.Meanwhile, New Orleans defense has steadily performed better while benefiting from the return of key players whod been injured earlier this season -- namely, defensive tackle Sheldon Ranks, linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and cornerback Delvin Breaux.Rankins, a first-round draft choice last spring, had a sack and strip that resulted in a turnover in the red zone against the Rams. Ellerbe also had a sack for a third game in a row.And while Saints defenders lambasted themselves for first-half breakdowns that allowed the Rams to score 21 points, they were pleased at their ability to make adjustments at halftime and shut out Los Angeles the rest of the way.By games end, the Saints had limited a second straight foe to fewer than 300 yards -- a far cry from their first five games, when four teams gained more than 400 yards.This team feels were better that our record shows, Strief said. We put ourselves in this situation, but this team still has a chance to do something special and I think theres confidence in the building that we can still do that.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' ' |
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