SPORT

The Minsk Times Thursday, July 14, 2011

Happy number seven ¹¹

Climbing up football rankings

Czech Brno sees draw for Men’s World Handball Championship

Belarus national team placed 40th by FIFA

Bernd Stange’s trainees have played two qualification matches for Euro-2012 since the last rankings were announced in May. Belarus drew against France (1:1) and de- By Yuri Karpenko feated Luxembourg (2:0) — jumping

• 13 places and earning 636 points.
• Belarus is in Group 7, with Ro-

Belarus’ rivals for Euro-2012 mania and Luxembourg. It is yet to qualification are France (15th — be seen whether number seven will with 920 points), Bosnia and Herze- turn out to be lucky for Yuri Shevtsgovina (39th — with 642), Romania ov and his trainees. (53rd — with 571), Albania (59th — with 524) and Luxembourg (128th pionship are to be held in January — with 213 points). 2013. For Belarus to participate, it
e finals of the World Cham-
Of the former USSR coun- needs to go through the initial stage tries, Belarus yields only to Russia and the play-off round, to be held — placed 17th. e top five world next June. e previous qualificaleaders are Spain, Holland, Germa- tion round was a complete failure ny, England and Brazil — of the June for the Belarusian squad, as they lost rankings’ 207 national squads.

More chances for medals

in the first round of their first official tournament, to Cyprus and Switzerland, making it their last! However, fate has been kind to the Belarusian players, giving them the chance to show improvement in a match against Switzerland on the way to Euro-2012. e team managed to

Programme of 2014 Olympics, to be held in Sochi, expanded with addition of three new disciplines — one promising for Belarus

Belarusian handball team forward Boris Pukhovsky attacks

defeat their rival but still failed to by one city over three days (as has based on the results of teams’ seed- mania in two friendly matches in reach the European forum finals. been traditional) but across several ing. e strongest are to play a home Brest but lost in Karpaty Trophy in
e qualification rounds for the locations from November to Janu- match with their nearest rival (e.g. their away match. However, it was

• e International Olympic Com- World Championship are to be held ary. Following the draw, a calendar Romania with Belarus).
• a ‘purely’ Belarusian team, with no

• Just last year, Belarus beat Ro- foreign players.
• mittee has approved freestyle slope- under a new format, hosted not just of the dates has been approved,

style, snowboarding slopestyle and slalom snowboarding to join the Olympic sporting list. As emphasised

Nadezhda Ostapchuk leads world season

From Detroit Red Wings

by IOC President Jacques Rogge, slopestyle (where snowboarders and skiers perform aerobatic tricks as they travel downhill) has acquired enormous popularity over recent years.

to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

and Colorado — 917 NHL matches,
Belarus traditionally does well in ski aerobatics, so could enrich its medals crop at the coming Olympics, although none of Belarus’ leading freestyle jumpers — Dmitry Dashchinsky, Alexey Grishin and Anton Kushnir — have ever performed in this discipline. However, the strong training basis of the Belarusian freestyle jumping school and high grade skills of our jumping skiers could enable one (or all) to qualify in slopestyle. ey have three years ahead.
e IOC is considering adding a team tournament in mountain skiing to the Olympic programme but the final decision is yet to be taken. scoring 204 points.
Currently, Ruslan leads among By Yuri Kovalev
Belarusians for playing the largest

number of matches in the NHL (the Zhukovsky, Russia, hosts world’s strongest hockey league). Znamensky Brothers Athletics He is also a record-setter among Memorial Tournament (IAAF his countrymen for the number of World Challenge round)

• Stanley Cup matches. Salei has par-
• Belarus’ Nadezhda Ostap-

ticipated in three Olympics and six chuk won the shot-putt, showing world championships, playing for the best result of the season in the Belarusian national squad (elite the world: of her two attempts, division). In 2003 and 2004, he was one reached 20.94m, topping the named best Belarusian ice hockey world record.

• player.
• “Being a leader imposes certain

At the end of this season, it obligations,” she smiled, after the was informed that Salei was leav- tournament. “I’m expected to proing Detroit, as the heads of the club duce high results. After 15 years in

Ruslan Salei known for many hockey records

Belarusian national hockey team defenseman Ruslan Salei to play next season in Continental Hockey League

the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, on a expressed no plans for any exten- sports, I’m no longer threatened $1.1m contract for one year, start- sion of his contract. According to by this challenge. However, my ing in summer 2010. He earned the media, Salei wanted to stay in rivals are also highly motivated ten points across 75 matches in the the NHL with a club located not far as a result. My hard work is bear-

Silver from Ankara

Russian club Lokomotiv, from regular 2010/11 championship, plus from California, to stay close to his ing fruit and, honestly, my success
Yaroslavl, has confirmed its one-year scored one goal across 11 matches family. Anaheim was considered a has arrived even earlier than my contract with the Belarusian player. in the play-off stage. Salei has previ- favourite but, in the end, Lokomotiv coach and I anticipated. This year,

European Boxing Championship, hosted by Turkey, sees Magomed

• Ruslan Salei, 36, spent last year with ously played with Anaheim, Florida ‘won’ the new-comer.
• my training began later, due to an

injury; however, this may have actually given me a relaxed state of mind that has borne results.”

Nurudinov capture silver

In the semi-finals, Nurudinov faced France’s Adriani Vastine, who had not performed brightly at top

Highest summit of her career

Two other Belarusians took part in the long jump: Anastasia Mironchik-Ivanova came third while Veronika Shutkova was placed fourth. Anis Ananenko also came fourth, in the 800m sprint.
Meanwhile, in French Sotteville, Belarusians captured four medals. Pavel Krivitsky won the hammer-throwing and Yuri Shayunov came second. Two medals went to our 800m female runners: Marina Arzamasova finished second while Svetlana Usovich claimed bronze. level events before. More experi- By Kirill Karin enced Magomed showed his higher
Vera Zvonoreva of Russia holds third position. Wimbledon winner Czech Petra Kvitova has flown from 8th to 7th position while fi- nalist Maria Sharapova of Russia

class, easily defeating the French Victoria Azarenko climbs to boxer, but saw less success in the fourth position in world tennis

finals. United Kingdom champion rankings

• Fred Evans began with immediate
• e top Belarusian tennis is up from 6th to 5th. e WTA

and sustained attack, winning 10:5 player, previously placed fiſth, has top hundred also includes Belarus’ aſter two rounds — to the regret of moved up a step following her Anastasia Yekimova (93rd place) Belarusian fans. As a result, Evans Wimbledon semi-finals. Showing and Olga Govortsova (96th).

• won the second Euro-2011 gold for the brightest result of her career,
• Among the men, Serbian No-

Wales. Just several minutes before- Victoria earned 6,465 points. First vak Djokovic is seeded first, having hand, Andrew Selby of Wales be- place still belongs to Denmark’s defeated Spanish Rafael Nadal in came the country’s first continental Caroline Wozniacki (9,915) fol- the Wimbledon finals — the previ-

Victoria Azarenko

• champion.
• lowed by Belgian Kim Clijsters. ous world leader.