Sports

AMMAN — Jordan’s top taekwondo fighters have hit form at the President’s Cup in Chinese Taipei, winning four medals on Tuesday. Juliana Al Sadeq won silver in the -67kg competition after losing her final to Korea’s Jan Kim, 4-3.

Earlier she beat fighters from Chinese Taipei and South Korea for her chance to fight for the gold. Teammate, Hamzeh Qattan, then added silver in the 87kg weight after losing his final to Kio Dung from South Korea, 4-3.

Qattan launched his campaign with a big 21-0 win over Shun Yu, from Chinese Taipei, before beating Kazakhstan’s Ruslan Zararove with a golden point in the semifinal.

Olympic champion, Ahmad Abu Ghaush, stepped up to the -73kg weight and added a bronze to his collection by reaching the semifinal where he lost to Yun Kim, from South Korea.

Saleh Al Sharabati completed a superb day for the Kingdom with another bronze in the -80kg category after losing his semifinal to Nam Jung, from South Korea.

The four medals were added to a fifth — a bronze — that was won by Zaid Mustafa on Monday, leading to Head Coach, Faris Al Assaf, being named the Coach-of-the-Tournament.

SAO PAULO — Mercedes won their fifth successive Formula One constructors’ championship on Sunday, joining glamour team Ferrari in the record books and rendering team boss Toto Wolff temporarily speechless.

The Austrian revealed that Jean Todt, now president of the governing FIA but previously Michael Schumacher’s boss at Ferrari, had called after the Brazilian Grand Prix to congratulate him.

“He said ‘it is an honour to welcome you to the five times club’. Which is unbelievable to even hear that. I am speechless,” Wolff told reporters, even if he was not lost for words for long.

While Ferrari won six team titles from 1999 to 2004, they and Mercedes are the only ones to have won five successive “doubles” — the drivers’ and constructors titles together.

Next season will see Mercedes attempt to break new boundaries, with Sunday’s race winner Lewis Hamilton also chasing his sixth title to move closer to Schumacher’s seven, but there is plenty to celebrate before then.

Wolff said 2018 had been the toughest of them all, with Ferrari mounting a major challenge, and also the most satisfying.

“It was the most difficult and that’s why the relief now is the most I’ve ever felt in the team,” he said.

“We had such a horrible race today with the perfect end result, with Lewis winning and us winning the constructors’ championship.

Wolff said Hamilton’s engine had been close to failure, and the engineers had to reduce the power remotely and cool the temperatures. 

Every lap to the chequered flag was filled with tension before, finally, “everything broke loose”.

The team’s pit lane celebrations were so wild that one of the barriers collapsed, bringing an ecstatic Hamilton back to earth with a bump.

Since the start of the V6 turbo hybrid era in 2014, Mercedes have won every title and Hamilton 50 of the 99 races — a phenomenal return.

When Hamilton moved from McLaren in 2013 there were plenty of pundits predicting the Briton would regret it but now Mercedes, along with Ferrari, are the team every driver would love to race for.

The battle has ebbed and flowed this year, with Ferrari winning the first two races before Mercedes came back and were then overtaken again. For much of the season, Mercedes felt the Italians had the fastest car.

“That is why this championship feels best, because we had a hell of a fight on our hands throughout the season with Ferrari,” said Wolff.

“And being able to win a fifth consecutive championship is something we wouldn’t have dreamt of six years ago. In our wildest dreams that wouldn’t have come to mind.

“Equalling a Ferrari record that seemed unachievable is something I feel so grateful and fortunate [for],” he added.

“I can remember before I joined Formula One, those Ferrari years with Jean at the helm and Michael and many others that contributed to the team’s success was something I really looked up to and admired.” 

AMMAN — The women’s senior football team plays Indonesia on Tuesday in their final Round 1, Group D Olympic qualifier in Ramallah, West Bank.

The tournament which is acts as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics saw Jordan trounced the Maldives 6-0 and Palestine 7-0 to take the lead atop the group. Indonesia beat Maldives 3-1 and Palestine held Indonesia 1-1.

Jordan is in a good position to qualify to Round 2 hence becoming the only national team to advance in Asian qualifiers this season.

Earlier this year, the U-19 women’s team was eliminated from Round 1 qualifiers for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championship. Likewise, the men’s U19 national team was eliminated from Round 1 of the AFC U-19 Championship. The semifinalists advanced to the FIFA U19 World Cup.

Jordan was hoping to advance in the Asian event after they failed to qualify to the championships in 2014 and 2016. It was the fifth time for Jordan at the championship with the best showing when they finished fourth in 2006 and advanced to the FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada in 2007. They exited the first round in 2008 and 2010, and reached the quarters in 2012. 

