06202016 sports

SPORTS SECTION E

MONDAY, JUNE 20, 2016

NPSA Softball

Double header, Page 2

Cavs new champions

By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer

OAKLAND, California (AP) — LeBron James cradled the shiny gold trophy and struggled to sum up what might be his sweetest championship yet, the one he is so proudly bringing home to his native northeast Ohio just as he promised to do when he returned to the Cavaliers two summers ago.

James and his relentless, never-count-them-out Cavs pulled off an improbable NBA Finals comeback, and Cleveland is title town again at long last.

Unfazed by the criticism and chatter all series, James delivered on a vow to his home state and brought the Cavs back as they became the first team to rally from a 3-1 finals deficit, beating the defending champion Golden State Warriors 9389 last night to end a 52-year major sports championship drought in Cleveland.

“I’m happy to be a part of history,” James said, then added, “I’m home.

I’m home. ... I’m at a loss for words. This is unbelievable.”

In a testy series of blowouts — and a few blowups — the winner-take-all Game 7 providing the thrilling finale with James as the finals MVP disarming two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry and his record-setting Warriors.

James almost singlehandedly carried the Cavs back into this series and finished with 27 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds as the Cavs captured their first championship in franchise history and gave their city its first major sports winner since the Browns won the NFL title in 1964. He also had three blocked shots and two steals, overcoming five turnovers.

“CLEVELAND! This is for you!” James bellowed in his postgame interview before being announced as finals MVP.

CLEVELAND Cavaliers forward LeBron James, centre, celebrates with teammates after Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors last night. The Cavaliers won 93-89. (AP) An emotional James fell to the floor when this one ended with a second win in six days on Golden State’s imposing home floor, surrounded by his teammates.

Only seconds earlier, he went down in pain with 10.6 seconds left after being fouled by Draymond Green while going for a dunk, then came back out to make the second of two free throws.

After four successful seasons in Miami, James came back to the Cavs and vowed

JONQUEL JONES HAS BEST GAME OF SEASON EN ROUTE TO WIN

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net WITH frustration mounting for her Connecticut Sun and their struggling 2-10 start to the WNBA season, Jonquel Jones produced her best game of the season en route to a win.

Jones finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in the Sun’s 93-90 come-from-behind win over the San Antonio Stars.

She finished with 10 of her career high 14 in the final quarter and tied her career high for rebounds.

The Sun, ranked 11th in the AP WNBA Power Poll, trailed by seven after three quarters, but opened the fourth with a 20-4 run to take an 86-77 lead with 3:25 to play. Connecticut hit four 3-pointers during that stretch, including two by Jones, as San Antonio missed eight of its first nine field-goal attempts in the quarter.

The Sun (3-10) have won five straight against the Stars.

On the season, she is averaging 3.8 points, three rebounds and one block in 10.2 minutes per game.

Alex Bentley scored 29 points, Jasmine Thomas had 11 points, a career-high 10 assists and nine boards for the Sun. Chiney Ogwumike tied a season high with 12 points and

SEE PAGE 4

to win the title this franchise and championshipstarved city so coveted.

Cleveland did it after a coaching change, with Tyronn Lue taking over in January for the fired David Blatt.

“We made history tonight,” Lue said. “Cleveland, Ohio, we’re coming back, baby!”

Kyrie Irving scored 26 points to cap his brilliant finals, including a 3-pointer over Curry with 53 seconds

left. Curry sat briefly on the bench to take in the scene after the Warriors made their last basket with 4:39 left.

Green had 32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, but the Warriors’ record-setting season ended without the only prize this close-knit “Strength In Numbers” crew cared about from way back in the beginning — through the record 24-0 start as Coach of the Year Steve Kerr was out,

Curry’s second consecutive MVP campaign, and the 73 regular-season wins to break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ mark.

They might always be remembered as one of the best teams ever that couldn’t close it out.

The Cavs staved off elimination twice to force Game 7 back at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors went up 2-0 with a pair of lopsided wins to start this series.

This marked the first

NBA game decided by five points or fewer since May 11, Golden State’s 125-121 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5 of the second round.

With its 100th postseason victory, Cleveland became just the fourth team to win an NBA Finals Game 7 on the road.

Curry scored 17 points on 6-for-19 shooting, while Splash Brother Klay Thompson added 14 points while making 6 of 17 shots.

Williams advances out of the 1st round CENTROBASKET:

BAHAMAS FALLS TO US VIRGIN ISLANDS 82-74

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net RASHIELD Williams was the lone Bahamian competitor to advance out of the first round of the final World Qualification Event in Baku, Azerbaijan, keeping his hopes alive for a shot at moving on to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August.

The last of the six-member team at the week long tournament in the 2,200 seat multi-purpose Sarhadchi arena that hosted the

SEE PAGE 4

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

RASHIELD WILLIAMS hits the punching bag in training.

Justin Roberts earns his first ATP point

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net JUSTIN Roberts, getting back to full swing after coming off an injury that hampered the last part of his collegiate season, picked up his first main draw victory to earn his first ATP point.

Roberts, the only Bahamian male player with any ATP point, pulled off a 6-3, 6-4 win over Juan Manuel Matute of Argentina at the Sargent & Collins, LLP Men’s

$10,000 Futures.

Roberts, however, got eliminated in the second round, losing his second round match 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to Hanz Hach, the No.7 seed from Mexico.

“The tournament was great.

This was just my second match since March,” said Roberts, after coming off the injury. “So it was good to get in the type of performance that I got.

“It wasn’t the best, but I ROBERTS

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Leevan looks to put on a show at Nationals

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SANDS

ONCE again Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands is looking forward to coming home and putting on a show for the Bahamian public at

the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Open Track and Field Championships this weekend.

Once he’s finished competing on Saturday night at the Thom-

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A QUESTIONABLE travel call halted a late game run for Team Bahamas and they never recovered down the stretch en route to an opening round tournament loss.

The Bahamas fell to the US Virgin Islands 82-74 at the Men’s Centrobasket 2016 Championships yesterday in Panama City, Panama.

DeAndre Ayton led the team with 16 points and 11 rebounds, Kentwan Smith scored 13 points, Michael Carey finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Able Joseph added 10.

Leon Cooper’s jumper brought the Bahamas within four (74-70) and after the Bahamas stopped the USVI on the ensuing possession, Cooper came down the court and converted what looked to be a fastbreak layup, but was called for a travel.

The momentum swing would see the USVI end the game on an 8-4 run in the final two minutes.

It was a slow start for Team Bahamas who fell behind early with four turnovers in their first four possessions as the USVI took an early 7-0 lead.

The Bahamas was outscored

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PAGE 2, Monday, June 20, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Truckers earn 13-3 win over the Elite Warriors NEW Providence Softball Association continued its regular season action in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex Saturday night.

Platinum Pool Sharks and Commando Security Truckers won their matches in the ladies and men’s double header respectively.

Here is a summary of the games: Truckers 13, BTC Elite Warriors 3: Thomas Davis helped his own cause by going 1-for-2 with three RBI and a run scored to pace Commando Security.

Eugene Pratt went 2-for3 with three RBI and three runs scored and Micah Bethel helped out by going 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Davis was the winning pitcher and Avery Rolle suffered the loss.

For BTC, Zhivargo Archer and Irvin Smith were both 1-for-3 with a RBI. Sharks 15, Lady Stingers 14: Sari Albury went 1-for3, drove in a run and scored three times while Denise Woodside was 1-for-3 with a RBI and two RBI to pace the Platinum Pool.

The winning pitcher was Brendia Ferguson and the losing pitcher was Thela Johnson.

For the losing Stingers, Atiya Deal went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.

