Sports

DOHA, Qatar — Justin Gatlin sent a message to Usain Bolt on Friday — both with his legs and his mouth.

Gatlin lived up to the pre-season hype by winning the 100 metres in a world-leading 9.74 seconds at the Diamond League opener, a personal-best time and a new meet record for Doha. While Bolt hasn’t made his season debut yet, it was an early marker from Gatlin ahead of their anticipated showdown at the world championships in Beijing in August.

“That was for him [Bolt],” Gatlin said. “I just wanted to go out and put down a good time. I know I had to go out and make a statement tonight. That’s what my coach told me to do.”

There was a big gap between Gatlin and his chasers, with US relay teammate Michael Rodgers second in 9.96 and Keston Bledman of Trinidad and Tobago third in 10.01.

Gatlin was the fastest man in the world last season over both 100 and 200 metres while Bolt rested, but went even faster in his first 100 of 2015 in the sweltering heat at Qatar Sports Club.

Some other big names didn’t do as well on the night.

Double Olympic and world long-distance champion Mo Farah made his Doha debut, but had a rare loss on an outdoor track when he couldn’t catch Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet in the 3,000. That brought raucous cheers from the Ethiopian fans dressed in their red, yellow and green football shirts in one corner of the stadium.

The defeat for Farah, who is starting his track season much earlier than normal, showed he was still human, he said.

“I haven’t had a hard competition like that since Moscow [the 2013 worlds],” he said.

Farah struggled to kick into another gear over the final lap and finally found some power through the last turn to come back through the field, but could only get second. Gebrhiwet was the world silver medallist in the 5,000 behind Farah in Moscow.

Despite the loss, Farah went on a lap of honour and was mobbed by fans and volunteers as he tried to come off the track, with them all clamouring for a selfie with him.

Jasmin Stowers showed she’s a rising star by winning the 100 hurdles in a personal-best 12.35 seconds, a new Diamond League record. Olympic champion Sally Pearson and 2014 Diamond Race winner Dawn Harper-Nelson were both outside the top three.

The 23-year-old Stowers has improved her PB three times in 2015 after 12.40 and 12.39 performances previously this year. The latest time matched Pearson’s winning mark at the Olympics.

“I was really nervous coming in,” said Stowers, who was drawn next to Pearson and pulled away from the Aussie through the last half of the race. Pearson was fourth and Harper-Nelson last after crashing into a hurdle.

Allyson Felix breezed to victory in the 200 metres in a meet-record 21.98 seconds. It was Felix’s first 200 of the season, and she broke out into a big grin as she caught a glimpse of her fast winning time as she crossed the line.

“I surprised myself a little bit,” the Olympic champion said. “I wasn’t sure where I was at.”

American Bershawn Jackson won the 400 hurdles, holding under pressure through the final stretch after clipping the last barrier.

Like Farah, some other middle and long-distance runners struggled: 800-metre world champion Mohammed Aman was ninth in a race won by Djibouti’s Ayanleh Souleiman. The battle between Abebe Aregawi and Sifan Hassan didn’t materialise in the women’s 1,500, with Hassan second behind Ethiopia’s teenage prospect Dawit Seyaum. Aregawi was seventh.

In the field events, Cuba’s Pedro Pichardo leaped 18.06 metres for the third longest triple jump in history, beating Christian Taylor’s 18.04 in a fantastic duel in the pit. World champion Teddy Tamgho ruptured an Achilles tendon and said he would need surgery, almost certainly ruling the Frenchman out of defending his title in Beijing.

Greece’s Konstantinos Filippidis cleared 5.75 in the pole vault, grabbing his chance after world-record holder Renaud Lavillenie withdrew in the week with a shoulder injury.

Tianna Bartoletta of the US won the long jump with 6.99 metres, but only after one of a couple of glitches on the night with the technology. It was announced that Lorraine Ugen had set a British record with 7.10 metres, only for organisers to say more than 10 minutes later that was a mistake.

AMMAN – Participants of the Tissot Cycling Race on Friday fought traffic and heat to make the event a success, according to organisers.

Although not nearly as popular as football or basketball, cycling has been getting more and more followers in recent years thanks to cycling groups which have mushroomed this sport in the Kingdom.

