sxx123: tional doping controls, Cookson said it will be a nor

sxx123

As a young gymnast growing up in Oklahoma in the 1980s, I had one idol: Mary Lou Retton, who vaulted her way to victory at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Cheap Chicago Cubs Jerseys . Mary Lou was peppy, compact and full of explosive power. As a gymnast I was nothing like her. All the same, I was determined to carry on her legacy: to go out and achieve excellence at every single competition, no matter what the circumstances.Mary Lous accomplishments followed me and my future Olympic teammates to dream throughout our childhoods, and they accompanied us as we marched into the Georgia Dome for our own Olympic moment when we won gold in July of 1996.Fast forward 20 years, and the Final Five -- Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabrielle Douglas, Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez -- are the undisputed queens of gymnastics. You cant really compare the victories: My teammates and I won Olympic gold by eight-tenths of a point in a close duel with the Russians. The Final Five stormed the Rio Olympic Arena and landed eight whole points above the nearest competition (still Russia). They are that good.No one word does this team justice, but when I think about it I keep coming back to the word strong. All gymnasts are physically strong, and behind every flawless routine is half a lifetime of work. But the mental strength displayed by these five young women surpasses age, natural talent, and even the assurance that springs from outstanding past results.It was an open secret that the American women were going to win the team gold medal in Rio, barring a stranger-than-fiction catastrophe. It was so clear they were the best that they didnt even need to do everything they were capable of to lock down that medal. They could have chosen to simplify their routines. To play it safe. To protect the gold. They could have accepted winning by seven points, or six, or five -- and it still would have been glorious.But they refused to go easy. They gave everything they had, performing to the maximum of their abilities. And they executed flawlessly, turning in the most dominant performance of any womens gymnastics team ever.We say its easier to be the hunter than the hunted. I always felt it was simpler to be the underdog, because when there are no expectations, whatever you do is going to be great. But when youre the team thats supposed to win -- when youve been splashed across the media and everyone is saying that you cant possibly lose this -- it can throw you off balance. What I love about the Final Five is that each of these young women was actually able to thrive on that pressure. They understood that they were walking in as the best and they were determined to maintain that. To be able to cross the finish line, to fight for every tenth of a point as though everything were riding on it, is as hard as most of the gymnastics they did so well in Rio.What better example could be set for all the little girls who were glued to their TV or computer screens watching them this summer? What more could we ask for in role models for our daughters, the next generation of Simones, Alys, Gabbys, Madisons and Lauries?More on the Final Five? They are the greatest! U.S. are best womens gymnastics team ever?Story ?? Simone Biles and Final Five meet Zac Efron?Story ?? The Final Five gymnasts play Hungry Hungry Humans with Jimmy Fallon?Story ?? 9 stunning photos of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team?Photo gallery ?The IMPACT25 is espnWs annual list of the 25 athletes and influencers who have made the greatest difference for women in sports. Explore the 2016 list and more content at espnW.com/IMPACT25. Cheap Cubs Jerseys . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. Authentic Kris Bryant Jersey . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. www.cheapcubsjerseysshop.com/?tag=authentic-joe-maddon-jersey .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. SAINT-LO, France -- Tour de France cyclists suspected of using hidden motors will be stopped even in the middle of a stage, UCI president Brian Cookson said Friday.The International Cycling Union (UCI) is using a magnetic resonance test and thermal cameras to catch any cheats.We can do the tests at the start, at the finish. We can take bikes during the race if there are any changes, Cookson said. Its not just the bikes that the riders start off the race. We test the bikes on the cars. We test the bikes on the teams trucks as well.The race starts Saturday at Mont Saint-Michel.The first time anyone was suspected of mechanical doping was in 2010, when Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara was forced to deny he won Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders with the help of an electric bike after a video appeared to show him pushing a button on the handlebars during both races. Bike checks were introduced and have been carried out by the UCI at its events.This year, Belgian cyclist Femke Van den Driessche was caught using a motor on her bike at the cyclo-cross world championships. She was banned for six years.We will both target and be unpredictable, Cookson said. We are not going to test every bike and every team every day. We are going to test a large number, probably do over 3,000 tests during the Tour de France, compared to 20 or 30 last year.Cookson would not speculate on how widespreead mechanical doping is. Authentic Jon Lester Jersey. learly the technology exists, clearly it is a threat that we have to deal with, and absolutely we will do what we can to make sure we combat it effectively, he said.In April, French television program Stade 2 claimed to have detected motors at two Italian races by using roadside thermal cameras. The UCI previously said its magnetic resistance test was more effective than flawed heat-seeking tests, which it said were effective only if bikes are filmed close up from motorcycles.To reassure authorities in France, the police and [Tour organizer] ASO, if we have to adopt a supplemental method, then we will do that, Cookson said. We have a good system. We are happy to use an additional system from time to time as we will be using during the Tour.In terms of traditional doping controls, Cookson said it will be a normal regime, with the possibility of tests at night, as allowed by French law.The French Anti-Doping Agency and the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation -- an independent organization mandated by the UCI -- renewed their partnership for the Tour, with targeted tests being carried out throughout the three-week race.A total of 656 tests -- 482 blood tests and 174 urine tests --?were performed during the 2015 Tour. Cheap Jerseys 2019 Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Jerseys NFL China Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Disocunt Football Jerseys ' ' '