. Its disappointing.Fellow defender Tom Lonergan, | Forum

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The spectators told Monica Puig they believed she could win Puerto Ricos first Olympic gold medal in any sport, providing a soundtrack of Si se puede! -- Yes, we can! -- during the Rio de Janeiro Games womens tennis final. Nike Air Max 97 Scontate .She could. And she did.The unseeded and unheralded Puig capped her run of upsets with the biggest one of all Saturday, overpowering No. 2 Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 to become the Olympic champion.I did hear everybody saying, Yes, you can! Yes, you can! Yes, you can! I kept repeating it inside myself: `Yes, I can! Yes, I can! Yes, I can! Puig said. They really helped me believe and just showed me they were there for me, whether I was going to win or lose.Puigs father told her he believed, too, emailing the lyrics to the Puerto Rican national anthem a day earlier, just in case they would come in handy.And so, as the strains of that song echoed around an Olympic arena for the first time, and Puerto Ricos red-white-and-blue flag was raised to the highest level during a medal ceremony for the first time, Puig remembered what Dad had written.She recognized plenty of the words as fans belted them out.She just couldnt join in the joyous chorus, for a simple reason: too many tears.If I wouldve stopped crying, I probably would have started singing, Puig said afterward, smiling at the thought. But I couldnt. I was choking up the whole time.A 22-year-old born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and now based in Florida, Puig is also the first woman representing her country to earn a medal of any color. When she finished a tense closing game -- saving six break points and converting her fourth match point -- she flung away her racket and went over to collect a flag she paraded across the court.I couldnt really believe what just happened, she said. It was such an amazing moment.Gigi Fernandez, who is Puerto Rican, won two Olympic womens doubles gold medals in tennis, but did so while representing the United States.Im particularly happy for Puerto Rico, Fernandez said in a telephone interview from Connecticut. All the hurt that people felt, all the anger people felt because I played for the U.S., I couldnt be happier.Puig had shown promise in the past, reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon as a teen in 2013, but she hasnt been that far again at any major.Also notable about Puig: She is the first unseeded woman to win the singles title since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988. Ranked 34th, she added her surprising win over Kerber -- a German who won the Australian Open and was the Wimbledon runner-up this year -- to those she picked up in Brazil against two other past major title winners, Garbine Muguruza and Petra Kvitova.Earlier Saturday, Kvitova earned the bronze for the Czech Republic by beating Madison Keys of the United States 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.Kvitova called her medal one of the best things that happened in my career, definitely.Clearly, Puig felt the same.And she played attacking tennis full of powerful shots that seemed to rattle the counter-punching Kerber.Puig smacked a down-the-line backhand -- her 18th winner to that point, 10 more than Kerber -- for a break that gave her the opening set.During the ensuing changeover, Kerber was visited by a trainer, standing on the sideline while her lower back was massaged and manipulated, before heading to the locker room for a medical timeout. Kerber said later that bothered her from the outset, but it wasnt why she lost.She played her best tennis and one of her best matches in her career, for sure, Kerber said. I tried everything.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich---AP Sports Writers Jon Krawczynski and Tim Reynolds contributed. Nike Epic React Flyknit . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Air Max 97 Ultra 17 Uomo .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. http://www.airmaxscontionline.it/nike-air-more-money.html .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. The future of some of Geelongs most decorated AFL veterans remains uncertain after their crushing preliminary final loss to Sydney.Triple premiership stars Jimmy Bartel and Corey Enright are no certainty to play in 2017 after the Cats 37-point loss to the Swans at the MCG.Bartel was among Geelongs better performers in the preliminary final but his future has been hotly debated after some indifferent games towards the end of the season.The 2007 Brownlow medallist is understood to have triggered a clause in his contract to play on next year but theres speculation about how much time he would be forced to spend in the VFL.I dont think I would sign up for next year to be a VFL footballer, to just use in the case of emergency, Bartel told SEN radio in August.If I was playing VFL football, it would be there to go back and press for selection.Backline general Corey Enright was in tears as he left the ground on Friday night, prompting suggestions he might hang up his boots.The 35-year-old is clearly playing wwell enough to continue his career - he earned his sixth All-Australian berth this season - but would be among the oldest players in the AFL if he keeps playing. Nike Air Max 98 Gundam. .Star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield said he wasnt sure whether Enrights emotion after the game suggested he was considering retirement.You understand these opportunities dont come around all that often, he said.Footys an emotional game at different stages. I beg to argue with anyone that has a contrary view to that.Its a tough game. Its one (where) you live and die by the result and its bitter. Its disappointing.Fellow defender Tom Lonergan, 32, is also out of contract and yet to signal whether he will play on next year.After Friday nights game, Geelong coach Brad Scott refused to say whether the veterans would continue.Im not going to address any of that tonight - that would be inappropriate, he said. NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys WholesaleNFL Jerseys ChinaJerseys WholesaleJerseys NFL ChinaCheap Jerseys ChinaChina NFL Jerseys ' ' '