Sports

AMMAN —  The Kingdom’s U-19 football team has started a training camp in Turkey as they gear up for Asian Football Association U-19 qualifiers kicking off in October.

Jordan will play in Group E alongside hosts Iran, Kuwait and Nepal with group winners and best second-placed teams booking a slot to the AFC U-19 Championship set for Bahrain in 2016. The top-four sides of the U-19 championship advance to the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The Turkey camp will include two matches following which Jordan will host Lebanon on September 10 before heading to the UAE for the second camp a week later.

The squad regrouped earlier this year and has played a series of local friendlies. It lost to Shabab Urdun 4-2, Wihdat 2-1, That Ras 3-2, Sarih 3-0, the Royal Guards 3-1. The squad beat Yarmouk, Balama and Sahab 2-1, Salt 3-0 and tied Faisali 1-1.

“We will aim to qualify and will spare no effort to reach that goal,” coach Islam Diyabat noted. After two matches against Oman were cancelled Diyabat now pins big hopes on the Turkey camp to boost team preparedness.

“Friendlies in the past month have helped boost our competitive edge and given the squad much needed confidence,” Diyabat noted, adding “the upcoming training camps will help finalise the line-up.”

Bahrain will host the AFC U-19 Championship 2016 with a total of 43 teams including the hosts competing in the qualifiers divided in two zones: the West Zone with 25 teams and the East Zone with 18 teams. Ten group winners and five best second-placed teams will qualify for the finals while hosts Bahrain received an automatic qualification (total 16 teams). The qualifiers will be held from September 28 to October 6.

If Bahrain finishes top of its qualifying group or one of the five second best-placed teams, the next (6th) second placed team will qualify for the final competition.

South Korea, which beat Iraq in the 2012 final, has won the U-19 Championship a record 12 times since it started in 1959. Qatar won the last edition in 2014.

The Kingdom has previously reached the AFC U-19 Championship four times. In 2006, Jordan made headlines and achieved the country’s biggest sporting success when it qualified to the 2007 FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada after reaching the semis and eventually finishing fourth at the Asian U-19 Championship. They exited the group stages in 2008 and 2010 and reached the quarters in 2012. Jordan failed to qualify in 2014 when they exited Group B qualifiers in Amman.

BEIJING — When time came for Usain Bolt to celebrate a record 10th world championship title, a clumsy cameraman got a little too close for comfort.

A man riding a two-wheel vehicle and holding a video camera upended Bolt in the excitement of the celebrations of his 200-metre victory on Thursday, losing control after hitting a metal rail on the side of the track and barging into Bolt from behind.

Bolt tumbled to the ground, flipped over to get back on his feet and then briefly held his left leg. He then walked back to the cameraman to make sure he was OK, too.

Plenty of excitement after yet another exciting race on the track at the Bird's Nest.

Bolt held on to beat Justin Gatlin in a tight race down the finishing straight. Looking left and failing to see any red from Gatlin's jersey, Bolt lifted both arms and punched his thumbs into his chest to show once again he is the greatest sprinter of all time.

"There was no doubt," Bolt said after winning his fourth 200 world title in a row to add to two Olympic titles. "I told you guys that I would do it."

With a time of 19.55 seconds, Bolt set the best time of the season. And despite slowing down, he still beat Gatlin by .19 — much more than the .01 second edge Bolt had in Sunday's 100 final.

Even if Gatlin ran a good bend on Thursday, Bolt's was better and the Jamaican was clear coming into the finishing straight. His huge stride has made the difference throughout his career, and it was on full display again. With 20 metres to go, he eased up and started the theatrics as the Bolt of old ran through the line.

He capped it with his trademark "Lightning Bolt" pose. After two years of doubt and worries that age had started to affect the bearded champion at 29, he again displayed the wide grin of a teenager.

Bolt is now 2-0 in Beijing against Gatlin, who had been unbeaten in two seasons, with only the 4x100 relay to come on Saturday.

