The Belgians in Rio: huge disappointment for David Goffin, Thomas Pieters and Nicolas Colsaerts start well in golf

Here are the results (and the program) of the Belgians in Rio this Thursday.

GOLF

Thomas Pieters 4th after the first day, Nicolas Colsaerts 9th

Thomas Pieters and Nicolas Colsaerts brilliantly started the first of the four days of the Olympic golf tournament, Thursday in Rio. Thomas Pieters (IGF 64) finished in 4th place thanks to a total of 67 strokes, Nicolas Colsaerts (IGF 127) is 9th with 68 strokes. Australian Marcus Fraser (IGF 90) is temporarily in the lead with 63 shots, 8 under par. Starting in the third group, Thomas Pieters started his tournament well, signing two birdies at holes N.1 and N.3. After two new birdies for a single bogey, he completed the first half of the course in 32 shots. Constant, the 24-year-old Antwerper added two birdies for a bogey, finishing the first day with a total of 67 shots, four under par.

Nicolas Colsaerts, who started a little after his compatriot, had an uneven first half, where he signed three birdies for as many bogeys. More consistent then, the 33-year-old from Brussels finished the course in 68 strokes thanks to three birdies at holes N.15, 16 and 18, finishing three strokes under par.

Marcus Fraser is currently in the lead with a card of 63 moves. The 90th in the world signed nine birdies for a single bogey and is three lengths ahead of Canadian Graham Delaet and Swede Henrik Stenson, 66 points each.

On hole N.4, 172m long, Briton Justin Rose made history, signing the first eagle of an Olympic golf tournament. The sport’s last appearance was at the Games in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904.

TENNIS

Goffin fails in 8th and will not face Nadal

David Goffin (ATP 13) was eliminated Thursday in the third round of the Olympic men’s singles tournament in Rio. The Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci (ATP 54), supported by his local public, was able to find the fault, and dismissed the 25-year-old from Liège in these round of 16 with the score of 7-6 (12/10) 6-4. Goffin, 8th seed in the men’s singles table, thus misses the opportunity to play a prestigious duel in the quarter against the Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

In the first round, he had eliminated the Australian Sam Groth (ATP 70) with the score of 6-4 6-2, before dismissing the Israeli Dudi Sela (ATP 65), 6-3 6-3, to hoist in 8th.

Thursday, the Belgian managed the break from the 3rd game of the game (2-1) before continuing with a shutout, recording an ideal start to the match, notably helped by the faults of his opponent. But Bellucci fought back and forced his way back into the match, winning in a suspenseful tie-break before continuing his momentum in the second set. At the end of the game, the two players had the same number of winning moves (18), but the Brazilian pulled out of the game via the faults he caused in his opponent (33, against 21).

Goffin, who was taking part in his second Games, was the last Belgian to compete in tennis.

HOCKEY

Another victory for the Red Lions!

Belgium beat Spain 1-3 in their fourth game in Pool A and remain undefeated in the Olympic hockey tournament.

Relive the meeting here!

JUDO

Nikiforov eliminated in round of 16

The dream of Olympic (gold) medal in Rio of judoka Toma Nikiforov flew away Thursday shortly before noon from the 2nd round (1/8th final) in the category of less than 100 kg. The reigning European vice-champion, and 3rd at the 2015 Worlds, was outclassed by a newcomer to the category, Beka Gviniashvili. At barely 20 years old, the Georgian who climbed -90 kg this year inflicted an ippon on him, after having successively scored a yuko then a waza-ari and finally a second waza-ari synonymous with ippon. « I’ve never seen anyone throw Toma Nikiforov like that », coach Damiano Martinuzzi’s analysis is clear. « He’s a ball of muscle. He hardly does any fight without leading from the start. He puts yuko, he keeps going, he puts waza-ari, he keeps going. The assaults, it’s non-stop with him. » In tears leaving the competition set, Toma Nikiforov could not hide his disappointment. The Schaerbeekois did not look for an excuse.

« I came to win. I had a great first fight, I was well prepared in every way. I felt really good. I was comfortable. Everything was fine. But the Georgian, he’s unknown. It’s the first time I’ve met him. He surprised me and not just once, and that’s what annoys me. He was very well known in under 90 kg (winner of the Masters in 2015 and junior world champion in 2015, ed). nor in competition but we had studied it. »

« In this fight, I was always second on the attack and that is what costs me the defeat. He is small, very compact. He has an atypical judo, which is difficult to catch. It hurts to take me out like this before the quarters. We go home with nothing at all. »

Against Gviniashvili, the tactic was that « I had to shift more, not stay in front and I didn’t do it very well. But, he puts such physical pressure that I didn’t have time to m ‘dodge,’ Nikiforov acknowledged. « In my opinion, he will go on the podium. »

« At the moment Toma does not have the kumikata (grip of the opponent’s kimono) developed enough for this kind of judoka. There are things to do before placing an attack. But it’s not just the technique (to work), there is also the mental, » said Martinuzzi, who will remember his protege’s tactical progress in the first fight.

Against Iranian Mahjoub, Nikiforov was patient, hard-working and leading a two-man penalty when he managed to place seoi-nage and got ippon in the final second. What to be launched. It was not the case.

« I’m sure he can be an Olympic champion. If it’s not today, it will be in four years, » says his coach, who points out that Toma is only 23 years old.

