p16_Layout 1 10/25/14 9:11 PM Page 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2014 SPORTS

24 participants to compete as Oman rally returns to Mideast

he Oman rally returns to the ly 2014. In addition to the Omani people Middle East area after 7 years joy, we can say that a new future career Tabsence. The manager of Oman tri- is opened here. Meanwhile we cannot al rally 2014 Hani Shaaban said that the forget the role of Nasser Al Attiyah, the return of this rally to the Middle East head of QMMF and vice president of FIA agenda is a real support to the path and MENA for the return of Oman rally. history of championship. About the technical aspects of the rally. Hani said that most of participants are familiarized with the geographical conditions of the rally. There is a diversi- ty of geographical stages. The total length of the rally is 545 km approxi- mately. 173 km of the total length is for the speed. The first day will be 84 km. The second last day will be 85 km while, the longest stage Al Amerat is 20.360 km while the shortest one is Wadi Odai 7.5 km. The rally will begin at 6 pm, Oct.30 at the headquarters of OAA. Then all competitors will move to the show stage. The service area will be in Al Wattiya area down town of the capital Muscat as it was furnished logistically. Only history can show the develop- ment stages the motor sport has wit- nessed in Oman. In 1977 a group of SAN FRANCISCO: Giants’ Hunter Pence is caught stealing second base by Kansas City Royals’ Alcides Escobar in the second inning during Game youth initiated the sport until the first 3 of the baseball World Series. —AP international rally was organized in 1979 We are quite optimistic to host offi- the rally continued up to 1998. It cially one of the next season 2015 stopped then returned in 2003 as a trial Royals hold off Giants rounds. 24 competitors in this rally is rally and continued up to 2007 where considered a positive indicator to the UAE Khalid Al Qassmi achieved first posi- success of this great rally, when we talk tion. Since then we can confirm that SAN FRANCISCO: The Kansas City Royals fol- the series in late yesterday’s Game Four in San manager Bruce Bochy replaced Hudson with about the facilities which the Omani Oman is considered one of the pioneers lowed their formula for success to perfection Francisco. Javier Lopez but the Royals scored one more run authorities provide. In addition to the country of this sport. Oman rally for turning a tight game over to their “monstrous” Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain and Hosmer each when a determined Hosmer spoiled several great role of OAA and a selected group local championships has a good reputa- bullpen to beat the San Francisco Giants on drove in a run for the Royals, in the playoffs for good pitches before delivering a single to score of sincere Omani youth who managed to tion. Since 1978 up to date this champi- Friday and seize the upper hand in the World the first time in 29 years, while closer Greg Gordon. put Oman on the motor sport map due onship is full of Gulf, Arab and foreign Series. Holland wrapped up the win in the ninth for his The Giants answered right back in the bot- to the practical, administrative or techni- competition which offered the sport After each team claimed a lopsided win in the seventh save of the postseason. tom half with two runs as pinch-hitter Michael cal experience they have. All these fac- diversity which we always seek in this first two games of the best-of-seven, Game “We’re just trying to get leads and hand off to Morse sparked the rally with an RBI-double tors leads to the success of the Oman ral- sport. Three was a 3-2 nailbiter that gave the visitors a our bullpen,” said Hosmer, whose single to cen- down the left-field line. Buster Posey drove in 2-1 lead in the series. ter in a battling, 11-pitch at-bat against lefty another run on a grounder to cut the deficit to 3- The pivotal victory was preserved by four hit- reliever Javier Lopez gave Kansas City their third 2. The Royals bullpen did the rest with Kelvin less innings thrown by Royals relievers. run. “This is a huge win for us and hats off to the Herrera, rookie Brandon Finnegan and Wade “Monstrous,” Royals manager Ned Yost said in bullpen for holding it down for us.” Davis setting the stage for Holland. describing the firepower he is able to call on in Holland clinched the win by retiring the heart the late innings. EARLY HOLE of the San Francisco lineup-Hunter Pence, Pablo “The key factor in all of this for us is timely hit- The Giants found themselves in an early hole Sandoval and Buster Posey-in order. ting, great defense, really solid starting pitching, when 39-year-old starter Tim Hudson received a Yost broke up his usual starting lineup as a but dynamic back of the bullpen.” rude welcome when Alcides Escobar stroked his concession to the spacious AT&T Park outfield. Of the previous 56 times a Fall Classic has first pitch for a double to left and eventually Starting in center was Jarrod Dyson with been tied 1-1, the team that has won Game scored on Lorenzo Cain’s ground out. Lorenzo Cain shifting to right instead of usual Three has gone on to win the Major League “It was high and probably outside corner or starter Nori Aoki. Baseball championship two-thirds of the time. outer third (of the plate),” said Hudson. “He was “Because it’s a unique park... we’re going to Kansas City starter Jeremy Guthrie pitched just swinging. He had his mind made up. Give put our best defensive outfield out there,” said five shutout innings before wobbling in the sixth him credit, he hit it.” Yost. “They just cover all kinds of ground out and turning the game over to the bullpen Hudson settled down after that and retired there.” The change also moved Gordon up in the brigade. 12 successive batters until Escobar collected his order into Aoki’s usual number two slot in the Unbeaten through the post-season until they second hit with a single in the sixth. That was lineup. lost the first game of the World Series at home quickly followed by an RBI-double from Gordon “I was really glad to see Gordy get the big hit,” on Tuesday, the upstart Royals have produced that bumped Royals’ lead to 2-0. said Yost, who pushed all the right buttons in back-to-back wins and could take command of With two out and a man on second Giants another Royals win. —Reuters Shiffrin, Fenninger share

