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SPORT11Gulf Times
Friday, March 18, 2016
SOP’s basketball competitions get positive response
Bradley takes ‘way diff erent’ approach for Pacquiao bout
SPOTLIGHT
BOXING
By Sports ReporterDoha
Under the theme ‘Sport and Media’, the bas-ketball competitions organised for various
levels received an overwhelm-ing response from students at the prestigious Schools Olym-pic Program (SOP) 2015-2016 on Wednesday.
Qatar Basketball Federation president Sheikh Saoud bin Ab-dulrahman al-Thani and SOP executive director Mohamed Issa al-Fadala honoured the champi-ons in a festive sport scene.
Wednesday’s basketball com-petitions brought together stu-dents to compete in basketball 3x3 event. At the primary level, Al Furqan School won the fi rst place, Lebanese School fi nished second and Khalifa School took the third place.
At the preparatory school
level, Hamza bin Abdulmotalab school took the fi rst place ahead of Ali bin Abi Taleb and Hikma International School who fi n-ished second and third respec-tively.
At the secondary school lev-el, Abdullah Al Misnad School emerged as winners, while Deb-kai Medical Profession School managed the second spot ahead of third-placed Mosab bin Omair School.
The football competitions for primary and model schools (boys) were also successfully held on Wednesday. While Abi Ayoob Al Ansari school defeated Sudanese school 6-0, Al Shrouq school outclassed Qatar French school.
The SOP is striving to achieve the ambitions of the Qatar Na-tional Vision 2030 and the Na-tional Development Strategy to increase sports participation and promote an active healthy life-style in Qatar.
ReutersLos Angeles
American Timothy Bra-dley says he will rely on a “way diff erent” strat-egy built on a highly
detailed game plan when he de-fends his WBO welterweight title against Filipino Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas next month.
The two boxers will be meeting for a third time, Bradley having controversially beaten Pacquiao when they fi rst met in 2012 but the Filipino gained revenge in their 2014 re-match by scoring a unanimous decision win.
Two-division world champion Bradley has since teamed up with renowned trainer and boxing an-alyst Teddy Atlas, a move that he believes has markedly improved his ring skills and fi ght prepara-tion.
“Our approach this time (against Pacquiao) is going to be way diff erent,” Bradley said dur-ing a conference call on Wednes-day. “We have a big game plan going into this fi ght and I am looking closely at Pacquiao and his weaknesses.
“I can take a lot from the fi rst two fi ghts. I didn’t really have a game plan for the fi rst fi ght, pretty much fi ghting on my peer skills and my experience, and I did pretty well in that one.
“The second fi ght, Pacquiao defi nitely won that hands down but I suff ered an injury in the second round. The fact that now I will have a big game plan ... I think that I have a much better chance.”
Asked what he had learned under the tutelage of Atlas, Bra-dley replied: “I’ve learned a lot of things ... but the hardest thing for me is to trust the game plan at all times in the ring, in training.
“What I mean by that is that no matter what’s going on, no matter how bad a day you’re having, you always have to be focused, you always have to be committed.
“That is enforced every single day (with Atlas). I show up to the gym and it’s total concentration, total focus all the way through,” said Bradley (33-1-1), who knocked out fellow American Brandon Rios in the ninth round of his last bout.
Southpaw Pacquiao (57-6-2) has won world titles in eight dif-ferent weight classes during a stellar 20-year career but Brad-ley is confi dent that he and Atlas have established a winning strat-egy for the April 9 showdown in Las Vegas.
“We have a game plan, I just have to go out there and execute it, just like I did against Rios,” said Bradley. “I trust everything that Teddy is telling me and teaching me. I’ve just got to do my job.
“Teddy has shown me every-thing that I need to win this fi ght but if I don’t go out there and do it, then I’m not going to win this fi ght.
“Manny Pacquiao pretty much does the same things, he’s going to bring the intensity, he’s going to come forward, he’s going to be the Manny Pacquiao that we have always seen. He knows me but I think I’m going to be a little diff erent now.”
Bowling eff orts of Qadeer, Mujeeb win matches for Rawal County, Al Feroz
QATAR AIRWAYS NATIONAL DIVISION A CRICKET LEAGUE
By Sports ReporterDoha
Qadeer and Mujeeb Khan con-jured up inspired bowling per-formances for their respective teams and set up massive wins
in the Qatar Airways National Division A Cricket League.
Rawal County were shot out for a meagre 133 in 36 overs by Desert War-riors but they staged a gritty return into the match at the West Bay Grounds. Qa-deer snapped fi ve wickets and lifted his team to an exciting 37-run triumph.
Asif (34) was the main contributor for Rawal County. Cameos by Moazam (17) and Dilshant (15) were useful. Ashar led the collapse of Rawal County with three dismissals. Naouman, Talha and Mirza grabbed two wickets each.
In reply, Desert Warriors could only reach 96 in 31 overs. Abdullah (20) re-sisted the rival bowling the most. Be-sides Qadeer’s fi ve, Khawaja bagged three and Hadi picked two to complete the superb triumph.
In another match, Mujeeb Khan pro-
duced a stellar seven-wicket haul to lead Al Feroz to a huge 236-run victory against Bangla Tigers. Batting fi rst, Al Feroz put up 283 for seven in 45 overs with Qalandar (74), Faisal (61) and Ashraf (60) smashing breezy half-cen-turies.
Mujeeb wrecked the rivals with his devastating spell and sent them crash-ing to 47 all out in just 18 overs. Layton got the maximum 23 runs. Harris got the remaining three wickets.
Ooredoo DCC negated two fi ne indi-vidual performances from Alladitta and Babu before beating Qatari Diar by 52 runs in the third match. Alladitta’s four wickets were the highlight of the fi rst innings.
After having made 206 all out in 45 overs, in which Shahid (49) and Tab-rez (28) came up with fi ghting knocks, Ooredoo restricted the opponents to 154 all out in 39 overs. Besides a fi ne 60 by Babu, other players could not combine their eff orts and lost the match. Mur-taza accounted for three batsmen, while Tabrez, Abbas and Awais collected two scalps each.
The Qatar Cricket Association (QCA),
in association with its long-time part-ner Qatar Airways, has been organising the national league to promote the sport and groom the players at the interna-tional standard.
BRIEF SCORESAl Feroz 283 for 7 in 45 overs (Qalandar 74, Faisal 61, Imran Ashraf 60; Sagar 2wkts, Habib 2wkts, Mesbah 2wkts) beat Bangla Tigers 47 all out in 18 overs (Layton 23; Mujeeb Khan 7wkts, Harris 3 wkts) by 236 runs. Man of the Match: Mujeeb Khan of Al Feroz (7 wickets)Ooredoo DCC 206 all out in 45 overs (Shahid 49, Tabrez 28 runs; Alladitta 4wkts, Omran 2wkts, Khalid 2wkts) beat Qatari Diar 154 all out in 39 overs (Babu 60; Murtaza 3wkts, Awais 2wkts, Tabrez 2wkts, Abbas 2wkts) by 52 runs. Man of the Match: Tabrez of Ooredoo (28 runs and 2wkts)Rawal County 133 all out in 36 overs (Asif 34; Ashar 3wkts, Nouman 2wkts, Talha 2wkts, Mirza 2wkts) beat Dessert Warriors 96 all out in 31 overs (Abdullah 20; Qadeer 5wkts, Khawaja 3wkts, Hadi 2wkts) by 37 runs. Man of the Match: Qadeer of Rawal County (5 wkts)
Aspire Academy hosts Rossi vs Xavi on a football pitch
FOCUS
AgenciesDoha
Motorcycle racing may be their fi rst love but Valentino Rossi and his VR46 Academy riders all enjoy a good game of foot-
ball, especially after a day’s riding at the Italian’s ranch. Usually they play friendly matches against each other, but before the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qa-tar this weekend, they faced a formidable opponent in FC Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez.
Xavi and Rossi both have a proud and long history in their sports; Xavi was the fi rst player in Barca history to play in 150 matches while Rossi continues to re-write the record books.
From 1998 to 2015, the midfi elder scored 58 goals for Barcelona, during that same period Rossi scored 100 wins across the 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP classes.
The encounter at Aspire Academy, however, was not their fi rst. Rossi and Xavi had met before at the Catalan GP back in 2011 with Rossi showing his rev-erence for the footballer.
But now it was time for Rossi to step into Xavi’s world.
The pair took to the pitch together, Rossi supported by the likes of Nicolo Bulega, Niccolo Antonelli, Lorenzo Bal-dassarri, Franco Morbidelli, Luca Marini, Romano Fenati, Andrea Migno and Francesco Bagnaia while Hernandez was joined by the Aspire Academy team and former Espanyol player Sergio Garcia. A seven-aside format was played with two 10-minute halves.
Kick-off was followed by a goal for the Aspire Academy squad, the team backing it up with another point soon after. The Aspire Academy team took a clear lead as a shot from the half way line made it three to nothing just ahead of half time. During the second half the VR46 squad stepped up their defence and with the help of Xavi joining their side, were able to close the score to 3-2 as full-time approached. The fi nal whistle blew with the Aspire Acad-emy taking victory 3-2.
“As a football lover, getting the op-portunity to play against a great player
as Xavi Hernandez is something very special. I told my team to do their best and really go for it, but there was little we could do against such a line-up,” Rossi said after the game.
Xavi added: “Sharing an experience like this with a motorcycling legend like Valentino Rossi is unique. I’m proud to take part in a game like this against him and his team and I have to admit they were really into it and playing for the win, not just training. Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet.”
'Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet'
The World Series of Boxing will decide by today whether Britain must forfeit an international match against a Moroccan team which was cancelled after the British government refused visas for the visitors, an international federation source said. The British Lionhearts were due to take on the Morocco Atlas Lions in London yesterday, but it was called off just 24 hours before because of the visa refusal. “We will communicate very quickly on whether the match will be rearranged or forfeited,” said an off icial with the International Boxing Federation which over-sees the WSB. Four members of the Moroccan team were refused visas. No official reason was given, but the Home Office said in a statement that “all UK visa applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with UK immigration rules and guidance”.
