Swimming: Phelps poised for final victory lap in London

Prolific American aims to clinch third straight Olympic gold.

LOS ANGELES: Michael Phelps was touted as one of the greatest Olympians of all time four years ago in Beijing, where his stunning sweep of eight gold medals in eight events gave him a career tally of 14 gold and two bronze medals.

Phelps will now be looking to put the finishing touches on his glittering Olympics career in London, where the swimming superstar says he has nothing left to prove but plenty to achieve.

“I just want to go out and challenge myself,” said Phelps. “There are things that I want to do, and from a competitive part of my career I don’t have a very big window to be able to accomplish them.”

His four individual events in London - the 100m and 200m butterfly and 200m and 400m individual medleys - all offer him a chance at a third straight Olympics gold, a feat no male swimmer has ever achieved.

Saudi Arabia name first women competitors

Meanwhile, two female athletes from Saudi Arabia will compete at the London Games in a historic first for the country, announced the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The sportswomen - Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani (judo) and Sarah Attar (800m) - were entered by the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee ahead of the July 9 deadline.

“A big inspiration for participating in the Olympic Games is being one of the first women for Saudi Arabia to be going,” said Attar. “It’s such a huge honour and I hope that it can really make some big strides for women over there to get more involved in sport.”

IOC President Jacques Rogge praised the Saudi decision which followed negotiations between the Lausanne-based organisation and the kingdom’s sports chiefs.

“This is very positive news and we will be delighted to welcome these two athletes in London in a few weeks’ time,” said Rogge. “The IOC has been working very closely with the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee and I am pleased to see that our continued dialogue has come to fruition.”

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei were the only three countries yet to send women athletes to the Olympics. But all three countries will now be represented when the Games get under way on July 27.

Johnson takes flame to Stonehenge

Four-time US Olympics gold medallist Michael Johnson ran around Stonehenge with the London 2012 flame yesterday in what he called a ‘magic’ moment.

The retired sprinter, who still holds the 400 metres world and Olympics records, carried the torch around the prehistoric monument in Wiltshire famed for its circle of large standing stones.

“It was a great experience to carry the torch around the iconic Stonehenge,” said Johnson. “This was incredible, just a really incredible, magic moment.” The torch relay is on the 55th day of its 8,000-mile journey around Britain. Johnson said he was looking forward to the Olympics, which officially open on July 27.

“The competition on the track should take care of itself and I think London will do a great job of hosting the Games.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2012.