Participants were separated into two groups with male and female sub-groups —mountain bikes (17km) and road bikes (34km).

“The cycling community has significantly expanded since 2009 and I’m very pleased to see this change,” said Diana Al Qutub, the winner of the women’s road bike race (58m59s). Muna Jaber (59m36s) came in 2nd, followed by Haya Al Ghoul (1h12m02s).

In addition she is content that people are showing awareness to healthy life styles and slowly developing a cycling community. 

“I hope that more females take part in these cycling races in the near future and that the Kingdom will consider adding cycling lanes in their transportation infrastructure plans,” added Qutub, a science teacher and a dietician.

Tissot Cycling Race was launched in 2012 when Nader for Bikes and the Swiss watch giant agreed to promote cycling in Jordan through an annual event. 

The race became more significant attracting other biking groups like Cycling Jordan and Bike Rush which teamed up with Nader for Bikes and Tisssot to organise competitions for experienced cyclist and rookies alike. This year their joint effort brought around 230 regional and international participants.

Haitham Al Suleiman admits that he started to ride a bicycle “just two years ago”, but he soon became “hooked on the sport”.

“Cycling should be an everyday way of transportation like in other countries with friendly roads for us, “ he stressed.

Although Tala Mattar has been cycling for only three years it did not prevent her from exceling as a competitive cyclist. She clinched the first place in the women’s mountain bike category (40m48s). 

“Cycling in Jordan, particularly in Amman developed a lot recently, but not enough in my opinion. So far we haven’t received any formal support but in the long run I firmly believe we can fulfil our potential,” Mattar said.

“I often ride my bike with my dad and my family fully supports my decision to regularly cycle. Cycling can promote female sportsmanship and boost social acceptance of women,” she stressed.

For Rula Rousan sport is a way of life, particularly cycling and running. She has actively cycled for 15 years, winning second place this year (42m27s) in women’s mountain bike category, followed by Tjitske De Jong (42m55s).

“This is my second year of participation in the race. It gave me the chance to discover a new skill as a bike racer where in previous years I used to bike on my own not recognising my speed skills. The race also introduced me to new bikers and biking groups that arrange trips and training during the weekends,” Rousan stressed. 

Khalid Beno (33m9.2s) won the men’s mountain bike category, followed by Mahmoud Aboushi (33m10.7s) and Ahmad Al Aboudi (33m32.6s).

The race brought in international cyclists and American John Tullias was one of them. He won first place in the men’s road bike category (55m1s). Yousef Al Dabbagh (55m1s) came in 2nd, followed by Saif Al Hayajneh (55m3s). 

Tullias maintains that Jordan has a great potential for organising international cycling events.

“Jordan could be a Mecca for cycling because of its spectacular natural scenery. Local institutions should officially promote the sport at schools and more events like this,” Tullias added.

AMMAN — Munir Hatter won the 3rd round of the Jordan Drift Championship “Kumho Drift” on Friday with the participation of more than 52 drivers at the SOFEX Racetrack in Marka. Mohammed Nofal came in 2nd, followed by Rafat Haroun. Mohammed Kukhen leads the overall championship, followed by Omar Kukhen and Othman Tekriti. 

AMMAN — The third round of the Jordan Drift Championship “Kumho Drift” kicks off on Friday with the participation of more than 40 drivers at the SOFEX Racetrack in Marka.

Mohammed Kukhen (539 points), winner of the first and second rounds, will be eyeing his third straight win. His brother Omar Kukhen (531 points) is in second place, followed by Othman Tekriti (525 points).

Drifting consists of three rounds with the last round hosting the best 13 drifters. Drivers have to own a special drift driving licence and will be judged by a committee of experienced drivers.

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

AMMAN — Jordan’s U-23 football squad plays Pakistan on Saturday in their first match in Group B qualifiers for the 2016 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship in Qatar.

Jordan will also play Kyrgyzstan on May 18 and Kuwait on May 20, after Turkmenistan pulled out forcing the organisers to change the schedule for the third time — now to be held at Al Qattara Stadium in Al Ain, the UAE, from May 16-24.

