SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2014 SPORTS Phelps meets the new generation he inspired

PHOENIX: On the first day of his comeback to competitive swim- ward to watching how he progresses when he switched from short- ing season, really.” ming, Michael Phelps got a first-hand look at the new wave of super course (25-yard pools) to long-course (50-metre pools). Like a lot of swimmers his age, Andrew was inspired by Phelps. He competitors he helped inspire. “Obviously, the kid’s a talented swimmer, he’s broken countless watched in awe as he racked up his Olympic gold medals and once Standing on the pool deck preparing to warm up for his plunge NAG records so I’m excited to see how he can transition into long had his photograph taken with him. back into the water, Phelps was approached by Michael Andrew, the course,” Phelps said. Andrew said he was giddy at the thought of meeting Phelps then teenager who has been dubbed the next big thing in American flattered to be mentioned alongside him. Instead of trying to emulate swimming. Phelps had already heard all about Andrew because he AMAZING SEASON anything Phelps did, Andrew has his own dreams, starting with mak- has been demolishing American national age-group (NAG) records at While the inevitable comparisons with Phelps are largely a futile ing the US team for this year’s Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China. an alarming rate, but he was taken aback by his first meeting with exercise because no one in any Olympic sport has come close to “That is a goal I feel is going to happen. I really hope it does,” he him. Just two weeks after he turned 15, Andrew is already 6ft 5in tall matching his record of 18 gold medals, Andrew is already turning said. “Then my next goal will be Rio in 2016. It’s a tall order and it’s (1.96 meter), an inch taller than Phelps, and still growing. heads in the United States. going to be tough to make it because I’ll only be 17 by then but I With hands the size of saucers and feet that look flippers, he has all He turned pro when he was 14 - a year younger than Phelps was - believe in myself. I’ve done crazier things.” the physical attributes of an elite swimmer and Phelps was naturally and has already lost count of the number of national age group Unlike Phelps, who focused mainly on middle-distance events, intrigued. records he has broken under the guidance of his father and coach Andrew focuses on sprinting, but in all four strokes and says he is “I’d like to try and watch him race a little but more. I didn’t get the Peter. happy just to be part of the new generation. chance to do that this weekend,” he said. On Friday, he spoke with reporters during the USA Swimming “There comes a time when some of the older swimmers will end “But the kid’s massive, he’s huge. He’s like the same size as I am but Grand Prix in suburban Phoenix on Friday. Towering over the gath- up stopping and retiring so we, as the younger new generation, have bigger and I guess that having height is a very good thing for a swim- ered media, he said: “Coming into this season, we kind of made some to come up and make it stronger,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of mer.”Phelps, wary of putting too much pressure on the teenager, said predictions that it’d be cool to break 40 national records, But we end- strong age group phenoms that are coming up and I’m excited to be Andrew needed time and space to develop and he was looking for- ed up going 44 or something like that. “It’s been a blessing, an amaz- a part of it.” — Reuters

Smith takes lead in early career boost

JAKARTA: Australia’s gave keep to the same game plan tomorrow his fledgling professional career a huge which is to hit as many fairways and greens as boost at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian I can and continue to putt well.” Masters yesterday as he took the third India’s Anirban Lahiri, a three-time Asian round lead with a five-under-par 67. Tour winner, displayed the qualities that But two big names at the tournament, made him a EurAsia Cup hero when he shot rising French star Victor Dubuisson and for- a flawless 64 to trail Smith by one in second mer Major winner of place while compatriot Rashid Khan also South Africa, withdrew with shoulder and matched Lahiri’s effort with a 64 to take back injuries respectively. third place. Smith, 20, notched up a three-day total Meanwhile of of 14-under-par 202 at the Royale Jakarta Thailand signed for a 65 to take fourth Golf Club to head into the final round in place on 205 total in the $750,000 Asian pole position in what is only his second Tour event. professional event on the Asian Tour. Smith