Sports

AMMAN — Jordan returned from the World Taekwondo Grand Prix round in Manchester empty handed, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

There were high hopes for a top class delegation hoping to build on the previous medals won at Grand Prix events, but it was not to be with Olympic gold medallist, Ahmad Abu Ghaush, advancing the furthest, losing in the quarter-finals of the -68kg weight to Iran’s Mohammadi Husaini on the golden point.

Earlier he had beaten fighters from The Netherlands and Brazil.

Juliana Al Sadeq missed out in the -68Kg after losing 11-6 to Wales’s Lauren Williams who went on to secure the gold medal. Saleh Al Sharabati lost his opening fight in the 80kg weight to Belgium’s Robert Ordiman, 11-9.

Hamzeh Qattan also lost his first round contest to Kazakhstan’s Samuel Desabi, 6-4. The event welcomed the best fighters in the world representing 53 countries.

APORE — Caroline Wozniacki overcame a mid-match wobble and withstood a barrage of big hitting to get her WTA Finals title defence back on track with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Petra Kvitova at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.

In the second White Group encounter of the day, Elina Svitolina moved to the brink of the semi-finals with a gutsy 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 win over Karolina Pliskova, the Ukrainian recording her second straight win of the tournament to top the pool.

Wozniacki and Kvitova came into their contest on the back of opening defeats in round robin play, but the Danish World No. 3 ended a run of four straight losses to the Czech to stay alive in the eight-woman tournament for at least one more match.

The Dane, who started her campaign with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Pliskova on Sunday, spent most of the match against Kvitova pinned on the baseline but her consistency and patience proved vital as she pulled away in the final set.

“I played much better today. I served and returned pretty well, and moved really well against a player who is so powerful that you have to stay on your game,” Wozniacki said

“You never know what is going to happen against Petra, so I just stayed focused and got a lot of balls back.”

The match was a cagey affair from the outset with seven holds of serve in a row. But after they traded breaks as the intensity levels picked up, Wozniacki broke again to seal the opener when Kvitova blasted a forehand into the net.

Bundle of energy

Kvitova took control of the second set with an early break, then lost momentum when Wozniacki took a timeout for treatment on her knee, before regaining the upper hand to level the match with a sliced backhand winner on her third set point.

Sensing her title defence was hanging by a thread, Wozniacki regrouped to break at the start of the decider when she put away a backhand to win the longest rally of the match, and ran away with the contest as Kvitova wilted.

The 28-year-old Wozniacki sealed victory on her first match point with a big serve that Kvitova sent long, and will hope to complete round robin play with a victory over Svitolina to secure a semi-final berth.

Svitolina was a bundle of energy at the start of the second match, full of intensity and covering every inch of the court as she rode her early momentum to wrap up the opening set with a forehand winner that was greeted with a big clenched fist.

The Ukrainian had played almost perfect tennis until midway through the second set when a combination of good fortune and rasping cross-court winners earned Pliskova her first break of the tie, a feat she repeated two games later to level the match.

Svitolina shrugged off the setback to come storming out of the blocks in the decider, racing to a 4-0 lead that she carried all the way to victory despite a late fightback from Pliskova.

She only needs to take a set off Wozniacki on Thursday to reach the last four for the first time but as it stands, all four players can still mathematically reach the semifinals.

AUSTIN, Texas — Lewis Hamilton was made to wait for his fifth Formula One world championship on Sunday after the Mercedes driver finished only third in a US Grand Prix won by Ferrari veteran Kimi Raikkonen.

The victory was the 21st of the 39-year-old Finn’s career and first since the Australian Grand Prix of March 2013, a gap of 113 races dating back to when he was racing for now-defunct Lotus.

Red Bull’s Dutch youngster Max Verstappen took a surprise second after starting 18th in a thrilling finale with the top three cars running nose-to-tail and separated by just 2.1 seconds at the chequered flag.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton’s only title rival, spun down to 15th on the opening lap, but fought back to finish fourth — a result that means the championship remains mathematically open going into Mexico next weekend.

Hamilton, on 346 points, has a lead of 70 over his four-times champion rival with a total of 75 remaining to be won from the last three races.

That means even if Vettel wins in Mexico, the Briton needs to finish only seventh to be sure of the title but Sunday was still a missed opportunity for Mercedes, who got their tyre strategy wrong.

“I actually thought we would have been able to do better but this is the best we were able to do in the end,” said Hamilton. “We just have to keep working and keep pushing for the next race.

“I’m not really quite sure how the strategy ended up like that,” added the Briton, who had started on pole position but lost the lead to Raikkonen into the first corner at a sunny Circuit of the Americas.

Late charge

Hamilton pitted early during a virtual safety car period but had to make two pitstops to his rivals’ one, losing time on fading tyres before being called in. 

A late charge over the final 19 laps from fourth was not enough.

