THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017 SPORTS

Nigeria World Cup hope for Embattled Wu defiant ‘King of the Mountains’ ailing goalkeeper Ikeme as AIBA offices reopen Barguil joins Fortuneo

ABUJA: Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr is hopeful goalkeeper Carl Ikeme, LAUSANNE: The offices of amateur boxing’s ruling body AIBA PARIS: French rider Warren Barguil, crowned King of the Mountains as top who has been diagnosed with acute leukaemia, will return for next year’s reopened yesterday after a week-long closure with embattled presi- climber in the Tour de France, confirmed yesterday he will race for Fortuneo World Cup in Russia. “It’s unfortunate that Carl Ikeme will be sick for a dent Wu Ching-Kuo on site despite a push for his ouster by rival next season. The 25-year-old competed with German outfit Sunweb this sea- long time, we miss him, but hopefully he will come back for the World executives. Wu’s executive committee has passed a motion of no- son, and becomes one of two riders to join French team Fortuneo along with Cup,” Rohr said on Wednesday. “So, for the moment we will work with the confidence against his leadership and have asked Swiss courts to compatriot Amael Moinard from BMC. “I’ve watched the team’s rise in power other goalkeepers.” The Wolverhampton Wanderers number one, approve a temporary administration, accusing the Taiwanese presi- these last few years,” said Barguil. “Emmanuel Hubert (Fortuneo man- who made his debut against Tanzania in 2015, played a key dent of financial mismanagement. A notice posted on the door of ager) has the ambition to make the team even bigger with a proj- role in Nigeria’s 2-1 opening World Cup qualifier victory the organisation’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland last week ect that I find exciting.” Barguil won two stages on his first big against Zambia in October last year. But in June the 31-year- announced that the office had been closed following the no-confi- tour — the Vuelta in 2013 — but had to wait until this year’s old was diagnosed with acute leukaemia and immediately Tour de France for more success with two mountain stage wins dence vote. “The staff and the president are back at work, especially began treatment. Rohr said former national goalkeeper at Foix and Izoard. He claimed the top climber’s polka dot jer- to prepare for the World Championships in Hamburg”, Wu told AFP, Vincent Enyeama will quit Lille when he has fully recovered sey as well as winning the combativity award. Barguil had from a knee injury. Enyeama was Ikeme’s predecessor in referring to the competition set to take place in the German city another year left on his contract with Sunweb, but would have the Super Eagles before he quit international football two from August 25 to September 2. Wu has previously charged his had to share the limelight with Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin, win- years ago after a major falling out.—AFP rivals with trying to pull off “a military coup”. —AFP ner of the Giro d’Italia in May. —AFP

Hull FC’s Minichiello fears burn-out over Australia trip

LONDON: Hull FC’s has PHENOMENAL voiced concerns over player welfare after “They’re two, quality additions to our his side were confirmed as one of the squad for next season and beyond. participations in the first Mickey is someone who knows the fixture to be held in Australia. Hull and squad really well and Bureta will add a Wigan will both head to Sydney in lot too,” head coach said. February 2018 to play their ground- “We tried to sign Bureta on a few occa- breaking match followed a few days later sions in the past and we were in for him by a double header at ANZ Stadium, with when we signed but he the Black and Whites taking on St George ended up going to Parramatta. I’m over Illawarra and South Sydney facing Wigan. the moon to have finally got him. That offers an unexpected chance for “His statistics, including his metres, Minichiello to play in his homeland are absolutely phenomenal and he’s the again, but he is concerned that the play- kind of outside back who gets sets going ers will suffer as a result. “It is great to for you. “Mickey is very professional and get to play against an NRL team in he will provide a huge impact for us in Australia one more time, I am looking the forwards. I was gutted to see him go forward to it and seeing how things have when he left at the end of 2015 but it’s changed over there,” he said. good to have him back at the club.” “Never say never, but I didn’t think I The Super 8s begin on Thursday as would be playing an NRL team in Australia again, so I am looking forward leaders Castleford play host to in-form to going back there. “It’s good for the St Helens, with coach game, but it’s a little bit crazy to have an admitting it will be a tough game to extra game on top of all the games we kick things off. “They have improved already play. and there’s a lot more ball movement in “I understand that it will push the game them,” he said. “They are really chal- RIO DE JANEIRO: This file photo taken on August 18, 2016 shows Jamaica’s Usain Bolt (2ndL) laughing with Canada’s Andre De Grasse (L) after and expose it to new audiences, if you lenging teams and they have a bit of they competed in the Men’s 200m Semifinal during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. want to promote it in Australia this is a form behind them so it will be a really Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt labelled himself the underdog on Tuesday as he seeks to round off his glittering individual track career with good way to do it. The players will be excit- tough one. the defence of his world 100m title this week. — AFP ed but it is a tough old season already.” “We all know where we sit in the table, Minichiello’s Hull side face Salford in their it’s about going on with our consistency first game of the Super 8s this weekend, and if we get that right then obviously ATHLETICS fresh from reaching the we’ll get the prize that we want.” On final on Saturday. And they have also Friday, Leeds, who lost to Hull on been boosted by the double signing of Saturday, will host Challenge Cup final- former Black and White and ists Wigan, while Huddersfield play host Gatlin gunning for Bureta Faraimo for next season. to Wakefield. — AFP

