07062016 sports by tribune242

SPORTS SECTION E

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016

Basketball Smiles

CISC champions

Summer camp, Page 8

BAHAMAS GETS HIGH MARKS FOR HOSTING OF CISC By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

I’m happy with where we are as a country.” Murray, one of the most successful swimmers who went on to represent the Bahamas at three Olympics, becoming the first to make a final in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, said the team was well put together and the coaches worked extremely well to manage the team. “We couldn’t do it without trying to convince some swimmers to swim multiple events,” Murray said. “I think the coaches did a very good job of emphasising those points to the swimmers and that was what led to our success. “The management of swimmers is not easy. It’s not one of my favourite things to do. I think Andy and Travano did an excellent job with that, so awesome job to Team Bahamas, both swimmers and coaches and even the parents for

FELIX Calderon gave the Bahamas Swimming Federation high marks for the staging of the XXI Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships. The BSF hosted the week long championships three days after completion of their annual Royal Bank of Canada National Swimming Championships at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex. “It was excellent. They have a very good organisation,” said Calderon, president of the CCCAN, the organisers of the championships. “It was much bigger than we expected. “For the CCCAN, we only have 18 countries in the Caribbean, but because this one was a qualifier for the Olympic Games, we had 14 more countries, which brought a lot of quality to the meet.” Calderon, who hails from Puerto Rico, highly praised BSF president Algernon Cargill for the tremendous job in pulling off the championships, noting that they have a fantastic group of officials, who worked diligently in making the event a success. With both CARIFTA Games and the Commonwealth Youth Games coming to the Bahamas next year, Calderon said he intends to return to experience another first class event staged by the BSF. Cargill said while the BSF is basking in the success of winning the CISC title for the first time, he’s singing the praises of the organising committee for going beyond the call of duty to get the job done. “Our victory is a result of the hard work of our swimmers and our coaches and our organising committee,”

SEE PAGE 3

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Team Bahamas with the trophy after winning the Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships for the first time. Photo by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

hree years ago, the Bahamas Swim Federation won the Carifta Swimming Championships for the first time and successfully defended it in 2015 before losing it to Guadeloupe this year. This year, the BSF hosted the Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships for the first time and they finally hoisted the trophy in the XXI version of the biggest regional competition yesterday. The Bahamas didn’t win the fivw kilometre open water swim race in Long Wharf as Matthew Lowe did in the 10K race on Sunday. But the team accumulated enough points to help secure the overall title with the swimming competition combined from the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex last week.

When the final tally was done, the Bahamas posted a total of 1,144 points to out-distance their nearest rivals, Puerto Rico, who got 1,036 for second. Trinidad & Tobago was third with 900.50. “Thirty years ago when the coaches were working together, one of the long range plans that we had turned into the BSF was to win Carifta and to win CISC, so here it is now, we have accomplished that,” said head coach Andy Knowles. “We also included putting people in the Olympic Games and making the finals and we’re almost there with accomplishing our game plan. A lot of people don’t know that it was something that we had actually set out to achieve and now we are doing it.” Knowles, back then one of the younger coaches in the BSF, teamed up with two of his rising young protégés in Travano McPhee and Allan Murray, assistant coaches on the

team, to help coach Team Bahamas to victory. “I think it’s really important that we point out the fact that all of the coaches worked together,” Knowles said. “When we come together as coaches, we are able to produce the kind of results that we got from the swimmers in this meet. That is one of the strengths where we are today.” McPhee, a former national team swimmer, couldn’t agree more. “We’ve come from a place where we were making finals at CISC where we dominated the meet this year,” he said. “I think this was something special for these swimmers, who just came off competing in the National Swimming Championships a couple days before. “To go to back-to-back championships and perform as well as they did was remarkable. The team camaraderie was very good. So I’m happy with their performances and

Seeded players advance to 2nd round, BFA NAMES Bahamians ousted in Junkanoo Bowl MEN’S U-17

NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net ALL of the remaining seeded players in the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s Junkanoo Bowl ITF Junior Circuit Tournament advanced to the second round, while the final Bahamian got eliminated. Abigail Simms, the final player carrying the Bahamian flag at the National Tennis Centre, lost a 6-3, 6-2 decision to American Skyler Miller as the final eight matches in the first round were completed. “It was tiring,” said Simms after the match. “I was a little shaky. I didn’t play my best strokes. I was kind of banged up a little bit. I tried my best.” Simms, 15, said Miller just simply played much better than she did. Miller, making her debut in the Bahamas, said the Bahamian people were so kind and welcoming and coupled with going on the beach, she’s enjoyed her stay here so far. “My match was really good,” Miller said. “The girl from the Bahamas was really good. I hit some big serves and she returned a lot of them. But I was the aggressor in the match.” Miller broke Simms in the first game and she held until 5-3 when she broke Simms again to take the first set. Then in the second set, Miller broke at 2-1,

ALL remaining seeded players in the BLTA’s Junkanoo Bowl ITF Junior Circuit Tournament advanced to the 2nd round as the junior tournament continued yesterday at the National Tennis Centre. Photo by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff but Simms returned the favour. Miller, a 17-year-old resident from Oklahoma, got another break at 5-2 and held serve for the game, set and match. “I expect to play well,” Miller projected. “I’ve been training hard and I hope to continue to do very well in the rest of the tournament. Hopefully I can go very far in the tournament.” In one of the two matches featuring seeded players, No.2 seed Lulu Radovic from Switzerland didn’t have any mercy as she blanked American Macey Miller 6-0, 6-0. “It was good. I was pretty

confident and I played very well,” said Radovic, 15, who is playing here for the first time as well. “I was the one who was the most aggressive. I really like being here in the Bahamas. I hope that I can be first place.” The other seeded player on the girls’ side was American Nada Dimovska, who at No.5 also made easy work of her opponent, winning 6-1, 6-0 over River Hart from Canada. The only seeded player on the boys’ side in action was American Rohan Jachuck. The No.3 seed eliminated Kyle Frankel from Aruba 6-4, 6-1.

Beside the few singles played, the doubles matches got underway yesterday as well, but none of the Bahamian players advanced. O’Neal Mortimer and Nagid Walle lost 6-1, 6-2 to Santiago Hinojosa from Mexico and William Peters from the USA and John Kelly, teaming up with American Joshua Bode, lost 6-3, 3-6, 10-4 to No.3 seeds Kyle Frankel from Aruba and Ronan Jachuck from the USA. And on the girls’ side, Sierra Donaldson and Afrika Smith

SEE PAGE 3

THE Bahamas Men’s Under-17 National Soccer Team has been selected and will represent The Bahamas in the upcoming Caribbean Football Union’s Men’s Under-17 Qualifiers in Suriname. Fred Lunn, general secretary of the BFA, has confirmed that the following players will represent The Bahamas: Aleksey Matsas Jordan Farquharson Anthony Dias Joseph Edgecombe Andre Roberts Keyshawn Forbes Camrawn Cox Khalil Fernander Dante Hanna Rashawn Hamilton Emmanuel Munroe Nathan Wells Jacob Charles Oakland Duncan Johnathan Antor Seth Strachan Jonathan Richardson Tevin Lewis The team has been training in preparation for the last four months, and has been prepared by head coach Dion Godet and his technical staff. The team is scheduled to travel to Suriname on July 17 and will compete against the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and Suriname on the 20th, 22nd and 24th of July respectively.

