Resolute India score courageous draw against Australia at SCG page 14 TUESday, JANUARY 12, 2021 Attiyah aces stage eight with his 40th special win Qatari regains more than three minutes on rival Awesome Attiyah Frenchman In 2007, Nasser Al Attiyah (pictured) was especially perceived as a hot-headed chancer Peterhansel when he won his first special in Nema, AGENCIES accompanied by Alain Guehennec behind the Sakaka () wheel of an X-Raid team BMW. Since then, there has not been a single Dakar where he has Trust Nasser Al Attiyah to not tasted victory on at least one change gears just when it mat- stage, a feat which no other driver ters. The ace Toyota Gazoo has achieved over 14 consecutive Racing’s Qatari driver after playing it safe in the first half editions in the history of the rally. of the marathon stage in the On the way to Neom, the Qatari Dakar Rally on Sunday was driver picked up the 40th back with a bang on Monday. stage victory of his career Attiyah claimed stage eight and is now in 3rd position winning the 375km loop be- tween Sakaka and Neom. The on the roll of honour for Toyota driver won for the fifth stage wins, with Stephane time this year to bring his total Peterhansel (47) and Ari of Dakar stage wins to 40. Vatanen (50) in his sights. In doing so, he has also re- gained more than three min- utes on his rival Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel. Starting fourth on the road, the three-time cham- pion immediately grabbed the lead at the first waypoint from Spaniard and Sunday’s stage winner Yazeed Al Rajhi of Saudi Arabia, with Peterhansel sitting 30 seconds behind in fourth place. Capping the 40th special of his career in Dakar, Atti- yah, said, “We tried to do our best from yesterday to today. The marathon day is not easy. I’m really quite happy: My car is in one piece after yesterday and today! “In some places we really pushed a lot just to keep pace with the buggies. It’s not easy, but I’m quite happy to finish Toyota’s driver Nasser Al Attiyah of Qatar and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel of France compete during stage 8 of the Dakar Rally 2021 between Sakaka and Neom, in Saudi Arabia, on Monday. (Redbullcontentpool) the marathon stage. Today, stage 8 was a great stage for our chances because the bug- mending his Overdrive Toyo- changed. Peterhansel of the X- Price to 1’05’’, all on the second be filled with tracks with dense 2hr45m33s; 8. us. We put three minutes into gies are more comfortable, ta’s Hilux. Raid Mini JCW team contin- half of a marathon stage. sand where competitors won’t (Ford) 3hr18m24s; 9. Giniel de Stephane.” with better traction and big of team BRX ues to stay atop with Attiyah What’s more, the young necessarily be able to go flat Villiers (Toyota) 3hr26m50s; With the two-part mara- wheels, so less punctures. couldn’t manage a top 10 fin- hot on his tail. man does not seem perturbed out. The stage is also touted as 10. Christian Lavieille (Optimus) thon stage complete, Peter- From the start until now, we ish, but continues to hold on to Meanwhile in the bike at having to approach the last the toughest ones. 3hr41m57s. hansel leads the overall stand- have had eight flat tyres, so it’s fifth place in the overall rank- category, Chilean “Nacho” four days of the rally in the po- Bike: 1. Chile Jose Ignacio ings by a reduced margin of not easy. My teammate Giniel ings. Sebastian Loeb how- Cornejo took the lead in the sition of leader. Standings after Stage 8 Cornejo (Honda) 32h00m11s; 4m50s from Attiyah, with (De Villiers) has had sixteen ever isn’t getting the result he general standings by just one Tuesday’s stage will be the Car: 1. Stephane Peterhansel 2. Australia (KTM) teammate Sainz now 38m55 flat tyres, so it’s not easy. But wants and after encountering second thanks to his 2nd place second and final loop stage in (Mini) 29hr36m49s; 2. Nasser 1m06s; 3. UK Sam Sunder- behind in third. I don’t want to make excuses. mechanical problems again on the stage at Sakaka. the . Al Attiyah (Toyota) 4m50s; land (KTM) 5m57s; 4. Argen- Attiyah exuded confidence We have four days left and around 43km into the stage, Exposed to the role of open- The competitors will trav- 3. Carlos Sainz (Mini) 38m55s; tina (Honda) on the road ahead. “We still we’ll try to do our best.” his current objective today er after quickly catching his erse a total of 574km of which 4. Jakub Przygonski (Toyota) 12m58s; 5. Spain have four days and it won’t be Stage 7 winner Al Rajhi was to reach the bivouac and teammate at the the special stage will be 465km 1hr38m08s; 5. Nani Roma (Honda) 16m05s; 6. USA Ricky easy, but we’ll be trying to do it ran into mechanical problems mend the Hunter. front of the race, the Chilean long. (BRX) 2hr30m29s; 6. Vladimir Brabec (Honda) 17m42s; day by day. 193km into the stage, and The top five spots in the managed to post the best time The stage will begin at the Vasilyev (Mini) 2hr42m00s; 7. 