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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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Biles soars to Female Athlete of the Year
Olympian has
electric smile,
boundless talent
Titans’ Mariota
to have surgery
Wednesday
Associated Press
By WILL GRAVES
Associated Press
Simone Biles tried to treat the 2016
Summer Olympics like just your aver-
age ordinary gymnastics meet. So
what if the stage and the stakes were
different?
The floor was still the floor. The
vault still the vault. The uneven bars
still uneven. The balance beam still a
four-inch wide test of nerves.
And the 19-year-old with the elec-
tric smile and boundless talent was still
the best in the world. Maybe the best
of all-time.
Over the course of 10 days in
August, the biggest meet of her life
ended like pretty much all the others in
the four years that came before it: with
Biles standing atop the podium, a gold
medal around her neck and the sport
she’s redefining one boundary-push-
ing routine at a time staring up at her.
Not that she remembers any of it.
“It’s kind of a blur,” Biles said.
Maybe to Biles, but not to the rest
of the world. Her massive haul in Rio
de Janeiro — a record-tying four golds
to go along with a bronze for the dom-
inant U.S. women’s team — propelled
her to stardom and rendered her last
name superfluous. Now there’s one
more honor to add to what on Twit-
ter is known simply as #SimoneTh-
ings: Associated Press Female Athlete
of the Year.
Ledecky second
In a vote by U.S. editors and news
directors announced Monday, Biles
received 31 votes out of a possible 59
votes. U.S. Olympic swimmer Katie
Ledecky, who won four golds and a
silver in Rio, finished second with
20 votes. Serena Williams, who won
Wimbledon for the seventh time to tie
Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam
titles, and three-time AP women’s
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
United States’ Simone Biles performs on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women’s team
final at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Biles was selected as the AP Female Athlete of the
Year on Monday.
NCAA basketball Player of the Year
Breanna Stewart tied for third with
four votes each.
The AP Male Athlete of the Year
will be announced Tuesday.
Biles became the fifth gymnast to
win the honor, joining Olga Korbut in
1972, Nadia Comaneci in 1976, Mary
Lou Retton in 1984 and Gabby Doug-
las in 2012. It’s company Biles joined
while completing a run of dominance
that included three straight all-around
World Championships, an unprece-
dented run at the top in a sport where
peaks are often measured in months,
not years.
The teenager from Spring, Texas,
hardly seemed burdened by the out-
sized expectations. If anything, she
embraced them. She opted out of a
verbal commitment to compete colle-
giately at UCLA to turn professional
so she could cash in on the lucra-
tive opportunities afforded an Olym-
pic champion, a bit of a gamble con-
sidering the window is so narrow and
directly tied to success at the Games.
Yet Biles seemed immune to it. At
least on the outside. Inside, there were
more than a few butterflies when she
stepped onto the floor during team pre-
liminaries on Aug. 7. They vanished
the moment she stepped onto the green
and cream colored floor at Rio Olym-
pic Arena as she and the rest of her
“Final Five” teammates — Douglas,
Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez and
Madison Kocian — put on a clinic that
showcased how substantial the gap
between the Americans and the rest of
the world has grown.
Then again, the gulf between Biles
and every other gymnast on the planet
— even her good friends in red, white
and blue — may be even wider.
“In prelims I did very well I kind of
shocked myself,” Biles said. “I came
in thinking, ‘I’ve been to three worlds.’
I knew the gist of it. Once I got (pre-
lims) out of the way, I just kind of
relaxed.”
What followed was a run of bril-
liance: a team gold as a fitting send
off to retiring national team coordi-
nator Martha Karolyi. Another in the
all-around two days later, where her
score of 62.198 bettered Raisman by
more than two full points, the gymnas-
tics equivalent of winning a football
game by three touchdowns. A third
gold came on vault, the first ever by
an American woman at the Olympics
and Biles’ first in major international
competition to fill the only hole in her
increasingly peerless resume.
A bronze on beam followed thanks
to a messy landing on a front flip, her
only major form break in Rio. No mat-
ter, she put the exclamation point on
her gold rush with a gravity-escap-
ing floor routine that ended with Biles
rushing to embrace longtime coach
Aimee Boorman as their long journey
to this moment ended in triumph.
