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RUGBY | Page 6
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Safar 7, 1441 AH
GULF TIMES
SPORT
QNB STARS LEAGUE
Rayyan hand Al Sadd Qatar Clasico defeat
By Sports Reporter
Doha
A
l Rayyan shocked Al Sadd in the first
Qatar Clasico of the season in the QNB
Stars League yesterday.
Al Rayyan’s goals were scored by
Gabriel Mercado (26th minute), Rodrigo Tabata
(43rd), Abdulaziz Hatem (59th) and Yacine Bra-
himi (70th minute). For Al Sadd, Nam Tae-Hee
and Baghdad Bounedjah scored in the 28th and
54th minute respectively.
With both sides going into the match unbeat-
FOOTBALL | Page 7
England first
into quarters,
Japan extend
dream run
en this season, there was a bit of spice to it as the
teams competed to not only win the Qatar Cla-
sico, but also to maintain their super form.
Much was on offer for a raucous crowd as
the pre-match buzz found its way to the large
number of fans present at the stadium.
Naturally, the energy acted as a stimulant to
the players who were quick into action as they
sought hero status in the Qatar Clasico. The
first chance of the match fell to Bounedjah in the
opening minutes, but his strike from the byline
was excellently saved by the sprawling legs of
Fahad Younis. Shortly after, Al Rayyan thought
they had taken the lead, but Tabata’s shot was
Barshim to tell
kids: I was one
of you guys
By Mikhil Bhat
Doha
M
utaz Essa Barshim grew up to
love high jumping in the shad-
ows of the iconic Khalifa Inter-
national Stadium.
This is where he threw tantrums while
being at loggerheads with his then new
coach Stanisław ‘Stanley’ Szczyrba
because that’s what kids do when
discipline is introduced.
He even missed the Asian Athletics
Championships at the home venue in
April this year to ensure better recov-
ery from a career-threatening injury
he sustained last year.
But most importantly, and poeti-
cally, it’s where he rose like a falcon to
become the only high jumper to success-
fully defend his World Championship title
on Friday.
“I have won a lot of medals but this
one was at home, so it feels different,”
said Barshim after beating the bar at a
world leading 2.37m on an electric Friday
evening, the eighth day of the IAAF World
Athletics Championships Doha 2019.
Neutral athletes Mikhail Akimenko and
Ilya Ivanyuk took silver and bronze respec-
tively behind the Qatari star.
“Aspire Academy is my home. I have a
lot of great memories. It has played a big
role in my career. They gave me such a
big opportunity to be who I am,” Barshim
said referring to the world class sporting
academy, which is right next door from the
Khalifa stadium.
“I always want to give back. As soon as
we settle down, I am going to come down
and speak to the kids there and tell them
that ‘you can do it. I was one of you guys.’
“We have great facilities, great support
and I believe we can achieve a lot. I believe
disallowed as it ricocheted off Mowafak Adam
en route to goal. The Lions did finally score mid-
way through the half when Tabata’s out-swing-
ing corner was met by a super volley from Mer-
cado and blasted into the roof of the net.
The cliche of being most vulnerable when you
have just scored came true as Al Sadd were back
on level terms within two minutes. Akram Afif
caused havoc in the penalty area before sliding
the ball back to Nam who powered it inside the
post and past the goalkeeper. Al Rayyan were
able to take a half-time lead in the closing min-
utes when Brahimi’s accurate drive was saved
by Saad al-Dossari with Tabata on hand to fin-
Salah injury
overshadows
late win for
Liverpool
ATHLETICS
The simple question
that spurred Dalilah
to Worlds gold
Page 3
this should inspire Arab people.”
It’s not just Barshim’s persona and de-
meanour that’s inspiring but also his nar-
rative and the way he has fought back into
spotlight in front of the nation that is as
grateful to him as he is to Qatar and its
people.
The 28-year-old has had a 2.40m plus
mark every year for six straight years since
2013. He has come within two centimetres
of the world record 2.45m to be the all-
time number two.
The Cuban World record holder Javier
Sotomayor, who was present at the Kha-
lifa stadium on Friday for compatriot and
Pan American champion Luis Enrique Za-
yas, himself has, in the past, put faith in
Barshim to break his 1992 mark.
And it was this world record that halted
Barshim’s run last year at the Gyulai Me-
morial in Szekesfehervar, Hungary.
After a spectacular 2017, when he be-
came the first high jumper to win the IAAF
Athlete of the Year Award, Barshim had
begun yet another run of victories in 2018,
six to be precise including the one in Hun-
gary.
Having sealed the deal with a 2.40m ef-
fort, Barshim felt good and decided to go
for 2.46m. The Qatari star’s attempt to go
higher ended in pain as he hurt his ankle
while taking off.
The next thing he knew he was getting
operated up on.
“One year ago, I got off the crutches, I
took my first step. My injury was very se-
rious, it could have been career-ending;
and then you start questioning yourself,”
Barshim said on Friday after his win.
“I wasn’t 100 per cent ready (on Friday),
but with all these people cheering for me
like this I just forgot everything. I felt like,
‘OK it doesn’t matter what happens to-
night, if I injure myself, it’s my last com-
petition. I am going to push everything
ish off the rebound. Those hoping to catch their
breath in the second half had no time to settle
as The Wolves came straight out of the traps and
were unfortunate not to have equalised when
Bounedjah’s goal was seen to be marginally off-
side.
Bounedjah, however, was not to be denied
for long as he rose highest in the penalty area to
cushion Hamed Ismail’s cross into the far corner
with a beautiful header.
Once again, Al Rayyan found themselves ahead
in no time when the imperious Brahimi slalomed
into the box before releasing Hatem whose shot
squirmed under the despairing arms of al-Dossari.
out’,” said the 1.88m tall athlete, who had
jumped competitively only thrice this sea-
son before coming to the Worlds.
The covers from the upper tiers of the
Khalifa stadium had to come off after the
local fans poured in. Home advantage for
Barshim kicked in and he knew it.
Every time he spread his arms wide
waving at the crowd behind him to make
some noise as he prepared for his jump,
they would respond in kind.
“Everybody came here and supported
me a lot; I just wanted to do it for them.
They are the champions tonight, not me,”
he said.
“They believed in me, they supported
me, and I believe this will spark some-
thing, for the nation itself, for the upcom-
ing events. Today I saw the joy in people’s
eyes. They didn’t believe it, now they do,
and I think they will come back.”
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad al-Thani for sure was joyous.
“He was very excited, very happy. I went
to see him after the end of the competition,
and he said ‘Well done. I have no words to
say. You did everything, more than I ex-
pected’. He’s really happy, he’s proud and I
am proud too,” Barshim said of his meeting
with His Highness.
The packed Khalifa International Sta-
dium was also a perfect recipe for pressure.
“Of course, there was pressure (at these
championships), there is always pressure,
but I need that pressure to jump. I love
to perform in a field where everybody is
strong and in front of a big crowd. I think
this is an extra push. Pressure in sports
can be positive and can actually help you.
I needed that.”
And now that he has delivered, what’s
next for the world champion?
“Tokyo is the target of course,” he said.
“However, first I need to be fat, to eat as
much as I can and to have a vacation!”
Brahimi put the result beyond doubt when
he wrestled his way into the box before
launching a vicious strike which the goal-
keeper was not able to save. Brahimi did have
a penalty saved late on, but the damage was
already done and Al Rayyan held on for a fa-
mous and well-deserved victory in what was
another marvellous advertisement for the
QNB Stars League.
Al Rayyan now find themselves level on 12
points with Al Sadd who still have an extra
game, against Al Arabi, in hand.
In the second match of the day, Al Ahli de-
feated Qatar Sports Club 2-0.
2 Gulf Times
Sunday, October 6, 2019

