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Russian men made a steady start in their pursuit for first team medal since 2006 as the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships began in Doha yesterday.  At the Aspire Dome after first day’s qualifications, Russians were sitting pretty atop the leaderboard ahead of the Netherlands and Switzerland. Nikolai Kuksenkov, Artur Dalaloyan, Nikita Nagornyy, David Belyavskiy and Dmitrii Lankin combined for Russia’s total score of 258.402, which should be enough for them to make it to the final as one of the eight qualifiers. Reigning champions Japan will open their campaign today, so will USA, Great Britain and China.   Despite their barren run at the World Championships, Russia won team silver at Rio 2016 and are also reigning European team champions. With only two athletes per country advancing to the individual all-around final, there was fierce competition within the Russian squad. Nagornyy was the most consistent performer yesterday and led the all-around standings with a total of 87.098, ahead of Dalaloyan who tallied 84.572. Dalaloyan’s fine performances on the parallel bars and the floor saw him finish more than 1.000 ahead of third-placed Belyavskiy. Nagornyy was happy with the team’s performance, but added there was scope for improvement especially in pommel horse, where both Kuksenkov and Dalaloyan slipped. “It was overall quite good. I made a few mistakes but we will deal with them. I will work on fixing the mistakes in the future. On the pommel horse, we made a few mistakes but they were silly mistakes. Pommel horse is an event where we should be getting a lot of points,” said Nagornyy. The Netherlands had an overall exceptional performance as a team, finishing with a 245.663 team total to provisionally move into second place behind Russia. Epka Zonderland led his team on both events, scoring a 14.633 on parallel bars and a 14.4 (with a huge 6.2 difficulty score) on Horizontal Bar.  In fact, last year’s World Championships top three – Zonderland, Tin Srbic and Bart Deurloo – in Horizontal Bar eased their way towards the top of the leaderboard yesterday. Zonderland and Croatia’s Srbic were separated by just one-hundredth of a point, with the former leading. The pair remained on top of the standings for the rest of the day with Dalaloyan in third, just ahead of Deurloo. “Today I did a safe routine,” Zonderland, the London 2012 Olympic Games champion, said. “If I go to the final, there is no safe way. I wanted to do one more release, but I was so tired. I don’t know why I wasn’t recovered from Parallel Bars.” Srbic had high praise of Zonderland and said he was just pleased to compete with the Dutchman. “I have been looking at him since I was 10 years old,” said Srbic. “He is maybe the best gymnast on High Bar of all time and I am proud just to be in the same arena competing with him.” The Croat has had a tough run-up to defending his title. Three months ago he injured his left shoulder and then, while on the comeback trail, he ripped a rib muscle. He is certainly well-placed to once again challenge for a spot on the podium. Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ahmed al-Dayani was placed 57th, while Mosa Ahmed was lying in 102nd position in the Pommel Horse. It was a below-par performance from the young Qatar gymnasts, who are up against World class gymnasts.  The second and final day of men’s team and individual qualifications will be held from 9am today. The two days of women’s qualifiers will take place tomorrow and on Sunday. Only top eight teams will qualify for the final. The best 24 gymnasts from qualifications will qualify for the All-around final with a maximum of two gymnasts per country.  For the apparatus finals, only eight best gymnasts can make it to the medal round, with a maximum of two gymnasts per country. More than 500 gymnasts from 76 nations are taking part in the World Championship, which is being staged in the Middle East for the first time.

All eyes were on Simone Biles as she trained at the Aspire Dome on the eve of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. The Olympic champion holds court wherever she goes and it was no different in Doha.  At 21, Biles is already one of the greatest gymnasts ever to grace the sport, and by the time she winds up her career she could be perched alone at the top, at least in terms of the medals won. A quadruple gold medallist at Rio Olympics, Biles is already a three-time world all-around champion, three-time world floor champion, and two-time world balance beam champion. And if she adds another gold in Doha, she will become the first woman in history to win four world all-around titles. What adds more spice to the World Championships – the first ever to be held in the Middle East – is that Biles is making her return to international competition after taking a year off following her triumphant showing in Rio in 2016. There is an excitement in the air to see the Texan on stage with Biles set to nail a vault routine never been attempted at the big stage before. She gave a glimpse of what to expect in Doha, when she performed Cheng with an extra half twist at the USA Gymnastics’ selection camp earlier this month. Her closest challenge for the all-around title will come from compatriot Morgan Hurd, who claimed the crown in Montreal last year, in Biles’ absence.   “It’s really exciting to inspire the younger generation. I remember being so little and looking up to some of my heroes, and hopefully they’re looking up to me,” she said after Tuesday’s podium training at Aspire Dome.  The lone apparatus that Biles has not conquered internationally is the uneven bars. Biles has made one uneven bars final at worlds — placing fourth in 2013 — and was 14th in Rio. And the American has set her eyes on that elusive medal. “I’ve never medalled in uneven bars final but I’ve only been in one,” Biles said last week when asked the event she would most like to win aside from the team competition. “Maybe if I could make a bar final, that would be pretty cool because I think of all the medals you can get and the finals you can participate in, I always admire the bar workers just because it’s so hard mentally and physically,” she added.  Biles is the only member of the US women’s team of six who has competed at an Olympics or in a world championships team competition, but still they are the overwhelming favourite. If they do stand on top of the podium in Doha next week, the US will earn a sixth straight Olympic or world title — the longest female run of dominance in the sport since the 1970s Soviet teams. “We have a lot of rookies in our team and a couple veterans, but the veterans are excited to shine some light on the rookies and lead them through the Worlds,” Biles said.  “I’m really excited. I think our team as a whole will shine a lot of light at this competition and hopefully we’ll bring back some medals. It will be good. We’ll make memories,” she added. More than 500 gymnasts from 76 nations will converge at the Aspire Dome, with three medal-winning nations in the Team finals for both men and women earning team berths directly to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The line-up in Doha includes 22 world and Olympic gold medallists from 13 nations. The competition will determine the winners of eight sets of medals for men – team, all-around, floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar. There will be six for women – team, all-around, vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor. The Japanese men and American women are the reigning Olympic champions from Rio and defending world champions from the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow. The team competition is not held at the world championships in post-Olympic years. Men’s qualifying starts today, while the women’s qualifiers is on Saturday. The finals start from next Tuesday.

Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira slammed Persepolis for playing “wrestling... not football” during the first leg of their AFC Champions League semi-final at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Despite dominating the proceedings for much part of the game, it all came down to a Ali Alipour penalty to break the deadlock in the 86th minute, as Persepolis won 1-0. In the end, Sadd were punished for their lack of penetration in front of the goal as Persepolis’ narrow win put them in the driver’s seat ahead of the return leg at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on October 23. Alipour won a penalty after being fouled by Sadd goalkeeper Saad al-Sheeb, who had replaced injured Mishal Barshm, just inside the box. The home players protested the referee’s decision but it was a right call as the foul occurred just inside the box. After a prolonged delay, Alipour picked himself up and made no mistake in finding the bottom corner from the spot to signal celebratory scenes from their small pocket of away fans. There was late drama to the heated contest as well after an Al Sadd goal in the injury time was ruled out. In what seemed like a contentious call from the Sri Lankan referee Dilan Perera, Persepolis goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand threw the ball in front of him to kick it down the field but Sadd forward Akram Afif intercepted the ball mid-air which resulted in the ball bouncing into the post. Even as Afif started his celebratory lap, the referee ruled the effort as a foul. Despite that misfortune, Sadd and Ferreira will look back at the match as a missed opportunity and have a huge task in front of them in Tehran in three weeks’ time. For Sadd, who are chasing their third Asian title and first since 2011, they would need a repeat of their quarter-final win against Esteghlal in Tehran last month, where they stunned the massive, raucous crowd with a 3-1 scoreline. Ferreira said Sadd must believe they can still turn it around in the second leg. “The team must believe in its potential. There will be an opportunity to score in Tehran and now we are thinking of only one outcome: that is to win the return leg,” he said. The Portuguese manager was also critical of the physical game employed by Persepolis. “The Iranian team is a very difficult team. They were playing wrestling and this is not football. We fought a lot over the course of the match. Now we have no choice but to win the return leg, so that we can maintain our chance to compete for the title. We realise how difficult it is to achieve this goal but are determined to achieve it,” Ferreira added. There was no doubt that Sadd were the quality side at least on the paper. They had won 10 of their last 14 home games, scoring over 2.5 goals per game and failing to score just twice. But last night it was a different story as they failed to capitalise on a dominating start. Sadd enjoyed much of the possession with captain and midfield maestro Xavi playing in a free role, while Jung Woo Young and Gabi were employed as wide midfielders. But the mobility failed to translate into penetration as Sadd’s prolific striker and tournament top-scorer Baghdad Bounedjah was kept silent by a resolute backline marshalled by captain Jalal Hosseini. Persepolis were tough nut to crack despite missing three key players — Kamal Kamyabinia and Mohamed Ansari to suspension, and defender Hossein Mahini out of the season with knee injury. In fact, the away team looked dangerous with Ali Mosleh, Omid Alishah and Bashar Resan linking up down the left. The first real chance of the match for Sadd came in the 16th minute. Afif got into the box and had a go at the goal but Persepolis goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand was on hand to safely gather the ball. Two minutes later, Persepolis wasted a golden opportunity to take the lead. After Resan crossed the ball in from the left, all Godwin Mensha could do was head the ball over the crossbar. Afif remained a lively threat for the home team on the left and in the 43rd minute, his low drive at goal was kept out by a fingertip save from the diving Beiranvand. Hassan al-Haydos replaced Woo-young after half-time to inject space into Sadd attack but the Persepolis were determined not to make it easier for them. Bounedjah cut a frustrated figure throughout the match as he failed to find the opportunities and was also involved in few skirmishes with Persepolis defenders, which attracted attention from the referee. Having been eliminated at the same stage of the tournament last year, Persepolis now potentially are just 90 minutes away from contesting their first-ever Champions League final, where they will be looking to become only the third Iranian side to be crowned Asian champions after Esteghlal and PAS Tehran.

