A total of twelve very motivated teams, selected through Continental Qualification Tournaments or Continental Championships, are facing each other this week in Gouda (NED), the city where the FINA Women’s Water Polo Olympic Games Qualifications Tournament is currently taking place and running through March 28: Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, South Africa, and USA.
With already 12 games played on Monday and Tuesday (six in each group), Group A’s USA and Greece, and Group B’s Italy have taken the lead. The three teams have now 4 points each. The host country and Russia follow with 3 points each (tie game when they played each other).
The ranking in the Olympic Games Qualification Tournament gives two (2) points to the winner of the game, one (1) point in a tie and null (0) to the losing team.
FINA Women’s Water polo Olympic Games Qualifications Tournament 2016 USA (White) Vs Canada CAN (Blue) 13 Kiley Neushul USA Gouda, Netherlands – Swimming pool Groenhovenbad Day2 22-03-2016 Photo P. Mesiano/Insidefoto/Deepbluemedia
The provisional ranking is as follows:
Group A: USA 4pts (2W), GRE 4pts (2W), ESP 2pts (1W, 1L), CAN 2pts (1W, 1L), JPN 0 (2L), RSA 0 (2L)
Group B: ITA 4pts (2W), RUS 3pts (1w, 1T), NED 3pts (1W, 1T), GER 2pts (1W, 1L), FRA 0 (2L), NZL 0 (2L)
The four best teams in Gouda (gold, silver, bronze medallists and fourth place) will secure a spot for the Olympic Games.
Four teams (Australia, Brazil, China, and Hungary) have already secured a place for the Olympic Games by winning their respective Continental Championships. Brazil, as Olympic Games host, will represent the Americas.
The Men’s Olympic Qualification Tournament will be held in Trieste (ITA) from April 3-10.
The player’s agent Antonio Ottaiano said the thief fled with a Rolex watch, jewels and €800 in cash and asked Insigne to dedicate a goal to him during Monday’s Serie A match against Fiorentina.
“Lorenzo suffered a terrible experience and told me that it was a really bad moment,” said Ottaiano.
It may have been just three weeks ago that the event was awarded to the Italian capital, but already the 100-day countdown has begun for the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Rome 2016 on 7-8 May.
It will be the fourth time that the competition has been held in Italy. Varese and Pescara hosted the second and third editions of the event in 1963 and 1965 respectively, while Turin staged the competition in 2002.
Since the last edition in 2014, the event’s name has changed from the IAAF World Race Walking Cup to the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships. But the competition rules, detailed below, have largely remained unchanged.
Scoring
Each race is scored separately. Team results are decided by the aggregate of places recorded by the scoring athletes of each team. The team with the lowest aggregate of points will be judged the winner.
The first three finishers in the senior races shall score points for their team, while the first two finishers in the junior races shall score points.
If a team fails to finish with a complete scoring team, the athletes finishing shall be counted as individuals in the race result and be eligible for the individual awards.
No adjustment to the scoring places of the finishing teams shall be made in respect of any non-scoring team athletes or of individual entries.
In the event of a tie, it shall be resolved in favour of the team whose last scoring member finishes nearer to first place.
Entries
For the senior races, countries may enter a maximum of seven athletes; no more than five shall be allowed to start in the race with three to score. Countries may enter a team in both the senior men’s races (20km or 50km) but no athlete may compete in both.
For the junior races, countries may enter a maximum of five athletes; no more than three shall be allowed to start in the race with two to score.
Junior athletes born in 1997 or 1998 may compete in the senior 20km race or the junior 10km race. Youth athletes born in 1999 or 2000 may compete in the junior race only. No athlete born in 2001 or later may be entered.
The senior races will be held on a two-kilometre loop, while the junior races will be held on a one-kilometre loop.
The pit lane rule will be applied in the junior races. After receiving a third red card, athletes will serve a penalty time of 120 seconds in the pit lane. If the athletes then receive a fourth red card (from judges who had not previously issued them one), they shall be disqualified.