ON THE REPLAY: The Commando Security Truckers defeated the BTC Elite Warriors 13-3 on Saturday night as the New Providence Softball Association continued its regular season action in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

Photos by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, June 20, 2016, PAGE 3

Who will step it up and continue the legacy for Bahamas in Rio?

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas will be heading to their 17th appearance at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August.

Since 1952, the Bahamas has participated in every one of the four-yearly global games, except in 1980 in Moscow, Russia when the country joined 64 others in an American-led boycott because of the Soviet war in Afghanistan.

When the games are scheduled to be staged August 5-21 in Rio, there is expected to be an absence of Russia, at least from the athletic competition, after the IAAF banned their athletes from competing because of a systematic doping system that operated “from the top down” and tainted the entire team.

The Bahamas has never been punished for any infraction at the games, but has benefited from the actions of few athletes and relay teams.

Over the years, the Bahamas has accumulated a total of 11 medals in athletics and sailing. The first two medals came at the hands of sailors Sir Durward ‘Sea Wolf’ Knowles and Sloan Farrington with the bronze in the Star Class in 1956 in Melbourne before Knowles came back in Tokyo, Japan in 1964 with Cecil Cooke to claim the gold.

Ever since Frank Rutherford broke the barrier in winning the Bahamas’ first medal in athletics with his bronze in the men’s triple jump in Barcelona, Spain in 1992, the Bahamas has been successful in securing at least one medal in every successive games.

The first track medal

BRAZIL’s interim President Michel Temer, left, talks to Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes as they visit the Olympic Aquatics Stadium at the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 14, 2016. (AP) came from the Golden Girls 4x100 metre relay team of Eldece Clarke, Sevatheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Pauline Davis-Thompson and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie.

In 2000 in Sydney, Australia, the first of three double medal feats as the Golden Girls returned to pick up the gold in the re-

lay and Davis-Thompson was eventually elevated to the gold from her silver after American Marion Jones was disqualified for a banned substance.

The Golden Girls era came to an end, but the individual success continued for the Bahamas with Tonique Williams racing to the gold in the women’s

‘SUPER 60 SHOWDOWN BAHAMAS’ A SUCCESS

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE basketball prospect showcase culture in the country continues to develop and International Basketball Academy Bahamas looks to become one of the leaders in the field as its event grows in stature.

IBA Bahamas and Get Me Recruited (GMR) hosted the 2016 “Super 60 Showdown Bahamas” last weekend at the DW Davis Gymnasium and scores of players came out to seize advantage of the opportunity. The showcase featured some of the most highly touted Bahamian high school players based both locally and abroad.

IBA Bahamas has impacted the local basketball scene in its brief history led by its director Denycko Bowles, who also serves as the head coach of the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins. It is the first international branch of the IBA programme.

Sebastian Gray out of Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas was named the overall MVP of the showcase. High flying Azaro Roker of Anatol Rodgers won the slam dunk contest.

The event featured three days of drills, scrimmages and networking with

coaches and scouts from programmes in the United States Last June, IBA Bahamas hosted 60 student athletes to its annual combine summer camp which hosted various programme representatives from John Hopkins, Fisk University, Cape Fair Christian High School, Hallandale High school and Lamont Taylor, the CEO of GetMeRecruited.com.

Taylor returned this offseason to officially partner with IBA for the Super 60 Showdown.

Get Me Recruited is a Raleigh, North Carolina-based company whose goal is to connect high school players and college coaches through the mission statement: “To be personally involved in the collegiate basketball recruiting process one recruit at a time.”

“We’re looking to build a bridge between America and the Bahamas because there is so much talent here. The athleticism here is a step above what we’ve normally seen. The athleticism in these videos and in these games are well above what we’re used to. If no one sees them they don’t have a chance to offer them scholarships and get them to the states. We want to provide a platform where these kids can showcase their skills,

SPORTS NOTES BSC MEETING THE Baptist Sports Council is scheduled to hold a meeting 10am Saturday (June 23) at the DW Davis Gymnasium.

At the meeting, the BSC will reveal plans for the 2016 Volleyball Classic, the Cycling Classic, the Track and Field Classic and the Softball Classic. All cfhurches interested in participating are urged to have two members present.

CHAMPION BOXING SHOW THE Champion Amateur Boxing Club is scheduled to host its “The Will to Win” amateur boxing show at the Wulff Road Boxing Square on Saturday. The show will feature the Lion-Heart Amateur Boxing Club’s Cameron Sweeting against the Champion Amateur Boxing Club’s Daedae Eugene in the main event. The Meacher Major Pain Amateur Boxing Club will also be participating. All amateur boxers and boxing clubs are welcome to participate.

Food and soft drinks will be on sale.

get coaches looking at them and provide opportunities.”

In addition to the showcase, the weekend also featured an informational for prospective student athletes as hosted by coach Simeon Hinsey.

“I can’t wait to get back and talk about these guys.

There are probably about eight or nine guys that have a legitimate shot to play at the next level. Sometimes it’s hard getting them across the waters with visas and everything but we want to try and educate them on the process as soon as possible to make that happen,” Taylor said. “If we can save one or two that’s better than not trying and saving none.

Part of the reason it hasn’t worked in the past is strictly knowledge of the system and education. Don’t rely on the coaches, learn for yourself the process about getting your paperwork together, your scores and the realisation that the odds are against them. You have to do things that will give you an advantage.”

The showcase featured players from junior high schoolers to post grad unattached. In addition to the summer programmes, IBA has participated in the Summer of Thunder and travelled to AAU tournaments in the US.

GYMNASTICS SUMMER CAMP THE Gymnastics Summer Camp, dubbed Flip, Jump and Tumble Your Summer Away, is scheduled to be held July 4-19 at the Dance Bahamas Studio, Nassau Street. The camp is designed for girls aged 4-13 and will run 9am to 1:30pm. The cost is $55 per week or $200 for the month. Space is limited so interested persons are urged to call 454-6546 or email charlenecash@ yahoo.com. Campers will learn gymnastics and tumbling and will participate in games, arts and craft, movies and field trips.

SHERMAN SMITH BASKETBALL CAMP THE annual Sherman Smith Basketball Camp is scheduled to run June 27 to July 22. The camp is slated for 9am to 1:30pm at the Carlton E Francis Primary School where Smith is a physical education teacher and coach. Smith has done a tremendous job with the girls and boys basketball teams and he attributed it to the fact that many of his players participate in the camp during the summer break.

400m and Ferguson-McKenzie snatched a bronze in the women’s 200m.

Beijing, China in 2008 ushered in the men’s 4x400m relay team as Andretti Bain, Michael Mathieu, Andrae Williams and Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown combined for the silver.

Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands joined Rutherford in be-

coming the second Bahamian to win a bronze in the men’s triple jump.

It was also a repeat in London, England in 2012 when the men’s 4x4 team of Mathieu, Ramon Miller, Brown and Demetrius Pinder emerged as the gold medallists. But in the final of the men’s triple jump, Sands went down with a knee injury and had to have surgery.

Who will step it up and continue the legacy for the Bahamas in Rio in August?

There are a number of qualifiers so far, including Brown and Sands, two of the veterans on the men’s side. As for the ladies, if Ferguson-McKenzie doesn’t qualify in what is considered to be her “swan song,” there will be a new crop of competitors taking centre stage.

Both the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations and the Bahamas Swimming Federation

are holding their National Championships this weekend at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre.

But it won’t be until midJuly when the final team is named by the Bahamas Olympic Committee as the governing bodies for both sports have a small window left for competitors to qualify.

