Samba-Warholm Showdown Cynosure of All Eyes in Oslo
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
SPORT Wednesday 6 June 2018 PAGE | 21 PAGE | 22 SL aiming to Floyd Mayweather capitalise on rare heads Forbes Windies visit money list Samba-Warholm showdown cynosure of all eyes in Oslo CHINTHANA WASALA expected to give his best not to dis- In March, during the IAAF World clash in Eugene, the 25-year-old THE PENINSULA appoint his fans. Indoor Championships Lysenko launching a season’s best of 22.53m. Last week in the Italian capital, claimed gold, but Barshim took some The women’s pole vault will see DOHA: The battle for supremacy in Warholm took an early lead, but revenge at the Eugene Diamond Katerina Stefanidi of Greece look to the men’s 400 metres hurdles event Samba took charge in the final stretch League last month, going over 2.36m resume winning ways after a sub-par between Qatar’s Abderrahman to hand the home hero the second to beat Lysenko’s best of 2.32m. start to the year for the Olympic and Samba and world champion Karsten spot. Despite finishing behind Samba, Barshim, the 2017 Male Athlete world champion, though she will face Warholm will be the cynosure of all Warholm still managed to renew his of the Year, cleared 2.40m in Doha stiff competition in Sandi Morris, who eyes when the IAAF Diamond League Norwegian record with 47.82 last month. cleared 4.84m to win in Doha last resumes tomorrow in Oslo, Norway. seconds. Meanwhile, South Africa’s con- month. The Qatari star dazzled the crowd With Warholm looking to outplay troversial female athlete Caster The women’s 400m features the in Rome during the fourth meeting Samba and Yasmani Copello of Semenya will be looking to extend 1-2 from last year’s IAAF World Cham- of the Diamond League circuit last Turkey and Kerron Clement, the her dominance in the 800m that also pionships in USA’s Phyllis Francis and Abderrahaman week with a record breaking reigning Olympic champion is also includes Olympic silver medallist Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, though the Samba of Qatar performance. looking to make their presence felt, Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi, Ethi- quickest in the field this year is wins the men’s Samba has been in tremendous the event is expected to draw a opian newcomer Habitam Alemu and Shakina Wimbley with 50.18. 400m hurdles form this year and has cracked 48 delightful reception from the Oslo Britain’s Laura Muir. World champion Ramil Guliyev event during seconds on each of his three outings. crowd at the Bislett Stadium. The heavyweights of the men’s will headline the men’s 200m, the the Rome In Rome, Samba renewed the Asian In the men’s high jump, Qatar’s shot put will also square off, with Turk who has a best of 20.11 this year. IAAF Diamond record, Diamond League record and World Champion Mutaz Essa Barshim 2017 world champion Tomas Walsh The favourite, however, will be League the event record with an impressive will be looking to prove his of New Zealand taking on Olympic Jereem Richards, who clocked 19.99 athletics 47.48 seconds. supremacy once again when he goes champion Ryan Crouser and 2015 to finish runner-up in Doha and competition in Last year, Warholm set a national over the bar against Russia’s Danil world champion Joe Kovacs. 20.05 to again finish second in this May 31 file record at the same venue and he is Lysenko. Crouser fared best on their recent Eugene. photo. Cecchinato stuns Djokovic Toulon Tournament in France to reach French Open semis AFP another year of work where I improved and developed my PARIS: World number 72 Marco game,” said the 24-year-old. Cecchinato stunned Novak “I know how to handle a Djokovic in a French Open Grand Slam now, how... to get classic yesterday to set up a that deep in such a tournament, semi-final clash against Dominic and I think everything gets better Thiem, with Sloane Stephens and with experience.” Madison Keys to meet in the US Open champion Stephens women’s last four. brushed aside Russian Daria Cecchinato is the first Italian Kasatkina to set up a repeat of man to reach a Grand Slam semi- last year’s Flushing Meadows final since 1978 after his thrilling final with fellow American and 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 7-6 (13/11) good friend Keys. victory over the 12-time major The 10th seed produced a champion. clinical performance to down The 25-year-old, who had Kasatkina 6-3, 6-1 on Court never won a Grand Slam match Philippe Chatrier, firing 17 in his career before Roland winners. Garros, goes on to face Austrian Earlier in the day