SUNDAY 7 JANUARY 2018 SPORT 21 I got off to a rough start, bogeyed three and four from Cricket Today the middle of the fairway. I Dustin Johnson Australia and England Third day of first Test was hitting some good shots, after firing 68 in second clash on fourth day of between India and South round of Tournament of just didn’t score very well. Champions in Hawaii fifth Ashes Test in Sydney. Africa in Cape Town. PGA SCORES 136 - Marc Leishman (AUS) 67-69, Brian Har- man 68-68 World’s top athletes to join 137 - Dustin Johnson 69-68 138 - Pat Perez 72-66, Chris Stroud 72-66, Jhonattan Vegas (VEN) 68-70 139 - Jason Dufner 71-68 140 - Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 70-70, Kevin Farah at Doha Marathon Kisner 70-70, Patrick Cantlay 70-70, Rickie Fowler 69-71, Kim Si-Woo (KOR) 69-71 THE PENINSULA the weather and we hope to visit 141 - Jordan Spieth 75-66, Jon Rahm (ESP) 71- some of the cultural landmarks, 70, Billy Horschel 70-71 DOHA: A stellar international like the Museum of Islamic Art,” 143 - Russell Henley 74-69, Daniel Berger 73- field of athletes have confirmed he added. 70 their participation in the Gemma Steele of the UK said: Ooredoo Doha Marathon to be “I am delighted to be competing held on Friday next weekend, in the Half Marathon in Doha. Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) The event offers a great course, announced yesterday. some quality competition and a As many as 20 international fantastic location in which to Johnson puts professional men and women train and race. The facilities are will be joining a record number top class and the people of Qatar leaders on of more than 2,000 amateur ath- are very welcoming. The organ- letes already signed up for the isation has been great too. I shall short leash mega event. run my heart out for you.” These top athletes will rep- Hassan Al Ibrahim, Acting REUTERS resent Qatar’s key tourism mar- Chairman at QTA said: “We are kets including the USA, UK, Ger- thrilled to be welcoming the top NEW YORK: Dustin Johnson many, Italy, Turkey as well as international champions to Qatar (pictured below) offered a Spain and Portugal. to participate in the country’s reminder that he is still the The field is lining up with Sir largest mass participation event. world number one as he Mohamed Farah, 6-time world Their involvement helps us to moved within one stroke of champion and 4-time Olymic spread Qatar’s message of wel- second-round leaders Marc gold medalist, one of the greatest come to the world, and shines a Leishman and Brian Harman athletes of all time, in the spotlight on a fast-growing at the Sentry Tournament of half-marathon. Sir Mohamed Farah (left) and Gemma Steele will take part at Doha Marathon on January 12. sports tourism destination. We Champions in Hawaii on The men’s field also includes look forward to hosting them Friday. Arne Gabius, Germany – German marathon categories. He finished part of the Ooredoo Doha Mar- for $50,000 in prize money, with with the traditional Arabian hos- Johnson recovered from Marathon Record Holder, 18 time 3rd in the New York City Mara- athon which includes a full mar- equal prize funds for both the pitality Qatar is renowned for, a slow start to run up seven national champion, past Euro- thon in 2016. athon, half marathon, 10K and men’s and women’s events. as well as hosting them on visits birdies for a five-under-par pean 10,000m Silver Medallist The women’s field includes 5K events for adults and youth Gabius commented, “I’m to some of our world-class sports 68 on the Kapalua Plantation and Olympian. Gemma Steel, United Kingdom as well as 3K and 1K events for excited to competing at the Half facilities.” course on the island of Maui. Bekir Karayel, Turkey – - a top UK runner, who came children. Marathon in Doha. The race is a QTA and Discover Qatar are He was deprived of a leading Turkish middle- and late to the professional ranks, via Over the past five years, the great fit into my overall plans for offering participants from share of the lead only when long-distance runner, special- an amateur running club back- Ooredoo Doha Marathon has 2018, since I’m preparing for a abroad special hospitality pack- Leishman and Harman both ising in marathons, having com- ground rather than an elite steadily grown to become the spring marathon. It will be great ages, which can be found at the birdied the 663-yard, par-five peted in both the 2012 and 2016 junior pathway. In 2017, she won largest mass participation event to get a break from training and Discover Qatar website. 