Jamaica smashes WR in men's relay
 

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 2:55 AM

The world's fastest man Usain Bolt collected his third Olympic gold medal when he helped Jamaica smash the world record to win the men's 4x100 metres relay final.

Bolt, who won the 100 and 200 finals in world record times, teamed up with Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell to clock 37.10 seconds, slashing 0.30 off the mark set by the United States at the 1993 world championships.

"It's a great feeling. I was really excited to go out there and give Usain his third world record," Powell said.

Trinidad and Tobago finished second in 38.06, about 10 metres behind their Caribbean neighbours, and Japan was third in 38.15.

Britain, the US and Nigeria, the medallists in Athens four years ago, missed out on the final after mistakes in the heats, leaving Jamaica as overwhelming favourites for gold.

While Jamaica's women's 4x100 relay team missed out on a medal after failing to get finish, there were no mistakes for the Jamaican men as they handed over seamlessly with Bolt running the third leg and Powell, the former world record holder, sprinting clear on the last.

The victory stretches Jamaica's dominance in the Games' sprinting schedule while setting the fifth world record on the track.

Hooker ends 40-year gold drought
 

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 10:57 AM

Steve Hooker has won Australia's 12th gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, setting a Games record of 5.96 metres to win the men's pole vault.

It was the first track and field gold medal for the Australian men's team since Ralph Doubell won the 800m at the 1968 Mexico Games, and the first in the field since John Winter's gold medal in the men's high jump at London 1948.

The 26-year-old Commonwealth champion won the competition when he vaulted 5.90m at his third attempt.

He then went on to break American Tim Mack's previous Olympic record of 5.95m, set at the Athens Games in 2004.

He then opted to call it a night, neglecting to push towards the world record of 6.14m, held by Ukrainian Sergey Bubka.

Russian Evgeny Lukyanenko claimed silver with 5.85m and Ukraine's Denys Yurchenko won bronze with 5.70m on countback.

"The whole competition was mentally and physically the hardest thing I've done in my life," Hooker said.

"It was more like boxing than pole vault.

"I was close to missing 5.80m but I made the big jumps when it counted."

The 26-year-old Victorian said setting an Olympic record had not been his goal.

"I'm just happy to put it together when it counts," he said.

"I didn't care if I jumped an Olympic record or 5.50m. It's all about winning out here.

"However, the Olympic record is really special to me. Tim Mack is a really good friend of mine."

Hooker acknowledged that he had done his nerves no favours by leaving himself until the third attempt at several heights.

"I can't believe it. I was not expecting to see more 'O's than 'X's on my scorecard.

"I didn't expect to be there on my third attempt, and to do it three times, it's very draining.

"I should have skipped the second jumps altogether. They were not working for me.

"I should have gone straight to the third.

"I'm starting to feel like a pretty happy guy. You can probably see the look on my face as I go over the bar on the footage.

"It's like nothing I've ever experienced in my life.

"I stood at the end of the runway before that jump, and it was like something I'd imagined when I was a kid growing up."

'Nerve-wracking'


Australian high performance manager Max Binnington admitted it was a nerve-racking experience watching on.

"When he passed at 5.75, we were worried," he said.

"Steve's always been a bit adventurous, and that's what's got him to those heights.

"It was nerve-wracking for us, but he knew what he was doing."

Mr Binnington said he was pleased to see a new generation of athletes coming to the fore.

"It's been terrific," he said. "Our young athletes are the ones who've come through, and they're the ones we're counting on into the future."

"We expected Steve to be amongst the medals.

"If he hadn't won it I think he would have been very disappointed."

Rice given flag for closing ceremony
 

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 12:37 PM

Swimmer Stephanie Rice will carry the Australian flag in tomorrow's closing ceremony of the Olympic Games after starring with three gold medals in Beijing.

Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) head John Coates says Rice's brilliant display at the Water Cube was the standout Australian performance of the Games.

Rice says she is surprised she was chosen for the honour.

"He said, I'd really like for you to be the flag bearer and I just thought, oh my gosh. I never even saw that coming at all," she aid.

"I feel so honoured to be given this role and I guess I'm really looking forward to it.

"Because I didn't get to go to the opening ceremony I was really looking forward to going to the closing but now even more so."

Mr Coates says Rice's performance in the pool set the mood for the entire Olympic team.

"That is in recognition of her sensational performance winning two individual and one relay event in the swimming in the first week," he said.

"All of that was very, very important for the encouragement and setting the mood for our team as a whole, the performance of the swimmers in winning 20 medals, and Stephanie leading the way in that regard."