Britain risksforfeiting
boxing clash aft er Moroccan
visas refused
Rayyan al-Jufairi reaches Asian under-14 quarter-fi nals
Qatar’s Rayyan al-Jufairi (pictured) advanced into the quarter-finals of
the second U14 Asian Tennis Tourna-ment, organised by the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) at the Khalifa Interna-tional Tennis and Squash Complex.Al-Jufairi defeated Australia’s David Qariaqus 2-0 to reach the last eight.Talking after the match, al-Jufairi said, “I’m so happy to have beaten David Qariaqus, who claimed the title in the first Asian Tournament last week. I got the chance to avenge my loss and to correct the mis-
takes I made in the that tournament.”Opponents in one match, partners in another, al-Jufairi and Qariaqus are doubles partners in the tournament. The duo reached the quarter-finals beating the Iranian duo of Dokmitchen and Mer Mozi 2-0.The tournament features participation of around 80 players from Qatar and some other countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Australia and Lebanon.The Qatar National Team includes
Mohamed al-Sulaiti, Ghanim al-Khelaifi, Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, Hassan al-Obaidli, Jas-sim al-Mahmoud, and Abdulaziz Zainal, besides al-Jufairi.Ibrahim al-Khelaifi, deputy head of National Teams Committee, said, “We are delighted by the performance of Rayyan and his ability to reach the quarter-finals of singles and doubles events at the Asian Tournament. The QTF spares no eff ort to provide the Qatari players with opportuni-ties to acquire more experiences and to improve their Asian ranking.”
Valentino Rossi (right) and Xavi (centre) in action during a friendly at Aspire Academy on Wednesday.
Rossi talks strategy with VR46 Academy riders in the dressing room.
Manny Pacquiao (left) and Timothy Bradley have met twice before, with Bradley winning the first bout in 2012, and Pacquiao the second in 2014.
SPORT11Gulf Times
Friday, March 18, 2016
SOP’s basketball competitions get positive response
Bradley takes ‘way diff erent’ approach for Pacquiao bout
SPOTLIGHT
BOXING
By Sports ReporterDoha
Under the theme ‘Sport and Media’, the bas-ketball competitions organised for various
levels received an overwhelm-ing response from students at the prestigious Schools Olym-pic Program (SOP) 2015-2016 on Wednesday.
Qatar Basketball Federation president Sheikh Saoud bin Ab-dulrahman al-Thani and SOP executive director Mohamed Issa al-Fadala honoured the champi-ons in a festive sport scene.
Wednesday’s basketball com-petitions brought together stu-dents to compete in basketball 3x3 event. At the primary level, Al Furqan School won the fi rst place, Lebanese School fi nished second and Khalifa School took the third place.
At the preparatory school
level, Hamza bin Abdulmotalab school took the fi rst place ahead of Ali bin Abi Taleb and Hikma International School who fi n-ished second and third respec-tively.
At the secondary school lev-el, Abdullah Al Misnad School emerged as winners, while Deb-kai Medical Profession School managed the second spot ahead of third-placed Mosab bin Omair School.
The football competitions for primary and model schools (boys) were also successfully held on Wednesday. While Abi Ayoob Al Ansari school defeated Sudanese school 6-0, Al Shrouq school outclassed Qatar French school.
The SOP is striving to achieve the ambitions of the Qatar Na-tional Vision 2030 and the Na-tional Development Strategy to increase sports participation and promote an active healthy life-style in Qatar.
ReutersLos Angeles
American Timothy Bra-dley says he will rely on a “way diff erent” strat-egy built on a highly
detailed game plan when he de-fends his WBO welterweight title against Filipino Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas next month.
The two boxers will be meeting for a third time, Bradley having controversially beaten Pacquiao when they fi rst met in 2012 but the Filipino gained revenge in their 2014 re-match by scoring a unanimous decision win.
Two-division world champion Bradley has since teamed up with renowned trainer and boxing an-alyst Teddy Atlas, a move that he believes has markedly improved his ring skills and fi ght prepara-tion.
“Our approach this time (against Pacquiao) is going to be way diff erent,” Bradley said dur-ing a conference call on Wednes-day. “We have a big game plan going into this fi ght and I am looking closely at Pacquiao and his weaknesses.
“I can take a lot from the fi rst two fi ghts. I didn’t really have a game plan for the fi rst fi ght, pretty much fi ghting on my peer skills and my experience, and I did pretty well in that one.
“The second fi ght, Pacquiao defi nitely won that hands down but I suff ered an injury in the second round. The fact that now I will have a big game plan ... I think that I have a much better chance.”
Asked what he had learned under the tutelage of Atlas, Bra-dley replied: “I’ve learned a lot of things ... but the hardest thing for me is to trust the game plan at all times in the ring, in training.
“What I mean by that is that no matter what’s going on, no matter how bad a day you’re having, you always have to be focused, you always have to be committed.
“That is enforced every single day (with Atlas). I show up to the gym and it’s total concentration, total focus all the way through,” said Bradley (33-1-1), who knocked out fellow American Brandon Rios in the ninth round of his last bout.
Southpaw Pacquiao (57-6-2) has won world titles in eight dif-ferent weight classes during a stellar 20-year career but Brad-ley is confi dent that he and Atlas have established a winning strat-egy for the April 9 showdown in Las Vegas.
“We have a game plan, I just have to go out there and execute it, just like I did against Rios,” said Bradley. “I trust everything that Teddy is telling me and teaching me. I’ve just got to do my job.
“Teddy has shown me every-thing that I need to win this fi ght but if I don’t go out there and do it, then I’m not going to win this fi ght.
“Manny Pacquiao pretty much does the same things, he’s going to bring the intensity, he’s going to come forward, he’s going to be the Manny Pacquiao that we have always seen. He knows me but I think I’m going to be a little diff erent now.”
Bowling eff orts of Qadeer, Mujeeb win matches for Rawal County, Al Feroz
QATAR AIRWAYS NATIONAL DIVISION A CRICKET LEAGUE
By Sports ReporterDoha
Qadeer and Mujeeb Khan con-jured up inspired bowling per-formances for their respective teams and set up massive wins
in the Qatar Airways National Division A Cricket League.
Rawal County were shot out for a meagre 133 in 36 overs by Desert War-riors but they staged a gritty return into the match at the West Bay Grounds. Qa-deer snapped fi ve wickets and lifted his team to an exciting 37-run triumph.
Asif (34) was the main contributor for Rawal County. Cameos by Moazam (17) and Dilshant (15) were useful. Ashar led the collapse of Rawal County with three dismissals. Naouman, Talha and Mirza grabbed two wickets each.
In reply, Desert Warriors could only reach 96 in 31 overs. Abdullah (20) re-sisted the rival bowling the most. Be-sides Qadeer’s fi ve, Khawaja bagged three and Hadi picked two to complete the superb triumph.
In another match, Mujeeb Khan pro-
duced a stellar seven-wicket haul to lead Al Feroz to a huge 236-run victory against Bangla Tigers. Batting fi rst, Al Feroz put up 283 for seven in 45 overs with Qalandar (74), Faisal (61) and Ashraf (60) smashing breezy half-cen-turies.
Mujeeb wrecked the rivals with his devastating spell and sent them crash-ing to 47 all out in just 18 overs. Layton got the maximum 23 runs. Harris got the remaining three wickets.
Ooredoo DCC negated two fi ne indi-vidual performances from Alladitta and Babu before beating Qatari Diar by 52 runs in the third match. Alladitta’s four wickets were the highlight of the fi rst innings.
After having made 206 all out in 45 overs, in which Shahid (49) and Tab-rez (28) came up with fi ghting knocks, Ooredoo restricted the opponents to 154 all out in 39 overs. Besides a fi ne 60 by Babu, other players could not combine their eff orts and lost the match. Mur-taza accounted for three batsmen, while Tabrez, Abbas and Awais collected two scalps each.
The Qatar Cricket Association (QCA),
in association with its long-time part-ner Qatar Airways, has been organising the national league to promote the sport and groom the players at the interna-tional standard.
BRIEF SCORESAl Feroz 283 for 7 in 45 overs (Qalandar 74, Faisal 61, Imran Ashraf 60; Sagar 2wkts, Habib 2wkts, Mesbah 2wkts) beat Bangla Tigers 47 all out in 18 overs (Layton 23; Mujeeb Khan 7wkts, Harris 3 wkts) by 236 runs. Man of the Match: Mujeeb Khan of Al Feroz (7 wickets)Ooredoo DCC 206 all out in 45 overs (Shahid 49, Tabrez 28 runs; Alladitta 4wkts, Omran 2wkts, Khalid 2wkts) beat Qatari Diar 154 all out in 39 overs (Babu 60; Murtaza 3wkts, Awais 2wkts, Tabrez 2wkts, Abbas 2wkts) by 52 runs. Man of the Match: Tabrez of Ooredoo (28 runs and 2wkts)Rawal County 133 all out in 36 overs (Asif 34; Ashar 3wkts, Nouman 2wkts, Talha 2wkts, Mirza 2wkts) beat Dessert Warriors 96 all out in 31 overs (Abdullah 20; Qadeer 5wkts, Khawaja 3wkts, Hadi 2wkts) by 37 runs. Man of the Match: Qadeer of Rawal County (5 wkts)
Aspire Academy hosts Rossi vs Xavi on a football pitch
FOCUS
AgenciesDoha
Motorcycle racing may be their fi rst love but Valentino Rossi and his VR46 Academy riders all enjoy a good game of foot-
ball, especially after a day’s riding at the Italian’s ranch. Usually they play friendly matches against each other, but before the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qa-tar this weekend, they faced a formidable opponent in FC Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez.
Xavi and Rossi both have a proud and long history in their sports; Xavi was the fi rst player in Barca history to play in 150 matches while Rossi continues to re-write the record books.
From 1998 to 2015, the midfi elder scored 58 goals for Barcelona, during that same period Rossi scored 100 wins across the 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP classes.
The encounter at Aspire Academy, however, was not their fi rst. Rossi and Xavi had met before at the Catalan GP back in 2011 with Rossi showing his rev-erence for the footballer.
But now it was time for Rossi to step into Xavi’s world.
The pair took to the pitch together, Rossi supported by the likes of Nicolo Bulega, Niccolo Antonelli, Lorenzo Bal-dassarri, Franco Morbidelli, Luca Marini, Romano Fenati, Andrea Migno and Francesco Bagnaia while Hernandez was joined by the Aspire Academy team and former Espanyol player Sergio Garcia. A seven-aside format was played with two 10-minute halves.
Kick-off was followed by a goal for the Aspire Academy squad, the team backing it up with another point soon after. The Aspire Academy team took a clear lead as a shot from the half way line made it three to nothing just ahead of half time. During the second half the VR46 squad stepped up their defence and with the help of Xavi joining their side, were able to close the score to 3-2 as full-time approached. The fi nal whistle blew with the Aspire Acad-emy taking victory 3-2.
“As a football lover, getting the op-portunity to play against a great player
as Xavi Hernandez is something very special. I told my team to do their best and really go for it, but there was little we could do against such a line-up,” Rossi said after the game.
Xavi added: “Sharing an experience like this with a motorcycling legend like Valentino Rossi is unique. I’m proud to take part in a game like this against him and his team and I have to admit they were really into it and playing for the win, not just training. Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet.”
'Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet'
The World Series of Boxing will decide by today whether Britain must forfeit an international match against a Moroccan team which was cancelled after the British government refused visas for the visitors, an international federation source said. The British Lionhearts were due to take on the Morocco Atlas Lions in London yesterday, but it was called off just 24 hours before because of the visa refusal. “We will communicate very quickly on whether the match will be rearranged or forfeited,” said an off icial with the International Boxing Federation which over-sees the WSB. Four members of the Moroccan team were refused visas. No official reason was given, but the Home Office said in a statement that “all UK visa applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with UK immigration rules and guidance”.
Britain risksforfeiting
boxing clash aft er Moroccan
visas refused
Rayyan al-Jufairi reaches Asian under-14 quarter-fi nals
Qatar’s Rayyan al-Jufairi (pictured) advanced into the quarter-finals of
the second U14 Asian Tennis Tourna-ment, organised by the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) at the Khalifa Interna-tional Tennis and Squash Complex.Al-Jufairi defeated Australia’s David Qariaqus 2-0 to reach the last eight.Talking after the match, al-Jufairi said, “I’m so happy to have beaten David Qariaqus, who claimed the title in the first Asian Tournament last week. I got the chance to avenge my loss and to correct the mis-
takes I made in the that tournament.”Opponents in one match, partners in another, al-Jufairi and Qariaqus are doubles partners in the tournament. The duo reached the quarter-finals beating the Iranian duo of Dokmitchen and Mer Mozi 2-0.The tournament features participation of around 80 players from Qatar and some other countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Australia and Lebanon.The Qatar National Team includes
Mohamed al-Sulaiti, Ghanim al-Khelaifi, Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, Hassan al-Obaidli, Jas-sim al-Mahmoud, and Abdulaziz Zainal, besides al-Jufairi.Ibrahim al-Khelaifi, deputy head of National Teams Committee, said, “We are delighted by the performance of Rayyan and his ability to reach the quarter-finals of singles and doubles events at the Asian Tournament. The QTF spares no eff ort to provide the Qatari players with opportuni-ties to acquire more experiences and to improve their Asian ranking.”
Valentino Rossi (right) and Xavi (centre) in action during a friendly at Aspire Academy on Wednesday.
Rossi talks strategy with VR46 Academy riders in the dressing room.
Manny Pacquiao (left) and Timothy Bradley have met twice before, with Bradley winning the first bout in 2012, and Pacquiao the second in 2014.
SPORT11Gulf Times
Friday, March 18, 2016
SOP’s basketball competitions get positive response
Bradley takes ‘way diff erent’ approach for Pacquiao bout
SPOTLIGHT
BOXING
By Sports ReporterDoha
Under the theme ‘Sport and Media’, the bas-ketball competitions organised for various
levels received an overwhelm-ing response from students at the prestigious Schools Olym-pic Program (SOP) 2015-2016 on Wednesday.
Qatar Basketball Federation president Sheikh Saoud bin Ab-dulrahman al-Thani and SOP executive director Mohamed Issa al-Fadala honoured the champi-ons in a festive sport scene.
Wednesday’s basketball com-petitions brought together stu-dents to compete in basketball 3x3 event. At the primary level, Al Furqan School won the fi rst place, Lebanese School fi nished second and Khalifa School took the third place.
At the preparatory school
level, Hamza bin Abdulmotalab school took the fi rst place ahead of Ali bin Abi Taleb and Hikma International School who fi n-ished second and third respec-tively.
At the secondary school lev-el, Abdullah Al Misnad School emerged as winners, while Deb-kai Medical Profession School managed the second spot ahead of third-placed Mosab bin Omair School.
The football competitions for primary and model schools (boys) were also successfully held on Wednesday. While Abi Ayoob Al Ansari school defeated Sudanese school 6-0, Al Shrouq school outclassed Qatar French school.
The SOP is striving to achieve the ambitions of the Qatar Na-tional Vision 2030 and the Na-tional Development Strategy to increase sports participation and promote an active healthy life-style in Qatar.
ReutersLos Angeles
American Timothy Bra-dley says he will rely on a “way diff erent” strat-egy built on a highly
detailed game plan when he de-fends his WBO welterweight title against Filipino Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas next month.
The two boxers will be meeting for a third time, Bradley having controversially beaten Pacquiao when they fi rst met in 2012 but the Filipino gained revenge in their 2014 re-match by scoring a unanimous decision win.
Two-division world champion Bradley has since teamed up with renowned trainer and boxing an-alyst Teddy Atlas, a move that he believes has markedly improved his ring skills and fi ght prepara-tion.
“Our approach this time (against Pacquiao) is going to be way diff erent,” Bradley said dur-ing a conference call on Wednes-day. “We have a big game plan going into this fi ght and I am looking closely at Pacquiao and his weaknesses.
“I can take a lot from the fi rst two fi ghts. I didn’t really have a game plan for the fi rst fi ght, pretty much fi ghting on my peer skills and my experience, and I did pretty well in that one.
“The second fi ght, Pacquiao defi nitely won that hands down but I suff ered an injury in the second round. The fact that now I will have a big game plan ... I think that I have a much better chance.”
Asked what he had learned under the tutelage of Atlas, Bra-dley replied: “I’ve learned a lot of things ... but the hardest thing for me is to trust the game plan at all times in the ring, in training.
“What I mean by that is that no matter what’s going on, no matter how bad a day you’re having, you always have to be focused, you always have to be committed.
“That is enforced every single day (with Atlas). I show up to the gym and it’s total concentration, total focus all the way through,” said Bradley (33-1-1), who knocked out fellow American Brandon Rios in the ninth round of his last bout.
Southpaw Pacquiao (57-6-2) has won world titles in eight dif-ferent weight classes during a stellar 20-year career but Brad-ley is confi dent that he and Atlas have established a winning strat-egy for the April 9 showdown in Las Vegas.
“We have a game plan, I just have to go out there and execute it, just like I did against Rios,” said Bradley. “I trust everything that Teddy is telling me and teaching me. I’ve just got to do my job.
“Teddy has shown me every-thing that I need to win this fi ght but if I don’t go out there and do it, then I’m not going to win this fi ght.
“Manny Pacquiao pretty much does the same things, he’s going to bring the intensity, he’s going to come forward, he’s going to be the Manny Pacquiao that we have always seen. He knows me but I think I’m going to be a little diff erent now.”
Bowling eff orts of Qadeer, Mujeeb win matches for Rawal County, Al Feroz
QATAR AIRWAYS NATIONAL DIVISION A CRICKET LEAGUE
By Sports ReporterDoha
Qadeer and Mujeeb Khan con-jured up inspired bowling per-formances for their respective teams and set up massive wins
in the Qatar Airways National Division A Cricket League.
Rawal County were shot out for a meagre 133 in 36 overs by Desert War-riors but they staged a gritty return into the match at the West Bay Grounds. Qa-deer snapped fi ve wickets and lifted his team to an exciting 37-run triumph.
Asif (34) was the main contributor for Rawal County. Cameos by Moazam (17) and Dilshant (15) were useful. Ashar led the collapse of Rawal County with three dismissals. Naouman, Talha and Mirza grabbed two wickets each.
In reply, Desert Warriors could only reach 96 in 31 overs. Abdullah (20) re-sisted the rival bowling the most. Be-sides Qadeer’s fi ve, Khawaja bagged three and Hadi picked two to complete the superb triumph.
In another match, Mujeeb Khan pro-
duced a stellar seven-wicket haul to lead Al Feroz to a huge 236-run victory against Bangla Tigers. Batting fi rst, Al Feroz put up 283 for seven in 45 overs with Qalandar (74), Faisal (61) and Ashraf (60) smashing breezy half-cen-turies.
Mujeeb wrecked the rivals with his devastating spell and sent them crash-ing to 47 all out in just 18 overs. Layton got the maximum 23 runs. Harris got the remaining three wickets.
Ooredoo DCC negated two fi ne indi-vidual performances from Alladitta and Babu before beating Qatari Diar by 52 runs in the third match. Alladitta’s four wickets were the highlight of the fi rst innings.
After having made 206 all out in 45 overs, in which Shahid (49) and Tab-rez (28) came up with fi ghting knocks, Ooredoo restricted the opponents to 154 all out in 39 overs. Besides a fi ne 60 by Babu, other players could not combine their eff orts and lost the match. Mur-taza accounted for three batsmen, while Tabrez, Abbas and Awais collected two scalps each.
The Qatar Cricket Association (QCA),
in association with its long-time part-ner Qatar Airways, has been organising the national league to promote the sport and groom the players at the interna-tional standard.
BRIEF SCORESAl Feroz 283 for 7 in 45 overs (Qalandar 74, Faisal 61, Imran Ashraf 60; Sagar 2wkts, Habib 2wkts, Mesbah 2wkts) beat Bangla Tigers 47 all out in 18 overs (Layton 23; Mujeeb Khan 7wkts, Harris 3 wkts) by 236 runs. Man of the Match: Mujeeb Khan of Al Feroz (7 wickets)Ooredoo DCC 206 all out in 45 overs (Shahid 49, Tabrez 28 runs; Alladitta 4wkts, Omran 2wkts, Khalid 2wkts) beat Qatari Diar 154 all out in 39 overs (Babu 60; Murtaza 3wkts, Awais 2wkts, Tabrez 2wkts, Abbas 2wkts) by 52 runs. Man of the Match: Tabrez of Ooredoo (28 runs and 2wkts)Rawal County 133 all out in 36 overs (Asif 34; Ashar 3wkts, Nouman 2wkts, Talha 2wkts, Mirza 2wkts) beat Dessert Warriors 96 all out in 31 overs (Abdullah 20; Qadeer 5wkts, Khawaja 3wkts, Hadi 2wkts) by 37 runs. Man of the Match: Qadeer of Rawal County (5 wkts)
Aspire Academy hosts Rossi vs Xavi on a football pitch
FOCUS
AgenciesDoha
Motorcycle racing may be their fi rst love but Valentino Rossi and his VR46 Academy riders all enjoy a good game of foot-
ball, especially after a day’s riding at the Italian’s ranch. Usually they play friendly matches against each other, but before the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qa-tar this weekend, they faced a formidable opponent in FC Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez.
Xavi and Rossi both have a proud and long history in their sports; Xavi was the fi rst player in Barca history to play in 150 matches while Rossi continues to re-write the record books.
From 1998 to 2015, the midfi elder scored 58 goals for Barcelona, during that same period Rossi scored 100 wins across the 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP classes.
The encounter at Aspire Academy, however, was not their fi rst. Rossi and Xavi had met before at the Catalan GP back in 2011 with Rossi showing his rev-erence for the footballer.
But now it was time for Rossi to step into Xavi’s world.
