Page 20 - ARUBA TODAY

A20 SPORTS
Monday 30 SepteMber 2019
Mother's Day: Fraser-Pryce, Felix get golds at worlds

By EDDIE PELLS And pole vaulter Anzhe-
AP National Writer lika Sidorova of Russia, who
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Only cleared 4.95 meters to beat
moments after Shelly-Ann American Sandi Morris for
Fraser-Pryce zoomed past the gold. Sidorova is com-
the finish line Sunday night, peting as a neutral athlete
she scooped up something because of Russia's doping
more precious than gold. problems and will receive
Her 2-year-old son Zyon her medal Monday night
came down to the track to with the IAAF's "anthem,"
join her for the victory lap. not Russia's, playing in the
What a fitting way to cele- background.
brate the Jamaican speed- Another mother won gold
ster's fourth and hardest- in the women's 20-kilometer
earned 100-meter title at walk early Monday morn-
world championships. ing. Liu Hong of China took
"A victory for motherhood!" the 2017 and 2018 seasons
Fraser-Pryce said. off to have a child before
Sure is. And if 2019 has been returning triumphantly in
the Year of the Mother in 2019. She led a Chinese po-
track and field, then Sun- The United States team of Allyson Felix, Wilbert London, Michael Cherry and Courtney Okolo after dium sweep.
day was Mother's Day. winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x400 meter relay race at the World Athletics Championships Another gold medalist was
Only moments before Fra- in Doha, Qatar, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019. Courtney Okolo — Felix's
ser-Pryce — this time with 25-year-old relay team-
her long hair arranged in a cans who banded togeth- "What she's done is amaz- ple saying it might be time mate.
rainbow-pastel pastiche — er in protest this summer , ing," Felix said. "She's had a to quit. "It's definitely an inspiration
blasted past the field in a getting Nike to change a hard road, too. She keeps "Everyone's entitled to to all women," Okolo said
season-best 10.71 seconds long-standing policy that encouraging me. Her first their opinion," she said. "I of the 33-year-old Felix.
, new mom Allyson Felix stopped payments to preg- year wasn't the best, but knew how I felt and I knew "You see the journey she's
surpassed none other than nant athletes in this sport. her second year, she's bet- I wasn't ready to go. I had been on this year, and
Usain Bolt with her record Her 10-month-old daugh- ter than ever. Women are something left to do, and now you're seeing a lot of
12th gold medal at worlds. ter, Camryn, was with her at amazing and she's leading I stayed focused on the women can do that and
This one came in the brand the stadium. Felix said she the way." goal." And that, in many come back successfully. I
new mixed relay, in which got goose bumps watch- Fraser-Pryce said she sat ways, has been the point of know that when the time
two men and two wom- ing Fraser-Pryce cross the on her bed and cried the this year for her, for Felix, for comes for me to have kids,
en team up for four trips finish line first .12 seconds day she found out she was any woman who has ever it's something I can do, as
around the track. ahead of Dina Asher-Smith pregnant. Not too much been told it's over once she well."
Felix was among the Ameri- of Britain. after that, she heard peo- decides to start having kids. Between them, Fraser-
Felix spent more than a de- Pryce and Felix have piled
Pedersen wins gold in men's cade cultivating a reputa- up a combined 27 medals
tion as a classy champion, at world championships
but a very private person. over the past 14 years. They
elite race at Road Worlds When she went public are, by almost any mea-
with her issues with Nike, it sure, the two most dominat-
served as a tipping point ing sprinters of their time.
HARROGATE, England (AP) of Buttertubs and Grinton to the movement begun Even so, these two golds
— Mads Pedersen won Moor as flooding struck earlier in the summer by are destined to stand out
the men's elite race at the roads made famous by the Alysia Montano in track, for them, mainly for the
Road World Champion- 2014 Grand Depart of the and members of the U.S. work they put in simply to
ships on Sunday in a sur- Tour de France. women's soccer team, make it back to the track.
prise victory amid heavy Defending champion Ale- who were fighting a similar On top of the normal
rain in northern England. jandro Valverde climbed battle on different turf for stresses of pregnancy,
The 23-year-old Dane beat off with 100 kilometers to equal pay during their run both women delivered
Matteo Trentin and Stefan go, with Britain's 2018 Tour to a World Cup victory. via cesarean sections that
Kung as the race — 261 de France winner Geraint All of it eventually made a ravage the core muscles
kilometres (162 miles) in Thomas another to give up difference — not only in the critical for sprinters trying to
the cold and wet Yorkshire early. terms Nike was willing to burst out of the blocks.
Dales — came down to a "I would have liked to have rework in its endorsement "For 10 weeks, I couldn't lift
much-reduced sprint on finished the race, to be contracts for elite athletes, weights (while lying) on my
Parliament Street. there out of respect for my but in the message it sent back," Fraser-Pryce said.
Trentin was first to open up teammates and for Spain," about equality. "And mentally, it's even
as they came past Bettys Denmark's Mads Pedersen Valverde said in a tweet "I think everything I went harder because you're 30,
Cafe Tea Rooms but the celebrates winning the men from the Spanish cycling through this year ... it just you're having a baby, the
Italian soon realized he had elite race, at the road cycling federation. "It was very brings it all back that it's so females are out there run-
World Championships in Har-
gone too soon as Pedersen rogate, England, Sunday, cold, very windy, and rain- much bigger than myself," ning fast. You wonder if you
swept past him to win by a Sept. 29, 2019. ing ... I was completely fro- Felix said. can come back. For me, I
comfortable margin. Associated Press zen." There were others compet- just worked really hard."
Gianni Moscon came in Dutch cyclist Annemiek ing in the quarter-full stadi- Felix's baby came two
fourth ahead of three-time early Sunday that the route van Vleuten rode alone for um Sunday night, including months prematurely and
former world champion Pe- would be cut by 19 kilo- more than 100 kilometers to Christian Taylor, who won spent around a month in
ter Sagan. meters to 261 kilometers, win the women's elite race his third straight triple-jump the neonatal intensive-
Organizers announced bypassing the key climbs on Saturday.q world championship . care unit.q