Frodeno wins gold in Men's Triathlon

Medal Standings

Total

1	CHN	39	14	14	67
2	USA	22	24	26	72
3	GBR	13	7	8	28
4	AUS	11	10	12	33
5	GER	10	7	7	24

(BEIJING, August 19) -- With only 50 meters to go to the finish line, Jan Frodeno of GermanySpain, Athens 2004 silver medallist Bevan Docherty of New Zealand and Sydney 2000 gold medalist Simon Whitfield to claim the gold in the Men's Triathlon on Tuesday. out-sprinted 2008 world champion Javier Francisco Gomez of Gomez sped up 700 meters before the end to finish the race, but failed to break away from the leading group. Whitfield followed suit, but was caught by Frodeno, who kept the lead till the end. He clocked one hour, 48 minutes and 53.28 seconds. The German had no notable achievement in international tournaments on his resume previous to this Olympic win.

Whitfield came in second at one hour, 48 minutes and 58.47 seconds, and the bronze winner was Docherty, who finished in one hour, 49 minutes and 5.59 seconds.

New Zealand's Shane Reed led the men out of the water at 18 minutes and 0.31 seconds. He was followed closely by Igor Sysoev of Russia and Frederic Belaubre of France. Belaubre is a three-time World Cup winner.

The 55 competitors then broke into a leader group of 43 and a chase group of the rest at the start of the first of six laps in the cycling leg. The leader group shape remained unchanged until lap four, when Axel Zeebroek of Belgium, Dirk Bockel of Luxembourg and Serrano Francisco of Mexico took off and built a 44-second lead on the chase group. The leader group was then further reduced to only two members, as Serrano failed to keep up. The lead was increased to 52 seconds when the cycling leg concluded.

Zeebroek and Bockel were soon caught up by the chase group, as the cycling portion cost them so much energy that they could not help but fall back in the run.

A group of five was at the head when the bell was rung to signal the final lap. Frodeno, Whitfield, Docherty, Gomez and Ivan Rana of Spain ran the final straightaway first. Rana did not survive the last sprint for gold and finished fifth, after compatriot Gomez.

Updated: 2008-08-19 13:26:59

Updated: 2008-08-19 13:26:59

Medal Standings

Total

1	CHN	27	13	7	47
2	USA	16	17	22	55
3	GER	9	5	5	19
4	AUS	7	9	11	27
5	KOR	7	9	4	20

Swimming Day 9 Preview: One to go, Phelps!

Updated: 2008-08-16 23:06:33

Phelps equals Spitz's gold medal record, despite scare

(BEIJING, August 16) -- One more gold, and Michael Phelps won't have to share the "Athlete with most gold medals in a single Olympics" title with compatriot Mark Spitz, who did this 36 years ago in the Munich Games.

But this time, Phelps's own efforts will not be enough to achieve this Olympic immortality. He will have to rely on his relay teammates. As the defending Olympic champions, world record holders and fastest final qualifiers, they will not let him down.

Standing in their way are the teams from Australia and Japan, who qualified second and third fastest, only 0.01 and 0.06 seconds behind them.

In the Women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay, however, defending champions Australia may see less competition, qualifying over a second faster than Great Britain and the United States, who came in second and third.

In the Women's 50m Freestyle final, 41-year-old Dara Torres from the United States will be under the spotlight. She had showed her competitors that her age is no issue in the pool by clocking the fastest time into the final. However, she is sure to meet the close competition from world record holder Lisbeth Trickett of Australia and Friday's 100m Freestyle gold medalist Britta Steffen of Germany.

The Men's 1500m Freestyle will be the last chance for Grant Hackett of Australia to bring something home from Beijing. And if he wins gold, it will be a history-making third straight 1500m title.

Day 9 Preview: Phelps goes for record gold

Updated: 2008-08-17 05:41:52

Michael Phelps (Photo credit: Getty)

Photo Gallery>>

(BEIJING, August 17) -- Day nine is the busiest day of the Beijing Olympic Games schedule, with no less than 39 medals at stake, involving some of the biggest names in sports. It also promises to be a fairly emotional day as the Olympic Movement says goodbye to some its valued friends.

First up, and we make no apology for leading with him this time, we start with someone who is definitely at the top his game -- swimmer Michael Phelps.

The final day of Swimming sees the usual daily round of four finals, when all eyes will be on the Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay final, starting at local time 10:58 a.m. (UCT/GMT + 8). Phelps, in case you really are the only person left on the planet who doesn't know, needs just one more gold medal to add to his Beijing tally of seven so-far to surpass Mark Spitz's seven medals from Munich 1972 to, therefore, become the record Olympian of all time.

The bad news is, Phelps can't do it on his own -- he will have to rely on his relay teammates to help him achieve Olympic immortality... and this event is one of the two gold medals he missed out on in Athens four years ago. The good news is they are the defending Olympic champions, world record holders and were fastest to qualify for the final.

