MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 SPORTS

Golfer attacked, Qataris lead third Ledecky flirts with 800m robbed in Hawaii round of Kuwait Rally freestyle world record HONOLULU: Australian golfer Robert Allenby was recovering on Saturday KUWAIT: Qatari racers Abdullah Al-Kuwari and Nasser Al-Kuwari finished AUSTIN: Katie Ledecky posted the second-fastest 800 meters freestyle in histo- from facial injuries after he was kidnapped, beaten, robbed and dumped in first at the third round of Kuwait Rally Championship, held late Saturday, ry on Saturday, threatening her own world record in a victory at the Arena Pro a park in Honolulu. Allenby, 43, was in Hawaii to compete in the Sony Open after a fierce competition with 24 other Kuwaiti and Arab racers. Kuwaiti Swim Series stop at Austin. The Olympic gold medallist won in eight minutes, at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, but missed the cut veteran racer Salah Bin Edan and his Slovenian co-driver, who dominated 11.21 seconds to complete a sweep of the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m and was planning to fly home on Saturday, the Golf Channel the first and second rounds of the tournament, retreated to the second freestyle events at the meet. She was 28 seconds clear of runner-up Elizabeth reported on its website. But on Friday night, while at the place in the third round. Meanwhile, Kuwait racers Mishari Al-Dhaferi and Beisel, who finished second in 8:39.76. “I swam it the right way, and Amuse Wine Bar in Waikiki with his caddie and a friend, Mubarak Al-Dhaferi won the third place. In the four wheel drive (4WD) cat- that’s always a good feeling,” Ledecky said. “I definitely wanted Allenby said he was taken from the bar and robbed of his egory, UAE racers Ali Al-Shawi and Ali Al-Obaidi finished first. The all-terrain to take advantage of that.” Throughout much of the first 600 wallet, cell phone, cash and credit cards before waking up vehicle (ATV), also known as a quad bike, category race was won by racers meters, Ledecky was under the pace of her world record of groggy in a park about six miles (10 km) away. “I’m just Mohammad Mubarak and Mohammad Al-Najdi. Chairman of the Rally’s 8:11.00, set on June 22, 2014 at Shenandoah, Texas. “I’m glad to be alive,” Allenby told Reuters by telephone. and Motocross Organizing Committee at Sheikh Basel Al-Salem Al-Sabah feeling pretty good. I know that training is paying off,” “I’m still in a bit of shock. I’ve been checked out by a Club Sheikh Athbi Al-Nayef Al-Jaber Al-Sabah expressed admiration of the Ledecky said. “My last three weeks have been some doctor, and I should be ok. “I was separated from my remarkable performance of all participants. The racers reflected through of my best training, and I’m just hoping to carry friend in the bar after we had paid the tab,” Allenby their performance strong technical abilities, he told KUNA. The first round that on for the next couple of months.” The recounted. “Next thing you know, I’m being dumped of Kuwait Rally Championship 2014-2015 were held in November and the meet is the second of six stops on the in a park miles away. A homeless woman found me final round would be held in April. Dozens of veteran racers from Kuwait, 2014-15 Pro Swim Series. The next event and told me she saw a few guys pull up and throw me Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Jordan are fighting to win in the series is in Orlando, Florida, out of a car.” —Reuters the championship. —KUNA February 12-14. — AFP

MINI celebrates fourth consecutive overall win at

MUNICH: The MINI brand has achieved further ment, which the worldwide MINI community is to be a great all-rounder. “With now four Dakar van Loon/Wouter Rosegaar (NL/NL) came in a 13 Zhou/Schulz - MINI ALL4 Racing - 46:07:49h success at the Dakar Rally. After covering more obviously delighted about.” victories in a row to its name from 2012 to strong fourth after entering the “Dakar” in the 17 Terranova/Graue - MINI ALL4 Racing - than 9,000 kilometres spanning , “We always knew there would be many 2015, the MINI ALL4 Racing proved once more MINI ALL4 Racing for the first time. Vladimir 47:39:19h and , MINI won the world’s tough- unforeseeable challenges on this 9,000+ kilo- to be the car to beat confirming its reliability, Vasilyev/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RU/RU) - overall 21 Schott/Schmidt - MINI ALL4 Racing - est rally for the fourth time in a row. Nasser Al- meter adventure across South America and strength and agility in a convincing manner,” winners of the 2014 FIA World Cup for Cross- 49:51:23h Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel (QT/FR) crossed the that the final result remains unpredictable till Goller said. “Our goal this year wasto achieve Country-Rallies in the MINI ALL4 Racing - fin- finishing line in the Argentinian capital Buenos the very last days of the rally,” said Goller. “On another great overall team result and, with five ished fifth. Aidyn Rakhimbayev/Anton MINI ALL4 Racing Lineup Aires (AR) as the overall winners, having won the other hand we also knew that the x-raid MINI ALL4Racing finishing the 2015 Dakar Nikolaev (KZ/RU) also ranked among the top Monster Energy Rally Raid Team five of the 13 legs in their MINI ALL4 Racing. team, the MINI ALL4 Racing and of course all Rally in the top ten, nine MINI ALL4 Racing ten, securing ninth place overall. Nine of the #300 /Michel PÈrin (ES/FR) “I promised last year when I was on the MINI drivers entered the competition extreme- reaching the finish line, eleven stage victories ten MINI ALL4 Racing cars that started the race #305 Orlando Terranova/Bernardo “Ronnie” podium that I’d be back to win, and now I’m ly well-prepared and for this I want topersonal- with four different drivers and Nasser winning made it across the finishing line in Buenos Graue (AR/AR) here,” said Al-Attiyah. “It was very hard to lead ly thank the x-raid team head Sven Quandt.” the world’s toughest marathon rally, we have Aires. #306 Krzysztof Holowczyc/Xavier Panseri the race from the very beginning and to con- The “Dakar” entrants faced numerous successfully met all our targets. During the (PL/FR) tinue keeping this position on the long dis- unforeseeable challenges on the demanding 2015 Dakar Rally, we have certainly seen the Results 2015 Dakar Rally tance. Also because the race was really hard. route from in Argentina via best MINI ALL4 Racing ever, and I am already 01 Al-Attiyah/Baumel - MINI ALL4 Racing - X-raid Team I’m very happy about this great result and I Iquique in Chile and Uyuni in Bolivia. From clas- looking forward to seeing it compete in the 40:32:25h #310 Vladimir Vasilyev/Konstantin Zhiltsov want to thank and congratulate all mechanics sic gravel rallying in Argentina and winding 2015 long- distance World Cup in preparation 02 De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz - 41:07:59h (RU/RU) and the team for the great job they have done mountain roads through the at altitudes for the 2016 Dakar Rally.” 03 Holowczyc/Panseri - MINI ALL4 Racing - #314 Erik van Loon/Wouter Rosegaar (NL/NL) during the two weeks. The MINI ALL4 Racing is of up to 4,500 metres in Bolivia to the extreme- All in all, the MINI ALL4 Racing won eleven 42:04:26h #319 Boris Garafulic/Filipe Palmeiro (CL/PT) an incredible car and it was again very nice to ly dry and hot Atacama Desert in Chile with its of the 13 legs at this year’s “Dakar”. Five of 04 Van Loon/Rosegaar - MINI ALL4 Racing - #329 Aidyn Rakhimbayev/Anton Nikolaev drive.” towering dunes and fine sand, the “Dakar” test- these were double victories for MINI. No fewer 43:34:17h (KZ/RU) “Nasser Al-Attiyah winning the 2015 Dakar ed both man and machine to their limits. The than four MINI ALL4 Racing cars ranked 05 Vasilyev/Zhiltsov - MINI ALL4 Racing - #332 Zhou Yong/Andreas Schulz (CN/DE) Rally in the MINI ALL4 Racing is continuing the drivers and co-drivers had to remain absolutely among the top five cars in the overall stand- 43:45:06h #334 Stephan Schott/Holm Schmidt (DE/DE) success story of MINI at one of the toughest focused throughout the event. ings. 09 Rakhimbayev/Nikolaev - MINI ALL4 Racing - races in motorsport,” said Senior Vice President The MINI ALL4 Racing provided further Al-Attiyah/Baumel were joined at the top of 44:41:09h Qatar Rally Team MINI, Jochen Goller. “I would like to congratu- impressive evidence of its speed and reliability the table by Krzysztof Holowczyc/Xavier 12 Garafulic/Palmeiro - MINI ALL4 Racing - #301 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel late him and his team to this fantastic achieve- at the 2015 Dakar Rally. Once again, it proved Panseri (PL/FR) in third place overall, while Erik 46:00:34h (QT/FR). Armitage stars as Toulon first into quarter-finals

