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MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012
N A S C A R : P E N N S Y LVA N I A 4 0 0
Rainbow winner: Gordon ends drought in rain The victory moves the former champion into 12th place in the Sprint Cup standings. By JOHN ERZAR jerzar@timesleader.com
vania 400 at Pocono Raceway. The victory was also Gordon’s sixth at Pocono, breaking a tie with Bill Elliott for the most victories at the track. “Pocono has been a special place for us,” said Gordon, who won twice at Pocono because weather shortened the race. “We got a win here last year. It’s been a very interesting year to say the least.” NASCAR brought the cars to pit road on lap 98 because of weather after a crash on a restart on lap 91 knocked leader Jimmie Johnson and second-place Matt Kenseth from contention. AP PHOTO The accident allowed Gordon – who was running sixth on the Jeff Gordon and his daughter Ella gesture after he won a rain-
LONG POND –Jeff Gordon has seen enough black clouds during a disappointing season by his standards. Oddly, some real black clouds Sunday afternoon may have brightened the four-time champion’s chance to get into the NASCAR Sprint Cup’s 10-race Chase for the title. Rain – along with an accident that came at the right time – allowed Gordon to post his first victory of the season in the Pennsyl- See GORDON, Page 6B
shortened NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond.
W I L K E S - B A R R E T R I AT H L O N
Caution flags change complexion of results
enough. “We were just trying to LONG POND -- The Sprint keep sight on Cup field had seen this bethe 48 (Johnfore. After watching Jimmie son). He’s Johnson dominate last weekgoing to wax end to win at the Brickyard, these guys plenty of drivers expected the Johnson again today,” five-time champ to cruise again in Sunday’s Pennsylvania Busch predicted. That’s how it was playing 400. It was still early in the day out. Until one frantic restart and one heavy storm changed when Kyle Busch was forced back to the garage after blow- everything. ing out his rear brake rotors, but he had already seen See FLAGS, Page 6B By DEREK LEVARSE dlevarse@timesleader.com
L O N D O N 2 0 1 2 O LY M P I C G A M E S
Robbins, Rummel top strong field
SIMPLY USAIN!
Bolt repeats as world’s fastest
The Shavertown resident repeated as the overall champion, shaving a minute off last year’s winning time. By JAY MONAHAN For The Times Leader
LEHMAN TWP. – Known for its tricky Back Mountain hills and unpredictable weather, the Wilkes-Barre Triathlon tests an athlete’s mettle like no other local athletics event. Naturally, the race should benefit the younger runners with fresher legs. Sean Robbins, 43, and Amy Rummel, 41, proved that experience triumphs youth. The pair of quadragenarians raced to firstplace finishes at the 31st running of the Triathlon on Sunday. “Completely unexpected,” said Rummel, of Kalamazoo, Mich. “I was not planning on winning this race. I am 41 years old, and there were a number of people behind me. I was fully expecting a 20-yearold or a 30-year-old to kind of sneak up on me in one of the other heats.” “Someone needs to remind Sean that he’s an old man,” race official Mark Toretsky joked at the awards assembly. “And 43year-olds aren’t supposed to win back-toback triathlons. That’s amazing.” Robbins crossed the finish line first overall for the second consecutive year. Last year, the Shavertown resident became the first Wyoming Valley resident to win the See STRONG, Page 7B
AP PHOTOS
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt crosses the finish line to win gold in the men’s 100-meter final during the athletics Sunday in London.
American Gatlin takes bronze 8 years after gold By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Sports Writer
FRED ADAMS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Triathlon champion Sean Robbins is shown speeding along Alderson Road in Kunkle.
LONDON — Pulling away from the pack with every long stride, Usain Bolt crossed the finish line and wagged his right index finger. Yes, he’s still No. 1 in the 100-meter dash. Maybe not better than ever, but Bolt is definitely back. Only sixth-fastest of the eight runners to the halfway mark Sunday night, Bolt erased that deficit and overwhelmed a star-studded field to win in 9.63 seconds, an Olympic record that let him join Carl Lewis as the only men with consecutive gold
medals in the marquee track and field event at the Summer Games. “Means a lot, because a lot of people were doubting me. A lot of people were saying I wasn’t going to win, I didn’t look good. There was a lot of talk,” Bolt said. “It’s an even greater feeling to come out here and defend my title and show the world I’m still No. 1, I’m still the best.” Ever the showman, the Jamaican kept right on running for a victory lap that included high-fives for frontrow fans, a pause to crouch down and kiss the track and even a somersault. Thousands in the crowd chanted the
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INSIDE Maroney forced to settle for silver in vault. Page 4B Top U.S. women’s volleyball team keeps rolling along. Page 4B Murray gives host British gold at Wimbledon. Page 4B American women’s basketball team ends pool play unbeaten. Page 4B
Today’s TV Highlight’s
8 p.m.-midnight, NBC Gymnastics: finals in men’s still rings, men’s vault, women’s uneven bars. Track and field: gold medal finals in men’s 400m, men’s 400m hurdles, women’s pole vault.
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champion’s name: “Usain! Usain! Usain!” “I’ve said it over the years, that when it comes to the championships, this is what I do,” Bolt said. “It’s all about business for me.” Bolt’s training partner and Jamaican teammate, world champion Yohan Blake, won the silver in 9.75, and 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin of the U.S. took the bronze in 9.79. “It just feels good to be back,” said Gatlin, who served a four-year ban after testing positive for excessive tes-
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