Keys, the seventh seed Thiem for a place 13th seed, reached the semi- in Sunday’s final. finals for the first time by seeing In an epic fourth-set tie- off Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva break, Djokovic saved three 7-6 (7/5), 6-4. match points but wasted three Italy’s Marco Cecchinato in action during his The 25-year-old, who was set points as Cecchinato became French Open quarter final match against Serbia’s ranked 957 just six weeks before the lowest-ranked man to make Novak Djokovic yesterday. her maiden Grand Slam triumph the last four in Paris since 100th- last year after a series of injury ranked Andrei Medvedev in 1999. problems, is now into the last In a roller-coaster of a FRENCH OPEN RESULTS four of a major for the third time. quarter-final, both men were Keys struck 30 winners past Qatar U-19 and South Korea U-21 players vie for the ball during warned for coaching, 2016 a battling Putintseva in an MEN yesterday’s play-off match of the Toulon International Tournament champion Djokovic required two QUARTER-FINALS impressive display as she con- medical timeouts while the tinued her recent revival on clay, in France. Qatar went down fighting to South Korea 1-2 in a Marco Cecchinato (ITA) bt Novak Djokovic (SRB x20) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), thrilling encounter. Nasser Abdulsalam (64) scored the only goal Italian was docked a point for 1-6, 7-6 (13/11) having never reached the unsportsmanlike behaviour. quarter-finals in Paris before this for Al Anabi while Se-Jin Jeon (13 Pen) and Young-Wook Cho Dominic Thiem (AUT x7) bt Alexander Zverev (GER x2) 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 Djokovic had also squan- week. (50) added two for South Korea. dered three set points in the The 23-year-old struggled second set and failed to serve out WOMEN last September under the the fourth in the ninth game after QUARTER-FINALS pressure with the US Open title being 5-2 in front. Madison Keys (USA x13) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 on the line, losing 6-3, 6-0, but In an extraordinary post- Sloane Stephens (USA x10) bt Daria Kasatkina (RUS x14) 6-3, 6-1 she is confident that performance match press conference, won’t affect the match at Roland Djokovic then said he may even Garros. skip Wimbledon where he has “Maybe I’m sleeping. It’s German second seed Zverev “Honestly, the (US) Open been champion three times. amazing, it’s unbelievable for me. simply ran out of gas, paying a feels like it was 12 years ago at “I don’t know if I am going to I’m very happy because it’s unbe- heavy price for needing three this point,” said Keys, who is yet play on grass,” said the Serb. lievable to beat Novak Djokovic successive five-set matches to to drop a set in the “I’m just not thinking about in a quarter-final at Roland reach his first Grand Slam tournament. tennis at the moment.” Garros. It’s amazing,” he said. quarter-final. “I obviously rely on what I Cecchinato struggled to com- Thiem reached his third suc- Thiem, who lost in the semis learned there and how to prehend his triumph, coming just cessive French Open semi-final to Djokovic in 2016 and Nadal manage my emotions and two years after his career was with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 demolition last year, said he is now better- manage the moment, but there almost derailed when he became of a hobbled and exhausted Alex- equipped to go all the way. were so many late nights and I embroiled in match-fixing ander Zverev who admitted he “I’m a better player in was so tired. It feels completely allegations. was close to quitting the tie. general, for sure. There was different here.” 22 SPORT WEDNESDAY 6 JUNE 2018 Mayweather heads Forbes money list AFP However, female athletes Real Madrid soccer star Cris- $76.9m. Atlanta Falcons quar- notably failed to break into the tiano Ronaldo, who was third terback Matt Ryan is the highest LOS ANGELES: Boxer Floyd top 100 for the first time since with earnings of $108m. earning NFL player, coming in Mayweather (pictured) Forbes began publishing its Brazilian footballer Neymar at ninth with $67.3m. Ryan’s reclaimed his place at the top of ranking. Tennis star Serena Wil- was fifth on the list with $90 earnings were swollen by a Forbes’ annual ranking of the liams, who last year was the million in earnings, his salary $45m signing bonus after he 100 highest-paid athletes only woman to feature on the boosted by his record-breaking agreed a new contract earlier yesterday but no woman list at 51st place with earnings transfer from Barcelona to Paris this year.