The pair took to the pitch together, Rossi supported by the likes of Nicolo Bulega, Niccolo Antonelli, Lorenzo Bal-dassarri, Franco Morbidelli, Luca Marini, Romano Fenati, Andrea Migno and Francesco Bagnaia while Hernandez was joined by the Aspire Academy team and former Espanyol player Sergio Garcia. A seven-aside format was played with two 10-minute halves.
Kick-off was followed by a goal for the Aspire Academy squad, the team backing it up with another point soon after. The Aspire Academy team took a clear lead as a shot from the half way line made it three to nothing just ahead of half time. During the second half the VR46 squad stepped up their defence and with the help of Xavi joining their side, were able to close the score to 3-2 as full-time approached. The fi nal whistle blew with the Aspire Acad-emy taking victory 3-2.
“As a football lover, getting the op-portunity to play against a great player
as Xavi Hernandez is something very special. I told my team to do their best and really go for it, but there was little we could do against such a line-up,” Rossi said after the game.
Xavi added: “Sharing an experience like this with a motorcycling legend like Valentino Rossi is unique. I’m proud to take part in a game like this against him and his team and I have to admit they were really into it and playing for the win, not just training. Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet.”
'Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet'
The World Series of Boxing will decide by today whether Britain must forfeit an international match against a Moroccan team which was cancelled after the British government refused visas for the visitors, an international federation source said. The British Lionhearts were due to take on the Morocco Atlas Lions in London yesterday, but it was called off just 24 hours before because of the visa refusal. “We will communicate very quickly on whether the match will be rearranged or forfeited,” said an off icial with the International Boxing Federation which over-sees the WSB. Four members of the Moroccan team were refused visas. No official reason was given, but the Home Office said in a statement that “all UK visa applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with UK immigration rules and guidance”.
Britain risksforfeiting
boxing clash aft er Moroccan
visas refused
Rayyan al-Jufairi reaches Asian under-14 quarter-fi nals
Qatar’s Rayyan al-Jufairi (pictured) advanced into the quarter-finals of
the second U14 Asian Tennis Tourna-ment, organised by the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) at the Khalifa Interna-tional Tennis and Squash Complex.Al-Jufairi defeated Australia’s David Qariaqus 2-0 to reach the last eight.Talking after the match, al-Jufairi said, “I’m so happy to have beaten David Qariaqus, who claimed the title in the first Asian Tournament last week. I got the chance to avenge my loss and to correct the mis-
takes I made in the that tournament.”Opponents in one match, partners in another, al-Jufairi and Qariaqus are doubles partners in the tournament. The duo reached the quarter-finals beating the Iranian duo of Dokmitchen and Mer Mozi 2-0.The tournament features participation of around 80 players from Qatar and some other countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Australia and Lebanon.The Qatar National Team includes
Mohamed al-Sulaiti, Ghanim al-Khelaifi, Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, Hassan al-Obaidli, Jas-sim al-Mahmoud, and Abdulaziz Zainal, besides al-Jufairi.Ibrahim al-Khelaifi, deputy head of National Teams Committee, said, “We are delighted by the performance of Rayyan and his ability to reach the quarter-finals of singles and doubles events at the Asian Tournament. The QTF spares no eff ort to provide the Qatari players with opportuni-ties to acquire more experiences and to improve their Asian ranking.”
Valentino Rossi (right) and Xavi (centre) in action during a friendly at Aspire Academy on Wednesday.
Rossi talks strategy with VR46 Academy riders in the dressing room.
Manny Pacquiao (left) and Timothy Bradley have met twice before, with Bradley winning the first bout in 2012, and Pacquiao the second in 2014.
SPORT11Gulf Times
Friday, March 18, 2016
SOP’s basketball competitions get positive response
Bradley takes ‘way diff erent’ approach for Pacquiao bout
SPOTLIGHT
BOXING
By Sports ReporterDoha
Under the theme ‘Sport and Media’, the bas-ketball competitions organised for various
levels received an overwhelm-ing response from students at the prestigious Schools Olym-pic Program (SOP) 2015-2016 on Wednesday.
Qatar Basketball Federation president Sheikh Saoud bin Ab-dulrahman al-Thani and SOP executive director Mohamed Issa al-Fadala honoured the champi-ons in a festive sport scene.
Wednesday’s basketball com-petitions brought together stu-dents to compete in basketball 3x3 event. At the primary level, Al Furqan School won the fi rst place, Lebanese School fi nished second and Khalifa School took the third place.
At the preparatory school
level, Hamza bin Abdulmotalab school took the fi rst place ahead of Ali bin Abi Taleb and Hikma International School who fi n-ished second and third respec-tively.
At the secondary school lev-el, Abdullah Al Misnad School emerged as winners, while Deb-kai Medical Profession School managed the second spot ahead of third-placed Mosab bin Omair School.
The football competitions for primary and model schools (boys) were also successfully held on Wednesday. While Abi Ayoob Al Ansari school defeated Sudanese school 6-0, Al Shrouq school outclassed Qatar French school.
The SOP is striving to achieve the ambitions of the Qatar Na-tional Vision 2030 and the Na-tional Development Strategy to increase sports participation and promote an active healthy life-style in Qatar.
ReutersLos Angeles
American Timothy Bra-dley says he will rely on a “way diff erent” strat-egy built on a highly
detailed game plan when he de-fends his WBO welterweight title against Filipino Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas next month.
The two boxers will be meeting for a third time, Bradley having controversially beaten Pacquiao when they fi rst met in 2012 but the Filipino gained revenge in their 2014 re-match by scoring a unanimous decision win.
Two-division world champion Bradley has since teamed up with renowned trainer and boxing an-alyst Teddy Atlas, a move that he believes has markedly improved his ring skills and fi ght prepara-tion.
“Our approach this time (against Pacquiao) is going to be way diff erent,” Bradley said dur-ing a conference call on Wednes-day. “We have a big game plan going into this fi ght and I am looking closely at Pacquiao and his weaknesses.
“I can take a lot from the fi rst two fi ghts. I didn’t really have a game plan for the fi rst fi ght, pretty much fi ghting on my peer skills and my experience, and I did pretty well in that one.
“The second fi ght, Pacquiao defi nitely won that hands down but I suff ered an injury in the second round. The fact that now I will have a big game plan ... I think that I have a much better chance.”
Asked what he had learned under the tutelage of Atlas, Bra-dley replied: “I’ve learned a lot of things ... but the hardest thing for me is to trust the game plan at all times in the ring, in training.
“What I mean by that is that no matter what’s going on, no matter how bad a day you’re having, you always have to be focused, you always have to be committed.
“That is enforced every single day (with Atlas). I show up to the gym and it’s total concentration, total focus all the way through,” said Bradley (33-1-1), who knocked out fellow American Brandon Rios in the ninth round of his last bout.
Southpaw Pacquiao (57-6-2) has won world titles in eight dif-ferent weight classes during a stellar 20-year career but Brad-ley is confi dent that he and Atlas have established a winning strat-egy for the April 9 showdown in Las Vegas.
“We have a game plan, I just have to go out there and execute it, just like I did against Rios,” said Bradley. “I trust everything that Teddy is telling me and teaching me. I’ve just got to do my job.
“Teddy has shown me every-thing that I need to win this fi ght but if I don’t go out there and do it, then I’m not going to win this fi ght.
“Manny Pacquiao pretty much does the same things, he’s going to bring the intensity, he’s going to come forward, he’s going to be the Manny Pacquiao that we have always seen. He knows me but I think I’m going to be a little diff erent now.”
Bowling eff orts of Qadeer, Mujeeb win matches for Rawal County, Al Feroz
QATAR AIRWAYS NATIONAL DIVISION A CRICKET LEAGUE
By Sports ReporterDoha
Qadeer and Mujeeb Khan con-jured up inspired bowling per-formances for their respective teams and set up massive wins
in the Qatar Airways National Division A Cricket League.
Rawal County were shot out for a meagre 133 in 36 overs by Desert War-riors but they staged a gritty return into the match at the West Bay Grounds. Qa-deer snapped fi ve wickets and lifted his team to an exciting 37-run triumph.
Asif (34) was the main contributor for Rawal County. Cameos by Moazam (17) and Dilshant (15) were useful. Ashar led the collapse of Rawal County with three dismissals. Naouman, Talha and Mirza grabbed two wickets each.
In reply, Desert Warriors could only reach 96 in 31 overs. Abdullah (20) re-sisted the rival bowling the most. Be-sides Qadeer’s fi ve, Khawaja bagged three and Hadi picked two to complete the superb triumph.
In another match, Mujeeb Khan pro-
duced a stellar seven-wicket haul to lead Al Feroz to a huge 236-run victory against Bangla Tigers. Batting fi rst, Al Feroz put up 283 for seven in 45 overs with Qalandar (74), Faisal (61) and Ashraf (60) smashing breezy half-cen-turies.
Mujeeb wrecked the rivals with his devastating spell and sent them crash-ing to 47 all out in just 18 overs. Layton got the maximum 23 runs. Harris got the remaining three wickets.
Ooredoo DCC negated two fi ne indi-vidual performances from Alladitta and Babu before beating Qatari Diar by 52 runs in the third match. Alladitta’s four wickets were the highlight of the fi rst innings.
After having made 206 all out in 45 overs, in which Shahid (49) and Tab-rez (28) came up with fi ghting knocks, Ooredoo restricted the opponents to 154 all out in 39 overs. Besides a fi ne 60 by Babu, other players could not combine their eff orts and lost the match. Mur-taza accounted for three batsmen, while Tabrez, Abbas and Awais collected two scalps each.
The Qatar Cricket Association (QCA),
in association with its long-time part-ner Qatar Airways, has been organising the national league to promote the sport and groom the players at the interna-tional standard.
BRIEF SCORESAl Feroz 283 for 7 in 45 overs (Qalandar 74, Faisal 61, Imran Ashraf 60; Sagar 2wkts, Habib 2wkts, Mesbah 2wkts) beat Bangla Tigers 47 all out in 18 overs (Layton 23; Mujeeb Khan 7wkts, Harris 3 wkts) by 236 runs. Man of the Match: Mujeeb Khan of Al Feroz (7 wickets)Ooredoo DCC 206 all out in 45 overs (Shahid 49, Tabrez 28 runs; Alladitta 4wkts, Omran 2wkts, Khalid 2wkts) beat Qatari Diar 154 all out in 39 overs (Babu 60; Murtaza 3wkts, Awais 2wkts, Tabrez 2wkts, Abbas 2wkts) by 52 runs. Man of the Match: Tabrez of Ooredoo (28 runs and 2wkts)Rawal County 133 all out in 36 overs (Asif 34; Ashar 3wkts, Nouman 2wkts, Talha 2wkts, Mirza 2wkts) beat Dessert Warriors 96 all out in 31 overs (Abdullah 20; Qadeer 5wkts, Khawaja 3wkts, Hadi 2wkts) by 37 runs. Man of the Match: Qadeer of Rawal County (5 wkts)
Aspire Academy hosts Rossi vs Xavi on a football pitch
FOCUS
AgenciesDoha
Motorcycle racing may be their fi rst love but Valentino Rossi and his VR46 Academy riders all enjoy a good game of foot-
ball, especially after a day’s riding at the Italian’s ranch. Usually they play friendly matches against each other, but before the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qa-tar this weekend, they faced a formidable opponent in FC Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez.
