Russians finally celebrate gold at Olympics after scandals

Sport

Russians finally celebrate gold at Olympics after scandals

2018-02-24 11:37 Last Updated At：11:46

After two weeks of Olympic competition, the "Olympic Athletes from Russia" finally have a gold medal.

Alina Zagitova won the women's figure skating title Friday to become the first Russian to win a Winter Olympic event since the doping-hit 2014 Sochi Games.

"I was trying with all my strength to ignore it but I couldn't," Zagitova said of Russia's lack of gold. "I was really worried because I knew I didn't have the right to make a mistake. I had to skate clean and show my maximum, but I'm so happy I could."

The Russians have one gold, five silver and eight bronze medals at the Pyeongchang Games as of Friday, putting them behind Belarus and Italy on gold medals (the key measure used in Russia), and behind France on total medals.

For a traditional winter sports superpower that prided itself on topping the Sochi medals table — even if many athletes were later accused of doping — the wait for gold has been unfamiliar and unpleasant.

Zagitova, who was only 11 during the Sochi Olympics and has never been suspected of doping, didn't hear the Russian national anthem at her medal ceremony. Instead, the Olympic anthem was played and the Olympic flag flew because Russia is officially suspended from the games.

The International Olympic Committee instead invited some from the country to compete in neutral uniforms, which is why Zagitova accepted her medal in a muted gray coat with the inscription "Olympic Athlete from Russia."

To many Russian fans, that status is degrading. To many of Russia's critics over doping, it's a symbolic punishment for a country which should have been banned entirely.

Asked about whether she would be sad not to hear the Russian anthem play, Zagitova avoided the issue.

"Can I not answer that question?" she said.

The Russian medal count at the Pyeongchang Games has been low because of the IOC vetting process, bad luck, and — once again — doping. Curler Alexander Krushelnitsky and his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova, won bronze in mixed doubles, but gave up the medal Thursday after Krushelnitsky failed a doping test.

Russia sent 168 athletes to South Korea, making it one of the largest teams at the games. However, the team didn't contain some top athletes, including world cross-country ski champion Sergei Ustyugov and short-track speedskater Viktor Ahn. The IOC said it couldn't be confident they were clean. On the day of the opening ceremony, it won a key legal battle upholding that argument.

Still, Russian officials could have sent more athletes in some events but chose not to. According to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Russia chose to leave 40 quota places unfilled rather than send athletes who weren't first choice, which meant it didn't have enough in some sports simply to enter the relays.

Another issue is that Russia's Winter Olympians competed in Sochi with lavish funding from the government. With the country's moment in the Olympic spotlight over, sports like biathlon and bobsled have struggled for money.

There's also been a wave of infighting in some events like luge, where one Russian was sent home after missing the podium and accusing team staff of favoritism toward his main domestic rival. Injuries played a role in some sports, and in others the Russians simply weren't good enough for gold.

It was a long path to the games for Evgenia Medvedeva, who won silver in figure skating alongside Zagitova, her friend and training partner.

It was Medvedeva who was chosen by Russian sports officials to make their case to the IOC in December, when a blanket ban on Russia was possible. When she skated Friday, she was introduced as an "Olympic Athlete from Russia" as Russian fans cheered and waved the tricolor she's forbidden to wear.

Asked how a Russian 1-2 finish feels without her country's flag, Medvedeva asked for a moment to think before replying.

"People know who we are," she said, "and the spectators in the stands showed it today."

Defending champs Alcaraz and Sabalenka win opening matches at Madrid Open

2024-04-27 01:37 Last Updated At：01:41

MADRID (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz didn’t need to put his tender right arm to the test to ease to a victory in his opening match at the Madrid Open on Friday.

The two-time defending champion was playing for the first time in nearly a month after his injured arm ruled him out of Monte Carlo and Barcelona. And after doubting this week he would be good to go in Spain’s capital, Alcaraz admitted he could afford to hold up just a bit in a 6-2, 6-1 win over Alexander Shevchenko.

“I didn’t hit my forehand 100%. I hit it softer than I used to hit it, but I think it helped me, you know, to, let’s say, stay relaxed,” Alcaraz said. “But the first thing that I was thinking about when I was stepping on the court is to stay healthy.

“I was really happy to not feel anything in the forearm, and after that I could increase my intensity a bit. It was great for me this match."

Defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka faced tougher resistance in her opening match while beating Magda Linette 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 on the Caja Magica clay.

This was Alcaraz’s first match since the Miami Open quarterfinals nearly one month ago. Madrid is the Spaniard's first appearance on the European clay court swing — he struggled in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro in February — as he aims to win his first French Open title next month.

“Right now I’m thinking to be better or get better every day, and I’m thinking to be closer to my 100% here in Madrid." the two-time major champion said. "Let’s see how it’s going to be the next few weeks. But the main thing is to be ready for next tournament and obviously to Roland Garros.”

In Madrid, the third-ranked Alcaraz is seeded second behind Jannik Sinner and both enjoyed first-round byes.

Alcaraz played with a compression sleeve on his right arm from his wrist up past his elbow. But he looked pretty much like the same aggressive player who has dominated here for the past two years and given Spanish tennis fans hope there is life after Rafael Nadal.

Alcaraz broke Shevchenko’s serve four times and will next face Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil.

Seyboth Wild upset Daniil Medvedev at last year's French Open and should offer a stiffer challenge to Alcaraz in the round of 32.

Seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating Facundo Bagnis 6-1, 6-4. Rublev’s last win came at Indian Wells in March.

Tommy Paul got past qualifier Lukas Klein 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4 in his first clay match of the season after missing Monte Carlo due to injury.

Eighth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz beat Jack Draper 6-1, 7-5, while Denis Shapovalov, Francisco Cerdundolo, Alejandro Davidovich, Daniel Altmaier, and Sebastian Baez also moved on.

SABALENKA'S SLOW START

The second-ranked Sabalenka struggled with her serve at times against Linette, but the two-time Australian Open winner struck her 10th ace on match point.

Sabalenka got some help from the net to get a key break and go up 5-3 in the third set when Linette was unable to reach a shot by the Belarusian that clipped the top of the tape.

Sabalenka has either won it all in Madrid as she did in 2021 and last year, or gone out in the first round as she did in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

“Hopefully it’s going to be a good sign and I will keep it like that,” she said. “I either lose in the first or I win (the title).”

Fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-4, 6-3 to take her season-leading win haul to 27 as she seeks her fourth title of 2024.

Rybakina will next face Egypt’s Mayar Sherif after she upset Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round.

Fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen, who lost the Australian Open final to Sabalenka, withdrew with a right thigh injury while trailing Yulia Putintseva 7-5, 2-0.

Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who made her breakout at Madrid last year, bettered Linda Noskova 4-3, 6-3, 6-3.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Carolina Garcia, and Jasmine Paolini also advanced.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis