Für unsere Gäste » ot a big differentiation in our group

RIO DE JANEIRO -- It was a Dutch sweep at Copacabana.Their first Olympic gold in open water swimming was never in doubt.The second one took a few minutes to sort out.Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands beat Greeces Spiros Gianniotis in a photo finish Tuesday off one of the worlds most iconic beaches, a frenetic finish to a 10-kilometer marathon that was in striking contrast to Sharon van Rouwendaals dominating victory the previous day.While the womens race was decided by a whopping 17.4 seconds, a pack of mens swimmers led by Gianniotis powered into the finish chute stroke for stroke as hundreds of cheering, swimsuit-clad fans ran along the beach to watch the ending.The medals were in doubt until the very end -- and even for a bit longer after that, as the officials tried to sort things out.Gianniotis appeared to go under the finish line first, but he had to reach back to grab the timing pad. Weertman got his hand on the pad a split-second ahead of the Greek swimmer -- a finish so close they were both credited with the same time, 1 hour, 52 minutes, 59.8 seconds.Even after I touched the wall, I wasnt sure Id won, Weertman said. It took me a while. I called my friends back home and they said, You won, you won! and Im like, Oh really? I couldnt believe it. I still cant believe it.The 36-year-old Gianniotis missed a chance to give Greece its first swimming gold since the inaugural Summer Olympics in 1896. He has competed in all three open water events since the sport was added to the Olympic program in 2008, but this was his first medal.It was also the final event of his career.Every single meter of the training, every single day and hour, its just come down to the perfect moment, Gianniotis said. I think thats a really good way to go.The bronze went to Frances Marc-Antoine Olivier, who out-touched Chinas Lijun Zu in another result that required a photo to sort out. Britains Jack Burnell was right in the mix, as well, but he wound up being disqualified for a tussle with defending Olympic champion Ous Mellouli just a few meters from the line.It was the second day in a row that a potential medal was stripped away because of rough tactics in the chute. On Monday, Frances Aurelie Muller lost the silver when she collided with Italys Rachele Bruni right at the finish. This time, the ruling went Frances way.Its only when I got into the boat that I knew my position, Olivier said. Then I started crying.Burnell ripped the judges, who had earlier issued him a yellow card at a time when he insisted no other swimmers were even around him.Weve trained for four years, put a lot of hard work into this. This is the pinnacle of our sport, the Olympic Games, and its ruined by a couple of judges who want to stick their noses in just because they want something to do, Burnell said. Just let the guys race.American Jordan Wilimovsky was fifth. He briefly had the lead on the final lap, but got stuck in the middle of a pack of swimmers and finished 3.4 seconds behind.Its just the nature of the event, Wilimovsky said. It comes down to touch finishes sometimes. Congrats to the guys that did really well. It was a really tough race.Trying to duplicate Van Rouwendaals strategy, Australias Jarrod Poort broke away from the pack in the early going, building a huge lead of more than a minute at the midway point.He couldnt hold on, getting passed on the last of four laps around the bay and finishing 20th.Mellouli, in what was likely his final Olympic race, settled for 12th.Once again, there were no complaints about the water quality at Copacabana, which was the subject of much scrutiny in the lead-up to the games after an Associated Press report that found potential health risks caused by the dumping of raw sewage into the waters around Rio.It was great, Wilimovsky said. I didnt notice anything wrong or anything bad. It was really nice. The water temperature was really good. It was just fun to be out there.Another American swimmer, Sean Ryan, took antibiotics and probiotics to ward off any potential health risks.I did as much as I could to prevent illness, Ryan said. Well see what happens in the next two weeks. We may be playing roulette with it, but we prepared as well as we could.Ryan said it seemed like any other normal ocean race, which calm conditions off the hotel-lined beach making things easier for the competitors.Your mouth feels all funky afterward, he said with a smile, like a normal salt water race.Adidas Yeezy For Sale . PETERSBURG, Fla. Cheap Yeezy Boost 350 v2 For Sale . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. http://www.yeezyforcheap.com/ . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Yeezy Boost 350 For Sale . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. Cheap Yeezy Boost 350 For Sale . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State considers last weeks stunning upset by Penn State an aberration, and recent history shows the Buckeyes probably arent going to lose two in a row.Teams coached by Urban Meyer have dropped consecutive games only four times in 15 seasons. And Northwestern comes to Columbus as a three-touchdown underdog. The Wildcats havent won here since 1971.But No. 6 Ohio State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) is vulnerable. The passing game has been beset for the past three games with lapses on the offensive line, receivers who cant get open and an inability by quarterback J.T. Barrett to hit game-changing bombs. The running game, too, bogged down in last weeks loss.Offense always starts with protection, he said. That was not our best game in protection and giving (Barrett) time to go through his reads.Northwestern is playing well, having won four of its last five after a slow start. The Wildcats last three games have been victories over Iowa, Michigan State and Indiana.Thats as an improved team as Ive ever seen from the beginning until now, Meyer said. Outstanding. Three big wins, two on the road. Defining wins. The defense is outstanding, gigantic inside guys, so just a very good team.Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said Saturdays game is where the heavy lifting starts.You get to the end of October here, you get to November, this is when the rubber hits the road in the Big Ten, Fitzgerald said. Weve got a heck of a steep mountain to climb here these next five weeks, and nobodys got a stiffer challenge than us this week when weve got to take on the Buckeyes.Here are some things to watch when Northwestern visits Columbus for the first time since 2007:TALE OF 2 HALVES: Northwestern went up 24-3 at halftime against Indiana last week, but was shut out in the second half and had to hold on for a 24-14 win. Coach Pat Fitzgerald said hhes addressing consistency issues and a lack of effort by some young players in the second half.dddddddddddd Were an immature team, Fitzgerald said. Were a 4-3 football team for a reason. Weve just got to keep coaching the heck out of them, and thats what were going to do. Hopefully, well get better this week or well get killed in Columbus.ROTATING RECEIVERS: Meyer has been questioned about his rotating of outside receivers, most of them inexperienced before this season, and whether that could be contributing to the failure of Barrett to get the passing game clicking. Meyer said he likes the rotation and has no plans to change it because he wants to be able to have fresh players on the field late in the game. But hes still looking for one of the young receivers to emerge as the deep-ball threat the team sorely needs. Theres not a big differentiation in our group right now, he said. You kind of hope one would separate, and I dont see that quite happening. Noah (Brown) is a pretty reliable guy and had some nice plays, the other ones need to elevate.WHERE IS CURTIS?: Meyer has called hybrid back Curtis Samuel the teams most dynamic playmaker. Samuel ranks second in the Big Ten with 142.6 yards per game and 37 receptions. Hes the teams leading receiver. Still, he touched the ball only 10 times against Penn State -- eight passes and two rushes, one a breakaway 74-yard touchdown run. Meyer acknowledges Samuel should get the ball more but wont dictate that he be involved on specific plays, preferring instead to let Barrett continue to read the defense and take what it gives him.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacyFor some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mitch-stacy ' ' '