WWRESTLINGRESTLING | Page 2 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 3 Lopez leads India face Cuban gold Stokes-less rush in England in new wrestling WTC cycle

Tuesday, August 3, 2021 ATHLETICS Dhul-Hijjah 24, 1442 AH ‘Scared’ Hassan GULF TIMES wins 5,000m in fi rst step in treble gold bid SP RT Page 4 Barshim and Tamberi: Gold standard in sportsmanship

MEDALS TALLY

Country G S B T 1. 29 17 16 62 2. United States 22 25 17 64 3. 17 6 10 33 4. Australia 14 4 15 33 5. ROC 12 21 17 50 6. Great Britain 11 12 12 35 7. 6 10 7 23 8. 6 6 11 23 9. South Korea 6 4 9 19 The camaraderie between ’s Mutaz Essa Barshim and ’s Gianmarco Tamberi continued during the Olympic men’s high jump victory ceremony yesterday, a day after the pair shared the 10. Netherlands 5 7 6 18 gold medal. Both Barshim, 30, and the 29-year-old Tamberi ended with jumps of 2.37 metres and had no failed attempts until they attempted to clear 2.39. After three failures each at that height, an Olympic off icial first off ered them a jump-off to decide the winner. “Can we have two golds?”, Barshim asked him. The off icial nodded, and the two athletes clasped hands and whooped for joy. Videos 11. Italy 4 9 15 28 and pictures of the moment have gone viral on social media. After climbing on to the podium together, Barshim and Tamberi presented the gold medals to each other amid more hugs and switched 12. New Zealand 4 3 4 11 places to face their flags when each national anthem was played. It was the first time since the 1912 Olympics that a gold medal was shared in athletics — in both pentathlon and decathlon at the 13. Czech Republic 4 3 1 8 Stockholm Games. 14. Canada 3 4 7 14 15. Switzerland 3 4 5 12 16. 3 2 2 7 17. Chinese Taipei 2 4 4 10 ATHLETICS / 400M HURDLES 18. 2 3 5 10 19. 2 3 3 8 20. Hungary 2 2 2 6 21. Denmark 2 1 2 5 22. 2 1 1 4 23. Ecuador 2 1 0 3 24. 2 0 1 3 Warholm, Benjamin, 25. Kosovo 2 0 0 2 25. QATAR 2 0 0 2 27. Georgia 1 4 1 6 28. Spain 1 3 3 7 29. 1 3 0 4 29. Sweden 1 3 0 4 29. 1 3 0 4 Samba set for a thriller 32. Hong Kong 1 2 0 3 Games will host a treat of speed as three of the four fastest 400m hurdlers ever go head-to-head 32. South Africa 1 2 0 3 32. Slovakia 1 2 0 3 35. Austria 1 1 3 5 By Sports Reporter 35. Indonesia 1 1 3 5 35. Serbia 1 1 3 5 38. Jamaica 1 1 2 4 n 2016, Karsten Warholm was just 39. 1 1 1 3 settling into his fi rst full year as a 400m hurdles specialist. Rai 39. Ethiopia 1 1 1 3 Benjamin, at 18 and two years 39. Norway 1 1 1 3 IWarholm’s junior, had just wrapped 42. Poland 1 1 0 2 up his fi rst year of NCAA competi- 42. Tunisia 1 1 0 2 tion. As for Qatar’s Abderrahman 44. Turkey 1 0 4 5 Samba, he had not even run the event 45. Ireland 1 0 2 3 competitively. In Tokyo they’ll co-star in one of 45. Israel 1 0 2 3 the Games’ most eagerly awaited 47. Belarus 1 0 1 2 showdowns as three of the four fast- 47. Estonia 1 0 1 2 est 400m hurdlers of all-time. 47. Fiji 1 0 1 2 Samba was the fi rst man after the 47. Uzbekistan 1 0 1 2 then world record holder Kevin Young 51. Bermuda 1 0 0 1 to have dipped under the 47-second barrier when he stormed to 46.98 at 51. Iran 1 0 0 1 Paris in 2018. 51. Latvia 1 0 0 1 The future looked fast, especially 51. Morocco 1 0 0 1 when the Qatari said after the blitz, 51. Philippines 1 0 0 1 “It defi nitely did not feel like an un- 51. 1 0 0 1 der-47-second race today. I made a 51. Thailand 1 0 0 1 small mistake at the start, lost my balance on the fi rst hurdle, so I did not 58. Colombia 0 2 1 3 expect to run so fast.” 58. Dominican Republic 0 2 1 3 For Warholm, it was a pursuit and 60. 0 1 5 6 the Norwegian was ready. “He runs 61. Mongolia 1 2 3 extremely good. Now he’s the best 62. India 0 1 1 2 and I’m just second and that counts for nothing, I guess. So I’ll try to chase 62. Kenya 0 1 1 2 him,” Warholm, the world champion 62. 0 1 1 2 in , had said. 62. San Marino 0 1 1 2 An injury slowed Samba in 2019 but 62. Uganda 0 1 1 2 he regrouped enough to take bronze Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba in action during the 67. Bulgaria 0 1 0 1 on home soil at the World Champion- men’s 400m hurdles semi-final at the Olympic Norway’s Karsten Warholm (left) and USA’s Rai Benjamin compete in the men’s 400m hurdles semi-finals 67. Jordan 0 1 0 1 ships, even as Warholm retained the Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday. (Reuters) during the Tokyo 2020 at the Olympic stadium in Tokyo on Sunday. (AFP) world title ahead of Benjamin. 67. North Macedonia 0 1 0 1 In the Qatari capital, Warholm had and just inches shy of the 46.78 world Warholm, albeit briefl y, into the No.2 67. Turkmenistan 0 1 0 1 held off Benjamin for the second time record Kevin Young set at the 1992 spot all-time. Qatari referees shine at Tokyo Games 71. Kazakhstan 0 0 3 3 in two back-to-back meetings. The Olympic Games - almost four years Samba, meanwhile, had taken 2020 71. 0 0 3 3 set-up came in Zurich when the pair before Warholm was born. off and arrived in Tokyo with a 48.26 he Tokyo Olympic Games witnessed the presence of Qatari referees 73. Azerbaijan 0 0 2 2 met for the fi rst time, a clash that In 2021, Warholm went even faster season’s best. In the semi-fi nal on in many sporting disciplines, which only reflects the confidence 73. Egypt 0 0 2 2 would witness two men breaking 47 in his very fi rst race of the season, Sunday, he improved to 47.47 even as international federations have in Qatari referees. Perhaps the most T 75. 0 0 1 1 seconds in the same race for the fi rst blazing to a 46.70 performance in he appeared to conserve energy to- prominent examples of the presence of Qatari off icials in Tokyo include time, Warholm’s sizzling 46.92 to Oslo on July 1 to fi nally eclipse Young’s wards the end fi nishing behind Bra- Abdullah al-Athba in the football as a video referee, and Mohamed Abdul- 75. Armenia 0 0 1 1 Benjamin’s 46.98. legendary performance. zilian Alison Dos Santos (47.31). In lah al-Mulla in tennis competitions. He is one of the few who have had the 75. Côte d’Ivoire 0 0 1 1 Benjamin took it easy in 2020 but That was at least in part a reaction the fi rst semi-fi nal, Warholm’s 47.30 honour to represent Qatar as a referee in two consecutive Olympic cycles. 75. Finland 0 0 1 1 Warholm didn’t, improving further to Benjamin’s stunning run at the US edged out Benjamin’s 47.37. 75. Kuwait 0 0 1 1 to 46.87 in Stockholm, then the sec- Olympic Trials just four days earlier, Others expected to be in the medal fourth-place fi nisher in , and at the last three World Champion- 75. Malaysia 0 0 1 1 ond fastest performance of all-time a 46.83 sizzler that moved him past chase include Kyron McMaster, the Turkey’s Yasmani Copello, a fi nalist ships and the silver medallist in 2017. Gulf Times 2 Tuesday, August 3, 2021

