SPORTS MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014 Kenyans dominate as Farah toils in London LONDON: World record-holder Wilson Kipsang won the men’s London Marathon in a course record two hours, four minutes and 29 seconds yesterday as Britain’s Mo Farah found life tough on his debut over the distance. Kipsang’s smashed the previous London record of 2hr 04min 40sec set by fellow Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai in 2011. It was a second London victory for Kipsang, the 2012 champion, who outpaced compatriot Stanley Biwatt in the finishing straight. Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia, last year’s winner was third, and Ayele Abshero of Ethiopia was fourth. Kenya celebrated a race double as Edna Kiplagat, runner-up for the past two years in London, won the women’s event. In the men’s race Kipsang and Biwott surged away from a leading group of eight after some two-thirds of the way round the 26.2 mile (42.2 kilometre) course. The two Kenyans were all but inseparable until, with just over a mile left, Kipsang broke his compatriot’s resolve with a finishing burst. KUWAIT: The KBC Football League final match is scheduled on Friday April 18, 2014 between Kuwait Finance House and Gulf Bank. The match kicks off at 7:30 pm at the FARAH VOWS RETURN Sadaqa wa Al-Salam (Friendship and Peace Stadium) at the Kazma Sports Club. “It’s really great to win the London Marathon Abdulaziz Al-Zair, head of the sports committee at the Kuwait Banks Club, urged again,” said Kipsang. “It was around 31km that I banking sector employee to attend the match. decided to push harder as I felt very comfortable and strong. I pushed again towards the finish line and that’s when I broke away.” LONDON: Wilson Kipsang of Kenya crosses the line to win the men’s race in the 2014 London Djokovic aims to defend Farah, reigning Olympic and world 5,000 and Marathon on The Mall in central London yesterday. — AFP 10,000 metres champion, finished in eighth but that’s what athletics is all about.” on, also struggled as she finished ninth a year Monte Carlo Masters place having failed to break Steve Jones’s British The two-times reigning world champion after colliding with a wheelchair racer in the record of 2:07:13, which has stood since 1985. Edna Kiplagat won in 2hr 20:21 with Florence 2013 London Marathon. MONACO: Novak Djokovic believes he (1996), Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003) and “I will be back,” Farah told the BBC. “I’m not Kiplagat three seconds further back in second In the men’s wheelchair race, David Weir’s bid has hit the reset button on his 2014 sea- Nadal (2006-2012). going to finish it like this. I gave it my all but I’m place. After breaking away from the field, the for a record seventh London title saw the Briton son at exactly the right moment as the Top seed Nadal, meanwhile, is trying disappointed I didn’t go out there and give what pair remained close together until the final bend just edged out by Switzerland’s Marcel Hug, who world number two enters the Monte to keep the pressure on himself as low as the crowd deserve.” British distance great when Edna Kiplagat surged ahead. won in a time of 1hr 32:39. Carlo Masters eager to begin his title reasonably possible. Spain’s world num- Brendan Foster, commentating on the race, “I felt very strong so I wasn’t too worried,” said “This is a really sweet victory and it feels great defence. ber one said that he goes into his most urged Farah to stick to defending his track gold Edna Kiplagat of the close finish. Ethiopia’s to finally win this race,” said Hug. “It is great to The Serb, who is based in the princi- potent period of the year unsure of any- medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Tirunesh Dibaba, the Olympic and world 10,000 compete against David Weir and also great to However, the 31-year-old Farah refused to be pality, ended Rafael Nadal’s eight-year thing except the fact that nothing will be metres champion, marked her marathon debut beat him.” rushed into a decision on his future, saying: “I’m by finishing in third place. She had looked set to In the women’s wheelchair race, Tatyana title streak a year ago although the easy. The 27-year-old admitted on disappointed but you try things and sometimes Spaniard still went on to defend his Sunday that the last time he played truly challenge the Kenyan duo but paid a heavy price McFadden of the United States successfully it doesn’t work, but you have to give it a go. for dropping a water bottle and