Rio looks to reopen as Brazil approaches Italy in coronavirus deaths

RIO DE JANEIRO - The mayor of Rio de Janeiro allowed more than 10,000 street vendors to go back to work on Thursday and Brazil's president pressed for legal action to force local governments to reopen beaches, as the coronavirus death toll in the country quickly approached that of Italy.

Latin America as a whole has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. While a few other nations in the region have been hit harder in per capita terms, Brazil has by far the most confirmed cases and deaths, with 584,016 cases and 32,548 deaths as of Wednesday night, with its death toll ranking only below the United States, Britain and Italy.


Since the beginning of the pandemic, right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has downplayed the virus, saying on Tuesday that death is "everyone's destiny," and that hunger and unemployment will ultimately prove more deadly.

Among his allies is Rio de Janeiro Mayor Marcelo Crivella, who has also pushed for a reopening in recent weeks after over local governments shutdown business to stem the spread. On Tuesday, the city of nearly 7 million people allowed Cariocas, as residents are known, to exercise outside, while a small subset of shops was allowed to reopen.

On Thursday, Crivella said over 10,000 street vendors could return to work.

"The other day, some kid told me: I prefer to die of coronavirus than see my family die of hunger," Crivella told journalists.

Later in the day, during a Facebook Live session, Bolsonaro encouraged the federal solicitor general to sue states to force them into reopening their beaches.

While state governors and leaders elsewhere in the region have generally taken the virus more seriously than Bolsonaro, growing hunger and shaky public finances are pushing leaders throughout Latin America to reopen commerce, to the chagrin of many epidemiologists.

In Brazil, health officials say there are indications new hospitalizations are stabilizing, but new deaths and confirmed cases are still growing rapidly.

On Wednesday, the country reported 1,349 deaths from the coronavirus, its second consecutive daily record. (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier and Gram Slattery; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

-reuters-

Christ the Redeemer in Brazil lights up for coronavirus-hit countries

Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue is lit up with the flags of countries currently afflicted by the new coronavirus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday. Global coronavirus infections rose to more than 200,000 cases with more than 8,700 deaths in 150 countries according to reports.

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At least 11 dead in Brazil hospital blaze

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil—A fire erupted in a hospital in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, leaving at least 11 people dead and forcing medical staff and desperate relatives to rescue patients from smoke-filled wards.

Hospital authorities said the blaze on Thursday evening was thought to have been caused by a short circuit in a generator, though the city mayor said sabotage could not be ruled out.

Firefighters battled the blaze at the private Badim hospital, near Rio's iconic Maracana World Cup football stadium, for several hours before extinguishing it.

Hospital director Fabio Santoro said Friday that 11 deaths had been confirmed and searches were still underway for one patient who had been reported missing. 

Emergency personnel searched through the burned-out building until the early hours of Friday to recover bodies.

The hospital said there had been 103 patients in the building when the fire broke out and that "more than 100 doctors were mobilized to bring help to the victims." Seventy-seven of them had been moved to other hospitals while 14 had been cleared to return to their homes.

During the evacuation, patients on gurneys and stretchers were carried into surrounding streets as ambulances struggled through crowds of curious onlookers to transport patients to other medical facilities.

"The doctor arrived in the room and told us that there was fire and that we had to evacuate as quickly as possible," 58-year-old Teresa Dias, who was visiting her father, told AFP.

"They put him on a wheelchair and tied him up to prevent him from falling out. There were a lot of other sick people on stretchers on the stairs."

Staff wheeled medical equipment outside, and the most seriously ill patients were taken at first to a nearby children's nursery.

Sheets tied together were seen hanging from hospital windows.

SMOKE SPREAD QUICKLY

"I was able to take my mother out of her room and when we got to the fire escape, there were a lot of people running around," lawyer Carlos Otorelo, whose 93-year-old mother is being treated for pneumonia, told the UOL news website.

"It was terrible because the smoke spread very quickly."

Other relatives were forced to wait outside for word on their loved ones as dense black fumes filled the sky.

"I heard the loud noise of glass breaking and thought it was shooting or a robbery when I heard screaming. I went downstairs to see what was happening and I saw a lot of smoke," said local resident Terezinha Machado, 76.

Hospital authorities said smoke spread to all floors of the building, and pointed to a generator in the oldest part of the complex as the probable cause of the fire.

Mayor Marcelo Crivella said investigators would probe whether the fire was an accident.

"Experts will have to find whether anyone was responsible. I hope I am wrong, but we have to check there was no sabotage, we have to investigate," he told reporters when visiting the hospital Friday.

The fire service said the premises had safety certificates.

Rio has been hit by 2 major fires in the past year, including when the National Museum was gutted by flames last September, destroying most of its priceless collections.

In February, 10 teenage members of the Flamengo football club were killed in the prefabricated building where they were staying. 

Faulty air conditioning systems were the cause of both fires.

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Rio's evangelical mayor faces impeachment over no-bid contracts

BRASILIA - Rio de Janeiro's municipal council voted to impeach the city's mayor, Marcelo Crivella, on Tuesday for alleged improbity in extending advertising contracts without public bidding last year.

Crivella, who is also an evangelical bishop and gospel singer, has 10 days to present his defense to the council, which will then open a 90-day investigation of the mayor.

"We did nothing illegal. We will show that during the council's investigation," the mayor said on his Facebook page, accusing "ill-intentioned" people of slandering him.