The Doha leg of the FINA World Cup ended with a bang as three competition records were shattered on the final day. At the Hamad Aquatic Centre last night, Sarah Sjostrom continued her streak of breaking the World Cup record in the 100m butterfly, while Andrii Govorov and David Verraszto also set a new mark in the men’s 50m butterfly and 400m individual medley respectively. For Sweden’s Sjostrom it was the icing on the cake, as she also won the women’s overall title after cluster one (Kazan and Doha leg), while the men’s title was pocketed by Russian Anton Chupkov. The 25-year-old Sjostrom bulldozed her way to the gold in a new record of 56.46. At the Kazan stop, Sjostrom had tied the record of 57.56 set by Japan’s Rikako Ikee in 2015 in the heats, and then took just over a tenth of a second off in the final to win gold in 57.42. Last night, she chopped nearly a full second off that record. Belgian Kimberly Buys was runner-up in 58.23, and Dutch Ranomi Kromowidjojo (59.40) took third spot. Later Sjostrom took her fifth win in Doha, the same as in Kazan, when she cruised to victory in the 100m freestyle in 53.13. She held off stiff challenges from Dutch rivals  Kromowidjojo (53.29) and Femke Heemskerk (53.34). “It was a very busy last couple of weeks, ten gold medals in two legs, I am very happy. I will go back home, and rest before preparing for the short course,” Sjostrom said. On her record-breaking spree, the Sweden’s first Olympic champion in swimming Sjostrom was pleased with her improvements. “I am very much happy because I was a lot faster than a few days ago in Russia. I couldn’t be happier. I was targeting to be fastest in Doha, than in Kazan, and I am happy that I have achieved that,” she said. Meanwhile, Hungarian Katinka Hosszu finished off the World Cup stop in Doha with three wins on the final night, coming out on top in the women’s 800 freestyle, 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley. After two victories on each of the first two days, the ‘Iron Lady’ left Doha with seven gold medals. But she still finished behind Sjostrom for the overall title, as the swimmers can only score points from their best three finishes. While Hosszu did not break any World Cup records, Sjostrom rewrote the record books five times over two legs. Each world record yields 20 points as Sjostrom cashed in for some breathtaking swimming. Last night, Hosszu started the session off in the 800 freestyle, edging out Kazan winner Zhou Chanzhen of China by just over a second in 8:34.58 for the victory. In no time Hosszu was back in the water for the 200 backstroke, easily picking up the win in 2:11.00 over Kira Toussaint (2:13.24) of the Netherlands. Her third win of the night came in the 200 IM, as she clocked 2:11.57 comfortably ahead of Russian Yuliya Efimova (2:13.60). Hosszu’s Hungarian teammate David Verraszto was also in the record books as he lowered his own World Cup make to win the men’s 400 IM. He clocked a time of 4:13.44 to knock off his mark set three years ago. Maksym Shemberev of Azerbaijan came second in 4:13.61 while, Tom Peribonio finished third at 4:17.02 for Ecuador. Ukrainian Govorov won the men’s 50 butterfly in a time of 22.82, breaking his own record of 22.87 set at the first stop in Kazan. At second place was American Michael Andrew (23.21) and the bronze went to South Africa’s Ryan Coetzee (23.54),  For Chupkov it was a memorable evening as the 21-year-old Russian claimed the men’s 200m breaststroke gold to add to his bronze on the opening day. Given Chopkov’s top show in Kazan, it was enough for him to emerge as the men’s cluster winner.    RESULTS: Men’s 400m Individual Medley: 1. David Verraszto (HUN) 4:13.44; 2. Maksym Shemberev (AZE) 4:13.61; 3. Tomas Peribonto (ECU) 4:17.02 Women’s 800m Freestyle: 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 8:34.58; 2. Chanzhen Zhou (CHN) 8:35.67; 3. Andrea Zapatero (ESP) 8:43.99 Women’s 100m Butterfly: 1. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 56.46; 2. Kimberly Buys (BEL) 58.23; 3. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) 59.40 Men’s 50m Butterfly: 1. Andrii Govorov (UKR) 22.82; 2. Michael Andrew (USA) 23.21; 3.Ryan Coetzee (RSA) 23.54 Women’s 200m Backstroke: 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 2:11.00; 2. Kira Toussaint (NED) 2:13.24; 3. Yuru Jiang (CHN) 2:14.54 Men’s 100m Backstroke: 1. Mitchell Larkin (AUS) 53.68; 2. Michael Andrew (USA) 54.11; 3. Vladimir Morozov (RUS) 55.07 Women’s 50m Breaststroke: 1. Yuliya Efimova (RUS) 30.43; 2. Vitalina Simonova (RUS) 32.01; 3. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 32.81 Men’s 200m Breaststroke: 1. Anton Chupkov (RUS) 2:08.77; 2. Arno Kamminga (NED) 2:11.21; 3. Kirill Prigoda (RUS) 2:11.61 Women’s 100m Freestyle: 1. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 53.13; 2. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) 53.29; 3. Femke Heemskerk (NED) Men’s 200m Freestyle: 1. Blake Pieroni (USA) 1:47.20; 2. Kyle Stolk (NED) 1:49.45; 3. Lorenz Weiremans (BEL) 1:49.68 Women’s 200m Individual Medley: 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 2:11.57; 2. Yuliya Efimova (RUS) 2:13.60; 3. Sishi Zhang (CHN) 2:14.23 Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay: 1. The Netherlands (Kira Toussaint, Arno Kamminga, Mathys Goosen, Femke Heemskerk) 3:49.18; 2. China (Yuru Jiang, Zhihao Zhang, Sishi Zhang, Zheqi Lin) 3:58.36; 3. Hungary (Katinka Hosszu, David Verraszto, Daniel Dudas, Zsuzsanna Jakabos) 3:59.43