RUGBY Bolt one last time

Hooper replaces Moore LONDON: Justin Gatlin has become increasingly whilst the American has often been cast as a surroundings. On his return to the track there irritated at being labelled the dope cheat con- pantomime villain. was a lot of anger stored up-no longer the sense trasting with Usain Bolt’s superhero image in the “I have the utmost respect for Usain,” said of fun that as a child had seen him dress up as as Wallabies captain sprinting world, but he can set that aside by Gatlin. “Away from the track, he’s a great guy, Batman and jump on his parents’ bed with them spoiling the latter’s farewell at the world athlet- he’s a cool guy, there is no rivalry between us. sound asleep-but he addressed the issue just as SYDNEY: Michael Hooper was yesterday side,” said Hooper. “It’s what you do in the ics championships. The 35-year-old American- There is no bad blood. I’m a competitor, he’s a he had his Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). named as the new Wallabies captain, jersey that’s most important and I get who last year became the oldest man to win a competitor and he has pushed me to be the Ironically, as Gatlin told the New York Times replacing the soon-to-retire Stephen another crack at showing what it means 100m Olympic medal when he took silver athlete that I am today.” Gatlin-who has been last year, he saw himself still as Batman but in his Moore as the team builds towards the to me against New Zealand in Sydney in behind his nemesis Bolt-gets one last go at the one of the most tested athletes in sport since role as ‘a vigilante’. “I was too angry; it was dete- 2019 World Cup in Japan. The openside a fortnight. Jamaican legend when the world champi- his return from the ban-showed his class in riorating my character,” he told the newspaper. “I flanker was preferred to David Pocock, “There are quite a few good young onships get underway in London tomorrow. adding Olympic bronze (2012) and silver in the didn’t like who I had become.” who is on sabbatical, and will lead the leaders in this team like Bernard (Foley), It will be asking a lot of Gatlin-who served a 100m to go with the gold he won in the pre- Intense chats with a priest brought peace side in the Rugby Championship opener Adam (Coleman), Samu (Kerevi) and four-year ban reduced from eight for doping Bolt era in Athens in 2004, when he also took and seemingly resolved that issue, but it has against the All Blacks in Sydney on Allan (Alaalatoa), so we’ll be working from 2006-2010 — to achieve that having only bronze in the 200m. not lessened his hunger for success on the August 19. together to take this team to a new level. beaten Bolt once in nine previous meetings over He has the full house of Olympic 100m track. Although he has hinted he might try and the shorter sprint distance, and that was four medals-plus a plethora of world medals includ- push his ageing legs and body to try and make The 25-year-old Hooper, who has “I’m really excited about what we can years ago in Rome. ing the 100m and 200m golds from 2005 — but the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, realistically played 68 Tests, has endured a difficult achieve in the next four months. It is a There exists a mutual respect between the whether it measures up to what he could have London may represent the last chance to be a Super Rugby season with the under-per- very special opportunity for all of us, and two old rivals to the extent the Jamaican was won, had he not fallen foul of the dope testers genuine contender at a major championships- forming NSW Waratahs and his leader- we’ll be doing all we can to show that horrified by the booing and jeering of the when he was a member of the now disgraced and deliver a title for his demanding seven- ship of the side and form has been under pride in the jersey.” American prior to the 100m final in Rio last year, Trevor Graham stable, is a moot point. year-old son Jace. question. The Sydney-born Hooper has already and then again at the medal ceremony. “I per- “I mean, if anything, it makes me nervous. But Wallabies coach Michael Cheika captained the side in the absence of sonally think he’s a great athlete,” said Bolt after ‘I WAS TOO ANGRY’ Your son telling you, ‘you better win’,” he told US said he was the right man for the