ATHLETICS Jacobs made peace with troubled childhood to strike gold Reuters a US serviceman father and less bitter, because, in the end, it was a choice I left completely up Rome brought up by his mother in wasn’t my fault,” he wrote. to him. My interest was in him northern Italy after his parents All this began to change making peace with that inter- separated when he was a baby. around the time of the Covid-19 nally.” nterviewed after his shock “As a child I was always dif- lockdown 18 months ago. Jacobs knew when he lined up Olympic sprint triumph, Ita- ferent from the others,” Jacobs The lockdown, and all the vul- for the race at the indoor cham- ly’s Marcell Jacobs thanked wrote in the long article. “Mixed- nerabilities it created everywhere pionships in Torun, Poland, he his mind coach, and it was race... the son of separated par- “pushed me to make peace with was a diff erent person. Inot the fi rst time he had indi- ents whose father simply wasn’t my past”, Jacobs wrote. “I am “I didn’t feel hot or cold, pres- cated that overcoming mental there.” who I am, including my mistakes sure or rush, just the desire to run blocks was crucial in his path to- In his childhood, Jacobs built and shortcomings, and being fast, to enjoy myself and achieve wards victory. up the fi gure of his father faced with the fragility of life something great,” he wrote. Jacobs, 26, who won the men’s to explain his absence to woke something deep inside Five months later, the world 100 metres fi nal in Tokyo on himself and others. “An ex- me.” found out just how great he had Sunday to become the fi rst Ital- Marine, in the war, whose The rest was history. become. Romanazzi said she ian to take the most coveted title heroic acts forced him to be on With the help of his mind understood how “in the zone” in athletics, was almost unknown other side of the world, that was coach, Nicoletta Romanazzi Jacobs was in Sunday’s fi nal from in Italy before his gold medal, the version I preferred,” he wrote. who has been working with him they way he barely moved in re- having made dramatic but lit- This upbringing generated in- for around a year, Jacobs never sponse to a false start by Britain’s tle-noticed progress over recent securities that made him seek ex- looked back. Zharnel Hughes. months. cuses for his failings rather than “Working with him I realised “I said to him, the whole world In an online article written throw himself fully into seeking that the fi rst thing we had to get must have thought ‘Oh God, this after winning the European in- success. He became known as our hands on was his relationship guy wouldn’t even have started!’. door 60 metres title in Poland in “the one that something strange with his dad, which didn’t actu- But actually you were the most in March, Jacobs revealed the in- always happened to before the ally exist because I knew that to the zone of all of them. So you re- ner turmoil that had been hold- starting gun”. remove this block was very, very alised immediately it was a false ing him back, connected with “A stomach pain, muscle important,” Romanazzi told Reu- start. And he told me, yes Nico growing up without a father as a cramps, dizziness, anything... ters. (Nicoletta), when I saw the video, mixed-race boy in Italy. fi nding something that prevent- “I was not interested in I noticed that I smiled a little bit, He was born in the United ed me doing the time I could have whether he decided to contact and I thought, but where are all States to an Italian mother and done made the disappointment or not contact his father, that these guys going!?”

