Australia.Shiraishis rise coincided with the sports exploding p

Arsene Wenger says Arsenal will use criticism of their performance against Manchester United to fuel their bid for the Premier League title. Sundays 3-2 defeat to Manchester United led some pundits - including Sky Sports Graeme Souness - to question the Gunners appetite for a battle.But he says his players will prove their resolve - starting with Wednesday nights game with Swansea at the Emirates - and suggested the level of criticism was not justified. Thats what we want to do - use and transform the negatives around us into positives and create even more solidarity, he said.Lets not go overboard, we dont play to be relegated, we play to fight for the Premier League so thats why we have to put the criticism in the right place.I dont want to respond to individual criticism. I think people are a bit too emotional and we want to put things into perspective by analysing things a bit more in a neutral way. This club is respected all over the world despite what people say.I am never surprised by the criticism that comes - that is part of the media today and part of the opinions is always a bit excessive and emotional but we have to deal with that and I dont complain about that. Aaron Ramsey looks dejected as Arsenal fall to defeat at Old Trafford Wenger said the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Barcelona last Tuesday dented his players confidence ahead of the Old Trafford match.We gave a lot against Barcelona and that certainly had an impact on our belief against Manchester United, he said.Were not happy with the result. We had two lapses of focus that we paid for. Wenger admitted Arsenals loss to Barcelona contributed to the Man Utd defeat He added: We are not dwelling on results and we are focused on Swansea. Every home game is very important.Swansea are in a battle of their own - against relegation. And Wenger expects a tough evening against them.Swansea will fight very hard, with great commitment and be very organised defensively, he said. Wenger says he will be cautious with returning striker Danny Welbeck Danny Welbeck has scored two goals in two Premier League games since returning from injury, but Wenger says he does not want to push the striker too hard.I will have to be cautious with him going into the Swansea game, he said. Arsene Wenger says Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are no closer to singing new deals with Arsenal. Also See: Ox faces two months out Merson: Wengers job on the line Parlour: No Arsenal leaders Souness slams Gunners Custom Andre Dawson Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Andre Dawson Jersey Large . 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The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Simone Biles and Mallory Pugh are the fresh U.S. faces of the Rio Games.Up next: Ashima Shiraishi.The 15-year-old rock climbers sport debuts at the Tokyo Games in four years, and the daughter of Japanese immigrants is an early favorite to serve as the next American teen Olympic sensation.Shes a prodigy, said filmmaker Peter Mortimer, co-founder of the International REEL ROCK film tour, which this year features Shiraishi and fellow teen climber Kai Lightner, of Fayetteville, North Carolina.Already one of the worlds best rock climbers, male or female, Shiraishi (pronounced ASH-ih-mah shee-RAY-shee) isnt from a Colorado mountain town like you might expect. Shes a Brooklynite and the vanguard of a new generation of climbers coming out of urban rock wall gyms.Rock climbing is exactly what the International Olympic Committee had in mind when it passed new regulations allowing hosts cites to propose additional sports for their own games on what is essentially a trial basis.Tokyo added the traditional: baseball-softball -- hugely popular in Japan and absent since being dumped after the 2008 Beijing Games -- along with rock climbing and skateboarding, surfing and karate, all magnets for millennials .While the Olympic stamp will provide enormous boosts to these sports, its a two-way street: Olympic organizers and broadcasters need the new blood, too.The more classic Olympic disciplines are somewhat irrelevant to the younger generation, said Mortimer. These new sports are so popular with the kids.Or, as Shiraishi says: Like, young people are the next generation.And Shiraishi is just the kind of star the new sports need.At such a young age, shes already impressed fellow climbers and competition judges worldwide with her remarkable abilities more befitting seasoned climbers.Shes really climbing at the level now as the best men in the sport, Mortimeer said.dddddddddddd Many people think she will be the best climber, male or female, within a few years. Shes just incredibly strong, climbing since she was a kid, focused and disciplined with a strength-to-weight ratio thats just off the charts. Four years is a long time but shes definitely the gold medal favorite.The highest established grade in competitive climbing is known as V-15, something only a handful of men have ever accomplished. Shiraishi is the only female and the youngest climber ever to reach that score, and she just did it for the second time earlier this month in Melbourne, Australia.Shiraishis rise coincided with the sports exploding popularity as climbing spread from mountain towns to urban centers with the proliferation of rock climbing walls and gyms in the 1990s and 2000s.There are so many good gyms now that even if youre not from the mountains you can still be a good climber and have fun with it, Shiraishi said. And Im one of those people.In climbing, 40 competitors will take part in the disciplines of speed, bouldering (without a rope) and lead (also known as sport).Shiraishi counts as her inspiration 18-year-old Pugh in U.S. womens soccer and Biles, the 19-year-old American who soared to the all-around womens gymnastics title on Thursday, cementing her reputation as the best of her generation and perhaps ever.She wonders whether shell serve as an inspiration in Tokyo.The Olympics are something that inspires young people, Shiraishi said. When you add sports that attract younger people, more people watch and get inspired by them. So, I think its awesome.---AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org---Follow AP Sports Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton ' ' '