Jacobs Wally's blog: "Ambrose wins Zippo 200"

Father of former Olympian killed in Beijing President Bush greets members … AP - Aug 9, 7:44 pm EDT BEIJING (AP)—The fatal stabbing of the father of a former Olympian at a Beijing landmark cast a sad shadow over the first full day of Olympic competition Saturday, just hours after China’s jubilant opening of the Summer Games. Todd and Barbara Bachman of Lakeville, Minn.—parents of 2004 volleyball Olympian Elisabeth “Wiz” Bachman and in-laws of U.S. men’s volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon—were attacked by a Chinese man while visiting the 13th-century Drum Tower. The U.S. Olympic Committee confirmed Bachman died from knife wounds and that Barbara Bachman suffered life-threatening injuries. She and their Chinese tour guide, who was also injured in the attack, were being treated in a Beijing hospital. Elisabeth Bachman was with them at the time of the attack, but uninjured. Her father was chief executive officer for Bachman’s, Inc., a home-and-garden center based in Minneapolis. The assailant, Tang Yongming, 47, leapt to his death from a 130-foot high balcony on the Drum Tower, just five miles from the main Olympics site, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. ADVERTISEMENT Relatives said Barbara Bachman had undergone surgery and was in intensive care at a Beijing hospital. “The next 24 hours will be critical,” said Dale Bachman, Todd’s second cousin. Two of Todd and Barbara Bachman’s other adult daughters were flying to China to be with their mother and Elisabeth, Dale Bachman said at a news conference in Minneapolis. According to Dale Bachman, Todd Bachman was walking a few steps behind his wife and daughter at a Beijing tourist site when he was attacked by a knife-wielding stranger. Barbara Bachman heard the commotion and turned to help her husband. “That’s when she was attacked,” Dale Bachman said. “To me, that was a strong indication of her love. She is a fabulous person.” The midday attack sent shock waves through the games precinct after the Olympics’ spectacular opening ceremony had set an ebullient tone. President Bush, in the Chinese capital for the games, expressed sadness while American athletes and Olympics officials reacted with disbelief. There was no indication that the assailant knew that his victims had any connection to the games. “For all intents, it appears to be a random attack by a deranged man,” an American member of the International Olympic Committee, Jim Easton, told The Associated Press. “The only thing we’ve heard is they were not identifiable except for a small volleyball pin which would probably be invisible to a guy.” Easton said the attack has stunned the Olympic community. “It’s certainly a down day, certainly for the U.S. people,” he said. “Here it is supposed to be a great time of happiness and peace and all that. That’s what we work hard for, then for one person to be able to put a dark cloud on that.” The U.S. women’s indoor volleyball team heard about the killing of their former teammate’s father before they took on Japan in a match Saturday. After their victory, player Logan Tom was obviously shaken. “God, we all love Wiz,” she said. “It’s hard to put it in words. That’s not something that’s supposed to happen.” Tom then turned away, crying. “It’s just tragic,” said U.S. woman’s basketball coach Anne Donovan. “I don’t know if there’s another word for it. We said a prayer for them in the locker room. I get goosebumps talking about it. It’s something obviously that just changes the events right now for the Olympic Games.” Cherie DeJarlais, left, and Lu… AP - Aug 9, 6:48 pm EDT Violent crime against foreigners is rare in tightly controlled China, and the assault at the Drum Tower occurred despite major security measures that have blanketed the capital city during the Olympics: A 100,000-strong security force plus countless volunteer guards have been deployed to protect against any trouble. Beijing’s Communist leaders are hypersensitive about anything that could take the shine off the games. China’s Foreign Ministry said it had no immediate comment on the attack. Interpol said initial investigations found nothing indicating the murder was linked to terrorism or organized crime. “So far, our database check and preliminary analysis suggest that today’s murder-suicide was an isolated, though brutal, murder of one person and assault on two others,” said Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble. Tang’s name was run through computers containing more than 178,000 individuals, including 12,000 suspected terrorists, and came up blank. But Noble noted that the investigation was not complete. In a undated family photo rele… AP - Aug 9, 6:36 pm EDT Interpol said Tang had apparently recently divorced and had not been seen by relatives for two months. U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt visited the victims in hospital, and the embassy issued a statement later that said the attack “appears to be a senseless act of violence.” “We don’t