6 April 17, 2018 Iranian Female Shooter F1 to Set Up Fully-Fledged Elaheh Ahmadi Breaks New Record Local Entity in China Kyahan Int’l Sports Desk SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Formula One’s planned Chinese TEHRAN - Iranian female joint venture will have its shooter Elaheh Ahmadi set a new own marketing, licensing and world record in the women’s media rights arms dedicated to shooting air rifle with 630.3 points growing the sport’s presence in at Azdai Sports Complex in Tehran the vast but still nascent market, on Monday. commercial managing director Ahamdi beat China’s Yi Siling Sean Bratches has said. record who had claimed the gold “What we will do is effectively medal with 502.9 points in Mexico set up a similar structure to what Shooting events. we have in London,” the former And also in 2016, Elaheh Ahmadi ESPN executive told Reuters at the weekend’s Chinese Grand has been named the world’s best commercial rights holder last of entities.” Prix in Shanghai. athlete of the 10-meter air rifle year, was talking to potential He added, however, that the “With a head of marketing, women division in the March local partners including Inter sport’s relationship with local a head of licensing, a head edition of the International Milan owner Suning and La Liga company Juss Events Co Ltd., of media rights, a head of Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) rights holder DDMC to form who currently organize the race, sponsorship, a head of digital, rankings. a joint venture that would help would continue. etc. and really activate the brand At the 2012 Summer Olympics, manage business development in Formula One held its first grand here like its own entity,” added the Iranian shooter reached the China. prix in China in 2004. Despite the American. final in the women’s 10 meter air Bratches declined to confirm a steadily growing fanbase, a Sources told media last rifle and also competed in the 50 any names but said he had spent Chinese population of 1.3 billion Iranian female sports shooter Elaheh Ahmadi week that Liberty Media, who meter rifle 3 positions. the last few weeks in Shanghai means there still remains a vast took over as Formula One’s and Beijing talking to a “number opportunity for the sport to tap. Rockets Beat Wolves 104-101 Khachanov, Zverev, HOUSTON (AP) - Trailing by 1 in the fourth averaged 21.3 in leading the Wolves to their first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves, playoff appearance since 2004. Andrew Wiggins Medvedev Reach Monte the Houston Rockets needed someone to step scored 18 points to lead Minnesota. up. Thibodeau said the Rockets did a good job of No surprise that it was James Harden who switching on Towns and using double-teams to Carlo 2nd Round came through. slow him down, but admitted he has to do more. MONACO (AP) - Karen face defending champion Rafael Harden scored 44 points and powered a big The Wolves scored the first nine points of the Khachanov was clinical on his serve Nadal in the third round. fourth-quarter run that allowed the Rockets to second half to take a 56-54 lead. Tucker made a in a 7-5, 6-4 win against Thanasi Nadal has a first-round bye and outlast the Timberwolves 104-101 Sunday night 3 for the Rockets after that, but Minnesota used Kokkinakis of Australia in the first plays Aljaz Bedene or Mirza in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series. a 6-1 spurt, with 3s from Wiggins and Teague, to round of the Monte Carlo Masters Basic in round two. The 10- Minnesota scored four straight points to get go back on top 62-58. on Sunday. time champion needs to win the within 3 with about 30 seconds left. Chris The Rockets had managed just six points in the The big-serving Russian had five tournament or Federer regains top Pauladded two free throws after that for quarter when Gerald Green made a basket with aces and did not face a single break ranking. Houston, but a tip-in by Karl-Anthony to cut the lead to 1 with about five minutes left in point. He might even have made In Sunday’s other first-round Towns got Minnesota back within 3. After a bad the third. Derrick Rose added a bucket seconds the win more comfortable. matches, there were wins for pass by Paul gave the Timberwolves a chance to later, but Houston scored six straight points after Kokkinakis recently beat 20- Mischa Zverev of Germany and tie it with 1.5 seconds left, Jimmy Butler’s shot that to put Houston up 68-65. Harden got things time Grand Slam champion Roger Daniil Medvedev of Russia. was short. going when he made a 3-pointer while being Federer in the second round of Zverev labored to a 6-2, 6-7 The Timberwolves had a one-point lead with fouled by Rose and also made the free throw. the Miami Open - becoming the (4), 6-1 win against 17-year-old about seven minutes left when Houston used a Minnesota led by a basket after a jump shot lowest-ranked man to beat a No. Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, 9-0 run, with the last seven points from Harden, by Towns with about two minutes left in the 1 in 15 years - but the powerful and next faces seventh-seeded to make it 94-86 with about four minutes to quarter. Harden took over after that, scoring the Australian could not produce Frenchman Lucas Pouille. go. Harden, who also had a steal in that span, last six points of the quarter to leave Houston up anything like that form this time. Medvedev rallied to beat Marton capped the run with a 3-pointer that prompted 76-72 entering the fourth. Khachanov constantly pressured Fucsovics of Hungary 6-7 (4), Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau to call a Harden hit a 3-pointer before making a driving his opponent’s serve, yet could 6-2, 7-5, saving seven of eight timeout. HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 15: James Harden layup he was fouled on by Gorgui Dieng. Harden only convert two of his 13 break break points. He meets either Kei Jeff Teague ended Minnesota’s scoring drought #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts during the flexed each bicep twice while peering down at points. Nishikori of Japan or 12th-seeded with two free throws after the timeout and added game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the muscles after the shot before making the free Khachanov, who won his second Czech Tomas Berdych, the 2015 a 3-point play after a basket by Harden. Harden Game One of Round One of the 2018 NBA throw. career ATP Tour title at the Open runner-up. They play Monday. made another shot to give him 11 straight points Playoffs on April 15, 2018 at the Toyota Center The Rockets swept the regular-season series 13 in Marseille in February, next Two-time champion Novak for Houston before another basket by Teague. in Houston, Texas. 4-0, winning by an average of 15.8 points faces either Gilles Simon or 16th- Djokovic, still struggling with a Harden got Capela in on the scoring after that, a game and it looked like this one might be seeded Adrian Mannarino. persistent right elbow injury, is finding him for an alley-oop that pushed the lead Harden shot 7 for 12 on 3-pointers, but Trevor another blowout early as the Rockets raced out If he beats the winner of that all- also in first-round action Monday. to 101-93 with less than three minutes left. Ariza, P.J. Tucker, Eric Gordon and Paul to a 17-6 lead behind 10 early points from Clint French match, Khachanov could The top-seeded Rockets had their hands full combined to make just 3 of their 22 tries. Capela. But the Timberwolves got going after with the No. 8 Timberwolves on a night where Houston kept All-Star big man Towns in that and had tied it up by late in the first quarter. Houston made just 10 of 37 3-pointers. check, limiting him to just eight points after he’d The Rockets led 54-47 at halftime. Pele Confident Neymar Can Valgren Drops Sagan, Valverde to Win Amstel Gold Race Lead Brazil at World Cup DUBAI (AFP) - Brazilian “I wish he has the same luck I VALKENBURG, Netherlands “In the escape I had the help legend Pele says he is confident had in the World Cup.” (AFP) - Denmark’s Michael of Jakob Fuglsang who was so about Brazil’s chances at the PSG’s Neymar, the world’s Valgren of Astana won the Amstel strong and after all his efforts I upcoming World Cup and most expensive player, has Gold Race, beating Roman had to win.” expects injured star Neymar to not played since breaking a Kreuziger in a cat-and-mouse A minute’s silence was be fully fit to lead the side in metatarsal bone in his right foot finale after a rolling 263km race observed at the start in memory Russia. on February 25 in a Ligue 1 from Maastricht. of Belgian Michael Goolaerts, Speaking to AFP in Dubai, match against Marseille. He said the 77-year-old, who has been last week he is still recovering Italy’s Enrico Gasparotto was who died after suffering heart in ailing health recently, put his following surgery but expects to third by a few seconds while pre- failure during the Paris-Roubaix faith in Paris Saint-Germain be fit in time for the World Cup race favourites Peter Sagan and last Sunday. striker Neymar’s ability to from June 14 to July 15. Alejandro Valverde came fourth The only one of the ‘Ardennes recover from a fractured foot in Pele said he expected few and fifth after being dropped by a Classics’ to be run on Dutch soil time to lead Brazil to a possible surprises at the tournament, lightning break around 1km from featured 34 small climbs over sixth global football title. identifying Lionel Messi’s the finish. constantly rolling terrain on “We don’t know exactly what is Argentina, Germany, England going to happen, but I think for and France as potential “The team was counting on me,” narrow country roads. the World Cup he’s going to be in challengers -- although he didn’t said Valgren, who underlined As expected, an early breakaway shape because his injury is not so mention 2010 world champions his classics form with a fourth- formed and the nine frontrunners bad,” said Pele, the only person Spain or current European place finish at the recent Tour of went on to build a lead of over 15 Denmark’s Michael Valgren of Astana won the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday to have won the World Cup three laureates Portugal, led by their Flanders. minutes. times as a player. talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.