Becks on a bus headlines handover
 

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 1:18 PM

David Beckham will kick footballs from the top of a red double-decker bus as London showcases its plans for the 2012 Olympics during Sunday's Beijing closing ceremony, British media reported Saturday.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Leona Lewis, playing a version of the 1970s band's classic hit "Whole Lotta Love", will join the former England football captain for Sunday's eight-minute handover slot.

The set will start after London Mayor Boris Johnson receives the Olympic flag during the finale at the Bird's Nest Stadium.

An iconic red London bus will then drive into the stadium followed by gold medal-winning cyclists Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton, who will be pedalling behind it dressed like regular city riders.

The bus will then stop and be surrounded by dancers before Page and Lewis emerge from the top deck on rising columns. Beckham will appear towards the end of the song and shoot a football into the centre of the field.

The show will reportedly cost around 2.5 million pounds ($5.34 million) and feature a 70-strong cast.

Stephen Powell, its creative director, told the Guardian newspaper that the intention was to put on a typically British show.

"The London bus is an iconic image that will be recognisable to anyone watching anywhere in the world and it will be in complete contrast to what has gone before," he said.

"We wanted to do a show that is irrepressibly British, iconic, eclectic and witty."

Bill Morris, London 2012's director of ceremonies, added that he had been stunned by the scale of the Beijing opening ceremony but said the handover would try to do something unique.

"We will take a London approach and will be different. Our approach is to keep it simple and creative, to make it youthful and diverse, entertaining and fun," he told newspapers.

The closing ceremony will be watched by around 90,000 people in the stadium and millions on television around the world.

Aussie Mitcham challenges Chinese bid for diving sweep
 

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 3:18 PM

China's bid for a sweep of all eight diving gold medals at the Beijing Games was under pressure Saturday heading into the final of the men's 10 metres platform.

Huo Liang was the leader after the semi-finals at the Water Cube, with a total of 549.95 points.

But Australian Matthew Mitcham, looking to atone for a poor performance in the 3m springboard, was right behind him, following up a fine preliminary performance by finishing the semi-finals in second with 532.20 points, ahead of China's Zhou Luxin (526.20).

"It's anybody's," world number three Mitcham said of the gold.

"I think one bad dive from anyone and they're out of the competition, that's the high standard of the competition."

Huo, ranked number two in the world, said his semi-final performance was a big improvement on his showing in Friday's preliminaries, and he hoped to do better still in the final.

"I wasn't relaxed enough in the preliminary," he said.

Zhou, on the other hand, was less assured in the semi-finals, with a mediocre final dive - a reverse three-and-a-half somersault - costing him.

"There were some technical deficiencies in my last dive," he said.

"I failed to get my body full adjusted this morning. Hopefully I will get better tonight."

Taylor passed fit for Opals' gold medal bid
 

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 3:49 PM

Penny Taylor will join the Opals in tonight's gold medal match against the United States in the women's basketball in Beijing.

Taylor has been under an injury cloud since straining a ligament in her right ankle in a match against the Czech Republic on Tuesday night.

She stayed on the bench during the Opals' quarter-final win over China on Thursday night.

But coach Jan Stirling says Taylor says she is now ready to play for gold against the United States.

"She's trained today," she said. "Got through the training session. Definitely (she'll) play tonight."

Stirling says the experience of having had a question mark over Taylor's fitness has benefitted the team's preparation for the crucial game.

"That negative of not having her has turned into a positive," she said.

"The team are really united and understand that all of us will need to play well to get over the line."

Stirling says Taylor trained this morning and will take to the court even though she is not quite up to speed.

"If you look at our game against China we played a very scary semi-final against the host nation without Penny Taylor and everyone else came and chipped in so we certainly know we got the depth," she added.

Messi magic steers Argentina to repeat gold triumph
 

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 4:17 PM

Argentina claimed back-to-back Olympic football titles with the winning goal engineered by superstar Lionel Messi in a 1-0 win over former champions Nigeria in the gold medal match at the Beijing Games on Saturday.

Messi disentangled himself from Nigeria's tight marking to put team-mate Angel Di Maria clear on goal early in the second half of a final played in sapping midday heat at the National Stadium.

Benfica's Di Maria chipped the advancing goalkeeper Ambruse Vanzekin to break the deadlock and score what proved the winning goal in the 58th minute.

Argentina successfully defended the Olympic crown from its 1-0 win over Paraguay in Athens four years ago.

Nigeria went in with the pyschological edge from winning the corresponding final 12 years ago in Atlanta 3-2 to become the first African Olympic champions.

But although the Nigerians kept the irrepressible Messi in check for the most part, he ultimately sunk them with his exhilarating skills.