believe this was targeted at American citizens, and we don’t believe this has anything to do with the Olympics,” embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson said. Attacks on foreigners in China are extremely rare. A Canadian model was murdered last month in Shanghai—police said she stumbled onto a burglary. In March, a screaming, bomb-strapped hostage-taker who commandeered a bus with 10 Australians aboard in the popular tourist city of Xi’an was shot dead by a police sniper. Shanghai and Beijing are still safer than most cities of their size. Punishments for crimes against foreigners are heavier than for crimes against Chinese, and police-linked neighborhood watch groups are highly vigilant. Chinese are not allowed to own guns. Still, the U.S. government has warned Americans against muggings, beatings and even carjackings, especially in the nightlife and shopping districts of large cities. The Drum Tower is one of few ancient structures still in fast-developing Beijing. Long ago, drummers pounded their massive instruments on the hour to let people in the imperial city know the time. It is located on an important central axis of the city, to the north of the Forbidden City, which was home to the emperor. Steve Wilson in Beijing contributed to this report. reference: http://www.sterlingtiffany.com

China's Xian Dongmei defended her Athens gold after beating An Kum-ae of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with a yuko in the Women's Judo -52kg weight class, and Japan's Uchishiba Masato held on to his Olympic title in the Men's -66kg division by defeating Benjamin Darbelet with an ippon at the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium on August 10. Women's -52kg China's Xian Dongmei, the defending Judo -52kg Olympic gold medalist, defeated An Kum-ae from the (DPRK) with a yuko to claim her second Olympic title. Xian, 33, returned to the tatami after giving birth to her first child last year. Just ten months after giving birth, she won a gold medal at the Super World Cup in Paris and World Cup in Budapest, Hungary, in 2008. "It is unforgettable and not easy to get it again," said Xian Dongmei about her gold medal. "It is really very special because I won it in front of my home (crowd). It is also special because after four years I also became a mother and I got a gold medal again." Soraya Haddad of Algeria, competing in the Olympics for the second time, won her first Olympic bronze by beating Sholpan Kaliyeva from Kazakhstan with a waza-ari. At Athens 2004, she finished ninth in the Women's -48kg division. In the other bronze medal match, Japan's Nakamura Misato won the match by defeating Kim Kyung-ok with two waza-ari scores in just 1:13. Men's -66kg Uchishiba Masato of Japan defended his gold medal from Athens by beating France's Benjamin Darbelet with an ippon in 1:08. In the 2005 World Championships, he finished second in the Men's -66kg division in Cairo. This was the second time that Darbelet had taken part in the Olympic Games; at Athens 2004, he finished 17th in the -60kg. "I don't remember how I won the game. Naturally, my body moved and I put in all my effort," said Uchishiba on the gold medal match. "My Judo style is aggressive so I just fight with what I have." Cuba's Yordanis Arencibia claimed his second Olympic bronze medal (the first being from Athens 2004) after throwing Alim Gadanov of Russia for a yuko. He was the silver medalist at the 2007 World Championships in Rio de Janeiro. The DPRK's Pak Chol-min beat Mirali Sharipov of Uzbekistan with a waza-ari to earn the other bronze medal. reference: http://www.sterlingtiffany.com

Four gold medals for the Men's 400m Individual Medley, Men's 400m Freestyle, Women's 400m Individual Medley and Women's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay will be given out at the Water Cube tomorrow morning, Sunday, August 10. Two semi-finals, in Women's 100m butterfly and Men's 100m Breaststroke will also be staged in the morning, followed by six prelims in the evening section. The biggest star to hit the Water Cube tomorrow is Michael Phelps of the USA, known as the 'Baltimore Bullet,' who is aiming to break US swimming great, Mark Spitz's Olympic record of seven Gold medals -- the most won by an athlete at a single Olympic Games. Phelps rewrote his own Olympic record today with a time of 4:07.82 in the prelim. The swimming superstar will look to secure his first gold medal in Beijing tomorrow. Michael Phelps is also the swimmer to watch in the Men's 200m Freestyle prelim later that night as he continues his quest for eight Gold medals. Phelps holds the world record with a time of 1:43.86. The emerging international star Park Tae-hwan of the Republic of Korea was the bronze medalist in the event at last year's world championships behind Phelps and Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands. Peter Vanderkaay (USA) and Jean Basson (South Africa) share the third fastest time in the event in 2008. Both will pose as strong competitors in this summer's Games. The