The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Bolt and Pearson named Athletes of the Year
- Vintage Federer reaches maiden Paris final
- Former Somerset captain and writer Roebuck dead at 55
| Bolt and Pearson named Athletes of the Year Posted: 12 Nov 2011 05:05 PM PST MONACO, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Jamaican Usain Bolt and Australian Sally Pearson were named Athletes of the Year by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on Saturday. Bolt, winning the award for the third time, bounced back from disqualification for false starting in the world 100 metres final to retain his 200m title, before anchoring Jamaica to win the 4x100m relay in a world record time. Pearson enjoyed a phenomenal season, winning 15 of 16 races and taking the world 100m hurdles title in 12.28 seconds, the fastest time in 19 years. Bolt beat compatriot and 100m world champion Yohan Blake, along with Kenyan David Rudisha, to the award, while Pearson pipped Kenyan world 5,000 and 10,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot and world shot put champion Valerie Adams of New Zealand. Bolt was in less dominant form this year after returning from a back injury that ended his 2010 season, but still clocked the fastest 100m of the season (9.76secs) in Brussels on Sept. 16, the same night that Blake ran the second fastest 200m of all time - second only to the Olympic champion. Blake's superb run in the Belgian capital earned him male performance of the year. "This season was a really trying one for me, I really had to work hard and step up my game," Bolt told a news conference before heading to an IAAF gala to receive his award. "There were some close races. I really had to push myself - there were some ups and downs throughout the season. For me this one (award) means a lot, I'm really proud of myself." Pearson, 25, is the first Australian to win the award since it was introduced in 1988. Her Daegu run made her the fourth fastest woman of all time over 100m hurdles, but the 2008 Olympic silver medallist said she could improve. "I'm quite a perfectionist when it comes to my technique, there are quite a few things I can improve on," she said. "You can never be truly happy with a race until you have won an Olympic gold medal, and that's what I want to do next year." Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Vintage Federer reaches maiden Paris final Posted: 12 Nov 2011 05:04 PM PST PARIS, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The Roger Federer of old let his class do the talking in a 6-4 6-3 dismissal of Czech Tomas Berdych to reach his maiden Paris Masters final on Saturday. The Swiss third seed, looking to become only the second player after Andre Agassi to win titles at Roland Garros and Bercy, dropped just 10 points on serve as he set up a meeting with Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who saw off American John Isner 3-6 7-6 7-6 in the other semi-final after saving three match points. Former world number one Federer, who for the first time since 2002 has played a season without claiming a grand slam title, was in another league against fifth-seeded Berdych. Asked if he was playing the best tennis of his career at Bercy, Federer joked: "Yes, I think. "Let's say it: Yes, I do. It doesn't make any difference, but I think I'm more consistent now. I'm able to play several matches in a row, which I had a problem with before. "This is the first time I've played several matches (here) and I was able to prove myself," added the Swiss, who has won only two titles this year - his worst total since 2001. Federer, who became the first player to reach the final of all nine Masters tournaments, got off to a brilliant start by breaking Berdych's serve to open a 2-0 lead. Sprinkling the court with winners, the Swiss kept the aggressive Czech at bay and bagged the opening set with another scorching forehand. He broke again in the first game of the second set and never looked back during a brilliant 80-minute display. Berdych, who was impressive in his quarter-final against Briton Andy Murray on Friday, struggled to cope with Federer's array of shots and failed to earn a break point. "I'm pretty confident to say that that's the old Roger, like he was playing, you know, the years that he was really winning everything," Berdych, who prevailed in the Paris indoor tournament in 2005, told a press conference. "We can count (his) unforced errors maybe on the fingers on one hand, which is incredible. He started every set really great and just didn't give me any chance at all." Both players, as well as Tsonga, will be at the ATP World Tour Finals in London from Nov. 20-27. CLOSER AFFAIR The Tsonga v Isner match was a closer affair, with only one break of serve throughout. Isner broke in the sixth game and held serve to clinch the first set, but the sixth-seeded Tsonga, the 2008 Bercy champion, upped his game in the second set, forcing his opponent to serve big to stave off three break points. Isner lost his cool in the tiebreak, won 7-1 by Tsonga, who enjoyed the backing of the 14,500 crowd. The local favourite went 40-0 up on Isner's serve at 4-4 in the decider, but it was his time to lose composure, and the semi-final went down to the wire after Tsonga saved three match points in the 12th game. Tsonga, who made the semi-final after world number one Novak Djokovic withdrew injured, opened a 3-0 lead and won the tiebreaker 7-3 with a forehand winner down the line after two hours, 58 minutes. "At the beginning I was too tense, but then I just tried to enjoy myself and that's how I play my best tennis," Tsonga told reporters. Next is Federer, a player he has met five times this year, winning twice. "I'll have to be able to go into the court, go forward against Roger," Tsonga said. Isner said of his defeat: "In tennis - just in any sport - you come so close to winning, and then it gets taken away from you. "I had three chances. I was one point away from being in the final. So it wasn't to be. He came up with the goods, and hats off to him." Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Former Somerset captain and writer Roebuck dead at 55 Posted: 12 Nov 2011 05:02 PM PST SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Peter Roebuck, the former captain of English county Somerset and one of the finest cricket writers of his time, has been found dead at the age of 55 in his hotel in South Africa, the Sydney Morning Herald said on Sunday. Roebuck, who scored more than 17,000 first class runs, was instrumental in the departure of West Indians Viv Richards and Joel Garner, as well as England captain Ian Botham, from Somerset during his tempestuous reign as captain in the late 1980s. After retiring from the game in 1991, Roebuck moved to Australia and forged a career as a stylish and strongly opinionated cricket writer for the Herald, Melbourne's the Age and latterly the hugely popular Cricinfo website. "Peter was a wonderful writer who was the bard of summer for cricket-loving Australians," said Ian Fuge, the Herald's managing editor of sport. "He was also an extraordinary bloke who will be sorely missed." Roebuck, whose straw hat made him instantly recognisable in the press box, was in Cape Town covering Australia's test series against South Africa. "It is believed he was spoken to by police earlier in the day," the Herald report of his death said. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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