No other bidders
(Australia and India had expressed interest but did not submit bids)
A total of 19 Council members took part in the two votes.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe, for the sake of neutrality as the head of the Council, did not participate and will also not vote in any future host city decisions.
Sebastian Coe commented: “Many congratulations to Rome and Bydgoszcz. The speed in which you assembled detailed applications and at such short notice has been inspiring. Your bids were impressive and we look forward to celebrating the achievements of the world’s best race walkers and under-20 aged athletes in your cities. I gratefully acknowledge the interest shown by all the member federations who took part in this process. Thank you on behalf of the athletes for helping us to ensure that these competitions will take place.”
An accelerated bidding process was opened on 3 December 2015 for these two IAAF World Athletics Series events following the full suspension of the Russian IAAF Member Federation ARAF, who were originally set to stage both championships.
By 9 December seven IAAF Member Federations had sent letters of interest, with five countries going on to formally submit bid applications by 22 December 2015.
Switzerland’s Simone Jäiser recorded her second win of the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 season in Salzburg (AUT) today where German star, Jannis Drewell, topped the Male Individual competition and Italy’s Erika di Lupacchini and Lorenzo Forti stole the show in the Pas-de-Deux.
The electric atmosphere of the arena at the Amadeus Indoor fixture staged ensured that both horses and vaulters needed maximum concentration. But the winners all rose to the challenge in fine style, and the increasing confidence of the Italian pair saw them produce a particularly impressive result.
Individual Female
Jäiser, who reigned supreme at the opening leg of the series in Madrid (ESP) seven days earlier, led the way in yesterday’s first round of the Individual Female competition. But Italy’s Anna Cavallaro who won the second leg in Paris (FRA) a week ago really pushed the reigning European Freestyle champion for the honours this afternoon. The Swiss vaulter’s score of 8.317 left her in second place behind her Italian rival, but Jäiser’s combined score from the two days gave her the edge by the narrowest of margins – just 0.003 points.
“Today it was great to be back on my own horse that I know really well!” said the 29-year-old athlete who was runner-up at last season’s FEI World Cup™ Vaulting Final in Graz (AUT). In Madrid, all but one of the vaulters were paired with borrowed horses so success was hard-earned, but this time around Jäiser was on familiar territory once again when performing with her lunger Rita Blieske and her stalwart 12-year-old chestnut gelding Luk.
“The stadium was very full, much more than yesterday, but it felt great to compete in there with a big audience and under those lights!” she said afterwards. Reflecting on her performance she said, “the beginning was very good, now that the World Cup competitions are longer I find that the old stuff is in my head and my body, and I can go through those movements and positions very easily, although the new part takes a lot more concentration” she admitted.
Following a recent rule change for FEI World Cup™ Vaulting, individuals now have an additional 20 seconds for their performances, extending them from 1 minute to 1 minute 20 seconds, so competitors have had to extend their sequence of movements. “It’s not that it is much more difficult, it is just more to remember! I’m very happy with it though”, Jäiser added.
Individual Male
Jannis Drewell’s victory in the Male Individual looked almost inevitable after a brilliant first round yesterday in which he pinned French rivals Vincent Haennel and Clement Taillez into second and third places. The 24-year-old is a real showman as he demonstrated when leading the German assault on all three medals at this summer’s Europeans in Aachen on his extraordinary debut at Championship level. In his now-familiar orange robe, he once again thrilled with jumps, kick-boxing and his very particular kind of “planking” in which he carries his entire body weight in suspension.
“I have been doing that since I was in Juniors and I have been practicing it for a long time so it’s fairly easy for me. I put in an extra one from the side to the front and then I put two together and its looks really cool. I train a lot for upper body strength and for coordination” Drewell explained this evening.
