Hello, my name is Colin. Welcome to the 9th issue of The Wood Report, an eclectic smorgasbord of sports “news” and humor.
The second week of March Madness is upon us and I am back with more juicy head-to-head matchups you didn’t know you would be invested in. In the rest of today’s newsletter we have plenty of silky smooth basketball, some beefy golf content, and Serge Ibaka. Enjoy!
This Week’s Main Story
With the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games on the horizon for this coming summer, I have decided to turn our sights there for this week’s bracket. The Olympics are chock full of great storylines and niche sports, so I had plenty to sort through.
As Americans, we are generally pretty familiar with the feeling of a fellow national dominating their sport at the highest level. In the Summer and Winter Olympics combined, the United States has celebrated winning a gold medal 1,127 times! Thats a lot! Our country has more gold medals than the total medals of every country except for the Soviet Union. So while the exhilaration of the 2008 Men’s 4x100 relay win by Michael Phelps and company can feel like the highest of highs, Kayla Harrison’s judo gold in 2012 might not move the needle.
But for some countries, a single gold medal is a thing of national pride. It’s something that makes an athlete a national hero. There are 21 countries that have won only one gold medal at the Olympics. They have only heard their national anthem play once during a medal ceremony, but it was a special moment. Unless you’re Luxembourg, since they couldn’t find the correct anthem to play for the small country.
Our job is to now determine which of those gold medals is the best. This is the Single Gold Medal Bracket.
Because there are more than 16 entrants, there are a few play-in games. In the interest of brevity (for maybe the first time in my life), I have decided to forgo the play-in games in this issue. Apologies to those athletes and countries who did not make the Sweet 16. Those gold medalists going home before they even get to introduce themselves are Claudia Poll of Costa Rica (Swimming), Ahmed Al-Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates (Shooting), Cheick Sallah Cisse of Ivory Coast (Taekwondo), Gal Fridman of Israel (Sailing), and Lee Lai-shan of Hong Kong (Sailing).
The bracket now looks like this:
Round 1
(17) Mozambique vs (1) Fiji
Our first matchup is between two powerhouses of their respective sport. Maria Mutola of Mozambique is often ranked as the greatest 800m runner of all time, while the Fiji national rugby sevens team is considered one of the most successful rugby sevens teams in the world. Fiji won their gold in 2016, the first time rugby sevens has been featured in the Olympics, with a commanding 43-7 victory over Great Britain. Mutola won her gold in 2000, avenging her 3rd place finish in 1996 to Russian teammates that used tactics to box her out of the lead. I am giving this round to Maria because I believe that in 5 months, Fiji may be ineligible for this bracket with another rugby sevens event looming.
(9) Vietnam vs (8) Jordan
Ahmad Abughaush of Jordan won gold in Taekwondo (men’s 68kg). As just the 10 seed (of 16) heading into the single elimination tournament, Abughaugh took down the 7 seed, the 2 seed, the 6 seed, and the 4 seed on his path to a championship. His closest match was an 11-8 beating of Lee Dae-hoon, the 2nd ranked competitor. On the other side, Hoàng Xuân Vinh won gold for Vietanm in Shooting (men's 10 meter air pistol). He placed 4th in the qualifying round before setting an Olympic record in the final round. His final round score of 202.5 gave him a margin of victory of just 0.4 points. The deciding factor here is that Ahmad Abughaush won not only the first Olympic gold medal in Jordan’s history, it was also the first Olympic medal of any kind for the country.
(12) Burundi vs (5) Grenada
Now we look at two incredible track athletes, runners of two very different types. Vénuste Niyongabo won gold for Burundi in the 5000 meter, while Kirani James won gold for Grenada in the 400 meter. Kirani is a natural sprinter that won many races in the 200 and 400 meter at the youth, college, and professional level. His 43.94 time in the gold medal race made him the first non-US runner to break the 44-second mark. Niyongabo normally specializes in the middle-distances, becoming the top 1500 meter runner in the world. He was expected to win the 1500 meter at the 1996 Olympics. Instead, Niyongabo forfeit his sport to compatriot Dieudonné Kwizera. Kwizera had not been able to compete in previous Olympics because Burundi didn’t have an Olympic Committee. Niyongabo moved up to compete in the 5000 meter (a race he had only ran twice before) and won gold anyway. That’s worthy of moving on here.