Crivella successfully defeated three attempts to impeach him last year in the city council, but on Tuesday he lost by 35-14 votes after former allies abandoned him.

The anti-gay and anti-abortion preacher-turned-politician was elected mayor of Brazil's most popular tourist destination in 2016, defeating his Socialist opponent Marcelo Freixo.

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6 dead in Rio drug gang violence

RIO DE JANEIIRO - Shoot-outs between drug gangs left at least six people dead over the weekend in two Rio de Janeiro favelas, the latest in a flare-up of violence in recent months.

Through much of Sunday morning, heavy exchanges of gunfire terrorized residents of Rocinha, Rio's biggest favela with 75,000 inhabitants.

Nearly a quarter the city's 6.45 million population live in favelas, the term Brazilians give for the poor, densely populated neighborhoods clustered on the city's steep hillsides.

"Clashes between traffickers in Rocinha. Avoid the area," Rio's military police warned on the force's Twitter account.

Local security services told AFP that one person was killed in Rocinha on Sunday, the day after five other people were killed in neighborhoods north of the city.

Witness accounts on social media indicated more than one person may have been killed in Rocinha, and several videos showed armed men running through the neighborhood's maze of alleys.

Several helicopters overflew the area and entrances to a metro station at Sao Conrado -- a wealthy neighborhood in southern Rio below Rocinha -- was closed for several hours.

Police also were attacked in the early morning by a group of heavily armed men near the favela, according to the authorities.

A police source told AFP that they suspect the violence was due to internal divisions in the gang that controls drug trafficking in Rocinha.

According to local media, members of the same gang were behind clashes that left five dead overnight Friday to Saturday in Morro do Juramento, a favela north of Rio.

Firefighters confirmed that they recovered five bodies from that area, while the local press put the toll there at seven dead.

Rio has seen deadly violence spiked during the first half of the year to its highest level since 2009, with 3,457 homicides, a 15 percent jump from the same period last year, according to the Public Security Institute.

The growing sense of insecurity has been aggravated by the state of Rio's dismal financial situation. On the verge of bankruptcy, it is a month behind in payments of wages and salaries to its workers, including the police.

The government has turned to the army to combat the upsurge in violence, deploying nearly 10,000 troops at the end of July.

They have already taken part in two huge operations against the armed gangs in the city's favelas.

The newspaper O Globo, however, reported that the military has not taken part in the last two operations led by local authorities and the troops may soon be pulled out of the city.

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Lady Gaga hospitalized, pulls out of Brazil's Rock in Rio

Lady Gaga said Thursday she had been hospitalized in "severe pain" and was pulling out of Brazil's Rock in Rio festival, which she was due to headline this weekend.

The US superstar, who revealed Tuesday that she suffers from the chronic disease fibromyalgia, had been due to open the festival on Friday in Rio de Janeiro.

"I was taken to hospital its not simply hip pain or wear & tear from tour, I'm in severe pain. I'm in good hands w/ the very best doctors," she tweeted.

"Brazil, I'm devastated that I'm not well enough 2 come to Rock in Rio. I would do anything 4 u but I have to take care of my body right now," she tweeted.

A statement from Rock in Rio, which is to be staged in the barely used Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, said Lady Gaga "is undergoing treatment by medical specialists."

"Rock in Rio regrets to announce the cancellation of her show," the statement said.

The singer of hits like "Million Reasons" and "Perfect Illusion" had been due in Rio as part of her Joanne World Tour, which ends in December.

Gaga had already announced that due to her disease, which causes pain and fatigue, she was planning a break after the tour. In September she also abruptly canceled a concert in Montreal.

Running for seven days in all -- Friday through Sunday and then September 21 to 24 -- Rock in Rio is being welcomed by the city as a chance to put the huge facilities built for the 2016 Olympic Games back in use. They have hosted only sporadic events since the Olympics ended in August of that year.

Joining the lineup are rock concert stalwarts including Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Guns N' Roses and The Who, as well as the more alternative bands Incubus and The Kills.

Brazilian music lovers will be treated to the likes of legendary diva Elza Soares and rapper Rael. Adding to the star power will be supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who plans to use the occasion to campaign against destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

While Brazil is only starting to emerge from a painful recession, the 700,000 tickets to the event sold out months ago and city hotels are hoping to be nearly full, reversing a prolonged post-Olympic slump.

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Carnival kicks off in Brazil despite recession, security woes

RIO DE JANEIRO - Carnival festivities kicked off in Brazil on Friday, with officials in Rio de Janeiro, site of the country's best-known revelry, handing the key of the city over to "King Momo," a figurehead who traditionally presides over the partying.

Despite an ongoing recession and police strikes that raised security concerns in recent weeks, thousands of locals and tourists swarmed across Rio for the start of the five-day festival, which the city expects will draw more than 1 million visitors and generate about $1 billion for the local economy.

The celebration, known for block parties and the big-budget spectacle of parades at Rio's official Carnival venue, this year plays out as Brazil seeks to emerge from a two-year recession, its worst on record, and political volatility that last year led to a presidential impeachment.

A limited police strike in Rio, and a far bigger stoppage by police in the neighboring state of Espirito Santo, earlier this month prompted fears of a crime surge during Carnival. The strike in Espirito Santo, which lasted a week, led to a spike in murders, thefts and assaults.

But policing in Rio by this week had returned to normal and pre-Carnival street parties have been celebrated without major disruptions. With beer and cocktails flowing freely, officials have deployed outdoor urinals across the city and some offices and stores, wary of vandals, have boarded up windows and doors.