Men's 400m Freestyle Final will be centered on Larsen Jensen (USA), Grant Hackett (AUS) and Park Tae-hwan (KOR). Jensen swam the fastest time of 3:43.10 in the prelim and will be in the middle lane (lane 4) tomorrow. Hackett, finishing first in his heat and fifth overall, said "I swam very good and I am happy with that. It is going to be interesting tomorrow morning. You just have to love how close it is." This is a golden chance for him to take back the gold medal he lost due to a shoulder injury and undiagnosed asthma four years ago in Athens. Zhang Lin from China swam his personal best of 3:43.32, five-hundredths of a second faster than Park Tae-hwan and will be competing for a medal tomorrow. Nineteen-year-old Katie Hoff (USA) will be the highlight of the Women's 400m Individual Medley on Sunday. Her biggest challengers are fifteen-year-old teammate, the top qualifier of today's prelim, Elizabeth Beisel, previous world-record holder Stephanie Rice from Australia and former Olympic medalist Kristy Coventry from Zimbabwe. The Women's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay final is a virtual showdown between the Netherlands, the United States and Australia. The top two qualifiers from today's prelim, China and Germany will also be competing for a place on the podium. The stars of the Women's 100m Butterfly include Lisbeth Trickett of Australia, her fellow Australian Jessicah Schipper, and 22-year-old Christine Magnuson of the United States. All eyes will be on the US world-record holder Brendan Hansen and Athens gold medalist Kitajima Kosuke of Japan in the Men's 100m Breaststroke semi-final. Current world-record holder and reigning Olympic champion Natalie Coughlin of the United States is looking to confirm her dominance in the Women's 100m Backstroke on Sunday with a win at the National Aquatics Center. Coughlin's teammate Margaret Hoelzer holds the third fastest time in 2008 and will challenge Coughlin for the gold. Silver medalist from Athens 2004 Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe and bronze medalist Laure Manaudou of France will also be top contenders. Leisel Jones of Australia has been dominant in the Women's Breaststroke since 2005 and will continue her campaign in the Women's 100m Breaststroke. This breaststroke talent is the world record holder and the reigning world champion and holds the fastest time of the year at 1:05.34. There will be immense pressure on Jones to continue her dominance in the Breastroke. Jone's main challengers will be Rebecca Soni and Megan Jendrick of Team USA. In the Men's 100m Backstroke, famous American backstroker Aaron Peirsol is the gold favorite. Peirsol is the reigning Olympic champion and the reigning world champion as well as the current world record holder in the event. Matthew Grevers of USA and the Athens Silver medalist Markus Rogan of Austria also stand a chance for a medal. Other strong contenders include Liam Tancock of Great Britain, Helge Meeuw of Germany and Ashley Delaney of Australia. Federica Pellegrini of Italy will take to the National Aquatics Center pool on Sunday with her sights set on defending the Women's 400m Freestyle crown despite challenger Katie Hoff (USA) breathing down her neck. Pellegrini currently holds the world record of 4:01.53 and has been in good form this year. Kate Ziegler of the USA and Rebecca Adlington of Great Britain will also be competing for Gold. The unpredictable ex-world-record holder Manadou cannot be discounted in this event despite the fact that she has yet to record a top 10 time in the event this year. The USA Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay team are the two-time reigning world champions and have a strong pedigree in the event; they hold the world record of 3:12.46 set by Michael Phelps, Neil Walker, Cullen Jones, and Jason Lezak. Challengers to the United States include the French team lead by 100m Freestyle world record holder Alain Bernard and the defending Olympic champions, the South African team with experienced Ryk Neethling and Roland Schoeman leading the team. The Australian team lacks experience but they will be led by the speedy Eamon Sullivan who was just a fraction of a second behind Bernard in competition. reference:http://www.sterlingtiffany.com

President Bush greets members … AP - Aug 9, 7:44 pm EDT BEIJING (AP)—The fatal stabbing of the father of a former Olympian at a Beijing landmark cast a sad shadow over the first full day of Olympic competition Saturday, just hours after China’s jubilant opening of the Summer Games. Todd and Barbara Bachman of Lakeville, Minn.