Sport FRIDAY 15 JANUARY 2021 Australia look to seal series at Gabba fortress For me, it’s about rising above it and concentrating on what I’m doing and concentrating on leading my team and not worrying about what’s going on the other side. We’ve spoken a lot ... about controlling what we can control and focusing more inwardly on ourselves. Tim Paine Australia captain Sport | 15 DAKAR RALLY, STAGE 11 - WINNERS: NASSER AL ATTIYAH (QAT), MATTHIEU BAUMEL (FRA) TOYOTA GAZOO RACING 04H 34' 24'' Qatar eye winning start at World Championship THE PENINSULA — DOHA was postponed due to lack of flight options. Asian champions Qatar are Although Qatar, coached by eyeing a winning start at the IHF Spaniard Valero Rivera, were World Men’s Handball Cham- confined to Doha during their pionship Egypt 2021 campaign build-up for the 32-nation event as they take on Angola in their due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opening Group C match in Alex- they are one of the teams andria, today. favoured to proceed to the next Al Annabi left for the event phase of the competition yesterday after their departure despite not meeting expecta- tions at the past two World QATAR SQUAD Championships after placing second at Qatar 2015. Mahmoud Zaki, Omar Khaled, Ahmed Meddy, The Asian giants will look to Raphael Capote, Shadi Hamdoun, Firas Al- bounce back from eighth place Qatar handball squad's players and officials pose for a Shayeb, Mustafa Al-Karad, Daniel Saric, Waj- at France 2017 and their 13th group photo ahead of their departure to Egypt yesterday. di Sinan, Zain Al-Din Boumengel, Ali Jarba place two years ago. and Moatasem Abdel Wahid. And Kamal al- After meeting Angola, Qatar Din Malash, Amin Zakar, Guvu Damjanovic, will face Japan on Sunday home tournament against in years past including most Angola have won both However, Qatar will have Wilder Memisevic, Ali Inad, Ahmed Magdy, before their final group game teams including Spain, Tunisia recently a 36:28 victory at the games between the two sides, both experience and cohesion Hassan Awad, Mustafa Haiba, Muhammad against Croatia on January 19. and Argentina. 2020 AHF Men’s Asian including a 24:23 nail-biter two on their side, with key players Abidi, Marwan Sassi, and Franks Karol. Qatar underwent a training Al Annabi reached for the Championship. years ago, their only win in the playing in Qatar’s skilled Today’s Group C Fixtures camp in Doha and played World Championship confident But Qatar are still looking group phase, which basically domestic competition, with Qatar vs Angola (5:30pm) several practice matches knowing they have beaten for that elusive win against threw Qatar out of contention many of them already having Croatia vs Japan (8:00pm) against top club sides of the Croatia and have had tre- Angola, which could seal the for a main round berth at the played under coach Rivera for country besides featuring in mendous success against Japan deal for a main round berth. World Championship. the past years. Doha Masters Dakar Rally: Qatar's Al Attiyah blockbuster yet clinches penultimate stage win another success REUTERS — RIYADH cars. Today’s final 200km half (for each change) is a story for Qatar, stage to Jeddah features lot.” French veteran Stephane chains of dunes before In the motorcycle cat- Peterhansel was one stage reaching the shores of the egory, Britain’s Sam Sun- says OCA chief away from a record- Red Sea but offers less scope derland won the stage for extending 14th Dakar for Al Attiyah to close the KTM to move up to second THE PENINSULA/QNA — DOHA triumph yesterday after gap unless his ever-con- overall, four minutes and 12 ending the penultimate day sistent rival hits problems. seconds behind Honda’s Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Sheikh in Saudi Arabia with a “It’s exactly like last Argentine Kevin Ahmed Al Fahad Al Sabah praised the distin- 15-minute lead over Qatar’s year, we are really strug- Benavides. guished organisation of the Doha World Judo Nasser Al Attiyah. gling with the tyres,” said “I knew that today Masters 2021, which concluded on Wednesday Toyota’s Al Attiyah, who the Qatari, a triple Dakar was one of my last at the new-look Lusail Multipurpose Hall, with had said on Wednesday that winner, after clawing back chances the participation of 399 athletes - 215 male and the event would be decided a minute and 56 seconds to try to 184 female players - from 69 countries. on the shortened 464-km from Peterhansel to secure win and In a statement yesterday, the OCA President stage from Al-Ula to Yanbu, his sixth stage win of the I gave said that Qatar organised in a short time more won the day but Peterhansel event. my