Sports

AMMAN — Mohammad Al Sarraj has ended his successful year on a high by winning the Prague Open Squash Championships in the Czech Republic on Sunday, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

Sarraj took the title after beating Wales’s Emyr Evans, 3-2, in the final. Earlier, he beat the host nation’s Viktor Byrtus, 3-2, and Finland’s Miko Aijanen, 3-1. In the semifinal he beat England’s Lyell Full.

It brings a glorious year to a close for the 19 year old, with the highlight of winning the 24th Asian Junior Squash Championships in Amman.

ABU DHABI — Cristiano Ronaldo scored with a free kick which went through the defensive wall to break Gremio’s brave resistance and give Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over the South American champions in the Club World Cup final on Saturday.

Ronaldo’s 53rd-minute strike gave Real their second world title in a row, the third in the last four seasons, and ended Gremio’s hopes of pulling off what would have been a huge upset.

The European champions, enjoying the backing of most neutrals at the Zayed Sports City Stadium, dominated as expected, with 20 shots on goal to Gremio’s one, but the much more limited Brazilians still made their lives uncomfortable.

Overall, it was the Spanish club’s sixth world title as they also won the old Intercontinental Cup — now recognised by FIFA — three times. 

Real also extended European dominance with 10 wins out of 13 since the club cup was started in its current form in 2005, reflecting the region’s financial dominance in the sport.

The dynamics of modern football mean that the best South American, Asian and African players line up against, rather than for, the teams from their own continents, and Real’s side on Saturday included Brazilians Marcelo and Casemiro.

Gremio coach Renato Portaluppi won the old International Cup as a player with the same club in 1983 when his two goals gave them a 2-1 win over Hamburg SV, but a repeat never looked on the cards. 

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has admitted the tournament needs a revamp and wants to replace it with a new one featuring up to 24 teams.

“The ball never forgives you,” said Renato. “We conceded a goal from a free kick, where the ball went through the middle of the wall. It happens.

“We showed that we can play on equal terms with any team. They are a machine but we left with our heads high.”

Gremio survived the first half with their goal intact thanks to some resolute, last-ditch tackling.

Pedro Geromel cleared Daniel Carvajal’s shot off the line with goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe beaten, Isco and Luka Modric both fired shots wide and Walter Kannemann made a last-gasp saving tackle on Ronaldo as he was about to shoot.

Edilson had Gremio’s best effort with a 35-metre free kick that dipped and swerved just over the bar — their only shot of the match.

Real broke through after Ronaldo won a free kick around 25 metres from goal. As usual, the Portuguese took it himself and blasted a low shot which flew through the wall, bounced and squeezed inside Grohe’s near post.

Ronaldo had another goal disallowed for a hairline offside decision. After that Modric burst through the midfield and fired against the post, and Grohe made more saves from Ronaldo and substitute Gareth Bale to keep down the score.

PERTH — Recalled all-rounder Mitchell Marsh celebrated his maiden Test century and combined with captain Steve Smith to push Australia to 421 for four and a first innings lead of 18 at tea on day three of the third Test against England on Saturday.

Marsh cut England paceman Stuart Broad to the fence to bring up the milestone from 130 balls and headed into the break unbeaten on 100 with Smith on 182, the highest Ashes total at the WACA stadium.

The pair torched England for 107 runs in the session as England’s bowlers laboured without energy and purpose on a stubbornly flat pitch.

Smith was in sight of his second Test double-century, having hammered the same opponents for 215 at Lord’s in 2015.

The skipper pushed Australia past 400 with his 25th four, despatching a Chris Woakes ball with soft hands through slip and gully, before punching a straight drive for a single to eclipse England’s first innings 403.

England lost their last six wickets for 35 runs on day two and despite posting their highest innings score in Australia in seven years, they will rue their failure to cash in.

The pair of Smith and Marsh resumed on 314 for four after lunch, with the captain continuing to score runs virtually at will and Western Australian Marsh thrilling home fans with a string of booming straight drives for four.