WRESTLING EQUESTRIAN Britain win team eventing gold aft er Lopez leads Cuban decades in 2nd place

Reuters ing because the now 31-year-old Tokyo was wearing an airbag jacket which infl ated. “I think back to where I was ritain’s Oliver Townend, eight years ago, I knew I was gold rush with fourth Laura Collett and Tom lucky to be alive, let alone able to McEwen yesterday won do the job that I love and be lucky Olympic team gold in enough to have a horse like Lon- equestrianB eventing, bringing the don 52 to bring me to a place like top medal back to Britain after Tokyo,” she said. decades of the country coming “To top it off with a gold med- second, while Germany’s Julia al, I’m just super grateful to be Krajewski won individual gold. on a team with these two guys.” Greco-Roman crown Australia claimed the silver Germany’s Michael Jung, medal, improving on their third winner of the individual gold in place in Rio 2016, and defending Rio and London, picked up pen- ‘I FEEL HAPPY, PROUD TO BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD AND MAKE HISTORY’ champions France took bronze. alty points on the cross-country Britain’s Tom McEwen, world course on Sunday, spelling the Reuters number fi ve, clocked in with in- end of his medals dreams in To- Tokyo dividual silver and Australia’s kyo. Monday marked the culmi- Andrew Hoy took bronze. nation of eventing, also known The 32-year-old Krajew- as horse triathlon, with its uba’s Mijain Lopez signed off ski, ranked world number three tests of dressage, from his fi fth Olympics with a 48, became the fi rst woman cross-country and show record fourth gold medal after to win individual eventing jumping. Men and women winning the Greco-Roman su- gold at the Olympics, eclips- in equestrian sports com- perC heavyweight fi nal yesterday, minutes ing Britain’s world number one pete on equal terms in the same after compatriot Luis Alberto Orta won Townend, who was fi fth. tests, often beyond the age of 50. gold in the bantamweight category. British riders had won event- Australia’s Hoy, 62, who took Lopez, who made his Olympic debut in ing team silver at the Olympics part in his fi rst Olympics in 1984 2004 and is the fi rst male wrestler to win in Los Angeles, Seoul, Sydney, and won team gold in 1992, was four Olympic golds, was calm and com- and London, and bronze asked whether it was experience posed in his bout against Georgia’s Iakobi in Beijing. Collett almost died in that had taken his team to the Kajaia, who took silver. a fall in 2013 when she fractured podium. At Rio 2016, Lopez celebrated with a her spine, shoulder and ribs and “I think it’s age,” he said with salsa-infused, hip-shimmy dance but spent six days in a coma, surviv- a smile. this time the 38-year-old settled for tackling his coach who had sprinted onto the mat with the Cuban fl ag. “I feel happy, proud to be the best in the world and make history,” said Lopez, who was congratulated by Cuban presi- dent Miguel Diaz-Canel in a video call. “I’ve had a long career, working hard to Gold medallist Mijain Lopez Nunez of make these goals and break this record.” Cuba celebrates on the podium of men’s Lopez took a 3-0 lead into the break 130kg Greco-Roman in Chiba, Japan, with a gut wrench and turn and made it yesterday. (Reuters) 5-0 with a step out point before Kajaia conceded with 10 seconds remaining. Orta beat Japan’s Kenichiro Fumita 5-1 was a more even contest between Sergei Focken, who beat US fi ve-time world the win. “It’s unbelievable, it’s crazy, it’s in the Greco-Roman bantamweight fi nal. Semenov and Chile’s Yasmani Acosta, champion Adeline Gray 7-3 in the fi nal. It hard to believe right now,” Rotter-Focken “I immediately thought of my two- fi nishing 1-1, but it was the Russian Ol- was her country’s fi rst ever gold medal in said. “I need time, a few years, for it to month old daughter when I won the gold ympic Committee (ROC) wrestler who women’s wrestling. sink in.” medal. This is for her,” Orta said. Tur- claimed the win having scored the last Gray went for the legs at the end of The day’s biggest surprise came in key’s Riza Kayaalp won his third Olympic technical point. the fi rst period but the move back- the bronze medal bouts, which Turkey’s medal in the Greco-Roman super heavy- China’s Walihan Sailike and fi red when she fell on her back as Yasemin Adar and China’s Zhou Qian weight bronze bout, seeing off Iran’s ROC’s Sergey Emelin took the Rotter-Focken countered to take a won by pinning their respective oppo- Amin Mirzazadeh with a series of power- Greco-Roman bantamweight bronze 3-0 lead. nents. Adar, the fi rst Turkish woman to ful point-scoring turns. medals. Rotter-Focken scored four points win a wrestling medal at the Olympics, Kayaalp rolled the 130kg Iranian soon after the break when she threw Gray had pinned Tunisia’s Zaineb Sghaier in Britain’s team Tom McEwen, Laura Collett and Oliver Townend around like a rag doll on the mat to take ROTTER-FOCKEN WINS GOLD down from a standing position. Gray the repechage match, and did the same display their gold medals as they ride in the ring after winning the a 7-0 lead at the break, eventually win- The women’s freestyle heavyweight made a takedown with 40 seconds left to against Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Kyzy while the equestrian eventing jumping teams final during the Tokyo 2020 ning 7-2. The other bronze medal match title went to Germany’s Aline Rotter- close to 7-3, but the German held on for Zhou pinned Japan’s Hiroe Minagawa. Olympic Games at the Equestrian Park in Tokyo yesterday. (AFP)