The Amateur Boxing Association of the Bahamas is keeping its fingers crossed that Rashield Williams will be successful in winning his next two bouts at the 2016 World Qualifying Event for boxers in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Williams, competing in the men’s light welterweight division or 64 kilogram class, was the only one of the six boxers to survive the first round of competition over the weekend. He won 3-0 over Miguel Ferrin from Ecuador.

So there’s still some light at the end of the tunnel.

PAGE 4, Monday, June 20, 2016

CENTROBASKET: BAHAMAS FALLS TO US VIRGIN ISLANDS 82-74 FROM PAGE 1

21-10 in the first quarter.

Smith, one of three players returning from the 2014 Centrbasket team, said the reaction after the travel call and the sluggish start were the chief reasons behind

Justin Roberts earns his first ATP point FROM PAGE 1 think my performance was good enough to get me through the qualifying round and into the main draw and helped me to get my first ATP points.”

In the qualifying round, Roberts, playing as the No.5 seed, won his first round, beating Thomas Susen from Canada 6-3, 6-2. He came back in the second round and won 6-4, 6-2 over Sahil Gaware from Indiana. And in the third round, Roberts disposed of Ryoto Tachi of Japan 6-1, 6-2 to get into the main draw.

Roberts, a 6-0 sophomore at the University of South Florida, is now playing in another tournament in Rochester, New York.

Roberts won his first round match 7-6 (5), 6-3 over Van Ordenlain.

Meanwhile on the ladies’ side, Kerrie Cartwright is making her presence felt In Pro USTA Women’s Singles play. She was successful in winning the tournament which was sponsored

by Crow Canon Country Club in Danville, California.

Cartwright, a member of the Bahamas Fed Cup team, received two byes and played Saltzen in the quarterfinals where she won 6-3 7-5. Cartwright then went on to face K. Long in the semi-finals and won 6-3, 6-1. And in the final, Cartwright knocked off Manji 6-2, 7-5.

Cartwright, a 2015 graduate of Florida State, was able to defeat all of her opponents in the tournament in two sets. She has a very intensive training programme in California and we now see the results of the fruit of her labours.

the loss.

“The travel call went against us and I feel like after that happened a lot of guys dropped their heads instead of continuing to fight. When the substitutions came in we didn’t communicate with what we were doing so in some situations we had five people doing different things and that allowed them to get open shots,” he said.

“When you come off the bench you have to be ready to help your team in any way you can and that’s what I tried to do. We came out slow and sluggish and that placed us at an early disadvantage. We just weren’t able to recover.”

Khalid Hart led the USVI with 18 points, Johnathan Gray added 16 and Giorgio Mulligan finished with 12.

Led by former NBA veteran and head coach Sam Mitchell, the USVI dressed just nine players.

“The Bahamas plays hard, those guys are fast, athletic, and we were very fortunate to win the game.

If we didn’t build that early lead I don’t know if we would withstand that run.

The first game is always the toughest,” he said. “We don’t have the depth but we have guys that can play multiple positions. We had training camp with six guys so we are used to the numbers. We use that as motiva-

DEANDRE AYTON (left) finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead Team Bahamas.

Photo by 10thYearSeniors.com tion.”

It was an offensive struggle for the Bahamas for much of the game as they shot 33 per cent from the field and just 20 per cent from three-point range.

They outrebounded the USVI 56-42 but sored just four more points in the paint.

The USVI led wire to wire in the contest and at one point led by as much as 16.

They ended the second quarter on an 8-2 run and led 35-27 at the half. Gray

made four three pointers in the third to extend his team’s lead in the period and they took a 61-50 lead into the fourth.

Norris Bain, assistant head coach, said despite their diligent game-planning for the USVI, a team the Bahamas lost to in the 2015 CBC finals, the team faltered from the opening tip.

“We talked to the guys at halftime about placing a premium on ballhandling.

There were too many unforced turnovers and men-

tal lapses. We knew what the USVI would do, we knew the sets they would run. Our plan was to make Hodge and Rivera shooters, if they scored 40 then so be it and we would still win,” Bain said. “I don’t think we did a good enough job on defence and we had a lot of open looks we just didn’t knock down. If you’re going to win this tournament and move on you have to knock down open shots.”

Today, the Bahamas is slated to face Costa Rica at 2:45pm local time.

FROM PAGE 1

CONNECTICUT Sun’s Jonquel Jones reacts during the second half of yesterday’s WNBA game against the San Antonio Stars. (AP) sota. The remainder of the schedule is strong against several playoff teams.

“We came in here trying to change a culture and we weren’t going to talk about

wins and losses,” Sun head coach Curt Miller said in an interview with a Norwich Bulletin. “With a young team, the record is, sometimes defeating, and morale

— you have to keep trying to pump them up. We don’t have the locker room quite where we want it to be, but you can see growth in that area.”

Boxer Rashield Williams advances out of first round FROM PAGE 1 2010 Youth Boxing Championship, Williams pulled off a 3-0 decision in his men’s light welterweight division or 64 kilogram class over Miguel Ferrin from Ecuador.

“First of all, I want to thank the heavenly Father for making it possible. The team fought well. They put their best foot forward, especially Kieshno Major,” Williams told The Tribune right after his victory that had all three judges giving him a slim 29-28 edge. “I know Ecuador was a big country and the competitor was a stiff challenge, so I knew we were going punch for punch. I’m just happy that I came out with this success.”

Williams, who will have to finish in the top five in his division to qualify, won’t fight his second round match until Tuesday, but he said he’s looking forward to it.

“I’m just going to continue to fight and to fight from my heart,” Williams projected. “I know it won’t be easy, but I will be ready for the challenge.”

His performance came after the other five boxers all got eliminated over the first three days of competition over the weekend. On Friday, Israel Johnson, Carl Hield and Kieshno Major were all ousted, while Rudolph Regis went out on the opening day on Thursday.

On Saturday, heavyweight (91kg) Davon Hamilton was the fifth boxer to get eliminated after he lost 3-0 to Croatia’s Josip-Bepo Filipi. All three judges scored it 30-25 on

their scorecards in favour of Filipi. “This was a good event,” Hamilton said. “All I have to do is keep my head up, get better, look at different styles and do my thing in the ring. The experience was good. I know that there were a lot of top dogs in my weight with a lot of experience. I wasn’t going to let that get to me because I know my skill level. I just have to train and get better for the next time around.”

Despite the loss, Hamilton, who trains with the Strikers Boxing Club, coached by Ronn Rodgers, said he will cherish the opportunity to try out for the Olympics.

“We have a couple competitions coming up in the United States, so we will prepare for them,” Hamilton said. “These competitions I don’t take lightly.

You have to meet your match some day, so I train to show them coming from the Bahamas, we take this sport serious. This is no joking matter.

“Hats off to my coach (Ronn Rodgers). He’s been doing a remarkable job.

I want to show him some love. He’s been putting in 100 per cent in the Strikers Boxing Club and we have been coming on strong,” Hamilton said. “Win or lose, he still has his faith in us and once you believe in someone, you continue to fight for them.”

Hamilton thanked everybody in the Bahamas for their support and he advised them that despite the loss, he will not give up and he encourages any other boxer who is interested to come out and get involved in the sport.

The Bahamas had three boxers ousted from the

Leevan looks to put on a show at Nationals FROM PAGE 1

JONES HAS BEST GAME OF SEASON Kelly Faris scored 10.

The Sun are the only team not to have made the playoffs in the last three years but Jones said the fans remain loyal.

“Win or lose they’re here.

Win or lose they support us.

We could never fully show them how appreciative we are except for winning games and right now we’re not doing that but we really appreciate them. I have watched a lot of games in a lot of different places,” he said.

