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Mar 5 '19
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Ben Ryan took his gold-medal favorite Fiji mens squad along to watch the womens rugby sevens quarterfinals, hoping their presence would inspire another Fijian team to win a race for the Pacific island nations first Olympic medal. Stitched Jerseys .It wasnt to be, with the Fijian women losing to Britain on Sunday night and leaving it to coach Ryan and his sevens world series champions to make history in Rio de Janeiro.Fiji has competed at the Olympics since 1956 but never won a medal, although theyve never had a chance to compete in the national sport at the Summer Games. Rugby, in the abbreviated sevens format, is returning to the Olympics for the first time in 92 years.Fijians all over the world think thats all Ryans men need to break the medal drought in a competition that kicks off Tuesday.But a New Zealand squad containing Sonny Bill Williams -- a two-time World Cup winner in the 15-a-side game and the highest-profile star competing in rugbys return to the Olympics after 92 years -- won as many titles (3) as Fiji on the 10-stop world sevens circuit.The depth of the 12-team mens competition is considerably greater than the womens tournament, which ended Monday with No. 1-ranked Australia and No. 2-ranked New Zealand in the final.As well as the New Zealand men, 12-time world series champion in sevens, other genuine medal contenders include No. 2-ranked South Africa, No. 4 Australia, No. 5 Argentina, the No. 6-ranked United States and No. 7 Kenya, which had a breakthrough season in 2016.South Africa has been runner-up in the last four world series and contains some of the season-leading individual players, including prolific try-scorer Seabelo Senatla.It is an exciting time for the rugby sevens team here in Rio, South Africa coach Neil Powell said. There is a good spirit among the players and we are confident we can deliver the goods.Ryan, who took over as Fijis sevens coach in 2013, knows his team is expected to win and is trying just to ensure theyre peaking at the perfect time.The Fijians won the opening round of the world series the last two seasons, and have won four of the last five three-day tournaments, Ryan said, suggesting he knew how to time his run.The South Africans are in Pool B with Australia, France and Spain. New Zealand, Britain, Kenya and Japan are in Pool C and the Fijians were drawn into Pool A with the United States, Argentina and Brazil.The Americans are the defending gold medalists, having won in 1924, but the format for the Olympics and the rugby world order has changed significantly since then.Its nice having a little bit of history, I dont know if its something we can directly pull upon, said U.S. captain Madison Hughes, the leading point-scorer in the last world sevens series. It was so long ago, but its a cool bit of history and were definitely looking to go out there and defend that gold medal.The U.S. team won its first title on the world sevens circuit in 2015 and keeps growing in strength, with the speed of Perry Baker and Carlin Isles out wide to supplement the muscle of NFL player Nate Ebner, who was granted permission by the New England Patriots to play at the Olympics.We have such different talent on our team, and we have brought them together, and I think its about having those different balances of athletic background, Hughes said. You have got guys who are specialized in one area, guys that are specialized in another, and then weve got a couple of rugby heads in the middle, trying to pull it all together.Hughes said the nature of the fast and furious sevens game ensured any team could win the gold medal.You saw it in the World Series this year, there were so many different winners, he said. It is incredibly competitive, incredibly balanced, and I think if you were saying you know who is going to win the gold medal, youd be lying. NFL Jerseys Cheap . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Cheap NFL Jerseys . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. 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RIO DE JANEIRO -- At the risk of allowing the internet trolls and conspiracy theorists to enjoy one more little frisson of undeserved recognition about what ugly little pieces of work they are, this needs to be said as simply and loudly as possible:American gymnast Gabby Douglas has nothing to apologize for about her podium behavior during the playing of the national anthem Tuesday, after the U.S. womens gymnastics team won the gold medal.Get off her back.The gripes that Douglas looked a little distracted during the playing of the anthem, or didnt put her hand over her heart like the rest of her teammates -- thats the complaint? Seriously, thats it? Thats what sparked a feeding frenzy that has metastasized into some even more ludicrous conjecture that Douglas decision to stand with her arms at her side was some sort of protest gesture because ... well, why? Because shes black?Its absurd. It speaks more to the fatuous junk that passes for news today and the ugly tenor of racial politics in the U.S. and beyond than it does anything Douglas is actually guilty of. But that didnt stop the story from going viral for more than a day. Which also would be laughable, if Douglas didnt feel so badly she posted a statement on Twitter saying she hoped she didnt offend anyone. She also reasserted how much she considers representing the U.S. an honor.Anyone who knows anything about Douglas knows she has done nothing to contradict those claims.Douglas has been exemplary during her U.S. national team career, both in London in 2012, when she became the first African-American gymnast to win the Olympic all-around, and again here in Rio, even though shes now a role player on the team instead of its unabashed star.#GoUSA?? #TeamUSA?? #FinalFive?? ???????????????????? pic.twitter.com/vzhFZxYOWb- Gabrielle Douglas (@gabrielledoug) August 10, 2016Her groundbreaking win in 2012 was as unexpected as her performance was sensational. She was an effervescent, talented kid of 16 back then who became an instant role model. Shes a tender, talented woman of 20 now who pauses before she speaks, being thoughtful and respectful.Like teammate Aly Raisman, who is 22, Douglas took some time off after the London Games, then made a comeback to the world-class level that has been more grueling than anyone will ever know.Both of them are tough, tough athletes. But Douglas is also a sensitive person, and it has been a little melancholy to watch how the constant questions about her status on the U.S. team have drained a little joy out of the whole journey for her these last few weeks of her career, even before she got here to Rio. Nobody on the team seems to be asked to defend tthemselves more, right down to how she styles her hair. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping. She doesnt deserve it.National team coordinator Martha Karolyi and her Olympic selection committee have great discretion in picking the final team, and Karolyi in particular believed in Douglas ability so much, she kept Douglas on this Olympic team though a couple other gymnasts posted higher scores than she did at the U.S. national championships and, weeks later, again at the two-day U.S. Olympic trials. What nobody knew until afterward was Douglas, who finished second behind Simone Biles at last years world championships, had suffered an unannounced knee injury that wasnt revealed until after the trials when she heard her mother, Natalie Hawkins, finally disclosed it to a few reporters.Douglas, overhearing her, groaned, Aw, mom ... as if she didnt approve.Douglas refused to make excuses then. And she has gone on to vindicate Karlolyis trust at every turn since. So again, get off her back.Tuesday, she was part of a team effort that hit all 12 of the routines without a notable mistake. The U.S. won by the most impressive margin of victory ever, given the era they compete in. Douglas also scored high enough on the uneven bars to make the individual finals Saturday. And if there wasnt a limit of two gymnasts per country in the individual all-around competition that Biles won Thursday, Douglas would have been here, too, because she had the third-best overall qualifying score. She wouldve had the chance to defend her all-around title and compete with Biles and Raisman for a U.S. medal sweep.Yeah, itll be a little weird to watch, Douglas allowed with a smile Tuesday, but Ill be cheering my heart out for Simone and Aly to win.So thats just a little of the backstory about what Douglas went through by the time she arrived on the medal podium Tuesday. Its perfectly understandable if she was feeling a mix of joy, exhaustion, nostalgia and melancholy all at once. (A tornado of emotions, in Biles words.)Douglas had just experienced the beginning of the end of her gymnastics career. She knew her life-altering reign as Olympic all-around champ was officially over.Douglas had talked for weeks before Rio about how she wanted to try to remember this Olympics, because everything was a blur in London. Hopefully thats where shell assign the criticism of her medal podium appearance when these Games are over. The only thought Gabby Douglas should have as she walks away from Rio is shes one of the best, most admirable Olympic gymnasts the United States has had. ' ' '
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