The festival, whose roots lie in a tradition of carnal indulgence before the austere Catholic season of Lent, officially ends next Wednesday.

Major carnival parades and other festivities will also take place in other cities, including São Paulo, Brazil's biggest metropolis, and Salvador, a city in the northeast where processions of giant floats serve as stages for pop stars and other performers.

(Reporting by Paulo Prada; Editing by Dan Grebler and Lisa Shumaker)

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US Olympic swimmer Feigen apologizes for Rio scandal

LOS ANGELES -- US swimmer James Feigen apologized Wednesday for his actions with three other gold medalists in a controversial incident during the Rio Olympics.

"First and foremost I would like to apologize for the serious distractions from the Olympics, Rio de Janeiro, and Team USA," Feigen said in a statement.

"I want to thank the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and the people of Rio de Janeiro for their hospitality in hosting these games," he said. "I have nothing but respect for the city."

Feigen recounted what had happened in events that began on August 14, when he and Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Ryan Lochte stopped at a gasoline station after leaving a party in the wee hours of the morning.

Lochte, who has since taken full responsibility for giving a false account of how they had been robbed at gunpoint, has lost sponsorship deals from companies such as swimwear maker Speedo over the scandal.

Feigen said that the swimmers had left the party at about 5:00 am in a taxi to go back to the Olympic Village, and had asked the driver "to pull over so we could relieve ourselves."

The driver stopped at a gas station but the bathroom door was locked, the 26-year-old swimmer said.

"We did not force entry into the bathroom, nor did we ever enter the bathroom. We did, however, make the regrettable decision to urinate in the grass behind the building," Feigen said.

"On our way back to the cab, Ryan Lochte pulled a poster in a metal frame off a wall," he said.

- 'Terrified' -

A man with a gun spoke with the cab driver and the athletes paid the driver and got out of the car.

"As I walked away, the man with the gun pointed it at me and my teammate and ordered us, in Portuguese, to sit," he said.

"This was the first time I have ever had a gun pointed at me and I was terrified.

"I put my hands up and sat down on the curb. It became apparent that the man with the gun was telling us to pay, and I was unsure if they were affiliated with the gas station."

Feigen said that he and Bentz gave the man some money and then were allowed to leave.

Later that day, a Rio police detective came to the USA House to take a statement and since he was the only person available, Feigen said, he was told by a US Olympic Committee official to provide a statement.

"In this statement, I omitted the facts that we urinated behind the building and that Ryan Lochte pulled a poster off the wall," he said. "I was trying to protect my teammates."

Feigen said that later his US passport was confiscated by Brazilian authorities.

A Brazilian court gave him two options: one to remain in Brazil while the police continued the investigation, estimated to take at least a month.

The second option was to pay a fine of $31,250 for the return of his passport and perform 15 days of community service. He rejected both offers.

In the end, he said, all parties agreed to a $10,800 fine, which was paid promptly.

"I am very thankful to be home in the United States with my family and that this ordeal has come to an end," he said.

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Bolt cements his greatness

RIO DE JANEIRO - After his Olympic sprint double at the London 2012 Games, Usain Bolt declared himself a "legend". After winning both events for a third time he opted for "the greatest".

The 29-year-old Jamaican eased to 200 metre gold in 19.78 seconds in Rio on Thursday to take his tally to eight sprint Olympic golds following Sunday's 100m success in Rio.

"There's nothing else I can do really," said Bolt, who became the first athlete to win the two individual sprint titles in three consecutive Olympics.

"I've proven to the world that I'm the greatest and that is what I came here for and that's what I'm doing.

"This is what I worked for throughout the years. I worked to be the best, to be among the greats."

The Jamaican had made positive noises about an assault on his own 2009 world record of 19.19 but instead his winning time on a chill, damp night was the slowest of his seven world and Olympic 200m victories.

"I knew it was going to be hard to break the record because when I came off the corner my legs decided, 'now listen, we're not going to go any faster'.

"So I wasn't fully happy but I'm happy that I got the gold medal."

HARD WORK

Bolt, who turns 30 on Sunday, confirmed this will be his last Olympics.

If he helps Jamaica win a third successive 4x100m relay on Friday to complete the triple-triple he will tie the record nine athletics golds won by Finn Paavo Nurmi, a 1920s middle and long distance runner, and American sprinter Carl Lewis.

Bolt said he would definitely run the 100 and relay at next year's world championships in London, though fears his coach might yet try to convince him to also go for the 200 title.

If he did it would mark the 10th anniversary of the last time he lost a major international 200m race, when he finished second to American Tyson Gay in 2007. He lost in the Jamaican trials to Yohan Blake in 2012

Since then, his 200m tally is three successive Olympic titles and four consecutive world championships - another first.

"I've just proven to the world that you can do it clean, with hard work and determination," he said.

"I have made the sport exciting, made people want to see the sport, want to watch the sport, I just put the sport on a different level."

He said he wanted to remain connected to athletics but not as a coach, and was confident that he would walk away with the sport in good shape despite athletics suffering a miserable year of corruption and doping headlines.

"It looks good so far," he said. "I think the younger kids are really stepping up. (Christophe) Lemaitre stepped up tonight, Andre De Grasse has been on the right track," he said of the bronze and silver medallists.