PAGE 2, Wednesday, July 6, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

THE TRIBUNE’s Senior Sports Reporter Brent Stubbs (far right) interviews coaches for Team Bahamas at the CISC Championships (l-r) - assistant Allan Murray, head coach Andy Knowles and assistant Travano McPhee. Photos by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

Portes, Amaro close out XXI CISC with open water swim race victory By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net MIQUEL Portes from Dominica and Diana Amaro from Puerto Rico closed out the XXI Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships by winning the fivekilometre open water swim race yesterday. The race was the last event for the weeklong championships that included the swimming competition at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex. Portes, coming off his second place finish behind Bahamian Matthew Lowe in the 10K open water race on Sunday, pulled off the final victory in a time of one hour, 1 minute and 43.59 seconds. “I feel so good. We had some great swimmers, so it was very good to finish in first place,” said Portes, who admitted that Lowe performed exceptionally well on Sunday. “It was good to come back and win this one.” Portes, 24, said this is his first trip to the Bahamas and he has been quite impressed with what he saw from the hospitality of the people to the accommodations that they experienced at the Melia Hotel.

Portes’ victory came in the male 18-and-over division where he held off Calvin Ayala from Puerto Rico, who did 1:01:50.09 for second. Jose Gadea, also from Puerto Rico, was third in 1:01:53.02. While Lowe didn’t compete after celebrating his victory in the longer 10K race on Sunday, Meshach Roberts emerged as the first Bahamian finisher in yesterday’s 5K race in 1:06:10.52. “I think I was more physically than mentally prepared for this race,” Roberts said. “I dropped off training in February, but I came back last month and I really got back into it. The hardest part of the race was when the cruise ship was coming in, but after that, it was a good race.” With the beautiful waters that the Bahamas is renowned for, 19-year-old Roberts said it was so surreal to see how the open water competition turned out. Grand Bahamian Kristofer Smith was eighth in the boys 14-17 age group in 1:11:05.59, but he was just delighted to have been able to make a contribution to the success of Team Bahamas.

“It wasn’t what I expected when I went into it at first, but I still did my best time, even though I didn’t have my best swim,” said 16-year-old Smith, who did the 200m butterfly where he was also ninth in his age group. The competition was more than what I expected. The way some people swum in the pool, I didn’t expect them to come out here in the open water and swim as fast as they did. I went to Jen (Davis) for four days after I swam in the pool and she really helped to get me prepared for this competition.” On the girls’ side, Diana Amaro, who didn’t participate in the 10K on Sunday, clinched the 5K top spot yesterday when she crossed the finish line in 1:10:15.49. “I think I did really great. I started after the men, but my concentration was to look for them,” said Amaro, 22. “My first lap, I was using more of my hands and then the second lap, I went with my kicking and I gave it everything I had.” Competing in the 18-andover division, Amaro won over Catriona from the Cayman Islands, who did 1:13:39.34. Shania David from Trinidad & Tobago was third in 1:16:25.17.

Like Portes, this is also Amaro’s initial trip here and she too acknowledged that it far surpassed her expectations from the hospitality to the organisation of the meet. The first Bahamian female to complete the race was Anya MacPhail, who was fourth in the 14-17 girls’ division in 1:18:36.81. Paola Malo from Puerto Rico won the divisional title in 1:13:09.95. Patricia Gonzalez from the Republic of Dominican clocked 1:16:17.24 and Teresa Otero from Trinidad & Tobago came in third in 1:17:46.51. “This was really good. I was sick for the past few days, but I got better and I was able to come out and compete today, so it was nice,” MacPhail said. “It was really nice having the cruise ships out there and the star fish swimming around you. “Usually we are the ones travelling, so it was so nice for them to come here and that gave us a chance to show the Bahamian public what we are capable of doing.” MacPhail, a 13-year-old student of St Andrew’s School, said she was even more delighted with the Bahamas winning the overall title.

THE 5K OPEN WATER SWIM RACE RESULTS • RESULTS of the XXI CISC’s 5K open water swim race are as follows: Girls 14-17 Paolo Malo, Puerto Rico, 1:13:09.95; Patricia Gonzalez, Rep Dominicana, 1:16:17.24; Teresa Otero, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:17:46.51; Jasmine Gibson, Bahamas, 1:18:365.81; Brianna Patterson, Bahamas, 1:18:58.16; Kristiana Ram, Barbados, 1:25:24.41; Lauren Albury, Bahamas, 1:25:24.41. Boys 14-17 Christian Marsden, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:01:45.56; Osvaldo Burgos, Puerto Rico, 1:02:01.24; Raim Michiel, Curacao, 1:03:56.66; Kael yorke, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:06:02.70; Josiah Parag, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:06:03.97; Joshua Murray, Bahamas, 1:11:03.09; Darren Laing, Bahamas, 1:11:03.74; Kristofer Smith, Bahamas, 1:11:05.59; Nathaniel Roach, Barbados, 1:18:38.79. Girls 18-and-over Diana Amaro, Puerto Rico, 1:10:15.49; Catriona MacRae, Cayman Islands, 1:13:39.34; Shania Smith, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:16:25.217; Xiomara Getrouw, Suriname, 1:20:13.69; Valerie Gregoire, St Kitts & Nevis, 1:20:14.22. Boys 18-and-over Miquel Portes, Rep Dominicana, 1:01:43.59; Calvin Ayala, Puerto Rico, 1:01:50.09; Jose Gadea, Puerto Rico, 1:01:53.02; Jivan Chee Foon, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:04:21.44; Meshach Roberts, Bahamas, 1:06:10.52; Keith Lloyd, Bahamas, 1:10:43.19.

BSF President Algernon Cargill and CCCAN president Felix Calderon make the presentation to girls’ 18-and-over 5k open water swim winners Catriona MacRae from Cayman Islands (second), Dianna Amaro from Puerto Rico (winner) and Shania David from Trinidad & Tobago (third).

ALGERNON Cargill and Felix Calderon make the presentation to boys’ 18-and-over 5K winners Calvin Ayala from Puerto Rico (second), Miquel Portes from the Republic of Dominicana (winner) and Jose Gadea from Puerto Rico (third).

ALGERNON Cargill and Felix Calderon make the presentation to the girls’ 14-17 5K open water winners Patricia Gonzalez from the Republic of Dominican (second), Paola Malo from Puerto Rico (winner) and Teresa Otero from Trinidad & Tobago (third).

ALGERNON Cargill and Felix Calderon make the presentation to the boys’ 14-17 5K open swim winners Osvaldo Burgos from Puerto Rico (second), Christian Marsden from Trinidad & Tobago (winner) and Raim Michiel from Curacao (third).