Katinka Hosszu’s love affair with Hamad Aquatic Centre continued yesterday as the Hungarian scooped two gold and one bronze on the opening night of the FINA Swimming World Cup. Having come off five victories from the first leg in Kazan last week, Hosszu is set for another grand haul in Doha, which has been one of her favourite hunting grounds. Hosszu is the closest challenger to leader Sarah Sjostrom for the overall winner’s title, and after yesterday’s performance, she will fancy her chances of overtaking the Swede. Sjostrom, too, had a productive day, winning the only race she took part in. The Swedish sprint queen and Russia’s Vladimir Morozov, who is leading the men’s ranking, won the 50m freestyle to keep their chances of wins in cluster 1 intact. Hosszu kicked off her Doha campaign with a win in the 400m freestyle. Clocking 4:10.02 the Hungarian ‘Iron Lady’ was ahead of Femke Heemskerk of the Netherlands, who notched 4:12.56 for silver, while China’s Zhou Chanzhen rounded out the top three with a mark of 4:13.62. Racing in her second swim of the night, Hosszu had to settle for bronze in the 50m backstroke. She timed 28.57 seconds behind Dutch Kira Toussaint, who followed up her Kazan victory with another win in the event. The 24-year-old won the race in Kazan in 28.18 and shaved .17 off of that result in Doha. Toussaint’s compatriot Ranomi Kromowidjojo was second in 28.49. Hosszu second gold came in the 200m butterfly, although she only had to beat one other swimmer to land on the podium. Amid a field of just four competitors, with one disqualified for the final, Hosszu cruised to first place in a solid 2:09.26. Her Hungarian teammate Zsuzsanna Jakabos followed in a time of 2:10.34 for silver. “I am happy with my performance. It’s always good to win races and I have enjoyed the opening day in Doha,” said Hosszu. “I am trying to keep the right balance. My message for young swimmers is to enjoy your swimming,” she added. As expected, Sjostrom comfortably won the women’s 50m freestyle. The 25-year-old had created a new World Cup record last week in Kazan, clocking a monster effort of 23.83. She wasn’t too far off that mark last night, crushing a 23.99 to take gold. “I was expecting this victory. I am happy to continue winning this event and I am looking for some more victories in Doha,” said Sjostrom. Meanwhile, Morozov, who broke a World Cup record in 50m freestyle in Kazan, overcame a stiff challenge from American teenager Michael Andrew and his compatriot Blake Pieroni to win in the event with a time of 21.80. “I am happy to win the race. I am targeting a total of three gold medals in Doha,” the Russian said after his victory. “However, two wins in Doha should be enough for me to secure cluster 1 win,” he added. Pieroni and Andrew also recorded a victory each on the first day. Pieroni topped the men’s 400m freestyle race in 51.83 followed by Belgium’s Lorenz Weiremans and Wu Yuhang of China. World junior champion Andrew sealed 100m butterfly win in 51.83 with South Africa’s Ryan Coetzee and Dutchman Mathys Goosen second and third respectively.  The men’s 200m backstroke saw Australia’s Mitchell Larkin easily take the gold in a time of 1:57.45. He was followed by Spain’s Manuel Bacarizo and Hungary’s David Verraszto.    South African star Chad Le Clos was under the weather yesterday and pulled out of the morning’s prelims. He later tweeted to say he was hoping to be in action today, with 10 finals scheduled on the second day. “Hey guys I got a fever and vomiting all night, so wasn’t able to swim today, gutted not to able to compete but hopefully feel better tomorrow, good luck to rest of athletes thanks for the support,” the South African tweeted.

Fresh from breaking three World Cup records in Kazan last week, Sarah Sjostrom is set to make a splash again at the Hamad Aquatic Centre from today. The Swede is in outstanding form coming into the Doha leg of the FINA Swimming World Cup, as she leads the women’s rankings. In Kazan, five World Cup records were broken and Sjostrom rewrote the books in three of them. The 25-year-old, who is Sweden’s first Olympic swimming champion, shattered the meet timings in Kazan in the 50m freestyle (23.83 secs), 50m butterfly (25.39 secs) and 100m butterfly fly (57.42 secs).  She also won two other races in the first leg and has made a strong start to reclaiming her last year’s overall winner title with 60 points. Sjostrom is in no mood to let her guard down as she is eyeing an improved show in Doha.  “My last year’s competition in Doha was successful, and after that I won the overall title. I am targeting another good performance at this venue and hoping to be faster than in Kazan,” she told reporters yesterday.  Katinka Hosszu of Hungary is Sjostrom’s closest challenger, having also won five titles in Kazan. The Hungarian star ,famously known as ‘The Iron Lady’ is third in the rankings with 36 points behind Russia’s Yulia Efimova (42 points). “I have many great memories in Doha and I am excited to be back. I am hopeful of giving a good show and win more races,” she said.  Hosszu leads all money-earners with $11,500 in winnings through the Kazan World Cup. The five-time tour champion won five golds, three silvers and one bronze, plus swam on two bronze-medal mixed relays for Hungary. No other athlete is yet over $7,500 after Kazan, which is the first of seven stops on the tour. Other top women swimmers who will be in action in Doha are Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Kira Toussaint from Netherlands, Yuliya Efimova.  Vladmir Morozov of Russia is leading the men’s rankings after the first leg. Morozov will return to action after winning three races in the previous meeting, which gave him 54 points. In Kazan, Morozov was responsible for two World Cup records in the 50m freestyle (21.49) and 50m backstroke (24.43). Morozov’s teammate, Anton Chupko, will be another Russian star to watch out for. At just 21-years-old, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist is one of the names to watch out for heading into the 2020 Olympic Games. In Kazan, he put in a spectacular display winning the 100m and 200m breaststroke. He is second in the rankings with 48 points. “It’s good to be here in Doha. After the Kazan performance, I am looking for some interesting results in this tough competition,” said Chupkov.        Races featuring last year’s overall winner in men’s challenge, Chad Le Clos, will also be must-watch contests as the South African star will be hoping to improve his ranking. He triumphed in the 200m fly in Kazan, and is on 5th position in the current rankings.  “I always rate Doha as my second home. I’ve spent a lot of time here especially in Aspetar. I’ve also achieved good results here and looking forward to be faster than in Kazan,” he said.    Doha  will also see the likes of Blake Pieroni and Michael Andrew from America and Australian Mitch Larkin in action. Andrew topped the men’s 100m butterfly field in Kazan, getting gold ahead of Le Clos in duelling times of 51.96 to 52.00, while Larkin remained untouched in the 100m back, 200m back and 200m IM events. Qatar, the host country for the FINA World Championships in 2023, is hosting the highly-anticipated event for the seventh consecutive year. Over 130 swimmers from 23 countries are ready to compete. Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) President and FINA Bureau member Khaleel al-Jabir said: “We look forward to continue hosting this event successfully and wish swimmers the best experience as ever.”  FINA Technical Delegate Craig Hunter was impressed with the preparations by the Qatar Swimming Association. “We are delighted to return to Doha. After the success of Kazan stop, we are hoping for more thrilling contests here. I saw the pool which is in outstanding shape. FINA would like to thank QSA and sponsors for their contribution,” Mr. Craig said.      The races will be held in two sessions daily – morning heats at 10:00 and evening finals at 18:00 – on all the three days. Each individual event yields points for the top three finishers with gold getting 12 points, while silver and bronze medal will fetch 9 and points respectively. Each athlete can swim unlimited events, but can only score points from their best three finishes. Each world record yields 20 points. Tying a world record is worth 10 points. The top 3 male and top 3 female swims of the meet earn bonus points. Top swims are determined based on FINA points and only the top-scoring swim from each athlete is counted.

“Sports and politics don’t mix,” said America’s champion speed skater Eric Heiden in 1980. Heiden’s famous quote is a truism that should hold good even today. But, quite evidently, it does not with Qatar’s neighbours. It’s been a year since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt abruptly froze relations with Qatar. At first, the four nations severed economic and diplomatic ties; then it soon spilled into sports, with the hostile countries refusing to send their teams to Qatar to participate in sporting events. With Qatar making rapid strides in football in the Gulf and having won the bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Saudi and UAE conspired to target football tournaments hosted by Qatar. The first indication of what they planned to do came in September 2017, when the UAE pulled its football team out of the AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rejected its request to not play against Qatar. Few days later, Saudi, the UAE and Bahrain refused to confirm their participation in the Gulf Nations Cup, which Qatar was to host in December. The Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF), of which the president is Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmad al-Thani, who also heads the Qatar Football Association (QFA), went ahead and conducted the draw ceremony. As the boycotting countries refused to rise above their personal greed while using football as means for their political good, Qatar chose not to mix politics with sports. In a move which was commended by the football governing body FIFA, Qatar offered to give up on hosting Gulf Nations Cup and agreed to move the 23rd edition of the tournament to Kuwait. It also played a key role in FIFA lifting a suspension imposed on Kuwait’s football association in 2015 over alleged government interference. FIFA President Gianni Infantino thanked Qatar football officials for moving the tournament. “I would like to congratulate and thank the Qatari football authorities for their honourable gesture,” Infantino had said.  He added that the move was “not unexpected as it is in line with Qatar’s commitment as the host country of the 2022 FIFA World Cup”. Qatar had showed football is a platform to bring people together, and it should stay away from any political ideology. QFA president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani had said: “This edition of the Gulf Cup of Nations is a celebration for all the people of the Arabian Gulf after lifting the international suspension on Kuwait.” While the tournament was held successfully in Kuwait, Saudi and UAE authorities were adamant their clubs would only play against Qatari clubs in the AFC Champions league on neutral territory. They were also lobbying the AFC to either have the home and away format of the tournament changed or accept their demand for neutral venues for matches involving Qatari and Saudi club sides. But AFC refused to accede to their demands. The AFC had sent a delegation to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE led by its senior vice-president Praful Patel. During his meetings, Patel had made it clear that there was no question of the format of the tournament being changed. Despite that Saudi Arabia and UAE kept hoping that the AFC would accede to their demand of playing their clubs’ matches involving Qatari teams in Kuwait, without any success. On the field too, Qatari football clubs enjoyed better success and showed their domination over Saudi and UAE teams. Al Duhail and Al Sadd were the only teams from the Gulf to qualify for the AFC Champions League quarter-finals. Ironically they beat Saudi and UAE teams on their route to last eight. QNB Stars League champions Duhail won all six of their group matches and thrashed UAE champions Al Ain 8-3 on aggregate in two legs of the Round of 16. On the other hand, Al Sadd beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli 4-3 on aggregate.