"So I think we're in good shape and the sport has been doing better." (Editing by Patrick Johnston)

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Bolt continues quest as Taylor, Perkovic retain titles

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Usain Bolt took the next step in his quest for a "triple triple" of sprint golds on Tuesday as American Christian Taylor and Croat Sandra Perkovic both retained their Olympic crowns.

Bolt, fresh from winning the 100m title for an unprecedented third time, safely came through the first round of his favoured event, the 200m.

Running in lane five of heat eight of 10, the 29-year-old coasted home in 20.28 seconds. American rivals Justin Gatlin and Lashawn Merritt also qualified for Wednesday's semi-finals, with the final slated for Thursday.

"It's a morning session and I'm not really a morning person. I just came out to qualify and that's what I did," said Bolt, praising the scheduling.

"I'm surprised it's so settled. Normally we have to do two rounds in one day. It's actually much better for the 200m so we have time to recover over the days.

"For me it's easy I've been doing it for years. You just celebrate on the night, just be happy and then you refocus the next day to go again."

The morning session's two medal events went the way of defending champions.

In the triple jump, Taylor set a season's best 17.86 metres with his first leap, good enough to beat compatriot Will Claye in a repeat of their one-two finish in London four years ago.

"The job is done," said Taylor. "Back to back, it's very special."

Claye celebrated his silver by proposing to long-time girlfriend, hurdler Queen Harrison.

"I woke up this morning and said today is going to be the best day of my life," he said. "It was stressful, man, because I didn't know if she was going to say yes or not."

The women's discus went the way of Perkovic, the Croat in imperious form as she dominated the competition, her best of 69.21m out-distancing France's Melina Robert Michon (66.73m) and world champion Denia Caballero of Cuba (65.34) by some way.

Elsewhere on the track, Ethiopia's newly-crowned 10,000m champion and world record holder Almaz Ayana moved closer to a distance double as she won her 5000m heat in 15:04.35 to progress to Friday's final.

Defending silver medallist and two-time former world champion Vivian Cheruiyot, silver medallist behind Ayana in the longer distance in Rio, Hellen Obiri and Mercy Cherono will make up a strong Kenyan contingent.

Algerian defending champion Taoufik Makhloufi overcame just two hours sleep after bagging silver in the 800m to advance from round one of the 1500m.

Makhloufi, who came in second in the 800m behind David Rudisha late Monday, timed 3min 47.07sec to win his heat.

"I had some massage after the 800m," he said.

"I was in my bed at 4 o'clock in the morning and I slept only two hours!

"This part between the 800m and the heats of the 1500m was always going to be the most difficult part in qualifying for the semi-finals of the latter."

Makhloufi's main rival will likely be Kenyan Asbel Kiprop, 2008 gold medallist and three-time defending world champion, who won his 1500m heat easily in 3:38.97.

Brazilian hopes of an Olympic pole vault double came to an abrupt end when home medal hope Fabiana Murer bombed out of the women's qualifying competition after failing to register a mark.

Rio's Olympic Stadium lit up Monday when Murer's teammate Thiago Braz Da Silva trumped Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie for gold in the men's competition with an Olympic record of 6.03m.

Murer, world silver medallist last year in Beijing, failed to live up to expectations however.

The 35-year-old skipped the three first entry marks of 4.15, 4.30 and 4.45m, coming in at 4.55m.

But she failed with her three attempts at the height, well below her personal best of 4.87m which she vaulted this season.

There was no such drama for current world and Olympic champion Jennifer Suhr of the United States, Cuba's defending Olympic silver medallist Yarisley Silva and European champion Ekaterini Stefanidi who all comfortably vaulted the qualifying mark of 4.60m.

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Tabuena's best round lifts him to 53rd overall in Rio

MANILA, Philippines – Miguel Tabuena finally broke par at the Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, but it was not enough for him to get the result he hoped for in the 2016 Olympics.

Tabuena hit five birdies against four bogeys for a one-under-par 70, and a four-day total of 291 after previous rounds of 73, 75, and 73 under various circumstances.

His round on Sunday was his best in Rio.

Tabuena, the reigning Philippine Open champion, finished the 72-hole tournament in 53rd place among 60 qualifiers from all over the world.

Great Britain's Justin Rose won the gold medal, followed by Henrik Stenson of Sweden, and Matt Kuchar of the United States.

For the 21-year-old Tabuena, his experience in Rio – his first Olympics – is part of the learning process, and he vows to do better if given another chance in the future.

"It's a dream come true to represent the country here," he said. "I will be more ready next time, hopefully in the (2020) Tokyo Olympics.

Tabuena birdied Nos. 3, 5, 8, 16 and 18 "inside five to ten feet," but bogeyed Nos. 2, 4, 6, and 10, mostly on "missed greens."

"I was targeting every pin, because I just wanted to shoot as low as I could today," said Tabuena, who played three rounds with a hurting shoulder. "There was no holding back.

Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, won the gold medal with a 268 total on rounds of 67, 69, 65 and 67, which was 16-under for the tournament, while reigning French Open champion Stenson won the silver with 270 (66-68-68-68).

Kuchar had the day's best round of 63 built of six birdies, an eagle and no bogey. In all, 38 players broke par on the final round, including Tabuena.

"The game plan was to attack the pin. I promised the guys back home that I will not give up. I didn't, and I shot my best round today," Tabuena said.

"I'm still in the process of learning whether I'm trying too hard or I'm not trying too hard," added Tabuena, who is now set to compete in the European Tour later this month.

