Liverpool and Chelsea maintain perfect starts in English Premier League; Man City in touch PAGE 18 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2018 Hamilton takes stunning pole at Singapore Grand Prix PAGE 30 ITALIAN SERIE A JUVENTUS VS SASSUOLO 2018 FINA Swimming World Cup Doha Sjostrom torches 100m fly record; Hosszu enjoys more golds rush Three WC records sink on final day of Doha meet; Chupkov, Sarah emerge as Cluster 1 champions VINAY NAYUDU DOHA Results Men’s 400m Individual Medley SWEDEN’S Sarah Sjostrom 1. David Verraszto (HUN) 4:13.44 and Russian Anton Chupkov 2. Maksym Shemberev (AZE) 4:13.61 emerged as the Doha leg and 3. Tomas Peribonto (ECU) 4:17.02 Cluster 1 winners of the 2018 Women’s 800m Freestyle FINA Swimming World Cup 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 8:34.58 Series which concluded with 2. Chanzhen Zhou (CHN) 8:35.67 splashing success at the Hamad 3. Andrea Zapatero (ESP) 8:43.99 Aquatic Centre on Saturday. Women’s 100m Butterfly Three World Cup records 1. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 56.46 were broken on the exciting 2. Kimberly Buys (BEL) 58.23 third and final day of the meet 3. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) 59.40 even as ‘Iron Lady’ Katinka Men’s 50m Butterfly Hosszu continued to mesmer- 1. Andrii Govorov (UKR) 22.82 ise a packed house claiming 2. Michael Andrew (USA) 23.21 another three golds, besides a 3. Ryan Coetzee (RSA) 23.54 bronze. Her total haul in Doha Women’s 200m Backstroke stood at seven golds, three 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 2:11.00 bronze and one silver if you add 2. Kira Toussaint (NED) 2:13.24 the team mixed medley relay. 3. Yuru Jiang (CHN) 2:14.54 The night, however, be- Men’s 100m Backstroke longed to the under water 1. Mitchell Larkin (AUS) 53.68 sprinting queen, Sjostrom, who 2. Michael Andrew (USA) 54.11 was well ahead in the race to 3. Vladimir Morozov (RUS) 55.07 emerge as the cluster queen and Women’s 50m Breaststroke she did it in style; first breaking 1. Yuliya Efimova (RUS) 30.43 the World Cup Record in the 2. Vitalina Simonova (RUS) 32.01 100m butterfly -- now having 3. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 32.81 done so in all three of her swims Men’s 200m Breaststroke on the circuit – and later win- Cluster 1 winners Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and Ryssia’s Anton Chupkov pose for photographs after receiving their cheques at the Hamad Aquatic Centre on Saturday. 1. Anton Chupkov (RUS) 2:08.77 ning the 100m freestyle gold. 2. Arno Kamminga (NED) 2:11.21 The 25-year-old Swede 3. Kirill Prigoda (RUS) 2:11.61 blazed her way to the gold in a Women’s 100m Freestyle new record of 56.46. 1. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 53.13 At the first stop in Kazan 2. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) 53.29 (Russia) Sjostrom had tied the 3. Femke Heemskerk (NED) record of 57.56 set by Japan’s Men’s 200m Freestyle Rikako Ikee in 2015 in the pre- 1. Blake Pieroni (USA) 1:47.20 lims, and then took just over a 2. Kyle Stolk (NED) 0.70 1:49.45 tenth off of second in the final 3. Lorenz Weiremans (BEL) 1:49.68 to win gold in 57.42. Women’s 200m Individual Medley On Saturday, she took 1 Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 2:11.57 nearly a full second off that 2. Yuliya Efimova (RUS) 2:13.60 record. Yet she didn’t seem 3. Sishi Zhang (CHN) 2:14.23 that satisfied. “I am so happy Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay with that. I did it so much 1. The Netherlands (Kira Toussaint, Arno faster than a few days ago in Kamminga, Mathys Goosen, Femke Russia. I’m very, very pleased Heemskerk) 3:49.18 2. China 9Yuru Jiang, Zhihao Zhang, with that. I wish I could have Sishi Zhang, Zheqi Lin) 3:58.36 gone one sec more lower,” she 3. Hungary (Katinka Hosszu, David exclaimed soon after the win. Verraszto, Daniel Dudas, Zsuzsanna Jakabos) 3:59.43 Sjostrom later scooped the 100m freestyle gold to wrap up her delightful show in Doha. 5:04.08secs, and Abdulaziz al This was her fifth gold of the Obaidly came a creditable sixth competition, also winning the in the men’s 100m backstroke 50m freestyle, 200m free and Swimmers pose on the podium after a medal ceremony at the Hamad Aquatic Centre, Aspire Zone on Saturday. Sarah Sjostrom acknowledges the crowd after winning a race on Saturday. (1:01.87secs) against some 50m butterfly which made it challenging competition. a total of ten golds in the first The others to break World in the event this year contin- The Day 3 show, in fact, standard of 4:14.77, while claim the mixed 4x100m med- The Doha leg concluded cluster of two meets. Cup records were Ukrainian ues, as he’s now been under began with a record breaking Tom Peribonio improved his ley relay bronze. Cluster 1 comprising long For Chupkov too (on his Andrii Govorov, who won the 23 seconds on eleven different race when Hungarian David Ecuadorian Record by a few Hosszu’s total haul at the course contests, with the re- first visit to Qatar), it was a men’s 50m butterfly in a time of occasions. “It’s nice to increase Verraszto lowered his own tenths in 4:17.02. meet was a whopping seven maining two clusters of the memorable evening as the 22.82, breaking his own record your times from cluster to clus- mark to win the men’s 400m The crowd favourite, Hoss- golds, three bronze medals in- World Cup now to be competed 21-year-old Russian claimed of 22.87 set in Kazan. ter. I’ve been really excited to be individual medley, clocking zu reigned supreme in three dividually and one bronze for on short course. the men’s 200m breaststroke The 26-year-old had tak- here and race fast. Next for me 4:13.44 to knock off his mark events on the final day winning her team. Cluster 2 includes Eind- gold to add to his bronze on en out the previous mark of is to work towards long course set three years ago. the women’s 800m freestyle, Meanwhile Qatar swim- hoven (Netherlands) and the opening day. Given Chop- 23.23 in Kazan, set by South world championships. The same race also saw 200m backstroke and 200m in- mers too excelled much to the Budapest (Hungary) meets kov’s top show in Kazan, it was African Chad Le Clos in Char- “Thank You Qatar. It’s really Maksym Shemberev broke his dividual medley. She claimed a home crowd’s delight with while legs in Beijing (China), enough for him to emerge as tres in August, 2015. felt nice to have been welcomed Azerbaijani National Record bronze in the 50m breaststroke Mohamed Mahmoud finishing Tokyo (Japan) and Singapore the cluster winner. Govorov’s impressive run here,” said the Ukrainian. in 4:13.61, lowering his old besides helping team Hungary fifth in the men’s 400m IM in form Cluster 3. Umm Salal pick maximum points away at Gharafa Umm Salal scored against lovely pass over the defence held on to move up to seventh Moutouali shines the run of play through Ma- by the enterprising Mawas, hit in the league. with two goals in was. The Syrian, off a run his volley on the run just be- down the pitch, found some fore half time. Ahli come through Al Ahli victory in space and sent his right-footer Umm Salal scored the po- Elsewhere, Mohsine Mou- from the edge of the box curl- tential winner three minutes touali scored a brace as Al Ahli QNB Stars League ing past the outstretched into the second half. Ismail beat a stubborn Al Kharaitiyat Yousef Hassan. Mahmoud rifled home from 3-2 at the Al Ahli Stadium. AYENI OLUSEGUN The Cheetahs equalised close range off a Sagbo re- The Moroccan scored his first DOHA minutes later as Amro Seraj bound. league goal for Al Ahli in the latched on to a loose ball in Al Gharafa pressed for an 35th minute, hitting a rising AL Gharafa fell 3-2 at home to the box. Some brilliant wing equaliser and Amro saw his effort from 25 metres out. Umm Salal in Week Five ac- play by Weiss saw the ball shot flash wide after a brilliant Moutouali turned provid- tion of the QNB Stars League come to Sneijder and before turn to shrug off his marker. er as the The Brigadiers made on Saturday. the Dutchman was brought The Cheetahs continued it two on the stroke of half The seven-time league down in the box, the ball went to ask questions and substi- time when Majed Mohammed champions dominated pro- to Amro who wasted no time tute Alaeedin came close to blazed home from Moutoua- ceeding but goals from Mah- to find the net. an equaliser but his looping li’s pass. moud Mawas, Yannick Sagbo Sneijder put the hosts header cannoned off the bar. Two second half goals and Ismail Mahmoud con- ahead from the penalty spot, Weiss saw his close-range from Hamroun Jugurtha and demned the sixth-placed drilling hard and low to the shot beat off by Basel Samih Mohammed Abdulraab gave Cheetahs to their second bottom corner with five min- before the goalkeeper parried a glimmer of hope to the visi- league defeat. utes left in the first half after Mehdi Taremi's goal-bound tors but Moutouali capped Despite controlling pro- Yousuf Muftah was fouled.