GULF TIMES Raonic to Set up Dimitrov Semis Clash SPORT Page 3
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NBA| Page 6 FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 8 Aldridge Coach To Advertise here spurs San Mourinho Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 Antonio past fears United Raptors fi xture pile-up Thursday, January 26, 2017 TENNIS Rabia II, 28, 1438 AH Nadal blasts past GULF TIMES Raonic to set up Dimitrov semis clash SPORT Page 3 SPOTLIGHT GOLF Jolt for Bolt as Carter tests Plenty to play for as positive 20th CBQM tees off As has been the trend since the inaugural Qatar Masters in 1998, a strong field boasting several major champions are in the fray again for the landmark 20th edition of the event starting today By Satya Rath the two most recent winners on the European Doha Tour for company over the fi rst two days, in last This file photo taken on August 22, week’s champion Tommy Fleetwood and SA 2008 shows Jamaica’s Nesta Carter (L) Open winner Graeme Storm. and Usain Bolt celebrating after winning wenty years is a long time. Long enough Ten-time European Tour winner McDowell the men’s 4×100m relay final at the for memories to fade, long enough for will have the company of up-and-coming Chi- “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium during small towns to become bustling cities, nese star Haotong Li and Pablo Larrazábal. the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. long enough for a start to become an an- The CBQM, over the years, has often thrown Tnual ritual, long enough for an event to attain an up surprise winners. Wind has always been a Reuters iconic status. factor here, and this year too, the trend is likely London It’s a somewhat similar tale for the Commer- to continue. There’s little chance of rain over the cial Bank Qatar Masters, the only men’s Euro- next four days, though it would be windy and pean Tour event in Qatar, which is celebrating its cloudy, which could make the conditions tricky. amaica’s Usain Bolt has lost one 20th birthday this year. Though two-time defending champion Grace of his nine Olympic gold med- Part of the three-leg Desert Swing, the CBQM has opted to skip the event this time, there’s still als and his perfect triple treble has developed beyond recognition since its in- enough ammunition in the fi eld to make for an Jof Games’ sprint victories after auguration in 1998, when it helped form a two- exciting tussle. Alex Noren would surely be one teammate Nesta Carter was found leg Desert Swing on the European Tour. Since of the names to watch out for over the next four guilty of doping at the 2008 Beijing then, the tournament has grown into a world days. Coming off a wrist injury, the 34-year-old Olympics. class event which regularly attracts golf’s elites. Swede won four European Tour titles in 2016. Carter was found to have taken the Among some of the game’s big names who Known as a good player in the wind and adverse prohibited substance methylhexa- have seen their names engraved on the famous weather, the Swede has had two top-10 fi nishes neamine, the International Olym- Mother of Pearl Trophy are major winners Ernie in his last three appearances in Qatar, including pic Committee (IOC) said yesterday, Els, Retief Goosen, Paul Lawrie, Adam Scott and a tied-fourth fi nish in 2013. This could be the meaning Jamaica’s 4x100 metres Henrik Stenson, besides Ryder Cup stars Sergio in-form Noren’s best chance to break his CBQM relay team must give back their gold Garcia and Chris Wood. South African Brenden title duck. medals. Grace is the only player to have won it back to Another name who could shake up the lead- Bolt is considered one of the great- back (2015, 2016), while Lawrie (1999, 2012) and erboard is Bernd Wiesberger, who is perhaps in est sprinters of all time, having won Scott (2002, 2008) have won the trophy twice the form of his career. The Austrian arrives in an unprecedented treble of consecu- each. Doha on the back of three straight top fi ve ap- tive golds in the 100m, 200m and As has been the trend since the inaugural Qa- pearances — in Turkey, Dubai and last week in 4x100 relay in three straight Olym- tar Masters in 1998 — won by Andrew Coltart Abu Dhabi. He has fi nished in the top-10 on the pics. of Scotland — a strong fi eld boasting of several European Tour in seven of his last eight starts. Bolt was sleeping after a training major champions are in the fray again for the Having