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 6, 2016, PAGE 3

Seeded players advance to the second round, all Bahamians ousted in the Junkanoo Bowl FROM PAGE 1 lost 6-1, 6-1 to the top seeded team of Willa Bay Breunich from the USA and Lula Radovic from Switzerland; Isabel Donaldson teamed up weith Ilana Blackwood from Jamaica, but they loist 6-3, 6-2 to Americans Nada Dimovska and Jennifer Gadalov and Gabrielle and Hannah-Joy Simms lost 6-1, 6-1 to the Canadian duo of River Hart and Alexandra Tutecky. The tournament will continue today at 9 ma with the boys playing their second round singles, followed by the girls. The day will conclude with doubles.

BLTA’S JUNKANOO BOWL ITF JR CIRCUIT TOURNAMENT RESULTS • Here’s a look at the results of Tuesday’s matches played in the BLTA’s Junkanoo Bowl ITF Junior Circuit Tournament at the National Tennis Centre: Boys’ singles Niah Schschter (USA) def. Nagid Walle (BAH) b6-0, 6-2. Nicholas Watson (USA) def. Tatsuki Shimamoto (JPN) 6-4, 6-4. William Peters (USA) def. George Davis (GBR) 6-2, 6-0. Ronan Jachuck (USA) (3) def. Kyle Frankel (ARU) 6-4, 6-1. Girls’ singles Skyler Miller (USA) def. Abigail Simms (BAH) 6-3, 6-2. Nada Dimovska (USA) (5) def. River Hart (CAN) 6-1, 6-1. Lula Radovcic (SUI) (2) def. Macey Miller (USA) 6-0, 6-0. Holly Fischer (GBR) def. Catherine Xu (USA) 6-0, 6-1. Boys’ doubles Robert Hammond (USA)/Sebastian Mermersky (BUL) (1) def. Dimitri Bird/Roger Lyn (USA) 7-5, 7-5. Zummy Bauer/Trey Hilderbrand (USA) (4) def. Dennis Moses (ZIM)/Eduardo Roldan (MEX) 7-5, 6-3. Arthur Bernabe (FRA)/Zachary Garner (USA) (2) def. Michael Agee (USA)/Lleyton Cronje (RSA) 6-7 (3), 6-1, 10-3. Liam Draxl (CAN)/Nathan Han (USA) def. Amaury De Beer (MRI)/Vasyl Kiseylyov (UKA) 3-6, 6-3, 13-11. Santiago Hinojosa (MEX)/William Peters (USA) def. O’Neal Mortimer/Nagid Walle (BAH) 6-1, 6-2. Kyle Frankel (ARU)/Ronan Jachuck (USA) (3) def. Joshua Bode (USA)/John Kelly (BAH) 6-3, 3-6, 10-4. Drew Baird/Noah Schachter (USA) def. George Davis (GBR)/Tatsuki Shimamoto (JPN) 6-4, 6-2. Jacob Beasley/Nicholas Watson (USA) def. David Leader/Luke Stirling (BER) 6-0, 6-0. Elena Gemovic (SRB)/Imani Graham (USA) def. Natsumi Kawaguchi (JPN)/Taysia Rogers (USA) 5-7, 6-1, 10-6. Girls’ doubles Hurricane Tyra Black/Meg Kowalski (USA) (2) def. Rachel Treibick Caplan (USA)/Lucia De Santa Ana (URU) W/O. Willa Bay Breunich (USA)/Lula Radovcic (SUI) (1) def. Sierra Donaldson/Afrika Smith (BAH) 6-1, 6-1. Nada Dimovska/Jennifer Gadalov (USA) def. Ilana Blackwood (JAM)/Isabel Donaldson (BAH) 6-3, 6-2. Jenna Dean/Amanda Meyer (USA) (4) def. Meredith G. Jones (PHI_/Catherine Xu (USA) W/O. Holly Fioscher (GBR)/Brianna Tulloch (USA) def. Isabella Mermersky/Shelly Yaloz (USA) 6-2, 6-2. River Hart/Alexandra Tutecky (CAN) def. Gabriella/Hannah-Hoy Simms (BAH) 6-1, 6-1. Jimar Gerald (CHI)/Alyssa Mayo (USA) def. Macey/Skyler Miller (USA) 6-2, 3-6, 10-7.

HAPPY DAYS: Head coach Andy Knowles shares a special moment after Team Bahamas won the Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships for the first time. Photo by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

BAHAMAS GETS HIGH MARKS FOR HOSTING CISC FROM PAGE 1 Cargill said. “What we were able to do was to have an organising committee that was able to ensure that our visitors and our swimmers got a first-class experience in the Bahamas. “While we were focusing on doing a great job at the CISC, we know that we have to host the Carifta Games and the Commonwealth youth Games next year. So we told the Bahamas Olympic Committee that they don’t need to worry about swimming because we have 12 qualified officials who are qualified to judge at the Olympic level and we can get the job done, just as we did at CISC.” John Bradley, the secre-

tary general for the BSF, said it took a helium task behind the scene by a lot of people to pull off the backto-back nationals and CISC championships. “It was very tasking, considering that we only had about four months to deal with CISC,” he said. “We were not sure that we were going to deal with it, but when we went into it, it was very taxing. “We had a group of people who worked very hard and they managed to pull it off. But we have a lot of people who are very exhausted, but we managed to pull it off. So that’s a great thing.” There were a lot of logistic problems that the BSF were faced with in staging the two events so closely together.

But Bradley said once the Nationals got off the ground, we went right to work on CISC. “We had a great team to work with and that was why we were so successful,” he said. “We have a lot of people to thank for their efforts, but we won’t start calling names because we don’t want to overlook anybody right now.” Bradley said with the support of the Bahamas Government, the BSF showed that they are capable of putting on some high level events. However, he said in going forward, it is their hope they won’t run concurrently, but rather will be spaced out like Carifta and the Commonwealth Youth Games that the BSF has to prepare for next year.

THE FINAL TEAM STANDINGS Place Team Points 1. Bahamas 1,144 2. Puerto Rico 1.036 3. Trinidad & Tobago 900.50 4. Jamaica 564 5. Barbados 518 6. Aruba 419 7. Bermuda 395.50 8. Cayman Islands 260.50 9. Suriname 242 10. Curacao 232 11. US Virgin Islands 195 12. Grenada 117 13. Rep. Dominicana 108 14. St Vincent & Grenadines 76 15. Antigua & Barbuda 72 16. St Lucia 34.50 17. St Kitts & Nevis 10 18. Haiti 4 Girls 14-17 1. Puerto Rico 36 2. Rep. Dominicana 32 3. Trinidad & Tobago 22 4. Bahamas 27 5. Barbados 6 Boys 14-17 1. Trinidad & Tobago 56 2. Puerto Rico 34 3. Bahamas 19 4. Curacao 14 5. Barbados 4 Girls 18-and-over 1. Puerto Rico 36 2. Trinidad & Tobago 30 2. Cayman Islands 30 4. Suriname 12 5. St Kitts & Nevis 10 Boys 18-and-over 1. Puerto Rico 56 2. Bahamas 36 3. Rep. Dominicana 34 4. Trinidad & Tobago 22