While Smith nicked behind the wicket three times, his edges fell short of the slips cordon and his innings remained a chanceless masterclass of precision and timing.

Spin bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali earlier removed Shaun Marsh for 28 in the first hour of the day, but that was England’s only highlight of two demoralising sessions.

Two-nil down in the five-Test series, the tourists’ hopes of claiming their first win at the WACA in nearly 40 years appear bleak.

Their best hope to save the test and the series may be rain, with showers forecast in Perth on days four and five.

Smith started the day on 92 and moved within a shot of his century with a sumptuous on-drive that threaded the needle between midwicket and mid-on to race for four.

Three balls later, he reached his seventh ton against England when he whipped Broad through the leg side for four.

He ripped off his helmet and raised both arms aloft, pirouetting and waving his bat at his team’s dressing room as a big third-day crowd stood and roared in the terraces.

Smith’s 17th boundary brought up his 1,000th run for the year, emulating former Australia opener Matthew Hayden by achieving the feat in four consecutive years.

Some 20 minutes shy of lunch, Smith gave a rare glimpse of his pads to James Anderson and England captain Joe Root reviewed for leg before more in desperation than hope.

The not out decision stood, however, with the technology tracking the ball well down the leg-side as it raced behind the wicket for four leg byes.

England reviewed for lbw on Smith a second time after lunch, but the replay showed bowler James Anderson had over-stepped his mark.

ABU DHABI — Real Madrid can cap their most successful year ever with victory in the Club World Cup final against Brazilian side Gremio on Saturday, which would see them become the first team to successfully defend the trophy and end 2017 with five titles.

Defeat, however, would be the latest of a series of setbacks in a haphazard last few months for Zinedine Zidane’s side, who are fourth in La Liga, trailing leaders Barcelona by eight points in the standings.

At times, they have looked a shadow of the team that swept to Champions League and Liga glory last season and crushed Manchester United and Barca to win the European and Spanish Super Cups.

No South American side has managed to beat their European counterparts in the Club World Cup since Gremio’s compatriots Corinthians stunned Chelsea with victory in 2012, although an upset is not entirely out of the question in Abu Dhabi.

Real only narrowly avoided a catastrophic defeat to Abu Dhabi side Al Jazira, who took a remarkable 1-0 lead at halftime in a chaotic, action-packed semifinal which the double European champions eventually won 2-1.

The Spanish side dominated the game but, not for the first time this season, showed remarkable profligacy in front of goal until Cristiano Ronaldo equalised in the second half and Gareth Bale hit a late winner 30 seconds after coming off the bench.

Real are sure to face an even sterner test from Gremio, although the Brazilians also had to battle their way through their semifinal, overcoming Mexicans Pachuca 1-0 after extra-time.

Gremio’s coach Renato Portaluppi won the Intercontinental Cup (the forerunner to the Club World Cup) with the club as a player and underlined his reputation for courting controversy by recently proclaiming he was a better player than Real’s Ronaldo.

The Portuguese, who was recently named the world player of the year for a joint-record fifth time, became the top scorer in the history of Club World Cup by netting for the sixth time in three separate tournament appearances.

The previous record of five was jointly held by Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Cesar Delgado.

Real were given an almighty scare in last year’s final, falling behind Japanese side Kashima Antlers before eventually winning 4-2 in extra-time with the help of a Ronaldo hat-trick and Zidane said he expected another difficult final.

“I don’t know the Brazilian league well but I watched their semifinal and they are a good team and we will have to lift our standard of play against them,” Zidane said after the nervy win on Wednesday.

“It will be a complicated game because there’s no such thing as an easy game, as we proved against Al Jazira.”

AMMAN — Shabab Urdun play Wihdat on Friday while Faisali play Jazira on Saturday in the return leg of the Jordan Cup semis — the third major competition on the 2017/18 football calendar.

