Olympics: True bromance as Phelps and Lochte eye Rio finale

RIO DE JANEIRO—The curtain comes down on one of swimming’s great rivalries on Thursday when Olympic giants Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte lock horns one last time.

Phelps will look to win the men’s 200m individual medley for an incredible fourth successive Games while Lochte, so often the bridesmaid, finally tries to get one over on his fellow American.

After the formalities of Wednesday’s semi-finals, both swimmers indulged in some sweet-talk before their last dance in Rio.

“The history [he] and I have had with one another it’s something special,” said Phelps, who won his record 20th and 21st Olympic gold medals on Tuesday.

“We’ve been racing for the last 12 years and having one more battle tomorrow will be fun,” he added after qualifying quickest for the final in a time of one minute, 55.78 seconds.

“Ryan and I have grown closer as friends this year — so we’ll have one more time to hop in the pool and duke it out.”

Phelps has caught fire in his fifth and final Olympics, winning gold medals in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays and the 200m fly, and Lochte is under no illusions about the size of the task he faces.

“It’s going to take a perfect performance in order to beat him because of how tough a competitor he is,” said world record holder Lochte, who has taken two silvers and a bronze behind Phelps in Athens, Beijing and London.

“He won’t give up and that’s awesome. That’s why he brings out the best in me.

“Any chance I can get up and race Michael, that’s the best,” gushed Lochte, second fastest in the semi-finals half a second behind Phelps. “We’ve been racing since 2004. He’s the toughest competitor I’ve ever gone up against.

“When we go up on the blocks, we’re always trying to win — that’s just the competitive instinct we have,” he added. “But win or lose we’re still good friends.”

Brazilian Thiago Pereira qualified third quickest in front of his home fans in 1:57.11 but the real danger is likely to come from Japan’s Kosuke Hagino, who won the 400m medley in Rio and has plans to gatecrash the American party.

“Tomorrow I just have to swim my own race and leave everything out there,” the 21-year-old Japanese told AFP after winning his heat in 1:57.38.

“I really don’t care about Phelps or Lochte. They’re heroes of mine, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to front up.

“Precisely because they are heroes of mine, I want to give them my best shot, give it everything I’ve got.”/RGA

source: sports.inquirer.net

US Rio swimmer aimed for Olympic career at age 8

He dreamed big at a very young age, and fulfilled that dream in 13 years.

American swimmer Ryan Murphy won the 100-meter backstroke in the 2016 Rio Olympics on Monday night, grabbing his first gold medal in his athletic career.

Years ago as an eight-year-old, Murphy penned a letter to his parents, enumerating his steep dream to be an Olympian including setting an astounding world record and being “the best swimmer in the world.” Moreover, he sketched a mini-portrait of himself with his sparkling gold medal.

American broadcasting network NBC posted the gleeful letter on its Twitter account.

Ryan Murphy wrote this when he was a young boy. Ryan, this isn't the end – it's just the beginning! #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/zCEFfrCMDb

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) August 9, 2016

 

“I hope my swimming life continues and I become an Olympian when I grow up,” Murphy, now 21, doodled in his letter. “I hope I will break the world records. I want to be the best swimmer in the world.”

Although he did not stamp a world record in his beloved sport, he was able to achieve one of his childhood goals, which is to own a gold medal.  Gianna Francesca Catolico

source: sports.inquirer.net

Vietnamese rejoice at first Olympic gold

Vietnamese rejoiced Sunday after their country won its first ever Olympic gold medal, a victory made all the more sweeter by the fact that regional rival China was beaten along the way.

Hoang Xuan Vinh, a 41-year-old a serving army colonel who first learned to shoot with AK47 rifles, made history in Rio overnight when a near-perfect final shot in the men’s 10-meter air pistol clinched him gold.

Vietnamese state media reported that Vinh would receive $100,000 from the state on his return — a handsome sum in a country where the average annual income is around $2,100.

Vinh’s victory shunted Brazil’s Felipe Almeida Wu and China’s Pang Wei into second and third respectively, something that was seized on by jubilant Vietnamese.

“So proud! But the greatest happiness was that we won over China,” Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, a Vietnamese music show host based in the US but popular in her homeland, wrote on Facebook./rga

source: sports.inquirer.net

McIlroy opts out of Rio Olympics over Zika concerns

Golfer Rory McIlroy became one of the most high-profile sports stars to opt out of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics because of concerns about the Zika virus, saying Wednesday it is “a risk I am unwilling to take.”

“After speaking with those closest to me, I’ve come to realize that my health and my family’s health comes before anything else,” the four-time major winner said in a statement released by his management company.

The fourth-ranked McIlroy was scheduled to play for Ireland as golf makes its return to the Olympics for the first time since 1904.

The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) said it was “extremely disappointed” not to have McIlroy on its team.

“However, as we have always said, it is down to the individual and of course we respect his decision, which he has taken for personal reasons,” the OCI said in a statement.

The 27-year-old McIlroy said this month that he and his fiancee, Erica Stoll, may consider starting a family “in the next couple of years.”

“Even though the risk of infection from the Zika virus is considered low,” McIlroy said, “it is a risk nonetheless and a risk I am unwilling to take.”

Australian golfer Marc Leishman has already pulled out of the Olympic tournament, citing concerns over the health of his family because of the mosquito-borne virus which is linked to severe birth defects and possible neurological problems in adults. Leishman’s wife, Audrey, nearly died last year from toxic shock syndrome.

Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Vijay Singh have also said they won’t compete at Rio, mostly due to scheduling commitments.

Last month, 150 health experts issued an open letter to the U.N. health agency calling for the games to be delayed or relocated “in the name of public health.” The agency, the World Health Organization, responded that such steps would “not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus.”

The OCI said it has been taking its lead on the Zika situation from the International Olympic Committee.

“They have provided us with every assurance and we have total confidence that the games will be safe for all athletes,” the Dublin-based organization said.

McIlroy, who has won three of the four majors in golf, had been eligible to compete for either Britain or Ireland at the Olympics. He eventually chose Ireland, which he had represented throughout his amateur career and twice in the World Cup.

“I trust the Irish people will understand my decision,” McIlroy said. “The unwavering support I receive every time I compete in a golf tournament at home or abroad means the world to me.

“I will continue to endeavor to make my fans and fans of golf proud with my play on the course and my actions off it.”

The International Golf Federation said it was “disappointed with Rory’s decision but recognizes that some players will have to weigh personally a unique set of circumstances as they contemplate their participation in golf’s historic return to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, with the Zika virus foremost among them.”

It added that “the Olympics is the world’s greatest celebration of sport and we remain excited about golf’s return after a 112-year absence.”

The IGF, founded in 1958, is recognized by the IOC as the official world body for golf.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Demi Lovato Goes Two Pieces in Brazil

A year after leaving a treatment facility -- where she sought help for self-mutilation and bulimia -- a happy and healthy Demi Lovato showed off her curvalicious body in a bronze bikini, while soaking up the rays at the beach in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old has been taking in the sights while on the South American leg of her tour.

article source: http://www.tmz.com