The winners of Groups A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and J have been determined and along with the winners of Group B and five best second-placed teams from all groups will join hosts Qatar at the AFC U-23 Championship January 12-30, 2016, with the 16-team competition also serving as Asia’s qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“We have not regrouped for over a month and our task has been made difficult and we are not in ideal preparation mode,” head coach Jamal Abu Abed underlined. “I’m relying on player experience and preparedness and will strive to qualify,” he concluded.

Jordan Football Association (JFA) Secretary General Fadi Zureiqat acknowledged the tough task. ‘’We are aware of circumstances and hope the team will overcome the obstacles and postponements, and advance in the competition.’’

The local agenda’s League has just ended and teams will play the upcoming Jordan Cup without U-23 players. Jazira and Wihdat players were set to join the line-up Thursday after finishing AFC matches.

In preparation for the U-23 Group B qualifiers, Jordan earlier held two training camps, beating Bahrain 2-1 and Bseiteen Club 1-0. They also had a training camp in the UAE, where they lost to Iraq 2-1 after they beat North Korea 3-1 and drew 2-2. 

AMMAN — Clubs have just finished competition in the Jordan Professional League, but the second major event — the Jordan Cup — enters its semifinal stage Friday.

The Jordan Cup semis will see Ramtha face That Ras while Faisali play Wihdat Saturday in Leg 1 matches. Leg 2 is slated for May 18-19 before the final is played later this month.

Leg 1 quarter-final matches saw Ahli hold Ramtha 1-1, That Ras beat Jazira 1-0, Wihdat edge Sarih 1-0 and Faisali beat Manshieh 2-1. In Leg 2, Faisali held Manshieh 1-1, Wihdat held Sarih 0-0, That Ras beat Jazira 4-3 on penalties, and Ramtha edged Ahli 2-1.

Baqaa, Shabab Urdun and Hussein were eliminated earlier in the competition in which only League teams played this year. 

So far in the 2014/15 season, Wihdat won two titles. They beat Baqaa to snatch the 32nd Super Cup and last week won the Jordan Professional League, taking home their 14th League title. However, for the first time in years, the runner-up and third places went to Jazira and Ramtha.

Apart from the top three, the biggest battle was at the other end of the standings. Ittihad Ramtha and Manshieh dropped to Division 1 after former champs Shabab Urdun and Faisali were among teams which could have easily followed suit. It was only in the final week that Baqaa also held on to their position.

Last season, Wihdat won the League, and beat Baqaa to win the Jordan Cup while Shabab Urdun edged That Ras to win the Super Cup. The Jordan Football Association Shield was not held.

ATLANTA — Atlanta’s Al Horford swooped in to snatch an offensive rebound and dropped in a shot from right under the basket with 1.9 seconds remaining to give the Hawks an 82-81 victory over Washington on Wednesday and a 3-2 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals.

Golden State also took a 3-2 series lead, but in more comfortable style, as the Warriors beat Memphis 98-78.

Atlanta went more than 7 minutes in the fourth quarter without making a basket, then ripped off 14 straight points to take the lead. Then there was another sudden shift as Atlanta went cold again, and it looked as though Washington’s Paul Pierce had doomed Atlanta for the second time in the series. Having already made a buzzer-beating winner in Game 3, he got open in the corner and swished a 3-pointer with 8.3 seconds left, putting the Wizards up 81-80.

Pierce taunted the Hawks bench and home crowd on his way back down the court before bowling over teammate John Wall, who was playing for the first time since Game 1 after fracturing several bones in his left hand.

Wall didn’t mind, throwing up his hands in celebration. Wizards were on the verge of heading home with a chance to wrap up the series.

Atlanta had one more chance.

Hawks gave the ball to backup point guard Dennis Schroder, who ignited a fourth-quarter rally and stayed in the game at the suggestion of All-Star Jeff Teague, who watched the closing minutes from the bench.

Schroder drove down the lane and put up a shot, which was swatted off the backboard by Wall. But Horford yanked the ball away from Nene, who tumbled to the court, leaving Hawks centre all alone under the basket. Horford, who had 23 points and 11 rebounds, put it the easy shot on a night when both teams struggled offensively.

“I wasn’t supposed to be involved in the play at all,” Horford said. “When I saw the ball go up, I just ran in there.”

