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On the eve of their 24th Arabian Gulf Cup opener against Iraq, Qatar coach Felix Sanchez was repeatedly asked about the historic Asian Cup triumph earlier this year. Sanchez, by now well versed with unpredictable nature of football, knows not to rest on past laurels. “The Asian Cup is long over and we have to forget about that. This is another tournament, another start,” Sanchez said yesterday. “But we start with the same ambition, same possibilities,” he added. In the regional tournament such as Gulf Cup, any team can beat anyone on a given day. In the 2017 edition of the tournament in Kuwait, not many put their money on Oman to lift the trophy, but under veteran Dutch coach Pim Verbeek they did exactly that. So, while Asian champions Qatar are undoubtedly a dominant force in the region, they will be wary of the threat posed by Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE. Sanchez’s men will have home support to rely on though, a huge factor in a big tournament. But the pressure of playing at home can also put a burden on players, which Sanchez is aware of. “It is good to play under pressure in the Gulf Cup, as we did in the Asian Cup and Copa America. We have to deal with each game separately,” the coach said. Qatar’s previous triumphs came in 1992, 2004 and 2014, and are no doubt the strongest contenders among eight Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation teams to lift the title on December 6. Other than Iraq, they will lock horns with Yemen and the UAE in Group A. Group B comprises defending champions Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. Qatar’s opening match today at the Khalifa International Stadium could be a slightly easier one than they expected due to the turmoil in Iraq’s camp. The unavailability of key players has disrupted Iraq’s preparations with eight of their players taking part in Arab Club Championship second-round match for Al Shorta against Mauritanian side Nouadhibou. They are expected to join the squad in Doha today but Iraq coach Srecko Katanec, who had only 13 players, including two goalkeepers at training yesterday, was not too hopeful of fielding a full-strength squad against Qatar. Having said that, Qatar should be wary of Iraq, who are leading their group in the World Cup and Asian Cup joint qualifiers after their stunning 2-1 win over Asian powerhouse Iran earlier this month. “The teams we will play against are strong and Iraq are a good team. We have played against them three times recently and are well organised. They are here to compete and we know this very well. Yes, it is a difficult game but I am happy to face Iraq,” Sanchez said. “A good start tomorrow is very important. It’s not that if we win tomorrow we will go on and win the tournament and if we lose we will do badly in the tournament. But a good start against Iraq gives you a good feeling for the following games. Iraq are physically strong and have good quality players and we know it’s going to be a difficult game,” the Spanish coach added. Sanchez will expect the strike force of Almoez Ali and Akram Afif to rack up goals as they did in the Asian Cup triumph. He will also rely on the returning Abdulkarim Hassan in defence, with captain Hassan al-Haydos and Karim Boudiaf running the show in midfield. The emergence of Youssef Abdel Razzaq and a few other youngsters will also add to Qatar’s arsenal. “Our aim is to take on game at a time. UAE and Iraq are difficult sides. We’ve have to play really well. We had played the UAE in the Asian Cup. We had a good result against them. But the Gulf Cup is a new tournament. If we’ve to progress to the knock-out stage, we must play with a positive frame of mind,” he said. Sanchez admitted selecting the squad has given him a happy headache, with the depth of availability of Qatari players. He was pleased though the team was on right track ahead of the 2022 World Cup, which Qatar will host. “We are looking forward to start the competition as a part of our 2022 World Cup preparations. We had a good preparation after we came back after playing Afghanistan in Dushanbe, Tajikstan. The boys are in a good frame of mind. Playing in Doha is important. The support of the fans will motivate us,” he said. Meanwhile, captain Hassan al-Haydos was hopeful the Qatar team can give the fans another reason to celebrate. “Iraq are a good side. It’s going to be a tough match. Gulf Cup has a special flavour. We want to make our people happy with another great victory as we did at the Asian Cup in January,” he said.

Iraq coach Srecko Katanec wasn’t a happy man yesterday. With only 13 players, including two goalkeepers at his disposal in training, the Slovenian was frustrated with his side’s preparation ahead of the Gulf Cup opening game against Qatar today. Hammam Tariq and Bashar Resen will miss the tournament with their clubs – Ismaily of Egypt and Iran’s Persepolis – denying them permission to join the Iraq squad. But what has angered Katanec is the unavailability of eight players, who will arrive in Doha today as they were playing the Arab Club Championship second-round match for Al Shorta against Mauritanian side Nouadhibou yesterday. “It is difficult to have so few players, so it is very difficult to predict what will happen. This is a new experience for me and I hope to be successful in any decision I make,” Katanec said yesterday. He was not sure whether he will field eight Al Shorta players against Qatar, saying he would take a decision only hours before the match. “I do not know what I will do, whether they will play or not against Qatar. There are eight players with Al Shorta and I may put them on the bench. I just have to watch the game and tomorrow I will decide what to do,” he said. “I will explain to the players my plan for the match against Qatar. I have new players in the team and playing against one of the best Asian teams is wonderful and the atmosphere here is very wonderful. Tomorrow everything is possible and our situation is difficult, but I have no excuses,” he added Katanec, however, said the absence of key players will present an ideal opportunity for the youngsters to show their quality. “This Gulf Cup is a good opportunity for new players in the national team. All the players are aware that the opportunity given to them was deserved and I expect them to surprise me by playing at a great level,” he said. Regarding the exclusion of forward Justin Meram, who plays for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United, Katanec said: “These are technical matters and only I get to choose the players, no one else. I have my experience and I know very well what the players need and there is nothing personal matter between me and any player. I am not afraid to be dismissed even if I lose all three games, all I need is to work very seriously,” the plain-speaking coach said. The Iraqi team is hunting for its fourth Gulf Cup title, having previously won in 1979, 1984 and 1988. Under Katanec they have usually punched above their weight and can spring surprises this time too. The 55-year-old was appointed as Iraq coach last year with the responsibility of taking the Lions of Mesopotamia to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They currently lead Group C in the World Cup and Asian Cup joint qualifiers on the back of a dramatic win over early favourites Iran earlier this month.

Head coach Felix Sanchez announced the Qatar squad yesterday for the 24th Gulf Cup, with captain Hassan al-Haydos declaring that Al Annabi will be at their best in the prestigious championship. Qatar is hosting the Gulf Cup for the fourth time and will be gunning for their fourth title, and a grand double to add to their historic AFC Asian Cup title they won in the UAE in February. Qatar’s previous triumphs came in 1992, 2004 and 2014, and are undoubtedly the strongest contenders among eight Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation teams to lift the title on December 6. Sanchez’s men will start their campaign against Iraq tomorrow at the Khalifa International Stadium, with matches against Yemen and the UAE to follow. Group B comprises defending champions Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. Sanchez has kept faith in the core squad that won the Asian Cup, with few youngsters joining the experienced stars. The Spanish coach recalled left back Abdulkarim Hassan, the best player in Asia 2018, who had missed a few matches recently. Qatar have not had an ideal preparation as they have failed to show their Asian Cup-winning form in the World Cup and Asian Cup joint qualifiers. They struggled to a narrow 1-0 win over a lowly Afghanistan in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, last week. Despite that, Qatar is leading their group, which consists of reigning champions Oman, whom they beat 2-1 at home last month. Post their victory in Dushanbe, Sanchez chose to give two days of rest to his players, giving them a breather after a hectic league and international schedule, so that they could be fresh for the Gulf Cup challenge at home. Since Friday, the squad has been training at the Aspire Academy, focusing on recovery and fitness. While fatigue would no doubt be an issue, Qatar has enough quality in their ranks to beat any of their rivals. Captain al-Haydos was hopeful the home fans will get to see top-class performance from his side. “We have finished the Asian Cup qualifiers and are now solely focusing on the Gulf Cup,” he said. “We have not been at our best recently. But we hope to return to our top form for the Gulf Cup. The championship is being held in Qatar, which will motivate us to raise the bar,” al-Haydos added. Star striker and the MVP at the Asian Cup Almoez Ali said: “The Gulf Cup is not an easy tournament and the competition will be tough as the teams are very strong. All the matches will be a tight contest but we are ready for the challenge.” Qatar squad: Saad al-Sheeb, Pedro, Salem al-Hajri, Tariq Salman, Abdulkarim Hassan, Boualem Khoukhi, Hassan al-Haydos, Akram Afif, Bassam al-Rawi, Almoez Ali, Karim Boudiaf, Ismail Hamad, Mohamed Montari, Ahmed Fathi, Mohamed Salah, Fahd Shanin, Youssef Abdel Razzaq, Musab Khader, Abdul Aziz Hatem, Fahd Younis, Mahdi Ali, Abdullah Abdul Salam, Mohamed Bakri. Iraq to miss star players Meanwhile, Iraq will be forced to field a depleted XI for their match against Iraq, with several of the players returning to their club sides. The Iraqi team is hunting for its fourth title, having previously won in 1979, in 1984 and 1988. But their chances this time has taken a severe beating due to the unavailability of several influential players. Hammam Tariq and Bashar Resen will miss the tournament with their clubs – Ismaily SC of Egypt and Iran’s Persepolis – denying them permission to participate in the tournament. Major League Soccer club Atlanta United has also recalled forward Justin Meram. The team’s preparation is also affected by the call up of eight international players by the Iraqi Police Club for their match against Mauritania’s Nouadhibou in the Arab Club Championship today. Iraqi Football Federation member Yahya Kareem said: “The Gulf Cup has put us in a difficult position. The management of the police club insisted on their eight players joining their squad for the Arab Club Championship match. It will greatly affect our chances against Qatar.” He pointed out that the coaching staff will have to rely on several substitutes. Iraq captain Ahmed Ibrahim, who will take part in the Gulf Cup for the fourth time in a row, said his players will give their best. Kuwait squad arrive in Doha Kuwait squad arrived in Doha yesterday for the Gulf Cup. Head coach Thamer Enad has included 28 players in the squad, with five players to be excluded from the final list after the training session at the Qatar University Stadium today. Midfielder Talal al-Fadhil is part of the squad after he trained with the team in the last two days. Al-Fadhil was sidelined with a recent injury that kept him out of the World Cup and Asian Cup qualifying match against Nepal last week. Kuwait will kick off their campaign with a Group B match against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

