Change of focus here at onemansportsnetwork.com
July 13, 2008
With the Beijing Olympics in China fast approaching I am changing my focus to almost nothing but the Olympics. I will be writing a few posts about the Tour de France but apart from that it will be Olympics, Olympics and more Olympics.
With just 26 days to go until the Olympic opening ceremony and 17 days until I arrive in the Olympic city I am switching the site into Olympic mode.
For me the Olympics are the pinnacle of any sporting endeavor and I have followed them with great interest ever since I saw the opening ceremony for the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Back then I had dreams of competing as an athlete. Despite giving it my best shot that never came about.
After it was clear I was not going to make it as an athlete I got to do the next best thing and that was to attend as a fan. Luckily for me Sydney was awarded the 2000 games and I was able to attend many Olympic events. Apart from witnessing lots of great sporting action the atmosphere in Sydney was the best ever. It really felt like the friendly city.
The Olympic gods were kind to me once again for 2008. My wife is from Beijing. We get to combine a vacation in Beijing with the Olympic experience. So far we have secured tickets for the 100m athletics final for men, one session of tennis and one session of beach volleyball.
Before moving forward I will be looking back. For the past couple of weeks I have been thinking about the most memorable moments from Olympics gone by. My next post will include these. I would love to here from you as well.
Until then hope you enjoy your time here at the blog.
Drugs making headlines in Tour de France
July 13, 2008
The organisers of the 2008 Tour de France were hoping that the days of drug scandals were behind them. That was probably too much to ask for.
Spanish cyclist Manuel Beltran has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons as he was booted from the race after a positive A sample. The sample found traces of the blood booster erythopoietin (EPO).
Beltran who is 37 was riding for the Liquigas team in the Tour. In past tours he has been the teammate of Lance Armstrong and rode along side the American with the Discovery team in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Tour de France president Patrice Clerc said the drug finding shows that the current testing system is effective. “There is one less cheat at the Tour de France, it doesn’t necessarily mean ther are others,” he said Friday.
Let’s hope Beltran is the only one who had decided to try to cheat the system.
Meanwhile back in the race, after stage 8 from Figeac to Toulouse Kim Kirchen continues to wear the leaders yellow jersey. Australia’s Cadel Evans is just six seconds behind.
The first real test of the credentials of the want to be champions takes place in stage 9 as the tour moves into the Pyrenees. The 224km stage will take the riders from Toulouse to Bagneres-de-Bigorre.
The Tour de France riders will have two category one climbs to overcome. Category one is the most difficult in the climbing ratings. The first is the climb at Col de Peyresourde which is 1569m, the second is Col d’Aspin which is 1489m.
After this stage we could see some big changes at the top of the race standings.
For further coverage including video the SBS Australia Tour de France site is a must see.
Jana Pittman’s Olympic curse continues
July 10, 2008
Australia’s Jana Rawlinson (Pittman) was hit by injury going into the Athens Olympics. On that occasion she managed to still turn up to compete however was down on form. In an even bigger blow the 400m hurdles world champion has pulled out of the Beijing Olympics in China due to a foot injury.
Plantar Fasciitis was reported as the reason for pulling out. This painful foot injury made it impossible for Pittman to put in the training required to compete in Beijing.
Pittman decided withdrawing from the Beijing Olympic games was a necessary step in order to prevent problems that will force her out of the sport altogether. She is talking about competing in the London Olympics and maybe beyond.
The news comes just days after another top rated 400m hurdles runner also announced she would be missing from the Olympics. Russia’s top prospect Yuliya Pechonkina who is the 400m hurdles world record holder, withdrew as she is troubled by a heart problem.
Also missing from the China Olympics is USA’s Lashinda Demus. She missed selection at the US Olympic trials. Demus had run the fastest time of the year in this tough event.
Tour de France from an Australian perspective
July 9, 2008
The 2008 Tour de France is just entering day 5. This year for the first time an Australian is favorite to win. Second place getter from the 2007 race Cadel Evans is that man.
For me the Tour de France first hit my radar in the early 80’s. This was when Philip Anderson made a name for himself as a top rider in the world famous Tour de France. Back in 1981 he became the first non-European cyclist to wear the famous yellow jersey. The next year he went on to pull it on for 9 days.
Anderson went on to ride 13 times in the Tour de France. His best results were fifth in 1982 and again in 1985.
Ever since I have marvelled at the exploits of the riders that take on the tour. I can appreciated just what they go through having been a rider that would go for 100k rides on the weekend.
Since the early 80’s my most memorable tour moments were the amazing ride by Greg LeMond in the 1989 Tour de France where he came from 50 seconds down on the last day to overhaul Laurent Fignon in a time trial.
Then of course there was the domination of Lance Armstrong as he won 7 titles from 1999-2005. Last year was memorable for all the wrong reasons with the drug related dramas.
Now as the 2008 Tour winds its way through France I am watching each day with interest to see how the aussie called Cadel ends up going.
Can Cadel Evans win the Tour de France in 2008?
Hackett to be tested in Olympic 1500m swim in Beijing
July 9, 2008
Grant Hackett won’t have it all his own way in Beijing Olympic 1500m event. Who remembers the 2000 Sydney Olympics when Kieren Perkins was trying to win his third straight 1500m gold medal? On that occasion Hackett was just too good.
On the final day of swimming at the US Olympic trials Peter Vanderkaay served notice to Australia’s king of the 1500m Grant Hackett, after the fastest swim of the year. Vanderkaay stopped the clock at 14min 45.50sec.
The time was the fourth fastest in history and took 7.02 seconds from his personal best. Hackett now knows that he has to look over his shoulder or he could see his dream of winning three consecutive 1500m Olympic Gold medals will get torpedoed in the pool at the China Olympics.
At the last world championships Hackett was out of form following his comeback from injury and put in a dissapointing result in the 1500m where he placed seventh. This ended his 10 year domination of the event.
Hackett was back to near his best for the Australian swim team Olympic trials in March and will be one of the favorites going into Beijing.
Australians will be watching with interest to see if he can pull off a win on 17 August to claim his third Olympic 1500m gold.
Wimbledon 2008 men’s final - end of an era for Federer
July 7, 2008
Rafael Nadal was out to steal the Wimbledon crown from Roger Federer as the pair met for the 2008 men’s Wimbledon final.
Things started well for the young upstart as he got an early break in the first set. Federer had chances to break back but missed the shots that mattered and Nadal went on to take the first set 6-4.
In the second set Federer did break Nadal however the Spaniard fought back and again it was a case of Federer just not playing the big points well enough to get the match back on level terms. Nadal fought off many break points to claim the second set 6-4.
2 all in the fifth and another rain delay sends the players into the changerooms.
At one point in the match Nadal fell at the back of the court and appeared to slightly twist his knee. A trainer was called and spent a few minutes treating the no. 2 seed. Getting back into the match it did not appear to affect him.
Going deep into the third set just after Federer had gone ahead 5-4 the covers were pulled out onto the famous centre court and a rain delay saw the players leave the court for around an hour. Nadal would have been thinking the trophy might have been his if he converted at 3-3, 0-40 on Federer’s serve.
When play resumed Nadal quickly jumped out to a 40-0 lead only to see that come back to duece after he double-faulted. Federer could now see his opportunity to get back into the match however Nadal did not budge and he levelled the match at 5-5.
Two more service games followed that both players won comfortably and we entered a tie-break. Federer opened with an ace. 1-0. A Federer error as he hit long made it 1-1. Good serve and deep following shot forces a Federer error, 2-1 Nadal.
Hawkeye saves Federer as he correctly challenges an out call, followed by two aces 3-2 to Federer. An average second serve by Nadal is creamed by Federer and he goes out to a 4-2 lead. Change of ends.
