SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 2014 Bekele aims for greatness in marathon debut SULULTA: Ethiopian running legend Kenenisa Bekele Rotterdam or London-all eyes will be on how close he top-tier marathons but a race where the pressure is like- already holds two world records, and now he says he is can get to Kenyan Stanley Biwott’s 2:05.11 course ly to be far less intense. “Paris is a historical place for me, eyeing a third-this time in the marathon. Bekele will be record set two years ago. it’s a special place for me, I won so many races there so the star draw of the April 6 Paris marathon, just a week “If the marathon goes well, if I am feeling okay, I I’m happy to run there again,” he said. Bekele said he is before track rival Mo Farah of Great Britain makes his want to run the marathon again and again,” he said, currently putting in around 240 kilometers (150 miles) own marathon debut in London-making for two back- viewing the debut as the possible start of a journey that of training per week in preparation, all at altitude. to-back must-watch performances. Both will be hoping will end on the roads of Rio and Olympic glory in 2016. “If I train well, if I prepare myself very well... I’m not to follow in the footsteps of Ethiopian “emperor” Haile Bekele already holds the world records for the 5,000m worried about anybody. I will just concentrate on my Gebreselassie and others who have made a successful and 10,000m-set in 2004 and 2005 respectively-and few race to be the best and run fast,” he said, stressing that leap from the track to the roads, as well as show they runners have even come within spitting distance of he was training as hard for the marathon as he has done can put up a stiff challenge to the seemingly unstop- those times ever since. His career was subsequently in the past. He’s also hoping to secure the same leg- pable Kenyans. hurt by a lingering calf injury, but his victory at last endary status of national hero Gebreselassie, arguably “I want to run a world record in my first marathon,” year’s Great North Run-his debut half marathon-sig- the greatest runner in history and who at 41 is still giv- Bekele said at his personal training camp set in the lush naled a return to form and provided a welcome return ing athletes 10 years his junior a run for their money. hills and thin air above Addis Ababa. “My dream all the of his legendary, devastating kick. “The only thing left for me is I have to achieve at the time is to run a fast time, you know, to be the best.” Despite beating Farah in that race, Bekele has opted marathon. If I will achieve in the marathon, maybe you While the Paris marathon loop is not considered a not to go head to head with him in the London can compare me with anybody in Ethiopia with the best potential world record course-unlike Berlin, Chicago, marathon, choosing instead to race Paris-still one of the results ever,” Bekele said.—AFP Anna, Lanotte Sri Lanka frustrate Pakistan grab European SHARJAH: Dilruwan Perera missed a ice dance gold century on his debut while skipper Angelo Mathews fell for 91 as Sri Lanka BUDAPEST: Italy’s Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte won ice frustrated Pakistan in the third and final dancing gold in a dramatic finale at the European figure skat- Test in Sharjah yesterday. Perera (95) ing championships in Budapest on Thursday. The pair held and Mathews made life difficult for their lead from the short dance to take their first major title Pakistan through their 112-run seventh after the free dance final by just 1.10 points ahead of Russia’s Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov, who were deducted one wicket stand before Sri Lanka declared point for a fall. “It doesn’t get any better than this,” said their first innings at 428-9, leaving Cappellini, 26, competing in a seventh Europeans. Pakistan to score 19-0 in a tricky six “We just want to go to Sochi now and skate as well in our overs before the close of the second second Olympics.” Britain’s Penny Coomes and Nicholas day’s play. Openers Ahmed Shehzad Buckland took bronze. Ilinykh fell towards the end of their (five) and Khurram Manzoor (14) sur- Swan Lake dance, allowing the Italians, who had led by just vived an anxious time as Pakistan go in 0.04 points after the short dance, to take gold for their skate to Rossini’s Barber of Seville. “The fall was unexpected for me, search of a big lead to square the series but I tried not to