7. USA Skyler Howes (KTM) “It’s difficult to say about lost approximately an hour in general ranking remain un- and increase his lead over Toby shore of the Red Sea and will (Peugeot) 19m20s. QMMF tweaks compact route for MERC opener in Qatar Tribune News Network Doha Qatar Intl The Qatar Motor and Motor- Rally 2021 cycle Federation (QMMF) has made several tweaks and im- ● Ceremonial start and provements to the route and super special stage to itinerary for the forthcoming be held at Katara Qatar International Rally, which will kick-start regional ● FIA homologated T4 cars action in the 2021 FIA Mid- permitted to tackle MERC dle East Rally Championship gravel rounds from January 28-30. Speaking from the Dakar ● Entries for regional Rally, Clerk of the Course Pe- series opener in Qatar Khalid Al Suwaidi during the 2019 Qatar International Rally. dro Almeida confirmed that close on January 13 the event would be more com- rounds of the MERC in Qatar, man Al Mannai, senior com- pact and with slightly more tions than 2019 and 36.06% of Oman, Jordan, Cyprus and Ku- mittee member Abdulrazaq competitive distance than the the route is competitive, com- Qatar International Rally 2019 podium finish and the celebration. wait. Eligible vehicles must have Al Kuwari and the QMMF’s last event that was staged be- pared to 28.79% in 2019 and an FIA technical passport. Executive Director Amro Al fore the new coronavirus pan- 24.43% in 2018.” and will be run twice on leg in the tail for entrants on the the United Arab Emirates, Forty-four of these rela- Hamad. The final date for en- demic in 2019. The start ceremony will be one (January 29th). final day. transportation of equipment tively low-cost vehicles en- try applications has been set “All the stages have been held at Katara from 20.15hrs The Al Khor special The QMMF is hopeful that into the State of Qatar should tered the Dakar Rally at the for January 13. organised in the Al Khor area, on Thursday evening (January (18.30km) has also been spectators will take the op- become much easier over time start of January and the relax- For more information some 40km north of the Lusail 28th), where QMMF officials used before and is a highlight portunity to see the action up and the QMMF is hopeful that ing of border restrictions may about the 2021 Qatar Inter- Sports Complex, where the are also planning to host a of leg two. Both the QMMF close and personal at Katara entrants from many of the enable some competitors to national Rally, participants rally in based,” said Almeida. brand new opening four-kil- (22.02km) and Ras Laffan before the meat of the event GCC countries will support the take part in the Qatar Interna- can contact the Qatar Motor “We will run 11 special stages ometre super special stage on (21.39km) stages are com- switches to the northern Qatar MERC opener. tional Rally after the finish of and Motor Cycle Federation again, but we ran 203.72 com- Katara Beach from 21.30hrs pletely new and also fit into deserts over the weekend. Potentially boosting the en- the Dakar event in on (QMMF), PO Box 8708, Doha, petitive kilometres in 2019 The Eraida (20.13km) Saturday’s (January 30th) With the recent news that try, both this year and in the fu- January 15th. Qatar, Tel: + 974 443 79885, and this has been increased and Al-Thakira (20.34km) itinerary. They too are re- an agreement has been made ture, is the news that the FIA has This year’s rally will be Fax: + 974 443 79732, e-mail: to 208.36km for 2021. There special stages are already peated in the afternoon and between Qatar and neighbour- permitted homologated T4 pro- held under the chairmanship [email protected] and www. are 130km less of road sec- well known to competitors may provide an exciting sting ing Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and duction vehicles to tackle gravel of QMMF President Abdulrah- qmmf.com Sports Tuesday, January 12, 2021 13

IJF DOHA WORLD JUDO MASTERS 2021 Buchard, World No. 1 Krasniqi dazzle with gold on opening day

Tribune News Network Doha

Thrilling action was wit- nessed on the opening day of the Doha World Judo Mas- ters 2021 as France’s Aman- dine Buchard and World No.1 Distria Krasniqi of Kosovo claimed gold medals at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall on Monday. Adding delight for South Korean were judokas Jin Won Kim and An Baul who won the men’s finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifying event. As many as five titles were decided on day one of the three-day Masters with judo- kas from Kosovo, France and Japan grabbing top honours in women’s events besides the South Korean duo of Kim and Baul, who claimed gold in the men’s events. Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee, Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain also attended action on the first day and awarded medals Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee, who also witnessed action of the Doha World Judo Masters World No.1 Distria Krasniqi of Kosovo with her women’s -48kg gold on to the winners. 