Rolling Back the Years

Pyeongchang 2018 Review of Day 13

It was a day in which a number of countries broke long droughts, and the United States, featuring Hilary Knight (above), did so in ice hockey, winning the perennial gold medal final with Canada for the first time since 1998, although it needed a shootout to do so.

For Team World, snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott took bronze in the first ever big air competition at the Olympics, behind Austria’s Anna Gasser. In doing so, she became New Zealand’s first Winter medallist since 1992, but it took less than two hours for the Kiwis to win their next, which came from Nico Porteous in the freestyle skiing halfpipe.

The most astonishing result of all came in short track speed skating, where the men’s relay was won by Hungary, which has previously only won medals in ice skating, mainly in the 30s, 40s and 50s, and with the last coming in 1980. It was its first ever gold, and gave some consolation to Elise Christie whose boyfriend is part of the Hungarian team.

South Korea failed to add to its gold medal tally, as Suzanne Schulting claimed the first title for Netherlands in the short track version of the sport, and China, which will host the next Winter Olympics in Beijing, won a first gold of the Games through Wu Dajing.

In Alpine skiing, Andre Myhrer completed a double for Sweden in the slalom events, as Marcel Hirscher crashed out, and Myhrer also became the first Swedish man to collect gold since the great Ingemar Stenmark. In the combined, Mikaela Shiffrin had to settle for a silver behind Michelle Gisin of Switzerland, but already has three career medals.

Germany’s Nordic combined team skied away with what was surprisingly its first title.

Natural Talent

Review of Rio 2016 Day 15

Caster Semenya of South Africa (above) won gold in the 800m, one of several dominant performances over the past two weeks. In effect, she retained her Olympic title because the Russian who finished ahead of her in London is in the process of being disqualified.

Mo Farah was victorious in the 5000m, to add to his 10,000m and to complete a double double only previously achieved by Lasse Viren of Finland. But one distance race which had a surprising outcome was the 1500m, won by Matt Centrowitz of the United States.

Team World

Julius Yego of Kenya took an early lead in the javelin competition with a throw of 88.24 but injured himself during his fourth round throw. While he was out of action, Thomas Rohler of Germany threw 90.30 to take gold from him, but he held on for a silver medal.

Flora Duffy of Bermuda stayed with the lead pack for the cycling stage of the triathlon but could not keep up as Gwen Jorgensen of the United States and Nicola Spirig pressed on during the run. Spirig threatened to hold on until the end and win in a sprint finish, as she had in 2012, but Jorgensen finally shook her off on the final lap to beat her for gold.

Michael Conlan’s conqueror, Vladimir Nikitin, was too injured to fight in the following round, raising further questions about the points decision in his favour. The beneficiary, Shakur Stevenson of the United States, lost in the final to Robeisy Ramirez, giving Cuba its third boxing gold medal of the Games. The US men have failed to win any since 2004.

Usain Bolt, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Jason Kenny: To this roll of honour of 2016 we should add the name of Danuta Kozak of Hungary (above). She became the first woman to win three canoeing gold medals at a single Games, adding victory in the K4 500m to her titles in K1 and K2. But Germany finished ahead of Hungary overall with four golds.

Two dominant nations won golds in team events but with very different histories. The US women’s basketball team took its sixth title in a row and its final against Spain was its 49th consecutive game unbeaten. Serbia has dominated men’s water polo at world and European level but its victory in the final against Croatia was its first Olympic gold.

The Maracana Stadium saw a dramatic conclusion to the men’s football competition, as Brazil drew 1-1 with Germany causing a penalty shootout. When Nils Petersen missed Germany’s fifth penalty, Neymar had a chance to make himself a hero, and duly obliged.

