RUGBY | Page 4 FOOTBALL | Page 7 Barrett brothers Bayern’s rout star as All of Spurs sent Blacks maul ‘big message’: Canada Gnabry Thursday, October 3, 2019 TENNIS Safar 4, 1441 AH Murray, Barty reach GULF TIMES quarters; Andreescu advances to last 16 SPORT Page 6 SPOTLIGHT Lyles goes from asthma to depression to Worlds gold ‘World records aren’t the thing I’m chasing. I’m chasing to be better each day. World records come when you improve’ By Sahan Bidappa faced that have toughened him Doha up on and off track. “I’ve had a lot of diff erent challenges through life and it’s fter winning the IAAF shaped me into who I am now,” World Championships Lyles said, after his dominant 200m title on Tuesday victory at Doha Worlds. night, Noah Lyles sank “I had chronic asthma, I had Ainto the arms of his mother Keisha my tonsels removed at six. I had at the Khalifa International Stadi- the learning disabilities ADD um. It was an emotional moment (attention-defi cit disorder) and between the two as they remi- dyslexia. I was in the slow class nisced the hardships they went at school because I had to learn through when Lyles was a child. to read diff erently. Mainstream Touted as the next big thing school just wasn’t my strong in athletics after the retirement suit. I got isolated at middle of legendary Usain Bolt, Lyles school. I’ve gone through periods likes to put on a show. In fact, his of depression and I used track as American teammate Justin Gatlin an outlet. I tried to work on my describes him as ‘a rock star’, and character as much as I can, on Lyles certainly wears his confi - always staying happy and loving dence on his sleeve. what I do. But self-confi dence was never “In high school I cried because his forte while growing up in I thought I was going to fail out Gainesville, Florida. Born to Kei- of college and wouldn’t be able sha Caine and Kevin Lyles, the to run. My mum said, ‘You could former a fi ne collegiate athlete, go pro out of high school.’ And I the latter a 4x400m relay world said, ‘People don’t do that.’ Little champion in Gothenburg, Swe- did I know that I was going to be den in 1995, the young Lyles had the fi rst one,” he recalled. athletics in his genes. On Tuesday night, Lyles be- But athletics was last thing on came the youngest ever winner his mind as a child. He was hos- of the men’s 200m at the World pitalised with chronic asthma Championships, earning his when he was still an infant. Later maiden senior global title with a he was diagnosed with attention- 19.83 run. Having dominated the Noah Lyles of the US celebrates his win in the men’s 200m final at the Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma defi cit disorder and dyslexia, and event on the international circuit studied in remedial school class- over the past two years, it was fi nished as runner-up to compa- his mind. “Don’t say I’m the new what you’re good at and take record will pop up,” Lyles added. gold. We got the gold in the 200, es. He has also spoken about the hardly a surprise. triot Michael Norman. Bolt,” said Lyles. “I’m me. If you away what you’re bad at. I’m still Lyles has now set sights on an and now we are going to get that bullying he suff ered as a child, Lyles has lost just once at a Lyles has been tipped to break like me, I’ll happily entertain you. working on my start. I still be- Olympic double from the 100m double gold.” which pushed him into depres- meeting since fi nishing fourth at Bolt‘s 200m world record of It’s my time.” lieve I can get a better top-end and 200m come Tokyo next year. Meanwhile, for now in Doha, sion. the 2016 US Olympics trials as a 19.19, which was set at the 2009 “World records aren’t the speed. There are things I can “I’m defi nitely going after the 1-2 Lyles will bid for his second gold At 22, the world at his feet, all high school student. His latest world championships in Berlin, thing I’m chasing. I’m chas- strengthen. But on the right day, double. I know everyone is asking as he is slated to run the 4x100m that is past now. But Lyles has defeat came at the Rome Dia- but the American claimed sur- ing to be better each day. World with the right conditions and the that, don’t worry,” he assured. relay where the Americans are never forgotten the hardships he mond League in June, where he passing