Olympics
Amusan’s challenger, Camacho-Quinn gets swift start to 100m hurdles defence
World record holder in women’s 100metres hurdle, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan will have to up her game when the race gets to the medals point.
She has serious contenders to battle. One of them is Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn who opened her Olympic 100 metres hurdles title defence by posting the fastest time in the heats on Wednesday.
Like other favourites, she too is in the semi-finals. Tobi Amusan and American Masai Russell are among those trying to knock her off the throne, while home hope Cyrena Samba-Mayela is among France’s brightest hopes for an individual track gold.
Camacho-Quinn showed she was in no mood to let that happen, though, as she glided over the barriers to finish in 12.42 seconds, three tenths clear of Britain’s Cindy Sember.
The first three in each heat and the next fastest three across all the races moved on.
“I just had to talk to myself, get myself ready. I knew what I was capable of, so I just wanted to go out there and enjoy myself,” Camacho-Quinn told reporters.
“It’s a great feeling. I wasn’t running all out to run 12.42.”
Amusan arrived in peak condition at the Stade de France.
She took the lead in her heat at about the halfway mark and easily cruised through the finish in 12.49, while American Alaysha Johnson (12.61) was second.
Russell, who has the fastest time of the year, tuned out the noise to tie for first with the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser in 12.53 as the Paris crowd cheered wildly for Samba-Mayela (12.56), who finished third to reach Friday’s semi-final.
Jamaican Danielle Williams (12.59), who beat Camacho-Quinn for world gold in Budapest last year, made easy work of her heat out of lane nine, as Ireland’s Sarah Lavin was second in 12.73.
Ackera Nugent of Jamaica crossed the line in the final heat of the day in 12.65 ahead of Bahamian Devynne Charlton (12.71) in second.
The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.
The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June.
According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.
The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.
Olympics
Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.
Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.
Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.
Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review.
Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.
-Insidethegames
Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.
Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.
In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.
-Reuters
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