BADMINTON Denmark’s Axelsen bags gold, dethroning Long

Reuters said ‘Thank you so much and that he has scored at Rio, their lowest at an Olympics. play. Indonesia have never won a gold Tokyo been a big inspiration to me,” said Axelsen, Earlier, world number six women’s medal in women’s doubles, an event China who had just hung up from a call with Fre- doubles pair Greysia Polii and Apriyani has previously excelled in. “People said, derik, the crown prince of Denmark. In- Rahayu of Indonesia won the Olympic ‘You’re not going to make it because In- enmark’s swept donesia’s beat gold medal, smashing their way to victo- donesia doesn’t have a history in women’s the men’s singles Olympic Kevin Cordon of Guatemala for the ry as raucous onlookers chanted and doubles,” said a crying Polii, 33, whose Ol- gold medal yesterday, un- bronze medal 21-11 21-13, crushing waved large national fl ags. ympic dream began two decades ago. seating of China his hopes of winning his country its They beat China’s Chen Qing “Here I am now.” whoD claimed the title at the Rio 2016 second ever . Chen and Jia Yi Fan 21-19 21-15 to Polii and Rahayu clutched each other Olympics. With Chen’s silver, China has swept cries of encouragement from a hand- after the win, singing the national an- Axelsen and Chen, two of the world’s six medals at Tokyo, more than ful of socially distanced Indonesian team them underneath their masks as the In- most brutal smashers, ended their match any other country: a gold and silver in members and support staff that echoed donesian fl ag was hoisted. In a moment 21-15 21-12 after nearly an hour of fl ash mixed doubles, a gold in women’s singles, a through Tokyo’s mostly empty Musashi- of touching camaraderie, they invited the shots and mesmerising rallies. silver in men’s doubles, a silver in women’s no Forest Sport Plaza. silver and bronze medallists to squeeze Afterwards, Chen embraced and spoke doubles and, now, a silver in men’s sin- The win was well-deserved. onto the podium for a picture. in Chinese with Axelsen, who was still gles. While the haul isn’t as big as it was At one stage, Polii hit the shuttlecock sobbing when he left the court. in London when China won all fi ve golds so hard that a string on her racket broke Gold-medallist Viktor Axelsen of Denmark “He told me that I deserved it, and my up for grabs, they have done better than and she had to dash off to swap it for looks at his medal at Musashino Forest performance here has been great. And I the two golds and one bronze medal they another one while the point was still in Sport Plaza in Tokyo. (Reuters) Gulf Times Tuesday, August 3, 2021 3 SPORT

CRICKET TENNIS Isner captures sixth ATP Atlanta title Hurting India face with Nakashima win Stokes-less England to begin WTC cycle ‘We are coming into a period of time now where rest and rotation is put behind us’