An inside out forehand winner by Federer gives him a 5-2 lead. Huge rally at 5-2 ends with an out ball by Federer that he challenges unsuccessfully, 5-3. Good serve gives Federer some set points at 6-3. One saved, 6-4 Federer. Rafa serving. Good wide serve 6-5, Federer serving for set. Serves an ace out wide to the forehand and it is 7-5 to give Federer the third set.
The fourth set was a dog fight and both players stayed on serve. Federer’s service percentage had dropped however he hung in there. At 4-5 down he fell behind 0-30 but fought back to make it 5-5.
Both players held and once again it was a tiebreak. In the previous one Federer served four aces to pull it off.
The first point was a mini break for Federer after an exciting first point that saw Nadal at the net. Nadal hit back with good play then came a Federer forehand miss out wide. 2-1 Nadal with him serving. A huge lefty swinging ace made it 3-1, the pressure was building.
Another great serve that licked the line to make it hard for Federer to return. 4-1 Nadal. Federer serves well and follows it with a huge forehand deep to Nadal’s backhand corner for a winner. 4-2.
Nadal goes to 5-2 after a long rally and a Federer error hitting wide to the backhand sideline. Nadal steps up to serve just two points away from his first Wimbledon title. He throws in a double fault. 5-3. The serve was just 83 kms. Was he getting nervous? He loses the next point and it is 4-5 Federer. In a blink of an eye Federer makes it 5-5.
Good serve down the T is shanked wide by Nadal to give Federer a set point. Nadal serving. Into the net, the crowd murmurs. A second serve goes in and a long rally follows. Federer hits wide to lose the point, 6-6. The next rally sees Federer hit long by inches to fall behind 6-7.
A big serve by Federer is not returned to make it 7-7. Federer serves a good serve which he follows into the net only to see an awesome down the line pass by Nadal for the point to bring up match point.
Nadal serves and is keen to take the point, he goes to the net only to see the pass whiz by, match saved for now. Great shots by Federer pushing Nadal wide and then hitting to an open court to give him the point. 9-8 Federer. The set is won by Federer as Nadal hits long.
After having a match and Championship point it now was going to be fascinating to see how Nadal would handle the fifth set. What a match!
Another rain delay forced the players off at 2-2 in the fifth. When play resumed it was Nadal who got his nose in front by breaking Federer in the 15th game. This time he was able to complete the job and he won his service game to win 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7.
A classic match to signal the end of a stunning run for Roger Federer where he reigned supreme on the Wimbledon grass. Nadal of course has now completed the difficult French Open - Wimbledon double, something not often done.
Australian swim team has last hit out before China Olympics
July 7, 2008
The Australian Beijing Olympic swimming team has had their final hit out before the August Olympics. The team competed in a grand prix carnival at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
The event was conducted following the same night heats and morning finals format that will be used in Beijing.
The highlight on the final day of action was Brisbane teenager Cate Campbell posting the fifth fastest 50m freestyle swim in history.
There is some concern over Eamon Sullivan as he was not able to swim at top speed in the 50m race. He appeared to injure himself at the start and he just slowly swum the lap before getting treatment after the race.
Now that the US trials are almost completed it will be interesting to compare results and try to guess who is going to win the medals in Beijing.
