FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 3 GOLF | Page 7 Isco’s magic Spieth, McIlroy strike wins favoured at Super Cup for soggy PGA Real Madrid Championship Thursday, August 10, 2017 TENNIS Dhul-Qa’da 18, 1438 AH Federer cruises, GULF TIMES Schwartzman shocks Thiem in Montreal SPORT Page 5 Haroun’s moment of glory at 2017 Athletics Worlds Qatar’s Abdallelah Haroun (right) celebrates his bronze medal with gold medallist Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa (centre) and silver medallist Steven Gardiner of Bahamas on the podium for the men’s 400m event at the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships in London yesterday. (Reuters) Qatar’s Abdallelah Haroun celebrates after the men’s 400m final race in London on Tuesday. 2017 IAAF WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS Warholm storms home to American Phyllis Francis wins 400m gold, Felix manages 400m hurdles gold bronze, Miller-Uibo fourth AFP London Qatar’s Bader and Barshim get ready for Worlds action arsten Warholm of Norway won the men’s 400 metres hurdles world QNA Hero — Tokyo 2020’ project with an title yesterday to give his country London eye on winning medals at the the their fi rst gold in the event. next Olympic Games in the Japanese KThe 21-year-old produced a stunning per- capital. formance to lead from start to fi nish to win in atar’s Ahmed Bader will start The other athletes, who are part of 48.35 seconds with Turkey’s Yasmani Copel- his participation today at the the project, include Mutaz Barshim, lo taking second. Q2017 IAAF World Athletics Abdallelah Haroun, Abderrahaman “I don’t know how I feel man, I can’t be- Championships in London, which Samba and Ashraf Elseify. lieve it,” gasped Warholm. concludes on Sunday. Bader will be up against some of the America’s Olympic champion and race fa- Bader will participate alongside best javelin throwers in the world, vourite Kerron Clement took the bronze. 22 other athletes divided into two with Germany’s Johannes Vetter Warholm, a former decathlete, deployed groups (A, B), with the 12 best eff orts topping them all with an eff ort of similar tactics to his semi-fi nal burst- qualifying for tomorrow’s finals. 94.44m at this year’s Swiss Interna- ing from the blocks and tearing away with The 21-year-old, who became the first tional Athletics Championships. Clement content to run at the pace that has Qatari ever to take part in the Olym- Two-time Qatari Olympic medallist brought him two world titles as well as the pic javelin competition, has hit the Barshim, who won silver in Rio last Olympic gold. ground running, qualifying for the year and bronze at 2012 London The Norwegian, who was also Scandina- 2017 World Championships in Lon- Games, will be in action starting via’s fi rst world champion in the event, had don after topping the competition in tomorrow. tied up in the semi-fi nal but this time he the 16th GCC Athletics Championship Barshim seems to be in amazing showed no signs of fatigue. in April. form this year, having won all four of He came to the fi nal hurdle with Clement Bader, who was the youngest com- the Diamond League competitions having eased himself to within striking dis- petitor in his discipline in Rio 2016, he participated in, including at home tance of him and looking dangerous. has kept himself equally busy this in Doha. He is one of the few athletes, However, it was the 31-year-old American year. Pushing himself in a two-month who have come close to beating the who faltered when it mattered, stumbling long training camp in Finland, com- world record of 2.45m set by Cuban over the fi nal obstacle being passed by the (From left) Qatar’s Abderrahaman Samba, US athlete Kerron Clement and Norway’s Karsten Warholm compete in the peting in Arab and Asian champion- legend Javier Sotomayor. fast-fi nishing European champion Copello men’s 400m hurdles final at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London yesterday. Warholm won the event. (AFP) ships, and taking part in the Diamond Barshim has said time and again that and was fortunate to have just enough left in League series for the first time ever the world record has been on his his legs to take third. in his home town Doha in May. mind but winning gold is of utmost Warholm celebrated by donning a ‘Viking Bader will relish his opportunity to importance. A big clash is expected helmet’ on his lap of honour. compete with the more experienced between some of the best high jump- Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba was seventh athletes, especially because he has ers in the