CISC champions FROM PAGE 1 being patient with what we wanted their children to do during the meet.” Knowles called it a double marathon that Team Bahamas participated in. “I told the swimmers that in any other country, I don’t know if they would have held up the way we did,” he said. “We had four long days of competition in both meets in two weeks. They did a lot of racing and we put in a lot of intensity. “So me, that shows how tough we were mentally and physically in coming through and winning the CISC after having to go through a tough Nationals the week before.” Now the focus switches to the hosting of the Carifta Swimming Championships next April when Knowles said the BSF will be out to regain their title before getting prepared to win the swim segment of the Commonwealth Youth Games that will follow in July.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, July 6, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Russia names 68 Olympic track and field hopefuls in appeal MOSCOW (AP) — Russia named 68 athletes yesterday it wants to send to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro if its global ban from track and field is lifted. The list approved by the suspended All-Russia Athletic Federation appears to contradict an earlier promise not to send any athletes who have previously been banned for doping offences. Former world indoor champion triple jumper Yekaterina Koneva makes the list even though she served a ban from 2007-09. Other notable athletes with past doping offences have been left out.

ARAF promised in May not to select former dopers as it tried to persuade the IAAF to lift its suspension. That attempt failed last month when the IAAF upheld the ban. “Any potential participant in the Olympics who has been found to have taken banned substances in previous years cannot be a member of the Russian national Olympic team in Rio,” the federation said at the time. ARAF said all 68 met Olympic qualifying standards and registered as plaintiffs in the Russian Olympic Committee’s suit at the

Court of Arbitration for Sport aiming to lift the ban on the Russia team. They have also been “confirmed by the ARAF main coaching council and presidium,” the federation said. CAS is due to hear the claim on July 19 and rule by July 21. Russia was suspended by the IAAF in November after a World Anti-Doping Agency report detailed widespread doping allegedly supported by the Russian state. The list of 68 includes numerous potential medal contenders in Rio such as two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isin-

bayeva, world 110-metre hurdles champion Sergei Shubenkov, and Olympic high jump gold medallist Ivan Ukhov. Olympic high jump gold medallist Anna Chicherova was cut from the Rio team after she was provisionally suspended by the IAAF for failing a retest of her sample from the 2008 Olympics, the Russian Olympic Committee has said. In a sign of the damage wrought by Russia’s doping scandals, the list contains a severely weakened team of race walkers and no 800-metre runners. Russia won

gold and bronze in the women’s 800 in London, but both Russian medallists from that final were suspended after undercover footage appeared to show them confessing to doping. Numerous other Russian medallists from the 2012 Games have been implicated in doping scandals. Two walkers were stripped of gold and silver medals by a CAS ruling this year, while 3,000 steeplechase champion Yulia Zaripova is set to lose her gold medal after being banned. Discus thrower Darya Pishchalnikova lost her silver medal in 2013.

Time trials: Felix, Gatlin, Merritt book trips to Olympics ALLYSON FELIX rests on the track after winning the 400-metre final at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials on Sunday. (AP)

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer EUGENE, Oregon (AP) — The numbers were as telling as the names. America’s Olympic mainstays, Allyson Felix, LaShawn Merritt and Justin Gatlin, are all on their way to Rio de Janeiro. With the best times in the world this year to boot. Gatlin’s 100-metre run in 9.8 seconds at the US Olympic Trials on Sunday will certainly turn the most heads. It’s the same time he posted last year at world championships in Beijing, where Usain Bolt nudged him out by a hundredth. Bolt pulled out of this week’s Jamaican national championships and his form will be a mystery for at least the next few weeks. Nobody needs wonder about where Gatlin stands. “When the competition shows and the competition rises, I’ve got to rise to the occasion with it,” he declared. Even so, he’s destined to head to his third Olympics as an underdog to Bolt, The World’s Fastest Man. Ashton Eaton will be a favourite. The defending Olympic decathlon champion’s score of 8,750 was nearly 300 short of his world record. A bit frustrating for Eaton, but the score was still notable because it was one point better than the personal best of anyone who can qualify for the event in Rio. And besides, there’s no such thing as perfect over a 10-event endurance test. “As a decathlete, if you don’t leave with something (frustrating), then you should quit,” he said. Besides Eaton, nobody has carried the flag more nobly for the USA’s track team of late than Felix, who

bigger. Fitting on a day such as this. “It felt so easy,” Lowe said. “I think I’ll be ready. Just keep training, fine-tuning. I think we could see a sweep of the podium.” • Other happenings on Day 3 at track trials:

LASHAWN MERRITT waves after winning the 400 final. (AP) has been to three Olympics and picked up six medals, including 200-metre gold in London. Her quest at Olympics No. 4 is to become the first woman to win gold in both the 200 and 400 metres. That mission landed on shaky ground when she hurt her right ankle this spring while working out. It’s been a brutal comeback, she said, though the performance Sunday hardly showed it. Pulling away late, she finished the 400-metre final in 49.68 seconds for a .26-second win over Phyllis Francis, then collapsed in exhaustion and relief. “Two months ago, I couldn’t even walk,” Felix said. “To be here and have everything still come together, I don’t know quite how it happened.” Merritt certainly does. Fists pumping high down the stretch, he burst down the last 50 metres of the straightaway to finish in 43.97 — a .76-second romp over Gil Roberts. It was a

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STANDINGS

clinic, reminiscent of Merritt’s .99-second blowout over rival Jeremy Wariner in the 2008 Olympics. “People always say they look at my film to tell their athletes, ‘This is how you’re supposed to run the last part of the race,’” Merritt said. “They haven’t been looking at it lately. I had to give them something to look at.” Merritt said he feels good enough to give it a go at 200 metres, where he also holds the world’s best time of the year. Yet another world-best mark came from Chaunte Lowe in the high jump. Her jump of 6 feet, 7 inches beat Vashti Cunningham, daughter of former NFL quarterback Randall, by 1 1/2 inches. Lowe is on the way to her fourth Olympics, seeking the medal that has always eluded her there. Stoked by her performance, and the others she saw on this breezy, sunshine-filled day in Eugene, she was thinking

GARDNER IS A GO: English Gardner ran a personal best 10.74 seconds in the 100 to put herself on a list of Olympic track-andfield newcomers that now numbers 25. She edged out Tianna Bartoletta, who will be going for a sprint-long jump double, and another firsttimer, Tori Bowie, the bronze medallist at last year’s world championships. Bartoletta and Bowie both finished in 10.78 and, according to a statkeeper for the IAAF, this was the first wind-legal women’s 100 with three times of under 10.8.

