Sport SUNDAY 11 JULY 2021 15

Cherif, Ahmed win silver medal

Abderrahman Samba (second left) Team Qatar athletes Barshim and Samba eye Games glory in Tokyo

THE PENINSULA - meeting 2019 Mutaz Barshim with a world-leading time of Qatar will participate in the 47.27 seconds. 32nd Summer Olympic Games Men’s 800m: 2020 to be held in the Japanese Qatar's third star in the list capital of Tokyo from July 23 to is Abubaker Haydar, who qual- Qatar's Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan are seen in action August 10. ified to 2020 Tokyo Olympic against Russia’s Oleg Stovanovsky and Viacheslav Krasilnikov A total of 15 athletes will Games after finishing 4th in the represent Qatar in seven sports 800m event in at Doha during their 21-17, 21-17 semi-final win at the FIVB beach volleyball at Tokyo 2020 Olympics as Diamond League 2019. tournament in Gstaad yesterday. In the title clash, Qatar players Team Qatar will compete in a Haydar’s 1:44.82 surpassed Cherif and Ahmed lost to Dutch team of Stefan Boermans and total of seven sports and 6 track the qualifying time of 1:45.20 Yorick de Groot to bag the silver medal. and field disciplines. seconds set by the International Let us focus lights on the Association of Athletics Feder- profiles of some of our top stars ations (IAAF). Haydar has won (men and women) by a series numerous Asian junior medals of reports prepared by our as well as winning his first race media delegation to 2020 as a senior in the 4x400m relay. Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. Haydar participated in Rio High Jump Summer Olympic Games 2016. Qatar's list of athletes starts Men’s 1500m: high jump superstar, Mutaz Essa Qatar's fourth track and Barshim. field star is Abdirahman Saeed The 28-year-old, graduate Hassan who booked a spot at of Doha’s Aspire Academy, the Tokyo Olympic Games in holds the second highest jump the men’s 1,500m event with a in history of 2.43m, a mere two second place finish at the II centimeters short of Cuban Meeting Challenge Nerja 2021 Javier Sotomayor. in Spain. The 24-year-old com- Barshim, who is fortably dipped under the qual- 2012 Olympic bronze medalist ifying standard of 3 minutes 35 and Rio 2016 Olympic sliver seconds with a personal best medallist, will return to his third 3:34.24 for a second-place Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 list is Abderrahman Samba. The held in Doha. finish at the Enrique López looking for the top Olympic 25-year-old Qatari track and Samba qualified for Tokyo Cuenca Stadium in Nerja, glory. field athlete claimed the bronze 2020 Summer Olympics Games Malaga to accompany his team Men’s 400m hurdles: medal of 400m hurdles at 2019 after winning the 400 hurdles mate Musaab for 1500m in Qatar's second star in the championships gold medal in the Shanghai Olympics

SL-India series rescheduled England seal after COVID-19 cases ODI series AP - COLOMBO with 52-run