all,” said than one competition successfully and kept him in check with the “I hope for next year (we rider remarkably, and it received great praises, which second fastest time. are) coming with good rules Sunderland. is not new for Qatar. “There’s only one day to for everybody. “I didn’t quite “The Doha World Judo Masters has been go. It’s time to cross fingers “There’s still one day manage to take added to the list of successful tournaments and hope that we will be in left, but this time we have enough time, but I’m happy organised in Doha, especially in light of the coro- first place at the end,” said really had a lot of punctures. with my effort. We still have navirus (COVID-19) conditions, and we are happy Peterhansel, whose record I’ve had more than 16 tyres one day to go and many Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Nasser Al Attiyah and to return to Doha once again, the sports capital 13 previous wins came on punctured. I am sure that 16 things can happen on one Co-Driver Matthieu Baumel in action during a of the Asian continent.” both motorcycles and in tyres by one minute and a stage.” Dakar Rally stage. “During my meeting with the various judo sports leaders and those present in the champi- onship, all of them praised the good quality of the Qatari organisation, and considered it one of the best Masters tournaments,” he explained. He congratulated President of the Qatar Guillambert, Taxiwala bag Muaither Cup Olympic Committee (QOC) H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the Organising Committee of — DOHA THE PENINSULA QREC Racing Manager Abdulla WINNERS the championship, International Judo Federation Rashid Al Kubaisi presenting Horse, Trainer, Jockey (IJF) President Marius Vizer, and President of the JP Guillambert, teaming up the Muaither Cup to winning Judo Union of Asia (JUA) Obaid Al Enezi for the with Taxiwala, clinched top team's representative. MUAITHER CUP great success of the championship, wishing Qatar honours during yesterday’s Taxiwala (IRE), Osama more success in hosting other tournaments in the 26th race meeting at Qatar future. Al-Dafea, JP Guillambert Racing and Equestrian On Wednesday, the International Judo Fed- PUREBRED ARABIAN Club’s Al Rayyan Park, eration President Marius Vizer also lauded Qatar’s HANDICAP winning the Muaither Cup organisation of the season-opening event. after a thrilling race. Goldamer (FR), Alban “The Doha World Judo Masters is a great The Osama Omer Al Elie De Mieulle, Soufiane success from all points of view,” said Vizer. Dafea-owned and trained Saadi “We have great champions and fantastic 4YO gelding recorded a PUREBRED ARABIAN organisation despite the global health situation. neck win over Izzthatright, NOVICE PLATE The local organising committee did everything which was guided by Ginkeau (FR), Osama possible to make the event a success,” the IJF chief Michael Forest, to claim top Al-Dafea, Alberto Sanna said. honours. The winners PUREBRED ARABIAN “I want to thank the authorities of Qatar and received QR 57,000 with CLAIMING RACE the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad the runners up collecting QR AJS Al Aredh (QA), Al Thani, as well as the national federation of judo, 22,000. The third place was Mohammed Ghazali, their President Mr. Khalid Hamad Alatiya and his secured by Zyzzyva, ridden Saleh Salem Al Marri team, who did an amazing job," he added. by Tomas Lukasek. PUREBRED ARABIAN “We must also recognise the efforts of the Earlier, Mohammed Bin MAIDEN PLATE (Div 2) Qatar Olympic Committee and its President, His Fahad Al Attiya’s Goldamer Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani. Hilona D’id (FR), completed a double after Everyone can be really proud of what was done Mohammed Hussain winning Purebred Arabian in Doha. We had the best of the best athletes in Handicap (0-95). Soufiane Afroz, Meteb Ali Al Marri the world present. All of them shall be congrat- PUREBRED ARABIAN Saadi rode the Alban de Novice Plate event saw collected winning prize of Arabian Claiming Race as ulated and especially all the winners." Mieulle-trained 5YO horse Ginkeau, ridden by Alberto QR 28,500. the Mohammed Ghazali- MAIDEN PLATE (Div 1) "In 2023 we’ll be back in the city for our to a ¾ length win in the mile Sanna, claiming the title AJS Al Aredh, with Saleh trained 6YO gelding regis- Jamaiel (FR), Julian Colin World Championships, the flagship event of our run to pocket QR 34,200. with 1½ length win in the Salem Al Marri in the saddle, tered a ½ length win in the Smart, Tomas Lukasek organisation. We are all looking forward to it,” The Purebred Arabian 2200m run. The team was victorious in Purebred 7f run. he added.