ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2021 SPORTS 14

Odermatt dominates super-G, keeps season title hopes alive Vlhova wins home World Cup race, turns tables on Shiffrin JASNA, Slovakia, March 8, (AP): Slovakian skier Petra Vlhova turned the tables on Mikaela Shiffrin by winning a women’s World Cup giant slalom, a day after the American had Kuwaiti runners Al-Askar and Al-Roumi push towards glory beaten her in the slalom. RABAT, March 8, (KUNA): Kuwaiti in qualifying races in Morocco. Al-Askar broke the national record in Vlhova fell on her back in celebration as women runners Loulwa Al-Askar and The two runners demonstrated out- the 10,000-meter race at the Meknes soon as first-run leader Shiffrin failed to beat Amal Al-Roumi are participating in a standing abilities that are persistent to qualifying round, while Al-Roumi puts her time. training camp for the Kuwaiti athletics success, according to their coach Hamo her eyes on the coronation line at a dis- team in Morocco, including participation Al-Boukely tance of 800 meters in the next meeting. SKIING The Italian placed fourth to finish ahead of two slaloms in Sweden coming up on Friday The Swiss skier finished his gutsy run on the her only remaining challenger, Tessa Worley and Saturday. Schneekristall course 0.62 seconds ahead of Vlhova got up and bent over as she fought of France, who was 10th. While slalom is Vlhova’s strongest disci- runner-up Matthieu Bailet. back tears following the 19th win of her career, The result gave Bassino a lead of 148 points pline, Gut-Behrami usually doesn’t compete in The Frenchman was the 2016 junior world but first in a home race on the hill where she over Worley with only the season-ending GS at skiing’s most technical event. champion and earned his first podium result on regularly trains. the World Cup Finals in Switzerland remain- Shiffrin’s teammate Nina O’Brien was the World Cup circuit. Holding a slim lead from the opening leg, ing. Bassino became the fourth Italian skier to fourth after the opening run but slid away on Vincent Kriechmayr, the double world Shiffrin was ready to start her final run when she win the GS globe, after Deborah Compagnoni her inside ski halfway through her final run. champion from Austria, trailed Odermatt by was made to wait in the start gate for two minutes Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova celebrates on the did it in 1997, Denise Karbon in 2008, and Unheralded Maryna Gasienica-Daniel of 0.81 in third, a day after he won the downhill while course workers replaced a broken gate. podium after winning an alpine ski, World Federica Brignone last year. Poland, who posted the third-fastest time in the on the same hill. Another Austrian, Raphael Finally allowed to go, the American posted Cup women’s giant slalom in Jasna, World champion Lara Gut-Behrami was out opening run, also failed to finish her second Haaser, finished two-hundredths behind only the 11th-fastest time and dropped to third, Slovakia, on March 7. (AP) of contention for the win following a costly when she hooked a gate with her right arm Kriechmayr in fourth. 0.37 behind Vlhova. mistake early in her first run and the Swiss shortly before the finish. The Swiss skier closed the gap on leader Alice Robinson of New Zealand climbed Marta Bassino, who won four giant slaloms skier finished 1.69 behind in ninth. In Austria, Marco Odermatt dominated the pen- Kriechmayr in the super-G standings to 83 from seventh position to finish runner-up, 0.16 this season, locked up the discipline title with a In the overall standings, Vlhova closed the ultimate men’s World Cup super-G of the season points, with only the season-ending race at this off the lead. race to spare. gap on leader Gut-Behrami to 36 points, with to keep himself in the race for the discipline title. month’s World Cup Finals remaining. Keselowski finishes 2nd, Busch 3rd DeChambeau outlasts Westwood Larson celebrates return with first victory since suspension to win Arnold Palmer Invitational LAS VEGAS, March 8, (AP): Kyle of pandemic protocols so Larson is Larson wasn’t sure he’d ever race learning in real time. again in NASCAR, and if he could, he Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s only didn’t know who would even hire him. Black fulltime driver, was one of the Ernst clinches 3rd LPGA title It was Rick Hendrick who took the first competitors to congratulate chance on a driver many believed was Larson. radioactive for sponsors. Larson’s use Larson’s move to Hendrick was ORLANDO, Florida, along with his U.S. Open title in of a racial slur while participating in an expected to be electric. September. It matched the longest it online race last April cost him his job, Larson is considered one of the top March 8, (AP): The long took for a multiple winner on the PGA his reputation and his ability to attract talents in NASCAR but won just six ball helped Bryson Tour since 1969. Nick Price won his the corporations that fund a race team. times in six seasons with Chip Ganassi DeChambeau outlast Lee second title in the 21st week of the Hendrick said Racing. Paired with mighty Hendrick, season in 1994. he’d pay for the everyone suspected Larson would at Westwood in the Arnold In Ocala, Florida, Austin Ernst won car himself last reach his full potential. Palmer Invitational, only the Drive On Championship for her because he was the key shots were as much third LPGA Tour title, pulling away to that confident that beat fellow former NCAA champion Larson, reformed CAR RACING with his putter as his driv- Jennifer Kupcho by five strokes at after months of er. Golden Ocala. self-work, could DeChambeau holed a 40-foot birdie Tied for the lead with Kupcho after be redeemed. Mario Andretti on Twitter called putt on the front nine and a 50-foot par each of the first two rounds and a At Las Vegas Larson’s victory the most entertaining putt early on the back nine. He closed stroke