As they head into the return leg, the first leg winning teams have the upper hand as Jazira upset Faisali 2-0 while Wihdat edged Shabab Urdun 1-0. 

In the first round, Pro League teams  played in four groups with the top team moving to the semis. (Group A): Aqaba, Jazira, Ramtha; (Group B) Hussein, Yarmouk, Wihdat; (Group C):Baqa’a, Faisali, Ahli; (Group D): That Ras, Shabab Urdun, Manshieh.  Jazira topped Group A, Wihdat led Group B, Faisali topped Group C and  Shabab Urdun topped group D.

So far this season, Jazira lost two competition finals as reigning League and Jordan Cup champs Faisali beat Jazira 2-1 to win the 35th Jordan Super Cup, while Wihdat beat Jazira 2-0 to win the Jordan Football Association Shield final.

Since the Cup started in 1980, there have been 37 editions with Faisali being a record 19 time champions. Wihdat won 10 times, Ramtha and Shabab Urdun twice each, while Jazira, Arabi, That Ras and Ahli won once each.

Last year, Faisali combined the Jordan Cup title with their 33rd league title. Ahli won the 34th Super Cup while Shabab Urdun won their second Shield title after they first won in 2007. 

Jordan Cup record 

(Runner-up in parenthesis)

1980 Faisali (Baqa’a)

1981 Faisali (Ramtha)

1982 Wihdat (Ahli)

1983 Faisali (Ramtha)

1984 Jazira (Ahli)

1985 Wihdat (Faisali)

1986 Arabi (Jazira)

1987 Faisali (Hussein)

1988 Wihdat (Faisali)

1989 Faisali (Ramtha)

1990 Ramtha (Hussein)

1991 Ramtha (Wihdat)

1992 Faisali  (Wihdat)

1993 Faisali (Ramtha)

1994 Faisali (Ramtha)

1995 Faisali (Ramtha)

1996 Wihdat (Ramtha)

1997 Wihdat (Ramtha)

1998 Faisali (Wihdat)

1999 Faisali (Wihdat)

2000 Wihdat (Faisali)

2001 Faisali (Hussein)

2002 Faisali (Hussein)

2003  Faisali (Hussein)

2004  Faisali (Sh. Hussein)

2005 Shabab Urdun (Faisali)

2006 Shabab Urdun (Faisali)

2007 Faisali (Shabab Urdun)

2008 Wihdat (Shabab Urdun)

2009 Wihdat (Arabi)

2010 Wihdat (Manshieh)

2011 Faisali (Manshieh)

2012 That Ras (Ramtha)

2013 Wihdat (Baqa’a)

2014 Faisali (That Ras)

2015 Ahli (Shabab Urdun)

2016 Faisali (Jazira)

LONDON — Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome could potentially be stripped of his Vuelta a Espana title after a urine test he gave during the race in September showed excessive levels of an asthma medication.

The 32-year-old Briton, who rides for Team Sky, says he has done nothing wrong and would provide “whatever information” world cycling’s governing UCI requires.

Froome became the first British rider to win the Vuelta and the first man to claim a Tour de France/Vuelta double in the same season since the Spanish race was moved to after the Tour.

Regarded as one of the greatest cyclists of all time, Froome has been on a shortlist of favourites to win this month’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year award for the first time.

His spectacular year is now under a cloud, however, and he and his Sky team will need to convince the UCI that there was nothing sinister about the amount of Salbutamol that showed up in his urine sample after Stage 18 of the Vuelta on September 7.

Salbutamol is permitted as a legal asthma drug by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and the UCI said Froome’s failed urine test did not necessitate a mandatory provisional suspension.

But riders have been banned for excessive use of it in the past, notably Italian Alessandro Petacchi who was given a 12-month suspension and stripped of his five stage victories in the 2007 Giro d’Italia.

The UCI said in a statement it had notified Froome on September 20 of an “Adverse Analytical Finding” from his sample, which had double the permissible limit of Salbutamol.

