Thread for the London Olympics 2012: Fri.27th July to Sun.12th August!

[Socapro]

Here is Roger Daniel's profile:

http://www.ttoc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2667:roger-daniel-shooting&catid=166:tat-athlete-profiles-2012&Itemid=279

T&T OLYMPIC ATHLETE PROFILE 2012
Roger Daniel - Shooting (50m pistol, 10m air pistol)

Roger Daniel will be at the London Games, representing the red, white and black in the 10 metres air pistol and 50 metres pistol events.
The soldier made his Olympic debut at the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece, tying for 27th in the 10 metres air pistol and finishing 33rd in the 50 metres pistol. And at the 2008 Beijing Games, he was 36th in the 10 metres air pistol.

Daniel has been a consistent performer for T&T, earning precious metal at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, the Pan American Games and the Commonwealth Games. Missing from his collection is an Olympic medal. The 42-year-old shooter aims to set that right in London.

Here is link to watch Roger's shooting events live: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/live-video

And here is schedule of the events Roger Daniel will be shooting in at the London Olympics.

http://www.london2012.com/shooting/event/men-10m-air-pistol/index.html?v=20120728-015025784

London 2012 Olympics Men's 10m Air Pistol startlist

Date / time   Sport   Venue
Saturday, 28 July 2012 12:00    Royal Artillery Barracks

Qualification
Firing  Point  Bib  Athlete  IQS +
8  1849   DIKEC Yusuf  586  +
9  1470   MATSUDA Tomoyuki  586  +
10  1095   DAUHAPOLAU Yury  584  +
11  1006   ZIADI Fateh  570  +
12  1781   SCHEUBER Patrick  578  +
13  1823   BABIKOV Sergey  571  +
14  1299   DUMOULIN Franck  589  +
15  1025   BAKHTAMYAN Norayr  586  +
16  1789   KOPP Pavol  582  +
17  1351   SCHMIDT Florian  583  +
18  1595   KYU Maung  571  +
19  1763   ZLATIC Andrija  590  +
20  1496   JIN Jongoh  590  +
21  1923   HOANG Xuan Vinh  582  +
22  1589   SARANOVIC Nikola  574  +
23  1437   SIGURGEIRSSON Asgeir  579  +
24  1851   KELES Ismail  582  +
25  1903   TURNER Jason  578  +
26  1872   OMELCHUK Oleh  588  +
27  1404   KUMAR Vijay  579  +
28  1792   TUZINSKY Juraj  582  +
29  1871   KUSHNIROV Denys  585  +
30  1462   TESCONI Luca  583  +
31  1711   EKIMOV Leonid  589  +
32  1901   SZARENSKI Daryl  583  +
33  1159   TAN Zongliang  589  +
34  1493   CHOI Young Rae  581  +
35  1157   PANG Wei  583  +
36  1759   MIKEC Damir  584  +
37  1304   LAPEYRE Walter  588  +
38  1042   REPACHOLI Daniel  576  +
39  1670   COSTA Joao  587  +
40  1098   LUKASHYK Kanstantsin  584  +
41  1837   DANIEL Roger  577  +
42  1418   BARKHORDARI Ebrahim  582  +
43  1264   CARRERA Pablo  586  +
44  1480   PODLESNYY Vyacheslav  577  +
45  1719   KOULAKOV Denis  585  + 
47  1815   PANICHPATIKUM Jakkrit  578  +
48  1250   WAGIH Karim  572  +
49  1369   SANCHEZ Sergio  571  +
50  1449   BRUNO Francesco  580  +
51  1288   JAHNSSON Kai  588  +
52  1000   KUCANA Arben  580  +

[kounty]

Anyone have vid of TnT entering?

Stupid canadian television went to commercial break...i'm watching nbc from now on

You can look back at the whole or any part of the Opening Ceremony on the BBC website from the link I provided above! 

thanks bro, but I can't view in canada

Try running the progam on this link called Hotspot Shield: http://www.hotspotshield.com/
Then try viewing from the BBC website again and it should work! 

it just gave me another ipaddress still in the US. Any other suggestions?

[AB.Trini]

Look Nah what ah dreadful feeling ah watching the  feed of the ceremonies  on CTV and they cut to commercial and come back with Turkey; Ah wonder if they did this when Canada was about to come in what the sentiments would be ?

Anyhow for what it is worth all ten seconds of it : I found this   clip on You Tube :


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50iM72Ci4WU

[Socapro]

http://www.newsday.co.tt/sport/0,164007.html

SportsMax streaming Olympics to Caribbean
Saturday, July 28 2012

For the first time ever in the Caribbean, the Olympic Games will be streamed on the internet live courtesy of SportsMax on sportsmaxolympics.tv. The regional sports channel will be streaming Olympic action on seven channels to Caribbean audiences in 17 Caribbean territories from July 27 to August 12, meaning that viewers on the stream will be able to watch their sport of choice from London.

The Caribbean cable giant’s live Internet stream of the London Olympics 2012 will be accessible through coupon codes distributed by SportsMax on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SportsMax) and through select locations of its streaming sponsors Western Union and Advantage General Insurance.

The SportsMax live stream will feature seven channels, five of which are directly from venues of different Olympic sports, one is the Olympic News Channel — a 24 hour service with highlights and updates during each day — and the seventh channel is IMC’s 24-hour feed which takes the best action from the Olympics and wraps it with complete analysis of what’s happening at the Games from a Caribbean perspective.

This IMC 24-hour feed, which is also being provided to authorised broadcasters across the Caribbean for broadcast on free-to-air, is being led by five-time Olympic presenter, Lance Whittaker and renown track analyst Hubert Lawrence.

The stream will also offer the viewer the opportunity to replay action from the Olympics through the DVR feature on sportsmaxolympics.tv.

Tanya Lee, regional marketing manager of SportsMax, stated that “after setting a Caribbean record for the most viewed Caribbean event on the internet for Jamaica¹s Boys and Girls Champs 2011, and successfully streaming Champs 2012 and the Jamaica International Invitational in May, we look forward to providing regional audiences for the first time ever with the option of watching yet another sporting event of immense global interest, especially as so many of our Caribbean athletes are positioned to medal in London.”

The stream is available in Jamaica, Anguilla, Antigua-Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Island Islands, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Turks and Caicos.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Opening_watched_by_record_40_7_million_Americans-164165946.html

Opening watched by record 40.7 million Americans
Story Created: Jul 28, 2012 at 11:42 PM ECT

l LOS ANGELES

A record 40.7 million Americans watched NBC television's coverage of the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, making it the most-watched Summer Games opening, NBC said yesterday.
 
NBC said the audience for the London ceremony was six million more than for the opening ceremonies from Beijing in 2008, and also beat the 39.8 million audience for the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.
 
US viewers had to wait up to seven hours on Friday to watch the London ceremony after NBC decided not to stream it live and to delay its broadcast until the prime time evening hours.
 
NBC sports group chairman Mark Lazarus said in a statement yesterday that the record audience for London "is a great early sign that our strategy of driving people to watch NBC in primetime is working".
 
NBC Universal paid US$1.18 billion for the US rights to the London Olympics. It is streaming all the sporting events live online and boosting its TV coverage of the 2012 games to more than 5,500 hours.
 
But Americans took to Twitter in droves on Friday when they realised that the opening ceremony could not be seen until hours after it finished in the British capital.
 
CNN talk show host Piers Morgan, who was tweeting details about the ceremony from London, said on Friday: "Laughable that America is yet to start watching the Olympic ceremony on TV. Seriously."
 
NBC sports spokesman Christopher McCloskey said the opening ceremonies "are complex entertainment spectacles that do not translate well online because they require context, which our award-winning production team will provide for the large prime-time audiences that gather together to watch them".
 
In a decision that caused controversy in Britain, NBC cut a musical tribute from the opening ceremony for the victims of the July 2005 extremist attacks in London buses and trains.
 
Instead the network showed a brief interview with Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps by American Idol host Ryan Seacrest.
 
NBC did not immediately return calls for comment on the matter.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Lochte_leaves_Phelps_floundering-164165956.html

Lochte leaves Phelps floundering
Story Created: Jul 28, 2012 at 11:42 PM ECT

l LONDON

American swimmer Ryan Lochte made the biggest splash of the London Games so far by obliterating his compatriot Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer in Olympic history, in the first of their eagerly awaited duels.
 
Phelps, unthinkably, finished without a medal in the 400 metres individual medley--a fate shared in the men's road race by British favourite and world champion Mark Cavendish, outmanoeuvred and upstaged in his quest for the home nation's first gold by Kazakhstan's Alexandre Vinokourov.
 
Sun Yang powered to China's first male swimming gold in the 400 metres freestyle and his 16-year-old compatriot Ye Shiwen won the women's 400m individual medley in a stunning world record time, putting China top of the medals table on the first full day of competition.
 
Phelps is bidding in London to become the most prolific Olympic medal winner in history, but may be yielding the position of world's best swimmer to Lochte after coming only fourth in the 400m individual medley, where Phelps set the current world record in 2008.
 
Having scraped into the final by 0.07 seconds, Phelps looked way off the pace as Lochte's silky power brought him home with time to spare. Phelps missed out on a medal at the Olympics for the first time since he was a 15-year-old at Sydney in 2000.
 
Cavendish, too, was left trailing when a star-studded British team led by Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins controlled much of the race but failed in a frantic attempt to bridge a gap of nearly a minute to a breakaway pack and set up a win for the sprint specialist.
 
Vinokourov, who was banned for two years in 2007 for blood doping at the Tour de France, surged past Colombia's Rigoberto Uran on the final stretch in front of Buckingham Palace.
 
The veteran, in tears at the end, had announced he was quitting professional cycling after crashing out of the Tour de France last year, but could not resist the urge to get back on the bike for one last shot at glory this year.
 
Cavendish, winner of 23 stages of the Tour de France, was the only British track cyclist to go home empty-handed from Beijing, and had desperately hoped to set the home nation on the road to a best ever haul of Olympic golds.
 