HOFFMAN ESTATES: Tatsuki Machida, of Japan, competes in the men’s short dance at victory in World Cup GS the Skate America figure skating event. —AP

SOELDEN: Mikaela Shiffrin wasted no time fulfill- Machida clinches Skate ing her ambition to start winning giant slaloms this season. The 19-year-old American, already domi- America short program nating the women’s slalom circuit for two years, clinched her first GS win Saturday, sharing victory HOFFMAN ESTATES: Jason Brown was all get every single last point I can out of my with overall World Cup champion Anna Fenninger revved up, ready to put on a show for his program?” Brown said. “That’s really the in a tense season-opening race. home crowd. It didn’t quite work out. way I looked at it. I’m going to get up, I’m “I wanted this so bad for so long,” Shiffrin said. “It Brown fell early in his routine, and going to finish strong, I’m going to hit is so special, also to share the podium with Japan’s Tatsuki Machida dominated in the every note after this and I’m going to really Fenninger, especially in GS, as she is so smooth and Skate America men’s short program on focus on every detail so I can make up elegant.” Austrians Eva-Maria Brem and Kathrin Friday. points along the way. I really feel like I was Zettel came third and fourth, respectively, 0.66 and On a night when there were plenty of able to do that, so in that I feel successful.” 0.67 off the lead. Shiffrin led Fenninger by 0.09 sec- falls, Machida kept his footing and left the Brown’s homecoming also was the first onds after the opening run but looked like out of ice to loud cheers after wowing the crowd. time that music backed by vocals was contention when she trailed Fenninger by 0.63 sec- With 93.39 points, he had a comfortable allowed in a major singles or pairs event. onds halfway down her second run. lead over American Jeremy Abbott (81.82) It’s a shift in a sport where instrumental For the first time leading in a GS, Shiffrin “took and Brown (79.75), the Chicago-area prod- pieces rule, but a desire to appeal to the foot off the gas” early in her final run before uct. “I couldn’t have asked for a better younger audiences sparked the move. speeding up again. “It was a big fight,” the crowd, really,” Brown said. “The support, the That wall came crashing down when American said. “That was pretty rough. I am psy- love, it was really just awesome. I could Russia’s Artur Gachinski performed to ched I made it down alive.” hear everyone that I knew from home, and Michael Buble’s rendition of “Cry Me A The American accelerated to reduce her deficit then I could hear different people in the River.” “When you skate you can bring to 0.09 at the final split time before crossing the crowd. I was so excited to be out there and about the song, you can feel what the song line while matching the Austrian’s time. skate at home.” has inside,” he said. “I think it’s a good idea.” “I don’t think this really counts (as a win),” a stunned Shiffrin said on Austrian TV after being But Machida skated away with a com- Even so, switching to music with lyrics was SOELDEN: Mikaela Shiffrin (center) and Anna Fenninger (left) the winners, and third placed Eva- asked about her maiden GS victory. manding lead after Americans Madison not an easy decision. He said it’s easier to Maria Brem, celebrate on the podium of an alpine ski, womenís World Cup giant slalom. —AP Chock and Evan Bates won the ice dance get distracted. “You start dancing like Her first win in another discipline than slalom, short competition. you’re in the club,” Gachinski said. where Shiffrin is the Olympic and world champion two podiums, in the World Cup, and came sixth in getting injured at the Sochi Olympics, finished 2.54 The men’s long program and ice dance In the ice dance, Chock and Bates scored and holds back-to-back World Cup titles, immedi- the 2013 worlds and fifth in the Sochi Olympics in off the lead in 10th. free skate are Saturday evening, with the 68.96 points, outclassing the field in a com- ately raised the issue of her chances having a shot February. The American became only the eighth The 2010 Olympic GS champion, Viktoria pairs and women’s short programs earlier petition that featured the Flamenco and at the overall title. female skier to win 10 or more World Cup races as a Rebensburg of Germany, was 0.58 back in sixth, in the day. Gracie Gold, the 2014 Olympian Paso Doble. “Maybe, we need a few more races,” Shiffrin said teenager. Austrian standout Annemarie Moser- while 2013 overall champion Tina Maze of Slovenia and U.S. champion, leads the women’s field The brother-sister combo of Americans with a smile, and confirmed she planned to add Proell holds the record with 27 wins before turning trailed Shiffrin and Fenninger by a massive 4.72 along with two-time junior champion Elena Maia and Alex Shibutani (64.14) were sec- “one or two super-Gs” and probably some super- 20. Shiffrin likely won’t overtake her before turning seconds. Radionova of Russia. ond, with Russians Alexandra Stepanova combined events to her schedule. 20 in March, though she could catch up on Erika Shiffrin’s teammate Julia Mancuso, the 2006 Abbott stumbled on a triple axel early in and Ivan Bukin (56.37) in third. “I was fast in the flats so that are good signs (for Hess and Janica Kostelic, who share second place Olympic GS champion, was a late starter in 47th his routine, and Brown went down per- North Americans have dominated ice the super-G),” she said. Fenninger acknowledged to on the list with 12 wins each. after lacking results in the discipline in recent sea- forming the same move. It was an especial- dance in recent years, but reigning Olympic being “very nervous” in her opening run. It’s not the first time the season-opening race sons. Mancuso finished 4.11 off the lead in 17th. ly difficult development for Brown, who is gold medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie “I lost a weight from my shoulders in the sec- on the Rettenbach glacier ends in a tie. There was Sarah Schleper, who aims to compete for from Highland Park and drew attention White and 2010 champions Tessa Virtue ond,” the Austrian said following her ninth career even a triple victory in 2002 when Tina Maze, Mexico at the world championships in Vail and with a silver medal at the US champi- and Scott Moir are not competing this sea- win. “The season is so long, we don’t need to talk Nicole Hosp and Andrine Flemmen shared the win. Beaver Creek in February, made her return to the onships in January. That and his ponytail son. That leaves Chock and Bates to carry about the World Cup (title) now. But the start is Under cloudy skies and on a bumpy course, World Cup at age 35, three years after retiring. She make him one of the most recognizable on the winning tradition, along with the nice. I never thought it would go on like this. I am many of the pre-race favorites struggled. Lara Gut finished 10.87 seconds off and didn’t qualify for the skaters. Shibutanis, and the teams are holding the proud to have arrived where I always wanted to be.” of Switzerland, who won here last year, skied out in final run. A men’s GS on the same course is sched- “Once I fell, I had that choice: Will I let top two spots heading into yesterday’s free Shiffrin’s first GS win seemed just a matter of time. her second run, and Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather, uled for today. The women’s World Cup continues this affect me or can I make up and try to skate.—AP She already had seven top-10 finishes, including in the running for the overall title last season until in Levi, Finland, for a slalom on Nov. 15. —AP Marquez takes pole in Malaysia