PARIS: Steffon Armitage scored a hat-trick as Toulon turned on the power and style in becoming the first side to reach the European Champions Cup quarter-finals following Saturday’s 60-22 win over Ulster. The reigning champions earned a bonus point after run- ning in eight tries through Nicolas Sanchez, Bryan Habana, Mathieu Bastareaud, Martin Castrogiovanni, Armitage’s treble and Mamuka Gorgodze. Leigh Halfpenny kicked 20 points for the hosts while Ulster curiously managed an attacking bonus point with four tries of their own from Paddy Jackson, Mike McComish, Jared Payne and Lewis Stevenson. Meanwhile, Leinster kept the Irish knock-out hopes alive as they wracked up a bonus point from seven tries in their 50-8 win over sorry Castres. But they face a tough finale next week at Wasps, who stunned Harlequins 23-3 at the Twickenham Stoop. The try-fest in Toulon — 12 in total-gave the hosts a five- Winners of the recently concluded tournament of late Sheikh Fahad Al-Salem Al- Sheikha Latifa receiving a plague from Duaij Al-Otaibi. point lead over Leicester, who got a bonus point in a 40-23 Sabah. thrashing of Scarlets on Friday night, at the top of Pool 3. As Toulon took five competition points compared to Leicester’s four in the two games between the sides, the Tournament of late Sheikh Fahad French champions cannot now be overtaken by the Tigers. “The mission for today was to qualify and take the bonus point. Now we’ll savour it and prepare for the next match,” said Toulon manager Bernard Laporte. Al-Salem Al-Sabah concludes Leicester will need to win away to Ulster in their final group match next weekend, and probably with a bonus point too, if they are to join Toulon in the last eight. Fourth Annual Grand Prix begins on Jan 29 Ulster came into the match knowing that only an unlikely upset would keep their faint hopes alive and for the first half By Abdellatif Sharaa Eng Duaij Al-Otaibi presented Sheikha hour, they remained in contention. Sanchez’s converted try Latifa and Sheikh Mubarak Al-Fahad Al- and a Halfpenny penalty were countered by a pair of tries KUWAIT: Tournament of late Sheikh Fahad Salem two mementos on the occasion. from Jackson and McComish, leaving the score at 13-10 on the Al-Salem Al-Sabah was concluded Results of the tournament are as follows: half hour mark. But South Africa wing Habana finished off a sweeping backs move and burly centre Bastareaud did a dou- Saturday, and a ceremony was held under Air pistol-men: Ali Saad Al-Mutairi, Suhail ble roll to cross the tryline as Toulon turned the screw to lead the patronage of Sheikha Latifa Al-Fahad Al-Shimmari, Saad Al-Ajmi. 27-10 at the break.— AFP Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Information Minister for Air rifle-men: Khalid Al-Shubaie, Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al- Mohammad Abdulrahman, Abdallah Al- Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, President of Harby. Kuwait and Arab Shooting Federations Air pistol-women: Mariam Iyad, Athari Engr Duaij Al-Otaibi, KSSC Deputy Qurban, Asrar Al-Enezi. Chairman Mohammad Karam, Secretary Air rifle-women:Mariam Irzouqi, General of Kuwait and Arab Shooting Fatima Abdelmalek, Munira Al-Anjari. Federations Obaid Al-Osaimi, sheikhs and Air rifle-women juniors: Zahra Al-Safar, board members were also in attendance. Duaa Al-Duwaikhi, Dalal Al-Furaih. Obaid Al-Osaimi welcomed those pres- Air rifle-men-junior:Abdelmalek Al- ent and thanked Sheikha Latifa for her Enezi, Abdelaziz Al-Thukair, Suleiman Al- annual patronage of the tournament, as Asousi. well as Sheikh Salman and the late Sheikh Air pistol-men-junior: Khalifa Al-Thafiri, Fahad family for participating in distribut- Mohammad Al-Thafiri, Abdelrahman Al- ing cups and prizes of the tournament Balood. TOULON: Ulster’s player Robbie Diack (L) vies for the which coincides with preparations for HH Archery-men-compound: Ahmad Al- ball with Toulon’s player Romain Mikautadze (R) dur- the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Shatti, Salem Al-Saeed, Abdallah Al-Ajmi. ing the European Rugby Union Champions Cup match Al-Sabah Fourth Annual Grand Prix, to be Archery-men-Olympic: Mohammad between Toulon and Ulster on Saturday at Mayol stadi- opened January 29, 2015 with the partici- Musallam, Abdallah Taha, Ahmad Al-Shatti. um, Toulon, southern France. —AFP From left Sheikh Salman, Engr Duaij Al-Otaibi and Obaid Al-Osaimi pation of 52 countries.