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Diego Elias has been on a roll off late. The 20-year-old Peruvian had defeated three-time world champion Nick Matthew to reach the NetSuite Open semi-finals before losing out to current World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad in a hard fought five-game battle. Elias seems to have carried that form to the Qatar Classic, being played at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex here, as he created the first upset on the opening day of the World Series event yesterday. Elias sent former champion James Willstrop crashing out (3-0) 12-10, 11-5, 11-8 in 46 minutes. The pulsating opening round clash was expected to go the distance, but the two-time world junior champion gave no chance to the veteran Englishman after a close first game. He easily won the next two games with some fast and accurate squash. In the first game, a huge rally at 3-2 gave Willstrop a four-point lead (7-3) and it looked like that the game had been decided. But out of the blue, Elias reversed the position on the court, sent Willstrop on a run and closed the gap (8-8 and 9-9) and won the game on his second chance. Both the players struck six winners each, but Willstrop also had five unforced errors. In the second, Willstrop seemed very much in the game again, but a little drop in energy allowed the Peruvian to take a healthy lead at 7-4 and later at 11-5. Willstrop came back blasting all guns, finding some amazing long drop shots. However, Elias’ backhand length was perfect and his court coverage was stunning in the latter part of the game. “It’s always hard to play against such a big star I just tried to apply as much pressure as I could throughout the match and maintained my concentration. The first game was very crucial, I think, I was down 8-3, I was just running too much for no reason… So just tried and volleyed as much as I could,” Elias said. “I am confident of my game as I managed to beat six top 10 players this season. I feel good and today, I think I played well. I hope this would be a good tournament for me,” he said. Qatar’s Abdulla Mohamed al-Tamimi, hoping for a flying start to his campaign before home crowd, went down fighting against Egypt’s Fares Dessouky. Dessouky beat the wild card entrant 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 in 111 minutes. In the other upset of the day, Hong Kong’s qualifier Leo Au rallied to stun world No 16 from Australia, Ryan Cuskelly 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4. For Cuskelly, it was a return to the venue that saw him achieve a long awaited breakthrough into the top 20 in 2015, but it proved to be an unhappy hunting ground this time around as he fell flat against an inspired Au, who put in a performance of note and one that could lay the foundation for his own long awaited surge into the top 20. The opening game saw the two probing and testing, opening up all four corners of the court through a series of patient rallies before Cuskelly took the initiative and opened up a one game lead before Au matched him in the second. The Australian looked certain to restore his lead on the scoreboard in the third only to see Au rally from 4-8 to snatch the game. It was a run that dented Cuskelly’s confidence and in the fourth game it was one-way traffic for Au as he out-hustled Cuskelly. “I had no expectations today,” said Au. “Ryan is a good player, he’s very solid and consistent. Today I don’t think I had any pressure and I played well and that third game was key.” The tournament top-seed and world No.1 Gregory Gaultier defeated Mexico’s Cesar Salazar 3-0 (11-6, 11-2, 11-9) later in the evening yesterday. The Frenchman, who is making his comeback, took only 37 minutes to win his first round match. This is his first appearance of the 2017-18 season, after suffering with an ankle injury that saw him forced to withdraw from both the NetSuite Open and US Open. “It’s been tough recently with the ankle injury so I came here happy to be back on court,” said Gaultier. “I haven’t played on a glass court for long; it felt a bit weird to start, and Cesar has been playing well and had some good wins recently. I’m pleased to come through. I just tried to find my mark and not do anything too crazy. I need these kind of matches to help me get back to fitness.” Gaultier could face two-time champion Mohamed El Shorbagy, who also won his first round match easily against English qualifier Chris Simpson 3-0, in the semi-finals. “I like playing here. I come back year-after-year and would love to get my name on the trophy again. This is where I won my first ever World Series title back in 2013 and I feel this year the event has raised the bar and I’m looking forward to hopefully having a good week,” El Shorbagy said. US Open champion and current leader in the World Series standings, Egypt’s Ali Farag, also marched into the second round defeating compatriot Karim Ali Fathi 11-7, 11-5, 11-1. Qualifier Saurav Ghosal from India also won his first round match against England’s Daryl Selby 11-4, 11-8, 11-2.  RESULTS FIRST ROUND *(1) Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt Cesar Salazar (Mex) 11-6, 11-2, 11-9 *Zahed Mohamed (Egy) bt Gregoire Marche (Fra) 11-6, 5-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-2 *(Q) Saurav Ghosal (Ind) bt Daryl Selby (Eng) 11-4, 11-8, 11-2 *Diego Elias (Per) bt (7)James Willstrop (Eng) 12-10, 11-5, 11-8 *[5] Ali Farag (Egy) [Q] Karim Ali Fathi (Egy) bt 11-7, 11-5, 11-1 *(Q) Leo Au (Hkg) bt Ryan Cuskelly (Australia) 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 *Fares Dessouky (Egy) bt [wc] Abdulla al-Tamimi (Qat) 11-7, 118, 11-5 *(3) Mohamed Elshorbagy (Egy) bt [Q] Chris Simpson (Eng) 11-7, 11-9, 11-5

South Africa’s Chad Le Clos and Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom are targeting further success at the Doha-leg of FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup, which starts at the Hamad Aquatic Centre today. “Doha is a second home for me. I have been coming here since 2012 and have always had success here. I hope that continues this time too. I will try to improve on my recent performances in Hong Kong,” Le Clos told the media yesterday. The London Olympics 200m butterfly gold medallist is the overall men’s series leader with a total score of 234 points after the end of the first four events in Moscow, Berlin, Eindhoven and Hong Kong.  He boasts of a 132-point lead over Tom Shields of the US. Russian star Vladimir Morozov is in third place with 138 points and his compatriot Kirill Prigoda is fourth. The two-day event will be fifth of the eight-leg World Cup, with Beijing (November 10-11) and Tokyo (November 14-15) the other remaining stopovers. Le Clos is entered in six races this weekend. In Hong Kong he had won gold in 50m fly, while picking up silver medals in 100m fly and 200m freestyle. “It’s been a hard few months of training for me leading up to this and I will be pushing myself here also,” the 25-year-old champion said. Le Clos also expected a very good show by Sjostrom in Doha. “Sarah had a very good outing in Hong Kong and I am sure that she will establish a couple of world records here.” After a four-week break, the Swedish ace pocketed five gold medals throughout the two-day competition in Hong Kong. She was topped 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle, and 50m and 100m fly. “I am very happy to be back in Doha. I was here in 2014 for the World Championships, which were very successful for me. It’s my first World Cup here, and hope it’s going to be fun,” said Sjostrom.  “I have had a very good season – I am taking part in all the World Cup legs and it’s going pretty well,” the 24-year-old said.  The 2016 Rio Games 200m butterfly gold medallist leads the women’s points table with 353 points, while Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu (272 points) and the Netherland’s Ranomi Kromowidjojo (155 points) round up the top three ahead of the Doha leg. Talking about her good show in Hong Kong last week, Sjostrom said, “I was coming after a good break after Eindhoven, which finished on August 12. I was fully recovered and it was evident in my performance.” Prigoda too was optimistic of his performance in Doha. “Like Sarah, I was also here for the last time for the World Championships, and I won bronze. So I have found memories of this pool and I expect a good performance at the very nice venue,” he said. Speaking on the occasion, Qatar Swimming Association president Khaleel al-Jabir emphasised that the event was generating a great enthusiasm in the city and mentioned, with proud, that some young Qatari swimmers were participating in the event.  “This is very important for us, as it will be essential for building-up and developing swimming in Qatar. This competition and the presence of so many stars is certainly a motivation for our youth,” he said.  The press conference was also attended by FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu and technical delegate Daphne Bird.  “Outside the frame of the FINA World Championships, the World Cup is the best and most privileged opportunity to further promote our sport. The event in Doha will be spectacular, as this city is actively preparing for the 2023 FINA World Championships here in Qatar,” Marculescu said.  “However, nothing is more important in swimming than our stars – and some of them are here with us for the event.” With the new 2017 rules for the World Cup, swimmers are competing twice in each event over the three-leg cluster, but with the reduction to two events in cluster 2, the full programme of 34 individual events for each leg was reinstated only for Hong Kong and Doha.  Moreover, the general rule of a maximum of four individual events per swimmer per leg was slightly modified for this second cluster, and now comprises six events per competitor. FINA announced earlier this week it has raised the prize money awarded to winners of the overall World Cup titles. A total of $600,000 will now be split across the top three in the men’s and women’s competitions. The two athletes that finish in first place at the end of the World Cup campaign will receive $150,000 each. Second place will get $100,000 and third place will receive $50,000.

