Short and Sweet: Gymnasts miss Rio Olympics, surfers star, Sevens on track for World Series
THERE was shattering news for Australian gymnasts but top results by golfers, swimmers and surfers on the world stage. All this and more in SHORT AND SWEET sport wrap.
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THERE was some shattering news for Australian gymnasts this week but top results by other Australian women on the world stage.
Our women’s sevens team won a medal in Canada.
There was more success on the sand for our volleyballers.
Tyler Wright pulled off another great win in the surf
And Minjee Lee pulled off a great comeback in Hawaii.
All this and more in this weeks Short and Sweet wrap.
GYMNASTS FAIL IN RIO BID
For the first time in more than two decades Australia won’t be sending a women’s artistic gymnastics team to the Olympics.
The team failed to qualify a berth in Rio for the first time since 1988 at the Rio test event.
The Australians finished a place out of the mix in Rio to leave their Olympic dreams in tatters.
But it wasn’t the absence of Australia at the Olympics which has rocked the gymnastic world.
It was Romania’s fall from grace as they failed to qualify after medalling at every Olympic dating right back to 1976.
TEENAGER ON SONG
Australia’s Minjee Lee has pulled off a great comeback in Hawaii to claim victory in the LPGA’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii.
The world No. 17 held her nerve to come back from a five-shot deficit in the final round for the win.
The teen golfer played her final eight holes in 6-under-par, chipping in for an eagle-three at 13 on the way to a bogey-free 8-under 64.
Lee’s combined 16-under was one better than South Korea’s Chun In-gee (67).
SEVENS CHASING A SLICE OF HEAVEN
They might not have won the event in Canada, but the Australian women’s sevens team are still right on track to win the World Series crown with just one more event to contest.
The Aussies only need to finish top six to win the trophy — a major confidence boosters ahead of the Rio Olympics.
The Australians finished third in Canada as England won the even with their victory over New Zealand.
WAVING GOODBYE TO AUSTRALIA
Our surfers have finished the Australian leg of the world championship surfing tour in good shape thanks to young gun Tyler Wright.
Wright won two of the three rounds held in Australia with her latest victory in the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro.
For the second time this season Wright defeated American Courtney Conlogue in a final to take the top honours.
But Conlogue will wear he No. 1 jersey into the next event in Rio in May thanks to her win at the Rip Curl Pro and second places at both the Roxy Pro Gold Coast and Margaret River event.
RECORDS TUMBLING IN ANZ CHAMPIONSHIPS
Three rounds into the ANZ championship and three teams have risen to the top.
The NSW Swifts sit on top of the leaderboard with the unbeaten Queensland Firebird and West Coast.
But after round four only two teams will have a perfect record with Swifts to take on Fever in Perth this weekend.
Highlights of Round three included the Swifts producing their biggest ever win over the Adelaide Thunderbirds and the Firebirds extending their winning run to a staggering 16 games.
FERGUSON ON TARGET
Semra Ferguson has earned Australia a quota spot in the women’s archery competition in Rio and herself favouritism to head to the Games,
The Queenslander won the Oceania qualifiers in Tonga ahead of fellow Australians Chloe Grabs and Ella Byrne.
Australia has already qualified a three-member men’s team for the Olympics.
PRESTIGIOUS AWARD
It’s one of the most highly sought after awards in road cycling.
And High 5 Australian development rider Louisa Lobigs earned the most combative rider award on the second stage of Emakumeen Euskal Bira.
The Amy Gillett Foundation scholar went on a solo attack in the opening hour of the race and managed to hold off the peloton for more that 20km to earn the award.
SWIMMERS STEP UP
Go Gals. More than half the swimming team named for Rio at the end of the Australian trials last week a women.
Of the 34 swimmers named, 19 are female.
The women are;
Jessica Ashwood — 400m Freestyle, 800m Freestyle
Bronte Barratt — 200m Freestyle, 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
Georgia Bohl — 100m Breaststroke, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
Bronte Campbell — 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 4 x 100m Freestyle, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
Cate Campbell — 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 4 x 100m Freestyle, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
Tamsin Cook — 400m Freestyle,
Alicia Coutts — 200m Individual Medley
Brittany Elmslie -4 x 100m Freestyle
Blair Evans — 400m Individual Medley
Madeline Groves — 100m, 200m Butterfly, 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
Belinda Hocking — 200m Backstroke
Emma McKeon — 200m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly, 4 x 100m Freestyle, 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
Taylor McKeown — 100 & 200m Breaststroke, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
Keryn McMaster — 400m Individual Medley
Leah Neale — 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
Kotuku Ngawati — 200m Individual Medley
Emily Seebohm — 100m Backstroke, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
Brianna Throssell — 200m Butterfly
Madison Wilson — 100m Backstroke
AUSTRALIAN SUCCESS ON THE SAND.....AGAIN
Australia’s Nicole Laird and Mariafe Artacho del Solar are back in the winners circle.
The pair have recorded their second consecutive Asian tour gold medal in Thailand in just over a week.
The pair, hoping to make the Olympic team for Rio, won the final of the Samila Open after winning the Pak Bara Open the previous weekend.
Laird and del Solar, along with the Australian men’s teams, will be looking to earn Australia additional places at the Rio Olympics when they compete at the Asian Olympic qualifiers in Australia in June.
Australia’s top-ranked women’s team of Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy have already sealed their place at Copacabana Beach.
WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
Nothing stopping women cracking male-dominated commentary boxes of the NRL, AFL, says Ray Warren The veteran caller supported the idea of a female in the rugby league heading into the commentary box. READ MORE
ONLY a complete disaster can stop the Australian women’s sevens team claiming a slice of history and the World Series crown after a last-minute try secured them third play at the Canada Sevens on Monday. READ MORE
PICKING up an Olympic medal in Rio remains the goal, but Matildas coach Alen Stajcic admits that’s going to be a tricky task after finding out who stands in their way. READ MORE
IT was another game, another record for the NSW Swifts and the Adelaide Thunderbirds in round three of the ANZ championship. There was a timely return of a captain from injury for the West Coast Fever and once again Jhaniele Fowler-Reid starred under the ring. Complete netball wrap here. READ MORE
MEET the women aiming to end a State of Origin dynasty that makes Cameron Smith’s mob look like amateurs.
Female rugby league players will compete in a structured Sydney competition with unbroken pathways following the introduction of age division for 13-15 and 16-18 year old players.
The new competition is expected to lead to a massive boost in participants, and hopefully help NSW end Queensland’s 17-year unbeaten women’s Origin run. READ MORE
A PAIR of Americans earned the mantle of top guns in women’s surfing in 2015 but it’s something an assortment of fired-up Aussie surfers are determined to change in 2016. READ MORE
Originally published as Short and Sweet: Gymnasts miss Rio Olympics, surfers star, Sevens on track for World Series
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