Here is the full Australian Swim team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics:
2008 Australian Olympic Swim Team for Beijing
| Firstname | Lastname | Age | Club | State |
| Angie | Bainbridge | 18 | Hunter | NSW |
| Bronte | Barratt | 18 | Albany Creek | QLD |
| Grant | Brits | 20 | SOPAC Swim Club | NSW |
| Leith | Brodie | 21 | Albany Creek | QLD |
| Ashley | Callus | 29 | Redlands | QLD |
| Cate | Campbell | 15 | Indooroopilly | QLD |
| Alicia | Coutts | 20 | Redlands | QLD |
| Lara | Davenport | 24 | Kingscliffe | NSW |
| Ashley | Delaney | 21 | Nunawading | VIC |
| Sophie | Edington | 24 | Kingscliffe | NSW |
| Nicholas | Ffrost | 21 | Southport Olympic | QLD |
| Sally | Foster | 22 | Central Aquatic | WA |
| Felicity | Galvez | 23 | SOPAC Swim Club | NSW |
| Grant | Hackett | 27 | Melbourne Vicentre | VIC |
| Samantha | Hamill | 17 | Quad Park | QLD |
| Belinda | Hocking | 17 | Albury | NSW |
| Leisel | Jones | 22 | CA Tritons | VIC |
| Andrew | Lauterstein | 20 | Southport Olympic | QLD |
| Linda | MacKenzie | 24 | Mackay | QLD |
| Alice | Mills | 21 | Chandler | QLD |
| Kenrick | Monk | 19 | SOPAC Swim Club | NSW |
| Patrick | Murphy | 24 | Melbourne Vicentre | VIC |
| Meagen | Nay | 19 | St Peters Western | QLD |
| Travis | Nederpelt | 24 | Melbourne Vicentre | VIC |
| Kirk | Palmer | 21 | Barker Aquatic | NSW |
| Kylie | Palmer | 18 | Albany Creek | QLD |
| Adam | Pine | 32 | Ginninderra | NSW |
| Shayne | Reese | 25 | CA Tritons | VIC |
| Stephanie | Rice | 19 | St Peters Western | QLD |
| Brenton | Rickard | 24 | Brothers | QLD |
| Jessicah | Schipper | 21 | Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton | QLD |
| Melanie | Schlanger | 21 | Commercial | QLD |
| Emily | Seebohm | 15 | Brothers | QLd |
| Christian | Sprenger | 22 | Commercial | QLD |
| Nicholas | Sprenger | 22 | St Peters Western | QLD |
| Craig | Stevens | 27 | SLC Aquadot | NSW |
| Hayden | Stoeckel | 23 | Norwood | SA |
| Eamon | Sullivan | 22 | West Coast | WA |
| Matthew | Targett | 22 | Melbourne Vicentre | VIC |
| Lisbeth | Trickett | 23 | Commercial | QLD |
| Tarnee | White | 26 | Chandler | QLD |
| Head Coach * | |||
| Alan | Thompson | ||
| Section Managers | |||
| David | Wilson | Section Manager | |
| Lynn | Fowlie | Assistant Section Manager | |
| Bruce | Steed | Assistant Section Manager | |
| Team Coaches * | |||
| Michael | Bohl | St Peters Western | NSW |
| Matt | Brown | Brothers | QLD |
| Ian | Pope | Melbourne Vicentre | VIC |
| Vince | Raleigh | Australian Institute of Sport | |
| Shannon | Rollason | Australian Institute of Sport | |
| Greg | Salter | Kingscliffe | NSW |
| Grant | Stoelwinder | West Coast | WA |
| Rohan | Taylor | CA Triton | VIC |
| Stephan | Widmer | Commercial | QLD |
| Ken | Wood | Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton | QLD |
Hamilton tip toes to formula one win at Silverstone
July 7, 2008
In the words of Lewis Hamilton his win at Silverstone in the Formula One Grand Prix “was the toughest win of my career, but definitely the best.”
The rain played havoc as drivers were spinning around like novices. Mark Webber had a spin on the very first lap to waste his front row grid position. He lost it on the entrance to Becketts and had to wait for the field to pass before being able to safely rejoin the race. He was not the only one as nearly ever driver had a spin or near miss at some stage throughout the race.
For some the spin sent them out of the race, others just got on with things. Felipe Massa was lucky enough to survive six spin outs. All the lost time left him out of the points.
Hamilton took the lead on the fifth lap and maintained his advantage to the end. At times the rain pelted down and teams had to decide if they should go for full wets or stick with the intermediates. Some had the decision made for them although it was too late after they had crashed out.
Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button did go for the extreme wet tyres on the 35th lap and the decision paid off for Barrichello. He made his way through the field to grab third position. Button was not so lucky as he slid off the course even with the wets.
Nick Heidfeld drove well to grab second spot on the podium.
The results from the British Grand Prix sees Hamilton join Massa and Raikkonen to lead the world championship race with 48 points apiece, with Kubica fourth on 46.
The next race is in Germany on July 20 at the Hockenheim track.
Gay injured at US track and field Olympic trials
July 7, 2008
Athletics is a tough business. Just ask Tyson Gay. Just days after running the fastest ever 100m and booking his ticket to the Beijing Olympics he has crashed back down to earth.
Running in the quarterfinal heat for the 200m the American speedster fell to the track in pain from what was later described as a “severe cramp” in his left hamstring.
Now it remains to be seen what impact this will have on his Beijing chances. First of all will he be able to take his place in the US Olympic team for the Olympics in China. He has just over a month to be fit and ready to run.
As the world 200m champion, Gay was favoured to win this event in Beijing. After pulling out of the event at the trials this will not happen as there are no second chances. You perform at the trials or miss out.
The next few days will be important as the injury is assessed and the path forward is determined.
Let’s hope he is fit and ready to take his spot in Beijing come this August.
Williams sisters wow fans in Wimbledon ladies final
July 6, 2008
Going into the ladies Wimbledon final for 2008 some of the cynics were saying the final would be decided not on the court but in the Williams family discussions. They had the audacity to insult the competitive spirit of Venus and Serena Williams and say the winner would be hand picked.
Thankfully after watching the final it was clear that the title was on the line and it would be decided by the better player on the day.
Right from the first game Serena was out to show she was the one to take the 2008 title. She broke Venus in the first opening game and then maintained that advantage until Venus hit back at 3-4 to break her little sister to level the scores at 4-4.
Watching the game was a treat. Both players were hitting the ball unbelievably well and the court cover of Venus was a feature. When she is fit and healthy there probably is not a better mover in the women’s game.
Venus was now playing at a high level and Serena had to work hard to stay with her. If Serena was playing anyone else on the tour she probably would have been winning comfortably such was the level of her play. Her one problem was that big sis was not giving in.
At 5-5 in the first set Venus made her move. She broke Serena’s serve to move to a 6-5 lead. She was now serving for the first set. A few errors had now crept into Serena’s game and this helped Venus to set point.
We then saw an interesting thing as Serena conceded a point to Venus to give her the set. Serena had hit a shot she thought was going wide. She let a scream that distracted Venus. She then decided to just concede the point.
The first ended with Serena hitting 19 winners and making just 6 unforced errors. Venus had 14 winners to 6 unforced errors. It would have been hard for Serena to imagine playing so well yet still losing the set.
The second set started with Serena having a chance to break early. She could not convert in that game however in the next service game from Venus she pushed hard to get the break. It was a huge effort that took 7 break points before she converted. In the end it took a fall by Venus to get the break.
We were seeing some great tennis. The Williams girls were going all out to claim the Wimbledon ladies title for 2008.
Venus was not letting Serena get ahead in the match and broke back immediately to level the scores at 2-2. From there she slowly worked her way to the moment where she had match point. Another break came and then at 5-4 she was serving for the match. A wide shot be Serena and it was over.
Venus took the match 7-5, 6-4. Her celebrations were subdued out of respect for her little sister. Venus had now claimed Wimbledon ladies title no. 5 to be third on the all time list in the open era. Martina Navratilova leads the way with 9 singles titles, Graf has 7.
To make her day even more memorable Venus Williams later teamed up with Serena to easily win the ladies doubles title winning 6-2, 6-2 over Lisa Raymond and Sam Stosur.
The Williams girls are back. If the draw works in their favor I can see another all Williams final at the US Open later this year.
Before then the next big event on the tennis calendar will be the Beijing Olympic tennis tournament. I am lucky enough to have tickets to this event and can’t wait to share this experience with you.
