adminRIO DE JANEIRO. — Jamaica unleashed a new sprint sensation as Omar McLeod took the Rio Olympics 110m hurdles while sports leaders slammed the Rio Games crowd for abusing French pole vault star Renaud Lavillenie, leaving him in tears on Tuesday. Brazil suffered a football disaster when their women’s team were beaten in a semi-final penalty shoot-out by Sweden.Britain won another two cycling titles through golden couple Laura Trott and Jason Kenny, taking their total to six out of the 10 disputed. Rivals want to know what is behind this domination.
Jamaica, Kenya and the United States added to their athletics medal tallies in the 110m hurdles, women’s 1 500m and men’s triple jump on Tuesday, while Russia’s sole track and field competitor survived to compete another day at Rio.
Athletes from Kenya, Croatia and Canada also claimed Olympic gold in a largely empty stadium, where announcers urged rowdy Brazilian fans to restrain themselves after provoking a French pole vaulter with a chorus of boos the night before.
Jamaica’s Omar McLeod earned the country its first gold in the men’s sprint hurdles, Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon devastated the field in the 1 500m and American Christian Taylor successfully defended his triple-jump gold.
McLeod (22) led the hurdle race from start to finish and won in 13.05sec. Cuba-born Orlando Ortega of Spain took silver and France’s Dimitri Bascou bronze.
McLeod said inspiration had come from fellow Jamaicans Usain Bolt, the new 100m champion who ran in the 200m semi-finals yesterday, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who took bronze in the 100m.
“You see them, they go out and have fun and represent themselves and their country and they win, and you just want to go out and do the same thing,” McLeod said.
“It’s honestly contagious. You just want to feel how it feels.” However, the loudest cheers of the night came for native pole vaulter Thiago da Silva as he received the gold medal he won on Monday night. The crowd once again booed silver medallist French Renaud Lavillenie, ignoring Da Silva’s gestures asking for quiet. — AFP.
Bongani Ndlovu