Team mate Valtteri Bottas helped by letting him through for third, but the Finn then lost out to Vettel as his tyres wore down and finished fifth. 

Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel with Verstappen with two laps left but failed to make the move stick and ran wide at turn 18 after giving the Dutchman plenty of space.

“Did you win the championship?” enquired 2007 world champion Raikkonen, whose last previous win with Ferrari was in 2009, in the cool-down room.

“No,” replied Hamilton.

The outcome had looked very different at the start, when Vettel, fifth on the grid, spun on the opening lap after making contact with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in the battle for fourth place.

It was the second time in two races that the German had come off worse against a Red Bull — in Japan he had started eighth, dropped to 19th after a collision with Verstappen and fought back to sixth — and he seemed to have handed the title to Hamilton.

Instead, he staged a solid recovery drive to delay the inevitable. 

“I’m happy for Kimi, really. Tough weeks for the team and the tough times don’t seem to be stopping for me. It should have been a better day,” said Vettel.

Ricciardo, who is leaving for Renault at the end of the season, made it easier for him by retiring with a power unit failure after eight laps while in fourth place.

“He’s taken out his frustration in his room by putting his fist through the wall, which you can totally relate to,” team boss Christian Horner told reporters later.

Amateur drivers

Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg finished sixth, ahead of Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz, with Force India’s Esteban Ocon eighth before being disqualified for a fuel breach.

So too was Kevin Magnussen, ninth across the line for the US-owned Haas team.

Their removal from the results lifted Force India’s Mexican Sergio Perez to eighth, with Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley ninth and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson 10th.

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso retired after an opening lap collision with Williams’ Lance Stroll, who was handed a drive-through penalty.

“I drive in another series with amateur drivers, theoretically, and there has never been a problem,” said the angry Spaniard, who also races in the World Endurance Championship. 

“There are more amateurs here than in other series.”

TOKYO — Spain’s Marc Marquez wrapped up his third straight MotoGP championship with victory at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday after title rival Andrea Dovizioso fell on the penultimate lap while trying to find a way past the Honda rider.

The 25-year-old is now tied with Australian Mick Doohan on five premier class world titles, with only Italian’s Valentino Rossi (seven) and Giacomo Agostini (eight) having won more.

Marquez, who had sealed two of his previous titles at Motegi, moved 102 points clear of Ducati’s Dovizioso with three races remaining.

Dovizioso started on pole and led for most of the race before Marquez, who had started sixth on the grid, made his move with four laps left.

Marquez had been on the Italian’s tail for much of the race and the pressure eventually told on the Ducati rider as he relinquished the lead.

Dovizioso attempted to move back past Marquez on the penultimate lap but pushed it too far and came off his bike. He recovered but eventually finished 18th.

That left Marquez knowing he was going to secure his fifth title as he completed his final lap, shaking his head in disbelief at the achievement.

“I feel really, really good,” said Marquez after celebrating with the Honda team, who were joined by the company’s CEO Takahiro Hachigo at the manufacturer’s home race.

“After Aragon I already felt, I already imagined that it will be here, but the good thing is when you have the first chance [to win the title], then you do it.”

Marquez pipped Dovizioso on the final lap of the Thailand Grand Prix last time out and while he did leave it quite as late at Motegi the result was the same.

“I was able to follow Andrea, then I say okay, I will try to use the same strategy as Thailand, attack before the last lap because I felt like they had something,” he said.

“I was pushing really hard and he did a mistake.”

“I disappointed because he deserves to be here on the podium with us, but okay, the big boss will enjoy it.”

Dovizioso, who was the championship runner-up to Marquez in 2017, will have to wait another year for a shot at his first MotoGP premier class title.

“The battle [with Dovizioso] has been great all year,” said an exuberant Marquez. 

“Dovi had been a great opponent throughout the year and coming into this he was very, very fast.”

LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow was second after a brilliant performance that saw the Briton hang with Marquez and Dovizioso until the final stages.

Another Spaniard, Alex Rins, was third for Suzuki.

The next stop is the Australian Grand Prix next weekend.

AUSTIN — Fernando Alonso heaped praise on Lewis Hamilton and omitted Sebastian Vettel on Friday when he was asked to name his five greatest Formula One drivers of all time.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, the two-time world champion Spaniard said that Hamilton had proved his talent by winning in cars that were not expected to be victorious.

“It is difficult to compare those different times and different championships, but Lewis matching [Juan-Manuel] Fangio with five championships will be a great achievement,” said Alonso.

“If one [driver] had to do that in our generation, I am happy it is Lewis as he has showed the talent and commitment. When the car is dominating, then he delivers — and when it is not good enough to win a world championship, he still puts in the performance to show his talent.

“That is difficult to see nowadays.”

