SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2016 SPORTS Kenyan stars set to steal the spotlight in London LONDON: Kenya’s finest runners aim to sport could do with an uplifting story or what he hopes are more positive head- as the athletes, want to send out the in contention as he continues to improve restore their country’s tarnished reputa- two and this weekend’s race in the British lines after the 26.2 mile (42.2km) race. message to the whole world, ‘Please let following a serious Achilles problem. tion when they battle for supremacy in capital should provide suitably diverting “Sport is not special, it’s just like life,” us not try to sum up and say all Kenyan In the women’s event, two-time win- the London marathon yesterday. drama. Kenya boasts the three quickest Kipsang told the Daily Telegraph. “You athletes are cheating’. No. We are clean.” ner Keitany is seen as a potential winner More than 40 Kenyan athletes have runners in the men’s elite race in Dennis find that in society there are one or two Kipchoge is bidding to become the as she returns to the form of 2012 when tested positive for banned substances Kimetto, Wilson Kipsang and last year’s criminals, but it doesn’t mean the whole first man to retain the London Marathon she broke the national record in London. over the past five years and the east winner Eliud Kipchoge, while the two society are criminals. “It doesn’t mean all title in almost a decade, but he will face a Her challenges are likely to come from African nation’s government moved to quickest women, Mary Keitany and athletes or the whole sport is cheating. strong challenge from world-record hold- compatriots Cherono, Florence Kiplagat avoid a potential ban from the Rio Gladys Cherono, both hail from the coun- All these guys, we have been tested like er Kimetto, who is back to form after a and Aselefch Mergia, with last year’s win- Olympics by passing a new law earlier try. None of that group have been impli- seven or eight times, in and out of com- knee injury. New York marathon winner ner Tigist Tufa heading up the Ethiopian this week to make doping a criminal cated in any of the doping controversies petition, and we should trust the results. Stanley Biwott, also from Kenya, and contingent. “I was very surprised by my offence. and former marathon world record hold- “Once the results come through and world champion Ghirmay Ghebreslassie victory last year,” Tufa said. “I want to win With athletics already in turmoil after er Kipsang this week launched a vigorous these guys are clean then the whole of Eritrea could also pose a threat. again and I did a lot to prepare myself for the recent Russian doping scandals, the defence of his country’s athletes ahead of world should know they are clean. “We, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele should also be this race.” —AFP Valverde looking for more success in Liege LIEGE: Alejandro Valverde will be looking week, finishing down in 21st overall, more to take another step towards Ardennes than six minutes behind Spanish winner Classics immortality when he lines up for Mikel Landa. Lo Squalo (the shark) will be Liege-Bastogne-Liege today. expected to challenge Valverde, though. The 35-year-old Spaniard will be the man to beat in Belgium during ‘La Doyenne’ EL IMBATIDO (the oldest) having claimed a record fourth So too will the pair that finished just victory in the midweek Fleche Wallonne, behind him at Fleche, Etixx team-mates the second of the three Ardennes Classics. Julian Alaphilippe and Dan Martin. Last year Movistar’s Valverde followed up Frenchman Alaphilippe was second to his Fleche victory with a third success at Valerde at both Fleche and Liege last year Liege-two behind Belgian great Eddy and second again in Huy on Wednesday. Merckx-as well and few would bet against At just 23 years of age, Alaphilippe is a another double, even if the man himself is star in the making and sure to enjoy great less confident. Valverde’s main aim this success in the Ardennes and may be El season is to finish in the top three at next Imbatido’s biggest rival. And Alaphilippe, month’s Giro d’Italia and he is wary of put- who says his legs are feeling good after a ting his participation in that event at risk tough start to the season, is already during the Liege slog. focused on Liege. “I’ll be at the start of Liege-Bastogne- “The weather will be difficult, we’ve Liege with real hopes of winning but with- been told. You have to remain well-placed out putting my Giro participation