MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2017 SPORTS Barca’s Vidal to Swiss canton rejects Former All Black miss rest of season funds to mount 2026 bid Lauaki dies aged 35 ST MORITZ: Voters in the Swiss canton of Graubunden yesterday WELLINGTON: Former All Black Sione Lauaki has died at the age of 35, New BARCELONA: Barcelona right-back Aleix Vidal will take no further part in the rejected a loan that would have helped finance a bid to host the Zealand Rugby said yesterday. The cause of death was not immediately Spanish champions quest for a treble this season after suffering a dislocated 2026 Winter Olympics. The result effectively rules out an effort to revealed but the powerful loose forward had apparently suffered from kidney right ankle that will keep him out for five months. Vidal was injured with just host the Games by the eastern Switzerland region. The cantonal failure. “The thoughts of everyone are with the family of Sione Lauaki. Sione three minutes to go of Barca’s 6-0 rout at Alaves on Saturday when he government in December approved the proposed financing played 17 Tests from 2005-2008. AB#1055. Gone too came off worst in a challenge with on-loan Atletico Madrid defend- scheme worth 25 million Swiss francs ($25 million, 23.4 million soon. RIP, Wax,” New Zealand Rugby tweeted, er Lucas Hernandez. “The player has been transferred to a hospital euros). The plan foresaw the Swiss Olympic committee, the fed- referring to Lauaki by his nickname. Lauaki in Vitoria and a dislocation to the right ankle that required recon- eral government and the regional government each making 8 made his Super Rugby debut for the Waikato structive surgery has been confirmed,” Barca said in a statement. million Swiss francs available to support a bid, with locals chip- Chiefs in 2004 and was selected for the All “The approximate downtime will be about five months.” Vidal had ping in an additional million. Graubunden’s Alpine resort town of Blacks for his maiden Test against Fiji the fol- only just recently fought his way back into Barca boss Luis St-Moritz, currently hosting the World Ski Championships, was lowing year. He was a member of the 2007 home to the Winter Games previously in 1928 and 1948. The now Enrique’s plans after being cast aside for large parts of World Cup squad. “Another brother gone! Much the opening half of the campaign. “I am upset by thwarted 2026 bid called for events to be shared in several places including St-Moritz and Davos, which also hosts the World love and Condolences to his family,” tweeted former Aleix’s injury, the way it came about and what it All Blacks captain Tana Umaga, leading tributes means for him,” said Enrique. “I hope it doesn’t turn Economic Forum gathering of political and business elite each year. Yesterday’s referendum on the measure was part of from former teammates. Sonny Bill Williams out to be as bad as it looks,” added Barca mid- referred to Lauaki as Dox, a reference go the fielder Ivan Rakitic. “I was quite shocked. Switzerland’s direct democracy system that includes four votes per year on federal initiatives as well as local laws and institutions. Dox Brothers fashion label he was involved Hopefully he’ll be back soon as he is a great with. “Damn. It’s a sad day today, rest easy guy and he was playing excellently.” — AFP Switzerland’s National Olympic Committee is due to announce its plans for a 2026 bid on March 7. —AFP Dox,” Williams wrote on Twitter. — AFP Feuz drives Swiss wild with downhill gold ST MORITZ: Beat Feuz assuaged the 10 days, going from Garmisch to winning absence through injury of Swiss teammate the super-G to cancelling the downhill and Lara Gut by storming to gold in the men’s with some fog today... downhill at the World Ski Championships “It was quite a stressful week for me, but yesterday to drive a raucous home crowd I’m really happy with the way things wild. Feuz, a bronze medallist at the 2015 worked out.” Austrian Max Franz, 27 and Beaver Creek worlds, timed 1min 38.91sec with just one World Cup victory to his down the slightly shortened Corviglia name, took bronze, 0.37sec adrift of Feuz’s course, its diabolical ‘Free Fall’ 45-degree pace. Defending world champion Patrick opening kick-out cut over fears of fog that Kueng of Switzerland shared fourth place had seen the downhill postponed from with Norway’s much-touted and super-G Saturday. silver medal-winning Kjetil Jansrud, just “It’s my best present, I couldn’t dream of two-hundredths of a second off the podi- more!” beamed Feuz, who celebrated his um. “It’s not a nice place, here in 30th birthday Saturday. “It’s