McCullum torments PSG out to brush India with another aside off-form double16 ton Leverkusen19 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2014 Brazil’s worst nightmare if Argentina wins World Cup Page 19 SOCHI: US Charlie White and US Meryl Davis compete in the Figure Skating Ice Dance Free Dance at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the Sochi Winter Olympics yesterday. — AFP First Olympic ice dance gold for US SOCHI: Two-time world champions Meryl Davis short dance on Sunday they scored an overall the benefit was not knowing what the Olympics Meanwhile, Anton Kushnir completed a let them (try to) beat me. and Charlie White finally claimed a first Olympic total record of 195.52, beating their previous are really all about and having not experienced Belarus double in the aerials competition by “I’m never going to out-jump those guys.” figure skating ice dancing gold for the United best from the Grand Prix final by over four it, but I think coming in we knew exactly the winning men’s Olympic gold yesterday. Kushnir managed a staggering score of 134.50 States with new world record scores yesterday. points. “The crowd was really alive out there magnitude and the scope of it.” Following Alla Tsuper’s victory in the in the super final to win by some margin over Vancouver silver medallists Davis, 27, and today for all the teams and we fed off the ener- Ilinykh and Katasalapov had already won women’s competition, he also succeeded com- the competition, although both Chinese ath- White, 26, led all the way to seal the title by 4.53 gy,” said White. “We were well prepared by our gold in the new team event in which the patriot Alexei Grishin as Winter Games winner letes crash-landed their jumps. points following a routine filled with difficult coach Marina (Zoueva) in coming here and Canadians finished silver medallists and the after the defending champion was knocked out Morris’s jump scored a modest 110.41 while lifts and rapid footwork ahead of reigning doing our job.” “I felt like we had done every- Americans took bronze. in the heats. “I was just lucky today to be hon- neither Chinese broke the 100 barrier. Jia said Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir thing we could from the beginning of this com- They scored 110.44 for their emotional per- est,” said the humble champion. “I like to jump he had no regrets about trying such a tough of Canada. Russia’s Elena Ilinykh and Nikita petition, in practice, team event, this event. And formance to “Swan Lake” which earned a stand- when my competitors are at a high level, it stim- jump in the super final. “If I didn’t try this jump Katsalapov won bronze after the free dance 17 years of hard work was justified. To come ing ovation from their adoring home crowd for ulates me. maybe it would have been a safer plan but I final at the Iceberg Skating Palace. “We’re so away with a gold medal is amazing.” The 183.48 overall. “Unfortunately the Chinese athletes made would have regretted it,” he said. excited, we’re in shock a little. I’m not sure what Canadians, who Zoueva led to gold four years mistakes. I thought it would be close and decid- Just as in the women’s competition, China we’re feeling,” said Davis, after claiming a 15th ago, scored 114.66 points for their skate to Olympic debut ed on small technical issues but they made mis- had two competitors in the super final but Olympic gold medal for the United States but “Petit Adagio, Waltz in Concerto No. 2” for an France’s Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian takes.” Australian David Morris was a shock sil- could manage only one medal in each and no the first outside of men’s or women’s singles. overall total of 190.99. Bourzat finished off the podium in fourth. Since ver medallist while Jia Zongyang took bronze gold. “The Chinese team could have done bet- “It kind of all came together for us and we’re “That was another great skate for us,” said it made its Olympic debut at the 1976 Innsbruck for China ahead of his world champion team- ter,” admitted Qi. so pleased to be here. We’re in disbelief.” The Moir. “There was a lot of pressure tonight. We Games it is just the fourth time that a non- mate Qi Guangpu. Either Jia or Qi had top-scored on all three Americans, who train with the Canadian felt it more this afternoon probably than yester- Russian or former Soviet team have won ice Morris tried the least complicated jump in rounds before the super final but neither could dancers in Detroit under Russian-born coach day. We just wanted to go out and have a great dancing. the final but he said it wasn’t a case of simply pull it off when it mattered most. Earlier in the Marina Zoueva, completed their medal set after skate for us and have our moment and we felt For Russia it was a sixth consecutive medal hedging his bets. “To be honest I’d never been day Grishin was knocked out after finishing sec- their silver in Vancouver and team bronze in like we did that.” in ice dance-the first time they have medalled to a super final before so I thought, I’ve never ond last in the first heat and then failing to Sochi. Virtue and Moir became the first Canadians in the same event in six straight Winter Games been here, I’ve got as far as I can possibly get, I’d make a top six finish in the second-chance, sec- They scored 116.63 points for their free skate to win three Olympic medals in figure skating- in any sport. Ice dancing is a different discipline be happy with a fourth. ond heat. China’s World Cup winner Liu to “Scheherazade”-over two points higher than two silver in Sochi in addition to their and less athletic than pairs skating. It resembles “I don’t expect to beat some of these guys Zhongqing, the Vancouver bronze medallist, the previous record they achieved in the team Vancouver gold. Virtue added: “With more expe- ballroom dancing-the dancers have to stay with their huge jumps so I didn’t have the pres- also had a disaster and crashed out after finish- event just over a week ago. rience comes more pressure, more expectation close together and there is less lifting and more sure like I have to win this. I came down and did ing 18th out of 21 in the first heat and last out After already setting a new record in the and I think what we had in Vancouver, maybe intricate, rhythmic footwork. the jump and just tried to put it on my feet and of 15 in the second. — AFP East win All-Star game Olympics medals table NEW ORLEANS: The Eastern Conference left. Indiana’s Paul George made three free and Snoop Dogg. Magic Johnson led a SOCHI: Winter Olympics medals table yesterday (after finally stopped Kevin Durant and Blake throws, Anthony nailed his final 3-pointer, band, too, encouraging the All-Stars to five of five gold medal events): Griffin as it stopped its losing streak at the and James scored to make it 161-155. join him in singing “Happy Birthday” after Gold Silver Bronze Total NBA All-Star game. George closed it out with two more free the first quarter to Hall of Famer Bill Germany 8 3 2 13 Kyrie Irving had 31 points and 14 throws and finished with 18 points. Russell, the NBA’s greatest champion who assists and was voted the game’s MVP, The game that usually doesn’t get was celebrating his 80th. The All-Stars Russia 5 7 6 18 Carmelo Anthony made a record eight 3- tight until the final minutes was close played better than they sang. Netherlands 5 5 7 17 pointers and scored 30 points, and the throughout the fourth quarter, neither The East finished with 61 percent United States 5 4 9 18 East rallied for a 163-155 victory over the team leading by more than four until the shooting, needing all sorts of offense after Norway 5 3 7 15 West on Sunday night in the highest-scor- final minute. it simply couldn’t defend Durant and Switzerland 5 2 1 8 ing All-Star game ever. “It’s a great honor,” Chris Paul had 11 points and 13 assists, Griffin. Durant made 6 3-pointers and eas- Belarus 5 0 1 6 Irving said. “We had a few MVPs. Everyone and first-time All-Star Stephen Curry had ily blew past the 28.8 points he had been Canada 4 7 4 15 out here today is an MVP.” 12 points and 11 assists for the West. But averaging in All-Star games, which was an Durant and Griffin each finished with the best point guard on the floor was NBA record. Poland 4 0 0 4 38 points, four shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s Irving, who shot 14 of 17 and helped the Outside of the ugly sleeved jerseys, it China 3 2 1 6 All-Star game record. But the East scored East ring up 87 points in the second half was a good look for the NBA’s midseason Sweden 2 5 2 9 the final 10 points to pull out a game it after it surrendered a record 89 in the first.