‘Greatest care’

Team Sky issued a statement in which Froome said he had followed medical advice and taken an increased dosage after his asthma, a lifelong condition, became worse.

“As always, I took the greatest care to ensure that I did not use more than the permissible dose,” Froome said.

“I take my leadership position in my sport very seriously. The UCI is absolutely right to examine test results and, together with the team, I will provide whatever information it requires.”

The Kenyan-born rider also took to Twitter, thanking those who had sent messages of support and saying he was confident “we will get to the bottom of this”.

Vuelta organisers said they were awaiting official conclusions from the UCI and hoped for a swift conclusion.

“The regulatory entity has launched an investigation and the position of La Vuelta’s organiser is one of extreme caution,” they added in a statement.

Earlier this year Froome, who prides himself on racing clean, said he had refused a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to treat his asthma on the way to winning the 2015 Tour de France.

The UCI said analysis of the rider’s B sample from the Vuelta test confirmed the results of the A sample and proceedings were being conducted in line with its anti-doping rules.

In Petacchi’s case, the Court of Arbitration for Sport found the Italian rider had not intended to cheat but had not exercised “utmost caution” in the use of his asthma treatment.

Complex issues

Limited levels of Salbutamol are permitted by WADA rules without the need for a TUE.

Sky said analysis of Froome’s sample showed a concentration of 2,000 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml), compared with the WADA threshold of 1,000ng/ml.

Team Sky said there were a range of “complex medical and physiological issues” that could have led to the result.

“I have the utmost confidence that Chris followed the medical guidance in managing his asthma symptoms, staying within the permissible dose for Salbutamol,” said Sky team principal Dave Brailsford.

“Of course, we will do whatever we can to help address these questions.”

The revelation comes at the end of a year in which Team Sky have been dogged by allegations of “wrongdoing” over its use of TUE’s and its medical record keeping after the “jiffybag” controversy at the Criterium du Dauphine race in 2011.

An investigation by UK Anti-Doping concluded recently, saying it had been unable to prove what was in the package sent to former rider and 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins.

MELBOURNE — England’s hopes of clawing their way back into an Ashes series fast slipping from their grip will be put to the ultimate test at the WACA where the tourists have won only once in nearly 50 years.

The WACA bore witness to the meek surrender of the 2013/14 series by Alastair Cook’s England, and at 2-0 down after Brisbane and Adelaide, Joe Root’s men face a similar predicament when the third Test starts on Thursday.

With its traditionally quick and bouncy wicket playing to the strengths of home pacemen, the WACA has been a house of pain for English cricket and Australians will be hoping for more of the same when the ground hosts its final test.

One has to delve deep in the records to even find the last time England drew a match.

That was in 1986, when Mike Gatting’s unlikely band of hard-partying tourists put on 592 in the first innings to frustrate Allan Border’s team.

The maiden win was in 1978 when Mike Brearley’s side thrashed Graham Yallop-captained Australia by 166 runs, a victory that might otherwise have been remembered as a triumph of English cricket but for the fact that the hosts had been gutted by the World Series Cricket rebellion.

Australia have beaten England in their last seven matches at the WACA and with the hosts’ pacemen licking their lips, it may take something truly special from Joe Root’s men just to keep the series alive to the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

Managing that would be a victory of sorts, given England need only to square the five-Test series at 2-2 to keep the coveted urn.

Having fought hard but ultimately crumbled at both the Gabba and the Adelaide Oval, England’s chances of rallying at the WACA have been given short shrift by bookmakers.

Their week has also included further off-field problems with coach Trevor Bayliss left fuming after English Lions batsman Ben Duckett poured a drink over the head of James Anderson in a Perth bar.

And yet, a small increase in application by the tourists could ensure a contest at the WACA.

England have paid dearly for a few dreadful sessions and the scoreline has, to an extent, flattered Steve Smith’s Australia.