Reuters New Delhi, India

evenge will be on Joe John Isner of the United States holds his daughter, Hunter Grace, in Root’s mind when he one arm and the winner’s trophy in the other after winning the Truist leads England in a fi ve- Atlanta Open in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, on Sunday. (AFP) Test series against Virat Kohli’sR India beginning in Not- the fi rst time on Monday. AFP tingham on Wednesday, kick- Washington, United States “It was a really good week this ing off a new World Test Series week,” Nakashima said. “I’d like (WTC) cycle in the process. to congratulate John. Winning Both sides are smarting from ohn Isner won his sixth this event six times is an amazing the mauling they received from ATP Atlanta Open title on achievement.” New Zealand in June with Eng- Sunday, fi ring 21 aces to Nakashima, who beat Isner in land losing at home and India in defeat teen Brandon Na- a semi-fi nal last week in Mexico the WTC fi nal in Southampton. kashimaJ 7-6 (8), 7-5 in an all- in their only fi nal meeting, is the Under Root, England have American fi nal. fi rst US teen to reach ATP fi nals lost four of their last fi ve Tests, Sixth-seeded Isner captured in back-to-back weeks since paying the price for sticking his 16th career ATP title and 18-year-old Andy Roddick at At- doggedly to a rest-and-rotation joined 20-time Grand Slam win- lanta and Houston in 2001. policy, which they have now de- ners Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal “I’m twice your age, dude,” cided to abandon. and Novak Djokovic as the only Isner told Nakashima. “I don’t They were beaten 3-1 in India active players to win an event six know how many times we’ll get earlier this year, and Root tasted times. to play but it was very special to his fi rst home series defeat when “I can’t believe I’ve won this me.” New Zealand came calling. tournament six times. We’ll see if Isner, ranked 35th, had reached “We are coming into a period I can do it seven times next year,” eight of the prior 10 Atlanta fi - of time now where rest and ro- Isner said. nals before last year’s event was tation is put behind us,” Root re- “Today I was just a little bit wiped out due to Covid-19. cently said. England’s captain Joe Root (second from left) greets his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli (second from right) during a training day at Trent luckier. That’s what it came In the tie-breaker, Isner won a “Hopefully, if everyone is fi t, Bridge Cricket Ground in Nottingham, England, yesterday. (AFP) down to.” point off Nakashima’s serve for a we are going to have our best It was 36-year-old Isner’s 9-8 lead then seized the lead on team available for what is to fol- Root would also be disap- Opener Shubman Gill, all- the helmet while batting during Broad dominate. fi rst ATP fi nal since winning two his fourth set-point opportunity. low. That’s really exciting and pointed that deputy Ben Stokes’ rounder Washington Sundar a training session. “The idea from here on will years ago on Newport grass. Isner hit a backhand winner something I’m very much look- rushed comeback, from a fi nger and pace bowler Avesh Khan Vice captain Ajinkya Rahane be to try to score runs and not “It was great to be back out to jump ahead 0-40 in the 10th ing forward to.” injury, did not last long. have returned home with inju- is also recovering from a ham- worry about getting out in test- here playing on a Sunday again. game of the second set, but Na- Their bowling would have a Stokes led a second-string ries even before the start of the string injury that kept him out ing conditions,” Kohli said of the It was awesome,” Isner said. kashima rescued three match big void in the absence of speed- England one-day squad to a 3-0 series. of the warm-up match in Dur- challenge ahead. “It’ll give me a lot of confi dence points and later denied Isner on a ster Jofra Archer. series sweep against Pakistan, Opener Prithvi Shaw has been ham. “That’s the only way you for sure.” fourth and held to pull level at 5-5. The Barbados-born quick un- but has now taken an indefi nite called up and could partner Ro- New Zealand exposed India’s can score and put the opposi- Nakashima, the youngest-ev- Isner thwarted Nakashima on derwent elbow surgery in May and break from the game to prioritise hit Sharma at the top of their vulnerability in seam-friendly tion under pressure, otherwise er Atlanta fi nalist at 19, reached two break points with aces in the has since made a low-key return his mental well-being. batting order in Nottingham conditions in Southampton, you’re just literally standing his second career ATP fi nal and 11th game and held, then forced for Sussex, but is not yet ready for India have their own share of with Mayank Agarwal ruled out but Kohli is determined not to there hoping that you don’t get second in as many weeks after a fi fth match point in the 11th the rigour of Test cricket. personnel issues as well. of the fi rst Test after being hit on let James Anderson and Stuart out and eventually you will...” falling to Britain’s Cameron Nor- game. Nakashima, who had 12 rie last week at Los Cabos. aces, double faulted for the third He’s due to leap from 115th in time to hand Isner the victory af- the rankings into the top 100 for ter one hour and 56 minutes. Australians name Wade skipper for Bangladesh T20 series atthew Wade has been named with India in Australia in December. game and at the top of the mark, they Twenty20 series in the Caribbean. FOOTBALL captain for Australia’s five- “I’m going to be wicketkeeping, so the need to execute.” “Where my leadership might come in Mmatch Twenty20 series against distance between bowler and myself is a Regular vice-captain Pat Cummins is one a little more is with our batting group,” Bangladesh, which starts in Dhaka today. lot greater,” said Wade of the challenge of several senior players not on the tour as he said. “We’ve probably got a younger Wade replaces regular captain Aaron he faces leading the team. the Australians ramp up their preparations batting group than we’ve had on these Benfi ca and PSV Finch after he returned to Australia to “That means that there’s a lot more re- for October’s Twenty20 World Cup in the tours, not a lot of international expe- undergo surgery on a knee injury sus- sponsibility on the individual, the bowler United Arab Emirates and Oman. rience between all our batters. The tained in the Caribbean last month. and the senior players around that to Alex Carey took over from Finch as bowling takes care of itself with guys continue CLeague The 33-year-old Wade takes the captain’s help me out around the ground. captain of the one-day side during the 2-1 like (Adam) Zampa, (Mitchell) Starc and arm-band for the second time in his “When you’re coming in and taking over series win over the West Indies and Wade (Josh) Hazelwood — they’ve all played a career having previously led the team from someone it’s just giving the ability believes his experience can lift Australia’s lot of cricket together and they can take qualifying slog during the second Twenty20 meeting for those guys to take ownership of their youthful batting line-up after losing the care of themselves.” (Reuters) AFP While Midtjylland have al- Paris, France ready played three league games, PSV do not start their domestic HORSE RACING season until next Saturday when s the battle to deter- they face champions Ajax in the mine who controls Johan Cruyff Shield, the Dutch Europe’s premier club Super Cup. Their only competi- competition continues, tive action so far this summer Al Shaqab’s Almafj ar wins Prix Arca at La Teste theA battle for places in this years was in the previous round, when Champions League resumes they thrashed Galatasaray. Agencies and score by two lengths under this week as the third qualifying With the delayed return of La Teste de Buch, France a strong drive by Sanchez. The round kicks off . players who appeared in the Eu- Thomas Fourcy-trained and Al- While the three Super league ros and the European transfer exandre Gavilan-ridden Queen- holdouts Real Madrid, Juventus deadline not until August 31 for he Al Shaqab Racing- shala fi nished second. Namrood and Barcelona, continue to argue most clubs, many squads are still owned Almafj ar pro- threatened to get involved on the that the elite clubs should run the in fl ux. duced a fi ne front- turn for home, but was no match Champions league, 20 of the less For Monaco, who face Sparta running performance for the leading pair and fi nished elite will do battle for a chance to Prague, Wissam Ben Yedder and Tto take the Prix Arca – Wathba a further eight lengths back in make the lucrative group stage. Kevin Volland, whose countries Stallions Cup, a mile-long race third. He is trained by D. Watri- They include clubs with a dis- reached the last 16 of the Euros, for four-year-old and older gant and was ridden by Mickael tinguished record in the com- have only just rejoined the squad. Purebred Arabians at La Teste de Forest. petition including past winners The club is also negotiating to Buch on Sunday. Bred by Al Shaqab Racing, Benfi ca and PSV Eindhoven and buy and sell players in a trans- Trained by in-form trainer Almafj ar is by Group One Qatar former fi nalists Monaco, Malmo fer market that sporting direc- Elizabeth Bernard, Almafj ar was Derby winner Mister Ginoux. and Red Star Belgrade. tor Paul Mitchell calls “unprec- ridden to success by apprentice Gary Sanchez rides Almafjar to victory in the Prix Arca – Wathba Stallions Cup at La Teste de Buch on His dam, Al Dhabi fi nished PSV, who were second in edented, uncertain and diffi cult jockey Gary Sanchez. Sunday. (Robert Polin) fourth on her only start. Alma- the Dutch league last season, for many clubs”. Breaking quickly from the fj ar comes from the family of Al host Midtjylland, who contin- Two-time champions Benfi ca stalls, the four-year-old Alma- decent fractions, he had most of ness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khal- and, although joined by Queen- Hayyem, who was placed twice ued Denmark’s strong football travel to face Spartak in Mos- fj ar pulled himself to the lead his rivals in trouble on the turn ifa al-Thani-owned Queenshala shala, Almafj ar was not for pass- at Group Three level and also summer by eliminating former cow tomorrow having just added and travelled strongly through- for home, but faced a strong 400m from home. ing and produced a strong burst fi nished fourth in the Group One champions Celtic in the second Ukrainian striker Roman Yarem- out the 1,600m contest. Setting challenge from the His High- The pair drew clear of the fi eld inside the fi nal 50m to go on Qatar Cup behind Ebraz. round. chuk.

