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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2015 SPORTS

Bolt to hang up spikes Rugby trial for Hawk-Eye Racing Club stumble LONDON: Multiple world record-holder and six-time Olympic gold medal LONDON: World Rugby will trial a new Hawk-Eye system to protect player wel- BUENOS AIRES: Racing Club made a false start to the defence of their winner Usain Bolt will retire after the 2017 World Championships in London, fare and aid decision making and may adopt it at the 2015 World Cup in Argentine league title but South American champions San Lorenzo will be the Jamaican told British newspaper The Daily Mail. The 28-year had previ- England and Wales, the sport’s governing body said. ously hinted the 2016 Rio Olympics would be his last competition but spon- looking for a better opening result to the 30-team championship yesterday. The new system will be tested in selected Pro12 fixtures from next week in a A mistake by goalkeeper Sebastian Saja, who had gone six matches sorship commitments dictated he will continue until 2017 where he will bid to improve and enhance the accuracy of existing television match official unbeaten in the run-in to the title last year, handed Rosario focus solely on the 100 metres. “That was the initial plan (to sign off after (TMO) systems. Referee’s will still direct queries to the TMO but they will have Central a 1-0 win at Racing’s Cilindro on Friday. Rio),” he told the Daily Mail yesterday. “But my sponsor has asked access to an enhanced Hawk-Eye ‘SMART Replay’ technology which affords Saja’s poor clearance in the fourth minute, 38 seconds me to go on for another year, to 2017 and London. But I’ll be them simultaneous angles in slow motion. doing one event, the 100. “I’ve already discussed it with my after setting a club record 578 without a goal against, fell to The Hawk-Eye system has already been successfully utilised in other sports coach. I can concentrate on that, and on retiring on a winning young midfielder Frano Cervi who lobbed him from outside such as tennis, cricket, athletics and football. “Technology is an important com- note.” Bolt holds the world records for the 100 metres, 9.58 sec- ponent of the rugby performance and fan engagement environments and the box. onds, the 200 meters, 19.19 seconds, and the 4x100 “Better to have taken this slap now,” said Racing meters relay, 36.84 seconds, and talked of his drive to Rugby World Cup 2015 is set to showcase innovation and performance to a record global audience,” World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper said in a coach Diego Cocca. “We suffered a goal from a mis- beat those times in 2015. His 2015 season culminates at take, afterwards Central had one more (chance) the World Championships in Beijing from Aug. 22 - Aug. statement. “Central to our sport is the integrity of player welfare and the match that Sebastian closed down. We also had one, the 30 where he will attempt to add to his eight world golds official decision making process and we are delighted to be collaborating with and beat the 100 meters record he set in Berlin in Hawk-Eye and ITV as well as PRO12 Rugby and Sky to determine how we can difference was they found a goal without effort,” 2009.—Reuters enhance speed and accuracy in these critical areas.—Reuters he told reporters.—Reuters

NHL standings

Western Conference Pacific Division W L OTL GF GA PTS Anaheim 35 14 7 166 155 77 San Jose 29 20 8 162 160 66 Vancouver 31 20 3 153 142 65 Calgary 30 22 3 159 142 63 Los Angeles 24 18 12 149 147 60 Arizona 20 29 7 128 184 47 Edmonton 16 31 9 129 184 41

Central Division Nashville 37 12 6 167 130 80 St. Louis 36 15 4 176 136 76 Chicago 34 18 4 170 130 72 Winnipeg 28 19 10 155 149 66 Minnesota 27 20 7 147 146 61 Dallas 26 21 8 174 175 60 Colorado 22 22 11 140 158 55

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division Montreal 35 15 4 146 122 74 Tampa Bay 34 17 6 184 154 74 Detroit 31 13 9 156 134 71 Boston 28 20 7 144 141 63 Florida 24 19 11 134 151 59 Ottawa 21 22 10 145 150 52 Toronto 23 29 4 159 173 50 Buffalo 16 36 3 103 191 35

