Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc wins first home F1 Monaco Grand Prix

Race winner Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc celebrates on the podium after the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix on May 26, 2024 at the Circuit de Monaco. (AFP)
Race winner Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc celebrates on the podium after the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix on May 26, 2024 at the Circuit de Monaco. (AFP)
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Updated 26 May 2024
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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc wins first home F1 Monaco Grand Prix

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc wins first home F1 Monaco Grand Prix
  • McLaren’s Oscar Piastri followed the man from Monaco across the line with Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari in third

MONTE CARLO: Charles Leclerc finally broke his Monaco Grand Prix curse on Sunday as Red Bull had an off weekend with Max Verstappen sixth and Sergio Perez crashing out on the first lap.
Leclerc ended years of frustration at his home race by taking the jewel in the Formula One calendar from pole at his third attempt.
A tearful Leclerc said: “No words can explain this. It means a lot, it’s the race that made me dream of becoming a F1 driver.
“Tonight is going to be a big night!“
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri followed the man from Monaco across the line with Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari in third.
Leclerc had started at the front of the grid at the circuit he used to travel along on the bus to school as a kid in 2021 and 2022 only for misfortune to stop him winning on both occasions.
With Ferrari now a much smoother run ship under Fred Vasseur this was a far slicker Ferrari team than then, and Leclerc dictated the pace perfectly from the front, until the end of the first lap.
That was when the red flag had to come out to stop the race after a three car pile-up with Perez’s Red Bull ripped apart.
Perez spun after being hit hard from behind by Kevin Magnussen’s Haas.
Nico Hulkenberg in the other Haas was a third innocent casualty.
The race on the narrow streets of the Principality was interrupted for around 30 minutes to allow debris to be cleared off the circuit.
All three crash victims were missing at the restart along with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, who joined this unhappy group of onlookers after he was forced to retire following a tangle with his team-mate Pierre Gasly.
Leclerc escaped all the drama and led for the rest of the race to claim a hugely popular success.
With three-time world champion Verstappen only sixth, Leclerc moved to within 31 points of the Dutchman ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in a fortnight’s time.


Man City’s Rico Lewis eyes ‘dream’ of playing for England in an international tournament

Man City’s Rico Lewis eyes ‘dream’ of playing for England in an international tournament
Updated 19 sec ago
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Man City’s Rico Lewis eyes ‘dream’ of playing for England in an international tournament

Man City’s Rico Lewis eyes ‘dream’ of playing for England in an international tournament
  • The 19-year-old is in the Three Lions squad for the Nations League B games against Greece on Thursday and Finland on Sunday

MANCHESTER: It was 10 years ago when Rico Lewis had his first experience of a World Cup.

Aged 9, he was banking on Brazil to win the trophy on home soil so he could earn a prize in the shape of a packet of sweets.

With Neymar and Thiago Silva out injured, the Selecao could not deliver. They fell 7-1 in the semifinal against Germany, who would go on to beat Argentina and claim international football’s biggest honor for a fourth time.

England won their only World Cup in 1966, but Lewis wants to be a part of their bid to end a 60-year wait when the US, Canada and Mexico stage the tournament in two years’ time.

“Of course it’s everyone’s dream to play in an international competition with your country,” Lewis told Arab News exclusively.

“It would be amazing to play in that kind of environment and see how different it is, and also try to win something.

“Watching the World Cup, it makes you strive to do as best as you can and get picked for these squads to get to play in that.

“I think that’s what everyone wants to do, and to go and win a tournament with your national team.

“My earliest memories of a World Cup were in 2014, I remember being in a sweepstake for it.

“I had Brazil and they got beat by Germany 7-1 in the semifinals. I’d have probably won a bag of Haribo’s or something like that if they had won it.”

The 19-year-old, who made his international debut under Gareth Southgate against North Macedonia last November, added: “It was amazing to be called up for England, a unique feeling.

“It’s something you dream of and not many professional footballers get there. You’ve got to be very lucky and I was very lucky to get to that position.

“But once you are there you just enjoy it. It almost makes it easier because you can enjoy it.”

Lewis is certainly enjoying himself this season. And an ability to play confidently in a multitude of roles at such a tender age is not just down to luck.

Having established himself as a key component in Manchester City’s title-winning machine, whether at right-back or in midfield, he has been given an opportunity to transfer his talents to the international stage.

He can do so with Nations League B games against Greece on Thursday and Finland on Sunday.

England’s interim boss Lee Carsley, who replaced Southgate after the Three Lions lost the Euro 2024 final to Spain, turned to Lewis to help solve the side’s troublesome left-back position, where there has been no regular starter.

The youngster impressed in the 2-0 win over Finland last month and has settled well with a squad featuring current City team-mates Kyle Walker, John Stones, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, and an old one in Chelsea forward Cole Palmer.

“Of course I feel comfortable now,” said Lewis. “When you’ve been with people like that for so long — and this is my third year with the City first-team now — I feel a lot closer with everyone and that makes it easier to play with them and at this level.

“I just want to play football and if that means I play in a different position to get more game time then that’s fine with me.