Meanwhile China, top of the medal table for the first time four years ago in Beijing, laid down a huge marker with two golds in the Aquatics Centre, whose swooping roof echoes the shape of a manta ray or the arched back of a butterfly swimmer.
 
Sun Yang came within a whisker of breaking the world record to win the men's 400 metres freestyle final and became the first Chinese man to claim an Olympic swimming title.
 
South Korea's Park Tae-hwan, who won the event in Beijing four years ago, led for the first 300 metres at world record pace but finished second, having won an appeal against a false start just to compete in the final.
 
Sun is also the overwhelming favourite for the 1500 freestyle, the longest event in the pool, where he set the world record last year.
 
Another Chinese talent emerged in the shape of 16-year-old Ye Shiwen, who won gold by going more than a second under the world record and five seconds faster than her previous best.
 
Ye unleashed an incredible sprint over the concluding freestyle leg to surge clear of the favourite Elizabeth Beisel of the United States.
 
In doing so, she became the first woman to break a long-course world record since polyurethane bodysuits, which boosted buoyancy and triggered a slew of records, were banned in 2009.
 
China's Yi Siling had already become the first gold medallist of the Games in the 10-metre air rifle–despite confessing to reporters: "For the first round and the last round I was very nervous and didn't know what I was doing."
 
Her compatriot Wang Mingjuan extended a 10-year unbeaten international record to win gold in the first women's weightlifting event of the London Games, the 48-kg weight division.
 
In the last event of the night in the pool, Australia took gold in the women's 4x100 metres freestyle relay, ahead of the Netherlands and the United States.
 
On a day of mixed fortunes for South Korea, Jin Jong-oh won the men's 10-metre air pistol shooting, but their men's archery team, who won gold at the last three Olympics and set new individual and team world records in an earlier round, were knocked out in the semi-final.
 
However, their conquerors, the top-ranked United States, then suffered a shock defeat in the final to unfancied Italy.
 
The Italians moved to second in the medal table with a further triumph in the fencing arena. Elisa Di Francisca led an Italian sweep in the women's individual foil, ahead of Arianna Errigo and three-times gold medallist Valentina Vezzali.
 
Brazil's Sarah Menezes took judo gold in the women's -48kg category by defeating reigning Olympic champion Romania's Alina Dumitru, while Russia's Arsen Galstyan won the men's -60kg.
 
At Wimbledon, where Roger Federer won his 17th grand slam earlier this month, the world number one survived a scare in his opening Olympic singles match against Colombia's Alejandro Falla before prevailing 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to book a second-round place.
 
Seeking his first singles gold, Federer made extra work for himself by missing three match points when leading 6-3, 5-3.
 
In the women's event, Serena.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Serena_breezes_through_to_second_round-164165986.html

Serena breezes through to second round
Story Created: Jul 28, 2012 at 11:42 PM ECT

Wimbledon champion Serena Williams breezed through her first round match against Serbia's Jelena Jankovic on the opening day of the Olympic tennis yesterday with US first lady Michelle Obama cheering her on.
 
Obama watched from the players' box along with Williams' sister Venus as the fourth seed took just 61 minutes to see off former world number one Jankovic 6-3, 6-1.
 
"It was great seeing Michelle there. It just made me want to play better and I felt even better. We're here for our country and to play well. I loved her dress, which is always nice. She is always looking good," Williams said after the match.
 
With the usual Wimbledon requirement for players to wear white not in place for the Olympics, Williams herself took to the court in a red, white and navy blue dress with a red headband, while Jankovic also wore red.
 
"It's so different than playing in all white and I was thinking 'I wouldn't like it', but I like it," she said, although then adding that she would "absolutely not" like to see coloured clothing introduced at Wimbledon.
 
With the first set comfortably under her belt, five-time Wimbledon winner Williams took an early break in the second set when Jankovic hit the ball into the Olympic-ring adorned net.
 
The American quickly broke again to storm to a 3-0 lead, then denying her opponent a single point in the fourth game.
 
Jankovic managed to hold her serve one more time, but appeared increasingly frustrated with herself, wrongly challenging two line judge's calls in a row.
 
Serving to stay in the match at 15-40, the 27-year-old was given a momentary reprieve when her opponent powered a backhand into the net.
 
The American, who has two doubles gold medals with Venus but is still seeking a single gold, let out a squeal of annoyance but she didn't have to wait long to secure her victory as Jankovic hit the next shot wide to gift her the match.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Asia_takes_first_golds_and_headlines-164166016.html

Asia takes first golds and headlines
Story Created: Jul 28, 2012 at 11:42 PM ECT

l LONDON

Shooting took centre stage at the Olympics yesterday when International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge handed over the first gold medal of the London Games, but it was the pioneering and pregnant athletes who stole the show.
 
China's Yi Siling took the honour of being the first London gold medallist when she won the women's 10 metre air rifle at a packed Royal Artillery Barracks in southeast London as supporters clamoured to see the opening action.
 
"I felt like a movie star," the 23-year-old Yi told reporters after winning her first Olympic gold.
 
"Now I've got the gold medal I feel very happy and very excited. I almost cried."
 
The event was graced by Rogge who watched the 40-minute final and then presented the first medal at his last Games before he steps down from the role next year.
 
However, Yi and Rogge shared the spotlight with eight-months pregnant shooter Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia who had the world's media hanging on her every word and movement.
 
Struggling to fit into her shooter's jacket, the 29-year-old could only finish 34th in the 56-woman qualifying heat but her performance was not the pressing issue.
 
"Baby is quite fine. She hasn't made an appearance during training or competition. I told her to behave herself," Suryani said after she felt "only three or four kicks" during the competition.
 
"When she kicked I tried to breathe in, breathe out and make myself calm."

Another markswoman was also causing quite a stir.

Bahia Al Hamad became Qatar's debut female Olympian when she was the first of the Gulf nation's three women athletes to see action in London.
 
The 20-year-old carried the flag for her country the previous evening at the opening ceremony and finished a credible 17th in the rifle qualifying heat after receiving a wild card to take part.
 
"The competition was very hard, but I'm so happy and I enjoyed it," Al Hamad said.
 
"It is fun to be in the Olympics. It's a dream come true for me to be here," she added before fleeing the media scrum around her mid-question as the attention seemed all too much.
 
After the qualifying had finished, Yi took control of the eight-woman final when she fired a pinpoint 10.7 at the target, just shy of the maximum 10.9, to overtake rival Poland's Sylwia Bogacka who had led for most of the way but could only manage a 9.7.
 
Bogacka had to settle for silver and China also collected a bronze thanks to Yu Dan but there was no clean sweep on day one for the 2008 Games hosts.
 
Expected to claim the majority of the 15 shooting golds on offer in London, China suffered a disappointing start to the men's disciplines when defending champion Pang Wei finished fourth in the 10m air pistol.
 
The event was won by South Korean Jin Jong-oh, who held his nerve to hold on for victory after a slight mid-final meltdown.
 
Groans echoed around the indoor range from the 2,000 spectators who packed both shooting finals as Jin fired a disappointing nine with his seventh shot to give his opponents hope.
 
But the 32-year-old, firing his pistol with his right hand while his left was planted firmly in his pocket, roared back with a near perfect 10.8 to seal gold ahead of Italy's Luca Tesconi. Andrija Zlatic of Serbia took bronze
 
"The Chinese guy won the gold last time. I promised myself that I would not let it happen this time," Jin said.
 
Jin's memorable finished wrapped up a successful day for shooting, which attracts big headlines in Asia but lacks the same popularity elsewhere.
 
The women are the sole focus today with two gold medals up for grabs in the 10m air pistol and the skeet.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Greene__Technical__issues_make_Bolt_vulnerable_-164165976.html

Greene: Technical issues make Bolt vulnerable
Story Created: Jul 28, 2012 at 11:42 PM ECT

l LONDON

Olympic 100-metre champion Usain Bolt will lose his crown to compatriot Yohan Blake unless he quickly fixes technical problems with his race, former world record holder Maurice Greene told Reuters yesterday.
 
The American said Bolt's vulnerability in the first 60 metres, already exposed this year by the younger Jamaican, gave his rivals the scent of gold that was absent in Beijing four years ago.
 
"If Usain was running like he was in Beijing, he would win hands down," said the 2000 Olympic gold medallist. "But he is not running like that."
 
Body position out of the starting blocks and in the first 60 metres are hurting the world's most famous sprinter, Greene said.
 
"Those problems...bring everybody closer to him, which makes him susceptible to losing," said Greene, who is serving as a television analyst at the Games.
 
"Usain is the more talented, but Blake has a better technical race," added Greene, who correctly predicted Blake would win last year's 100m world championship in which Bolt false-started.
 
Blake, the year's fastest at both 100 and 200, also prevailed in last month's Jamaican Olympic trials in which Bolt was slowed by hamstring problems.
 
Although there has been much speculation about Bolt's fitness, Greene said he did not believe he is currently injured.
 
"All of his problems are technical," Greene said.

Bolt looked sluggish in both Jamaican races, prompting many to predict the lanky sprinter would fail in his bid for a repeat in the 100.
 
He badly wants both golds to secure his place as a great in the sport he dominates. No man has ever claimed repeat Olympic titles in both.
 
Bolt will win the 200 hands down, Greene said, but there will be no runaway victory by anyone in the 100.
 
"Not unless the freak comes out in Usain Bolt," said Greene when asked if anyone could duplicate the Jamaican's two-tenths of a second victory in Beijing.
 
"He is only one that can do that. He might be capable of doing it again. I just don't see from the races I have seen that he is in that type of shape."
 
Beyond Bolt and Blake, the race for the bronze is wide open, Greene said.

Americans Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay, Jamaican former world record holder Asafa Powell and Trinidad and Tobago's Keston Bledman all should be in the mix for the final medal.
 
Gay, the world's second fastest man, has the speed to run with the best when healthy, but Greene said he was concerned about his hesitancy to go all out at the start because of hip surgery that kept him off the track for nearly a year.
 
