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Saracens head coach Mark McCall revealed he has looked to Australian international Will Skelton to bolster his injury-ravaged squad after their 24-10 victory over Leicester Tigers.Sarries have been devastated by injuries in recent weeks and flanker Michael Rhodes started in the second row in the victory and put in a man of the match performance.England pair Maro Itoje and George Kruis have been ruled out for at least four weeks through injury, while Alistair Hargreaves has been forced to retire due to concussion.A move for Eben Etzebeth came to nothing, but Saracens are in talks with giant Australia lock Will Skelton.Michael Rhodes did a great job for us at the scrum and was effective around the park, said McCall. He was happy to help the team by playing in the second row, he understands the situation were in.Will Skelton is one of the few people weve looked at. He was named in the Wallabies touring party last week. Were still looking.Weve got some young fellas here, so I dont want to bring somebody ordinary in. We want someone who will add some value over three months and if they cant we wont bring them in. . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. EUGENE, Ore. -- The U.S. Olympic track and field trials can be exhilarating and devastating. Or both. Consider Brenda Martinez.One of the favorites to qualify for the Olympic team in the womens 800 meters last Monday, Martinez was poised to finish among the top three, and perhaps win, when she tripped, was clipped from behind, stumbled into an outer lane and wound up finishing seventh. She would not compete in the Olympics in that event.Six days later, Martinez was attempting to qualify in the womens 1,500 on the final afternoon of the trials. She had been able to run into third place as she raced toward the finish line. And then Amanda Eccleston began to catch up to her. In the final meters, Martinez saw Eccleston from the corner of her eye and then lunged toward the finish line, falling forward. Martinez crashed onto the track, laying there uncertain if she had finished third and could go to Rio, or fourth and go home empty.And the final result was ... Martinez made the Olympic team, finishing third ahead of Eccleston by three-hundredths of a second in a race that takes more than four minutes to run.Right when I finished [the 800], I said, Gods not going to deny me anything -- he just might delay things, Martinez said. I felt like it happened for a reason, that I can use my story so that it can help someone along the way. Dont give up on yourself. Just trust in what you have and what you have going for yourself.This is the way the Olympic trials are. The countrys best athletes gather to compete against one another, with the top three qualifying in each event -- sometimes by the slimmest of margins -- while the others go home disappointed, frustrated, distraught. Sprinter English Gardner recalls failing to make the team at the 2012 trials and simply getting into her car and bawling.Four years later, Gardner made the Olympic team by winning the womens 100 here. When I crossed the line and saw the results, I didnt really care if I came in first, second or third, she said, I was just excited that I made the team.Whether you qualify or not, its not an easy 10 days at the trials.The emotion is, Dont screw it up, Olympic gold medalist pole-vaulter Jenn Suhr said after qualifying for her third Olympics on Sunday. Dont miss the qualifying. Youve got to make the finals, place in the top three. I know all the pressure involved. I cant describe it. Its just pressure. Now I can think about defending, but you cant think about defending until youre on the team. Thats what Im talking about. Its not so much going for gold. Ive already won gold. Its getting there again that is the hard part.Some who qualified for Rio here are experienced veterans with multiple Olympics, while many are first-timers: 77 in all, or 68 percent of the team. There are even some teenagers.It just keeps getting better and better, U.S. track and field coach Connie Price-Smith said. We have the youth -- track and field is not going away. We are strong and we just continue to get stronger and better, and the older athletes keep lasting longer in this sport.Very true. Justin Gatlin won the gold medal in the 100 at the 2004 Olympics, but at age 34, he is still among the worlds best (though that also comes with a tainted reputation for two suspensions for performance-enhancinng since Athens in 2004).dddddddddddd He will compete in the 100 and 200 ... and try to beat Usain Bolt.Then there is Bernard Lagat, who will be competing in his fifth Olympics after winning the 5,000 meters at age 41. Lagat says he is still running so well because he refuses to consider himself an old man, especially when running with his much younger partners. They keep me young, he said. They really push. I feel like Im one of the young guys.Lagat is old enough to be the father of some of the other Olympians, including 400-meter hurdler Sydney McLaughlin, who is only 16 years old. She will be the youngest U.S. track athlete to compete in the Olympics since 1972 when Cindy Gilbert ran the hurdles at age 15.Until McLaughlin qualified Sunday, the youngest Olympic qualifier here was high jumper Vashti Cunningham, the 18-year-old daughter of former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham. She has been the focus of attention due to her early success and her father, but fellow high jumper Chaunte Lowes story is also worth noting.Lowe competed in the 2004 Olympics and then had a child. She competed in the 2008 Olympics and then had another child. She competed in the 2012 Olympics ... and then had a third child. She went on to win the high jump here with a leap of 6-feet, 7 inches, the best in the world this year. She will be trying to medal for the first time in Rio.Im not ready to give up yet, she said.Regardless of age or background, whether you are a teenager or a parent, there are many track and field athletes to watch in Rio: world record-holder Ashton Eaton, who will try to defend the gold medal in the decathlon; triple jumper Christian Taylor, who is determined to win gold again and break the world record; Gardner and Tori Bowie in the 100; all the women hurdlers; Tianna Bartoletta, who will compete in the 100 and long jump; and LaShawn Merritt, who will be competing in the 200 and 400.And, of course, there is four-time gold medalist and four-time Olympian Allyson Felix. Like Merritt, she was looking to compete in the 200-400 double, as well. While she won the 400 to qualify, she fell short in the 200 Sunday, finishing fourth by just one one-hundredth of a second.She wasnt alone in that time difference. Gold medalist Aries Merritt also finished one one-hundredth of a second short in the 110 hurdles despite undergoing a kidney transplant just 10 months ago. But hell keep competing and trying to make another team.Like Martinez said, you cant give up on yourself. So if we wont see you in Rio, we should see you in four years at the next trials.Finishing fourth is a devastating place, and I finished by three hundredths of a second in the 1,500. Its crazy, Eccleston said. This is my first Olympic trials, I ran 5:13 in high school. I never even imagined Id get to the trials, let alone come that close to making the Olympic team. So its incredible, really emotional.It sucks, but I guess in some ways its been the best season of my life. Ive had a ton of breakthroughs mentally and physically. And Im 26, not that old. So in four years, Ill be back, and hopefully, Ill be a lot better and come in as one of the favorites. ' ' '
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