Following the win over the Stars, the Sun will go on a four-game road trip to Seattle, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Dallas before coming back to play Minne-

THE TRIBUNE

competition on Friday.

Competing in the men’s middleweight (75kg), Carl Hield suffered a 3-0 loss to Spain’s Damian Biacho Bolequia. In a keenly contested match, the judges all scored it 29-28 for Biacho Bolequia.

“I want to give a special thanks to my mother, my family and Arlie and Orlie Dean some of the people who helped me to get her to go after my dream,” said Hield, who indicated that he’s now focusing on 2020 and the next Olympics. “I want to give all the thanks to the people.

“I want to give God thanks for coming out of the ring without any injuries.

I felt good about my fight, but this is Europe. These judges see it a different way than everybody sees it. You just have to go out and do your best and hope that you come out with a win.”

With the dream put on hold, Hield said he’s looking forward to the improvement in the sport, not just from him, but coach Knowles as they prepare for the road to 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. Hield, the most experienced boxer left in the local amateur programme, said he hopes that he can turn things around the next time.

“Thanks to coach Valentino Knowles, my teammates and everybody here,” said Hield as he summed up his trip. “Everybody sees it.

The judges’ decision here is just poor. The judges are not in favour of the Americas. It seems like they are just looking out for the Europeans and Asians.”

Light heavyweight (81 kg) Israel Johnson went down 3-0 as well to Heegeun Yang from Korea. Yang

was awarded the bout by scores of 30-27 by the three judges.

“My performance was acceptable, but I am happy and grateful for this opportunity to try out for the Olympics,” Johnson said.

“It is what it is. I know what went wrong, so I am prepared to put this behind me and look ahead to the future and try to get better for the next time.”

Johnson said he just has to go back to the drawing board as he reviews the film and works on the things that he did wrong in the fight. He said he felt coaches Knowles and Rodgers prepared them well for the fight, but he experienced what he called the “politics” of the sport as he realised how difficult it was for the Americas boxers to get past the European competitors.

“I’m just going to go back and train harder and work on the things that went wrong,” Johnson said. “Coaches Valentino Knowles and Ronn Rodgers did an excellent job preparing us. But for me personally, it wasn’t what I expected. I felt that a lot of us got robbed. But that’s the politics of the sport.”

Looking back at his bout, Johnson said he felt it could have gone either way, but he’s not going to let the defeat get him down. Instead, he will use it as an inspiration to get him ready for the future.

And super heavyweight Kieshno Major lost another close encounter 3-0 to Konstantin Li from Kyrgyzstan.

The three judges had it 2928 in favour of Li. “The performance by Kieshno was one of the best that I’ve seen,” said coach

Knowles. “I could say that he came up with his best performance at the right time. Many people felt he won the fight, but the judges saw it differently.”

As for Hield, Knowles said the veteran gave it his best shot.

“The fight was really, really close. You can see from the judges’ cards, he was right in the fight,” Knowles said. “It was one of those fights that could have gone either way. Unfortunately, it didn’t go Carl’s way.”

Knowles, a former outstanding amateur boxer turned coach after his brief professional career was aborted after a near fatal drive-by shooting, said the inexperience worked against Johnson.

“He’s only been on the circuit for three years, so as a young boxer, we didn’t expect for him to come here and become an Olympic qualifier,” Knowles said.

“This is a high level of competition and the experienced gained will only help him in the future.”

On Thursday, Chu-En Lai from Chinese Taipei won 3-0 over Rudolph Regis in the men’s lightweight (60kg). Two judges scored it 30-24 and the other was 3025 for Lai. “It was a great experience,” Regis said. “I just have to train harder because I realise that there are fighters here who wanted it more and they went for it.”

Regis, in his international debut, thanked coaches Knowles and Rodgers for helping him to get into the ring.

“I am looking forward to staying in the sport and getting better,” said Regis, who also trains with the Strikers Boxing Club. “I know I can

as A Robinson Stadium, Sands will head to Pompey Square where he will join his cousin, entertainer Brandon ‘Sosa Man’ Major, in the Summer Explosion II, starting at 9pm.

It’s an effort for Major, who will also be celebrating his birthday, to continue to add to the documentary he’s producing entitled: “Road to Greatness” on the return of Sands as he recovers from his near career-ending injury at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.

“It’s just a way to bring sports and fun together and show the lighter side of Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands that not everybody gets to see,” said Sands, who competed for the first time last year since undergoing surgery to repair his right jumping knee while in London at the Olympics.

Ticket prices start at $10 and the patrons will get a chance to interact with Sands and a number of the Bahamian and international athletes who will be competing in the Nationals.

Major, the executive producer of the documentary, said they have assembled some of the top artists to perform during the celebrations on Saturday night.

“The artists who will be performing are all young artists coming up,” Major said. “It’s really a celebration for Leevan Sands on his Road to Rio and it’s also my birthday, so we are looking forward to doing it again.

“The first one was a real success. We had about 6-700 people in attendance. We started out in the balcony, but we had to move it down to Pompey Square to accommodate everyone. So we are just going to set it up there one time.”

Major said the cocktail event will have tight security for those persons who may be concerned about their safety. He’s encouraging everybody to come out just to show their support for Sands, who will turn 35 on August 16 while he’s competing at the Olympics.

“I wasn’t there when he got injured, but I saw the tape of it and I’ve been there ever since with his recovery” Major said. “He has adjusted very well coming back from the injury and so I just want to make sure that we can produce this documentary to show the world that he did it.”

With the “Road to Rio” as the theme for the weekend for the BAAA, Major said they want to ensure that the patrons can also assist Sands in the documentary that outlines the odds that he faced in his comeback.

Sands, who exploded back on the scene last year to get on the podium with a silver medal at the Pan Am Games in Toronto, Canada and becoming a finalist at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, said part proceeds from the event will go to assisting an injured athlete to be treated by his doctor, Hank Sloan, who has helped him in his recovery progress in Atlanta, Georgia.

Major, on the other hand, said he will also be assisting a young Bahamian girl, who has developed a rare blood disorder and is seeking financial assistance to help her cover her medical expenses. compete at this level. I just have to work harder.”

Knowles said he was pleased with what he saw from the entire team. He said the boxers all put their best foot forward and the coaching staff, that includes Godfrey Strachan, did everything they could to get the boxers in the right frame of mind to compete.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, June 20, 2016, PAGE 5

France show fight to qualify as group winners LILLE, France (AP) - There were several ripped shirts and even a burst ball during France’s goalless draw with Switzerland yesterday at the European Championship as the top teams in Group A assured their places in the knockout stage.

The stalemate was good enough for both teams, with the French hosts taking first place and the Swiss moving on to the round of 16 in second.

France twice hit the crossbar as they again squandered numerous chances, but the torn Switzerland shirts and the ball being ripped apart during a challenge were the most memorable moments of the match at Stade Pierre Mauroy.

“It means there was a lot of fight on the pitch,” Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer said.

“For us and for the country it’s important to be in the last 16.”

Switzerland midfielder Admir Mehmedi’s shirt was torn in the first half, forcing him to the sidelines for a backup. Teammate Granit Xhaka then had his ripped once in each half, and teen striker Breel Embolo also slightly tore the back of his in the first half.

France coach Deschamps preferred to turn his attention to the rough state of the pitch, which cut up in places. “It was better than the pitch we saw at Marseille (against Albania) but it’s annoying,” he said. “I don’t know who is responsible, but we are only in the group stage of the competition and having such a pitch is not a good thing.”