“My big aim is to produce a performance that the audience will really enjoy – I want them to have fun!” said the young man who previously presented today’s programme in Munich. “I think the mounting at the beginning is the biggest part of my Freestyle but it didn’t work perfectly both days here in Salzburg. Normally it is better” he said.
Talking about the leggy 16-year-old gelding, Lago Maggiore, which was lunged by Simone Drewell today, he said, “he is my own horse that I have had for more than three years now. I did some CVIs with him this year and I’m very happy with him because he stayed really cool for me here in Salzburg. The white horse I had in Aachen – Diabolus – well he might have gone ‘uh oh…what’s going on here?’ once he came into the middle of this arena! So that is why I chose Lago, he is always very calm and sensible. This is not like a normal vaulting arena in Salzburg, but it was really cool for me to be in such a big arena with such a great audience!” he added, after finishing ahead of Taillez in second and Haennel in third after two rounds of competition.
Italy’s Erika di Lupacchini and Lorenzo Forti were a picture of elegance when winning the Pas-de-Deux at today’s third leg of the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2015/2016 series in Salzburg, Austria. (FEI/Impressions..Daniel Kaiser)
Pas-de-Deux
The Pas-de-Deux winners, Lupacchini and Forti, also headed the line-up yesterday when pipping the pair who came out on top in Paris a week ago, the USA’s Cassidy and Kimberly Palmer. But any chance the sisters had of overtaking their Italian counterparts was shattered by an early fall for Cassidy during today’s routine. Literally thrown off their stride, the American girls just couldn’t retrieve the situation and ended up finishing a disappointing fourth at the end of the day.
It was Jolina Ossenberg-Engles and Timo Gerdes who presented the strongest challenge to the winning two-some, the German pair who just missed out on selection for this summer’s FEI European Championships looking suitably delighted when dismounting after their complicated Romeo and Juliet programme which they performed with greater confidence and fluidity than when they finished third in Paris last Saturday night.
However the Italian duo were in a class of their own, demonstrating a balletic quality in their holds and great ease in their expressive and beautifully-executed high moves. Their pleasing choreography produced a captivating performance for a double-victory and a two-day total of 7.930 which left them well clear of Ossenberg-Engels and Gerdes in second place and Switzerland’s Zoe Maruccio and Schmid Syra in third.
After the busy start to the new FEI World Cup™ Vaulting season, there is now a three-week breathing space before the battle resumes at Mechelen in Belgium on 26 December.
The quarterfinals schedule of the inaugural WBSC Premier12 has been determined, following an electric Opening Round (Games 1-30) that has generated record TV ratings in the host nation and concluded Sunday night with world No. 1 Japan and No. 7 Canada having gone undefeated to win their respective groups, while four of the Top 12 competing nations have been eliminated.
All four quarterfinals contests will take place on Monday in Taoyuan and Taichung (all times local):
Gm. 31: CAN (A1) vs MEX (B4) in Taichung at 12:30p
Gm. 32: CUB (A2) vs KOR (B3) in Taichung at 18:30
Gm. 33: USA (B2) vs NED (A3) in Taoyuan at 12:30p
Gm. 34: JPN (B1) vs PUR (A4) in Taoyuan at 18:30
The winner of Game 31 will face the winner of Game 33, while the winner of Game 32 will meet the winner of Game 34 in the semifinals.
Following the quarterfinals, the next phase of this new flagship global tournament will move to Japan’s Tokyo Dome, where the semifinals, bronze medal match and the Premier12 global championship finale (Games 35-38) will take place from 19-21 November.
NB: Dates for the semifinals (Games 35 on the 19th and 36 on the 20th) are subject to being changed for one another following the outcome of the quarterfinals.