He was Pakistan’s lone participant at the ANOC World Beach Games. And he didn’t disappoint his fans back home. Mohamed Inam produced a scintillating performance to clinch the 90kg gold in beach wrestling, beating Georgia’s Dato Marsagishvili at Katara Beach Monday. Inam lived up to his top billing as the two-time world beach wrestling champion by clinching a 5-2 win. He was dominant throughout as he won all his matches to top the Group A, before winning his semi-final and final bouts. Inam is a double Commonwealth Games gold medallist (2010, 2018) in 84 and 86 kg freestyle and has received the Pride of Performance award from the government of Pakistan. He had qualified for the Qatar Beach Worlds after finishing as runner-up in a qualifying tournament in Rio, Brazil, in May. In the semis, Inam recorded an easy 3-0 win over Pedro Jacinto Garcia Perez of Spain. His toughest bout was in the final, where Marsagishvili looked to pull off a shock result. The Georgian took a 2-0 lead with just a point more required to win gold, but Inam was not the one to give up so easily. The Pakistani made it 2-2 with two throws, and with seconds remaining in the first period, produced a 3-point takedown to clinch a thrilling contest. Ahead of his trip to Doha, Inam had hoped to fulfil his dream of winning a gold medal at the World Beach Games, and he truly struck to his word. “I trained very hard for this after missing the World Wrestling Championship in Kazakhstan last month. It was not easy but I was confident of winning gold at the World Beach Games. I have been training hard at home too, but training myself, and then also teaching and training other juniors at my gym is tough. I picked up an injury almost two months ago and underwent surgery,” Imam said. Gold, silver and bronze medal winners in Aquathlon (Women) at Katara Beach Winners of the gold, silver and bronze medals (Men) in Aquathlon at Katara Beach Meanwhile, Spain enjoyed another golden double Monday after Kevin Vinuela and Francisca Tous won the men’s and women’s aquathlon events Monday. In a physically challenging event, which consists a 2.5 kilometre run, a 750 metre swim and a second 2.5 kilometres on the pavement, the two Spaniards took the top honours. Vinuela came home to win the men’s race in 26min 55sec, while Tous was a convincing winner of the women’s race in 29:38. Belarus netted a full set of medals across the two Waterski Jump events, with a gold and bronze in the women’s and silver in the men’s. After a disappointing showing in the preliminary event, finishing bottom of the six qualifying skiers, Aliaksandra Danisheuskaya rallied to produce a spectacular winning jump of 49.5m to claim the water ski jump gold at the Leqtafiya Lagoon. Her compatriot, 2018 European silver medallist Hanna Straltsova, managed 49.0m on her third attempt, finishing third, with Jutta Menestrina of Finland also making the podium in second place after nailing a 49.3m jump. The men’s bouldering gold was won by Japan's 20-year-old world bouldering champion Kai Harada with a total score of 3132 points at the Aspire. His Japanese teammate Keita Watabe took silver, while bronze went to Germany's Philipp Martin. The women’s bouldering event was also won by a Japanese, with Miho Nonaka cruising to victory with a total tally of 4142 points. Switzerland’s Petra Klingler took silver, while Slovakia’s Urska Repusic bagged bronze.

Among many things, the Doha IAAF World Championships will be best remembered for breaking barriers and giving the Arab world one of its biggest sporting extravaganzas. Qatar will of course host the showpiece football event – the FIFA World Cup in just over three years’ time, but before that the country has showed its efficiency by hosting a spectacular global sports event. Last night, as the curtains came down at the Khalifa International Stadium after ten days of action packed with drama, extraordinary performances, world records and the emergence of new sporting heroes, Qatar’s reputation as a great sporting destination has been enhanced further. IAAF President Sebastian Coe later described the Doha Worlds as the best in history in terms of the quality and depth of performances produced by the athletes of more than 200 nations and lauded Qatar’s efforts in creating best of the conditions. “The world’s athletes have put on the best show in the history of the IAAF World Athletics Championships, according to the competition performance rankings which are used as an objective measure of the quality of international competition. These performances are incredible but credit must also go to the facilities and conditions provided by the host country. Doha has created conditions on the field of play and in the warm up that are unsurpassed," Coe said. (From L to R) USA's Michael Cherry, Wilbert London, Rai Benjamin and Fred Kerley pose with their national flags after winning the Men's 4x400m Relay final at the 2019 IAAF Athletics World Championships at the Khalifa International stadium in Doha on Sunday. On an action-packed all-finals show last night, the United States sealed their dominance in the track by clinching three more gold medals, taking their tally to 14. In total, the US athletes went home with 29 medals, of which 11 was in silver and four in bronze for their best result at a World Championships in 12 years. Kenya, thanks to their middle distance runners, finished second with 11 medals in total and Jamaica was third with 12. The championships ended with 4x400 men’s and women’s relays, where US were comfortable winners. The American women comprising 400m champion Dalilah Muhammad and silver medallist Sydney McLaughlin, Phyllis Francis and Wadeline Jonathas set a world leading time to crusie to an easy win. Francis, starting off the blocks, gave US a comfortable lead, as McLaughlin, Dalilah and Jonathas closed out the race in 3:18:92 seconds. Poland set a national record to take silver, while Jamaica took bronze. The men’s relay played out in a similar pattern as the US team — Fred Kerley, Michael Cherry, Wilbert London and Rai Benjamin — finished more than a second clear of Jamaica in 2:56.69secs, with Belgium coming third. The third gold on the night for US came in the women’s 100m hurdles with Nia Ali recording a personal best time of 12.34secs to edge past compatriot Kendra Harrison. The 2015 world champion Danielle Williams took bronze for Jamaica. Ali, who earned 2016 Rio Olympic silver a year after having son, Titus, earned her first world title a year after having daughter, Yuri. She took a victory lap with both kids with four-year-old Titus running in his own lane. Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, USA’s Allyson Felix and Chinese race walker Liu Hong had all won gold medals within a year or two of giving birth and now Ali has joined the ‘super mom’ list. “It's super special. I have never won an outdoor world title. I am ecstatic. Shelly-Ann, Allyson, all the ladies who have come back from child birth are an inspiration for me and I am so excited to be able to pull of the world title,” Ali said. Williams and Harrison went into the final as top contenders for the gold, but the 30-year-old Ali surprised the field by taking the lead at the half way stage. She then held on even as Harrison and Williams threatened to pass her. Jamaica’s Tobi Amusan was fourth in 12.49. It was just the second time in history, after the 1987 Worlds final, in which four women have bettered 12.50. The men’s 5000m final was lopsided as it can get as Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya stormed into a comfortable win in 3:29.27 secs. Cheruiyot led from gun to tape and finished more than two seconds clear of Algeria’s London Olympics 2012 champion Taoufik Makhloufi. Bronze went to European indoor champion Marcin Lewandowski in a Polish record of 3:31.46. Nia Ali of the US celebrates winning gold with her child in the Women's 100 Metres Hurdles Final at the Khalifa International Stadium Cheruiyot ended a run of silver medals as he had come second at the 2017 world championships and the last two African championships. Last night, the Kenyan knew he was miles better than the rest and ran a race that was beyond all of his rivals. Cheruiyot said he took the initiative to avoid being jostled. "You see that there is a lot of pushing so we were trying to avoid the challenges," he said. "I felt the support of Kenyans in the crowd and it was amazing. The Olympic season is coming so I need to work harder." Meanwhile, Germany's Malaika Mihambo added the long jump world title to her 2018 European gold. The world leader put on a dominating performance, with her winning jump of 7.30m coming in her third attempt. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of Ukraine was runner-up with a 6.92m jump, just a centimeter ahead of Nigerian Ese Brume. "That was so amazing," said Mihambo, who added 14 centimetres to her career best. "It was a difficult competition but I'm really glad I came through. In training I don’t remember having managed a jump like that. Today I showed I am capable of such a great jump. I am over the moon. There was a really tight moment for me, that third attempt. The third attempt, it had to work. I told myself, ‘You have to make this one valid no matter what. And it worked,” the 25-year-old added. Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei holds the national flag after winning the Men's 10,000m final at the 2019 IAAF Athletics World Championships at the Khalifa International stadium in Doha In the men’s 10,000m, Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei won his first world title as Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha ran out of steam in the final sprint. Rhonex Kipruto added a bronze to Kenya's tally. Cheptegei, who took silver behind Farah at 2017 Worlds, clocked 26:48.36, the world’s fastest time in five years. In a surprise result, the men’s javelin throw gold went to Grenada's Anderson Peters. Magnus Kirt of Estonia settled for sliver after he injured his shoulder and was unable to take his final throw. Johannes Vetter won bronze for Germany. The 21-year-old, who became Grenada’s second world champion after one-lap star Kirani James, took the lead in his very first throw of 86.89, which was not unsurpassed on the night. World leader and Diamond League Trophy winner Magnus Kirt’s best throw was 86.21, while defending champion Johannes Vetter of Germany’s could only muster 85.37. Peters, who was shocked at his gold medal winning distance, said: “I didn’t think 86m would be enough to win gold. I was up against 90m men throwing high 88s all season. I just believed in my coach and the work we did all season. I want to tell my fellow Grenadians that everybody can do it, if I can do it. It’s possible for everybody to become a world champion. You just have to want it as badly as I do.”

Sifan Hassan is in a league of her own. The Dutch star completed an unprecedented double after she cruised to victory in the 1,500 metres, to add to the 10,000m title she had won a week ago at the IAAF World Championships in Doha. No woman or man had won 1500 and 10000 double before in the history of the World Championships or Olympics. But that was until Sifan put on a masterful run at the Khalifa International Stadium last night. During the course of her stunning run, Sifan repeatedly looked behind to see how close her rivals where to her. But she didn’t have to bother as the 26-year-old was clearly way ahead before posting victory in a championships record time of 3:51.96 seconds. Sifan’s dominance was such that defending champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya was a distant second in 3:54.22, with Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay in third in 3:54.38. The winning time was the sixth-fastest 1500m run in history and just two seconds shy of the 3:50.07 world record set by Genzebe Dibaba in 2015. “This is amazing for me. This is such an honour,” said Sifan. “I am showing what you can do with the hard work. It was amazing when I crossed the finish line and saw that time. I am so happy as this was a hard win for me. I felt very good after 10,000m so I decided to go for 1,500m. I have been working hard for 1,500m this season. It looked this was easy for me but it took so much hard work,” she added. Sifan was the overwhelming favourite with Kipyegon, making a comeback from the birth of her first child, poised to give her a tough fight. But as it turned out, Sifan ran her own race, jumping onto the lead after 300m and never even ceded an inch as she stormed to the finish. Shot Put The men’s shot put final was no short of a world class as championships records tumbled like nine pins. In the end, American Joe Kovacs won arguably the greatest shot put competition in history with the joint-fourth-best throw of all time — 20.91 meters. Kovacs’ victory margin over Rio Olympic champion Ryan Crouser and 2017 world champion Tom Walsh was a mere one centimetre. It was Kovacs’ second world title after he had won in 2015 in Beijing. He had won silver at the previous Olympics and Worlds. The 30-year-old’s winning throw came in his last attempt. Joe Kovacs of the US celebrates winning gold in Men's Shot Put Final at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha “It is a time to celebrate,” said Kovacs. “Coming to this competition, I was hoping for a new PR and then I saw Ryan throwing far, the others throwing far, I just cannot be happier to get the gold medal. This everyday hard work, it just paid off. This is definitely the final which made the history,” he added. Defending champion Walsh had set the bar high in the final with his very first throw of 2.90m, which was the championship record, but Crouser also saved his best for last, matching New Zealander’s mark. Crouser walked away with silver ahead of Walsh, who had only one legal throw in the competition. “It was an unbelievable competition with a lot of fireworks in the round six. This final was crazy and I am so happy to be part of. I am really happy with my season. Every meet except for one was over 22 metres, which is a standard for shot putting. I wanted gold but to see Joe (Kovacs) throw a personal best in the last throw, I can't complain,” Crouser said. TRIPLE JUMP Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas won her second consecutive world title in the triple jump. The 23-year-old’s second jump of 15.37m was enough for her on the night to clinch the gold medal. “It’s been a long and successful year,” said Rojas, who became the fourth back-to-back winner. “I came out to break the world record -- I tried in the first three rounds but then I felt tired and my legs didn’t respond as I wanted. But I am super happy and grateful.” Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas celebrates winning the Women's Triple Jump final at the 2019 IAAF Athletics World Championships  Jamaican star Shaneika Ricketts, who upset Rojas to take the Diamond League title in Zurich in August, had to settle for silver with a jump of 14.92m jump. Veteran Catherine Ibarguen showed she still can compete with the best as the 35-year-old won bronze after leaping a distance of 14.73m. Meanwhile, there were plenty of shocks in the qualifications of the 100m hurdles and javelin throw as the three Olympic champions were dumped out. Brittney Reese, long jump champion in 2012; Brianna McNeal, 100m hurdles champ in 2016; and Thomas Rohler, javelin king in 2016, all failed to progress to today’s final. Reese was knocked from 12th to 13th place overall from the two groups of long jump qualifying. The American was only able to produce a best of 6.52m. In the men’s javelin, Germany’s Thomas Rohler and 2018 Diamond League champion Andreas Hoffman failed to hit the 84m qualification mark, with only four of them earning the automatic entry. Hofmann could only muster 80.06m, while Rohler had a best of 79.23m. Their compatriot Johannes Vetter hurled the javelin at 89.35 and will be the overwhelming favourite to win the title.