Tabuena had little time to rest after four days out on the course because he took a flight out of Rio de Janeiro to Manila past midnight Sunday.

He left with his swing coach, Joel Altea, caddy Casey Besset; and swimmer Jessie Khing Lacuna and coach Archie Lim.

Slowly, the Athletes Village here had seen athletes, by themselves or by busloads, leave for home. Jasmine Alkhaldi, the Filipina swimmer, flies back to Hawaii with her coach Jennifer Buffin Monday; while boxers Rogen Ladon and Charly Suarez with coach Boy Velasco flies home August 15.

Still in Rio representing the country are track and field's Eric Cray in the men's 400m hurdles and Marestella Torres Sunang in women's long jump; and taekwondo bet Kirstie Elaine Alora.

Cray will be in Heat 4 of the men's 400 hurdles at around 12 noon Monday (11 p.m. Monday in Manila). He hopes to get to the semis, to be made up of three heats, leading to the finals scheduled on Thursday.

Sunang vies in women's long jump on Tuesday, and Alora in the +67 kg of women's taekwondo on August 20.

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Schooling beats Phelps, wins first gold for Singapore

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Joseph Schooling won the men's 100 meters butterfly final on Friday to secure Singapore's first Olympic gold medal and deny Michael Phelps a 23rd in the last individual race of the American's extraordinary career.

Phelps, the defending champion and world record holder who is heading into retirement -- again -- after Rio, finished second in a three-way dead heat with two of his greatest rivals -- South Africa's Chad Le Clos and Hungary's Laszlo Cseh.

Astonishingly, all three touched out in 51.14 seconds, behind Schooling's Olympic record 50.39.

Phelps, who now has 27 medals, had been hoping to win the event for the fourth successive Games.

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Inspiring Olympian mom snatches third gold

RIO DE JANEIRO - On the one hand there was Kristin Armstrong, hoping to complete a fairytale return to road cycling with a third consecutive Olympic time trial gold the day before her 43rd birthday.

On the other there was Olga Zabelinskaya, a Russian rider with a doping past who was nearly booted out of the Games.

So when Armstrong, the last of the field to tackle the 29.7km course on a wild and wet day next to the Atlantic breakers, crossed the finish line five seconds quicker than Zabelinskaya had managed it felt fitting in so many ways.

Not only had Armstrong become the first rider to win the same road event at three different Olympics -- providing a fillip for all 40 somethings to boot -- she also spared the Games what would have been a controversial victory.

Double London medallist Zabelinskaya, who served an 18-month suspension for a banned stimulant and who got a last-gasp reprieve to compete after the IOC's attempt to ban Russia's previous dopers collapsed, had looked poised for victory.

She was almost celebrating at the finish, only to watch Armstrong, pedalling like fury, roar home in 44 minutes 26.42 seconds before collapsing on to the tarmac in exhaustion.

Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen confirmed her reputation as women's cycling's new force by adding a bronze medal to the gold she took in Sunday's road race, finishing 11 seconds back.

But the day belonged to Armstrong.

She retired in 2009 to start a family but returned to win gold in London before calling it a day again.

After a three-year break and three hip surgeries she made another comeback last year with an eye on Rio.

No wonder she cried with joy at the finish where she cuddled her son Lucas, who she later admitted had preferred watching the fencing because he thought it looked like Star Wars.

DIFFICULT JOURNEY

"It's amazing, I don't know if it has hit me yet," Armstrong told reporters after hugging her five-year-old son and holding up a sign that said "USA STRONG".

"This has been the most difficult journey. I took time off. The mind gets tired. So when I came back I was focused on Rio and it's been difficult because I've had some poor performances over the last six months."

The race was run in treacherous conditions but thankfully there were none of the accidents that marred the road race although former world champion Ellen van Dijk fell into the roadside foliage when riding uphill.

Armstrong used all her vast experience to tackle two tough climbs and stayed calm as the seconds ticked away on the run-in.

"When I looked out of the window at 4am I thought, 'Oh!' But I had two choices, get nervous, or say I'm the most experienced person out here and just attack it."

Zabelinskaya, who finished third in the road race and time trial in London, was also in tears at the end.

She warmly congratulated her American rival though and the greeting was returned despite some riders openly questioning why Zabelinskaya was racing, given the IOC's pre-Games stance.

"I didn't really think about (the doping issue)," Armstrong, the oldest female Olympic cycling champion, said.

"Olga gave me a hug on the podium and said 'I saw your son' and she said it made her smile.

"You can get really stressed out around what somebody is or is not doing so I just try to eliminate those thoughts."

Zabelinskaya said she was "happy" to end a traumatic week with a medal, having been about to board a plane home for Russia two days before the Games started.

"I am also disappointed that I could not win the gold medal because it is only five seconds to first place," she said. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris and Toby Davis)

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Easy win brings tough question for Team USA

RIO DE JANEIRO - The U.S. women's basketball team faced their sternest test of the Rio Games and tougher questions after beating Serbia 110-84 on Wednesday to remain on course for a sixth successive gold.

After winning their opening two games by an average of 52 points, the Americans had to settle for a more modest 26-point margin of victory against the 14th ranked Serbs.

But in the wake of a third consecutive blowout, and their 44th successive victory in the Olympics, American players were once again facing uneasy questions about the lack of depth, quality and competitiveness in the women's game and its place on the Olympic program.

"I don't even know how to answer anymore," said Diana Taurasi who scored a game high 25 points. "Would it (be) better if we lost by 50?