Al Rayyan stunned favourites Al Arabi 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 36-24) in the final of the Emir Cup yesterday and ended the Reds’ domination in the finals of the prestigious tournament. At the Qatar Women’s Sports Committee Indoor Hall in the Aspire Zone, defending champions Al Arabi, who won three domestic titles in the current season, were no match for a rejuvenated and motivated Al Rayyan in the final, which was the 16th Emir Cup title clash between the two domestic giants. Al Arabi’s two out of four titles in the current season came at the expense of  Al Rayyan who have been found wanting in defence especially when they needed it the most. However, yesterday it was different story as Rayyan started off very well by winning the first two sets comfortably in 23 minutes each. In the third, Al Arabi provided stiff resistance, but Rayyan held their nerve  to clinch it 36-24 in 36 minutes after a see-saw battle. Conceding the first two sets, Arabi did what they could to get their act together. They raced to an initial 10-6 lead in the third, thanks to their professional player Gyrogy Grozer’s fierce attacks. Arabi maintained their lead building on their rivals’ poor reception but Al Rayyan captain Osmel Camejo dominated Arabi’s taller blockers with his devastating spikes to turn the tide. Rayyan then led 24-23, needing only one more point to win the set. But Al Arabi stormed back to catch them at 24-24, although Al Rayyan fared better in the final assault to rally past their opponents. “It is a big win for us at the end of the season. We lost two finals earlier, but winning the Emir Cup is something else. It has erased all our disappointments,” Rayyan coach Carlos Schwanke said. “As I said before we were better placed for the final and were motivated for the title after a disappointing season. My players executed our plans very well and I am very delighted with the victory. “I was confident of the victory. We got extra days this time to prepare ourselves as we finished our best-of-three semifinal playoff 2-0 against El Jaish,” he added. The Brazilian gave credit to his new professional player, Serbian Milos Nikic, who joined them for the Emir Cup and gelled well with Camejo. Cuban star Camejo scored 15 points for the winners, while Nikic scored 14. “Our new combination of Nikic and Camejo worked well for us in the championship as it improved our overall game. Nikic is an experienced player and his inclusion has added the value to our team,” he said. Arabi’s professional spiker Grozer scored a match-high 20 points for them and their American outside hitter Taylor Sander contributed eight. Besides the Qatar Cup and Super Cup, Al Arabi also won the season-opener Federation Cup defeating El Jaish. However, after that there was an alarming dip in the Reds’ form which resulted in them finishing third in the Qatar League and fifth in the GCC Clubs Championship. In yesterday’s final, Al Arabi who defeated Qatar league champion Police 2-0 in the playoff, were on a high after the Qatar Cup win, but failed to keep their winning streak intact. “It is disappointing to lose the final today. Overall we have played a good game throughout the season, but today especially in the first two sets were not up to the mark. The credit also goes to Rayyan as they played the first two sets superbly to outclass us,” Sander said.

Al Rayyan are hoping to end a disappointing season on a winning note by winning the prestigious Emir Cup Volleyball at the Qatar Women’s Sports Committee Indoor Hall in Aspire Zone today. The Lions have failed to win a single title this season, but their coach Carlos Schwanke is eager to make up for that with the win in the final against arch-rivals Al Arabi. “We are motivated for the final and hopefully we will put up a good show and win the title to end the season on top. I am sure the Emir Cup win will erase all disappointments,” Schwanke said. “We lost the Qatar Cup final to Arabi, but this time we are better prepared after winning the best-of-three semifinal playoffs in straight games and got some extra days to recover for the important final,” said Schwanke, who remains confident that his team can finish the year with a flourish against in-form Arabi. “We have a new combination this time as our new professional player Serbian Milos Nikic has joined us. We are ready for the final battle. We have displayed fine team work in the playoffs and have confidence that my boys will do it again in the final,” the Brazilian said. The 31-year-old wing-spikes Nikic is a top professional player, who has played for several European teams and played in the strongest of volleyball leagues. He was also part of the Serbia’s gold medal winning team from the 2011 European Championship. On the other hand, defending champions Arabi are aiming for picking up their fourth domestic title of the season and their third successive Emir Cup. Al Arabi coach Patrick Duflos is also well aware of the fight in the final, admitting they have to play a tough game against a motivated and better-prepared Rayyan this time. “It will be a tough and long final as we are playing against a better-looking Rayyan this time. They have had more preparation time and have a very seasoned professional player in Nikic this time. They will be more motivated to win this time after not winning anything this season,” he said. Talking about his team’s preparations, he said, “We are happy to be in the final and will put up a great fight again.” Talking about their losses to Arabi in the Qatar Cup and Super Cup finals, captain Osmel Camejo said, “We are ready for the final against Arabi once again and hope this time we will beat them. We were disappointed after losing Qatar Cup final to them, but I think we are well prepared this time.” Besides, Qatar Cup and Super Cup, Arabi won the season-opening Federation Cup, defeating El Jaish. After that there was an alarming dip in their form which resulted in them finishing third in the Qatar League and fifth in the GCC Clubs Championship. However, with the inclusion of outside hitter Taylor Sander, a member of America’s bronze-winning squad in Rio, and Germany’s pro Gyorgy Grozer, Arabi are at their best. Grozer, who was the highest score for the Reds in the Qatar Cup final, is excited to play yet another final against Rayyan. “I am excited to play another big final against Rayyan. I think we are playing well as a team and determined to win the Cup,” said the German star. Rayyan, who finished fourth in the Qatar Volleyball League, defeated El Jaish in the semi-finals 2-0, while 21-time champions Arabi defeated Qatar League champions Police 2-0 in second semi-finals. The final is slated for 6.30pm today.