Xavi and Rossi both have a proud and long history in their sports; Xavi was the fi rst player in Barca history to play in 150 matches while Rossi continues to re-write the record books.
From 1998 to 2015, the midfi elder scored 58 goals for Barcelona, during that same period Rossi scored 100 wins across the 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP classes.
The encounter at Aspire Academy, however, was not their fi rst. Rossi and Xavi had met before at the Catalan GP back in 2011 with Rossi showing his rev-erence for the footballer.
But now it was time for Rossi to step into Xavi’s world.
The pair took to the pitch together, Rossi supported by the likes of Nicolo Bulega, Niccolo Antonelli, Lorenzo Bal-dassarri, Franco Morbidelli, Luca Marini, Romano Fenati, Andrea Migno and Francesco Bagnaia while Hernandez was joined by the Aspire Academy team and former Espanyol player Sergio Garcia. A seven-aside format was played with two 10-minute halves.
Kick-off was followed by a goal for the Aspire Academy squad, the team backing it up with another point soon after. The Aspire Academy team took a clear lead as a shot from the half way line made it three to nothing just ahead of half time. During the second half the VR46 squad stepped up their defence and with the help of Xavi joining their side, were able to close the score to 3-2 as full-time approached. The fi nal whistle blew with the Aspire Acad-emy taking victory 3-2.
“As a football lover, getting the op-portunity to play against a great player
as Xavi Hernandez is something very special. I told my team to do their best and really go for it, but there was little we could do against such a line-up,” Rossi said after the game.
Xavi added: “Sharing an experience like this with a motorcycling legend like Valentino Rossi is unique. I’m proud to take part in a game like this against him and his team and I have to admit they were really into it and playing for the win, not just training. Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet.”
'Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet'
The World Series of Boxing will decide by today whether Britain must forfeit an international match against a Moroccan team which was cancelled after the British government refused visas for the visitors, an international federation source said. The British Lionhearts were due to take on the Morocco Atlas Lions in London yesterday, but it was called off just 24 hours before because of the visa refusal. “We will communicate very quickly on whether the match will be rearranged or forfeited,” said an off icial with the International Boxing Federation which over-sees the WSB. Four members of the Moroccan team were refused visas. No official reason was given, but the Home Office said in a statement that “all UK visa applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with UK immigration rules and guidance”.
Britain risksforfeiting
boxing clash aft er Moroccan
visas refused
Rayyan al-Jufairi reaches Asian under-14 quarter-fi nals
Qatar’s Rayyan al-Jufairi (pictured) advanced into the quarter-finals of
the second U14 Asian Tennis Tourna-ment, organised by the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) at the Khalifa Interna-tional Tennis and Squash Complex.Al-Jufairi defeated Australia’s David Qariaqus 2-0 to reach the last eight.Talking after the match, al-Jufairi said, “I’m so happy to have beaten David Qariaqus, who claimed the title in the first Asian Tournament last week. I got the chance to avenge my loss and to correct the mis-
takes I made in the that tournament.”Opponents in one match, partners in another, al-Jufairi and Qariaqus are doubles partners in the tournament. The duo reached the quarter-finals beating the Iranian duo of Dokmitchen and Mer Mozi 2-0.The tournament features participation of around 80 players from Qatar and some other countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Australia and Lebanon.The Qatar National Team includes
Mohamed al-Sulaiti, Ghanim al-Khelaifi, Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, Hassan al-Obaidli, Jas-sim al-Mahmoud, and Abdulaziz Zainal, besides al-Jufairi.Ibrahim al-Khelaifi, deputy head of National Teams Committee, said, “We are delighted by the performance of Rayyan and his ability to reach the quarter-finals of singles and doubles events at the Asian Tournament. The QTF spares no eff ort to provide the Qatari players with opportuni-ties to acquire more experiences and to improve their Asian ranking.”
Valentino Rossi (right) and Xavi (centre) in action during a friendly at Aspire Academy on Wednesday.
Rossi talks strategy with VR46 Academy riders in the dressing room.
Manny Pacquiao (left) and Timothy Bradley have met twice before, with Bradley winning the first bout in 2012, and Pacquiao the second in 2014.
SPORT11Gulf Times
Friday, March 18, 2016
SOP’s basketball competitions get positive response
Bradley takes ‘way diff erent’ approach for Pacquiao bout
SPOTLIGHT
BOXING
By Sports ReporterDoha
Under the theme ‘Sport and Media’, the bas-ketball competitions organised for various
levels received an overwhelm-ing response from students at the prestigious Schools Olym-pic Program (SOP) 2015-2016 on Wednesday.
Qatar Basketball Federation president Sheikh Saoud bin Ab-dulrahman al-Thani and SOP executive director Mohamed Issa al-Fadala honoured the champi-ons in a festive sport scene.
Wednesday’s basketball com-petitions brought together stu-dents to compete in basketball 3x3 event. At the primary level, Al Furqan School won the fi rst place, Lebanese School fi nished second and Khalifa School took the third place.
At the preparatory school
level, Hamza bin Abdulmotalab school took the fi rst place ahead of Ali bin Abi Taleb and Hikma International School who fi n-ished second and third respec-tively.
At the secondary school lev-el, Abdullah Al Misnad School emerged as winners, while Deb-kai Medical Profession School managed the second spot ahead of third-placed Mosab bin Omair School.
The football competitions for primary and model schools (boys) were also successfully held on Wednesday. While Abi Ayoob Al Ansari school defeated Sudanese school 6-0, Al Shrouq school outclassed Qatar French school.
The SOP is striving to achieve the ambitions of the Qatar Na-tional Vision 2030 and the Na-tional Development Strategy to increase sports participation and promote an active healthy life-style in Qatar.
ReutersLos Angeles
American Timothy Bra-dley says he will rely on a “way diff erent” strat-egy built on a highly
detailed game plan when he de-fends his WBO welterweight title against Filipino Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas next month.
The two boxers will be meeting for a third time, Bradley having controversially beaten Pacquiao when they fi rst met in 2012 but the Filipino gained revenge in their 2014 re-match by scoring a unanimous decision win.
Two-division world champion Bradley has since teamed up with renowned trainer and boxing an-alyst Teddy Atlas, a move that he believes has markedly improved his ring skills and fi ght prepara-tion.
“Our approach this time (against Pacquiao) is going to be way diff erent,” Bradley said dur-ing a conference call on Wednes-day. “We have a big game plan going into this fi ght and I am looking closely at Pacquiao and his weaknesses.
“I can take a lot from the fi rst two fi ghts. I didn’t really have a game plan for the fi rst fi ght, pretty much fi ghting on my peer skills and my experience, and I did pretty well in that one.
“The second fi ght, Pacquiao defi nitely won that hands down but I suff ered an injury in the second round. The fact that now I will have a big game plan ... I think that I have a much better chance.”
Asked what he had learned under the tutelage of Atlas, Bra-dley replied: “I’ve learned a lot of things ... but the hardest thing for me is to trust the game plan at all times in the ring, in training.
“What I mean by that is that no matter what’s going on, no matter how bad a day you’re having, you always have to be focused, you always have to be committed.
“That is enforced every single day (with Atlas). I show up to the gym and it’s total concentration, total focus all the way through,” said Bradley (33-1-1), who knocked out fellow American Brandon Rios in the ninth round of his last bout.
Southpaw Pacquiao (57-6-2) has won world titles in eight dif-ferent weight classes during a stellar 20-year career but Brad-ley is confi dent that he and Atlas have established a winning strat-egy for the April 9 showdown in Las Vegas.
“We have a game plan, I just have to go out there and execute it, just like I did against Rios,” said Bradley. “I trust everything that Teddy is telling me and teaching me. I’ve just got to do my job.
“Teddy has shown me every-thing that I need to win this fi ght but if I don’t go out there and do it, then I’m not going to win this fi ght.
“Manny Pacquiao pretty much does the same things, he’s going to bring the intensity, he’s going to come forward, he’s going to be the Manny Pacquiao that we have always seen. He knows me but I think I’m going to be a little diff erent now.”
Bowling eff orts of Qadeer, Mujeeb win matches for Rawal County, Al Feroz
QATAR AIRWAYS NATIONAL DIVISION A CRICKET LEAGUE
By Sports ReporterDoha
Qadeer and Mujeeb Khan con-jured up inspired bowling per-formances for their respective teams and set up massive wins
in the Qatar Airways National Division A Cricket League.
Rawal County were shot out for a meagre 133 in 36 overs by Desert War-riors but they staged a gritty return into the match at the West Bay Grounds. Qa-deer snapped fi ve wickets and lifted his team to an exciting 37-run triumph.
Asif (34) was the main contributor for Rawal County. Cameos by Moazam (17) and Dilshant (15) were useful. Ashar led the collapse of Rawal County with three dismissals. Naouman, Talha and Mirza grabbed two wickets each.
In reply, Desert Warriors could only reach 96 in 31 overs. Abdullah (20) re-sisted the rival bowling the most. Be-sides Qadeer’s fi ve, Khawaja bagged three and Hadi picked two to complete the superb triumph.
In another match, Mujeeb Khan pro-
duced a stellar seven-wicket haul to lead Al Feroz to a huge 236-run victory against Bangla Tigers. Batting fi rst, Al Feroz put up 283 for seven in 45 overs with Qalandar (74), Faisal (61) and Ashraf (60) smashing breezy half-cen-turies.
Mujeeb wrecked the rivals with his devastating spell and sent them crash-ing to 47 all out in just 18 overs. Layton got the maximum 23 runs. Harris got the remaining three wickets.
Ooredoo DCC negated two fi ne indi-vidual performances from Alladitta and Babu before beating Qatari Diar by 52 runs in the third match. Alladitta’s four wickets were the highlight of the fi rst innings.
After having made 206 all out in 45 overs, in which Shahid (49) and Tab-rez (28) came up with fi ghting knocks, Ooredoo restricted the opponents to 154 all out in 39 overs. Besides a fi ne 60 by Babu, other players could not combine their eff orts and lost the match. Mur-taza accounted for three batsmen, while Tabrez, Abbas and Awais collected two scalps each.