"We have 12 women who dedicate their lives to the game of basketball year around. To knock us for doing that?

"That's a bit disrespectful, I would say."

After two close losses to Spain and Canada, the Serbs (0-3) looked determined to at least make the U.S. work for the win.

In the end no amount of grit could save the 2015 EuroBasket champions from succumbing to the same fate as every other team that has gone up against the U.S. at the last six Olympics.

"They didn't win the European championship for no reason," said Angel McCoughtry.

"It might look like a big margin, but it doesn't feel like it. Those games are hard."

Having scored more than 100 points in all three games so far, the U.S. received offensive contributions up and down their lineup with all 12 players scoring, led by Taurasi who made six three-pointers.

In other Group B action, Spain eased past China 89-68.

(Reporting by Steve Keating; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

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Argentina go 2-0 but Spain lose again

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Argentina and Lithuania stayed unbeaten but two-time runner-up Spain’s Olympic basketball hopes took a hit Tuesday with a surprise loss to hosts Brazil.

Luis Scola scored 13 of his 23 points in the first-quarter to stake an early lead for the Argentines, who were more in-synch than Croatia and buoyed again by boisterous fans from their nearby homeland.

Argentina stretched the advantage to as much as 20 in the third quarter before holding off a late Croatian push in a day of Group B play.

“It’s like a home game,” guard Carlos Delfino said of the pulsating fan support. “I think only Brazil might have that kind of support (at the Rio Games).”

For the second straight game, Spain went down on a last-second play. Brazil’s Marcus Marquinhos tipped in a missed shot with five seconds left for a thrilling 66-65 victory in front of a charged-up home crowd.

Spain’s Sergio Llull then missed from inside the paint at the buzzer to seal a contest that dropped the Spaniards to 0-2. Spain – Olympic runners-up to the United States in 2008 and 2012 – also lost to Croatia 72-70 when a shot by NBA star Pau Gasol was blocked at the buzzer.

The USA team of NBA players is heavily favoured to win the tournament for the third straight Olympics. They are 2-0 and in command of Group A after defeating China and Venezuela by a combined 101 points.

Next up for Argentina is a battle for Group B supremacy with Lithuania, which moved to 2-0 with a 89-80 defeat of Nigeria.

Mantas Kalnietis and Jonas Maciulis each scored 21 points for Lithuania, which held off a late Nigerian rally. Argentina is the only country since 1988 to take home Olympic gold other than the USA, winning in 2004.

The Brooklyn Nets’ Scola, 36, 39-year-old Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs, and Delfino – veterans of the 2004 team – are leading what will be their final Olympic quest. Spain’s Gasol, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, was so mercilessly taunted by Brazilian fans that it prompted a post-game apology from game-winner Marquinhos.

“I understand the crowd. We are hosting the Olympics,” Maquinhos said. “But I would like to apologise in the name of the Brazilian people. I know that it was not disrespectful. Here in Brazil we tend to go after the best player of the other team.”

The raucous crowd appeared to unsettle Gasol, who was just 5-of-12 from the free-throw line. Spain had once talked of dethroning the USA and it entered as Group B favourites but must now struggle to simply reach the quarters.

They will try to resuscitate those flagging hopes in their next game against fellow 0-2 Nigeria.

“I trust my teammates. We don’t have to be in a bad way,” Spain’s Rudy Fernandez said. “We have a chance to win the title if we win the next three games.”

Brazil captain Marcelinho Huertas led his team with 11 points and seven assists.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Sealed with a kiss as Phelps makes it 21 golds

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Michael Phelps captured his 20th Olympic gold medal in devastating fashion Tuesday, sealing victory with a kiss, before adding a staggering 21st before the night was over.

The American crushed rival Chad le Clos to regain his 200 metres butterfly title, celebrating victory in a race bristling with tension by pointing to the sky and gesturing to the Rio crowd to "bring the noise" -- an order they duly obeyed.

Katinka Hosszu and Katie Ledecky struck further blows for girl power, but again it was all about Phelps, who later anchored the American 4x200 freestyle relay team to gold as the clock edged toward midnight local time.

Milking the acclaim of the Brazilian crowd, Phelps climbed past the massed bank of poolside photographers to kiss fiancee Nicole and baby Boomer after an emotional medals ceremony.

Entering the arena like a gladiator, his face a granite mask of concentration, Phelps dominated a grudge final le Clos had billed as "Ali versus Frazier" to become the oldest individual swimming gold medallist in Olympic history at 31.

South African Le Clos, who won by a fingertip four years ago in London to rob the American of a hat-trick of titles, faded badly down the stretch to finish out of the medals.

World record holder Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, clocked 1min 53.36sec to add to his staggering title tally as Japan's Masato Sakai came through for a surprise silver in 1:53.40. Hungary's Tamas Kenderesi took bronze in 1:53.62.

Competing in his fifth and final Olympics, victory was twice as sweet for Phelps after clashing with le Clos in the media since losing to the South African in their epic tussle in London.

- Home-run trot -

Phelps won his 19th Olympic gold in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay at the weekend and if he feels greedy, there is more potential gold for him in the 100m fly and the 200m individual medley -- events he has incredibly won at the past three Olympics.

Still, Phelps was not done, putting the finishing touch to an easy win in the 4x200m free, cruising home almost two and a half seconds ahead of Britain's James Guy in the swimming equivalent of baseball's home-run trot around the bases.