Messi, who almost did not play in Beijing with Barcelona wanting him back in Spain in time for the Champions League third qualifying round matches, came close to scoring 13 minutes from the end, but was thwarted by a fearless covering tackle from Nice central defender Onyekachi Apam.

Messi again proved a thorn to Nigeria after bringing them undone in the final of the 2005 FIFA under-20 World Cup in Utrecht when he earned and converted two penalties in a 2-1 win.

Nigeria frustrated Argentina's normally free-flowing attacks, double-marking dangerman Messi and protecting their goal comfortably for most of the opening half.

Penalty shouts


The defending champions began well with Di Maria put clear by skipper Juan Riquelme in the ninth minute and was brought down on the edge of the box.

The Africans came more into the game and Hertha Berlin right winger Solomon Okoronkwo, the only over-aged player in the Nigerian squad, produced some sweet touches to combine well with striker Victor Obinna.

Sergio Aguero, whose two goals destroyed Brazil in Tuesday's semi-finals, was put through by Di Maria but a strong tackle from Apam saw off the threat in the 16th minute.

Messi appealed for a penalty when he surged into the area but it was turned down and at the other end left-winger Peter Odemwingie's header was just over the bar.

The fierce midday heat forced Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai to stop play for a water break on the half-hour and minutes after, Odemwingie skipped around Nicolas Pareja and skipper Promise Isaac just missed connecting with the cross.

The ball came back and Isaac's header was saved by Sergio Romero in Nigeria's best chance of the half.

Argentina did not get its first corner until the 39th minute and just before half-time Apam again saw off another Messi threat and Di Maria let fly with a fierce long-range volley which just missed the right post.

Messi almost scored minutes after the interval flicking the ball around a defender and unleashing a stinging volley that was taken by Vanzekin.

Apam went into the referee's book for a heavy tackle on Di Maria as Argentina began to take more control of the game.

Messi presented Aguero with a great chance 15 minutes from the end but a desperate tackle forced him to lash over the bar.

Messi had a chance moments later skipping clear after winning the ball in a tackle but Apam saved the situation with a great covering tackle on the edge of the box.

Wallace takes gold in K1 500m
 

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 10:15 PM

Australian kayaker Ken Wallace has won Australia's 13th gold medal of the Beijing Games with victory in the men's K1 500 metres.

Wallace, who yesterday won bronze in the 1,000m event, was second at the 250m mark but produced a blistering back-half performance to overtake Canadian Adam van Koeverden in the final 100 metres.

The 25-year-old Wallace finished in a time of one minute and 37.252 seconds, just .378 ahead of van Koeverden.

"I am ecstatic, I didn't really know where I was," Wallace said.

"After the finish line I didn't really want to look but I'm so happy."

Van Koeverden went in as the defending champion and Wallace knew he would be extremely tough to beat.

"Adam's one of those really, really tough guys. You give him an inch and he's all over you," he said.

"I wish that the finish line came faster, the buoys just got from white to red and that's sort of what happens to your body.

"That's how I was feeling."

Briton Tim Brabants, the winner of the 1,000m, took bronze in 1:37.671.

It is Australia's first gold medal in the K1 500m since it was introduced at the 1976 Montreal Games.

Prior to today Australia's best result was silver, with Nathan Baggaley (2004) and John Sumegi (1980) falling short of gold.

In the men's K2 500m, gold went to Spain with Germany taking silver and Belarus bronze.

China took out the men's C2 500m while Maxim Opalev of Russia won the C1.

US clinches 4x400m relay double
 

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 11:14 PM

The United States has won gold medals in both the men's and women's 4x400 metres relays at the Beijing Olympics.

The men's team won for the seventh time in a row in an Olympic record 2 minutes and 55.39 seconds.

Beijing 400m Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt, 400m hurdles Olympic champion Angelo Taylor, 400m bronze medallist David Neville and two-time world 400m champion Jeremy Wariner broke the old mark of 2:55.74, set by US men in 1992.

Bahamas was second in 2:58.03 with Russia third in 2:58.06.

The Australian team of Sean Wroe, John Steffensen, Clinton Hill, Joel Milburn came in sixth. Australia won silver in the event in Athens four years ago.

In the women's, Sanya Richards surged past her Russian rival in the final few metres to help the United States win the gold medal.

Richards teamed up with Mary Wineberg, Allyson Felix and Monique Henderson to win in a time of 3 minutes and 18.54 seconds.

Russia finished second in 3:18.82 after Anastasia Kapachinskaya started the last leg with a handy lead over Richards.

Jamaica won the bronze medal in 3:20.40.

