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ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2014
SPORTS
47
Shiffrin, Fenninger share
victory in World Cup GS
Austrians Brem, Zettel come 3rd and 4th respectively
SOELDEN, Austria, Oct 25,
(AP): Mikaela Shiffrin wasted no time fulfilling her
ambition to start winning
giant slaloms this season.
Repsol Honda Team rider Marc Marquez of Spain performs a wheelie during the
qualifying session of the Malaysian Grand Prix MotoGP motorcycling race at the
Sepang International Circuit on Oct 25. (AFP)
The 19-year-old American, already
dominating the women’s slalom circuit for two years, clinched her first
GS win Saturday, sharing victory
with overall World Cup champion
Anna Fenninger in a tense seasonopening race.
“I wanted this so bad for so long,”
Shiffrin said, adding it might help
her chances to compete for the overall title this year. “Maybe, we need a
few more races.”
Austrians Eva-Maria Brem and
Kathrin Zettel came third and fourth,
respectively, 0.66 and 0.67 off the
lead.
Pedrosa content with second
SKIING
Marquez grabs record
13th pole in Malaysia
Shiffrin led Fenninger by 0.09 seconds after the opening run but looked
like out of contention when she
trailed Fenninger by 0.63 seconds
halfway down her second run.
The American accelerated to
reduce her deficit to 0.09 at the final
split time before crossing the line
while matching the Austrian’s time.
“I don’t think this really counts (as
a win)?” a stunned Shiffrin said on
Austrian TV after being asked about
her maiden GS victory.
Fenninger admitted to being “very
nervous” in her opening run.
“I lost a weight from my shoulders in
the second,” the Austrian said following her ninth career win. “The season is
so long, we don’t need to talk about the
World Cup (title) now. But the start is
nice. I never thought it would go on
like this. I am proud to have arrived
where I always wanted to be.”
Shiffrin’s first GS win seemed just
a matter of time. She already had
seven top-10 finishes, including two
podiums, in the World Cup, and
came sixth in the 2013 worlds and
fifth in the Sochi Olympics in
February.
The American became only the
eighth female skier to win 10 or
more World Cup races as a teenager.
SEPANG, Malaysia, Oct 25, (AFP):
Recently crowned world champion
Marc Marquez will start in top position
for Sunday’s Malaysian MotoGP, surpassing the record for the most poles in
a single season.
The Spanish Repsol Honda rider
clocked a record lap time of one minute
59.791 seconds in Saturday qualifying
at Sepang, 0.182 seconds ahead of his
team-mate and compatriot Dani
Pedrosa.
In third place was Spain’s Jorge
Lorenzo, while his Yamaha teammate
Valentino Rossi, who is battling him for
the season’s runner-up title, qualified in
sixth.
It was Marquez’s 13th pole of the
year, breaking the previous record of 12
front-row starts in a season jointly held
by Australians Mick Doohan and Casey
Stoner.
His flying lap toward the end of the
session also broke his own record from
qualifying last year of 2 minutes 0.011
seconds. He came second in last year’s
race.
Marquez said he was “definitely
delighted” with his position after taking
a tumble in the fourth practice session.
“Yes, I’m definitely motivated. To
achieve 13 poles is not easy, and I’m
happy with the record. But the main
race is yet to come, and I want to be
focused for that,” the 21-year-old said.
“Tomorrow won’t be easy because
Dani was also very fast today, but I’m
definitely looking to race in dry conditions. If it rains, then it’s a different
‘Caterham, Marussia
to miss next races’
LONDON, Oct 25, (RTRS): The struggling Caterham and Marussia Formula
One teams will both miss next week’s US
Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, the sport’s
commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone
told Reuters on Saturday.
“Neither of those two teams are going
to go to America,” said the 83-year-old.
Their absence will increase concern in
the sport, whose smaller outfits have been
saying for some time that they risk going
out of business unless costs are slashed,
even though Ecclestone has said he
would be happy with 10 teams.
Caterham went into administration on
Friday while Russian-registered Marussia
are also struggling financially and are
still reeling from French driver Jules
Bianchi’s serious accident in Japan three
weeks ago.
The air transport for all the teams’
cars and freight is organised by
Ecclestone’s Formula One Management
and they were due to be flown out on
Saturday.