Then there was an issue with the official Adidas “Beau Jeu” ball. As France pushed for a

SWITZERLAND’S VALON BEHRAMI, right, holds the deflated ball after it burst during the match against France at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d’Ascq, near Lille, France, yesterday. (AP) goal in the second half, forward Antoine Griezmann was dribbling when Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami stepped in to tackle. The two converged on the ball and it burst, with Behrami picking up the deflated leather and showing it to Slovenian referee Damir Skomina.

Just like in its previous games against Romania and Albania, France failed to turn pressure into goals. “Everyone hopes we play better, the players do and so do I,” Deschamps said. “I’m not blind, I know we can do better but a new competition starts for us on Sunday.”

There was a hint of bad luck.

Paul Pogba hit the crossbar in the first half with a swerving shot from 25 metres and substitute Dimitri Payet did the same in the 75th minute with a superb volley following a surging run down the right and cross to the back post from midfielder Moussa Sissoko.

Pogba also went close twice early in the first half, drawing

smart saves from Sommer. “Paul really was the driving force during the first half,” Deschamps said. “He was the heart and soul.” France will now meet one of the four third-placed teams in the round of the last 16, with Switzerland playing the runners up in Group C, possibly Poland.

In the other Group A match, Albania beat Romania 1-0 in Lyon, with Armando Sadiku scoring in the 43rd minute, the country’s first ever goal, let alone win, in a major tournament. In the Albanian capital, Tirana, thousands gathered in fan zones, lighting firecrackers, sounding car horns, shouting loudly and waving the red and black national flag.

The three points against Romania may be not enough to qualify Albania for the next round as one of the best thirdplaced teams but it is still the biggest ever success in the international sports arena in the tiny western Balkan country’s history.

RONALDO AND PORTUGAL OFF TARGET AGAIN PARIS (AP) - Cristiano Ronaldo missed a late penalty as Portugal stumbled again while Belgium swept to a 3-0 win over Ireland on a day of contrasts at the European Championship on Saturday.

There were mixed fortunes too for Iceland, who looked set to cause another shock by following up their draw against Portugal with a victory over Hungary only to concede a late own-goal and finish 1-1 again.

If the Icelanders can at least console themselves with having scored, nothing went right for Ronaldo in a game in which he set the Portugal appearance record with his 128th cap.

Three weeks earlier in Milan he had scored the final penalty of a shootout against Atletico Madrid to win the Champions League final for Real Madrid but at the Parc des Princes, Ronaldo slammed his spotkick against the left post after sending the Austrian goalkeeper the wrong way in the 79th minute.

Minutes later, he did find the net with a glancing header, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside, and the match finished goalless.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos was stoical about another draw that left Portugal with the threat of an embarrassing exit at the group stage.

“We can’t wallow in our own misery,” Santos said through a

translator. “There is a final to play on the 22nd - our first final of these Euros.” Portugal’s next opponents, Hungary, top a closely-contested Group F with four points.

With talented players like Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium came into Euro 2016 with plenty of expectation, only to lose 2-0 to Italy in their opening game. On Saturday, Belgium certainly lived up to the hype with an emphatic victory in Bordeaux.

Hazard and De Bruyne were in superb form and each led breakaways before setting up Romelu Lukaku to score with two precise low shots. Axel Witsel’s powerful header past Ireland keeper Darren Randolph came either side of the Everton striker’s goals.

Two draws from their first appearance at a major tournament is no mean achievement for Iceland. But Birkir Saevarsson’s own goal in the 88th minute, as he intercepted a dangerous low ball across the face of the goal, was still a heartbreaker. Gylfi Sigurdsson had converted from the penalty spot in the 40th minute and Iceland defended courageously in Marseilles. “We were so close,” Iceland forward Kolbeinn Sigthorsson said. “It’s quite a big loss for us, this draw.”

The match was the latest to feature crowd trouble and lighted flares and yesterday Hungary became the latest team to be

charged with misbehaviour by their fans by UEFA, European football’s governing body. Belgium and Portugal were also charged and today, Croatia will find out whether they will be punished after crowd trouble marred the closing stages of their 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic on Thursday. Russia and England attracted unwanted attention earlier in the tournament after fans rioted.

On Friday, Italy and Spain secured second successive victories to advance to the knockout stages of the competition.

Alvaro Morata scored twice as two-time defending champions Spain cruised to a 3-0 victory over Turkey, the first time a team in the competition had scored three goals in a game.

The other teams in Group D played out a dramatic 2-2 draw in Saint-Etienne in a game temporarily suspended when flares were thrown onto the pitch and Croatia fans fought among themselves.

Against the run of play, the Czechs earned their first point of the competition with two late strikes, substitute Tomas Necid scoring the equaliser from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time, which had been extended because of the flares.

Italy left it late to beat Sweden 1-0 through an 88th minute curler from Brazilian-born striker Eder.

Messi equals Argentina record while Chile rout Mexico 7-0 LIONEL Messi made his first start in the Copa America and equalled a national record with his 54th international goal as Argentina defeated Venezuela 4-1 on Saturday to set up a semifinal against the United States tomorrow in Houston.

The other last-four tie will feature an impressive Chile, for whom Eduardo Vargas scored a career-best four goals and Edson Puch added two as the defending champions routed Mexico 7-0. Chile meet Colombia in Chicago on Wednesday.

Messi’s goal in the 60th minute gave Argentina a 3-0 lead and equalled the Argentine record for most international goals set

by Gabriel Batistuta. The fivetime FIFA Player of the Year started the game after playing a total of just 74 minutes in the three group stage matches as he recovers from a back injury.

Eight minutes in, he found Gonzalo Higuain with a long pass to make it 1-0. “He knows that he’s a game-changing player,” Argentina coach Geraldo Martino said. “Everybody’s try-

SEMI-FINALS Tuesday United States v Argentina (9pm) Wednesday Colombia v Chile (8pm) FINAL Sunday (8pm) ing to cancel him. But he knows when to play one against one.

He knows when to pass the ball to other players.”

Higuain scored again in the 28th minute to double the lead and then Messi took a pass from Nicolas Gaitan and beat the goalkeeper. Venezuela finally beat Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero in the 70th minute when Salomon Rondon headed the ball in, nicking the post on the way. But Erik Lamela scored a minute later to make it 4-1.

Argentina have on six and lost only two of their matches against the US, who progressed after

being Ecuador 2-1 on Thursday night in Seattle.

In Santa Clara, California, thousands of Mexico’s frustrated “fanaticos” were already long gone by the time El Tri’s worst defeat in a competitive match finally ended, along with its record unbeaten streak of 22 matches.

Vargas opened his account a minute before half-time to make it 2-0 and then ran riot in the second half, adding goals in the 52nd, 57th and 74th minutes.

“Everyone knows that we are the champions and today we showed it,” Vargas said as Chile set up a semi-final with Colombia, who edged past Peru 4-2 on penalties after a goalless draw in East Rutherford on Friday.

“First, I’d like to offer my most heartfelt apologies to the Mexican fans,” Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. “Today was a shameful presentation, an accident that happens in soccer. Obviously, there are bigger tragedies, but speaking in terms of sports, today was a very, very poor showing on our part.”