Kookaburras laugh last for bronze
 

Sunday, August 24, 2008 - 2:52 AM

Australia's men's hockey team has bounced back from a disappointing semi-final defeat to Spain to claim the bronze medal with a 6-2 win over the Netherlands.

After missing the chance to defend their Olympic gold from Athens, the Kookaburras turned on the skill early against their rivals from four years ago.

Young star Eddie Ockenden scored twice within six minutes before Des Abbott added another three minutes later.

The shell-shocked Dutch replied through penalty corner ace Taeke Taekema, his 12th goal of the tournament, and a field goal to Teun de Nooijer.

Australia went into the break leading 4-2 after a goal from Eli Matheson seven minutes before half-time and Rob Hammond added one more soon after resumption to make it 5-2.

Australia completed its scoring spree eight minutes from the end when Luke Doerner banged in a penalty corner.

Captain Bevan George said it was an impressive way to finish the tournament.

"We saved our best till last today," he said.

"I mean we played pretty well all tournament, disappointed with the semi-final (against Spain) but today everything just came together for us.

"I wish we'd played like that in the semi-final but absolutely rapt with the way the boys played today and you couldn't ask for a better finish."

He said it was disappointing not to have participated in the gold medal match.

"I think it was just the one performance really, in the semi-final," he said.

"In the end, we were just beaten by a better team in that semi-final but that's what you learn to live with and it will take a while to get over that performance, but we'll just move on and get on with the next one."

Australia's coach Barry Dancer added: "It took some time coming to grips with the semi-final defeat.

"We grieved for some time, dealt with our emotions and started to refocus.

"This is a team with comradeship, togetherness and unity and is well-placed going into 2010 and beyond."

The win bettered Australia's 6-3 triumph over Pakistan in a similar play-off for the bronze at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

The Netherlands failed to win a medal for the first time in four successive Olympics, having won the title in 1996 and 2000 and a silver in Athens.

The loss meant the veteran Dutch trio of Teun de Nooijer, goalkeeper Guus Vogels and captain Jeroen Delmee return home empty-handed from their fourth and final Olympic appearance.

"We let ourselves down, embarrassed ourselves and our country," Taekema said.

"We may be gone, but we need to find players who will be hungry to reach for the top."

Opals humbled in gold medal match
 

Sunday, August 24, 2008 - 2:56 AM

The United States has swept to a fourth successive Olympic women's basketball gold medal with a crushing win over world champion Australia in Beijing.

The predicted fireworks failed to materialise as the Americans obliterated their fierce rivals 92-65 in a totally one-sided Beijing final to win their sixth Olympic title.

Not even Australia's WNBA trio of Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor and Erin Phillips could stem the US tide.

Taylor and Phillips had skipped the first half of the US pro season to prepare for the Games, while Jackson left the Seattle Storm early to train with her teammates.

Jackson finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for Australia, while Belinda Snell scored 15, all in the first half.

"America was better than us tonight," Jackson said. "We tried hard to get there, but that's the way it goes."

Australia's Kristi Harrower said the scoreboard did not tell the whole story.

"The scoreboard doesn't really show how good we are," she said.

"And that's what hurts the most. I'd rather lose by 20 than two, but it's still disappointing.

"Defence has been our strength the whole tournament and we just let them have 90 points. That's not Australian basketball."

European champion Russia took bronze for the second consecutive Olympics by overpowering tournament hosts China 94-81.

Winning streak


The United States carried an astonishing 32-0 winning streak into Saturday's gold medal showdown, a run that was never threatened by an Australian team who came out flat.

The Opals shot a woeful 22 per cent from the floor in the first half to go back to the locker room trailing by 17 points.

The Americans, who had been crushing their opponents by an average of just under 40 points, were led by 15 points from Kara Lawson, while Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker added 14 each.

"It has been a blessing for me to be out on this court," Leslie said.

"It's my fourth Olympics and my fourth gold.

"I haven't necessarily played great during this tournament. Tonight I got into some foul trouble as did Diana (Taurasi) and Katie (Smith).

"But we fought hard and we beat Australia."

Australia, which barely improved its field goal shooting during a scrappy final two quarters, took silver behind the US women for the third straight Games.

The United States claimed its sixth gold medal in the past seven, having only missed out in Barcelona in 1992 when they took bronze behind the Unified Team.

The Russians, who were beaten by the United States in the Beijing semi-finals, had too much firepower for China, with American-born guard Becky Hammon providing the spark with 22 points.

"The medal is the icing on the cake," said Hammon, whose decision to play for Russia triggered dismay in the United States.

"I fell in love with these girls. They're sweethearts."

