Mitch Emery thought his Olympic dream was over after collapsing and injuring himself just days before team announcements, so th

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Mitch Emery thought his Olympic dream was over after collapsing and injuring himself just days before team announcements, so the phone call to tell him that he had made Australias water polo squad for Rio de Janeiro was particularly overwhelming.A fringe player in the squad, Emerys position for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio was never set in stone, and he was far from confident hed make the plane after injuring his shoulder just days before team selection at the World League - Super Final.A mixture of exhaustion, stress and sickness culminated in Emery collapsing in a lift at the six-day World League tournament, and injuring his shoulder with bone bruising and swelling. He was forced to sit out the rest of the competition.I didnt get to play the last three days, Emery told ESPN. To be honest I didnt think I was going to make the team. I just felt those last three days were so important and when I couldnt play all these thoughts were just running through my head; there were sleepless nights. But now thinking back, I played really well in the lead up before that tournament. Just at that time I thought this is going to be 50/50 and then the more you think about it the more you doubt yourself, I guess.Emery was really annoyed with myself and was pretty frustrated as he thought he needed to play in the final days of the tournament to make the final 13 for Rio.I am the kind of person who can be a bit negative to prepare myself for the worst, and those six days that followed were the worst -- the sleepless nights, watching the people you were competing with playing well, and then I had to wait for that phone call.Prepared for the worst, Emery had already reasoned it wasnt his playing ability that had let him down.I just thought, if I dont make this team its not because I havent played well, its because the coaches didnt want to take someone who is sort of injured and wouldnt be able to train for the first four days, instead of taking someone who is 100 percent and can go straight away.But on Wednesday June 29, the 25-year-old received the phone call to change his life. He was going to the Olympics.It was pretty overwhelming. [Australia coach Elvis Fatovic] told us the day before, on Tuesday, that he was going to call - but he didnt. Then on Wednesday, right on midday, he called.It was a bit awkward, I just asked him hey, how has your day been? and he said not very good. Instantly I thought thats not good news for me. But then he just said, Youre going. I wanted to hang up quickly so he couldnt change his mind. I was just over the moon with it all.He explained why Id been chosen and also went through how things can change through injury. He also told me who didnt make the team.All up it was probably only a four-minute conversation.Prepared for either good or bad news, Emerys mother had taken the day off to support him.We knew it was going to be a yes or no, Emery said.As soon as I got the call I ran outside so she couldnt see me and then I came in, she asked me if I was going or not and I told her I was going. We both pretty much just started crying, it was pretty intense.I think my partner, Kate, was the first person I called. She cried for a good five minutes and when I picked her up from the train station she started crying again. There were a lot of tears that day.It was a long journey for Emery to reach Rio.In 2012, he was juggling full-time work and water polo while rehabilitating the knee injury that had ruled him out of the London Olympics; the young player was close to giving up the sport. But in 2013 he quit his job and moved cross country to pursue his Olympic dreamSports been my life ever since I was a young kid, Emery told ESPN. Id been playing three sports during the weekend, so I thought, to be honest, Im working in a dead-end job, I was probably a bit overweight and I wasnt motivated; I just thought a change was perfect for me.So I hopped onto a plane to Perth and started working at a fruit and vegetable factory; I was able to eat all the fruit and veg that they had, and it worked out perfectly. It was good environment, I was eating healthy, was training hard, and the motivation just came back; I started to love playing water polo again.Im glad I did make that trip in the end.Emery has faced a rollercoaster ride since working his way back onto the Australian squad, earning a call-up for some tournaments, getting dropped for others, and then facing prospect of being cut when the 13-man roster was announced on July 1st.Emery made sure to take every day as it came and not focus too far ahead.Our manager sends out our team schedule every 12 months and its got everything -- when were in Europe and all our tour dates. I dont look at it because I just like to take each day as it comes. If I make the team, I look through to the next part of the trip.For the last six months, being so close to the Olympics, I just really wanted to go, I really wanted to make that my goal.I just feel like, it could still be taken away from me in a weird way; I wont feel like an Olympian until Ive finished it an Cheap Air Force 1 Wholesale . