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BEIJING: Heavy rain lashed Beijing Thursday as Jamaica prepared to
complete its dominance of the glamor sprints in the women’s 200m
final.
The United States was on the verge of handing
over its mantle of Olympic supremacy to China but its downfall has
been across the board and not just at the hands of the emerging
Chinese.
Jamaica laid claim to the once-US sprinting
stronghold, as Usain Bolt became the first man to smash world
records in winning the 100m and 200m double at one Games.
Veronica Campbell-Brown will lead the Jamaican
women in Thursday’s 200m final aiming to complete the Caribbean
sweep after shutting out the Americans for all three medals in the
100m.
As a deluge broke over Beijing, and
temperatures fell to around 24 degrees Celsius, athletics field
events were delayed until the rain eased late morning and the BMX
semifinals were postponed until Friday.
In Hong Kong where the equestrian is being
held, looming Typhoon Nuri was beginning to be felt, threatening the
individual show jumping final.
The Equestrian Company, which is running the
event, said it was monitoring the situation “very closely” but
expected the competition would go ahead.
At the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, track events
continued where reigning champion Jeremy Wariner is odds-on favorite
to salvage some US honor in the men’s 400m.
The 1.3 billion Chinese, meanwhile, will have
to watch Dayron Robles star in the 110m hurdles final which was
supposed to showcase their national hero Liu Xiang who pulled out
injured in the heats.
Liu was central to the Games as one of
China’s most popular sporting idols, but it is Bolt and the
eight-gold medal winning US swimming sensation Michael Phelps who
have been the two standout individual performers.
Bolt drew an incredible rebuke from
International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge who
refrained from putting him on the same pedestal as Phelps, and
instead said the Jamaican should show more respect for his rivals
and shake hands at the finish.
“That would be more in the spirit of the
Olympic ideal,” said Rogge adding he did not want to see a repeat
of Bolt’s “catch me if you can gesture” in the 100m final.
Bolt was so relaxed in that race he eased up
well before the line and held out his hands in celebration in what
could be perceived as mocking his chasers.
China continued to control the medals table
with 45 golds to 27 for the United States and 16 for Great Britain.
The outstanding US pair Kerri Walsh and Misty
May-Treanor added to the US cause in the women’s beach volleyball
final, beating China’s Tian Jia and Wang Jie 21-18, 21-18 to
register their 108th consecutive victory.
In early events completed Thursday, world
champion Olga Kaniskina of Russia led from gun to tape to win the
women’s 20-km walk in atrocious conditions, with Norway’s
Kjersti Platzer second.
Maarten van der Weijden of the Netherlands won
the inaugural men’s 10km open water marathon swim from Great
Britain’s David Davies.
--AFP
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