(13) Ecuador vs (4) Tajikistan
A fun thing about the Olympics is seeing athletes of very different body types competing right next to each other. This matchup gives us a very good disparity. Jefferson Pérez of Ecuador stands 5’6” and 132 lbs. Dilshod Nazarov of Tajikistan is listed at 6’1.5” and 265 lbs. Please make your guesses at the sport each competes in.
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Pérez is a professional race walker and Nazaroc is a hammer throw athlete. How close were you? Be honest. Both men have represented their country at least 4 times in the Olympics and done very well, but Pérez has won the only 2 medals for Ecuador, a gold and a silver 12 years apart. Also, who doesn’t love race walking highlights.
(19) Puerto Rico vs (3) Syria
In 1996, Syrian Ghada Shouaa won the women’s heptathlon, an awesome track and field event consisting of 100 meters hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meters, long jump, javelin throw, and finally 800 meters. Shouaa posted the best score in 3 of the 7 events to claim gold. Her opponent might be a bit more recognizable though. At 2016 Rio Olympics, Puerto Rican tennis player Monica Puig entered the tournament as an unseeded player. She went on to defeat Garbiñe Muguruza and Angelique Kerber, both former No. 1 ranked players, and win Puerto Rico’s only gold medal. She became the 2nd player to win gold as an unseeded player and the only one to win gold. Puig’s win was a huge story when it happened because it was such a Cinderella story. She had never made it past the 4th round of any Grand Slam tournament, often losing in Round 1. Her Olympic performance was a massive breakout. She moves on.
(11) Panama vs (6) Luxembourg
Panama gives us Irving Saladino who won the long jump in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was Panama’s first medal of any kind in 60 years of competing. After qualifying for the final with a jump of only 8.01 meters, he posted the best jump of the event with a 8.34 meter gold medal jump. For Luxembourg, we have Josy Barthel. While there’s not a ton of information for this 1500 meter runner, because it took place at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, we do know that his win was not only a surprise to the crowd, but also to himself. He was not even considered a dark horse to win. It was such a surprise, they couldn’t find his anthem and struggled to even find the right flag. In the end, I am giving this round to Barthel because Luxembourg has competed in the most Olympic Games (32) while only winning a single gold medal.
(10) Suriname vs (7) Peru
Edwin Vásquez of Peru is the earliest gold medal winner in the competition. Vásquez won the 1948 men’s 50 meter pistol. He was the youngest athlete in the competition, only 25 years old in a sport dominated by shooters in their 30s and 40s. He was easily the most consistent though, his lowest score in 6 rounds was still 89 out of 100 points. For Suriname, Anthony Nesty won the 1988 100 meter butterfly race. Nesty set an Olympic record with his gold medal race, finishing in 53.00 seconds. He won the race by just one hundredth of a second, with Matt Biondi finishing in 53.01. We’re giving this to Nesty based on that remarkable margin of victory.
(15) Kosovo vs (2) Singapore
28 years after Anthony Nesty won a gold by setting an Olympic record time, the 100 meter butterfly produced another first time gold winning country with their own Olympic record. In 2016, Joseph Schooling of Singapore set a new 100 fly Olympic record by finishing in 50.39. He did so by beating out Olympic legend and current record holder, Michael Phelps. Phelps had won that event the 3 previous games and was going for a 4-peat, but Schooling schooled him by nearly three quarters of a second. Phelps actually ended in an unheard of 3-way tie for 2nd, but that has nothing to do with Schooling’s gold for Singapore. For Kosovo, Majlinda Kelmendi was part of the 1st cadre of athletes sent to the Olympics. Before 2016, Kosovars represented other countries as they were not recognized by the IOC. When they were finally granted entrance, Kelmendi won the only medal in the countries history in women’s 52kg judo tournament. This round is going to Schooling for beating his idol for gold.