Gatlin's tendency to rush his transition could cost the 2004 Olympic champion who served a four-year doping ban between 2006-10, Greene said.
 
Powell has the talent, but his poor record in major championships makes him suspect.
 
"If he is relaxed, he might beat everybody," Greene said.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/London_organisers__investigating_empty_seats-164166066.html

London organisers investigating empty seats
Story Created: Jul 28, 2012 at 11:42 PM ECT

l LONDON

London's Olympic organisers launched an investigation into empty seats on the first day of the Games yesterday.
 
On a school holiday and after months of public complaints over the inability of thousands in Britain to buy tickets, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the minister responsible for the Olympics, said he was disappointed by the empty seats and that the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) were looking into it.
 
"LOCOG are doing a full investigation into what happened," Hunt told publicly-funded broadcaster BBC one day after a widely praised opening ceremony starring Queen Elizabeth, Paul McCartney and Rowan Atkinson.
 
Television coverage of events on Saturday showed and visitors to venues found scores of empty seats in the early part of the day at the aquatics centre, in the basketball arena and later on at Wimbledon for the tennis. There was also plenty of space to stretch out in the Olympic Park.
 
"We think it was accredited seats that belong to sponsors, but if they are not going to turn up, we want those tickets to be available for members of the public, because that creates the best atmosphere. So we are looking at this very urgently at the moment," Hunt said.
 
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said he was surprised that the events were not full.
 
LOCOG became used to putting up the "sold out" sign within minutes of each tranche of tickets going on sale to the public.
 
On Saturday some ticket box offices at venues in the park still had queues of people seeking to buy tickets for selected sports.
 
"I've been trying and trying every day to get (soccer) tickets for Argentina," 34-year-old Argentinian electrician Lucas Lopez told Reuters on a stroll through the park.
 
"Where there are empty seats, we will look at who should have been sitting in the seats, and why they did not attend. Early indications are that the empty seats are in accredited seating areas, but this is day one, and our end of day review will provide a fuller picture," LOCOG said in a statement late on Saturday.
 
LOCOG declined to provide a figure for the number of people in the park on Saturday or how many tickets had been sold but said that 11 million people would attend the Games.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Daniel_deja_vu-164166096.html

Daniel deja vu
T&T shooter 36th again
By Kwame Laurence in London
Story Created: Jul 28, 2012 at 11:42 PM ECT

There was a bit of déjà vu for Roger Daniel at the Royal Artillery Barracks, here in London, England, yesterday.
 
Appearing in his third Olympic Games, Daniel duplicated his Beijing 2008 finish in the men's 10 metres air pistol, the Trinidad and Tobago shooter copping 36th spot with a total of 569 points. In Beijing, he totalled 571 to finish 37th but was later promoted to 36th following the disqualification of North Korean drug cheat, Kim Jong-su.
 
It was a South Korean that struck gold, yesterday, Jin Jong-oh topping the qualifying round with 588 points and then scoring 100.2 in the eight-man final for a total of 688.2. Italian Luca Tesconi (685. and Serbia's Andrija Zlatic (685.2) claimed silver and bronze, respectively.
 
Daniel was visibly disappointed at the end of the qualifying competition. He had just produced his lowest ever score in an Olympic 10m air pistol event. On his debut, at the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece, the soldier was 27th with 574 points.
 
"That's not a good show," Daniel told the Sunday Express. "The smoothness just wasn't there. Mentally I think I put pressure on myself, even though I knew what to do."
 
Daniel enjoyed a solid start, scoring 97 out of a possible 100 with his first ten shots. However, he followed up with 94, 94, 93 and 94 to slip out of contention for a place in the final. The 42-year-old shooter stepped up his game at the end, earning 96 points with his last ten shots, including four 10s on the trot to close off his London Games 10m air pistol campaign in style.
 
Afterwards, Daniel explained his strong finish.

"I was beating up on myself. I really said some choice things—'hey what it is you really…concentrate, you have to concentrate'. Despite what you're going through or what you're feeling, you have to put that aside, dig deep and go at it. You have to finish. Anyhow you take it, you start a match, you must finish."
 
The warm London weather that had greeted me on my arrival last Tuesday has since deserted me, the chilly conditions yesterday evoking memories of the London I endured while living here in 2008/2009.
 
In much the same way, Daniel's confidence deserted him, the confidence that had propelled him to multiple Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games titles, as well as Commonwealth and Pan Am Games podium finishes, and a personal best score of 586.
 
Unable to work out his problems, the T&T marksman, on more than one occasion, stepped away from his shooting position to seek the advice of his Mongolian coach Altansetseg Byambajav.
 
"She basically told me to concentrate on smooth triggering. But sometimes in these events, the body reacts a certain way. Yes, you're concentrating on all these nice things you plan and you're accustomed doing, but the reaction you get is a little different."
 
Byambajav was also disappointed with Daniel's performance.

"Today was not so good," she told the Sunday Express, "but normally he is a very good shooter. Little mistakes…normally, he can shoot 580 or more."
 
Daniel will be back at the Royal Artillery Barracks next Sunday, August 5, competing in the men's 50m pistol event.
 
"I'm going to recharge myself and get this out of my mind. I want to go into the 50 metres feeling much stronger. My performance in the 10 metres was not a good one, so I'm going to dig deeper and put out a much greater effort.
 
"I want to tell everybody," Daniel continued, "thanks for the support. We still have more. It isn't over as yet. Greater things may happen."
 
The greatest swimming achievement in T&T history came at the 2004 Games in Athens, George Bovell bagging bronze in the men's 200m individual medley.
 
Competing at his fourth Olympic Games, Bovell, 29, opens his London campaign today, at 6.06 a.m. (T&T time), in the men's 100m backstroke. He will swim in lane eight, in the second of six heats.
 
American Matthew Grevers, the 2012 world leader at 52.08 seconds, has been drawn in the sixth and final heat. His toughest challenge in that race is expected to come from Japan's Ryosuke Irie. Two other top contenders in the event, France's Camille Lacourt and American Nick Thoman, will swim in heats five and four, respectively.
 
Bovell's personal best in the 100 back is 55.65 seconds, which ranks him 40th among the 43 entrants in the event.
 
T&T's best ever swimmer, however, would not be concerned about that statistic, since he is using the 100 back and 100 freestyle as preparation for his medal bid in the 50 free.
 
At 21.89 seconds, Bovell is the ninth fastest swimmer in the 50 free field, and a genuine contender for precious metal.

[Socapro]

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2012-07-29/london-olympics-2012-here-we-are

London Olympics 2012, here we are
Published: Sunday, July 29, 2012
Alvin Corneal

Is it the tension which precedes the entry to our Olympic challenge, or are you mesmerised by the spectacular dressings of that great city called London where the Bridge, The Palace, the river Thames, and the bustling old-fashioned taxis which mix with buses, trains, subway and overhead, all fitting snugly into space that often appear insufficient on a normal day. And while the athletes from almost every country (204) in the world have presented an enthusiastic, scintillating and colourful entry into the Olympic stadium, the fans of every sporting discipline will be present to ensure that Olympic history in brought to life four years after Beijing 2008. In open bars, around the parks of central London, Hyde Park, St James Park, the so called soap box Parliament at Hyde Park Corner, human voices using various languages, each representing a nation with obvious dialect, come together to create an atmosphere reminiscent of a carnival without bacchanal, surrounded by an unassuming, but alert police presence. With the brilliant start which saw a brazilian dominace on the football field, where flair and creativity mesmerised the Cameroun Women and the following day, the pain of the Egyptian politics was not spared by the men’s version of football’s ingenuity when the enthusiastic Egyptians chased around a plush field for forty-five minutes in search of a ball that seemed harder for them to find than a needle in a haystack.
 
The resilience of the Mubarak stained country’s youth showed their fight and surprised south Americans with speed and lethal finishing which led us to believe that the commitment to the sport has surpassed the turmoil of the past year in Cairo. The enjoyment gained from such an exercise was enough for the fans to take a deep breath on the opening day and await more excitement in the days to come. Ironically enough, the chosen Olympic City is clustered with international Cricket, super exciting football from various parts of the world live on TV with teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan, Manchester city and many other world Class teams. It appears contrary to what the British was trying to market and one day the financial statistics may reveal the details of the end result. Then there is the constant hum coming from the Jamaicans and fans as to which of their world Class sprinters will earn the gold medals in the sprints. All interpretations echoed different formulas as to Bolt’s fitness. Some claimed that he is now fit and ready to take on all comers, including Yohan Blake, and will keep his success trail as he did between London and Beijing. But, hold a minute! The people friendly triple Gold medallist of the Beijing Olympics, may well be jolted over the new of his close friend and schoolmate will not make the trip to London because of a charge of double murder which has been laid against him recently. If the reports are true about the closeness of these two individuals are correct, Usain may have a serious bug to remove from his mental frame.
 
Others silently saw his recent withdrawal from what would have been his final preparation before the start of his Olympic Gold chase as a significant piece of evidence that all is still not well and may be just hoping to devise a method of pacing himself from the first round to the final. Possible, but we all have to wait and see. Our women athletes keep sending us some positive messages, not only in Cardiff last week, but for the past three months, and it will be unwise to ignore them. Their opponents are concerned over the recent improvement of Kerry Ann Baptiste , Cleopatra Borell and others, because of the times and distances which are alongside their names at every event. The men’s optimism should not be underestimated although statistics do not quite reflect any level of exuberance other patriotism. The build leading up to the present time, exposes keston bledman and Ronerl Sorillo as the ones leading towards a well judged peaktime, while we all have to await the arrival of the Richard Thompson when he leaves his final technical training before arriving in London. Trinis who have made the trip to provide patriotic support for the Red/white. And black of T&T will hope to erupt and bring London to a liveliness which only exists at Nottinghill carnival.
 