With Sydney McLaughlin breathing down her neck, Dalilah Muhammad knew she had to better her best. And that is precisely what the Olympic champion produced at the Khalifa International Stadium last night. After having had to settle for silver at the 2013 Moscow and 2017 London Worlds, Dalilah bagged that elusive 400m hurdles gold medal by breaking her own world record at the IAAF World Championships in Doha. It was the 29-year-old’s second world record in the space of three months and it couldn’t have come at a better time for her. McLaughlin, long anointed as Dalilah’s heiress apparent, gave a tough fight to her American compatriot but had to settle for silver in a personal best of 52.23, just .03 off Dalilah’s old record. Jamaica's Rushell Clayton took bronze with her own PB of 53.74. “This means so much. It is difficult to describe. I just wanted the world title so much but to break the world record again is fantastic,” said Dalilah. “I just decided to go for it from the start and I felt Sydney coming at me around hurdle nine, then I just gave everything I’d got. It hasn’t really sunk but it feels good,” she added. After the race, Dalilah was still coming to terms with her world record feat. “I did not expect to break the world record today, I was definitely just trying to win that race. Two world records, that sounds quite crazy, now that it is done. My coach told me that it is possible and I just had to go there and believe in it. I believe that we can drop under 52s, the race was so tight, that was anybody's race tonight. It was so close, we will continue to push each other. It is definitely possible,” she said. USA's Dalilah Muhammad celebrates after winning and poses next to the screen reading the new world record in the Women's 400m Hurdles final at the 2019 IAAF Athletics World Championships in Doha  Dalilah knew she was under pressure from the U-20 champion and was off the blocks quickly, but McLaughlin was not far off either at the 200 mark. However, around the top bend, Dalilah raced to the lead and further increased it in the straight line before the prodigious young talent McLaughlin made a last-ditch effort from the 100m to catch her senior rival. Dalilah though held on to win, after which McLaughlin was the first one to congratulate her compatriot. “I knew it would be fast but I didn’t think it would be that fast, said McLaughlin. “I did everything I could and at least US got one-two. I gave it everything I had, I’m still young, and every day is a new experience for me,” the 20-year-old added. In another stunning race which sent the packed crowd into raptures, Kenyan Conseslus Kipruto defended his 3000m steeplechase title. Kipruto had his heart in his mouth as he crossed the line with Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma in photo finish, but as the big screen flashed his name as a world champion, the Kenyan climbed on top of a hurdle as he celebrated his dramatic win. Kipruto’s winning time was 8:01.35, with Girma just 0.01 seconds behind. A Kenyan or a Kenyan-born man has won every Olympic and world title in the steeplechase since the 1988 Seoul Games. “I said I’m going to win, I’m going to take the victory to Kenya,” Kipruto said. “That’s what I promised the nation before we came to the start line.” Kipruto joined Moses Kiptanui, Saif Saaeed Shaheen and Ezekiel Kemboi as multiple steeplechase gold medallists at the Worlds. “It was a very strong competition. The Ethiopians really pushed hard because they knew I was kicking. They had their plans before the race started. But I had made my own plan and wanted to go in front to control the race, but it was not possible. But in these big championships experience matters a lot. I set my mind and my heart very well. When I got to the start line, I told myself, ‘I’m going to do it’. This strong mentality helped me win the race,” he added. The 18-year-old Girma had powered into the lead with about 120m go, but Kipruto gave a final push and stole the gold from the Eithopain’s feet. Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco was third in 8:01.36. Meanwhile, Yaime Perez of Cuba won the women’s discus after a 69.17m throw, which came in her penultimate attempt. Her countrywoman Denia Caballero took silver in 68.44m, while former champion Sandra Perkovic has to settle for bronze, which was her fourth successive Worlds medal. The 28-year-old Perez finished fourth at the two previous World Championships and no-marked in the Olympic final having led the qualifiers. But she exorcised those demons with a composed performance. “I am very happy and grateful to my physio Abdel Kurgia. I was injured three days ago and I thought I would not be able to recover. My life could not be enough to thank him for this medal,” Perez said, “This is my fourth World Championships and I always arrived in top shape but left without medals. It shows that you should never give up. I would like to thank my coach Hilda Elisa Ramos for supporting me,” the Cuban added.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s twitter bio, says: ‘Chronically indecisive so I’ve adopted two surnames & the heptathlon.’ But at the Khalifa International Stadium on Thursday night, there was no sign of any indecisiveness from the British athlete, as she finally put an end to the heartaches she suffered at multiple World Championships and at the Rio Olympics. The 26-year-old set personal bests in four of the seven events in a mentally and physically draining heptathlon over the course of two days, to finally land a world title in Doha. Johnson-Thompson not just had to overcome her own demons but also had to beat Nafissatou Thiam, the Belgian defending world and Olympic champion, who was undefeated since the 2016 European Championships. In the end, the gap between Johnson-Thompson and Thiam was a huge 304 points, the biggest winning margin of victory at a World Championships for 32 years. Such was her dominance that she also climbed to sixth in the all-time lists and set a new British record with a total tally of 6,981 points. Thiam had to settle for silver with 6,677pts with Austria’s Verena Preiner taking bronze with 6,560pts. “I’m just speechless. I can’t believe it. It’s been such a long time coming for me. I’ve been chasing this since 2016, slowly, slowly trying to make improvements, and now I’ve finally done it,” a delighted Johnson-Thompson said. “And I broke the British record. I was there on the sidelines when Jess (Jessica Ennis-Hill) set that record so to say it is now mine is unbelievable. This is my fourth World Championships and at the first one, I was just 20 years old, then, at the other two, I was not doing well.  “So I was so happy to compete here and I have to thank all the team standing behind me and believing in me. It all goes to my family, friends and the people who were helping me in the past. My mum - I think we are going to cry in the mixed zone. Now for Tokyo Olympics. I just need to be at my best like I was here,” she added. After the disappointment of 2015 Worlds and 2016 Rio Olympics, Johnson-Thompson had to make some tough life decisions. She changed her coach and moved her base from Liverpool to France. But she suffered another ignominy, this time at home, when she finished fifth at the 2017 London Worlds.  “Everyone’s got their journey,” she said. “It’s not been very straightforward for me. It’s not been easy for me. I had to move coach. I had to move country, I had to learn a new language and settle in. I tore everything up and started again and it’s worked. “The last two World Championships have been heartbreaking for my mum and I. Mid-heptathlon, I’ve gone back to my hotel and cried and cried for hours when things have gone badly. It was after the high jump in London in 2017 and after the long jump in 2015 in Beijing. Those were the low points of my career. Rio Olympics, as well. I’ve had a lot of bad years. I’m just so happy that I came out in front for a change,” she added. In Doha, Johnson-Thompson started her quest for gold with an impressive performance in the 110m hurdles, where she shaved off 0.20 seconds from her previous best to win her heat in 13.09s.   “The hurdles was the biggest surprise. I never dreamt I could run that fast, 13-zero, when I’ve been stuck at 13.3 for as long as I can remember. That set me up for the heptathlon as soon as I saw the clock stop at that time. The most challenging event was the 200 because of the tight schedule and we didn’t get a chance to warm up properly,” she said. Johnson-Thompson was in touching distance of going past 7000 mark as she began the final event of the heptathlon – the 800m. A time of 2:06 seconds would have enabled the world indoor pentathlon champion to achieve the 7k landmark, but she crossed the finish line in 2:07.27, which was enough to erase Ennis Hill’s seven-year-old British record. “I love the 800m, funnily enough. It is one of my strongest events,” as Johnson-Thompson explained her approach towards her final event. “I have been training very hard for it this year. The light show before it got me psyched to go. I train very hard week in, week out for it so all that has to be for something. It’s a good way to finish off a heptathlon for me, to just go out and put it all on the line. Seven thousand points wasn’t meant to be but hopefully I am on a roll now for the future.”

Dina Asher-Smith was presented with a golden opportunity and the Briton grabbed it with both the hands as she clinched the women’s 200m title at the IAAF World Championships in Doha. The 23-year-old was a clear favourite going into last night’s final at the Khalifa International Stadium, after reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson was forced to pull out of the competition due to Achilles injury. Earlier, defending champion Dafne Schippers had abandoned her title defence after the Dutch strained an adductor muscle. It left Asher-Smith with a chance to create history by becoming the first British woman to win a World Championships individual sprint title. And she achieved the feat in style by shaving off her personal best by 0.01 seconds to win in 21.88. She got off to a flying start and established a healthy lead, generating speed around the bend, before cruising home. American Brittany Brown took silver after pulling away through the straight line and finished with her own personal best of 22.22 seconds, while Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji blitzed through the final 50m for bronze in 22.51. Asher-Smith reunited with her mother after the race as the sizeable British crowd at the Khalifa Stadium roared in approval. “Normally, I’m quite chatty and everything but I’m lost for words,” she said, as the tears rolled down her face. Poland's Pawel Fajdek celebrates after winning the hammer throw at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha  “I just don’t know what to say. I don’t think it’s properly sunk in. Between now and the last World Championships, I knew I could do it but it’s a different thing actually going and doing it,” she added. Asher-Smith had won the 100m silver earlier on Sunday and will be hoping for another medal in the relay with the British team. “It’s a different thing with everybody being like, ‘ah, you’re the favourite’. But you’ve still got to go and do it. You’re only the favourite if you perform as people expect you to. So, I was just really focused on putting together a great race. I dreamed of it but now it’s real,” she added. The men’s 100m hurdles final had all the drama on the night, with Grant Holloway of the US grabbing the world title in 13.10 seconds after defending champion Omar McLeod stumbled to the finish line to come last. The Jamaican, Omar McLeod, who is also the Olympic champion, took the lead at the half-way mark but tripped on the hurdle as he came tumbling down before the finish line. Later McLeod was disqualified for disrupting the run of Diamond League champion Orlando Ortega in the next lane, with the Spaniard forced to settle for a fifth place after being in the second position for most of the race. Holloway, however, was over the moon as he celebrated his victory on his Worlds debut by continuing his sprint for a further 100m before collapsing on his back. Russian Sergey Shubenkovm running as a neutral athlete, took silver in 13.15, while European champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde of France finished third in 13.18. “I am speechless, it’s my first major championships and a lot of people were counting me out because I’ve been off my game in the last month or so. But when you have motivation you never lose. I kept believing in myself, I kept focused and I stayed healthy,” Holloway said. “I came here to win every round and that’s what I did. When you step on the line no one cares what you’ve done before. It’s all about here and now. I just took it one hurdle and one round at a time and tried to stay calm. I came out here for the final stress free. At no point in the race was I trying to figure things out,” he added. Meanwhile, Qatar’s Asian Games Champion Ashraf Amgad El Seify finished the hammer throw final in ninth place with a best throw of 75.09. Poland’s Pawel Fajdek collected his fourth world gold medal in the event – the first man in history to achieve the feat in the hammer throw. Fajdek hurled the hammer at a distance of 80.50m. The silver went to France's Quentin Bigot (78.19m), who beat Hungarian Bence Halasz by a single centimetre. In a huge surprise, the men’s 400m favourite Michael Norman failed to qualify for the final. The American made a quick start in the first 100m but slowed down considerably, choosing to just jog till the finish line as he finished seventh and last in the third semi-final. Later, Norman did not specify what was plaguing him. "My body was giving me warnings, and I listened to those warnings," he said. “I had a great warm-up, felt good, but did not balance the things for a while. It is kind of devastating to come out here, work for 330 days and not make it to the final. It has been a bit up and down for a while. I am very disappointed,” he added. Norman owned the fastest time in the world coming into the championships and won the Diamond League title just a few weeks ago. In Norman’s absence, Bahamas’ Steven Gardiner is the frontrunner for the gold, after he finished ahead of 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James in the semi-final. In the women’s heptathlon, Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson finished the day one of the combined events with a lead of 96 points over Belgium’s Nafissatou Thaim. Wednesday, athletes competed in the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m. Today they will be in action in the long jump, javelin and 800m. Johnson-Thompson points tally was 4138, while Thiam has 4042. In third place was Kendell Williams of the US with a score of 3855, with her compatriot Erica Bougard a further two points behind. “I am really happy about my season bests and my performance today,” Johnson-Thompson said. “I never think of these things like where I am after the first day. I know I am in a good shape, I am where I needed to be and the way I competed. Gold - why not? I am in shape and position to do it but you never know what can happen on day two. But I have worked hard on my second day, so anything is possible,” she added.