SPOTLIGHT

‘I HOPE THIS MEDAL WILL GIVE ME A LOT MORE CONFIDENCE FOR TOKYO’
IAAF
Doha

J
apan completed a glorious men’s
race walking double at the IAAF
World Athletics Championships
Doha 2019 courtesy of a com-
manding performance by world leader
Toshikazu Yamanishi.
The bespectacled 23-year-old seized
control of the race between 7-8km and
never relinquished his advantage as he
tamed the hot and humid conditions to
strike gold in 1:26:34.
Vasily Mizinov, the authorised neutral
athlete, stormed home with a final 5km
split of 20:53 to grab silver. Perseus Karl-
strom, who mounted a strong challenge
in the third quarter of the race to close
Yamanishi, earned Sweden its first men’s
race walking medal at a World Champi-
onships by taking bronze in 1:27:00.
The 52-man field set out on Friday (at
11.30pm) on the Corniche, covering 20
one-kilometre loops in temperatures of
32C and 73% humidity.
Sensibly the field adopted a cautious
approach, covering the first 5km in 22:25
led by Australia’s Olympic bronze med-
allist Dane Bird-Smith.
The first significant moves were
made by Great Britain’s 2016 world U20
10,000m race walk champion Callum
Wilkinson and China’s Asian Games
champion Wang Kaihua, who opened
up a handy gap on the field just beyond
quarter distance.
Wang had opened up a 40-metre ad-
vantage but Yamanishi, who earlier this
year recorded the fourth fastest time in
history with a 1:17:15 clocking to land the
Asian title, was first to respond to the
Chinese athlete’s thrust.
The Japanese race walker, who could
be one of the star names at the Tokyo
2020 Olympics, put together back-to-
back 4:15 kilometre splits to glide past
Wang and by 9km held a 13-second lead
on a group containing the Chinese race
walker, Karlstrom, Italian record-holder
Massimo Stano and Koki Ikeda of Japan,
the 2018 IAAF World Racing Walking
Team Championships gold medallist.
Japan’s Toshikazu
Yamanishi celebrates
winning the men’s
20km walk gold.
Half distance was reached in 46:06 by Turkey’s Salih Korkmaz, the European
Yamanishi – who was showing no sign of U23 silver medallist.
distress – some 17 seconds clear of the By 12km Yamanishi’s advantage had
chasing pack, which now also included been trimmed to 12 seconds, although
Stano’s bid for a medal was over as he was
forced to serve two minutes in the pitlane
following three red cards.
The Japanese athlete marched relent-
Winner Toshikazu Yamanishi poses with Neutral athlete Vasily Mizinov (silver)
and Sweden’s Perseus Karlstrom (bronze).
lessly on and by 15km (1:05:28) the lead
was back up to 15 seconds. Behind, Karl-
strom put the hammer down following
a 4:07 one kilometre split to open up a
clear 12-second advantage on Korkmuz,
who now held third.
The 29-year-old Swede briefly offered
hope he could bridge the gap on the long-
time leader and at 16km the advantage
was reduced to 13 seconds.
However, Karlstrom had over-exerted
himself in pursuit of gold and by the
18km checkpoint – reached in 1:18:03 by
the Japanese athlete – his lead was now
25 seconds and the Swede had a flying
Mizinov just nine seconds adrift.
By 19km the authorised neutral athlete
had moved into second and the medal
order – barring any late calls by the race
walking judges – was determined.
In splendid isolation and just a few
minutes before 1am local time he com-
pleted the 20km in 1:26:34. It was the
first time since Spain’s double triumph
in 1993 that one nation had snared both
men’s race walking titles at a World
Championships.
Mizinov was rewarded with silver in
1:26:49 with Karlstrom (1:27:00) claim-
ing Sweden’s first race walking medal
since Madelin Svensson grabbed the
women’s 10km silver in 1991.
Yamanishi was delighted to claim a
second race walking gold for Japan in
Doha and even consulted the 50km win-
ner Yusuke Suzuki in preparation of the
challenge ahead.
“It was good and helpful for me to re-
ceive some advice from Suzuki,” he said.
“I used a towel around my neck, and it
made the race a bit easier. When I started
to speed up after 7km I expected athletes
to follow me. I was surprised and lucky
nobody did. I wanted to walk faster in the
final 3km but it was impossible. I hope
this medal will give me a lot more confi-
dence for Tokyo.”
Behind the podium finishers, Germa-
ny’s Christopher Linke, who was ninth at
halfway, finished strongly to place fourth
in 1:27:19. Korkmaz produced a best ever
finish for Turkey at a World Champi-
onships race walk in fifth (1:27:35) with
Great Britain’s Tom Bosworth achieving
the same feat for his country in placing
seventh (1:29:34). Sandwiched between
the pair was the second Japanese race
walker, Ikeda, in 1:29:02.

BOTTOMLINE
TODAY’S FINALS AT DOHA WORLDS

Double blow for US as Reese Today’s seven finals at the World Athletics Championships in
Doha (in Qatar Time), with world records (WR), 2019 world
best results (YB - as of September 22), defending world champi-
ons from 2017 (DC), 2016 Olympic champions (OC), and favour-

crashes out and DQ for McNeal

ites (FA).

Women’s long jump at 7.15pm

WR: 7.52 Galina Chistyakova, Soviet Union, June 11, 1988, Lenin-
grad
YB: 7.16 Malaika Mihambo, Germany
DC: Brittney Reese, United States
OC: Tianna Bartoletta, United States
FA: Malaika Mihambo, Germany; Brittney Reese, United States;
Ese Brume, Nigeria

Men’s 1,500m at 7.40pm

WR: 3:26.00 Hicham El Guerrouj, Morocco, July 14, 1998, Rome
YB: 3:28:77 Timothy Cheruiyot, Kenya
DC: Elijah Manangoi, Kenya
OC: Matthew Centrowitz, United States
FA: Timothy Cheruiyot, Kenya; Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Nor-
way; Marcin Lewandowski, Poland

Men’s javelin at 7.55pm

WR: 98.48 Jan Zelezny, Czech Republic, May 25, 1996, Jena
YB: 90.61 Magnus Kirt, Estonia
DC: Johannes Vetter, Germany
OC: Thomas Roehler, Germany
FA: Johannes Vetter, Germany; Magnus Kirt, Estonia; Andreas
Hoffmann, Germany

US hurdler Brianna McNeal is disqualified for a false start. Men’s 10,000m at 8pm
WR: 26:17.53 Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia, August 26, 2005, Brussels
DPA final you can try to get closer to the board. YB: 26:48.95 Hagos Gebrhiwet, Ethiopia
Doha I don’t know what can go wrong in the DC: Mo Farah, Britain
final, I will give my best,” said Mihambo OC: Mo Farah, Britain
who tops the season with 7.16m. FA: Hagos Gebrhiwet, Ethiopia; Joshua Cheptegei, Uganda;

R
eigning and four-time cham-
pion Brittney Reese failed to
qualify for the long-jump final
and Olympic champion Brianna
McNeal was disqualified in her 100 me-
tres hurdles heat in a double blow for the
American team at the world champion-
ships yesterday.
Reese, who also had Olympic gold from
2012 and silver from 2016, managed only
6.52 metres in her final attempt which at
the time was the 12th and last place into
today’s final.
But Jamaica’s Chanice Porter then re-
corded 6.57m on the very last jump of
qualifying to advance at her expense.
German season leader Malaika Mi-
hambo led the way, sailing far beyond the
qualifying mark of 6.75 metres in her first
attempt, measured at 6.98m although she
was far off the board. Nigerian contender
Ese Brume had 6.89m and 2017 100m
champion Tori Bowie of the US 6.77m.
“Everything is good. I gave away 20cm
before the board but once you are in the
McNeal was meanwhile disqualified
for a false start in her 100 metres hurdles
heat, leaving the infield in tears after be-
ing shown the red card and then arguing
briefly in vain with race judges.
Tobi Amusan of Nigeria topped the
heats with a personal best 12.48 seconds,
the fastest time ever run in a first round.
Jamaican season leader Danielle Williams
had 12.51, American World record holder
Kendra Harrison 12.55, and European
champion Elvira Herman of Belarus also
moved on.
German defending and European
champion Johannes Vetter needed just
one massive throw of 89.35 metres to
move into the men’s javelin final along
with Estonian season leader Magnus
Kirst (88.36m) as both far exceeded the
84m qualifying mark.
But the Germans also had to swallow
the elimination of Olympic champion
Thomas Roehler and Andreas Hofmann,
the 2018 European championship silver
medallist.
Rhonex Kipruto, Kenya
Women’s 100m hurdles at 8.50pm
WR: 12.20 Kendra Harrison, United States, July 22, 2016, London
YB: 12.32 Danielle Williams, Jamaica
DC: Sally Pearson, Australia
OC: Briana Rollins, United States
FA: Danielle Williams, Jamaica; Kendra Harrison, United States;
Nia Ali, United States
Women’s 4x400m relay at 9.15pm
WR: 3:15,17 Soviet Union, October 1, 1988, Seoul
YB: 3:24.04 United States
DC: United States
OC: United States
FA: United States; Jamaica; Poland
USA’s Brittney Reese competes in the
Women’s Long Jump heats at the 2019 Men’s 4x400m relay at 9.30pm
IAAF World Athletics Championships WR: 2:54.29 United States, August 22, 1993, Stuttgart
at the Khalifa International stadium in YB: 2:59.05 United States
Doha yesterday. However, she failed to DC: Trinidad and Tobago
qualify for the final. OC: United States
FA: United States; Trinidad and Tobago; Jamaica
 Gulf Times
Sunday, October 6, 2019 3

SPOTLIGHT

The simple question that

spurred Dalilah to gold
‘I used to run around my neighbourhood and my first coach saw me running around and he begged my Mom for me to join a track club’
IAAF offers, and Muhammad elected
ship offers nal in Zurich and the 5252.85 wor-
85 set a wor
Doha to cross the country to enrol at the thy standard ahead of Doha. Both kept
sprint powerhouse of the University their powder dry as they advanced to
of Southern California. She finished the final, and when Muhammad was
drawn in lane six, McLaughlin in four,

