Sports
London 2012: 15-Yr Old Wins Swimming Gold
Teenager Ruta Meilutyte won Lithuania’s first ever Olympic gold in the pool by beating American Rebecca Soni in the women’s 100m breaststroke.
The 15-year-old, who goes to the same Plymouth school as Tom Daley , led from the start and beat the fast-finishing Soni by 0.08 seconds.
“Coming into this with her times you would never have predicted she would get to the final. She was just blown away by the occasion but what a way to do it.”
Japan’s Satomi Suzuki earned bronze, while Australia’s defending champion Leisel Jones finished fifth.
“I can’t believe it,” said a stunned Meilutyte. “It’s too much for me.”
Having set a new European record in the heats, a mark that beat her personal best by two seconds, Meilutyte swam even faster in the semi-finals on Sunday to qualify fastest for the final ahead of world champion and Beijing silver medallist Soni.
In the final, following a fault at the start, where the bleep went before the swimmers were told to take their marks, Meilutyte astonished both herself and the crowd to hold off her challengers and win in 1:05.47.
The gold was Lithuania’s first medal of the London Olympics.
Meilutyte, who moved to Britain three years ago with her father, is trained by English coach Jon Rudd.
He said that a fast swim had been “brewing for a while”.
“We didn’t realistically know what she would do,” said Rudd, who revealed that Meilutyte was a freestyler when she arrived in the United Kingdom.
“Her breaststroke was pretty tidy and we tidied it up even more.
“A big swim around the 1:05-1:06 mark was brewing for a while, it was just about putting the elements together on the day.
“She is a talented and vigilant worker. When you’ve got talent and work ethic you’ve got a great kid.”
Meilutyte could add to her medal tally as she is competing in the women’s 50m and 100m freestyle.
Plymouth College assistant headteacher Sarah Dunn said of her student’s triumph: “We are almost in tears, it was such an achievement.
“We knew she had great potential when she arrived here three years ago. Not only is she a fantastic athlete, but she is also a great scholar.
“She has always demonstrated superb talent and the hunger and desire to succeed. We had every confidence in her.
“To achieve what she has at such a young age is incredible. She is a real credit and we are so proud of her.”
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.