Monthly Archives: June 2016

Water Polo, Women's World League

USA Women 2-0 in Water Polo Super Final After 11-8 Victory over Canada

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The US women moved to 2-0 in the 2016 Water Polo World League Super Final with an 11-8 win over neighbors Canada. The US opened with a strong first quarter posting a 4-2 lead after eight minutes and increasing the lead to three, 8-5 at the break. Canada outscored the US 2-1 in the third quarter but the US reversed that scoreline in the fourth for the final 11-8 score. Melissa Seidemann had the lead with three goals for the US in the game while Maddie Musselman and Courtney Mathewson each added a pair. Sami Hill played in goal and stopped 12 Canadian shots.

The US faces Spain next to wrap up the group stage on Thursday. Spain is 2-0 as well in the group stage after defeating Brazil 10-6 so this will be for first place in the group. Russia at 0-2 is most likely to finish last in the other group while China (Russia’s opponent) and Italy are 1-1 and could finish third. The US will face one of those three teams on Friday in the quarterfinals. Everyone will play in semifinals and finals for positioning on Friday and Saturday.

Group B Schedule:
Tuesday – USA 20-2 Brazil, Canada 12-16 Spain
Wednesday – USA 11-8 Canada, Spain 10-6 Brazil
Thursday – USA vs. Spain, Brazil vs. Canada

Previous 2016 Water Polo World League Super Final Coverage:
Preview
Brazil Recap

Diamond League, Track and Field

Michael Tinsley Goes for Three-Peat in 400m Hurdles at Diamond League in Oslo

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Not all of the top American athletes are competing in Oslo on Thursday (namely Kendra Harrison and Justin Gatlin) but one who will be there is Michael Tinsley. The 400m hurdles competitor won the event the first two times it was contested earlier this year, in Shanghai and in Eugene, and will be going for three in Oslo. The man who finished right behind him in Eugene, Kerron Clement, will also be taking part. The only other American competing in Oslo who has won an event in the Diamond League so far this season is Joe Kovacs in the shot put. In addition to winning in Eugene Kovacs took third in Shanghai.

Other contenders for the US include Omar Craddock (third in triple jump in Eugene), Tianna Bartoletta (third in long jump in Shanghai), Brianna Rollins (second in 100m hurdles in Eugene and Birmingham), Jasmin Stowers (third in 100m hurdles in Eugene), Natasha Hastings (third in 400m in Shanghai and Eugene), and Michael Rodgers (third in the 100m in Shanghai).

Previous Diamond League Coverage:
Birmingham Recap

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

No Americans in Top 75 in Stage Two of Criterium du Dauphine

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Brent Bookwalter and Alexey Vermeulen managed top 100 finishes on Tuesday but neither one was near the leader as Bookwalter finished 5:30 back in 79th and Vermeulen was 93rd. This was the first hilly stage of the Criterium du Dauphine and it provided some separation over the 104.1 miles. Bookwalter remains the top American overall but dropped from 25th to 74th and is now 6:26 back overall. Vermeulen does remain in the top 100 overall as well in 92nd.

The Criterium du Dauphine continues Wednesday with a 113.1 mile flat stage while the overall race continues until Sunday.

Previous Criterium du Dauphine Coverage:
Preview
Prologue Recap
Stage One Recap

Water Polo, Women's World League

USA Women Open Water Polo Super Final With 20-2 Domination of Brazil

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The US women opened the the 2016 Water Polo World League Super Final with a dominant win over Brazil, 20-2, on Tuesday in Shanghai, China. The US jumped in front with four goals in the first quarter and seven more in the second. The lead grew to 15-0 before Brazil scored twice in the fourth quarter to take something from the game. Maddie Musselman was the leading scorer for the US with six goals while KK Clark added four and Kiley Neushul had three. Ashleigh Johnson had nine saves in what was nearly a shutout.

The US faces Canada next on Wednesday. Canada lost 16-12 to Spain on Tuesday. These two teams met in the intercontinental qualification tournament back in February with the US winning 14-4.