Rashid Masoud Jaralla and Sarah Mohamed clinched the men’s and women’s Emir Cup skeet gold medals while London Olympics bronze medallist Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah had to settle for silver. At the Losail Shooting Range yesterday, Jaralla upstaged al-Attiyyah and 2015 winner Khalid al-Muhannadi to win the gold. Jaralla, who was coming to the competitive shooting after a gap of nine months, qualified for the final in first position with 122 targets and maintained his supremacy in the gold medal round in  blustery conditions. In the end, Jaralla (45+8) beat al-Attiyyah (44+7) for the gold. Al-Muhannadi claimed bronze with 43. “I am very happy with the win today. I was coming after a nine-month break as I was dealing with some personal issues. I am happy to beat shooters like Nasser and Khalid in the Emir Cup as it is an achievement for me,” the 25-year-old Jaralla said. “I won many medals in Qatar before. For me, the most important thing was I showed that I have not lost any of my touchtouch,” said Jaralla.   The 47-year-old shooter and rally driver al-Attiyah, who took time from his busy rallying schedule to take part in the event, took silver. Al-Attiyah lauded the efforts of Jaralla, saying: “It was a very good victory for young Jaralla. I am happy for him as he has a bright future ahead of him.” Al-Attiyah, who crashed out of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge two weeks ago and got injured, was satisfied with his show yesterday. “I was not up to the mark today, but I am happy with my show considering I am carrying an injury. I’ve pain in my back. My coach advised me to skip it. But I said I won’t give up so quickly,” al-Attiyyah said. “I tried my best, but I wasn’t able to recover hundred percent. Anyway, it was a good round of shooting for me. It was good for me to reach the second place. I have lost some weight and now I’m worried about my fitness for the next week’s Sealine cross-country. Talking about his preparation, he said: “The level of the Qatari shooters is going up. It was a good competition and preparation for me ahead of some events. After the Sealine rally, I’ll go to compete in the Cyprus World Cup and then the Islamic Games in Baku.” In the women’s section Sarah stated slowly but once in the final she flourished in the windy conditions. “It was a great final, I guess... I shot 46 out of 60. It was a nice performance. Before the final, I and Reem were second behind Lulwa with 69 each. I’d never thought I’d win the title today. With each stage, I shot well and in the gold medal elimination, I managed to hit 10 out of 10 in the windy condition to claim the title. I’m very delighted with my performance,” Sarah said. Sarah was followed by the former Emir Cup junior champion Ammena al-Mansoori and Hanan Haji. The former Emir Cup junior champion Ameena shot 41 out of 60 to finish second was also happy with her performance, as she said: “It was tough competition for me. I tried my best and won the second place and I’m very proud of it. In 2014, I had won the junior title in the Emir Cup. So I’m really happy about this performance and the silver medal. This is the best result for me so far. I’m glad about my progress. This was my second event in the senior class. I’ll work hard and try to improve my results in the future competitions.” In men’s junior skeet, Abdulla Rashidan bagged the top prize. MM al-Khulaifi and HM al-Khulaifi claimed silver and bronze medals respectively.

Al Arabi completed a treble of domestic titles as they won the Qatar Cup yesterday. At the Qatar Women’s Sports Committee Indoor Hall in Aspire Zone, Al Arabi came on top against arch-rivals Al Rayyan in the two-hour long battle for supremacy, winning 25-21, 21-25, 25-17, 25-22 to pick their third title of the season. Al Arabi had won the Federation Cup and Super Cup at the start of the season. “It is a very big won for us after a disappointing league and GCC Championship. We played well today except in the second set where we were no match for Al Rayyan,” said Al Arabi coach Patrick Duflos. This is Arabi’s 11th victory against Al Rayyan in the Qatar Cup finals and first under Duflos. “I am very happy. We needed something like that and I am sure this win is going act as a catalyst for this squad in the Emir Cup,” the delighted Frenchman said.  Al Arabi took the keenly contested first set at 25-21, while the second set again turned out to be a see saw battle which Al Rayyan won by an identical score. However, Al Arabi bounced back to win the third and fourth to pocket the title. For Arabi, it has been a roller-coaster season so far. After the highs of the twin titles, they suffered a loss in form and could only finish third in the league and a dismal fifth in the GCC Clubs Championship. No wonder, there was a big shake-up within the team for the Qatar Cup as they brought in two professionals — America’s outside hitter Taylor Sander and Germany’s star spiker Gyorgy Grozer.  “It is a big victory for us, although we did not play that well. The second set was a strange one, somehow nothing was going our way. I also played bad in the set, but we bounced back in the subsequent ones to win the title,” said Sander, who was member of the bronze medal winner US team of the Rio Olympics. In the first, the initial proceedings saw both teams neck-and- neck until Arabi broke free to take a two point lead at 9-7. But Al Rayyan fought back to tie the score at 11-all. Al Arabi, however, once took the upper hand to take a 14-11 lead. Thereafter, Duflos’ side held the grip over the rallies and maintained a consistent two-point lead which they carried to the  end to win the first set. In the second set, Al Rayyan were determined to bounce back and took a runaway lead at 8- 3. Al Arabi, however, made a splendid recovery to tie the score at 11-all. From thereon, fortunes fluctuated with Al Rayyan having an upper hand for a brief period only to surrender the initiative to their rivals. In the end Al Rayyan pocketed the second set at 25-21.  In the third, Al Arabi determined to finish off proceedings, took a five point lead at 8-3. Al Rayyan clawed back to narrow the lead at 12-9. Al Arabi put up an all round display to increase their lead to seven points at 23-16.  Arabi then took the next two points to wrap the third at 25-17. Arabi continued where from they left off in the fourth set, taking an early 5-3 lead in the fifth. The defending champions had other thoughts as they came back strongly to tie the score at eight-all. From that stage the both teams fought hard for each point with the scores tied at 11-all, 14-all, until Al Arabi broke free to make it 15-13 and extended the lead to three points at 17-14. Carlos Schwanke’s side tried to make a fight and took a timeout with score reading 20-18 to stop their rivals in their tracks. However, Al Arabi were in no mood to allow any room to heir rivals. In the end, Al Arabi won 25-22 to win the title for 16th time and set off wild celebrations among their supporters.

Defending champions Al Rayyan are aiming to win their first title of the season by retaining the Qatar Cup when they take on arch-rivals Al Arabi in the final at the Qatar Women’s Sports Committee Indoor Hall in the Aspire Zone today. Rayyan coach Carlos Schwanke is very much aware of the tough task they have on their hands as emotions are sure to run high. “We know it will be a tough final against Arabi. The emotions will be high as two powerhouse clubs are taking part, but I am confident that we are ready for the title fight,” Schwanke said while talking to the media yesterday. Rayyan, who finished fourth in the Qatar Volleyball League, played three tough games in the last six days to qualify for the final and are raring to go. “It’s a final and it’s always a special game. We all play for the title and for that you have to give something extra. We have played some really tough games in the recent past, but we have to be mentally ready and give our 100 percent for the final,” the Brazilian said. Rayyan overcame Police 2-1 in the semifinal playoffs, while Arabi blanked El Jaish 2-0. Schwanke is delighted with the way his team fought back and found solutions for their on-court problems during the three-game semifinal play-offs. “I’m very happy with the team’s comeback and victory to move into the final. I liked the spirit that my team showed. We had some problems and made some adjustments. “The team has regained their touch during the play-offs against Police. We played like Al Rayyan play. Police are the league champions and were not an easy side. It was quite tough and now we’ll focus on another difficult match against Al Arabi,” said Schwanke. Talking about the service problem they had during the semifinals, Schwanke said, “The service has only one point and sometimes you have to take risk to win bigger points. I am confident that we will have no such issues in the final.” Rayyan came third in the recently concluded GCC Championship, while Arabi finished poor fifth. Al Arabi coach Patrick Duflos is also keen to win his first title for the club. “We are happy to be in the final. It is an important game and will be a difficult one. There will be some emotions on both the sides. We must be ready in our head to control the emotions to win it. I hope tomorrow will be a good day for us,” said Duflos, who was put in charge of the team midway through the league, in which they finished third. Arabi started off their season well by winning the Super Cup by defeating Rayyan and QVA Cup with a win over El Jaish.Arabi’s pro players, Gyorgy Grozer of Germany and Taylor Sander of the United States, are also hoping to finish on top. “It is very interesting to be in the final as finals are always something special. We have a very good team and hope to win tomorrow. I was here two years ago also… this is my second time in Qatar. The level of the game is very high in Qatar and I think it’s growing,” Grozer said. “I am excited to be in the final. It will be a high-level game and I hope we are able to put up a good show tomorrow,” Sander said.

