Injury Issues Throughout the Year, but He Was Consistent Enough Take Advantage of It
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NNBABA | Page 5 RRUGBYUGBY | Page 6 James pours Wallabies hit in 57 as 60 vs Japan Cavs topple in European Wizards warm-up Sunday, November 5, 2017 CRICKET Safar 16, 1439 AH Munro fires New GULF TIMES Zealand against India to level series SPORT Page 7 WORLD SUPERBIKE Broken records: Rea lays waste to 15-year-old mark By Sahan Bidappa World champion Doha amasses 556 points onathan Rea might have hoped the 2017 season didn’t end for him. For, the Kawa- in the season to break saki rider not only won his third successive WorldSBK title with two and half rounds to Colin Edwards’ 2002 Jspare, he also smashed many records on his way through a dominating year. record; Mahias wins Last night at the Losail International Circuit, the Northern Irishman fi nished the season with Supersport another record to his name. The 30-year-old broke American Colin Edwards’ 15-year-old all- time points record with victory in Race 2 of the Qatar round of the WorldSBK championship. Having already won the Race 1 on Friday, Rea needed another 25 points to rewrite the record books and that is exactly what he delivered. It was Rea’s 16th win of the season last night, which meant he ended the season with 556 points com- pared to Edwards’ 552 set in the 2002 season. It was also Rea’s 16th career double win, which equalled the total of both Troy Bayliss and Carl Fogarty. “I don’t have words to describe. I just want to thank my family, my team and most of all my ri- vals Chaz (Davies) and Tom (Sykes) because they pushed me to improve, gave me motivation to work better, to get smarter. I’ve really enjoyed it,” Jonathan Rea (also left) of Kawasaki Racing Team celebrates his win in said Rea, with his wife and two young sons join- Race 2 of the Qatar round of World Superbike with his children at Losail ing in the celebration on the podium. “I now want International Circuit yesterday. PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil to get back home and enjoy the moment because these times don’t come along every day. I want to savour it with my family and my team,” he added. Rea had topped the short warm-up session ahead of the fi nale, and he was even more lethal in the race despite starting from the third row as per the reverse grid rule. The Kawasaki man was handed the lead on lap four when Chaz Davies experienced a massive near-highside which broke his screen. Rea needed no invitation and swept into top spot. Ducati’s Davies still bagged second in the championship chase as rival Tom Sykes of Yamaha crashed out, losing the front at turn 14 a lap be- fore. Davies did close back in on Rea, but the world champion extended the gap and cruised home by two seconds ahead of Ducati rider. Alex Lowes took the fi nal podium place, bounc- ing back from his double crash on Friday to pass Pata Yamaha teammate Michael van der Mark with fi ve laps left to run. MAHIAS CLINCHES SUPERSPORT Meanwhile, Frenchman Lucas Mahias won his maiden World Supersport title last night. The GRT Yamaha rider was in a pole position to win the championship, having gone into the season fi nale race with a 20-point lead over defending champion Kenan Sofuoglu of Kawasaki. An 11th place fi nish or better would have been enough for Mahias to seal the title, but he chose to win it in style after a long tussle with Jules Cluzel of Honda. The margin of victory was a narrow 0.023seconds. The Frenchman had benefi ted from fi ve-time champion Sofuoglu’s injury issues throughout the year, but he was consistent enough take advantage of it. Sofuoglu’s return from triple hip fracture de- layed Mahias from grabbing the 2017 title in Jerez but there was no stopping the Yamaha rider last night. Federico Caricasulo of Yamaha fi nished a close fourth, beaten across the line by the gritty So- fuoglu. The Turkish rider was caught up further back in the fi eld, fi ghting with the likes of Sheridan Morais (Kallio Racing), Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing), Kyle Smith (Lorini) and PJ Jacobsen (Agusta) as he made his way through the pack to fourth and then chased Caricasulo down in the fi nal stages. WORLDSBK RACE 2 RESULTS (TOP 10) 1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing) 33:39.98 2. Chaz Davies (Racing Ducati Panigale) +1.961 3. Alex Lowes (Crescent Yamaha) +4.185 4. Michael van der Mark (Yamaha) +5.843 5. Xavi Fores (Barni Ducati Panigale) +8.987 6. Marco Melandri (Racing Ducati Panigale) +14.675 7. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia) +16.251 8. Sylvain Guintoli (Kawasaki Puccetti) +19.675 9. Leon Camier (Agusta RC) +20.607 10. Roman Ramos (Kawasaki Go Eleven) +20.628 Gulf Times 2 Sunday, November 5, 2017 FOOTBALL EPL LIGUE 1 100 goals for Cavani as Salah double PSG hammer Angers Paris Saint-Germain’s Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani (L) celebrates after scoring fi res Liverpool against Angers yesterday. past West Ham The victory took Liverpool back to sixth position after they were briefly dislodged by Sean Dyche’s Burnley earlier in the day AFP minutes as Mbappe turned in a Dani Paris Alves cross from the right, and it was 2-0 before quarter of an hour had been played. he injured Neymar was left Again Alves was the provider with a at home as Edinson Cavani delightful through ball for Draxler, who reached a century of goals in beat Mathieu Michel with a clipped Ligue 1 with a brace in Paris fi rst-time fi nish. TSaint-Germain’s 5-0 romp away to The third goal that allowed Cavani Angers yesterday. to reach his century came at the end The world’s most expensive player of a brilliant move, with Alves fi nding sat out the game at the Stade Raymond Adrien Rabiot, who released Mbappe to Kopa with a minor thigh problem showcase his lightning pace and set up picked up in the midweek Champions Cavani to blast home. League win over Anderlecht but he was Cavani, signed from Napoli in 2013, not missed as PSG went provisionally reached the landmark on his 145th seven points clear at the top of the table Ligue 1 appearance and joins a select from Monaco. club in having scored 100 times in two Kylian Mbappe and Julian Draxler of Europe’s big fi ve leagues having also both scored early goals and Cavani net- achieved the feat in Serie A. ted his 100th in France’s top fl ight on The only others to have done so are the half-hour mark. Gonzalo Higuain (Spain and Italy) and The Uruguayan scored again on the Zlatan Ibrahimovic (France and Italy). hour mark before Mbappe grabbed his He is also well on course to catch second of the day late on to take him to Ibrahimovic as the club’s all-time top six goals in 12 appearances for the club. scorer in the league, with the Swede A second successive fi ve-goal victo- hitting 113 in his four seasons with the ry for PSG means they remain unbeaten club. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates in all competitions this season, while Cavani hit his 101st — his 13th of this scoring their fourth goal with Emre Can Angers are still without a win at home. season — in trademark fashion, starting (L) in the English Premier League yesterday. As well as Neymar, PSG were with- his run in the right-back position and out Marquinhos and Angel Di Maria, bursting forward to collect a Draxler whose partners have both given birth in pass before toe-poking home. recent days. Coach Unai Emery there- Mbappe completed the rout as he fore opted to give a fi rst start since Au- rounded Michel and scored from a gust to Javier Pastore. tight angle after being released by Lu- PSG’s opener arrived inside fi ve cas Moura. LA LIGA Valencia put pressure AFP Results to rescue a point for Stoke City in a 2-2 zone, with Pulis’s proud record of never on Barca, Atletico win London draw, denying new Leicester manager being relegated under threat. Huddersfield 1 (Van La Parra 44) West Claude Puel another victory after he “We are in the results business and AFP Brom 0 won his fi rst match at the helm against these results mean there’s some pres- Madrid ampant Liverpool turned up Newcastle 0 Bournemouth 1 (Cook 90+2) Everton last week. sure on me,” said Pulis. the heat on beleaguered West Southampton 0 Burnley 1 (Vokes 81) The 2015-16 Premier League cham- “I am disappointed professionally — Ham boss Slaven Bilic with a Stoke 2 (Shaqiri 39, Crouch 73) Leicester 2 pions are now unbeaten in six games it hurts to go such a long time without alencia swept aside Leganes 4-1 win yesterday as former (Iborra 38, Mahrez 60) in all competitions after early season winning a game,” he added. “But things 3-0 yesterday as they contin- Rchampions Leicester City extended Swansea 0 Brighton 1 (Murray 29) struggles but will be disappointed they conspire against you at times and you ued their stunning form with their unbeaten run with a draw at Stoke. West Ham 1 (Lanzini 55) Liverpool 4 twice let their lead slip, and in the end don’t get the breaks.” an eighth straight win to close Elsewhere, struggling West Brom’s (Salah 21, 75, Matip 24, Oxlade-Chamber- were indebted to goalkeeper Kasper Dyche’s Burnley added to their im- Vto within a point of La Liga leaders Bar- winless run stretched to nine league lain 56) Schmeichel, who made a fantastic fl y- pressive away record with a 1-0 win at celona.