The Qatar Cricket Association (QCA),
in association with its long-time part-ner Qatar Airways, has been organising the national league to promote the sport and groom the players at the interna-tional standard.
BRIEF SCORESAl Feroz 283 for 7 in 45 overs (Qalandar 74, Faisal 61, Imran Ashraf 60; Sagar 2wkts, Habib 2wkts, Mesbah 2wkts) beat Bangla Tigers 47 all out in 18 overs (Layton 23; Mujeeb Khan 7wkts, Harris 3 wkts) by 236 runs. Man of the Match: Mujeeb Khan of Al Feroz (7 wickets)Ooredoo DCC 206 all out in 45 overs (Shahid 49, Tabrez 28 runs; Alladitta 4wkts, Omran 2wkts, Khalid 2wkts) beat Qatari Diar 154 all out in 39 overs (Babu 60; Murtaza 3wkts, Awais 2wkts, Tabrez 2wkts, Abbas 2wkts) by 52 runs. Man of the Match: Tabrez of Ooredoo (28 runs and 2wkts)Rawal County 133 all out in 36 overs (Asif 34; Ashar 3wkts, Nouman 2wkts, Talha 2wkts, Mirza 2wkts) beat Dessert Warriors 96 all out in 31 overs (Abdullah 20; Qadeer 5wkts, Khawaja 3wkts, Hadi 2wkts) by 37 runs. Man of the Match: Qadeer of Rawal County (5 wkts)
Aspire Academy hosts Rossi vs Xavi on a football pitch
FOCUS
AgenciesDoha
Motorcycle racing may be their fi rst love but Valentino Rossi and his VR46 Academy riders all enjoy a good game of foot-
ball, especially after a day’s riding at the Italian’s ranch. Usually they play friendly matches against each other, but before the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qa-tar this weekend, they faced a formidable opponent in FC Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez.
Xavi and Rossi both have a proud and long history in their sports; Xavi was the fi rst player in Barca history to play in 150 matches while Rossi continues to re-write the record books.
From 1998 to 2015, the midfi elder scored 58 goals for Barcelona, during that same period Rossi scored 100 wins across the 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP classes.
The encounter at Aspire Academy, however, was not their fi rst. Rossi and Xavi had met before at the Catalan GP back in 2011 with Rossi showing his rev-erence for the footballer.
But now it was time for Rossi to step into Xavi’s world.
The pair took to the pitch together, Rossi supported by the likes of Nicolo Bulega, Niccolo Antonelli, Lorenzo Bal-dassarri, Franco Morbidelli, Luca Marini, Romano Fenati, Andrea Migno and Francesco Bagnaia while Hernandez was joined by the Aspire Academy team and former Espanyol player Sergio Garcia. A seven-aside format was played with two 10-minute halves.
Kick-off was followed by a goal for the Aspire Academy squad, the team backing it up with another point soon after. The Aspire Academy team took a clear lead as a shot from the half way line made it three to nothing just ahead of half time. During the second half the VR46 squad stepped up their defence and with the help of Xavi joining their side, were able to close the score to 3-2 as full-time approached. The fi nal whistle blew with the Aspire Acad-emy taking victory 3-2.
“As a football lover, getting the op-portunity to play against a great player
as Xavi Hernandez is something very special. I told my team to do their best and really go for it, but there was little we could do against such a line-up,” Rossi said after the game.
Xavi added: “Sharing an experience like this with a motorcycling legend like Valentino Rossi is unique. I’m proud to take part in a game like this against him and his team and I have to admit they were really into it and playing for the win, not just training. Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet.”
'Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet'
The World Series of Boxing will decide by today whether Britain must forfeit an international match against a Moroccan team which was cancelled after the British government refused visas for the visitors, an international federation source said. The British Lionhearts were due to take on the Morocco Atlas Lions in London yesterday, but it was called off just 24 hours before because of the visa refusal. “We will communicate very quickly on whether the match will be rearranged or forfeited,” said an off icial with the International Boxing Federation which over-sees the WSB. Four members of the Moroccan team were refused visas. No official reason was given, but the Home Office said in a statement that “all UK visa applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with UK immigration rules and guidance”.
Britain risksforfeiting
boxing clash aft er Moroccan
visas refused
Rayyan al-Jufairi reaches Asian under-14 quarter-fi nals
Qatar’s Rayyan al-Jufairi (pictured) advanced into the quarter-finals of
the second U14 Asian Tennis Tourna-ment, organised by the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) at the Khalifa Interna-tional Tennis and Squash Complex.Al-Jufairi defeated Australia’s David Qariaqus 2-0 to reach the last eight.Talking after the match, al-Jufairi said, “I’m so happy to have beaten David Qariaqus, who claimed the title in the first Asian Tournament last week. I got the chance to avenge my loss and to correct the mis-
takes I made in the that tournament.”Opponents in one match, partners in another, al-Jufairi and Qariaqus are doubles partners in the tournament. The duo reached the quarter-finals beating the Iranian duo of Dokmitchen and Mer Mozi 2-0.The tournament features participation of around 80 players from Qatar and some other countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Australia and Lebanon.The Qatar National Team includes
Mohamed al-Sulaiti, Ghanim al-Khelaifi, Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, Hassan al-Obaidli, Jas-sim al-Mahmoud, and Abdulaziz Zainal, besides al-Jufairi.Ibrahim al-Khelaifi, deputy head of National Teams Committee, said, “We are delighted by the performance of Rayyan and his ability to reach the quarter-finals of singles and doubles events at the Asian Tournament. The QTF spares no eff ort to provide the Qatari players with opportuni-ties to acquire more experiences and to improve their Asian ranking.”
Valentino Rossi (right) and Xavi (centre) in action during a friendly at Aspire Academy on Wednesday.
Rossi talks strategy with VR46 Academy riders in the dressing room.
Manny Pacquiao (left) and Timothy Bradley have met twice before, with Bradley winning the first bout in 2012, and Pacquiao the second in 2014.
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Hamilton wary of surprise at first
Grand Prix
FRIDAY 18 MARCH 2016 • 9 Jumada II 1437
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The strength of MotoGP field in
2016DOHA: The strength of the MotoGP grid can be illustrated by the follow-ing facts about the riders lining up:
* There are 10 riders who have won a Grand Prix World Championship.
* These 10 riders have won a total of 27 World Championship titles between them.
* Five riders on the list have won races in the premier-class. These five riders have between them won a total of 179 premier-class GP races - the highest number of accumu-lated premier-class GP wins ever assembled on the entry list at the opening race of the year.
* Fifteen riders on the MotoGP entry list have had race victories in at least one of the three classes of Grand Prix racing, with a n amaz-ing combined total of Grand Prix victories of 386.
* The oldest rider on the MotoGP full-time entry list is Valentino Rossi, who celebrated his 37th birthday in February.
*The youngest rider for the sec-ond year running is Jack Miller, who will be 21 years 62 days old when he lines up on the grid in Qatar; Miller is just six days younger than Mav-erick Viñales.
Moto2 stats and facts you need
to know DOHA: Here are a few pointers that racing fans should know ahead of the start of the new Moto2 World Championship later this week at Losail International CIrcuit.
*Two of the riders in the Moto2 class in 2016 have competed in all 12 previous Grand Prix events to be held at the Losail circuit: Julian Simon and Simone Corsi.
* No reigning Moto2 World Champion has ever won the open-ing Moto2 race of the year in Qatar.
* Jonas Folger won the Moto2 race last year in Qatar - his first win in the Moto2 class.
* Johann Zarco was leading the Moto2 race at Qatar last year by over four seconds with just five laps to go when he suffered mechani-cal problems and dropped back to finish 8th.
* In addition to Folger, the only other past Qatar Grand Prix win-ners who are currently competing in the Moto2 class are Luis Salom, (Moto3 - 2013), and Mattia Pasini (250cc - 2008).
* Thomas Lüthi has finished on the podium three times in the Moto2 class at the Qatar Grand Prix; 3rd in 2011, 2014 and 2015. Luthi also qualified on pole at Losail in 2012 and was leading the race starting the final lap of the race before a clash with Marquez at Turn 1 resulted in him running off the track and even-tually finishing fifth.
A Doha friendly to remember
The Peninsula
DOHA: MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi and his team of VR46 Academy riders yesterday played a game of football against FC Barcelona legend ‘Xavi’ at the Aspire Academy.
Motorcycle racing may be their first love but Rossi and his VR46 Academy riders all enjoy a good game of foot-ball, especially after a day riding at Rossi’s ranch.
“It was a lot of fun and I have always admired Xavi because he plays with his head up,” Rossi said.
Xavi also expressed his admira-tion for the decorated Italian.
“Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet,” joked the Al Sadd SC mid-fielder and adviser to Aspire Academy.
Usually they play friendly matches against each other, but before the Com-mercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar they faced a formidable opponent: FC Bar-celona legend ‘Xavi’ Hernandez.
‘Xavi’ and Rossi both have a proud and long history in their sports, Xavi was the first player in FC Barcelona history to play in 150 internationals
while Valentino Rossi continues to re-write the record books.
From 1998 to 2015 the midfielder scored 58 goals for Barcelona, during that same period Rossi scored 100 wins across the 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP classes. This was not their first encoun-ter however, Rossi and Xavi had met before at the Catalan GP back in 2011 with Rossi showing his reverence for the footballer. But now it was time for Rossi to step into Xavi’s world.
The pair took to the pitch together,
Rossi supported by the likes of Nicolo Bulega, Niccolo Antonelli, Lorenzo Baldassarri, Franco Morbidelli, Luca Marini, Romano Fenati, Andrea Migno and Francesco Bagnaia while Xavi was joined by the Aspire Academy team and former Espanyol player Sergio Garcia, who recently won the Qatar Stars League with Al Rayyan.
A seven-aside format was played with two 10-minute halves.
Kick off was followed by a goal for the Aspire Academy squad, the team
backing it up with another point soon after. The Aspire Academy team took a clear lead as a shot from the half way line made it three to nothing just ahead of half time.
During the second half the VR46 squad stepped up their defence and with the help of Xavi joining their side, were able to close the score to 3-2 as full time approached.
The final whistle blew with the Aspire Academy taking victory 3-2.
Rossi said: “As a football lover,
getting the opportunity to play against a great player as Xavi Hernandez is something very special. I told my team to do their best and really go for it, but there was little we could do against such a line-up.”
Xavi said: “Sharing an experience like this with a motorcycling legend like Valentino Rossi is unique. I’m proud to take part in a game like this against him and his team and I have to admit they were really into it and playing for the win, not just training.”
