NEU » But the Blue Devils arent just missing leaders.

Mark Cavendish secured the Olympic silver medal in the mens omnium but admitted he was culpable for a crash which threatened to extend his wait for a podium place.Cavendish finally got his hands on an Olympic medal -- after eight years of trying and at the third attempt -- when he finished behind Italys Elia Viviani, with defending champion Lasse Norman Hansen of Denmark picking up bronze.A mid-race crash appeared to be of Cavendishs own making, but there was no protest as South Koreas Park Sanghoon was taken out of the Rio Velodrome on a stretcher.The incident, which happened with 109 laps of the 140-lap points race remaining, was reviewed by officials at the time and Cavendish was absolved of blame, according to Press Association Sport. Had officials determined Cavendish was at fault, he would have been sanctioned there and then.It was my fault, Cavendish said. I shouldve looked where I was going a bit more. I hope hes all right. I apologised to Elia, who went down.The Great Britain rider is reported to have had several confrontations with the media in the mixed zone as he was questioned about the incident, with one journalist reporting he threatened to sue them for suggesting he did it deliberately.?Cavendish had a 16-point deficit entering the concluding points race. Twenty points were available for gaining a lap, but Cavendish was heavily marked and Vivianis advantage was too much to bridge.Instead Cavendish had to fend off attacks from riders vying to depose him from the podium, steadily accumulating points in the sprints which came every 10 laps to take silver.I kept trying to go. It was difficult. It was a strange one, Cavendish added. Im always going to be a marked man.I had to get the sprints. I felt incredible. I could see people dying and I felt better and better. I knew at the halfway point it was going to be difficult to get a lap and Id just have to pick off sprints one by one.Ultimately I couldnt have done any more. I have to be happy. Elia was better across the six disciplines. He deserved to win that Olympic gold. Its always disappointing not to win, but I did all I could, so yes, Im happy.Cavendishs silver ended a long wait for an Olympic medal and came a month after leaving the Tour de France early with four stage wins, taking his career tally to 30, which is second only to Eddy Merckx.I made every day count, Cavendish said. He was ninth in the Madison with Sir Bradley Wiggins at the 2008 Games in Beijing, suffering the ignominy of being the only member of the track team not to win a medal.Cavendish felt he could have ridden one of the three team pursuit rounds, earning a medal. And he had a wry smile when asked if he made his point with his performance in the individual pursuit, the second omnium discipline.He clocked four minutes 16.878 seconds, within two seconds of Wiggins Olympic record from Beijing 2008, which Hansen went on to surpass.Cavendish said: I had to slow down. I wouldve gone for Brads [Olympic] record, but you guys would start click-baiting that I did it because I didnt want to be friends with him.He has achieved two of his 2016 goals -- the Tours yellow jersey and an Olympic medal -- and now will turn his attentions to the third, a second road race world title in Qatar in October.He celebrated with his family, wife Peta, four-year-old daughter Delilah Grace and son Frey, who is one on Wednesday. Finnbar, Petas son from a previous relationship, was also present.Cavendish, who flies home Tuesday, added: Im racing on Sunday [at Vattenfall Cyclassics in Germany]. Its back to the day job. China Made Jerseys . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. China Jerseys Outlet . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. http://www.chinajerseyspaypal.com/ . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. China Jerseys Custom .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. China Jerseys For Sale .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke isnt just losing games these days. Its also losing captains.The Blue Devils named four captains before the season and three of them are out with season-ending injuries. That leaves defensive tackle A.J. Wolf as the only one of those leaders healthy enough to play this week against No. 23 Virginia Tech.Being the last captain standing is definitely not a good feeling, Wolf said Tuesday, but Im going to do my best to hold the torch and keep on going strong for the team.Coach David Cutcliffe said none of the teams in his three-plus-decade coaching career have ever dealt with this many losses to a corps of captains.Ive also never been around resilient young people like this 2016 team, he added. Our leadership is strong, our spirits are strong, and therefore were going to continue to work.And while it might make for a more lonely experience at the pre-game coin toss -- Im a heads guy, Wolf quipped -- and has led to questions about whether the captaincy is cursed, it also underscores why Duke (3-5, 0-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) is in jeopardy of missing the postseason for the first time since 2011.The Blue Devils lost three of four in October to fall into last place in the Coastal Division, and are the only ACC team without a win in league play. It certainly wont be easy to find that victory against the division leading Hokies (6-2, 4-1), who have won two straight to claim the inside track to a berth in the ACC championship game.I dont think anybodys very far ahead of anybody else in this division, Tech coach Justin Fuente said.But the Blue Devils arent just missing leaders. Theyre also missing some of their best players.The preseason selections of quarterback Thomas Sirk, defensive back DeVon Edwards, running back Jela Duncan and Wolf seemed obvious because of their contributionss both in leadership roles and on the field.ddddddddddddSirk, who was third in the ACC in total offense last season and led the team in rushing, was the first to go down. He first tore his left Achilles tendon in February, then reinjured it during the preseason . Edwards, whose six career kickoff returns for touchdowns rank third in NCAA Division I history, tore ligaments in his left knee during a win at Notre Dame in September. And Duncan, the teams leading rusher this season, ruptured an Achilles tendon during last weeks loss at Georgia Tech .Its a bummer when you lose not just good leaders but good players, Wolf said. Theyre definitely talented guys, but with that being said, I think it gives opportunities for some other guys to step in.Theyre still leaning on those injured captains for their advice, with Cutcliffe saying Duncan was dispensing advice in the training room earlier Tuesday.These are guys that could just check out, Cutcliffe said. But they dont.The Blue Devils also are looking for more leadership -- and production -- from the players who can play. Some apparent candidates include sophomore linebacker Ben Humphreys, the teams leading tackler, and defensive backs Corbin McCarthy and Breon Borders.Guys dont have to be honorary captains to step up, Wolf said. You can step up in practice, even if youre a young guy. Motivate guys and just make plays out there. So I think some guys are doing that.---AP Sports Writer Hank Kurz Jr. in Blacksburg, Virginia, contributed to this report.---Follow Joedy McCreary at http://twitter.com/joedyap. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/joedy-mccreary---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '