Dein erstes Forum » e Americans failed to win an Olympic sailing medal for

RIO DE JANEIRO -- There couldnt have been a better advertisement for rugbys return to the Olympics than Fijis first gold medal.The Fijians were faster, they were stronger and they were on a higher level. And they could really sing. Best of all, in the words of World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont, the Fijians were everybodys second favorite team.Thats everybody apart from the 900,000 people in Fiji, where rugby sevens is the national sport and the players are revered.In the first rugby competition at the Olympics since 1924, and in the condensed seven-a-side format rather than the traditional 15s, the six medals were spread across the world.Fijis 43-7 win over Britain in the mens gold-medal match was a lesson in how the game can be played. South Africa soundly beat Japan for bronze but the Japanese team played its part to promote the game with its shocking opening win over powerhouse New Zealand. People in Japan took notice. People in Fiji couldnt avoid it -- the country shut down as the national sevens team delivered Fijis first ever medal.The womens world series champion Australians won the gold medal in a final against No. 2-ranked New Zealand, and Canada beat Britain for bronze. The host nation did well enough in the womens ranks to qualify a Brazilian team for next years world series.You come to events that are far bigger than anything we normally stage and to be a part of it has been fantastic, Beaumont said, adding that it was taking the game to new markets.It also was a good chance for rugby, he said, to show the Olympic family what we can do with our sport.Japans unexpected run in the mens draw could have positive consequences for the hosts of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where rugby is expected to be played in a 45,000-seat stadium -- three times the size of the temporary Deodoro Stadium venue used in Brazil.Weve had the opportunity and we thank the IOC for that. Weve got Tokyo in four years, a year after Rugby World Cup in Japan, so I can only see rugby expanding in both forms of the game, Beaumont said. Theres no one in World Rugby conceited enough to think we have a divine right to be here but hopefully weve showcased our sport on the world stage.The rugby sevens format is like a snack-sized version of the traditional 15-a-side game. The games are played on a full field, with seven players in a team and with halves of seven minutes instead of 40. So the impetus is on attacking rugby, good fodder for the highlight reels.And, it makes it achievable for countries which dont have a long rugby tradition or a huge budget to be competitive at the Olympics.If you think about the semifinals, there were countries from Asia, Europe, Oceania and Africa, Beaumont said. Thats not bad for a global game, so from that point of view thats been good.Hopefully weve earned the right to be a permanent sport and well be trying like mad to retain our status.World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper said the attendances picked up after the 15,000-seat stadium was only half full on the first of six days of competition.Weve sat between 75-85 percent for the rest of the tournament, Gosper said. Thats punching above most of the sports here so far, and were happy with that.Japan will host the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and it is expected the Olympic tournament in 2020 will be staged in the Ajinomoto Stadium, which is close to the main Olympic venues and holds 45,000 people.As far as Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is concerned, rugby has earned its place at the Olympics.I wanted to thank the Olympic committee for including rugby sevens into the Olympics and we hope the brand of rugby we played today has justified the inclusion, he said. 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They then capsized their boat, and the celebration was on.Several family members and friends jumped into the surf to celebrate.As their skiff approached the shore, a few dozen people waded into the water, lifted the craft and carried it up to the beach, with the sailors standing on top of it.Ive never had that feeling before, Grael said. It was indescribable. Its actually how I hoped I could be taken out of the water.Graels father, Torben, who counts two golds among his five Olympic medals, watched the race from a coach boat. He smiled as he watched as the medal was draped around his daughters neck, against the backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain.When he was watching us get the medal, he was very emotional, and that made me emotional as well, Martine Grael said. Im just proud to be part of the family.The 49erFX is new to the Olympics. Its similar to the mens 49er.I think with all the people cheering for us, it was really a big emotion for us, Kunze said. I think for Brazil its special, this medal. We feel we are representing a lot of things, like girls and sailing and sports, I was not expecting so much warmth from the Brazilian people. We were very pleased with such a reception.Watching the shore side celebration was Robert Scheidt, who finished fourth in the Laser to just miss becoming the first sailor and Brazilian to win six Olympic medals.Denmarks Jena Hansen and Katja Steen Salskov-Iversen won the bronze.In the mens 49er, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke capped a dominant four years of sailing by winning the medal race to confirm the gold theyd clinched two days ago.The Kiwis upgraded the silver they won at London in 2012. They had won 27 straight regattas until finishing third in the South American Championships here last month.Showing just how much better they are than the rest of the fleet, the Kiwis sailed a tactically perfect final race, leading the whole way. They put their arms around each other and clennched their fists in triumph just before crossing the line, and then capsized their boat in celebration.ddddddddddddBlair and myself obviously have to have a celebration, Burling said. Its been a massive amount of hard work and dedication toward this goal for a long time so were going to try and have a little bit of time off, but now it `s pretty much back straight into the Americas Cup world after this.The duo sail for Emirates Team New Zealand in the Americas Cup, with Burling serving as skipper. They get just less than two weeks off before heading for the next Americas Cup World Series regatta.Defending gold medalists Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen of Australia took the silver. They sail for Swedens Artemis Racing in the Americas Cup.Bronze went to Germanys Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel. They both jumped into the water in celebration, and tipped their boat over. Last year, Heil was treated for infections he blamed on the polluted water in Guanabara Bay.The water was much better this year, Heil said.Earlier, Annie Haeger and Briana Provancha of the United States were in the silver medal position in the womens 470 finale but dropped to sixth and then fouled the Japanese boat, dropping them to last place in the 10-boat race and out of the medals.That means the United States finished with just one medal, Caleb Paines bronze in the Finn. Four years ago, the Americans failed to win an Olympic sailing medal for the first time since 1936.Obviously we were disappointed that we didnt perform today, Provancha said. But we really gave it our all and fought really hard. Its just not our time right now. It doesnt take away how proud I am of what weve done and how awesome this teams been.Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark of Britain had clinched the gold two days earlier and needed just to finish the medal race to collect it. New Zealands Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, the 2012 gold medalists, took the silver and Camille Lecointre and Helene Defrance of France won bronze.In the mens 470, Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic won the first Olympic sailing gold medal for Croatia.Australias Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan took the silver after a tight battle against Greeces Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis, who got the bronze.Belcher won the gold medal in London four years ago with Malcolm Page, who then retired from Olympic sailing.---Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson ' ' '