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Mekhissi DQed after bare-chested Euro celebration

By WTOP Staff

RAF CASERT
AP Sports Writer

ZURICH (AP) — Mahiedine Mekhissi thought he was winning his third straight European Championship 3,000-meter steeplechase title and wanted to celebrate in style — bare-chested through the finishing straight.

Instead, the Frenchman added yet another chapter to his controversial career when he was disqualified for taking off his shirt and bib for the last 100 meters.

Two years ago, he violently pushed the championship mascot after winning his second title, and a year earlier he threw punches at a French rival runner at a major meet.

At first, Mekhissi was given a belated warning for his partial strip, and said “it was just the emotion” taking over. But Spain, which stood to gain a bronze medal if Mekhissi was DQed, protested, and after appeal and counterappeal, Mekhissi was scrapped from the results.

“When I took off my vest,” he said, “it was because of my joy. I was so happy to defend my title.”

It turned another special moment into another controversy. As a runner, his talent is undoubted. He usually falls short only against the Kenyans in global competitions, and has two Olympic silvers and two world bronzes to show for it.

On Thursday, Mekhissi swept in front for good with one kilometer to go to lead a French one-two across the line, with Yoann Kowal taking silver ahead of Poland’s Krystian Zalewski.

In the end, the ease of victory didn’t matter, the premature celebration did. France middle distance coach Philippe Dupont said Mekhissi wanted to celebrate football-style, where players sometimes take off their shirt after scoring a goal. The coach acknowledged it was not the best thing to do.

Gold still remained French as Yoann Kowal moved up into the winner’s position, Zalewski took silver, and Spain’s Angel Mullera the bronze.

France still ended up with two gold on the night, as Benjamin Compaore won the triple jump ahead of Russians Lyukman Adams and Aleksey Fyodorov.

Yet, it was Russia’s day when Sergey Shubenkov won the 110 hurdles in Thursday’s last event, providing the third gold for his country as the European Championships reached the halfway stage.

That race, too, was sour for France because Pascal Martinot-Lagarde was a heavy favorite. Yet, as Martinot-Lagarde started tripping hurdles, it was Shubenkov who crossed first in 13.19 seconds, beating William Sharman of Britain. Martinot-Lagarde took bronze after compatriot Dimitri Bascou was DQed for impeding.

Earlier, Anzhelika Sidorova won the women’s pole vault with the last vault, and Elmira Alembekova set off Russia’s day on the right foot by winning the 20K walk.

With the women’s 100-meter gold medal secured, Dafne Schippers dominated the 200 semifinals, too, the second step in a potential sprint triple.

Running a day after winning her first title, the Dutchwoman showed no ill effect from two more heats in barely eight hours as she clocked the fastest time for Friday’s final.

“It was a real short night. But being tired at the start is nothing new for a heptathlete,” Schippers said.

She turned sprinter for these championships and Wednesday’s 100 was seen as her toughest individual challenge.

As in the 100, it looks like Myriam Soumare of France will be her main rival, coming through to win her semifinal.

Schippers has the fastest 200 time of the season, and if she wins the final on Friday she will have to rely on a strong performance from her relay teammates over the weekend to make it three titles.

It would equal the sprint triple of Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won three individual events at the 1950 European Championships.

One day ahead of women’s high jump qualifying, former world champion Blanka Vlasic was forced to pull out because of a knee injury. Her comeback from an Achilles operation two years ago had been one of the most anticipated events of the championships.

___

Raf Casert can be followed on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/rcasert

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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