2021 at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall on Monday, awarded the under 48kg category women’s podium finishers. the podium. Being held behind closed doors and with strict health safety measures in place, the championship is featuring 399 athletes including 215 male and 184 female judokas from 69 countries. Entering the final of -52kg, Amandine Buchard showed that she will be one of the fa- vourites for the Olympic title, especially as she did it defeat- ing reigning Olympic champi- on Majlinda Kelmendi of Ko- sovo in the preliminary round. The 25-year-old then de- feated Japan’s Ai Shishime Ai in a tough final, which ended with a third penalty against the Japanese, handing a gold medal to the French. “Physically, it was a dif- ficult match. SoI did a very tactical fight in the final. I kept attacking hard and that helped me take the win,” said Buchard. “This will be a reference Judokas in action during the men’s event. France’s Amandine Buchard (left) in action during the women’s -52kg. match for me ahead of the Olympic Games. It’s been a She entered the final after South Koreans shine in Wei praised South Korean Meanwhile, the 2015 world ping eri-seoi-nage to seal gold Baruch Shmailov; B: Aram Gri- difficult period after corona- a flawless run against Marusa men’s field Kim after losing the final. champion Baul brought the medal. Earlier in the event, soryan (Rus) B: Margvelashvili virus, but this a new year and Stangar (SLO), Catarina Costa Kim bagged the Men’s “It was a tough game. It second gold medal for South Italy’s top seed Manuel Lom- (Geo). new experience and I’m hap- (POR) and Melanie Clement -60 kg gold after a thrilling was a top quality final andI am Korea after defying a challenge bardo crashed out in the pre- Women -48 kg: G: Distria Kras- py to start it off on a positive (FRA), winning two of her final against Yang Yung Wei happy what I have achieved in from Israel’s Baruch Shmailov liminary round. niqi (Kosovo); S: Funa Tonaki note,” she added. confrontations by ippon. of Chinese Taipei. It was an Doha,” said the Chinese Taipei in the men’s -66kg final. A total of five titles will be (Japan); B: Urantsetseg (Mgl) World No.1 Distria Krasni- In Women -57 kg, Japan’s evenly poised title clash in the player. It was another close final decided today before the event -52 kg: G: Amandine Buchard qi of Kosovo, already a winner Tuskasa Yoshida clinched gold first three quarters before the The event earlier saw fa- during inaugural day’s pro- heads to the final day. (France); S: Ai Shishime Ai (Ja- of the Masters in 2019, started medal after defeating Sarah South Korean finally succeed- vourites like Robert Mshvi- ceedings as after a long period Results pan); B: Astride Gneto (France); the new season with a gold Leonie Cysique of France, with ed in throwing Yang strongly, dobadze (RUS), Francisco of golden score and two pen- Men’s -60 kg: G: Jin Won Kim B: Elemendi Majlinda (Kos) medal in women’s -48 after Kosovo’s Nora Gjakova secur- with speed and on his back Garrigos (ESP), Sharafuddin alties from both the fighters, (Kor); S: Yang Yung Wei (Tpe); B: -57 kg: G: Tuskasa Yoshida (Ja- defeating Japan’s Funa Tonaki ing the bronze medal. with control, for a magnificent Lutfillaev (UZB) eliminated in Baul succeeded in throwing Albert Oguzov (Rus) pan); S: Sarah Leonie Cysique in the final. counterattack. the opening stages. his opponent using a drop- -66kg: G: An Baul (KOR); S: (France); B: Nora Gjakova (Kos). QMMF unveils new logo for 2021 Ali Emadadhi excels in Nissan Qatar Off-Road Championship 370Z to top QNS 1st round Tribune News Network Tribune News Network competition. Doha Doha Al Hamad said the QMMF has also decided to spread the Ali Emadadhi emerged as the The Qatar Motor and Mo- championship to more than star in the opening round of torcycle Federation (QMMF) four months - from December the Qatar National Sprint 2021 has unveiled a new logo for to April - as it was staged in the held at Lusail last Saturday. the 2021 Qatar Off-Road previous years. Emadadhi notched up two Championship which draws “We have been able to plan victories in the Open Class 2 inspiration from Qatari de- things better now. The cham- and Production Cars Class 2 serts and reflects the local pionship will run throughout categories driving a Nissan characteristics. the year except for the sum- 370Z. “The new logo for the mer months. Emadadhi, driving a Nis- Off-Road Championship has “ So we have divided the san 370Z, produced the best been designed by Ghadeer season into two parts which lap of 54.077 seconds in three Al Khayat. The design is very now allows us to have more runs to clinch the Open Class Ali Emadadhi produced the best lap of 54.077 seconds in three runs to creative and highlights our activities during each round 2. In second place was Ibra- clinch the Open Class 2 in the opening round of Qatar National Sprint. culture and environment,” and the extended series gives him Al Mannai, who timed QMMF Executive Director more time for participants to 55.989 in a Mitsubishi Evo Al Khelaifi (Westfield Sport) Henry Kahy (Renault Clio) Best Amro Al Hamad said. prepare for each competition,” 10, while Nadim Ziade, also in Best lap: 54.077 seconds; 2. lap: 56.502 seconds; 2. Saad The six-leg the 2021 Qa- The new logo for the Off-Road Championship has been designed by he explained. Mitsubishi Evo, was third in a Mansour Chebli (Renault Clio) Al Dosari (Mazda) 56.874; 3. tar Off-Road Championship Ghadeer Al Khayat. “In the past, when a com- time of 56.461. 