Wizards threw up a wild shot from halfcourt that didn’t come close as the horn sounded. The sellout crowd nearly stormed the court, held back by security while Hawks celebrated. Horford screamed and pumped his fists, having put Hawks one victory away from advancing to the third round of the play-offs for the first time since the team moved to Atlanta from St Louis in 1968.

About 10 minutes after Wizards lost, there was more heartbreak for DC sports fans. The Capitals were eliminated from the NHL playoffs with a Game 7 overtime loss to the New York Rangers. At least the Wizards still have a chance. Game 6 is Friday night in Washington.

“These guys are fighting. I love it,” Washington coach Randy Wittman said. “They made one more play than us.”

Wall, who fractured several bones in his left hand in the series opener and missed the next three games, wound up with 15 points, seven assists and four steals.

Bradley Beal led Wizards with 23 points.

Golden State’s Stephen Curry turned in an MVP-worthy performance to lead Warriors to a home victory over Memphis.

Curry scored 18 points on six 3-pointers and added a career play-off high six steals to go with seven rebounds and five assists.

Klay Thompson snapped out of his shooting funk and scored 21 points, and Harrison Barnes had 14 for Warriors, who will travel to Memphis for Game 6 on Friday.

With defensive stopper Tony Allen sidelined with a left hamstring injury, Grizzlies struggled to contain Golden State’s streaky shooters. The Warriors made 14 of 30 shots from 3-point range, while Memphis made just four of 15 from long distance.

Marc Gasol had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Zach Randolph had 13 points and 10 boards for Grizzlies.

James Harden and Dwight Howard delivered when it mattered most for Houston Rockets, who averted play-off elimination with a 124-103 home win over Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday.

Harden posted 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Howard added 20 points and 15 rebounds as Rockets forced a return trip to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Thursday by thriving in the paint and playing with defensive vigour.

Los Angeles still leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 but if Rockets can even the series on Thursday, Game 7 would be back in Houston on Sunday.

Rockets matched their Game 3 total for points in the paint (36) by halftime and finished with 64 as they took full advantage of DeAndre Jordan’s foul trouble, with Clippers center picking up three by the break while logging just nine first-half minutes.

Jordan finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds but was largely neutralised as a rim protector. Forward Blake Griffin paced the Clippers with 30 points and 16 rebounds, while guard Chris Paul added 22 points and 10 assists.

The guard trio of JJ Redick, Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers, instrumental in two blowout wins in Los Angeles, shot a combined 8-for-33.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale tweaked his lineup, starting forward Josh Smith in place of Terrence Jones. Smith finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Jones added 12 points and five boards.

Cleveland Cavaliers moved one win away from the Eastern Conference final after beating Chicago 106-101 in Game Five of their semifinal series on Tuesday.

Lebron James finished with 38 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, Kyrie Irving scored 25 points, and Iman Shumpert grabbed a crucial offensive rebound in the final minute as Cleveland took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

It is the first time either team won consecutive games in the series and Cavaliers will attempt to close out Chicago on Thursday at the Bulls’ United Centre.

If Chicago win then Game 7 would be played on Sunday in Cleveland.

Bulls were again without forward Pau Gasol due to a hamstring injury, and forward Taj Gibson was ejected in the fourth quarter after an incident involving Cavs guard Matthew Dellavedova led to both teams tangling under the basket.

Gibson appeared to push Dellavedova down while going for a rebound, while Dellavedova pinned Gibson’s left leg between both of his. Gibson kicked Dellavedova while trying to shake free and was ejected after officials separated both teams.

Chicago guard Jimmy Butler had 29 points and nine rebounds, including a pair of late three-pointers to give Bulls hope, and guard Derrick Rose added 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. However, 12 of Rose’s points came in the first quarter.

Bulls head home trying once again to stave off elimination from James, who has had a hand in ending Chicago’s season in three of the past five years.

AMMAN — Wihdat and Jazira have advanced to the Round of 16 at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup after completing preliminary round matches in top two group positions.

In Stage 6 matches this week, Jordan Professional League champs Wihdat, remained atop Group A after they beat Oman’s Nahda 4-0 repeating their earlier 3-0 win in Leg 1. 