Centre Chen Nan carried the fight with 26 points for the Chinese, who last won an Olympic medal in women's basketball when they finished runners-up the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Mitcham gold spoils Chinese party
 

Sunday, August 24, 2008 - 10:00 AM

Australia's Matthew Mitcham has snatched gold from Chinese favourite Zhou Luxin on his final dive to win the men's 10 metres platform and deny China a sweep of all eight diving golds at the Beijing Games.

The 20-year-old trailed Zhou through the first five dives and was more than 30 points adrift prior to the final dive.

Zhou, perhaps feeling the weight of a nation's expectations, fluffed his final dive, a reverse three-and-a-half somersault.

World number three Mitcham nailed a sublime back two-and-a-half somersault with two-and-a-half twists, with a 3.8 degree of difficulty, achieving four perfect 10s.

He finished with 537.95 points to claim the gold and Zhou was left with a silver medal with 533.15 points.

"It's going to take a while to sink in," Mitcham said.

"My cheeks hurt from smiling, my face hurts from the chlorine, my legs are sore from jumping up and down.

"I'm in pain and I'm tired, but I'm so happy."

Zhou admitted he had started to become nervous in front of his home crowd.

"At the beginning I wasn't nervous, so I started well," Zhou said.

"The last dive was not as good as I could have done because I started to get nervous."

World champion Gleb Galperin of Russia snagged the bronze with 525.80 points as China's Huo Liang, first after the semi-finals, was shut out of the medals in fourth.

China, with seven titles already in the bag, was trying to become the first country since 1952 to win every diving gold on offer at a Games.

Australia's other competitor Mathew Helm finished in sixth, unable to add to his silver medal in the event in Athens four years ago.

Mitcham has become the first Australian man to win a diving gold medal since 1924.

Mitcham says he is completely surprised by his win.

"I'm going to watch the footage when I get home and I suppose I'll be impressed then because I don't even know how I dived, I don't even know what scores I got," he said.

"Because you just, you're not really in there. In the moment. You're just concentrating on your dive so much."


Australia's Matthew Mitcham has snatched gold from Chinese favourite Zhou Luxin on his final dive to win the men's 10 metres platform and deny China a sweep of all eight diving golds at the Beijing Games.

The 20-year-old trailed Zhou through the first five dives and was more than 30 points adrift prior to the final dive.

Zhou, perhaps feeling the weight of a nation's expectations, fluffed his final dive, a reverse three-and-a-half somersault.

World number three Mitcham nailed a sublime back two-and-a-half somersault with two-and-a-half twists, with a 3.8 degree of difficulty, achieving four perfect 10s.

He finished with 537.95 points to claim the gold and Zhou was left with a silver medal with 533.15 points.

"It's going to take a while to sink in," Mitcham said.

"My cheeks hurt from smiling, my face hurts from the chlorine, my legs are sore from jumping up and down.

"I'm in pain and I'm tired, but I'm so happy."

Zhou admitted he had started to become nervous in front of his home crowd.

"At the beginning I wasn't nervous, so I started well," Zhou said.

"The last dive was not as good as I could have done because I started to get nervous."

World champion Gleb Galperin of Russia snagged the bronze with 525.80 points as China's Huo Liang, first after the semi-finals, was shut out of the medals in fourth.

China, with seven titles already in the bag, was trying to become the first country since 1952 to win every diving gold on offer at a Games.

Australia's other competitor Mathew Helm finished in sixth, unable to add to his silver medal in the event in Athens four years ago.

Mitcham has become the first Australian man to win a diving gold medal since 1924.

Mitcham says he is completely surprised by his win.

"I'm going to watch the footage when I get home and I suppose I'll be impressed then because I don't even know how I dived, I don't even know what scores I got," he said.

"Because you just, you're not really in there. In the moment. You're just concentrating on your dive so much."

Opals take issue with American's podium celebration
 

Sunday, August 24, 2008 - 1:16 PM

The bitter rivalry between the Australian and US women's basketball teams has bubbled to the surface again following last night's gold medal match.

Australia turned in its worst performance of the Games to lose by 27 points, but the celebration by American centre Lisa Leslie has upset the Opals.

Leslie wore her gold medals from the three previous Olympic Games on the medal podium and Australian point guard Kristie Harrower says it annoyed the Opals.

"That was the first thing everyone noticed, the three gold medals already around her neck and we said 'what its that for' and we just looked at each other and said a few things in Australian language, and I won't make those comments here but we just couldn't believe it, could not believe it," Harrower said.

US 'Redeem Team' takes basketball gold
 

Sunday, August 24, 2008 - 6:37 PM

The United States has won the Olympic men's basketball gold medal, defeating Spain 118-107 in the championship game.

Dubbed the "Redeem Team" after missing out on gold at the last three major international tournaments, including the Athens title in 2004, the Americans were pushed hard by Spain but held on to score a hard-fought win.

Dwyane Wade top-scored for the US with 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while Lakers star Kobe Bryant hit 20 points and six assists.

LeBron James contributed 14 and Carmelo Anthony scored 13 for the US squad.

Wade, James and Anthony were all reserve members of the US team that had to settle for bronze at the 2004 Olympics, sparking the golden quest of this side.

Rudy Fernandez scored 22 to lead Spain while big man Pau Gasol, Bryant's NBA team-mate at Los Angeles, added 21 points.

Earlier, Carlos Delfino scored 20 points and Luis Scola added 16 to lead 2004 Olympic champion Argentina past Lithuania 87-75 in the bronze medal game.

Argentina, playing without injured NBA star Manu Ginobili, seized a 46-34 half-time lead, jumping ahead 35-27 on a 9-0 run, and never looked back, maintaining control throughout the second half.

Andres Nocioni added 14 points while Alfredo Quinteros and Leonardo Gutierrez each contributed 11 for Argentina, which collected only its second Olympic medal in the sport.

Ramunas Siskauskas scored 15 points to lead Lithuania, which also had 14 from Rimantas Kaukenas.

Cuban star banned for kicking ref after losing bronze in taekwondo
 

August 24, 2008 12:58pm

CUBAN taekwondo exponent Angel Valodia Matos has attacked a referee at the Beijing Olympics and faces a lifetime ban from international competition.
Swedish referee Chakir Chelbat required stitches to a cut lip after being kicked in the face by Matos after he was disqualified in a men's quarter-final bout.

The 31-year-old Cuban erupted when he was sent off for taking too much injury time in the middle of the second round of his +80kg bout against world silver medallist Arman Chilmanov of Kazakhstan.

The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) immediately said that Matos and his coach, Leodis Gonzalez, would be barred permanently from all championships it promotes and sanctions.

"This is a strong violation of the spirit of taekwondo and the Olympic Games," the stadium announcer said reading from a World Taekwondo Federation statement.

"The sanctions are the following and are effective immediately: Lifetime ban of the coach and athlete in all championships sanctioned by the World Taekwondo Federation and at the same time, all records of this athlete at the Beijing Games will immediately be erased."

But WTF secretary general Yang Jin-Suk said later the expulsion was "not final" but would be recommended to the International Olympic Committee as the incident occured during an Olympic event.

"But at the same time, we as the WTF will look, in conjunction with the IOC, to see what legal action we could impose on these individuals, separately from the IOC," Yang said.

Gonzalez added further controversy to the incident by claiming the match was fixed, accusing the Kazakhs offering bribes for Matos to lose.

Gonzalez said the referee was to blame.

"(Chelbat) was too strict," Gonzalez said.

Chilmanov was surprised at Matos's "unsportsmanlike manner" and did not believe the Cuban would have been able to continue after failing to recover within the regulation one-minute injury time.

"He got injured in the bout. To me it was obvious he was unable to continue. His toe on his left foot was broken," said Chilmanov who went on to win the bronze medal.

A women's bout also ended in controvery when China's two-time champion Chen Zhong had her quarter-final victory overturned on appeal.

Britain's Sarah Stevenson claimed she'd been robbed when the judges failed to award her two points for a high-kick to Chen's head 10 seconds from time, and the Chinese went on to win 1-0.

"They're blatantly robbing me of going into the semi-finals," Stevenson said immediately afterwards.

"There's one thing I hate about this sport is that the judges can control people's lives and can take points away and they can do whatever they want."

But she lodged an appeal and for the first time since the high-speed martial art made its debut at the 2000 Games the jury reversed the result and Stevenson went on to win a bronze medal.

South Korea won their fourth taekwondo gold medal from their fourth outing in the Games when
Cha Dong-Min beat Athens silver medallist Alexandros Nikolaidis of Greece 5-4 in the +80kg heavyweight final.

It was the first major international title for Cha who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Sunday.

It was also South Korea's first sweep of all divisions they contested, after they won three in Sydney and two in Athens.

Countries are restricted to a maximum four fighters, two men and two women, with the quota originally introduced to prevent South Korea, the homeland of the sport, monopolising the medals.
World champion Maria del Rosario Espinoza beat Norway's Nina Solheim to win the women's +67kg heavyweight gold, giving Mexico its second Olympic title after Guillermo Perez triumphed earlier in the men's -58kg competition.

Australia's Olympic performance outstanding: Coates
 

Sunday, August 24, 2008 - 9:28 PM

Australia's Olympians met expectations and provided an "outstanding" performance at the Beijing Olympics, according to John Coates.