A Few whispers are about our young and exciting sailor Andrew Lewis, our cycling medal contender Njisane Phillips , together our marksman Roger Daniel. The twin Island state has much to which we can look forward. The atmosphere is electrifying in the Land that was once associated with us. We treasured their guidance then, and we even offered our Olympic gem of that era McDonald Bailey to them. His success was our way of showing the extra ordinary talent of our people. Today, there are many ageing athletes of yesteryear from this blessed country who are eagerly awaiting those who will add to the medal cabinet. Oh, how will Lennox Kilgour, Rodney Wilkes, Wendell Mottley, Edwain Roberts, Kent Bernard, Ed Skinner, ( who is actually present in London), our Olympic Gold medallist Hasely Crawford , and Ato Boldon feel  if Richard Thompson can inspire the group of contenders to another glorious moment to make this a wonderful gift to celebrate our fiftieth Anniversary of Independence. And if, like myself, you will be there to show support and allegiance to our country, our own Caribbean Airlines is ready to take you safely to the destination.

[Socapro]

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2012-07-29/spending-day-roger-daniel

OLYMPIC DIARY
Spending a day with Roger Daniel
Published: Sunday, July 29, 2012
Andre E Baptiste

When a man has been “shooting” for the “stars” in the last twelve years, one would expect him to be emotional in only his third Olympics, compared with 70 per cent of his competitors who have “shot” for over two decades and more. T&T’s Roger Daniel arrived at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich Arsenal, expectant and he started with an outstanding first round, but then he seemed to lose his stride and with it he lost momentum. He regained his touch late on the sixth and final round, shooting four consecutive inner circles perfect 10’s. However, it was all to late and he failed to qualify for the mens 10m air pistol final at the London Olympics. Daniel’s final score of 568, placed him in an overall position of 36th; uncannily, that was the same position he finished in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in this same event. His personal best of 586 would have qualified him for the quarterfinal, as the eight place finisher had a score of 583.
 
However, just as Daniel, this day had started off looking quite promising for me as well. I finally was able to get a good night’s rest even though it meant skipping breakfast. But that was okay...or at least so I thought. I followed a recommended route to Woolwich Arsenal, however, on this occasion the problem was not the recommender, but rather the number of stops and transfers from underground trains to overhead trains. In the end, it must have taken around 75 minutes from the hotel to the final stop. And just as I breathed a sigh of relief, the sign outside the train centre stated Royal Artillery—20 minutes away. In the end, after some twists and turns and with the help of a West Indian immigrant (I think), I was able to reach my destination.
 
Roger said, “Today I felt really positive before the event and I really hyped up myself to go and have a great performance. When I started I realised I could do this so I talked to myself positively. I really started off positively. During the shoot I encountered some challenges, and I was trying to adjust.” However, this strong man who is totally professional in his approach, appreciates he cannot change the past. His score (568) was way below his best effort. In the end, Jongoh Jin from the Republic of Korea, won with a score of 688.2, with Italy’s Luca Tesconi second with a score of 685.8 and Andra Zlatic of Serbia third with a score 685.2.

[vb]

Any live links for Olympic coverage?

VB

[D.H.W]

Any live links for Olympic coverage?

VB

http://www.sportwebz.com/

[Socapro]

http://www.newsday.co.tt/sport/0,164082.html

Bovell fails to advance in 100m backstroke
Monday, July 30 2012

SWIMMER GEORGE Bovell III was eliminated in the first round of the men’s 100-metre backstroke yesterday, the second day of the 30th London Olympiad.

At the Aquatic Centre, Bovell, who will also be competing in the 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle, won heat two (of six heats) in 55.22 seconds, ahead of Colombia’s Omar Garcia (55.37) and Pedro Medel of Cuba (55.40).

But the 28-year-old was unable to progress to yesterday’s semi-final phase, as his time was the 29th fastest overall, with the top 16 advancing to the semis.

Bovell, on his Twitter page on Saturday, admitted that yesterday’s race was “just a warm-up” and urged his fans “don’t get too excited.”

After his first round elimination, he wrote, “new career best and national record. Showing nice early speed, a good sign for my 50 (freestyle) on Thursday.”

Today’s final will feature (semi-final times in brackets) Matthew Grevers of the United States (52.66), Camille Lacourt of France (53.03), Liam Tancock of Great Britain (53.25), Ryosuke Irie of Japan (53.29), Nick Thoman of the US (53.47), Feiyi Cheng of China (53.50), Helge Meeuw of Germany (53.52) and Hayden Stoeckel of Australia (53.74).

Sailor Andrew Lewis will also be among a field of 49 for the Men’s Laser Class at Weymouth and Portland, and he will be in action from 7 am today.

On his Twitter page, Lewis wrote yesterday, “had a great last day on the water today. Tomorrow, come na, am ready for you.”

Today will feature Races One and Two, tomorrow will have Races Three and Four, with Races Five and Six on Wednesday’s spotlight, Races Seven and Eight on Friday’s agenda and Races Nine and Ten will be staged on Saturday. And the medal race will take place on August 6.

In this category, points are awarded in each race, with the winner getting one point, the second getting two points etcetera.

After the 10th race, points from the worst races are discarded while the remaining points are added together.

The 10 best sailors will advance to the medal race, while their respective points are doubled (first place getting two points etc). The points total after the medal race determines the placings and the competitor with the lowest number of points will be adjudged the winner.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/USEFUL_SWIM-164223726.html

USEFUL SWIM
Bovell sets national 100 back record
By Kwame Laurence in London
Story Created: Jul 29, 2012 at 11:54 PM ECT

George Bovell opened his 2012 Olympic Games campaign with a national record at the Aquatics Centre, here in London, England, yesterday.
 
The Trinidad and Tobago swimmer topped heat two in the men's 100 metres backstroke in 55.22 seconds, improving on the 55.65 national standard he had established in March. Colombian Omar Garcia (55.37) and Cuban Pedro Medel (55.40) finished second and third, respectively.
 
The new T&T record earned Bovell 29th spot overall. The top 16 swimmers advanced to the semifinal round.
 
"It would have been nice to swim 54," Bovell told the Express, after his heat, "but I really don't consider myself a backstroker and I don't care about backstroke. It's just an opportunity to get in, see how I feel, see how the water is."
 
Bovell enjoyed significant gains in his Olympic opener. In addition to chopping 43-hundredths of a second off the T&T record, the country's best ever swimmer touched the wall ahead of seven men who had faster qualifying times coming into the London Games. In fact, he was 40th fastest of the 43 swimmers entered in the event, but had the satisfaction of a 29th-place finish.
 
Bovell's main focus at London 2012 is the 50m freestyle, an event in which he has a real chance of getting to the final.
 
"It's my best (100 back) time by a bit. I think I showed some good speed in the first half, so my 50 (free) should be alright."
 
Halfway through his 100m backstroke heat, Bovell was in front, covering the first 50 metres in 26.18 seconds--the 14th fastest split in the opening round.
 
The Athens 2004 200m individual medley bronze medallist is hoping to climb an Olympic podium for the second time. He said he's satisfied with his final preparations ahead of his 50 free medal bid, and is confident of diving under 22 seconds here in London.
 
"For sure, 21…21, whatever it takes. We'll see."

Andrew Lewis makes his Olympic debut from seven a.m. today (T&T time), at Weymouth and Portland, in Dorset--some three hours from London by train. The T&T sailor will be on show on the Weymouth Bay South course, in the first two races of the men's Laser class competition.
 
All 49 competitors will be on the water in ten races—six between today and Wednesday, two more on Friday and another two on Saturday. The top ten sailors on the standings will then compete in next Monday's medal race.
 
Lewis told the Express, yesterday, he is pleased with the build-up to his first ever Olympic appearance.
 
"Really, really good. Everything is falling into place with my fitness, weight management, and breaking in the boat and wetsuits. I've had good preparation for the Games. I'm ready. I sailed part of the course today (yesterday) in a practice race. It really went well, which is a good indicator."
 
Lewis' preparations for London 2012 included a one-week stay at the T&T camp, in Cardiff, Wales. He said the time he spent at the camp was very beneficial.
 
"After a month and a half in the boat, my coach and I decided to not be in the boat. I focused on fitness and recovery in Cardiff, and when I went back in the boat I felt really good."
 
The Laser class field is packed with quality. Seven of the top ten finishers at the 2008 Games, in Beijing, China, will be on the water today, including Great Britain's reigning Olympic champion Paul Goodison.
 
In stark contrast to Goodison, a 34-year-old veteran, Lewis is just 22 and in the fledgling stage of his career. While the Briton will compete with the burden of expectation, T&T's lone sailor here in London is placing no pressure on himself to perform.
 
"Of the 49 men in the event, I was the second to last qualifier, so I'll just do my best," Lewis ended, "sail as hard as I can."