ahead entering the day, Ernst Motor Speedway, NASCAR race he’d ever watched and it out with a nervy 5-foot par putt for a closed with a 2-under 70 to finish the Larson raced to praised Larson for driving “the race of 1-under 71 and a one-shot victory over wire-to-wire victory at 15-under 273. his first NASCAR Larson his life” and Hendrick - “Ol’ Rick the 47-year-old Westwood. Kupcho, coming off a closing eagle victory since he knew what he was doing when he Saturday, had a double bogey and was reinstated from a nearly yearlong hired him.” three bogeys in a 74. suspension. He ran just the first four The victory gave Hendrick back- GOLF Following sisters Jessica and Nelly races last season and was hired by to-back victories. William Byron Korda in the first two events of the Hendrick Motorsports when NASCAR won last week at Homestead-Miami year, Ernst gave the United States said the suspension would lift at the Speedway, so Hendrick has two of It matched the low score of the day, three straight victories to open a sea- start of this year. its four drivers locked into the play- one of only three rounds under par in son for the first time since 2007. He then celebrated his first career offs just one month into the new the toughest final round at Bay Hill in OTHER TOURS: Andrew Martin win on an intermediate track with season. 41 years. Bryson DeChambeau kisses the championship trophy after he won the shot a 10-under 61 - believed to be the smoke-filled burnouts, including one It was the first win for crew chief DeChambeau and Westwood were Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament on March 7, in Orlando, Florida. lowest final round in the history of the on the backstretch for friends watching Cliff Daniels, and first for that crew never separated by more than one shot (AP) PGA Tour of Australasia - for a two- from a motorhome on the hillside since 2017 with Jimmie Johnson. over the final 15 holes, a fascinating stroke victory in the TPS Sydney in above the track. Larson said he became Larson’s last victory was Oct. 6, duel of generations that came down to celebration when the par putt dropped. injuries from his car crash in Los Pagewood, Australia. The Australian emotional as he took the white flag but 2019, at Dover. the last shot. Westwood closed with a 73, not a Angeles. He said Woods, an eight- had four eagles in the round at Bonnie had composed himself by the time he DeChambeau took a one-shot lead bad score considering the average of time Bay Hill winner, told him to Doon Golf Club. Eight strokes behind finished his burnouts. to the par-4 18th and hit his most 75.49 was the highest for a final round “keep fighting.” He also considered entering the round, he finished at 18 Hendrick was both thrilled and sur- important drive of the day - in the since 1980. the words from Arnold Palmer to under. ... Wales’ Rhys Enoch won the prised by the victory in Larson’s fourth fairway. Westwood’s tee shot settled Corey Conners was third at 8 under “play boldly.” Sunshine Tour’s Kit Kat Group Pro- race with his new team. He figured it in a divot, and he did well to get it on after a 74. DeChambeau rose to No. 6 in the Am by a stroke at Royal Johannesburg would take time for Larson to build a the green and two-putt from 65 feet. DeChambeau said he received a text world with his ninth PGA Tour victo- & Kensington, closing with a 5-under relationship with his new crew chief DeChambeau’s birdie putt slid by Sunday morning from Tiger Woods, ry, and he became the first player this 67. He finished at 12 under for his and find a rhythm in the No. 5 some 5 feet and he shook his arms in who is recovering from serious leg season with multiple victories, to go second tour victory. Chevrolet. There is no practice because Rublev beats Fucsovics to win Rotterdam final ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, March 8, (AP): Andrey broken in the opening game of the second set. The her first career title in style, beating Viktorija Golubic Rublev won his fourth tour singles title in seven Hungarian said he had an “unbelievable” week after 6-4, 6-1 to win the Lyon Open without dropping a set months as the Russian beat Marton Fucsovics 7-6 he came through qualifying in Rotterdam and was after coming through two qualifying rounds. (4), 6-4 in the final of the ABN AMRO World Tennis playing his seventh match in nine days. The final between the two qualifiers was even Tournament. until Tauson reeled off six straight games, after Rublev continued the form which has made him Golubic had broken back to trail 5-4 when Tauson one of the top players in men’s tennis since play TENNIS served for the first set. Russia’s Andrey Rublev celebrates resumed amid the coronavirus pandemic last year. The 18-year-old Tauson broke straight back to with the trophy after winning in two Since September he has won titles in Hamburg, St. take it and was 5-0 up in the second when her Swiss sets 7-6, 6-4, against Hungary’s Petersburg and Vienna, and was on the Russian team Rublev has won his last seven tour finals going opponent finally won another game. Marton Fucsovics in the final men’s singles match of the ABN AMRO Austin Ernst tees off on one during which won the non-ranking ATP Cup last month. back to the Kremlin Cup in Moscow in 2019 and has Tauson entered the final with a strong advantage world tennis tournament at Ahoy the final round of the LPGA golf “I’m so happy to win this title,” Rublev said. an 8-2 career record in finals. Fucsovics drops to 1-2 in serve, too, with 25 aces compared to just one for Arena in Rotterdam, The tournament in Ocala, Fla, on March Fucsovics pushed Rublev hard as the first set went with his only title coming in Geneva in May 2018. Golubic, and she added seven more to make it 32 Netherlands, on March 7. (AP) 7. (AP) with serve but faded after the tiebreaker and was In France, Danish teenager Clara Tauson clinched overall at the tournament.