After winning gold medal in this year Olympics in the men’s 3-metre synchronised springboard, we have discovered more information regarding Chris Mears (23) dark days.
“From escaping the near death and coming this far…. I pretty proud of what I have accomplished” - Mears stated. With only 15 years old he suffered a ruptured spleen while he was training in Sydney for the Youth Olympic Festival.
After losing two liters of blood and his organs starting to shut down he was giving a 5% chance of survival. Upon admission to the hospital doctors told it was likely he would never dive again.
Few days he was on life support. When he finally started feeling better, he was discharged from the hospital but remained in Australia until fit to fly. One morning his family found him on the hotel room floor having a seizure which led to a three-day come.
Even doctors said that he would never dive again, he returned to the Olympics, and won a gold medal.
Jack Laugher and Chris Mears (left) celebrate and Joe Clarke with his gold. Credit: Reuters/PA
This one is an interesting story about a canoeist from Japan
- Kazuki Yazawa (27), whose every morning begins with prays. And not, as many
of you have thought, hitting the gym as would any other Olympic athlete first
thing in the morning.
Buddhist priest Kazuki Yazawa competes during the kayak (K1) men’s heats of the Canoe Slalom at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Credit: KYODO
His day begins in Buddhist temple. He has a full-time job as
a priest, while cannoing he enjoys in his free time.
Yazawa during his interviews admits his decision to become a
priest was not purely spiritual decision. Dreams of endorsement deals and
a bit of fame never came true, after his return from the 2012 Olympic games in
London. Even though he reached 9 place and set a Japanese record. In order to
support himself he decided to secure a full-time job.
In 2013 Yazawa has decided to take a 2-year brake from
training and focus on his new calling. It wasn’t until he won the Japanese
Canoe Slalom National Tournament in 2015 that he turned back to the
sport.
Despite the full-time job, he increased his training days in
order to show results in Rio 2016.
He believes that his faith helped him in preparing for the
Olympics, strengthening his focus and positive vibes.
Serbia defeated France, 70-63, and won the bronze medal in women's basketball at the 2016 Olympics.
Credit: REUTERS/ Jim Young
This is the first Olympic medal in women's basketball for Serbia as an independent country, and it comes in the country's first appearance. After a miraculous run to the bronze medal game, the team finished it off with one last win.
Just in one day three medals went to Serbia's Olympic score.
For women basketball (bronze), volleyball (silver) and men water polo gold medals made Rio 2016 the most successful story for Serbian sport ever.
Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
Volleyball National Team Coach Zoran Terzic
Early on Sunday European time, Serbian women's squad lost to China 1-3 (25-19, 17-25, 22-25, 23-25) in the final of the volleyball competition, winning silver for their country.
This brought the total number of medals won in the Rio Olympics by Serbian athletes to seven: two golds, three silvers, two bronzes.
How world reported on this water polo symphony as Andrija Prlainovic named the match for Olympic gold:
Serbia beats Croatia for the water polo gold but it was more than a game
LA Times headlines a golden Rio match.
Nathan Fenno started a report from the scene:
Their countries, Croatia and Serbia, share a 150-mile border and a bloody history. They battled in the early 1990s as part of the conflagration ignited by the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. They traded claims of genocide. Their sporting events against each other became about much more than who won or lost and regularly led to unseemly chants, riots, even diplomatic incidents.
On Saturday, they shared a pool in the water polo final at the Rio Games.
"We don't have any enemies when we play against them," Serbia's Gojko Pijetlovic said after his country muscled its way to an 11-7 victory for the gold medal. "We don't hate anybody. We just play water polo. We play everyone the same."
Then he added: "It's our national spirit. We don't like to lose."
The spirit echoed through the stadium even though empty seats outnumbered the occupied ones and Brazilians dressed in yellow and green dominated the crowd. A few hundred Serbian supporters in the upper bowl waved their country's red, blue and white flag while a handful of hyperactive ringleaders urged on sing-song chants of "Serbia!"
This didn't resemble some of the troubled previous meetings between the neighbors that date back to soccer brawls before Yugoslavia's demise. Violence erupted between Croatian and Serbian supporters during the European water polo championship in 2003 — and led to a window-smashing attack on the Croatian embassy in Belgrade. Fans of the countries clashed in 2007 at the Australian Open tennis tournament, then collided later that year during a water polo match in Melbourne. Riot police became a familiar presence at games.
The usual handful of men wearing the maroon beret of Brazil's National Public Security Force wandered through the stadium's concourse Saturday with pistols strapped to their right legs. A bored-looking soldier stared blankly at the wall near dozens of parked baby strollers. There wasn't anything for them to do.
In the pool, however, everything looked different...wrote Nathan Fenno from LA Times
Joshua Schneyer (REUTERS) reported from the scene:
Serbia's world champion men’s water polo team defeated arch rivals Croatia 11-7 to win their first Olympic gold medal in the sport and dethrone the title holders on Saturday.
The Serbian victory came as the country's athletes round out an impressive Games in Rio and also prepare to compete for gold in women's volleyball and men's basketball.
In a water polo final marked by rough and aggressive play in front of both goals, Serbia showed superior firepower and defense.
Serbia's Dusan Mandic scored four times, while goalkeeper Branislav Mitrovic's impressive blocks kept Croatia out. Two goals came from Filip Filipovic, age 29 and a veteran of two past Serbian Olympic teams which each won bronze. Filipovic was elected the most valuable player of the tournament.
A Serbia team that has swept up world and regional titles since 2012 finally proved its dominance on the most prestigious stage. Filipovic said his team, known for both stellar defense and great shooting, was probably the best ever assembled in the sport.
After winning the European and world championships, Serbia’s men’s water polo team finally etched itself into Olympic history, winning the country’s first gold medal on Saturday at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Serbia defeated the defending Olympic champion Croatia team 11-7 to cap a stunning two weeks of water polo in Brazil. The Serbian players draped the flag over the goal and celebrated history in what is arguably the biggest sport in the country.
Schooling was born in Singapore and first met Phelps when the US Olympic swim team visited Singapore in 2008.
The American helped inspire the young Singaporean to move to the United States for extensive training at 14, first going to Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida before attending the University of Texas.
The swimming star's mother, May, and father, Colin, negotiated their son's long-term deferment from National Service in 2013, according to Yahoo! Sports.
In 2013, May predicted her son would be a success in Rio, but could never have predicted Friday's result.
Ethiopian swimmer Robel Kiros Habte, who possesses a figure that some have noted isn't quite as athletic as some of the other swimmers, has won the adoration of fans despite posting very slow times.
Credit: REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler
Robel Kiros Habte was dubbed 'Robel the Whale' for his portly physique after he competed in the Men's 100 meter Freestyle heats
He said: 'Every day you wake up in Ethiopia, you run. Not swimming. But I didn't want to run, I wanted to be a swimmer. It didn't matter where I finished'
Credit: NBC Olympics
Habte's entry for Rio was secured on a special invitation from FINA extended to athletes from under-represented countries
His quick rise to prominence has raised comparisons to Equatorial Guinea's Eric Moussambani, the crowd favourite of the Sydney 2000 Olympics known as 'Eric the Eel'.
'I'm going to stay up late and have fun," Bolt told BBC Sport.
'I never knew this would happen when I started out. My team came through for me tonight. As long as we got the baton round, it was never in doubt.
'It's a brilliant feeling. It's been a long road. I'm happy, but I'm relieved. It's great to be in the history books as one of the greatest. I'm proud of myself.'