Qatar’s Moosa Khalfan finished second as UAE’s Majid al-Balooshi won his maiden GCC Road Cycling Championship title yesterday at the Losail circuit. Al-Balooshi clocked 21:48.10s to comfortably defeat Khalfan by seven seconds after the 138km Katara-Losail race as Kuwait’s Abdul Hadil al-Azmi came third in the 19th edition of the championship. For the past decade, Yousif Mirza has been the man at the forefront of cycling in the Emirates. But yesterday at the Losial circuit, it was al-Balooshi who crossed the finish line first to win the title. “This is the first time that I’ve won the GCC title. It was a tough race on a windy day. But we have a good team and we controlled the race well today. In cycling, there is never one person winning anything. He has to depend a lot on his teammates, so the credit for my win goes to the entire team,” al-Balooshi said. Talking about the race, al-Balooshi added: “We started in Katara fast. We started to push after three kilometres. Our plan was to control the race first and then assess the situation before the dash for the medal. Bahrain looked good in the beginning as they had a good number of riders in the peloton. We started to attack after two or three break-away attempts. We kept launching our attacks to weaken the rivals. “Then on the final straight, the Kuwaiti and Qatari riders were the first to kick in. I was fourth to start the sprint but I managed to pass them to win the race,” the 30-year-old rider said. Khalfan’s second position is the only victory for the 10-member Qatari team. “I’m very happy with the silver medal. It is a good win for Qatar. This was a very difficult race for all of us. There was rain and wind, that kept changing directions, which made our job even more demanding,” Khalfan said. “I got separated from the peloton early in the race. I had to put in a great deal of effort to not only recover my way into the pack, but also find a good position before launching the dash for the line,” the 28-year-old rider added. Qatar Cycling Federation (QCF) president Dr Mohamed al-Kuwari also felt that Qatar team was not strong at the moment. “Moosa won a good race today. But I feel we had a strong team in the past, but this time we are not that strong. UAE riders are very good and they have dominated the races, but we have some plans for our team and hopefully we will have a good team in the coming years,” said Dr al-Kuwari. Mirza, who won the Elite Individual Time Trial beating his brother Badr, was thrilled to see al-Balooshi on the top of the podium. “It’s a dream for me to see other Emiratis get on that podium,” Mirza, who failed to finish at the podium yesterday, said. “The development in cycling here over the past couple of years has been tremendous. It’s a huge leap. Our rulers all practice cycling regularly,” said Mirza, who took part in the Dubai Tour this year with the UAE-Abu Dhabi Professional Cycle Team.     

Qatar’s first-ever 24-hour mountain bike race will be held on March 17. Rasen Sports organised endurance race, which will take the riders beyond their limits and inspire unbelievable camaraderie, will be held on specifically designed challenging 11km circuit at a private farm in Umm Jurn. “This is a different race, the first 24-hour bike race in Qatar and probably first in the region also, but we are not very sure about it and not claiming it. I came to know that the one such race was held in Dubai but it was cancelled. But ours will be the first one of its kind in Qatar. Hopefully we will do something similar next year in road cycling,” Rasen Sports’ Sheikh Abdullah al-Thani told Gulf Times. Talking about the circuit of the race, he said: “The challenge will attract participants to one of Qatar’s most untouched natural wonders. It will be different from all the other races you see, the riders will actually go between banana trees and date palms. There will be old houses as they will ride alongside old housing communities. There will be water puddles and sandy dunes also.” For this adventurous, exciting and demanding race, which will start on March 17 at 1pm, the registration process is on. Rasen Sports have been organising cycling race from the last couple of years in the country with the aim to make the biking a popular sport under the guidance of Sheikh Abdullah, who himself is a biker. “Since 2013, we have been sponsoring mountain bike events. We wanted to add something different to our calendar and that is the 24-hour competition. We want it to be family-oriented. It’s not only a race. There is camping. People will get to experience farmhouse life and connect with desert nature. It’s a very old farm. It is different from what you normally see in the desert. I am sure most participants wouldn’t have seen the farmhouse life I am talking about,” he said. The riders will have to plan their own strategy, when they want to take break and when they want to race. There winner of the face will be the team or rider that completes the most laps with the first lap after the clock has ticked over 24 hours counting to the result. “The riders have their targets to achieve, some aim to complete 80kms, while some experienced riders are aiming to complete 100kms. I am aiming at 80kms,” Sheikh Abdullah, who is going to participate in the race, said. Discussing, the scheduling of the event he said: “The reason we have it in March is because we sought suggestions from our family of riders. We saw into their requests. The other date that we could have gone for was in the month of January. Our races are scheduled well in advance, even going back to a year. We have to work with sponsors also. “It was very tight for us looking at the annual calendar. We had a race scheduled for March 10. We cancelled that to have this event on March 17. On March 11, we will have an off-road event also,” he added.

Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah fired an early warning for the 2020 Tokyo Games by winning his first Qatar Open medal yesterday. The Qatari sports icon, a bronze medallist in skeet shooting at the 2012 London Olympics and also a two-time Dakar Rally winner, won the silver after losing a keenly contested final 58-55 to Frenchman Antony Terras at the Lusail Shooting Range yesterday. Russia’s Anton Astakhov claimed the bronze. “It is fantastic to win a silver medal on home range. I had promised HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani (President of Qatar Olympic Committee) after we returned from Rio 2016 Games that I will win another Olympic medal for Qatar. Today’s win indicates that I am on the right path,” said al-Attiyah, who was taking part in his first international shooting event after last year’s Olympic Games. Rallying and marksmanship are not easy to combine, but al-Attiyah won the bronze — only the fourth individual medal Qatar have won at the Olympics — in London after only 10 days of practice. He is now looking forward to Tokyo after disappointment at the Rio Games. “I have cut down on a number of races to concentrate on shooting for the Tokyo Games,” the 45-year-old added. On his participation at the upcoming shooting World Cup, al-Attiyah appeared up-beat for the event in the Indian capital of Delhi. “Yes, my good showing in the Qatar Open Shotgun has certainly given me a confidence boost. I am leaving for India tomorrow,” the ace shooter informed. “I have been to six Olympic Games (Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London and Rio) and won the bronze in London. It will be a dream for me to (also) compete in Tokyo… It will be my seventh Olympics,” the 12-time Middle East Rally Championship winner said. Al-Attiyah, who just about managed to get past the qualifying stage through shoot-out, came all guns blazing in the final round to finish second. He made it past the qualifying stage along with Ben Llewellin of Great Britain after Saif bin Futais of UAE got eliminated in the three-way shoot-out. All three finished with identical score of 121 in the qualifying round, resulting in the shoot-out. In the final round, Terras, al-Attiyah, Astakhov, al-Muhannadi and Llewellin were in fine form in the first round to register a perfect score. But as the competition went ahead, first Qatar’s Khaled al-Muhannadi flattered, followed by Llewellin, leaving Terras, al-Attiyah and Astakhov to fight for the medals. For hosts Qatar, it was their second silver medal of the nine-day championship which concluded yesterday. In the final round, Terras came with a near-perfect display, missing just two targets in the final round on way to the gold. It was the third gold medal for the 31-year-old Frenchman out of the five he competed in. “The conditions were difficult for shooting. It was quite windy. But due credit to all the shooters for keeping their focus and getting good scores,” said the Frenchman, who finished as winner in the skeet event at the same championship in 2013 and last year. “This range is very nice, at least for me! It’s fantastic, I love shooting here. I think I have developed a special relationship with the Qatar shooting range,” added Terras, who also won the gold at last year’s Military Shooting Championship at the same venue. Terras is not going to the World Cup in India, which starts tomorrow, on account of funds crunch. “I am not going to New Delhi. My federation has no money to pay for my expenses,” said the 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medallist. With the Olympics three years away and no quota issue to deal with, Terras said he will be spending more time with his family. “I am not taking part in many events this year as it is not an Olympic year,” the shooter from Marseille said. Great Britain’s Jack Fairclough won the junior men’s skeet gold, with Kazakhstan’s Eduard Yechshenko and David Pochivalov taking the silver and bronze, respectively. A function was organised yesterday in which the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSAA) secretary general Majid al-Naimi felicitated the Qatar national team members who won medals at the recently concluded Arab Shooting Championship in Kuwait.

Danka Bartekova is back. The 32-year-old London Olympic bronze medallist from Slovakia won women’s Skeet at the Qatar Open beating veteran Svetlana Demina of Russia 53 to 48 in the gold medal match yesterday. Experience and doggedness prevailed as Bartekova led the competition right from the qualification stage, making it to the semi-final with 70 hits, one more than 55-year-old Demina. Another Russian, 31-year-old Marina Belikova, finished third. Last year’s winner, 19-year-old Amber Hill of the Great Britain finished sixth, behind Vanessa Hauff of Germany and Kazakhstan’s Anastassiya Molchanova. The Slovakian sharpshooter, who had won her last World Cup stage back in 2014 in Tucson, Arizona, was palpably happy with her win. “I’m very happy with the win because today we had very difficult conditions. It was only thirteen degrees and a strong wind was also there. I am satisfied, although I have to work on some aspects of my game to make things better. But I know that I am on right track,” Bartekova said. “It was a difficult final as we were following a new format. I was focused and was feeling good from the first round with the target and I think my tactics worked today.” Bartekova had finished eighth in Skeet at the 2008 Summer Olympics and won bronze in London. This is the second gold for Slovakia in the women’s category in the tournament after Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova won the Trap gold on the first day. Qatar’s Sarah Mohamed finished eighth after failing to score in the three-way shoot-out for the last qualifying place in the final after finishing behind Hauff and Russia’s Anastasiia Krakhmaleva. Sarah was part of the team that won the Skeet silver at the Arab Shooting Championship recently. The other members of the team were Reem al-Sharshani and Sarah’s sister Hajar. British teenager Hill, who narrowly missed out on a place in the finals of the Skeet event at the Rio Olympics, found some consolation in her performance. “It is a steady start to the year for me, making the finals of my first competition of the season, and finishing sixth and going home with some dollars.” In the women’s junior skeet, Alina Fazylzyanova of Russia claimed gold, while Esmee Van Der Veen of the Netherlands and Margarita Gervorkian of Russia clinched silver and bronze respectively. The Men’s Skeet and Junior Men’s Skeet finals are scheduled for today afternoon. French double champion Anthony Terras, who has also won the World Championship and World Cup Finals twice, leads the qualifiers with 50. Qatar’s Khaled al-Muhannadi and Abdulaziz al-Attiyah shot 49, while London Games bronze medallist Nasser al-Attiyah shot 48. In the Junior Men’s Skeet qualifying round, two local lads are on course to getting into the eliminations. Abdulla Rashdan shot 48, two less than leader Jack Fairclough (Great Britain), while Mohamed al-Khulaifi shot 44. The men’s skeet final will be held today at 2:30pm. Women’s Skeet Final RESULTS 1. Danka Bartekova (SVK) 24-22-24-0-0-70-53 2. Svetlana Demina (RUS) 22-24-23-0-0-69-48 3. Marina Belikova (RUS) 25-22-22-0-0-69-42 Junior Women’s Skeet Final 1. Alina Fazylzyanova (RUS) 21-22-24-0-0-67 2. Esmee Van Der Veen (NED) 19-24-23-0-0-66 3. Elena Bukhonova (RUS) 23-21-21-0-0-65+2

Casey Wallace of the USA made a golden start to the season as he won the Trap gold under trying conditions at the Qatar Open Shotgun Championship yesterday. At the Lusail Shooting Range, Wallace shot 10 out of 10 in the final round against young and upcoming Russian shooter Nikita Egorov, who missed his first four shots, to win the gold under clouds and a light drizzle. Wallace was introduced to shotgun shooting at the age of 11 after he was forced in to a wheelchair for almost two years after breaking his hips in an accident. The 27-year-old was happy to open his medal account in 2017. “It was my first outing in Doha. The conditions were a bit tough; it was tough to aim the target  as clouds got really dark there and, in the end, the wind picked up. But I am very delighted with the win in the very first tournament of the season,” Wallace said after topping the field of 33 athletes. “I am impressed with the facilities here. The range is very good and the targets were also perfect today,” said the 2012 Lindenwood University graduate. Talking about the level of the shooters in the competition he said: “The competition was tough as all the shooters were of top quality, but I kept my cool to emerge as the winner.” The Colorado Springs resident received $7,000 in prize money for yesterday’s win. “It is always good to win the gold and get some extra bucks as prize money,” the USA star said with a cheeky smile. Wallace will be going to India for the first ISSF World Cup of the year, which begins on February 23. Ahead of the tournament, which is being held in New Delhi, the win should serve as a confidence-booster. “I am feeling more confident for the New Delhi World Cup after today’s win. I hope to carry the winning touch to the World Cup.” Egorov, the 21-year-old Russian, who came through the junior ranks of the national team, shot four targets less than the eventual winner in the final round, in which six shooters qualified, to finish second. On a day where two young shooters grabbed the spotlight, it was veteran Hamad Alkendi of UAE, who took the bronze. The 47-year-old finished with a score of 32 in the final to take the third place, while Piotr Kowalczyk of Poland, who led at the start with perfect 13 shots, came fourth followed by Thomas Ward of Great Britian and Talal al-Rashidi of Kuwait. According to the new ISSF rules the shotgun finals are changed from the current semifinal-medal match format to a progressive elimination final. The trap finalists were shooting in qualification rank order, with the qualification ranking deciding ties for 6th, 5th, 4th  and 3rd places. All finalists have to shoot 25 targets with eliminations or medal ronds occurring after 25, 30, 35, 40 and 50 targets.   Double Trap finalists will shoot 15 doubles with eliminations taking place after 15, 20, 25, 30 and 40 doubles. The Double Trap final will be held tomorrow.