Hamilton needs to outscore Vettel, a fellow-four-time champion, by eight points in Sunday’s race to clinch his fifth title, but he avoided all talk of any glory that may ahead.

Alonso spoke twice in glowing terms of Hamilton’s raw talent and speed, the pair having been McLaren team-mates in 2007 when the Briton entered Formula One. 

“Thank you,” said Hamilton, softly, after his first response.

The Spaniard went on to say his top five would include seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, five-time champion Fangio, three-time champion Ayrton Senna, four-time champion Alain Prost and Hamilton.

“This would probably be the top five for me,” he said.

Asked by Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull, who was sitting close to him, if he would include himself, Alonso said: “No. Not really.”

Hamilton spoke of both Fangio and Vettel as he responded to questions.

“Fangio is the Godfather of the sport for us,” he said in one answer. “He’s one of the greats from the beginning. It’s crazy for me to think that l am embarking on a similar number of championships that he had.”

He also explained why he had recently defended and supported the luckless, under-fire Vettel, with a social media post on Instagram, following his and Ferrari’s recent slump in form.

“I think if I was in the same position they would do the same thing,” he said. 

“As drivers, we are all members of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Associationand I think we all need to stick together.

“And I think the respect that we have for one other is the best that it has been for many years, at least in the years that I’ve been in Formula One.

“Ultimately as a four-time world champion, it is the most intense year that we’ve had. Every hiccup is magnified, as it is with any sport at the top, but there have been several times where I’ve been in the firing range and Seb has always been really respectful in supporting me so I thought it was only just to do the same.”

AMMAN — Jordan’s contingent to the Invictus Games — the only international sporting event for wounded, injured and ill veteran and active service personnel — joined over 500 athletes at the competition which started in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday.

The Invictus Games was launched by Prince Harry of Britain in 2014 for the positive impact sport could have on the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and ill servicemen and women. It highlights the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation, and generate a wider understanding of and respect for those who serve their country.

The word “Invictus”, Latin for “unconquered” and embodies the fighting spirit of those servicemen and women who have been tested and challenged, but they have not been overcome They have proven that by embracing each other and the support of family and friends, they can reclaim their future. 

Jordan will compete in athletics, sitting volleyball, indoor rowing and weightlifting. A total of 17 athletes, including two women are among the delegation. They range from anti-narcotics agents, injured on duty to border guards and gendarmerie and army servicemen.

Interviewed ahead of departure by the Jordan Times, the Kingdom’s athletes, supported by the Hashemite Commission for Disabled Soldiers, include Ahmad Al Barahmeh, who served on the northern border with Syria when a gunshot resulted in a spinal cord injury in 2015. 

Barahmeh, who hails from the Jordan Valley and commutes a long way to train with his colleagues, is still on active duty with the Jordan Armed Forces and will compete for the first time. “I enjoy sports and am looking forward to representing Jordan in three disciplines: 100m wheelchair race, rowing, and weightlifting. My injury has not diminished his fighting spirit.”

Another competitor, Anwar Saidat comes from Wadi Mousa. A Public Security Directorate anti-narcotics department officer since 2009, who suffered a broken hip and impaired vision in one eye following an accident while on duty, used to travel for three hours to train with his colleagues. Saidat is new to sports competitions and said he was happy to have met fellow disabled servicemen who come from different parts of the country. “I loves the team spirit that sports competitions create and boost in people.”

The inaugural Invictus Games was held in London in 2014 and was attended by over 400 competitors from 13 nations. In 2016, Florida hosted the second Invictus Games with 485 competitors from 14 nations taking part. In 2017, Toronto hosted 540 competitors from 17 nations. The fourth current edition will host 18 countries in Sydney, from October 20 through October 27. 

The next edition will be held in The Hague, The Netherlands in May 2020. 

The Invictus Games Sydney 2018 will feature 500 competitors from 18 participating nations.

The Invictus Games are open to competitors from all branches of the regular or reserve armed forces of participating nations who have become wounded, injured or ill during, or as a direct consequence of their service. Participants are allowed to compete in as many individual and team sports as they wish, and in as many events as they desire, provided the competition schedule and individual sport programme allow for it and they are selected by their nation. Every attempt has been made to create a competition schedule that will permit competitors to participate in as many sports as possible.

AMMAN — Jordan has completed its competition at the 3rd Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a bronze medal, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

The final member of the delegation, Karate youngster, Abdullah Hammad, narrowly missed out on the later stages of the -61kg competition.

Hammad beat the host nation’s Roderigo Tello in his frst fight, before losing to Former Yugoslav Republic of  Macedonia’s Vesle Faheek and drawing with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Al Ossairi.

He finished third in his four-man group behind Al Ossairi and Faheek who went through. A record number of Jordanians, 12,  qualified for the games with taekwondo’s Zaid Mustafa bringing home the bronze medal.

