The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Cuba's Moreno wins third Pan-Am hammer title with record
- Wozniacki, Sharapova lead field in Istanbul
- Hafizh has come a long way since his pocket bike racing days
| Cuba's Moreno wins third Pan-Am hammer title with record Posted: 24 Oct 2011 04:48 PM PDT GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Reuters) - Cuban hammer thrower Yipsi Moreno was the first gold medal winner in athletics at the Pan-American Games, breaking her Games record with the last throw of the competition on Monday. An elated Moreno, who took her third consecutive gold at the Games with a throw of 75.62 metres, was in tears as she told reporters she could not imagine a better way to bid farewell to the quadrennial event. "I feel radiant, proud, thrilled to help my country. These are my last Pan-American Games and to have finished like this, I leave happy," the 30-year-old said. Moreno had already clinched victory with 73.67 metres from her first effort, followed by four no-throws, before she found a near-perfect turn to hurl the hammer 42 centimetres further than when she won in Rio de Janeiro in 2007. As she went up for the last throw of her career as an elite athlete, she said that all the effort which that has involved, along with the support from her family, flashed across her mind. "I send greetings to my son, my mother, the Cuban people, the whole world... (President) Fidel (Castro)," she said as she walked away choking back tears. Canadian Sultana Frizell, the only other competitor to surpass 70 metres, won the silver medal with 70.11 and Amber Campbell of the United States was third with 69.93. Mexico's Marisol Romero, coming in to a huge roar from the home crowd on the new state-of-the-art track, won the women's 10,000 metres in 34 minutes 7.24 seconds. She finished half a lap ahead of second-placed Brazilian Cruz da Silva with Yolanda Caballero of Colombia third, almost a whole lap adrift. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Wozniacki, Sharapova lead field in Istanbul Posted: 24 Oct 2011 04:47 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Three of the year's grand slam champions and world number one Caroline Wozniacki, whose CV still has a conspicuous blank in the majors column, line up in Istanbul this week as the WTA Tour finals make their debut in Turkey. The eight-player event will bring the curtain down on a topsy-turvy year for the women's game in which Serena Williams, the best player of her generation, returned and three first-timers won majors. Denmark's Wozniacki was handed a tough assignment in Red Group which also includes Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic, Russia's Vera Zvonareva and Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, the last player to book her place at the season-ender. Three-times grand slam champion and former world number one Maria Sharapova, who rekindled her career this year after battling back from injury, is joined in White Group by Victoria Azarenka, French Open winner Li Na and Australian Samantha Stosur who beat Serena Williams to win the U.S. Open. Sharapova is making her first appearance at the prestigious finale since 2007 and is aiming to win it for a second time, having triumphed in 2004. It would go some way to making up for the disappointment of failing to add to her grand-slam haul this year despite rediscovering her powerful best. "I think we all know what to expect going into the groups. It's the top eight girls of the year," the 24-year-old Russian said after the draw. "You're going to get a tough group either way and a tough opponent. I think it's just a matter of being ready from the first round on." Consistency is the watchword of Wozniacki with six titles to her name this year, although failing to reach a grand slam final gave more ammunition to the critics who question her ability to rise to the really big occasions. She reached the final in Doha last year and would love to go one better in what is a high-quality field that resembles the last eight of a slam. "It's a tough group, obviously, but both groups are tough. It's great players. I'm going in there just hoping to play my best tennis and we'll see what happens," she said. Li Na is the first Chinese player to qualify for the WTA finals, although since becoming a national hero at Roland Garros, she has suffered a worrying loss of form. A meeting with Sharapova may prove inspirational, however, as it was the Russian she beat in the semi-finals at the French Open. Round-robin action begins on Tuesday at the Sinan Erdem Arena. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Hafizh has come a long way since his pocket bike racing days Posted: 24 Oct 2011 03:52 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah was just nine years old when he began mucking about in his father's motorcycle workshop in Kampung Pandan after school every day. Hafizh was so keen to learn about motorbikes that he did not mind getting his hands dirty – even though he was of no help to his father, Shafie Harun. And from there, his interest in motorbikes blossomed into a real passion for motor-racing. "I learnt to get to know the motorbikes first before I took an interest in motor-racing," said the 17-year-old Hafizh, who is currenly racing in the SuperSports 600cc class with Team Petronas Syntium Moto Yamaha Raceline in the Asia Road Racing Championships. "My dad, seeing my keen interest in motorbikes, introduced me to pocket bike races. My interest grew stronger after taking part in the races. "I feel that if I hadn't been introduced to pocket bike races back then, I would not have been able to compete at a higher level now," added Hafizh, who idolises Spanish ace Jorge Lorenzo. * Full story in The Star today. If you have a similar story to share e-mail us at |
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