stopping to pick defended her title just a month after winning a French Open crown. Djokovic said he well on the surface he loves was the “You learn-life goes on.” Farah, not helped by it up. Dibaba finished 14 seconds adrift. cross-country skiing silver medal at the Winter was bolstered by his back-to-back 2013 Roland Garros final, when he won missing a drink station shortly after half-way, While it was a good day for the women’s Paralympics in Sochi. The 24-year-old won in a Masters trophies from the US last month the grand slam title for an eighth time. added: “The field was tough...It was the world champion, it was a tough one for the course record 1hr 45:11, more than a minute- as he beat Roger Federer in Indian Wells “This is an important part of the sea- strongest field ever put together by the London men’s as Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich finished and-a half clear of Swiss runner-up Manuela and topped Nadal for a third straight son for everyone, not just me,” said the Marathon. “I’ve gone straight in at the deep end, 12th. Tiki Gelana, the women’s Olympic champi- Schar. — AFP match to win Miami honors. Spaniard. “I don’t automatically switch “I’m excited to be defending, but I from hardcourt to clay, I need time to don’t change the way that I approach make the adjustment. I only play on clay any event,” said the second seed, who for five-maximum six-tournaments per now has coach Boris Becker back in his year, I need time to adapt.” corner after the German’s recent hip sur- Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka takes the gery. third seeding, with the Australian Open “My state of mind right now is all that I winner over Nadal eager to show that he had hoped for, I do have confidence, can hang with the elite and live up to his especially after a slow start to this sea- ranking of third. Roger Federer, the son. “Going onto the clay always feels like fourth seed and a late wild card entry, a new beginning, it will be very impor- was arriving yesterday as he competes in tant to start well, hopefully with another Monte Carlo for the first time since 2011 win. But then again, with the level of where he lost in the quarter-finals to competition out there, no one can pre- Jurgen Melzer. dict anything.” First-round play got underway on Djokovic enters the competition at Sunday, with 17th seed Alexandr the Monte Carlo Country Club riding a Dolgopolov beating Latvian Ernests 10-match win streak after completing Gulbis, 6-2, 6-4. Jeremy Chardy earned a the Indian-Wells-Miami double for the French win, beating Igor Sijsling of the first time in his career. He stands 20-6 in Netherlands, 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5). Russian Monte Carlo. Djokovic is seeking to Dmitry Tursunov defeated Holland’s become the fifth player to successfully Robin Haase 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 while Austrian defend his crown in Monte Carlo follow- youngster Dominic Thiem went down to ing Bjorn Borg (1980), Thomas Muster Nicolas Mahut, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. — AFP Wiggins keen for another tilt on fearsome cobbles ROUBAIX: Shortly after crossing the line achieving - being in the mix with names on the Roubaix velodrome, Bradley who will be remembered as Classics Wiggins lay on the grass, his face reflect- greats. ing his efforts on the bone-crushing cob- “I was pinching myself a little it, I don’t bles of the Hell of the North — and he mind admitting it,” he said. “To be in the wished he could do it all over again next final there going past (quadruple cham- weekend. pion Tom) Boonen on the Carrefour (de The Briton, the first rider since Greg l’Arbre), that was something special and Lemond in 1992 to start the Queen of then to come into the velodrome in a the Classics as a former Tour de France group with (triple winner Fabian) winner, took an impressive ninth place Cancellara... after 257 kilometres, 51.1 of them on “It gives confidence that I can match cobbled sections. He was one of the first those guys and to go top 10 in hindsight of a peloton of 199 starters to emerge is a good result.” Wiggins, who made his from the cloud of dust, a dozen bikes professional debut under the wing of travelling at neck-breaking speed on the double Paris-Roubaix winner Marc feared Carrefour de l’Arbre. “You really Madiot at French team Francaise des have to commit going into these sectors Jeux, hopes he will have the chance to and close your eyes,” Wiggins told take part again in Paris-Roubaix.