Al Duhail will be gunning for an unprecedented domestic treble when they face Al Rayyan in the Amir Cup final, which will kick-off at 10:15pm tonight. Duhail have been unstoppable this season, having won the QNB Stars League and Qatar Cup title, and they will be heavy favourites to clinch their third trophy as curtains come down on Qatar’s domestic football season at the Khalifa International Stadium. There is a touch of invincibility in the way Duhail have gone about their business so far. They have been unbeaten in the season, having not lost a match in any of the tournaments they have played. Djamel Belmadi’s side are also in line to win the AFC Champions League after they cruised into the quarter-finals on Tuesday. They have showed their prowess in the continental championship too when they became only the second team to open their campaign with seven successive wins. On Tuesday, they overpowered Al Ain at home to make it eight wins in a row, with an 8-3 aggregate win over UAE Champions surely making them a strong contender for the Asian title. At home, Duhail have raised the bar and much of that credit goes to Belmadi, who has marshalled his team efficiently. So it wasn’t surprising to see the Algerian being voted as the best coach at the Qatar Football Association’s (QFA) awards ceremony on Thursday night. The 42-year-old is a shrewd tactician, who has consistently been producing excellent results. His method has been keeping it simple and not complicating things, with Duhail’s game revolving around one-two touches and playing with speed. Belmadi made it big when he led Qatar to the Gulf Cup triumph in 2014 and has not looked back since then. He also enjoyed as much success with Lekhwiya, whom he led to four league titles before it was merged with El Jaish last year and Duhail was created. His players too have responded to him by playing some spectacular football, and were duly rewarded as Duhail players swept the QFA awards. Captain Youssef Msakni won the Player of the Year Award, while Qatar’s talented youngsters Almoez Ali was named the Best U-23 Player. Their teammate Youssef El Arabi had his hand on top scorer trophy after he amassed 26 goals in the season. Tonight, Al Rayyan will have a difficult task on their hand as they look to stop the formidable Duhail strike force. Msakni will sit out of the Amir Cup final, with the attacking midfielder recuperating from cruciate ligament knee surgery he underwent in the USA last week, which also ruled the Tunisian out of the World Cup next month. But they have enough quality in their line-up to trouble Al Rayyan defence. Apart from Almoez and El Arabi, Duhail have South Korean playmaker Nam Tae-Hee, which has been outstanding so far in the midfield. He has been instrumental in Duhail success, creating goals for his teammates. In the Amir Cup semi-final against Al Sadd, Tae-Hee was the man of the match as he guided Duhail to fourth win of the season against their arch-rivals and into the Amir Cup final. Belmadi, while acknowledging that his team is having a special season, called on his high-flying players to focus on the final and take Rayyan seriously. “Rayyan are a difficult opposition. They have not won anything this season and will have opportunity to so tomorrow. This will give them a huge motivation,” Belmadi said yesterday He singled out Rayyan’s attacking midfielder Rodrigo Tabata’s as a major threat, but showed confidence in his players. “We will try to be well organised and have a good balance in the team. We know they have good players like Tabata who can score goals,” he said.  “But until now we have played good teams with good players and have done well so far. For example, Al Ain scored lots of goals at home and also in the AFC Champions League, but we beat then easily. We will take Rayyan very seriously. But we are confident and will go into the game with focus,” he added. For last year’s finalist Rayyan, tonight’s title clash will be an opportunity to finish the otherwise disappointing season on a high. Michael Laudrup’s men went down to Al Sadd in the final last year, and face another daunting challenge against Duhail. After a promising start to their QNB Stars League campaign, Rayyan fizzled out in the second phase as they stuttered to a third-place finish. They also suffered a heartbreaking 4-6 loss on penalties to Al Sadd in the Qatar Cup semi-final. Laudrup wants his players to put the setbacks of the season behind and produce performance worthy of a final. “We have prepared well for the final. It’s the last game of the season and it’s a final, so we want to give out all. There are no matches next week or week after, so we want to finish on a high. We did not concede any goals in the Amir Cup so far and that augurs well for us,” Laudrup said yesterday. Rayyan have been in impressive in the Amir Cup though. Tabata’s brace powered them to a 3-0 win over Al Gharafa in the semis, after they had won with a similar scoreline in a dominating performance against Al Arabi in the quarter-finals. Tabata has been at the heart of Rayyan’s performance so far, and they will depend heavily on the midfielder again. His partnership with Sebastian Soria will hold to key fortunes. Last year’s loss to Al Sadd is still fresh in Tabata’s mind and he wants to end the season on a happy note. “It was disappointing to lose in the final last season. We hope for a better result tomorrow. We have worked very hard in the last few weeks and that gives us confidence that we can win the title,” said Tabata.

Rodrigo Tabata’s brace powered Al Rayyan to a 3-0 win over Al Gharafa and into the final of the Amir Cup. At the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium yesterday, Tabata was at the heart of Rayyan’s impressive performance as they cruised past Gharafa in the semi-final. Michael Laudrup’s men, who lost in the final to Al Sadd last year, face a mighty challenge this time too as they face Al Duhail in the title clash at the Khalifa International Stadium on May 19. Djamel Belmadi’s Duhail are unbeaten this year and will be going for a historic domestic treble, having already won the QNB Stars League and Qatar Cup trophies this season. Rayyan were thrashed 1-6 by Gharafa the last time the two sides met in the league. And Rayyan came into the match vowing to prove a point and redeem their season. They had dream start when Tabata put them ahead in just the second minute of the game. Gharafa gifted Rayyan possession in the midfield, allowing Tabata to run into the edge of the box, where he picked up Sebastian Soria on the right flank. Soria, after getting past two Gharafa defenders, relayed it back to Tabata, who fired Rayyan in front. Tabata was the key to his team’s every attacking run as the attacking midfielder tormented Gharafa on the night. If not for goalkeeper Qasim Burhan’s timely interventions Gharafa would have been at least three goals behind in the first-half. In the 31st minute, Burhan parried away a shot from Soria, who then shot over the bar again two minutes later. Both the chances were set up by Tabata. Burhan was again called into action just before the half-time, when he had to dive to his left to save Yohan Mollo’s low shot. Rayyan began the second-half as they did the first-half and doubled their lead in the 47th minute courtesy a clever finish from Koh Myong-jin. The South Korean midfielder received a wonderful pass from Tabata, who played a long ball from the half line. With only goalkeeper to beat, Myong-jin expertly chipped it over Burhan to put Rayyan in the cruise mode. Gharafa immediately raised their game and looked to have pulled a goal back through substitute Ahmed Alaaeldin, but Rayyan keeper Omar Bari was able to stop a powerful shot. Alaaeldin, who had scored the winner in the 88th minute against second division side Mesaimeer in the quarter-finals, once again looked a threat in the match. But his teammates let him down and cut an isolated figure as the match went on. Rayyan players, who had dropped their energy bit, looked a threat in the final ten minutes and had at least three clear chances. In the 86th minute, Tabata hit straight to the keeper after a pass from Mollo, but he wasn’t to be denied in the next minute. Tabata put the match to bed with Soria again making the assist. Rayyan coach Laudrup was delighted with the victory. “I was a bit surprised at how we dominated the game. We had a great support from the fans and it helped us to put a good show,” he said. Laudrup called on his players to enjoy the final against Duhail. “We have to enjoy playing in the final. We have to be at our best to beat Duhail and win the title,” the manager from Denmark said.