took up golf professionally after a “I’m feeling good, pretty ecstatic right shining amateur career in which he won a now. I am actually leading a professional tour- series of events including the 2013 nament for the first time,” said Smith, who Australian Amateur, Australian Junior traded five birdies, an eagle and two bogeys, Championship and Australian Stroke Play according to an Asian Tour press release. “I’ll Championship in 2011. — AFP Martin leaves pack behind NEW ORLEANS: Ben Martin could not brought him back to reality, and that was quite emulate his brilliant opening round, the last blemish on his card. but played well enough to open a three- “That was a little bit of a wake-up call,” stroke halfway lead over fellow American said Martin, 26, in his second season on the Andrew Svoboda at the $6.8 million Zurich PGA Tour after losing his card in his 2012 Classic of New Orleans on Friday. rookie campaign. After a course record 62 on Thursday, His form this week is no flash in the pan. the former US Amateur Championship run- He tied for third at the Heritage last week WASHINGTON: Wizards forward Nene (42), from Brazil, looks to pass as Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) defends in the second half of ner-up threatened to run away from the and also posted a third-placing at the Game 3 of an opening-round NBA basketball playoff series. — AP field when he picked up four more strokes Puerto Rico Open in March. in his first four holes on an ideal morning at He credits his recent improvement to a the TPC Louisiana. mental decision to focus on playing consis- Bulls storm past Wizards In the end, a five-under-par 67 was not tently, rather than worrying about winning. quite enough to start planning his victory “I wanted to win two tournaments so I speech, but it nonetheless left Martin in was thinking about winning every week WASHINGTON: Mike Dunleavy scored 35 points, one shy of his career- brought the veterans here as much for their bravado as their basketball. command at 15-under 129. and I was missing cuts, so it was really frus- high, Jimmy Butler hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining, DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points for the Raptors, who have lost 13 Svoboda, without a blemish on his card trating,” he said. and the Chicago Bulls hung on Friday night for a 100-97 win over the straight road playoff games. Patrick Patterson added 17 points but missed all week until he three-putted his final hole, “I changed my goal to being in the top Washington Wizards, trimming the deficit to 2-1 in their Eastern two free throws with a chance to tie for Toronto, whose last postseason shot a 68 to move into second place on 12- 30 (in the tour ranking) at the end of the Conference first round series. Dunleavy went 12 for 19 from the field, victory was May 6, 2001, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at under, with South Korean Noh Seung-yul year and playing in the Tour Championship. including a career-high eight 3 pointers on 10 attempts, for the Bulls, who Philadelphia. (68) another stroke back in third. “Four- “I felt like I played well last weekend, got a are attempting to become only the fourth NBA team to win a seven-game under through four, it was nice to validate bit of confidence from that and hopefully I series after losing the first two at home. Game 4 is today in Washington. ROCKETS 121, TRAIL BLAZERS 116 what I did yesterday, getting off to a hot keep it going.” James Driscoll, meanwhile, Bradley Beal scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter for the Troy Daniels hit a 3-pointer with 11.9 seconds left and Houston nar- start,” Martin told reporters. had a close encounter in a bunker at the Wizards. rowed Portland’s first-round playoff advantage to 2-1. James Harden “Sometimes there can be a bit of a let- 18th hole. With an alligator lurking far too broke out of a slump with a career playoff-best 37 points and Dwight down after a really good round but I hit it close for comfort, Driscoll decided it would NETS 102, RAPTORS 98 Howard added 24 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets. to about six inches on (my first hole) and be prudent to scare the reptile away before Joe Johnson scored 29 points, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett brought a LaMarcus Aldridge had more than 40 points in each of Portland’s victo- chipped in for eagle (on the next). playing out of the sand. charge to their first playoff game in Brooklyn, and the Nets earned a 2-1 ries in the first two games in Houston. But Omer Asik did a good job of “Being 14-under through 22 holes was Fellow competitor John Peterson came unfamiliar