Slovakia’s Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova won the Trap gold in emphatic fashion in a shoot-out against Russian veteran Liudmila Pshenichnikova at the Qatar Open Shotgun Championship at the Lusail Shooting Range yesterday. Young and upcoming shooter from Russia, IuliiaTugolukova, took bronze. Two-time Olympic Silver medallist (2008 and 2012) medallist Stefecekova was delighted by her title win in Qatar. “I am happy to start the season with a win. This is like second home for me, as we always start the season here and I love the range here,” said the gold medal winner, who is here with her son and husband. “Every year we come to Qatar to take part in the pre-season training at the Lusail Shooting Range, as it is winter back home in Slovakia. We enjoy training here and it prepares us for the season ahead,” the Slovakian shooter, who had won the ISSF World Cup in 2013, said. She said she had no problem with the weather yesterday. “It was not that windy today, it was a warmer day, so I had no problems. But on the first two days (Monday, Tuesday) the rain and the windy conditions made it difficult,” said Stefecekova, who will not be going to India for the ISSF World Cup later this month. Instead, after returning to Slovakia, her next event will be in April. Stefecekova had a perfect start in the qualifiers and topped the score sheets and continued in the same vein in the final round. In the final round, in which six qualified, Stefecekova and Pshenichnikova finished on top, forcing a shoot-out for the top position leaving Tugolukova and New Zealand’s Natalie Rooney to train their guns on the bronze medal. Tugolukova hit the bull’s eye finishing with a combined score of 30 while Rooney had 25 against her name to take bronze. Pshenichnikova was happy with silver, having won her first medal in four years. The 44-year-old had last won a medal — a gold — in Trap at the 2013 ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico. Yesterday’s women’s Trap field saw participation of 31 shooters, including five from Qatar. Today, the men’s Trap final will be held 3pm onwards. The men’s Double Trap final is scheduled for Saturday, while women’s Skeet final will take place on February 20, followed by the men’s Skeet final the next day. The eight-day event, which will competition across three disciplines, including Trap, Double Trap and Skeet for senior and junior, men and women, carries a total prize money of $132,600.

One-day event will have more than 200 riders competing over six dunes on two bike types across seven categories It started in 2010 with a bunch of local riders and has kept growing ever since. This year, Al Adaid Desert Challenge promises to be bigger, better and more fun when it is held on March 3. The most challenging cycling event on Qatar’s off-road cycling calendar has been marked as UCI C3 Cross Country point-to-point race (XCP) in the International Cycling Union calendar. The challenge will cover 40km of astonishing desert track from Sealine to one of Qatar’s most impressive natural wonders, the ‘Inland Sea’ or Khor Al Adaid. The one-day event will have more than 200 riders competing over six gruelling dunes on two bike types across seven different categories for a total prize money of USD50,000. Addressing the media yesterday, Qatar Cyclists Centre’s Dr Jamal al-Khanji, who is also the managing director of the event, said: “It is a great honour that our event is recognised by the government as one of the most compelling events with potential for tourism. Our goal is to attract international participants and we will direct even more energy in achieving this. One of the first steps in this direction was getting out event placed in the UCI calendar.” The challenge is the first off-road race in Qatar to have been awarded with the UCI status. It is at the moment also the only off road race in the region that will become part of the UCI calendar. The course for a XCP event starts in one place and finishes elsewhere. Riders, who want to compete in the UCI category and would like their race results to contribute to their UCI point rankings must register as UCI pro-elite category riders during online registration, and must provide their UCI international racing license numbers. Qataris and expat residents of Qatar can apply for a UCI license through Qatar Cycling Federation (QCF). “We are preparing packages that will ease travel and accommodation for riders coming to Qatar. I am positive they will return home with great memories and stories to tell,” al-Khanji said. The event is being organised by Qatar Cyclists Centre, under the patronage of Ministry of Cultural and Sports at the Unesco-recognised nature reserve with its own ecosystem — the Inland Sea. It is one of the few places in the world where the sea encroaches deep into the heart of the desert. Inaccessible by road, this tranquil expanse of water can only be reached by crossing the rolling dunes. Riders will have to cross over six of them to reach the finish line. Commenting on the occasion, chief marketing and promotion officer at Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) Rashed al-Qurese, said, “The Al Adaid Desert Challenge attracts visitors and residents to one of Qatar’s most impressive natural wonders by offering a unique challenge, exciting sports and fun activities for families. “QTA is proud to be supporting the seventh edition of this annual event which has steadily grown over the years, and promises to contribute to the country’s efforts to develop the sports tourism sub-sector in Qatar.” This year’s edition will also see a new route in the final part of the race. Removing last year’s dune No 6 (26.5km), the new route involves hitting the last dune (new dune No. 6) just one km from the new finish line. “We believe the new finale will make the race more interesting for riders as well as spectators. Riders will climb on the last dune, have a breath-taking view of Khor Al Adaid and feel that the finish line is within their reach. The terrain on the 30km to 35km is also not as concrete hard as the last year’s approach to the finish, which could mix the standings up to the very last minute,” al-Khanji said. The event was initially started by the Qatar Chain Reaction (QCR) cycling group in 2010 on a minimal budget as Inland Sea Travers and the number of participants varied between 50 and 60 riders per year. In 2015, the Qatar Cyclists participated in the event for the first time and also provide some logistic support to the QCR. “After our participation in 2015, we realised that the event is truly unique in Qatar as well as in the GCC region. So we offered to undertake the concept and the management of the event and rebranded it in 2016 and elevated the status to become one of the top off road cycling event in the region,” president of the Qatar Cyclists Centre Dr Abdulaziz al-Kuwari said. Last year, the rebranded event took place with 130 riders successfully completing the Al Adaid Challenge and paying out a total of $20,000 in gifts and prize money. Talking about the future plan for the growth of the event, Dr al-Kuwari said, “We have plans to for the live coverage this year, but due to some logistic issues it’s not possible, but from next year it will telecast live.” QCF president Dr Mohamed al-Kuwari also advocated the need for the event to go live. “We will ensure the event will go live next edition onward so that it can inspire budding cyclists and help develop a new crop of cyclists in the region,” he said. “We want to increase the total number of riders to more than 400 riders in the next four years. I am confident that we will once again have a unique event that is fun and exciting for cyclists from all over the world.” The desert challenge will not only be a competitive event, but also a fun event for families. The riders can share fun times with their families at the finish line and just before the prize-giving ceremony there will be a short informal kids (7-15 years) event at the finish line.” Last year, Canada’s Julien Periard won the overall title, while Finland’s Pia Sundstedt won the women’s title and was third overall. Al Adaid Desert Challenge facts RACE TYPE: UCI Class 3, XCP (point to point race) CATEGORIES UCI Class 3 categories: Elite Men and Elite Women Other categories: Men MTB, women MTB, men fatbike, women fatbike, Qatari nationals. Race route: The start area is about 1km from Sealine Beach Resort after entering the desert located near the Mawater Sand Dune. From there, cyclists will cover the desert highway, across sand patches and cross over six dunes to reach the finish line at Khor Al Adaid. Total distance: 40km The total prize money is USD 50,000. Registration for participants (minimum age 18 years) is open until February 28. EVENT SCHEDULE 6:00am to 7:30am: Race Number Collection 8:00am: Race begins 9:30am: First riders expected to finish 11:30am: Kids’ event at Finish Area 12:00pm: Friday Prayer 12:30pm: Prize Distribution