think about it because we had two more ele- after losing the second Test by nine ments, I tried to keep it together and we succeeded as best as wickets in Dubai. Sri Lanka, leading the possible,” said Ilinykh. “The Olympics will be held in our own series 1-0 after the first Test ended in a country so it will be a big motivation for us,” she added. —AFP draw in Abu Dhabi, are aiming to seal SHARJAH: Sri Lankan batsman Angelo Mathews (center) plays a shot the series. during the second day of the third and final cricket Test match The day once again exposed the flat between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Sharjah International Cricket Ballan banned Sharjah stadium pitch as Mathews put Stadium yesterday. —AFP 73 for the sixth wicket with Prasanna Resuming at 220-5, Sri Lanka’s bats- Mathews continued in the same style, 2 years, doctor Jayawardene (35) and then batted men batted solidly in both the sessions. hitting Junaid for a boundary, and in solidly with Perera, leaving Pakistani Pakistan did waste their second referral his next over took a single to complete banned for life bowlers frustrated and failing in their when Mathews, on 34, was given not his 13th half-century. He continued to search for quick wickets. The 31-year- ROME: Italy’s Alessandro Ballan, the world road race champion out by English umpire Richard bat with authority before his dismissal in 2008, was handed a two-year doping ban by Italy’s Olympic old Perera, who made his one-day Kettleborough, and TV replays showed just before tea. Perera and Eranga con- Committee (CONI) yesterday. Ballan was punished by CONI’s debut in 2007 but had never played a the ball missing the stumps. In the end tinued to frustrate Pakistan bowling, anti-doping tribunal after it ruled he had contravened article Test before, looked more solid during it was Talha who had Prasanna, the with Perera hitting Ajmal for a four and 2.2 of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code relating to his 305-minute batting as he drove and only wicket in the morning session. six to bring up Sri Lanka’s 400. —AFP “the use or attempted use of banned substances”. A statement pulled with perfection before hooking from CONI yesterday confirmed the “responsibility of the ath- paceman Mohammad Talha into the lete Alessandro Ballan in contravening article 2.2 of the World SCOREBOARD Anti-Doping Code and imposes a suspension of two years with hands of deep fine-leg. effect from January 17, 2014 until January 16, 2016. He hit 12 boundaries and two sixes Scoreboard at the close on the second day of the third and final test between Pakistan “Ballan has also been condemned to pay the costs of this and added an invaluable 72 for the and Sri Lanka in Sharjah yesterday. proceeding, estimated at 400 euros and to pay a fine of 2,000 ninth wicket with Shaminda Eranga (25 euros.” Ballan was suspected of being embroiled in a doping not out). Mathews once again Sri Lanka first innings (overnight 220-5) Bowling: Junaid 32-5-81-3, Talha 32-3-99- affair which has also implicated two doctors, Guido Nigrelli and anchored the Sri Lankan batting, defy- D. Karunaratne c Younus b Rehman 34 3 (2nb), Ajmal 55-16-120-2, Rehman 50- Fiorenzo Egeo Bonazzi-both of whom were alleged to have ing Pakistan’s bowling for six hours K. Silva c Sarfraz b Talha 17 14-101-1, Azhar 3-0-11-0 aided his attempt to procure and use banned substances. K. Sangakkara c Manzoor b Junaid 52 before he fell to a miscued drive off CONI prosecutors had initially requested the ban on the basis M. Jayawardene c Azhar b Ajmal 47 Pakistan first innings of evidence supplied by a public prosecutor in Mantua. paceman Junaid Khan who finished D. Chandimal c Shafiq b Ajmal 11 Khurram Manzoor not out 14 CONI banned Nigrelli for life and Bonazzi for four years. The with figures of 3-81. Talha finished with A. Mathews c Shehzad b Junaid 91 Ahmed Shehzad not out 5 statement punished Nigrelli under “article 2.7 and 2.8 of the 3-99 while spinner Saeed Ajmal had 2- P. Jayawardene c Junaid b Talha 35 World Ant-Doping code and has ordered him to be banned Total (no loss; six overs) 19 120. Mathews, who hit 91 and a career D. Perera c Junaid b Talha 95 Still to bat: Azhar Ali, Younus Khan, from practising for life from January 17, 2014. “Bonazzi has R. Herath lbw b Junaid 0 best 157 not out in the drawn first Test Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz been sanctioned for a period of four years, from January 17, S.