AMMAN — Jordan has won six medals at the Arab Billiards Championship hosted in Egypt, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. There were golds for Ahmad Al Jallad in the 8-ball and Mashhour Abu Tayeh in the French Billiards.

Al Jallad then teamed up with Muath Abdulqader to take silver in the doubles, while Abu Tayeh and Jamal Suboh took silver in the French doubles. Two bronzes were later added by Al Jallad, Awni Al Hasri and Muath Abdulqader in the 8-ball teams, and Suboh in French billiards singles.

AMMAN — Jordan’s U-19 national team football plays Vietnam on Friday in its first match at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championship which kicked off in Indonesia on Thursday.

Jordan lost 3-2 to Qatar in a friendly in Doha ahead of the upcoming Championship where the Kingdom will play in Group C alongside Australia, South Korea and Vietnam, as 16 teams compete in four groups with the eventual semifinalists advancing to the FIFA U-19 World Cup.

Earlier this month Jordan held a training camp in Saudi Arabia where it drew 2-2 and beat its hosts 1-0. Team coaches hope the team will advance in the Asian event after Jordan failed to qualify to the Championships in 2014 and 2016 after earlier qualifying four times and reaching the FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada in 2007. Jordan finished fourth in 2006, but exited the first round in 2008 and 2010 and reached the quarters in 2012. 

So far three national teams were eliminated from its respective Asian events: Jordan bowed out of the first round of the 2018 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-16 Championship. Held once every two years for Asian U-16 teams, the competition serves as a qualification tournament for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the top four countries qualifying. Iraq are the reigning champs.

Earlier, the U-16 women’s football squad was eliminated from Group A AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Round 1 qualifiers finishing second in the group. 

In addition, Jordan’s U-23 men’s football team was knocked out of the first round 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.

Other than the men’s U-19, there are now two other national teams left in contention. The U-19 women’s squad will play at the AFC U-19 Championship Round 1 qualifiers set for October 20-28. A total of 27 teams will play in six groups with Jordan in Group E alongside Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore, who replaced the Northern Mariana Islands. 

The group winners and the top two second placed teams move to Round 2 set for April 2019 where the teams will play in two groups with the group winner and runner up advancing to the finals to join Japan, North Korea and China.

The women’s senior team will play the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifiers set for November. The team will play in Group D alongside the Maldives, Palestine and Indonesia.

Stephen Curry capped a game-high, 32-point performance with a key three-point play with 1:46 remaining Tuesday night, helping the host Golden State Warriors hold off the Russell Westbrook-less Oklahoma City Thunder 108-100 in the second half of the NBA’s opening-night doubleheader.

Kevin Durant dropped in 27 points for the Warriors, who overcame 7-for-26 shooting from 3-point range to win on opening night for the first time in three seasons.

Paul George had a team-high 27 points and Dennis Schroder made his Oklahoma City debut with 21 points. They helped the Thunder hang tough with the two-time defending champions while Westbrook watched from courtside, still rehabbing a surgically repaired knee.

Curry’s three-point play came after the Thunder, down by 14 in the first half, had closed within 99-97 when Steven Adams converted the second of two free throws with 1:57 to go.

Durant added a hoop, two free throws and an assist in the final 1:06, helping Golden State hold on.

George scored 13 points in the first 3:56 of the third period, leading a 21-10 Thunder flurry that produced Oklahoma City’s first lead of the game at 67-66.

Two free throws by Thunder forward Jerami Grant tied the game at 87-all with 9:21 to go before two free throws by Durant nine seconds later gave Golden State the lead for good.

Curry, who hit 11 of 20 shots and 5 of 9 3-point attempts, also found time for nine assists and eight rebounds.

Kevon Looney recorded a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Draymond Green grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for the Warriors, who split the four-game season series with the Thunder last season.

Adams had a double-double for the Thunder with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The Warriors led for the first 28 minutes, with Curry propelling them to an early 31-19 advantage by making his first two 3-point attempts.

A free throw by Durant with 3:04 left in the half gave Golden State a 53-39 lead, which the Thunder trimmed to 57-47 by halftime.

Meanwhile, the latest batch of  championship rings handed out before the opener feature a flashy new gimmick.

The top of each ring is reversible, allowing the wearer to decide whether to display 74 blue sapphires or 74 white diamonds. The number represents the Warriors’ win total in 2017-18, regular season and postseason combined.

When the top is unscrewed to facilitate the sapphire-diamond flip, the team’s “Strength in Numbers” logo is unveiled in the middle.

The player’s name and number are on one side that bears 56 stones, symbolic of the team’s number of years spent in the Bay Area. The top, in addition to the sapphires or diamonds, has the player’s number and a depiction of the Bay Bridge.

The sides also bear the numbers 4-1, 4-1, 4-3, 4-0, the scores of Golden State’s four play-off series wins last spring.