The spring in the steps of Paul Lawrie, after playing the ProAm round yesterday, was a signal that he is looking to atone for his disappointing showing at last week’s Abu Dhabi Championship, the first event of the Desert Swing, where he missed the cut. Lawrie, known to make strong last-round comebacks—he pulled off the largest final-round comeback in a major championship—is aiming for a spectacular third Commercial Bank Qatar Masters titles. His belief is a key attribute for a champion and Lawrie was full of it when he said, “I feel ready for the show. I am feeling good (about my shot at the third title).” “Last week was my first event of the year in Abu Dhabi for quite a few months. I was a bit rusty and missed the cut by five shots, but I did a lot of work over the weekend. I have been here for a couple of days now and I think I’m ready,” the 49-year-old, who won his first Qatar title in 1999, told Gulf Times yesterday. “I hit it pretty good from tee to green but my short game and putting was pretty poor in Abu Dhabi. The course and event as always was brilliant and is a great way to start the season for most of the players. I stayed over the weekend in Abu Dhabi and managed to put in some quality practice, especially with the putter,” he added. Lawrie won his second title in Qatar, defeating Jason Day and Peter Hanson by four strokes after a gap of 13 years in the wind-hit 2012 edition, his seventh win on the European Tour. The other two-time winners in Qatar are Australian Adam Scott and Brenden Grace of South Africa. Lawrie said he has a special liking for the Doha Golf Club course. “It is my favourite course,” he said. “The course is pretty much the same… some new tees are there. Overall, the place is nearly the same. The top hasn’t changed. The event has become bigger than it was. Obviously over the years, it (the tournament) has grown,” Lawrie, who won the 1999 British Open despite starting the final round 10 shots behind Frenchman Jean van de Velde, said. Commenting over the competitive field, he said, “The field is quite strong. It is always good (field) here. These three weeks are always pretty busy and people like to play them here.” Lawrie’s last title was the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in 2012. He won the Open de Andalucia title in 2011, which came after his 2002 Wales Open win. Lawrie played the Pro-Am yesterday with local golfers Yasmain al-Sharsani and Mariam al-Sada and was happy with the conditions. “The Pro-Am went ok. The course is very good and the greens are beautiful but the fairways are not as good as they normally are. There are a fair bit of problems with them. But it is always nice to play here,” the vice-captain of the European Ryder Cup team last year said.

Chris Wood has set his sights on reclaiming the Mother of Pearl trophy in the 20th edition of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. “Every year I come back here, I sort of feel like I’m going to give myself a chance, just because of the memories that I have here. I always love coming back,” the 29-year-old Wood, who won his first European Tour title at the 2013 Qatar Masters in brilliant fashion with a last-hole eagle, said yesterday. His victory was followed by a tie for 43rd in 2014 and a missed cut last January. He skipped the 2015 event due to injury. The 25-year-old from Bristol rates his first title in 2013 as perhaps the best moment of his glittering career. “My win at the 2013 Qatar Masters is still one of the highlights of my career. It was pretty emotional to finally win my first European Tour title after what felt like many years,” Wood, the only Englishman to lift the Mother of Pearl trophy, said. He also got nostalgic talking about his fist title win: “Yeah, this is the scene of my first win on the European Tour in 2013 here. I don’t know where time goes, four years ago now… But every year I come back here, I always sort of remember the shots I hit and the finish in particular. Eagling the last to beat one of my sort of childhood heroes, Sergio Garcia, is pretty special. “It was massive, really. And I think I showed it in my sort of celebration. I sort of gave everything to a fist pump I could, really, when I holed that eagle putt! Yeah, I think obviously I’ve come on as a player since then. “Four years is quite a long time. I’ve put myself in contention to win more events since, and I have done that. There’s nothing like feeling the importance of every single shot over the last few holes when you’re in contention. You know, one shot, one putt missed here or there can make all the difference…” “It’s hard to explain until you’ve been in that position, but it really is the reason that we play; the pressure that you put yourself under trying to win a tournament, trying to finish a tournament off. It’s like something I’ve never experienced week-in and week-out, really,” Wood added. After winning further European Tour titles at the 2015 Lyoness Open in Austria and last year’s BMW PGA Championship in England, Wood finished fourth on the Ryder Cup European points list last year to secure a first appearance in the biennial team competition against Team USA. “It will feel good to compete here in my first full season after playing at the Ryder Cup because I would like to keep playing well enough to make the 2018 team,” he said. Discussing the success of big hitters in Doha, he said: “I wouldn’t consider myself one of the very longest but I’m long enough. So yeah, clearly it’s suited to my game. I think I can reach all the par 5s here, apart from the ninth, which maybe only one or two guys can reach in two. But you know, clearly I’ve won here before, so there’s every chance again this week,” the 6-foot-6 inch golfer said. The Englishman missed the cut last week in Abu Dhabi despite a solid second-round 68. “I was probably mentally quite rusty on the first day. Let three or four shots go, which I wouldn’t necessarily have done if it was sort of midway through the season. “But then the second day, I felt I was right back on it, and it was an easy 68 for me, really. So even though I missed the cut I came away with a little bit of confidence because I’ve never really done well there. But I showed enough to feel like my game is in pretty good shape coming into this week,” the gentle giant concluded.