The group stage wraps up Thursday before quarterfinals on Friday. Everyone will play in semifinals and finals for positioning on Friday and Saturday.

Group B Schedule:
Tuesday – USA 20-2 Brazil, Canada 12-16 Spain
Wednesday – USA vs. Canada, Spain vs. Brazil
Thursday – USA vs. Spain, Brazil vs. Canada

Previous 2016 Water Polo World League Super Final Coverage:
Preview

ISSF World Cup, Shooting

Joshua Richmond Wins Gold at ISSF World Cup in San Marino

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Joshua Richmond made it two finalists in two events for the US in San Marino and with just one miss in the final grabbed the first gold medal of the event for the US. Richmond had yet to make a final in 2016 but was certainly a contender in both previous events with top 10 finishes. He certainly looks like a potential Olympic medalist after the performance he had on Monday. Richmond posted the third highest score, a 140, in qualifying to reach the six-man final. In the semifinals Richmond was second best with a 28 and won a shoot-off against Qiang Pan of China to reach the gold medal match. There he defeated Germany’s Andreas Loew by hitting his first 28 shots and 29 of 28 overall to win by one. Walton Eller, also a 2016 Olympian, had two 25’s in qualifying and finished with a 134, four behind the sixth place finisher in 17th.

There are no competitions on Tuesday and Wednesday before Thursday things resume with men’s and women’s skeet. Women’s skeet is a single day competition where 2016 Olympians Kimberly Rhode and Morgan Craft will participate. Both Rhode and Craft have great finishes this year, Rhode second in Rio and making the final in Nicosia while Craft won in Nicosia. Men’s skeet is a two day competition and the US will be represented by 2016 Olympians Vincent Hancock and Frank Thompson. Thompson posted a top ten finish in Rio while Hancock has reached both finals but failed to medal.

Previous ISSF World Cup San Marino Coverage:
Preview
Friday Update

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Three Americans in Peloton of Stage One at Criterium du Dauphine

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Brent Bookwalter, Alex Howes , and Alexey Vermeulen all finished as part of a 129-man peloton on Monday at the Criterium du Dauphine as no one broke from the pack on a 115.6 mile flat stage. Vermeulen was nearly the last man in the peloton in 127th place while Bookwalter and Howes were further up in the pack in 58th and 64th. All three remain in the top 100 overall with Bookwalter in 25th, 58 seconds back while Vermeulen is 60th and Howes is 84th.

The Criterium du Dauphine continues Tuesday with a 104.1 mile hilly stage while the overall race continues until Sunday.

Previous Criterium du Dauphine Coverage:
Preview
Prologue Recap

Water Polo, Women's World League

USA Women Set For Water Polo World League Super Final

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The US women will begin the 2016 Water Polo World League Super Final on Tuesday in Shanghai, China. The eight team event begins with a group stage over the next three days that will set the matchups for the quarterfinals. The knockout rounds will go all the way to 7th/8th place games so the US will play on six straight days no matter what.

The US has won the last two Super Finals and nine of the 12 in history with only China the only to break the US run since 2008. They joined in Group B by Spain, Canada, and Brazil. Brazil and Canada reached the Super Final last year with the Canadians in sixth and Brazil in eighth. Spain was eliminated in European qualifying last year but finished fifth in both 2013 and 2014. The US will be heavily favored to win this group.

