MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2017 SPORTS

Olympic champs Centrowitz, Stefanidi win in Boston

NEW YORK: Reigning Olympic 1,500- feeling it out until I made my move.” Obiri, the 2012 world indoor 3,000m kind of a vet now. I’m able to do stuff like Arzamasova of Belarus was fifth in meter champion Matthew Centrowitz of Stefanidi cleared 4.63m to win but an crown, won the women’s 3,000 in that and keep my composure. I was able 2:04.85. Russian doping whistleblower the United States and Rio women’s pole expected battle with 2012 Olympic 8:39.08 with Dutch reigning world to get back up and stand tall and run to Yulia Stepanova, competing as a neutral vault gold medalist Ekaterini Stefanidi of champion Jenn Suhr never materialized 1,500m indoor champion Sifan Hassan the line.” athlete representing no nation, finished Greece were among Saturday’s winners after the American took one failed second, 1.91 seconds back. Donavan Brazier won the 600 in seventh in 2:05.14. at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix athletics attempt at 4.53m and withdrew with Chelimo won the men’s 3,000 in 1:16.57 after the disqualification of fel- Portugal’s Patricia Mamona won the meet. British sprinter Harry Aikines- muscle tightness. 7:42.39, edging Britain’s Andrew low American Duane Solomon, who women’s triple jump, leaping 14.01m, Aryeetey, Australian long jumper Fabrice Aikines-Aryeetey, third at 100m in the Butchart, sixth in the Rio 5,000 final, by crossed the line .21 in front but only while Donald Thomas of the Bahamas Lapierre and Rio 5,000m runners-up 2014 European Championships, edged .58 of a second. after illegally cutting across the track won the men’s high jump by clearing Hellen Obiri of Kenya and Paul Chelimo China’s Xie Zhenye at the tape to win the “Training has been great. Now it’s all from outside to inside after the first turn. 2.28m. of the United States were also winners at men’s 60 meters, his time of 6.654 sec- about confidence,” Chelimo said. “I’ve “I was thinking, ‘You’ve got to cut in Americans Emma Coburn, Sydney the first event in the five-city IAAF World onds taking the victory by .003 of a sec- got the confidence. I’m ready now. I’m now,’ then I was thinking, ‘Damn, I wasn’t McLaughlin, Brenda Martinez and Jenny Indoor Tour. ond. “I just kept pushing to the line,” said learning every day. It’s great.” supposed to cut in there,’” Solomon said. Simpson set a women’s distance medley Centrowitz, also reigning world Aikines-Aryeetey. “I’m a strong guy, lot of “Outdoors is where it’s at. Indoors, it relay world indoor record of 10:40.31, indoor champion, won the mile in muscles. I just thought, ‘I’ve got to keep GARDNER STUMBLES BUT WINS gets kind of confusing.” breaking the old mark of 10:42.57 set at 3:55.78, edging Kenya’s Vincent Kibet by going to the finish.’” English Gardner, on the US gold American Charlene Lipsey won the the same meet in 2015 by Americans .31 of a second. Lapierre, a 33-year-old Mauritian- medal 4x100 relay at Rio, won the 60 in women’s 800 in 2:02.01 with Ethiopia’s Sarah Brown, Mahagony Jones, Megan “Definitely enjoyed my off-season a born former Commonwealth Games and 7.17 seconds, edging compatriot Habitam Alemu second in 2:02.38 and Krumpoch and Martinez. “Being on the little bit more after the Olympics but world indoor champion, was level with Dezerea Bryant by .02 in her lone Britain’s Lynsey Sharp, the 2012 moutnain top is so much better when happy to get back out there racing,” Swede Michel Torneus at 7.80m but planned indoor start of the season. European champion who was sixth at you’re there with friends,” Simpson said. Centrowitz said. “I was pretty happy. Lapierre’s second-best effort of 7.75 “I stumbled about three or four steps Rio, taking third, another half-second “This is a night I will remember the rest Could have gone a little bit quicker. I was broke the deadlock in his favor. out of the blocks,” Gardner said. “But I’m adrift. Reigning world champion Marina of my career.” — AFP

Five-in-row Fernandez equals 44-yr Euro record

OSTRAVA: Reigning world champion 1969 and 1973. Despite falling during his Javier Fernandez won his fifth successive free programme, performed to an Elvis European figure skating title on Saturday, Presley soundtrack, the Madrid skater had equalling a 44-year-old record. plenty to spare having built up a 10-point Fernandez scored 294.84 points to see lead after his short programme on Friday. off Russian duo Maxim Kovtun (266.80) “To win five times in a row, to go down and Mikhail Kolyada (250.18). The 25-year- in the history of figure skating, it’s incredi- old equalled the record of five in a row set ble,” said Fernandez. “Sometimes, even I by Czech skater Ondrej Nepela between can’t believe it.” For 21-year-old Kovtun, it was a second silver medal after finishing runner-up in 2015 before taking a bronze last year. Kolyada, also 21, made the podium for the first time after placing fifth in 2016. Earlier Saturday, French pair Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron won their third straight ice dance crown, thrilling the judges and the fans in Ostrava. The champions, who are also double reigning