Russia’s Sergey Karjakin finished the year on a “satisfied” note by clinching the Fide World Blitz Championship title yesterday. In the women’s section, consistent Ukrainian Anna Muzychuk completed a golden double by defending her blitz title she won in 2014 in Russia, a day after winning the rapid title. “I am satisfied with the victory as it came after a disappointment in USA. I am happy to go home with the world title,” the 26-year-old grandmaster said. Exactly two months after his narrow loss to Magnus Carslen in the classical World Chess Championship, the Russian gave the Norwegian a test of his own medicine by claiming the title under his nose at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena. The Karjakin-Carlsen tussle in Doha was as close as the one in New York last November. The Russian scored 16.5 points from 21 rounds of the fast and furious form of the game, and so did the Norwegian. But the first place went to Karjakin on tie-break. Carlsen and Karjakin dominated the blitz event from the very beginning. After Day 1, they shared the lead with 10.0/12 and they continued to lead throughout Day 2. However, before the last round Carlsen led with 16.0/20, while Karjakin was half a point behind. In the last round, Carlsen was to play Peter Leko with black, while Karjakin had white against Baadur Jobava. After failing to create any serious winning chances against Leko, Carlsen finally settled for a perpetual and a draw, while Karjakin grabbed his opportunity, defeating Jobava. In the tie-break, the Elo-average of the opponents came into play. Karjakin’s opponents had a better average and that clinched the title for Karjakin. “Ahead of this championship, I thought I only wanted to play chess here and take a rest from all the attention. I didn’t set any big goals for championship,” Karjakin said. Talking about his victory route, he said, “After an okay performance in the rapid event I tried harder in the blitz. I realised that my play in rapid was not upto the mark. I was bit upset with that. “So, on day one (of the blitz) I managed to beat Carlsen, which was a beautiful continuation of our story in New York. And after beating the Norwegian, I realised I really could claim the champion’s title.” Russian grandmaster Daniil Dubov, 20, was in a three-way tie for bronze with Hikaru Nakamura and defending champion and compatriot Alexander Grischuk at 14.5 points. India’s Viswanathan Anand finished 10th overall with 13 points, after recording three wins in the last four rounds – the lone defeat coming against his old nemesis Carlsen in the 20th and penultimate round. In the women’s section Muzychuk emerged as the clear winner in the 34-player field. Muzychuk finished with 13 points from a possible 17. Russia’s Valentina Gunina came second, while Russia’s Kateryna Lagno secured the third place. India’s Dronavalli Harika finished fifth overall after a tie with Daris Charochkina of Russia on 10.5 points in the 17-round competition. “It was a fantastic victory. I can’t believe yet that I have won two back to back championships,” Muzychuk told Gulf Times. “I am happy with the golden double. It was a top field but after winning the rapid it gave me the confidence to go for another title and I played consistently in the blitz also. It is nice to end the year on a winning note,” said the Ukrainian. The total prize money for the Open tournament was $400,000 with the winner taking home $40,000 for each championship. Total prize money for the women’s championship was $80,000 with the winner taking home $20,000 for winning both the championships. STANDINGS BLITZ: Open: 1-2. Sergey Karjakin (Rus) and Magnus Carlsen (Nor), 16.5/21; 3-5. Daniil Dubov (Rus), Hikaru Nakamura (USA) and Alexander Grischuk (Rus) 14.5; Women: 1. Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) 13/17; 2-3. Kateryna Lagno (Rus) and Gunina Valentina (Rus) 12.5; 4. Tan Zhongyi (Chn) 11; 5-6. Dronavalli Harika (Ind) and Daria Charochkina (Rus) 10.5. RAPID: Open: 1-3. Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukr), Alexander Grischuk (Rus) and Magnus Carlsen (Nor) 11/15; Women: 1. Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) 9.5/12; 2. Alexander Kosteniuk (Rus) 8.5; 3. Nana Dzanigdze (Geo) 8

It was double delight for Ukraine as Vassily Ivanchuk and Anna Muzychuk clinched the men’s and women’s Fide World Rapid Championship, respectively yesterday. At the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, the 47-year old Ivanchuk scored 11 points from 15 rounds, the same as Alexander Grischuk of Russia and the reigning champion and top seed Magnus Carlsen of Norway, but a superior tie-break score gave him the title. “I am happy. I am very happy, but I was very lucky in this tournament,” Ivanchuk said. “It was a very tough championship as all the players were top class and to win against them is very tough,” the former world No 2 added. Ivanchuk, who had emerged as the sole leader after the end of round 10 on the penultimate day, played superbly on the final day to emerge champion. World champ Carlsen, who was favourite to defend his title after his recent world title triumph against Russian Sergey Karjakin in New York, was not at his best yesterday and lauded the efforts of Ivanchuk. “I can only congratulate Ivanchuk. If there’s anyone I want to be successful, it’s him. He has been class player for the last 30 years,” the Norwegian superstar said. On the second day, Carlsen edged closer with a victory in the eighth game over Dimitry Jakovenko and then defeated Grisjtjuk, the current world champion in blitz chess. However, he ended the day with a draw against Levon Aronian. “I should have stood fine, but I messed things up. Carlsen said. “I don’t think it was ever any crisis … my basic game was correct, but my play wasn’t good enough. I can’t afford to give away so many points,” said Carlsen, who started the championship with a lucky draw against India’s Surya Shekhar Ganguly. He also lost in the second game to Levan Pantsulaia of Georgia and in 11th to day one leader Anton Korobov of Ukraine. Commenting on his overall game, Carslen admitted he wasn’t playing ‘nearly well enough.’ “There’s something that’s not functioning. I’m lacking a good feeling. If you are losing three games, you can’t expect anyone to win the title,” he said. Ivanchuk termed his win against Carlsen in round seven as a very tough one. “I was lucky to win against Carlsen. He is a very accurate player, you need a brilliant game to beat him,” the Ukrainian said. This is Ivanchuk’s second world title after his triumph blitz in 2007.   India’s Vidit Gujrathi, who was seeded 51st, did exceedingly well to take the eighth spot, scoring 9.5 points, while former champion and seventh seed Viswanathan Anand had to settle for the 14th place, with nine points. Carlsen is fancied to win back the blitz title, which will be played from day, from Gristsjuk. The Russian won that title from Carlsen in 2015, after the Norwegian had become the only person ever to hold all three titles at once. In the women’s, Muzychuk played consistently to win her second world title in style earlier in the day. The 26-year-old finished with nine points at the end of 12 rounds to emerge as clear winner. Muzychuk superiority was never in doubt from day one in Doha. She finished on top on the day one and also on the day two, and capped her consistent run on the final day by bagging the title. “It was a tiring championship, and I am happy to win the title,” Muzychuk said. “I have to prepare for the next two days for the blitz event, and hopefully I will win that too. I am looking forward to the next two days.” The former world No.2, who earlier used to play for Slovenia, is also the current world blitz title holder and will defend her title in Qatar, when the two-day championship begins today. Russian Alexandra Kosteniuk finished second, while Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia took the third place. The rapid category was contested over 12 rounds for the women`s section, with a single game for each round, the Swiss event. On day two, Muzychuk, who was a runaway leader after five rounds, slowed down a bit by playing out two draws in rounds five and six. But after two victories in rounds seven and eight against Dzagnidze and Kashlinskaya, she finished the day in first place with seven points.   Kosteniuk and Katerina Lagno of Ukraine played out a draw in the eighth round and shared the second place together with Iranian player Sarasadat Khademalsharieh. India’s Koneru Humpy took the 10th place, while Dronavalli Harika finished 16th. After the rapid chess segment the 21 rounds of blitz chess will be played today and tomorrow, in which players will only have three minutes per game plus two seconds extra per player per move. The total prize money for the Open tournament is $400,000 with $40,000 for the winner of each championship and $80,000 in Women Championships with $10,000 for the winner of each championship. Final standings Men: 1-3. Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukr), Alexander Grischuk (Rus) and Magnus Carlsen (Nor) 11/15; 4-7. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Aze), Yu Yangyi (Chn), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Rus) and David Anton Guijarro (Spa) 10; 8-11. Vidit Gujrathi (Ind), Levon Aronian (Arm), Leinier Dom?nguez (Cub) and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (Vie) 9.5. Women: 1. Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) 9.5/12; 2. Alexander Kosteniuk (Rus) 8.5; 3. Nana Dzanigdze (Geo) 8; 4-6. Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Ira), Ju Wenjun (Chn) and Zhansaya Abdumalik (Kaz) 7.5; 7-11. Kateryna Lagno (Rus), Antaoneta Stefanova (Bul), Dinara Saduakassova (Kaz), Koneru Humpy (Ind) and Zhao Xue (Chn) 7.