Dutch sprinter Dafne Schippers, the world 200m champion, finished fifth, while American English Gardner finished eighth with a time of 10.94, well behind the 10.74 that she’d run for the year’s second-fastest time at the USA trials in July. Tori Bowe of the US got the silver, clocking in at 10.83 seconds.
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A changing of the guard in women’s sprints doesn’t mean a redrawing of the map.
Bowie warned the Jamaicans that she was determined to break that dominance, however, and get the United States back on top of the podium.
Overall, the Americans won 33 medals, including 16 golds, one of their best Olympic performances ever. Ennis-Hill needed to win the final event, the 800 meters, by nine seconds to retain her Olympic title, but she won by only seven seconds and Thiam edged her by 35 points.
She knows Thompson well, too. As a child, Bowie spent some time in foster care before she was raised by her maternal grandmother, Bobbie Smith, in rural Mississippi.
She looked no worse for wear over three heats in Rio.
Snyder, always playing down her role as the coxswain – the only person in the boat without oars – said she told the crew to “trust your fitness, and trust the plan and trust your teammates”.
In the first of the three semi-final races, Ahye, running in lane five, started slowly but accelerated during the midway phase. “When I went down I thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s it, ‘” Farah said. “I’m excited. [but] I feel like next time [the Olympics arrive], I’ll be a real professional at it”. She took her victory lap with a Jamaican flag wrapped around her shoulders. Thompson did most of the listening. She finished fifth here. “Sometimes she is misunderstood because she has a very sharp tongue”.
A lot of people have tried to explain how Jamaica is able to reliably kick out great sprinters.
And now, there’s a new champion from the island country that seems to grow them on trees.
Canada’s Rosie MacLennan became the first trampoline gymnast to win back-to-back Olympic titles by winning women’s gold Friday.
Asked about the showdown with Schippers, she said: “I just need to focus on me, because everyone out there is out to do their best”.
Thompson was one such kid.
Jason Pryce met Shelly-Ann while visiting his friend during training at the University of Technology, according to the Jamaica Observer.
She would not end the night without gold, though.
This time, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce – also the representative of Jamaican team, managed to lose, not expecting her comrades to achieve such high results. Even Thompson suggested that afterward. With ten metres to go Bowie passed Fraser-Pryce to steal silver. The foot still hurts her so much she burst into tears right after winning her semifinal heat earlier Saturday night.
To help those who grew up in an underprivileged area, such as her own, Fraser-Pryce created the Pocket Rocket Foundation. “I wasn’t going to let it go”. “I don’t want to take someone’s shine”. “It’s part of athletics”.
TENNIS: Monica Puig won Puerto Rico’s first Olympic gold medal in any sport, upsetting Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 in the women’s singles final. “When I place that medal in her hands, I’ll be crying”, Henderson, 27, said.
“I guess it wasn’t the Olympic ending I was really hoping for in terms of trying to make the final”, said Henry. I’m happy Jamaica gets the gold medal.
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“One other thing I am happy about is that Elaine got the opportunity to cross the line and get a gold medal”, Fraser-Pryce added.
