ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021 SPORTS 14

French team led by Besson fi nish 3rd in Bermuda Britain’s Ainslie beats Slingsby’s Aussies in SailGP BERMUDA, April 26, (AP): British star Sir month removed from serving as co-helmsman of the Italian pulled ahead of Australia’s Tom Slingsby early on the sec- crew that lost the America’s Cup match in New Zealand. ond leg of the podium race and held on to win the opening “Awesome conditions out there. We were having a great regatta of SailGP’s second season on a wild day in strong race. ... They just took us out, unfortunately. When we got wind on Bermuda’s Great Sound. to the dock, Nathan Outteridge came up and apologized.” With the 50-foot foiling catamarans at times approaching Spithill and Outteridge are both Australians. freeway speeds in wind of 18-24 knots, Ainslie beat the de- Spithill said his crew tried to fi nish the race but lost con- fending champion Aussies by four seconds in the winner- trol of the wingsail and then the port rudder snapped and take-all fi nal race, with Billy Besson skippering France to locked. The boat rolled on its side, with the wingsail a distant third. resting in the water. This time the victory counts for Ainslie, a four-time “It’s just tough. In some ways it reminds me a little bit Olympic gold medalist and former America’s Cup winner. of motor racing, where at times, tight tracks, going fast like Ainslie joined SailGP following its inaugural season of 2019 that, sometimes someone’s going to take you out and there’s and dominated what had been the Season 2 opener in Syd- not a lot you can do to control it,” said Spithill, a two-time ney in February 2020. But that result was voided when the America’s Cup winner who makes his permanent home in global league was shut down a few weeks later due to the San Diego with his American wife and their two sons. coronavirus pandemic. Ainslie praised his crew for rebounding nicely from Fri- day, when it had a hard time controlling the catamaran and had fi nishes of 7-7-2. The Brits won Sunday’s fi rst race with the Aussies second, and the teams fl ipped positions in the fi nal fl eet race. “Better late than never,” said Ainslie, who enjoyed a “I’ve got to give huge credit to the team because we really Champagne shower with his crew shortly after the fi nish and struggled” on the fi rst day, Ainslie said. “We worked hard then swigged from a bottle on the ride back to port. trying to analyze what was going wrong. It was a big team “Cracking race. That was awesome,” Ainslie added. “It’s effort.” what we want to do, going up against these guys in condi- Ainslie, eliminated from the America’s Cup challenger tions like this. It was just perfect.” fi nals by Spithill in February, expects a tough, competitive It was a stunning reversal for Slingsby and his Aussie chase for this season’s $1 million, winnter-take-all prize. mates, who had won four of the fi ve fl eet races, including The second of eight regattas is June 5-6 in Taranto, Italy. a sweep of Friday’s three races in the eight-boat fi eld. They Besides the collision and capsize, there were wild high- also dominated the global league’s fi rst season, including speed mark roundings and plenty of nosedives in the top-end beating Japan in the $1 million, winner-take-all fi nale. conditions. “It was a great race,” said Slingsby, a former America’s “Today, some of the capsizes and the collisions and the Cup winner and an Olympic gold medalist. “We feel a little In this photo provided by SailGP, the Britain SailGP Team presented by INEOS, helmed by Sir Ben Ainslie, com- high-impact racing, that’s what sailing really needs to show- hard done by, as we sailed so well all week. But those are the petes during the fi nal on race Day 2 of the Bermuda SailGP event in Hamilton, Bermuda, on April 25. (AP) case itself as a really high-caliber sport,” Ainslie said. “As rules – you’ve got to win that last race. We knew it when we much as you want to make sure everybody’s safe, I’m really signed up, and we were close but not quite there.” judged his maneuver and slammed into the blue-hulled boat. aged American boat lost control and capsized. Both the US excited for the league and the sport that we can showcase In the fi rst of the Sunday’s two fl eet races, Team Japan The leeward shroud of the American boat cut into the star- and Japanese teams, which had been within range of reach- sailing in such a way. skipper Nathan Outteridge tried to cross in front of Jimmy board hull of the Japanese boat. ing the podium race, were forced to retire. “You need the action. That’s what spectators want to see. Spithill’s Team USA, which had right-of-way, but mis- Shortly after the catamarans were separated, the dam- “It was obviously pretty unfortunate,” said Spithill, a There was plenty of action out there today, which was good.” Athletes to stay within a ‘bubble’ Keselowski claims 6th win More tests, no quarantine in Tokyo Games updated rules TOKYO, April 26, (AP): Tokyo barred, and organizers have put off Olympic