EURO 2016 AT A GLANCE

Kick offs Bahamian time All matches televised live on ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPN Deportes Friday, June 10 Group A: France 2 (Giroud, Payet) Romania 1 (Stancu) Saturday, June 11 Group A: Albania 0 Switzerland 1 (Schaer) Group B: Wales 2 (Bale, Robson-Kanu) Slovakia 1 (Duda) Group B: England 1 (Dier) Russia 1 (Berezuktski) Sunday, June 12 Group D: Turkey 0 Croatia 1 (Modric) Group C: Poland 1 (Milik) Northern Ireland 0 Group C: Germany 2 (Mustafi, Schweinsteiger) Ukraine 0 Monday, June 13 Group D: Spain 1 (Pique) Czech Republic 0 Group E: Ireland 1 (Hoolahan) Sweden 1 (Clark og) Group E: Belgium 0 Italy 2 (Giaccherini, Pelle) Tuesday, June 14 Group F: Austria 0 Hungary 2 (Szalai, Stieber) Group F: Portugal 1 (Nani) Iceland 1 (Bjarnason) Wednesday, June 15 Group B: Russia 1 (Glushakov) Slovakia 2 (Weiss, Hamsik) Group A: Romania 1 (Stancu) Switzerland 1 (Mehmedi) Group A: France 2 (Griezmann, Payet) Albania 0 Thursday, June 16 Group B: England 2 (Vardy, Sturridge) Wales 1 (Bale) Group C: Ukraine 0 Northern Ireland 1 (McAuley, McGinn) Group C: Germany 0 Poland 0 Friday, June 17 Group E: Italy 1 Sweden 0 (Eder) Group D: Czech Republic 2 (Skoda, Necid) Croatia 2 (Perisic, Rakitic) Group D: Spain 3 (Morata 2, Agudo Duran) Turkey 0 Saturday, June 18 Group E: Belgium 3 (Lukaku 2, Witsel) Ireland 0 Group F: Iceland 1 (Sigurdsson) Hungary (Saevarsson og) Group F: Portugal 0 Austria 0 Sunday, June 19 Group A: France 0 Switzerland 0 Group A: Romania 0 Albania 1 (Sadiku) Monday, June 20 Group A: Slovakia v England (3pm) Group A: Russia v Wales (3pm) Tuesday, June 21 Group C: Northern Ireland v Germany (noon) Group C: Ukraine v Poland (noon) Group D: Croatia v Spain (3pm) Group D: Czech Republic v Turkey (3pm) Wednesday, June 22 Group F: Hungary v Portugal (noon) Group F: Iceland v Austria (noon) Group E: Sweden v Belgium (3pm) Group E: Italy v Ireland (3pm)

STANDINGS GROUP A

France

Switzerland Albania Romania GROUP B

England Wales

Slovakia Russia

GROUP C

Germany Poland N Ireland Ukraine GROUP D

Spain

Croatia Czech Rep Turkey GROUP E

Italy

Belgium Sweden Ireland GROUP F

Hungary Iceland Portugal Austria

P 3 3 3 3

W 2 1 1 0

D 1 2 0 1

L 0 0 2 2

F 4 2 1 2

A 1 1 3 4

Pts 7 5 3 1

P 2 2 2 2

W 1 1 1 0

D 1 0 0 1

L 0 1 1 1

F 3 3 3 2

A 2 3 3 3

Pts 4 3 3 1

P 2 2 2 2

W 1 1 1 0

D 1 1 0 0

L 0 0 1 2

F 2 1 2 0

A 0 0 1 4

Pts 4 4 3 0

P 2 2 2 2

W 2 1 0 0

D 0 1 1 0

L 0 0 1 2

F 4 3 2 0

A 0 2 3 4

Pts 6 4 1 0

P 2 2 2 2

W 2 1 0 0

D 0 0 1 1

L 0 1 1 1

F 3 3 1 1

A 0 2 2 4

Pts 6 3 1 1

P 2 2 2 2

W 1 0 0 0

D 1 2 2 1

L 0 0 0 1

F 3 2 1 0

A 1 2 1 2

Pts 4 2 2 1

3 points for a win, 1 for a draw Top two teams in each group plus the four third-place teams with the best records qualify for the knockout stages Leading goalscorers 2: Stancu (Romania), Payet (France), Bale (Wales), Morata (Spain), Lukaku (Belgium).

1: Giroud (France), Schaer (Switzerland), Robson-Kanu (Wales), Duda (Slovakia), Dier (England), Berezutski (Russia), Modric (Croatia), Milik (Poland), Mustafi (Germany), Schweinsteiger (Germany), Pique (Spain), Hoolahan (Ireland), Giaccherini (Italy), Pelle (Italy), Szalai (Hungary), Stieber (Hungary), Nani (Portugal), Bjarnason (Iceland), Weiss (Slovakia), Hamsik (Slovakia), Glushakov (Russia), Mehmedi (Switzerland), Griezmann (France), Vardy (England), Sturridge (England), McAuley (Northern Ireland), McGinn (Northern Ireland), Eder (Italy), Perisic (Croatia), Rakitic (Croatia), Skoda (Czech Republic), Necid (Czech Republic), Agudo Duran (Spain), Witsel (Belgium), Sigurdsson (Iceland), Sadiku (Albania).

ROUND OF LAST 16 Saturday, June 25 1 Switzerland v Group C second (9am) 2 Group B winner v Group A, C or D third (noon) 3 Group D winner v Group B, E or F third (3pm) Sunday, June 26 4 France v Group C, D or E third (9am) 5 Group C winner v Group A, B or F third (noon) 6 Group F winner v Group E second (3pm) Monday, June 27 7 Italy v Group D second (noon) 8 Group B second v Group F second (3pm) QUARTER-FINALS Thursday, June 30 A Winner (1) v Winner (3) (3pm) Friday, July 1 B Winner (2) v Winner (6) (3pm) Saturday, July 2 C Winner (5) v Winner (7) (3pm) Sunday, July 3 D Winner (4) v Winner (8) (3pm) SEMI-FINALS Wednesday, July 6 Winner A v Winner B (3pm) Thursday, July 7 Winner C v Winner D (3pm) FINAL Sunday, July 10 At Saint-Denis, Paris (3pm)

PAGE 6, Monday, June 20, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Dustin Johnson wins US Open at Oakmont for first major title

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — All the chaos and confusion couldn’t stop Dustin Johnson from proving he had the head to be a US Open champion.

One year after the most devastating of all his close calls in the major, Johnson endured two hours of not knowing the size of his lead while the USGA questioned whether he should be penalised one stroke for his ball moving on the fifth green.

Johnson said it didn’t.

The USGA said it would wait until after the final round to decide.

America’s most powerful golfer took matters into his own hands yesterday at Oakmont with a 10-foot par save on the 16th hole, a tee shot he smashed down the middle of the 18th fairway and an approach to 5 feet for birdie that left no doubt who won the toughest test in golf.

Only after he was guaranteed that silver trophy did the USGA assess him a one-shot penalty, turning his final score into a 1-under 69 for a three-shot victory.

The lingering question was whether this US Open was tougher than it needed to be.

DUSTIN JOHNSON, right, greets his fiancé Paulina Gretzky as he holds their son Tatum Gretzky on the 18th hole during the final round of the US Open golf championship at Oakmont Country Club yesterday. (AP) Johnson had a short par putt on the fifth hole, took a few practice strokes and as he placed the putter behind the ball, it moved slightly — backward.

Johnson stepped back and called over the rules official, told him it didn’t move and he tapped in for par.

The USGA later decided

to review it, and the timing was peculiar.

Johnson was in deep rough left of the 10th fairway when he was given relief from a television tower in his line-of-sight to the flag. He was able to move left toward the 11th fairway and drop it in the first cut of rough, and he powered it over the tower and onto the

green, setting up a par. It was a huge break — within the rules — the kind that major champions often get.

One hole later, the USGA informed they had questions about the ball moving on No. 5.

“After looking at video, the actions he took could have caused the ball to move,” said Jeff Hall, di-

rector of rules and open championships for the USGA. “We asked if there was some other reason the ball could have moved. He didn’t state a reason.”