world champions, completed their hat-trick of triumphs with a score of 189.67 points to see off Italians Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte, who garnered 186.64, with Russian couple Yekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev third on 186.56. Papadakis, 21, and Cizeron, 22, stood third after the short programme. But they landed the win after a thrilling show- ing in the free dance which sets them up perfectly for the worlds in Helsinki from March 29 as they also target Olympic glory in Pyeongchang next year. The French pair had appeared to be los- ing their lustre after failing to capture Grand Prix titles in Japan and then Marseille. Cappellini and Lanotte, world and European champions in 2014, had to do OSTRAVA: Javier Fernandez of Spain com- with a runners-up finish for the third time NAGPUR: England’s (l) bowls out during the second T20 match between India and England at the Vidarbha Cricket petes during the Men’s Short program in a row at the Euros. Bobrova and Association’s Jamtha stadium in Nagpur yesterday. — AFP skating competition of the European Soloviev took the gold in 2013 but had to Figure Skating Championship in Ostrava, settle for a repeat of bronze obtained last Czech Republic on Saturday. — AFP year.— AFP Nehra, Bumrah help Gut crashes, Shiffrin ecstatic in 4th and Vonn content in 12th India level T20 series CORTINA D’AMPEZZO: Lara Gut crashed. way,’” added Shiffrin, who was racing in Mikaela Shiffrin was ecstatic after finishing Cortina for the first time. “So that was kind fourth. Lindsey Vonn, meanwhile, was just of cool and I’m going to really look at the NAGPUR: Fast bowler claimed happy to make it down safely in 12th. video and figure out what sort of things I three as he combined with Jasprit SCOREBOARD It was an up and down day for the can take from today.” Bumrah to choke the England batting and biggest names in women’s ski racing yes- set up India’s series levelling five-run win in NAGPUR, India: Scoreboard yesterday at the end of the second between India and terday as Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia took PERFECT DAY the second Twenty20 international in Nagpur England at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium. advantage of bib No. 1 to win the first It was another perfect day in the resort yesterday. India England World Cup super-G of her career. known as the “Queen” of the Dolomites Chasing 145 for victory, England needed c Dawson b Jordan 21 Jason Roy c Raina b Nehra 10 Stuhec finished 0.31 seconds ahead of Range, with the Olympia delle Tofane eight off the final over but Bumrah claimed two Lokesh Rahul c Stokes b Jordan 71 Sam Billings c Bumrah b Nehra 12 Sofia Goggia of Italy and 0.70 in front of course bathed in sunshine and uninhibited wickets and gave away just two runs to help Suresh Raina c Jordan b Rashid 7 lbw b Bumrah 38 two-time overall champion Anna Veith of 360-degree views all across the valley. Yuvraj Singh lbw b Ali 4 c Pandya b Mishra 17 the hosts even out the three-match series at 1- Manish Pandey b Mills 30 Ben Stokes lbw Nehra 38 Austria. Gut, the defending overall champi- While her coach, Chris Knight, set the 1. Joe Root, who looked like anchoring the on, was fastest through the first two check- course, Vonn took it easy after crashing the Mahendra Singh Dhoni b Jordan 5 b Bumrah 15 chase with a run-a-ball 38, was given out lbw run out Jordan 2 1 points when she lost control and twisted previous two days. Vonn, who has won a off Bumrah on the first ball of the 20th over as Amit Mishra run out Ali/Jordan 0 Chris Jordan not out 0 around in the air. She was fortunate to land record 11 races in Cortina, is also still replays suggested the batsman got an inside not out 0 Extras: (1b, 2lb, 4w, 1nb) 8 with her skis facing downhill and came regaining her form in super-G after return- edge before the ball hit his pads. Bumrah (2- Extras: (1lb, 3w) 4 TOTAL: (for 6 wickets) 139 away with only bruises on her right leg and ing recently from nearly a year out with TOTAL: (for 8 wickets) 144 Overs: 20. arm, according to the Swiss team. knee and arm injuries. 20) bowled Jos Buttler (15) on the fourth deliv- Overs: 20. Did not bat: Liam Dawson, , Adil Rashid. “That’s not the way I expected to end It was the first time Vonn left Cortina ery and never allowed Chris Jordan and Moeen Did not bat: Ashish Nehra, Yuzvendra Chahal. Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-22, 3-65, 4-117, 5-137, 6-138. my weekend,” Gut, who won Saturday’s without a win since 2009. “It definitely was- Ali to score the remaining runs on the final two Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-56, 3-69, 4-125, 5-139, 6-143, 7- : Yuzvendra Chahal 4-0-33-0, Ashish Nehra 4-0- downhill, wrote on Facebook. “I’m OK. Ice n’t the weekend that I was hoping for but I balls as England ended on 139 for 6. 144, 8-144. 28-3, Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-20-2, Amit Mishra 4-0-25-1 will be my best friend for the next few think all things considered it’s good that I’m Earlier Lokesh Rahul hit a 47-ball 71 to help Bowling: Liam Dawson 2-0-20-0, Tymal Mills 4-0-36-1, (1nb), Suresh Raina 4-0-30-0 (2w). India post 144-8 despite England seamer Chris Chris Jordan 4-0-22-3 (1w), Ben Stokes 3-0-21-0 (1w), Result: India won by 5 runs. days.” Shiffrin missed the podium by just still in one piece,” Vonn said. “It was definite- Moeen Ali 4-0-20-1 (1w), Adil Rashid 3-0-24-1. Series: 1-1 in three-match series. 