Philippines’ Ernest John Obiena competes in the men’s pole vault final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 3, 2021. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) TOKYO—With one leap left to rescue his Tokyo Olympics stint, the last thing EJ Obiena needed was a distraction. Unfortunately he got one when he needed it the least. Obiena failed to hurdle the 5.80-meter qualifying mark and finished out of the medal in men’s pole vault at Olympic Stadium on Thursday, rounding out a day when the Philippines chalked a silver officially in the medal tally and kept one gold hunt alive in men’s boxing. Obiena nearly cleared the mark on his first two tries, tagging the bar on descent both times to necessitate a do-or-die vault. He eased off on his first approach, and that’s when issues with the clock cropped up. Obiena was pointing at the clock at the chief timer before hurriedly trying to complete his third attempt. He did not even make a takeoff and was … [Read more...] about Distracted EJ Obiena finishes way out of vault medal
Second chance at life
Preakness Stakes 2022: Post Positions, Odds, The Filly Challenger, And Epicenter’s Run For Redemption
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Preakness Stakes’ age-old form as the deceptively “shorter” centerpiece that has dashed many a Triple Crown dream will be turned on its head this year, as the 2022 top favorite Epicenter will attempt to turn the 147th running of the stakes into a rebound, of sorts, from his inability to hold the lead against a furious assault by longshot Rich Strike in the last furlong of the Kentucky Derby on May 7. Two weeks is not a long time between horse races at any level, let alone as an interval between two Triple Crown runs. The density of the gauntlet in which the Class of 2022 operates at the moment is why there have been just thirteen Triple Crown winners. Epicenter’s profile took quite a blow as the 80-1 longshot Rich Strike breezed by him in the Derby. Now he’s got the chance, in a Rich-Strike-free field, to claw himself and his reputation out of the hole in which his inability to defend his lead in the Derby left him. … [Read more...] about Preakness Stakes 2022: Post Positions, Odds, The Filly Challenger, And Epicenter’s Run For Redemption
For Oregon’s First Black Winemaker, The Business ‘Had To Be Bigger Than Wine’
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin When Bertony Faustin began turning his father-in-law’s hobby-vineyard into a business that made him Oregon’s first Black winemaker, he got more than a few double takes. “People would walk in the door and always be surprised that I was the owner, or I was the winemaker,” said Faustin, the son of Haitian immigrants. Faustin was challenging people’s perceptions, and instead of recoiling from that dynamic, he leaned into it. “I decided, you know what? I’m not going to try to fit in. I’ll just go ahead and take this and make it my own,” he recalled. And what he has made is not only wine, but also an inclusive community of wine lovers, a growing movement for diversity in winemaking and a platform to show other entrepreneurs how to make a living around a higher purpose. ‘Humanity Is Our Brand’ At his Abbey Creek Vineyard , there is not a “hint of leather” or “scent of wet rock.” Instead, you may hear Faustin … [Read more...] about For Oregon’s First Black Winemaker, The Business ‘Had To Be Bigger Than Wine’