Triple Bolted

Rio 2016 Review of Day 9

Usain Bolt made history by beating Justin Gatlin yet again, winning a third consecutive gold in the 100m. Andre De Grasse of Canada took the bronze medal and could succeed Bolt when he retires. Just as impressive was Wayde Van Niekerk’s victory in the 400m, in which he left Kirani James in his wake, and eclipsed Michael Johnson’s world record.

Jemima Sumgong triumphed in the marathon, surprisingly the first title for a Kenyan woman, while Caterine Ibarguen claimed a gold medal for Colombia in the triple jump.

Team World

Sergio Garcia scored an impressive 66 in the final round of the golf but it was too late to reach the medals and he finished joint eighth. Gold and silver were fittingly contested by two golfers who have embraced the Olympic experience, the enthusiastic Justin Rose of Great Britain, and Henrik Stenson of Sweden, who even enjoyed the course’s alligators.

Rose beat Stenson to the title, which followed Rose’s hole in one during the first round.

Fernando Gaviria of Colombia made a poor start in the omnium, and was seventh after two events – Lasse Hansen of Denmark took them both. But Hansen was knocked out first in the elimination race, while Gaviria finished third, throwing the event wide open.

Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir in badminton, and Kerri Walsh Jennings in beach volleyball, both progressed to the semi-finals, and tantalisingly close to a medal. India’s men’s hockey team fell short, losing 3-1 to Belgium, but a Belgian medal could be even more historical than an Indian one. It was last on the Olympic hockey podium in 1920.

Michael Conlan of Ireland won his first bout to reach the bantamweight quarter-finals.

After a tough Games for the Williams sisters, in which they both suffered early defeats in the singles, and in the women’s doubles, there was some redemption for Venus, who reached the mixed doubles final with her partner, the last minute selection, Rajeev Ram.

Although Williams and Ram lost to compatriots Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock in a super tiebreak, tennis history was made. A fifth medal for Venus gave her more than her sister, making her the most medalled player in history (excluding the 1906 Games).

Andy Murray became the first player to retain the men’s singles title, beating Manuel del Potro – the players broke one another’s serve in almost every game of the final set.

Rose and Murray were part of a day full of British gold medals. Max Whitlock won two in gymnastics, on the floor and on pommel horse, and cyclist Jason Kenny won the the fifth of his career, in the individual sprint, beating teammate Callum Skinner in the final.

Is Phelps the Greatest of All Time?

Rio 2016 Review of Day 8

Michael Phelps now has a career tally of 23 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 2 bronze medals, after being part of the winning US team in the medley relay. He has won more than twice as many golds as anybody else. So can it be said that he is the greatest ever?

The counter-argument is that swimming is the sport where multiple medals are easiest to achieve, which is undeniably true. But while it is not uncommon for swimmers to win four or five gold medals, nobody apart from Phelps has done it more than once. He has four times won four and three times won five. Phelps is distinguished by his longevity.

Indeed, while swimmers have the advantage of many events, they are disadvantaged by shorter careers. This makes it all the more remarkable that Phelps won gold in the same event at four consecutive Games, the 200m individual medley, something that had been previously only achieved by two sportspeople, both athletes, Carl Lewis and Al Oerter.

If Usain Bolt wins three gold medals this week, he will achieve a triple triple, nine golds in total, but I am not convinced that even this will be quite as impressive as what Phelps has done. If he wants to be in the same bracket, Bolt would have to come back in Tokyo.

If only individual title are included, Phelps has thirteen golds, but that is still enough to beat Leonidas of Rhodes, the record holder from the Ancient Olympics. Leonidas took three laurel wreaths at four Games and is noteworthy for the fact that he won two short events and a distance event in full armour. He combined the consistency of Bolt and the longevity of Lewis with the versatility of Katie Ledecky. My conclusion therefore is that Phelps is indeed the greatest Modern Olympian but he loses out to Leonidas for the all- time title, if only because he would struggle to swim an individual medley in full armour.

Four years ago, Great Britain won three track and field gold medals in little more than an hour, on a day dubbed Super Saturday. All of its champions were scheduled to compete once again at the same session in Rio. Mo Farah (above) retained his title in the 10,000m despite a fall, his third gold in all, but there was no repeat for Greg Rutherford, who had to settle for bronze. The long jump competition was won by Team USA’s Jeff Henderson.

Jessica Ennis-Hill ended with silver in the heptathlon where the gold was won by rising star Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium, who scored personal bests in five of the seven events.

Tennis history was made as Monica Puig became the first unseeded champion in singles, having never reached a Grand Slam quarter final. It was Puerto Rico’s first Olympic gold.