MEDALS TABLE (AFTER DAY 2)

Rank Team Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 China 6 4 2 12
2 USA 3 5 3 11
3 Italy 2 3 2 7
4 S Korea 2 1 2 5
5 France 2 1 1 4
6 N Korea 2 0 1 3
7 Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2
8 Australia 1 1 1 3
9 Brazil 1 1 1 3
10 Hungary 1 1 1 3
11 Netherlands 1 1 0 2
12 Russia 1 0 3 4
13 Georgia 1 0 0 1
14 S Africa 1 0 0 1
15 Japan 0 2 3 5

Day 2 Medals

Swimming
Men's 100m Breast: 1. S Africa (Cameron van der Burgh) 2. Australia (Christian Sprenger) 3. USA (Brendan Hansen)
Women's 100m B'fly: 1. USA (Dana Vollmer) 2. China (Lu Ying) 3. Australia (Alicia Coutts)
Men's 4x100m Free Relay: 1. France 2. USA 3. Russia
Women's 400m Freestyle: 1. France (Camille Muffat) 2. USA (Allison Schmitt) 3. Great Britain (Rebecca Adlington)

Weightlifting
Men's 56kg (123 lbs): 1. N Korea (Om Yun Chol) 2. Wu Jingbiao (China) 3. Valentin Hristof (Azerbaijan)
Women's 53kg (117 lbs): 1. Kazakhstan (Zulfiya Chinshanlo) 2. Chinese Taipei (Hsu Shu-Ching) 3. Moldova (Cristina Iovu)

Diving
Women's sync 3m Springboard: 1. China 2. USA 3. Canada

Archery
Women's Team: 1. S Korea 2. China 3. Japan

Shooting
Women's 10m Air Pistol: 1. China (Guo Wenjun) 2. France (Celine Goberville) 3. Ukraine (Olena Kostevych)
Women's skeet: 1. US (Kim Rhode) 2. China (Wei Ning) 3. Slovakia (Danka Bartekova)

Judo
Women's Half Lightweight (52kg): 1. N Korea (An Kum Ae) 2.Cuba (Yanet Bermoy Acosta) 3. France (Priscilla Gneto), Italy (Rosalba Forciniti)
Men's Half Lightweight (66kg): 1. Georgia (Lasha Shavdatuashvili) 2. Hungary (Ungvari Miklos) 3. Japan (Masashi Ebinuma), S Korea (Cho Jun-Ho)

Fencing
Men's Individual Sabre: 1. Hungary (Aron Szilagyi) 2. Italy (Diego Occhiuzzi) 3. Russia (Nikolay Kovalev)

Cycling
Women's Road Race: 1. Netherlands (Vos Marriane) 2. Great Britain (Elizabeth Armitstead) 3.Russia (Olga Zabelinskaya)

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Dutch_woman_is_road_queen-164223586.html

Dutch woman is road queen
Story Created: Jul 29, 2012 at 11:54 PM ECT

l LONDON

Marianne Vos of the Netherlands won the gold medal in the women's road race yesterday in a rain-drenched sprint, leaving Britain's Elizabeth Armitstead with silver and the home country's first medal of the London Olympics.
 
Vos, the former world champion, made a daring move past Russia's Olga Zabelinskaya to emerge from the three-rider breakaway. She powered past a small group of fans waving the Dutch flag, then raised her arms in triumph as she crossed the finish line.
 
Zabelinskaya won bronze after a frantic finish through a driving rain that was reminiscent of four years ago in Beijing, when Britain's Nicole Cook pulled away late to win gold.
 
"It was a hard race today with the weather conditions," Vos said, "but then I felt good. We made the race hard with the Dutch squad, early attacks, and that was the plan."
 
Worked to perfection.

Nobody could blame Vos for the scream she let loose at the finish.

A former Olympic gold medallist in track cycling, Vos had grown accustomed the past few years to finishing just off the top step in major races. She's been silver medalist five straight years at the world championships, and had never stood on the podium in an Olympic road race.
 
Perhaps fittingly, the clouds broke and the sun shone for the medal ceremony.

"She is a machine," Zabelinskaya said, "and the rest of us are not yet at this high level."
 
Armitstead accepted the silver medal to cheers from her home crowd, delivering the podium finish that eluded Mark Cavendish and his teammates on the powerhouse men's team the previous day.
 
While the crowds that turned out didn't nearly reach the estimated one million fans who watched Saturday, they were still packed deep along the 87-mile route.
 
The riders started off on the Mall during one of one of the many showers that plagued the entire race, passing by Buckingham Palace and heading south of London.
 
Estonian rider Grete Treier was among several riders who crashed on the narrow, slick roads of London early in the race. There were also a number of punctures, including one that slowed reigning time trial silver medallist Emma Pooley of Britain.
 
Ellen van Dijk, the national time trial champion from the Netherlands, spent the first half of the race trying to open up gaps on the field. Every time she bounced off the front, though, a handful of riders were positioned right behind with orders to bring her back.
 
Just as in the men's race, Box Hill was where the race took shape.

The first of two trips up the punchy climb in the Surrey countryside broke the field into two groups. One of the riders dropped was Cooke, the defending gold medallist, who managed to race back to the peloton but was spent by the time the riders started up the climb again.
 
Reigning time trial gold medalist Kristin Armstrong of the United States crashed at the bottom of Box Hill, hampering the chances of the American team in the run-up to the finish.
 
Vos made her first big move on the final climb and was quickly joined by Armitstead. They went clear along with Sweden's Emma Johansson and American rider Shelley Olds, the group of four riders reaching more than 40 mph on the quick downhill.
 
Their gap was 18 seconds with about 25 miles remaining, and working together the trio managed to extend their advantage as another round of rain pounded the course.
 
Olds dropped away after puncturing her tire at the most inopportune of times, and the three riders remaining in the break carried on. Vos did most of the work at the front, pushing the gap to more than 30 seconds while a field led by the Italians and Americans frantically gave chase.
 
The wet roads didn't help their cause.

Every rider who moved to the front had to slow dramatically around the city's tight, narrow corners, and their lost momentum allowed the breakaway to build on its lead.
 
It reached 53 seconds as crowds choked the run-in to Buckingham Palace, and by that point it was clear the race would be decided among the three. Vos began her sprint with the finish line in sight, and Armitstead didn't have enough left to chase her down.
 
"With three, you know you have to keep on pushing to the finish, because it was our biggest chance for gold, or for a medal," Vos said. "I knew Lizzie was fast on the line, so I was not dead-on confident, but I knew I had a chance, and I knew I had a big chance."

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Putting_Phelps_in_perspective_-164223646.html

Putting Phelps in perspective
By Fazeer Mohammed
Story Created: Jul 29, 2012 at 11:54 PM ECT

How many times would you like to scale Mount Everest?

For some, once is enough to get to the highest point on the planet. For others, the motivation is different and they can retain the same level of energy, the same degree of desire and motivation to make all the necessary and time-consuming sacrifices to conquer the same dizzying summit over and over again.
 
Maybe for Michael Phelps, reaching the top of the mountain — in fact, reaching higher than anyone has ever reached in the history of competitive swimming — has been enough. And while he clearly still has more than enough ability and competitive drive to add a few more medals to his already staggering tally at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, it could be that the all-encompassing drive to establish a new standard that propelled him to a record-breaking eight gold medals in the pool in Beijing four years ago just isn't there this time around.
 
In finishing fourth on Saturday in one of his favourite events, the 400-metre individual medley, having just scraped into the final with the eighth fastest time, we in the media are having a field day on the "fall of Michael Phelps" or the "greatest is no more" and a whole heap of hyperbole along those lines. While such hysteria diminishes the achievement of Phelps' compatriot, Ryan Lochte, who romped to the gold medal, it also falls nicely into the characterisation of the media as an entity that builds you up with great gusto and fanfare…and then pulls you down with even greater relish.
 
I mean, come on! We're talking about a man who won six golds and two bronze medals at the Athens Games of 2004 and then, to the amazement of all of us, eclipsed Mark Spitz's standard of seven golds at a single Olympics in 2008. What else is there for a swimmer to achieve? At 27 years of age, Phelps is the holder of 14 Olympic gold medals, 13 more than this country has earned in attempt after attempt after attempt at 16 Summer Olympics since 1948.
 
Just think about it. All that effort, all that sacrifice, for what? He's done it already. No-one in London is going to match that standard. Phelps himself isn't competing in eight events this time around. It really is asking a lot of any person who has had to put aside everything else about his life to focus entirely on a particular pursuit, achieve it, and then retain the same level of intensity afterwards.
 
So instead of revelling in seeing the previously invincible Phelps beaten on a few occasions in London, we should be celebrating the new champions and appreciating that, even as the baton is being passed on to the next group of hungrier, more motivated swimmers, the American has left an indelible mark on Olympic history, one that could take more than 36 years to equal, and maybe much longer to surpass.
 
We often take for granted the amount of effort that goes into being an elite athlete. The dieting, the training, the constant practice between competition and the giving up of any sort of alternative recreation when friends are having a good time. And after all of that Spartan existence, all of that military-style regimen, what? In most cases, nothing, if we're talking about Olympic gold medals and World Championship titles.
 
Keep in mind that there are young people all over the world, with different levels of motivation, coming out of different circumstances, who are striving just as hard, or harder. At that level, when athletes are sacrificing everything to be at their physical and mental peak, it doesn't take much – maybe just a hundredth of a second or a millimetre — to miss out on golden glory, or even silver or bronze, or just to get into the final of their event.
 
But it's because we've become so accustomed to seeing these sporting superstars on our television screens year in year out - from Spitz to Phelps, from Rod Laver to Roger Federer, from Pele to Lionel Messi — we take it for granted and wait for the next sporting icon to come along so we can celebrate him or her, watch their inevitable decline and turn our attention to the next rising star. So the cycle will continue.
 
I recall tennis star Bjorn Borg, at the every height of his ice-cool powers in the later 1970's, once saying that his career would be over the sooner he started feeling for something or someone more than he felt for that little white ball (that was before they changed to the fluorescent lime ones). So said, so done. After five consecutive Wimbledon titles and six French Open crowns in a row, Borg's invincibility at the All England Club ended at the hands of the brilliant and fiery American John McEnroe in 1981.
 
Less than a year later he was walking away from the sport that had dominated his life up to that point. Turbulent personal relationships followed, and although the Swede tried to make a return ten years later, it only served to remind everyone of how outstanding he was in his prime and how difficult it can be for some who have given so much in a singular pursuit to have a broader and more serene perspective on life.
 
Sport, like life, is a relay race. At some point the baton will be passed. Whatever anyone else did before or does after, the quality of your leg will never change.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/N_Korean_lifter_impressive-164223666.html

N/Korean lifter impressive
Story Created: Jul 29, 2012 at 11:54 PM ECT

l LONDON

The North Korean, all of five feet tall, bent down to the 370-pound weight, then confidently executed the clean and jerk for an Olympic record. More impressively, it was three times his body weight — something only a handful of others have ever done.
 
And if that were not enough, Om Yun Chol was competing in the "B'' group with lower-ranked lifters. Medal contenders generally compete in the "A'' group.
 
The 123-pound athlete immediately gave all the credit to Kim Jong Il, the country's leader who died last year.
 