The vulnerability of the home side’s batting was on full display in the second innings at Adelaide Oval as they crashed out for 133 to raise England’s hopes of an unlikely victory.

Several of Australia’s batsmen are under pressure, most notably number five Peter Handscomb whose place could be taken by Mitchell Marsh, an all-rounder with a poor batting record at Test level.

Anderson and the England seamers, meanwhile, will have enjoyed a boost of confidence from Adelaide, where Craig Overton provided much better support than Jake Ball at the Gabba.

More will be needed from the English batsmen, though, given none have managed a century this series.

Root and his most senior batsman Alastair Cook have been particularly culpable for failing to set the benchmark by converting promising starts into big scores.

Both were present for England’s last capitulation at the WACA and will be desperate to make a contribution to avoiding another.

Olympic gold medallist Lindsey Vonn is warning young athletes in next year’s Pyeongchang winter Olympic Games not to underestimate the older competitors.

Vonn, who won gold in the downhill skiing at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, broke a bone in her arm last year but is training hard for Pyeongchang. She missed the Olympic Games in Sochi through injury.

“I have been anxiously awaiting these Olympic for the last eight years. I have been training especially hard this summer, you know really trying to make sure I don’t miss anything from my diet to my travel and of course my workouts, my skiing, everything I have done has been in preparation for these Olympics so right now I am trying to stay healthy going in,” she said.

“So far it’s not going very well but I feel that I am saving all of my luck for February and hopefully everything will work out how it is supposed to.”

Acting as ambassador for the 2020 Youth Olympic Games, Vonn met younger athletes, aged 14 to 18, in Lausanne on Sunday.

She said that young competitors at the Olympic Games should know the older athletes knew how to handle the pressure and had more experience of the sport.

“Most of the time younger athletes, I mean I was the same, underestimate the older athletes but the one thing I have is experience. I know how to handle the pressure and I just know a lot about the sport.”

Vonn has four World Cup overall titles in addition to gold and bronze Olympic medals.

She said the Olympic spirit was very important to her and she thought it was a great experience for the young athletes to meet others from different countries and cultures. She is taking the role of ambassador for the Youth Olympic Games for the third time.

“Well I think the Olympic spirit is something very important and I wish that I had had these Olympic Games when I was growing up. I think it is a great experience for the kids to meet other kids from different countries, different cultures. There is so much learning involved with all of these Olympic Games programmes and I think it is very important. So I am proud to be an ambassador and I think Lausanne 2020 is going to be amazing.”

The meeting took place in St Moritz where luge, skeleton, bobsled and speed skating events for the Youth Games will be held.

ST MORITZ, Switzerland — American Lindsey Vonn sustained an injury during the World Cup super-G race in St Moritz on Saturday as Switzerland’s Lara Gut crashed halfway down the course.

Vonn, four-times overall World Cup champion and the finest woman skier of her generation, fell to the ground grimacing, as she slowed down after the finishing line and she staggered away with what appeared to be either a hip or back injury.

Vonn, who finished 24th, spent just under an hour in the medical treatment tent before being escorted to a waiting car and driven away. The 33-year-old walked the few metres to the car with great difficulty.

An ambulance was called but was not needed.

With two months to go before the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Vonn said on Twitter that she had “an acute facet [spinal joint] dysfunction” but said she might still compete in Sunday’s race which is another Super G.

“I got compressed on the sixth gate and my back seized up. Rested and had a lot of therapy tonight. We will see how I feel tomorrow and then decide if I will race,” she said.

The US team said Vonn “skied through pain but didn’t have power to push”.

Vonn, downhill gold medallist in Vancouver in 2010, missed the 2014 games in Sochi because of a knee injury.

Gut, recently recovered from a serious knee injury, lost her balance high on the course, fell and flew into the safety netting. She was able to walk away after being disentangled by course officials.