MotoGP star Valentino Rossi takes on Barca legend and Al Sadd skipper Xavi in a game of football at iconic Aspire Academy
Lorenzo sparkles as riders hit the track at Losail CircuitThe Peninsula
DOHA: After weeks of intense pre-sea-son testing, riders in the MotoGP World Championship yesterday completed their first official practice session of 2016 with Jorge Lorenzo finishing ahead of Valentiono Rossi and And-rea Iannone.
Due to the Losail International Circuit’s location, the first sessions of the day are frequently hindered
by a dirty track as a result of sand-ing blowing over the circuit.
Fortunately for riders in the MotoGP World Championship, the Moto2 and Moto3 class riders did most of the work to prepare the track dur-ing their first sessions. However, the junior classes also have a different tyre supplier, thus leaving a differ-ent rubber on the track surface that in the past has changed grip levels.
During the Qatar Test, Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) had set a
best time of 1’54.810, but riders were aware this would be an ambitious time due to rain between the test and FP1 changing the track significantly. The reigning MotoGP World Champion pushed from the start of the session, stringing together fastest lap after fast-est lap in the first ten minutes. A best time of 1’55.440 on his 15th lap saw Lorenzo lead the way.
With a total of 17 laps in the first practice session, Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was able to work
his way to second. A lap of 1’55.707 put him 0.267s back on his teammate as the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team asserted themselves over the rest of the field. Both Rossi and Lorenzo looked comfortable throughout testing and have continued their rapid pace into the race weekend.
Try as he might, Iannone (Ducati Team) who set a 1’55.736, was unable to get within a quarter of a second of Lorenzo. Iannone’s MotoGP podium debut came here in Qatar in 2015, many
are expecting the Ducati man to be in contention for victory at the Com-mercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar, the long straight playing to the strength of the new Ducati.
Another impressive Ducati was the Avintia Racing Ducati GP14.2 of Hector Barbera.
Barbera, known for his ability to produce a single flying lap, ending fourth with a 1’55.810.
The final rider in the 1’55s was Mav-erick Vinales (Team Suzuki Ecstar), the
young Spaniard over a second faster than his teammate Aleix Espargaro who was 16th.
After several difficult tests, Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) turned his fortunes around and was able to finish sixth. The Spaniard set a 1’56.051 while his teammate, Brad-ley Smith, ended down in 11th. Smith also suffered a crash at Turn 13, the Brit was unhurt in the fall.
MotoGP riders will be back on track at 6pm today for FP2.
A family portrait of all the MotoGP riders ahead of the season’s first Grand Prtix to be held at Losail International Circuit on Sunday.
MotoGP star Valentino Rossi (right) makes a move in front of Barcelona legend and Al Sadd captain Xavi (centre) at Aspire Academy in Doha yesterday. RIGHT: Rossi and Xavi pose for a photograph after the ‘friendly’ yesterday.
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SÁBADO, 19MARZO 2016 D E P O R T E S LAVANGUARDIA 59
Los Pons son un caso paradigmático: un padre y dos hijos coinciden en elMundial
Gasolina en los genes
El circuito de Losail, justo en medio del desierto, es como el comedor de casa el día de Navidad. Lasfamilias en torno a la moto en vezdelasopadegalets.LosPons,enestascuestionesdeconsanguinidadymimetismofamiliar,sonelcasoparadigmático del Mundial: dos hijos, Axel y Edgar, y un padre, Sito,ilustre bicampeón de los ochenta,coincidenenelcampeonato,conelañadido de que el progenitor estambién el jefe de equipo del hijomediano... Asuntos de familia asegurados. Lamotonuncadesapareceen laconvivencia familiar.De hecho, era prácticamente in
evitable que los hijos no le salieranpilotos.“Acualquierniñolosubesaunamotoy leencantacorrer, lavelocidad y la sensación de libertadquedaunamotoenganchamucho.Ysiencimatupadresehadedicado
aestoytedalaposibilidad,yalotienes...”, justificaSitoPons (Barcelona, 1959), que subió los suyos aunamotomuy temprano. “Axel, a los 6años;Edgar,a los3”.Yhanacabadopor dedicarse a las dos ruedas. Sinembargo,nohaservid la teoría coneltercerhijo,Lucas(14),aquiennogustan lasmotos. Prefiere la informáticaylosaviones.“Asímimadrese ha quitado un peso de encima;realmente sufre mucho, la pobre”,admiteEdgar(20),queesteañohará su primer Mundial de Moto2
rez, se destrozó las dos piernas, lapelvis, un pulmón y el hígado, “elmomentomás complicado, para ély para la familia”, recuerda. “Elloshan escogido este camino. Quizásno, seguro, yo habría estado mástranquilosi sehubierandedicadoaotra cosa; me habría gustado queuno hubiera sido médico y el otroabogado...”, confiesa el cabeza defamilia, que estudió arquitectura,siguiendotambiénelejemplodesupadre, arquitecto y abogado. “Axelacabó la carrera de ADE, y Edgar
empezó la de Ingeniería industrial”, comentaconnostalgia.Perolehansalidopilotos.Yeso,a
los chicos, hijos de un bicampeónde 250cc (198990) también les hapesado. “Tener unpadre campeóndel mundo me ha supuesto tenermásautoexigencia,porqueélessuperexigente ymeticuloso”, admiteAxel (24), que inicia suoctavo cursomundialista. “Cuando llegué todo el mundo esperaba alguna cosademíporqueerahijodeunbicampeón; sufrí. Cuando tienes un apellidoconocidotodoelmundosefijaen ti, estás como obligado a haceralgomás. El apellidomehapesadomuchasvecesymehacostadoliberarme de esta exigencia. Ahoramesientomuchomás libre”, explicaAxel.Sito lo admite sin ambages. “Te
ner un padre bicampeón les ha supuestomásdificultades,esunpesoporque han estado muy observa
dos, en permanente evaluación, yeso, a alguien que empieza le pesamucho”, reconoce. “No es lo mismo ser un piloto anónimo, a quiennadie juzga, que tener los ojos detodo el mundo encima desde quellegasalMundialparaversivalesono.Mehubieragustadoquemishijos no hubieran tenido esta presión, pero es inherente a su apellido. Lo importante es que sean capacesdeaislarse.Axel al final lohalogrado; Edgar lo sufrió menos,quizás por haber empezado mástardeyestandomás formado”–veníadelmotocross–.Pero ser el hijo de un referente
de las motos también tiene ventajas, como disponer del maestro encasaylosmejoresconsejos,opodercorrerenelequipodelpadre,comohizoAxel yahoraEdgarenelPáginas Amarillas HP. “Sobre todomeaconsejaba–yaún lohace–quemelo tomara con calma, porque siempre he sidomuy impulsivo”, admite el hermano mayor. “Es cierto,siemprehaestadoallíparaayudarnos. Su consejo que más recuerdoesque intentedisfrutarcuandocorro. Y estoy aprendiendo a ser como él: eramuy inteligente y calculador, loestoytrabajando,sobretodo a pensar en la estrategia”, diceEdgar. Aunque tener un jefe en eltrabajo que además es tu padretambién estresa. “Lo tengo que intentar separar, si lo juntas tengomáspresión...Perodespuésencasaséque tendrésupuntodevista...”c
El uso de alerones creareticencias entre los pilotosLOSAIL Enviado especial
Curso nuevo, moda nueva (o notanto), y, claro, polémica nueva.En el estreno de la temporada deMotoGP se ha generalizado eluso de alerones en los carenadosde las máquinas de la cilindradareina; unos apéndices –de fibrade carbono, de forma triangular orectangular– acoplados en la cúpula, sin sobrepasar la altura delmanillar ni la anchura de lamoto.
Un invento aerodinámico, similar a los aletines de los bólidos deF1, que tienen la función de incrementar la estabilidad en la frenada y en las curvas rápidas, yevitar que se levante la moto (loscaballitos) al acelerar. Sin embargo, el artilugio, que incorporan yacasi todos los equipos, crea algunos recelos entre los pilotos.El más crítico con los llamados
winglets ha sido Cal Crutchlow,piloto de Honda LCR, quien ha
abierto la caja de las dudas por suposible peligrosidad. “No quieroimaginarme una de esas alas cortándole lapiernaa alguien” encaso de accidente o colisión. “Dicenque se rompen antes de romperuna pierna, pero, ¿eso cómo lo saben? ¿Acaso lo han probado?”, sepreguntaba el inglés, que encontró el apoyo de Dani Pedrosa, cuyaHonda también lleva instaladolos apéndices. “Con los aleroneshay una gran turbulencia si estásmuypegadodetrásdeotramoto”,comentaba el vallesano, que descubría que ya han discutido elasunto con los responsables deMotoGP.En cuestión de resultados en la
pista, los alerones, grandes o pe
queños, parece que poco han tenido que ver con el rendimientode los pilotos. Así, JorgeLorenzo,que comandó la tabla de tiemposel jueves con los apéndices instalados –ya los había llevado en al
gunas carreras el año pasado–,ayer firmó un 9.º puesto en la segunda sesión (a medio segundode Iannone y su Ducati que parece una avioneta biplana, con cua
tro alerones) y cerró la jornadacon el segundo, a 137 milésimasdel italiano.Quien mejoró notablemente,
1,4 segundos de un día a otro, fueMarcMárquez, tercero, pegado a59 milésimas de Lorenzo. Unamejora que el de Cervera, “aliviado”, atribuía “a los ajustes electrónicos” en su Honda, al pasoadelante “en la entrada en curva,tipo 2015 ya”, aunque “la aceleración sigue siendo el punto débil:nospuede laYamahay también laSuzuki”. Destacado 5.º mejorcronodeViñales (a0,3sde Iannone), 6.º de Pedrosa (a 0,4) y 7.º deRossi (a 0,5s). Todos en un pañuelo. La calificación (19 horas)clarificará el panorama.c
PELIGROS Y MOLESTIAS
Crutchlowtemeque losalerones“le corten lapiernaaalguien”yPedrosasequejade turbulencias
ALEJANDRO CERESUELA BERMEJO
La familia Pons, con Sito en el centro, Edgar (izquierda) y Axel, en el paddock del circuito de Losail
MOTOCICL ISMO GRAN PREMIO DEL QATAR
desde la primera carrera (ya habíadisputado9enel2015).Si Laura, la madre, sufre, el pa
dre,apesardelgestoserioyfrío,nolo puede disimular. Sito se debateentre el orgullo del progenitor queve a los hijos felices “haciendo loque han querido ser”, más que porel hecho de haber seguido sus pasos, y “el sufrimiento que puedensentir los padres del torero o el alpinista”, con la amenaza constantede la tragedia. Como cuando Axel,enel2008,corriendoelCEVenJe
LA OTRA CARA DE LA MONEDA
“Tenerunpadrebicampeónleshasupuestomáspresiónydificultades,hansidomuyobservados”,diceSitoPons
]Las motos son una cuestión defamilia. Siempre lo fueron, comosucedió con la saga de los Nieto(Ángel, Pablo, Gelete y Fonsi), losCardús (Carlos Tiriti y Ricky) o lafinlandesa de los Ajo. Pero esteaño la consanguinidad supera laestricta anécdota: hasta 10 hermanos y dos primos coinciden en
las tres parrillas del Mundial, lamayoría catalanes. Además delos Pons en Moto2, coinciden enMotoGP los hermanos Espargaró,Aleix y Pol; están los Márquez,Marc y Àlex –que hicieron historiaen el 2014 al proclamarse a lavez campeones del mundo, deMotoGP y Moto3, respectivamen
te, los primeros hermanos campeones del Mundial–; el añopasado debutaron los hermanossudafricanos Brad y Darryn Binder, en Moto3; hay dos hermanastros, Valentino Rossi y LucaMarini (inicia su primer año completo en Moto2), y dos primos,Maverick Viñales e Isaac (Moto2).