54.836; 3. Abdul Aziz Al Jabri Mansour Chebli (Renault Clio) series will flag offnext month petitor saw his car breaking Later, Emadadhi was in (Westfield Sport) 54.996 57.014 and consist of six rounds. staged on Dec 3 and 4. The fi- in action over two days,” in- down, he could not catch up sizzling form in Production OPEN CLASS 2 : 1. Ali Ema- PRODUCTION CLASS 2: 1. The first round will be held nal round will be held in De- formed Al Hamad, adding that and take part in the following Class 2 too. Driving an Audi, dadhi (Nissan 370Z) Best lap: Ali Emadadhi (Audi) Best lap: on February 5 and 6 with the cember. The final round will will extend over two days. rounds. he registered a best lap of 54.824 seconds; 2. Ibrahim 54.005 seconds; 2. Moham- second set to take place on be held over two days. After the conclusion of the “But the situation is differ- 54.005 seconds. Mohammed Al Mannai (Mitsubishi Evo 10) med Emadadhi (Audi) 54.094; March 19-20. “As we announced earlier, first round of the 2021 Qatar ent now in light of the pres- Emadadhi was second after 55.989; 3. Nadim Ziade (Mit- 3. Dean Ball (Porsche Boxster The third round will be the firstthree rounds will be National Sprint, Al Hamad ence of sufficient time to deal clocking 54.094 in Audi. subishi Evo 8) 56.461 718) 55.784 staged on October 8 and 9 Enduro (endurance) and the revealed QMMF has made with any breakdowns during The third place went to OPEN CLASS 3: 1. Abdulla Al PRODUCTION CLASS 3: 1. with the fourth being held on remaining three, the Baja cat- changes to this year’s series competition. Dean Ball, in a Porsche Box- Abbassi (Lotus Exige) Best lap: Francesco Fornaciari (Lotus Ex- Oct 15 and 16. egory. by introducing two new cat- “Our goal in the end is to ster 718, in a time of 55.784 52.817 seconds; 2. Moham- ige) Best lap: 53.277 seconds; The penultimate round “The sixth and finalround egories – the women’s class help the participants to feature seconds. med Al Khayarin (Chevrolet 2. Mahmoud Al Mahmoud (Por- will be held on Nov 12 and 13 will offer double points to the and allowing electric cars to in the entire series with rela- RESULTS: Corvette) 56.757. sche GT3) 54.571; 3. Hosam Al while the season finale will be participants who will be seen feature in the hugely popular tive ease,” added Al Hamad. OPEN CLASS 1: 1. Abdullah PRODUCTION CLASS 1: 1. Qatami (BMW M2) 56.154 14 Tuesday, Janauary 12, 2021 Sports

Bayern and Bayer Battle of the big guns as seek Cup wins after Bundesliga setbacks Al Duhail meet Al Sadd DPA Munich midfielder Leon Berlin Goretzka said. “We must somehow play Qatar SC take Title holders Bayern Mu- like in the first half hour and nich and runners-up Bayer see that we get back on track on Al Rayyan Leverkusen complete the Wednesday.” Kiel, who are second round of the German third in the second tier, have Cup in mid-week, aiming to nothing to lose, with coach Ole Tribune News Network bounce back from recent dis- Werner saying: “We will take a Doha appointments. look at what Bayern will do. Bayern visit second- Then we will think about Defending champions Al division Hostein Kiel on what we will do. And then we Duhail will look to close the Wednesday coming off a 3-2 will see what comes out of gap on leaders Al Sadd when Bundesliga defeat at Borussia it.” The winner will play an- the two giants of Qatar foot- Moenchengladbach in which other second-division team in ball face-off in the QNB Stars they wasted a two-goal lead. Darmstadt in the third round League at the Jassim Bin Leverkusen meet Eintra- while Leverkusen or Frankfurt Hamad Stadium on Tuesday. cht Frankfurt for the second would then face the only fourth All Sadd have been domi- time in 10 days on Tuesday tier team left in the competi- nant this season, having re- and want to avoid another set- tion, Rot-Weiss Essen. mained unbeaten in 13 match- back after going winless in the Leverkusen ruled the es to open an eight-point lead last three Bundesliga matches Bundesliga until the weekend at the top with 35 points. and slipping four points be- before Christmas when they Holders Duhail had an incon- hind leaders Bayern. suffered a late defeat against sistent start to their campaign Both matches were origi- Munich and lost the league before settling in under Sabri nally scheduled for December lead, followed by defeat in Lamouchi, who returned to but Bayern and Bayer success- Frankfurt and a draw with the helm of the Red Knights fully sought postponements to Werder Bremen. three month ago, and are in ease their heavy schedule at Like Munich, Leverkusen second place with 27 points. Al Rayyan Yacine Brahimi (left) and Qatar Sport Club’s Youcef Belaili will provide for a fascinating content when their teams meet on Monday. the time a little bit. appear fatigued and coach With Al Sadd in a race of The matches now however Peter Bosz rested his 17-year- their own, the time is running add to the January load and old super talent Florian Wirtz out for Duhail to keep their QNB Stars League Standings while still top of the league, against Bremen. The player chances of retaining the title. Club MP W l D GF GA GD Pts Bayern appear to be not as will be once again spared, not Both the teams were in dev- Al Sadd 13 11 0 2 50 9 41 35 fresh as in the past. playing against Frankfurt who astating form last week, with Al Duhail 13 9 4 0 35 17 18 27 The Christmas break ap- have won their first games in Al Sadd outclassing Al Sail- Qatar SC 13 7 4 2 23 13 10 23 peared not long enough to ful- the restart. iya 8-0, before Al Duhail re- Al Gharafa 13 7 4 2 28 20 8 23 ly recharge the batteries, and Despite not being injured, sponded with an 8-1 win over several mistakes cost them at Wirtz