BACK TO CAMP: Marquise Goodwin’s dream of skipping training camp with the Buffalo Bills is over. The receiver/long jumper finished seventh and didn’t qualify for the Olympics. He said he strained his hamstring during qualifications Saturday and couldn’t recover in time for the final. Now, he takes a few days off and gets ready for camp. “Just a switch. Got to hit it,” he said about the quick changeover. THIRD TIME IS A CHARM?: Tyson Gay’s chances of making a third Olympics now rest in either the 200 metres or a slot as part of the relay pool. Both Gay and Mike Rodgers got beat for the third spot in the 100 by Marvin Bracy, a three-time national indoor champ at 60 metres who also used to be a wide receiver at Florida State. Bracy is an Olympic newcomer, as is second-place

finisher Trayvon Bromell, who finished second to Gatlin in 9.84. PUNCHING TICKETS: Qualifying for long jump were 2014 national champion Jeff Henderson and Jarrion Lawson. Will Claye, the bronze medallist at the London Games, finished third but did not have a non-windaided Olympic qualifying standard. The other two will make their Olympic debuts. Finishing in the two spots behind Eaton were Jeremy Taiwo and Zack Ziemek. QUOTABLE: “The one thing I love about the athletes I coach, they love running for the United States. She wants to make this Olympic team. That was something that, like you saw, she was willing to pull every muscle in her body.” — Allyson Felix’s coach, Bob Kersee

JUSTIN GATLIN, left, celebrates after winning the 100-metre final at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials on Sunday. (AP)

Yohan Blake heading to Rio as a double Jamaican champ By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Yohan Blake checked the clock as he crossed the line, then knelt for a moment in prayer and tore open his singlet in his traditional manner of celebration. And he looks every bit the part of an Olympic contender again. Just as he did four years ago, Blake is going to the Olympics as Jamaica’s national champion in the 100- and 200-metre dashes. Blake won the 100 on Friday and capped his country’s senior national championships — the nation’s version of an Olympic trials — on Sunday with a win in the 200, prevailing in 20.29 seconds. “The feeling is really good,” Blake said. “Four years ago, I won. Four years in the future, I won again. That just shows I have heart. I’ve been working miracles in my life. This is what miracles are all about. I listen to my coach, I execute my race well and I get the victory.” He doesn’t make it seem miraculous. At times, such as Sunday, he makes it seem easy. Blake beat Usain Bolt in both the 100 and 200 finals on this same track at National Stadium four years ago. There was no Blake vs. Bolt showdown this time, with Bolt pulling out of the meet on Friday night with a mild tear in his left hamstring that

puts some doubt on his availability for the Rio Olympics next month — where he wants to become the first man or woman to win gold in the 100 three times. Blake fully expects Bolt to be BLAKE (AP) ready for Rio. Right now, though, there’s no doubting that Blake is ready. “The plan is to go back in training,” Blake said. “I need to focus my driving my foot, so I can be faster. ... I could have gone 19 today. I just needed the win.” Nickel Ashmeade — who was also second to Blake in the 100 final on Friday — was second again, this time in 20.45 seconds. Julian Forte was third in 20.46. All Blake had to do this weekend was avoid disaster, which he did. The same couldn’t be said for world 100-metre hurdles champion Danielle Williams, who clipped a hurdle in the final and crashed out of the race — with the win going to Megan Simmonds in 12.79 seconds. Simone Facey won the women’s 200 final, collapsing to the track in disbelief and tears after crossing the line and holding off Veronica CampbellBrown. Facey prevailed in 22.65 seconds, while Campbell-Brown — who of-

ficially clinched her fifth Olympic spot — was second in 22.80 seconds. Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce both pulled out of the final shortly before it started, with no reason immediately offered by Jamaican officials. Thompson was the world silver medallist in the 200 last year and matched Jamaica’s national record in the 100 with her time of 10.70 seconds in that final on Friday night. The 34-year-old Campbell-Brown won gold in the 200 at Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. A seven-time Olympic medallist in all, CampbellBrown said she — like many other stars in this meet — has been dealing with an injury in recent days, her malady being a shoulder problem. “It’s time to get right for the rest of the season,” Campbell-Brown said. All who qualified for the Rio Games were ordered to report to Jamaican medical authorities Sunday night to get vaccinated for yellow fever, if they had not already. And men’s sprinter Kemar Bailey-Cole told reporters in Jamaica last month that he has caught the Zika virus, though he competed in the national championships. There’s also the logistical issues that await the national selection committee, such as what to do with Bolt. None of that is slowing Blake down. Asked if he would run the 100-200 double in Rio, Blake didn’t hesitate. “Oh, definitely,” Blake said. “I have to replicate what I do best.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 6, 2016, PAGE 5

RONALDO AND PORTUGAL PLOT ANOTHER ESCAPE AGAINST BALE AND WALES WHEN Portugal and Wales meet today for a place in the final of the European Championship, two players will be expected to rise far above the rest. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, club teammates at Real Madrid and the most expensive players in the history of football, will bear the hopes of their nations in Lyon. The stage could hardly be bigger. The winners will earn a spot in Sunday’s final against either world champions Germany or tournament hosts France. “Two of the best players on the planet,” Wales coach Chris Coleman said yesterday. “I don’t suppose there will be any love lost on the evening. We know what’s at stake; any friendship will have to wait until after the game.” Less than six weeks ago, Ronaldo and Bale joined in celebrations after winning a second Champions League trophy in their three seasons together at Madrid. Since moving to Spain on a record 100 million euros (then $132m) transfer that broke Madrid’s own deal for Ronaldo, Bale has always played the role of deferential sidekick to the three-time world player of the year. The semi-final now offers Bale the perfect stage to challenge that hierarchy. A outstanding performance by one could even tip the Ballon d’Or vote in his favour. Bale arrives in better form than Ronaldo. The Wales winger is among the competition’s top scorers with three goals (only France’s Antoine Griezmann has more with four), including two goals from free kicks. The Welshman’s unheralded team are also riding a huge high after the most important victory in their history: a 3-1 come-from-behind win to oust Belgium in the quarter-finals.

CRISTIANO RONALDO (AP) Best of all for Coleman, his side roared back against the Belgians without needing a goal from Bale. Captain Ashley Williams started the rally that Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes completed. It means that Wales has taken the label of underdog fan favourites from Iceland after their fairytale run was ended by France on Sunday. That was the latest milestone for an ascendant Wales. Ranked outside the top 100 four years ago, Bale scored seven goals in qualifying to carry Wales into their first major competition since the 1958 World Cup. Once in France, they defied expectations by finishing ahead of neighbours England to win their group. They then topped that by becoming the first debutants to reach the semi-finals since Sweden in 1992. Wales have made their run in style, deploying one of the best attacks at the tournament. With Bale leading the way, Wales are second only to France with 10 goals scored and join the hosts as the only teams to have won four matches outright, not counting victories from penalty shootouts. Portugal, by contrast, have clawed its way into its fourth semi-final in the last five tournaments. Having squeezed into the last

