Thomas Godoj Thread » gether smiling for a selfie. Photos of their warm mo

Max Verstappen has defended Red Bulls decision to pit for intermediates during the Brazilian Grand Prix, a call which cost him a shot at a win but prompted his sensational fightback to third.Verstappen stole the plaudits with a stunning drive through the field in Brazil, which came after fantastic overtakes on Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg earlier in the race. The teenager had been between the Mercedes drivers but had to pit late in the race to reverse Red Bulls decision to put him on intermediate tyres as rain intensified.Though he thinks second position was safe he is unsure if he would have caught and passed eventual race winner Lewis Hamilton.When asked if he felt that call cost him the win, Verstappen replied: Win maybe not, but second was definitely possible. I think we were in quite a safe position in second but sometimes you have to gamble a little bit -- were trying to win the race -- that is what we tried today. We got some great overtakes so I am very happy, of course.Emerging from his final stop in 16th, Verstappen then scythed through the field with remarkable pace, overtaking Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat, Esteban Ocon, Felipe Nasr, Nico Hulkenberg, Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez in a charge back to third.Explaining his whole race, Verstappen said: In the first [overtake] one I was trying some different lines. I found a good one and I knew that if Kimi [Raikkonen] was not going to take that line, had a good chance of overtaking. That worked out, he couldnt work out what was happening in front of him. I pulled out of all the spray and passed him.From there on I was a bit relieved because they were a bit slower behind me so I could follow the guys in front. But then of course with the red flags and stuff at the end, twice actually... The second one I didnt really understand... It was similar to before.When we restarted again, the track was worse than before, I had good pace and a good fight with Nico in Turn 3, tried to follow Lewis [Hamilton] a bit and had a massive moment, lucky to not crash the car.I got call to box, we did a pitstop, the first lap was pretty good and then it started to rain harder than before and last sector was undriveable on inters. We had to pit again and I was 15th, 16th, started to pass people again, couldnt see where I was on the straight, but passed a lot of them - and to get back on the podium was a great result here.Discount Air Max 1 Black Friday 2019 . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Nike Air Max Cyber Monday . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. http://www.airmaxcheapdiscount.com/ . LOUIS -- St. Cheap Air Max Free Shipping . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. Discount Air Max Shoes . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.PYONGYANG, North Korea -- Despite claiming only two gold medals in Rio, North Korea is as determined as ever to fulfill one of leader Kim Jong Uns primary goals: to become an international sports superpower.North Koreas small Olympic team won its two golds in weightlifting, where it has a number of world-class and world-record-holding lifters, and gymnastics. Weightlifter Rim Jong Sim won the gold in the womens 75-kilogram division, while gymnast Ri Se Gwang won the mens vault. The North also won three silver and two bronze medals.When our Rim Jong Sim stood on the podium with our national anthem playing, she cried and my mother and I cried, too, as we watched on TV, Ri Yun Gum, an 18-year-old government worker, said Monday in Pyongyang as the Rio games were coming to a close. I think our athletes are able to win not just because they train hard, but because of their mental toughness.The performance was a tad shy of expectations, since North Korea had four golds in London.But transforming North Korea, which has very limited economic resources and a population of only about 25 million, into a player to be reckoned with on the global sports stage is one of Kims pet projects, and he has poured funds into the development and training of promising athletes over the past several years.It has already made a visible mark on Pyongyang.The relatively affluent capital has seen the rise of a number of major new or renovated sports venues, and each year its usually restricted streets are opened for the Pyongyang Marathon, which has become a major tourist attraction. Though pickup volleyball games and football matches in schoolyards have long been a staple in the city, its now a common sight to see young people out jogging or even canoeing on the two main rivers that run through Pyongyang.And while South Korea lets its top athletes get out of military service as a gold medal reward, elite athletes returning home to the North after winning international competitions often get a heros welcome -- and maybe a condo.Of course, Pyongyangs push to garner international prestige and generate national pride by winning medals isnt terribly original. It appears to have been pulled straight out of the playbook of former Soviet bloc countries like East Germany, and is similar to the strong political significance sports are still given in Russia and China, North Koreas two biggest historical backers.But the campaign is also seen as part of Kims effort to make North Korea a more modern nation.There are two reasons why sports are important, Jang Sok Ha, manager of the newly opened Pyongyang Sports Equipment Factory, told The Associated Press on Monday. People in good health can work harder, but they also need cultural rest and recreation.Jangs spparkling new factory, which opened in April, is a big part of the drive and is one of the largest in the country.dddddddddddd. Its task is to provide regular people affordable sports equipment -- from soccer balls to badminton rackets.Standing in the factory showroom, surrounded by everything from field hockey balls to judo uniforms and bags of talcum powder for weightlifters, Jang proudly produced a basketball signed by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, one of the only foreigners to ever meet with Kim. He then grabbed a ball emblazoned with Naesongsan, his factorys brand.Our balls are good enough to be used by the NBA, too, he said.North Koreans are able to follow the Olympics, or at least some selected events, on TV and radio broadcasts and in newspapers, all of which are run by the state.I watched the games every day, said housewife Hong Un Byol, 34. I was so happy to see our national flag raised after the gold medals. The athletes practiced a lot to give pleasure to the Marshal. Kim is often respectfully referred to by that title, one of the many that he holds.Beyond the playing field, sports have from time to time provided brief respites in the normally tense relations between the two Koreas.During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, North and South Koreans marched together under a flag that symbolized unification. North Koreas womens soccer team won gold at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, with the South winning bronze. Many South Koreans delighted in seeing players from both countries celebrate together after the medal ceremony.While such sentiments were generally absent during the Rio Olympics, one of the most touching moments came when gymnasts Hong Un Jong of North Korea and Lee Eun-ju of South Korea met on the sidelines during their event and posed together smiling for a selfie. Photos of their warm moments delighted many South Koreans and provided a rare note of concord in otherwise abysmal relations between the rivals.Officially, however, both countries frown on such meetings.The Korean Peninsula is still technically in a state of war because there has been no peace treaty signed to officially end the 1950-53 Korean War. Nearly 30,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea in what Seoul and Washington claim is a necessary deterrent to any threats from North Korea. Turning up the heat, the U.S. and South Korea just kicked off annual war games that Pyongyang says are a prelude to invasion.Games or no games, accusations against the South of trying to create trouble -- not of hugging gymnasts -- are what dominate the headlines here.---Talmadge is the APs Pyongyang bureau chief. ' ' '