SPORT Thursday 10 August 2017 PAGE | 21 PAGE | 22 PAGE | 23 Spieth, McIlroy hot New PCB HarounHa over the moon favourites as PGA boss eyes after making Championship tees offff international tours history for Asia Francis shocks Felix for 400m gold London Qatar’s Haroun gets his bronze medal Agencies Makwala reaches merican Phyllis Francis won the World Cham- 200m final, Van pionships 400 metres final yesterday as Olympic champion ShaunaeA Miller-Uibo stumbled Niekerk scrapes in when seemingly certain of victory and dropped to fifth place. London Francis looked out of it with 80 Reuters metres to go but maintained her form amid the carnage to post a otswana’s Isaac Makwala reached the World personal best time of 49.92 seconds Championship 200 metres final against all odds and take a shock gold medal. Byesterday, negotiating a solo heat before coming Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, 19, through his semi-final via the difficult inside lane after claimed a brilliant silver in 50.06 gaining a reprieve from the IAAF. as defending champion Allyson South African Wayde van Niekerk, bidding for a Felix of the United States faded to double after his 400 metres gold, sneaked into the final get bronze in 50.08. as second of the two fastest losers after edging third Bahamanian Miller-Uibo, who place in his heat from Christophe Lemaitre by two hun- famously dived over the line to pip dredths of a second. Felix to Olympic gold last year, was Jamaica’s Yohan Blake, double Olympic silver med- clear with 20 metres left but as she allist on the same London Stadium track five years ago, tired and tied up she tripped on her failed to qualify after finishing third in his heat in 20.52. own foot, stumbling almost to a Bronze medallist Abdalelah Haroun of Qatar (right) Silver medallist Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas Makwala, one of the leading contenders for a race standstill as her rivals stormed past left wide open by Usain Bolt’s absence, was pulled out (left) and gold medallist Wayde Van Niekerk of South Africa pose with their medals during the victory her. of Monday’s heats by the IAAF for medical reasons after ceremony of the Men’s 400 metres of the IAAF Athletics World Championships at London Stadium Felix’s bronze took her world he was struck down with a stomach virus. championship medal haul to 14, yesterday. Having also been barred from Tuesday’s 400 metres matching the record of Jamaican final, he was given an unexpected reprieve on Wednes- sprinters Usain Bolt and Merlene fast-finishing European champion day when the IAAF said he was fit to run as he no longer Ottey. The American’s tally includes Copello and was fortunate to have considered an infection risk. But he still had a lot to do. nine golds. just enough left in his legs to take First, he had to run alone in the rain inside 20.53 Karsten Warholm of Norway third. seconds - the slowest of Monday’s qualifiers - to reach won the men’s 400 metres hurdles Warholm celebrated by don- the semi-finals. world title yesterday to give his ning a ‘Viking helmet’ on his lap of Although conditions were much worse than the country their first gold in the event. honour. competitors had in the first round two days ago with The 21-year-old produced a One of Qatar’s top medal pros- the rain teeming down in the London Stadium, Mak- stunning performance to lead from pects, Abderrahaman Samba lost wala sped round the wet track in 20.20 seconds. start to finish to win in 48.35 sec- his balance after clearing the final Barely two hours later, he had to run again in the onds with Turkey’s Yasmani hurdle, and was placed seventh, semi-finals where he was given the inside lane, made Copello taking second. clocking 49.74 seconds. even more difficult than usual by the accumulation of “I don’t know how I feel man, I China’s Gong Lijiao made the rain water. can’t believe it,” gasped Warholm. most of the absence of reigning But he still managed to finish second in 20.14 sec- America’s Olympic champion champion Christina Schwanitz and onds, two hundredths of a second behind American and race favourite Kerron Clement four-time champion Valerie Adams Isiah Young who was the fastest qualifier. took the bronze. to win gold in the women’s shot put. “I’m still running with my heart broken, I was ready Warholm, a former decathlete, After claiming six major silver to run the 400, that’s the race I’ve been training for, I deployed similar tactics to his semi- or bronze medals since the 2008 don’t run the 200 very often,” Makwala said. final bursting from the blocks and Olympic Games, the 28-year-old “The crowd was amazing, they helped me to tearing away with Clement content Chinese athlete managed a best of Officials of the Qatari delegation pose for a picture with young believe.” to run at the pace that has brought 19.94 metres for her country’s first sprinter Abdalelah Haroun who won the bronze medal in the men’s Van Niekerk was sprawled on the track after fin- him two world titles as well as the gold medal of the champs. 