The Michael and Katie Show

Rio 2016 Review of Day 4

Michael Phelps won the 20th and the 21st gold medals of his unique career in the 200m butterfly and the 4 x 200m freestyle relay. The butterfly was a particularly thrilling race where Masato Sakai of Japan was beaten to the touch by fractions and Tamas Kenderesi of Hungary was chasing hard and finished with bronze. Chad le Clos of South Africa was outside the medals and Laszlo Cseh was seventh. Cseh is still without an Olympic gold.

Katie Ledecky has far fewer medals than Michael Phelps but has an impressive range of distances. In the 200m freestyle, which is likely to be by far her closest race, she won her duel with Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden. The 800m freestyle will look easy by comparison.

The only non-US winner of the night was Katinka Hosszu but she was not as dominant as in her previous races. Siobhan Marie O’Connor of Great Britain was not far behind.

Katie Ledecky could become the top female star of the Games but another candidate is surely Simone Biles. She was part of the US team which won the team competition in gymnastics by a massive margin of more than eight points. Many more golds are likely.

But one American superstar had an unhappy day. Serena Williams was knocked out of the women’s singles by Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, throwing the competition wide open.

Team World

Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors played their last match in Brazil, losing 6-1 to Australia, but maintaining their record of scoring in every one. With their excitement to be there and, in some cases, exuberant hair, they have been as much a part of it as the medallists.

In a hectic day for Team World, it won three medals. Michael Jung clinched gold in the three day event, with two clear rounds in the showjumping phase, while also riding for Germany, which won team silver. Matej Benus was also second in the C1 canoe slalom, but gold went to Denis Gargaud Chanut, as Slovakia and France’s tradition continues.

India beat Argentina 2-1 in men’s hockey and is just one point away from the knockout rounds. Fiji also beat Argentina, as well as Brazil, as the men’s rugby sevens event got underway. Elsewhere in sevens, Japan shocked one of Fiji’s main rivals, New Zealand.

In volleyball, Brazil’s men won a tightly fought match with Canada, conquerors of the United States earlier in the week. They could still finish their home Games on a high.

Tumble in the Jungle

Rio 2016 Review of Day 1

There was high drama in a brutal men’s road race in the picturesque setting of the Tijuca National Park, a mountainous rainforest area close to Rio. Pre-race favourite Vincenzo Nibali of Italy broke away from the lead group, joined by Sergio Henao of Colombia and Rafal Majka of Poland. But Nibali’s and Henao’s chances came to an end as they crashed on the descent, while Geraint Thomas of Great Britain also fell in trying to close the gap.

Majka was then caught by Denmark’s Jakob Fuglsang and Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet (above), who outsprinted him and he finished with the bronze, leaving Van Avermaet to take gold. Despite Belgium being the home of the one day race, he is only the second to win the road race from the country, and its first Olympic champion in cycling since 1984.

Team World

In women’s football, after a 6-1 defeat to Germany on Wednesday, Zimbabwe’s women also struggled against Canada, and lost 3-1. But it was still an impressive performance – Zimbabwe’s economic disadvantage was illustrated by goalscorer, Mavis Chirandu, who grew up in an orphanage. And it is not over – beating Australia could send them through.

In men’s hockey, India narrowly won 3-2 against Ireland, in its first Olympics since 1908. It has not been such a long wait for India but it was its first win at the Games since 2004.

Kerri Walsh Jennings, and her new partner April Ross, won their first beach volleyball match, beating Australians Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Nicole Laird in straight sets.

Australia won two gold medals in swimming, from Mack Horton in the 400m freestyle and its women’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay team, featuring the Campbell sisters (above). It is already ahead of its count at London 2012, where it won only one event in swimming.

The Aussies top the medal table but Hungary is not far behind, with golds from Katinka Hosszu in the 400m individual medley, and from Emese Szasz in women’s épée fencing.

Elsewhere, South Korea displayed its usual dominance in archery to win the men’s team competition. The first Rio Olympic champion to be decided was Virginia Thrasher of the United States, in the women’s air rifle. Hoang Xuan Vinh was victorious in the men’s air pistol with an incredible final shot to become the first ever gold medallist from Vietnam.

