The American superstar is expected to compete on balance beam after withdrawing last week due to mental health concerns
Simone Biles’ potential return highlights Tuesday’s Olympic action
It’s Tuesday, August 3, the 11th official day of Tokyo 2020. Here’s what you need to know.
Biles is back: Simone Biles is expected to compete in the final women’s gymnastics event of Tokyo 2020: the balance beam. The American superstar withdrew midway through the women’s team final last week, and has not competed since, citing mental health concerns.
Biles is a favorite to win the event. She’ll be competing alongside fellow American Sunisa Lee, who won the women’s individual all-around title last week.
Warholm makes history: Norway’s Karsten Warholm became the first athlete ever to run the 400 meters men’s hurdles in under 46 seconds on Tuesday morning.
Hassan’s big night: Sifan Hassan is a third of the way toward her goal of a historic distance triple crown. The Dutchwoman obliterated the rest of the field to win gold in the women’s 5,000 meter final to complete the first leg of what could be an unparalleled treble.
Hassan is aiming to become the first athlete in Olympic history to win the 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters gold medals at a single Games.
She had a dramatic Monday morning in her 1,500 meter heat. Hassan fell on the last lap and had to make up more than 20 meters on the field, but somehow ended up winning the race.
Timanovskaya likely headed to Poland: Belarusian sprinter Kristina Timanovskaya received a humanitarian visa from Poland on Monday, hours after she refused to board a flight out of Japan. She said she was being forced to return to her native country against her will and feared being arrested upon her arrival.
Timanovskaya was set to compete in the women’s 200 meters in Tokyo but said representatives of the Belarus national team tried to forcibly send her back to her home country after she criticized national sporting authorities for entering her into the 4×400 meter relay without her consent.
The medal update: China is pulling ahead. It has won 29 gold medals, seven more than the second-place US. Japan remains in third with 17.
The US leads the total medal tally with 66, followed by China with 63. The Russian Olympic Committee sits third with 50.
What’s on tap:
- Basketball: It’s win or go home for the six teams left. Tuesdays’ first game saw Slovenia beat Germany by 24 points to advance to the semifinals. the Americans take on Spain in the next game at 1:40 p.m. Tokyo time. They’re followed by Italy vs. France, and the day ends with Australia vs. Argentina.
- Boxing: Britain’s Pat McCormack fights Roniel Iglesias of Cuba for men’s welterweight gold. More boxing medals are also up for grabs throughout the day.
- Gymnastics: Biles headlines the last night of artistic gymnastics in Tokyo. The men will compete in the individual horizontal bar and parallel bar finals. Competition starts at 5 p.m. Tokyo time.
- Climbing: Sport climbing will make its Olympic debut when qualifications begin at 5 p.m. in Tokyo (4 a.m. ET) at the Aomi Urban Sports Park
- Athletics: Gold medals will be handed out tonight in Tokyo in the men’s pole vault, women’s hammer throw, women’s 800 meters final and the women’s 200 meters final.
The full Olympic schedule can be found here.
Karsten Warholm smashes world record to win the men’s 400 meters hurdles
History was made on the track Tuesday morning in the men’s 400 meters hurdles final.
Norway’s Karsten Warholm took gold, setting a world record of 45.94 and breaking the 46-second mark for the first time.
American silver medalist Rai Benjamin pushed Warholm all the way, clocking in at 46.17 — easily inside the previous world record of 46.70, set by the Norwegian on July 1. Before that, the 400 meters hurdles world record hadn’t been broken since 1992.
According to NBC, three of the four fastest times ever in the event were run in the Tokyo final.
How misogynoir is oppressing Black women athletes
From CNN’s Hannah Ryan
Naomi Osaka discovered what it’s like to be at the sharp end of a sporting governing body’s regulations this summer.
The four-time grand slam singles champion declined to attend press conferences as she began her French Open campaign in June — citing the importance of protecting her mental health and addressing the toll that media interviews had previously taken on her.
The French Open organizers responded by fining the world No. 2 an amount of $15,000 and threatening to expel her from future grand slams, after they deemed her withdrawal from press conferences as a failure on her part to meet “contractual media obligations.”
Osaka made the decision to withdraw from Roland Garros altogether, then skipped Wimbledon, before returning to play at the Tokyo Olympics.
What’s happened to Osaka over the last few months has left many critical of her sport’s handling of the situation, and wishing those who govern her sport had adopted a more empathetic and sensitive approach given she was dealing with mental health issues.
In fact, just after Osaka said she would be opting out of speaking to the press at the tournament, the French Open official Twitter account posted a since-deleted tweet that included photos of four other players engaging in media duties — Coco Gauff, Kei Nishikori, Aryna Sablenka and Rafael Nadal — which carried the caption: “They understood the assignment.”
The tweet appeared to be directed at Osaka and her decision to withdraw from media obligations. It was considered by several former tennis players and pundits as insensitive, and former doubles champion Rennae Stubbs said that the post could make Osaka “feel guilty” and described it as “humiliating” for her.
And while the rule itself — in which players are required to engage in press conferences throughout the tournament — may not be a racist or misogynistic one, the context in which Osaka found herself punished and seemingly mocked by officials is part of a pattern in which Black women in elite sports are subject to harsh scrutiny.
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Simone Biles is expected to take part in today’s balance beam final
From CNN’s Ben Morse and Aleks Klosok
Team USA gymnast Simone Biles will take part in Tuesday’s balance beam final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, USA Gymnastics has confirmed.
Biles — considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time — participated in the Olympic gymnastic qualifications on July 25 and then in the US’ vault rotation in the women’s team final on July 27 before withdrawing from competitive action, citing mental health concerns.