Tiger’s Bahamas invitational Henderson out of Man Utd camp Warne misses English franchise Aston Martin to appeal Vettel Giroud says can form returns with expanded fi eld aft er contracting Covid-19 game with Covid-19 disqualifi cation partnership with Ibra at Milan

Tiger Woods announced the return of his Baha- Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Hend- Australian cricket star Shane Warne had to sit Aston Martin intends to appeal the disqualifica- Olivier Giroud is confident he can strike up a mas golf event in December after missing last erson will miss the club’s training camp in out a match in the English Hundred tournament tion of four-times champion Sebastian Vettel fearsome partnership with AC Milan talisman year due to Covid-19, with a field expanded from Scotland due to the after-eff ects of contracting on Sunday after testing positive for Covid-19, his from the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic after leaving Chelsea to join 18 to 20 players. There was, however, no indica- Covid-19, the Premier League side said yester- team announced. Warne, 51, is the head coach the exclusion costing the German a second- the Serie A side in what he described as a dream tion from Woods, still recovering from injuries in day. The 24-year-old is continuing to recover of the London Spirit franchise based at Lord’s place finish. Vettel had crossed the line 1.8 move. The 34-year-old is expected to compete a car crash last February, that he would compete from prolonged fatigue as a result of testing where they were facing Southern Brave. “Lon- seconds behind first-time race winner Esteban with Ibrahimovic for one striker spot in Stefano in the Hero World Challenge, to be played in Al- positive for the coronavirus three weeks ago, don Spirit men’s head coach Shane Warne will Ocon’s Alpine but was disqualified as only 0.3 Pioli’s side, but he is open to the idea of forming bany on December 2-5. The Challenge added an the club said in a statement, adding that he is be absent from today’s match against Southern litres of fuel could be extracted from his car a vastly experienced front two with the 39-year- automatic invitation to the winner of the Players expected to return to training soon. Henderson Brave at Lord’s,” said a statement. “After feeling instead of the one litre mandated by the rules old Swede. “I’m pretty sure we can complement Championship, which this year was American made 26 appearances for United last season unwell this morning, Shane returned a positive for a post-race sample. The notice from stew- each other, no matter what tactic Pioli wants Justin Thomas. Defending champion, Sweden’s and was called up to England’s European lateral flow test and will isolate from the squad ards disqualifying Vettel said that Aston Martin to play. I think it’s very easy to have a good Henrik Stenson from 2019, also received an Championship squad in June, but was forced and support staff whilst he awaits PCR results. team principal Otmar Szafnauer had stated that understanding with that kind of player,” the invitation along with the current year’s major to withdraw with a hip injury. United start their A second member of the team management is there should be 1.44 litres of fuel left in Vettel’s Frenchman told a news conference. “He’s a great winners. The remainder of the field consists of 2021-22 season on Aug. 14 against Leeds United self-isolating after also returning a positive test. tank, based on the amount of fuel consumed as player, a big personality. I’m looking forward to players from the top 50 of the world rankings. at Old Traff ord. No players have been impacted.” measured by a meter that is fitted to all cars. showing everyone we can play together.” Tuesday, August 3, 2021 GULF TIMES SPORT