world, including Barshim, with a time of 49.74 seconds. been chosen by the Qatar Olympic Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko and Committee (QOC) for the ‘Olympic Canada’s Derek Drouin. FRANCIS SHOCKS FELIX, MILLER-UIBO FOR WORLD 400M GOLD In the last race of the evening, American Phyllis Francis ripped up the form book to claim a shock gold in the women’s 400m. The race had been billed as a straight duel between multi-medalled American Allyson Felix, the defending champion, and Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo. But clear leader Miller-Uibo tied up in shocking fashion with 20 metres to run to allow hard-charging Francis, 25, win with a personal best of 49.92 seconds. Bahrain teenager Salwa Eid Naser claimed silver in a national record of 50.06, with Felix taking bronze, just 0.02sec adrift, as Miller- Uibo went from fi rst to fourth in the fi nal Turkey’s Yasmani Copello celebrates after finishing second in the men’s Phyllis Francis of the US reacts to her strides. 400m hurdles final in London yesterday. (AFP) women’s 400m final win. (Reuters) Gulf Times 2 Thursday, August 10, 2017 SPORT 2017 IAAF WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS SPOTLIGHT Qatar’s hammer Lavillenie misses thrower Elseify pole vault gold again aims high in London and beyond By Sports Reporter to make Qatar proud.” Doha The cornerstone of Elseify’s ap- proach to sporting success is his un- as Kendricks wins shakable commitment to the funda- eam Qatar’s Ashraf Elseify mentals: “There are three things any has been training relentlessly champion should always be commit- Frenchman had to settle for fourth worlds bronze on countback towards one goal — reaching ted to maintain their performance the fi nals of the IAAF World and improve: train well, sleep well, TAthletics Championship. Elseify is and eat well. The most important DPA London Qatar’s hammer throw prodigy and thing in training is to have a clear was the fi rst junior hammer thrower and organised schedule and to have to ever defend his world champion- a clear goal and to just keep training.” either a return to London’s ship title back-to-back in 2012 and His hammer throw dreams will not Olympic Stadium nor a sur- 2014 – setting a world junior record stop at winning a medal in London. prise 800-metre gold from in the process. The Aspire Academy graduate aims compatriot Pierre Ambroise Elseify went on to fi nish sixth at to continue building on his success at NBosse eventually helped French pole the Rio Games – his fi rst ever partici- every major athletics event, eventu- vault great Renaud Lavellenie get the pation in the fl agship event, and has ally leading him to his ultimate ambi- elusive world title. only gained momentum since. Last tion — breaking the world record. Lavillenie fouled his fi rst jump over May, he snagged a bronze medal in Speaking on his career, Elseify said: 5.89m just seconds after Bosse had the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku. “I’m satisfi ed with my performance so crossed the fi nish line on Tuesday – and “In Rio I learned that I should not far, although I wanted to win medals after Poland’s Piotr Lisek and American be afraid. At the start of the compe- in my previous competitions. I have so Sam Kendricks had cleared. tition I was afraid and stressed, but much optimism in my new coach and He managed the height in his second I learned how to conquer those feel- I’m really keen to achieve greater suc- attempt, but it was to no avail, as Ken- ings. I learned to be more focused and cess. I will work hard to win a medal in dricks then soared 5.95m to get gold – to trust myself,” Elseify said. the next IAAF World Athletics Cham- and Lavillenie had to settle for a fourth Since Rio, Qatar’s rising hammer pionships Doha 2019, and in Tokyo worlds bronze on countback against the thrower has dedicated his time to 2020 Olympics, but my ultimate goal is title holder Lisek on a cool evening. perfecting his skill. Ashraf has spent to break the world record.” “I cheered for Bosse, it helped me keep a large part of the season so far in Augmenting Elseify’s drive and my motivation,” said Lavillenie, adding training camps — one in USA for two focus on his sport is his family, who on his own event: “Between the gold and months, another in Africa for one have supported him every step of the bronze there was only a fraction.” month, and recently two camps in way. Lavillenie won Olympic gold 2012 in Poland — all to be ready to represent “My family always encourage me the same stadium and two years later Qatar against some of the best ath- to do my best.