missed the cut in Qatar in three of his session and unavailable to comment landmark 20th edition of the event, which tees fi rst four visits, the 31-year-old seems to have but in June, when sources familiar off today at the Doha Golf Club. found his groove in recent years, fi nishing in the with the case told Reuters that Carter There are 15 players in the fi eld who have won top-15 in each of the last two years with a scoring had failed a doping test, he was philo- European Tour events in the Middle East, in- average of 69. sophical about the prospect of losing cluding Ernie Els. The South African, the cham- Young Dane Thorbjorn Olesen will also be a gold medal. pion in Qatar in 2005, jointly holds the record looking to go one better than his runner-up “It’s heartbreaking (the positive for most European Tour titles in the region with fi nish last year here. The 27-year-old is in fi ne test) because over the years you’ve four, along with Rory McIlroy and Henrik Sten- form, having lifted two trophies in November. worked hard to accumulate gold med- son. He fi nished tied for second with Rafa Cabrera- als and work hard to be a champion... The draw for the opening rounds has thrown Bello at the 2016 CBQM, having tied for third but it’s just one of those things,” Bolt up some fi ne groups. World No. 10 Alex Noren with the Spaniard in 2014. “I feel like I’m getting said. has been paired with Rafa Cabrera Bello, and closer and closer to winning the Commercial “Things happen in life, so when it’s 2005 winner South African Ernie Els, who will Bank Qatar Masters, so it would be nice to go one confi rmed or whatever, if I need to be making his eighth appearance in the event. step further and win it this time,” said Olesen. give back my gold medal I’d have to The trio will tee off from the fi rst tee at 11:20 am. Cabrera-Bello has already come close to win- give it back, it’s not a problem for me.” Twenty minutes later, 2013 CBQM champion ning on three occasions, fi nishing joint runner- Trinidad and Tobago are set to be Wood will get his challenge under way alongside up last January after tied-third fi nishes in 2011 promoted to gold in the Beijing 4x100, Andy Sullivan and Robert Karlsson. Ryder Cup and 2014, the year he missed out on the playoff in which Jamaica set a then world stars Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell will between Garcia and Mikko Ilonen by one shot. record, with Japan moving up to sil- tee off early from the 10th at 7:20 and 7:30, re- “I defi nitely feel like I can win here, I have been ver and fourth-placed Brazil earning spectively. very close in the past. I really like the course at bronze. Kaymer, who fi nished in a tie for fourth at Doha Golf Club and I know I can play well on it,” A reallocation of medals is subject last week’s Abu Dhabi Championship, will have said the 32-year-old. to any further results from the IOC anti-doping retesting programme. First-leg specialist Carter has been BOTTOMLINE a vital member of Jamaica’s dominant squad, helping the Caribbean island win gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and the 2011, 2013 and 2015 world championships. Carter returned a positive result in re-tests of samples from the Beijing How Tiger drove golfers to the gym Olympics for the prohibited stimu- lant methylhexaneamine, the IOC By Anil John longer headed to the bar after the end of option but to fall in line or lose out on ers to mend their ways after beating the said. Sports Editor a round. Instead, they made a beeline the big bucks. American in a thrilling fi nish at the Du- Asafa Powell, who has himself for the gym. In 1999, when the young Woods bai Desert Classic in 2001. served a six-month doping ban, and If current golf pros employ a fi tness turned up in Germany for a tourna- The Dane ended up playing all the Michael Frater completed the Ja- ntil about a quarter of a cen- regime that is not out of sync with that ment, he discovered to his horror that four rounds of the tournament with maica sprint team at the 2008 race. tury ago, golf was trapped of top athletes or footballers, they have the hotel he was booked into did not Woods and got a fi rsthand insight into Nesta was unavailable to comment in its easy-going traditions. Woods to thank for it. have a gymnasium. the working of his mind, not to speak on Wednesday’s IOC announcement, Out-of-shape players on the Doha Golf Club general manager and “We are outta here,” he reportedly of his body.