Mikaela Shifrin (center), and Anna Fenninger (left), the winners, and third placed Eva Maria Brem, celebrate on the
podium of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup giant slalom in Soelden, Austria on Oct 25. (AP)
Austrian standout Annemarie MoserProell holds the record with 27 wins
before turning 20.
Shiffrin likely won’t overtake her
before turning 20 in March, though
she could catch up on Erika Hess and
Janica Kostelic, who share second
place on the list with 12 wins each.
It’s not the first time the seasonopening race on the Rettenbach glacier ends in a tie. There was even a
triple victory in 2002 when Tina
Maze, Nicole Hosp and Andrine
Flemmen shared the win.
Under cloudy skies and on a
bumpy course, many of the pre-race
Shiffrin’s
teammate
Julia
Mancuso, the 2006 Olympic GS
champion, was a late starter in 47th
after lacking results in the discipline
in recent seasons. Mancuso finished
4.11 off the lead in 17th.
Sarah Schleper, who aims to compete for Mexico at the world championships in Vail and Beaver Creek in
February, made her return to the
World Cup at age 35, three years
after retiring. She finished 10.87 seconds off and didn’t qualify for the
final run.
A men’s GS on the same course is
scheduled for Sunday.
Abbott stumbles on triple axel
Japan’s Machida ‘dominates’
America men’s short program
MOTORCYCLING
story.”
The 5.5-kilometre (3.4 miles) Sepang
circuit is famed for its hot track temperatures and tropical afternoon downpours. But Saturday’s qualifying
remained dry.
Pedrosa, who topped all three practice sessions and has won the last two
Malaysian Grand Prix, was the only
other rider to finish below the twominute mark, clocking 1 minute
59.973.
The 29-year-old, who has yet to win
a MotoGP championship title, said he
was content with his second-place finish.
“I had a really good lap time and was
actually surprised with my timing considering the humid conditions. We did
well with the set-up of the bike and will
be ready for both weather conditions
tomorrow,” he said.
Lorenzo clocked 2 minutes 0.203,
while Germany’s Stefan Bradl and
Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso qualified
fourth and fifth respectively.
Lorenzo — while happy with his lap
time — was cautious ahead of Sunday’s
race.
“The temperature was high today, and
we struggled a little bit with the tyres,”
the two-time world champion said.
“But I’m happy today. The team did a
good job with the bike, setting it up
nicely for the corners.”
Crowd favourite Rossi trailed 0.949
seconds behind Marquez.
The Italian legend is currently eight
points ahead of Lorenzo, with only
Valencia remaining after this.
Marquez,
who
last year became
the
youngest
MotoGP champion,
already
clinched
this season’s title
two races ago in
Japan.
Earlier Saturday,
Spain’s
Pol
Espargaro came off
his bike in the third
Pedrosa
practice session.
The
Monster
Yamaha rider’s machine was engulfed
in flames moments after he hit the
asphalt, causing him to break a bone in
his left foot. His fitness to race will be
assessed on Sunday morning.
Three years ago, Sepang witnessed
one of its darkest moments when Italian
rider Marco Simoncelli was killed in a
crash.
favorites struggled.
Lara Gut of Switzerland, who
won here last year, skied out in her
second run, and Liechtenstein’s
Tina Weirather, in the running for
the overall title last season until
getting injured at the Sochi
Olympics, finished 2.54 off the lead
in 10th.
Former Olympic GS champion
Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany
was 0.58 back in sixth, while 2013
overall champion Tina Maze of
Slovenia trailed Shiffrin and
Fenninger by a massive 4.72 seconds.
IBAK players in action
Aiming for a smash
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Oct 25,
(AP): Jason Brown was all revved
up, ready to put on a show for his
home crowd.
It didn’t quite work out.
Brown fell early in his routine, and
Japan’s Tatsuki Machida dominated
in the Skate America men’s short
program on Friday.
On a night when there were plenty
of falls, Machida kept his footing and
left the ice to loud cheers after wowing the crowd. With 93.39 points, he
had a comfortable lead over
American Jeremy Abbott (81.82) and
Brown (79.75), the Chicago-area
product.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better
crowd, really,” Brown said. “The
support, the love, it was really just
awesome. I could hear everyone that
I knew from home, and then I could
hear different people in the crowd. I
was so excited to be out there and
skate at home.”