Gut, the overall World Cup winner in 2016 and bronze medallist in the downhill at the Sochi Olympics, tore an anterior cruciate ligament in her knee at the same venue at the world championships in February.

The race, on a shortened course, was held in difficult conditions and was interrupted several times as wind blew clouds of snow across the course.

Switzerland’s Jasmine Flury, who had never previously finished on the podium in a World Cup race, was a surprise winner, starting from 14th, in one minute 2.59 seconds.

She finished 0.10 seconds ahead of compatriot Michelle Gisin while Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather was third.

Flury admitted she had enjoyed the best of the very changeable conditions.

“I don’t know what to say, unbelievable,” she said. “Everything went well — no wind, good vision, sun,” she said.

AQABA — The Ayla Red Sea Half Marathon concluded on Friday with Jordanian runners taking lead positions in the event, held under the patronage of HRH Prince Firas Bin Raad and organised by Run Jordan.

Around 2,500 local, regional and international runners took part in the race’s different categories; 21km, 10km Fun Run and 4.2km Children’s Race.  

Lina Al Kurd, general manager of Run Jordan, told the Jordan Times that “the event was a success”.

“This is one of the main attractions held in Aqaba. The number of participants is very encouraging and shows that people need such events whether for sports or leisure as Aqaba provides the best weather during this time of the year in addition to the many facilities for all runners,” she said.

“This year’s event is held under the slogan ‘Run for a Cause’, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Al Haya Charitable Association for Wheat Allergic Patients,” she added.

According to Kurd, Jordanian runners proved themselves to be professional runners in this event by taking lead positions.

“Jordanian runners are always proving themselves through training and serious dedication and they did well in the marathon,” she stated.

Results 

In the Male Overall 21km category Mohammad Abu Reziq took the first place, finishing at (1:06:50), while the second place went to Ahmad Samour (1:09:07) and the third to Ayman Al Soradi (1:10:42).

Hanoia Hasaballa came first in the Female Overall 21km with (1:18:26), followed by Sabreyyeh Al Maradat (1:32:48) and Miriam Saleh (1:43:57).

In the Male Wheelchair 21km Ali Sawalmeh came first with (1:15:04), while second place was taken by Tayseer Al Khatib at (2:08:46) followd by Ra’ed Hwaeti at (2:24:56).

Abdul Raouf Al Khateeb won the first place in the Male Visually Impaired 21km race, finishing with (1:22:13), followed by Suhail Al Nashash at (1:28:40).

Male Overall 10km first place went to Ra’fat Qasem (0:30:50), second place to Bashar Rhayel (0:31:14) and third to Mohammad Ateieh (0:31:23).

Female Overall 10km first placer Hana Al Oshosh finished the race at (0:41:39), while Ayat Al Maradat took second with(0:43:20) followd by Nosaiba Al Osheshat with (0:43:40).

Bilal Abu Mansi finished first in the Male Wheelchair 10km race, recording (0:37:17), while Kamal Al Tawalbeh came second at (0:41:38), Ahmad Mahasneh at (1:07:25) took the third slot.

In the Female Wheelchair 10km race, first place was won by Mofeeda Mustafa finishing at (1:22:59), and second place by Salma Shareef at (1:48:02)

Visually Impaired Male 10km’s first prize winner Nabeel Magableh finished the race at (0:35:31), followed by Tareq Tayem in second place (0:56:13), Ahmad Abu Zaid (0:58:34) in third.

And in the Visually Impaired Female 10km category Jumana Al Zoubi at (1:16:44)took the first place, followed by Israa Abu Haija at (1:34:53) and Nada Al Mansi at (1:49:20).

Children race: males first place Hussein Masaeed (0:14:09), second place Raja Al Ghayath (0:14:18) third place Hamzeh Rahhal (0:15:23).

Female first place: Ikhlas Al Shar’a (0:18:56), second place Farah Masaeed (0:19:20), third place Amnam Al Oshosh (0:19:28).