Gäste-Forum » Open winning streak to 35

Alex Meyer knew this day would come. More than four years after his teammate and good friend died during an open water swimming race — a senseless, avoidable tragedy, in the view of Meyer and so many others — the sport is going back to the desert country where it occurred.For Meyer, that is simply inexcusable.Not now, he says defiantly.Not until the world governing body owns up to its role in the death of Fran Crippen.I really think its the wrong thing to do, for so many reasons, said Meyer, who competed at the London Olympics and hopes to make the U.S. team for the 2016 Rio Games. Im frustrated because I feel like FINA still has not taken responsibility for what happened.Crippen perished during a 10-kilometre race in the United Arab Emirates in October 2010, disappearing on the course without anyone noticing. Meyer, who counted Crippen among his closest friends, was among the first to recognize that something was wrong, demanding a search that finally led to the discovery of Crippens body two hours later. An autopsy found the 26-year-old from suburban Philadelphia died from drowning and heat exhaustion, though it didnt exclude other factors.There was no question that safety procedures were woefully inadequate, and numerous swimmers claimed the event shouldnt have been held on such a sweltering day.Over the next few years, through one Olympic cycle and into another, no open water races were scheduled in the U.A.E.Thats about to change.FINA has approved a 10-k World Cup race for March 13 in Abu Dhabi, contingent on the organizers pulling off a February test event for local swimmers without any problems.Meyer wont be there. No other Americans are expected, either, after USA Swimming objected to the event by saying it wouldnt send a team.Speaking with The Associated Press from his training base in Knoxville, Tennessee, Meyer said he was offended when FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu said we dont know why Crippen died.Really? I know damn well how he died, Meyer said, his voice rising in anger. It was way too hot, there was no supervision and no emergency response. Plain and simple. To say they dont know is just brazenly arrogant, in my opinion. Theyre going to get away with murder and continue to do the same thing.Meyer said it was just a matter of time before FINA scheduled another race in the oil-rich nation, which is eager to boost its sporting profile by hosting major international events. He figures this is nothing more than a financial decision, a chance to cash in on a big payday while ignoring those who feel FINAs upgraded safety standards are still not enough — especially when it comes to maximum water temperatures.Believe me, that money doesnt trickle down to the athletes, Meyer grumbled. It will be the same (explitive) prize money that it is for every World Cup. We travel halfway around the world and if we win, we get $2,500. Whoop-de-doo.Emily Hanson, a former U.S. open water swimmer and good friend of Crippens, told the AP on Saturday that its way too soon to return to the U.A.E., especially when theres still debate over FINA allowing races to be held in waters as warm as 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit).Weve not done enough research, said Hansen, who retired shortly after Crippens death — partly because of that — and now serves on USA Swimmings open water steering committee. Not enough regulations have been put into place to say, Yeah, were ready.Marculescu told the AP it would be unfair to prohibit the U.A.E. from ever hosting another event because of Crippens death.You cannot banish a federation for life, he said, while shrugging off USA Swimmings decision to skip the event. Its up to them. Its not mandatory.Another American swimmer, Andrew Gemmell, said theres no way hed compete in the U.A.E., where the average temperatures for March, while not as hot as they are in October when Crippen died, can still climb into the upper 80s. Like Meyer, he plans to fill the gap on his schedule with the March 28 Crippen Cup meet in Florida, named after the late swimmer.Its an absolute travesty theyre going back (to Abu Dhabi) when theres so many other wonderful locations, Gemmell, a 2012 Olympian, told the AP. Weve got the whole world to pick from, and were going back to a place that hasnt been prepared in the past and hasnt shown theyre prepared now to host an open water race.Meyer said hes especially troubled that FINA technical committee member Ayman Saad, who was in charge of the 2010 event, has reportedly been assigned to oversee the March race.I dont think he should get a second chance, Meyer said. If a doctor goes into the operating room and is not prepared, its his first time doing the procedure and he screws up, hurts somebody, injures somebody, even kills somebody, does he get a second chance? No way.___Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 DAngelo Russell Warriors Jersey . Browns advice worked. Irving scored 20 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 88-82 Saturday night. Irving made his first shot of the night on a layup a little over three minutes into the game. Omari Spellman Jersey . 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One more victory on the red clay will make him the first man to win five in a row and give him his 14th Grand Slam title -- tied in second place with Pete Sampras. The top-seeded Spaniard reached the final by beating Wimbledon champion Andy Murray 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 Friday on Court Philippe Chatrier, the stadium Nadal calls his favourite place to play. Djokovic defeated Ernests Gulbis 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the first semifinal. Nadal has beaten Djokovic at the French Open in all five of their meetings, starting with a quarterfinal victory in 2006. They also met in the semifinals in 2007, 08 and 13, and in the final in 2012. The second-seeded Djokovic, however, has beaten Nadal the last four times they have played, including on clay in the final in Rome last month. "Im going to try to be aggressive, because that is the only way I can win against him," Djokovic said.dddddddddddd "I know that, of course, this is the court hes most dominant on. He has only lost one time in his career. This is where he plays his best." The winner on Sunday will also be ranked No. 1 on Monday. Nadal is currently at the top, but needs to extend his French Open winning streak to 35 matches to stay there. He certainly played like the No. 1 on Friday. Nadal jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set, then broke early again in the second and third sets. The Spaniard had six break points in the entire match, and converted each one. Murray, meanwhile, couldnt even manage to earn a single break point. Besides his eight titles at the French Open, Nadal has also won twice at Wimbledon, twice at the U.S. Open and once at the Australian Open. Sampras won 14 major titles in his career, but never the French Open. The record holder is Roger Federer with 17 Grand Slam titles. He won his 14th in Paris in 2009, the only French Open in which Nadal lost a match. ' ' '