Friday, August 22, 2008 - 6:45 PM

Australia has edged out Poland for a bronze medal in the women's K4 500 metres event at the Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park.

The team of Lisa Oldenhof, Hannah Davis, Chantal Meek and Lyndsie Fogarty finished only 0.48 seconds in front of the fast-finishing Poles.

Germany continued their dominance in the event, winning in a time of 1.32.31, with silver going to the crew from Hungary.

It is the fourth consecutive time Germany has won gold in the women's K4 500 metres.

Meek said the team was not sure if they has sneaked home for bronze but a thumbs up from the shoreline confirmed their achievement.

"We didn't know where we were to be honest, we really have been working on the last 150 metres of our race," she told ABC Grandstand.

"So many times we've been in close finishes and we have been in fourth, fifth or sixth and we just didn't want that to happen again."

"We've worked so hard over the last two years, we really have put everything into it."

Friday, August 22, 2008 - 7:04 PM

Patrick Johnson says the decision not to send a men's sprint relay team to the Beijing Olympics was wrong, and could have cost Australia a place in tonight's final.

The US was among six teams to crash out of the men's 4 x 100 metres relay in last night's heats when they dropped the baton, while Great Britain and Italy were both disqualified.

Australia qualified a team in the event but Athletics Australia chose not to compete in Beijing.

Johnson says he is at a loss to explain the decision.

"Clearly disappointed that Australia wasn't represented... my clear understanding is that there was a focus in the funding for the 4 x100 relay and I have to ask the hard questions," he said.

"Why didn't the selectors not have the confidence or have the fortitude to allow the relay squad to be at the Olympic Games?"

Friday, August 22, 2008 - 7:12 PM

Bitter rivals the United States and Australia will contest the Olympics women's basketball final for the third straight time on Saturday with the underdog Opals looking to finally turn the tables.

The Americans won 74-63 in Athens four years ago and 76-54 in Sydney in 2000 and will start hot favourite again against the Australians, who are the reigning world champions from their triumph in Brazil in 2006.

The two sides were widely regarded as near certainties to contest the final before the Olympics began and they warmed up with a bruising encounter won 71-67 by the Americans that set the stage for a punishing physical battle in Beijing.

In the semi-finals, Australia took the luxury of resting injured forward Penny Taylor and still won with some ease 90-56.

The United States struggled early on in the first half against Russia, the side that stunned them in the last world championship semi-finals, before pulling away to win 67-52.

The Australians are confident key element Taylor will be fit enough to start in the final, having had time to recover from a twisted ankle. If not, her place will go to Jenni Screen, who filled in with style against the Chinese in the semis.

The Opals' other star player Lauren Jackson is also hurting with a painful right ankle that will require surgery after Beijing but she has said there was no way she would miss another tilt at the Americans.

"This doesn't stop me from playing but I am constantly hurting," the WNBA player said. "I'm used to playing while I'm injured."

Australian coach Jan Stirling admitted: "We are counting on her.

"We have to bring our 'A' game (against the United States). Any team who expects to beat them has to bring their 'A' game.

"We expect a hard physical game. We hope for a great spectacle for basketball."

Taylor said there was no doubt she would play.

"We know what we have to do and we did really well when we played them last time and we have improved since then. We have a lot of talent and more experience," she said.

US head coach Anne Donovan said that the Australians would provide the toughest of possible opponents.

"Our girls will be ready no matter who we play," she said.

"The media have been talking about USA versus Australia since the (pre-Olympic) Diamond Ball tournament."

The United States will be shooting for their sixth gold medal in the past seven, having only missed out in Barcelona in 1992 when they took bronze behind the Unified Team.

Friday, August 22, 2008 - 8:00 PM

The United States will conduct a post-mortem into a disappointing Olympic athletics performance that has seen US sprinters eclipsed by their Jamaican rivals, the chief executive officer of USA Track & Field said.