felt a strain before the Al Ahli 13 7 5 1 19 23 -4 22 Al Wakrah. Gladbach after they had start- Bremen game. With Sabri Lamouchi’s Al Rayyan 13 5 4 4 14 12 2 19 ed brightly with a 2-0 lead. “Florian will again be rest- men gradually gaining the Al Arabi 13 5 5 3 17 20 -3 18 “We are conceding too ed,” coach Peter Bosz said on lost ground, it will be a case Al Sailiya 13 4 6 3 15 27 -12 15 many goals at the moment,” Monday. of who blinks first in the Umm Salal 13 3 6 4 8 16 -8 13 marquee clash today. “Our Al Wakrah 13 4 8 1 13 24 -11 13 match against Al Sadd prob- Al Duhail coach Sabri Lamouchi. Al Khor 13 1 8 4 8 25 -17 7 Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez. ably comes at the most crucial Al Kharaitiyat 13 2 11 0 9 33 -24 6 stage. But Al Duhail are fully is very high. So this confron- having scored back to win- prepared for the match,” Lam- tation is a final for us. We are ning ways following two ouchi said yesterday. playing at our home and going drawn encounters. Younes “I have great confidencein through a very good period, Ali-coached side have had an the players’ ability to provide and Al Duhail are also in a incredible run so far, in which the best performance on the good period, so I think that they have held Al Sadd 1-1. field. The match will not be everyone can watch a good Qatar SC have 23 points, the easy for us against an attack- game and see a great perfor- same as Al Gharafa, but the ing team like Al Sadd who play mance from both teams,” the former are placed third on with a distinctive line of at- Spanaird said. better goal difference. tack. Losing against them can “We are now in the best Al Rayyan, now under fa- cause us to lose ground on the position in the past years, we mous French coach Laurent points table, but we will play are at the top of the table by Blanc, will be eager to continue with enthusiasm and see what eight points ahead of Al Du- their winning ways and break happens,” he added. hail, and that means a lot to into the top four. Al Sadd have had the bet- us, and now we need to get Meanwhile, Al Sailiya ter of Al Duhail in recent three points in this match. Al take on bottom-placed Al times. The Wolves won 3-1 Duhail are a team that has the Kharaitiyat at the Al Ahli Sta- in the league three months, mentality of winning all the dium. Al Sailiya are placed before thrashing their bitter championships like Al Sadd, eighth with 15 points, and are rivals 4-1 in the semi-finals of and this means that the match Xavi was unsure whether not know if they are ready or in need of morale-boosting the 2020 Amir Cup. Al Sadd will be very difficult like Akram Afif and Boualam not,” he said. after being thrashed by Al coach Xavi Hernandez ad- the last matches we played Khoukhi, who have recov- Sadd in the last round. mitted to the importance of against them and it was really ered from coronavirus, will QSC take on Al Rayyan Al Kharaitiyat, now un- today’s clash, calling it a final. difficult but Al Sadd were the be available for today’s In another match of the der former Qatar interna- “We have the opportunity best, and we have to continue match. “We will assess their day, third-placed Qatar Sports tional midfielder Wesam Rizik to increase the difference and this way, and we are mentally condition, as they were in Club will take on Al Rayyan, who recently replaced Yousef Bayern Munich’s Polish forward Robert Lewandowski celebrates if we win this competition, prepared to compete as al- isolation for nearly two who are sixth. Adam, remain as the basement scoring a goal during the German first division Bundesliga match the probability of winning it ways,” he added, weeks and therefore we do Qatar SC are on a high, side with only six points. against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday. (AFP) Qatar mountain bike season makes boisterous start

Tribune News Network how it was used to be. Duhail Doha trail became stale of moun- tain bike events at some point The mountain biking commu- in time. The present version nity of Qatar enjoyed an amaz- might not resemble the Duhail ing start to the 2021 when the Trail of the past, but kudos to first cycling race of the year Camp Banayad boys for jam- took the form of a mountain packing the shrunken version bike mini endurance race at of the trail with lots of features the weekend at the crowd’s fa- transforming the old boring vorite Duhail MTB Trail. long trail into a fun and ac- The event was the 2nd race tion-packed race circuit. of the QCF-UFMBQ moun- With Qatar hosting the tain bike race series for season Asian Games 2030, the or- 20/21, organised by the Unit- ganisers are wishing that this ed Filipino Mountain Bikers route becomes a permanent Qatar (UFMBQ) in collabora- XCO-MTB trail in the future. tion with the Qatar Cycling Federation (QCF). Over the years, UFMBQ has stepped up the level of Winners in various categories organising grassroots level Men’s Open U40: Abdullah Aljaaidi (QAT) Team Doha Cycling Shop MTB racing events, making Men’s Open Masters: Frederick Feliciano (PHI) Team Rasen their races sought-after by Adventure Shop Women’s Open: Pia Sundstedt (FIN) Team Rasen Adventure Shop the local mountain biking Men’s U23: Aditya Prasetyo (INA) Team NeverWasted Shop communities. Men’s U40: Jeffrey Ramos (PHI) Team SMCC APO Lakay The