D
alilah Muhammad calls it her
epiphany, the moment that
set off a chain reaction for
all that came next: Olympic
gold, world record and – on Friday
night at the IAAF World Athletics
Championships Doha 2019 – a long-
awaited world title.
To get that gold, she not only had
to be the fastest athlete on the night,
but the fastest of all time. Ten hurdles,
52.16 seconds, one lap of the track and
a place firmly established among the
all-time greats.
But back to that epiphany. It was
early 2016, Muhammad was 25 years
old and coming off a season where
her talent had failed to truly fire. Two
years prior, she had won world silver in
Moscow but 2014 and 2015 were me-
diocre seasons, the New York native
struggling with a string of injuries.
She picked up a quad strain in an
early-season race in 2014, ran on with
it and made things worse, her form
never hitting the highs of the previous
year. Her issues lingered in 2015 and
in February of 2016, she parted ways
with coach Yolanda Demus and linked
up with Lawrence Johnson, who trains
a group of high-level hurdlers at his
base in Northridge, California.
It was around then she had a reali-
sation.
“Why not me?” Muhammad recalls
herself thinking. “Someone’s going to
win the 2016 Olympics so why can’t it
be you? You fought really hard in 2013,
so let’s go for it.”
She adds now, almost four years on,
“that’s what I’ve been going with ever
since.”
She was always fast, for as long as
she can remember. Growing up in
Queens in New York City, Muhammad
would have to go far before she found a
peer who could hold her pace.
“I used to run around my neigh-
bourhood and my first coach saw me
running around and he begged my
Mom for me to join a track club. He
thought I was fast. I would beat all the
boys.”
She dabbled in a bit of swimming in
the early years, but her entry into ath-
letics was not in the discipline you’d
imagine. “I started off with cross
country,” she says. “I didn’t start with
sprinting until I was in high school.”
There had been no other runners
in her family, but Muhammad clearly
had a talent for it. She clocked a swift
54.89 to win the US U17 400m title in
2006 and the following year she got
her first taste of global competition,
winning gold in the 400m hurdles at
the IAAF World U18 Championships
in Ostrava.
That brought multiple scholar-
third in the NCAA Outdoor Champi-
onships in her first year, but that was
a result she couldn’t better for the rest
of her collegiate career.
In 2012 she was knocked out in the
first round of the US Olympic Trials
and watched from afar as several of
her USC teammates made the trip to
London for the Games.
“I felt like I could be one of them,”
she says. “Looking back, it was defi-
nitely the motivation I needed. I was
nowhere I thought capable of being.”
Only after graduating and linking
up with Yolanda Demus, mother of
2011 world champion Lashinda De-
mus, did she truly ascend to world-
class. After being backed by her family
and running unsponsored, she won
that world silver in 2013 and earned a
deal with Nike. Then there were those
two years in the doldrums before the
move to train with Johnson rekindled
her career.
What followed, of course, is a high-
point that will remain hard to top,
even in light of Friday night’s exhibi-
tion in Doha.
Muhammad claimed Olympic gold
in 2016 in Rio, the humble, hard-
working daughter of parents Nadirah
and Askia suddenly catapulted to in-
ternational stardom.
She ran 53.13 to win gold, a few ticks
down on the 52.88 she ran to win the
US title earlier that summer, and what
both races showed was that she had
within her the capability to rewrite the
world record of 52.34, held by Russia’s
Yuliya Pechonkina since 2003.
That magical day arrived in July this
year, Muhammad blitzing her oppo-
nents to take her event to a new level
with her world record of 52.20. She
believed then and still does now that it
was a long way from the perfect race,
but Muhammad was not one to pore
over the video.
“I have not watched that race that
much and the reason is just because
I didn’t want to relive that moment
and have that be the highlight of my
career,” she says. “I was so happy but
ultimately the World Championships
title was the goal this year.”
She took a week off training after
Des Moines, then went back into base
work with her focus on Doha.
There was no disguising her biggest
threat, the woman who could force
Muhammad to settle for her third
world silver medal. Sydney McLaugh-
lin had been a 16-year-old sensation
and her US teammate when Muham-
mad took gold in Rio, but in 2019 in
Doha, she was by far the woman most
likely to beat her to gold.
McLaughlin beat Muhammad into
third at the IAAF Diamond League fi-
the world record-holder saw it as a
chance to apply some early pressure
on the 20-year-old.
“Sydney finishes great, I just want-
ed to use my technique and my abili-
ties to the best I could. I think I’m a
better hurdler and just wanted to use
my speed and put as much distance as
I could.”
For many previous races Muham-
mad would tell herself highly specific
things as she settled into her blocks,
but this time her mind went blissfully
blank.
“I think sometimes we get too in our
heads and try to do everything per-
fect, sometimes you just have to trust
in what you’ve been doing all year,
trust in your training,” she says. “I
wasn’t really thinking about anything:
just go for it.”
Muhammad had run 15 strides as far
as hurdle nine in the past, but the exu-
berance of her start on Friday night
meant she was only able to hold that
until hurdle eight this time, with fa-
tigue setting in that bit sooner.
“I definitely did think the race was
pretty fast from the start. Sometimes
you tell yourself to back off a little,
that you’re going too fast, but in this
race I knew there was no holding back.
By the last 100 you zone out and then
you’re trying to hold on.”
McLaughlin came charging at Mu-
hammad off the 10th hurdle, but Mu-
hammed wasn’t for catching. She hit
the line exhausted, elated in 52.16,
0.07 clear of McLaughlin.
So was this, at long last, the perfect
race?
“I definitely think it was better
set pattern-wise but to make it more
perfect I think my hurdling technique
could be better. I definitely think I can
improve on the finish, maybe taking it
out a little slower or try to push to 15
steps all around.”
It said much about her attitude
that she could, no more than an hour
after crossing the line, reel off mul-
tiple ways she can improve. With
McLaughlin’s swift ascent, she knows
she might have to if she is to retain her
Olympic title in Tokyo next summer.
Not that she has any reason to look
too far up the road.
In recent weeks her coach had often Dalilah Muhammad of the US poses with her
said to her that the short turnaround 400m hurdles gold medal yesterday.
to Tokyo – now less than 10 months
away – meant Muhammad would only
get two weeks’ break for her off-sea-
son, but the world record-holder, with
some justification, feels she’s earned
more.
“There’s no way I’m taking two
weeks,” she laughs. “He’ll see me in a
month.”

FOCUS

Kipruto’s lethal final kick does the trick again

By Sahan Bidappa ing the last barrier in the lead, Mosoriot not on a track, but a
Doha but I made a mistake there and grass field where dirt lanes have
Girma was a couple of metres been carved out by foot tread of
ahead of me. I had to kick so hard. thousands of laps. Kipruto uses

E
ven by Conseslus Ki-
pruto’s standards, the
men’s 3000m steeple-
chase final on Friday
night at the Khalifa International
Stadium was too close for com-
fort.
The Kenyan has a habit of
making epic comebacks to win
a race. The Olympic champion
has an impressive kick in the final
straight, which has bailed him
out of trouble in the past.
In the 2017 Diamond League
final, Kipruto trailed Soufiane El
Bakkali by three metres over the
final barrier but reeled him in to
win by .10 seconds. In last year’s
Diamond League final, a one-
shoed Kipruto again trailed Mor-
rocan El Bakkali off the final bar-
rier and again he ran him down to
win by .04.
On Friday, Kipruto must have
thought his luck with close finish-
es might come to an end after Le-
mecha Girma took a comfortable
lead going in the final straighta-
way. But in a stunning revival, the
24-year-old Kipruto edged past
the Ethiopian teenager in the final
stride, clocking 8:01.35 to defend
his world title.
Girma had been beaten by .01
second and he couldn’t believe it,
nor could Kipruto as he looked in
disbelief as the results were flashed
on the big screen. The Kenyan cel-
ebrated by jumping over one of the
hurdles, with his finger on his lips,
as he posed for the cameras.
Before heading to the IAAF
World Athletics Championships
in Doha, the defending cham-
pion had raced just four times
this year. He failed to finish two of
those races and had clocked fifth
in Paris and seventh in Lausanne.
But when it came to rising to the
occasion, he did and did it spec-
tacularly.
“In my celebrations I was tell-
ing the people, ‘I am still here.’
You know, after my injury peo-
ple were saying I wasn’t going to
make it to the World Champion-
ships. So I was telling the fans
and people in the world that I am
still here. I was there to save my
title,” said Kipruto.
“It was a really difficult race.
In the last lap I had planned to
kick from the last 200m. But El
Bakkali was there and I was sur-
prised. He was really passing
at a high speed so I changed my
plans. So I re-focused on jump-
In my mind I just thought of the
gold and being world champion,”
he added.
Kipruto’s victory also extend-
ed Kenya’s three-decade reign in
the 3000m Steeplechase. A Ken-
yan or a Kenyan-born man has
won every Olympic and world
title in the steeplechase since the
1988 Seoul Games.
“I didn’t want to risk losing
this event. They always say it is
a Kenyan event, so it was up to
me to keep it. But it was tight and
when I crossed the line I thought,
‘Please let the first man be Cons-
eslus’. I waited and prayed and
then I looked at the screen. I saw
it was my name and I was very
happy,” said the outspoken Ki-
pruto.
Earlier this year, Kipruto was
sidelined by a stress fracture in
his left foot which made his par-
ticipation at the Doha Worlds
doubtful. But he made his come-
back in August and came into
Worlds ranked 17th in the world
on best times this season.
To overcome his injury, Ki-
pruto built a pool in his backyard
to aqua jog. It was one of many
unorthodox ways for the Ken-
yan to train for the big event. He
also does his regular training in
hurdles for steeple barriers in
training and does not have any
kind of water pit.
“I had two-and-a-half
months without training. Then
I decided to do some exercise in
a swimming pool. Many people
were saying, ‘What is this?’ It
was mid-June when I talked to
my coach about my plans and
told him I wanted to return to
racing before the last Diamond
Leagues. I wanted to see where I
am,” Kipruto said.
“I ran the last Diamond League
in Brussels and it was like I was
walking on grass. So I went home
and trained on my speed. And af-
ter running my semi-final here I
knew I was in good shape. I knew
I was going to do it when I made
the final. And I am happy I did,”
he added.
Kipruto was also delighted to
run in front of a packed Khalifa
Stadium, including many Ken-
yan fans, which he said egged
him to give his best. “It was a
great crowd. I was happy when
I saw a large crowd from Kenya.
They were cheering and sing-
ing my name and singing about
my country. The victory belongs
to Kenya, this event belongs to
Kenya,” he said.
4 Gulf Times
Sunday, October 6, 2019

SPOTLIGHT

Silver couple all fired up

‘When we realised we would be competing

after Doha show on the same night, we knew it would be a

little bit hard to watch each other compete’

Silver medallist Estonia’s Maicel Uibo during the Silver medallist Bahamas’
decathlon medal ceremony at the IAAF World Shaunae Miller-Uibo poses
Athletics Championships in Doha at the Khalifa during the women’s 400m
International Stadium on Friday. (Reuters) medal ceremony on Friday.
(Reuters)

IAAF nal, Shaunae waited trackside of Canada’s Damian Warner to came very good friends before petitive about anything really.
Doha to cheer on her husband in the match the achievement of his they eventually started dat- We’ll argue about who our dogs
1500m, the final event of the compatriot Erki Nool who also ing. They got married in 2017 love the most. Just really random
decathlon, before completing a claimed a world silver medal, and now both reside and train things like that. It’s a lot of fun.”

