Usain Bolt has criticized Rio 2016 organizers after winning his third consecutive Olympic 100m title, "claiming that the contracted rest time" between the semifinals and the final affected his performance. The Jamaican, who beat American Justin Gatlin into Silver, "praised the Brazilian crowd" but called on organizers to increase the amount of time between rounds. Bolt: "It did affect me a little bit. My legs kind of felt dead at the start. I wasn’t pleased, I wasn’t happy they changed the schedule to an hour and 20 minutes." He said that there was "usually two hours or more between races." He added, "I’m getting older, the athletes need time to recover. ... If we got more time, it would definitely be faster. I don’t know why they changed it." Bolt said that he was "shocked" to hear Gatlin booed as he was introduced to the crowd and his image "flashed up on the big screen, a decade after he served the second of his bans" for breaking anti-doping rules. Eight years after he "shocked the world in Beijing," Bolt said that he would be disappointed if he did not fulfill his ambition of "winning another triple in Rio to take his total to nine golds at his last Olympics." He said, "I came here and I really want the 200m world record. I think if I can get a good night’s rest after the semifinals there's a possibility I could" (London GUARDIAN, 8/15).
HEADS UP: Four people "have been taken to hospital after an aerial camera snapped from its cable outside the basketball venue at the Rio Olympic Park."
The incident, which happened at 2:30pm local time outside the Carioca Arena, was broadcast live on local TV.
The injured "were two women and two children." Olympic officials "rushed to surround the area with screens and administer first aid before two of the injured were taken to Lourenço Jorge Hospital." Globo Esporte reported that the injuries sustained "are not considered serious."
Globo quotes the Olympic Broadcasting Services as saying they are confident “there is no further risk to the public” (THE ADVERTISER, 8/15).
SA UNDER FIRE: Former Australian head coach Bill Sweetenham said that Swimming Australia's hierarchy, including President John Bertrand, "must step down from the helm" of the country's A$38M ($29.2M) swim team. Sweetenham also called for Swimming Australia CEO Mark Anderson, head coach Jacco Verhaeren and high performance manager Wayne Lomas to stand aside "after the team’s overall lacklustre performance in Rio." The Australian team's 10-medal haul in Rio -- which included three Gold Medals -- "is a tally equal to that of the scandal-plagued London Olympic swim team." Sweetenham: "The problem lies within the leadership of Swimming Australia. ... John Bertrand, Mark Anderson are honorable people, given that, they should do the honorable thing, they should stand down and hand the reins over to a new generation" (Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH, 8/15).
FURNISS CALLS FOR PURGE: British swimming coach Bill Furniss called for a "purge on drug cheats" after admitting Team GB's "plethora of near-misses" with the podium "sticks in my throat." Furniss commended his squad’s "best-ever Olympics," but insisted it was "robbed of more by convicted dopers." He "pulled no punches about the doping menace." Furniss: "We raced well all week, we were resilient and six medals is great. But it sticks in my throat that we had seven fourth places and in three of those finals an individual had failed a drugs test. I didn’t say anything about it in the build-up because it would have been a distraction, but I think we have been penalized more than any other nation in that regard" (London DAILY MIRROR, 8/15).
MURRAY SENDS MESSAGE: Andy Murray has "put John Inverdale in his place" for saying the Scot was the first person to win two Olympic Golds for tennis, as the BBC presenter "made the latest in a string of on-air gaffes." Inverdale, interviewing Murray after he defeated Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro to claim his second Olympic Gold, said, "You're the first person ever to win two Olympic tennis gold medals. That's an extraordinary feat, isn't it?" Murray responded, "Well, to defend the singles title ... I think Venus and Serena [Williams] have won about four each but hadn't defended a singles title before" (GUARDIAN, 8/15). The BBC is standing by Inverdale, explaining his comment to Murray as "a simple error." A spokesperson for BBC Sport said that there would be no change to Inverdale’s Olympic duties following the gaffe, adding, "It was a simple error" (GUARDIAN, 8/15).
ON THE ROPES: Great Britain's Olympic "dynasty" in the men's coxless four rowing "is in danger of being brought to an end," not by rivals on the water but in the "committee room" of the World Rowing Federation (FISA) as the body "plans changes for Tokyo 2020 to ensure gender equality." George Nash, who helped Britain win its fifth consecutive Gold Medal in the four on Friday, said that it would be "heartbreaking" and "destructive" if the event was cut from the Olympic program. There were "eight men’s events in Rio de Janeiro compared with six for women" and Nash believes in rowing’s "drive for equality and for inclusivity," but he argues that the best way to achieve both is by "expanding" the racing program for Tokyo. The lightweight men’s four "is also under threat, as are the men’s and women’s double sculls" (LONDON TIMES, 8/15).
WIGGINS DEFENDS SUTTON: Cyclist Bradley Wiggins "insists British cycling is blessed with a culture of success -- and not a breeding ground for sexism or bullying." Technical Dir Shane Sutton remains suspended, pending an "independent probe" into claims he told axed sprinter Jess Varnish to "go and have a baby" and allegedly branding Paralympic cyclists "wobblies." But Wiggins, "now enshrined as Britain's greatest Olympian after his record harvest of eight medals," believes Sutton will be cleared. He said, "This whole sexism thing ... I'd never, ever seen any sign of that. If I'm completely honest, there's a lot of bitter people who didn't make the grade, got the boot and now they have come out picking holes in this, that and the other" (DAILY MIRROR, 8/15).