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Discount Air Force 1 . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. http://www.cheapshoesstorewholesale.com/stan-smith-online-outlet.html . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. 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LONDON -- To see middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin and welterweight titlist Kell Brook stand face to face to pose for photos -- and then shake hands like the true pros that they are -- following Thursdays final news conference one would never guess that Brook is coming up two weight divisions to challenge the most feared man in boxing.They look roughly the same size, but that is just what Brook is going to do when they meet in a fight with potentially historic implications on Saturday (HBO, 5:30 p.m. ET/PT with a replay at 10 p.m. ET/PT) at the sold-out O2 Arena.Brook (36-0, 25 KOs), 30, who will have his home country behind him, admittedly has struggled to make the welterweight limit of 147 pounds in recent fights, but he has done it. He has defended his world title three times, all by knockout, since traveling to the United States and upsetting Shawn Porter to claim the belt by majority decision in August 2014.This fight couldnt have come at a better time for Kell. Hes been looking to move up in weight for a long, long time but we pursued the route to the welterweight title, trainer Dominic Ingle said. But we had 20-week training camps just to get down to weight. Theres been times we had him on special diets so he could safely make the weight. People are now realizing that Kell Brook is not a small guy, a welterweight stepping up to challenge a middleweight.This is the only time Ive seen him happy in a training camp. Never had a smile on his face when he had to make 147, but this time hes been happy the whole training camp as he makes 160.Indeed, at various mandated weight checks, Brook outweighed Golovkin each time and looks strong at his new weight.He wanted to face top names in the loaded welterweight division, just like Golovkin has wanted to at middleweight, but neither could get any takers. When Brooks promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, offered him Golovkin -- when Golovkins fight with contender Chris Eubank Jr. went south -- Brook immediately accepted. He is that confident in himself.I am happy with the decision to make this enormous fight, and the sold-out crowd and the viewing figures on TV will prove that this is a massive fight, Brook said. Everyone in boxing knows that I am a big guy. People who dont know think that the weight is going to be an issue. Im more vicious in sparring when I am around 160 pounds or coming down from heavier than that. Thats where I am healthier in training and I can give so much more output in the gym, and that means the full 100 percent will come from me in the fight.I believe [the result is] written and I will shock the world Saturday night.He and Hearn believe a win would be the biggest in British boxing history. If some disagree there is no question it would at least be in the conversation along with fights such as Randy Turpins 15-round decision upset of Sugar Ray Robinson to win the middleweight title in 1951, Ricky Hattons 11th-round knockout of Kostya Tszyu to win the junior welterweight title in 2005 and Tyson Furys decision win over Wladimir Klitschko 10 months ago to win the heavyweight title.Kell is moving up two weight divisions to fight the most feared fighter in world boxing, Hearn said. There have been some huge British wins, but as a one-off win I think this is up there with one of the greatest wins of all time. Brook beating GGG is on another level because youre fighting a top pound-for-pound fighter in his prime. If Hatton would have beaten Floyd Mayweather that possibly would have been the greatest win for a British fighter, but he didnt.Said Brook: I have to say that me winning this fight Saturday night is the biggest win in British history of any era. Me moving up two weight divisions to beat the most feared man on the planet, unified middleweight champion, is the biggest win. Sugar Ray Robinson is my favorite fighter of all time and Turpins win is way up there but you have to put this one off win I will get as the best ever in British history.K2 Promotions Tom Loeffler, who represents Golovkin, has had a bear of time making matches for GGG and was relieved when Brook accepted the fight.We dont have to go through the list of all the full fledged middleweights who have turned down fights, given up titles and