Quarter-Finals
(17) Mozambique vs (8) Jordan
Alright, it’s time to start showing some highlights of these athletes, right? Here is Maria Mutola’s 800 meter win. She bides her time, never wasting more energy than is needed, until finally he attacks at the end, passing everyone in front of her with ease.
But really, all you need to see is this celebration.
Maria moves on.
(13) Ecuador vs (12) Burundi
Our boy Jefferson Pérez is back, and I have those race walking highlights you crave. Here is Jefferson, strutting his stuff to the finish line. Look at that form. Look at that determination. Imagine walking that fast for an hour and 20 minutes! Let’s go Jefferson!
(19) Puerto Rico vs (6) Luxembourg
Two underdogs go head-to-head in the quarterfinals. Both overcame great odds and great opponents for glory. Puig might be benefitting from recency bias in this one (sorry that I experienced 2016 and not 1952) but I am favoring her in this matchup. Her near shock at winning, to drop her racket mid swing, is such an amazing feel good sight. Although, hearing the announcer for Barthel is pretty fun.
(10) Suriname vs (2) Singapore
It’s wild that this matchup exists. The only instance of event repeating in our bracket, and they meet up in the quarterfinals. So which is the better win? Anthony Nesty with a razor thin come from behind victory versus Matt Biondi, who would win 5 gold medals in that same Olympics and was generally the Michael Phelps of his time. Or Joseph Schooling leading wire to wire by a significant length against the actual Michael Phelps, who also won 5 gold medals at that Olympics. Alright, I’ll go with Schooling, but I’m posting both races because they are worth it.
Semi-Finals
(17) Mozambique vs (13) Ecuador
As expected the matchups are getting close and the cuts are getting tough. We’ve come a long a way and grown to know these competitors well during our journey. But decisions must be made. Maria Mutola versus Jefferson Pérez. Both hold the only 2 medals won by their nations. Gold and bronze for Mutola, gold and silver for Pérez. Mutola competed at 6 Olympics, Pérez at 5. I’m not sure what separates them, but my gut tells me that Mutola deserves to be in the final.
(19) Puerto Rico vs (2) Singapore
Schooling setting an Olympic record in a dominate race against the best swimmers in the world feels significant at this stage of the bracket. But also a little unfair to Monica Puig, who plays a sport that does not have the same sort of capability to set “records”. Tennis isn’t a timed race to the finish, so I don’t want to ding her for that. But in the end, the Olympic record and the Michael Phelps factor push me to send Schooling to the finals.
Finals
(17) Mozambique vs (2) Singapore
This championship battle feels right. I’ve become a huge fan of both athletes throughout this tournament. And either would be a worthy winner. They both looked unbeatable in their event, winning each preliminary heat, semi-final race, and final race to take home gold. Schooling came out hot and never relinquished the lead once he left the blocks. Mutola used strategy to determine when to strike, making sure she had the best position possible to make a move.
There’s a lot of reasons to go with both athletes here, but for sheer longevity and dominance in a sport (at one point her winning streak stretched over forty 800m and 1000m finals), I am naming Maria Mutola of Mozambique the winner of the Single Gold Medal Bracket.
Gold Medal – Steph Curry
Watching Steph Curry shoot 3s is one of the most satisfying sports experiences. It just seems so pure and effortless for him. Curry on a hot streak cannot be stopped. So watching the 3-point Competition during All-Star Weekend was an absolute delight. Curry came to remind everyone that he was still the best shooter in the sport’s history and everyone else could fight over the scraps of silver. Even the announcers knew it when they saw it. “Who is shooting for 2nd?”
It began with Steph scoring 31 of 40 possible points in Round 1, setting the high score for the weekend. He nailed 4 of 5 of his money rack, at one point went 9 in a row, including a long range spot, and crushed his final rack. He was locked in, not giving anyone a chance to catch him.
In the final round, Mike Conley (a long awaited and much deserved 1st time All-Star) pushed Curry to the edge. Conley has been having a great season, and is a great 3-point shooter in his own right. This year, he is hitting career highs in 3-point attempts (6.6) and percentage (42.2%).
