Britain defeats US 54-49 for gold in wheelchair rugby
TOKYO — Britain defeated the United States 54-49 on Sunday in the gold-medal game of Paralympic wheelchair rugby, the first medal of any kind for Britain in the sport.
Wheelchair rugby has been an official Paralympic sport since 2000, and Britain’s best finish was fourth place in 2004 and 2008.
Jim Roberts led Britain with 24 tries — tries are worth one point each — and Stuart Robinson added 14. Joshua Wheeler had 21 for the United States and Chuck Aoki scored 18.
Japan, which was among the pre-tournament favorites, defeated Australia in the bronze medal match earlier on Sunday by a score of 60-52. Ryley Batt scored 27 tries for Australia and Daisuke Izezaki has 23 for Japan.
The Britain-United States game was tied repeatedly early in the final quarter until Britain pulled away for the the victory.
The United States beat Australia 49-42 in Saturday’s semifinal but was foiled in its attempt to win its third gold after winning in 2000 and 2008. It lost in double overtime to Australia in the gold-medal game in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
Wheelchair rugby was developed more than 50 years ago in Canada, but saw its popularity rise after the famous 2005 documentary film “Murderball,” which sought to remove stereotypes about athletes with disabilities.
The game is easy to watch and almost nonstop. The constant mayhem, the crashes and players being dumped upside down in their chairs, distracts from the fact that these athletes have spinal cord injuries, they’re missing arms and legs, and they’re strapped into wheelchairs that resemble battered bumper cars.
The rules of wheelchair rugby are basic, and there are not many stoppages in play on the basketball-size court.
Four players pass, dribble occasionally, and race up and down the hardwood smashing into each other. The aim is to carry the red and white ball — the size of a volleyball — across a goal line at either end. Players can’t make physical contact with an opponent’s body, but most
anything else is allowed.
Ravens’ Dobbins expected to miss season because of torn ACL
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins is expected to miss the 2021 season with a torn ACL.
“Been down this road before,” tweeted Zac Hiller, Dobbins’ agent, while retweeting an ESPN report about the injury. “He’ll come back bigger stronger faster.”
Dobbins left the Ravens’ preseason finale at Washington on Saturday night midway through the first quarter following his injury, and coach John Harbaugh said only that the former Ohio State star would be evaluated. The news Sunday is a blow for Baltimore, which led the NFL in rushing last season.
Much of the Ravens’ rushing prowess of late has been because of quarterback Lamar Jackson, but Dobbins ran for 805 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie last season. Gus Edwards, who ran for 723 yards and six TDs, could now play a more important role.
Baltimore set an NFL record Saturday with its 20th consecutive preseason victory, but this hasn’t been an easy training camp for the Ravens. Jackson and Edwards both missed the start of camp after positive COVID-19 tests, and the team’s revamped receiving corps has had injury issues as well.
Saints move practice to home of Cowboys after Ida evacuation
The New Orleans Saints are planning to practice at the home of the Dallas Cowboys for three days this week after evacuating because of Hurricane Ida, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The team is scheduled to hold workouts Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at AT&T Stadium before taking a break heading into the regular season, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the club wasn’t discussing its plans publicly. The Saints are supposed to open at home Sept. 12 against Green Bay.