RIO DE JANEIRO: An emotional Russian team were celebrating their podium return in the men’s Olympics gymnastics team event for the first time in 16 years after a chaotic buildup to the Games.
The Russian gymnasts were only cleared to compete in Rio by governing body FIG the day before the Olympics got underway amid the fallout of accusations of state-run doping against their country.
But they claimed silver behind Japan in the Rio Olympic Arena on Tuesday dumping two-time defending champions China into the bronze medal position.
“We won a medal (Olympic team) for the first time in 16 years. We feel overwhelmed by emotion,” said Denis Abliazin after taking his third Olympic medal after silver on the vault and bronze on floor in London.
The last time the Russian men’s team medalled at an Olympics was a bronze in Sydney.
“We did what we had to do. Everyone did his job on each of the apparatus,” continued Abliazin as Russia had led Japan up until the fourth apparatus of six.
“We are still trying to believe that we won a medal. We really performed well as a team, all for one and one for all.”
Teammate Nikolai Kuksenkov took his first Olympic medal at the age of 27 years.
Meanwhile, just one professional boxer was left standing at the Olympics after journeyman lightweight Carmine Tommasone from Italy was sent packing by a street-smart Cuban.
Tommasone, 32, was one of three professionals controversially admitted to the Games for the first time in Olympic boxing history and celebrated with a comprehensive victory at the weekend.
But he had no answer to the elusive Jorge Lazaro Alvarez in front of a paltry crowd, allowing the slippery Cuban to reach the latter stages of the competition in Rio with a fully deserved unanimous decision.
Only Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng — who spent time in a Thai jail for robbery — remains of the professional trio who made it to Rio, after Hassan Ndam Njikam of Cameroon lost in a debatable decision to a Brazilian boxer on Saturday.
France’s riders delivered their country’s first gold with team eventing success at the Deodoro equestrian centre.
The French secured their second title in the three-discipline event after Athens in 2004 with a score of 169 points.
London 2012 champions Germany took silver with 172.80 points while Australia, who had topped the standings after Monday’s cross country, came in third on 175.30.
The victorious French were all Olympic debutants, with flawless rounds in the jumping arena from Astier Nicolas and Thibaut Vallette catapulting them to the title.
Nicolas is also in contention for individual eventing gold later Tuesday, the rider placed only one point behind Germany’s champion Michael Jung.
Team eventing began with two days of dressage, the discipline described as ‘ballet on horseback’.
Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt put in a remarkable performance in this just months after suffering serious head injuries in a fall in France.
The 47-year-old — who won team silver in London in 2012 and 2004 and bronze in 2008, led the individual dressage - with the final on Thursday - with Germany topping the team standings.
Japan stunned New Zealand 14-12 in their opening match of the rugby sevens as All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams sustained a tournament-ending achilles tendon injury.
The opening pool match upset was an echo of Japan’s famous victory over South Africa in the 15-a-side World Cup in Brighton, the biggest shock the sport has ever seen.
“It’s unbelievable, you never see a minnow team come here and beat a team supposed to be a gold medal contender. I’m still shocked, to be honest,” said Japan’s New Zealand-born playmaker Lomano Lemeki.
There was worse news to come for New Zealand with news that Williams had been ruled out with a partial achilles rupture and replaced in the 12-man squad by Sione Molia.
At a sun-kissed Deodoro Stadium, with massive support for the underdogs, Truya Goto squeezed past Rieko Ioane’s tackle to dot down in the corner to open Japan’s account.
Their lead was short-lived, however, as Gillies Kaka exchanged passes with Akira Ioane before putting in skipper Scott Curry.
Akira Ioane crossed for New Zealand’s second but Kameli Soejima scrambled over to draw the scores level, Katsuyuki Sakai’s conversion pulling the Japanese two points clear for a famous win.