400 metres event at the IAAF Athletics World Championships in ishing behind Turkey’s Ramil Guliyev (20.17) and Olympic gold. In difficult conditions under American Ameer Webb. London on Tuesday. Haroun made history by becoming Asia’s The Norwegian, who was also pouring rain at the London Sta- “It was tougher than I thought it would be, (I) had first podium winner in the men’s 400 metres at IAAF World Scandinavia’s first world champion dium, Hungary’s Anita Marton to dig quite deep,” he said. in the event, had tied up in the claimed silver with 19.49, while Championships. It was also Qatar’s first medal at the London track The impressive Young said: “To you guys it looks semi-final but this time he showed American Olympic champion and field event. fast, but when I was in the blocks I just wanted to get no signs of fatigue. Michelle Carter took bronze (19.14). up and out. He came to the final hurdle with Olympic silver medalist Paul hit the rain-drenched track and qualifiers from the two heats. “It felt slow to me but I just wanted to make sure I Clement having eased himself to Chelimo took a tumble with four somehow dragged Rutto down with Today, Qatar’s Ahmed Badir focused on my lane. I knew those guys behind me would within striking distance of him and laps to go in a tangle with Cyrus him. Both got up quickly and caught willtake part in the men’s javelin be coming. It felt slow but I’m happy to be through to looking dangerous. Rutto of Kenya, but both recovered the lead pack. throw qualification round. With 22 the finals. I’m confident and ready.” However, it was the 31-year- and qualified for tomorrow’s final Rutto finished third and was champions divided into two groups Blake finished behind Jereem Richards of Trinidad old American who faltered when it in the 5,000 meters at the world among the five automatic qualifi- (A, B), the best 12 Javelin champi- and Tobago and Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown in mattered, stumbling over the final championships. ers. Chelimo advanced by being ons will qualify for tomorrow’s his race. Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake completed obstacle being passed by the With four laps to go, Chelimo among the top five non-automatic final. the line-up as the other fastest loser. Al Attiyah at the helm of Asian Equestrian Federation Jakarta QNA resident of Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) Hamad PAbdulrahman Al Attiyah has been elected as President of the Asian Equestrian Federation in the elections held today in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, in the presence of 33 members of the AEF. In a new achievement The newly elected office bearers and members ofthe Asian Equestrian Federation pose for a photographhotograph durinduringg added to the Qatari sports the general assembly held in Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday. records, Al Attiyah managed to win at the expense of his UAE resignation of the former AEF aspirations of Member States. Al extraordinary meeting of the AEF,F, rival Ghanim Al Hajri. Al Atti- President. Attiyah’s program aims to bring Qatar succeeded in obtaining thee yah received 20 votes against The QEF President has made about reforms that restore Asian approval of the majority of thee five votes for Al Hajri. a strong and successful program equestrian, modernise the AEF members for holding an emer-r- Al Attiyah will complete the that could make radical changes and develop its administrative gency General Assembly of thee Asian Equestrian Federation President Hamad Abdulrahman remaining term of the council, in the AEF to reach the desired and technical structure. continental federation, within 600 Al Attiyah. which expires next year, after the level that is in line with the Two months ago, at an days, to elect a new President. SPORT 10 AUGUST 2017 THURSDAY 21 Players to watch at the Spieth, McIlroy hot favourites 99th PGA Championship JORDAN SPIETH Second-ranked Spiethpieth won lastlast monmonth’sth’s BritishBritish OOpenpen for his third careerer mamajorjor title after the 2015 Masters and US Open andd at 24 could as PGA Championship tees off become the youngestyoungest player to completete a Ca- reer Grand Slam byby winwin-- Charlotte Jordan Spieth of the United States signs autographs for fans during a practice round prior to the 2017 AFP ning the PGA title thithiss PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday.