October 17, 2016
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www.thepeninsulaqatar.com PAGE | 21 PAGE | 23 Marquez wins Classy Kohli anchors third MotoGP title India to a in four years six-wicket win MONDAY 17 OCTOBER 2016 • 16 MOHARRAM 1438 thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar Elite men’s road race champion of the UCI World Road Championships, Peter Sagan of Slovakia (centre), second-placed Mark H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of Qatar Olympic Committee (right) Cavendish of Britain (left) and third-placed Tom Boonen of Belgium pose on the podium during the presentation ceremony held and Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Thani, Qatar Cycling Federation President and Chairman at The Pearl-Qatar, in Doha yesterday. of the Local Organising Committee of the UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016 witnessing the presentation ceremony at The Pearl-Qatar yesterday. Sagan is world champion again HISTORIC FEAT BY SAGAN The Slovakian celebrates his second Peter Sagan became the first world title as back-to-back champion of the race since Italian Paolo Bettini, arch-rival Mark who won in 2006 and 2007. He Cavendish settles for also became one of only eight riders in the history of the cham- a second place finish pionship to win the title twice. Italian Alfredo Binda, Belgium’s Rik van Steenbergen, Spain’s Oscar Freire and Belgian legend By Rizwan Rehmat Eddy Merckx won it three times. The Peninsula UCI WORLD ROAD DOHA: Slovakian cycling giant Peter Sagan yesterday outpaced arch-rival CHAMPIONSHIPS Mark Cavendish of Britain and Tom Boonen of Belgium to retain his Top 20 riders after the Elite men’s world title on the final day of the road race (257.3km): UCI World Road Championships. Sagan, 26, relied on a late surge 1. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) in 5:40.43 to cross the finish line at The Pearl- 2. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) ST Qatar, edging Cavendish and Boonen 3. Tom Boonen (Belgum) in a sprint bunch that saw riders jos- 4. Michael Matthews (Australia) tling for clearer path to world glory. Sagan’s winning time was 5 5. Giacomo Nizzolo (Italy) hours 40:43 seconds. 6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway) Australia’s Michael Matthews 7. Alexander Kristoff (Norway) and Italy’s Giacomo Nizzolo com- 8. William Bonnet (France) pleted the top-five riders. 9. Niki Terpstra (Netherlands) Sagan won his first title in Rich- 10. Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium) mond, Virginia, last year. “I don’t believe it. I’m still in 11. Jacopo Guarnieri (Italy) shock,” Sagan said after the tense 12. Adam Blythe (Great Britain) finish where hundreds of cycling 13. Natnael Berhane (Eritrea) +4” fans had turned up for the last day’s 14. Juergen Roelandts (Belgium) +9” action. 15. Ryan Roth (Canada) “I’m very happy because there 16. Truls Korsaeth (Norway) was a crosswind and I was the last 17. Tom Leezer (Netherlands) one to make the first group. In the end, it was a sprint so we should 18. Nicolas Dougall (South Africa) Peter Sagan of Slovakia celebrates as he wins the Men’s Elite Road Race of the UCI Road World Championships 2016, in Doha yesterday. see,” he said. 19. Michal Kolar (Slovakia) +13” Pictures by Syed Omar “There was a bit of a headwind 20. Elia Viviani (Italy / Italy) +14” so I felt I needed to come from the back. I felt I was lucky because the desert. During sprint, there was riding, Belgian and Dutch riders 26, just a minute ahead of the chas- the finish line left Cavendish slam- (Giacomo) Nizzolo didn’t close me “I am just disappointed. I messed a problem with my chain. I couldn’t started to form groups with winds ing group behind. ming his handlebars in frustration out. If he closed me out, for sure we up tactically. The hard thing was have won gold, because Peter was restricting the cyclists. The gap between the leaders and as the Slovakian celebrated his sec- would have crashed because I wasn’t losing (Luke) Rowe to a puncture, too fast. But I could’ve taken sec- Despite strong headwinds, Boo- the chasers continued to expand ond world title of his impressive going to brake.” which would have given us three in ond place,” Boonen said. nen and Greg van Avermaet started until the end when Sagan success- career. “We should have crashed but I’m the front and he would have been The day’s action kicked off at building on their sublime form. fully sealed second world title with a As Sagan raised him arms in happy. It’s unbelievable,” the Slova- valuable at the end. I am just going Aspire