event held last Friday Men’s Masters: Doug Marvin (RSA) Team Granny Ringers was another sold-out like the Veterans: Jaco Anderson (RSA) Team Rasen Adventure Shop Al Khor race which was held a is still enough for this event The event was the 2nd race of egory was another foreground Women’s Warrior: Editha Mundala (PHI) Team Bike to work Qatar few weeks ago. to earn its right to be named that has garnered a warm Megaman (BMI 30+): Mark Anthony Doneza (PHI) Team Takbong Titled as the “90 Minutes ‘DuHell’ race. the QCF-UFMBQ mountain bike comeback, giving the oppor- Chubby Doha of DuHELL”, this aggressive The event beats the record race series for season 20/21, tunity to heavyweight riders to Men’s Novice: Herb Albert Curaza (PHI) Team Bike to work Qatar organised by the United Filipino Women’s Novice: Sarah Vargas (PHI) Team Doha ChiQlistas cross country mountain bike for a grassroots level MTB compete with each other. Youth U14: Jared Benedict Navera (PHI) Team UFMBQ Juniors race attracted a lot of riders race organised by UFMBQ. It Mountain Bikers Qatar (UFMBQ) Duhail trail, with its close Kids 1 (3 to 6): Teddy Marvin (RSA) Team Granny Ringers spread around 15 different highlighted the highest num- in collaboration with the Qatar proximity to the city of Doha, Kids 2 (7 to 8): Adam Khatib (GBR) categories that made the race ber of children racing, the Cycling Federation (QCF). is still one of the crowd’s fa- Kids 3 (9 to 11): Isla Melville (GBR) TriClub Doha. a wide competition. The 1.5- highest numbers of female vorite trails. This is where hour race duration might not participants, and the highest mountain bike racing started a be that hellish as the tradi- numbers of beginners. And the deadlines. It proves that decade ago. The recent devel- tional “3H of DuHell”, but the for 2 consecutive events, the mountain biking in Qatar is opments and constructions in current 5 km race route is so organisers experienced sold- still gaining popularity. The re- the area had led to the shrink- aggressively unforgiving that out registrations days before sumption of the Megaman cat- ing of the trail compared to Sports Tuesday, January 12, 2021 15 Resolute India hold on for famous draw against Australia in Sydney Agencies Ravichandran Ashwin (2nd left) is greeted by India’s captain Ajinkya Sydney Scoreboard Rahane along with his teammates Hanuma Vihari (2nd right) and Australia (1st innings): 338 Mohammed Siraj as Australia’s captain Tim Paine (left) looks on after India hung on for a coura- India (1st innings): 244 the third cricket Test at the SCG ended in a draw on Monday. (AFP) geous draw on the fifith and Australia (2nd innings): 312-6 decl final day of the third Test India (2nd innings; Overnight 98-2) against Australia at the Syd- R. Sharma c Starc b Cummins ����������������� 52 Ashwin and Vihari’s ney Cricket Ground to leave S. Gill c Paine b Hazlewood ���������������������� 31 Pujara b Hazlewood ���������������������������������� 77 the series deadlocked at 1-1 A Rahane c Wade b Lyon ���������������������������� 4 on Monday. R Pant c Cummins b Lyon ������������������������� 97 epic stand made Tim Paine’s side was in the H Vihari not out ����������������������������������������� 23 box seat at tea on day five with R Ashwin not out ��������������������������������������� 39 the tourists 280/5, chasing a Extras: (lb3, nb6, w2) ������������������������������� 11 India proud target of 407. Total: (For 5 wkt, 131 overs) ����������������334 But Ravichandran Ashwin Did not bat: R Jadeja, N Saini, J Bumrah, M espncricinfo.com win received was when Lyon and Hanuma Vihari combined Siraj. Sydney replaced Hazlewood at the to frustrate the locals, the pair Fall of wkts: 1-71, 2-92, 3-102, 4-250, other end. digging in to navigate a tense 5-272. A bruised and battered India Unable to change strike, final session to guide their Bowling: M Starc 22-6-66-0 (nb2), J Hazlewood line-up couldn’t run between both Ashwin and Vihari put 26-12-39-2 (nb1), P Cummins 26-6-72-1 team to 334/5 and a famous (nb2), N Lyon 46-17-114-2, C Green 7-0-31-0 the wickets for more than a a prize on their wicket like draw. (wd2), M Labchagne 4-2-9-0 (nb1). session. They had a player never before against accurate Ashwin finishedwith 39 Toss: Australia. with a fractured thumb wait- bowling towards the stumps (128) and Vihari, who was Resut: Match Drawn. ing to bat next. They were that made them play almost hobbled by a hamstring injury, Series: 1-1 without their original cap- everything with as many as batted for 160 balls for his 23. 