Modric wins Ballon d’Or, ends Ronaldo, Messi reign PAGE 19 WEDNESDay, DECEMBER 5, 2018 Qatar’s Omer Bahamed wins title at World Bodybuilding C’ship in Spain PAGE 18 CRICKET TEST AUSTRALIA VS INDIA Kipchoge, Ibarguen are Samba eager to do something special at 2018 Athletes of the Year Doha Worlds 2019 REUTERS MONACO Kenya’s marathon world re- cord holder Eliud Kipchoge and Colombian jumper Cater- ine Ibarguen were honoured as IAAF athletes of the year at athletics’ annual awards cer- emony on Tuesday. Olympic champion Kip- choge shattered the world marathon record by 78 sec- onds as he completed the Ber- lin Marathon in two hours, one minute and 39 seconds while Ibarguen was the Diamond League champion in both the long jump and triple jump. Both are first-time winners of the award. Abderrahman Samba, ahead of the IAAF Awards event in Monaco. Kipchoge’s performance marked the biggest improve- QATar’s star athlete Abder- “I am so happy with what ment in the marathon record rahman Samba, who was I did last season,” said since Australian Derek Clay- one of the five nominees for Samba. ton took almost two and a half IAAF Male World Athlete of “It is really something minutes off the mark in 1967. the Year 2018 award, is in special for me to do all those The 34-year-old Kenyan sprightly form and reflected races under 48 seconds also won the London Mara- on a startling international and the second fastest time thon in 2018. debut season at 400m in history. Next season, He also missed by 26 sec- hurdles. I want to continue what I onds breaking the magical two- Male Athlete of the year 2018 Eliud Kipchoge 0f Kenya (2nd right) and Female Athlete of the year 2018 Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia (2nd When asked ahead of the did in 2018. I will try to do hour barrier when he crossed left) with International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe (left) and Prince Albert II of Monaco at the IAAF IAAF event, ‘Everybody in something special in 2019 the line in 2:00.25 in a special Athletes of the Year Award Ceremony at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Tuesday. (EPA-EFE) Qatar is looking for Samba because we have next year race on the Monza circuit in It- to do something special at the World Championships in aly in 2017 that was not eligible from the 11 marathons he has space of 24 hours. sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, other finalists for the men’s Doha 2019 Worlds’, he said Doha. I will try to do some- for record purposes. raced, winning three times not Ibarguen, the Olympic Kenyan steeplechase world award. he would surely do some- thing there (in Qatar) to Acclaimed as the greatest only in Berlin but also London, champion in the triple jump, record holder Beatrice Chep- A three-way voting process thing special. be sure.” (IAAF) marathon runner of the mod- with victories in Rio for Olym- was undefeated in eight finals koech and Belgian heptathlete determined the shortlists. ern era, Kipchoge has domi- pic gold as well as in Ham- in the event. Her triple jump of Nafissatou Thiam, the 2017 Votes by IAAF Council nated marathon racing since burg, Rotterdam and Chicago. 14.96 metres in Rabat was the winner, were the other female members counted for 50 per- making his debut in Hamburg Ibarguen, also 34, won longest in the world in 2018. finalists. cent of the results with online Quick read in 2013 after a successful track both horizontal jumps at the The 34-year-old also was French decathlon world public votes and ballots by the career that saw him win world Central American and Carib- IAAF Continental Cup and record holder Kevin Mayer, IAAF Family counting for 25 FIDE moves tournament gold and silver (2003, 2007) bean Games, the IAAF Con- Central American and Carib- U.S. 60m world record-setter percent each. from Saudi Arabia to Russia in the 5000m and Olympic sil- tinental Cup and at the IAAF bean champion in both the Christian Coleman, Swedish Qatari high jumper Mu- ver and bronze (2008, 2004) Diamond League finals – win- long jump and triple jump. pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” taz Essa Barshim and Belgian JERUSALEM: A World Chess Federation tournament has been over the same distance. ning the latter two titles in Bahamian sprinter Shau- Duplantis and Qatari hurdler heptathlete Thiam were the moved from Saudi Arabia to Russia after concerns over Israeli He has notched up 10 wins two different cities within the nae Miller-Uibo, British Abderrahman Samba were the 2017 winners. players being barred, the federation announced on Tuesday. Israeli players backed by a New York-based NGO, The Lawfare Project, were