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system came back to haunt Al Sadd once again as they suffered a 0-1 loss to Al Duhail in the Amir Cup semi-final yesterday. In the Qatar Cup final loss last month, Sadd were at the receiving end of VAR, when the referee struck to his contentious decision to award a penalty to Duhail. Last night at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, it was the other way around for Al Sadd as a penalty decision was overturned for them and then they were reduced to 10 men after Abdelkareem Hassan was sent off at the stroke of half-time. Both the decisions came through VAR, where the referee looks at the monitor placed near the pitch side to review his initial call. To pile on the misery for Al Sadd, Almoez Ali struck the match’s only goal in the 68th minute to send Duhail into the final, which will be held at the Khalifa International Stadium on May 19. Djamel Belmadi’s side, unbeaten so far in the season, are on the course for a historic treble to add their QNB Stars League and Qatar Cup trophies. They were deserving winners on the night too, as Al Sadd despite controversial VAR decisions, wasted opportunities and looked ragged in the second-half. Both the sides were coming off AFC Champions League victories. While Al Sadd had beaten Saudi’s Al Ahli on Monday, Duhail had outplayed Al Ain on Tuesday and had one day less to recover. With the return leg of Champions League to be played next week, Sadd and Duhail did not go in with a full strength. Sadd’s Spanish midfield star Xavi Hernandez and Hamroun Jugurtha were on the bench, while striker Baghdad Bounedjah watched from the stands as the Algerian was serving his second suspension which he received for showing dissent during the Qatar Cup final. For Duhail, Karim Bouaif, Ismail Mohamed and Murad Naji were on the bench. Sadd started on a bright note and almost went ahead in the 12th minute only for Hamid Ismail’s curling shot from the right to strike the post. Duhail also had the same fortune as Mohamed Muntari’s header hit the top bar. As the intensity of the game went up a notch, Sadd were awarded a penalty in the 28th minute. Referee Salman Falahi signalled for a spot-kick as he ruled Duhail defender Dami Traore had brought down Sadd captain Hassan al-Haydous in the box. But upon a review, Falahi rightly changed his decision, with the replays showing Traore had got to the ball first even as al-Haydous went down tamely. In the 33rd minute, al-Haydous had a chance to put his team in front. The midfielder after playing 1-2 with Akram Afif hit straight to keeper Amine Lecomte. On the other end, Almoez Ali’s left-footer just missed the target. As the half-time approached, the match’s turning point arrived too. After initially not making a decision on Abdulkarim’s foul on Mohamed Moosa, the referee, upon watching the replays, showed a direct red card for a dangerous tackle.  Sadd players protested in vain even as coach Jesualdo Ferreira was seething in anger on the touchline. Despite being a man down, Sadd started the second-half positively. Boualem Khoukhi had a chance for equaliser but the forward failed to connect a volley. Even as South Korean playmaker Nam Tae-hee pulled the strings for Duhail, Belmadi introduced QNB Stars League top-scorer Youssef El Arabi in place of Muntari. The decisive goal came in the 68th minute after Morteza Mohammed’s pass was intercepted in the midfield and Duhail launched a counter-attack. Tae-hee received the ball from the half-line and sped towards the box and expertly played a through ball to Ismael on the right, who then picked out incoming Almoez as the striker pounced on the ball to hit the target from four yards. Duhail came close again through Luiz Martin, but the captain hit the post. The impressive Tae-hee troubled the Sadd defence whole evening as he showed little fatigue from his man-of-the-match performance against Al Ain on Tuesday. The South Korean was the standout player for Duhail again as hit the post twice and also drew a save from Sadd goalkeeper Sadd al-Dosari. Post-match, Sadd coach Ferreira was frustrated with the result. The Portuguese was not happy with the decisions on Abdelkareem’s being sent off and a penalty being overturned. “If we did not have the VAR  then we would not have a red card for that foul. We would also have a penalty kick for al-Haydous,” he said. Ferreira also pointed out that Abdelkareem’s foul only warranted a yellow card. “It is a very sad result for us. And it is because of two controversial decisions. This is happening to us for the second consecutive against Duhail and we are very unfortunate,” he said. “The referee has to take decision for what he saw and not because of the pressure from the players. The Qatari referees are good, but the pressure from players affects them. They must be free to make decisions on their own,” he said.

Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira (right) speaks to the media while player Yasser Aboubaker looks on. For one final time this season, Duhail and Al Sadd go head to head, this time in HH The Amir Cup semi-final today. The two teams have produced edge-of-the-seat thrillers whenever they have clashed this season. QNB Stars League champions Duhail and runners-up Sadd were given byes into the quarter-final stage of HH The Amir Cup, where they got past Umm Salal and Al Khor respectively. And strangely, the two top teams in Qatar are drawn to face-off in the last four, while a title clash would have given a fitting end to a cracking rivalry. Nevertheless, one can expect another exhilarating contest at the Jassim bin Hamad stadium. The other semi-final between Al Gharafa and Al Rayyan will take place tomorrow at the same venue. Undoubtedly Al Sadd will carry a huge burden when they face their nemesis Duhail for more than one reason. The Wolves, coached by Jesualdo Ferreira, will also have a point to prove as they finished runners-up to Al Duhail in the league and Qatar Cup. Ferreira is also facing a dilemma whether to play a full strength side as there is another important game awaiting them on Monday – the AFC Champions League last-16 second leg. Sadd beat Saudi’s Al Ahli 2-1 at home last Monday but conceded an away goal, which makes the return leg in Jeddah a difficult one. After the Al Ahli match, Ferreira had complained how his players were suffering from fatigue. But the Portuguese manager knows he cannot afford to field a weaker line-up against arch rivals Duhail, that too in a prestigious tournament as HH The Amir Cup. While Ferreira admitted it will be tough on his players to play two crucial matches in four days, he said they had no option but go for broke. “Because if we win the body and mind recovers from the strain and stress fast,” said Ferreira yesterday. “We have an important semi-final match and we will meet one of the best Qatari and Asian teams. We played many exciting semi-final matches against Duhail and our goal tomorrow is to win and qualify for the final,” he added. To make matters worse for Sadd, striker Baghdad Bounedjah will miss the match, as he will serve his second suspension which the Algerian received for showing dissent during their Qatar Cup final loss. However, Spanish midfield star Xavi Hernandez will be back in action. Ferreira conceded Bounedjah’s absence will make it tough for them. He was also hopeful that referees would not make the same mistake that they did in the Qatar Cup final, when a contentious penalty was given to Duhail in injury time despite the availability of Video Assistant Referee (VAR). “But if they take the help of the video referrals and still make mistakes it is not fair. The VAR is here to assist teams, not to punish them,” he said. As for Duhail, they have had one less day to recover after an impressive Champions League win at UAE champions Al Ain. But they also play a day later to Sadd in the return leg at home with a 4-2 cushion and are favourites to go into the quarter-finals. Belmadi’s men are also keen on completing a treble of domestic trophies, so they will be up pumped up for the clash. “It’s true that AFC Champions League is a big priority for us but we want to win and get to the final of Amir Cup,” said Belmadi yesterday. “This is a chance for us to prove that we are capable of giving our best under stressful conditions. We have defeated Sadd three times this season, but this does not mean we are guaranteed our fourth victory. Every game has a different ambition and a different ambience,” the Algerian added. The Red Knights will be without the services of regular captain and attacking midfielder Youssef Msakni, who underwent a cruciate ligament knee surgery in the US on Monday. But as Duhail showed against Al Ain and in the Qatar Cup final, they are not a one-man team. South Korean playmaker Nam Tae-Hee has been outstanding so far, while Qatar international Almoez Ali has improved with every outing. They also have Karim Boudiaf and Moroccan striker Youssef El Arabi, who emerged as the QNB Stars League’s top scorer with 26 goals. El Arabi was the top scorer last season as well.