—parents of 2004 volleyball Olympian Elisabeth “Wiz” Bachman and in-laws of U.S. men’s volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon—were attacked by a Chinese man while visiting the 13th-century Drum Tower. The U.S. Olympic Committee confirmed Bachman died from knife wounds and that Barbara Bachman suffered life-threatening injuries. She and their Chinese tour guide, who was also injured in the attack, were being treated in a Beijing hospital. Elisabeth Bachman was with them at the time of the attack, but uninjured. Her father was chief executive officer for Bachman’s, Inc., a home-and-garden center based in Minneapolis. The assailant, Tang Yongming, 47, leapt to his death from a 130-foot high balcony on the Drum Tower, just five miles from the main Olympics site, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. ADVERTISEMENT Relatives said Barbara Bachman had undergone surgery and was in intensive care at a Beijing hospital. “The next 24 hours will be critical,” said Dale Bachman, Todd’s second cousin. Two of Todd and Barbara Bachman’s other adult daughters were flying to China to be with their mother and Elisabeth, Dale Bachman said at a news conference in Minneapolis. According to Dale Bachman, Todd Bachman was walking a few steps behind his wife and daughter at a Beijing tourist site when he was attacked by a knife-wielding stranger. Barbara Bachman heard the commotion and turned to help her husband. “That’s when she was attacked,” Dale Bachman said. “To me, that was a strong indication of her love. She is a fabulous person.” The midday attack sent shock waves through the games precinct after the Olympics’ spectacular opening ceremony had set an ebullient tone. President Bush, in the Chinese capital for the games, expressed sadness while American athletes and Olympics officials reacted with disbelief. There was no indication that the assailant knew that his victims had any connection to the games. “For all intents, it appears to be a random attack by a deranged man,” an American member of the International Olympic Committee, Jim Easton, told The Associated Press. “The only thing we’ve heard is they were not identifiable except for a small volleyball pin which would probably be invisible to a guy.” Easton said the attack has stunned the Olympic community. “It’s certainly a down day, certainly for the U.S. people,” he said. “Here it is supposed to be a great time of happiness and peace and all that. That’s what we work hard for, then for one person to be able to put a dark cloud on that.” The U.S. women’s indoor volleyball team heard about the killing of their former teammate’s father before they took on Japan in a match Saturday. After their victory, player Logan Tom was obviously shaken. “God, we all love Wiz,” she said. “It’s hard to put it in words. That’s not something that’s supposed to happen.” Tom then turned away, crying. “It’s just tragic,” said U.S. woman’s basketball coach Anne Donovan. “I don’t know if there’s another word for it. We said a prayer for them in the locker room. I get goosebumps talking about it. It’s something obviously that just changes the events right now for the Olympic Games.” Cherie DeJarlais, left, and Lu… AP - Aug 9, 6:48 pm EDT Violent crime against foreigners is rare in tightly controlled China, and the assault at the Drum Tower occurred despite major security measures that have blanketed the capital city during the Olympics: A 100,000-strong security force plus countless volunteer guards have been deployed to protect against any trouble. Beijing’s Communist leaders are hypersensitive about anything that could take the shine off the games. China’s Foreign Ministry said it had no immediate comment on the attack. Interpol said initial investigations found nothing indicating the murder was linked to terrorism or organized crime. “So far, our database check and preliminary analysis suggest that today’s murder-suicide was an isolated, though brutal, murder of one person and assault on two others,” said Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble. Tang’s name was run through computers containing more than 178,000 individuals, including 12,000 suspected terrorists, and came up blank. But Noble noted that the investigation was not complete. In a undated family photo rele… AP - Aug 9, 6:36 pm EDT Interpol said Tang had apparently recently divorced and had not been seen by relatives for two months. U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt visited the victims in hospital, and the embassy issued a statement later that said the attack “appears to be a senseless act of violence.” “We don’t believe this was targeted at American citizens, and we don’t believe this has anything to do with the Olympics,” embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson said. Attacks on foreigners in China are extremely rare. A Canadian model was murdered last month in Shanghai—police said she stumbled onto a burglary. In March, a screaming, bomb-strapped hostage-taker who commandeered a bus with 10 Australians aboard in the popular tourist city of Xi’an was shot dead by a police sniper. Shanghai and Beijing are still safer than most cities of their size. Punishments for crimes against foreigners are heavier than for crimes against Chinese, and police-linked neighborhood watch groups are highly vigilant. Chinese are not allowed to own guns. Still, the U.S. government has warned Americans against muggings, beatings and even carjackings, especially in the nightlife and shopping districts of large cities. The Drum Tower is one of few ancient structures still in fast-developing Beijing. Long ago, drummers pounded their massive instruments on the hour to let people in the imperial city know the time. It is located on an important central axis of the city, to the north of the Forbidden City, which was home to the emperor. Steve Wilson in Beijing contributed to this report. http://www.sterlingtiffany.com