organizers and the IOC until as late a June a decision on at Talladega with ‘OT’ pass are to unveil new plans this week having any fans at all at Olympic to explain how 15,400 Olympic and venues. Paralympic athletes can compete in Taro Kono, the minister in charge Japan when the games open in three of vaccination in Japan, suggested months in the midst of a pandemic. earlier this month that empty venues The rollout of the second edition was a probable option. of the so-called “Playbooks” - an IOC President Thomas Bach last IOC guidebook explaining how the week said his plans to meet the torch games can be pulled off - comes as relay in Hiroshima on May 17-18 Tokyo, Osaka and several other ar- are still not confi rmed. Bach’s arriv- eas have been placed under a third al would be just days after the latest state of emergency as coronavirus state of emergency ends on May 11. cases surge. Opposition lawmakers in Japan’s Japan, which has attributed about national legislature have suggested 10,000 deaths to COVID-19, has Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also been slow with local vaccina- scheduled the state of emergency to tion with about 1% so far getting accommodate Bach. shots. The government and the Inter- national Olympic Committee have OLYMPICS said the precautions are in place spe- cifi cally for Japan’s “Golden Week” holiday, which begins on Thursday. Organizers are expected to an- The torch relay, which began on nounce daily testing for athletes. March 25 in Fukushima in north- They are also expected to drop a eastern Japan, has been detoured 14-day quarantine requirement, al- several times this month and was lowing athletes to train when they forced to run in an empty city park arrive. Athletes will be required to in Osaka. It was also rerouted in stay within a “bubble” consisting of Matsuyama City Ehime prefecture. the Olympic Village on Tokyo Bay, It will be banned altogether this and venues and training areas. weekend on the Okinawa island of Japan’s Kyodo news, citing un- Miyakojima. The small island has named sources, said athletes and only one hospital. The relay will run NASCAR Cup Series driver (9), NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron (24), and NASCAR Cup Series driver (48) slide staff will have to be tested twice through other locations on Okinawa. through the infi eld as NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (19) hits the outside wall during the Geico 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup auto race at Tal- within 96 hours before leaving The heavily sponsored relay is a ladega Superspeedway, on April 25, in Talladega, Alabama. (AP) home. They will also be tested upon caravan of more than a dozen cars arrival in Japan. and other vehicles festooned with The Playbook for athletes is to be advertising from major sponsors Logano triggers last-lap crash updated on Wednesday, with Play- like Coca-Cola and . Torch books for media and others unveiled runners - there are 10,000 in total - TALLADEGA, Alabama, on Friday. A fi nal edition of all typically bring up the rear amid blar- April 26, (AP): Brad Kes- Playbooks will be published in June. ing music and banter from DJs. Herta ties father on IndyCar win list with 4 Resistance to the Olympics in The relay is scheduled to end at elowski made exactly the Japan is still running high with 70- the National Stadium on July 23 for right fi nal move this time, ST. PETERSBURG, , April Herta raced to his fourth IndyCar faster cars - I learned more about the 80% opposed in recent polls. Fans the opening ceremony of the Tokyo winning again Superspeed- 26, (AP): Colton Herta went a solid victory to match the same total his sport and I was like ‘Hey, he actually from abroad have already been Games. eight years ignoring any advice father, Bryan, achieved over his own knows what he’s talking about.’” way and demonstrating a about racing cars that came from his 12-year career. The son needed just Herta started from the pole and painful lesson well learned. father, an actual professional driver. 34 races for his four wins and he be- led a race-record 97 of the 100 laps Keselowski’s overtime victory On the downtown streets of St. gins his third full IndyCar season as to win his fi rst race with Bryan Herta Petersburg, in their very fi rst race a strong title contender. as his race strategist. Andretti Auto- made him the ninth driver to win working together, Herta was listen- “Growing up I had a lot of arro- sport paired the Hertas for the fi rst through 10 NASCAR Cup races ing. He followed the sound of his fa- gance and I didn’t want to hear any- time this year, dismissing previous this season and avenged an em- ther’s voice all the way to victory and thing that my dad had to say,” Herta father-son combinations that simply barrassing gaffe in alongside him on IndyCar’s win list. said. “And then I realized - bigger, didn’t work in IndyCar. the season-opening . He and teammate ing for the win on the fi nal lap of the William Byron was second, Daytona dick and in a trio of triggered a last-lap crash as Kes- . 