The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Nicol David begins seventh world title bid with ease
- 'Blade Runner' Pistorius to race in Australia
- Wiggins named BBC Sports Personality of the Year
| Nicol David begins seventh world title bid with ease Posted: 16 Dec 2012 07:01 PM PST CAYMAN ISLANDS: Nicol David made light of the toughest of first round draws as she made an impressive start to a bid to extend her record of World Open squash titles to seven on Sunday. The sport's biggest star needed to overcome Omneya Abdel Kawy, the gifted Egyptian whom she played in the 2010 world final in Sharm El Sheikh - and she did so in little more than half an hour. David's 11-8, 11-5 11-5 win suggested she had prepared with an emphasis for making better starts. "I've tended to start slowly in some first round matches and I've been looking at that," the Malaysian said. "The main thing was to remember the work that I had been doing, and to stick to my game plan." That plan was almost certainly to find a tight line with her drives and to keep Kawy away from the front. A greater importance though may have been the mental calmness gained from focusing on the plan. "You just have to trust in that," she said. "I think I did - and it helped. I played a tight match and I needed to. She's getting back to what she was and is a difficult opponent to get in the first round." The unusual draw happened because Kawy was sidelined with injury for many weeks, fell from the top 20, and lost her seeding position. But her recent efforts have suggested that her inventive, wrong-footing stroke play is as effective as ever, for in Hong Kong two weeks ago Kawy beat three top six players - Laura Massaro, Joelle King, and Alison Waters. She also led briefly in the first two games on Sunday, with flashes of her special brilliance. But David soaked them up and then smothered any attempts at repeating them with fast, early and accurate driving, taking advantage of any openings this created with speedy court coverage. David's main rivals, Raneem El Weleily of Egypt, Massaro of England, and Waters, also English, all came through safely, although El Weleily dropped a game to the improving Aisling Blake, from Ireland. Earlier, there was an upset as Rachael Grinham, a world champion only five years ago in Madrid, missed three match points and suffered a disheartening first round loss to a qualifier. The Australian's 3-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-9 defeat was harder to take because of the raucous support for her conqueror - the Caribbean champion Nicolette Fernandes, a Canada-born, British-based 23-year-old from Guyana. Fernandez, ranked 60, found it hard to believe she had managed her career-best win. "You have to believe you can win, even if you don't expect to," she said. "I don't even remember saving match balls in the third game. But when I got to 10-6 in the fifth and she started coming back I told myself just to keep playing the way I played to get to that point. I am very happy and thankful." - AFP |
| 'Blade Runner' Pistorius to race in Australia Posted: 16 Dec 2012 06:40 PM PST SYDNEY: South African runner Oscar Pistorius, known as the "Blade Runner" for his carbon fibre blades, has been confirmed to race in Australia, officials said Monday. The double amputee will compete in the Sydney and Perth instalments of the 2013 Australian Athletics Tour in March. "Having never competed in Australia before, I am very excited to line up in Sydney and Perth," Pistorius said. "I plan to be in pretty solid form when I arrive and it would be great to start my season in style at the meet." The news is a coup for Athletics Australia after Olympic gold medallist and world 100m hurdles champion Sally Pearson earlier this month revealed an ongoing back problem would see her skip much of the domestic series. Pistorius, the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics when he ran in the 400 metres in London, will feature at the Sydney Track Classic on March 9 and the Go for 2&5 Perth Track Classic on March 16. The South African, who reached the 400m semi-finals in London and also ran in the 4x400m relay final in the able-bodied Games, was also the face of the 2012 Paralympic Games. "I don't even know where to begin when describing the past 12 months," he said. "The Olympics were phenomenal and to be lucky enough to back that up with an amazing few weeks at the Paralympic Games was out of this world." Athletics Australia said discussions were under way to bring other key athletes out for the tour. - AFP |
| Wiggins named BBC Sports Personality of the Year Posted: 16 Dec 2012 06:34 PM PST LONDON: Tour de France winner and Olympic time-trial champion Bradley Wiggins was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year at a star-studded live ceremony in London on Sunday. The 32-year-old cyclist won ahead of Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis, while tennis player Andy Murray, who triumphed at the Olympics and the US Open, came third in the annual public poll, which received 1.5 million votes. "I'm just going to say thank you very much for everyone who picked the phone up and voted," said Wiggins, who became the first British winner of the Tour de France and took his tally of Olympic gold medals to four at the London Games. "What a year. And to stand on this stage with these people next to me is incredible." Prince William's pregnant wife, Catherine, presented Wiggins with his award at the ExCel Centre, in her first public appearance since she was hospitalised for severe morning sickness about two weeks ago. The ceremony capped a memorable year for sport in Great Britain, which was recognised when the country's Olympic and Paralympic squad - who between them won 185 medals during the London Games - were named Team of the Year. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said gold medal-winning cyclist Victoria Pendleton. "It was an incredible atmosphere and it's wonderful to be presented with this award, but there are so many people behind the scenes who help us get to where we are today." Dave Brailsford was named Coach of the Year for masterminding Wiggins' Tour de France triumph as head of Team Sky and then overseeing a haul of eight gold medals for the host nation's cyclists at the Olympics. The Overseas Personality of the Year award went to Jamaica's Usain Bolt, who repeated his 100m-200m-4x100m relay triple from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to cement his legacy as the world's greatest ever sprinter. The Duchess of Cambridge also handed a lifetime achievement award to two-time Olympic champion athlete Sebastian Coe, 56, who spearheaded London's successful bid for the Games and then chaired the organising committee. The Young Sports Personality of the Year award went to 15-year-old swimmer Josef Craig, who has cerebral palsy and won a Paralympic gold medal in the 400m freestyle S7. Martine Wright, who lose both legs in the July 2005 London bombings, was awarded the Helen Rollason Award for achievement in the face of adversity after competing for Britain in the sitting volleyball at the Paralympics. Helen Rollason was a BBC Sport presenter who died from cancer in 1999. Aside from the main award, the remaining prizes were decided by a panel of experts. - AFP |
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