Once he sat down to savor his victory on a trackside chair, Gatlin came over to congratulate Bolt and the two rivals shook hands and chatted.

Seven years ago, Bolt started his amazing run of gold at the Beijing Olympics and has not lost a major 200m race since. The Jamaican, however, had been struggling with injury since winning his third straight 200m title at the 2013 world championships in Moscow.

Behind Gatlin, Anaso Jobodwana won bronze with a South African record of 19.87.

In the absence of gold from Gatlin, triple jumper Christian Taylor and Allyson Felix made up for it for the United States, both with superlative performances.

Taylor produced the second-best triple jump of all time with a leap of 18.21 meters on his final attempt to pad his lead over rival Pablo Pichardo of Cuba.

The 2012 Olympic gold medalist and 2011 world champion has been in a duel all season with Pichardo, with both clearing the 18-metre mark in the last two months to raise the prospect of the world record falling in Beijing.

In the end, Taylor narrowly missed the 18.29 world record which Jonathan Edwards set at the world championships in Gothenburg in 1995. Pichardo took silver at 17.73.

In the race preceding the men's 200m, Felix won her first gold medal in the 400 metres and ever so briefly matched Bolt's record of nine golds in the world championships. A few minutes later, Bolt pulled away again with his 10th.

AMMAN — The fifth and final round of the Jordan Drift Championship “Kumho Drift” kicks off on Friday with the participation of 43 drivers from Jordan and four from Palestine at the SOFEX Racetrack in Marka.

Mohammed Kukhen who is leading the standings with 75 points is eager to continue his winning streak with another victory in the final round to take the title.

Meanwhile, his brother Omar who is trailing with 64 points has a good chance to overcome the final obstacle and win the final round.

Othman Takriti is in the third place with 51 points.

 Othman Naseef, Jordan Motorsport CEO told The Jordan Times that it will be a great finale.

“We are all expecting a one-of-a-kind finale for this drifting championship as everyone is either looking for a place at the podium or gaining more experience for the next season,” he said.

“The road is clear for the Kukhens, but in the auto sports world anything can happen so let us hope for the best and for the safety of each driver,” he added.

Naseef stated that it was a good decision to include drifting in the auto season.

“We have seen the growth in the popularity of this sport event after event and we are happy that many fans are following this sport. We see that many spectators adore the skills of the drivers and as long as fans are happy then we know we are on the right track,” he stated. 

Drifting which was first introduced by Jordan Motorsports in 2014 consists of three rounds with the last round hosting best 13 drifters. Drivers will have to own special drift driving licence and they will be judged by a committee of experienced drivers.

Drivers are judged according to speed, angle and perfect track line (90 points), showmanship (5 points) and smoking tyres (5 points).

Drifting is a kind of driving technique that goes back to the 70s in Japan and used by drivers through oversteering and causing a loss of traction whether in the rear wheels or all tyres while controlling a certain entry to exit of a corner.

BEIJING — Wayde van Niekerk lit up the Bird's Nest with a stunning 400 metres run to win a first sprint gold for South Africa and cap a night of exceptional performances at the world championships on Wednesday.

Two of those came in the men's javelin and women's 3,000 metres steeplechase where Kenyans Julius Yego and Hyvin Jepkemoi added another two gold medals to the East African powerhouse's already considerable haul.

The scourge of doping returned to haunt the sport, however, when two of their compatriots were provisionally banned for failing drug tests on the eve of the championships.

Part two of the sprint showdown between Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin, which for many has encapsulated the doping crisis that has tarnished the sport over the last month, also moved a step closer.

The fact that Bolt has never failed a dope test while Gatlin has served two drug bans provided the backdrop for their first meeting in Sunday's 100 metres final, from which the Jamaican emerged triumphant.

Gatlin's run of 19.87 seconds to win his 200m semi final on Wednesday was the second fastest ever at that stage of a world championships, however, and will give him confidence he can end Bolt's six-year grip on the title in Thursday's final.