O
n 24 July 1952 at the
Olympic Games in
Helsinki, Czechoslo-
vakia’s Emil Zatopek
kicked away from the field in
the final 150m to take gold in
the 5000m. An hour later, his
wife Dana Zatopkova matched
his achievement by winning the
Olympic title in the javelin to
complete a husband-wife medal
double on the same day.
Sixty-seven years later, Shau-
nae Miller-Uibo and her hus-
band Maicel Uibo achieved a
similar feat at the IAAF World
Athletics Championships Doha
2019 on Thursday night, earn-
ing silver medals in the women’s
400m and men’s decathlon re-
spectively.
Having finished her 400m fi-
joint lap of honour with him by
her side.
“When we realised we would
be competing on the same night,
we knew it would be a little bit
hard to watch each other com-
pete,” said Shaunae.
“I was watching him earlier
this evening and I had to remind
myself to put away the phone.
But it was a great experience get-
ting to support him from the side
of the track.
“I’m really happy for Maicel.
He’s had an extraordinary season
and I’m very happy for him.”
The Bahamas athlete recorded
a massive 0.6 second personal
best, running 48.37 to move
to sixth on the world all-time
list. However, she was bettered
by Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser’s
48.14, the third fastest 400m
clocking in history.
I think I let it get away from me
a little bit too much on the curve,
but I was able to come home a
little bit stronger,” said Shaunae.
“I used my strength in the
home straight. I can’t complain
about 48.3. I’ve trained really
hard this season and I feel in
great shape. To run a big PB is re-
ally impressive so I’m very happy
with it.”
Her husband’s success was
no less notable. Having had to
undergo surgery on a heel in-
jury last year, the Estonian only
resumed training at the start
of March this year. Since then
he has suffered from a shoulder
problem which has prevented
him from doing any javelin spe-
cific training.
Despite these challenges, he
claimed his first major global
outdoor medal, finishing second
with a PB of 8604 behind gold
medallist Niklas Kaul of Ger-
many.
Despite relinquishing the lead
he held going into the 1500m,
Maicel fought off the challenge
back in 2001 in Edmonton.
“I had the time differences in
my head going into the 1500m,”
said Marcel.
“I think it was two seconds
with Niklas and three with Dam-
ian. When Niklas went ahead, I
tried to stay behind him, but on
the third lap he had some more in
the tank. I had to let him go and
just try to hang on for second
place.
“I like to try to take it one
event at a time and just have fun
with it. I feel this meet was one
that I was really able to enjoy.
The javelin was a bit painful but
every other event was fun.”
The couple met during their
freshman year in college at the
University of Georgia in the USA
back in 2012. At first they be-
in Clermont, Georgia. They oc-
casionally train together on the
track with both athletes being
highly competitive with each
other when they do.
“I’ve never raced him in the
400m but if somebody was to
put a picture of me on the back
of one of his competitors’ heads,
he’d probably run a big PB,”
joked Shaunae.
“We talk about track and field
all the time. We are always work-
ing with each other on things we
can fix and we are always push-
ing each other to do our best.”
This level of competitive-
ness isn’t just confined to the
track according to Maicel, whose
400m PB is 50.18. “It’s always
competitive on the track and off
the track,” he said. “We are com-
While both athletes’ attention
will now to turn to the Olym-
pic Games in Tokyo next year,
Shaunae has a long-term goal to
compete in a heptathlon, thanks
mainly to her husband’s influ-
ence.
“I’m definitely looking for-
ward to doing it one of these
years,” she said. “Maicel is a
big influence with regards to
me doing it. I used to do a lit-
tle bit of multi events when I
was a younger and then I kind of
brushed it aside. After meeting
Maicel, he started planting the
idea in my head. I think it will
be a really fun one to try and test
out and see how it goes.”
Their spousal rivalry will like-
ly increase a notch or two when
she does.

FOCUS

Long-cherished gold erases Perez’s pain

IAAF nal podium finisher Kristen Pu-
Doha denz (57.69m) of Germany.
The competition exploded
into life in round four. Played out

Y
aime Perez washed
away the pain of previ-
ous global champion-
ship disappointments
to seal the world title in a com-
pelling battle against her fellow
Cuban Denia Caballero.
The 28-year-old Perez fin-
ished fourth at the two previous
IAAF World Championships and
no-marked in the Olympic fi-
nal having led the qualifiers but
showing impressive composure
inside a pumping Khalifa Inter-
national Stadium she finally de-
livered with a best of 69.17m.
The performance was par-
ticularly impressive as she had
suffered an injury just three days
before the competition, which
raised big questions marks about
her participation.
Her compatriot and 2015
world champion, Denia Cabal-
lero, secured silver courtesy of
a 68.44m throw to ensure the
first women’s discus one-two at
a World Championships for 32
years. Sandra Perkovic, the two-
time former champion, who
has endured an injury-troubled
season, claimed bronze with
66.72m for a fourth successive
World Championship medal.
The lithe and athletic Perez,
who operates with devastating
speed in the circle, established
early control of the competition
with a 68.10m effort in round
Cuba’s Yaime Perez celebrates after winning in the women’s discus throw final at the 2019 IAAF Athletics
World Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Friday. (AFP)
one. Perkovic responded with a
66.72m effort – to show she was
in no mood to relinquish her title
without a fight.
In an otherwise scrappy first
round Bin Feng of China held
provisional bronze with 62.48m.
The big mover in round two
was Caballero. After a first round
foul she fired the 1kg discus out
to 66.80m – to surpass Perkovic
by 8cm and grab second.
There was no change to the med-
al picture in round three although
Caballero strengthened her hold on
silver with a 67.32m hurl.
With the big three sat pretty
in the medal positions the half-
way stage saw the elimination
of French veteran and two-time
former World Championship
medallist Melina Robert-Michon,
who could only summon a best of
59.99m and Diamond League fi-
to the raucous noise generated
by the men’s high jump final,
Caballero elevated herself into
gold with 68.44m – just 34cm
ahead of her compatriot. Refus-
ing to lay down and surrender
Perez produced a 68.01m effort
but could not claw herself back
into gold.
Perez, however, refused to
panic and launched the gold
medal-winning throw in round
five. Firing the discus high
inside the Khalifa Interna-
tional Stadium it hit the turf
at 69.17m – the third longest
throw in the world this year and
also the third longest throw of
her career.
“I am happy and grateful to my
physiotherapist Abdel Murgia,”
she said of the man who made
it possible for Perez to compete
following the injury mishap.
“My life could not be long
enough to thank him for the
medal. This is my fourth World
Championships. I always ar-
rive in top shape but always
left without a medal. It shows
that you should never give up.
But I persevered and earned my
medal.”
China occupied fourth and
fifth positions through Yang
Chen (63.38m) and Bin Feng
(62.48m). Brazil’s Fernanda
Martins or Brazil was the best of
the rest in sixth (62.44m). Cuba’s Yaime Perez in action during discus throw final. (Reuters)
 Gulf Times
Sunday, October 6, 2019 5

Sights from Day 9 of the World Championships

(L-R) Silver medallist Russia’s Mikhail Akimenko, gold medallist Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim and bronze medallist Russia’s Ilya Ivanyuk pose on the podium with Qatar Olympic Committee president HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani during the medal
ceremony for the Men’s High Jump at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday.

Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan poses after running a championship record time in the Women’s 1500m final at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics
Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday.