GARETH BALE (AP) 16 after three draws at the group stage, they needed a victory in extra time against Croatia and then penalties to get past Poland. A big part of Portugal’s problems has been Ronaldo’s performances, which have been below his incredibly high standards. His two goals against Hungary are his only two strikes in five matches at the tournament. While Bale leads all players with 13 shots on target, Ronaldo has the inglorious statistic of a competition-high 14 shots off the mark. “If Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t score, it doesn’t mean he isn’t playing well and doing other things,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said in defence of his star forward. “Cristiano Ronaldo is an example as captain of this side. He’s doing a great job. He

wants to win.” If Ronaldo does score, he will match Michel Platini’s record of nine goals at the European Championship. Portugal will be without suspended holding midfielder William Carvalho, who will likely be repalced by Danilo. A potentially bigger hole for Santos to fill could be at centre back as Pepe has a thigh muscle problem. The Real Madrid defender has been Portugal’s best man at the back by far at the competition and the team will wait until the last minute before deciding if he can play. Wales will have to cope with the important absences of midfielder Aaron Ramsey and defender Ben Davies, who both earned one-game suspensions for yellow cards against Belgium. Andy King, a member of the Leicester squad that won the Premier League last season against all the odds, could take Ramsey’s place. Germany midfielder Sami Khedira has been ruled out of tomorrow’s semi-final against France, while Bastian Schweinsteiger is struggling to be fit for the clash in Marseille. Striker Mario Gomez was already ruled out with a muscle tear in his right thigh sustained during Germany’s quarter-final win over Italy, while defender Mats Hummels is suspended. Khedira has a left groin injury. “We’ll do everything possible so that he’s available for a possible final,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said. Schweinsteiger, whose season was disrupted by two serious right knee injuries, took a knock to the same knee in Saturday’s game against Italy and strained a ligament. Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Weigl or Liverpool’s Emre Can could step in if the 31-year-old Schweinsteiger is unfit.

RIDERS with Germany’s sprinter Marcel Kittel, centre, sprint toward the finish line during the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 237.5 kilometres (147.3 miles) with start in Saumur and finish in Limoges, France, yesterday. (AP)

Kittel wins Tour de France Stage 4 in a sprint to Limoges By SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer LIMOGES, France (AP) — Hit by a virus, denied a place on the Tour de France and then parting company with his team, not much went right last season for German sprinter Marcel Kittel. Now he’s back with a vengeance. Kittel claimed his ninth stage win at cycling’s biggest race in a mass sprint yesterday, as the fourth leg of the Tour took the peloton from the medieval town of Saumur to Limoges in central France. “For me the victory means a lot, because I know how hard my way back to this moment was,” said Kittel, who was fighting back the tears at the podium ceremony. Kittel, who wore the race leader’s yellow jersey in 2013 and 2014, joined the Etixx Quick Step team from Giant-Alpecin for this season, replacing the departing Mark Cavendish. The new partnership has

been extremely successful so far. Kittel has been the dominant sprinter this year, claiming 11 victories including back-to-back stage wins at the Giro d’Italia. At the Tour, he got off to a disappointing start, getting beaten by Cavendish in the opening stage and missing out on a chance to wear the yellow jersey. So when the German held off Frenchman Bryan Coquard’s surge in a photo finish in Limoges, it was a huge relief. “Last year was a huge setback. But I tried to take action to make changes for my future and to be able to win stages again at the Tour,” Kittel said. “I live for my sport. I never did anything else — contrary to what some critics said.” Kittel began his final surge for the line a little too early for comfort. But he just managed to hang on and edge Coquard. “I feel very emotional right now, it feels like my first stage win again,” Kittel said. “I’m mega, mega happy. I’m very proud, because

GERMANY’s sprinter Marcel Kittel, right, crosses the finish line ahead of Peter Sagan of Slovakia. (AP) the team was really fighting for this win. Things went wrong in the last days, and I’m so happy to be back in the Tour and to win a stage like this.” World champion Peter Sagan finished third on the 237.5-kilometre ride and kept the yellow jersey. Courtesy of a time bonus, he extended his lead over Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe to 12 seconds

in the overall standings. Spaniard Alejandro Valverde is third, 14 seconds back. “It was a very fast sprint, I started too early today, the same time as Marcel started,” Sagan said. “Coquard made a very nice sprint. He was patient and almost won.” Coquard’s aggressive burst for the line almost paid off with his first stage

win in cycling’s showpiece event. He brushed shoulders with Kittel in the slightly uphill final stretch, but lost by a few millimeters. “I think I belong with the greats now,” Coquard said. “There is no mistake in the sprints, the stronger wins. I was never as close to victory, but I haven’t won yet. I’m young, but I’m a winner... and I want to win this year on the Tour.” After a first attack fizzled out soon after the start, a group of four riders managed to escape from the pack and build up a fiveminute lead over the peloton. Tour debutants Oliver Naesen and Alexis Gougeard, alongside Markel Irizar and Andreas Schillinger, made their move near the 30-kilometre mark and quickly increased the gap, helped by a tail wind. Determined to defend Sagan’s yellow jersey, the Tinkoff team hit the front of the bunch to step up the pace in hot and sunny conditions. They organised the

chase with sprint-specialist teams Lotto-Soudal and Etixx, and the gap was down to four minutes with 100 kilometres left. However, the pack was in no rush to rein in the breakaway riders on the winding roads of the lush green Limousin countryside. Gougeard was dropped from the leading group with 35 kilometres left, moments before the pursuit really started in the hilly finale to Limoges. The remaining trio was swallowed up during a short climb seven kilometres from the finish. On the eve of the first mountain stage, the race’s main favourites Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana enjoyed a quiet day. Froome, a two-time Tour champion, is in fifth position overall, 18 seconds behind Sagan. Quintana is seventh with the same time as Froome. Today’s Stage 5 features four difficult climbs including the second-category Pas de Peyrol, the highest road pass in the Massif Central with an average gradient of 8.1 per cent.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, July 6, 2016

AP source: Mavs have deal with Nowitzki, will add Seth Curry By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki’s new contract will give the Dallas forward a chance spend 20 seasons with the only franchise he has ever played for. The Mavericks and Nowitzki have reached agreement on a two-year, $40 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity yesterday because contracts can’t be signed until late Wednesday night Central time. Nowitzki will have a player option in the second year. The person also said the Mavericks have agreed to a two-year, $6 million contract with free agent guard Seth Curry, the younger brother of two-time MVP Stephen Curry. At $20 million per season, Nowitzki’s deal is a significant raise for the 38-year-old, who opted out of the final year of a three-year, $25 million deal that was a huge discount for the Mavericks. It helped them get Chandler Parsons in free agency two years ago, although he is leaving for a max deal in Memphis. L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant was just the fifth player in NBA history to reach 20 seasons and he retired in April as the only one so far to do it all with one team. Tim Duncan of the Spurs is considering whether to return for a 20th season in San Antonio. Last spring, Nowitzki said after another first-round playoff exit that he felt as if he had at least two more good seasons in him after leading the Mavericks in scoring for the 15th time in 16 seasons. The 2007 NBA MVP es-

