The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Schumacher faces final curtain call
- Buffalo Solider, Olympic star Dillard hailed
- Nadal to make Abu Dhabi, Doha return
| Schumacher faces final curtain call Posted: 23 Nov 2012 07:02 PM PST SAO PAULO: In the expected tumult of the championship celebrations that will follow Sunday's championship-deciding Brazilian Grand Prix, one man will linger, take it all in and make a quiet, dignified exit. Michael Schumacher, veteran of 305 Grands Prix starts, 91 race wins and seven world championships, will bid farewell to a sport he has graced, upset, laced with controversy and at times turned into a processional march through the record books. When the 43-year-old parks his Mercedes in the team garage on Sunday he will begin his second retirement, three seasons after his return to the sport and after rarely reproducing the speed and aggression of his years at Jordan, Benetton and Ferrari. But he will do so knowing he has created moments of drama and delivered hints of the talent that once burned so brilliantly. "This time round, I will be able to pay more attention to my farewell and hopefully savour it too," said Schumacher, when asked to reflect on his feelings ahead of his final race. "I have had fantastic years in Formula One and a lot of support from fans around the world, and I wish to particularly thank them for that. "Of course, I would be happiest if I could say goodbye with a strong race and I am sure we will be doing everything we can to make it happen." For Schumacher's fans, as in 2006, there is an air of disappointment about his exit because it has come not by choice, but circumstance. When he retired after the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix, it was after Ferrari had made clear they were signing Kimi Raikkonen from McLaren. This time around, it is another McLaren driver, Lewis Hamilton, who has to be accommodated by the German's departure as Mercedes build for the future. But unlike 2006, Schumacher is not involved in a title battle with Fernando Alonso. Instead, he will be battling to score his first points since the Italian Grand Prix in September and secure a mid-table finish. "My departure will probably be less emotional for me this time than in 2006, when we were still fighting for the championship and everything was much more intense," said Schumacher. "I am hoping to do a decent competitive race and to be able to enjoy it." For the F1 fraternity, even those absorbed by another potentially-thrilling finale to the season between championship leader Sebastian Vettel and Alonso, Schumacher's last race and retirement is sure to be emotionally charged. After 306 races, few of the drivers are without the bruises to show as proof of their scraps with the man Mercedes team chief Ross Brawn this week described as "probably the best Formula One driver of all time". Brawn was with Schumacher at both Benetton and Ferrari and is widely regarded as the architect of his seven championship triumphs - a haul that is unlikely to be challenged in the near future. "It will be an emotional weekend for everyone in the team," said Brawn. "We have both greatly enjoyed and benefited from working with Michael over the past three years and I would like to pay tribute to his enduring commitment, passion and team spirit. "The results that we all hoped for over that period have not come to fruition, however the progress that our team has made has been significant and I am confident that we will see the rewards in seasons to come. "Having worked with Michael for the majority of the 21 seasons of his career, I feel that he is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Formula One driver of all time and we wish him the very best with his future plans." If statistics tell a story, they tell supreme success for Schumacher: 306 races (including Brazil), 91 wins, seven drivers' world titles, 68 poles and 77 fastest laps. Schumacher bows out with a fitting message for fans on his race helmet: "Life is about passions - Thank you for sharing mine." - AFP |
| Buffalo Solider, Olympic star Dillard hailed Posted: 23 Nov 2012 06:57 PM PST BARCELONA: Harrison Dillard, who overcame racial prejudice to become the only man to achieve the Olympic double of 100m and 110m hurdles gold, and fought as a Buffalo Solider in the Second World War, was honoured on Friday. Still in good health at 89 years of age, Dillard won his first gold in 1948 and second in 1952. Before that he formed part of the 92nd infantry, the segregated "Buffalo Soliders", made up solely of African-American troops, fighting in the Italian campaign from 1943-45. His life on and off the track was celebrated by the IAAF at their centenary weekend on Friday. A native and resident of Cleveland, Dillard was inspired by track great Jesse Owens, a quadruple Olympic champion at Berlin in 1936, who received a ticker-tape parade upon his return to the Ohio city. In 1996, at the time of the Atlanta Olympics, "Long" John, a name derived from his enormous stride, had recalled the "sad conditions" of black athletes in the US, before and after World War II, regardless of their status as Olympic champions. The four-time Olympic champion - Dillard also triumphed twice in the 4x100m relay - also successfully adapted to life off the track. "He was in charge of communications for the Cleveland Indians for 10 years. He also had a television and radio show and he was responsible for the city's educational department spending," his daughter Terri, who accompanied her father on his transatlantic voyage, told AFP. On Friday, Dillard sat amongst three hurdlers, who like him, have etched their mark on the discipline with world-record times. The 89-year-old was joined by American duo Aries Merritt - the current holder and London champion - and Renaldo Nehemiah, who ended his career at 22 to pursue a more lucrative livelihood in American football, as well as Britain's Colin Jackson. Happy "to have lived this adventure", a diplomatic Dillard was reluctant to show preference to any of the hurdlers who have punctuated the heyday of the event. He also likened the hurdles discipline to "an art" or "a ballet", unlike the chaos of the 100m. At trials for the 1948 Games, Dillard failed to qualify for the 110m hurdles, but finished third to secure a spot in the 100m. Despite favouring the hurdles, "Bones" - a moniker stemming from his slender stature - won athletics' blue riband event in London in 1948, shading a photo-finish before capturing gold in the 110m hurdles four years later in Helsinki. The gentlemanly Dillard also spared a thought for his compatriot Mal Whitfield, a double Olympic 800m champion (1948 and 1952), who was unable to travel due to poor health. In Barcelona, Dillard was able to recount how "Marvelous" Mal, who would later become a US Sports Goodwill Ambassador, served in the country's Air Force during the Korean War. - AFP |
| Nadal to make Abu Dhabi, Doha return Posted: 23 Nov 2012 04:37 PM PST DOHA: Rafael Nadal will end his six-month, injury-enforced absence from tennis by playing back-to-back tournaments in the Gulf before launching his assault on the Australian Open. The 26-year-old Spaniard hasn't played since his shock second-round defeat against Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon in June. He was then diagnosed as suffering with Hoffa syndrome, an inflammation of the fatty tissue in his left knee, a problem that has sidelined him several times over the years. French Open champion Nadal was unable to defend his Olympic title, missed the US Open, the ATP World Tour Finals and also Spain's defeat to the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup final. Nadal will play alongside Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in a three-day exhibition in Abu Dhabi from Dec 27-29 before taking top seeding at the Qatar Open in Doha which begins on December 31. "Nadal is returning to competitive tennis since his knee injury at Wimbledon so everyone is looking forward to seeing what he brings," Qatar Open tournament director Karim Alami told The Peninsula newspaper. Nadal, whose ranking has slipped to fourth in the world returned to training at his Mallorca base this week. "Today was my first training session after so many weeks out," the Spaniard said on his Facebook page on Tuesday. "I am making progress and I hope to continue to do so." - AFP |
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