Gold medallist Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim (R) and his Polich coach Stanislaw Szczyrba talk on the podium
after the medal ceremony for the Men’s High Jump at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Qatar’s Ashraf Hussein Osman and Abubaker Hayder Abdalla
Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday. in action during the men’s 4x400m relay heats. Ryan Crouser of the US in action during the men’s shot put final.
 Gulf Times
6 Sunday, October 6, 2019
SPORT
RUGBY WORLD CUP
England first into
quarters as Japan
extend dream run
‘I’m really proud of our team, especially at the end there — it was a never-say-die attitude’
AFP
Tokyo
E
ngland barged past 14-
man Argentina and into
the Rugby World Cup
quarter-finals yesterday,
as Japan extended their dream
run and Australian teen sensa-
tion Jordan Petaia announced
himself on the big stage.
Japan’s Brave Blossoms sent
home fans into ecstasy with their
third straight win, a 38-19 vic-
tory over Samoa — including
Kotaro Matsushima’s last-gasp
fourth try to grab the all-impor-
tant bonus point.
The result primes Japan, the
one-time tournament whipping
boys, for a shot at reaching the
quarter-finals for the first time
when they face Six Nations side
Scotland next week in Yokohama.
“I’m really proud of our team,
especially at the end there — it
was a never-say-die attitude,”
said Japan coach Jamie Joseph.
“At the end of the day the belief
in our team has grown and I guess
we will need it going into next
week.” Japan’s win came after Ed-
die Jones’s England became the
first team into the last eight with
a bonus-point, 39-10 victory
over Argentina, aided by Tomas
Lavanini’s 17th-minute red card
for a high tackle on Owen Farrell.
And in Oita, Petaia, 19,
crowned his international debut
with a dazzling try as Australia’s
youngest ever World Cup player
helped the Wallabies overcome
two yellow cards to beat Uruguay
45-10.
England’s qualification shows
the progress of the 2003 cham-
pions since 2015, when they suf-
fered the embarrassment of be-
coming the only World Cup hosts
to fail to reach the knock-outs.
The game was over as a contest
when Tomas Lavinini saw red for
a high tackle on Owen Farrell af-
Teenage wing Jordan Petaia
crashed over for a try on his
debut as Australia rode out two
yellow cards to rout Uruguay
45-10 and stay on course for the
Rugby World Cup quarter-finals
yesterday.
Petaia, Australia’s youngest ever
World Cup player at 19, scored
one try and made another, while
Tevita Kuridrani and Dane Haylett-
Petty bagged two each in the
CRICKET
Sharma ton helps India set South Africa 395 to win
AFP
Visakhapatnam, India
R
ohit Sharma yesterday
struck a second hundred
in his debut as Test open-
er to help India set South
Africa a daunting 395 to win the
opening match of their series.
The hosts declared their second
innings on 323 for four in the final
session of day four in Visakhapat-
nam. South Africa were 11 for one
at stumps with Aiden Markram,
on three, and Theunis de Bruyn, on
five, at the crease.
The visitors need another 384
runs and India nine wickets on
the final day to get ahead in the
three-match series. “We picked
up a crucial wicket, so as a team
we are happy with the way things
went today and hope to start off
well (tomorrow),” Indian batsman
Cheteshwar Pujara, who made 81 in
India’s second innings, told report-
ers. “It will not be easy to bat on this
pitch on day five, with a little more
assistance for the spinners. And
with variable bounce, even the fast
bowlers will come into play.”
Ravindra Jadeja struck early after
trapping first-innings centurion
England’s George Ford (right) runs with the ball during their Pool C match against Argentina at the Tokyo Stadium in Tokyo, yesterday. (AFP)
ter only 17 minutes, clearing Eng-
land’s path to a six-tries-to-one,
bonus-point win.
Jonny May, Elliot Daly and Ben
Youngs ran in tries in the first half,
before George Ford, Jack Nowell
— celebrating his return from in-
jury — and Luke Cowan-Dickie
crossed in the second period. But
between the tries it was a stop-
start affair as England struggled
to find their rhythm against a
Teenager Petaia sparkles as Wallabies rout Uruguay
Wallabies’ total haul of seven.
The result produced a vital bonus
point for the Wallabies to move
ahead of Fiji after three games in
Pool D, where Six Nations cham-
pions Wales remain unbeaten.
But continuing their theme of this
World Cup, the Australians again
suffered from disciplinary issues
surrounding high tackles, and
failed to find consistent rhythm in
the first half.
INDIA 1st innings 502-7 dec
SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings
(overnight 385-8)
D. Elgar c Pujara b Jadeja 160
A. Markram b Ashwin
T. de Bruyn c Saha b Ashwin
D. Piedt b Jadeja
T. Bavuma lbw I. Sharma
F. du Plessis c Pujara b Ashwin
Q. de Kock b Ashwin
S. Muthusamy not out
V. Philander b Ashwin
K. Maharaj c Agarwal b Ashwin
K. Rabada lbw Ashwin
EXTRAS (b12, lb4, nb5) 21
TOTAL (all out, 131.2 overs) 431
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-14
Dean Elgar for two in the fourth
over of the innings.The left-handed
Elgar, who made 160 in the first in-
nings, was given not out by the on-
field umpire only for India to get
the decision overturned with a TV
review. Markram and de Bruyn then
played out the remaining overs
from spinners Ravichandran Ash-
win and Jadeja until bad light forced
brave but outgunned Argentina.
KICKING WOES
“(It was) scrappy at times,” said
England captain Owen Farrell.
“I thought it was a decent rate
of control from ourselves but we
let the game get frantic a couple
of times, forced a couple of things
and let Argentina into the game at
times.” Farrell, who missed all four
place kicks in the first half, before
“I thought we were just a little bit
off the pace at the start and that’s
three times now, three games a
little bit off the pace at the start,”
said Australia coach Michael
Cheika. “So I don’t know, I’ll have
to get my pre-match speech a
little bit better. We were reading
the first half nicely but it looked
like we were just a click away. And
then we got the pace up in the
second half.”
Scorecard
(Markram), 2-31 (de Bruyn), 3-34
(Piedt), 4-63 (Bavuma), 5-178 (du
Plessis), 6-342 (Elgar), 7-370 (de
Kock), 8-376 (Philander), 9-396
(Maharaj), 10-431 (Rabada)
5 BOWLING: Philander 12-5-21-1,
Bowling: I. Sharma 16-2-54-1
4 (nb1), Shami 18-4-47-0 (nb1),
0 Ashwin 46.2-11-145-7, Jadeja 40-5-
18 124-2 (nb1), Vihari 9-1-38-0 (nb2),
R. Sharma 2-1-7-0
55
INDIA 2nd innings
111
M. Agarwal c du Plessis b Maharaj 7
33
R. Sharma st de Kock b Maharaj 127
0 T. de Bruyn not out
C. Pujara lbw Philander
9 EXTRAS
R. Jadeja b Rabada 40
15
V. Kohli not out
A. Rahane not out
EXTRAS (b8, lb2) 10
the extended play — to make up for
lost time due to thunderstorm on
day one — to be called off. Sharma,
who made 176 in India’s first in-
nings of 502 for seven declared, is
the first batsman to hit two tons in
his first match as a Test opener. He
also hit 13 sixes, the most in a Test
match, breaking Wasim Akram’s
record of 12. Sharma put on 169
slotting four from four in the sec-
ond, said he would do some extra
practice before next week’s game
against France. “I fixed it up a little
bit after half-time but I’ll do some
work this week,” he said. Earlier
Petaia, Australia’s youngest ever
World Cup player, scored one try
and made another, while Tevita
Kuridrani and Dane Haylett-Petty
bagged two each in the Wallabies’
haul of seven against Uruguay.
Before 34,000 mostly Australian
supporters in Oita Stadium, Adam
Coleman and Lukhan Salakaia-
Loto both spent time in the sin-bin
for dangerous tackles in the first
period. French referee Mathieu
Raynal also acknowledged high
shots by Michael Hooper and
Kurtley Beale although they
escaped with a penalty only.
It was while Coleman was off the
field that Petaia scored his try.
TOTAL (4 wickets dec, 67 overs) 323
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-21 (Agar-
wal), 2-190 (Pujara), 3-239 (R.
Sharma), 4-286 (Jadeja)
Maharaj 22-0-129-2, Rabada 13-3-
41-1, Piedt 17-3-102-0, Muthusamy
3-0-20-0
SOUTH AFRICA 2nd innings
(target 395)
A. Markram not out
D. Elgar lbw b Jadeja
81
(lb1) 1
TOTAL (1 wicket, nine overs) 11
31
FALL OF WICKET: 1-4 (Elgar)
27
BOWLING: Ashwin 5-2-7-0,
Jadeja 4-2-3-1.
with Pujara to frustrate South Af-
rica after the loss of opener Mayank
Agarwal for seven.
Earlier, Ashwin completed a
haul of seven wickets as South Af-
rica were bowled out for 431 in the
morning session. Ashwin got over-
night batsman Maharaj out for nine
and then trapped Rabada, leaving
the Proteas 71 runs behind.
Petaia had to wait 23 minutes for
his first touch of the ball, but he
was on the scoresheet one minute
later when he burst through two
defenders and spun past another
on the line.
“He (Petaia) scored a try, had a
big part in another and just did lit-
tle things like he ran down the edge
and bounced back in from touch
kept the ball alive,” said Australia
coach Michael Cheika.
After waiting 23 minutes for his
first touch of the ball, he showed
his class a minute later when
came off his wing to take an inside
pass and with a turn and twist he
slipped through the defence to
touch down. When Salakaia-Loto
was sent to the sin-bin, and the
Wallabies were again defending
desperately, Petaia combined with
Beale to brilliantly set Kuridrani
away for their third try. AFP
3
2
5
India’s Rohit Sharma (left) plays a shot as South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock (centre) looks on
during the fourth day’s of the first Test match in Visakhapatnam, India, yesterday. (AFP)
TWENTY20
Depleted SL shock
Pakistan despite
Hasnain hat-trick
AFP
Lahore, Pakistan
N
ew-look Sri Lanka
achieved their biggest
T20 win over world
number one Pakistan
by 64 runs on the back of some
brilliant batting and bowling in
Lahore yesterday.
Opener Danushka Gunathilaka
scored a career best 57 and despite
a hat-trick by teenage Pakistan
paceman Mohammad Hasnain
Sri Lanka posted a challenging
165-5 in their 20 overs.
Fast bowlers Isuru Udana (3-11)
and Nuwan Pradeep (3-21) then
dismantled Pakistan for 101 in
17.4 overs to give Sri Lanka a 1-0
lead in the three-match series.
Pradeep had world number one
Twenty20 batsman Babar Azam
in the second over to set the plat-
form for their biggest win against
Pakistan in 19 bilateral matches.
The previous biggest T20 win
by Sri Lanka over Pakistan was by
37 runs at Hambantota in 2012.
Pakistan needed a big innings
from Azam who promised much
with two boundaries but was
caught behind off Pradeep.
Comeback stars Umar Ak-
mal fell for a first ball duck while
Ahmed Shehzad managed just
four before skipper Sarfaraz
Ahmed (24 off 30 balls) and Ift-
ikhar Ahmed (25 off 24) added 46
runs for the fourth wicket.
However, they batted slowly
and the asking rate soared.
Udana then chipped in with
three wickets and spinner
Sri Lanka’s Danushka Gunathilaka raises his bat after 50 runs during
the first Twenty20 match against Pakistan at the Gaddafi stadium in
Lahore, Pakistan, yesterday. (AFP)
Wanindu Hasaranga two to stun
a miserable Pakistan. The win is
significant for an inexperienced
Sri Lanka team — ranked eighth
in Twenty20s — who are missing
ten top players, including regular
skipper Lasith Malinga, who all
refused to tour over security fears.
Earlier, Gunathilaka scored a
38-ball 57 with eight boundaries
and a six during a quick 84-run
opening stand with Avishka Fern-
ando who made a 34-ball 33 with
three boundaries after Pakistan
sent them into bat.
Debutant Bhanuka Rajapaksa
hit a solid 22-ball 32 with two six-
es and as many boundaries while
skipper Dasun Shanaka chipped
in with a fiery 10-ball 17 with two
sixes. Sri Lanka were looking set
for a big total but paceman Ha-
snain derailed them with wickets
of Rajapaksa off the last ball of
the 16th over before dismissing
Shanaka and Shehan Jayasuriya
off the first two balls of the 18th
over to complete a hat-trick.
Hasnain’s hat-trick is the ninth
in all Twenty20 internation-
als with Malinga registering the
feat twice. Hasnain is the second
Pakistani after Faheem Ashraf to
achieve a hat-trick.
Ashraf achieved the feat
against Sri Lanka two years ago.
The remaining two matches will
be played tomorrow and Wednes-
day — also in Lahore.
BRIEF SCORES
Sri Lanka 165 for 6 (Gunathilaka
57, Hasnain 3-37) beat Pakistan
101 (Udana 3-11, Pradeep 3-21) by
64 runs.