Team World

It was all change at the top of the golf leaderboard at the end of the third round. Justin Rose of Great Britain is twelve under par to lead by a single shot from Henrik Stenson of Sweden. Former leader, Marcus Fraser of Australia, is a further two shots behind. Sergio Garcia is on two under par, so a medal is unlikely but not completely out of the question.

There was another victory for Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir in badminton, who beat Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying of Malaysia. But there was disappointment for Brazil’s men’s volleyball team, as it lost to Italy. It must beat France to ensure progress.

Pool Gods

Rio 2016 Review of Day 2

The swimming finals were the story of three utterly dominant champions, all of whom broke their own world records and obliterated their opponents. One of them was 100m breaststroker, Adam Peaty of Great Britain (above). The other two were Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden in the 100m butterfly, and Katie Ledecky of Team USA in the 400m freestyle.

There is likely to be a battle between Sjostrom and Ledecky to be the star woman of the meet, which could be decided if they race, as planned, in the final of the 200m freestyle.

Almost as a footnote, Michael Phelps won a 19th Olympic gold with an impressive leg for the US 4 x 100m relay team. This absurd level of dominance may never be equalled.

Team World

In the same swimming session, Alia Atkinson reached the final of the 100m breaststroke in a busy day for Team World. In slalom canoeing, Matej Benus (who was selected ahead of Michal Martikan for Slovakia) negotiated the rapids of the preliminary stages as well.

But most dramatic were two gold medals for Team World, from Majlinda Kelmendi of Kosovo, appearing in its first Olympics, and from Wu Minxia who, with her partner Shi Tingmao, took victory in synchronised platform diving, a record fifth gold for any diver.

The dressage phase of the three day event was completed, leaving Michael Jung in fifth place, behind the leader William Fox-Pitt, ahead of the cross country section tomorrow.

The treacherous cycling course turned from drama to horror as Annemiek Van Vleuten was rushed to hospital after a nasty crash, when leading the race. Her teammate Anna van der Breggen (above) passed her before the ambulance arrived and was inspired to win the gold. Tradition was maintained as it was a fourth road race for a Dutchwoman.

There were shocks galore in the tennis. Venus and Serena Williams lost in an Olympic women’s doubles tournament for the first time ever, to the Czechs Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova. Novak Djokovic lost to Juan Martin del Porto in the men’s singles.

China won three gold medals. As well as its divers, it took a victory in shooting and, in the 56kg weightlifting event, the 2008 Olympic champion Long Qingquan recaptured his title and knocked the 2012 winner, North Korea’s Om Yun Chol, into second place.

It was also a great day for Italy which claimed two golds, from Daniele Garozzo in foil fencing, and from Fabio Basile in judo. It took silver in diving, a first medal since 1980.

Twenty Year Medal Table for Tennis

Summer Olympic Games 1996 – 2012

There is a straightforward explanation for Chile’s record in Olympic tennis – blind luck. Nicolas Massu never reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam but a shock defeat for Roger Federer cleared his path to win a gold medal in 2004. His compatriot Fernando Gonzalez won the bronze, and they joined forces to claim another gold in the doubles.

Gonzalez, who never won a major either, upgraded to a silver in 2008, also benefitting from Federer’s woes, then losing to Rafael Nadal in the final. Federer made amends with victory in the doubles with Stan Wawrinka. After Andy Murray’s title at London 2012, only Novak Djokovic of the top men’s players is missing a gold medal. Rio is his chance.

The top women of their era, Venus and Serena Williams, have won a title each in singles, and another three together in doubles. Five of Team USA’s nine golds are down to them.

	G	S	B
United States	9	1	3	13
Russia	2	3	2	7
Chile	2	1	1	4
Spain	1	4	2	7
Great Britain	1	2	0	3
Australia	1	1	1	3
Switzerland	1	1	0	2
Belarus	1	0	1	2
Belgium	1	0	1	2
China	1	0	1	2
Canada	1	0	0	1
France	0	2	2	4
Czech Republic	0	2	1	3
Germany	0	2	1	3
Netherlands	0	1	0	1
Sweden	0	1	0	1
Argentina	0	0	2	2
Croatia	0	0	1	1
India	0	0	1	1
Serbia	0	0	1	1

Next: Federer would be pleased to learn the country which leads the way in triathlon

Before the Thaw

Review of the Week: 4 – 12 January 2016

Despite an unprecedentedly warm December across Europe, in which winter sport has been severely disrupted, some big events were able to take place in the Alps last week.

