Spectacular Tennis on Capital's Courts
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SPORT The Minsk Times Thursday, February 6, 2014 11 Trying on the Spectacular Champion’s belt By Igor Leshin Belarusian Thai boxer, Vitaly Gurkov, beats Thailand’s Kem tennis on Sitsongpeenong to become the WBC world professional champion The Belarusian and the Thai (who was the current holder of the Cham- capital’s pion’s title and the WBC Muay Thai belt) met in Milan in Italy as part of the Ring War tournament. The five- round fight lasted for almost two courts hours. In the first round, Gurkov made several mistakes, which pro- fessional Sitsongpeenong used to his Belarusian national team advantage. However, sometime later, the Belarusian boxer broke the trend, beats the Irish 4:1 in the first eventually winning with a minor lead. The two sportsmen have fought round of the Davis Cup in the past as amateurs, rather than as professionals, as part of the 2012 By Kirill Karin their defeat put an end to these World Thai Boxing Championship in hopes. Did the guests have a St. Petersburg. Gurkov won then also. Hundreds of fans chanting ‘Be- chance for victory? Yes, they did. Our sportsman combines the skills larus! Belarus!’, magnificent rallies, During the game, the Belarusian of both Thai boxing and kick-boxing intriguing duels between repre- pair had to catch up more than and has previously won several world sentatives of our country and their once, winning back set points, events (primarily in Muay Thai) as an Irish counterparts. All of this was and even match points. How- amateur. Gurkov began his profes- seen during the three day event, ever, our tennis players pressed sional career in 2001. held at the Republican Olympic their opponents with powerful Tennis Training Centre between services, winning games practi- January 31st and February 2nd. cally with a shutout. The Irish did Expansion in the Belarusians could celebrate not concede, fighting their side the victory on Saturday, when the well, against the Belarusian pair- Olympic team score was 3:0 in the home team’s ing that performed well on recep- Belarus’ national Olympic favour, and the visitors, even with tion and, many times blocked the team add another athlete in the best will in the world, lost the space near the net. It was a long cross-country skiing, Valentina opportunity to win anything back. and emotional struggle, with Kaminskaya, in readiness for the On the first day of the competi- three of the five sets going to a Sochi Winter Olympics-2014 tion, Belarusian players, Dmitry tie-break. Nevertheless, by the The International Ski Federation Zhirmont and Dmitry Gerasimov end of the match, the guests could (FIS) has given Belarus an additional easily beat their opponents in their no longer sustain the pressure and ticket for women’s skiing, according to singles matches, making the score lost the fifth set practically with- the application from the National Fed- 2:0. On Saturday, the doubles out a struggle. The final score, 6:7, BELTA eration in this sport discipline. This is Max Mirnyi and Alexander Bury in action match between Max Mirnyi and 7:6, 5:7, 7:6, 6:2 guaranteed that the second time of that the Belarusian Alexander Bury and James Clus- the Belarusians would progress to play in the Davis Cup, “…after Mirnyi, he hopes that in Victoria’s Olympic Team has been augmented key and David O’Hare was really the following round of the com- all, performance for your country career “…there will come a right in recent times. On January 24th, we the most spectacular and memo- petition, a fitting match for Max is more significant than personal moment”, and that she will again found out that the FIS had provided rable duel of the tournament. Mirnyi, who was playing his 48th success”. support the country in a Federa- two additional female tickets for the The Irishmen were very seri- match for the national team in the As it is known, Belarus’ Vic- tion Cup. “We should accept her Sochi games in freestyle (aerial ski- ous about the game, only a victory Davis Cup. As the tennis player toria Azarenko, who was listed present choice, though all of us ing). These were given to Anna Gusk- would give visitors the chance said at the post match press con- in Group 1 matches of the Davis understand that her participation ova and Olga Kapustina. to continue fighting in the next ference, he has never faced the Cup, has refused to play for the increases our chances of success,” round of competitions. However, question of whether or not to national team. According to Max said the Belarusian tennis player. Lokomotiv ice hockey team runs This means that the Belarusian National Squad will now be taking 27 out of steam as Dinamo triumphs participants to the 22nd Winter Olym- pics in Sochi. Between them, they will The match between Dinamo Minsk and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl was important cover five different disciplines: Biathlon: Darya Domracheva, for both teams. Apart from their desire to please the crowds before the Olympic Nadezhda Skardino, Lyudmila Kalin- break, ex-Dinamo player, Jeff Platt’s arrival, created a special atmosphere. chik, Anastasia Duborezova, Nadezh- da Pisareva, Sergey Novikov, Yevgeny By Georgy Shablyuk The score remained unchanged Abramenko, Yuri Lyadov, Vladimir until the second break. In the final Chepelin and Alexander Dorozhko. Recently, Dinamo Minsk has round, Lokomotiv, which is currently Freestyle: Alexey Grishin, Dmitry been unpredictable. After a series struggling for a play-off position, be- Dashchinsky, Anton Kushnir, Denis of after-match penalty shootouts, came more aggressive in style and Osipov, Alla Tsuper, Anna Guskova the team defeated Severstal Chere- created several threats at Dmitry Mil- and Olga Kapustina. Cross-country povets (2:1) and then lost to Atlant chakov’s goal. However, they failed skiing: Sergey Dolidovich, Alexander (1:7). A couple of days later, Di- to score. However, Dinamo’s captain, Lazutkin, Mikhail Semenov, Alexey namo met SKA St. Petersburg. De- Alexey Kalyuzhny, assisted by Andrey Ivanov, Yelena Sannikova and Valen- spite their loss (2:3), the Belarusians Stas, shot one into the Lokomotiv tina Kaminskaya. played an exciting end-to-end game goal with just 4 and a half minutes re- Mountain skiing: Yuri Da- which was appreciated by the fans. maining on the clock, and Lokomotiv nilochkin and Maria Shkanova. Lubomir Pokovic’s Dinamo managed to score a consolation goal Short track: Maxim Sergeev and played its latest home match against just 90 seconds before the end. Olga Talaeva. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Our ex-play- As a result, Dinamo has actu- Yekaterina Rudakova was regis- er, Jeff Platt, has already played for ally executed the programme of tered as the reserve for the national Lokomotiv for a month. Happily, the BELTA home matches of the CHL-2013/14 skiing team of Belarus. Dinamo Minsk defeats Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team Belarusians confidently won (3:1). regular championship. Their single The Belarusian Olympic National For over half of the match, no situa- ingly bored. However, soon after the which happens rarely. The initial home match after the long Olympic Squad will also include coaches, medi- tions were created near the goals, and break, the hosts managed to score scorer was, Tomasz Surowy, followed break is scheduled for March 2nd cal and support staff, alongside jour- fans at the Minsk-Arena were seem- twice in quick succession, something up by Alexander Materukhin. against Dinamo Riga. nalists and officials..