"Once the Games are complete we will be conducting a comprehensive review of all our programs," Doug Logan said in a statement.

It is the first time since 1976 that the United States have competed and failed to win a sprint title at a Games.

A miserable Games for a team that billed itself the world's best was highlighted by relay botches by both the men's and women's 4x100 metres teams.

"I, like all fans of Team USA, am extremely disappointed with the performance of our relays," Mr Logan said, after the US men's and women's 4x100 teams dropped batons in the opening relay rounds.

Mr Logan said the review would be comprehensive, looking at all USA Track & Field's high performance programs.

One subject to be addressed, he said, would be "the way in which we select, train and coach our relays".

In remarks posted on his blog, titled "Shin Splints", Logan added the poor relay performance reflected a lack of preparation.

"These are professional athletes who are the best in their field, and anybody who ever ran a high school relay cringes when that baton hits the track," he said.

It is the first time since 1976 that the United States has competed and failed to win a sprint title at a Games.

The Americans led the medals table at the 2004 Olympics and 2005 and 2007 world championships.

Jamaican sweep


Jamaican athletes swept all four individual sprints, with Usain Bolt setting world records in the men's 100 and 200 metres.

"They (Jamaica) brought their A-game. I don't know where we left ours," said Lauryn Williams, who was involved in the women's botched relay exchange and missed out on a 100 metres medal after taking silver in 2004.

US world champions were hard hit by the doom and gloom.

Men's 100 and 200 metres world champion Tyson Gay, still recovering from a hamstring injury at the US Olympic trials, went out of the 100 metres in the semi-finals.

Then a relay, in which team-mate Darvis Patton and Gay failed to connect, added further frustration.

World women's 200 metres winner Allyson Felix and 400 metres favourite Sanya Richards also missed gold.

World 1,500 metres winner Bernard Lagat, a two-times Olympic medallist for Kenya, missed the final this time, his first in a US vest.

He will seek redemption in Saturday's 5,000 metres, where he is also the world champion.

The setbacks have implications beyond athletics, wiping out any chance the United States might have had of catching China for the Games's overall gold medals lead.

"We have to go back to developing our sprinters," high-profile sprint coach Bob Kersee, who led Dawn Harper to the women's 100m hurdles crown and Felix to a 200m silver, said.

"Whether it's the college system or just training and being prepared, we have to concentrate on taking it up to this level.

"We can be spoiled at times in the United States."

Friday, August 22, 2008 - 10:40 PM

Australia has narrowly qualified for final of the men's 4x400 metres relay, finishing fourth in its heat at the Beijing Olympics.

The team of Joel Milburn, Mark Ormrod, John Steffensen and Clinton Hill took the second-last spot in the final after securing one of the two fastest times outside the automatic qualifiers.

The quartet finished in a time of 3.00.68, the third fastest time by an Australian team, after surrendering third spot to a fast-finishing Belgian team in the final straight.

Milburn was the only change to the four runners who won a shock silver in the same event in Athens.

Steffensen ran despite pulling out of the individual event with a hamstring strain.

Friday, August 22, 2008 - 11:36 PM

Russia has won the Olympic women's 4x100 metres relay title while favourite Jamaica failed to finish after botching the hand-off between the third and fourth legs.

The Russians, who settled for Olympic silver in 2004, broke through with Evgeniya Polyakova, Aleksandra Fedoriva, Yulia Gushchina and anchor Yuliya Chermoshanskaya winning in 42.31 seconds.

Belgium, third at last year's worlds, was second in 42.54 with Nigeria third in 43.04.

Jamaica surrendered a certain gold when Sherone Simpson could not find the hand of Kerron Stewart for the penultimate leg.

Friday, August 22, 2008 - 11:38 PM

Maurren Maggi has landed Brazilian women their first ever Olympic track and field medal, winning the long jump with a best effort of 7.04 metres.

