RUGBY | Page 6 CRICKET | Page 7 Scotland keep Pakistan beat World Cup Lanka in hopes alive with historic Karachi Samoa win one-dayer Tuesday, October 1, 2019 FORMULA 1 Safar 2, 1441 AH Sprint legend Lewis’ GULF TIMES advice: Focus on timing, not medal SPORT Page 2 SPOTLIGHT / MEN’S HIGH JUMP QUALIFICATION: 4:50PM FOCUS Barshim aims for 2006 host Doha targets golden glory in Qatar 2030 Asiad After a tough few months, high jump champ is determined to make history at home By Sahan Bidappa formers on the night. Hot on his heels will be this Doha With home crowd rooting for year’s world leader Maksim Ne- him at the Khalifa International dasekau. The 21-year-old Bela- Stadium, Barshim will need no rusian improved to 2.35m to win t’s been a harrowing last extra inspiration and is ready to the Europe-USA match in Minsk 14 months for Mutaz soar high again. On the eve of his earlier this month, but that is his Barshim. After the high event, Barshim spoke of his road only leap better than 2.30m this of 2017, when the Qatari to recovery. season. Ibecame the world high jump champion and was named World Athlete of the Year, Barshim had a nightmarish end to 2018. Just when it looked like sky is the limit for Barshim, he suff ered upported by a high-ener- in 2006 was a big success with a serious ankle injury in July last gy presentation captur- the participation of all 45 Na- year that not just scuppered his ing the thriving sports tional Olympic Committees of chances of breaking the 26-year- movement in Doha, the OCA,” added al-Buenain. old world record but also ruled Sthe Qatar Olympic Committee “Almost 10,000 athletes took him out of the action for rest “What was crazy was when Russians Ilya Ivanyuk and (QOC) announced its bid to host part in 424 events in 39 sports. of the year. What’s worse was I got out of surgery, a few hours Mikhail Akimenko have chiselled the 2030 Asian Games during the Now we are intending to host the Barshim sustained injury while he ago, I was trying to jump a world together good seasons, both top- Olympic Council of Asia Execu- 2030 Asian Games.” came tantalisingly close to scaling record, and a few hours later I ping 2.33m and 2.31m. Andriy tive Board meeting on Saturday. The presentation came as Doha a would-be 2.46m world record at couldn’t even walk,” said the Ol- Protsenko of Ukraine, the fourth- QOC secretary-general Jassim hosted the IAAF World Athletics the Gyulai Memorial in Szekesfe- ympic bronze and silver medallist place fi nisher at the 2016 Olympic Rashid al-Buenain described Championships and prepares to hervar, Hungary. in 2012 and 2016 respectively. Games, topped a 2.31m season’s Doha as “the world capital of welcome the 206-member As- Since then, it’s not only been a Now Barshim is determined best to win the Diamond League sports events” and said the Asian sociation of National Olympic battle to get fi t for the 28-year-old to make history at his home turf. title last month. Games in 2030 would strengthen Committees for the inaugural but also reclaim his rightful place “I’m a person that loves sports. I Then there’s Bogdan Bondar- the partnership between the QOC ANOC World Beach Games from at the top. Barshim made a win- really love track and fi eld. I like enko, the 2013 world champion, and the Olympic sports move- October 12-16 followed by the ning comeback at Sopot Grand to be active. It was a big chal- who topped 2.31m earlier this sea- ment in Asia and the world. ANOC General Assembly and Prix Athletics in Poland in June lenge having to do the most, son despite continuing struggles “This is the start of a new, ex- Awards on October 17-18. with a modest jump of 2.27m, with the least training. But hey, with injury. Syria’s Majd Eddin citing chapter in Qatar’s sports Further ahead is the FIFA before fi nishing second with the I’m here though! We’ve got one Ghazal, the world bronze medal- journey,” he told the OCA Execu- World Cup in 2022, when Qatar same mark at the London Dia- more target to go, at the World list, is piecing together a season of tive Board members during the will present eight futuristic sta- mond League in July. But a 2.20m Championships. I hope for the fi rsts which he hopes to add to in meeting at the City Centre Ro- diums to welcome the world’s at the Diamond League fi nal in best