Twenty Year Medal Table for Water Polo

Summer Olympic Games 1996 – 2012

Hungary has historically created the strongest water polo teams, as an extension of its swimming success. Its biggest rival during the Cold War era was Yugoslavia, which has continued its excellent record since its break-up, through Serbia and Croatia. Even tiny Montenegro has twice finished fourth, both times losing narrowly to Serbia for bronze.

The consistent podium finishes of Serbia’s men belie the frustration of their failure to win gold, unlike Croatia. As world champions, they are in good shape to put that right.

In the women’s event, gold medals have been distributed far and wide, but the United States has been in the top three at every Games, and will be favourite to retain its title.

	G	S	B
Hungary	3	0	0	3
United States	1	3	1	5
Italy	1	1	1	3
Croatia	1	1	0	2
Spain	1	1	0	2
Australia	1	0	2	3
Netherlands	1	0	0	1
Serbia	0	1	3	4
Russia	0	1	2	3
Greece	0	1	0	1

Next: The countries which have raised their hopes above their heads in weightlifting

Twenty Year Medal Table for Swimming

Summer Olympic Games 1996 – 2012

South Africa is far ahead of the rest of the continent in swimming for complex economic and historical reasons. In most of Africa, there are few public swimming pools and little culture of swimming as a leisure form. By contrast, Chad le Clos was introduced to the sport in a private pool at home, as was Kirsty Coventry, from neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Private swimming pools are also common in Australia but its success goes back to the beginning of the twentieth century, and was carved from rocks of its ocean tidal pools.

It is a different story for landlocked Hungary, where pools are a feature of its prevalent thermal baths. Some even argue that the low cost heating gave it an early advantage in swimming and water polo. Alfred Hajos won the first Olympic swimming gold in 1896.

Japan dominated in the 1930s, shocking the United States by collecting more medals at its home Games in Los Angeles in 1932. It has a particularly good record in breaststroke.

	G	S	B
United States	67	46	36	149
Australia	21	30	24	75
Netherlands	11	5	7	23
China	8	9	7	24
France	6	7	7	20
Hungary	6	5	4	15
Russia	5	7	7	19
Japan	5	6	17	28
South Africa	5	3	3	11
Italy	4	3	5	12
Ukraine	4	2	1	7
Romania	3	1	2	6
Ireland	3	0	1	4
Germany	2	7	15	24
Great Britain	2	4	7	13
Zimbabwe	2	4	1	7
Tunisia	2	0	1	3
New Zealand	2	0	0	2
Sweden	1	3	1	5
South Korea	1	3	0	4
Brazil	1	2	5	8
Poland	1	2	0	3
Costa Rica	1	0	2	3
Belgium	1	0	0	1
Lithuania	1	0	0	1
Canada	0	2	6	8
Austria	0	2	1	3
Spain	0	2	1	3
Belarus	0	2	0	2
Slovakia	0	2	0	2
Cuba	0	1	1	2
Norway	0	1	1	2
Croatia	0	1	0	1
Finland	0	1	0	1
Serbia	0	1	0	1
Slovenia	0	1	0	1
Argentina	0	0	1	1
Denmark	0	0	1	1
Trinidad and Tobago	0	0	1	1

Next: Nose clips at the ready – for the leading countries in synchronised swimmming

Twenty Year Medal Table for Fencing

Summer Olympic Games 1996 – 2012

The traditional powers are Italy, France and Hungary, which monopolised fencing until the rise of the Soviet Union in the 1960s. Italy and France have excelled at foil and epee, dating back to the sixteenth century schools of masters such as Camillo Agrippa, who is cited, among other places, in the cult film The Princess Bride. The sabre originates from the szabla, a sword used in Hungary in the same period, hence Hungarian medals with it.

The former Soviet nations remain strong and new challengers have emerged in China and South Korea, which won its first medal as recently as 2000. As the sport becomes more global, surprising countries like Venezuela and Egypt have begun to find success.