Four Hills Ski Jumping

Peter Prevc of Slovenia (above) was simply far too hot for the rest of the field to handle, and reduced them to puddles in the snow. He finished a tepid third in the opening round in Oberstdorf but was on fire for the remaining three. He stomped further muddy prints on his opponents with victory in Willingen, to make it four World Cup events in a row.

Prevc now becomes the favourite to win gold in Pyeongchang in 2018. If he does, he will blaze a trail for Slovenia as the first Olympic ski jumping champion from his tiny nation.

Olympic Volleyball Qualification

The qualifying rules are liable to melt the brain, like Alpine snow. There were six spots up for grabs this week, as well as places in another qualification round in Tokyo in May.

Poland’s men missed qualification last year, dramatically dropping from first to third in the World Cup, after a final game defeat. This time, they were whitewashed by France to be denied automatic qualification again, and then, in a thrilling five set match, squeezed past Germany to claim a place at the bar, and a Japanese beer, at the last chance saloon.

Russia’s men and women both booked tickets to Rio, and women’s teams from the US and Argentina will also join their country’s men on the flight. Cuba and Egypt qualified their men’s teams. Canada’s men and Peru’s women, Olympic silver medallists in 1988, are among those who must head for the Rising Sun in the hope of reaching the Rio sun.

Tour de Ski

The Alps also hosted cross country skiing but the Alpine nations were left far behind by the skiers from Norway. Martin Johnsrud Sundby (above) won a third title in a row and, despite a difficult fifth stage in which he finished 23rd, he led all the way from stage two.

The women’s race was a close contest between Ingvild Flugstad Ostberg and Therese Johaug. Ostberg overhauled Johaug to lead before the final stage, but struggled on the climb as Johaug clinched victory. Heidi Weng’s first World Cup win after 37 podiums took her to third overall. But national pride was not at stake – all three are Norwegian.

Tennis and Speed Skating

The Hopman Cup has been played in Perth since it began in 1989 but Australia has had  a mixed record in the mixed tournament. It made some amends when Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova defeated Ukraine to claim only its second title, and its first since 1999.

Sven Kramer of the Netherlands won a  record eighth European allround speed skating championship. Bart Swings, a Belgian who started in inline skating, came second. And there was Dutch disappointment with a a fifth title for Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic, ahead of her great rival, and four-times champion of the event, Ireen Wuest.

It was a feast of winter sport but there are ominous signs that, if global temperatures continue their rise, the feast could soon become a famine. Enjoy it while you still can.

Next week: Downhill skiing in Wengen and the track cycling World Cup in Hong Kong

Champion of Champions

Review of the Year 2015 Part 1

It’s time to hand out some gongs. The nominees for Olympian of the Year are as follows (clockwise, from bottom left):

Novak Djokovic, who won three Grand Slam titles, including his fifth Australian Open and his third Wimbledon;

Ashton Eaton, who broke his own world decathlon record while winning his third global gold medal;

Katie Ledecky, who won five world swimming gold medals, including an unprecedented sweep of the distance freestyle events;

Kohei Uchimura, who won his sixth world all-around gymnastics title and led Japan to the team title for the first time.

But before I announce the result, here are the award winners from the other categories:

Team of the Year

New Zealand won the Rugby World Cup, Spain won EuroBasket and Great Britain won the Davis Cup. They were all strong contenders. But the prize must go to the Czech Fed Cup team, which dramatically defeated Russia to claim its fourth title in just five years.

Special mention must be made of Petra Kvitova who has consistently turned out to play. This time, she tempted Maria Sharapova to appear for Russia but the Czechs still won.

Young Athlete of the Year

The United States has mined some bright talents which promise future gold. Candace Hill won two world youth gold medals and became the youngest female sprinter to run 100m in 11 seconds. At the World Cycling Championships, Chloe Dygert won the junior double of time trial and road race. But the award goes to Russia’s Yana Kudryavtseva.

Rhythmic gymnast Kudryavtseva won four golds at the European Championships, four at the European Games and five at the World Championships, all before she turned 18.

Paralympian of the Year

Markus Rehm long jumped an astonishing 8.40m, which would have won an Olympic medal. Daniel Dias swam his way to eight golds at the Parapan Games and seven at the world championships. Wheelchair fencer, Beatrice Vio of Italy, was unbeaten all year.

It is difficult to compare the extraordinary world record of Rehm with the multi-medal-winning exploits of the Brazilian, Dias. But, leaving aside all of the arguments about the advantage given by his prosthetic, Rehm’s victory margin speaks for itself – the second placed athlete scored 7.26m. Markus Rehm of Germany is the Paralympian of the Year.