then,” added Barshim. Doha: jumping at Khalifa Stadi- tana Hotel. football fans to the Middle East. Zurich, where he fi nished a dis- One thing that will favour um, he took his fi rst Asian title in The presentation highlighted The sports development has tant 10th, shows it will take some Barshim is the overall level of the Doha in April at 2.31m and in July the enthusiasm for sport at all been accompanied by transport time before Barshim attains his event at the moment. Nineteen topped 2.30m in London to secure levels, from community pro- infrastructure projects such as peak. entrants in Doha have topped his fi rst career IAAF Diamond grammes to foster a healthy and the airport and Metro. The later-than-usual sched- 2.30m or better this season, but of League victory. active population to the world- In welcoming the OCA EB uling of the World Champi- those, only four have successfully Others to consider include 2018 class sports and support facili- members to Doha, the OCA onships at his home turf has sailed over 2.33m. On only one Diamond League winner Brandon ties in Doha to the major interna- President Sheikh Ahmad al-Fa- given Barshim an extra time occasion has a championships- Starc of Australia, who has topped tional events to have been hosted had al-Sabah said: “We have a and cushion to defend his title. eligible jumper who has topped 2.30m twice, most recently in by Doha. lot of nice and great memories of It will be foolhardy to rule out 2.31m not emerged from a com- Zurich; China’s Wang Yu, who These included the Qatar Ol- Doha. It is always a very suitable Barshim winning any silver- petition victorious. topped 2.31m and 2.30m for vic- ympic Academy, Aspire Acad- city for sports events and we will ware this Friday. However, it So a jump of 2.30m, or even tories in Shanghai and Nanjing; emy, the Aspetar sports science never forget the Asian Games in will be interesting to see how 2.29m, might be enough for 2016 world indoor champion and medicine centre, the com- 2006 as one of our great games. I he tackles the qualification to- Barshim to reach the podium Gianmarco Tamberi, who is also mitment to the development of am very happy and proud to see a day, where the mark to qualify at the World Championships. on the rebound from injury; and women and sport and the anti- lot of legacy in the city. Doha has for the final is set at 2.31m. He But the Qatari will have enough 22-year-old Cuban Luis Zayas, doping lab. become one of the main destina- would also sail into the final competition to counter this who topped 2.30m to take the “Regarding major sports tions in the world of sport.” if he is one of the 12 best per- time. Pan-American Games crown. events, the Asian Games in Doha (Olympic Council of Asia) REPORT Liu leads a Chinese sweep of 20km walk IAAF American record-holder Erica De was struggling to match the pace metre of 4:09, giving her a fi nal Doha Sena of Brazil. of the leaders and the Colombian 5km split of 21:51. Shortly before seven kilo- started to drop away from the Liu crossed the line victori- metres, Australia’s rising talent pack. Qieyang, meanwhile, con- ous in 1:32:54 to win a record aving only just returned Katie Hayward was the fi rst race tinued to lead with her Chinese third world 20km race walk ti- this season from a two- walker to be shown their fourth teammates close by. tle. Qieyang (1:33:10) and Yang year maternity break, red paddle and she was duly dis- The racing ramped up at about (1:33:17) completed the historic 32-year-old Liu Hong qualifi ed. 17km when Qieyang and Liu start- podium sweep for China. Fol- Hlanded her third world 20km race The lead pack started to thin ed to pull away slightly from the lowing the country’s 1-2 fi nish in walk title, looking every bit as out after eight kilometres, which others. De Sena started to show her the 50km event 24 hours prior, it dominant as she did when win- was covered in 38:31. A few fi rst signs of distress, while Yang meant China won fi ve of the six ning her previous major gold minutes later, Liu, Qieyang and Liujing and Yang Jiayu didn’t seem medals on off er in women’s race medals. Morejon moved to the front and capable of matching the speed walking events in Doha. It was also the fi rst time one stretched out the pack, leav- their compatriots were producing.