at risk,” and think about saving energy,” he said. said Valverde. “They say the weather will Martin is another playing down his chances get worse, it will be tough for everyone. in Liege, which he won in 2013, saying that “But I’ll start with the advantage of having Valverde was too strong at Fleche despite won the Fleche. I hope it doesn’t rain.” he and Alaphilippe working together. Rain would make the road surfaces slip- “Every year, we hope that Valverde is pery and increase the risk of crashes, not less good, but he’s just a great rider,” said least in a hectic finale that has been Martin. “Every year he remains the changed slightly this year. Ahead of the favourite. But it gives us more motivation final grind up to the finish in Ans, near to beat him. Liege, the final categorised ascent on the “Julian and I are in top shape so it’s 253km course is no longer the Cote de San promising for Liege-Bastogne-Liege. It’s BARCELONA: Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori returns the ball to French tennis player Benoit Paire during the ATP Barcelona Open “Conde Nicolas 6.5km from the finish. good to have two strong riders for Liege. de Godo” tennis tournament in Barcelona yesterday. Nishikori won 3-6, 2-6. — AFP Instead there will be a brutal 600m cob- “It’ll also depend on the weather, however, bled climb just 2.5km from the finish with because I tend to suffer when it’s cold.” an average gradient of 10.5 percent, the It’s expected to be not only cold but Nadal and Nishikori set up Rue Naniot. With a fast descent both into there may also be snow. Outside of those, and off Rue Naniot the potential for calami- Australian Simon Gerrans, winner in 2014, ty is greatly increased, but so too are the and the likes of Spanish veteran Joaquim blockbuster Barcelona final opportunities to make a solo attack stick, Rodriguez, Frenchman Romain Bardet and something that has only happened once in Italian Domenico Pozzovivo, the latter pair recent years when Kazakh Maxim Iglinsky- both impressive in Trentino, could all have since banned for testing positive for drugs- their say. But one rider unlikely to be mix- Kerber reaches Stuttgart final chased down and left for dead Italian ing it with the potential winners is Tour de Vincenzo Nibali. France champion Chris Froome, whose best BARCELONA: Top two seeds Rafael Nadal Nibali will be in the field as he too pre- previous result in Liege was 36th and who and Kei Nishikori will face each other in the pares for the Giro, although he was far from will be helping Polish team-mate Michal final of the Barcelona Open today after com- his best form in the Giro del Trentino this Kwiatkowski. -— AFP fortably easing past Philipp Kohlschreiber and Benoit Paire respectively in yesterday’s semi- finals. Nadal continued his perfect start to the European clay-court season having won the Japan’s Sunwolves stun Monte Carlo Masters last week with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Kohlschreiber. Jaguares for first win The 14-time Grand Slam champion is now just one win away from matching Argentine TOKYO: Japan’s Sunwolves stunned the season, held his nerve to fire the Sunwolves legend Guillermo Vilas’s record of 49 clay- Jaguares 36-28 in a pulsating clash of back in front 29-28 before Harumichi court titles. However, Nadal will have to end Super Rugby expansion teams yesterday Tatekawa burst over with the final play to Nishikori’s hot-streak of 14 consecutive wins to post their first-ever win after a miser- trigger wild scenes at the buzzer. in Barcelona as he swept aside French sixth able run of seven defeats. It was a victory “I’m extremely proud,” said Sunwolves seed Paire 6-3, 6-2. Neither Nadal or Nishikori largely made in Samoa as flyhalf Tusi Pisi coach Mark Hammett after an emotional have even dropped a set in the Catalan capital kept the Tokyo side in the game against afternoon. “I had a bit of a tear-up in the this week and Nadal is expecting a stiff test if the explosive Argentines, booting 18 (coach’s) box and that’s something I didn’t he is to win a ninth title in Barcelona. points, including the go-ahead penalty think I would have before I came here.” “It will be a very difficult match against one eight minutes from time. Before the match, the teams observed a of the best players in the world without “To get this historic win in Japan is very minute’s silence for the victims of last doubt,” he told Spanish TV station special,” Sunwolves captain Shota Horie week’s deadly earthquakes in southern Teledeporte.