Zone where the riders assem- With groups forming rapidly, late flourish that left Cavendish and jubilation, a small group of Slova- kian added. to have to settle for another second bled for the 10.30am start under Australian rider Luke Durbridge Boonen visibly stunned. kian fans rejoiced with a song and Cavendish was dejected at his this year,” he added. clear blue skies. A group of seven got knocked off by Fernando Gaviria Near the finish line, Sagan went dance sequence close to the finish failure to prevail over Sagan. Boonen, winner of multiple Tour riders broke free of the starting during a chain change. right while Cavendish tried to cre- line. “It was a tough race and I always of Qatar titles, said technical issues bunch, reaching a lead of 11 min- Both riders hit the road and ate his own slipstream on the left. “I have the biggest group of fans knew it would be a fight till the fin- halted his lunge towards the finish utes before being finally caught up eventually signed off from race Sagan eventually showed he had here and I have to thank all of Slova- ish line. It’s a shame because it’s a line. by the cyclists at the back. prematurely. The total number of more power in his legs. kia because I feel they give me a lot race I could’ve won,” Cavendish said. “My team made a great effort in After the first 57 kilometres of riders to enter The Pearl circuit was Sagan’s sudden burst energy at of energy here,” Sagan said. MONDAY 17 OCTOBER 2016 21 Qatar’s first pro boxer dreams of big fight at Khalifa Stadium The Peninsula Sheikh Fahad Al Thani told www. forget, with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, challenges both behind and in front sc.qa in an exclusive interview. Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos. A lot of of him. “It is an honour to be represent- boxing fights are also held in foot- “It was a tough decision for me ing my country, which is making ball venues, so anything is possible to turn professional, and I thought DOHA: As Qatar’s first profes- such a big commitment to becom- in the future.” about it well. The step up has been sional boxer, Sheikh Fahad Al ing known as a nation of sporting Just ten years after taking up to an entirely different level of com- Thani knows what it means to events and outstanding athletes boxing, the Qatari fighter says daily petitiveness, and I have adapted my push boundaries and dream big. like our high-jump Olympic med- training and a relentless attention to training accordingly. But when you After winning his second fight in allist Mutaz Barshim. In 2022 we detail have taken him to the place step into the ring you realise that Oviedo, Spain, the 28-year-old will host the FIFA World Cup as the where he is, and he points to the being first at something doesn’t Qatari Super Lightweight boxer first Arab nation in history, and all of sporting nation around him as the matter, only the fight at hand does. has a perfect 2-0 record in his those of my generation and others in source of inspiration behind his In the first fight I took an early hit ground-breaking career follow- Qatar have the privilege of making journey. and went down on the floor. But I ing an amateur run which saw their contribution to this outstand- “The sporting ambitions of Qatar got back up, shook myself off, and him get some 40 fights under ing sporting development.” have allowed me to fulfil my dreams focussed on how I could win the his belt. Now the talented boxer Ahead of his recent fight in of becoming a professional boxer. fight. Shortly after that I landed the nicknamed the ‘Panther’ says Oviedo, Spain, a surprising refer- I have studied in great depth the winning punch, and it just confirmed he is dreaming big – of a fight in ence to football helped to get the videos and photos of the legendary to me that I am on the right track.” front of his home fans at a major local fans on the side of the man Muhammed Ali when he fought here With two straight knock-out venue in the country. who was once a junior team goal- in Doha in 1973. He is a great source wins under the belt in his promising “It was a very proud achieve- keeper before switching to the of inspiration to me, and I believe professional career, Sheikh Fahad Al ment for me to become my boxing gloves. that the whole of the Middle East Thani has set his sights on bringing country’s first professional boxer, “It was an idea the promoter had, and the Arab world is looking for a boxing firmly into the focus in Qatar and then also to win my second to get me to put on the shirt of the role model to inspire a young gen- and the Middle East region.