Ambrose wins Zippo 200 Jimmie Johnson takes on fuel a… AP - Aug 9, 7:02 pm EDT WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP)—Marcos Ambrose took advantage of a fortuitous pit stop midway through the Nationwide Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International on Saturday and easily beat Kyle Busch for his first career NASCAR victory. Ambrose, from Tasmania, was in the pits on lap 42 when the fourth caution of the 82-lap race flew. He gained the lead on lap 48 but gave it up right away to top off for fuel. Ambrose worked his way up to third with 12 laps to go as Jeff Burton and Jimmie Johnson battled for the lead. But the two leaders ran out of fuel with less than four laps remaining and Ambrose coasted to the victory in the No. 59 JTG Daugherty Racing Ford. “I just feel like a weight is off my shoulders, just a huge relief,” said Ambrose, who was third last week in the rain in Montreal after leading the most laps and second on the road course in Mexico. “We’ve come close. We haven’t been able to close the deal. I’ve had to be patient.” “He’s been due,” Busch said. “He was leading last week in the rain by nine seconds.” Matt Kenseth finished third, followed by Kevin Harvick and polesitter Dario Franchitti, who was back in a NASCAR racecar for the first time in nearly a month. Franchitti, who lost his Cup ride with Chip Ganassi Racing last month because of a lack of sponsorship, led 18 laps in the first of seven Nationwide starts the former Indianapolis 500 champion will make this season for Ganassi. Brad Keselowski was sixth and moved past Carl Edwards into second place in the series standings, 128 points behind leader Clint Bowyer. Rookie Joey Logano finished seventh in his first race at Watkins Glen. Bowyer was running in the top 10 on a restart following the fifth and final caution of the race, but Edwards slammed into him on the first turn and both ran off course. Edwards finished 25th, two spots behind Bowyer. Johnson, in only his second start in the series this year, was seeking his first career road course victory and led 17 laps before pit strategy ruined his day. He finished 29th, while Burton limped home 14th. Johnson was leading midway through the race but was caught speeding off pit road under the caution on lap 42 and was sent to the rear of the field. Joining him there was Busch, who was penalized for an uncontrolled tire in the pits. Both came back in to top off with fuel, but too many laps remained to finish the race without pitting again. Still, both tried, gambling on cautions that never came. Burton, who had spun out on lap 3, gained the lead on lap 51 with Busch close behind. Busch, seeking to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win three road courses in one season, then stalked Burton for seven laps, often smoking his front tires on heavy braking in the turns. On the final turn of lap 62, Busch hit the right rear of Burton and both cars spun completely around. Busch rammed it in second gear and quickly took off with the lead as both drivers recovered, and Ambrose was able to get past Johnson for third when Johnson slowed because of smoke created by the spinout. Burton, one of the most mild-mannered drivers in NASCAR, exacted payback six laps later, catching the rear of Busch’s No. 92 Toyota and regaining the lead as Johnson roared past Busch into second. In an effort to save fuel, Johnson backed off and trailed by 1.2 seconds but was well ahead of Ambrose and Busch. But Johnson was forced to pit at the end of lap 78, four laps shy of the finish. Burton continued but ran out the next time around, giving Ambrose the lead. The final lap was tense. Ambrose had a big lead over Busch, but Boris Said was right in front of him and crew chief Gary Cogswell told Ambrose not to pass. Good idea. Ambrose spun Said in the April race in Mexico and the irate Said walked to the Australian’s pit box and apologized to Cogswell for the car that Ambrose’s team would have to fix down the road. “It’s pretty tremendous,” Cogswell said. “The race was just like a storybook race. It’s hard to just beat people. There’s just so many good cars. We were just able to put ourselves in the right position to win. Everything went the way it needed to for us to win.” “I’ve dragged my family halfway around the world, away from my dad and mom, and everybody who needs me back in Australia,” said the 31-year-old Ambrose, the first Aussie to win a race in any of NASCAR’s top three divisions. “Today it just feels like it’s worthwhile. It feels like I’ve conquered a huge mountain.” http://www.sterlingtiffany.com