“Our targets were clear in the competition as we promised our fans to finish on top of the group, and this will be a big push for us in order to continue our good results in the competition and fight for the title,” Wihdat coach Abdallah Abu Zema said on the AFC website.

Wihdat had an impressive run, beating Lebanese hosts Salam Zgharta 3-0 after an earlier 5-1 win. They also held Syria’s Wihda 1-1 after losing 1-0 in Leg 1. They will now prepare for upcoming matches slated to kick off on May 26.

On the other hand, Jazira dropped to second in Group B after they lost 4-0 to Iraq’s Shurta in Doha. 

“The result doesn’t mean that we were bad as we had some good moments in the match,” Jazira coach Issa Turk said on the AFC website. “However, our players made some fatal mistakes which gave the chance to our opponents to score four goals.” 

Jazira, who finished runners-up in the League and participated in the event after two-time AFC Cup champs Faisali declined, had started the event with a streak of 1-1 draws with Bahrain’s Hidd, Shurta and Palestine’s Wadi Ness. They secured moving to the Round of 16 after scoring two wins over Wadi Ness, 2-0, and Hidd, 1-0. 

Wihdat have never won the AFC Cup in the past seven times while it is the first time for Jazira. Earlier this season, Wihdat exited the AFC Asian Champions League (ACL) losing 1-0 to ACL and AFC Cup titleholders Kuwait’s Qadissieh.

This season, 32 clubs from across the continent are competing in the AFC Cup in eight groups with the top two from each group going to the Round of 16. Last season, first time AFC Cup competitors and Jordan Cup champs That Ras exited the Round of 16 while former AFC Cup champs Shabab Urdun exited in Round 1. They were also eliminated by Bahrain’s Hidd in their preliminary round of the ACL.

Jordan’s Faisali won AFC Cup titles in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won in 2007.

AMMAN — The 2nd Istiklal Run set for May 22 is being organised by a group of running enthusiast and ultra-marathon athletes.

“I don’t care about the quantity but quality. My aim is to attract top-class runners instead of having an event with just a big number of participants,” said Mohammad Al Sweity, 45, one of the founders of Distances Unlimited, the organisation behind the run.

What distinguishes this event is the age categorisation of competitors who are separated into six groups — the youngest between 13-17 years of age and the veteran group from 60 and above.

Gathering and finishing points are at Rafic Al Hariri Street in Abdali and the race starts at 7:30am.

Runners will be categorised by age groups for 5km and 12km races.

Sweity, a former policemen and an international ultra-marathon runner, has under his belt 2nd place at the 195km India Marathon (2012), 42km Petra Marathon (2011) and 72km Pharaohs International Marathon in Egypt (2010). He also placed 6th at the 72km Ultra Marathon in Austria (2011) and regularly participates at the Marathon de Sables in Morocco.

“Istiklal run is my baby, so to say,” Sweity  stressed. “Back in the mid-2000 we organised night runs at the Sports City during the Holy Month of Ramadan,” he remembers fondly.

“We managed to collect a significant amount of money from each race which we donated to charity, supporting centres for elderly people,” Sweity noted.

Sweity  continued: “We wanted to expand and create a bigger event, so in 2014 the Istiklal Run was born with 300 runners.”

“We expect 350 runners this year,” Sweity  said. “I’m bringing youth from the Jordanian country-side to participate and many of them wouldn’t be able to travel and see the capital if there was no initiative to coach potential champions.”

These children from underprivileged communities can travel not only around the Kingdom but abroad to compete in running and cycling events, Sweity said.

“I’m planning to send youngsters abroad to participate in sporting events with the world’s best to expand their horizons,” stressed Sweity.

“We not only organise sports events for professional runners and cyclist but encourage ordinary people, even older people and seemingly unfit people to jog and become involved with the sport on a regular basis.”

Sweity partnered with Aramex around a common goal of stimulating, supporting and promoting health awareness and athletic potential of contestants who can represent Jordan at the international stage.

“I’ve been running for more than 30 years and before I retire I’d like to produce a new generation capable of surpassing my sporting achievements,” Sweity concluded. 

Distances Unlimited is a non-profit organisation certified by Ministry of Trade and Commerce and Jordanian Olympic Committee whose goal is to organise races in Jordan and promote healthy lifestyles.