In U-16 events, Jordan bowed out of the Round 1 of the 2018 AFC U-16 Men’s Championship. Held once every two years, the competition serves as a qualifier for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the top four countries qualifying. The U-16 women’s squad was also eliminated from Round 1 Group A qualifiers for the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship.

In addition, Jordan’s U-23 men’s team was knocked out of Round 1 of the 3rd AFC U-23 Championship which acts as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2016, Jordan reached the quarter-finals and in 2014 Jordan finished third.

AMMAN — The UAE have dominated the Jordan International Muay Thai Elite Championship, which is sponsored by the country’s federation and was hosted in Amman over the weekend, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. 

But there was success for the host nation with Mohammad Al Barri winning the 81kg title after beating Libya’s Mohammad Al Tabbal.

His teammate, Seif Zaqzouq, took the -60kg title by beating Morocco’s Rabe’ Al Ghilani.  But the UAE fighters showed their class. The -57kg weight was won by Zakaria Al Jamari; Nour Sameer won the -67kg class; Elias Habeeb took the -86kg and Nasser Al Qattani won the -91kg category. The championship attracted fighters from 14 countries.

AMMAN — Jordan has finished its campaign at the WKF World Karate Championships empty handed after Abdulrahman Al Masatfa lost his bronze medal match on Saturday.

Masatfa lost by the narrowest of margins to Chile’s Camilio Velozo, but his run would have earned him valuable points as he bids to qualify for the -67kg section at the 2020 Olympic Games. Jordan sent nine fighters but all missed out on the medals. 

AMMAN — Jordan has flexed its muscles with four medals at the IFBB World Championship of Bodybuilding being hosted in Benidorm, Spain, including a gold, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. 

Dyia’ Lutfi clinched gold in the Physique (173cm) category while Tareq Naseir took silver in the 182cm Physique. 

Ahmad Al Halaykah (182cm) and Reda Al Ja’afrah (170cm) each won a bronze medal.  Jordan sent six athletes that were managed by Hussni Ayesh as Chef de Mission and coached by Qasim Haymour. 

AMMAN — The 2018 Jordan Drift Championship has finished with the tightest of winning margins with Mohammed Al Foqahaa taking the title by just half-a-point on Friday, according to the Jordan Motorsport Media Service. 

With all to play for heading into the fifth and final round, Foqahaa had to finish in the top six to guarantee the crown, and he did that by finishing sixth in his BMW E30 to take the title by the narrowest of margins from Friday’s winner Raafat Haroun. 

Ahmad Al Jabali finished fourth on Friday to clinch third in the championship, just three points off the top spot, while Omar Al Kukhun took third on the round five podium to clinch fourth overall. Abdullah Abu Hussein finished fifth to complete the championship top five.

SAO PAULO — McLaren and two-times Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso will enter next year’s Indianapolis 500, the team announced on Saturday.

It will be the second time the Spaniard has taken part in the race, which he led in 2017 before retiring with an engine problem. 

The 37-year-old, who is also competing for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship, is leaving Formula One at the end of this season and the May 26 date in Indianapolis will not clash with any commitments.

Alonso is a double Monaco Grand Prix winner and also won the Le Mans 24 Hours this year, leaving only Indianapolis between him and becoming only the second driver to achieve the ‘Triple Crown of Motorsport’.

The late Briton Graham Hill, also a two-times Formula One champion, who died in 1975, is the only one to have done it — completing the triple in 1972.

“I’ve made clear for some time my desire to achieve the Triple Crown. I had an incredible experience at Indianapolis in 2017 and I knew in my heart of hearts I had to go back if the opportunity was there,” Alonso said in a statement at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

“I’m especially glad to be returning with McLaren. This was always my first choice if the team decided to do it, so I’m delighted they’ve decided to go ahead.

“It’s a tough race and we’ll be up against the best, so it will be a huge challenge. But we’re racers and that’s why we race.”

Alonso missed the Monaco Grand Prix last year to compete at Indianapolis, no great loss for him given McLaren’s then woes with an uncompetitive Formula One car and unreliable Honda engine. 

Former F1 champions McLaren are three-times Indy 500 winners — in 1972 providing a car for Mark Donohue as a private entry and in 1974 and 1976 as a works entry with Johnny Rutherford.

They will compete at The Brickyard next year as McLaren Racing.

“McLaren has a long and fond relationship with the Indianapolis 500 and it’s a case of unfinished business for us with Fernando,” said team principal Zak Brown, who had already ruled out a full IndyCar season.

“No Indy 500 is a cakewalk, it’s a massive challenge. We have the utmost respect for the race and our competitors. So, we are under no illusions. But McLaren are racers first and foremost, as is Fernando. We’re going for it.”

