16 Reigning World, Olympic Champs for Diamond League ‘There Is a Strong Line-Up in the Women’S 800M, So There Is No Better Place to Make My Debut Over This Distance’
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FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 3 NBA | Page 5 PSG rout Wizards and Monaco 5-0, Celtics back on reach French top in Eastern Cup fi nal Conference Friday, April 28, 2017 TENNIS Sha’baan 2, 1438 AH ‘Solid’ Sharapova GULF TIMES wins second match on comeback SPORT Page 4 ATHLETICS / DOHA DIAMOND LEAGUE 16 reigning world, Olympic champs for Diamond League ‘There is a strong line-up in the women’s 800m, so there is no better place to make my debut over this distance’ By Sports Reporter Doha ith just one week to go, the line-up of global superstar athletes that will feature in the Doha 2017 Diamond WLeague promises to be one of the best- ever as Genzebe Dibaba becomes the latest big name to be confi rmed. The Ethiopian ensures that there will be no less than 16 reigning Olympic and World Champions, and a total of 44 global medallists competing in Qatar Sports Club on May 5. Commenting on this year’s scintil- lating line-up, President of the Qatar Athletics Federation, Dr Thani Abdul- rahman al-Kuwari, said: “We are very excited to welcome so many of the world’s best athletes to Qatar in just one week’s time for the eighth con- secutive edition of the Doha Diamond League. We cannot wait to witness some thrilling rivalries as Olympic and World Champions go head to head, en- suring a phenomenal atmosphere in- side Qatar Sports Club. “It is our ambition to stage the best Doha Diamond League event so far, helping to showcase the excitement of athletics to new audiences, inspir- ing young athletes and developing our Home crowd will have many athletes to cheer for, including Olympic hero and Rio high jump silver medallist, Mutaz Barshim. sport to even greater levels across the whole of the Middle East.” a huge crowd of supportive Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba is the reigning fans cheering for me and I cannot wait World Champion and Rio 2016 Olympic to return to kick off my 2017 season.” silver medallist in the 1500m, as well as Other key female athletes to look out the 2015 world bronze medallist in the for on 5th May will be: Elaine Thomp- 5000m. Looking for a new challenge, son of Jamaica and Dafne Schippers of the 26 year-old will turn her focus to The Netherlands – the reigning Olym- the 800m in the upcoming 2017 season, pic and World Champions respectively with the Doha Diamond League mark- – who go head to head in the 200m; ing her debut over this shorter distance. Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Kat- Dibaba will face tough competition erina Stefanidi of Greece who goes up from two-time Olympic and two-time against 2015 World Champion Yarisley World Champion, Caster Semenya of Silva of Cuba in the pole vault; as well South Africa who was unbeaten over as Bahrain’s fi rst-ever Olympic Cham- 800m in 2016. Also lining up are Rio pion Ruth Jebet, who heads the fi eld in 2016 800m silver medallist, Francine the 3000m steeplechase, and Michelle Niyonsaba, who became Burundi’s Carter of the US who is favourite in the fi rst-ever female medallist in Rio, and shot put. 2014 World Junior Champion and Rio In the men’s events, the javelin is 2016 800m bronze medallist, Margaret set to be a thriller as German reigning Reigning world champion Christian Taylor of the USA will be looking for his third Wambui of Kenya in what is expected Olympic Champion Thomas Röhler Doha Diamond League crown in the triple jump. to be a riveting race over two laps of the faces a showdown against Jamaica’s track. reigning World Champion, Julius Yego. Meanwhile the home-crowd will fastest 400m hurdles time in the world Commenting on her 800m de- Two-time Olympic Champion, reign- have plenty of athletes to cheer for. this year, and Hamza Driouch, Qa- but, Dibaba said: “The track at Qa- ing World Champion and Doha crowd Olympic hero and Rio 2016 high jump tar’s 2010 Youth Olympic Games silver tar Sports Club is very fast and there favourite, Christian Taylor of the USA silver medallist, Mutaz Barshim leads a medallist who features in the 1500m. is an extremely strong line-up in the will be looking for his third Doha Dia- Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba is the reigning World Champion and Rio 2016 Olympic strong line-up that features the fastest The Doha Diamond League action women’s 800m this year, so there is mond League crown in the triple jump, silver medallist in the 1500m. She will be making her debut in the 800m event. man in Asia, Femi Ogunode who goes in