ground. I started thinking a little to the rescue, using a rake to poke the lead in their first-round series. shutting him down in Game 3, holding the All-Star forward to 23 points. bit ahead.” A double-bogey at his ninth alligator in the tail and coax it back into Johnson made the clinching free throws with 3.1 seconds left after the The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard with 30 points. hole, the par-five 18th, where he drove into the adjacent pond. Still Driscoll missed Nets blew almost all of a 15-point, fourth-quarter lead. Deron Williams Portland trailed by as many as 11 points in the final quarter but Nicolas a water hazard and also three-putted, the cut. — Reuters added 22 points and eight assists for the sixth-seeded Nets, who host Batum hit a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left to tie the game at 110. Harden Game 4 is today. Pierce had 18 points, and he and Garnett provided the missed a half-court shot at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. game’s signature plays late in the second quarter, a reminder that the Nets Game 4 is scheduled for today at the Moda Center. — AP Quiros chases Levy in China

SHENZHEN: Spain’s Alvaro Quiros remained hot on the heels of leader Alexander Levy at the $3.2 million yesterday, as Ian Poulter branded his own position on the board “disgraceful”. Big-hitting Quiros- winner of six European Tour titles-goes into Sunday’s final round three strokes behind Levy of France after shooting a 68 at the par- 72 Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen. “I am three shots back... but that is nothing in this game,” said the confident Spaniard, who is chasing his first tournament victory for almost two and a half years. “If Alex plays really well then we might not be able to catch him but it is good to know that I have a chance. “I’ve not had the (win- ning) feeling for a long time,” he added. Quiros, renowned for regularly driving the ball more than 300 yards, has been a world top 50 player but he last won at the Dubai World Championship in December 2011 and is now ranked 240th. Levy sits 16-under par after a solid 70, which included a crucial 15-foot putt at the SHENZHEN: In this photo released by OneAsia, Alvaro Quiros of Spain lines up putt during the last for par, as he bids for a career-first title. third round of the Volvo China Open at Genzon Golf Club. — AP His best finish in a tournament so far was third at last year’s BMW International Open. “I drop on Friday. name on the leaderboard,” said. World will be nervous,” said the world number 282. “I shouldn’t be happy with the position I’m number three Henrik Stenson endured “But because you are nervous doesn’t mean in,” said the Ryder Cup veteran, 38. “I dropped another disappointing day, knocking the ball you can’t play well.” Quiros bogeyed the last five shots yesterday in two holes. It’s unac- round in 71 shots to move to only minus four. at the 7,145-yard-long course for a total of ceptable, it’s disgraceful. I should be a lot The Swede had been hoping to advance his 13-under, one ahead of Finland’s Mikko closer to the lead but that’s golf.” Leading the quest of toppling Tiger Woods from the top Ilonen. The Spaniard had been five behind home charge was 18-year-old Li Haotong spot of the world standings this week but has Levy going into late yesterday’s round. who propelled himself up the leaderboard failed to shoot in the 60s after flu hampered Tommy Fleetwood of England and Spain’s with a spotless 67 that leaves him in a tie for his preparations. Stenson started brightly, Adrian Otaegui are tied fourth on 11-under. eighth. making birdies at the first and second, but England’s Poulter traded seven birdies Another strong showing on Sunday will inconsistency set in and he failed to make a with two bogeys for a five-under-par round give the Hunan teenager the biggest pay- charge, dropping three shots. of 67 to leave him a massive ten shots off the check of his young career. His best finish PGA champion Jason Dufner carded a 69 lead. since turning professional aged just 15 came for his best round of the week but lies in a The world number 22, who has been as at the relatively minor New Zealand PGA lowly tie for 30th at three-under par. The 20th high as number five in the rankings, would be Championship last year, when he finished edition of China’s national championship is AVONDALE: Ben Matin hits from the 10th fairway during the second round of the further up the leaderboard were it not for a joint fifth. co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana. — AP two-shot penalty incurred for an incorrect “I am very happy and I hope to keep my OneAsia. — AFP