Opening Round – Final Standings
Pos.Group A Wins Losses
1 Canada 5 0
2 Cuba 3 2
3 Netherlands 3 2
4 Puerto Rico 2 3
5 Chinese Taipei 2 3
6 Italy 0 5
Pos.Group B Win Losses
1 Japan 5 0
2 United States 3 2
3 S. Korea 3 2
4 Mexico 2 3
5 Venezuela 2 3
6 Dominican Rep. 0 5
All 38 games of the 2015 WBSC Premier12 are being live-streamed and free-to-view on the WBSC YouTube channel for those territories not covered by WBSC’s global broadcast partners.
Special real-time game coverage, instant replays via SnappyTV and post-game features are also being presented in collaboration with Twitter, the Official Social Media Partner of the WBSC Premier12.
The French combination of Simon Delestre and Hermes Ryan won the adrenalin-filled fourth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2015/2015 Western European League in sensational style at Verona, Italy today.
The 15-horse jump-off against the clock was full of thrills and surprises, with the unusual occurrence of superstars Ludger Beerbaum (Chaman) from Germany and Scott Brash (Hello M’Lady) from Great Britain tied for the lead at the halfway stage after breaking the beam in precisely the same time. But at the end of the memorable competition they eventually had to settle for joint-third place when overtaken by Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann (Cantinero) in runner-up spot and Delestre with his brave and agile chestnut who came out on top.
Rose to the challenge
It was a day when many promising young horses really rose to the challenge of top-class sport over a big, demanding but straight-forward course designed by Italian maestro, Uliano Vezzani. Max Kuhner’s fabulous grey stallion, Chardonnay, is only eight, yet still found the key to the track that included a testing triple combination at fence six and a difficult line from the triple-bar at eight to the following double – vertical to oxer. Coming up on a four-stride distance from the previous obstacle, elements of the latter constantly hit the floor, while the penultimate oxer also took its toll throughout the afternoon.
Chardonnay was clear once again for the Austrian rider in the jump-off, setting the target when sixth to go in a time of 47.84 seconds.
Vezzani’s new track proved a bit of a puzzle for the early runners, and Kuhner opted for a careful tour with his talented young charge. So when Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson broke the beam in 38.89 seconds with Unita ASK he went well into the lead only to be immediately overtaken by Dutchman Maikel van der Vleuten and the ever-reliable VDL Groep Verdi who were half a second quicker.
However it was the man who claimed the coveted FEI World Cup™ Jumping trophy for Germany for the very first time back in 1993 who really set today’s competition alight, Ludger Beerbaum steering Chaman home in 37.83 seconds to throw it down to the rest of the field. The knowledgable crowd jumped to their feet in appreciation as he cleared the line, convinced that this could not be bettered, but there was plenty more excitement to come.
Critical points
Critical points on the jump-off track were the rollback to the vertical at fence three, and another from the water-tray oxer at five to the two remaining elements of the triple combination. World No. 1, Scott Brash, produced a brilliant turn to the third fence with the nine-year-old Hello M’Lady and galloped down to the last, but the crowd gasped with amazement when the clock showed exactly the same time as it did for Beerbaum. The prospect of joint-winners seemed very much on the cards, but Delestre had other ideas about that.
The Frenchman said afterwards that he was determined not to push Hermes Ryan too hard, but that “he’s a small horse with a lot of scope so that always gives you an advantage against the clock. I decided I would just try to be fast without going crazy”, and it worked like a dream as they broke the timers in 36.46 seconds to go out in front. It still wasn’t quite over however, as, second-last to go, Henrik von Eckermann, on the considerably bigger gelding Cantinero, was well in touch coming down to the final fence. “Maybe I could have done one less (stride) to the last” the Swedish rider mused after posting his time of 36.72 seconds for second place.
A little fresh
“Verona is my first show with Ryan since the Europeans at Aachen, and he was a little fresh the first day” said 34-year-old Delestre who claimed individual bronze at this summer’s Championships at the hallowed German venue. He changed his plan for the weekend when he realised his little Selle-Francais gelding was on his toes. “Usually I would jump him in a small class and then the Grand Prix, but instead I did the big class yesterday because I wanted him to settle, and anyway I didn’t want to shock him with the size of the fences today”, he explained.