Sri Lanka’s cricket series against India has been rescheduled to allow its win over contingent to complete health requirements after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Pakistan Sri Lanka Cricket said yesterday the three-match one-day international series originally scheduled to start July 13 will now begin July 18. It will be REUTERS - LONDON followed by three Twenty20 matches. They are all scheduled to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in England’s second-string Colombo. side beat Pakistan by 52 The rescheduling came after Sri Lanka batting coach Grant Flower and runs in the second a team analyst tested positive on their return from England after a series. one-day international at Sri Lanka has seen a spike in cases recently and has reported 3,434 coro- Lord’s yesterday to take navirus-related deaths overall. an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Chasing 248 for victory in a match West Indies fight back to reduced to 47 overs a side after rain delayed the beat Australia in first T20 start, Pakistan were bowled out for 195 in 41 REUTERS - BARBADOS overs after all five England West Indies fast bowler Obed McCoy took four wickets after Andre Russell’s bowlers picked up maiden half-century as the Twenty20 world champions produced a superb wickets. comeback to outclass Australia by 18 runs in the first game of their five- Pakistan failed to match series at St Lucia on Friday. build partnerships and Trek-Segafredo rider Bauke Mollema of the Netherlands celebrates winning stage 14 at the Chasing 146 for victory, Australia were still in control at 117-6 thanks to lost wickets at regular Tour de France from Carcassonne to Quillan, France, yesterday. Mitchell Marsh’s 51, before spinner Hayden Walsh (3-23) triggered a batting intervals, with their top collapse and McCoy (4-26) wiped out the tail as they were dismissed for 127 four batsmen combining in 16 overs. for only 35 runs. “Any time you lose six wickets for 19 runs you’re going to struggle to win England’s Saqib Cycling: Mollema claims a match,” Australia skipper Aaron Finch said. Mahmood -- who picked “Very disappointing.” up four wickets in the first Asked to bat first, the West Indies rode on Russell’s 28-ball 51 that included ODI -- was the pick of the three boundaries and five massive sixes to post 145-6 after they were tot- bowlers once again and vintage Tour de France win tering at 66-4 from 12 overs. he had Pakistan skipper Opener Lendl Simmons (27) and Shimron Hetmyer (20) were the only Babar Azam trapped leg REUTERS - QUILLAN, FRANCE attack. “I felt I had good legs in the other notable contributors as the Australian attack, which included 38-year- before and Mohammad breakaway and my confidence grew,” added old seamer Dan Christian playing in his first match for the national team Rizwan caught behind Bauke Mollema completed a bold, vintage Mollema, who had won his first Tour stage since 2017, choked out the hosts. while Lewis Gregory fin- solo raid to claim his second Tour de France in 2017 in similar fashion and has six top-10 ished with 3-44. win in 11 participations at the end of the 14th finishes on grands tours. Saud Shakeel was the stage, a rough 183.7-km ride from Carcas- It is the Trek-Segafredo rider’s fourth lone warrior for Pakistan sonne yesterday. major victory after he also won the Giro di Shadman, Najmul tons put offering resistance with Austrian Patrick Konrad took second Lombardia ‘Monument’ classic in 2019 and his maiden ODI fifty (56) place, with Colombia’s Sergio Higuita coming the Clasica San Sebastian in 2016. Bangladesh on top in Harare while fast bowler Hasan home third, both one minute four seconds The 34-year-old said he learned from Ali also scored a quick- REUTERS - HARARE off the pace. his mistakes in the Giro d’Italia earlier this fire 31 -- which included Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retained the year. Shadman Islam and Najmul Hossain Shanto scored unbeaten centuries as 22 runs in one over -- overall leader’s yellow jersey at the end of a “I made some mistakes, after one week Bangladesh set Zimbabwe an imposing target of 477 to win on day four of before he holed out to hot day in southwestern France, on roads only I was too eager to go in a breakaway their one-off Test at the Harare Sports Club yesterday. Craig Overton in the deep. peppered with short but brutal climbs. and I spent too much energy, that killed me Zimbabwe went to the close on 140 for three, still needing another 337 Hasan smashed three “I knew I had a good chance to make it for the rest of the Giro,” he explained. for victory with Dion Myers (18 not out) and Donald Tiripano (7 not out) at consecutive sixes to bring to the end, I paced myself and when I saw I There was one major change in the the crease. delight to a sizeable had a minute at the top of the last climb I general classification, however, as France’s Brendan Taylor smashed 16 fours as he scored 92 from 73 balls before Pakistan crowd. knew it was done,” said Mollema, who sped Guillaume Martin jumped from ninth to he was out late in the day to put the visitors firmly in control and leave Zim- England won the first away from the breakaway group on a descent second after taking part in the day’s babwe likely needing to bat out the final day for a draw. ODI by nine wickets. The with 42 kilometres to go. breakaway. Bangladesh had declared their second innings on 284 for one with third ODI will be played “A few days ago, I had checked the course Pogacar leads Martin by 4:04, with Shadman unbeaten on 115, his maiden test century. on Tuesday at on Google Maps, especially the last 60 kilo- Colombian Rigoberto Uran in third place, He put on 196 for the second wicket with Najmul, whose 117 came off Edgbaston. metres. I waited for the right moment to 5:18 behind the defending champion. only 118 balls and included six sixes. Sport

SUNDAY 11 JULY 2021 WorldW number one Novak Djokovic not takingt things for granted ahead of final The biggest challenge and the biggest task is always how to beb present and how to stay in the moment regardless of the possibilitiesp and various options that are there.