"How can any man possibly lift 168kg? I believe the great Kim Jong Il looked over me," Om was quoted as saying by the Olympic News Service.
 
Competing in the 56-kilogram class, Om lifted weights 160 and 165 kilogrammes on his first two attempts and got the crowd roaring when it was announced he would go for 168 kilogrammes — the Olympic record.
 
"I wanted to lift a big weight and make the other athletes nervous," Om said.

His successful lift broke the mark of 167kg set by Halil Mutlu of Turkey in Sydney in 2000.
 
Om then had to wait until later in the day to see if any lifters in the "A'' can match his 293-kilogram total.
 
Among the few lifters have cleared three times their body weight are Mutlu and Naim Suleymanoglu, also of Turkey, known as the "Pocket Hercules."
 
"I am very happy and give thanks to our Great Leader for giving me the strength to lift this weight," Om said. "I believe Kim Jong Il gave me the record and all my achievements. It is all because of him."
 
North Korean athletes have routinely praised Kim and the North Korean people whenever they win gold medals.
 
Also yesterday, North Korea got their first gold medal of the London Games when An Kae Um defeated Acosta Bermoy of Cuba in the women's judo 52-kg category.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/USA_start_with_comfortable_win-164223686.html

USA start with comfortable win
Story Created: Jul 29, 2012 at 11:54 PM ECT

l LONDON

The hiccups outnumbered the highlights, and for a while the US racked up fouls faster than points.
 
The opener wasn't artistic.

However, it was enough — easily enough.

Kevin Durant scored 22 points in his Olympic debut, Kevin Love added 14 and LeBron James had eight assists as the American men's basketball team overcame some sloppy moments with a 98-71 win yesterday over France.
 
"We know everybody else expects us to win by 40 points," said Carmelo Anthony. "For us, a win's a win. We expect every game to be like this one."
 
Seeking a second straight gold medal to match the redemptive one they captured in Beijing four years ago, the Americans expected a tough test from a French team featuring San Antonio guard Tony Parker and five other NBA players. And although the US were never in real trouble — they only led 22-21 after one quarter — there were enough flaws (14 turnovers, 26 fouls) to keep coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff busy and this superstar-laden squad from feeling too comfortable.
 
"It wasn't perfect," said James, who only took six shots while setting up his teammates. "We've still got room for improvement. We had too many turnovers, too many fouls and we had a couple of defensive rebounds we could have come up with. But overall, we played a pretty good game for as close to 40 minutes as possible."
 
Kobe Bryant had said this team could beat the 1992 Dream Team that changed international hoops forever at the Barcelona Games. That matchup is mythical, but the London Games aren't and this US team will have to play much better in upcoming games if it plans to maintain American dominance.
 
"We know we have to keep going for 40 minutes and play hard," said Bryant, who only played 12 minutes.
 
Afterward, Parker, who nearly missed these games after undergoing surgery for a freak eye injury, didn't want to concede anything to the Americans. But when asked if the US team can be beat, he took a contemplative pause before responding.
 
"They're going to be very, very tough to beat," Parker said.

Meanwhile, Pau Gasol had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead Spain to a 97-81 victory over China in the opener for both teams.
 
Spain got off to a slow start and held just a two-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 19-17. However, they went on a 7-0 run in the second quarter to give themselves a cushion and were never seriously challenged the rest of the game.
 
Spain were silver medalists at the Beijing Games four years ago and are the two-time European champions. They are expected to challenge for a gold medal here with their imposing front line of the 7-foot Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers), his 7-1 brother Marc (Memphis Grizzlies) and 6-10 Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder) — who finished with 17 points.
 
Yi Jianlian of the Washington Wizards had a double-double for China, scoring a game-high 30 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
 
But China had no answer to the depth of Spain, who had four players score in double digits — Juan Carlos Navarro had scored 14 points and Jose Calderon (Toronto Raptors) added 12.

[Socapro]

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2012-07-29/shooter-daniel-misses-medal-round

Shooter Daniel misses medal round
Published: Sunday, July 29, 2012
Rachael Thompson-King

Disappointment for T&T shooter Roger Daniel as he failed to advance out of the qualification round of the Men’s 10 metres air pistol at the Olympics Games at the Royal Artillery Barracks, here in London, England, yesterday. It was Daniels’ third try for glory in the event at the Olympics.  He placed 36th overall from 44 competitors of which only the top eight progressed to the final round. Daniel, who was the first athlete on show for T&T at the Games, scored 568 points, failing to match either of his previous Olympic scores of 574 which placed him 27th in Athens in 2004 and 571 in Beijing, China ( 2008). Winning gold was South Korea’s Jin Jongoh, the world record holder with a score of 594, while Italian Luca Tesconi and Andrija Zlatic of Serbia, won silver and bronze respectively. The South Korean marksman overcame a nervy ending to improve on his silver in Beijing. Defending champion Pang Wei of China finished fourth.
 
Jongoh totaled 688.2 for his second Olympic gold. Tesconi rose from fifth to place second in his first Games, and Zlatic scored 685.2, just six-tenths of a point from matching Tesconi. Jongoh will attempt to defend his 50m pistol title Sunday. Daniel will go after him, looking to better his 33rd place (545) in Athens. Today, T&T’s attention will shift to the Aquatic Centre where swimmer George Bovell will be in action from 11 am (5 am T&T time). He will be seeking his second Olympic medal to add to his bronze which he won at Athens Olympics, in the 200m Individual Medley, finishing behind USA swimmers Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. Also in the event is Barbados’ Bradley Ally. He will swim in heat one while Frenchman Camille Lacourt, who holds the European record (52.11) , will compete in heat five. Bovell will take to the water in two other events at the London Games, the 50m freestyle and 100m free.

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
 
CYCLING (Final)
Men's Road Race: 1st- A Vinokurov (KAZ) 5:45:57, 2nd- R Uran Uran (COL) 5:45:47, 3rd- A Kristoff (NOR) 5:46:05
 
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL (First Round)
BRA 1 (Cristiane 86th) vs BRA 0
USA 3 (M Rapinoe 33rd, A Wambach 74th, C Lloyd 77th) vs COL 0

SWIMMING (Finals)
Men's 400m IM: 1st- R Lochte (USA) 4:05.18, 2nd- T Pereira (BRA) 4:08.86, K Hagino (JPN) 4:08.94
Women's 400m IM:1st- S Ye (CHIN) 4:28.23(WR), E Beisel (USA) 4:31.27, X Li (CHIN) 4:32.91
Women's 4x100m freestyle: 1st- AUS 3:33.15 (OR), NED 3:33.79, USA 3:34.24 (NR)
 
TODAY'S MAIN EVENTS
 
BASKETBALL (Men's preliminary rounds)
USA vs France- 9.30am
Spain vs China- 11.45am
 
CYCLING
Women's Road Race Final- 7am
 
FOOTBALL (Men's First rounds)
Brazil vs Belarus- 10am
Spain vs Hounduras- 2.45pm
 
SWIMMING
Men's 100m backstroke heats- 6.03am (w/ T&T's Bovell III), Semifinals- 3.28pm
Men's 4x100 freestyle heats- 6.56am, Final- 4pm
Men's 100m breastroke Final- 3.11pm
 
SPOTLIGHT: (SHIWEN YE)
China's 16-year-old SHIWEN YE set a World record (4:28.23) in the women's 400m Individual Medley (IM) final yesterday, erasing the previous time of 4:29.45.
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY (YI SILING)
"I was quite...excited the moment the competition came to an end… I can not control my emotion".
China's YI SILING after claiming the first gold medal of London Games yesterday in the women's shooting 10m air rifle event.

[Socapro]

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2012-07-30/bovell-warms-victory

Bovell warms up with victory
...but not good enough for backstroke semis
Published: Monday, July 30, 2012

T&T’s George Bovell swam a personal best time of 55.22 seconds in the men’s 100 metres backstroke to set a new national record at the Olympic Games, here in London, England, yesterday. Bovell, who was in lane eight, won heat two but his time was not good enough for him to advance to the next round. He placed 29th overall from 44 swimmers. Only the top 16 swimmers from the heats progress to the semifinals and the top eight then moves on, to the final. The 29-year-old yesterday confirmed that he did not put too much effort into the race but used it as preparation for his upcoming pet event, the 50m freestyle. “This is just a warm up event. It’s as if Usain Bolt went out and jogged an 800m. I don't really consider myself a backstroke specialist. “My event is the 50m freestyle on Thursday. If I had advanced to the semifinal I would have pulled out anyway so as to not tire myself out before my event. “Bovell looked at ease as he pushed off the wall, gaining an early advantage after only 25 metres out. By the time he made the turn, he was clear out front, splashing away to victory.
 
The Olympic bronze medallist previous best mark in the 100m backstroke was 55.65 which he achieved back in April when the local swimmer picked up a silver medal in the B-final at the Indianapolis Swimming Grand Prix held at the Indiana University Natatorium.
 
Despite not progressing, he was proud of his achievement in bettering the old mark. “A new PB and national open record isn't a bad way to start things off,” said Bovell. The only other Caribbean swimmer in the event was Bradley Ally of Barbados and he won the opening heat in 56.27 but his time also was too slow. Qualifying for the semifinals with the quickest time was USA’s Matthew Grevers, who topped heat six in a time of 52.92. Grevers is the Beijing 2008 silver medallist and holds the fastest time for the year so far with 52.08, a personal best he swam at the US Olympic trials last month. World champion Camille Lacourt had the fourth best time of 53.51. Tomorrow (Tuesday), Bovell will be back in the water when he competes in the 100m freestyle in lane two of heat four.
 