“Ryan is a typical French horse and the best I’ve ever had in my life – when he’s relaxed like he was today it’s easy to be fast with him – he’s very special, he has only had three fences down in this whole season!” said the rider who, having already collected points at both the first leg in Oslo (NOR) and the third leg in Lyon (FRA), is now qualified for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2016 Final in Gothenburg, Sweden next March.
He has taken over at the top of the leaderboard, ousting his compatriot, Penelope Leprevost who has won two other legs of the series so far, and when asked this evening if the Western European League is turning into “the French World Cup series”, Delestre replied, “yes, we are in great form right now, and the French team are feeling very, very happy!”
For further information on the fourth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2015/2016 Western European League series in Verona, Italy visit http://www.jumpingverona.it or contact Press Officer Caterina Vagnozzi, c.vagnozzi@gmail.com, +39 335 6107070.
The fifth leg will take place in Stuttgart, Germany on Sunday 22 November. For details of the German fixture visit http://www.stuttgart-german-masters.de
French winners Simon Delestre and Hermes Ryan pictured with Juan Carlos Capelli, Longines Vice-President and Head of International Marketing and Elisa Gasparini, Brand Manager Longines Italy after winning today’s fourth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2015/2016 Western European League at Verona, Italy. (FEI/Stefano Secchi)
Result:
1, Hermes Ryan (Simon Delestre) FRA 0/0 36.46;
2, Cantinero (Henrik von Eckermann) SWE 0/0 36.72;
3, Chaman (Ludger Beerbaum) GER 0/0 37.83;
3, Hello M’Lady (Scott Brash) GBR 0/0 37.83;
5, VDL Groep Verdi TN NOP (Maikel van der Vleuten) NED 0/0 38.24;
6, Unita ASK (Rolf-Goran Bengtsson) SWE 0/0 38.89;
7, Glock’s Cognac Champblanc (Gerco Schroder) NED 0/0 39.54;
8, Chaccorina (Marco Kutscher) GER 0/0 40.88;
9, Chardonnay (Max Kuhner) AUT 0/0 47.84;
10, Rokfeller de Pleville Bois Margot (Eduardo Alvarez Aznar) ESP 0/4 40.81;
11, Cornet du Lys (Jose Maria Larocca) ARG 0/4 42.40;
Ever more daring, ever higher — gymnasts have always been innovators, striving to nourish their sport with new moves and greater difficulty. Beyond medals and records, the supreme honor for a gymnast is to introduce a skill that comes to bear his or her name, allowing them to leave their mark on history.
While there are dozens of elements in the code of points named after the gymnast who first performed them, here are six things that could make a difference in the men’s competition.
High Bar: Connecting Kovacs release moves
For all the eye-catching skills in Gymnastics, nothing slays the crowd (or the judges) more than consecutive release moves on High Bar, in which the gymnast releases the bar, sails over it while performing flips or twists, and regrasps it on the way back down. The gymnast that connects these releases wins valuable bonus points. The best example is done by Dutchman Epke Zonderland, whose consecutive release skills contain both flips and twists, all variations of the basic “Kovacs” skill in which a gymnast flips twice over the bar before regrasping it. Zonderland’s smooth moves shot him to Olympic gold and the past two World titles on High Bar.
Oleg Verniaiev
Parallel Bars: Mind the dismount
A lot hinges on a gymnast’s dismount from the Parallel Bars. While most opt for a standard double back flip with the body piked, those who attemptsomething more original often get rewarded. Germany’s Marcel Nguyen added a full twist to his dismount and earned an Olympic silver medal in 2012, while several potential finalists have begun doing forward-flipping dismounts to stand out.