Country of the Year

I couldn’t help noticing that two Americans made the final shortlist for Olympian of the Year and two others, Serena Williams and Simone Biles, narrowly missed out. And the US women’s football team won the World Cup. But with fewer athletics and swimming medals than usual, it has been an average year for Team USA by its own high standards.

Russia did well across several sports but is disqualified from the award due to its doping scandal. Kenya is less contaminated and had a great year but athletics is its only sport.

County of the Year is New Zealand. It took home the Rugby World Cup, five gold medals in rowing, and two apiece in canoeing and cycling. It finished the year with a silver for its women in World League hockey. Its population is 4.5 million people, and a lot of sheep.

Olympian of the Year

And the winner is…Katie Ledecky. Again, it is hard to compare her series of victories with the incredible one-off performance of Ashton Eaton. However, although multiple medals and world records are easier to achieve in swimming, the range of distances that Ledecky covers is unique, and so she wins, by a narrower margin than most of her races.

Djokovic and Uchimara both had an outstanding year, not for the first time, and perhaps are victims of their own success. There is a sense that even they believe they are capable of achieving even more. Katie Ledecky’s year, on the other hand, is simply unimprovable.

Congratulations, Katie Ledecky!

Next week: I review the highs and lows of a tumultuous 2015 for the world of sport

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

Britain Breezes and China Chimes

Review of the week: 23 – 29 November 2015

Davis Cup Final

Great Britain last won the Davis Cup in 1936 and Belgium last reached the final in 1904 so it was a historic weekend for both teams. Andy Murray won both his singles matches to complete a 100% record for the year, and he won the doubles with his brother Jamie.

But reports of a one or two man team are greatly exaggerated. Kyle Edmund came close to a huge shock when he took a two set lead against Belgium’s David Goffin. And James Ward’s victory against John Isner of the United States was crucial in reaching the final.

Curling and Sailing

While the Scottish brothers were winning their doubles match, their compatriots in Scotland’s curling team were playing in a European championship final against Russia. The rink led by Eve Muirhead (above) was defeated but still finished with a creditable silver medal. The men’s competition went to Sweden, beating Switzerland in the final.

Despite his name, Giles Scott is not Scottish, but he added to a remarkable weekend of British sport with victory in the Finn Gold Cup, the world championship for the oldest Olympic sailing class. He looks set to continue Sir Ben Ainslie’s legacy next year in Rio.

Professional Boxing

But expectations were dealt their most dramatic blow by Tyson Fury’s vanquishing of Wladimir Klitscho for the world heavyweight title, ending a decade of domination for the Ukrainian and his brother, Vitali. Fury is an impressive champion but he may not be  a popular one – he has some unpleasant views, and has been accused of homophobia.

Another British boxer, James DeGale, retained his IBF world super middleweight title, with victory over Lucian Bute. DeGale is an Olympic gold medallist, having won in 2008.

Badminton and Trampoline

There were test events this week in canoe slalom, hockey and badminton, many with weak fields. China swept the badminton events and its double Olympic champion, Lin Dan, above, won the men’s singles. He will find it tougher at the Games themselves.

Removing a letter from Lin Dan produces Li Dan and she won the world championship in trampoline. Gao Li was victorious in the men’s competition, making a Chinese double.

Olympic champion, Rosie MacLennan of Canada finished out of the medals, in fourth. In Rio, she will hope to continue Canada’s record of consistently medalling in this event.

World Weightlifting Championships

China did not have a problem in Houston, where it topped the medal table. Two of its female lifters, Deng Wei and Xiang Yanmei, won three golds apiece. As with Scotland’s curlers, the main challenger was Russia, with six golds in the heavyweight categories.

North Korea was relatively disappointing with just four gold medals, but featured in the most emotional moment, as Rim Jong-sim took triple silver by competing with a serious injury, against medical advice. Her bravery is undeniable but there is a real question as to whether she had made her own choice or whether her coach had put pressure on her.

Last week, I discussed the North Korean regime, with hard work and doping as possible reasons for its success. This incident shows that even hard work can have a sinister side.

Next week: World League hockey, Pan American surfing, para sailing and swimming

Strange Geography

Review of the week: 16 – 22 November 2015

Men’s World Open Squash

Gregory Gaultier of France won his first title at the age of 32, having lost in the final on three previous occasions. He had won the British Open and the US Open (above) but the global title was the one which he needed in order to properly reflect a successful career.

In a sense, therefore, it was a poor tournament for Egypt. Ramy Ashour failed to retain the trophy, Omar Mosaad was beaten by Gaultier in the final, and No 1 seed, Mohamed El Shorbagy, was shocked at the quarter-final stage by James Willstrop of Great Britain.