threatening legal action over not being allowed to play in Saudi Arabia, which has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. The federation, known as FIDE, said it decided to move its World Rapid and Blitz Championships scheduled for December 25-31 to Russia “due to the policy adopted by Saudi organisers”. The decision was made “in spite of the generous financial offer made by Saudi Ara- bia”, FIDE said in a statement. “FIDE will no longer stage its official events in the countries that deny entry visa and fair treatment to all the eligible players,” it said. It added that “officials in Riyadh could not guarantee an entry to representatives of all the national federa- tions who had a right to participate in the event”. (AFP) World athletics body maintains Russia ban MONACO: The governing body of world athletics on Tuesday main- tained Russia’s ban from track and field over mass state-backed doping, citing two conditions before the powerhouse can return to international competition. Rune Andersen, head of the IAAF’s taskforce on Russia, said Russian authorities, in the form of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), had to grant access to data from testing of samples at a Moscow laboratory from 2011 US athlete Armand Duplantis with his Male Ris- Spanish photographer Felix Sanchez Arrazola (right) poses with French athlete Kevin Mayer receives the Broken to 2015. The second condition is that Russia must pay the IAAF’s ing Star Award trophy at the Grimaldi Forum in Ethiopian athlete Selemon Barega after receiving the Photograph of Records award during the IAAF athlete of the year costs incurred in the work of the taskforce and in bringing or de- Monaco on Tuesday. (EPA-EFE) the Year award. (AFP) awards ceremony in Monaco on Tuesday. (AFP) fending Russian cases at the Court of Arbitration of Sport. (AFP) Australia still the favourites, says India vice-captain Rahane time India visited Australia in 2014- First Test at Adelaide 15 with 399 runs at an average of 57. India still lost the series 2-0, Sick of ball Oval from Thursday however, and the 30-year-old sug- REUTERS gested the players had learned the tampering SYDNEY importance of contributing to the team effort on that trip. AUSTRALIA are still favourites to “When you do well as a team, talk: Paine win the four-test series against India you feel really good,” he added. even without Steve Smith and David “This is a team sport ... and it AFP Warner because of the strength of is the job of each and every bat to ADELAIDE their bowling attack, Ajinkya Ra- contribute for the team. And I think hane said on Tuesday. it’s important that we get those long AUSTRALIA skipper Tim Paine says Australia skipper Tim Paine. The match will begin at 2.30am partnerships together, in Australia he is sick of all the ball-tampering Qatar time. India’s Ajinkya Rahane during the tour that will really help us a lot.” talk and it is time to move on and pergate”, where Smith, Warner and team was to keep their cool but also Many pundits have tipped India match against Cricket Australia XI in Rahane and Kohli did that in focus on halting powerhouse India Cameron Bancroft tried to alter the play to their strengths. And if that to end their 70-year wait for a first Sydney on Saturday. (AFP) the Boxing Day test on the last tour, from winning their first Test series ball in South Africa. meant some verbal banter, then so be test series triumph in Australia after putting together a fourth-wicket Down Under. “There has been so much talk, it,” he said. their top batsmen Smith and Warn- I feel that Australia are still the fa- stand of 262 in India’s first innings The scandal in March has haunt- it’s time for action. There are 11 Australia squad: Tim Paine (capt), er were banned for a year in the af- vourites to win the series. with scores of 147 and 169 respec- ed Australian cricket, with Steve guys going out and trying their best Josh Hazlewood, Mitch Marsh, Pat termath of March’s ball-tampering “We are not going to take them tively while illustrating their differ- Smith and David Warner banned who will be so keen because of what Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Hand- scandal in South Africa. lightly at all. Yes, they (will) miss ent approaches to the game. and a swathe of executives from the has gone on.” scomb, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Rahane, however, was keen to Steve Smith and David Warner but I “Last time here, we really en- governing body axed or falling on The last time the two met, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun throw the pressure of expectation don’t think they are vulnerable.