DIRK NOWITZKI (AP) sentially told a media outlet in his native Germany on Tuesday that he would retire with the Mavericks. “I’ve always said that I’ll end my career in Dallas,” Nowitzki told the German news agency DPA in comments translated by the AP. “I’ve been here 18 seasons. It would be great if I can make it 20.” Nowitzki’s future with the Mavericks was actually a legitimate question Friday, the opening day of free agency when Dallas struck out on its top targets for the fifth straight year. Nowitzki had said the only way he wouldn’t return is if the Mavericks tried to surround him with unproven players. But the Mavericks added three veteran starters in two days, including two-fifths of the

lineup for the 73-win Golden State Warriors, who blew a 3-1 lead and lost the NBA Finals to Cleveland. Dallas is set to add small forward Harrison Barnes on a max deal at four years and $94 million. Barnes was a restricted free agent, but the Warriors will renounce the rights to him to make room under the salary cap for Kevin Durant. Golden State also had to find a new home for Andrew Bogut after securing a commitment from Durant, and agreed to trade the 31-year-old centre to the Mavericks. The Mavericks will have three returning starters in Nowitzki, shooting guard Wesley Matthews and point guard Deron Williams, who has agreed to a second season with his hometown team on a one-year, $10 million contract. Williams started Dallas’ run of failures in free agency in 2012 when he decided to make the move with the Nets from New Jersey to Brooklyn. But he quickly joined the Mavericks on a $5 million deal when the Nets bought him out last summer. Nowitzki, the NBA Finals MVP when the Mavericks won the franchise’s only championship in 2011, figures to become the sixth player in NBA history and seventh player overall to reach 30,000 career points next season. The 7-footer with the smooth jumper has 29,491 in 18 seasons, sixth on the NBA list and eighth with ABA players included. The 25-year-old Curry will be on his fifth team in four seasons. After playing sparingly for Memphis, Cleveland and Phoenix his first three years, Curry averaged 6.8 points and 1.5 assists in 44 games for Sacramento last season.

Hornets add depth with Hibbert, Sessions By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets have added some depth in free agency. Centre Roy Hibbert and point guard Ramon Sessions agreed to terms with the Hornets, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press yesterday. Hibbert will receive one-year deal worth $5 million and Sessions will get a two-year deal worth $12.3 million with a team option for the second season. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deals cannot be signed until

Thursday. Hibbert gives the Hornets a replacement for Al Jefferson, who agreed to a three-year, $30 million free-agent deal with the Indiana Pacers. Hibbert is expected to back up Cody Zeller, who made a successful transition from power forward to centre last season. The 29-year-old Hibbert has played in two NBA All-Star games but struggled last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging a career-low 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. He has averaged 10.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game for his career. At 7-foot-2, Hibbert gives the

Hornets the rim protector they need. He earned second-team All-Defensive honours in 2014. Sessions was hoping for a shot at a starting point guard spot after averaging 9.9 points and 2.2 assists last season with Washington Wizards, but he will return to Charlotte to back up Kemba Walker. The 30-year Sessions played two seasons for the then-Bobcats from 2012-14. He averaged 14.4 points per game in 2012-13 and 10.5 points per game the following season before being traded to Milwaukee. He will fill the role vacated by fan favourite Jeremy Lin, who left to join the Brooklyn Nets.

DIRK NOWITZKI (AP)

THE TRIBUNE

76ERS ADD HENDERSON FOR 2 YEARS, $18 MILLION (AP) — A person with knowledge of the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to terms with guard Gerald Henderson on a two-year deal worth $18 million. The two sides came to agreement yesterday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract cannot be signed until Thursday. Henderson averaged 8.7 points in his first season with Portland. He spent the first six seasons of his career in Charlotte before being traded to the Trail Blazers, where he was a valuable two-way player that helped make them one of the surprising success stories of last season. Henderson grew up in the Philadelphia area before going to Duke. The 28-year-old joins Jerryd Bayless as veteran additions to the Philly backcourt.

WEST HEADED TO WARRIORS ON 1-YEAR DEAL (AP) — A person with knowledge of the negotiations tells The Associated Press that David West is headed to Golden State on a one-year deal to try to land that elusive championship. The two sides came to agreement yesterday, one day after star forward Kevin Durant chose to go to the Warriors. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract cannot be signed until Thursday. West left some $11 million on the table last season when he opted out of his contract with Indiana to try to get a title with the San Antonio Spurs. He averaged a career-low 7.1 points per game and the Spurs lost to Durant’s Thunder in the Western Conference semi-finals. The 13-year pro has never won a title. NBA.com first reported the agreement.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 6, 2016, PAGE 7

Venus rising: Williams back in Grand Slam semi 6 years later By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer LONDON (AP) — In some ways, making it to a Grand Slam semi-final is rather been-there, done-that for Venus Williams. She is, after all, already the owner of seven major titles, including five at Wimbledon. This one, though, is different. She’s 36 now, a half-dozen years removed from her last such run. And, in the interim, she has been through the daily struggles of dealing with a disease that can sap energy and cause joint pain. Williams made it to the final four at the All England Club for the first time since 2009, and at any Grand Slam tournament since the year after that, playing mistake-free to beat Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the quarter-finals Tuesday. “Semi-finals feels good. But it doesn’t feel foreign at all, let’s put it that way,” said Williams, whose first Wimbledon title came in 2000 and whose most recent came in 2008. Asked to compare her current level of play to that of the past, Williams shook her head, shut her eyes and laughed. “I don’t remember. Six years ago is ages ago,” she responded. “I was most likely kicking butt six

years ago, if I was in the semis or the finals. You have to be.” Just like in the old days, Williams will be joined in the semi-finals by a familiar face — younger sister Serena, who moved closer to equalling Steffi Graf’s Openera record of 22nd Grand Slam championships by defeating 21stseeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-4, taking the last three games of each set. Serena hit 11 aces, including one at 123 mph to end it. This, then, is the latest chapter of the remarkable Williams sister tale: a pair of siblings from Compton, California, who rose to the top of tennis. It’s the 11th time they’ve reached the semis at the same major; in all previous 10, one took home the trophy. That includes four all-in-the-family finals at Wimbledon, with Venus winning in 2008, and Serena in 2002, 2003 and 2009. On Thursday, they will try to set up another title match when No. 1 Serena faces unseeded Elena Vesnina, while No. 8 Venus meets No. 4 Angelique Kerber. “It just means that she has a lot of perseverance. She’s a real fighter,” Serena said about Venus, the oldest woman in a major semifinal since 1994, when Martina Navratilova was 37 at Wimbledon. “Like I always say, it’s super

No. 5 Simona Halep 7-5, 7-6 (2). Vesnina, ranked 50th and never before a major quarterfinalist, moved on by overwhelming No. 19 Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-2. The last men’s quarter-final spot was earned by 2010 runnerup Tomas Berdych, who completed his 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8), 6-7 (9), 6-3 victory over Jiri Vesely in a match suspended after the fourth set Monday night because of darkness. Today, the semi-finalists will be determined by these matchups: Andy Murray vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Roger Federer vs. Marin Cilic, Milos Raonic vs. Sam Querrey and Berdych vs. Lucas Pouille. There wasn’t much drama in the quartet of women’s matches Tuesday, although Venus was perilously close to dropping her opening set against the 96thranked Shvedova, now 0-3 in major quarter-finals. Shvedova led 5-2 in the tiebreaker before collapsing this way: forehand long, backhand wide, forehand into the net, forehand long. Those unforced errors were part of her 24 in the match, 15 more than Venus. They also created a set point for Venus, who converted it with a 99 mph service winner. Playing with her left thigh taped, Venus moved quite well,