Novak Djokovic Sport |15 NORDEA OPEN FINALS N Parrizas-Diaz beat O Govortsova 6-2, 6-2. M Bjorklund/ L Kung beat T Mihalikova/ K Rakhimova 5-7, 6-3, 10-5 The Australian beats Karolina Pliskova for her second Grand Slam title win Gutsy Barty is Wimbledon champion AP - WIMBLEDON and stayed the course in the first Australia’s Ashleigh Barty holds the Wimbledon trophy Wimbledon women’s final to go after winning her final match against Czech Republic’s Ash Barty got off to a perfect three sets since 2012. start in the Wimbledon final by It also was the first since Karolina Pliskova at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet collecting the first 14 points, 1977 between two participants Club, London, Britain, yesterday. then needed to hold off a who never had been that far at comeback bid before beating the All England Club. Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7 (4), Neither Barty nor Pliskova 6-3 yesterday for her second made it past the fourth round Grand Slam title. at the grass-court major until The top-seeded Barty adds this fortnight. this championship to the one The match was played she won at the French Open in under a cloud-filled sky and 2019. with Centre Court’s retractable She is the first Australian roof open despite rain in the woman to win the singles forecast for much of the trophy at the All England Club afternoon. since Evonne Goolagong in Because of the threat of 1980. showers, Barty and Pliskova Barty says she has been shared a warm-up session inspired by Goolagong and under the roof at No. 1 Court wore an outfit at Wimbledon earlier in the day, at times that was a tribute to the dress standing side-by-side while Goolagong played in when she hitting shots. won the tournament for the first They shared some smiles time in 1971. and chatter during the coin toss Barty, who is 25, was the before the final, but once things junior champion at Wimbledon got serious, Barty was not a decade ago, then left the messing around one bit. tennis tour for nearly two years Right from the get-go, there Barty showed of every bit of her Barty, to win a point. She hit lasted nine strokes or more. As trailed by a break before pulling in 2014 because of burnout. was not a hint of uneasiness or versatility and varied skills. winners with her heavy topspin balls flew past Pliskova, and the it out. She played professional uncertainty for Barty. Her She returned Pliskova’s forehand and set up others with murmuring in the full-capacity That could have shaken cricket back home, then even- strokes were confident. Her speedy serves - the ones that her sliced backhands. She threw stands reached a crescendo - Barty. Except here’s the thing: tually decided to return to her demeanour, too. During the produced a tournament-high in an ace of her own, and “What is going on? Is she going She speaks clearly about never other sport. match-opening run that put her 54 aces entering the final - actually finished with more to win a point?” - she watched letting anything get her too Good call. up 3-0, love-30 and, after without any trouble. She lobbed than Pliskova, 7-6. The key stat with little more in the way of down, including the hip injury She was at her best at the Pliskova finally won a couple Pliskova, who at 6-foot-1 is 8 by the finish probably was this: reaction than a blank stare. that knocked her out of the beginning of each set against of points, 4-0 after 11 minutes, inches taller than the 5-foot-5 Barty won 22 of 31 points that Sometimes, she filled with her French Open last month and the eighth-seeded Pliskova, a racket strings as if wanting to prevented her from her usual 29-year-old from the Czech be anywhere else. preparation for Wimbledon. Republic with a big serve. List of women’s singles champions since 2010 Pliskova’s coach, Sascha And so, with her typical grit, Pliskova dropped to 0-2 in 2021 Ash Barty (Australia) beat Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3 Bajin, who previously worked Barty managed to get back to major finals; she was the 2020 Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic with Naomi Osaka and before the steadier version of herself runner-up at the 2016 US Open, that was Serena Williams’ down the stretch against too. 2019 Simona Halep (Romania) beat Serena Williams (US) 6-2 6-2 hitting partner, sat in the guest Pliskova. When she got a second Barty’s most significant 2018 Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Serena Williams (US) 6-3 6-3 box above one baseline with chance to serve it out, Barty wobble came late in the second 2017 Garbine Muguruza (Spain) beat Venus Williams (US) 7-5 6-0 arms crossed and brow didn’t flinch, even when she had set. 2016 Serena Williams (US) beat Angelique Kerber (Germany) 7-5 6-3 furrowed. to stare down a break point. She served for the victory Even after Pliskova A missed backhand by 2015 Serena Williams (US) beat Garbine Muguruza (Spain) 6-4 6-4 ahead 6-5 but sailed consec- straightened things out, the Pliskova removed that threat, utive forehands long to get 2014 Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) 6-3 6-0 rhythm of the first set was odd: and Barty then delivered a 108 broken, then was shaky in the 2013 Marion Bartoli (France) beat Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 6-1 6-4 A total of six games were won mph ace. One last backhand ensuing tiebreaker, which she 2012 Serena Williams (US) beat Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-1 5-7 6-2 at love. miss from Pliskova ended the ceded with a double-fault. 2011 Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Maria Sharapova (Russia) 6-3 6-4 Pliskova finally got the match, and Barty crouched at In the third, though, Barty measure of her strokes in the the baseline and covered her went up an early break, led 3-0 2010 Serena Williams (US) beat Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 6-3 6-2 second set, in which she twice face with her arm. To home or Rome? England take Recent Euro champions/runners-up 2016 Portugal 1–0 France 2012 Spain 4-0 Italy 2008 Spain 1-0 Germany on Italy to end title drought 2004 Greece 1-0 Portugal

