Move over Michael Phelps, Sweden’s Jonas Jacobsson just won his 14th Gold Medal in the Paralympic Games, increasing his collection to 23 Medals overall. The 43-year-old won his latest Gold Medal in the mens SH1 10m air rifle event. He is competing in his eighth Paralympic Games and will compete in two more events.

Post from: EveryJoe

Sweden’s Jacobsson Wins 14th Paralympic Gold

Swedish wrestler, Ara Abrahamian came to win Gold and didn’t want anything to do with the Bronze Medal he was awarded in the 84kg category of the Greco-Roman wrestling event. Although he grudgingly mounted the medal stand, he tossed his medal on the mat after the ceremony and walked away.

Said Abrahamian, a two-time world champion, to Reuters News Agency, “I think the semifinal shows that FILA (world wrestling governing body) does not play fair. I didn’t deserve to lose. The system is corrupt.”

Unfortunately, his outburst is overshadowing the Gold Medal performance of Andrea Minguzzi of Italy and that of Silver Medalist, Zoltan Fodor of Hungary. It also shows an appalling lack of sportsmanship. The IOC indicated that there would be a disciplinary hearing about the incident.

Post from: EveryJoe

Swedish Wrestler Rejects Bronze Medal

Kristin Armstrong of the United States won the 14.6-mile cycling time trial event on Wednesday, with a time of 34:51.72. She is just the second American woman to win cycling Gold in Olympic history. Emma Pooley of Great Britain took the Silver Medal and Karin Thurig of Switzerland took the Bronze.

Armstrong, who just just turned 35 on Monday, was the 2006 world champion and the 2007 silver medalist in the world championships. She didn’t compete in the time trial event in Athens.

In the men’s cycling time trial event, two-time world champion, Fabian Cancellera of Switzerland took the Gold Medal, navigating the 47.3km (29.4 mile) course in 1:2:11.43. Gustav Larsson of Sweden earned the Silver Medal and Levi Leipheimer of the United States earned the Bronze.

Post from: EveryJoe

Amstrong Wins Women’s Cycling Time Trial

Nicole Cooke of Great Britain overcame horrible conditions during a rainy day in Beijing to win the women’s cycling road race on Sunday. The 25-year-old Wales native finished the 78.5-mile trek in 3 hours, 32 minutes, and 24 seconds, just seconds before Silver Medalist, Emma Johansson of Sweden and Bronze Medalist, Tatiana Guderzo of Italy.

The intermittent, heavy rain caused several crashes, including American Kristen Armstrong. No riders were seriously injured.

This is Cooke’s first Olympics. She is a three-time medalist in World Cycling Championship events.

Post from: EveryJoe

Britain’s Cooke Wins Women’s Road Race

Current Poll question is: World Cup 2006: Which country will you be supporting?

Will your heart go out to a newcomer, the Socceroos of Australia? Or are you a die-hard pom supporter so it’s England? Perhaps you haven’t had enough of Brazil’s fancy footwork, so, you plan to root for the defending champions? Or the host country of the Cup, Germany, catches your fancy? Maybe your loyalties turn to the future home of David Beckham’s football prowess, USA? Then again, Sweden is not a bad bet either. :)

You asking me? Well — I already told you about it. Hahaha. ;)

Anyway, regardless of our differences, I’m sure if you take time to vote, we’d get to find out which country we should look out for in the upcoming 2006 World Cup in Germany.

So, go support your country of choice!

Post from: EveryJoe

Introducing Light the Torch’s Poll

They are the first country to win both the Olympic gold and the World title in the same year. They beat Finland in the last Winter Olympics in Torino and beat the defending champion, Czech Republic in the Hockey World Championships.

Quite impressive, eh? Well, wait till you hear that no team has ever managed to win the double in international hockey. There have only been six instances that the Olympics and World Championships were played on separate tournaments in the same year.

Sweden made it into Hockey history.

Canada, who won the title for two consecutive years, 2003 and 2004, before losing to Czech Republic last year, failed to place this year, a first in four years. They lost the bronze to Finland.

ESPN

Post from: EveryJoe

Sweden, Hockey’s Finest

It’s a list of the qualified countries divided into groups which will play during the finals group stage that can somehow be translated to a “how-to-get-rid-of-World-Cup-wannabes” process.

There is a mixture of opinions and emotions about the draw. I reckon particularly in Australia since it’s their first time to qualify for the World Cup in years only to get Brazil in the draw or England who got Sweden, a team they haven’t beaten in 37 years. But you’ll never know. I do believe that anything can happen.

Anyway, I’ve listed the Draw results so you can go see for yourself.

GROUP A

Germany
Costa Rica
Poland
Ecuador

GROUP B

England
Paraguay
Trinidad & Tobago
Sweden

GROUP C

Argentina
Ivory Coast
Serbia & Montenegro
Holland

GROUP D

Mexico
Iran
Angola
Portugal

GROUP E

Italy
Ghana
USA
Czech Republic

GROUP F

Brazil
Croatia
Australia
Japan

GROUP G

France
Switzerland
South Korea
Togo

GROUP H

Spain
Ukraine
Tunisia
Saudi Arabia

Image: BBC

Post from: EveryJoe

The Draw