PAGE 44
PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013
Sports
Dasaolu appoints Gemili as new coach
S
printer Adam Gemili has left the coach who helped him reach this year’s World Championship 200m final to team up with Steve Fudge, who trains Britain’s 100m champion James Dasaolu. The 20-year-old, who became the second Briton to run under 20 seconds for the 200m in Moscow, had worked with Michael Afilaka since January 2012. Gemili, who will now train in Loughborough, clocked 19.98
Idowu admits to drunk-driving
F
ormer Olympic triple jumper Phillips Idowu has admitted to drunking driving after being caught in his car at more than twice the legal alcohol limit. The 34-year-old, who won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, was stopped by Essex Police in his Land Rover in Epping on 20 September. Idowu, who admitted drinking and driving, was banned for two years by Chelmsford magistrates and fined £145. After the hearing, Essex police confirmed they had been called to a “domestic incident” at Idowu’s home before his arrest. The court heard he failed a breath test, with a recording of 96 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres. His solicitor, Joanna Life, told the court he had been out with friends the previous night and returned home to bed. He had asked to be fined rather than given community service as he had an employment opportunity abroad beginning next month, the court heard.
Djokovic suffers injury scare at Shanghai Masters W
orld number two Novak Djokovic overcame an injury scare to beat Spain’s Marcel Granollers and reach the third round of the Shanghai Masters. The Serb landed awkwardly on his right foot early in the second set and had a medical timeout before winning 6-2 6-0. Fifth seed Federer beat Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-4 6-3, while Nadal, who reclaimed the number one ranking this week, dispatched Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3 6-2. Djokovic hit a running backhand in the first game of
the second set and then leaped in the air, wincing in pain. He appeared slightly tentative after having his foot and ankle wrapped, but he still dominated against the Spaniard, ranked 36 in the world. He next plays Italian Fabio Fognini, who advanced when Spaniard Tommy Robredo retired with a wrist injury while trailing 7-6 (7-3) 2-1. Federer was returning to the court for the first time since his fourth-round loss at the US Open but was too strong for Seppi.
T
Novak Djokovic
Lingfield set £1m for Good Friday fixture racecourse
A
historic £1m racing fixture will be held at Lingfield Park racecourse in Surrey on Good Friday next year. It will be a finale to a new allweather racing championships and part of a total rise in prize money of £2.2m from owners Arena Racing Company (ARC). Good Friday, which takes place on 18 April in 2014, is currently one of only four nonracing days in the UK.
Team UK Youth: Mansell hopes for new sponsor eam UK Youth owner Nigel Mansell is still very upbeat about the future of the team despite withdrawing his financial support for next season. The ex-Formula 1 world champion funded the team for four years but has said continued sponsorship is “impossible in the present financial climate”. The outfit enjoyed a fine 2013 but now need to find a new headline sponsor by the end of October to survive. Mansell made his decision at the end of Team UK Youth’s most successful ever season, with his outfit ranked second only to Team Sky among British teams in the UCI rankings after several race wins. The team competes at UCI Continental level, the standard below that of Team Sky and has been used to promote the UK Youth charity, of which Mansell is president. Mansell said that the team had told all 12 of its riders - which include Cornwall’s Chris Opie, Devon’s Barker and Joshua Hunt, Jersey’s Richard Tanguy.
seconds in the semi-finals of the World Championships in August only John Regis has run faster (19.87 in 1994). The former footballer went on to finish fifth in the final. Dasaolu, 26, who linked up with Fudge in early 2012, ran 9.91 seconds at the British Championships, the second fastest time by a Briton since Linford Christie crossed the line in 9.87 at the World Championships in 1987.
Lingfield
Kelly said a series of races throughout the winter, leading to six titles in categories ranging from sprint to marathon, would increase competition and might reduce the likelihood of jockeys being vulnerable to corruption. The Professional Jockeys’ Association says many riders opposed the plans to hold racing on Good Friday, although a four-day break for National Hunt riders has since been announced.
UCI wants to revamp road race
P
rofessional road racing could feature promotion and relegation as part of a new three-tier league system proposed by world governing body, the UCI. The WorldTour would be scrapped in favour of a 16-team first division which would race across 120 days. An eight-team second tier would then race over 50 days while a lower tier would be made up of regional divisions. The reforms will be considered for approval in January and if given the go-ahead would be introduced from 2015. In a newsletter published by the UCI, the proposals - which would be fully in place by 2020 - were described as having the ability to bring about a “profound and decisive change” in the organisation of professional cycling.
Cyclists in action
Newly elected UCI president Brian Cookson said the elite road race calendar needed to be restructured to enhance the sport globally. In the same ‘Sport and
Technical’ newsletter, Cookson said: “In order to restore confidence in the UCI and promote cycling all around the world, we have to transform the way in which anti-doping
procedures are managed, restructure elite road cycling, develop women’s cycling and reinforce our position and influence, in particular within the Olympic Movement.