On the other hand, of 16 Egyptians in the draw, 12 reached the second round, 8 reached the last 16, and 4 reached the quarter-finals. Egypt’s success at the posh English sport of squash never ceases to amaze but the reign of the men from Africa looks set to continue.

Premier 12 Baseball

Squash was beaten by baseball in its bid to be included in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and, this week, baseball tried to strengthen its claim, with a brand new 12-team tournament.

South Korea, which won the last Olympic gold medal, in 2008, claimed another victory. The crucial game was the semi-final against Japan, which hosted the final stages of the tournament. South Korea came back from 3-0 down in the very last inning, to win 4-3.

As usual, the major leagues in the United States and Japan did not release their players, a problem which affected the outcome, and could continue to plague Olympic baseball.

ATP World Tour Finals

Novak Djokovic (above) just keeps making history. He became the first person to win the final event of the season four years in a row, on top of his three grand slam titles in 2015.

The tournament also saw a mini revival for Rafael Nadal, who finished a disappointing year on a high by beating Murray and Wawrinka, before a semi-final defeat to Djokovic.

World Weightlifting Championships

The first weekend of the world championships featured the lower weight classes which, in recent years, have been the domain of North Korea. Om yun-chol did not disappoint in the 56kg class, setting a world record in the clean and jerk and taking the overall title.

Om’s fellow Olympic and world champion, Kim un-guk, was less successful, and had to settle for overall silver, but he did claim a victory in the snatch component of the event.

There’s something exotic about North Korea and it is tempting to reach for explanations like genetics or doping to explain its success. The latter is plausible – it is exactly the sort of heavily controlled regime where state-doping might take place – but genetics is very unlikely to be the answer. The short stature of North Koreans is the result of a poor diet.

But the Egyptian example offers another possibility. Few people suggest that there is a squash gene, and doping is not a widespread problem in the sport. Egypt may even have room for improvement, as squash is a rich man’s game, but it still succeeds through hard work. If Egypt is doing it, then maybe others, including North Korea, are doing the same.

Next week: The European Curling Championships, more weightlifting, and trampoline

Channel Hopping

When Great Britain played Belgium for the Davis Cup

Very little is known about Catherine Anne Doherty, a teacher in Wimbledon at the turn of the twentieth century but, in one sense at least, she was the Judy Murray of her day.

Two of her sons, Reggie and Laurie Doherty, were the strongest tennis players in Great Britain, and formed the core of the team in the 1904 Davis Cup Final, against Belgium.

Triumph Over Adversity

The Doherty brothers were plagued with health problems throughout their short lives but their apparent fraility was deceptive. Their performances on court were rock solid.

They had taken the Davis Cup while on a trip to the United States the previous year and, in a final show of power, Laurie had reigned supreme at the US National Championship, the predecessor of the US Open. He had been the first non-American to lift the trophy.

Reggie (above, top left) had won four Wimbledon singles titles and two Olympic gold medals, with one to come, while Laurie (above, top right) had three Wimbledon titles, with two to come, and two golds. Wimbledon finalist, Frank Riseley, was the third man.

They Should be Famous Belgians

One of their Belgian opponents was Paul de Borman (above, bottom right) and the other was the gloriously named William le Maire de Warzee d’Hermalle (above, bottom left).

It was a golden age for men’s tennis in Belgium. De Borman had reached the semi-finals of that year’s Wimbledon and de Warzee the quarter-finals. In 1909, five Belgian players would blaze a trail in the men’s singles draw, at a time when overseas entries were rare.

De Borman was a vital figure in his country’s tennis history. In 1898, he co-founded the tennis section of the Royal Leopold Club, which would later produce many of Belgium’s shining stars, including Justine Henin. In 1946, he would become president of the ITF.

Despite this energy, Great Britain extinguished the threat, winning in three rubbers and losing just 14 games. The Dohertys began the decisive doubles match with a 6-0 victory in the first set, inflicting a bagel upon the country which is better known for its waffles.

De Borman was perhaps disadvantaged by his cap, which he apparently wore on court.

Where Were the Americans?

Belgium and France were the first continental European nations to enter but the United States did not take part, despite having created the event. Dwight F Davis, the donor of the cup named after him, had played against the Dohertys in 1902 (above, bottom right).

In those days, a trans-Atlantic journey was a huge undetaking, but it may also have been the case that the competition did not inspire the patriotic fervour which it does today.

It was not yet called the Davis Cup but instead was described as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge. In its reporting of the decision not to participate, the New York Times referred to the British team throughout as the Dohertys. It was as if, rather than being representatives of a nation, the US saw its recent conquerors as just a pair of brothers.

Next week: The start of a series on genetics in sport, focusing on basketball in particular