“I like playing fullback and like playing in midfield, but I don’t really mind where I play.”

That approach has typified Lewis’ amazing rise since his City debut two years ago at the age of 17.

His first season in the first-team ranks saw him lift a historic Treble as the Etihad outfit memorably won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.

That was followed by the UEFA Super Cup and then the Club World Cup, with City beating Fluminense in Saudi Arabia.

Lewis also helped City lift the English title for a fourth successive time last season and admitted: “I want as many trophies as I can get. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of. When you break it down, it’s difficult to put into words what I’ve done.

“So that’s what I don’t really do, I don’t really think about it too much. That will probably come later on in life when I look back in my career.

“Right now I just want to focus on putting out consistent performances and being the best I can be.”

He added: “Of course there’s extra pressure. Once you’ve done it, then comes the expectation to do it again.

“When you are playing in a squad like at City you can stick out like a sore thumb if you don’t perform because of how many good players there are. Yes there’s pressure, but that comes with being at a club like this,” Lewis said.

“I think I enjoy it. I think everyone enjoys a little bit of pressure, being able to prove people wrong, stuff like that, but that comes with being a footballer.”


Root surpasses Cook’s 12,472 test runs as England reaches 232-2 in first test against Pakistan

Root surpasses Cook’s 12,472 test runs as England reaches 232-2 in first test against Pakistan
Updated 31 min 26 sec ago
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Root surpasses Cook’s 12,472 test runs as England reaches 232-2 in first test against Pakistan

Root surpasses Cook’s 12,472 test runs as England reaches 232-2 in first test against Pakistan
  • Root is now fifth on the all-time list of test run-scorers behind Sachin Tendulkar’s leading 15,921
  • England lost Zak Crawley’s wicket in the first half-hour when he chipped a catch of Shaheen Afridi

MULTAN: Joe Root became England’s highest-run scorer in tests as the tourists continued to score at a rapid pace on the third day of the first test against Pakistan on Wednesday.
Root surpassed Alastair Cook’s 12,472 runs with a straight-driven boundary before lunch to reach 72 at the break and guided England to a brisk 232-2 in 45 overs.
Root is now fifth on the all-time list of test run-scorers behind Sachin Tendulkar’s leading 15,921.
Ben Duckett recovered from a thumb injury which denied him opening England’s first innings on Tuesday afternoon and was unbeaten on 80 off 67 balls as the tourists smashed 136 runs in the first session after resuming on 96-1.
England still trails Pakistan by 324 runs after the home team was bowled out for 556 on a placid wicket of Multan Cricket Stadium.
England lost the wicket of Zak Crawley (78) inside the first half-hour when he chipped a catch of Shaheen Shah Afridi (1-44) after adding 14 runs to his overnight score of 64. Jamal pounced on the opportunity on second attempt at short mid-wicket as Crawley tried to whip the fast bowler on the on-side.
But England continued to exhibit its ‘Bazball’ approach against both pace and spin on a benign wicket. Duckett and Root decoded the mystery spin of Abrar Ahmed with lot of aggression on an unresponsive wicket for the bowlers as the leg-spinner has so far conceded 79 runs off his 12 overs.
In an England-dominated session, Pakistan also lost two of its reviews when it went for a shocking caught behind referral against Duckett soon after the left-hander had completed his half century, but the television replays suggested the bat was nowhere near the ball.
Captain Shan Masood then went for a second referral against Root off the same bowler, but the TV replays showed the ball was missing the leg stump.


Jurgen Klopp to be head of Red Bull football operations

Jurgen Klopp to be head of Red Bull football operations
Updated 35 min 38 sec ago
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Jurgen Klopp to be head of Red Bull football operations

Jurgen Klopp to be head of Red Bull football operations

BERLIN: Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has a new role as head of football operations at Red Bull, which owns the Leipzig, Salzburg and New York clubs, the company said Wednesday.
“After nearly 25 years on the sidelines, I couldn’t be more excited to be involved in a project like this,” said Klopp, who left Liverpool at the end of last season after nine years in charge.


Saudi rugby players want ‘taste of international tournaments,’ says coach

Saudi rugby players want ‘taste of international tournaments,’ says coach
Updated 09 October 2024
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Saudi rugby players want ‘taste of international tournaments,’ says coach

Saudi rugby players want ‘taste of international tournaments,’ says coach
  • Sami Smara, technical director and head coach of young team, says players gained valuable experience at Asia Rugby Sevens Emirates Trophy event in Nepal

KATHMANDU: Saudi Arabia’s rugby team showed off a fresh and young lineup at the Asia Rugby Sevens Emirates Trophy competition held recently in Nepal’s capital city Kathmandu.

Despite the team finishing last, the tournament was an opportunity for the new-look squad to gain valuable experience.

The two-day tournament saw 16 men’s teams and eight women’s teams from Asia compete, with the Philippines winning both categories.

The tournament was held on Oct. 4 and 5 at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu, which despite being 1,400 meters above sea level was praised for its great natural pitch.