EPL
Milner keeps
Liverpool flying;
Spurs crash again
‘I don’t want to cause the boy any problems but he has to calm down in situations like that’
AFP
Liverpool
J
ames Milner’s 95th-
minute penalty main-
tained Liverpool’s per-
fect start to the Premier
League season as a dramatic 2-1
win over Leicester stretched
their lead at the top of the Pre-
mier League to eight points.
However, victory came at a
cost with Mohamed Salah limp-
ing off injured late on with an
injury caused by Hamza Choud-
hury’s lunge.
“It’s a challenge which I really
don’t understand,” said Liver-
pool manager Jurgen Klopp, who
believes Choudhury should have
been sent off rather than just
shown a yellow card.
“He is a player who is at full
sprint, to bring him down with-
out the ball around, for me it is
only one colour (card).
“I don’t want to cause the boy
any problems but he has to calm
down in situations like that. It’s
not the first time. He has to calm
down.
“He’s a super player, super de-
velopment in the last one or two
years at Leicester, but these kind
of challenges, no. I don’t know
how that can not be red.” Salah
later limped out of the stadium
with what appeared to be an an-
kle injury, although Klopp did
not immediately know the extent
of his problem.
It was another twist in a dra-
matic game in which James Mad-
dison’s 80th-minute equaliser
looked like it would be enough
to see Liverpool drop a league
point for the first time since a
draw with Everton at the start of
March. Liverpool’s English midfielder James Milner kicks a penalty and scores his team’s second goal during the English Premier League match
against Leicester City at Anfield in Liverpool, yesterday. (AFP)
RASH ALBRIGHTON
COSTS LEICESTER between Ayoze Perez and Andy
But Marc Albrighton rashly Robertson.
tripped Sadio Mane, two min-
utes into the four added on, and,
after a routine VAR check, Mil-
“According to the guys, Andy
Robertson on the final whis-
tle celebrated and pushed him
ner calmly converted the spot
kick.
The drama did not end there
which he probably didn’t ex-
pect,” said Leicester manager
Brendan Rodgers.“He was obvi-
as after the final whistle there ously annoyed at that and that
were angry scenes with play- leads to a melee.”
ers from both sides squaring It was a frantic conclusion to
up, including a heated exchange proceedings as, 10 minutes from
LIGUE 1
Icardi scores first goal as PSG cruise past Angers
AFP
Paris
M
auro Icardi scored his first
Ligue 1 goal as Paris Saint-
Germain moved five points
clear at the top of the table
with a 4-0 thrashing of high-flying
Angers yesterday.
The reigning champions had suf-
fered a shock 2-0 loss in their previous
home game against Reims, but had no
such trouble at the Parc des Princes on
this occasion despite their opponents’
surprisingly strong start to the season.
PSG head into the international
break totally in control of the title race,
although Nantes, who leapfrogged
Angers into second on goal difference,
could cut the gap to two points when
they host Nice later.
“It’s a good end to this period for us,
and with a clean sheet, that’s good,”
said Paris coach Thomas Tuchel, who
saw three of his recent signings score
as Pablo Sarabia and Idrissa Gueye also
found the net.
“With the recruits, we have gained
personality and experience. We are
more reliable.” Neymar’s late strike
rounded off a strong individual display
as he continued to repair his relation-
ship with the team’s fans after failing
in his effort to force through a return to
Barcelona.
Tuchel opted to rest Angel Di Maria,
as on-loan Inter Milan striker Icardi
was rewarded for his first PSG goal
in midweek at Galatasaray with a full
Ligue 1 debut. The capital city club re-
mained without the injured Edinson
Cavani, while Kylian Mbappe missed
out after suffering a setback in his re-
time, superb link-up play from
substitutes Albrighton and Pe-
rez had slipped in Maddison who
beat goalkeeper Adrian with a
clinical finish from 15 yards.
Rodgers was making his return
to Anfield for the first time since
being sacked by Liverpool four
years ago and Leicester showed
why they will post a strong chal-
lenge to finish in the top four this
season.However, they were un-
covery from a thigh problem.
But the first opportunity fell to in-
form Angers forward Rachid Alioui, al-
though the Algerian dallied on the ball
and home goalkeeper Keylor Navas was
able to save with his foot.
SARABIA STRIKES
The hosts took the lead in the 13th
minute, though, as Ander Herrera
played in Sarabia, who cut inside and
wrong-footed Ludovic Butelle in the
Angers goal to net for the first time
since joining PSG from Sevilla in the
close-season. The visitors continued
to threaten on the counter-attack,
with Navas having to beat away Bap-
tiste Santamaria’s long-range drive.
The game was all but ended as a con-
test eight minutes before the break, as
Neymar and Sarabia combined to give
Icardi the simplest of tasks to fire into
the roof of the net.
Although Spain international Sarabia
scuffed a rebound after his initial shot
was cleared off the line just before the
hour mark, former Everton midfielder
Gueye was on hand to tap in his first
PSG goal. But there was little respite
for Angers, as Neymar launched a one-
man mission in his attempt to get on
the scoresheet.
The Brazilian was twice denied by
Butelle in quick succession, before the
goalkeeper produced a brilliant save
with his legs when the world’s most
expensive player was clean through on
goal.
Neymar eventually found a way past
Butelle in the final minute, rounding
the ‘keeper and slotting into an empty
net to complete a straightforward out-
ing for PSG with his fourth goal of the
campaign.
done by a moment of magic from
the European champions five
minutes before half-time.
Mane scored his 50th Premier
League goal for Liverpool in his
100th appearance, but the goal
owed much to Milner’s vision.
Robertson’s pass was sent
forward by Milner, a perfectly-
weighted assist that curled tan-
talisingly beyond defender Jon-
ny Evans to play Mane clear and
Paris St Germain’s Mauro Icardi celebrates scoring their second goal yesterday. (Reuters)
SPORT
LA LIGA
Hazard off mark but
Real make hard
work of Granada
AFP
Madrid
E
den Hazard ended the
wait for his first Real
Madrid goal but his team
had to resist a spirited
second-half comeback from Gra-
nada to seal a thrilling 4-2 victory
in La Liga yesterday.
Karim Benzema put Real ahead
in the second minute at the San-
tiago Bernabeu before Hazard
opened his account with a de-
lightful lifted finish towards the
end of the first half.Luka Mo-
dric’s bending long-range ef-
fort on the hour looked to have
confirmed the win but Granada
scored twice in quick succession
through Darwin Machis and Do-
mingos Duarte, the first from the
penalty spot, to set up a tense last
12 minutes.
James Rodriguez, on as a sub-
stitute, ended the rally by scoring
his first Madrid goal since May
2017 to wrap up an unexpect-
edly dramatic contest between
the league’s top two. Madrid had
been in control, their fluency
and tempo contributing to ar-
guably the best hour of football
they have played this season.
Yet a hectic 20-minute period in
the second half took some of the
gloss off a win that at least gets
Zidane’s side back on track fol-
lowing their 2-2 draw at home to
Club Brugge in the Champions
League on Tuesday. Hazard had
become a growing concern after
five underwhelming matches, the
patience granted to him after his
injury in pre-season beginning
to run out after his 100-million
euro ($109 million) move from
Chelsea.
Toni Kroos walked off injured
in the first half to be replaced by
Modric while Zidane said after-
wards that Gareth Bale’s sub-
stitution late on was also due to
a knock. Their fitness will be a
concern for Germany and Wales
respectively ahead of the inter-
national break. Bale had returned
after being rested against Brugge
while Alphonse Areola came in
for the ill Thibaut Courtois in
goal.
Areola’s mistake gave away the
penalty, and perhaps any hopes
he had of keeping Courtois out
longer-term. Madrid conceded
TENNIS
allow him to beat Kasper Sch-
meichel. “Sadio is an absolutely
exceptional player,” said Klopp,
who praised Mane’s persistence
despite struggling with an injury
Barty sets up Beijing
himself.
“Even though he is obviously
not in good shape at the mo-
final with Osaka
ment, he was still there in a re-
ally, really tough game in and
around those situations. That’s
good.”
Ashleigh Barty hits a return during her semi-final match against Kiki
Bertens at the China Open in Beijing, yesterday. (AFP)
Reuters
Beijing
A
ustralia’s world number
one Ash Barty beat eighth
seed Kiki Bertens of the
Netherlands 6-3 3-6
7-6(7) in Beijing yesterday to set
up a China Open final with Japan’s
Naomi Osaka.
Both Barty and Bertens saved a
match point in a thrilling third set
tiebreak before the Australian top
seed wrapped up the encounter in
two hours 20 minutes.
It was Barty’s 19th win in a three-
setter this year and her third in a
row after beating Zheng Saisai in
the last 16 and seventh seed Petra
Kvitova in the quarter-finals, with
both matches lasting more than two
hours.
In a see-saw match, both play-
ers dropped serve three times with
little to separate the two until the
tiebreak in the decider.
Bertens first saved a match point
with a long rally to tie the score at
6-6 in the tiebreak before Barty
fought back to 7-7. She then forced
the Dutchwoman into an error and
won the match on her next match
point to advance.
Fourth seed Osaka beat defend-
ing champion Caroline Wozniacki
Gulf Times
Sunday, October 6, 2019 7
Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard
celebrates scoring their second
goal yesterday. (Reuters)
after 122 seconds on Tuesday but
needed only 102 to take the lead
here. Playing on the right, Bale
often makes use of the outside of
his left foot and the bend he cre-
ated to bypass two Granada de-
fenders and find Benzema at the
backpost was superb. Benzema
could not miss.
Madrid created several early
chances. A slick move down the
left between Bale, Benzema and
Dani Carvajal saw the latter go
clear while Benzema and the im-
pressive Fede Valverde both went
close too. Bale was first to con-
gratulate Hazard when he scored
shortly before half-time but
Valverde created it, driving past
two Granada midfielders before
intercepting Duarte’s header and
poking the ball through. Hazard
finished just in time, lifting it
coolly into the net.
The second half grew increas-
ingly bad-tempered, broken up
by late tackles and complaints to
the referee. Yet when Modric col-
lected Hazard’s pass on the hour,
after another Valverde chase, and
found the top corner, the game
looked finished.
Instead, Granada were given a
lifeline. Areola had just failed to
claim a cross when moments lat-
er he dallied in his box and caught
Carlos Fernandez in a rushed at-
tempt to clear. Machis scored
the penalty and with 12 minutes
left, they made it 3-2, Victor Diaz
heading to the back post where
Duarte prodded in.
in straight sets in the other semi-
final, coming away with a 6-4 6-2
victory in one hour and 24 minutes.
The reigning Australian Open
champion smashed 30 winners
and saved all seven break points she
faced, which included six in the sec-
ond set. She also broke Wozniacki
three times for her first win over
the Danish 29-year-old in three at-
tempts.
THIEM VS TSITSIPAS -
Top seed Dominic Thiem fought
back from a set down to reach the
final in the men’s draw - and also
book his place at the season-ending
ATP Finals. The Austrian will play
Stefanos Tsitsipas after beating
Russia’s Karen Khachanov 2-6, 7-6
(7/5), 7-5 in two hours and 41 min-
utes. The 21-year-old Tsitsipas tri-
umphed 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 in a battle of
the rising stars against 22-year-old
Alexander Zverev.
DJOKOVIC POWERS THROUGH
TO JAPAN OPEN FINAL
World number one Novak Djokovic
on Saturday cruised into the Japan
Open final, thrashing David Goffin
6-3, 6-4. In the final, Djokovic will
face Australian qualifier John Mill-
man, who squeezed past American
opponent Reilly Opelka 6-3, 7-6
(7/4).
 Sunday, October 6, 2019