Italy has withstood the increased competition better than its rivals. France did not win a single medal at London 2012, but there is expected to be a French comeback this year.

	G	S	B
Italy	14	7	12	33
Russia	9	4	6	19
France	8	9	6	23
China	3	5	2	10
Hungary	3	3	3	9
South Korea	3	2	4	9
Germany	2	4	6	12
United States	2	3	4	9
Romania	2	3	1	6
Ukraine	2	0	2	4
Switzerland	1	2	0	3
Venezuela	1	0	0	1
Poland	0	3	1	4
Japan	0	2	0	2
Cuba	0	1	2	3
Egypt	0	1	0	1
Norway	0	1	0	1
Spain	0	0	1	1

Next: Which two continents dominate men’s football? Clue: Europe is not one of them.

Twenty Year Medal Table for Canoe Sprint

Summer Olympic Games 1996 – 2012

Natasa Douchev-Janics is aiming to add to her three gold medals at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Her teammate, Danuta Kozak, is hoping for three golds at these Games alone.

Whether they succeed or not, medals for Hungary are guaranteed. It is almost certain to share the spoils with Germany – the two Central European rivals have divided half of all recent gold medals between them. In Germany’s case, the major contributor was Birgit Fischer, who won 8 Olympic titles over the course of 24 years, between 1980 and 2004.

Hungary, Germany, and fading power Romania, have one thing in common – a location on the river Danube – which had a central role to play in the development of the sport.

Romania has now fallen so low, it is banned from Rio for too many doping test failures.

	G	S	B
Germany	16	9	8	33
Hungary	14	7	8	29
Norway	5	2	1	8
Italy	4	5	2	11
Spain	2	5	0	7
Australia	2	3	6	11
Russia	2	3	5	10
Belarus	2	2	3	7
Ukraine	2	2	2	6
Sweden	2	1	1	4
Great Britain	2	0	4	6
Czech Republic	2	0	1	3
China	2	0	0	2
Canada	1	4	6	11
Romania	1	1	3	5
New Zealand	1	1	0	2
Cuba	0	3	0	3
Poland	0	2	5	7
Bulgaria	0	2	1	3
Slovakia	0	2	1	3
Denmark	0	1	0	1
Latvia	0	1	0	1
Lithuania	0	1	0	1
Moldova	0	1	0	1
Portugal	0	1	0	1
Switzerland	0	1	0	1
France	0	0	1	1
Israel	0	0	1	1
South Africa	0	0	1	1

Next: From flat water to white water – which are the leading countries in canoe slalom?

Town of Skiers

Review of the Week: 18 – 24 January 2016

Cortina Downhill Skiing World Cup

Austria twice lost out to Italy this week. The Hahnenkamm race at Kitzbuehel, normally the biggest event on the annual skiing calendar, was overshadowed by the women’s race at Cortina, where Lindsey Vonn (above) won a 37th World Cup downhill, a new record.

Vonn won the Super G the following day and took over the lead in the overall World Cup standings, from Lara Gut of Switzerland. But injury in 2014 means that she still has only one Olympic gold medal, something that she hopes to put right in Pyeongchang in 2018.

European Water Polo Championships

Also with unfinished business is Serbia’s men’s water polo team. With players such as Stefan Mitrovic (below), it won its fifth European title, its third in a row. Second placed Montenegro will join its neighbour in Rio, as they both aim for an elusive Olympic gold.

The women’s final was a clash between the Netherlands, the most successful nation at women’s water polo, and Hungary, the top country across both sexes. Hungary edged it but both will have to contend with the world and Olympic champions, the USA, in Rio.

Paralympic Powerlifting Test Event

There was a strong South American presence at the Rio test event, strong in every sense of the word. Hosts Brazil topped the medal table and there was gold for Jainer Cantillo of Colombia, a country which will be hoping for its first ever Paralympic medal this year.