"I think that I have a lot left in the tank," the 33-year-old American said. "I just have to control the race ... and I think we'll be able to bring it home."

Bolt also looked in fine form, though, and took time to chat to a fellow competitor as he approached the line to win his heat with his first sub-20 second time of the year (19.95).

"I can't complain," he said. "I'm happy with my form. I just did what I had to do."

For once, though, the 29-year-old was not the most impressive performer on the track with that honour going to Van Niekerk.

Racing against a field containing a record five sprinters who had run under 44 seconds, the 23-year-old dominated the contest from start to finish and crossed the line in 43.48 seconds.

The effort of running a time that only American world record holder Michael Johnson and his compatriots Butch Reynolds and Jeremy Wariner have bettered took its toll, however.

Van Niekerk collapsed on the track at the end of the race and was taken to hospital with his "vital signs unstable", the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF's) medical delegate said, leaving runner-up LaShawn Merritt to hail the quality of the race.

"It's crazy. We're warriors. We're animals," said the American 2013 world champion, whose personal best 43.65 was good enough only for silver ahead of Olympic champion Kirani James (43.78).

Van Niekerk was discharged just before midnight local time (1600 GMT).

While Van Niekerk's time was the best since 2007, you would have to go back as far as 2001 to witness a javelin flying as far as the 92.72 metres Yego managed to give Kenya its first world title in a field event.

To the diminutive Yego, who learned the javelin from watching videos on the internet after being rejected as a runner, fell the duty of reacting to the positive dope tests of his team mates Koki Manunga and Joyce Zakary.

"It's a shame," he said. "I always believe we can win clean so it's a shame to them."

Jepkemoi produced a performance more typical of her nation to win the steeplechase, outsprinting favourite Habiba Ghribi of Tunisia and German Gesa Krause down the home straight to win Kenya's sixth gold in nine minutes, 19.11 seconds.

Zuzana Hejnova already knew her race was won when she went over the final obstacle in the 400 metres hurdles and the Czech, who ran the year's best time of 53.50 seconds, became the first woman to successfully defend the world title in the event.

A thrilling women's pole vault contest featuring Cuba's Yarisley Silva, Brazil's Fabiana Murer and Greece's Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou kept the crowd engrossed all evening in the gaps between the other events.

Silva took the title when she cleared 4.90 metres at the third attempt, leaving Murer, one of her country's best hopes of gold in athletics at next year's Rio de Janeiro Olympics, with silver and Kyriakopoulou claiming the bronze. 

BERNE — Swiss authorities expect to decide in September whether to extradite six football officials to face corruption charges in the United States, a justice ministry spokesman said.

The accused men, who are in custody and whose lawyers are opposing their extradition to New York, would have 30 days to appeal decisions to the federal criminal court in Bellinzona — a process that could take several months.

“We have received all responses. Now we are able to examine whether conditions are fulfilled to grant extradition and take our decision,” ministry spokesman Folco Galli told Reuters.

“The first decisions should come in September,” he said, speaking late on Monday in his office in the Swiss capital.

Extradition is allowed if an alleged offence is punishable by at least a year in jail under both Swiss and US law. Swiss authorities must rule on whether this “dual criminality” rule is met, rather than on whether the defendant is guilty or innocent.

Several officials from FIFA, world football’s governing body, were among 14 men indicted in the United States in late May on bribery, money laundering and wire fraud charges involving more than $150 million in payments.

Galli declined to say how much money has been blocked at several banks in Switzerland as it is a “pending proceeding”.

“We have ordered [the banks] to freeze the bank accounts mentioned in the [US] request. Now we are taking evidence. We are receiving the bank documents. It takes time,” he said.

Seven of the accused were arrested at a Zurich hotel days before the FIFA congress where FIFA President Sepp Blatter was re-elected to a fifth term. Blatter later announced he was quitting and his replacement is due to be elected on February 26.