But nothing was getting in Curry’s way Sunday night. He came out a little shaky, but as always, shined when the pressure was greatest. He hit both long balls, and 9 of his last 11 shots. The final shot was his best. The shot, the pose, the fist pump. So pure.
Curry followed up his 2nd 3-point Shooting Competition win with a fun All-Star Game, hitting 8 triples (including one from the logo) and an unexpected dunk. The man knows how to give the people what they want.
Villain of the Week – Michigan State University Spartans
Sorry, my mistake. I meant to say Michigan State University Spartans Presented by Rocket Mortgage.
The MSU basketball team announced a new partnership with Rocket Mortgage on Thursday. According to the statement:
Under the new five-year deal, Detroit-based Rocket Mortgage will be the presenting sponsor of the famed men's basketball team which will now be known throughout the Breslin Center as, "MSU Spartans Presented by Rocket Mortgage."
The school was immediately dunked on by most of the internet.
Honestly, this article was just another in a long list of “Wait, are we sure this isn’t from The Onion?” stories I’ve read this year. It reads so much like parody and was universally hated the moment it got released.
Congratulations to the Spartans for being this week’s Sports Villain of the Week. Presented by Rocket Mortgage.
What to Watch this Week
2021 NCAA DI Men's Basketball tournament begins this week on Thursday! After not having it last year, it is very exciting to have March Madness back. The full 68 team bracket is one of the most exciting formats in sports, and always a great spectacle to watch. So get ready for those First Four games at 4pm on Thursday, and then even better, a full slate of game on Friday at noon. Nothing is better than daytime sports. Pull it up on the job and ignore work for a few hours.
2021 NCAA DI Women’s Basketball tournament begins next week on Sunday! After not having it last year, it is very exciting to have March Madness back. The full 64 team bracket is one of the most exciting formats in sports, and always a great spectacle to watch. So get ready for those First Four games at noon on Sunday. Nothing is better than daytime sports and it’s on the weekend so no need to potentially get fired!
The 2021 Player’s Championship is taking place as you read this (or possibly it took place before you read this, depending on when you are reading this). There’s some great golf being played this weekend, with Sergio Garcia and Chris Kirk going 7-under on Thursday and Friday respectively and going into the weekend tied for 3rd. The top 2 is a pair of Englishmen, and there’s still plenty of entertaining golfers lurking, such as Korean Sungjae Im sitting just 3 back of the lead. Also 3rd back is Bryson DeChambeau, who seems to be benefitting from his new Chew Rate analytics.
News by the Numbers
0 - Chance that Carter Hutton realistically had at stopping this shot from Mathew Barzal. Was he just trying to publicly embarrass Hutton?
162 - Number of games I want Todd Frazier mic’d up during the MLB season. Just out here having fun and smacking doubles.
370 - Numbers of yards Bryson DeChambeau drove the ball on the 6th hole of last weekend’s tournament. The man is ridiculous. No one is having more fun than Bryson on the course and I will talk about him as often as possible. He’s endless content.
For context, Bryson was attempting to drive the green on this par-5 hole. His only obstacle is this lake, basically nothing for him. He also hit a 377-yard bomb at the same hole on Sunday of the tournament.
Homer Bias Restricted Area
The baffling part of the Devil’s 2021 season is they are an impressive 3-0-1 against the Boston Bruins, a team that held the 5th best odds to win the Stanley Cup prior to the season. Against everyone else, the Devils are a putrid 5-12-2. I can’t explain why they become so good when facing Boston. They’re only loss to them came in a shootout in the 1st game of the season. Please look up nothing else about the Devils season so far. Nothing else fun or interesting happening. Especially not any brutal own goals.
Not really sure what Serge Ibaka is up to, but I’m glad he’s feeling himself.
End Of Restricted Area
That was a super fun and very deep bracket. Digging through so many Olympic events was a lot of research. But definitely worth it to find some of those incredible athletes. Hope you enjoy reading this week and are looking forward to the upcoming Summer games.
Don’t forget to like and subscribe, and share this with someone who deserves their own gold medal.
Keep Sports Fun.
Colin
Twitter - @ColinRingwood12
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