Group B Schedule:
Tuesday – USA vs. Brazil, Canada vs. Spain
Wednesday – USA vs. Canada, Spain vs. Brazil
Thursday – USA vs. Spain, Brazil vs. Canada

Badminton, BWF Super Series

Beiwen Zhang Wins Two National Titles at US Badminton National Championships

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Beiwen Zhang had as good a day as anyone on Sunday at the US Badminton National Championships as she won national titles in both women’s singles and women’s doubles. Zhang took care of Ariel Lee in the singles final and wasn’t tested in a 20 minute 21-7, 21-7 win. She joined partner Jing Yu Hong to wrap up a perfect 5-0 weekend in women’s doubles with a dominant opening game 21-0 over #2 seed Deepti Reddy and Yen-Fang Wang before a 21-11 result in game two. Zhang didn’t go three-for-three though as she and partner Yoga Pratama were unable to compete in the mixed doubles final, handing it to Phillip Chew and Jamie Subandhi on a walkover. It seems the issue was with Pratama who also withdrew from his men’s singles third place match. It was back-to-back titles for Zhang in singles and Zhang and Yu Hong in doubles.

The Olympic men’s doubles team of Chew and Sattawat Pongnairat lost their final to Mu He and Ricky Xiu Liuzhou 21-16, 21-13 and Pongnairat also lost the men’s singles final to Charles Gu 21-8, 21-12.

Iris Wang will be competing in the Australian Badminton Open on Wednesday. She opens with He Bingjiao of China. Wang has yet to advance at a Super Series event this year in three tries.

Previous US Badminton National Championships Coverage:
Preview
Day 1 Update
Day 2 Update

Previous Badminton Super Series Coverage:
Indonesia Recap

Fencing, Fencing World Cup

Alexander Massialas Grabs Gold in Grand Prix in Shanghai

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If Lee Kiefer’s silver on Saturday made it a good weekend for the Americans Alexander Massialas made it a great weekend going one place further and notching the gold in Shanghai with a perfect 6-0 day. Massialas had no struggles early getting 15-6, 15-7, and 15-6 wins to reach the quarterfinals. There he scored a tight 15-13 win over Daniele Garozzo of Italy and backed it up with an even tighter 15-14 win over China’s Haiwei Chen to become one of the last two men standing. The final was actually largely devoid of drama with a 15-5 win over Kwanghyun Lee of Korea easily securing Massialas the gold.

The other three Americans who had byes to the table of 64 were all eliminated in the second round. Gerek Meinhardt lost 15-13 to Great Britain’s Laurence Halsted, Race Imboden lost to Haiwei Chen of China 15-5, and Miles Chamley-Watson lost 15-9 to France’s Erwan Le Pechoux. Chen you might remember went on to lose to Massialas in the semifinals. The American who had advanced from the preliminaries, Axel Kiefer, lost 15-8 to Russia’s Dmitry Rigin.

This was the end of the fencing world cup grand prix events. Next up all of the fencing disciplines will compete in Panama City starting June 20th.

Previous Fencing World Cup Coverage:
Moscow Recap
Day 1 Update
Day 2 Update

Cycling, UCI Women's WorldTour

Megan Guarnier Makes it Two in a Row by Winning Philadelphia International Cycling Classic

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Megan Guarnier probably wishes all the UCI Women’s WorldTour events could be held in the states the way her two chances to win on home soil went this last month. Fresh off the win in the Amgen Tour of California Guarnier was three seconds better than the field in the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic on Sunday, holding off Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy. Guarnier wasn’t the only American who has been strong on home soil as Evelyn Stevens made it two top four finishes with a fourth place finish, nine seconds back, in this race. Brianna Walle, 11 seconds back in fifth, Heather Fischer, 11 seconds back in sixth, and Kristabel Doebel-Hickok, 14 seconds back in ninth, gave the US half of the top ten. It was a season best finish for Walle, Fischer, and Doebel-Hickok. The US also had riders in 13th, 14th, and 15th in Cory Rivera (25 seconds back), Katie Hall (26 seconds back), and Scotti Lechuga (27 seconds back and her first finish of the year). The ten Americans in the top 20 were wrapped up by Jessica Prinner in 18th and Janelle Cole in 19th, both competing in their first race of the year.

The tour heads back to Europe for the final eight events between now and mid-September. The next event is The Aviva Women’s Tour, June 15th-19th in the UK.

Previous Philadelphia International Cycling Classic Coverage:
Preview