Bolt was the last thing on records come when you improve right training, hopefully a world “Tokyo is it. This time we got the the overwhelming favourites. FOOTBALL Xavi refuses to give up, says Al Sadd will fi ght AFC reduced to 10 men, allowing their and Al Sadd striker Baghdad Doha visitors to reign. Bounedjah was added to the ref- “I’m extremely disappointed eree’s book in added time of the with the result,” said Xavi who is fi rst half for excessive protesta- l Sadd coach Xavi is re- staring at a second consecutive tion, meaning he joins Hassan in fusing to give up hope AFC Champions League semi- missing the return leg. of qualifying to the fi nal exit, having been part of the “Unfortunately, we will be 2019 AFC Champions Al Sadd squad that was eliminat- without two important players ALeague fi nal despite a 4-1 home ed by Persepolis at the same stage for the second leg after the cards defeat at the hands of Al Hilal in in 2018. to Bounedjah and Hassan, but we the fi rst leg of the semi-fi nal on “We were the better team until will still do our best and will not Tuesday. Abdelkarim Hassan was sent off . lose hope. The Qatari champions sur- In my opinion, there were two “It is a really bad result, but we rendered an early lead to concede matches; one before the red card won’t give up. It is not over; there twice in each half, suff ering their and one after it. It was really dif- are still 90 minutes left and we fi rst home defeat of the campaign fi cult for us to defend and attack will fi ght hard to win the second and leaving them in need of a with 10 players, so we fell to this leg. Who knows? Maybe they will four-goal winning margin if they result.” undergo circumstances like those are to better last year’s semi-fi nal With 10 minutes left to the that happened to us today and we exit. half-time break, 2018 AFC Player can then win.” The night started brightly for of the Year Hassan received a yel- Al Sadd travel to Riyadh for the hosts as they dominated the low card for a mistimed challenge the second leg at King Saud Uni- early proceedings and struck fi rst on Mohammed al-Burayk. The versity Stadium on October 22, 14 minutes into the game, but a left-back then reacted angrily to with the winners facing either defensive mistake allowed Al Hi- the decision, earning his march- Guangzhou Evergrande or Urawa lal a way back into the match and ing orders. Red Diamonds in the 2019 AFC Al Sadd coach Xavi (right) speaks to defender Abdelkarim Hassan during the first leg of the AFC Champions League semi-finals against Saudi Al Sadd capitulated after being Tensions were fl ying high Champions League fi nal. Arabia’s Al Hilal at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Tuesday. (AFP) Gulf Times 2 Thursday, October 3, 2019 FOCUS SPOTLIGHT Mystery injury Hassan wins scuppers Norman 400m title bid AFP Doha 1,500m heat aft er mystery injury scup- pered Michael Nor- man’s bid for 400 me- tres gold yesterday as Athe up-and-coming American star crashed out in the semi-fi - nals at the Khalifa Stadium. The 21-year-old USA sprinter, Salazar furore the fastest man in the world this year over the distance, had been Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen advances in women’s 5000m one of the favourites for gold in Doha alongside compatriot Fred Kerley. However Norman was al- ways struggling in a heat won by Trinidad’s Machel Cedenio, fi n- ishing last in seventh place in a time of 45.94. Afterwards, Norman revealed he had been troubled by a nig- gling injury in the “lower half” of his body for the past two months. He declined to elaborate on the precise nature of the injury. “I came into the race with the ed itself. Today my body got the mentality of going out there,” best of me. Norman. “But my body gave me “It’s disappointing but I just warning signs today and I lis- have to take this performance for tened to them and made the ex- what it is, and be a better athlete ecutive choice to slow down in- for next year.” stead of risking injury. With Norman injured, the “It’s real disappointing to USA’s hopes of completing a come out here after 330 days of 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m training and not even make the sweep now rest with Kerley, who fi nal, not even look good in the won his heat in 44.25sec.