The 2011 AFC Champions League winners Al Sadd return to the knockout rounds for the first time since 2015 when they welcome Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli to Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha today. Sadd advanced to the knockout rounds with little fuss by winning four of their first five games in Group C, but failed to claim top spot after defeat to Persepolis on Matchday Six. Sadd have been in superb form at home, though, where they won all three of their group matches.  Jesualdo Ferreira’s side progressed to the semi-finals of Amir Cup with a 4-0 victory over Al Khor on Thursday to ensure they go into the clash with Al Ahli on form, although they are without the suspended defender Pedro Correia after his booking in the final group match ruled him out of the first leg. Ali Asad and Jugurtha Hamroun will also be missing in action due to injuries. Hamroun is recovering from a knee problem, while Ali is nursing a muscle cramp. Striker Baghdad Bounedjah has been one of the form players on the continent and leads the scoring charts with seven goals. Algerian Bounedjah and Spanish midfield star Xavi Hernandez, who both missed the match against Al Khor due to suspension for dissent during their Qatar Cup final loss to Al Duhail recently, will be back in action. Quarter-finalists last year, Al Ahli were unbeaten in Group A, winning four from six to finish on top of the standings to qualify for the knockout rounds for the fifth time in seven years. The 2012 runners-up will be looking to make up for the disappointment of narrowly missing out on the Saudi Pro League title to Al Hilal in mid-April by producing a strong run on the continent. They will, however, be without the suspended Salman Muwashar for the match with Al Sadd. The teams meet in the competition for a third time. Speaking ahead of the match yesterday, Ferreira expected a tough duel against Al Ahli.  “We are delighted to be at this stage of the competition. Al Ahli is on a similar level to Al Sadd and that is why this match is going to be a strong one. We will seek to win at home to increase our chances of qualifying for the next round,” he said. “It’s one of the most important games of the season for us. We hope to score and not concede before we play the return leg in Saudi next week,” the Portuguese added. Ferreira was not concerned over the absence of Correia,  Asad and Hamroun. “I do not think it will affect us a lot. We have a huge squad and there are players to fill in for the injured.”   Al Sadd’s full-back Hamid Ismail said: “Both teams are known to be strong and have a long history. We know the importance of this match which is being played at our home. We will look to win it before going (to Jeddah) there to play at their ground. We hope we can get a satisfactory result. I think Al Sadd are capable of doing it, considering how prepared we are.” “We are focusing on giving everything we have towards this clash. We hope we can win it and give happiness to the fans who will come to support us.” Duhail in action tomorrow  Tomorrow, QNB Stars League champions Al Duhail will square off against UAE’s Al Ain at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain in what promises to be one of the most intriguing match-ups in the Round of 16. The two sides were unbeaten in group stage. Duhail were arguably the most impressive team of the group stage as the Qatari side won all six of their Group B games to storm into the last 16.  Duhail players trained in Doha yesterday before leaving for Al Ain in the evening.  Al Ain drew their first four Group D games but then won their final two as they produced when it mattered once more to return to the knockout rounds.

QNB Stars League and Qatar Cup champions Al Duhail will begin their Amir Cup campaign today as they aim for a treble of trophies.  Djamel Belmadi’s men are one of the top four teams from the QNB Stars League – along with Al Sadd, Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa – which received a bye to the quarter-final stage of the competition. First up for Duhail, as they bid for a historic treble is Umm Salal, with the quarter-final tie to be held today at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium at 8pm.  The last two times these two sides met, Duhail thrashed Umm Salal 4-1 and 5-0 and it’s no surprise who will go into the match as overwhelming favourites.  But a Cup match can always spring a surprise. If Umm Salal can grit out in regulation time and keep Duhail’s goal scorers at bay, then with no extra time to be played, anything is possible in penalty shootout. But to get past Belmadi’s boys, who went unbeaten to clinch the league title and came back from a goal down to beat Al Sadd in the Qatar Cup final last week, Umm Salal players will have to play match of their lives. Belmadi is just not ready to rest on his laurels and is eager to win the Amir’s Cup and AFC Champions League, where they have reached last 16 as group toppers.  “I’m happy to win these two tournaments — the QNB Stars League and the Qatar Cup — with Al Duhail. But the season isn’t over yet. We’ve the Amir’s Cup and Champions League remaining,” said Belmadi  “We’ve been working hard, preparing in earnest and doing our best. I’m happy to be coaching this set of players. The most important factor is result. I’m here to win trophies. The club is improving and the players are performing well. We’ve had a wonderful season, but we can definitely win more titles,” added the Algerian. With the line-up consisting of South Korean playmaker Nam Tae-Hee, Qatar internationals Almoez Ali and Karim Boudiaf and Moroccan striker Youssef El Arabi, who emerged as the QNB Stars League’s top scorer with 26 goals, Belmadi can dream of lifting the Amir Cup at the Khalifa Stadium on May 19. Duhail though will continue to miss the services of Tunisian star midfielder Youssef Msakni, who sustained a knee injury during their last league match against Al Sailiya and is ruled out for the rest of the season. Despite a plethora of quality in his side, Belmadi was wary of Umm Salal and said the prestigious Amir Cup can bring out the best in any team. “We have to forget what has happened so far. We were suffering from fatigue after a difficult Qatar Cup final against Al Sadd. But it’s a new tournament and we have to be on top of our game. The schedule is a bit hectic but in any case we must be ready,” he said yesterday.  “We respect Umm Salal and respect all out opponents. Our goal is to win the title and qualify for the final at the Khalifa stadium,” he added. Meanwhile, Umm Salal, who finished an impressive fifth place in the QNB Stars League, had a bye to the third round. They outplayed Al Kharaitiyat 5-0 to advance into the quarter-finals of the Amir Cup. But against Duhail, they won’t find it that easy.  Umm Salal’s Moroccan coach Talal El Karkouri conceded it will be a very difficult game for his side and was hoping to exploit any weakness in Duhail. The Moroccan said Umm Salal will go into the game in a positive mode and fighting spirit.  “We respect Duhail, who have had a great season so far. It won’t be easy to stop them. But any team in team in the world has strengths and weaknesses. We have to exploit their weaknesses and play to our strength,” he said. “Duhail has players who are able to pass the ball efficiently. They play with a good system both when they are in possession of the ball and also when they don’t have the ball,” added Karkouri. Umm Salal defender Khalid al-Zekiba said: “The match will not be easy and we will fight to win. It is true that Al Duhail are a top team, but there is no team in the world that cannot be defeated.”

Nasser al-Ghazali clinched the Big Tour overall title in style by winning the feature event of the 12th and final leg of the Hathab Series yesterday. At Al Shaqab’s indoor arena, al-Ghazali piloted the 15-year-old gelding Quel Homme to victory, which earned the Qatari rider the overall title of the inaugural national equestrian tour. It was a close affair as Hamad Nasser al-Qadi threw his hat in the ring but he finished second on the night with St. Lucia, three points behind al-Ghazali. A victory yesterday in the final leg of the Big Tour class fetched 30 points. In a thrilling finale, both al-Ghazali and al-Qadi needed a victory to walk away with the overall title. And it was al-Ghazali who held his nerves to emerge triumphant and finish with 177 points to al-Qadi’s 174. Rashid Towaim al-Marri, who finished sixth yesterday, with 12-year-old mare Beyonce, was third overall with 171 points. Even a second-place finish would have given al-Marri the title. In the final event, Cyrine Cherif took the third spot with Gerlin Vd Waterkant.  The Medium Tour overall title was won by Saeed Nasser al-Qadi, despite the rider not taking part in the final leg of the series. Saeed tallied 187 points and had already wrapped up the title in 10th leg. The final leg of the Medium Tour was won by Ahmed Mohamed al-Badi, who guided Wadi Rum D D H to fastest time. Jaber Rashid al-Amri (Jazly) came second, while Sheikh Abdulla Bin Nasser al-Thani (Dollar Van De Zuuthoeve) was third. In the Small Tour class, Ghanim Nasser al-Qadi finished second yesterday but it was enough for the rider to seal the overall title. Ghanim and his trusted horse Daydreamer EC came clear in 29.61secs in jump-off. Mohamed al-Ghazali came second Ghanim overall but was victorious in the final leg, as he led Michael Jackson to fastest time jump-off in 28.04secs. Mohamed Nasser al-Qadi was third with Vlacido. Meanwhile, Hamad Bin Abdulrahman al-Attiyah, Chairman of the Asian and Qatari Equestrian Federation, was pleased with the success of the inaugural Hathab series. He pointed out that the 12-leg championship had achieved its goal and will be developed for the better next year. “I want to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of the Hathab series,” al-Attiyah said. On the increase of the prize money – which was QR1mn this year – al-attiyah said: “All aspects of the championship will be studied further and we will decide on the prize money in due course. We are keen that the series goes further in popularity and will take steps to ensure that.” Results Big Tour, Table A, Two rounds with jump off (2n Rounds), Art. 273.3.4.1+ 4.4+2.2, 130/140 cm, Prize Money QAR 60,000 1. Nasser al-Ghazali. Horse: Quel Homme. Time: 76.13secs. Prize money: QR16,800 2. Hamad Nasser al-Qadi. St. Lucia. 72.71secs. QR13,500 3. Cyrine Cherif. Gerlin Vd Waterkant. 78.63secs. QR10,500 Comp. (12) Medium Tour, Table A, Two rounds with jump off (2nd Round), Art. 273.3.4.1+ 4.4+2.2, 120/130 cm, Prize Money:QR40,000 1. Ahmed Mohamed al-Badi. Horse: Wadi Rum D D H. Time: 74.90secs. Jump off: 36.44secs. Prize money: QR11,000 2. Jaber Rashid al-Amri. Jazly. 72.54secs. Jump off: 41.95secs. QR9,000 3. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Nasser al-Thani. Dollar Van De Zuuthoeve. 69.34secs. QR7,000 Small Tour, Table A, Two rounds with jump off (2nd Rond), Art. 273.3.4.1+ 4.4+2.2, 100/115 cm, Prize Money QAR 25,000 1. Mohammed al-Ghazali. Horse: Michael Jackson. Time: 55.84secs. Jump off: 28.04secs. Prize money: QR6,250 2. Ghanim Nasser al-Qadi. Daydreamer EC. 53.39secs. jump off: 29.61secs.  QR5,000 3. Mohamed Nasser al-Qadi. Vlacido. 53.60secs. QAR 3,750.00 Dressage Level 1 - Test C, Prize Money: QR10,000 1 Ali Mohamed al-Marri. Fernhill Friendly Touch. Score: 67.500. Prize money: QR2,800 2. Jessica Waldon. Lusso Del Castegno. 66.071. QR2,300 3. Saeed Hamad al-Rashdi. Graffiti de Lully CH. 65.000. QR1,750 Dressage Level 2 - Test C, Prize Money: QR5,000 1. Mennatallah Hesham Mourad. Horse: Quick Dance. Score: 67.500. Prize money: QR1,400 2.  Maryam Ahmed Alsemaitt. Jana. 63.750. QR1,150 3. Aisha Ahmed al-Ahmadi. Juste D’adaelle. 61.667. QR875