4th Test: At Gabba, Brisbane from Jan 15. tain and best batsman. They five fielders around the bat at Australia were left to rue copped one blow after anoth- times. a missed opportunity with er off short-pitched bowling, It was the third-longest just under 10 overs remaining guard action of Ashwin and against one of the best bowl- sixth-wicket stand for India when Paine dropped Vihari off Vihari was a fitting finale for ing attacks. And yet, against in the fourth innings, and the bowling of Mitchell Starc. an enthralling five days of Test all odds, India produced one the first time since 1979 that India resumed at 98/2 cricket. of the most dramatic displays India had batted for over 132 on Monday, needing another Having won the toss, a su- of patient batting and exem- overs in the fourth innings of 309 runs for victory after the perb 131 to Steve Smith was plary fighting spirit to pull a Test. Australian skipper declared at the cornerstone of Australia’s off a draw that hardly anyone That Ashwin and Vihari 312/6 at tea on day four. first-innings total of 338, with saw coming when the fifth could think of salvaging a After losing captain Ravindra Jadeja (4/62) the day started. draw was down to the 148-run Ajinkya Rahane (4) in the pick of India’s bowlers. With 97 overs to survive partnership between Pujara second over of the final day, Cummins did the damage in the day and eight wick- and Pant, after Ajinkya Ra- Rishabh Pant gave the tourists with figures of 4/29 as In- ets in hand, India scraped hane was caught at short leg hope with a swashbuckling in- dia were bowled out for 244, through under immense for Lyon’s first wicket of the nings, including 12 fours and Shubman Gill and Pujara each pressure led by the partner- match. Pant was promoted to three sixes, propelling his side scoring half-centuries. ship between Hanuma Vihari No. 5, perhaps to counterat- to 206/3 at lunch. Smith (81) was amongst and R Ashwin that lasted 42.4 tack, and he started it with But he fell agonisingly the runs again as the home overs for 62 runs, to keep the an assault against Lyon in his short of a hard-fought century side looked to build a match- series level on 1-1. when he found Pat Cummins winning lead and youngster Even though Rishabh at point off the bowling of Na- Cameron Green (84) top- Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara than Lyon on 97 from just 118 scored with his first Test half- had set up India’s fight early balls, his departure ending India’s Rishabh Pant plays a shot during his blazing innings of 97 on the fifth and final day of the third Test century. in the day with a century a 148-run partnership with against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney on Monday. (AFP) The teams have little time stand that even gave the team Cheteshwar Pujara. to regroup following the gruel- a chance of a win initially, the India needed 135 runs to Josh Hazlewood beating the within Australia’s grasp when field decision was overturned ling encounter, with the fourth highest praise will be kept win when Pujara’s stubborn bat to send the bails flying. Paine caught Ashwin off the on review. Test to get underway at the for Vihari and Ashwin for the resistance ended on 77, with A 2-1 series lead was first ball after tea, but the on- The courageous rear- Gabba from Friday. character they showed. The two came together against the second new ball when there were more than 40 overs left in the day, an under-pressure India captain Virat Kohli, Anushka blessed with baby girl Vihari had already hurt his hamstring, and Ashwin was Agencies with a baby girl this after- Jan 2021 (sic).” the couple had welcomed by a barrage of Mumbai noon. We thank you all for written in an Instagram post short balls that dented his your love, prayers, and good announcing the pregnancy. body. India cricket team captain wishes. Anushka and the baby Earlier, Anushka had an- The two made the Austral- Virat Kohli and his Bollywood are both healthy and we are nounced that she was going to ia bowlers toil under sun with actress wife Anushka Sharma feeling beyond blessed to start resume working on movies in a blockathon to draw some announced on Monday that this new chapter of our lives. May 2021. frustrations from the hosts they have been blessed with a We hope that you can respect Her husband and the towards the end of the day. Cheteshwar Pujara plays a baby girl. Kohli revealed the our privacy at this time. Love, captain of the Indian cricket Nathan Lyon bowled 46 re- shot during his innings of 77 in baby’s arrival on Twitter. Virat (sic).” team, Virat Kohli, had re- lentless overs, Pat Cummins India’s second essay in the third Anushka gave birth to the Virat Kohli and Anushka cently returned from Austral- pounded the pitch through- Test against Australia at the SCG baby girl at Mumbai’s Breach Sharma had announced the ia where he participated in out the day and Josh Hazle- on Monday. (AFP) Candy hospital. The couple pregnancy back in August the ongoing India-Australia wood found reverse swing, had reached the hospital ear- 2020. At that time, they had cricket series. but only to see an unfazed scintillating knock of 97. lier in the day for the delivery. said that their baby would be Virat is currently on pater- batting pair that defended Pant’s domination of the Kohli wrote on Twitter, born in January 2021 which nity leave and left for home af- almost everything that came bowlers and the partnership “We are thrilled to share with turned out to be the case. “And India cricket team captain Virat Kohli with his wife and Bollywood ter the first Test of the on-go- their way. Unable to run, Vi- with Pujara was so impactful you that we’ve been blessed then, we were three! Arriving actor Anushka Sharma. ing India-Australia Test series. hari finished unbeaten on 23 that Australia had to change off 161 after batting for just their bowlers regularly and under three hours, and Ash- Pujara marched on with win’s vigil saw him score 39 his natural game while also runs for his 128-ball stay. picking up boundaries. Pant