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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2016 SPORTS Ex-Russian anti-doping Man Utd to name stand Defar runs year’s chief Kamayev dead after Bobby Charlton fastest 3,000m MOSCOW: The former executive director of Russia’s anti-doping agency LONDON: England great Bobby Charlton is to have the South Stand BOSTON: Ethiopian two-time Olympic champion Meseret Defar ran the (RUSADA) Nikita Kamayev has died two months after resigning his post, the at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium named after him, 60 year’s fastest 3,000 metres as she returned to the track for the first time Tass news agency reported on Sunday. The report, citing the former general years on from his debut for the club. The Premier League side said on in more than two years at the Boston indoor grand prix on Sunday. The director of the scandal-hit agency Ramil Khabriev, said it appeared Monday that the formal naming would take place at the home game 2004 and 2012 Olympic 5,000 metres gold medallist romped Kamayev’s death had been caused by a heart attack. “He against Everton on April 2. Charlton, a United director, joined the to victory in 8 minutes, 30.83 seconds in her first race complained of heart ache after a skiing session. He has club as an apprentice in 1953 and made his debut in October 1956. since 2013. The birth of her daughter in 2014 and never complained about heart problems, at least to me. The 1966 World Cup winner made 758 appearances for the club, injuries in 2015 had kept her off the track. “I didn’t Maybe his wife knew about such problems,” it quoted scoring a record 249 goals. “Bobby is quite simply, the most iconic have confidence after a long break, didn’t know my Khabriev as saying. Russia was suspended from interna- figure in English football history. A player, a diplomat, a gentleman shape, but running 8:30 in my first race - I’m so hap- tional athletics last November after a special commis- and a tireless worker for charity, he represents everything that is py,” said the 32-year-old. Six other 2016 bests were sion of the World Anti-Doping Agency exposed wide- good about football and Manchester United,” said executive vice- set in the meeting including New Zealander Nick spread state-sponsored cheating and corruption. chairman Ed Woodward in a statement. The South Stand contains the Willis’ 3:53.27 victory in the mile and 19-year-old Kamayev and Khabriev stood down from their positions only original part of the 1910 stadium infrastructure, as well as the Ethiopian Dawit Seyaum’s 4:01.86 in the along with the rest of the senior RUSADA manage- directors’ box and old players’ changing rooms. The North Stand was women’s 1,500 metres. American Kurt Roberts ment in mid-December as Russia began named after the club’s most successful manager Alex Ferguson in upped the 2016 shot put best to 21.57 working on lifting the ban in time for its 2011 to mark his 25 years in charge. A statue of the ‘United Trinity’ of metres and compatriot Natasha Hastings athletes to compete at the Rio de Janeiro Charlton, George Best and Denis Law-the players who helped United delivered another top mark in the women’s Olympics in August. —Reuters become the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968 — 300 metres, 36.25 seconds. —Reuters already stands outside Old Trafford. —Reuters Return of Imura boosts Japan’s synchro hopes TOKYO: The return of Masayo Imura, known on social media for her “betrayal” of her as the “mother” of Japanese synchronised homeland. However, Imura returned home to swimming, has bolstered the country’s hopes take over as head coach in 2014 and the ahead of this year’s Olympic Games to such switch reaped immediate dividends. The an extent the team will be considered “fail- Japanese took bronze at the World ures” if they return from Rio without a medal. Championships in both team and duet events Japan won bronze when the team event last year-success which captain Yukiko Inui was added to the programme at the 1996 said had jacked up expectations for Rio. Atlanta Olympics, and took silver in Sydney “Now we’re in a position where if we don’t and in Athens four years later. They also won take a medal, we’ve failed,” Inui told reporters duet bronze from 1984 to 1992 and silver in poolside after a recent practice session. 