FIGURESKATING
Players in action
Lee Williams & Donna Lagazo
FBC Alghanim Nat’l badminton tourney enters 2nd day eliminations
By Michelle Fe Santiago
Arab Times Staff
KUWAIT CITY, Oct 25: The
Alghanim National Badminton
Tournament organised by the
Filipino Badminton Committee —
Kuwait Philippines, Inc. (FBC-KPI)
entered its second day of elimination
on Friday at the Kuwait Disabled
Sports Club in Hawally. The tournament with the support of the
Alghanim National opened the first
Level A Challenge and the 51st
Badminton Tournament dubbed
“Incorporator’s Cup.”
The elimination was marked by
exciting and power-packed matches
between the best among the best
badminton players of FBC and the
players from the Indian Badminton
Association in Kuwait (IBAK) and
Indonesian Badminton Association.
As expected, IBAK players delivered hard hitting smashes and powerful backhand shots to the delight
of the spectators who cheered for
their respective teams.
The
Alghanim
National
Badminton Tournament finals is set
on October 31 and expected to
attend the event are Mr Alghanim
and some executive officials.
BADMINTON
During break, FBC Senior
Consultant Lee Williams awarded
Donna Marievil Lagazo a Samsung
S5 who won in the FBC raffle draw
courtesy of VIVA Telecom.
Meanwhile, FBC Chairman Dr
Chie Umandap announced to its
members the new and improved
strategies and plans that will further
enhance the badminton skills of all
members. Initially, the FBC technical committee will introduce its new
leveling format as : Advance (class
A+,A- &B+). Intermediate (B- &
C+) and Novice (C-& D). Re-leveling will be conducted by its VP for
Training Engr. Doy Viray every
Friday.
On the other hand, FBC President
Regine Panesal also announced the
opening of its 52nd tournament
onine registration. Interested participants may visit www.fbckpi.com
and click the the “Events” page.
Tournament fee may also be paid
through K-net.
“We are inviting all badminton
enthusiasts in Kuwait to join us. You
can drop by the Kuwait Disabled
Sports Club every Friday and look
for any of the FBC officers and
members,” enjoined Panesal.
But Machida skated away with a
commanding lead after Americans
Madison Chock and Evan Bates won
the ice dance short competition.
The men’s long program and ice
dance free skate are Saturday
evening, with the pairs and women’s
short programs earlier in the day.
Gracie Gold, the 2014 Olympian and
US champion, leads the women’s
field along with two-time junior
champion Elena Radionova of
Russia.
Abbott stumbled on a triple axel
early in his routine, and Brown went
down performing the same move.
It was an especially difficult development for Brown, who is from
Highland Park and drew attention
with a silver medal at the US championships in January. That and his
ponytail make him one of the most
recognizable skaters.
“Once I fell, I had that choice: Will
I let this affect me or can I make up
and try to get every single last point I
can out of my program?” Brown said.
“That’s really the way I looked at it.
I’m going to get up, I’m going to finish strong, I’m going to hit every note
after this and I’m going to really
focus on every detail so I can make
up points along the way. I really feel
like I was able to do that, so in that I
feel successful.”
Brown’s homecoming also was the
first time that music backed by
vocals was allowed in a major singles
or pairs event. It’s a shift in a sport
where instrumental pieces rule, but a
desire to appeal to younger audiences
sparked the move.
That wall came crashing down
when Russia’s Artur Gachinski performed to Michael Buble’s rendition
of “Cry Me A River.”
“When you skate you can bring
about the song, you can feel what the
song has inside,” he said. “I think it’s
a good idea.”
Even so, switching to music with
lyrics was not an easy decision. He
said it’s easier to get distracted.
“You start dancing like you’re in
the club,” Gachinski said.
In the ice dance, Chock and Bates
scored 68.96 points, outclassing the
field in a competition that featured
the Flamenco and Paso Doble.
The brother-sister combo of
Americans Maia and Alex Shibutani
(64.14) were second, with Russians
Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin
(56.37) in third.
North Americans have dominated
ice dance in recent years, but reigning Olympic gold medalists Meryl
Davis and Charlie White and 2010
champions Tessa Virtue and Scott
Moir are not competing this season.
Tatsuki Machida competes in the
Men Short Program during the
2014 Hilton Honors Skate
America competition at the Sears
Centre Arena on Oct 24 in
Hoffman Estates, Illinois. (AFP)