kicks off at 17:55 on Friday, May 5, at no better place to make my debut over whilst fellow US Olympic Champions the 100m, aspiring javelin thrower and Qatar Sports Club. Tickets are priced this distance. When I last competed in Kerron Clement and LaShawn Merritt 400m respectively. Heading the large steeplechase champion, Conselsus Ki- Rio 2016 Olympian Ahmed Bedeir, Ab- from just QR40 and can be bought on- the Doha Diamond League, there was will feature in the 400m hurdles and Kenyan team will be Rio 2016 3000m pruto who goes up in the 3000m fl at. derrahman Samba who recently ran the line now at www.q-tickets.com MOTORSPORT ‘Jordan Rally very important in the Middle East’ Agencies But the 12-time regional rally cham- the experience is with us to do this.” total more than 240kms in and around Amman, Jordan pion is now turning his attention to Al-Attiyah crashed in the Abu Dhabi the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley areas. Jordan, where an 11th win at the event Desert Challenge three weeks ago and The action gets underway on May 4 would put him back on top of the Mid- is still suff ering from the resulting neck with a specially created spectator stage s rallying in the Middle East dle East Rally Championship following injury, which restricted the use of his on the banks of the Dead Sea. The same faces some testing times, the a disappointing opening round in his left hand at the time. stage will bring the action to a close two biggest regional name in the home event earlier this year. However, he showed this past week days later on the evening of May 6. sport, Nasser Saleh al-Atti- “The Jordan Rally is very important in Qatar that he is back to near full fi t- The event is being pulled together Ayah, has underlined the importance of in the Middle East,” said al-Attiyah. ness. He will need to be, with a decent thanks to a huge national eff ort sup- the upcoming Jordan Rally, which takes “Jordan is always a nice race with tech- fi eld ready to pounce on any mistake he ported by the Jordanian Government place from May 4-6. nical stages. It was part of the World may make in Jordan next week. and its security and safety services. The Qatari is in sizzling form, having Rally Championship and the organisa- The regional series has been reduced won the gruelling fi ve-day Qatar Cross tion is really good there as they help the to just fi ve rallies this year with Iran, Country Rally at the weekend, despite competitors a lot. Lebanon and Cyprus joining Jordan and Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah at the struggling with a neck injury following “This year we need to have a really Qatar on the list. pre-event press conference of the FIA a crash at a similar event in Abu Dhabi good race. We will try to go and win the The fi nishing touches are being put World Cup event in Abu Dhabi earlier earlier this month. race. I think we have a great chance and to Jordan’s 18 world-class stages which this month. Gulf Times 2 Friday, April 28, 2017 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT ALL OUT Have to gamble and ‘We are showing win at any cost: Wenger we’re ready to fi ght’ Mauricio Pochettino claimed Tottenham’s gritty 1-0 win at Crystal Palace showed they were ready to pounce if Chelsea stumble in the title race Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. AFP “They defend well, but in the London end I think the win rewards the team which took the initiative during the game. rsenal manager Arsene “Let’s not forget as well that Wenger said his side we played on Sunday afternoon. know exactly what they Leicester didn’t play at all over must do in the Champi- the weekend, so we knew we had Aons League qualifi cation race af- a little handicap on that front.” ter watching them gain a 1-0 win Wenger promised Arsenal will over Leicester City. approach Sunday’s north Lon- With time slipping away at the don derby at Tottenham Hotspur Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, purely as another step towards Wenger threw on Danny Welbeck Champions League qualifi cation, and Olivier Giroud to fi nish with not a chance to halt their rivals’ four strikers on the pitch. title charge. His side eventually prevailed “We play for us,” said the courtesy of a late own goal by Frenchman, whose future at Ar- Robert Huth. senal remains up in the air. Arsenal remain outside the “In life you work for your own Champions League places, but achievements, not for those of Wenger said: “We have one ad- others.” vantage — the advantage of clarity. Wenger played down a touch- “We have to win our games, so line incident between Alexis that’s why we cannot be happy Sanchez and Christian Fuchs with a 0-0.