VENUS WILLIAMS, of the USA, celebrates after defeating Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazahkstan after their singles match on day nine of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships yesterday. (AP) inspiring for me.” Kerber, who surprised Serena in the Australian Open final in January for her first Grand Slam title, advanced by eliminating

covering the court with speed and perfect timing, offering up enough defence and waiting for Shvedova’s miscues. When Shvedova’s final shot nestled in the net, Venus let out a cry of “Come on!” and raised her arms. “Once you get to this part of a tournament, motivation is going to kick in after a few games of every match,” said Venus’ coach, David Witt, “and you’re going to stop thinking about being sore, if you’re sore.” In 2011, Venus revealed that she had been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, and since then there have been repeated questions about when she might quit tennis — especially as early losses accumulated. She had six first-round exits at majors over the past six years, compared with three over her career’s first 14 years. “Retiring is the easy way out,” she said. “I don’t have time for easy.” About 1 1/2 hours later, Venus went back out to team with Serena and win a doubles match to get to that event’s quarter-finals. One more victory each in singles, and they’ll be sharing the court again — except on opposite sides of the net, reprising their one-of-a-kind rivalry. Just like in the old days.

THe WeaTHer repOrT

5-Day Forecast

TOday

THursday

FrIday

saTurday

sunday

Mostly sunny

Patchy clouds

Partly sunny, a t‑storm in spots

Some sun with a t‑storm in spots

Mostly sunny

High: 92°

Low: 78°

High: 92° Low: 78°

High: 92° Low: 79°

High: 91° Low: 79°

AccuWeather RealFeel

110° F

89° F

111°-91° F

112°-92° F

110°-90° F

106°-89° F

OrlandO

High: 96° F/36° C low: 77° F/25° C

Tampa

High: 92° F/33° C low: 79° F/26° C

almanac

aBaCO

High: 87° F/31° C low: 79° F/26° C

6‑12 knots

High: 92° F/33° C low: 79° F/26° C

4‑8 knots

FT. lauderdale

FreepOrT

High: 92° F/33° C low: 81° F/27° C

E S

WesT palm BeaCH

High: 90° F/32° C low: 79° F/26° C

mIamI

High: 92° F/33° C low: 80° F/27° C

4‑8 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 91° F/33° C Low .................................................... 80° F/27° C Normal high ....................................... 88° F/31° C Normal low ........................................ 75° F/24° C Last year’s high ................................. 91° F/33° C Last year’s low ................................... 80° F/27° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.02” Year to date ............................................... 23.16” Normal year to date ................................... 14.73”

eleuTHera

nassau

High: 92° F/33° C low: 78° F/26° C

High: 87° F/31° C low: 81° F/27° C

Key WesT

High: 90° F/32° C low: 83° F/28° C

High: 87° F/31° C low: 79° F/26° C

W S

7‑14 knots

andrOs

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

10:05 a.m. 10:29 p.m.

2.8 3.4

4:05 a.m. ‑0.2 4:06 p.m. ‑0.2

Thursday

10:55 a.m. 11:15 p.m.

2.8 3.2

4:52 a.m. ‑0.1 4:55 p.m. 0.0

Friday

11:44 a.m. ‑‑‑‑‑

2.7 ‑‑‑‑‑

5:38 a.m. 5:45 p.m.

0.0 0.1

Saturday

12:01 a.m. 12:33 p.m.

3.0 2.7

6:24 a.m. 6:35 p.m.

0.1 0.3

Sunday

12:47 a.m. 1:24 p.m.

2.8 2.6

7:09 a.m. 7:27 p.m.

0.2 0.5

Monday

1:35 a.m. 2:16 p.m.

2.6 2.6

7:55 a.m. 8:22 p.m.

0.3 0.6

Tuesday

2:24 a.m. 3:08 p.m.

2.5 2.6

8:42 a.m. 9:19 p.m.

0.3 0.6

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:26 a.m. 8:04 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

8:35 a.m. 9:54 p.m.

First

Full

last

new

Jul. 11

Jul. 19

Jul. 26

aug. 2

CaT Island

6‑12 knots

san salVadOr

GreaT eXuma

High: 87° F/31° C low: 80° F/27° C

High: 87° F/31° C low: 79° F/26° C

High: 90° F/32° C low: 82° F/28° C

W S

lOnG Island

insurance management tracking map

High: 87° F/31° C low: 79° F/26° C

7‑14 knots

mayaGuana High: 86° F/30° C low: 80° F/27° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and

CrOOKed Island / aCKlIns

tonight’s lows.

raGGed Island High: 87° F/31° C low: 81° F/27° C

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

uV inDex toDay

TOnIGHT

GreaT InaGua High: 89° F/32° C low: 82° F/28° C

High: 86° F/30° C low: 80° F/27° C

10‑20 knots

8‑16 knots

marine Forecast aBaCO andrOs CaT Island CrOOKed Island eleuTHera FreepOrT GreaT eXuma GreaT InaGua lOnG Island mayaGuana nassau raGGed Island san salVadOr

Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday:

WINDS SE at 4‑8 Knots SW at 3‑6 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots SSE at 4‑8 Knots SSE at 4‑8 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 4‑8 Knots SE at 4‑8 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots

WAVES 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑2 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑2 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 4‑7 Feet 3‑6 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 85° F 85° F 87° F 87° F 84° F 83° F 85° F 85° F 82° F 82° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 85° F 84° F 85° F 85° F 85° F 84° F 84° F 84° F 84° F 85° F 84° F 83° F 83° F

PAGE 8, Wednesday, July 6, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

YOUNG campers enjoy the 2016 Basketball Smiles camp at CI Gibson.Some 300 youngsters from communities throughout New Providence took part in the camp, now in its 17th year.

‘Basketball Smiles’ shine bright SMILING faces were the order of the day at the closing of the 2016 Basketball Smiles camp. Held at the CI Gibson school field, the closing ceremony featured awards presentations for the “most improved” and “outstanding” campers, among others, as well as gift presentations courtesy of Atlantis, Paradise Island. Some 300 youngsters from communities throughout New Providence took part in the camp, now in its 17th year. Atlantis, as an avid supporter and a sponsor of the programme, yet again donated rooms for the 10 coaches that travelled to host the camp, meeting space for them on property and goodies for the youngsters taking part in the programme. Those goodies included Battle 4 Atlantis brand merchandise and appearances by B4A mascot, Bounce, who was also on hand to help with the presentations. Basketball Smiles was conceptualised by coach Sam Nichols from McMurray University in Abilene, Texas and coach Patty Johnson from The Bahamas and aims to give local youngsters – both boys and girls – free instruction in basketball fundamentals, all the while focusing on grooming them in aspects of self-discipline and other life skills, and stresses the importance of education. Representatives say over the years, the programme has served upwards of 10,000 Bahamian children.