After winning the IAAF World Championships 200m title on Tuesday night, Noah Lyles sank into the arms of his mother Keisha at the Khalifa International Stadium. It was an emotional moment between the two as they reminisced the hardships they went through when Lyles was a child. Touted as the next big thing in athletics after the retirement of legendary Usain Bolt, Lyles likes to put on a show. In fact, his American teammate Justin Gatlin describes him as ‘a rock star’, and Lyles certainly wears his confidence on his sleeve. But self-confidence was never his forte while growing up in Gainesville, Florida. Born to Keisha Caine and Kevin Lyles, the former a fine collegiate athlete, the latter a 4x400m relay world champion in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1995, the young Lyles had athletics in his genes. But athletics was last thing on his mind as a child. He was hospitalised with chronic asthma when he was still an infant. Later he was diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder and dyslexia, and studied in remedial school classes. He has also spoken about the bullying he suffered as a child, which pushed him into depression. At 22, the world at his feet, all that is past now. But Lyles has never forgotten the hardships he faced that have toughened him up on and off track. “I’ve had a lot of different challenges through life and it’s shaped me into who I am now,” Lyles said, after his dominant victory at Doha Worlds. “I had chronic asthma, I had my tonsels removed at six. I had the learning disabilities ADD (attention-deficit disorder) and dyslexia. I was in the slow class at school because I had to learn to read differently.  Mainstream school just wasn’t my strong suit. I got isolated at middle school. I’ve gone through periods of depression and I used track as an outlet. I tried to work on my character as much as I can, on always staying happy and loving what I do. “In high school I cried because I thought I was going to fail out of college and wouldn’t be able to run. My mum said, ‘You could go pro out of high school.’ And I said, ‘People don’t do that.’ Little did I know that I was going to be the first one,” he recalled. On Tuesday night, Lyles became the youngest ever winner of the men’s 200m at the World Championships, earning his maiden senior global title with a 19.83 run. Having dominated the event on the international circuit over the past two years, it was hardly a surprise. Lyles has lost just once at a meeting since finishing fourth at the 2016 US Olympics trials as a high school student. His latest defeat came at the Rome Diamond League in June, where he finished as runner-up to compatriot Michael Norman. Lyles has been tipped to break Bolt‘s 200m world record of 19.19, which was set at the 2009 world championships in Berlin, but the American claimed surpassing Bolt was the last thing on his mind. “Don’t say I’m the new Bolt,” said Lyles. “I’m me. If you like me, I’ll happily entertain you. It’s my time.” “World records aren’t the thing I’m chasing. I’m chasing to be better each day. World records come when you improve what you’re good at and take away what you’re bad at. I’m still working on my start. I still believe I can get a better top-end speed. There are things I can strengthen. But on the right day, with the right conditions and the right training, hopefully a world record will pop up,” Lyles added. Lyles has now set sights on an Olympic double from the 100m and 200m come Tokyo next year. “I’m definitely going after the 1-2 double. I know everyone is asking that, don’t worry,” he assured. “Tokyo is it. This time we got the gold. We got the gold in the 200, and now we are going to get that double gold.” Meanwhile, for now in Doha, Lyles will bid for his second gold as he is slated to run the 4x100m relay where the Americans are the overwhelming favourites.

“I’m always the favourite,” Mutaz Barshim declared as the Qatari defending champion brushed aside concerns over his return from a serious ankle injury to cruise into the high jump final. There wasn’t an iota of doubt that Barshim would not make it to Friday’s final of the IAAF World Championships, but the manner in which he would seal his place was under the spotlight. At the Khalifa International Stadium, though, Barshim allayed any fears over his form and fitness with a flawless performance in the qualifications that would have sent alarming signs to his rivals. Until yesterday, Barshim had competed in just three events this year with a best of 2.27m at the London Diamond League in July. But as a classic idiom goes: ‘Cometh the hour, cometh the man’, Barshim rose to the occasion with a clinical show. The 28-year-old started with a jump of 2.17m, before going past 2.22m, 2.26m and eventually sealing his spot in the final with his season’s best of 2.29m. The crowd that gathered around the first bend of the track remained buoyant throughout as the local hero showed glimpses of what to expect of him in Friday’s final. In none of his four jumps, he even touched the bar, let alone knocking it down. The 2017 world champion showed no signs of any discomfort in his ankle, which had sidelined him for 14 months, and that should augur well for him in the final. “I am happy with the start, no complaints. Hopefully I can comeback on Friday and do my best,” said Barshim, The 2012 Olympic bronze and 2016 silver medallist was not too concerned about his form this year. “The build up doesn’t really matter. I’m here! It’s not about time, it’s the World Championships. It’s about medals. I don’t care if I jump 2.50 or 2.10, I just want to go out there and hope for gold,” he said. When asked if he fancies his chances of a gold medal, Barshim, without any hint of arrogance, said: “I’m always the favourite. It doesn’t matter where I compete.” Barshim said competing at the Doha Worlds had provided him with extra motivation as he began his long road to recovery from injury. “It is home and I feel really good jumping. Today was very important for me because I was pushing myself whole season to jump well at home. Despite the fact that people are sometimes very critical, I am happy to compete here and hopefully to come back in the final and do the hard job,” he said. “I always want to win; it does not matter where it is. Every athlete wants to compete at home so it is special. It is really great to jump in front of the home crowd when you have your family, wife in the stands and it was very important for me, I just want to do this for them It definitely makes these championships special to me and it gives you extra motivation,” he added. Barshim’s main rivals also made it to the 12-man final field, albeit in contrasting manners. While, Russians Ilya Ivanyuk and Mikhail Akimenko cleared 2.29m with ease, this year’s world leader Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus scraped in with a best of 2.26m. Andriy Protsenko of Ukraine, the fourth-place finisher at the 2016 Olympic Games, failed to make the cut.   El   Seify in final Meanwhile, Qatar’s Asian Games champion Ashraf El-Seify qualified for the hammer throw final. In the qualifications, El Seify hurled his best throw of 76.22m, which was just short of the qualification mark set at 76.50. However, it was enough for him to seal his place in the final as he finished in 12th place overall. The final is scheduled for today at 9:40pm. In the men’s 400m, Qatar’s Abdelalah Haroun finished his heats in sixth place in a time of 47.76secs, which was his season’s best. Haroun, who is also returning from an injury, was clearly not at his best. In the men’s 3000m Steeplechase, Qatar’s Yaser Bagharab finished 14th among 15 runners with a time of 8:25.79. Meanwhile, Qatar’s Mariam Farid registered her personal best in the women’s 400m hurdles heats with a time of 1:09.49 secs. Farid was grateful for the opportunity of competing in a world championship. “I am very proud, it’s a dream come true,” said Farid. “On the track, I wanted to cry, it was just so beautiful. I am very happy to improve my new national record by two seconds. This is the first World Championships for the Middle East and it was great to perform in front of my friends and family,” she added.