The Medium Tour podium winners pose with the officials. Salmeen Sultan al-Suwaidi was once again the rider to beat as the Qatari topped the Big Tour class on the opening day of the 12th and the final leg of the Hathab national equestrian series. At the indoor arena of Al Shaqab yesterday, the 23-year-old Salmeen astride Guilder’s Empire of the Sun posted the fastest time of 57.52 seconds to emerge triumphant.  Salmeen had also stormed to wins in two categories in the 11th and penultimate round of the Hathab held at Souq Waqif fortnight ago. He and Guilder’s Empire of the Sun was once again in their elements yesterday. They combined to a flawless and faultless routine in Table A, One round against the clock (130/140cm) 238.2.1 class event, which earned the rider QR8,250 in prize money. Salmeen, who also competes for Qatar internationally, has missed out on seven legs of Hathab but has dominant in the five including this round. Given his excellent show, he could well be among the top overall finishers tomorrow, when the winners will be declared as the six month long Hathab series come to an end.  Hamad Nasser al-Qadi on S I E C Lonnie was second with a time of 61.19secs. He was followed by Nasser al-Ghazali on Quel Homme in third in a time of 63.73secs.  In the Medium Tour, Mohamed Said Haidan riding mare Applebee took the top spot. The winning time was 62.87secs. The second place went to Mohamed Sultan al-Suwaidi on Numero Uno-T came in 65.63secs while Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani astride Dollar Van De Zuuthoeve finished third in 69.50secs. The Small Tour was dominated by Abdulla Rashid al-Amri, who won the One round against the clock (100/115cm) 238.2.1 class event on his mount Cinderella B clocking 50.47secs. Mohammed al-Ghazali on Casanova SCH was second (50.65secs) and Ghanim Nasser al-Qadi third on Daydreamer EC (51.15secs). The final round of Hathab is a three-day competition and will continue till tomorrow.  The best seven results out of the total twelve will be taken into account and accordingly the winners will be announced for each and every category. Hathab, meaning “Canter” in Arabic, is an initiative of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee. The Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) and Al Shaqab equestrian centre forged a new alliance to conduct the Hathab series which carries a total prize-money of QR1 million and began in October 2017. Results Big Tour, Table A, One round against the clock , Art. 238.2.1, 130/140 cm, Prize Money: QR 30,000 1. Salmeen Sultan al-Suwaidi. Horse: Guilder’s Empire Of The Sun. Time: 57.52secs. Prize money: QR8,250  2. Hamad Nasser al-Qadi. S I E C Lonnie. 61.19secs. QR6,000  3. Nasser al-Ghazali. Quel Homme. 63.73secs. QR4,500  Medium Tour, Table A, One round against the clock, Art. 238.2.1, 120/130 cm, Prize Money: QR20,000 1. Mohamed Said Haidan. Horse: Apple Bee. Time: 62.87secs. Prize money: QR5,000  2. Mohamed Sultan al-Suwaidi. Numero Uno – T. 65.63secs. QR4,000  3. Shiekh Abdulla bin Nasser al-Thani. Dollar Van De Zuuthoeve.  69.50secs. QR3,000  Small Tour, Table A, One round against the clock , Art. 238.2.1, 100/115 cm, Prize Money: QR10,000 1. Abdulla Rashid al-Amri. Horse: Cinderella B. Time: 50.47secs. Prize money: QR2,500  2. Mohammed al-Ghazali. Casanova SCH. 50.65secs. QR2,000  3. Ghanim Nasser al-Qadi. Daydreamer EC. 51.15secs. QR1,500

Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah is the overwhelming favourite for the Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally championship, which will begin today, with the Qatari ace driver aiming to close the gap on his rivals for the overall championship title race. Having decided to skip the two rounds of this year’s series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in March, al-Attiyah lost crucial points and is lagging behind for the World Cup title. In his absence, Czech driver Martin Prokop and Poland’s Jakub Przygonski seized the advantage. Prokop, driving a Ford F-150 Evo, currently leads his X-raid MINI rival Przygonski by nine points heading into their Qatar showdown. Al-Attiyah is 63 points adrift of the series leader. But the Qatari icon said he does not regret skipping the two rounds of the series in the UAE and is confident of taking full 60 points on offer this week and bounce back into contention. “I was not interested in competing in Dubai and Abu Dhabi because of what is happening to my country. I prefer to start here in Qatar. We won the first round of the World Cup, this will be the fourth round of the championship. I am happy. I believe in myself and I will do my best to win the race and come back into the championship race,” he said yesterday, on the sidelines of the Ceremonial Start in Katara.   Home advantage will certainly be on al-Attiyah side, with him having won all but one of the six Qatar Cross-Country Rallies that have run since it joined the FIA World Cup calendar in 2012. The last four victories have been earned with French co-driver Matthieu Baumel and the duo is the clear favourites to give the two-time Dakar Rally winner a sixth victory on home sand. “Of course I have the home advantage,” said al-Attiyah with a beaming smile.  “Everyone knows I have a good experience. We have a good car – the V8-engined Toyota Hilux and we will prepare well for the race. We need to be clever to take 60 points. It’s a big challenge every year, with top drivers coming for the championship. It will not be easy. I am focused on this race because it’s a very important one and it’s our aim to win. It will not be easy but I believe in myself that I can win. I have a lot of experience in this kind of races,” he added.     The FIA-sanctioned event will be supported by several riders in an FIM cross-country rally and a strong line-up of Middle East competitors taking part in the Manateq Qatar Baja. The strong line-up also features Russia’s Vladimir Vasilyev, who has been consistent this season and scored some useful points in the UAE. The MINI One driver is third in the rankings – 24 points behind Prokop. Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Seaidan and 2009 Dakar winner Giniel de Villiers of South Africa are the other contenders. Meanwhile, Qatar’s Adel Abdulla will be looking to take the lead in the FIA T2 Championship for series production cross-country vehicles. Abdulla is currently six points behind Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Shegawi. The Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol drivers will continue their dusty duel through the Qatari deserts. Russia’s Yuliya Migunova-Khegay and Romania’s Laurentiu Claudiu Barbu will also be scrapping for points in T2. Abdulla was confident going into the race. “It’s a pleasure to race at home. We did a good job in 2016. We were leading in Qatar for a long time but suffered some technical issues. So we are hoping to win the race this time and take 50 points and lead the championship,” Abdulla said.  Spain’s Jose Luis Pena Campo currently holds a one-point lead over French veteran Claude Fournier in the T3 category and the two Polaris RZR 1000 drivers will renew their rivalry in Qatar. The dusty and rocky deserts are not ideally suited to the lightweight T3 vehicles and the likes of Spaniard Santiago Navarro, Russian Ravil Maginov and Italy’s Michele Cinotto will need to err on the side of caution if they are to reach the finish of each of the demanding desert stages. The Super Special Stage will be held at 4:15pm at the Motocross Track of the Losail International Circuit. Tomorrow the Stage 2 will start at 7:30am, with Stage 3, Stage 4 and Stage 5 to be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Losail Circuit Sports Club Vice-President and GM Khalid al-Remaihi applauds Valentino Rossi, while at right, winner Andrea Dovizioso (C) second-placed Marc Marquez (L) and Rossi celebrate on the podium. Reigning champion Marc Marquez had singled out Andrea Dovizioso as the most dangerous opponent, heading into the opening race of the MotoGP season. The Ducati rider had started from the fifth position to Marquez’s second. But it hardly mattered for the Italian when the lights went out as he edged out Marquez’s Honda by just 0.027seconds to clinch the Grand Prix of Qatar last night. The Losail International Circuit is known to produce close races and once again the crowd were on their feet as Dovizioso and Marquez jostled for victory in the final corner.  In the end, it was Ducati’s superior straight speed and Dovizioso’s tyre management that gave the Italian his ninth MotoGP career victory and first in Qatar. The crowd favourite Valentino Rossi came third on his Yamaha as the nine-time world champion proved he still has it in him – three days after signing a new contract to race until the end of 2020 season, when he will be 41! It was a forgettable night for Tech 3 Yamaha’s Johann Zarco, who followed his record-breaking lap in the qualifying, by finishing a disappointing eighth. Frenchman Zarco knew he had a real fight on his hand, despite starting from the front, with factory riders holding the advantage over him with superior race pace.  And he his did best to thwart the danger of Marquez and Dovizioso, before being pushed to third. Dovizioso and Marquez finally made their moves during lap 18 of 22, both passing Zarco at Turn 1 and quickly leaving the Frenchman behind to engage in their own private duel for victory. Rossi, too, passed Zarco on the same lap as Dovizioso and Marquez but couldn’t keep up the pace in the closing laps. It was an enthralling final five laps though as the Dovizioso and Marquez continued their battles from last year in Austria and Japan. Both times Dovizioso had managed to beat Marquez on the last lap. And he did it again on the night, but not without some drama. With Marquez attempting a pass at the final corner on the last lap, Dovizioso managed to edge back ahead exiting the turn, getting superior traction and out-dragging Marquez to the finish line by a tiny margin of 0.027secs. Dovizioso said the pressure was on him going into the race, admitting there was an ‘obligation’ for him to win in Qatar. “I did three second positions (in previous years in Qatar), so before I came here it was like an obligation to win here,” he said. “The bike worked very well so it was easier than in the past. Our front tyre worked very well, our bike and my riding style worked really good for the tyre. But the rear was very soft, softer than the softest last year. That’s why we didn’t push for three-quarters of the race; that’s why when (Johann) Zarco was in front, nobody pushed,” he added. Marquez said the second-place finish was like a victory for him and Honda, having in the past struggled at the Losail circuit. And Dovizioso couldn’t agree more with the Spaniard, admitting Marquez had a better bike than last year.  “That is the bad part of the race, because it confirms Honda has improved the bike and Marc is there to give a good fight,” Dovizioso said. For Marquez, it was the best he could do and was clearly outdone by Ducati’s straight speed. But it also showed the 22-year-old Spaniard will one of the strong favourites for the world title.    “I tried to push my 100 percent. I knew before the race here, maybe it is one of the most difficult tracks for me. But even then I tried and when Dovi was pushing, I went to the limit,” Marquez said. “It was close in the last corner and I thought Dovi would overtake me before the finish line with the slipstream, which he did. But I am very happy because podium here was the main target. I have finished second and we lost only five points - really happy,” he added. Rossi, who won one race in 2017 and finished fifth overall despite breaking his leg at the end of August, had a good race compared to his Spanish teammate Maverick Vinales. Last year’s winner here in Qatar, Vinales finished sixth this time. Rossi was happy with the podium and said the Yamaha was in good shape this year but he added they needed to do more to beat Ducati and Honda. “I expect more compared to last year, because with this year’s bike I feel good,” said Rossi, who also finished third in Qatar in 2017. “I know that Marquez and Dovizioso are faster at the moment, they have a little bit more, so when Dovi went in front I tried to give 120 percent to stay with them. Thanks to my team, thanks to Yamaha and we try to continue this It’s a very good way to start the season.” Meanwhile, Cal Crutchlow was fourth on the LCR Honda, ahead of Danilo Petrucci’s Pramac Ducati. There was heartbreak for Suzuki as Alex Rins, who was in for a podium finish in the first half of the race but crashed out at turn two on lap 13. His teammate Andrea Iannone picked up points for the Japanese manufacturer in ninth place, while Jack Miller rounded out the top ten on his Pramac Ducati debut. Results MotoGP 1. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Ducati) 42:34.654, 2. Marc Marquez (ESP/Honda) at 0.027, 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 0.797, 4. Cal Crutchlow (GBR/LCR Honda) 2.881, 5. Danilo Petrucci (ITA/Ducati Pramac) 3.821, 6. Maverick Vinales (ESP/Yamaha) 3.888, 7. Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 4.621, 8. Johann Zarco (FRA/Yamaha Tech3) 7.112, 9. Andrea Iannone (ITA/Suzuki) 12.957, 10. Jack Miller (AUS/Ducati Pramac) 14.594  Moto2 1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Kalex) 40:19.802, 2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA/Kalex) at 0.12, 3. Alex Marquez (ESP/Kalex) 5.625  Moto3 1. Jorge Martin (ESP/Honda) 38:18.207, 2. Aron Canet (ESP/Honda) at 0.023, 3. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA/Honda) 6.746

Having taken a tumble during the final practice session, Johann Zarco threw caution to the wind in qualifying as the Frenchman grabbed pole position in stunning fashion for today’s Grand Prix of Qatar. At the Losail International Circuit last evening, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider set the track on fire as he smashed Jorge Lorenzo’s ten-year-old lap record. Zarco showed why he his highly-rated as the 25-year-old produced best lap time of 1:53.680 seconds. The eye-catching lap beat the previous record of Lorenzo set in 2008 by 0.247s. It was his third premier class pole by 0.202s ahead of reigning champion Marc Marquez’s Honda. Danilo Petrucci set a lap just 0.005s slower than Marquez to take the final spot on the front row and end up the best of the Ducati runners on his Pramac-run GP18. Zarco later said the crash in practice was not on his mind as he went for broke in the qualifying 2. “I am pretty happy, it’s the best way to start the season,” said Zarco. “I had a crash on FP4 but I didn’t have any doubts over that crash. It’s not funny to be down before qualifying. But then I knew that with a new tyre and light bike I was feeling good. Since this morning, I got back my feeling that I had during the test. And to beat the lap record, that makes me really happy,” he added. The 2015 Moto2 champion admitted, despite being on front, a victory under lights was not a guarantee. But starting from pole position would give him a best chance to stand on top of the podium. “Tomorrow is the main thing. I will try to win, try to be on the podium. It looks the pace is not the best one, but at least to start from pole is the best chance to catch a good result,” Zarco said. Marquez was quickest on the first runs and led on a 1m54.368s, but was then knocked off the top spot by Andrea Dovizioso, who set a 1m54.074s on his Ducati. Dovizioso impressed the most in the practice session and looked good for pole heading into the final stages. But the Italian was shunted down to fifth in the final order amid a late flurry of improvements led by Zarco and Marquez. “I am happy because normally in Qatar I have struggled quite a lot. My target was to try and be on the front row. I feel like I am on pole position,” said Marquez. “Johann was riding amazing, I follow him, he was one step in front of us. But anyway tomorrow the race is long, many laps, time to be constant and try to manage,” the 22-year-old Spaniard added. LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow too got the better of Dovizioso for fourth place. Alex Rins completed the second row on the best of the Suzukis behind Dovizioso, ahead of Dani Pedrosa’s Honda and Valentino Rossi, who was 0.709s off the pace on the quicker of the two works Yamahas. Meanwhile, Marc VDS’ Alex Marquez claimed the pole in Moto2 ahead of Pons rider Lorenzo Baldassarri. In Moto3, SIC58 Squadra Corse rider Nico Antonelli will start from the front after setting a fastest lap by just a thousandth of a second.