Cuestión de familia
Losail (Qatar)Enviado especial
TONI LÓPEZJORDÀ
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75Domingo 20 marzo 2016M Gran Premio de Qatar Motociclismo
Rins arranca tercero tras sufrir una dura caídaJ. M. • Losail
Álex Rins hizo sudar al equi-po Pons. Primero marcó un buen tercer tiempo y, después, sufrió una fuerte caída. Su es-cuadra le rehízo la Kalex y fi-nalmente pudo salir a pista. No mejoró, pero arranca en primera fila.
Folger, ganador en 2015, hi-zo la pole con Lowes, que tie-ne el mejor ritmo, segundo. El campeón Zarco creció y parte cuarto. Axel Pons arrancará duodécimo con el coxis roto. Baldasarri se dislocó los dos hombros y es baja casi segura.
Por su parte el campeón Zarco fue de menos a más, ro-dando solo y mejorando sen-saciones hasta alzarse con la cuarta plaza de la parrila. ■
MOTO 2
Navarro lo arregla casi al final y hoy saldrá quintoJ. M. • Losail
Romano Fenati se hizo con la pole de Moto3 con la bandera a cuadros ya bajada. Le birló la pole a Livio Loi, que soña-ba con estrenarse en este as-pecto. El belga, con todo, pa-rece el más fuerte.
Jorge Navarro se cayó tras un toque y se repuso al final para partir quinto. Fue como una contrarreloj por equipos con todos dándose la rueda pa-ra aprovechar los rebufos, que serán la clave en la carrera.
Canet por su parte tuvo un gran debut y, con la rueda de Navarro, terminó en el ‘top ten’ de una calificación en la que prácticamente todos los pilotos se movieron en unos tiempos muy similares. ■
MOTO 3El regreso de Stoner, a puntoCASEY es el favorito para sustituir al lesionado Petrucci en las dos próximas carreras: Argentina y Austin • Lo haría con la Ducati de 2015
Jaime Martín • Losail
El posible regreso de Casey Stoner a MotoGP está más cer-ca que nunca. El australiano decidirá si se sube a la Duca-ti de Danilo Petrucci y corre en Argentina y Austin, donde nunca lo ha hecho. El italiano se volvió a frac-turar el segundo y tercer me-tacarpiano de la mano dere-
cha, esa que se fracturó en Australia en el test después de una fuerte caída. Petrux es-taba hundido, pues hizo de to-do para poder estar en este gran premio. Ahora, todos le han aconsejado ser más con-servador. Así no estará en las dos próximas citas y eso ha-ce que su escuadra, por regla-mento, tenga que nombrar a
un sustituto. Hay dos nom-bres encima de la mesa, am-bos los de los probadores de la casa de Borgo Panigale: Mi-chele Pirro, que ya sustituyó a Petrucci en el test de Losail, y Casey Stoner. El bicampeón tiene fijadas dos jornadas de entrenamien-tos en la pista qatarí para ma-ñana y el martes. Debía haber
probado antes, pero Ducati cometió un error de cálculo y no salió a pista la semana pa-sada. Ahora se subirá a la GP15, la moto de Danilo, y, qui-zá a la GP16, la que portan Iannone y Dovizioso. Alguna voz dentro de la es-cuadra italiana hasta se plan-teó que Casey podía correr ya en Qatar. Habrían tenido tiem-
po porque las reglas lo permi-tían hasta la sesión oficial. Pe-ro era demasiado precipitado. Ahora, con dos días de test por delante, el oceánico pue-de ponerse a tono y familiari-zarse más con la Desmosedi-ci. Además, el año pasado Ca-sey ya se ofreció a Honda, cuando era probador de HRC, para sustituir a Dani Pedrosa en el circuito de las Américas. Es un enamorado de Estados Unidos y quería conocer esa pista. La firma japonesa optó por Hiroshi Aoyama.
Casey está en Losail Stoner está en Losail y, curio-samente, fue uno de los que más apoyó a Petrucci. Ya tras su accidente en Phillip Island le ayudó hasta a buscar un ci-rujano. En Qatar no paró de darle ánimos. El propio Dani-lo desearía que fuera él quien le supliera. A favor de que vuelva está el hecho de que Paolo Campino-tti, el jefe del Octo Pramac, fue quien convenció al de Southport para retornar a la fábrica boloñesa. De hecho, Ca-sey porta en su mono un logo del equipo cuando no estaría obligado a ello por contrato. En contra está el hecho de que él estaba dispuesto a co-rrer como invitado más que sustituyendo a alguien. Ade-más, en Ducati saben que pue-de ser un incordio para los An-drea, que, además, se juegan su futuro al tener que reno-var. Desde las filas ducatistas guardan silencio sobre una decisión que deberían tomar en unos días. ■
años Casey Stoner lleva tres temporadas retirado
3
Casey Stoner se encuentra en Losail estos días para realizar un test con la Ducati cuando termine el Gran Premio de Qatar de hoy.
AFP
75Domingo 20 marzo 2016M Gran Premio de Qatar Motociclismo
Rins arranca tercero tras sufrir una dura caídaJ. M. • Losail
Álex Rins hizo sudar al equi-po Pons. Primero marcó un buen tercer tiempo y, después, sufrió una fuerte caída. Su es-cuadra le rehízo la Kalex y fi-nalmente pudo salir a pista. No mejoró, pero arranca en primera fila.
Folger, ganador en 2015, hi-zo la pole con Lowes, que tie-ne el mejor ritmo, segundo. El campeón Zarco creció y parte cuarto. Axel Pons arrancará duodécimo con el coxis roto. Baldasarri se dislocó los dos hombros y es baja casi segura.
Por su parte el campeón Zarco fue de menos a más, ro-dando solo y mejorando sen-saciones hasta alzarse con la cuarta plaza de la parrila. ■
MOTO 2
Navarro lo arregla casi al final y hoy saldrá quintoJ. M. • Losail
Romano Fenati se hizo con la pole de Moto3 con la bandera a cuadros ya bajada. Le birló la pole a Livio Loi, que soña-ba con estrenarse en este as-pecto. El belga, con todo, pa-rece el más fuerte.
Jorge Navarro se cayó tras un toque y se repuso al final para partir quinto. Fue como una contrarreloj por equipos con todos dándose la rueda pa-ra aprovechar los rebufos, que serán la clave en la carrera.
Canet por su parte tuvo un gran debut y, con la rueda de Navarro, terminó en el ‘top ten’ de una calificación en la que prácticamente todos los pilotos se movieron en unos tiempos muy similares. ■
MOTO 3El regreso de Stoner, a puntoCASEY es el favorito para sustituir al lesionado Petrucci en las dos próximas carreras: Argentina y Austin • Lo haría con la Ducati de 2015
Jaime Martín • Losail
El posible regreso de Casey Stoner a MotoGP está más cer-ca que nunca. El australiano decidirá si se sube a la Duca-ti de Danilo Petrucci y corre en Argentina y Austin, donde nunca lo ha hecho. El italiano se volvió a frac-turar el segundo y tercer me-tacarpiano de la mano dere-
cha, esa que se fracturó en Australia en el test después de una fuerte caída. Petrux es-taba hundido, pues hizo de to-do para poder estar en este gran premio. Ahora, todos le han aconsejado ser más con-servador. Así no estará en las dos próximas citas y eso ha-ce que su escuadra, por regla-mento, tenga que nombrar a
un sustituto. Hay dos nom-bres encima de la mesa, am-bos los de los probadores de la casa de Borgo Panigale: Mi-chele Pirro, que ya sustituyó a Petrucci en el test de Losail, y Casey Stoner. El bicampeón tiene fijadas dos jornadas de entrenamien-tos en la pista qatarí para ma-ñana y el martes. Debía haber
probado antes, pero Ducati cometió un error de cálculo y no salió a pista la semana pa-sada. Ahora se subirá a la GP15, la moto de Danilo, y, qui-zá a la GP16, la que portan Iannone y Dovizioso. Alguna voz dentro de la es-cuadra italiana hasta se plan-teó que Casey podía correr ya en Qatar. Habrían tenido tiem-
po porque las reglas lo permi-tían hasta la sesión oficial. Pe-ro era demasiado precipitado. Ahora, con dos días de test por delante, el oceánico pue-de ponerse a tono y familiari-zarse más con la Desmosedi-ci. Además, el año pasado Ca-sey ya se ofreció a Honda, cuando era probador de HRC, para sustituir a Dani Pedrosa en el circuito de las Américas. Es un enamorado de Estados Unidos y quería conocer esa pista. La firma japonesa optó por Hiroshi Aoyama.
Casey está en Losail Stoner está en Losail y, curio-samente, fue uno de los que más apoyó a Petrucci. Ya tras su accidente en Phillip Island le ayudó hasta a buscar un ci-rujano. En Qatar no paró de darle ánimos. El propio Dani-lo desearía que fuera él quien le supliera. A favor de que vuelva está el hecho de que Paolo Campino-tti, el jefe del Octo Pramac, fue quien convenció al de Southport para retornar a la fábrica boloñesa. De hecho, Ca-sey porta en su mono un logo del equipo cuando no estaría obligado a ello por contrato. En contra está el hecho de que él estaba dispuesto a co-rrer como invitado más que sustituyendo a alguien. Ade-más, en Ducati saben que pue-de ser un incordio para los An-drea, que, además, se juegan su futuro al tener que reno-var. Desde las filas ducatistas guardan silencio sobre una decisión que deberían tomar en unos días. ■
años Casey Stoner lleva tres temporadas retirado
3
Casey Stoner se encuentra en Losail estos días para realizar un test con la Ducati cuando termine el Gran Premio de Qatar de hoy.
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