job. Moore. He was called up to replace the Rio. “He shows up and pushes you to run fast The four years in the wilderness saw him try Magazine last year. “If anyone else in the crowd is Moore had already announced that he injured veteran in Australia’s 2014 June and be at your best at all times.” Gatlin too is and fail three times to make it with an NFL team, like, ‘You better win,’ I’m like, ‘I’m going to try.’ will retire from international rugby at the Test series against France, becoming the gushing about Bolt, whose crowd-pleasing and having lost his lucrative sponsorship deals, That’s why I’m here; I’m trying. But if my son says end of the year. “Michael always shows third-youngest Wallabies skipper in his- antics have gilded his image as the good guy he had to sell his house and live in more spartan that, I’m trying to move mountains.” — AFP on the field how much he loves the gold tory at age 22. jersey and that’s why he is totally It was a rude awakening for him dur- respected among the rugby players in ing a time when Kurtley Beale was GOLF Australia,” Cheika said. attracting headlines for arguing with “His role as the leader of this team will team management and the abrupt also be about making the standards of departure of former coach Ewen the Australian rugby team the highest McKenzie. “I feel like I’ve grown up a lot,” Despite curbs, Chinese players they can possibly be.” Moore, who has Hooper said in June, looking back at been capped 120 times, will continue to being thrown into the deep end at such play for the Wallabies, helping Hooper’s a young age. “I’ve learned a lot of things emerge on world golf scene transition, until the end of Australia’s since then and learned off a lot of peo- European tour in November. ple, being involved with some good old SHANGHAI: When Chinese golfer Li Haotong Li, who had to contend with embarrassment in was Li’s mother-she fished out the club, only to “It’s a huge honour to just wear the heads over the last couple of years has once dreamt about making headlines, he proba- June after the video of his mother, knee-deep in toss it back in after realising it was snapped. Wallabies jersey, let alone captain the done a lot for me.” —AFP bly wasn’t envisaging the mocking recent cover- water, swept the internet. The incident did nothing to harm Li, who reg- age of his mother wading into a water hazard to “Don’t remind me, please,” the often-smiling istered China’s best performance in a major after retrieve his club. Li, who turns 22 today, can gig- Li told reporters later. Frustrated at a poor shot his final round of 63 at the British Open placed gle now because it’s his game that’s making the at the French Open, Li launched the club into a him third and earned him a spot at the Masters. news, after a startling performance at the British murky pond, only for his mother to roll up her “It’s kind of a dream come true,” said Li, who is Open saw him touted as a potential major-winner. trousers to go and fetch it. As fellow players 66th in the world rankings and has been quietly Li’s success at Royal Birkdale preceded the watched on in hysterics-apparently unaware it making a name for himself in recent years.—AFP historic achievement of his bespectacled coun- tryman Dou Zecheng, who won on the Web.com Tour on Sunday to become the first Chinese to earn a PGA Tour playing card. China has long been viewed as the next great frontier for emerging golf talent, but that vision has been slow to materialise, at least in the men’s game. But golfers such as Li and Dou, 20, are at the forefront of a new generation of talented young Chinese players waiting to break out. Their emergence comes despite the Chinese govern- ment’s ambivalent attitude towards golf, which was banned under Mao Zedong and is tradition- ally viewed as bourgeois. On the one hand, Chinese authorities have shut dozens of golf courses-many of them ille- gal-and curbed new construction, while also warning Communist Party members about play- ing the game. But on the other, big tourna- ments such as the $9.75-million WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, one of the world’s rich- est golf events, are a regular fixture. Australia’s Michael Hooper has the ball knocked from his grasp by England’s Chris None of this is the concern of Hunan native Robshaw. Li Haotong