A tweet from USA Gymnastics on Monday read: “We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow — Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!! Can’t wait to watch you both!”
The 24-year-old Biles, who won a silver medal as part of the US team’s second place finish in the team final, then withdrew from four individual finals at the Tokyo Games — the all-around individual competition, the vault, the uneven bars and floor.
Biles won four golds in the 2016 Rio Olympics and Tuesday’s balance beam will be her last opportunity to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Poland grants humanitarian visa to Belarusian sprinter Kristina Timanovskaya
From CNN’s Helen Regan, Robert Iddiols, Sebastian Shukla, Taylor Barnes and Jim Sciutto
Belarusian sprinter Kristina Timanovskaya received a humanitarian visa from Poland on Monday, hours after she refused to board a flight out of Japan saying she was being forced to return to her native country against her will and that she feared arrest.
Poland’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marcin Przydacz, announced on Twitter that Timanovskaya had been granted the visa. “Poland will do whatever is necessary to help her to continue her sporting career. (Poland) always stands for solidarity,” he posted.
He later told Reuters that the 24-year-old Olympic athlete was planning on traveling to Poland in the following days. “According to her decision, that’s what our consul heard in Tokyo, she’s planning to come to Poland in days to come to be here in Warsaw. And if she would like… she is free to pursue her sporting career in Poland,” Przydacz said.
Earlier Monday, Reuters reported that Timanovskaya had been seen entering the Polish embassy.
Timanovskaya was set to compete in the women’s 200 meters at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday but said representatives of the Belarus national team tried to forcibly send her back to her home country after she criticized national sporting authorities for entering her into the 4×400 meter relay without her consent.
Team officials came to the Olympic Village on Sunday afternoon and asked her to “pack her belongings as a decision had been made for her to return to Minsk,” said Anatol Kotau, of the Belarus Sports Solidarity Foundation, which represents athletes repressed by Belarusian authorities, and who is in direct contact with Timanovskaya.
The Belarus Embassy in Tokyo said in a statement on Monday that Belarusian diplomats arrived at the airport on Sunday to “clarify the circumstances” and provide “possible consular and legal assistance if necessary,” but were unable to obtain any information about Timanovskaya from Japanese representatives. The statement added that the athlete has not been in contact with the embassy.
“It sucks,” says Megan Rapinoe as USWNT beaten by Canada in football semifinals
From CNN’s Wayne Sterling, Becky Thompson and John Sinnott
The United States Women’s National Team narrowly lost to Canada 1-0 in the Olympic semifinals in Japan on Monday, ending the world champion’s bid for the gold medal.
Jessie Fleming’s second-half penalty decided the game as Canada defeated the US for the first time in 20 years.
The USWNT was aiming to become the first reigning FIFA World Cup champion to win a gold medal in women’s football.
“It sucks,” said US forward Megan Rapinoe after Monday’s defeat. “Obviously, you never want to lose. You never want to lose in a world championship, you never want to lose to Canada, obviously, and you never want to lose playing the way we did.
“Every player in the locker room has 100 things that we would all want to do better and that’s the most frustrating thing for all of us. It’s sad because these things only come around every so often. It’s a tough one to swallow.”
With the win, Canadian midfielder Quinn — the first openly trans and non-binary athlete — is guaranteed to win a medal at the Olympic Games.
Canada will play Sweden in Friday’s gold medal match after the European team secured a 1-0 victory over Australia later on Monday.
Striker Fridolina Rolfo struck the winner in the 46th minute to send Sweden into its second successive final.
Five years ago at the Rio Games, Sweden was beaten 2-1 by Germany in the final.
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Catch up: Here’s why Simone Biles withdrew from the women’s gymnastics team finals
From CNN’s Alyssa Kraus
World-renowned gymnast and four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles withdrew from the women’s gymnastics team finals last week over mental health concerns.
Here’s everything you need to know about Biles’ decision:
The withdrawal:
- Biles withdrew midway through the women’s team finals after leaving the field to be attended to by the trainer. After visiting a trainer, Biles returned to the arena, but did not warm up for uneven bars. Instead, 20-year-old Jordan Chiles took Biles’ place.
- From the sidelines, Biles supported her teammates — chatting with them and cheering after each routine. Biles was a lively presence, jumping up and down in support of her teammates.
- When asked what she told the rest of the team when she withdrew, Biles said she told them, “you have done all the training, you can do this without me, and it will be just fine.”
The results:
- Team USA took silver in the women’s team finals, settling with a score of 166.096. The Russian Olympic Committee edged out Team USA to win gold with a score of 169.528.
- According to Biles, she was “proud” of her teammates. “For me, I’m proud for how the girls stepped up and did what they had to do. I owe this to the girls, it has nothing to do with me. I am very proud of them,” she said.
- In an Instagram post, Biles said she was “inspired” by Team USA’s performance in the finals. The gymnast wrote, “I’m SO proud of these girls right here. You girls are incredibly brave & talented! I’ll forever be inspired by your determination to not give up and to fight through adversity! They stepped up when I couldn’t. thanks for being there for me and having my back! forever love y’all.”
Mental health:
- Biles broke down in tears as she addressed the media following the competition. “Whenever you get in a high stress situation you kind of freak out,” she said. “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and wellbeing.”
- Biles also said those competing are “not just athletes, we’re people at the end of the day.”
- As Biles began to prepare for the team finals, she took to social media to describe the pressure she faces as a world-renowned gymnast. In an Instagram post, Biles said competing often leaves her feeling as if she has “the weight of the world on my shoulders.” Biles said she tries to “brush it off and make it seem like the pressure doesn’t affect me,” but described the Olympics as “no joke.”
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/nfOPDuRaBE8/h_1d354132c361cc21f2ef1d37de7a5884