0.03 seconds and extended her overall lead ly really conservative skiing but I got to the Jordan’s three wickets after the visitors elected to 80 points ahead of Gut after the best finish and that was the most important part. to field first. speed result of her career. “I really didn’t want to risk everything today Nehra hurt the England chase with early The American’s previous best speed and not finish again and then have no con- strikes after getting openers Sam Billings (12) result was 13th. “That was really fun,” said fidence for the world championships,” Vonn and Jason Roy (10) on consecutive deliveries of Australia’s Big Bash Shiffrin, the Olympic and two-time world added. “So I executed my plan and now I his second over. England’s most trusted batting champion in slalom. “It felt like solid skiing just need a couple of days off. I’m definitely pair in skipper Eoin Morgan and Root then got and I was taking the line that we inspected stiff from hitting the fence so hard two down to resurrect the innings against a persist- and maybe even more aggressive in some times in a row. Get a couple good days of ent Indian spin attack. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra smashes records spots. “Sometimes in speed if you feel good super-G training in and I think I’ll be ready broke the dangerous-looking stand — 43 runs- you’re slow so when I came to the bottom I to go.” Stuhec won the opening three after getting Morgan caught at deep mid-wick- SYDNEY: Records have tumbled for the this season sold out. The highest turnout was like, ‘That can’t be good.’ Then I saw I downhills of this season but had never fin- et for 17 to claim his 200th T20 . Mishra Twenty20 Big Bash League, with Cricket was the derby between Melbourne Stars was in fourth and I was like, ‘What? No ished better than fourth in super-G.—AP would have got another wicket in the same Australia saying yesterday the enormous and Melbourne Renegades at the MCG on over after getting Ben Stokes bowled, but the crowds and viewership for the fast-paced January 1, that attracted 71,162 spectators. spinner was found to have overstepped the format this season has surpassed expec- The host broadcaster, Network Ten, had an popping crease and the was judged a tations. average viewership of 1,021,750 per match no ball. Stokes, who hit a 27-ball 38, capitalised The Big Bash is in its sixth season and for the season. on Mishra’s blunder to play a calculative knock, has used a blend of sport and entertain- The women’s BBL, in its second season, putting on 52 runs with Root. ment to draw families and younger specta- also drew an “unprecedented level” of Nehra got Stokes trapped lbw in the 17th tors to games. The high-octane format has crowds and television viewers and encour- over to raise India’s hopes and Bumrah, who proved popular, with more than one million aged more women and girls to play cricket, bowled the 18th and the final over, made no people attending this season’s games at an CA said. More than 100,000 people mistakes. In the Indian innings, skipper Virat average of 30,114 per match, CA said. watched the women’s games this season, Kohli, who opened the innings for the second “Once again, fans have well and truly with the highest attendance of 24,000 successive time in the series, made a quickfire spoken and we couldn’t be happier with recorded for the Melbourne derby on New 21 before falling to Jordan. Rahul kept his com- how this year’s competition has progressed Year’s Day. posure and his end busy with runs despite on all levels,” Big Bash chief Anthony Cricket Australia has sought to capitalise England spinners, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, Everard said in a statement. on the league’s popularity by adding eight getting a wicket each to reduce the hosts to 69 “The season has well and truly exceeded matches to the men’s competition next sea- for three. our expectations”. The league concluded on son. The venues have yet to be announced, Rahul, who hit 6 fours and 2 sixes during his Saturday, with a sold-out crowd at the although Cricket NSW chief has said hold- knock, got to his fifty and more before Jordan WACA Ground in Perth watching as the ing the opening round in Hong Kong could thrashed the Sydney Sixers be one option. There were no plans at this CORTINA D’AMPEZZO: Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec, center, winner of an alpine ski, women’s got the prized wicket in the 18th over as the Indian batting slipped further. The third match by nine wickets to win the final. stage to increase the number of teams in World Cup super-G, poses on the podium with second placed Italy’s Sofia Goggia , left, Twenty matches of the 35 BBL games the league, CA said on Friday. — AFP and third placed Austria’s Anna Veith, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, yesterday. —AP is slated in Bangalore on February 1. — AFP