SEPANG: Newly crowned world champi- what insignificant because they don’t whether he could race. Hiroshi Aoyama on Marc Marquez of Spain clinched a give you any points, but you achieve fell early in the second session of qualify- record 13th pole in the MotoGP season at them by being the fastest rider over a ing but will line up 11th on the grid. the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang yes- single lap,” Marquez told reporters. Andrea Iannone was ruled out of terday. “That doesn’t mean that you will be Sunday’s race due to left arm injuries Marquez, who sealed his title defence the fastest in the race, of course, so the after crashing on Friday. The Italian said in Japan two weeks ago, also set a record most important thing is what happens he would return home for further tests in time of one minute 59.791 seconds at today.” the hope that he could start in the final Sepang to finish nearly two-tenths of a Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo complet- race of the season at Valencia. second ahead of Honda team mate Dani ed the front row, while Stefan Bradl and “The power in my arm is really not Pedrosa. Australians Mick Doohan and Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso qualified there. I don’t have a good feeling with Casey Stoner had held the previous on the second row. the bike. It could be really dangerous,” he SEPANG: MotoGP rider Marc Marquez of Spain steers his Honda through the first cor- record of 12 pole positions in a season. Pol Espargaro of Yamaha broke his foot said. “I am very sorry to skip this race ner during the third free practice session ahead of today’s Malaysian Motorcycle “I’m also happy to have broken the in a heavy crash during practice but will because I wanted to finish the season Grand Prix. —AP record. Maybe pole positions are some- be assessed on Sunday morning to see well.” —Reuters