Day Five of the IAAF World Championship stuck mainly to it’s script with Qatar’s high jump icon Mutaz Barshim qualifying for the high jump final while Noah Lyles justified his heavy favourite's tag by winning the 200 metres gold. With the home crowd’s focus firmly on him, defending champion Barshim cruised into the high jump final, keeping Qatar’s hopes of a golden glory alive. The 28-year-old, who has barely competed since his 14-month absence due to a serious ankle injury, looked in imperious form as he soared past 2.29 meters and seal his place for Friday’s final. The night at the Khalifa International Stadium ended on a predictable note, as the American Lyles romped to a 200m triumph for his first world title. Australia's Kelsey-Lee Barber celebrates winning Women's Javelin Throw gold, at the Khalifa International Stadium, Doha The Diamond League winner took the victory in 19.83 seconds, 0.12 faster than Andre de Grasse of Canada. Alex Quinonez of Ecuador finished third in 19.98. The 22-year-old Lyles has been in a league of his own this year, having lost only once -- to Michael Norman on June 6 in Rome. Britain’s Adam Gemili was the best starter but Lyles took charge with 70 metres remaining and never let his lead slip. He pulled clear of the chasing pack with ease, even as a tiring Gemili missed out on a medal by just 0.05-seconds. Lyles’s celebration was low key, unlike for a man who had won his maiden world title, as he wrapped the US’ flag and just smiled at the cameras. Later, he spoke about how he had dreamed of this moment a million times. “So many times this year I've thought of being world champion, you wouldn't believe it -- I have on my phone, I say it to myself in my car, I think it all the time -- and finally to have done it feels unbelievable. I don't know how many people come to their first World Championships and get the gold, but I've done it,” said Lyles. Noah Lyles of the US celebrates winning Men's 200 Metres gold at the Khalifa International Stadium, Doha “I just knew no matter what position I found myself in I can always find a way to come through. And when I crossed the line I just felt relief. This time last year I'd only just started running. Think of that. Don't say I'm the new Bolt. I'm me. If you like me, I'll happily entertain you. It's my time,” the confident American added. Lyles’ gold was US’ third of the night, after wins for Sam Kendricks in the pole vault and Donavan Brazier in the 800m. The most captivating contest of the night came in the men’s pole vault final, as Kendricks defended his world title. The American was pushed to the limit by 19-year-old sensation Armand Duplantis of Sweden. Kendricks was always the man to beat in the final, and the talented Duplantis came tantalisingly close to doing so in a thriller, which brought the crowd to it’s feet on more than one occasion. Duplantis was aiming to become the youngest world champion in the event since Sergey Bubka, who at 19 years and 253 days won the first of his six world titles in Helsinki in 1983. On the other hand, Kendricks was attempting to emulate Bubka by winning the world title consecutive times. USA's Donavan Brazier celebrates after winning the Men's 800m final at the 2019 IAAF Athletics World Championships at the Khalifa International stadium in Doha Kendricks and Duplantis both cleared 5.97 meters, the best height at a world championship since 2001. However, the 27-year-old Kendricks took the title because he had fewer failures at lower heights, four compared to five for Duplantis. After an exhausting final where they attempted to clear 6.02, the pair embraced each other before collapsing onto the mat. Poland’s Piotr Lisek picked up a bronze as all three went in for a lap of honour. Meanwhile, Olympic champion Thiago Braz of Brazil settled for fifth with a best of 5.70. World record holder Renaud Lavillenie of France was missing from the final after becoming the biggest name to bow out in qualifying. “I am elated, stunned, excited all at the same time. It's almost hard to take it in. To have three men over six all going for it made it such a memorable night. We weren't dueling as enemies, but as rivals and friends,” Kendricks said. The women’s javelin throw too was no short of drama, with Kelsey-Lee Barber final throw of 66.56m making her the first Australian to win a world javelin title. Shiying Liu (65.88) and Huihui Lyu (65.49) of China settled for silver and bronze respectively. Lyu had won 12 successive meets coming into Doha Worlds, but could not replicate her best performance. As the result was thrown on a big screen, Barber collapsed to the ground in disbelief. Meanwhile, Donavan Brazier of the US broke the championship and national record to win the men’s 800m in some style. Brazier took command of the field at the halfway point and ran away with a convincing victory in 1:42.34 seconds, ahead of Amel Tuka of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1:43.47. A late surge gave Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich the bronze medal in 1:43.47. “I've said all season that my goal was to get the gold here and to break this record, and that's what I did. It means the world to me. To be world champion at 22 years old, I can't believe it,” said a delighted Brazier. “The plan was always to take it on with 300 to go and go from there, no matter what the pace was. I really had to dig deep for it. To be the first from US to win a world 800m title feels wonderful. I hope I get some love for it back home,” he added.

It’s been a harrowing last 14 months for Mutaz Barshim. After the high of 2017, when the Qatari became the world high jump champion and was named World Athlete of the Year, Barshim had a nightmarish end to 2018. Just when it looked like sky is the limit for Barshim, he suffered a serious ankle injury in July last year that not just scuppered his chances of breaking the 26-year-old world record but also ruled him out of the action for rest of the year. What’s worse was Barshim sustained injury while he came tantalisingly close to scaling a would-be 2.46m world record at the Gyulai Memorial in Szekesfehervar, Hungary. Since then, it’s not only been a battle to get fit for the 28-year-old but also reclaim his rightful place at the top. Barshim made a winning comeback at Sopot Grand Prix Athletics in Poland in June with a modest jump of 2.27m, before finishing second with the same mark at the London Diamond League in July. But a 2.20m at the Diamond League final in Zurich, where he finished a distant 10th, shows it will take some time before Barshim attains his peak. The later-than-usual scheduling of the World Championships at his home turf has given Barshim an extra time and cushion to defend his title. It will be foolhardy to rule out Barshim winning any silverware this Friday. However, it will be interesting to see how he tackles the qualification today, where the mark to qualify for the final is set at 2.31m. He would also sail into the final if he is one of the 12 best performers on the night. With home crowd rooting for him at the Khalifa International Stadium, Barshim will need no extra inspiration and is ready to soar high again. On the eve of his event, Barshim spoke of his road to recovery. “What was crazy was when I got out of surgery, a few hours ago, I was trying to jump a world record, and a few hours later I couldn’t even walk,” said the Olympic bronze and silver medallist in 2012 and 2016 respectively. Now Barshim is determined to make history at his home turf. “I’m a person that loves sports. I really love track and field. I like to be active. It was a big challenge having to do the most, with the least training. But hey, I’m here though! We’ve got one more target to go, at the World Championships. I hope for the best then,” added Barshim. One thing that will favour Barshim is the overall level of the event at the moment. Nineteen entrants in Doha have topped 2.30m or better this season, but of those, only four have successfully sailed over 2.33m. On only one occasion has a championships-eligible jumper who has topped 2.31m not emerged from a competition victorious. So a jump of 2.30m, or even 2.29m, might be enough for Barshim to reach the podium at the World Championships. But the Qatari will have enough competition to counter this time. Hot on his heels will be this year’s world leader Maksim Nedasekau. The 21-year-old Belarusian improved to 2.35m to win the Europe-USA match in Minsk earlier this month, but that is his only leap better than 2.30m this season. Russians Ilya Ivanyuk and Mikhail Akimenko have chiselled together good seasons, both topping 2.33m and 2.31m. Andriy Protsenko of Ukraine, the fourth-place finisher at the 2016 Olympic Games, topped a 2.31m season’s best to win the Diamond League title last month. Then there’s Bogdan Bondarenko, the 2013 world champion, who topped 2.31m earlier this season despite continuing struggles with injury. Syria’s Majd Eddin Ghazal, the world bronze medallist, is piecing together a season of firsts which he hopes to add to in Doha: jumping at Khalifa Stadium, he took his first Asian title in Doha in April at 2.31m and in July topped 2.30m in London to secure his first career IAAF Diamond League victory. Others to consider include 2018 Diamond League winner Brandon Starc of Australia, who has topped 2.30m twice, most recently in Zurich; China’s Wang Yu, who topped 2.31m and 2.30m for victories in Shanghai and Nanjing; 2016 world indoor champion Gianmarco Tamberi, who is also on the rebound from injury; and 22-year-old Cuban Luis Zayas, who topped 2.30m to take the Pan-American Games crown.

For a moment, Abderrahman Samba thought he had missed a world medal by a whisker. The Qatari dropped down to his knees as he looked at the giant screen at the Khalifa International stadium. But as the screen flashed the results of the 400m hurdles, Samba was up in a flash as the crowd joined him in a celebratory roar. The Qatari hurdler, who was laid low by injuries for most of the year, had won a bronze at the IAAF World Championships. And it is bound to be a popular third-place finish in Qatar’s sporting history as it came on home soil. Norway’s Karsten Warholm won gold in 47.42 seconds, while the United States’ Rai Benjamin took silver in 47.66. Samba’s time was 48.03, but at one point it looked like the Qatari athlete would struggle to make it to the podium. Samba was never in the running for gold, but nonetheless ran a well-judged race. The local hero outpaced Kyron McMaster of British Virgin Islands in the final strides to snatch a bronze. “I think I cannot explain this feeling today because it’s amazing,” said Samba as he went for a lap of honour around Khalifa stadium. “I know third place was not my (desired) place but I say thank God because three days ago I was not sure to compete or not. “This season was very hard for me because I had a lot of injuries. I say thank you God because I’m here tonight and I celebrate with this medal,” the 24-year-old said. Samba was already looking forward to the next showdown against his rivals. “Actually, I started to prepare for next season now because I’m happy with the medal but I’m not happy with the place. I’m going to prepare myself for next season now,” he declared. At the half-way point, it was Benjamin who took the lead, but Warholm kept the American in his sights. The World No.1 Warholm pulled away from Benjamin over the final three barriers to defend his world title. Warholm said he was not expecting to win gold, despite carrying the favourite’s tag. “It’s very easy to say that you knew (I would win) afterwards. I want to say it too, but I wasn’t too sure, to be honest. “This was a very tough race. I actually felt my heart was going to stop, it’s no joke! I actually had pain in my chest, thinking I’m going to die but it’s going be worth it. And here I am, world champion and I’m not dead either,” the Norwegian said. “This is only the beginning. I’m very lucky to win. In the future, these guys are going to be even tougher to beat so tomorrow I’ve gotta get up and work again. That’s what I love, always one more,” Warholm added. Meanwhile, Muktar Edris sent Ethiopian fans at the stadium into a frenzy as he defended his 5000m title in a stunning 12minutes 58.86 seconds. With Edris not at his best coming into the event, it was supposed to be a wildly unpredictable race. The 25-year-old had finished 11th and 18th in his two Diamond League races this season, and there was a huge question mark over him finishing even in the top three on Monday. Edris also had the slowest season’s best out of the finalists but the 2017 champion kept his stranglehold in the event with a stunning final 200m run where he outsprinted compatriot Selemon Barega. Canadian Mohamed Ahmed denied an Ethiopian podium sweep as he pushed Telahun Haile Bekele to fourth place and picked up bronze. Even as the lead fluctuated frequently, the Ethiopians ran as a team and it paid rich dividends. Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the European champion, in a rare occurrence competed with his older brothers Henrik and Filip. Jakob stayed in touch with the leading pack before taking a lead momentarily at the start of the final lap, but faded away as the Ethiopians took control. While Jakob finished fifth, Henrik was 13th out of 15 winners, Filip failed to finish the race. In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, Beatrice Chepkoech demolished the field to finally land a world title with a championships record time of 8:57.84 secs. Two years ago in London, the Kenyan had missed the first water jump, having to double back and clear it, then took a tumble and was spent late in the race. Last night, Chepkoech flew to a quick start and established a 20m lead, never to look back as she cruised to the title. The 28-year-old is a world record holder as she lived up to her top billing as she won by a huge margin of five seconds. Defending champion Emma Coburn of United States had to be content with silver medal this time, with a bronze for German Gesa Felicitas Krause, which came in a national record time. “I was excited to be in front and controlled. I am glad to improve the championships record because I knew the time Emma ran in London so I really wanted to break CR today,” said Chepkoech after winning the race. “I want to dedicate this medal to my parents – my dad and mum.” Meanwhile, Halima Nakaayi outsprinted Diamond League champion Ajee Wilson over the home stretch to win the 800m women’s race in a Ugandan record of 1:58.04. Pre-race favourite Wilson of the US tried to dictate the pace from the front. But the Ugandan challenge was coming with Nakaayi and Winnie Nanyondo attacking the long-time leader. Nakaayi soon asserted herself at the front to take gold in 1:58.04 with Wilson losing second to her teammate Raevyn Rogers as Nanyondo faded into fourth. Russian Mariya Lasitskene continued her dominance by becoming the first three-time women’s high jump world champion. In a tense final, the 26-year-old, who is one of only 30 Russian athletes allowed to compete in Doha under the Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) banner, took gold ahead of Ukraine's 18-year-old Yaroslava Mahuchikh. Lasitskene, the 2015 and 2017 champion, claimed victory after clearing a height of 2.04m to win on count-back ahead of Mahuchikh. Vashti Cunningham of the United States took bronze. Sweden’s Daniel Stahl, the heavy favourite, won the discus title with a throw of 67.59m. Fedrick Dacres of Jamaica won silver with 66.94 and Austria’s Lukas Weisshaidinger took bronze with 66.82.