The Australian Olympic Committee president says Australia's final medal tally of 46 is well within predictions, and reflects a result on par with Australia's past Games performances.

"We optimised our opportunities and we optimised our performance," Mr Coates said.

"The great majority of athletes had the opportunity to compete at their best and they did so.

"(I have) immense pride in the performances of these athletes. An outstanding performance."

Mr Coates said Australia had improved on its medal performance in Athens and looks set to finish sixth in total gold medals and fifth in the overall medal tally.

Australia had joined other countries improving on their performance - including Great Britain and the United States, while countries like Russia, Germany and France had performed below expectations.

Mr Coates said among his games highlights were James Tomkins's humility after he and the rest of the rowing eight failed to win a medal in his sixth Games; the domination of Australia's women swimmers in the pool, including Stephanie Rice's three gold medals; Steve Hooker's gold in the pole vault; and Ken Wallace's late rush to win bronze in the K1 1,000 metres kayak and gold in the K1 500m kayak.

Mr Coates says the emotional high point of the games was Matthew Mitcham's diving gold in the 10m platform.

"The poise and the focus of Matthew, and what he achieved was simply outstanding," he said.

'Well prepared'


Mr Coates said the team had been well-prepared for the Games and had benefited from special efforts to deal with Beijing's heat and pollution.

He says the next summer Games in London will be easier for Australian athletes - and he says bettering Britain's medals tally in Beijing will be a key motivation for the team.

"We don't have as great issues as we had here," he said.

"We knew the heat and humidity and pollution and those things were going to be a big issue.

"We are used to competing in Great Britain. All of our sports do it regularly.

"And the other great advantage that we have is that many of our sports have a base in Europe from which they can move across to London close to the Games."

The AOC predicted Great Britain would be better at these games but admit they have been surprised by just how good they have been.

The Brits have won 47 medals including 19 gold.

Mr Coates says he is determined to reverse the results in 2012.

"Great Britain isn't going to stay ahead of us. If they beat us in the Ashes, you want to go back and get them don't you?" he said.

"So that's going to be our goal in London."

Chinese challenge


Mr Coates paid tribute to the quality of venues prepared by the Beijing Games organisers.

But he repeated earlier criticism of ticketing policies, suggesting that it had robbed some events of crowd atmosphere.

He also expressed relief that Australian athletes had not used the Olympics to highlight human rights issues in China.

And he said Australia should not fear the continuing emergence of China as the dominant power at the Olympics.

China dominated the Games, finishing well clear of the United States on the medal tally.

Mr Coates said Australia should embrace the opportunity to compete against the best.

"Well we shouldn't be scared of competition, I think we should be very pleased to be engaging with China in sport," he said.

"A legacy of these Games is that Australians must have a better understanding of China.

"There would have been a lot of perceptions that would have been blown away."

Australia's team will depart on two chartered jets tomorrow and arrive back in Sydney on Tuesday morning with the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd expected to speak at a team reception at Sydney Airport.

Rogge closes Beijing Olympics
 

Sunday, August 24, 2008 - 11:19 PM

International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Jacques Rogge has declared the Beijing Olympics officially closed, bringing down the curtain on a glittering 16-day long sports extravaganza.

"These were truly exceptional Games!" Mr Rogge said at the end of the first Olympics organised by China.

The Beijing Olympics, which opened on August 8, saw China for the first time emerge as the dominant sports country at the Games, taking 51 golds to 36 for the United States and 23 for Russia

They were also a massive landmark showcasing China's full emergence as a world political and economic superpower.

Presiding at his second Games, Mr Rogge said at the conclusion to a lavish closing ceremony in the Olympic Stadium that through the Beijing Olympics "the world learned more about China and China learned more about the world".

"New stars were born. Stars from past Games amazed us again. We shared their joys and their tears, and we marveled at their ability. We will long remember the achievements we witnessed here," he said.

"As we celebrate the success of these Games, let us together wish the best for the talented athletes who will soon participate in the Paralympic Games. They also inspire us.

"To the athletes tonight: You were true role models. You have shown us the unifying power of sport.

"The Olympic spirit lives in the warm embrace of competitors from nations in conflict. Keep that spirit alive when you return home.

"These were truly exceptional Games!

"And now, in accordance with tradition, I declare the Games of the 29th Olympiad closed, and I call upon the youth of the world to assemble four years from now in London to celebrate the Games of the 30th Olympiad.

The Olympic flag was then passed on to London Mayor Boris Johnson.

London street party marks Beijing handove
 

Monday, August 25, 2008 - 12:28 AM

Around 40,000 people including record-breaking swimmer Michael Phelps have gathered to celebrate 2012 host London taking over from Beijing as the Olympic city.