Kitzbuehel Downhill Skiing World Cup

The second victory for Italy over Austria came on the Hahnenkamm itself, where Peter Fill took victory while local favourite Hannes Reichelt of Austria crashed out, as well as the World Cup leader, Aksel Lund Svindal, whose injury will deny him the overall title.

Fill was born not far from Austria in South Tyrol, a largely German-speaking region of Northern Italy. Many top Italian skiers come from there, as do almost all of its lugers.

Out of Austria

And despite not winning this time, Austria’s status as a cradle of skiing is assured. Just the town of Kitzbuehel, with a population of 8,000, produced six Olympic Alpine skiers between 1956 and 1968. They won eleven medals, including three golds for Toni Sailer.

More incredibly, Kitzbuehel shares the honours with the tiny neighbouring villages of Lech am Arlberg and St Anton, whose combined population of 4,000 produced another seven Alpine skiers, who hoarded ten more Olympic medals, between 1948 and 1964.

It comes down to history. One of the first ski instructors, Hannes Schneider, developed modern skiing techniques in the Arlberg region, and there has been skiing in Kitzbuehel since 1893. The local economy is based on ski tourism and local sport is based on skiing.

That is the message of my blog. It is easy to think of sporting clusters – from Jamaica to Kenya – as oddities, which requires a special type of explanation. But there are canoeing clusters in Romania, sliding clusters in Latvia and South Tyrol, and two skiing clusters in Austria. Far from being rare, they are just another example of economic specialisation.

Into the Warm

Review of the week: 30 November – 6 December 2015

Winter has truly begun, in the more northerly parts of the world at least, and many sports have started their seasonal break. But the action continues in sunnier climes.

European Short Course Swimming Championships

In Israel, Sarah Sjoestroem of Sweden (above) won three gold medals, to add to her two at the World Championships earlier in the year, and to cap a week in which she won the Bragdguldet, a prestigious award for the year’s most significant sporting achievement.

Hungary topped the medal table by a huge margin. Katinka Hosszu won 6 of its 11 golds and Laszlo Cseh won 3. Finland’s Jenna Laukannen won 2 surprising breaststroke golds.

Men’s World League Hockey

In India, the host nation had a hot streak to finish with a bronze medal. A first Olympic medal since 1980 remains unlikely for the 8-times champions but it could still happen.

Overall victory went to Australia, which recovered from a defeat by Great Britain in the pool matches to beat Belgium in the final. Belgium has waited even longer than India for an Olympic hockey medal. If it manages to claim one in Rio, it will be the first since 1920.

Para World Sailing Championships

The sun also shone on the Australians on home water in Melbourne, and they had the wind behind them too. Daniel Fitzgibbon (above) won the mixed SKUD19 class with Liesl Tesch, with one day to spare. In the Sonar event, Australia lost to Great Britain by  a single point, after unsuccessfully appealing a jury decision from earlier in the week.

Wheelchair Tennis Masters

The Masters venue had also hosted wheelchair tennis at the London 2012 Paralympics, but fortunately it was now indoors instead of outdoors, as Storm Desmond hit the city.

Jiske Griffioen won the women’s event to maintain the almost perfect Dutch record, and Joachim Gerard of Belgium surprised triple champion Shingo Kuneida of Japan, to steal the men’s title. David Wagner of the United States claimed an 8th victory in quad tennis.

Pan American Surfing Games

Back in the snug cosiness of the Southern Hemisphere, surfers hit the beaches of Peru.

Contrary to the claims of Polynesians, especially in Hawaii, many Peruvians argue that surfing was invented in their country, and that it then spread westwards Kon-Tiki style.

If these Games are considered to be a kind of State of Origin contest, we might have to start believing the claims. Peru finished first in 10 of the 12 events and two Peruvians, Alonso Correa and Anali Gomez, won the prestigious men’s and women’s open titles.

Next week: Women’s hockey, bowling, European cross country and the Duel in the Pool