New´s » hours before tip-off despite chilly temperratures and

It has been six years since Canadian shot putter Dylan Armstrong just missed the Olympic podium and over a year since the Belarusian who beat him for the bronze medal was banned from the sport for life. Armstrongs long wait for Olympic glory is about to end. The official record from the mens shot put competition at the 2008 Beijing Games will now show that Armstrong finished in third place instead of fourth. The change was made this week after the International Olympic Committee recognized the IAAF sanction given to Andrei Mikhnevich, who tested positive in retests of his doping sample from the 2005 world championships. Armstrong may have been denied his podium appearance at the Birds Nest Stadium, but hes thrilled that hell eventually be presented with the medal in his home country. "Just getting a medal and receiving it at home is truly amazing," Armstrong said Thursday from Vancouver. "Even though the moment in Beijing would have been an absolutely amazing moment, its still very satisfying to know that Im going to get it and receive it on home soil." Armstrong will receive the medal at a later date. Plans have not been finalized but he hopes the ceremony will be held in his hometown of Kamloops, B.C. Tomasz Majewski of Poland won gold in Beijing with a throw of 21.51 metres and American Christian Cantwell took silver with a throw of 21.09 metres. Armstrong initially finished fourth with a throw of 21.04 metres, just one centimetre behind Mikhnevich. "Its definitely the most important medal that Ive achieved," Armstrong said on a conference call. "That being said, its kind of like the big ticket. I can use this now to inspire younger athletes, keep kids out of trouble and help them achieve their goals, especially in my community. "Really give kids hope, thats what Im about. Ive always been a big supporter of athletics in Canada." Mikhnevich had already served a two-year suspension for a doping offence so the positive test from 2005 resulted in a lifetime ban. Last years sanction from the IAAF -- the world governing body for track and field -- annulled his results dating back to August 2005. The placings from several events had to be adjusted. Armstrong was also retroactively awarded the bronze medal from the 2010 world indoor championships after Mikhnevich was stripped of his silver medal from that competition. He received the world indoor medal first as it only needed rubber stamping from the IAAF. The Olympic bronze was a longer process as it needed to go through both the IAAF and the IOC. "Justice has been made," said COC president Marcel Aubut. The 33-year-old Armstrong said hes proud that he was able to stay positive during the long process. He added that he has always been determined to set a good example for others. "We can say, Hey, look. Dylan Armstrong did it. He did it clean. He stood by it his whole career," Armstrong said. "And hopefully people can see that and relate to that. And parents can tell their kids, Look, we can do this. "Your kids can do this clean." The Canadian has battled elbow problems since a disappointing fifth-place finish at the 2012 London Games. Hes hoping to return to the Olympics for a third time at the 2016 Games in Rio. Armstrongs bronze brings Canadas total medal haul to 19 (three gold, nine silver and seven bronze) from the Beijing Games. It is Canadas first-ever Olympic medal in shot put. Wei-Yin Chen Jersey . Saltalamacchia drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, Henderson Alvarez won for the first time in three starts and the Miami Marlins beat the Braves 3-2 on Thursday night. Cheap Marlins Jerseys .com) - James van Riemsdyk had two goals with one assist to help the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-jose-fernandez-jersey .Y. -- The Montreal Canadiens have had few reasons to celebrate this season as they have been mired near the basement of the Eastern Conference. Cheap Marlins Jerseys China . In sunny and almost windless conditions, the Swede shot four consecutive birdies on the front nine on his way to a 68 and went 9 under for a one-shot lead over Englands Lee Slattery and two over Paraguays Farbrizio Zanotti (68). Martin Prado Jersey . No, really, his head. Late in the game, the St. Louis goalie craned his neck into the air to block a shot, taking a puck square in the mask.TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Cleanthony Early scored 19 points and Tekele Cotton added 14 as No. 4 Wichita State remained unbeaten with a 65-58 victory at Indiana State on Wednesday night. The Shockers (24-0, 11-0 Missouri Valley) extended their school-record winning streak and improved to 11-0 in conference play for the first time in school history. They have won three straight in the series. The only undefeated team in Division I is No. 2 Syracuse (22-0). Manny Arup had 16 points and Jake Odum added 11 for Indiana State (17-6, 8-3) which couldnt avoid a rare home loss. The Sycamores were 8-0 at home this season and fell to 40-11 at the Hulman Center under fourth-year coach Greg Lansing. Four of those losses have come to the Shockers. Wichita State led 50-39 with 12:34 to go. Indiana State got as close as 58-56 with 2:01 to go but the Sycamores missed four of eight free throws down the stretch. It was the first time a team ranked this high played in Terre Haute since Larry Birds Sycamores were ranked No. 1 during the 1978-79 season. And the festive crowd couldnt wait. Students began lining up more than two hours before tip-off despite chilly temperratures and 6 inches of new snow.dddddddddddd When they got inside, almost every fan in the building was decked out in blue. But on the court, the emotions took a toll. The Sycamore shooters struggled, making just 32.1 per cent. Wichita State, meanwhile, didnt look sluggish at all despite having its arrival delayed until midday Wednesday by the winter storm. Instead, they started fast and finished it off by scoring the final seven points to pull away. In between, the Sycamores played valiantly. They fought back from an early deficit to get within 36-35 at halftime, and opened the second half by taking a 37-36 lead. The Shockers fended off that challenge with defence. It forced six straight missed shots and went on a 14-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game, 50-39 with 12:34 to play. But when Indiana State heated up again, it stormed back. The Sycamores scored eight straight to close to 52-50 just 3 1/2 minutes later and got as close as 58-56 late. They had a chance to tie it, but Justin Gant was too far underneath the basket for a layup. Indiana State never got another chance to tie it because of the missed free throws. ' ' '