The USGA wanted him to know that a one-shot penalty was likely so he could play accordingly, but it led to confusion over the back nine — for Johnson

and for the players trying to catch him.

Shane Lowry, who began the final round with a fourshot lead that he lost on the front nine, caught him when Johnson made his only bogey on the back nine. Were they tied? Was Johnson one shot behind? No one knew.

Johnson played through it all, thinking only of that silver trophy that got away from him at Chambers Bay last year when he had a 12foot eagle putt to win and then three-putted for par to lose by one to Jordan Spieth.

Lowry, the first player since Payne Stewart at The Olympic Club in 1998 to lose a four-shot lead in the final round of the US Open, lost his putting touch that had carried him to the lowest 54-hole total at Oakmont. He three-putted from long range on three straight holes, and Johnson was flawless at the end.

Johnson finished at 4-under 276.

He gave three quick fistpumps when the birdie putt fell on the 18th, hugged his brother, Austin, who caddies for him and scooped up his son Tatum on Father’s Day. Among the first to greet him was Jack Nicklaus, who won his first major at Oakmont in 1962. The gold medal for the winner is named after Nicklaus.

Rosberg returns to winning ways in European GP BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) - Formula One’s pit-to-driver radio restrictions played a decisive role in yesterday’s European Grand Prix as Nico Rosberg received assistance in solving an engine-setting glitch and sailed to an easy victory while his Mercedes teammate and title rival Lewis Hamilton was frustrated at getting no help in fixing an identical problem and finished a distant fifth.

Rosberg’s win at the Baku street circuit pushed his lead over Hamilton in the drivers’ championship from nine points to 24. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished second, 16.6 seconds adrift of Rosberg, while Force India’s Sergio Perez passed Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen on the penultimate lap to take third.

Hamilton, who started the race tenth after crashing in Saturday’s qualifying, was on a charge through the field in the opening 10 laps when his engine picked up a ‘de-rating’, an inability to access the stored hybrid power.

Rosberg had switched to the same engine setting as Hamilton during the race, and suffered the same problem, but was quickly told by the team that the mode was problematic and he should switch back to the original setting.

Hamilton, however, had started the engine on that mode, so the team was at first unable to work out what was causing the performance dip. Even once the issue was diagnosed, and as Hamilton was begging over the radio for the team to tell him how to fix the problem, the team was not allowed to tell him.

Under the sport’s new rules designed to put more onus on driver skills, teams are banned from communicating information to drivers about how to change engine modes. “I had no idea, there were like 16 different engine positions and in those engine positions, like 20 positions, so I had no idea what problem I had, just low power,” Hamilton said.

The problem resolved itself late in the race, and Hamilton immediately set the fastest lap, but by that time there was not enough time left to catch the cars in front, leaving the Briton to mull over the logic behind the radio restrictions.

Rosberg confirmed after the race he had the same problem, and calmly said: “It was just a matter of getting out of it with the right combination of switches.”

The surprise of the race - the first held in the Azerbaijani capital - was the absence of accidents

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STANDINGS

MERCEDES mechanics spray champagne on Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany in the team garage after he won the Formula One Grand Prix of Europe at the Baku circuit, in Baku, Azerbaijan, yesterday. (AP) and safety-car periods. Practice and qualifying had been littered with incidences of cars hitting walls and running down escape roads, and the support races were accident-strewn, with multiple safety-car interventions and restarts.

After winning the first four races of the season, Rosberg had watched with alarm as Hamilton won the past two to cut his lead to single figures, but the win in Azerbaijan gives him some breathing

room coming into the European heart of the season.

“Everything went to plan for me so it was really awesome,” Rosberg said. “The weekend went perfectly.”

Williams’ Valtteri Bottas was sixth, ahead of the Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, who both struggled on the soft tyres in the first half of the race, and were forced into making two pit stops while those ahead needed just one. Force India’s

Nico Hulkenberg and Williams’ Felipe Massa completed the top ten.

Without a win in the eight races so far Ferrari are not yet ready to surrender the 2016 title to runaway leaders Mercedes. Vettel is 45 points behind Rosberg with 13 races remaining and in the constructors’ championship the margin is 81 points between the teams.

Sceptics have been urging Ferrari to abandon hopes of challenging for this year’s title and instead get a head start on developing a car to meet 2017’s significantly altered design regulations. But Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne believes the team should not abandon hope yet.

“The points difference does not justify such pessimism,” Marchionne said in Baku. “That doesn’t mean it will be easy, but the team will not give up and start to think about 2017.”

“With what happened in the last few races, for me, the championship is fully open. We must try to get ourselves in the game. Maurizio (Arrivabene, team principal) and the team want to do it. I have heard that Vettel is convinced that the car is there and that they will be able to bring the results.”

Despair and defiance as Russian athletes react to doping ban

By FRANCESCA EBEL and VERONIKA SILCHENKO Associated Press CHEBOKSARY, Russia (AP) — Russia’s national track and field championships were supposed to offer a chance to secure Olympic places, but with its athletes now banned from the Rio Games, excitement for competition has been replaced by despair and defiance.

For Natalya Antyukh, the reigning Olympic champion in the 400-metre hurdles, Rio would almost certainly be her last chance for a medal at the age of 34.

“The mood has been spoiled,” Antyukh told The Associated Press yesterday, adding that she had kept the Olympics as an “imaginary goal” for herself in the seven months that separated Russia’s suspension in November from the IAAF vote Friday that upheld the Olympic ban.

“When you lose this imaginary goal, the motivation is lost. I am an experienced athlete and I was always giving myself a new goal and motivation. But

what can I achieve now?”

The championships start today in a stadium in the Volga River city of Cheboksary, with the likely small crowd a far cry from the pulsating atmosphere of the Olympics.

Pre-event training Sunday took place in sweltering heat, with many athletes reluctant to venture out until late afternoon.

Some at the championships are angry at the International Association of Athletics Federations. Shot putter Yuri Kuzev even argued that Russia should have boycotted Olympic track and field events from the beginning rather than suffer the embarrassment of being banned.

“We should have rejected to go to the Olympics from the very beginning and not follow their orders,” he said.

That would have avoided a lengthy checklist of reform demands from the IAAF, ranging from extra testing for top athletes to investigating past doping offences and shutting down a notorious training centre whose athletes produced more than 30 failed tests.

“They (IAAF) created a dictatorship. Saying ‘do this, do that’, and we simply followed,” Kuzev said. “But all this work was done for nothing, getting the same decision. I think it was pointless to do that.”

Russia had hoped that an IAAF ban could be overruled by the International Olympic Committee, which has convened a summit for Tuesday to discuss the issue of Russia’s status. However, that appears unlikely after the IOC said Saturday that it “fully respects” the IAAF ruling.

Russia’s last chance is likely to be an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports. Two race walkers said Sunday they had applied for CAS to rule on the issue.

However, even the IAAF ban leaves open an avenue for a select few Russians to compete at the Olympics.

A provision allowing athletes to compete under “neutral” status can apply to those who can show they have been living and training abroad, under a more rigorous system of antidoping tests than Russia’s, which is currently mostly

suspended following persistent allegations it covered up for doped stars.

Among those who could benefit is 800-metre runner Yulia Stepanova, whose testimony to the World Anti-Doping Agency about drug use helped to spark an unprecedented investigation. There’s also a chance for long jumper Darya Klishina, who has long been based in the United States, well away from the embattled Russian track and field system.

Her coach Loren Seagrave was reluctant to talk about Klishina’s plans, but told the AP that the turmoil in Russian track and field had no impact.

“Darya’s preparation has not been affected at all,” he said.

“She’s been out of Russia now for almost eight months and (has) been tested on a regular basis - (so this decision) doesn’t affect her preparation at all.”