500 winner McDowell - the benefi ciary . elowski tried to pass Logano for The victory, Keselowski’s sixth of that February blunder - took third and Ford drivers took spots nine through the victory. at Talladega, came after team owner a season-high fourth. 13 and the highest fi nishing Toyota “Daytona, that’s a big one. Oh man, Roger Penske pulled the three Team “I felt like I was in a good spot again driver was Christopher Bell in 17th. it stings still,” Keselowski said. “But Penske drivers and affi liate Matt working with Brad and drug back off Keselowski tied Jr. this is a good one. We’ll take it. Beg- DiBenedetto onto a call this week to of him coming off of Turn 4,” Mc- and with six wins each at gars can’t be choosers. I certainly discuss his expectations on how they Dowell said. “I thought I would have Talladega. But it was his fi rst since the learned some lessons from that race should race Sunday. Penske refused the run but just didn’t suck him down fall race in 2017. and I tried to apply them, and it all to accept another Daytona disaster enough.” “I would have never dreamed I’d came together there at the end. when Logano or Keselowski should DiBenedetto, who led 28 laps, fi n- tie Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. “Michael McDowell gave me a have won the race but instead of ished fi fth but gave away the win with here,” Keselowski said. “That’s some- good push like he did at Daytona, and I working together the two triggered a a late lane change that allowed Kes- thing. Those guys are really legends.” was a little bit smarter with how I han- fi ery crash that also collected a third elowski to surge to the front. had originally dled it.” Penske car. Ford drivers took four of the top fi ve planned to enter Jennifer Jo Cobb for All three Penske drivers have now spots. her fi rst career Cup start, but NASCAR Seiko Hashimoto, (left), the head of the Tokyo Olympics Organizing Com- CAR RACING claimed spots in the 16-driver playoff fi nished a career-best last week ruled the veteran driver was mittee, greets Fujio Mitarai, the honorary chairman prior to a Tokyo 2020 fi eld. sixth and was followed by Tyler Red- not eligible. executive board meeting on April 26, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP) Keselowski led just one lap, the last one, in a race that featured 35 lead Jadeja guides Chennai to 69-run win over Bangalore changes among 27 drivers. “The whole race I had a couple op- MUMBAI, India, April 26, (AP): who was dropped before he’d scored, lore’s run chase by clean Glenn portunities to take the lead, but I just Ravindra Jadeja plundered a record- rocketed his team’s total from 154-4 Maxwell (22) and A.B. de Villiers (4). kept thinking, ‘Man, keep your car in equaling 37 runs off the last over from at the end of the 19th over to 191-4 at Between those two vital blows, Jadeja one piece,’” Keselowski said. Harshal Patel and then took 3-13 with the end of the 20th. He hit the fi rst four ran out Dan Christian with a direct Logano was involved in an air- the ball to guide Chennai Super Kings balls of the over for six - including a throw which reduced Bangalore to 81-5 borne wreck and called on NASCAR to change the dangerous racing condi- to a 69-run win over Royal Challengers no-ball on the third delivery and an- in the 10th over with the chase falling tions at Daytona and Talladega. Bangalore in the . other on the subsequent free hit - - for apart for Virat Kohli’s team. “On one hand, I am mad about be- later joined Chen- his 28-ball 62. Opening batsman Devdutt Padik- ing in the crash and on the other, I am nai and Bangalore at the top of the kal (34 off 15 balls) briefl y looked to happy to be alive,” Logano said. “On standings on eight points after beating CRICKET threaten Chennai’s imposing target another hand, I am wondering when we in the fi rst Super before he was caught at backward are going to stop because this is danger- Over this IPL season. square leg off Shardul Thakur (1-11) ous doing what we are doing. I got a roll At Mumbai, Jadeja equaled Chris In reply, Bangalore scored 122-9, in an otherwise under-par ef- bar in my head. That is not OK. Gayle’s IPL record, set against mainly due to Jadeja’s left-arm spin. fort by Bangalore. “I am one hit away from the same Tuskers’ Prasanth Parameswaran dur- “Jaddu (Jadeja) is somebody who “It’s good to get a performance situation Ryan Newman just went ing the 2011 edition of the IPL, in a can change the game on his own,” like this out of the way early in the through. I just don’t feel like that is ac- (2) celebrates after winning the Geico 500 NASCAR starring role that ended Bangalore’s Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh season,” said Kohli, who scored only ceptable.” Sprint Cup auto race at , on April 25, in Tal- four-match winning streak. Dhoni said. eight runs. “You can probably say one Newman escaped serious injury rac- ladega, Alabama. (AP) Chennai chose to bat and Jadeja, Jadeja took the heart out of Banga- guy beat us.”