negotiated until the 11th hour and then not sign the contract, Loeffler said, referring to opponents such as Canelo Alvarez, Billy Joe Saunders and Eubank. Its unbelievable how difficult it was to find someone to get in the ring with Gennady.But Brook agreed and if he pulls off the upset -- he is a considerable underdog -- he will become only the third reigning welterweight titleholder to move up and win a middleweight world title.dddddddddddd The others are all-time greats enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame: Sugar Ray Robinson and Carmen Basilio, both of whom did it in the 1950s.Im going to follow the greats and make history, Brook said. The likes of Felix Trinidad, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao have all moved through the weights to prove they are greats at all weights. Theres a small window of opportunity to do something special and I am going to take my chance to prove that I am a special fighter.The fans pay our wages and I want to give back to the fans. I have been telling them for ages that I want big fights and they havent believed me. They dont know the politics that go on behind the scenes through no fault of my own. Ive had injuries, mandatories. Its been hard to get big fights, and as soon as theres been the window of these big fights happening, Ive been let down by people not wanting to dance.Brooks countryman, Amir Khan, whom he has verbally sparred with for years but never been able to finalize a fight with after multiple attempts, moved up from welterweight to middleweight (albeit at a catch weight) to face lineal champion Alvarez in May but got badly knocked out in the sixth round. Brook does not plan on that happening to him.His moniker throughout his career is The Special One, and now he wants to prove it against no ordinary titleholder. Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs), 34, the Kazakhstan native fighting out of Santa Monica, California, will be making his 17th title defense. He has knocked out 22 opponents in a row, his knockout percentage of 91.4 is the highest in middleweight title history and he has displayed an iron chin.Yet, Golovkin has shown enormous respect for Brook and sure made it sounds like he presents at least some danger.I respect Kell Brook and his team, Golovkin said. I know he understands for both of us, this is the biggest fight. He looks ready, Im ready. This is a big gift for boxing fans. Not just in the U.K., but for all boxing fans.Kell Brook is a very good boxer and I respect him for taking this fight. He is more than ready. He is an undefeated champion and this will be the biggest fight of my career. He is coming up from welterweight so his speed will be a new test for me. I hope our styles match well to give the fans a present. I want to produce a dramatic show and that is why I have come to London.Brook, however, did not sound like a man preparing to rely on speed. He has quite a bit of thunder in his fists and believes the power will join him in his new weight class.When he feels the power that I have thats going to be a strong, powerful and quick middleweight hitting him, not a welterweight, Brook said. Im going to put it all together. Golovkin is like Mike Tyson -- people have lost before they even get in there with him. Im not interested in what hes going to do. Im focused on what I need to deliver to win.Hearn said he was surprised by the overwhelming response from the public when the bout was announced. This fight has hit fever pitch -- fans coming up to me dozens of times today and asking, Can Kell do it? He looks strong. Is GGG really the beast people say he is, Hearn said.And then Hearn, who needed barely a couple of days to finalize the fight with Loeffler, took a whack at those who fled from sharing a ring with Golovkin.Any fighter who wishes to face Gennady, these are very easy people to deal with, Hearn said. They just want to fight the very best and thats what they are doing with Kell Brook, 35-0 versus 36-0. It doesnt get any bigger or better than this.Hearn, who has a close relationship with Brook, was pleased to be able to deliver such a huge fight to him.There are so many times Ive sat with him and his dad and they said, We want it all, we can beat them all. You just have to give us the chance to show it, Hearn said. On Saturday, he takes the outrageous leap of two weight divisions to a place where he knows he is so comfortable, so much stronger, so much more full of belief. But in front of him he has the toughest, most dangerous fighter in world boxing. But isnt that what the sport is about? Isnt it about the best fighting the best?Two undefeated fighters, two fighters with so much talent, so much skill, so much power, so much grace, in front of 17,000 people, an event that sold out in only [11] minutes. This is what the sport is all about.That, and possible history for Brook, who can truly earn his Special One nickname with a victory. ' ' '