GULF TIMES HORSE RACING

QATAR ARABIAN TROPHY DES JUMENTS FOCUS

11 top Arabians set to

Sheikh Mohamed’s unleash turbos in Qatar
Arabian World Cup

Raahah wins Gr1PA By Our Correspondent mile-long (Group 1 PA) Qatar In-
Paris ternational Stakes at Goodwood
in July. He will be steered by
Maxime Guyon.

E
leven classy purebred
Arabians with rich
records of black type
‘She has improved enormously lately and came into this race in top form’ winnings and placings
will be in the fray for the world’s
top racing event for Arabians;
the Qatar Arabian World Cup
(Gr1/PA). France’s iconic Paris-
Lonchamp will host the €1mn
race for four-year-old and older
pure Arabians over 2000m just
40 minutes before the Qatar Prix
de l’Arc de Triomphe race, today.
Among the 11 runners, six Qa-
tari-owned horses will seek to
take the cup back home.
The list includes a trio owned
and bred by His Highness Sheikh
Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani.
The Alban de Mieulle-trained
Tayf finished second in his last
two outings; a listed mile race at
Baden Baden in September and
the mile-long (Group 1 PA) Qatar
International Stakes at Good-
wood in July.
However, the seven-year-
old grey son of Amer won the
(Group 1 PA) UAE Cup at the
same course (ParisLonchamp)
and distance in May. He finished
nearer last than first in the Qa-
tar Arabian World Cup last year.
He will be partnered by Ronan
Thomas. Another De Mieulle’s
charge, Yazeed, was a winner
when was last called out. The
six-year-old grey son of Munjiz
won the (Group 1 PA) Qatar Gold
Sword over the same distance at
Al Rayyan Park, Doha, in April.
He finished fifth in the Qatar
QREC CEO Nasser bin Sherida al-Kaabi presents the trophy to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani (right) after Raahah won her first Group 1 (PA) at the Qatar Arabian World Cup last year. He
Arabian Trophy des Juments at ParisLongchamp yesterday. PICTURES: Juhaim will have Olivier Peslier as his
partner. The Antoine de Watri-
By Our Correspondent straight. He gamely held off his challeng- gant-trained Marid finished
Paris ers, but Skalleti, who had not moved un- second last time and that was in
til two-furlongs out, came easily up the the (Group 1 PA) Doha Cup over
rail to challenge him in the final furlong. the same distance at Deauville
Al Shaqab Racing’s Khattab
was the runner-up in the Qatar
Arabian World Cup last year.
The Thomas Fourcy-trained
seven-year-old grey son of Amer
was last seen at Deauville when
he finished third in the (Group
1 PA) Doha Cup over the same
distance in August. His latest
win was at Toulouse when he
landed the (Group 2 PA) Prix De
Carthage – Hannibal over 2000
metres. He will be ridden by Jer-
ome Cabre.
Khalifa bin Hamad bin Kha-
lifa al-Attiyah’s Rodess Du Loup
finished sixth in the 2018 edition
of the Qatar Arabian World Cup.
The Charles Gourdain five-year-
old grey son of Dahess finished
fourth in his last outing, a listed
mile race at Baden Baden last
month. His record includes be-
ing the runner up of the (Group
1) Doha Cup at Deauville and the
winner of the (Group 1 PA) Presi-
dent of the UAE Cup at Don-
caster over the same distance in
August and September 2018 re-
spectively. He will have Charles
Gourdain in the saddle.
The other five contenders in-
clude two who won their last out-
ings and three who were placed
when they were last seen. The P.
Collington-trained Mashhur Al
Khalediah won a listed mile race
comfortably in front of Tayf and
Rodess Du Loup at Baden Baden
last month. He will be ridden by
Jean-Bernard Eyquem. The Pol-
ska AKF SP. Z.O.O.-owned and
M. Kacprzyk-trained Salam Al
Khalediah won a Group 3 (PA)
event over 2600 metres at Var-
sovie in August. He will have
Szczepan Mazur in the saddle.
The Qatar-sponsored event
underlines the success of QREC’s
vision of promoting Qatar as a

