The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Murray battles past Simon and into Madrid quarters
- Olympic sailing medallist killed after America's Cup boat capsizes
- Furious Chong Wei blasts BWF for Lin Dan inclusion
| Murray battles past Simon and into Madrid quarters Posted: 09 May 2013 05:05 PM PDT MADRID: Andy Murray battled his way into the quarter-finals of the Madrid Masters with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(8/6) victory over 16th seed Gilles Simon in just shy of three hours. The world number three started in the worst possible fashion as he was broken in the opening game and Simon went onto break again as he comfortably took the first set 6-2. Murray seemed to have turned the match around when he took the second, after being down an early break, 6-4 and then surged 3-0 ahead in the third. However, Simon broke back to level at 3-3 and then saved three match points to take the set to a tie-break. The Scot though eventually got the job done with his sixth match point in the tie-break to set up a meeting with Tomas Berdych in the last eight. - AFP |
| Olympic sailing medallist killed after America's Cup boat capsizes Posted: 09 May 2013 05:26 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO: British double Olympic sailing medallist Andrew Simpson died Thursday after the catamaran of a Swedish team training for the upcoming America's Cup races capsized on San Francisco Bay, officials said. Simpson - who won Olympic gold in 2008 and silver in 2012 in the keelboat star class - was trapped under the Artemis Racing boat for about 10 minutes, according to a statement on the America's Cup website. "It is with immense sadness that Artemis Racing confirms the tragic death of crew member Andrew 'Bart' Simpson today in San Francisco," the team said in a statement. "Despite attempts to revive him, by doctors afloat and subsequently ashore, his life was lost," it said. "The entire Artemis Racing team is devastated by what happened," said Artemis chief executive Paul Cayard. "Our heartfelt condolences are with Andrew's wife and family." A spokesman for the San Francisco Fire Department, Mindy Talmadge, said Simpson was pronounced dead at the St Francis Yacht Club. "Our despatch centre was notified... that an Artemis boat had capsized and one person was reportedly in the water 10 or 15 minutes. One of the chase boats pulled the gentleman out of the water and began CPR," Talmadge told AFP. "Rescue workers continued CPR as the man was transported to the St Francis Yacht Club, where paramedics were waiting. Unfortunately, they ended up pronouncing him dead at the Saint Francis Yacht Club," she said. A second crew member suffered injuries not thought to be life threatening, she said. Twelve people were on the boat when it capsized and all have been accounted for. The yacht involved is a AC72 catamaran, the Swedish team's first, according to the online statement, which said the incident occurred between 12.30pm and 1pm (1930-2000 GMT). The AC72 boats in the America's Cup were described by event organisers as "speedsters" powered by 130-foot (39.6m) tall wing sails and with the ability to hydrofoil - essentially rise out of the water to reduce drag. They can reach top speeds in excess of twice the windspeed, and place strenuous physical demands on crew members. The catamarans have been adopted for the venerable yachting competition this year in a bid to make the event more exciting. The Oracle syndicate, owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison, defeated Switzerland's Alinghi in a trimaran to win the last edition of the America's Cup in 2010. Ellison pushed for the switch to the catamarans as part of an effort to make the event more television-friendly. The Louis Vuitton Cup to decide a challenger will be held July 4 through Sept 1. The winner will take on Oracle Racing for the America's Cup from Sept 7-22. Oracle Racing's AC72 capsized in spectacular fashion in October on San Francisco Bay, but no one was injured. Veteran skipper Russell Coutts capsized a similar catamaran in San Francisco Bay in June 2011. Talmadge said she did not know what sequence of events led to the Artemis Racing craft's capsizing. The Artemis team was aware of the challenges and dangers as they planned their preparations for the competition, and hoped to give their crew members adequate opportunity to learn to handle the AC72. "Before performance, there is the safety of our team," Cayard said when they launched their boat in Spain last year. "San Francisco Bay in July and August is an unforgiving place." - AFP |
| Furious Chong Wei blasts BWF for Lin Dan inclusion Posted: 09 May 2013 05:41 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: China's superstar Lin Dan will defend his title in the World Championships after all – albeit through the back door. And the news has left his nemesis Lee Chong Wei quite upset. Yesterday, the Badminton World Federation (BWF)'s decided to award a wild card to four-time world champion and two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan to participate in this year's edition from Aug 5-11 in Guangzhou. The BWF's Committee of Management chose the world No. 41 ranked Lin Dan as the sole wild card entry because the latter had failed to qualify for the world meet on merit after staying away from tournaments for eight months since retaining the gold medal at the London Games last year. The committee said they were compelled to choose the 29-year-old Chinese because they felt his stature and fan appeal would significantly enhance the event. With the decision, China will have a maximum of four players in Guangzhou. The other three who qualified are reigning All-England champion Chen Long, Du Pengyu and Wang Zhengming. World No. 1 Chong Wei was not pleased the decision, describing it as "unfair." "How can BWF give another slot to China when they already have three players in the fray," said Chong Wei. Would it not made more sense to give the wild card to a country who have no representative in the world championships? "A player can stay away for eight months and still be considered for the world championships! What about the others who have worked hard to qualify for the event. "He is one of the players, who had conceded walkovers and turned his back on BWF's tournaments many times. Yet, he is rewarded with a wild card. "I do not know what to say about BWF's rules and regulations any more. "Rather than qualifying, I should have waited for a wild card too." According to BWF's ruling on qualification for the world meet, a country can have three representatives if they are in the top eight of the world rankings. And a country can have four players in the event if they are ranked in the top 24. Chong Wei said that his reaction had nothing to do with his fear of facing Lin Dan although the Chinese had been his biggest stumbling block in all the major tournaments. "Initially, I did not want to say anything because people will assume that I fear him. No, this is not the reason," he said. "I do not mind if he qualifies as anyone else" added Chong Wei. "I am sure everyone wants to see both of us play and yes, that will be good for the sport. "But I do not agree with the way it is being done right now ... that's all." |
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