Sport THURSDAY 5 AuGust 2021 Canadian De Grasse wins 200m gold In 2016 I was a kid and inexperienced but now I have so many expectations to come away with medals. I wanted to show the world all my injuries are behind me and I can bring home a gold medal. Andre de Grasse Sport | 15 TOKYO OLYMPICS: FOOTBALL BRONZE MEDAL MATCHES: (TODAY - WOMEN) Australia vs USA; (TOMORROW - MEN) Mexico vs Japan Qatar pair post straight-set win over Italian duo in last 8 stage M E D A L S 1 China 32 22 16 70 2 USA 25 31 23 79 Cherif, Tijan storm into semi-finals 3 Japan 21 7 12 40 4 Great Britain 15 18 15 48 THE PENINSULA – TOKYO 5 Australia 15 4 17 36 Qatar’s World No. 1 beach volleyball 6 ROC 14 21 18 53 pair of Cherif Younousse and Ahmed 7 Germany 8 8 16 32 Tijan cruised into the semi-finals of the 8 France 6 10 9 25 Tokyo Games, outplaying Italian coun- 9 Italy 6 9 15 30 terparts in straight sets at Shiokaze 10 Netherlands 6 8 9 23 Park, yesterday. 11 South Korea 6 4 9 19 The Asian Games gold winners will take on the reigning world champions 12 New Zealand 6 4 5 15 Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Oleg Stoy- 13 Cuba 5 3 4 12 anovskiy of Russian Olympic Com- 14 Hungary 4 5 3 12 mittee today for a place in Saturday’s 15 Canada 4 4 7 15 final. 16 Brazil 4 3 8 15 Italy’s Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo, who occupy the 10th spot in the 17 Czech Republic 4 3 1 8 FIVB Beach Volleyball rankings, 18 Switzerland 3 4 5 12 struggled to keep up the pace with the 19 Poland 3 3 4 10 Qatari duo in yesterday’s last-eight 20 Croatia 3 3 2 8 clash despite a three-point lead early 21 Sweden 2 5 0 7 in the first set. 22 Chinese Taipei 2 4 5 11 After 8-8, the Qatari team took control of the scoreboard and never let 23 Georgia 2 4 1 7 go through the end of the first set of 24 Denmark 2 2 3 7 their late-night clash yesterday. 25 Norway 2 2 1 5 The second set was far more com- 26 Jamaica 2 1 2 5 petitive and the Italians even pushed it 27 Iran 2 1 1 4 to overtime. 27 Slovenia 2 1 1 4 They denied two Qatar stars match points, but on the third one Cherif killed 29 Ecuador 2 1 0 3 Qatar's Ahmed Tijan shoots to score against Italy’s 30 Greece 2 0 1 3 to stop the clocks at 2-0 (21-17, 23-21). Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo during their 30 Uzbekistan 2 0 1 3 Following yesterday’s win, a jubilant quarter-final match yesterday. Cherif stated that he is grateful to be in 32 Kosovo 2 0 0 2 the semis in Tokyo. 32 QATAR 2 0 0 2 “I’m grateful to be in the semi-final, giving up. Now we’ll get a good rest, Thole and Wickler kept the fire burning, to celebrate with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) 34 Spain 1 4 5 10 because it took us maybe six or seven because tomorrow we are going to be but were only able to catch up occa- victory. years to build this team. It’s a long here again.” sionally without regaining control Four years ago at Rio Games, Cherif 35 Romania 1 3 0 4 process. But we trust the process. For Their opponents in today’s match, through the ends of the sets. and Tijan crashed out of the last 16 stage 35 Venezuela 1 3 0 4 sure, the road is going to be very dif- Krasilnikov and Stoyanovskiy pro- At first match point, Stoyanovskiy after losing to Krasilnikov and his then ficult; there will be some ups and gressed to the semi-finals after a delivered the winner in an extraor- partner Konstantin Semenov. downs. But we didn’t give up and we’re straight-set victory over Germany’s dinary manner. However, this time in Tokyo, the thankful to be here,” said Cherif. Julius Thole and Clemens Wickler. In an attempt to block, he practi- Qatar side will be looking to take Qatar team “It was a very tough game mentally. The Germans had a slight early lead; cally set the ball for himself and then revenge as they target a place in the They were playing really well and not then the world champs stepped in front. hammered it into the opponents’ side gold medal match. moves up 16 Weightlifting: spots in FIFA Retirement comes to my mind but World Ranking Georgia’s ambition drives me, says Barshim QNA – DOHA Talakhadze The Qatari national football team advanced 16 places in the FIFA breaks THE PENINSULA – DOHA saying, “my message to students is rankings, to 42nd in the world, nothing is impossible.” With the gold in Tokyo on Sunday, behind the Russian team, which Three Olympic medals including a gold “In Doha (World Championships), ranked 41st. world record at the ongoing Tokyo Games, back-to- the level was good, but the challenge at Barshim completed a set of medals This distinguished position back World titles and multiple Diamond the time was that I was returning from including a bronze at London 2012 came after the high level presented REUTERS – TOKYO League victories, Mutaz Barshim has an injury. The fear and question was will and 2016 Rio Games silver medal, by the team in the Gold Cup cham- almost achieved all the glory in his illus- I succeed in the task or not, especially pionship, in which it reached the Georgian strong man Lasha Tala- trious career despite facing many injury since there was no time or tournaments becoming the first Asian to win all semi-final stage, where it narrowly khadze broke his own world record setbacks. to prepare. The ratio at the time was three Olympic medals in athletics. lost against the US team, which won to retain the title in the men’s With the gold in Tokyo on Sunday, 50:50, but there was a pressure factor the title at the expense of the heaviest weight class at the Tokyo Barshim also completed a set of medals very big from Mexican team. Olympics yesterday with a combined including a bronze at London 2012 and the audience The Qatari team had played five lift of 488 kg. 2016 Rio Games silver medal, becoming at Khalifa International Stadium, and matches in the Gold Cup, winning Talakhadze, who won a gold at the first Asian to do so in athletics. thank Allah for the achievement,” he three, drawing one and losing one the 2016 Rio Games in the same cat- But the 30-year-old still eyes a lot added. match against America. egory, lifted 223 kg for the snatch of ambitions as he goes against the idea He said the competition in the high With the end of the team’s cam- and 265 kg for the clean and jerk to of retirement. jump final in Tokyo was tough. paign in the continental champi- also break his own world records in “Retirement comes to my mind but “The event was more difficult and onship, Qatar will resume their the two categories. ambition motivates me to continue,” the the strongest in the history of the European qualifiers in Group A, and “I feel pretty good - I have just high jump superstar Barshim said in an Olympic Games in the modern era. It is meet with Portugal, Serbia and Lux- gained a second Olympic gold medal interview with a media delegation in difficult to find three players who win embourg on September 1, 4 and 7 and of course I have also set another Tokyo yesterday. with a height of over 2.37, as well as two next. world record,” Talakhadze said Brashim agreed to share gold medal players who exceed 2.35 and no players through an interpreter. with his Italian friend Gianmarco of 2.33. It was historically the best com- “We were for a long time looking Tamberi, deciding against the tie- petition,” said Barshim. forward to the Olympics and to win breaker after both scaled 2.37m in the When asked about his routine on Sweden, Canada this gold.” His total was 47 kilos more men’s high jump final. the nights of finals, Barshim said he than Iran’s Ali Davoudi, who took To a query, the Qatari hero said try to take rest as much as ask for women’s silver in the men’s +109 kg class. his target was to win a gold possible. Syria’s Man Asaad took the bronze medal in Tokyo not the world “They are different football final with 424 kg. record of 2.45m, set by Cuban nights. I always try to rest Talakhadze dominated the field Javier Sotomayor back in as much as possible. to be moved from the beginning. He was the last 1993. Sometimes, I speak with lifter to start both the snatch and the “World record is my parents or watch REUTERS – TOKYO clean and jerk, and made three con- among my goals but movies and series so Sweden and Canada have asked secutive attempts for each. adventure in Olympics that I can overcome Olympic organisers to move what is In his third snatch, Talakhadze is not possible,” he said.