Floor Exercise: The quadruple twist
When the long-anticipated back flip with four twists was finally performed on Men’s Floor exercise, notably by Japan’s Kenzo Shirai in 2013, it was all the more stunning because the teenage tumbling sensation did it at the end of his routine, a time when most gymnasts are too winded to attempt something so difficult. Shirai, obviously, is not most gymnasts: he dines out on twisting skills, and already has two that bear his name on Floor, among them the quad full.
Pommel Horse: The Busnari
Swinging to a handstand just before a dismount was standard on Pommel Horse for years before Italy’s Alberto Busnari had the original idea of continuing afterward, thereby creating the single hardest element on the event. The mechanics of the Busnari — where a gymnast swings to handstand, executes a pirouette and then swings down and continues circling his legs around the horse, demands an enormous amount of control, says Steve Butcher, President of the FIG Men’s Technical Committee: “Many people want to do it, and many people fall.”
Still Rings: A string of crosses
The iron cross, one of the classic symbols of strength in Gymnastics, has been turned on its head by gymnasts striving to produce new variations on an old feat of strength. Cross combinations, which earn bonus points from the judges, have been in vogue for the past few years. A few will attempt a Maltese cross, where the body and arms are completely parallel to the floor below, then hold the position and push their legs and trunk above their head, all without bending their arms or body to create a position known as an inverted cross. “Only the strongest guys in the world are capable of doing that type of combination,” says Butcher.
Marian Dragulescu
Vault: The Dragulescu
The Dragulescu vault in Men’s Gymnastics is like the Amanar in Women’s: Master it and you’re a top contender at any competition, anywhere. Romania’s Marian Dragulescu began performing his namesake skill, essentially two front flips with a half twist at the end, in the early 2000s. The vault brought him four World titles on the event and made him the favorite at two Olympic Games. But Vault finals are a two-jump affair, and in spite of nailing his signature skill in the Olympic finals in 2004 and 2008, Dragulescu left both Games empty-handed. Dragulescu’s rivals have also worked hard to master his vault, and today strive to use it to beat him in competition.
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) today announced the prize money distribution for the first-ever WBSC Premier12™ global baseball championship, which will be staged from 8-21 November in Japan and Taiwan.
The WBSC will award US$ 3.8 million for the 38-game world baseball competition that will bring together the Top 12 nations (the “Premier12”) in the WBSC Baseball World Rankings.
The 2015 Premier12 winner will be awarded US$ 1.0 million, while each participating National Team will be guaranteed at least US$ 150,000 for less than two weeks of competition. The overseeing National Federations will distribute a minimum of 50 per cent of the prize money to the competing athletes.
2015 WBSC PREMIER12 PRIZE MONEY ALLOCATION
Position
Prize Money ($US)
Winner
1,000,000
2nd Place
600,000
3rd place
400,000
4th place
300,000
5-8th place
225,000 each
9-12th place
150,000 each
Total
3,800,000
The 2015 WBSC Premier12 will be the top international baseball event of the year, not only offering the largest purse but also the highest payout of world ranking points.
Earning the right to compete in the WBSC Premier12 are world No. 1 Japan, No. 2 United States, No. 3 Cuba, No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 5 Netherlands, No. 6 Dominican Republic, No. 7 Canada, No. 8 South Korea, No. 9 Puerto Rico, No. 10 Venezuela, No. 11 Italy and No. 12 Mexico.
Top-ranked Japan and rival South Korea will meet in the first-ever WBSC Premier12 contest on 8 November at the 40,000-seat Sapporo Dome.
Among tune-up contests for the WBSC Premier12, South Korea will host Cuba for two games to officially open the new Gocheok Sky Dome, the first domed baseball stadium in the nation, from 4-5 November.
Led by intrepid two-time World All-around champion Simone Biles and returning 2012 Olympic champion Gabrielle Douglas, the U.S. women met their own expectations in surpassing the rest of the world during qualifications in Glasgow Saturday afternoon.