If Klishina is to compete, it wouldn’t be under the Russian flag, but a neutral symbol, perhaps the IOC’s emblem. Meanwhile, dozens of other Russians look set to stay at home.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, June 20, 2016, PAGE 7

Andy Murray beats Raonic to claim 5th Queen’s Club title

SPAIN TAKE LAST SPOT IN OLYMPIC RUGBY 7S FIELD

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Andy Murray claimed a record fifth title at Queen’s Club yesterday as the top-seeded defending champion recovered from a set and 3-0 down to beat Milos Raonic 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3.

Neither player faced a break point in the opening set, and after taking the tiebreaker Raonic made an intimidating start to the second by dropping just one point in the first three games.

Murray appeared to be overwhelmed, but he responded by winning the next five games en route to levelling the match.

Continuing his momentum in the final set Murray broke to lead 1-0, and a further break at 5-3 secured him his second title of the year. “It’s a tournament that obviously means a lot to me,” Murray said.

“It always has a great field and the players I have

MONACO (AP) — Spain earned the last men’s Olympic rugby sevens berth when it scored in the last seconds to upset Samoa 22-19 in the final qualifier yesterday.

Spain came out of nowhere to complete the 12-team Olympic field.

Not a world series regular or even seeded in Monaco, the Spaniards lost a pool game to Hong Kong 19-0 on Saturday.

But on Sunday they overcame Ireland 12-7 from 7-0 down in the quarterfinals, pipped Russia 17-12 with a last-minute try in the semi-finals, and stunned the favoured Samoans in the final.

Samoa, which won the world series stop in Paris last month, led 19-12 in the second half, but Spain cut the deficit to two points through a Pol Pla try. From a tap penalty with seconds left, Pablo Fontes de Castro drew in the defence, threw a missout pass to Inaki Villanueva on the left wing, and he passed out of a double tackle to give Ignacio Martin a free run in. Martin celebrated before he scored.

“I am still trying to take it in,” teammate Angel Lopez said. “This is a dream for us. We are going to be Olympians. We believed that we are good enough, but wow, this is pretty special.”

The last women’s qualifier is next weekend in Dublin.

beaten in the finals, a lot of times have been top players. It’s not like I have had easy finals.”

Murray was one of eight players to have won the title four times since the event began in 1890, and is the first to have retained his title since Andy Roddick did so in 2004 and again in 2005.

The record books favoured Murray, who is second only to Roger Federer among active players in the number of grass-court titles won. In addition to his five victories at Queen’s Club, Murray won an Olympic gold medal in 2012 and the Wimbledon title a year later.

As well as being the first meeting on grass for Murray and Raonic, Sunday was the first time that Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe have met as coaches. Lendl has returned to Murray’s coaching team and McEnroe is working with Raonic.

BRITAIN’s Andy Murray lifts the trophy after beating Canada’s Milos Raonic in the final of the Queen’s tennis Championships in London, England, yesterday. (AP)

THe WeaTHer repOrT

5-Day Forecast

TOday

OrlandO

High: 87° F/31° C low: 68° F/20° C

Tampa

Tuesday

Wednesday

THursday

FrIday

Partly sunny, a t‑storm in spots

Partly cloudy with a shower or two

Partly sunny, a stray thunderstorm

Patchy clouds with a t‑storm around

Sunny to partly cloudy and humid

Some sun with a quick shower; humid

High: 88°

Low: 75°

High: 89° Low: 78°

High: 90° Low: 79°

High: 90° Low: 77°

High: 90° Low: 77°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

96° F

82° F

98°-83° F

98°-87° F

98°-88° F

100°-90° F

High: 88° F/31° C low: 71° F/22° C

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.

N

almanac

E

W

aBaCO

S

N

High: 83° F/28° C low: 78° F/26° C

10‑20 knots

S

High: 86° F/30° C low: 75° F/24° C

10‑20 knots

FT. lauderdale

FreepOrT

High: 86° F/30° C low: 77° F/25° C

E

W S

E

W

WesT palm BeaCH

N

High: 85° F/29° C low: 74° F/23° C

mIamI

High: 86° F/30° C low: 76° F/24° C

12‑25 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 86° F/30° C Low .................................................... 76° F/24° C Normal high ....................................... 87° F/31° C Normal low ........................................ 74° F/23° C Last year’s high ................................. 90° F/32° C Last year’s low ................................... 76° F/24° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.04” Year to date ............................................... 20.09” Normal year to date ................................... 11.87”

eleuTHera

nassau

High: 88° F/31° C low: 75° F/25° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016

High: 83° F/28° C low: 80° F/27° C

N

Key WesT

High: 87° F/31° C low: 78° F/26° C

tiDes For nassau High

E

W S

7‑14 knots

Low

Ht.(ft.)

8:36 a.m.

9:00 p.m.

2.4 3.1

2:44 a.m. 0.1 2:33 p.m. ‑0.1

Tuesday

9:17 a.m.

9:40 p.m.

2.4 3.2

3:24 a.m. 0.0 3:14 p.m. ‑0.1

Wednesday 9:59 a.m.

10:21 p.m.

2.5 3.2

4:04 a.m.

3:55 p.m.

0.0 0.0

Thursday

10:43 a.m.

11:03 p.m.

2.5 3.1

4:45 a.m.

4:40 p.m.

0.0 0.0

Friday

11:29 a.m.

11:48 p.m.

2.6 3.1

5:28 a.m.

5:27 p.m.

0.0 0.1

Saturday

12:20 p.m. ‑‑‑‑‑

2.6 ‑‑‑‑‑

6:13 a.m.

6:20 p.m.

0.0 0.2

Sunday

12:37 a.m.

1:15 p.m.

3.0 2.7

7:01 a.m.

7:18 p.m.

0.0 0.2

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:21 a.m.

8:02 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

8:16 p.m.

6:35 a.m.

Full

last

new

First

Jun. 20

Jun. 27

Jul. 4

Jul. 11

andrOs

san salVadOr

GreaT eXuma

High: 84° F/29° C low: 79° F/26° C

High: 85° F/29° C low: 79° F/26° C

N

High: 84° F/29° C low: 78° F/26° C

E

W S

lOnG Island

insurance management tracking map

High: 85° F/29° C low: 79° F/26° C

L

Ht.(ft.)

Today

High: 84° F/29° C low: 78° F/26° C

N

S

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

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

CaT Island

E

W

8‑16 knots

H

uV inDex toDay

TOnIGHT

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: 85° F/29° C low: 80° F/27° C

High: 85° F/29° C low: 79° F/26° C

GreaT InaGua High: 88° F/31° C low: 80° F/27° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

8‑16 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: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday:

WINDS NE at 10‑20 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots NE at 8‑16 Knots ENE at 10‑20 Knots NE at 6‑12 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 12‑25 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ENE at 12‑25 Knots ENE at 10‑20 Knots NE at 7‑14 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots NE at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ENE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 12‑25 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 10‑20 Knots ENE at 10‑20 Knots ENE at 10‑20 Knots NE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 10‑20 Knots NE at 7‑14 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots

WAVES 6‑10 Feet 4‑7 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 4‑7 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑6 Feet 4‑8 Feet 3‑6 Feet 4‑8 Feet 3‑5 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 4‑7 Feet 1‑2 Feet 2‑4 Feet 4‑7 Feet 4‑8 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 7 Miles 6 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 79° F 78° F 88° F 87° F 88° F 88° F 85° F 85° F 86° F 85° F 83° F 82° F 87° F 87° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 84° F 84° F 82° F 79° F 84° F 84° F 88° F 87° F