« I am young, there will be at least one more Olympiad and if my physique allows it I will have two more », consoles Toma Nikiforov.

SWIMMING

No Belgians in the 50 freestyle semi-finals

Jasper Aerents and François Heersbrandt were both released on Thursday, at the Rio Olympics, at the stage of the 50m freestyle series. Both swimmers failed to place in the top 16. Jasper Aerents finished 7th in the 7th of 11 heats, clocking 22.61. François Heersbrandt finished 7th in the following series, in 22.58. The latter, who is already competing in his third Games, improved on his best mark from 2016, which was 22.68 before this race, but he would have had to go well beyond his personal career best of 22.17 to hope to hang a place in halves.

The last swimmer to advance to the next round is indeed the Romanian Norbert Trandafir, with a time of 22.10.

Heersbrandt and Aerents post the 38th and 39th times of all entries. Ukrainian Govorov qualified with the best time, in 21.49, ahead of Americans Nathan Adrian (21.61) and Anthony Ervin (21.63). Florent Manaudou, reigning Olympic champion, passes with the 4th time (21.72).

HORSE RIDING

Verwimp eliminated at the end of the Dressage Grand Prix

Jorinde Verwimp placed 35th in the Individual Dressage Grand Prix on Thursday at the Rio Olympics. With Tiamo, the young 21-year-old woman collected 70.771 points in this first event, a score however insufficient to continue the competition. A first half of the pairs involved had already come into action on Wednesday. At the end of the Grand Prix, which serves as the first round at both individual and team level, the members of the 6 nations that finished at the top of the team classification are qualified for the Special Grand Prix, which takes place on Friday, as well as eight additional individual riders, determined on the basis of their score.

On Thursday, Germany, Great Britain, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark qualified in that order for the Grand Prix Special, each team comprising 4 riders. Jorinde Verwimp narrowly falls out of the 8 additional individual qualifying places for the rest of the competition, the Frenchman Pierre Volla being the last to be thus drafted out of the team classification. This one is 30th in the Grand Prix classification, with a score of 71.500.

BADMINTON

Lianne Tan loses her first pool match in badminton

Lianne Tan was beaten for her first of three pool matches at the badminton singles tournament at the Rio Olympics on Thursday in Group E. Lianne Tan, 25, 68th in the world, lost 2 sets to 1 (21 -17, 20-22, 21-14) against American Iris Wang (BWF 37), 21, in 62 minutes of play.

Lianne Tan, silver medalist at the 2015 European Games in Kazan, must then play against China’s Li Xuerui, 3rd in the world and reigning Olympic champion, on Friday at 1:30 a.m. (Belgian time) then against Portugal’s Telma Santos, 71st in the world ranking , Sunday at midnight 55.

Only the first of the group qualifies for the final table. The other group match on Thursday saw Li Xuerui defeat Telma Santos 2-0 (21-12, 21-7) in just 25 minutes.

At the London Olympics in 2012, Lianne Tan beat the Swiss Sabrina Jacquet then lost against the Indian Saina Nehwal, in her pool, and was eliminated.

GYMNAST

Nina Derwael, 19th in the individual competition, could have claimed 11th place without a fall

She became, at barely 16, the best Belgian gymnast in history at the Olympic Games. Late Thursday afternoon, Nina Derwael took 19th place in the individual general competition (All-around) which brought together the 24 best on the four apparatus at the end of the qualifications. Aagje Vanwalleghem finished 23rd at the Athens Games in 2004. La Trudonnaire also set a personal best with 56.299 points. A score that could have been much better without a fall in the last exercise, the beam.

« It costs a point and so without it I could have finished 11th. It’s a shame. But it was my first major senior championship. » She also occupied 11th place before going up on the beam.

By obtaining 15.300 on the uneven bars, the only Belgian in the final also signed the 2nd score of all the finalists on the apparatus, enough to regret not appearing in the apparatus final. « I’m especially happy to have been able to show what I could do. I think it’s my best performance in competition. I had done more or less the same exercise during the team event (she had obtained 15.133 , insufficient to be among the top 8). »

« The public was really making a lot of noise, » added Nina Derwael, who had the misfortune of having to perform her exercise on the beam when the undisputed star of American women’s gymnastics Simone Biles had just won the medal. gold. « You have to try not to listen and stay focused. It’s not always easy. On the beam, it’s just a shame that I missed an element (on which she fell). It will be for the next time. »

« I’m still young, I have the time. Such a performance and experience is an encouragement to continue. I’m also very happy that the coaches (Yves Kieffer and his wife Marjorie Heuls) will stay another four years. know well. We won’t have to adapt to a new coach. »

Usually surrounded by her teammates from the Belgian team, Nina Derwael had to evolve alone this time. « When I walked into the warm-up hall alone, my eyes opened wide seeing all the big names. It was impressive at first for me who was still a junior until this year. And then I had to concentrate but as soon as the competition started it got better. »

Nina Derwael is of course, like everyone else, impressed by the performance of Olympic champion Simone Biles, the equivalent of Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt in women’s gymnastics. « She is fantastic. Everyone knew, more or less, that she was going to win today. A fourth title in a row (three world titles 2013, 2014, 2015 and the Olympic title, editor’s note). No one will be able to match such a career, I believe », concluded Nina Derwael, her eyes shining from having rubbed shoulders with the stars of her discipline of which she can hope one day to be a part.