The American team combined for a total of 236.611 points, more than five points ahead of Russia, which took silver to U.S.’s gold at the 2012 London Olympics. They were more than nine points ahead of a rising British team that has so far given an inspired performance at its home World Championships.
The World champion vs. the Olympic champion
After a two-year absence from the sport, Douglas, who is trying to become the first woman since 1968 to successfully defend her Olympic All-around title, has so far made a promising return to World competition. In the meantime, however, Simone Biles has taken her place as the world’s top gymnast. Since 2013, Biles has won seven World titles and looks poised to win more: During Saturday’s qualification, she posted 61.598 points in the All-around, a whopping four points ahead of Douglas, who finished third. In addition, Biles earned the top scores on Vault, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise, meaning she will be present in every final except the Uneven Bars.
Simone Biles
The first eight nations qualify for Rio
Besides the U.S., Russia and Great Britain, China, Italy, Japan, Canada and the Netherlands will return for the women’s team final todday, October 27. By dint of finishing in the top eight, these countries have also qualified a five-person team to the Rio Olympic Games next summer. While the first seven nations were present in London four years ago, the Netherlands will be returning a women’s team to the Games for the first time since 1976.
Romania misses the first Olympic qualification….
The biggest surprise of the women’s competition so far has been the collapse of perennial medal contender Romania, which gave perhaps its worst performance ever at a World Championships Friday. Since 1976, the year Nadia Comaneci emerged as the embodiment of perfection, Romania has brought home a team medal from every Olympic Games and been a medal threat in every team final at the World Championships. Overwhelmed by nervousness and the pressure of upholding their dynasty, World no. 2 Larisa Iordache and her teammates simply crumbled. Romania finished 13th overall.
…but will get another chance at the Rio Olympic Test Event
All is not lost for the Romanians, however: although not among the first eight teams to qualify for the Olympics, they will get a second chance at the Olympic Test Event April 16-19 in Rio. Olympic host country Brazil, along with France, Belgium, Germany, Australia, South Korea and Switzerland will also be in Rio in the spring, aiming to advance a team to the Games. The eight teams will battle for the final four team berths for the Games.
Team Netherlands Celebrate
Aiming for the podium
In the shadow of Biles, European champion Giulia Steingruber (SUI), Pan American Games champion Elsabeth Black (CAN), and Youth Olympic champion Seda Tutkhalian (RUS) have all shown themselves to be solid contenders for numerous podiums in event finals. Lieke Wevers (NED), meanwhile, is proving that good execution can be just as valuable as difficulty in earning good scores. Though lost in the crowd in 16th, a classification that does not reflect her status as reigning World silver medallist, Larisa Iordache (ROU) can only do better in the final.
The FINA Water Polo World League 2016 kicked-off on Tuesday October 21, with the men’s European preliminaries home-and-away games.
The season started well for Balkan powerhouses Serbia and Croatia, gold and silver medallists at both FINA World Championships 2015 in Kazan and at the 2015 edition of the FINA Men’s Water Polo World League.
The Serbian team has collected all titles at stake since 2014, namely: the FINA World Cup 2014, the FINA World Leagues 2014/2015 and the FINA Worlds, while neighbour Croatia triumphed at the last Olympic Games in London 2012.
In first round of the 2016 Water Polo World League yesterday night, Group A’s Serbia defeated France in Belgrade (12-9) as Andrija Pralainovic scored four goals alone becoming the best scorer of the match. Captain Filp Filipovic sent three successful shots.
Group C’s Croatia crushed Turkey in Sibenik (CRO) 19-6, totalising three points. Players scoring the most goals were Antonio Petkovic, Marino Cagalj and Ante Vukicevic (three goals each).
To complete the Balkan success Montenegro defeated Spain 11-6 and traditional powerhouses Hungary, Greece and Italy also confirmed their favourite status. Hungary played Georgia (17-10), Greece crushed Romania (17-3) and Italy won in Moscow against the Russian team (16-11).