But today (Monday), T&T sailor Andrew Lewis makes his debut at the Games when he enters the laser event at Weymouth and Portland. Races one and two are scheduled for noon (7 am). Lewis sailed in to the hearts of T&T some time ago and will look to impress, even though he has already made history by being the first local sailor to represent the twin-island at the premier sporting event in the world. “I have worked very hard to get here, and I believe this is just the beginning of things to come. I remain positive and know that once I give a good effort, anything is possible,” said Lewis ahead of the start of the competition today. In this format of fleet racing, Lewis will compete in a series of races. Points are awarded in each race: first scores one point, second scores two points and so on. After 10 races, points from the worst race are discarded. The remaining points are added together. If Lewis is among the 10 best athletes then he will advance to the medal race which is scheduled for Sunday. Points are doubled, so first place gets two points, second gets four, and so on. The points total after the medal race determines the placings. The athlete with the lowest number of points is the winner. “My expectations are to go out and give a good showing so that I can be proud of myself and my country can be proud of me,” added Lewis.

[Socapro]

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2012-07-30/sunday-roast-warms-george

OLYMPIC JOURNAL - Day 4
Sunday roast warms George
Published: Monday, July 30, 2012
Andre Baptiste

It rained today. The sun shone brightly. The winds were very chilly. Yes it all happened. It’s Sunday here in London. The English are people who believe in irony and the fact that they generally wear the same expression day in, day out, negates any thoughts of reading their minds. So while the rest of the visitors to London, looked perplexed and bemused by the constant change from rain to sunshine and then more rain and then sunshine with some chilliness, the English, made it appear like an easy Sunday Morning stroll. I had not traveled with an umbrella but I was not alone neither did most of the other visitors/tourists, who were all being soaked wet by rain and then dried slowly by the sunshine.
 
I always knew that one day I would have  a chance to use the advantage and experience of three and a half years of living in Hampstead, London. So I just stood and allowed the rain to fall, the sun to shine, the rain to fall again while I read a horse-racing guide to  Frankel’s effort to win the Goodwood Cup on Wednesday. Eventually it was okay to venture outside and it felt good. While we are talking rain, today was also George Richard Bovell 111 first foray into the London Olympics and he looked comfortable as he made his way for his lane eight assignment for heat two, with the top 16 advancing to the semi finals. Bovell won fairly comfortably in a time of 55.22, but unfortunately when all the opening heats were concluded, his time placed him in 29th position overall. The objective for Bovell was to get acclimatised so this was a job well done by the bronze medal 2004 Olympian. It was always going to be difficult for Bovell in this event, given his recent form and his obvious concentration in the last few years on his speed in the freestyle. He will have two more opportunities for a medal tomorrow in the 100 metres freestyle and Thursday in the 50 metres freestyle.
 
Sunday has always been famous for roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and it was no surprise to read the blackboards outside many pubs/restaurants all stating their versions of this meal which is a traditional stable diet for many. So even with the Olympics in the air, people were piling in for their Sunday meal. For me, I was more interested in the gymnastics and the movement of several of these athletes. They are so flexible, their movements look unbelievable. And the way the crowd was responding to the flips, turns and dismounts  made all my cravings for some chocolate go away. Just for those who don’t know, I have given myself  my very own Olympic test which is not to eat any chocolate for the entire Olympics, in any form, biscuits, bread (Yes there is bread with chocolate in London), I saw it, I even touched it but did not buy it). With all the top brands available, I am hoping that I will get my own gold medal when I return home because of my discipline and resistance to chocolate. As I left the Olympic Park today, I reflected on the tremendous image of Jamaica at these Games - all because of the success of their athletes. Sport continues to be the vehicle for unity and success. Jamaica have found a way to captivate the people. Let us hope before these Olympics are completed, that T&T can do likewise.

[ProudTrinbagonian]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/31/oly-athl-m100m-package-penpix-day-idUSL4E8IM0AW20120731

Bledman on the radar!

KESTON BLEDMAN, Trinidad & Tobago, age 24, pb 9.86, sb 9.86

Bledman is an outside bet for a podium spot but appears to lack nothing in confidence after clocking a personal best 9.86 to win his national title on June 23.

He became the fastest non-Jamaican this year with that run although American Gatlin went faster a day later.

"No disrespect to Bolt, Blake, my training partner Tyson Gay but when I go to the Olympics, I'm going to win. I ain't going there to play around. I have at least 9.7 in me," he said after his scorching run in Port of Spain last month.Bledman is now joint second on the all-time Trinidad and Tobago performance list alongside quadruple Olympic medallist Ato Boldon.

Richard Thompson is number one with his 9.85 national record.

Bledman already has an Olympic medal in his collection after helping Trinidad & Tobago to silver behind the Jamaicans in the 4x100 relay in Beijing.

The 24-year-old will hope to make his mark individually on the big stage after only reaching the world championship semi-finals last year.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Chinese_men__repeat_with_gold-164352776.html

Chinese men repeat with gold
Story Created: Jul 30, 2012 at 11:01 PM ECT

lLONDON

When there's gold to be had, don't ever doubt the Chinese.

When it comes to silver and bronze, it can get tricky. It did at men's gymnastics yesterday.
 
The Chinese won their second straight Olympic title and third in four games, making anyone who wrote them off after a dismal performance in qualifying look silly. Their score of 275.997 points was more than four points better than Japan, who needed help from a DVR to finish second.
 
Britain were initially announced as the silver medallists, setting off raucous celebrations at the O2 Arena. The British don't have a proud history in gymnastics—they barely have any history—and this was their first men's team medal in a century. But Japan questioned the score of three-time world champion Kohei Uchimura on pommel horse, the team's very last routine.
 
While judges huddled around a video screen, Uchimura and his teammates sat stone-faced while the British partied. About five minutes later, Uchimura's score was revised and Japan were awarded the silver while Britain were bumped down to bronze.
 
It was of little consolation to the Japanese, who were bested by the Chinese yet again.
 
Just like everybody else.

China also won the last five world titles, and now have gone eight years without losing at a major competition.
 
The Americans, hoping for their first Olympic title since 1984 after finishing No. 1 in qualifying, lost all hopes for any medal with a dismal showing on the pommel horse, their second event. They rallied to finish fifth.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Teen_Franklin_boosts_US_stocks_in_pool-164352786.html

Teen Franklin boosts US stocks in pool
Lochte flops again in 200 free
Story Created: Jul 30, 2012 at 11:01 PM ECT

l LONDON

Michael Phelps has yet to win a gold medal, and Ryan Lochte's star is fading. So along came Missy Franklin to restore American swim hopes with a gutty performance at the Olympics yersterday.
 
Coming back less than 14 minutes after swimming a semi-final heat, the Colorado teenager won the first gold medal of what figures to be a dazzling career, rallying to win the 100-metre backstroke.
 
"Indescribable," the 17-year-old Franklin said. "I still can't believe that happened. I don't even know what to think. I saw my parents' reaction on the screen and I just started bawling. I can't even think right now."
 
Matt Grevers kept the gold medals coming in rat-a-tat fashion, following up Franklin's win with one of his own in the men's 100 back. For good measure, Nick Thoman made it a 1-2 finish for the red, white and blue by taking the silver.
 
Rebecca Soni nearly pulled out a third US gold, rallying furiously on the return leg of the 100 breaststroke. But she couldn't quite catch blazing Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte, a gold medalist at the tender age of 15.
 
Good thing for the US that Franklin and the other Americans are coming through.

Phelps missed the podium in his 2012 Olympic debut, and Lochte has turned two straight disappointing performances after opening the games with a dominant win in the 400 individual medley. He finished fourth and off the podium yesterday in the 200 freestyle, which France's Yannick Agnel won by a full body length against a field with gold medalists galore.
 
On Sunday, Lochte anchored the US in the 4x100 free relay, taking over with a seemingly comfortable lead. But Agnel chased him down on the final leg, giving France the gold.
 
Now, another defeat.

"I did my best," Lochte said. "I guess sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I gave it 110 per cent. There's probably some things I messed up on, but you live and learn. (Agnel is) a great racer. There's no doubt about it. He's quick and he showed it last night and tonight. I'm happy for him. He did good."
 
Franklin, who was rattled less than two weeks before the Olympics by the Aurora theatre shooting not far from her home, showed tremendous resiliency racing with such a short break following the semis of the 200 freestyle.
 
She barely advanced in the first race, qualifying for Tuesday night's final with the eighth-fastest time, but she was clearly saving something for the one with a medal on the line.
 
Australia's Emily Seebohm, the top qualifier, led at the turn and was under world-record pace, but Franklin showed a remarkable finishing kick. With her arms whirling, the 6-foot-1 swimmer passed the Aussie in the final 25 metres and lunged toward the wall for a winning time of 58.33 seconds.
 
She broke into a big smile but was clearly exhausted, her head dropping back against the wall. Seebohm settled for silver in 58.68 and Japan's Aya Terakawa took bronze in 58.83.
 
"You never know until you see that scoreboard, so I was just going as fast as I could until I got my hand on the wall," Franklin said. "It was 110 percent effort, and all the work paid off."
 
The six-foot-eight Grevers pulled off a similar rally on his return lap, winning the 100 back in 52.16 — the fifth straight Olympics, dating to the 1996 Atlanta Games, that the US men have won the backstroke. Thoman joined his teammate on the medal podium at 52.97, a finish they were thinking about all along.
 
"Going into the ready room, we were both just sitting there and we shared a look and shared a thought," Thoman said. "I think that was in both of our heads."
 
Japan's Ryosuke Irie was third in 52.97.

"I've been watching the Olympics for as long as I can remember," Thoman said. "The first one I really remember is the '92 Barcelona Games and just watching guys back then. Seeing Lenny Krayzelburg, my idol, and then Aaron Piersol, again my idol, who I got to train with for a little while. Just being able to carry on that tradition, it's a great thing."
 
Agnel showed that his brilliant swim on the Olympic relay was no fluke. The six-foot-six Frenchman did it again.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/American_women_dismiss_Angola-164352806.html

American women dismiss Angola
Story Created: Jul 30, 2012 at 11:01 PM ECT

l LONDON

The US women say they don't care about the final score. They just want to have least one more point than their opponents at the end of games in the women's Olympic basketball tournament.
 