Australian Open 2021 Men’s Qualifiers in Doha Australia will also rue the started slow though, crawl- four catches they dropped on ing to 5 off 33, as India were the day, three of them by cap- 102 for 3 in the first session tain Tim Paine that included when he joined Pujara. He Top seed Barrere advances; Gulbis crashes out two off Pant and one off Vi- cashed in after getting a life hari at the end of the day, and on 3, when he edged Lyon be- Tribune News Network a pleasant weather on Court 2 of the available 16 slots for the one by substitute fielder Sean hind but Paine put him down. Doha on the day. main draw of the season-open- Abbott, off Ashwin. Pant, already batting with an En route his victory, the ing Grand Slam. Given Australia’s full- injured elbow, also took a few Australia Open 2021 men’s former Junior’s World No.2 Meanwhile, former world strength attack, it all looked blows on his body from Cum- qualifying top seed Gregoire firedin three aces to his op- No.10 Ernests Gulbis would lost for India when Ashwin mins on the thumb and once Barrere of France withstood ponent’s one, winning 72 per- not be making an appearance joined Vihari in the 89th on the helmet, before he tore an unexpected pressure from cent of his first serves and 67 in Melbourne this year after over with more than a ses- into Lyon. Czech Republic’s Zdenek percent on second serves as he crashing out in the first round sion left to survive. But their Pujara reached his 27th Kolar to power home to vic- booked a second-round face- of the qualifiers on Monday. determined approach wasn’t Test fifty and crossed 6000 tory in straight-sets 7(7)-6(5), off against Australia’s Andrew The 32-year-old Latvian was deterred either by the chal- runs in the format, almost 6-3 in their first-round match Harris. beaten 7(7)-6(2), 6-3 by lesser- lenging task at hand, the op- replicating Pant with three of the ongoing men’s qualifiers The 26-year-old Aussie, known Blaž Rola of Slovenia. position, the injuries, or the successive fours off Cummins of the 2021 Australian Open ranked 232, had emerged vic- Gulbis, who in 2010 won chatter around the stumps. once the second new ball was being held at the Khalifa In- torious after a hard-fought his first ATP Tour singles title Initially Ashwin was at the re- taken. He used his feet often ternational Tennis & Squash battle against Belgian Ruben in the Delray Beach after de- ceiving end of hostile bowling against Lyon to either get to Complex in Doha. Bemelmans, winning 2-1 (6- feating Ivo Karlović in the final, when Cummins started the the pitch of the ball or cut The 26-year-old French- 4, 5-7, 6-3) in a gruelling en- was one of the pre-tournament last session with bouncers, a off the back foot, and saw man, who made the second Dustin Brown of Germany plays Hiroki Moriya of Japan in their round counter that lasted the whole favourites. His exit on Mon- strategy also used by Hazle- through Hazlewood’s spell of round of last year’s Australian 1 match of the 2021 Australian Open men’s qualifiers at the Khalifa of 2 hours and 30 minutes. day followed the trend of some wood. Ashwin took blows on reverse swing carefully until Open, needed all of 96 minutes International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha on Sunday. (Tennis Tuesday’s second-round major upsets being recorded at his arms, shoulders, chest the fast bowler got the new to dispatch the 224-ranked Australia Photo by Samer Alrejjal) encounter will be the first be- the event, which is being held and abdomen, and was even ball and got one to hold its Kolar in the thrilling encoun- tween Dellien and Harris. The outside of Australia for the first given out caught behind the line to rattle Pujara’s stumps ter. Barrere, a winner of three seed Hugo Dellien of Bolivia Roberto Carballés to reach the winner is set to face either time in its 116-year history. second ball after tea before for 77. ATP Challenger Tour singles dispatched Chile’s Alejandro quarters of the 2019 Rio Open 141-ranked Carlos Alcaraz of Former World No. 17, Ber- replays showed there was no It was still Pujara’s long- titles and six ITF Futures sin- Tabilo in just 68 minutes, win- to become the first Bolivian Spain – the 17-year-old who nard Tomic, in the meantime, glove or bat. Ashwin was also est stay on the pitch in the gles titles, hit five winners and ning in straight-sets 6-1, 6-0 to player with an ATP win since won three ATP Challenger titles is two wins away from an 11th lucky his edges fell safe and fourth innings of a Test, won 60 percent of breakpoints advance into the second round. Mario Martínez at French in 2020 and was voted the ATP Australian Open appearance when he attacked a short ball and with the kind of role it on his way to victory. The 27-year-old World Open in 1984, enjoyed a some- Tour’s Newcomer of the Year; after battling for more than with a rare pull on 15, Abbott played in an exhilarating day In the other match of the No. 111, who defeated Carlos what easy ride over his Santi- or Russia’s Evgeny Karlovskiy, two hours to take his first- dropped him at square leg. of Test cricket to save India day, tournament’s second- Berlocq, Guido Andreozzi and ago-resident opponent under ranked 258, for a chance at one round qualifying match. The immediate respite Ash- the match.