MEN’S WPWL 2016: EUROPEAN POWERHOUSES WIN IN ROUND 1
Provisional rankings:
GROUP A: HUN 3 pts (1W); GRE 3 (1W); GEO 0 (1L); ROU 0 (1L)
GROUP B: SRB 3 pts (1W); MNE 3 (1W); FRA 0 (1L); ESP 0 (1L)
GROUP C: CRO 3 pts (1W); ITA 3 (1W); TUR 0 (1L); RUS 0 (1L)
The Intercontinental tournament will take place from February 16-21, 2016 (city TBC) and the Super Final will be held in June, from 21-26, 2016
With the Trap Men title awarded to the 32-year old from Novigrad (CRO), the ISSF World Cup Final in Shotgun events goes in the books. Great Britain claimed the 1st place of the medal standings, where also Italy, San Marino and Croatia recorded at least 1 Gold medal.
Today’s Trap Men event closed the ISSF World Cup Final in Shotgun events, the final competition of the 2015 ISSF season, held at the Nicosia Olympic Shooting Center in Latsia (CYP) since October 15th.
The reigning Olympic Gold medallist in this event, Croatia’s Giovanni Cernogoraz, finally pocketed the 1st place, after his previous best result was a 6th place in Maribor (SLO) in 2012.
The 32-year old from Novigrad faced 45-year old Italian shooter Giovanni Pellielo in the Gold medal match, after they both concluded the semifinal round with the best score: 14 hits. In the medal match, they both missed one targets in their first two series, but as Pellielo missed again in his third one, Cernogoraz shuttered all of his last nine clays, topping the two-time Olympic Silver medallist and claiming what for him is the first Gold of the 2015 ISSF season.
“The six semifinalists were all very good shooters. So the level of the competition has been very high since the very first moment. I gave everything I had and it ended well.” Said Cernogoraz at the end of the match.
Then, he talked about his program in the following months. “This was my last competition for this year, I’m going to take a month off now and in December and January I will start with an intensive athletic training. In the end of January, then, I will go back to shooting again.” He concluded.
After placing 2nd at the 2015 ISSF World Championship in Lonato (ITA), Pellielo just finished one hit shy of the 1st place also here at the Nicosia Olympic Shooting Center. Anyway, he was pretty satisfied with his performance. “If this is the defeat, I’m ok with that. We are the best Trap shooters in the world, and it’s nice to find myself always battling with these guys.”
In the other medal match, more than two finals was required to determine the Bronze medallist, as Alexey Alipov and Massimo Fabbrizi concluded the regular round with 15 hits out of 15 targets. In the following shoot-off, Fabbrizi missed first, but only on his 23rd clay. Eliminated after the 15 semifinals targets, Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Erik Varga placed respectively 5th and 6th with 12 hits each.
With the five Shotgun globes awarded, Great Britain maintained the top of the medal standings it claimed after the first day of competitions, when Amber Hill and Steven Scott won the Gold medal in the Skeet Women and in the Double Trap Men event, respectively.
Croatia’s Giovanni Cernogoraz pockets the Trap Men Gold, the last medal of the ISSF World Cup Final in Nicosia
The three remaining Gold medals were awarded to Italy’s Gabriele Rossetti in the Skeet Men event, to San Marino’s Alessandra Perilli in the Trap Women one, and to Croatia’s Giovanni Cernogoraz in the Trap Men event.
Italy also received a Silver medal thanks to Giovanni Pellielo, who finished 2nd in the Trap Men final, while the United States of America failed to reach the highest step of the podium, concluding with just 1 Silver and 1 Bronze, signed by Vincent Hancock and Morgan Craft.
The People’s Republic of China, Slovakia and Thailand all won 1 Silver medal each, while the other four Bronze medals was awarded to Denmark, Spain, India and Russia.
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