Fillipo Tortu finished seventh in a high quality 100m final at the IAAF World Championships final in Doha on Saturday. But the Italian has firmly set his sights of winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympics next year. The 21-year-old is the national record holder in the 100m with a time of 9.99 — the first ever Italian to dip below 10 seconds for the distance. While a medal in Tokyo would be a farfetched thought considering the high-quality field he will come up against, Tortu might just spring a surprise if he follows the advice of a certain Carl Lewis. Yesterday, Tortu was rapt in attention as he sat next to American legend Lewis, who was the centre of attraction at an event organised by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) in collaboration with the Qatar Sports Press Committee at the Torch tower. Lewis, voted in 1999 as the International Olympic Committee’s ‘Sportsman of the Century’, boasts ten Olympic medals — nine of them gold — over four Summer Games during a legendary 17-year career. The 58-year-old, who serves as an assistant track coach at his alma mater, the University of Houston, reminisced about his incredible successes and shared some valuable tips with Tortu. “You can clock the fastest time which you may have targeted before the race but still you may end up losing. Don’t target the medal, focus on your timing, your performance and forget about the rest,” Lewis told Tortu, with the silver medallist at the 2016 World U-20 Championships paying attention to detail. “Focus your goal having it clear and without being afraid to tell it loud. This is your objective and you work with it always in your mind. Think of yourself as a business for your long term career and your training for your short term career; so figure out how you are going to maximise this time. In anything you are going to have to make sacrifices. So now you are in professional track and field you have to think like a professional. Think of what you can do and what you and your manager can do to maximise this moment because you are going to build a brand,” added Lewis. Over the course of interaction, which lasted for one hour, Lewis touched base on many topics, including the need for world athletics governing body, IAAF, to improve in the way it runs the sport. Lewis felt athletics has not evolved like other sports such as football, basketball and cricket. “If you look at the way every single popular sport is run, it’s different. The stadium looks spectacular the presentation is spectacular, they take care of every little detail,” said Lewis, who equalled Jesse Owens’ legendary performance by winning four golds in a single Olympics at the Los Angeles Games in 1984. “Even things like... why are we still putting numbers on our chests? They put numbers with pins? If we were thinking of television, we would take that off so that you will see the uniform on TV. We are just not progressing, we are just doing the same thing over and over. If you go to other sports, every little detail is taken care of and there is entertainment. These sports they become television shows they strived to get better and better,” he added. Lewis also shed his thoughts on today’s sprint events, comparing it to his times. “It’s obviously very, very competitive but I don’t think it’s any more competitive at the championship level than it was back when we were competing. I think it’s just competitive throughout the season. So with all the technology and all the high performance tracks and everything else, we could have had second and third 30 years later,” the American noted. He also complained about the less prize money for the athletes. “My issue is that they pay $60,000 for the winner. We were paid $60,000 for the winner in 1997. So if you look at it in US Dollars - a cost of living increase - it should be 93,000 this year. So they are paying the same prize money and every year the athletes get less. So 30,000 is the value of gold medal now,” he said. Also on the panel, which was moderated by AIPS President Gianni Merlo, was Lewis’ compatriot Leroy Burrell, who twice set the world record for the 100m sprint. Burrell dwelled on the future legacy of athletics. “Well, having been competing thirty years ago with timings that are still among the top three of the world means that athletics is still a human sport. What it’s important to think about, more than focusing on past years mistake is that we leave the sport better than it was and everybody can do this part for this,” Burrell said.

Al Sadd maintained their stronghold on Al Duhail as they beat their perennial rivals 1-0 to clinch the Sheikh Jassim Cup Saturday. Ali Asad scored the all-important goal in the 13th minute but it was Akram Afif who was the star of the show as he spearheaded Sadd’s dominating performance at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. The win also ensured a brilliant start to Xavi’s managerial career as the Spaniard won his first title as coach. Last week, he had led Sadd to quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League with a 4-2 aggregate win over Duhail. Sadd now have won the Sheikh Jassim Cup 15 times, more than anyone in history, and it was also their record 70th overall trophy. Goal-scorer Asad was delighted to have played a key role in Sadd’s victory. “It is a good start to the season. This trophy will provide us with plenty of confidence as we approach the QNB Stars League and AFC Champions League matches,” he said. “Although we had many opportunities, we could not convert them into goals. But the most important thing is to win the match, which we did. Now we will work hard to win many more titles,” he added. Duhail coach Rui Faria watched in frustration from the sidelines as his team wasted plenty of chances in the first 10 minutes of the contest. Iraqi prodigy Mohanad Ali, who arrived from Al Shorta this summer, had a golden chance to put Duhail ahead in the ninth minute, but for a brilliant last-ditch effort from Sadd defender Boualem Khoukhi. While Sadd goalkeeper Saad al-Sheeb was kept busy by impressive Edmilson Junior and Mohanad, it was Sadd who went ahead with a brilliant counterattack. Akram, who has been in prolific perform of late, was instrumental in creating the winning goal for Sadd. One of the brightest prospects in Qatari football, Akram dribbled around three Duhail defenders with ease as he set up an easy tap in for Asad. In the 30th minute, Akram created another opportunity but this time Pedro failed to shoot with precision as Duhail goalkeeper Claude Amine made a regulation save. Two minutes later, Akram had a chance to get into scoresheet but the 22-year-old failed to connect an easy volley. Sadd had more opportunities in the 35th and 43rd minute to increase the lead, but Hassan al-Haydos and Asad shot wide, even as Duhail struggled to string any scoring opportunities. Post interval, Sadd continued to dominate the possession as Duhail players were left increasingly frustrated. With chances coming far and few for Duhail in attack, Amine kept his team in the match with a timely save off al-Haydos’ fierce strike in the 60th minute. In the ensuing counterattack, Duhail squandered an opportunity to draw level as Mohanad shot into the stands. The introduction of Nam Tae-hee, who swapped Duhail for Sadd over the summer, in the 63rd minute added more trouble for his former team. The South Korean playmaker along with Akram was a constant threat. It only got worse for Duhail in the 67th minute, as experienced Luiz Junior was sent off for stamping into Salem al-Hajri’s thigh. Though unintentional, Luiz was shown a second yellow card after the referee took the help of VAR. Meanwhile, Akram’s elder sibling Ali Afif came close to drawing level, but again sloppy finishing did not help Duhail’s cause. Meanwhile, Edmilson was lucky to stay on the pitch as a cynical foul on Sadd captain Gabi went unpunished. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Duhail could have taken the game into penalties with Mohamed Muntari presented with the best chance. But the substitute’s clumsy effort was cleared by Pedro. In the injury time, Duhail defender Assim Madibo was sent off for a lunging foul on Gabi, making it a forgettable night for Faria and his men.