Former FIFA vice president Jeffrey Webb, a Cayman Islands national, agreed to extradition to the United States in July. He has pleaded not guilty in a US federal court in New York.

One of the six in detention in Zurich, former FIFA development officer Julio Rocha, agreed on August 14 to an extradition request sent by his native Nicaragua.

Switzerland has asked the United States whether it agrees to Nicaragua being given priority to prosecute Rocha, a former president of Nicaragua’s football association.

A US decision on Rocha is expected “any moment”, a legal source said on Monday, declining to be named.

If the United States does not give priority to Nicaragua, Swiss authorities must decide which country gets priority. Switzerland has an extradition treaty with the United States but not with Nicaragua.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan on Wednesday received Shergo Kurdi — the young Jordanian golf player who is ranked No. 1 in the United Kingdom and Europe in the U-12 category, according to a statement from the Prince’s office.

Prince Hassan praised Kurdi for his achievements and for representing Jordan at the international level, and called upon sports authorities involved in the golf sport in Jordan to embrace and sponsor Kurdi to develop his special talent so he can continue to represent Jordan in international championships.

Kurdi started playing golf at the age of five but he joined official tournaments seven years ago. He won the UK Kids Championship in 2013, the European Kids Championship in 2013 and the UK Kids Championship in 2015. He came second in the World Championship in Portugal in 2014.

He represented Jordan in all those championships except for the European tournament. In 2012 Shergo won the Jordanian Kids Golf Championship, and is invited to play at an open tournament at the Jordan Golf Club in Amman on Friday and Saturday.

Shergo is the first young player to receive sponsorship from Nike for his equipment and clothes.

LONDON — The Formula One community awoke with heavy hearts on Tuesday after British racer Justin Wilson, a friend to many in the Grand Prix paddock, died because of head injuries suffered in an IndyCar race in the United States.

The 37-year-old, who raced in Formula One for Minardi and Jaguar in 2003, died in hospital after being hit by debris and crashing in the closing laps at Pocono Raceway oval in Pennsylvania.

Formula One drivers and teams, former colleagues and rivals, remembered Wilson as a smiling giant out of the car and determined competitor in it.

“The motorsport world comes to a standstill once again,” 2009 world champion Jenson Button, who attended the funeral of French Formula One driver Jules Bianchi a month ago, said of his compatriot on Twitter.

“I raced with Justin as far back as 1989 in karting and remember his smile was infectious, such a lovely guy,” added the McLaren driver.

The sentiment was echoed by Lotus driver Romain Grosjean, a pallbearer at Bianchi’s funeral. “So sad to hear that Justin Wilson passed away. What dreadful news and what a dramatic year for racing. Losing too many champions,” he said.

Button’s double world champion teammate Fernando Alonso, who like Wilson started his Formula One career at Minardi, expressed his condolences. “So sad, difficult to accept,” he added.

Australian Mark Webber, who was Wilson’s teammate at Jaguar, said: “Last night a very good man left us. Mate. So sorry. RIP Justin. My thoughts are with your loved ones.”

Red Bull principal Christian Horner, whose team was previously Jaguar, spoke of the sadness of all at the Milton Keynes factory.

“Justin left his mark on many who worked with him during the Jaguar days, he is remembered fondly for the kind and humble person he was,” he said in a statement.

“Having known Justin since his karting days on the British circuits, it was always obvious to me that he was destined for great things in motorsport.

“His progress through the lower formulas was impressive and he absolutely flourished in F3000... I followed his successful career with interest over the years.

“Justin will be remembered not only as a talented driver but also as quite simply one of the nicest blokes in motorsport,” said Horner.

Formula One champions Mercedes remembered “a great driver and an even greater man...a true racer and a winner, flat out to the flag.”

AMMAN — The Jordan Olympic Committee’s (JOC) strategy of investing long term in young talent has been highlighted this week after it threw its backing behind 12-year-old Jordan golf protégé Shergo Kurdi, according to the JOC News Service.