So who could stop him? Seemingly no one, or at least no team, though Australia and Japan, who qualified second and third fastest, could cause an upset.

Quite simply, Olympic history could be made tomorrow…no pressure, then Michael.

Elsewhere on the final day of Swimming, the Women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay will see defending champions Australia battle it out with Great Britain and the United States, who came in second and third in qualifying.

Another heart-rending event will be 41-year-old Dara Torres racing in the Women's 50m Freestyle final. The United States recorded the fastest time in qualifying and has not so much matched the clock as turned back the clock, showing that despite the talk of swimming being an increasingly younger competitors sport, you're never too old.

Dara Torres (Photo credit: Getty)

However, world record holder Lisbeth Trickett of Australia and Friday's 100m Freestyle gold medalist Britta Steffen of Germany will also be highly fancied

The Men's 1500m Freestyle might also be the last chance for 28-year-old Grant Hackett of Australia to win a history-making third consecutive title.

Okay we've started with some big names -- let's keep the theme rolling.

Before we leave the pool, a quick mention for China's very own "diving diva" Guo Jingijng, who had pledged to retire after Beijing 2008 at the ripe old age of 26. Guo will defend her Women's 3m Springboard title in the final and finished first in the preliminaries holding, off second-placed finisher Julia Pakhalina of Russia and Blythe Hartley of Canada. Guo's gold-winning Synchronized Springboard partner, Wu Minxia, could also pose a threat to Guo going out on a high.

Guo Jingjing (Photo credit: Getty)

There are plenty of big names appearing on the final day of the Tennis. Sisters Serena and Venus Williams of the United States will go against Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain in Women's Doubles, while soon-to-be-crowned-Men's-World-Number-One Rafael Nadal will play defending champion Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in the Men's Singles final.

In Athletics, world record holder Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain heads the list of names challenging in the Women's Marathon, which starts at 7:30 a.m. local time (UCT/GMT + 8)

Venus Williams (right) and Serena Williams (Photo credit: Getty)

Krisztian Pars of Hungary qualified first in the Men's Hammer Throw final. Other finals include the Women's 3000m Steeplechase, and the Women's 100m semifinals and final will be contested.

The day's action at the Bird's Nest will be the emotional battle in the Men's 10000 meters between defending champion Kenenisa Bekele, and the legendary 35-year-old Haile Gebrselassie, both of Ethiopia, who returns to the track having stepped up to the Marathon in recent years

Kenenisa Bekele (Photo credit: Getty)

It is also the final day of Rowing with medals in seven finals at stake, and in Fencing, in which the Men's Team Sabre gold medal match is likely to feature defending champions France.

Badminton also bows out with Mixed Doubles and Men's Single's finals, with the latter featuring popular Chinese World No. 1 Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.

The Shooting competition of Beijing 2008 also ends tomorrow with the Men's 50m Rifle Three Positions final, in which, four years ago, US shooter Matthew Emmons inexplicably aimed his final shot at the wrong target on the brink of victory, which let China's Jia Zhanbo in for gold. The two go against each other again on August 17.

In Track Cycling, fresh from their success yesterday, Great Britain's riders will be hunting more medals, with Rebecca Romero and teammate Wendy Houvenaghel racing in the Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit final

It is a busy day in Artistic Gymnastics, too, with finals in the Men's and Women's Floor Exercise, Men's Pommel Horse and Women's Vault.

Brazil's Diego Hypolito and China's Zou Kai will compete for the Men's Floor event, while China's Xiao Qin will be a hard man to beat in the Men's Pommel Horse.

The United States's Alicia Sacramone famously made some mistakes during her Balance Beam and Floor Exercise routines in the Women's Team event earlier in the week, but if the 20-year-old can recover from her disappointment, then she has a strong chance of winning a gold medal in the Women's Vault, although the hot favorite is China's Cheng Fei, a three-time world champion.

There are two more Sailing finals held over from wind-less August 16 -- Ben Ainslie of Great Britain is going for his third gold medal in the Yngling class.

There are also finals in Women's Team Table Tennis, Weightlifting and two more Freestyle Wrestling medals at stake

It is also quarterfinals day in both Boxing and Water Polo

It promises to be a busy, busy day -- for record breakers and heart breakers alike.

Wei Yili and Zhang Yawen, etc.

Badminton bronze for Wei Yili and Zhang Yawen

Medal Standings

Total

1	CHN	25	9	6	40
2	USA	14	12	18	44
3	GER	8	2	4	14
4	KOR	6	8	3	17
5	ITA	6	4	4	14

Updated: 2008-08-15 20:39:24

(BEIJING, August 15) -- Third-seeded Wei Yili and Zhang Yawen of China beat Japanese duo Maeda Miyuki and Suetsuna Satoko 21-17, 21-10 in the bronze medal match of the Badminton Women's Doubles competition on Friday, August 15.