Metropolitan Division NY Islanders 36 18 1 173 153 73 Pittsburgh 32 15 8 160 139 72 NY Rangers 32 16 5 163 130 69 Washington 29 16 10 162 139 68 Philadelphia 23 22 10 149 161 56 Columbus 24 26 3 139 164 51 New Jersey 21 25 9 123 151 51 Carolina 19 27 7 117 141 45 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings CHICAGO: Blackhawks left wing Patrick Sharp (10) is checked to the ice by New Jersey Devils defenseman Peter Harrold (10) as Eric Gelinas (22) skates by during the second and are not included in the loss column (L) period of an NHL hockey game. —AP

Blackhawks rally for victory Giant win puts CHICAGO: Marian Hossa scored his seventh goal in four Sean Couturier also scored for the Flyers, who had a sev- streak. San Jose tightened up after falling into a 2-0 hole Ligety in league games, and the Chicago Blackhawks rallied for a 3-1 vic- en-game points streak (5-0-2) end. Emery finished with in the first period. Pavelski scored twice in the second tory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night. 29 saves. to reach the 30-goal mark for the third time in his of his own Hossa also had an assist on Jonathan Toews’ tiebreak- career. He added an empty-net goal for his fourth career ing goal in the third as the Blackhawks rebounded from STARS 2, PANTHERS 0 hat trick. BEAVER CREEK: does not have a headline a pair of losses at the start of an eight-game homes- Kari Lehtonen shut out the Florida Panthers, making Barclay Goodrow also scored to help Sharks coach grabbing relationship like nor does he court tand. Kris Versteeg tacked on an empty-net goal, and 37 saves. But Dallas lost three players to injuries. Todd McLellan reach 300 wins in 515 career games. controversy like showman . Corey Crawford made 25 saves. Peter Harrold scored in Lehtonen made the Stars’ two first-period goals hold up Anaheim’s Bruce Boudreau is the only coach in NHL his- But he does have more alpine world championship the first for New Jersey, which has dropped three in a for their third straight win. The Panthers have lost on tory to reach the milestone faster, 496 games. medals than any American skier after a breath-taking row. Cory Schneider had 32 stops. consecutive nights. Mark Arcobello had a goal in his Arizona debut to win on Friday. Overshadowed by his more Jamie Benn scored Dallas’ third short-handed goal in become the second player in NHL history with a point flamboyant team mates off the piste, Ligety again proved BLUE JACKETS 4, FLYERS 3 two games; the Stars lead the NHL with nine short- with four teams in the same season, joining Dennis he takes a backseat to no one on the mountain by com- Artem Anisimov scored 2:17 into overtime to lift the handed goals. Jason Spezza scored for the 2-0 lead. O’Brien in 1977-78. Martin Erat also scored for the ing to the rescue in electrifying but familiar fashion to Blue Jackets to a come-from-behind win. The Blue Tyler Seguin, Dallas’ leader with 29 goals and 59 Coyotes. end a US gold medal drought at the posh Colorado Jackets had been winless when trailing after two peri- points, was helped off the ice after being checked in resort. The world championships had not unfolded as ods (0-20-0) and the Flyers had not lost in regulation the lower leg by defenseman Dmitry Kulikov in the third CANUCKS 5, BRUINS 2 planned for the US on home snow as Vonn, the headliner when ahead going into the third period (13-0-2). period. Patrick Eaves followed Seguin to the locker Shawn Matthias scored the first hat trick of his career at Beaver Creek and most successful women’s skier of all Flyers goalie Ray Emery stopped James Wisniewski’s room 51 seconds later after teammate John Klingberg’s with two goals in the opening period and one in the time, exited with a bronze and Miller crashed out early in one-timer, but Anisimov jumped on the short rebound wrist shot hit Eaves in the . A third Stars forward, third. Radim Vrbata and Jannik Hansen, into an empty his opening race. and shifted the puck to his forehand to beat Emery. Ales Hemsky, left in the first period with a lower body net, had the other goals for Vancouver, while Zack Heading into the final weekend the only hardware American ski fans had to celebrate were a silver from Brandon Dubinsky had a goal and an assist, Cam injury. Florida goalie Al Montoya had 26 saves. Kassian added two assists. Ryan Miller made 21 saves to Travis Ganong in the downhill and a pair of third-place Atkinson scored, and Jared Boll found the net for the get the win in his 600th NHL game. Patrice Bergeron finishes from Ligety and Vonn, who was cheered on by first time in 64 games for the Blue