The spectators watched the Olympics closing ceremony in Beijing on giant TV screens set up on the Mall near Buckingham Palace, the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, before enjoying a pop concert.

The crowd roared their approval when the big screens showed the Mayor of London Boris Johnson taking possession of the Olympic flag during the ceremony in Beijing.

The cheers grew even louder in London when, thousands of miles away in the Chinese capital, England football star David Beckham kicked a football from the roof of a red London double-decker bus.

The "Party Like It's 2012" event in London, which took place in bright sunshine after the morning rain cleared away, also featured a fly-past by the Red Arrows, the British Royal Air Force's aerobatics team.

Their jets also swooped over the British capital on the day in July 2005 when London was awarded the 2012 Games.

The star attraction at the party was Phelps, the 23-year-old from the United States, who won eight gold medals in the pool, the highest number ever by one competitor at an Olympics.

He promised that he would be back in Britain in 2012 in search of more gold.

"I still have things that I want to do in the sport, I've never competed over here in London and I'm looking forward to really experience more of the city and be able to prepare myself to hopefully swim some fast times," he said.

Olympic handover parties took place in other British cities, including the central English city of Birmingham, which will host some of the Olympic football matches.

The British team's success at the Beijing Olympics, where it won 19 gold medals and finished fourth in the overall table, has taken many by surprise and some commentators say it could help dissipate some of the cynicism about how much the London Games will cost.

The original budget was 3.4 billion pounds ($7.3 billion) but has already risen to 9.3 billion pounds ($19.9 billion).

Even the Queen has been caught up by Olympic fever - she said she had been following Team GB's successes "with great interest and admiration".

"As a nation, we now look forward to holding the Olympic Games in London in 2012," the monarch said in a statement.

"The golden triumphs of the present British team can only serve as further inspiration to those who will be working hard over the next four years to make the London games a shining example of Olympic success."

Organisers say the London Olympics will not try and emulate the scale of the Beijing extravaganza but aim to be a "sustainable" Games which leave a lasting legacy for the deprived area of east London where they will be based.

Curtain drawn on 'truly exceptional' Olympics
 

Monday, August 25, 2008 - 12:48 AM

The Beijing Olympics, played out against a background of political intrigue and featuring 16 days of compelling and controversial action, has drawn to a spectacular close.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Jacques Rogge described the Games as "truly exceptional" in a lavish closing ceremony at the Bird's Nest Stadium, which culminated in the handing over of the Olympic flag to Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, which will host the 2012 edition.

"Through these Games, the world learned more about China, and China learned more about the world," Mr Rogge said.

"These were truly exceptional Games."

The appearance of David Beckham on top of a red double-decker bus that unfolded into a hedge-clipped silhouette of London sent 91,000 fans into a frenzy in the futuristic Bird's Nest stadium.

The former England football skipper booted a ball off the top of a London bus before the Olympic flame was extinguished.

Kaleidoscope of colours


The London segment was woven into a spectacular ceremony that wrapped up a $US43 billion Games designed to showcase China's might, modernity and sporting prowess.

A ring of fireworks exploded round the rim of the stadium. Two giant drums were hoisted into the sky with two pairs of suspended drummers thumping out a hypnotic beat.

The stadium was turned into a kaleidoscope of glittering colours with 200 acrobats taking giant leaps and somersaulting across a stage on spring-heeled stilts.

Thousands of athletes poured in from all four corners of the stadium, blowing kisses and waving flags.

The towering figure of Chinese basketball player Yao Ming was seen grinning from ear to ear.

Beckham, brought up in east London, hailed Beijing's success but said before the ceremony: "I'm sure we will be better than them, without a doubt."

Britain's eight-minute chance to tell the world what the London Games would offer the world in 2012 featured guitarist Jimmy Page, who launched into the riff from 1970s classic "Whole Lotta Love".

He was joined in the Led Zeppelin classic by TV talent show winner and chart-topping singer Leona Lewis.

Queen Elizabeth also sanctioned a choral version of "God Save The Queen" backed by lush string arrangements.

Mr Johnson, his normally dishevelled blond hair carefully coiffed for the occasion, took over the Olympic flag and waved it proudly, especially after Britain's best gold medal performance for a century.

"This is a short, sharp shock that fires the starting gun for London," said organiser Martin Green, who rehearsed the British show for two weeks at a private airfield outside Beijing.

The Games saw China depose the United States as the new sports superpower.

At the end of the 16 days of competition and 302 events, China had 51 gold medals, 15 more than the United States on 36, with Russia winning 23 and Great Britain 19.

Australia finished with 14 gold medals.