Rahm wins World Challenge by four strokes in Bahamass PAGE 18 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2018 England to meet the Netherlands in Nations League semi-finals PAGE 19 CRICKET TEST PAKISTAN VS NEW ZELAND READY, SET, GO! IAAF AWARDS 2018 WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED TODAY Qatar’s star athlete Samba in race with world’s other leading four IAAF/TNN MONACO/DOHA THE attention of the athletics world will fall firmly on Mona- co on Tuesday as the Mediter- ranean Principality prepares to host the IAAF Athletics Awards 2018, the annual cele- bration honouring the world’s best athletes whose achieve- ments helped contribute to another unforgettable year for the sport. Among the five male fi- nalists is Qatar’s sensational track and field athlete Abder- rahman Samba, who this year set the world’s quickest time in 400m hurdles since 1992. He also won the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay gold at the Jakarta Asian Games. Samba had been setting the track on fire this season and holds the World lead in 400m hurdles being unbeat- en in nine finals of the Dia- 2018 IAAF ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD SHORTLISTS mond League. More than 80 of the world’s MALE FINALISTS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER): World U20 champion; Eight world U20 records or at heptathlon; World record at decathlon WOMEN FINALISTS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER): chase record by eight seconds, backed up by the Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH): Unbeaten finest track and field athletes bests, indoors and out third-quickest mark of all time; Winner of seven out across five events in 15 races including a will converge on the Riviera Christian Coleman (USA): World indoor Abderrahman Samba (QAT): World lead Dina Asher-Smith (GBR): European champion of eight steeplechase finals including the IAAF 200m/4x100m double at the IAAF Continental Cup; to help celebrate the past year record and world indoor champion at 60m; World Eliud Kipchoge (KEN): London Marathon and unbeaten in nine finals at 400m hurdles, and world leader at 100m, 200m and 4x100m; Continental Cup, African Championships and IAAF World lead and three wins at 400m with the world’s during the lead-in to the IAAF lead and IAAF Diamond League champion at 100m champion; Berlin Marathon champion with the setting the world’s quickest time since 1992; Second over 100m in the IAAF Diamond League Diamond League final; C’wealth silver at 1500m fastest time since 2009 final and IAAF Continental Cup; Commonwealth Athletics Awards which will biggest improvement on a men’s marathon world Asian Games champion at 400m hurdles and Caterine Ibarguen (COL): IAAF Continental Armand Duplantis (SWE): European cham- record since 1967 4x400m; IAAF Continental Cup winner; Asian Games 4x100m gold and 200m bronze Cup winner, IAAF Diamond League champion and Nafissatou Thiam (BEL): European cham- take place at the Grimaldi Fo- pion at pole vault with a world-leading height; Kevin Mayer (FRA): World indoor champion indoor 4x400m champion Central American and Caribbean champion at pion, world lead and unbeaten at heptathlon; rum at 8pm (6pm Qatar time). Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN): World steeple- both long jump and triple jump. World number three at high jump Some of the athletes, be- sides Samba, expected in- and Elijah Manangoi, and nouncement of the male and Award will also be revealed. clude recently-minted world Diamond League series win- female Athletes of the Year, The ceremony will also of a photography exhibition The IAAF Athletics Awards ary high jumper Mutaz Essa record holders Kevin Mayer ners Caterine Ibarguen and the recipients of the IAAF Ris- name the winner of the second which will be held alongside the will be live streamed on the Barshim and Nafissatou Thiam and Eliud Kipchoge, conti- Conseslus Kipruto. ing Star Awards, Coaching Athletics Photograph of the IAAF Athletics Awards from IAAF’s YouTube Channel and of Belgium were named as the nental champions Armand While the evening will Achievement Award, Wom- Year competition. The 25 short- December 1-5 at the Meridien Facebook page. male and female IAAF World Duplantis, Nafissatou Thiam reach its climax with the an- en’s Award and President’s listed images will also form part Beach Plaza Hotel. Last year, Qatar’s legend- Athletes of the Year 2017. Jesse Owens, 11 others honoured with Bassem showjumps to 2nd heritage plaques at historical locations at Paris Longines Masters REUTERS Olympic Stadium; Finnish distance MONACO runner Paavo Nurmi - Paavo Nurmi Qatari rider misses Games & Stadium, Turku, Finland. top spot by 91 GLOBAL athletics will begin American hurdler and field events honouring its heritage with specialist Mildred Didrikson - Babe hundredths! plaques at historically sig- Didrikson Zaharias Museum, Beau- nificant locations around the mont, Texas; Japanese long and TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK world, the International Asso- triple jumper Chuhei Nambu - Meiji DOHA ciation of Athletics Federations