18th which plunges down the summer Olympics. the Great Ireland Run, Great in Qatar attracting runners from test my fitness against some of Registration fees for the West Maui mountains. Ryan Vail, USA - 5-time All- South Run, Virgin British 10K and over 50 nationalities. the best athletes in the world.” Ooredoo Doha Marathon range Leishman (69) and American at Oklahoma State, he came 6th in the Great North Run. The elite athletes have “This will also be my first between QR100 and QR250 Harman (68) posted 10-under has finished in the top ten in the Sara Dossena, Italy - the expressed their excitement to be time visiting Qatar and my depending on the participant’s 136. They also thrived in con- London, Berlin and New York reigning Italian 10,000m cham- coming to Doha to run and expe- family is travelling with me, selected course and age. Hun- ditions which started with a City marathons. pion, she came 6th in the 2017 rience the destination’s unique which makes it even more dred percent of this year’s fees strong trade wind blowing Abdi Abirahman, USA - New York City Marathon. In offerings. They will be competing exciting. No doubt we will enjoy will be donated to charity. down the mountain, before Somali-American long-distance addition to being a top road abating late in the day. runner and one of the world’s top runner she has also held national “I got off to a rough start, distance runners. He is a four- championships in Cross Country bogeyed three and four from time Olympian competing for the running, triathlon and duathlon. the middle of the fairway,” United States in 10,000m and Esma Aydemir, Turkey - a said 2013 champion Johnson, rising star of the Turkish middle- who has never shot over par and long-distance running, com- on the course. peting mostly in the 1,500m, “I was hitting some good 3,000m, 5,000m, 10,000m and shots, just didn’t score very marathon events. In 2017 she well. As many as 20 came second in the half mara- “(Birdies at the sixth, international thon at the World University eighth and ninth holes) got Games. me back in the rhythm and professional men and Allison Kieffer, USA - top played a really solid back women will be joining American distance runner and nine.” a record number world record holder for the Johnson has not made of more than 2000 indoor marathon. In 2017, Kieffer many headlines since a fall on placed 5th at 2:29:39 at the 2017 tournament eve knocked him amateur athletes New York City Marathon and she out of the Masters last April, already signed up for is a past winner of the Miami a tournament he would have Arne Gabius the mega event. Marathon. started as hot favourite The invitational elite half is coming off three consecutive victories. But he has done enough to stay atop the world rank- ings for close to an year. Celtics pull away late in Co-leader Leishman is coming off a two-win season, win over Timberwolves and the easy-going 34-year- old has his eye on even bigger AFP and better things. NBA RESULTS “It was tough (playing in LOS ANGELES: Marcus Smart Memphis 100 Washington 102 the wind), really happy with and Terry Rozier combined for Miami 107 New York 103 four birdies, no bogeys,” he 32 points as Boston’s reserves LA Lakers 94 Charlotte 108 said. keyed the Celtics’ 91-84 NBA Dallas 124 Chicago 127 “You play to win. Having victory over the Minnesota San Antonio 103 Phoenix 89 a year like I had last year, Timberwolves on Friday. confidence is high. I feel like Portland 110 Atlanta 89 In a hard-fought contest when I’m in this position I Denver 99 Utah 91 that included 15 lead changes, need to finish it off... but a lot the Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee 110 Toronto 129 of golf to play.” Celtics finally turned the tide Philadelphia 114 Detroit 78 late in the third quarter to post Boston 91 Minnesota 84 their fifth straight win. Boston had missed 12 of their and Rozier added 14 off the first 14 shots of the third and were bench as Boston’s reserves out- down 55-48 with less than five scored Minnesota’s 42-20. minutes left in the period. Star guard Kyrie Irving led But they made eight of their Boston’s starters with 16 points next 11 shots, closing out the and also pulled down nine third on a 17-7 scoring run. rebounds and eight assists. Dakar Rally gets under way The Celtics withstood a Irving’s finger-roll layup 25-point, 23-rebound perform- with 1.6 seconds left in the third Toyota’s driver Nasser Al Attiyah of Qatar (centre) jokes with Portuguese driver and former head coach ance from Minnesota star Karl- pushed the Celtics’ advantage of Chelsea and Tottenham, Andre Villas Boas (right), during a press conference in Lima on Friday ahead Anthony Towns.