I
n the presence of His Highness
Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-
Thani and His Highness Sheikh Mo-
hamed bin Khalifa al-Thani, Qatari-
owned horses continued the dazzle when
the His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin
Khalifa al-Thani-owned and bred Raa-
hah (Asraa Min Albarq) won her first
Group 1 (PA), recording her first success
on her seventh attempt, when she landed
the Gr1 PA Qatar Arabian Trophy des Ju-
ments for four-year-old mares at Paris-
Longchamp on Day 1 of the Qatar Prix de
l’Arc de Triomphe weekend yesterday.
The black type 2,000m race carrying a
purse of €150,000 was hotly contested,
with a closely fought finish between the
François Rohaut-trained and François-
Xavier Bertras-ridden Raahah, who won
by a neck.
The Elizabeth Bernard-trained and
Jean-Bernard Eyquem-ridden Jaazmah
Athbah finished in second and the Royal
Cavalry of Oman-owned and Charles
Gourdain-trained Vivabaina was a fur-
ther neck behind in third under Olivier
Peslier.
Drawn wide, Raahah raced on the out-
side of the field with no cover. Jockey FX
Bertras began asking her to accelerate in
the final turn and the bay mare showed
great bravery to battle the whole way
down the straight, holding off a strong
challenge from Jaazmah Athbah.
“She was very unlucky last time out,
not any fault of hers but due to another
runner,” commented winning jockey FX
Bertras. “She has improved enormously
Jockey FX Bertras celebrates his win after riding Raahah.
lately and came into this race in top form.
You need a tough runner to win today.
Jaazmah Athbah put us under pressure
in the final 50m, but Raahah is stubborn
and never gives up!”
Raahah was supplemented into the
race – a judicious decision by her owner
and her trainer, François Rohaut. She
came here off a career best when placed
third in the Prix Nevadour (Gr3-PA) at
Toulouse in August.
Raahah is out of blue hen Massamarie
(Tidjani), dam of Metrag (Gr3-PA),
Mared Al Sahra (Gr1-PA) and the Cham-
pion Ebraz, who runs in the 2019 renewal
of the Qatar Arabian World Cup (Gr1-PA)
today.
SKALLETI OPENS ARC WEEKEND WITH
A WIN IN GR2 QATAR PRIX DOLLAR
The 2019 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
weekend opened with the Gr2 Prix Dol-
lar, which boasts a value of €200,000. It
was won by the starting favourite, Ska-
lleti (Kendargent), who runs in the col-
ours of Jean-Claude Seroul and is trained
by Jérome Reynier in Marseille. Skalleti
was steady out of the stalls and sat last in
this six-runner race over 1,950m.
He was ridden with perfect patience
by reigning champion jockey Pierre-
Charles Boudot. The English raider,
Mounatain Angel (Dark Angel), trained
by Roger Varian, led the race from the
off and accelerated coming out of the
Skalleti, who was supplemented for in August. The last win of the
this Group 2, placed a sharp acceleration four-year-old grey colt of TM leader in the pure Arabian breed.
to pull away and win by three quarters of Fred Texas was in October 2018 The use of World Cup in the title
a length. Mountain Angel held on easily when he landed the (Group 1 PA) is very appropriate in view of the
for second place under Olivier Peslier. Qatar Arabian Trophy des Pou- fact that it has attracted runners
The Charlie Appleby-trained Line Of lains over the same distance at from a myriad of different coun-
Duty (Galileo) finished almost a length Saint-Cloud. He will be guided tries: Qatar, the Netherlands,
behind in third under William Buick. by Harry Bentley. Russia, Belgium, Morocco, Tur-
His Highness Sheikh Mo- key, Great Britain and France.
THE REVENANT STORMS HOME IN GR2 hamed bin Khalifa al-Thani’s Qatar has dominated the world’s
QATAR PRIX DANIEL WILDENSTEIN Ebraz finished third in the Qatar top Arabian event for the last ten
Five runners lined up in the Gr2 Qatar Arabian World Cup last year. The years through the runners of His
Prix Daniel Wildenstein (Gr2), over a Julian smart-trained six-year- Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin
mile at ParisLongchamp on the Saturday old grey son of Amer won his Khalifa al-Thani, His Highness
of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last outings. He won the (Group Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-
weekend. Impulsif (Dubawi) led the race 3 PA) Shadwell – Coupe Du Sud- Thani and Al Shaqab Racing and
at a steady pace, with the favourite Ol- Ouest Des Pur-Sang Arabes over our Arabians are in a bid to con-
medo (Wootton Bassett) keen in behind. 1900m at La teste Buch and the tinue this domination.
The Revenant (Dubawi), who was mak-
ing his return to the track having been off
since May, sat on the rail towards the rear
in the hands of Pierre-Charles Boudot
before moving up to stalk the leader in
the final turn.
Boudot pulled him out in the straight,
and once in the clear, The Revenant
showed his predilection for the soft
ground and stormed up the track to put
his rivals behind him in just a few strides
in an authoritative display.
The Jean-Claude Roget-trained and
Christian Demuro-ridden Olmedo fin-
ished in second place four and a half
lengths further back with the Carlos Laf-
fon-Parias-trained and Maxime Guyon-
ridden Shaman (Shamardal) completing
the podium further three quarters of a Ebraz, which finished third in the Qatar Arabian World Cup in 2018, is one
length behind. of the entries for the €1mn race to be hosted at ParisLongchamp.

QATAR PRIX DE L’ARC DE TRIOMPHE

Enable looks forward to making history

By Our Correspondent tar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is Vaclav Luka-trained Nagano
Paris very special as it reflects the high Gold will be ridden by Mickael
standard of racing in Qatar and, Barzalona. The 5YO son of Six-
in particular, of the HH The Amir ties Icon came third in the Gr2

A
field of 12 will be there
at ParisLongchamp
today awaiting the
start signal for the
€5,000,000 Qatar Prix de l’Arc
de Triomphe. The one-of-kind
race for 3-year-old and older
star thoroughbreds is sure to be
extra thrilling from start to finish
throughout its 2,400 metre-dis-
tance with the defending cham-
pion Enable present.
The 5YO bay mare of Nath-
aniel is going to face the great-
est challenge of her career in her
bid to be the first horse ever to
record a third straight victory of
the world’s best race.
Continuing her extraordinary
record, the John-Gosden’s ward
has won 3 group ones this year;
namely, the Coral Eclipse over
2000m in early July, the King
George VI And Queen Elizabeth
QIPCO Stakes over 2400m three
weeks later and the Darley York-
shire Oaks over 2400m in Au-
gust when she was last seen.
In all three victories, Enable
Sword Festival.
It is also a demonstration of
the success of QREC’s strategy of
enhancing local racing to produce
horses capable to contest at races
of the calibre of the Arc. French
King will be partnered by Olivier
Peslier.
The Andre Fabre-trained
Waldgeist will be ridden by
Pierre-Charles Boudot.
The 5YO chestnut son of Gali-
leo won his last run when he
scored the Gr1 Qatar Prix Foy
over 2400 metres in Septem-
Enable goes for third straight Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. ber. In his previous outing, he
finished third behind Enable in
was partnered by Frankie Det- 4YO chestnut colt of French Fif- the King George VI And Queen
tori, who steered her to land the teen has had an incredible series Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes in July.
Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe of success this year. He landed The Charlie Appleby-trained
in 2017 and 2019. The Italian the Gr1 HH The Amir Trophy in Ghaiyyath will be ridden by Wil-
master jockey has a lion’s share February, the Gr 2 Carl Jaspers- liam Buick. The 4YO bay colt of
of the Arc titles with six victories Preis in May, the Gr 2 Grosser Dubawi won the Gr 1 Longines
in his record and he will be seek- Hansa-Preis in June and the Gr 1 Grosser Preis von Baden over
ing his seventh and straight third Longines Grosser Preis von Ber- 2400 metres in September when
with Enable. lin in August last time. All four he was last seen. His previous
The His Highness-owned and victories were over 2400m. run was in April when he finished
bred French King heads the list of The presence of French King third behind WALDGEIST in the
runners. The Henri-Alex Pantall in the 2019 renewal of the Qa- Gr 1 Prix Ganay over 2100m.
His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani’s French Kiss carries
Qatar’s hopes.
The Katsuhiko Sumii-trained
Kiseki will have Christophe Sou-
millon in the saddle. The 5YO
son of Rulership finished third
behind Waldgeist in Qatar Prix
Foy. He last visited the winners’
enclosure in October 2017 when
he won the Gr1 Kikuka Sho (Jap-
anese St. Leger) over 3000m.
The Masahiro Otake-trained
Blast Onepiece will be accompa-
nied by Yuga Kawada. The 4YO
bay colt of Harbinger won his lat-
est run, scoring the Gr2 Sapporo
Kinen over 2000m in August.
The third of the Japanese trio
is the Takahisa Tezuka-trained
Fierement, who will be steered
by Christophe-Patrice Lemaire.
The 4YO bay colt of Deep Impact
finished third behind Blast One-
piece in the Gr2 Sapporo Kinen,
but before that he won the Gr1
Tenno Sho over two miles. The
Lucien Barriere Grand Prix de
Deauville over 2500m in August
when he was last seen. His most
recent win was in April when he
won the listed Prix Lord Sey-
mour over 2400m.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained
Magical will have Donnacha
O’brien astride. The 4YO bay
filly of Galileo, half-sister of
Waldgeist, was victorious in her
last call out, landing the Gr1 QIP-
CO Irish Champion Stakes over
2000m in September. Before that
she finished second to Enable the
Darley Yorkshire Oaks.
Will the extraordinary Enable
take all the beating and prove
that is hard to envisage anything
getting in front of her? Will
Magical pose a threat? Will the
improving Japan confirm that
he cannot be disregarded? Will
Sottsass prove to the locals that
they are well represented? Will
French King have his own word
to say? There will be one an-
swer at ParisLongchamp today
afternoon.