Al Duhail midfielder Ali Afif has urged his teammates to put the AFC Champions League loss behind them and focus on winning the Sheikh Jassim Cup against Al Sadd Saturday. Qatar football’s season-opening contest between the two domestic giants has added an extra spice to the encounter, which kicks off at 7:15pm at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, after Sadd beat their perennial rivals to progress into the AFC Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday. The two teams are expected to battle it out for the QNB Stars League this season, which begins this Wednesday. But before that, they would be keen to lay their hands on the Sheikh Jassim Cup. Undoubtedly, Sadd will go into the contest at their home ground as clear favourites but Duhail can spring a surprise as they did in the Amir Cup final in May. While Duhail will be hamstrung by the absence of key players – defender Mehdi Benatia and forward Almoez Ali, Sadd too will miss the services of Baghdad Bounedjah, Hamed Ismail and Tarek Salman, who are under suspension after being sent off in the Amir Cup final. Sadd still look stronger on paper, with Ali Afif’s younger brother Akram in prolific form, while South Korea playmaker Nam Tae-hee, who swapped Duhail for Sadd over the summer, running the show in the midfield. The Qatar league champions also look well settled under new coach Xavi, who announced his retirement over the summer and is leading the Wolves now from the dugout. Ali Afif asserted that Duhail will go into the match determined to win the title. “Al Duhail players always have the ambition to win matches and titles. So it is a very important match for us and we are seeking nothing less than a victory, because it will also boost our morale for the season ahead,” the 31-year-old said. “The loss against Al Sadd in the AFC Champions League is not the end for us. It will not affect our desire to win the matches for the club. One loss does not make us a bad team. We learn from our mistakes. We have young players in squad, who are talented and ambitious and want to do well for the club this season,” the Qatar international added. Rui Faria’s men made two major changes to their squad over the summer with Youssef El Arabi and Shoya Nakajima bidding adieu to the club, which has hampered their start to the season. Now it’s up to skipper Youssef Msakni, who returned after a short loan spell at KAS Eupen, to lead the charge along with impressive Edmilson Junior, who is sure to dominate the goal-scoring charts the season. Faria can also call upon Iraqi prodigy Mohanad Ali, who arrived from Al Shorta this summer. Ali Afif hopes to play a key role in Saturday’s match but emphasised the role of all the 11 players against a strong Sadd side. “All the 11 players will have to work hard for the team. I hope we can play as a team and present a good level against Sadd. When we start the match, you will see that we have forgotten our loss in the AFC Champions League,” he said. Meanwhile, Al Sadd midfielder Ahmed Sayyar believes that his side is fully prepared to get another victory over Al Duhail. Speaking to the media at the pre-match press conference, Ahmed said: “It will be a tough game for both sides. Our team is ready, mentally and physically, for this game, particularly after we qualified for the next stage of the AFC Champions League.” He added: “The Sheikh Jassim Cup title could be a good start for the team at the beginning of the season, and we are ready for it. We’ve had a positive phase recently, especially during the pre-season. The victory in the Champions League fixture will be a real boost for us, as we look to put more wins on board.” The Sheikh Jassim Cup, launched in 1977, over the years, has been played in the month of August and sets things in motion for an exciting season. The tournament is a one-off match between the winners of the QNB Star League (QSL) and Amir Cup. Al Rayyan won the previous edition of the tournament after beating Al Duhail 6-4. Al Sadd have the most impeccable record in the tournament with 14 trophies.

Misbah-ul-Haq still carries a calm demeanour off the field, just like he did during his playing days. It’s been two years since Pakistan’s most successful Test captain retired from cricket at the age of 43, and Misbah still continues to lead by example. His leadership skills helped lift Pakistan from the depths of the spot-fixing saga in England in 2010. Now, in what he calls his second and most important innings, Misbah is on a much bigger mission. Misbah has joined hands with Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF) to establish Pakistan’s first hospital dedicated to congenital heart defects (CHD) among children. Despite his busy schedule these days, the former middle-order batsman, who played 75 Tests and 162 one-day internationals for Pakistan, still follows cricket like he did growing up in Mianwali. On a recent visit to Doha to raise awareness for the hospital, Misbah, like any cricket connoisseur was excited about the ongoing World Cup, which began in England last Thursday. In this freewheeling interview, Misbah gave his predictions on which four teams will make it to the semis. He also spoke about Pakistan’s chances, on why he considers India’s Virat Kohli as the best batsman and his opinion about single league format for the World Cup. Excerpts: Which are the four teams you think will reach the semi-finals at the World Cup, and who you consider as the favourite to win the title? For me, the three teams to qualify for the semis are England, India, Australia. The fourth team? I don’t know honestly. It could be any team because there is not much difference between them. England have been tipped to end their World Cup drought this time. What makes them favourites this time? I feel the most important thing for England is the way they are playing in home conditions. In the last two years they have beaten every opposition at home. The quality they have in their batting line up makes a huge difference to their favourite status. They have top class batsmen in their side and also they have players till No. 11, who can contribute with the bat. Then there is Jos Buttler who can finish off games for them. Previously, they have struggled to play against spin, but now they have players who can handle the spin bowling. They also have good spin bowlers. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali have done well for them recently and that adds a lot to their bowling. Now they also have (Jofra) Archer and Mark Wood back in the team, and with (Liam) Plunkett and (Chris) Woakes the way they have been bowling, I consider England as the favourites to win at home. Having said that, there is an another factor called pressure. And it will be interesting to see how England handle the pressure. The pressure of not winning the World Cup is big enough, so when you reach the semis and final, you have to cope with the pressure factor and if England can successfully do that, they will be worthy winners. What to do you make of India’s chances? India are my second favourites to win the title. They too are a powerful team, considering their recent performances and strength in batting and bowling. I don’t think India ever had such a rich bowling resources in the past, especially in seam bowling. They have No. 1 bowler in the world in Jasprit Bumrah and they have Bhuvneshwar (Kumar), who can swing the ball with new ball and he can bowl yorkers too in the death overs. Mohamed Shami is also there and is a different kind of seam bowler. Then they have wrist spinners Kuldeep (Yadav) and Yuzvendra (Chahal), who are attacking and wicket-taking spinners. There is some sort of mystery too in their spin attack. I think they have a balanced team and they know how to win the big tournaments and play in knockout matches. That will be an added advantage for India. Australia have found the form at the right time, having won their last nine matches, including the opener against Afghanistan. Do you think they can spoil England’s home party? My third favourite is Australia, who are always a force when it comes to World Cup. When a team has won five World Cups before and they have players who have experienced that triumph, it makes them one of the contenders. David Warner and Steve Smith are back for Australia and they both are dangerous players. Australia’s confidence is also high, having recently won the series in India and in the UAE against Pakistan. When it comes to handling the pressure in big events, I think they are the best. Pakistan lost to West Indies badly in their opening match. Do you think they can bounce back? Pakistan are mentally very down this time. They need a little bit of spark, the kind they had when they won the Champions Trophy in England in 2017. They started off badly, but after winning one match everything clicked for them and their confidence level and efficiency went up. So I feel they have to do well in the first three matches, otherwise it’s going to be very difficult for them to reach the semis. I think Pakistan came second to England by a small margin and because of their own mistakes. They missed simplest of chances while fielding, which I think is not acceptable even at Under-13 level. Pakistan’s bowling has always been good, but it’s the batsmen who have done well recently. If we can improve our bowling and fielding, then I think Pakistan has a good chance of making it to the semis. There has been much debate over the single league format at the World Cup, with only ten teams playing tournament. What do you make of it? I personally like this format, because it allows a good team to make it to the last four. Otherwise if there is a first round and then you have to come to the Super Eight, it’s always difficult if a team loses couple of matches and suddenly the top team is out of the tournament. And you don’t want that. I think it’s the best possible format and I always liked it. In the single league system, a team plays against all the other teams, and only four best qualify for the semis. It minimises the chance of a fluke, and only the best and most consistent team can win the tournament. India’s Virat Kohli has been the stand out batsman in the last few years. What do you attribute his success to? You can see how passionate Kohli is about the game, and that is why he works so hard on his game, skills and his fitness. When he is on the ground, he is competitive because he is passionate, the hunger is there and he wants to win every time. That passion gives him everything; that is why he is disciplined and more hard-working. He wants to be there till the last ball is bowled and wants to score big in every game. After scoring so many runs and centuries, he still has the hunger and passion for the game and wants to do better than last time. That’s the difference between him and others. Do you think Kohli is a product of fierce competition in Indian cricket? It varies from individual to individual. Some individuals are naturally different from others and their upbringing also plays a role in it. I think that fighting spirit is helping him. He always sets higher standards for himself in every series. Another component for Kohli playing well is because his basics are very strong, which is very important. If you look at his game, he just trusts his technique and plays normal cricketing shots even while playing T20. His consistency is far better than other batsmen. Other example of that is Pakistan’s Babar Azam. In all three formats the way he is performing, Babar is like Kohli technically, very sound and always wants to score runs.