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Mark de Jonge, the worlds fastest sprint canoeist, was ready to quit the sport after he failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympics.The addition of the 200-meter kayak event to the Olympic program in London 2012 made the Canadian change his mind. It turned out his explosive paddling style was much better suited to the furious pace of the 200 than the longer races.After winning bronze in London, the 32-year-old engineer heads to Rio as a double world champion and world-record holder in the event, which he has compared to a drag race on water.The failure of defending Olympic champion Ed McKeever of Britain to qualify for Rio leaves de Jonge as the favorite for the gold, with Swedens Petter Menning and Maxime Beaumont of France among the other contenders.Heres what to look out for in the other canoe sprint events, which will be held on the Rodrigo de Freitas lake in Rio, a venue that also hosts the rowing competition:DOPING WOESThe entire Romanian team, the Belarusian mens team and seven Russian paddlers are out because of doping bans.Alexander Dyachenko, 2012 Olympic champion in the K-2 200 meters, was among five Russian canoeists ruled out just two weeks ahead of the games after being named in a recent report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren.Two other Russians will miss the Olympics because they were to compete in boats with banned paddlers.KIWI STARThough Europeans have long dominated the sport, canoe sprints arguably biggest star is not European, but a New Zealander. Lisa Carrington is the defending Olympic champion in the womens 200-meter race and a four-time world champion in the event.The 27-year-old kayaker will also be competing in the 500 meters, an event in which she won gold at the 2015 World Championships.Carrington, whose father is Maori, was named New Zealands Maori sportsperson of the year in 2012.LATE BLOOMERAt 37, U.S. kayaker Maggie Hogan will be competing in her first Olympics when she races in the womens 500-meter sprint.The former swimmer got a late start in the sport, which she didnt pick up until she was 26.Her biggest international success has come in the K-1 1,000 meters, including a bronze medal at last years World Championships. However, thats not an Olympic event, so shell be competing in the 500 meters instead in Rio.BRAZILS HOPEBrazils Isaquias Queiroz will be paddling in all three canoe events in Rio. The host nation hopes at least one of them will yield the countrys first Olympic medal in the sport.Queiroz, 22, is set to race in the C-1 200 meters and 1,000 meters and with Erlon Silva in the C-2 1,000 meters. The pair became world champions in that event last year.GENDER IMBALANCEWomen can race in a kayak but not in a canoe in the Olympics. Men compete in both, which means there are eight mens events but only four womens events in Rio.The imbalance persists despite widespread agreement that something needs to be done about it.The International Canoeing Federation has proposed introducing two canoe events for the women while cutting some of the mens events, so that each gender has six races in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Al Arbour Jersey .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. Barry Gibbs Jersey . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. https://www.cheapblues.com/1674z-tony-twist-jersey-blues.html .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Mackenzie MacEachern Jersey . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Brian Elliott Jersey . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemsons rebuilt, young defense has passed its earliest tests to keep the fifth-ranked Tigers undefeated. Now, they face perhaps the biggest challenge of the season in slowing the remarkable roll of No. 3 Louisville and quarterback Lamar Jackson.You can do everything right and still be wrong when it comes to Jackson, Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said.Louisvilles opponents understand what Venables means. The third-ranked Cardinals (4-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who face No. 5 Clemson (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday night, lead the Football Bowl Subdivision with 63.5 points a game. Jackson has accounted for 25 touchdowns, 12 of them running.Jackson is the Heisman Trophy front-runner through the first third of the season.We know how much of a playmaker and how he is an elite talent, Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware said. But we are up for the task.That was a huge question coming into the season as the Tigers faced life without seven defensive starters from last years ACC champions, six who were chosen in last springs NFL draft. So far, so good. The Tigers have allowed just 218 yards a game, the countrys third best total.Christian Wilkins and Clelin Ferrell have filled in at defensive end for NFL draft picks Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd, who finished 1-2 nationally in tackles for loss last year.Freshman Dexter Lawrence, a January enrollee, moved into the starting lineup in week two and has plugged up the middle at nose tackle.Boulware said Clemsons defense has to keep Jackson in the pocket and not let him make plays on the move. Its very important for our (defensive) line to get pressure and win their matchups, he said.Jackson has been adept at seeing the defensive plan and figuring out a way to beat the opposition on the ground or in the air. He has thrown for 1,330 yards and 13 TDs this season and rushed for 526 yards. Jackson is the first FBS quarterback in 10 years to have two games in a season where hes accounted for seven touchdowns .Its really kind of freaky when you look at the numbers that they put up, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.ddddddddddddIt would be hard to put up these numbers in a video game.Venables hasnt spent much time on his X-Box lately, but is among the best in the country at attacking and limiting an opponents strength. Last week in 26-7 victory at Georgia Tech , the Tigers held the Yellow Jackets relentless, triple-option attack to 124 yards total.Coach V is a football guru, Boulware said of Venables. He knows the ins and outs of that type of offense. So it starts with him and ends with us.For Jackson, things typically end in the end zone -- which Louisville knows it will need at sold-out, ultra-loud Death Valley.Its really important to get off to a good start because playing away at a place like Death Valley, its good to steal the momentum early so you get the crowd out of it early and just play the game instead of focusing on the crowd, Cardinals receiver Jaylen Smith said.The crowd may have rattled the Cardinals in their only other trip to Clemson two years ago. Louisville had a first-and-goal at the 8 in the final minute, yet inexplicably spiked the ball on third down and was forced into a fourth down pass that was knocked down by Clemson defensive tackle DeShawn Williams in a 23-17 victory.Louisville coach Bobby Petrino understands the Tigers will be active and physical up front once again.Probably be the biggest defensive line that weve played this year, he said.Jacksons play this season has overshadowed the solid showing of Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, the defacto Heisman favorite entering the season. Boulware believes facing Watsons skillset in practice gives the Tigers an edge in shutting down Jackson.They are very similar and pretty much identical, Boulware says. So getting to go up against Deshaun all throughout fall camp the past three years is pretty good preparation for Lamar Jackson. ' ' '