AP - LONDON European Championship with team’s only goals in the group A general view of fans outside Wembley stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final between its only title in 1968. stage, the opener in the win England and Italy. The final will be played today. To hear the England players Italy, however, has already over Germany in the round of giddily singing along with the reached the final twice in recent 16, and his attacking threat won Wembley Stadium crowd to years - in 2000 and 2012 - the penalty that led to England’s “Sweet Caroline” - “so good, so whereas England hasn’t got semifinal winner against good” - encapsulates the close until now. Denmark. youthful exuberance and With the pandemic “What he’s done for us and carefree spirit of a group unbur- restricting travel to London, the the unselfish part of his game dened by trying to end the permitted crowd of 66,000 at goes unspoken about,” said John team’s 55-year trophy drought Wembley Stadium will be Stones, Sterling’s team mate today. largely packed with England with both England and City. To hear Italy defender fans for the national team’s “But as players we see it. He’s Giorgio Chiellini talk about greatest soccer moment since been a great threat going going all the way shows how 1966, when coach Gareth forward with how direct he’s pressure to win a trophy for Southgate wasn’t even born. been in the games and it has your country can be an Winning Euro 2020 would been great playing with him. enduring motivation for be a form or redemption for “I’m sure he will be giving yourself and the squad, espe- Southgate, whose penalty miss everything on Sunday, being cially in the twilight of a career. against Germany at Euro ‘96 that direct, and hopefully get “Maybe at 36 you feel it denied England a chance of another goal and see where it more,” Chiellini said, “because making the final. takes us.” you understand more how hard “I know it won’t be enough The final takes soccer to the it is and the work that goes into for me and for the rest of the end of an unprecedented period it.” staff and for the players if we Italy didn’t even qualify for time,’ and now there is only the Tournaments can define, of pandemic disruption since The European Champi- don’t win it now,” Southgate the 2018 World Cup but has last centimetre left.” reshape perceptions and elevate the European Championship onship final today pits England, said. “You get lovely messages excelled with a 33-match They have to find a way past players. began 60 years, completing a which hasn’t even reached a that say ‘whatever happens unbeaten run since then under an opponent that has conceded Just look at Federico Chiesa, unique tournament staged final since winning the 1966 now,’ but that won’t be how it coach Roberto Mancini. only one goal in its six games at who wasn’t even starting for across the continent like never World Cup, against one of the will be on Monday. We’ve got “At the beginning, when he Euro 2020 and coped with Italy initially at Euro 2020 but before, after being delayed by continent’s most decorated to get it right. told us to have in our minds the Harry Kane not even scoring in went on to score key goals in a year. teams. “We can win it, but we’ve idea of winning the Euro, we the group stage. the knockout phase. Guarding against a pre- The last of Italy’s four World got to get it spot on to win it. I thought he was crazy,” Chiellini “England are clearly not just Take Raheem Sterling, sumption of glory might be the Cup victories came in 2006, said to the players... people are said. “Instead, during these Kane because they have whose place in the England hardest thing for England fans when Chiellini had already respecting how they’ve been years he has created a team amazing players on both line-up was questioned because energized by the “football’s made his international debut and that they’ve represented the which is now on the brink of wings,” Chiellini said, “and their of his failure to score at any pre- coming home” lyrics in its team but didn’t play at the tour- country in the right way but doing that. And as he has substitutes could all be in the vious tournament and his anthem. nament. But the team is a com- now they have a choice of what repeated to us after every starting 11 of a team that wins struggles with Manchester City. To home or Rome? We’ll parative underachiever in the color medal.” match, ‘One centimetre at a this competition.” He responded by netting the know tonight.