ATHLETICS ‘Scared’ Hassan wins 5,000m in fi rstrst stepstep inin treble treble goldgold bidbid Morocco’s El Bakkali ends Kenya’s steeplechase run, Allman claims first Tokyo athletics gold for US in discus

Reuters winning the women’s discus with her unleashing her trademark last-lap burst. diffi cult conditions with a personal best Tokyo opening throw – an unlikely source for Kenyan Hellen Obiri held her for half a 66.86 for silver and Yaime Perez of Cuba the United States’ fi rst athletics gold of lap but slipped back and had to settle for just edged double defending champion the Games. a second successive silver. Sandra Perkovic of Croatia for bronze. ifan Hassan bagged the fi rst of If Dutchwoman Hassan is going to bag Hassan will return to 1,500 for the Back on the track, defending cham- what she hopes will be an unprec- her remarkable treble, nobody can say she semi-fi nals, with the 10,000m, the event pion Elaine Thompson-Herah and fellow edented hat-trick of track golds had it easy as she began the day by falling she held the world record in for two days Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, one while Kenya’s astonishing run of on the last lap of her 1,500 metres heat, in June, the fi nal part of the jigsaw. and two in the 100m fi nal, look in great victoriesS in the men’s steeplechase ended only to spring up and charge through the “It has been an amazing day. When I shape to repeat that in the 200m after as boiling sun gave way to torrential rain fi eld to fi nish fi rst. Fuelled by caff eine, fell down and had to jump up I felt like I impressive qualifying performances. at the Olympic athletics yesterday. she returned to the track in the evening was using so much energy,” she said. Thompson-Herah, seeking a second The conditions caused a delay to the and was in total control of a slowly-run “Before the race here I didn’t even care. successive Olympic sprint double af- fi eld events, Valarie Allman eventually 5,000 metres, sitting in the pack before I was so tired. Without coff ee I would ter bagging the 100m gold on Saturday, never be Olympic champion.” matched her personal best of 21.66 sec- The only occasions Kenya have onds, while Fraser-Pryce cruised to not won the steeplechase gold since 22.13. 1968 were when they boycotted the There was mixed news for the last 1976 and ’80 Games and they were two winners of the men’s 400m as bidding to make it 10 in a row on 2012 champion Kirani James of Grena- Monday. da looked back to his best with the fastest However, the stranglehold was fi nally semi-fi nal time but defending cham- USA’s Valarie Allman reacts while competing in the women’s discus broken, emphatically, as Morocco’s Sou- pion and world-record holder Wayde van throw final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games yesterday. (AFP) fi ane El Bakkali took the title. El Bakkali, Niekerk of South Africa failed to progress fourth in the 2016 Olympics, spoiled up after a long run of injuries. The women’s what was supposed to be an East Afri- 400m hurdles showdown is on as Ameri- can showdown with a surging fi nal lap to can rivals Dalilah Muhammad and Syd- win in 8:08.90 minutes after Ethiopian ney McLaughin safely negotiated a sod- Lamecha Girma had made most of the den track to win their heats and set up “It has been an running but ended with silver. a fi nal where the world record, recently amazing day. When taken from Muhammad by McLaughin, LITTLE CONSOLATION will be under threat. I fell down and had Benjamin Kigen’s bronze medal was little The morning session produced its to jump up I felt like consolation for Kenya. share of thrills and spills as Puerto Rico’s I was using so much “I’m so used to seeing Kenyans win, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn impressively it’s a big accomplishment for me,” said El took the 100 metres hurdles – her coun- energy. Before the Bakkali. try’s fi rst-ever athletics gold – and Milti- race here I didn’t even “I have tried so many times to compare adis Tentoglou of Greece won men’s long myself with the Kenyans and Ethiopians jump with his fi nal leap, his country’s care. I was so tired. to see whether I could reach this gold, fi rst medal in the event. Without coff ee I would and I did.” Tentoglou’s leap of 8.41 metres put never be Olympic Allman launched her fi rst throw 68.98 him level with Cuba’s Juan Miguel Eche- metres and was never really threatened. varria but his next best eff ort was supe- champion.” Germany’s Kristin Pudenz defi ed the rior, securing the gold.

Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali celebrates winning the men’s 3,000m steeplechase final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan reacts after winning the women’s at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo 5,000m final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the yesterday. (AFP) Olympic Stadium in Tokyo yesterday. (AFP)

GYMNASTICS HOCKEY Netherlands women join Returning Biles helps Carey India, Argentina in semi-fi nals

