Top coach Tonks threatens to ‘ditch’ New Zealand for China

Korean star’s doctor fined over steroid injection

WELLINGTON, Dec 17, (AFP): One of New Zealand’s most successful Olympic sports, rowing, was in turmoil Thursday with celebrated coach Dick Tonks threatening to defect to China eight months out from the Rio Games.

A feud between Tonks, who has coached multiple world and Olympic champions, and rowing bosses erupted after he refused demands to stop assisting a Chinese crew based in New Zealand.

Rowing New Zealand (RNZ) chief Simon Peterson said Tonks had to choose between New Zealand and China.

“He decided to go with the Chinese. He has walked... and wants nothing to do with us at RNZ,” Peterson claimed on Radio Sport.

Tonks, 64, maintained that assisting overseas crews was not new and he was angry his dispute

under coach Denis Cotterell, determined to be at the top of his game for the Olympic trials in April.

Meanwhile, respected Dutchman Jacco Verhaeren was rewarded Thursday for restoring stability in the Australian swim team with his contract extended until after the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Verhaeren, best known for guiding Dutch greats Pieter van den Hoogenband and Inge de Bruijn to Olympic success at the Sydney and Athens Games, was drafted in two years ago to help rescue the team’s reputation after a dismal London Olympics.

That Games netted just one swimming gold medal in a campaign marred by illdiscipline, drug use and drunkenness.

Since then the squad has produced solid results, including at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and world short course championships, and the 2015 worlds.

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A South Korean doctor was fined $847 on Thursday for injecting swimming star Park Tae-Hwan with steroids, an incident which resulted in an 18-month ban for the former Olympic

was being played out in the media.

“I’ve been undermined at different times with no consultation at all,” he told TV3 of his relationship with rowing bosses.

“You don’t normally conduct these things in the press and that’s very annoying. And the statement that they are in consultation with me when they are not, is also highly annoying.”

Tonks is currently the personal coach of two New Zealand Olympic medal prospects -- defending single sculls champion Mahe Drysdale and the world champion women’s doubles team Zoe Stevenson and Eve Macfarlane.

While Drysdale and his management team attempted to heal the rift, Tonks said he was weighing up an offer to coach in China.

“Now I have another option on the table in front of me that secures my future,” he said.

champion.

The doctor, identified only by her surname, Kim, was found guilty of breaching the medical code but cleared of the more serious charge of causing Park bodily harm.

Park, 25, faces missing next year’s Rio Olympics after he failed a drugs test in September last year and was later banned for 18 months by world body FINA.

The doctor told Seoul district court she had been “victimised as a scapegoat” ahead of the FINA hearing as the fourtime Olympic medallist fought to clear his name.

She said that despite an earlier denial from his management team, Park was well aware he was receiving male hormone and vitamin injections when he visited her hospital in December 2013 and July 2014.

“After these two occasions, Park himself selected injections and I thought both his agents and Park were well in control” (of any potential doping problems), she said last month in her final testimony.

The doctor injected Park, known as “Marine Boy”, with the steroid Nebido to boost his testosterone levels, which were lower than average, her lawyer said. in a match they must win to maintain any hope of reaching the knock-out stages.

Saracens are in control of Pool 1 having won all three matches so far and host debutants Oyonnax on Saturday.

They romped to a 45-10 win in France last weekend but head coach Mark McCall believes they can do much better at Allianz Park.

A home win would appear a near certainty with even Oyonnax head coach Olivier Azam admitting his side have limited ambitions.

Reigning champions Toulon travel to Leinster on Saturday with the Irish province, three-time former winners like their hosts, already as good as eliminated after three straight defeats.

But Toulon’s Irish lock Paul O’Connell, who is injured and will miss the match, believes Leinster will nonetheless be fired up.

Toulon need to take something from the game to keep pace with English sides Bath and Wasps, who meet in the other Pool 5 clash.

A last gasp George Ford conversion of Anthony Watson’s try gave Bath a 25-23 win at Wasps last weekend.

Bath maintained a perfect record but Wasps are top of the group by two points having played a game more.

Last year’s runners-up Clermont are another side looking to bounce back as they host Exeter on Sunday.

The French giants already trail their opponents and Ospreys, who travel to Bordeaux-Begles the day before, by five points in Pool 2 after losing 31-14 in England last week.

Canadian Paralympic swimmer Benoit Huot (right), and Australian swimmer Grant Hackett (left), listen as American swimmer Natalie Coughlin answers questions from reporters during the New York launch of Team Speedo and

Speedo’s Fastskin LZR Racer X Dec 15, in New York. (AFP)