unbelievable: Switzerland at the world championships in Switzerland at the world championships and you get fourth,” acknowledged Kueng. and I win!” “Two-hundredths is nothing... but that’s Erik Guay missed out on following in the life.” Austria’s defending Olympic champion footsteps of Hermann Maier (1999) and Matthias Mayer finished down in 11th Bode Miller (2005) by claiming a speed (+0.86). Despite the race starting with fog double by just 0.12sec, the Canadian how- patches up top, racers soon glided into per- ever adding silver to the gold he won in fect sunny conditions, a large partisan flag- Wednesday’s super-G. waving crowd of some 35,000 basking in “It’s absolutely wonderful,” said 35-year- anticipation in the finish area. old Guay, who has bounced back astonish- ingly well from a bad crash in Garmisch at ELECTRIC ATMOSPHERE the end of January. The atmosphere was progressively “Everything that’s happened in the last notched up as each racer trumped their predecessor, to roars from the expectant crowd. When Kueng matched Jansrud’s time before him, many thought the Swiss racer would be the first to defend his world downhill title since Bernhard Russi in 1972. ST MORITZ: From left, Silver medalist Stephanie Venier of Austria, Gold medalist Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia and Bronze medalist Lindsey Vonn of But it was not to be as Feuz, starting the USA celebrate on the podium during the women’s downhill race at the 2017 FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships in St Moritz, with bib number 13, laid down an amazing Switzerland, yesterday. —AP run with speeds touching 125kph to take him down a piste on which he won both the super-G and downhill at last year’s ALPINE SKIING World Cup finals. Feuz, with Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer looking on, safely negotiated the rolling terrain and three monster jumps Stuhec emulates Maze, with aplomb, picking the right exit lines to become the fourth Swiss skier to claim the downhill title on home snow after Walter Prager (1931), David Zogg (1934) and Peter historic bronze for Vonn Mueller (1987). There was still drama to come, however: first Germany’s Andreas Sander threatened ST MORITZ: Ilka Stuhec reproduced her impres- the slalom section of Friday’s alpine combined especially in the speed events. Veith pulled out up top before fading, before the nerve- sive World Cup form to maintain Slovenia’s grip event, a cruel blow for the Swiss team for whom of the downhill saying she was not ready in her wracking descents of Austria’s 2015 super- on the world downhill title when she won gold the 25-year-old has become a standard bearer, comeback from a knee injury. — AFP G champion Hannes Reichelt, and then in the blue riband event in St Moritz yesterday. ST MORITZ: Beat Feuz of Switzerland, Guay, Franz and Mayer. Stuhec, with four World Cup victories to her winner, reacts during the men’s down- Each time their times flashed up red, to name this season (three downhill and one super- Uhlaender waiting to see hill winner presentation at the 2017 FIS indicate the racer was not the new leader, G), timed 1min 32.85sec down the 2.6km-long Alpine Skiing World Championships in Feuz was left clutching his head before Engiadina course to emulate the feat of retired St Moritz, Switzerland, yesterday. —AP punching the air in relief. —AFP former teammate Tina Maze two years ago in if she’s a Sochi medalist Beaver Creek. Unheralded Austrian Stephanie Venier took silver - just her second podium, at NEW YORK: US women’s skeleton slider Katie just before the 2010 Vancouver Games), 0.40sec, while Lindsey Vonn made history when Uhlaender has high hopes and a very realistic numerous injuries (many of which threatened Hirscher takes on she claimed bronze (+0.45), her seventh world chance of being in Pyeongchang, South Korea, her career), a concussion and most recently a medal. Vonn, the 2009 world downhill champi- at this time next year, for what would be her nasty infection that kept her off the ice for the Pinturault in combined on, showed all her experience to produce a fourth chance to compete in a Winter first part of this season and left her hospi- strong bottom section to secure third place and Olympics. She’ll be trying to win her first talised. The tribulations, she insists, have become the oldest medallist, at the age of 32 Olympic medal. That is, unless one arrives in brought her peace and perspective. “It’s been ST MORITZ: Austrian Marcel Hirscher will going into the St Moritz combined, with the years and 117 days, in any women’s event at the the mail beforehand.