Reuters spite ramping up the pressure from the start, with their skil- Tokyo and winning a number of pen- ful and fast attackers posing a alty corners. threat to the Germans who won ‘kill’ the fl oor aft er fl op “It’s a dream come true,” bronze at the 2016 Olympics. AFP of You. Petrounias took third he Netherlands beat India goalkeeper Savita said, Their eff ort paid dividends Tokyo on 15.200 after a solid perform- New Zealand 3-0 yes- struggling for words. shortly before halftime when a ance while Brazil’s London 2012 terday to qualify for Savita, who goes by one hard pass from Rocio Sanchez champion took the semi-fi nals of the name, pulled the team through Moccia crossed in front of the merican Jade Carey last spot. Twomen’s Olympic hockey tour- some of the hardest moments goal to reach Agustina Alber- singled out Simone Liu, explaining his tears, said: nament, joining India and Ar- of the match with nine saves. tarrio, who defl ected the ball Biles’ role in helping “I have been doing gymnastics gentina in the last four. Argentina’s women team with her stick behind the Ger- her to sweep her rivals for over 20 years, so I have a lot Lidewij Welten, Frederique have never won an Olym- man goalie. The game had offA the fl oor for Olympic gold of emotions.” Matla and Lauren Stam scored pic hockey gold medal, but barely restarted when Maria yesterday, 24 hours after trailing The third gold medal on off er for the Dutch, the 2016 silver clinched silver at the 2012 Victoria Granatto doubled the in a tearful last on the vault. was claimed by South Korea’s medallists who are now set for a London Games and the lead off a penalty corner just As the second night of gym- Shin Jea-hwan, who won the showdown against the winners 2000 Sydney Games, the before halftime. nastics apparatus fi nals got un- men’s vault on a tiebreak from of the match between Spain latter being where they After the break, the Ger- der way in Tokyo, confi rmation Russian Denis Abliazin. and Britain. India pulled off a earned the nickname Las mans were unable to break fi ltered through that Biles will The pair both ended with stunning 1-0 victory over Aus- Leonas, or lionesses. down their opponent’s de- return to the Olympic arena for 14.783 points, Shin taking the tralia, and will face Argentina in Las Leonas were elated after fence. Argentina sealed the today’s closing beam fi nal. title after outscoring Abliazin on the semi-fi nals on Wednesday beating Germany, with some win in the 52th minute when Ahead of her eagerly awaited both his two jumps. after the South Americans got players crying as they celebrat- Valentina Raposo Ruiz scored comeback she was at the Ariake “It feels like I am dreaming, it past the quarter-fi nals for the ed around goalie Belen Succi, the third goal through another Gymnastics Centre to cheer on doesn’t feel like it’s real. I pre- fi rst time since 2012 with a 3-0 who was on the team that was penalty corner. “The fi rst goal Carey, the 21-year-old from Ari- pared for this competition for a win over Germany. knocked out of the quarter- was the knockout for us be- zona who tumbled her way to a long time,” said Shin. Gurjit Kaur scored India’s fi nals in 2016 by the Nether- cause then they get their chests score of 14.366 to take the title In bronze came Armenia’s Ar- winning goal from a fi rst-half lands. “We have to keep fi ght- up and they get better and bet- from Italian 30-year-old veteran tur Davtyan. The curtain comes penalty corner, beating Aus- ing,” Argentina’s Maria Victoria ter,” said veteran Franzisca . down on the gymnastics action tralia goalie Rachael Lynch who Granatto said. “We are going to Hauke, who was playing her For Carey, coached in Tokyo on Tuesday with fi nals in the had kept a clean sheet in the play one of the most important last match for Germany. by her father Brian, this was rap- men’s parallel bars and hori- previous four matches. games of our lives.” “I’m really disappointed and id redemption after she stum- zontal bar, and women’s beam Australia were unable to Argentina stepped up the sad that it’s the end of my jour- bled on landing on her fi rst vault – where all the focus will be on equalise in the second half de- pace against their opponents ney,” a tearful Hauke added. on Sunday and cut a sorrowful Biles. The American superstar’s fi gure after her second jump. She millions of social media follow- said: “Yesterday was very tough ers, fans, teammates, coaches, for me. I tripped, I guess, in my family, even rivals will be thrilled Qatar’s El Seify concludes campaign hurdle. For tonight, I just had to at her decision to return to the let that go and give it my all. Olympic fray. “Simone especially was help- The four-time Olympic ing me let it go and move on. champion, widely considered “She said, ‘It happened, and to have pushed the sport to new you can’t do anything about it.’ limits, pulled out of last week’s She was like, ‘Let’s go out and opening team competition af- kill fl oor’, and that’s what I did.” ter one vault. She subsequently Carey, who succeeds Biles as withdrew from the all-around Olympic champion, spoke of fi nal and three of the four appa- her pride at putting the vault ratus fi nals – the fl oor, vault and nightmare behind her to produce . “probably the best fl oor routine were followed by the men’s bronze. Liu, 26, who took team The 24-year-old, who before I’ve ever done in my life”. fi nal, won by an emotional bronze at Rio 2016, secured battle commenced was expected There was a rare dead-heat for Liu Yang, with China’s fi rst gymnastics ti- to be one of the headline acts of bronze between Japan’s Mai Mu- completing a one-two for tle at the pandemic-delayed these Games, said she is strug- rakami and Angelina Melnikova, China. Tokyo Olympics. gling with the “twisties”, a con- who led the Russians to team , A former world champion dition where gymnasts lose the Qatar’s Ashraf El Seify competes in the men’s hammer throw qualification during the Tokyo 2020 gold last week. Greece’s defending champion on rings, Liu claimed gold with a ability to orientate themselves in Olympic Games in Tokyo yesterday. El Seify finished the campaign with a throw of 71.84m. Carey’s heroics on the fl oor from the Rio Games, took the total of 15.500 points,.200 clear mid-air.