The youngster, based in the UK, has been winning tournaments since he was just seven and last year alone he won 18 tournaments. He also won a tournament in Amman on his first attempt in 2011.

Now the JOC, under the presidency of HRH Prince Feisal, has backed a plan that will develop the youngster’s talent all the way through to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

“It is important to plan long-term and the JOC is delighted to be working with the Jordan Golf Federation to hopefully bring Shergo lots of success in the coming years,” said Lana Al Jaghbeer, JOC secretary general.

AMMAN — Recently Jordan celebrated one year to go until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and one of the many questions put to chef de mission Nadin Dawani was: “Which Jordanian athletes will be going?”, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) News Service.

That is always the million dollar question at this time in the planning process.

Over the past three years, the JOC has worked closely with its federations to firstly identify, and then to support the talent that are believed to be in with a chance of going.

One sport that has really stood out this Olympic cycle is boxing. The sport took prominence at the 2014 Asian Games when three boxers won medals.

It prompted the JOC to plough more support into the sport with no less than eight boxers having aspirations to follow team captain Ihab Darwish onto the greatest stage of all. Darwish made history by qualifying to the London 2012 Games.

And that JOC support has delivered a top class coach. Izzaldein Aqoun has arrived from Algeria with a track record of bringing boxers through to Olympic levels.

When www.joc.jo caught up with him, he was putting the team through its paces and he is confident that one or two, or possibly more, could reach Rio standards.

“I received many offers to train Olympic teams but I wanted to come to Jordan because of the potential,” Aqoun said.

“I believe I can bring this group of boxers through to compete at the very top of the international levels.”

Over 30 national team boxers are on his roster and he hopes that during his one-year in Jordan, the federation will adopt his approach of planning long term.

“It’s not easy to reach a podium in the sport,” he said. “A boxer has to train well from a very young age. A country should invest in these young talents and train them to be ready for the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games, not just Rio next year.

“It will not be an easy task to qualify to Rio. The Asian qualifications are tough as Asian boxers are improving all the time. But I believe that Jordan’s boxers can make it. How many? I am not sure of that but I am sure we will have boxing representing Jordan in Rio.”

Aqoun explained that there are five ways of qualifying to Rio. The first two are through the WSP and ABP Championships; the third is through the World Championships in Qatar in December. The other two ways are through the Asian route, which begins in March 2016 and finally the “international qualifications” which provide a last chance in June next year.

Having been here more than a month, what are the coach’s impressions so far?

“We have tough boxers in Jordan with the skills to qualify,” he said. “I’m sure that they only need to have faith in themselves to go that extra step. We will work on this and instil the faith inside them all so they will be ready and give it their best shot.”

Aqoun’s strategic plan contains a number of overseas camps in preparation for the big dates in the diary, starting with the International Thailand Championship in September ahead of the World Championship in Qatar two months later.

Boxing has really come onto the national sporting agenda thanks to the heroics of its team, but only time will tell whether they can box clever all the way to South America next summer.

AMMAN — The Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) joined the Dignity for Children Foundation to celebrate the 10th Faisal Cup anniversary and football tournament finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday, accordring to a statement from AFDP.

The Faisal Cup is named after a young boy who lost his life while trying to retrieve a football he saw floating in the Gombak River.

The tournament was initiated that very same year to ensure underprivileged children are given the opportunity to play sports in a safe environment. four hundred and thirty-seven male players in 62 teams and 266 female players in 38 teams participated in the tournament this year.

AFDP, sponsored by its official partner PepsiCo, has been a supporter of the initiative since 2012, facilitating the introduction of girls’ teams for the first time and donating equipment to be used in the tournament and festivities.

“I had the pleasure of meeting some of the young players and I witnessed first hand how Faisal Cup inspires hope and gives joy to the participating boys and girls, the positive feedback was deeply touching,” HRH Prince Ali, founder and chairman of AFDP, was quoted in the statement as saying.