Highlights of Day 9th of the London Olympics – London Olympics 2012 – 5 August 2012
Olympics 2012: Day 9 One Of Canada’s Worst
LONDON – After Canada’s best day of the Olympic Games on Saturday, Day 9 was one of the worst with zero medals.
Canada remained at 10 medals, including one gold, and stayed 11th in the overall medal standings. The goal is a top-12 finish in 2012.
The good:
> The synchronized swim team of Marie-Pier Boudreau Gagnon of Riviere-du-Loup, Que., and Elise Marcotte of Quebec City sit fourth after their opening technical routine. They hope to blow the judges’ hair back with their “Jester” free routine.”
> The show jumping team led by Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, Que., and Ian Millar of Perth, Ont., qualified sixth for Monday’s second round when medals will be awarded.
> Windsurfers Zach Plavsik of Vancouver and Nikola Girke of West Vancouver, B.C., advance to Tuesday’s medal round in sailing.
The bad:
> Disappointment for track cyclist Zach Bell of Watson Lake, Yukon, in omnium. The world silver medallist in the six-race event was eighth.
> Women’s basketball team loses 72-62 to Australia and faces top-ranked U.S. in Tuesday’s quarter-final.
> Jennifer Abel of Laval, Que., was a world bronze medallist in springboard last year, but finishes sixth.
> Tiffany Foster’s horse Victor declared unfit to compete in show jumping Sunday with a minor left front leg injury. The Canadian team can drop one bad score from four riders, but now has no room for error with just three.
Grade: D
The women’s soccer semifinal Monday between Canada and the U.S. at Old Trafford isn’t for a medal, but it will decide which medal Canada can get. via: huffingtonpost.ca
Usain Bolt Wins Gold In 100 Meters, Setting Olympic Record At London Games
Racing against a star-studded field in which every qualifier ran faster than 10 seconds in the semifinal, Bolt successfully defended his 2008 gold medal in the 100 meters by setting a new Olympic record of 9.63 seconds.
“I executed, and that’s the key,” Bolt told reporters after celebrating his fourth career gold medal with a victory lap. “I stopped worrying about the start. The end is what’s important.”
Yohan Blake of Jamaica took silver in 9.75 seconds, with Justin Gatlin of the United States capturing bronze in 9.79 seconds. A training partner of Bolt, Blake equalled a personal best with his runner-up time. Also setting or equalling personal best times were Gatlin and Ryan Bailey of the United States, who finished fifth. Of course, with a who’s who of international track stars — largely hailing from the United States and Jamaica — it was no surprise to see the scoreboard light up with such stellar times.
“It will take a 9.7 to even get a medal. It’s mind blowing,” Tyson Gay of the United States told the Daily Mail shortly before the Games. Gay burned to a personal season’s best 9.80 to finish fourth. True to his prediction, all top three finishers crossed the line under 9.8 seconds.
While the 25-year-old Bolt did not better the world record mark of 9.58 seconds that he established in Berlin in 2009, he did best the 9.69 time he posted in the event at the 2008 Olympics. Despite noticeably slowing up to celebrate before even reaching the finish line during the 100-meter dash in Beijing, Bolt’s time was then a world record. While that mark didn’t stand very long, rumors of Bolt’s lack of fitness lingered for months leading up to the games. He was defeated by Blake in the 100-meter and 200-meter races at the Jamaican Olympic Trials and revealed just days before the Olympics that he had been dealing with a back problem that had created hamstring issues. By the time that Bolt reached the track for his first 100-meter heat on Saturday morning, there were more questions swirling around him than answers.
With the world watching, Bolt delivered a resounding record-setting victory and emphatic answers to those many questions. Unfurling his long, graceful leonine strides, Bolt overtook his talented opponents despite having the fifth slowest reaction time and being mired in the pack midway through the race.
Yes, he is still the world’s fastest man. Yes, he can still find that extra gear when he needs it. Yes, he still has the same joyfulness about him that so enchanted the world in 2008. And, yes, he is in the minority of people that are totally cool with Wenlock, the bizarre mascot of the London Games. via: huffingtonpost.com
checkout: London Olympics 2012 Medals Count till now – 5th Aug 2012
See & Download: Olympics Record Holders List
Download: London Olympics 2012 Schedule of Events