The 32-year-old took gold ahead of defending champion Tatiana Lebedeva of Russia (7.03m) while Nigerian Blessing Okagbare - who was only competing because Ukrainian finalist Lyudmila Blonska was thrown out for doping - was third with a best of 6.91m.

Maggi, who served a two-year drugs ban in 2003, delivered on her first jump and Lebedeva, who was second also in the triple jump, no-jumped on her next four attempts before going agonisingly close on her final try.

Earlier Sweden's 2004 heptathlon Olympic champion Carolin Kluft failed to make the cut for the final three jumps.

The 25-year-old Swede jumped a best of 6.49m but it was only good enough for ninth place, one place outside the competitors who contested the final three jumps.

The three-time world champion, who decided not to contest the heptathlon because she wanted more time to herself, earlier failed to reach the triple jump final.

Kluft admitted that she had not got her act together in the final.

"It wasn't very good today. My run up wasn't working and I couldn't get the speed up over the board," she said.

"When I don't get the speed I don't jump that far. I felt good in my body, but my technique wasn't working."

Friday, August 22, 2008 - 11:39 PM

Brazil has overcome its deep frustration at not making the men's Olympic football final by putting away Belgium 3-0 to take the bronze medal.

Goals to Diego and Jo in the first half and a second to Jo on full-time settled the outcome.

It was the second time they had met in these Olympics, after Brazil narrowly won their opening pool match 1-0, but this time the samba boys were not as laid back.

Although clearly demoralised by its 3-0 semi-final loss to Argentina, Brazil had inspirational captain Ronaldinho to re-ignite its motivation with a masterful display in the midfield.

The AC Milan star created numerous opportunities through the first half starting with a header that just sailed over the bar in the opening minutes.

The bronze medals adds to Brazil's collection of two silvers (1984, 1988) and another bronze at Atlanta in 1996, but again the one prize they want, an Olympic gold medal, has eluded the five times world champion.

Belgium at least has the history books to show they won the Olympic final at the 1920 Antwerp Games.




Brazil has overcome its deep frustration at not making the men's Olympic football final by putting away Belgium 3-0 to take the bronze medal.

Goals to Diego and Jo in the first half and a second to Jo on full-time settled the outcome.

It was the second time they had met in these Olympics, after Brazil narrowly won their opening pool match 1-0, but this time the samba boys were not as laid back.

Although clearly demoralised by its 3-0 semi-final loss to Argentina, Brazil had inspirational captain Ronaldinho to re-ignite its motivation with a masterful display in the midfield.

The AC Milan star created numerous opportunities through the first half starting with a header that just sailed over the bar in the opening minutes.

The bronze medals adds to Brazil's collection of two silvers (1984, 1988) and another bronze at Atlanta in 1996, but again the one prize they want, an Olympic gold medal, has eluded the five times world champion.

Belgium at least has the history books to show they won the Olympic final at the 1920 Antwerp Games.

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 1:37 AM

Australia's Matthew Mitcham and Mathew Helm have both qualified for the final of the men's 10 metre platform diving at the Beijing Olympics.

Mitcham moved through in second place with 509.60 points with Helm in fifth on 484.40.

China's Luxin Zhou finished the preliminaries in top spot with 539.80 points.

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 2:37 AM

Title favourite the United States has beaten defending champion Argentina 101-81 in a bruising game to reach the Olympic men's basketball final.

The Americans will take on Spain in Sunday's gold medal showdown, a team they blew out in the group stages of the Beijing Games.

Spain defeated Lithuania 91-86 in the other semi-final.

Fired up by an eyeball-to-eyeball clash with Argentina's Fabricio Oberto, Carmelo Anthony led the US victory drive with 21 points.

Luis Scola carried the fight for Argentina with 26.

Argentina lost Manu Ginobili, the tournament's leading scorer, in the first quarter after an apparent leg injury, making it virtually impossible to match the superior firepower of the Americans.

The United States has won 12 Olympic men's basketball titles but its dominance has waned in recent years, with bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Games and the 2006 world championships.