That sounds like the right thing to say after Candace Parker had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Americans to a 90-38 rout of Angola yesterday.
 
But the Americans aren't just being politically correct.

They know they are still a work in progress, having only been together training for two weeks, and are going to play some tough games during the tournament.
 
The game against Angola was expected to be an easy romp—and it was—with the US overwhelming the Olympic newcomers.
 
Parker finished with her second double-double of the tournament. She said her teammates did a good job of getting her the ball.
 
"The goal is to continue to get better every game and I think that was what we did" against Angola, Parker said.
 
The Americans (2-0) have won their last 35 straight games in the Olympics and four consecutive gold medals while Angola is looking for its first victory. The team lost its opener to Turkey by 22 points meaning African nations have only won one of their 25 games in the Olympics since Congo—formerly known as Zaire—first qualified in the 1996 Atlanta Games.
 
Nigeria own the only victory, beating Korea by four points in 2004.

The Americans had played African teams twice and routed them both. The US beat Zaire by 60 points in 1996 and then Mali by 56 at the Beijing Games in 2008.
 
Angola (0-2) did fare a little better than its continental neighbours. The team stayed close to the Americans for the first quarter, only trailing by 10 at the end of the period. Then the US put the game away outscoring the African country 19-6 in the second period. Parker hit two nifty reverse lay-ins in the quarter.
 
The Americans continued the rout in the second half, extending the advantage to as many as XX points. The strong crowd which had witnessed some very competitive games all day, emptied out early in the final period knowing the outcome wasn't in doubt.
 
Coach Geno Auriemma rested centre Sylvia Fowles, who has a sore left foot. It didn't matter as the six-foot-four Parker looked confident on the floor, demanding the ball in the post and running the floor for easy layups.
 
The game was a contrast for the US from its opener when the Americans struggled on offence for the first three quarters before pulling away from Croatia.
 
Despite the lopsided final score, Auriemma has been impressed in the growth he's seen in Angola and other African countries.
 
"Angola's one of those countries you hope, because of what's happened with the US and some other places in women's basketball, that other African countries pick up and say that could be us," Auriemma said. "Hopefully that's a country that becomes accustomed to playing in the Olympics. Hopefully they devote more energy and resources and they can come back to the Olympics on a regular basis."
 
Next up for the US are Turkey, who improved to 2-0 in pool play with a 61-57 victory over the Czech Republic. The Americans also will face China and the Czech Republic. The US beat the Czechs in the finals of the 2010 world championship to qualify for the London Games.
 
In other games Saturday, France shocked Australia 74-70 in OT. It was the first loss by the Aussies to anyone other than the US in an Olympic game since 1996. China routed Croatia 83-58; Russia beat Brazil 69-59; and Canada edged Britain 73-65.

[Socapro]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Tough_day_on_the_water-164352996.html

Tough day on the water
Lewis 45th in Laser class after two races
By Kwame Laurence in London
Story Created: Jul 30, 2012 at 11:01 PM ECT

Andrew Lewis had a tough day in the water on his Olympic debut, on the Weymouth Bay South course, here in Dorset, England, yesterday.
 
Competing in the men's Laser class, the Trinidad and Tobago sailor is 45th in a field of 49 after the first two races.
 
Lewis became the sixth member of an elite club of T&T sailors who have appeared at the Olympics. He joined the Barrow brothers, Rawle and Cordell (1964), Richard Bennett and David Farfan (1972), and Jean-Marc Holder (1984). Bennett also competed at the 1960 Games as part of a British West Indies team.
 
But while his place in history is not lost on Lewis, the young sailor is not satisfied with mere Olympic qualification. He wants more.
 
"I'm trying to target the top 25," Lewis told the Express, after yesterday's second race, "and right now I'm very far off of that, but that's only two races out of ten. We have a whole different race course tomorrow (today), and it's going to be a whole different kind of sailing. Being 45th is not where I want to be. I have a lot of work to do."
 
In the opening race, Lewis finished 46th. He improved by three places in race two, copping 43rd spot for a two-race total of 89 points (the higher the total, the lower the placing).
 
On his second shot at conquering the Weymouth Bay South course, the 22-year-old T&T sailor fought his way to 37th, but lost ground in the second half of the race.
 
"Today was a really, really tough day for me on the water. I had an excellent start in the first race, and then I made a huge tactical error. But I managed to stay with the fleet. It could have been worse.
 
"In the second race," he continued, "I had a pretty good start. But I was feeling a bit tired out there. I wasn't getting the energy I had yesterday (Sunday), in the practice race. I fought till the end, though, and had a better race than I had in the first race. I fought hard. It wasn't a very good day for me, but the Olympics is where the best of the best are, and I'm in it…"
 
Lewis was not yet born when T&T last had representation in an Olympic sailing event, Holder finishing 20th in the Finn class at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, USA.
 
Lewis said he plans to make Olympic participation a habit.

"I'm not here to do one Olympics. I want to do at least three Olympics in my life, hopefully four. So being here is not just to play around. I set a goal for myself, the top 25, and I'm not making it right now, so I'm not very happy. But I'm definitely not going to give up.
 
"I'm very glad," Lewis continued, "and very grateful to be here in this level of competition. I worked really hard to get here."
 
The cold winds that penetrated my two layers of clothing on the upper deck of a media boat, yesterday, made it clear that sailing in Weymouth Bay South was no comfortable experience.
 
Lewis, though, did not make the conditions an issue.

"Yesterday (Sunday), I sailed in the same conditions in the practice race, and did a lot better. I couldn't get the boat going, so there was a lot of frustration. But I tried to channel that frustration into positive energy, and it did help in the second race."
 
Also on the media boat yesterday was Guatemalan journalist Fernando Lopez. The Prensa Libre writer was a very happy man. The Guatemalan sailor, Juan Ignacio Maegli is second after two races, with 11 points, after finishing first in the opening race and 10th in race two. Third-placed Tonci Stipanovic, of Croatia, also has 11 points.
 
Australia's five-time world champion, Tom Slingsby, leads the field with three points, after a runner-up finish in the opener and victory in the second race.
 
The 2008 Olympic gold medallist, Briton Paul Goodison, is 17th with 33 points.

Races three and four in the men's Laser class event will be contested today, starting at 9 a.m. (T&T time) and 10.30 a.m., respectively.
 
Lewis is hoping his second day on the water at Weymouth and Portland, here in Dorset, will be a big improvement on his first.
 
"That tactical mistake I made, I definitely can't make those kinds of mistakes again. I went to the wrong side of the course when I was doing really well. I need to have my eyes more open, have more of a trust in myself, and don't let any nervousness or second thoughts get to me—sail more on my instinct. I've been doing it for many years now."
 
George Bovell has been swimming for many years. He made his Olympic debut as a 17-year-old at the 2000 Games, in Sydney, Australia, and is hoping to claim his second Olympic medal at the 2012 London Games.
 
The 2004 men's 200 metres individual medley bronze medallist is targeting precious metal in the 50 free in London. He got his feet wet in Sunday's 100m backstroke event, finishing first in his heat and 29th overall in 55.22 seconds—a new national record.
 
Bovell will be back in the Aquatics Centre pool at 5.08 this morning (T&T time), swimming in heat four in the 100m freestyle. Of the 60 men in the field, the T&T swimmer has the 37th fastest qualifying time—49.94 seconds.
 
Also on show today will be T&T boxer Carlos Suarez. He squares off against Turkey's Ferhat Pehlivan, at the ExCel South Arena 2, in a men's light flyweight first round bout.

MEDAL Table (After Day 3)

Rank Team Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 China 9 5 3 17
2 USA 5 7 5 17
3 France 3 1 3 7
4 N Korea 3 0 1 4
5 Italy 2 4 2 8
6 S Korea 2 2 2 6
7 Russia 2 0 3 5
8 Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2
9 Japan 1 4 6 11
10 Australia 1 2 1 4
11 Romania 1 2 0 3
12 Brazil 1 1 1 3
12 Hungary 1 1 1 3
14 Netherlands 1 1 0 2
15 Ukraine 1 0 2 3

DAY 3 MEDALS

Swimming
Women's 100m Back: 1. USA (Missy Franklin) 2. Australia (Emily Seebohm) 3. Japan (Aya Terakawa)
Men's 200m Free: 1. France (Yannick Agnel) 2. China (Sun Yang), S Korea (Park Taehwan)
Men's 100m Back: 1. USA (Matt Grevers) 2. USA (Nick Thomas) 3. Japan (Ryosuke Irie)
Women's 100m Breast: 1. Ruta Meilutyte 2. USA (Rebecca Soni) 3. Japan (Satomi Suzuki)

Diving
Men's Sync 10m Platform: 1. China 2. Mexico 3. USA

Fencing
Women's Individual Epee: 1. Ukraine (Yana Shemyakina) 2. Germany (Britta Heidemann) 3. China (Sun Yujie)

Gymnastics
Men's Team: 1. China 2. Japan 3. Great Britain

Weightlifting
Women's 58kg (128 lbs): 1. China (Li Xueying) 2. Thailand (Pimsiri Sirikaew) 3. Ukraine (Yuliya Kalina)
Men's 62kg (137 lbs): 1. N Korea (Kim Un Guk) 2. Colombia (Oscar Figueroa Mosquera) 3. Indonesia (Irawan Eko Yuli)

Judo
Men's Lightweight 73kg (161 lbs): 1. Russia (Mansur Isaev) 2. Japan (Riki Nakaya) 3. France (Ugo Legrand), Mongolia (Nyam-Ochir Sainjargal)
Women's Lightweight 57kg (125 lbs): 1. Japan (Kaori Matsumoto) 2. Romania (Corina Caprioriu) 3. France (Automne Pavia), USA (Marti Malloy)

Shooting
Men's 10m Air Rifle: 1. Romania (Alin George Moldoveanu) 2. Italy (Niccolo Campriani) 3. India (Gagan Narang)

[vb]

Bovell did not start the 100 metre freestyle. Was this deliberate?