Saudi Arabia fielded one of the youngest teams in the tournament with most of the players under 24 years of age.

Sami Smara, the technical director and head coach of the team, said the association has a plan for the Riyadh 2034 Asian Games.

“We want to join more tournaments to gain experience and build a strong team,” he said. “We have club activities in Saudi Arabia for young players, and this will help us grow.

“This tournament was our consecutive appearance and we wanted to focus on new players getting a taste of international tournaments.”

In Group C, Saudi Arabia faced strong opposition including Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan and Qatar. Although they lost all three matches, the team did well, scoring tries against Kazakhstan and Qatar.

Captain of the team, Mohammed Al-Janoubi, said that playing at a high altitude made it difficult for the players to breathe during their first match, which added to the challenge.

He also highlighted that although the team had been preparing for several months, injuries during the preparation phase hindered their readiness. This combination of factors made their opening game particularly tough.

Saudi Arabia put a up a strong fight against Qatar in their first match despite the final scoreline. They eventually went down 39-7 at the end but conceded only two tries and converted one themselves in the second half.

They then lost 55-5 to Kazakhstan and 52-0 to Sri Lanka.

In the 13th-place playoff match against Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia showed their fighting spirit and led the match briefly. They were down 12-0 in the first half but made a strong comeback in the second.

After two tries, Mohammed Almoalim converted to put the team ahead 14-12. Unfortunately, they conceded a late try and ended up losing 19-14.

However, Al-Janoubi was happy with how the team played.

“The opposition was of high level, but we fought the best we can,” he said. “Most of the players were playing at this level for the first time. Our focus was on gaining international experience, and we succeeded. This experience will help us as we move forward.”

Coach Smara said rugby was getting good support from the Ministry of Sport and the National Olympic Committee.

“The government is very supportive of sports, and rugby is getting the help it needs to improve. We want to encourage local players and make a better team over time.”

He said rugby in Saudi Arabia has grown over the past few years. “The rugby was limited (in the past) to expats and was only played in compounds. But now there is governance of the league too.

“Thanks to support from the national Olympic committee, the (Saudi Arabian Rugby Federation) now has senior and youth competitions. We have rugby in the sports curriculum of the Ministry of Education too. I feel good things are to follow now,” Smara added.

There has been other progress, with the under-18 team playing in Malaysia last month.

And Smara said plans for women to participate internationally are in the pipeline, with a full team ready and preparing back home.


Errani and Paolini among 3 doubles teams confirmed for WTA Finals in Riyadh

Errani and Paolini among 3 doubles teams confirmed for WTA Finals in Riyadh
Updated 09 October 2024
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Errani and Paolini among 3 doubles teams confirmed for WTA Finals in Riyadh

Errani and Paolini among 3 doubles teams confirmed for WTA Finals in Riyadh
  • Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe will be making their second consecutive appearance as a team at the prestigious season-ending event
  • Katerina Siniakova won the WTA Finals doubles title in 2021, while Taylor Townsend will be making her tournament debut

RIYADH: The WTA has announced the doubles teams that have qualified for the WTA Finals Riyadh, which are Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, and Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.

They are the third, fourth and fifth pairings to secure their participation after Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok, and Hsieh Su-Wei and Elise Mertens confirmed their qualification in September.

Over half the doubles field is now set for the WTA Finals Riyadh, with three qualification places remaining on the PIF Race to the WTA Finals.

The WTA Finals Riyadh is a key element of the Saudi Tennis Federation’s plans to grow the sport in the Kingdom and have 1 million participating by 2030.

This is a part of the WTA’s aims to grow the game worldwide.

Paolini will debut at the WTA Finals, while Errani returns, having competed in doubles from 2012-2014 and qualified in singles in 2012 and 2013.

The Italian duo won the WTA 500 Upper Austria Ladies Linz and the WTA 1000 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, finished as runners-up at Roland-Garros, and clinched gold in doubles at the Paris Olympics.

This season marks Canadian Dabrowski’s sixth WTA Finals appearance, with her partner Routliffe being the first New Zealand qualifier last year. They went undefeated in the 2023 group stages and won the WTA 250 Rothesay Open Nottingham.

They also reached four finals at WTA 1000 events in Toronto, Miami, Eastbourne, and Wimbledon, where Routliffe became the PIF WTA World No. 1 in doubles.

Siniakova and Townsend, who won Wimbledon in July, have also qualified for the WTA Finals. Townsend debuts, while Siniakova makes her sixth consecutive appearance, having won in 2021 and finishing as runner-up in 2018 and 2022.

The Czech-US duo teamed up in May, reaching the quarterfinals in Rome, winning Wimbledon, and making the semifinals at the US Open.

The 2024 WTA Finals features the top eight singles and doubles teams on the PIF Race to the WTA Finals Leaderboard, with the eighth spot going to the singles player and doubles team that have won a Grand Slam if ranked No. 8 to No. 20.

This showcases the world’s best eight singles players and doubles teams competing in a round-robin format.

The singles champion lifts the WTA Finals Billie Jean King Trophy and the doubles champions earns the WTA Finals Martina Navratilova Trophy.