Maeda and Suetsuna were able to catch up to every Chinese scoring lead in the first game, eventually taking control 17-14, but at that point Wei and Zhang came back with seven unanswered points to take the win. The Chinese duo opened the second game with another 7-0 run, and led throughout until the 21-10 victory clinched their bronze status.

The Chinese side disposed of their opponents in 25 minutes then 20 minutes, with the longest rally between them in the first game going to 63 strokes.

Flash: Lu comes from behind to win gold

Updated: 2008-08-15 20:49:28

(BEIJING, August 15) -- China's Lu Yong won the Men's 85 kilogram Weightlifting category final by lifting 394kg on Friday, August 15.

Defending champion Andrei Rybakou set the new Olympic record by lifting 185kg in the Snatch. China's Lu Yong and Kazakhstan's Vladimir Sedov both lifted 180kg.

In the Clean and Jerk, Rybakou lifted 209kg to set a new world record, but it was soon broken by Lu's 214kg. Rybakou ranked second by lifting the same total weight of 394kg as Lu, but earned the silver because of his heavier body weight. Armenia's Tigran Varban Martirosyan lifted the same 380kg as Sedov, but won the bronze by the same advantage.

rticle Last Updated: 08/15/2008 07:01:41 AM MDT

Click photo to enlarge

USA's William Priddy spikes the ball through Krasimir Gaydarski... (Andy Wong/The Associated Press)

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Men's volleyball
Ex-Cougs help USA past Bulgaria
The coach still isn't back, and may not return, but the bereaved Americans are pressing on quite well without him in the men's volleyball tournament at the Beijing Olympics.
Former Brigham Young stars Ryan Millar and Rich Lambourne helped the U.S. come back to beat Bulgaria 27-29, 25-21, 25-14 and 26-24 in preliminary round play at Capital Gymnasium on Thursday, keeping the Americans unbeaten in their group and all but assuring they will reach the quarterfinals - despite continuing to play without coach Hugh McCutcheon.
The former Cougar player and coach has remained with his family after the stabbing

Photo Gallery Olympics: Swimming

attack on his wife's parents that killed his father-in-law last weekend. It's not known whether he will return to the team.
Clayton Stanley scored 21 points to lead the Americans, who are 3-0 in group play with matches remaining against China and Japan, while Millar contributed 17 points and Lambourne starred as libero.

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  Photos: Lu Yong of China wins Men's 85kg Weightlifting gold

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  Photos: France beats Poland to win Men's Team Epee gold

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  Men's Team Sprint: Great Britain domina
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Pakistan came back

Medal Standings

Total

1	CHN	20	7	5	32
2	USA	10	9	13	32
3	KOR	6	6	1	13
4	GER	6	1	3	10
5	AUS	5	4	7	16
INA --------------0-----0--- 2 ....=02

BEIJING: Pakistan came back from a goal down to beat Canada 3-1 in the Beijing Olympics field hockey match on Wednesday. It was Pakistan’s first win in the competition after going down 4-2 to Britain on Monday. Stunned by Bindi Kuller’s opener at the stroke of half-time, Pakistan fought back in the second session through goals by Muhammad Imran, Shafqat Rasool and Muhammad Waqas. “The win will help our confidence in the tougher games to follow,” said Pakistani coach Naveed Alam.

In the other matches of the day, World Cup holders Germany hobbled to a 1-1 draw against nemesis Belgium and defending champions Australia pulverised South Africa 10-0. The Germans, whose loss to Belgium in the European championships last year forced them to play the Olympic qualifiers, were once again caught napping as Cedric Charlier equalised Matthias Witthaus’s opener. The draw left Germany with four points from two matches in pool A, while Belgium gained their first point after losing their opening match against Spain. With Spain, South Korea and New Zealand breathing down their necks, Germany can ill-afford another draw in their bid to take one of the two semi-final spots from the pool. There were no such worries for Australia, whose thrashing of South Africa equalled their previous best victory margin against Mexico in the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Eli Matheson slammed a hat-trick and Jamie Dwyer and David Guest scored two goals each as the Kookaburras, who routed Canada 6-1 in their first match, recorded their second successive win in Pool B. Meanwhile, Asian Games champions South Korea were given a scare by Games debutants China before romping to a 5-2 win in Pool A with Jang Jong-Hyun scoring three penalty corner goals. China snatched a 2-0 lead by the eighth minute before the Koreans hit back to follow up their 3-1 win over the same rivals in the Asian Games final in Qatar two years ago. Australia displayed their awesome strike power with five goals in each half as the 13th-ranked South Africans wilted under the onslaught. Dwyer opened the floodgates with a second-minute goal. Grant Schubert, Fergus Kavanagh and Des Abbott were the other scorers for Australia, who clash with Pakistan in their next game on Friday. afp

Wang Shipeng takes on Carlos Morais and Armando Costa
of Angola. (Photo credit: Jeff Gross/Getty Images)