Meanwhile, the Spaniard won both of his 2005 and 2006 titles with Renault at Interlagos and the ramshackle, but atmospheric Sao Paulo circuit has given him plenty of memories over the years, if no race wins.

Alonso has not been on the podium since he was at Ferrari in 2014 and points have been hard to come by since he joined McLaren in 2015 at the beginning of a failed partnership with Honda.

This year, with Renault engines, has been better and Alonso is 10th in the championship having scored 50 of McLaren’s 62 points.

Joel Embiid had a season-high 42 points to go along with 18 rebounds and four blocked shots to lift the Philadelphia 76ers past the visiting Charlotte Hornets 133-132 in overtime Friday night.

It was the eighth game for Embiid this season with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.

Ben Simmons racked up 22 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists, Dario Saric added 18 points and nine rebounds, while JJ Redick added 17 off the bench as the Sixers improved to 7-0 at home for the first time since 2002-03.

Kemba Walker scored 22 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as Jeremy Lamb added 17. Dwayne Bacon scored 15 for the Hornets, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.

Jazz 123, Celtics 115

Joe Ingles tied a career high with 27 points and Rudy Gobert added 17 points and 15 rebounds as the Jazz spoiled the return of Gordon Hayward to Utah with an energetic victory over visiting Boston in Salt Lake City.

Jazz fans booed every move of Hayward, who left Utah for Boston via free agency before the start of last season. Hayward then suffered a fractured ankle injury in the Celtics’ season opener last year and did not play the remainder of the season. He scored 13 points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field.

Donovan Mitchell had 21 points, former Celtics forward Jae Crowder scored 20 points and Ricky Rubio added 17, as the Jazz won consecutive games after losing four in a row.

Nets 112, Nuggets 110

Caris LeVert hit a jumper in the lane with less than a second left, and Brooklyn rallied to beat host Denver.

Left with 0.3 seconds, the Nuggets got a 3-point attempt at the buzzer from Malik Beasley, who missed it.

LeVert finished with 17 points, D’Angelo Russell had 23 and Jarrett Allen scored 18 for the Nets, who have won three in a row and four of five. Nikola Jokic broke out of a funk to score a season-high 37 and tied a career-high with 21 rebounds, but Denver lost their first home game of the season after winning the first six.

Pistons 124, Hawks 109

Andre Drummond had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way as Detroit jumped to a 24-point lead late in the first quarter and coasted to a victory over host Atlanta.

The Pistons made a season-high 20 of 47 attempts from behind the 3-point arc and rolled to their second straight win after a five-game losing streak, despite just six points from Blake Griffin, their leading scorer at 27.3 per game coming in. He missed eight of his 10 shots, but had nine rebounds and nine assists.

Magic 117, Wizards 108

Orlando prevailed at home over Washington in a matchup of the worst offence against the worst defence.

Orlando came in averaging only 101.3 points per game, but tied their season high in points and shot a season-high 51.2 per cent from the floor — only the second time it had made more than 50 per cent of their field goals this season.

Nikola Vucevic led the way for Orlando with 21 points and 14 rebounds, 

Kings 121, Timberwolves 110

Willie Cauley-Stein scored 25 points to help Sacramento to a victory over visiting Minnesota.

Iman Shumpert scored 17 points, De’Aaron Fox had 16 points and 10 assists and Buddy Hield added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings. Nemanja Bjelica tallied 14 points against his former team.

Karl-Anthony Towns established season highs of 39 points and 19 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who completed an 0-5 road trip. Derrick Rose added 21 points and Jimmy Butler had 13 for Minnesota, who have lost all eight of its road games.

Pacers 110, Heat 102

Bojan Bogdanovic hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 56.5 seconds remaining, sending Indiana to a victory over host Miami.

Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo also buried key shots, as the Pacers rallied from a 102-98 deficit by scoring the game’s final 12 points over a stretch of 1:26, snapping Indiana’s two-game losing streak in the process.

Hassan Whiteside had 11 points and a game-high 20 rebounds for the Heat.

AMMAN — Jordan top fighters are heading to Chinese Taipei to compete in the President’s Cup from November 11-13, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

Olympic Champion, Ahmad Abu Ghaush, will lead the delegation which includes Saleh Al Sharabati, Hamzeh Qattan, Zaid Mustafa, Zaid Halawani, Ruslan Lebzo and Juliana Al Sadeq. Head coach, Faris Al Assaf, will oversee the delegation along with Coach, Nabeel Talal.

Most of the fighters will continue their quest for vital ranking points to boost their Olympic qualification chances, while newcomers Halawani and Mustafa have an opportunity to make an impression on the squad.