Hungary's "Iron Lady" Hosszu completed the individual medley double by winning the 200m final in an Olympic best 2:06.58, with Britain's Siobhan-Marie O'Connor taking silver in 2:06.88. Bronze went to American Maya Dirado in 2:08.79.

Ledecky captured her second gold medal of the Games after holding off a brave charge from Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom in an absorbing women's 200m freestyle final.

The American phenom, who won the 400m title with a stunning world record on day two, clocked 1:53.73 to win by 0.35 seconds from Sjostrom with Australia's Emma Mckeon taking bronze in 1:54.92.

"That was a really tough race and it hurt really badly," said Ledecky. "I'm pretty sure that's the closest I've come to throwing up in the middle of a race. I had to dig deep. I'm just so glad I got my hand on the wall first, it was all worth it."

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Games bus hit by gunfire, no one seriously hurt: witnesses

RIO DE JANEIRO - A bus carrying journalists at the Rio Games was hit by gunfire on a highway between Olympic venues on Tuesday, witnesses said. No one was seriously injured in the incident.

The bus was making its way from the Games basketball venue to the main Olympic park when, according to passengers, two shots were heard hitting the vehicle. Windows shattered and flying glass left two people with minor lacerations.

"We were shot at. I mean we could hear the report of the gun," said Sherryl "Lee" Michaelson, a retired U.S. air force captain who is working for a basketball publication in Rio.

Brazilian police were not immediately available for comment.

Violent street crime in Rio has left its mark on South America's first Olympic Games. On Saturday, a bullet hit the equestrian centre, missing journalists there by just a few feet. That bullet was suspected to have been fired by a gang member trying to shoot down a police blimp or drone, officials said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

US women run riot as Biles gets first Games gold

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Simone Biles got her bid for a record five gold medals at the Rio Olympics off to a flying start as the United States women coasted to a team gymnastics title defence on Tuesday.

The five-woman US team -- Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez -- claimed gold by a margin of over eight points on Russia with China winning bronze in the Rio Olympic Arena.

"It's everything and more than I'd hoped it to be," said Biles, 19, who was too young to compete in London 2012.


She has dominated women's gymnastics over the past three years -- winning ten world titles -- and is looking to aad to her haul in the all-around, floor, beam and vault finals in Rio.

"It didn't feel like the Olympics. That helped us," said the Texan. "It felt like one more routine and we kept calm."

The weight of expectation after leading qualifiers by over 10 points had only made them stronger, said Raisman, a gold medal winner in London.

"We were heavy favourites, but we tried to use that pressure as motivation," said the 22-year-old.

The US women become the first team to win back-to-back Olympic golds since Romania in 2000 and 2004. It was their third gold after winning a first in Atlanta 1996.

Three-time world all-around champion Biles was the only American to compete on all four apparatus -- vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor - with all scores counting and no room for error.

She made it look easy as hit 15.933 on the vault, followed by 14.800 on uneven bars, on which world champion Kocian gave a spectacular display of aerial acrobatics to lead the way with 15.933.

At the halfway point the US women were almost home and dry having already pulled over four points ahead of China and Russia.

Biles wobbled slightly on the beam but held allowing the US to confidently stride into the final rotation on floor with almost a five-point lead on China.

- Samba finale -

China's Mao Yi slipped off the mat on the floor routine, ending the 2008 champions' challenge for silver, after Shang Chunsong had earlier tumbled off uneven bars.

And taking to the floor last Biles turned on an acrobatic display of tumbling to Brazilian Samba music which proved a hit with the home crowd to seal a victory which was never in doubt.

The United States scored 184.897, with Russia scoring 176.688 with China, 176.003, returning to the podium after failing to medal in London.

"I still feel a little sad because we made two big mistakes," said Shang. "If we only made one mistake, we might have won the silver medal."

It was a return to the top of the podium again for Douglas, 20, who took two gold in 2012 but lost her all-around title after missing the cut for Thursday's final.

"I have found great joy again. It's amazing to be out there and to experience this with these wonderful girls," said Douglas, who competed on just one apparatus -- the uneven bars. "We were just having fun and went out there to do what we had to do."

Russia, spearheaded by Aliya Mustafina, took silver as in 2012.

"Obviously the USA are much stronger now but in the future we will challenge again for first place," said Mustafina, who won four medals in London.

The former Soviet Union won the team event a record nine times with Russia winning their fourth silver medal.

Brazil finished last in the eight-team final with Rebeca Andrade strumbling out of her final tumble on floor after Flavia Saraiva gave a tentative display on the beam.

Japan failed to follow their men's team onto the podium finishing fourth ahead of Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Brazil.

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Japan end China's reign as team champions

RIO DE JANEIRO - Not even the curse of the pommel horse could halt Japan's march to the men's team gymnastics title at the Rio Olympics on Monday as China's eight-year reign as champions came to an end after a day of slips, trips and botched landings.

Four years after Kohei Uchimura's botched dismount from the pommel horse almost denied Japan a team medal in London, it looked as if the same apparatus would be their undoing again when Koji Yamamuro lost his grip and rolled off.

But unlike in 2012, when they ended up with silver behind China, Yamamuro's score of 13.900 was their only blip in Rio as they put in a command performance on the remaining five apparatus to capture gold with a total of 274.094.

In a sport where tenths of a point can mean the difference between a gold medal and no medal at all, their total was 2.641 points more than surprise silver medallists Russia.