2000 and 2004. At the Beijing Games in 2008, “So we’re under a lot of pressure. The Japan took bronze in the duet but failed to Olympics will be even tougher.” To prepare for Olympic preliminaries in Rio this March, the team-which usually train and compete indoors-underwent rigorous training in Guam to acclimatise to an outdoor pool for Rio. “We practiced until we were satisfied,” said Imura, who is known for her hard training methods. “The swimmers had excuses written all over their faces: ‘the wind is too strong’ or ‘the rain is so heavy we can’t open our eyes’ or ‘the wind blew too suddenly.’ Many excuses.” Imura’s tough approach was on full display at the training session, where she paced poolside as the team swam and flipped in a rou- tine based loosely on Japanese myths, occa- sionally shouting “No! You’re doing it all wrong!” While some athletes and visitors planning to come to the Olympics have expressed concern about Zika, a virus linked to birth defects in newborns, the Japanese swimmers did not seem overly concerned. “Synchronised swimming athletes don’t have the time to go out and relax in places CRANS MONTANA: Mikaela Shiffrin, of the United States, center, winner of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup slalom, poses on the podium with like parks,” Imura said, though she added the second placed France’s Nastasia Noens, left, and third placed Canada’s Marie-Michele Gagnon, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, yesterday.— AP Masayo Imura team is getting information from Brazil on potential measures such as mosquito repel- medal in the team event, while China, under lent. Imura’s guidance, finished third. Team captain Inui said the group was talk- Shiffrin wins WC slalom The Chinese then went one better in ing more about their routines and practice London with silver while Japan failed to make than Zika. “We’ll leave the worrying to our the podium in either category. Imura’s role in coaches and focus on what we do best,” she China’s success prompted scathing criticism added. — Ruters race after 2 months out Snooker star declines maximum CRANS-MONTANA: Mikaela Shiffrin is defi- Colorado, and both by big margins, before the was thinking, ‘Oh it doesn’t look too bad.’ Then nitely back. Two perfect runs saw the training mishap in Sweden. She has won her I closed my eyes for about a minute, visualiz- 147 break as bonus ‘too cheap’ American win a women’s World Cup slalom by last six slaloms stretching back to last season. ing the course, and then when I opened them almost a half-second yesterday in her first race This was Shiffrin’s 18th win on the circuit, again I was like, ‘Hey, where did the slope Ronnie O’Sullivan was a few pots away from was 10 grand and I just thought that’s a bit after two months out with injury. moving her level with Tamara McKinney for go?’” achieving perfection in a frame of snooker. too cheap really,” said O’Sullivan, nicknamed Crossing the line smiling after her second the second-most wins by an American World Cup slalom leader Frida Hansdotter But, with a maximum break of 147 in his “The Rocket.” “To make a maxi, it’s such a run, Shiffrin turned to look at the timings woman. She turns 21 next month. Leading finished sixth, 5.89 behind Shiffrin. The Swede grasp, the sport’s most charismatic player massive achievement, and if they’re going to board then put her head in her hands at the after the first run, Shiffrin finished 0.45 sec- has 545 points, 99 more than second-best turned down the chance to complete the pay us 10 grand, I think it’s worth a bit more most coveted feat in snooker because he felt than that. realization she had won. “I came in blind a lit- onds faster than Nastasia Noens of France and Veronika Velez-Zuzulova of Slovakia, who was the prize money of 10,000 pounds ($14,500) “Once the prize goes up a bit, I’ll go for tle bit,” she said. “I knew my training skiing 0.50 ahead of Marie-Michele Gagnon of 10th. Shiffrin, who has won the past three was “too cheap.” the 147.” Winning the frame clinched a 4-1 was some of the best I was doing but I just Canada as several of her rivals struggled in titles, is 245 points behind Hansdotter. There In the latest controversial episode in victory over Barry Pinches, and O’Sullivan wasn’t sure. It was kind of close your eyes and difficult conditions. are only two O’Sullivan’s colorful career, he chose to pot grinned broadly as he left the arena in the go, see what happens at the end of the run. Three of the top 10 after the first run did slalom races left along with a parallel event the pink ball off the next-to-last red - instead Welsh capital of Cardiff.

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