Jackets. Curtis SHARKS 4, COYOTES 2 and Chris Kelly replied for Boston, which got 20 saves her golfer boyfriend, Tiger Woods. But Ligety got the McElhinney had 22 saves. Joe Pavelski scored three goals, Antti Niemi stopped from Tuukka Rask. Matthias had scored two goals in a weekend party started early up and down the Vail Valley Wayne Simmonds had two goals and an assist and 32 shots and the Sharks ended a three-game losing game six times before Friday. —AP with a jaw-dropping second-leg charge down the plung- ing Birds of Prey track that carried him to the top of the podium ahead of first leg leader and three-time overall World Cup winner of . Ligety has Hirscher falls to ‘Birds of Prey’ long believed there is no such thing as a perfect run but, for the thousands of American ski fans who packed the finish area grandstands on a sun-kissed afternoon, the 30- BEAVER CREEK: Austrian slalom maes- World Cup races this season and finish- year-old American’s second leg was about as good as it tro Marcel Hirscher was left purring with ing third in the other. He led Ligety by gets. “One of the cool things about ski racing is there is admiration after being outperformed by 0.24 seconds after the morning leg, then never a perfect run so it’s hard to be satisfied in that defending champion Ted Ligety in the watched from the start hut as the sense, you can always go that extra step,” Ligety told giant slalom at the alpine ski world American scorched down the piste in Reuters at the end of an autograph session for one of his championships on Friday. the afternoon with a sizzling run of one sponsors, GoPro. Though Hirscher led after the open- minute, 18.74 seconds that no one else “I don’t think any of us have the realistic goal of having ing leg and produced “a pretty awesome came within a half second of matching. the perfect run. Ski racing is the most variable sport out run” in the afternoon, he was beaten “For me, it was really important to there, conditions change run-to-run, we only get one into second place by Birds of Prey spe- know that Ted had an outstanding run chance at it and the margin for error is tiny. “This is a cialist Ligety, who the Austrian so it was definitely easier for me to make tough sport because there are so many factors. It is really described as outstanding. Ligety has a decision in the starting hut,” said the hard to have those factors converge and have that per- now won five consecutive giant slalom 25-year-old Austrian. “I talked to myself fect run.” races on the plunging layout and three- and I thought, ‘Two chances-no medal times overall World Cup champion or go for it 100 percent.’ I skied definitely LIGETY A TARGET Hirscher had to settle for silver, his third 100 percent and gave everything. I had a Ligety arrived in Beaver Creek with a target on his medal at these world championships. pretty awesome run but Ted’s run was back, having recorded a gold medal hat-trick at the 2013 “Ted is skiing just brilliant, especially definitely outstanding.” Hirscher, who world championships in Schladming by taking top spot in here at Beaver Creek down the Birds of earlier won gold in the super combined the Super-G, super combined and giant slalom. Humbled Prey,” Hirscher said after finishing 0.45 and team events at the 2015 worlds, will on their home snow two years ago, the Austrians had seconds behind the American in the go into Sunday’s concluding slalom as already gained a good measure of revenge at Beaver two-run technical event. the pre-race favourite and the reigning Creek with taking Ligety’s Super-G crown “If you can win five times in a row champion from Schladming two years and Hirscher the combined title. giant slalom races (here), then you defi- ago. Known as ‘Mr. GS’ for his domination of the discipline, nitely feel at home on this course. I am “I have been training and racing at Ligety had seen his reign challenged this season with super happy. I gave my personal 100 this altitude for two weeks and that Hirscher stepping into the American’s territory by win- percent and I even can’t ski one-hun- takes a lot of energy,” he said. “But I ning four-of-five World Cup giant slaloms. Ligety, who has dredths of a second faster.” Hirscher had have been fighting very hard, and I owned the giant slalom crown since the 2011 worlds, has been the favourite heading into the think I will be able to keep fighting BEAVER CREEK: ’ Ted Ligety races down the course during the men’s giant 39 World Cup GS podiums and 23 wins.—Reuters giant slalom after winning four of five hard for the slalom today.” —Reuters slalom competition at the world championships. —AP