The ensuing four months have
been a whirlwind. Biles carried the
U.S. flag at closing ceremonies, pub-
lished her autobiography, took part in a
post-Olympic tour with her teammates
(including performing in eight shows
despite a fractured rib) and hung out
at the White House with the president.
She remains open to giving it another
shot in Tokyo in 2020. That’s for later.
In January she’ll sit down and plot out
her goals for the upcoming year. For
the first time since she can remember,
gymnastics won’t be on the list.
Girls
(To be determined from Tuesday’s results)
TUESDAY
Girls Basketball — Neah-Kah-Nie at
Jewell, 2:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball — Neah-Kah-Nie JV at
Jewell, 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Girls Basketball — Seaside at St. Hel-
ens, 7:15 p.m.; Warrenton at St. Paul, 2 p.m.
Boys Basketball — St. Helens at Sea-
side, 7:15 p.m.; Warrenton at St. Paul, 4
p.m.; Elma at Ilwaco, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY
Girls Basketball — Alsea vs. Jewell (at
Eddyville), Noon
Boys Basketball — Jewell at Eddyville,
2 p.m.
Wrestling — Knappa at Clatskanie Holi-
day Meet, TBA
Run of brilliance
SCOREBOARD
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
6:00: Redmond vs. Astoria
Boys
2:30: Rainier vs. Hockinson
4:15: Molalla vs. Heritage
7:45: The Dalles vs. Astoria
Wednesday’s Schedule
Boys
3:15: Rainier vs. The Dalles
5:00: Molalla vs. Hockinson
8:30: Heritage vs. Astoria
BASKETBALL
Vince Dulcich Tournament
at Astoria High School
Tuesday’s Schedule
Girls
11 a.m.: Rainier vs. Estacada
12:45: Sandy vs. North Marion
4:30: Hockinson vs. Philomath
LISTINGS
THE DAILY
ASTORIAN
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6 PM
SPORTS
IN BRIEF
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ten-
nessee Titans quarterback Mar-
cus Mariota will have surgery
Wednesday for his broken right
leg, and coach Mike Mularkey
says the recovery process will
take four to five months.
Mularkey said Monday that
Mariota will have a plate inserted
over the break by Dr. Bob Ander-
son in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Titans coach didn’t share
any other details, but Mularkey
has had Anderson repair his feet
and says there’s no other doctor
he trusts for this surgery.
Mariota was hurt Saturday
when sacked during a 38-17 loss
to Jacksonville. Trainers placed
an air cast on his leg before he
was carted off the field. This is
the second straight season Mar-
iota has missed the season finale
because of an injury.
Seattle questions
add up before
NFC playoffs
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — The end
of December is when the Seat-
tle Seahawks are supposed to be
on a surge, not limping toward
the conclusion of the regular
season with questions clouding
whether the Seahawks are true
contenders when the NFC play-
offs arrive.
But that is how Seattle (9-5-
1) sits after squandering control
of the No. 2 seed in the NFC and
continuing a streak of a win, fol-
lowed by a loss that has lingered
for the past six games.
“I don’t think it’s alarm-
ing. I just think it’s what
we’re working with,” Seat-
tle coach Pete Carroll said on
Monday.
“Obviously it’s going to be
really difficult to expect us to
play a great game until we do.
You want to see that. I know
that’s what you’re waiting for.
Evening listings
TUESDAY
D ECEMBER 27
A - Charter Astoria/ Seaside - L - Charter Long Beach
6:30
7 PM
7:30
8 PM
8:30
9 PM
9:30
10 PM
10:30
11 PM
11:30
KATU News at 6
Jeopardy!
Wheel of Fortune The Middle
Amer. Housewife Fresh Off the Boat The Real O'Neals The Real O'Neals The Real O'Neals KATU News at 11 (:35) Jimmy Kimmel
KOMO 4 News
Wheel of Fortune Jeopardy!
The Middle
Amer. Housewife Fresh Off the Boat The Real O'Neals The Real O'Neals The Real O'Neals KOMO 4 News
(:35) Jimmy Kimmel
NBC Nightly News KING 5 News
KING 5 News
Evening
The Wall "John and Angel"
This Is Us "Pilot"
Chi.Fire "Nobody Else Is Dying Today" KING 5 News
(:35) Tonight Show
KOIN Local 6 at 6 CBS Evening News Extra
Ent. Tonight
NCIS "Sister City" Pt. 1 of 2
Kennedy Honors Celebrating the spectacular talents of many artists. (N)
KOIN 6 News @ 11 (:35) S. Colbert
KIRO 7 News
CBS Evening News The Insider
Ent. Tonight
NCIS "Sister City" Pt. 1 of 2
Kennedy Honors Celebrating the spectacular talents of many artists. (N)
KIRO News
(:35) S. Colbert
KGW News at 6:00 p.m.
Live at Seven
Inside Edition
The Wall "John and Angel"
This Is Us "Pilot"
Chi.Fire "Nobody Else Is Dying Today" KGW News at 11 (:35) Tonight Show
Last Man Standing Last Man Standing Modern Family
Modern Family
The Flash "Shade"
No Tomorrow "No Soup for You"
KGW News at 10 Two and a Half
Two and a Half
Met Your Mother
Ask-Old House
Business (N)
PBS NewsHour
American Masters "Eero Saarinen" (N) Frontline "Exodus" Stories of refugees and migrants fleeing war. (N)
POV "Special Flight"
6 O'Clock News
Family Feud
Family Feud
Brooklyn 99
New Girl
Bones "The Nightmare in the Nightmare" 10 O'Clock News
11 O'Clock News 2 Broke Girls
Mike & Molly
Mike & Molly
Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory FOX 12's 8 O'Clock News on PDX-TV FOX 12's 9 O'Clock News on PDX-TV Family Guy
Family Guy
American Dad
Cleveland Show
Modern Family
Modern Family
Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Brooklyn 99
New Girl
Bones "The Nightmare in the Nightmare" Q13 News at 10
Q13 News
The Simpsons
People of Earth
People of Earth
People of Earth
People of Earth
People of Earth
People of Earth
People of Earth
Search Party
Search Party
Search Party
Search Party
Search Party
Two and a Half
Two and a Half
Last Man Standng Last Man Standng Modern Family
Modern Family
Q13 News at 9
Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Friends
Friends
(4:00) NCAA Football Holiday Bowl (L)
(:15) NCAA Football Cactus Bowl Boise State vs. Baylor Site: Chase Field -- Phoenix, Ariz. (L)
(:45) SportsCenter The day's news in the world of sports.
NCAA Basketball Michigan State vs. Minnesota (L)
SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter
(:45) Top Ten
NCAA Football Quick Lane Bowl
NickyRickyDicky NickyRickyDicky NickyRickyDicky NickyRickyDicky Game Shakers
SpongeBob
Full House
Full House
Full House
Full House
Friends
Friends
Liv Maddie Cali
Stuck in the Middle
Liv Maddie Cali
K.C. Undercover Girl Meets World Bunk'd
The Lodge
Stuck in Middle
Liv and Maddie
Austin & Ally
Shrek Forever After (‘10, Ani) Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Mike Myers.
Despicable Me (‘10, Ani) Voices of Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Steve Carell. The 700 Club
(5:00) How to Train Your Dragon
(5:00) Gangs of New York (‘02) Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio.
(:15) FXM Presents Gangs of New York (2002, Drama) Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio.
(:45) FXM Presents
Dance Moms
Dance Moms
Dance Moms: Dance and Chat
Dance Moms (N)
30 Something Grandma
Little Women: Dallas
Halls of Fame
Mark Few (N)
ERA Rodeo World Championship
Xterra Adventures The Game 365
Mark Few
Wild Places
NPGL Fitness San Francisco vs Miami
UFC UFC 170
Fox Sports Live
TMZ Sports (N)
Skip and Shannon: Undisputed Opinions on the biggest sports topics of the day. Fox Sports Live
TMZ Sports
The Longest Yard (2005, Comedy) Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds, Adam Sandler.
(5:30) The Longest Yard (‘05, Com) Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds, Adam Sandler. The Waterboy (1998, Comedy) Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, Adam Sandler.
Futurama
Futurama
Futurama
Futurama
Tosh.0
Tosh.0
Tosh.0
Tosh.0
Tosh.0
Tosh.0
Tosh.0
Tosh.0
Curse/Oak Island "No Stone Unturned" The Curse of Oak Island "Bullseye"
Oak Island "Circles in Wood" (N)
Curse/Oak Island "All That Glitters" (N) Hunting Hitler
The Curse of Oak Island "Bullseye"
The First 48
Intervention
Intervention
Intervention
Remini: Scientology
(:10) The First 48
(:45) The First 48
Little People "What's a Lamping?"
Little People "Zombie Apocalypse" (N) Little People "Time to Go Wild" (N)
OutDaughtered (N)
Kate Plus Eight "Beach Time!" (N)
OutDaughtered
Moonshiners
Moonshiners
Moonshiners: Outlaw Cuts (N)
Moonshiners (N)
Killing Fields (N)
Moonshiners
Continent 7: An. "Science of Survival" Continent 7: Antarc. "Race to Escape" Life Below Zero "Andy Bassich"
Life -0 "Renegades of the Arctic" (N)
Live Free or Die "Colbert"
Life Below 0 "Renegades of the Arctic"
Man of Steel (2013, Action) Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Henry Cavill.
Good Behavior "It Still Fits Bitch" (N)
Good Behavior "It Still Fits Bitch"
The Last Ship "Pilot - Phase Six"
(:25) Breaking Bad "I.F.T."
Breaking Bad "Green Light"
Breaking Bad "Mas"
(:35) Breaking Bad "Sunset"
(:40) Breaking Bad "One Minute"
(:45) Breaking Bad
NCIS "Spider and the Fly"
NCIS "Dead Air"
WWE Smackdown! WWE superstars do battle in long-running rivalries.
Shooter "Danger Close" (N)
Incorporated "Cost Containment"
Chopped: All Stars "Judge Remix"
Chopped: All Stars "Grand Finale"
Chopped "Hot Potato, Not Potato" (N) Chopped "Million Dollar Baskets"
Chopped "Basket Buzz" (N)
Chopped "Deadliest Baskets"
Fixer Upper
Fixer "School Spirit Spurs Home Search" Fixer Upper
Fixer Upper (N)
House Hunters (N) House Hunters (N) Fixer Upper
(5:30) Green Lantern (‘11, Action) Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Ryan Reynolds. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014, Action) Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Chris Evans.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
All the Best, All the Worst: 2016 (N) CNN Tonight With Don Lemon
Anderson Cooper 360
All the Best, All the Worst: 2016
CNN Newsroom
CNN Newsroom
The Kelly File With Megyn Kelly
Hannity
The O'Reilly Factor
The Kelly File With Megyn Kelly
Hannity
On the Record
Shark Tank
Shark Tank
Billion Dollar Buyer
Billion Dollar Buyer
Billion Buyer "Are You Committed?"
Paid Program
Paid Program
Beverly Hills "Stronger Than Ever"
Beverly "The Buddha Bentley Birthday" Beverly Hills Social (N)
Beverly Hills (N)
Ladies of London (N)
WatchWhat
Beverly Hills
(5:00) Arsenic and Old Lace Cary Grant. (:15) Grey Gardens (‘75) Edie Bouvier Beale, Edith Bouvier Beale.
(:15) The Whales of August (‘87, Dra) Bette Davis, Vincent Price, Lillian Gish. (:15) Travels With My Aunt
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013, Horror) Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson.
Dark Shadows (‘12, Fant) Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Depp.
(5:30) Insidious (2010, Horror) Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson.
(5:30) Cattlemen
LandLeader TV
Downunder Horseman.
Chris Cox
Rural Eve. News Ag PhD
Cattlemen to Cattlemen
LandLeader TV
Product Showcase