works out tomorrow. The first stint will be interesting to see how the tyres behave. We took a gamble today but unfort

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Sailing past her crumpled teammate, Anna van der Breggen suddenly realized she was the only hope the Netherlands had of defending its gold medal in the womens Olympic road race.She did so in the most dramatic of fashions.Working with Swedens Emma Johansson and Italys Elisa Longo Borghini to track down American rival Mara Abbott in sight of the finish, van der Breggen swept to the lead and won the dash to the line along Copacabana Beach on Sunday in the biggest victory of her career.Van der Breggen was soon embraced by Dutch teammate Marianne Vos, who won gold at the 2012 London Games, and turned her thoughts to Annemiek van Vleuten, whose spectacular crash gave her a chance.We passed Annemiek on the road. It didnt look good, van der Breggen said. So after, Emma just said, `Do it for Annemiek, and I said `Yeah, thats right.Van der Breggen thrust her arms in the air as thousands of fans lining the course roared approval, and a light mist that had been threatening for hours finally began to fall.It would have taken a downpour to dampen her spirits.I would have put money on Anna to win this race, said world champion Lizzie Armitstead, who was fifth for Britain. Shes a phenomenal athlete and this course was designed for her.Abbott coasted across in fourth in another shattering disappointment for the United States, one of the strongest teams in the race. Shelley Olds was in a similar position to medal four years ago when a puncture on the run-in to the finish cost her.In Abbotts case, it was simply a matter of tired legs.I saw the 300-meters to go sign and I thought ... `Oh my goodness. I could actually win this, Abbott said. Then I looked under my shoulder and they were right there.The climbing specialist obliterated most of the field on the hard climb of Vista Chinesa, then stayed upright when van Vleuten crashed on the same ruthless downhill that claimed the leaders Vincenzo Nibali and Sergio Henao and allowed Greg van Avermaet to win the mens race.Van Vleuten was taken to the hospital for tests that revealed three small fractures in her spine, the Dutch team said. She will remain in intensive care for at least 24 hours.It was a horrendous crash, said Johansson, who added a second silver to the one she won in Beijing in 2008. The peloton is so small and we all know each other very well. We just hope shes OK.Borghini matched Imelda Chiappas performance at the 1996 Atlanta Games for the best finish by an Italian woman, while Vos finished ninth -- a strong performance after her 10-month injury hiatus.Unlike the mens race on Saturday, the women stuck together for the first 100 kilometers, each attack quickly shut down by the powerhouse teams trying to set up their leaders.Lotte Kopecky of Belgium spent time in front early, and Britains Emma Pooley tried in vain to animate the proceedings. But the field was together after two trips of the Grumari Circuit, where jarring cobblestones caused so much trouble for the men.Seven riders sprung away in sight of Vista Chinesa, the hard climb and descent that would decide the race. Among them was Vos, Trixi Worrack and former world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot.The Americans missed the break and were forced to work hard to bring it back.Abbott accomplished it almost single-handedly, the worlds top climber quickly catching them as the race tilted uphill. She also succeeded in splintering the peloton, pushing a tempo so strong that Vos and Armitstead -- the silver medalist at the London Games -- slowly dropped off.With stretches approaching a gradient of 20 percent, Abbott and van Vleuten shook loose of the survivors of the first part of the climb and turned it into a two-woman race on the slick downhill.On the last tight curve, van Vleuten locked up her wheels and crashed hard through the bend.I wasnt comfortable holding her wheel and the pace she was holding on the descent, Abbott said, and unfortunately she crashed. Hopefully it wasnt as bad as it looked.Abbott cautiously navigated the corner, then realized 10 kilometers of flats to Fort Copacabana stood in her way of gold. She got into her handlebar drops, sucked down one last energy gel and began to accelerate through streets lined with fans.Three riders, working together behind her, caught Abbott just before she got to the line.I cant imagine being in her shoes right now. Shes going to have a lot of sleepless nights, American teammate Kristin Armstrong said. Fourth is a wonderful position in the Olympics but also the hardest position.Ender Inciarte Jersey . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. Dale Murphy Jersey .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. http://www.baseballbravesproshop.com/sean-newcomb-braves-jersey/ . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Orlando Cepeda Braves Jersey . -- 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. Chipper Jones Braves Jersey .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training.Ferrari missed an open goal by failing to secure a place on the front row in Chinese GP qualifying, according to Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle.After Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire early from the session due to Mercedes power unit problems, the door was wide open for both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel to battle Nico Rosberg in Shanghai.However, both Scuderia drivers made mistakes on their final laps in Q3 and Rosberg was able to secure his first pole of 2016, with Daniel Ricciardo claiming a surprise second place in the Red Bull. Qualifying Report Nico Rosberg on pole in China, where Lewis Hamilton starts last Ferrari have missed an open goal, havent they?, Brundle said, as Raikkonen and Vettel had to settle for third and fourth. Hamilton retired with a technical issue and theyre not even on the front row of the grid. Ferrari have looked quick all weekend, with Raikkonen topping the timesheets in Practice Two while Vettel dominated a wet P3 on Saturday morning.Their pace seemed to be strong in Q1 and Q2 too before costly errors in the last few minutes of qualifying. To make matters worse, Rosberg will start Sundays grand prix on the longer-lasting soft tyre. Raikkonen was as frustrated as ever after his mistake at the final hairpin, claiming he could have grabbed his first pole since 2008.On the previous run, at the same corner, I ran very deep, too deep, he said. The last one I was quite a bit up on that lap but I ran wide on the hairpin and obviously lost a lot of time. Its a shame, we had a chance to be on top today but thats how it goes. Well try and make the best out of it tomorrow. Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen reflect on Saturdays qualifying session in China Mercedes fitted Rosberg with the softer compound in Q2 and comfortably made it through and are now able to outlast their rivals on the first stint in the race.Toto Wolff admitted he was surprrised by Ferraris strategy to keep the supersofts on, though Raikkonen and Vettel have both lasted much longer on the red compound than others over the weekend.dddddddddddd Hamilton to start last Engine problems mean Lewis Hamilton doesnt post a time in qualifying The difference in strategy makes for a compelling race and Vettel, who waited until the last moment to set his only flying lap in Q3, said a great start and tyre wear could change everything for the Italian outfit.I made couple of small mistakes here and there which cost me quite a lot of time, he told Sky F1. But lets see how we start - the last one was very good. Im confident. After teammate Lewis Hamilton failed to make it out of Q1, Mercedes Nico Rosberg secured pole for the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix Hopefully it works out tomorrow. The first stint will be interesting to see how the tyres behave. We took a gamble today but unfortunately my lap wasnt good enough. When is Chinese GP on Sky? All the broadcast times for the business end of the Shanghai weekend Rosberg is also cautious as he looks to make it six consecutive race victories, adding: I dont believe the gap is as big as it seemed on the timesheet today.On Friday the Ferraris were on the same level as us, so we must be prepared for a strong challenge from the red cars. In the race we could see some surprises.Watch the Chinese GP on Sunday - LIVE ONLY on Sky Sports F1. The race starts at 7am, with build-up underway from 5.30am. Or watch without a contract for £6.99 on NOW TV. Every race live in 2016 Sky Sports F1 brings you every race live in 2016. Fast and easy online upgrade - click here.Also See:Rosberg on pole at Chinese GPHamilton starts last in Shanghai ' ' '