Jingu Gaien Nikoniko Park, Tokyo; (IAAF) announced on Sunday. Dutch sprinter-hurdler Fanny QATAR’S showjumping rider American sprinter and Blankers-Koen - Fanny Blankers- Bassem Hassan Mohammed jumper Jesse Owens, dis- Koen Games & Stadium, Hengelo, stood out at the Longines tance runners Paavo Nurmi Netherlands; Czech distance runner Masters in Paris on his trusted of Finland and Emil Zatopek Emil Zatopek - Golden Spike & Mest- mount Gunder on Sunday, but of Czechoslovakia and Dutch sky Stadium, Ostrava, Czech Republic; missed out on the top podium sprint-hurdles star Fanny Brazilian triple jumper Adhemar Da finish by 91 hundredths. Blankers-Koen are among a IAAF President Sebastian Coe (left) and Stuart Rankin, grandson of Jesse Silva - Tiete Sports and Leisure The Masters Two Land dozen athletes selected for the Owens, with the Ohio State vest that was worn by his grandfather. (IAAF) Centre, Sao Paulo; Australian Rover Grand Prix CSI2* grand first plaques for achievements sprinter Betty Cuthbert - Sydney finale lived up to the expecta- at lesser-known stadiums. athletics competitions, careers, Others receiving plaques Cricket & Sports Ground Trust, Syd- tions with 18 of the 63 starters “The IAAF World Athlet- performances, cities, venues, and their locations are: ney; Ethiopian marathoner Abebe qualifying for the jump-off. ics Heritage Plaque is a loca- landmarks and culture around British distance runner Emil Voigt Bikila - Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Tony Cadet of Britain was tion-based recognition which the world,” IAAF President - Manchester Harriers & Athletics Ababa; Polish sprinter Irena Sze- the lucky winner posting two Bassem Hassan Mohammed astride Gunder during the Masters Two highlights, celebrates and links Sebastian Coe said at a special Club, England; Swedish javelin winska- Zawiszy Imienia Stadium, superb rounds with Tolede Land Rover Grand Prix final of Longines Masters in Paris on Sunday. together iconic and historic ceremony on Sunday. thrower Eric Lemming - Stockholm Bydgoszcz, Poland. de Mescam. He clocked 36.03 secs in a winning start to the Lon- ries, which originally started the jump-off. gines Global Champions Tour in Paris is now also held in Frenchman Ecurie Olivier (LGCT) finale in Doha finish- Hong Kong and New York. Guillon was third on Vitot du ing jointly on top with French- The Parisian leg of European Spotlight on Coe as IAAF mulls Russian reintegration Chateau in 38.10 seconds. man Julien Epaillard in the Grand Slam of Showjumping Bassem has been in top first week of November. indoors is organised under the AFP reported in the Moscow lab’s form of late and had also made The Longines Masters Se- aegis of Salon du Cheval. MONACO In Tuesday’s meeting in Monaco, Norwegian Rune database should be pursued. Andersen, who heads up the IAAF’s Russian taskforce In Tuesday’s meeting in SEBASTIAN Coe will find team, will present his recommendations to the Council, Monaco, Norwegian Rune himself firmly in the spot- after which IAAF president will call on the 26-strong body Andersen, who heads up the light once again on Tuesday IAAF’s Russian taskforce as track and field’s governing to vote on Russia’s possible reintegration. team, will present his recom- body mull over reintegrating mendations to the Council, doping-tainted Russia into national criticism when it vot- pre-conditions to be allowed after which Coe will call on the world athletics. ed to declare RUSADA “com- to return to international ath- 26-strong body to vote on Rus- The Russian athletics fed- pliant”, before being granted letics competition. sia’s possible reintegration. eration (RUSAF) was initially access to Moscow raw data. It Firstly, Russian authorities While RUSAF has been banned by the Coe-headed responded by promising it will must acknowledge the findings banned, the IAAF has in fact giv- IAAF in November 2015 over impose new sanctions if Rus- of the McLaren and Schmid en some leeway, allowing Rus- allegations of widespread sia did not cooperate by De- Commissions that sports min- sian athletes who could prove government-backed doping cember 31 and a team visited istry officials were implicated they were clean and training in fraud, with that suspension the Russian capital last week. in the scheme to cover up the proper environments to com- upheld eight times since. The WADA decision has doping of Russian athletes as pete under a neutral flag. The landscape has changed left the IAAF facing a tough described in their reports. The last full Russian athlet- somewhat, however, with the decision and even led RUSAF And secondly Russian au- ics delegation competed at the World Anti-Doping Agency’s to appeal against its IAAF sus- thorities must provide access to 2015 Beijing world champion- September lifting of the three- pension at the Court of Arbi- the data from testing of samples ships. Since then, one Russian year ban on Russia’s anti- tration of Sport. at the Moscow laboratory from competed in the Rio Olympics in doping agency (RUSADA) for Coe insisted, after WADA’s 2011-2015, so that the Athletics 2016, 19 at the London worlds a non-compliance.