The Chinese team of Lin Chaopan, Deng Shudi, Zhang Chenglong, Liu Yang and You Hao sat back dejectedly in their chairs after Russia pipped them by 0.331 points to silver, with Zhang breaking down in tears afterwards backstage.

For all Uchimura's past success, the men's Olympic team gold was the one major medal missing from his vast collection, which includes the 2012 all around title, a record six successive world all around golds and the 2015 world team crown.

On Monday, he stood side-by-side with teary-eyed 2012 London Games survivors Yamamuro, Ryohei Kato and Yusuke Tanaka and new kid on the block Kenzo Shirai in triumph, their index fingers raised to confirm their standing in men's gymnastics.

"This was the event I really wanted to win gold in," Uchimura said after Japan returned to the top of the Olympic podium for the first time since 2004.

"You really have to work on yourself to become number one."

BAD DAY FOR CHINA

Japan's gold medal winning performance came just two days after an error-filled display in qualifying, which included Uchimura falling off the horizontal bar.

China, who topped qualifying, had obviously saved their mistakes for the final.

Their failure to stick landings meant their hopes of completing a hat-trick of Olympic titles was over long before their final three competitors had mounted the horizontal bar.

In fact they looked in danger of missing out on the medals completely after stumbles and falls on the vault, rings and floor exercise left them trailing in fifth place with two rotations to go.

However, they surged back with a strong showing in the parallel bars that lifter them into third with one rotation to go.

When Japan's Kato, Shirai and Uchimura scored a combined 47.199 on their final apparatus -- the floor exercise -- China's Deng, Lin and Zhang knew they would have to score more than 47.94 points on the horizontal bar to overhaul them.

Once Deng (14.400) and Lin (15.000) had completed their dismount, China knew it was game over as Zhang was left needing to do something that has never been done in gymnastics -- score more than 18 points on an apparatus.

It was a day when not much went right for China, with the announcer at the Rio Olympic Arena hailing Liu Yang's strong showing on the rings by saying. "Deng Shudi looks delighted with his performance" and then having to watch their incorrectly-designed flag raised on the lowest pole after claiming bronze.

China, who also saw their 12-year reign as world champions ended by Japan last October, finished with a total of 271.122, behind Russian in second with 271.453.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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Gold for Phelps as records tumble in Olympic pool

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- US swimming legend Michael Phelps extended his record gold medal tally in a day of Olympic drama that saw world records, a first title for Kosovo and a heart-stopping crash.

Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, inspired the United States to victory in the 4x100m freestyle relay before he starts his personal campaign on Monday.

The Olympic swimming battle will also see Russia's Yuliya Efimova, retrieved from a drug ban, in contention for a medal.

The 31-year-old Phelps -- who has now won 19 gold medals -- roared with delight and hugged his team-mates after they came home ahead of defending champions France in silver, with Australia third.

It was a fairytale moment for Phelps, who came out of retirement for one last crack at the Olympics.

He will be in the 200m butterfly heats on Monday having seen the relay display cap a superb night of swimming with three world records broken.

Katie Ledecky obliterated her own world best in the 400m freestyle on her way to gold.

The 19-year-old touched the wall in 3min 56.46sec, taking nearly two seconds off her previous record.

Ledecky is bidding to become the first Olympian since Debbie Meyer in 1968 to win the 200m, 400m and 800m free in the same Games.

- 'It's surreal, crazy' -

Britain's Adam Peaty took more than 1.5sec off the men's 100m breaststroke world record after Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom had also broken the record in the women's race.

"It's surreal. It was crazy. It's amazing and I probably won't be able to sleep tonight," Peaty said.

The spellbinding action in the pool brought the curtain down on an intense day of sport with 14 gold medals shared out.

Among the most popular winners was the hard-as-nails judoka Majlinda Kelmendi from Kosovo, taking part in its first Games after only gaining Olympic status in 2014.

The 25-year-old sank to her knees in tears after out-grappling Italy's Odette Giuffrida to win by yuko in the women's 52kg final.

Kosovo is the 100th country to win an Olympic gold medal.

"I have always wanted to show the world that Kosovo is not just a country that has gone through war," Kelmendi beamed.

"We have survived a war. There are still kids who don’t know if their parents are alive, don't have anything to eat or books to go to school. So the fact of becoming Olympic champion is just huge for all of us."

- Tennis victims -
The day began with strong winds wreaking havoc at several Olympic venues.

The entire day of rowing was called off after gusts churned waters making it impossible to row. Strong winds also delayed the tennis, which saw a slew of upsets when action resumed.

The biggest casualty was world number one Novak Djokovic, bounced out 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2) in the opening round of the men's singles by Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro.

It was an unexpected win for del Potro, who has struggled with wrist injuries in recent years.

"It was an amazing match for me. I didn't expect to win tonight as I know the situation with my wrist," said del Potro.

In the women's doubles, Venus and Serena Williams' long reign as champions came to an end when they lost to Czech duo Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova in the first round.

"It was what it was. We have a chance to compete for our country and did the best that we can. We had a blast out there," said 34-year-old Serena after the 6-3, 6-4 defeat.

The women's cycling road race was won by Anna van der Breggen, who overcame the shock of seeing team-mate Annemiek van Vleuten lying stricken on the road after a horrific crash to win gold on Copacabana beach.

Van Vleuten was taken to intensive care with cracked vertebrae.

There was more disappointment for hosts Brazil in the Olympic football. They were booed off for a second straight game after a 0-0 draw with Iraq.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com