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Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka won their opening matches of the ATP season, but second seeded Dominic Thiem was shocked by Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France in straight sets in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open yesterday. World No 1 Djokovic needed only 55 minutes to oust Damir Dzumhur in straight sets, while Thiem was beaten 6-3, 7-5 by Herbert in a late match. Wawrinka, for his part, sent third seeded rising Russian Karen Khachanov packing, winning 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 to start the season in style after spending most of 2018 on the sidelines with injury. Three-time Grand Slam champion and former World No 3 Wawrinka struggled last year had dropped out of top-250 for the first time since 2003, before regaining some lost ground at the end of last season. The Swiss began intense preparations for the new season in December, and that was well in evidence yesterday. Rewinding the clock to the days when he was at his best, Wawrinka displayed some high-class backhand game to get past World No 11 and doubles partner Khachanov. Wawrinka and Khachanov were on the same side of the net on Monday, falling short against David Goffin and Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the doubles first round. Yesterday, they were on the opposite sides of the court in a highly-anticipated first round match, which lived up to the billing on the Centre Court. Khachanov is one of the most promising players on the circuit, having defeated Djokovic in the final to win the Paris Masters title. But the Russian third seed struggled to get past Wawrinka’s serve, which made a big difference in the end. In fact, Khachanov won one more point than the World No 66 in the match, but Wawrinka pocketed the important points, including saving all four break points he faced. Wawrinka’s down-the-line backhand winners were a treat to watch on the day, with Khachanov watching helplessly go past him. The two had faced each other only once previously, with Wawrinka coming out trumps in a tight match less than four months ago in St. Petersburg. “Today was a great match. I played at a great level after more than a year out. I think, as I said before the tournament, I was happy with the off-season work I did. I worked long and really hard, hard enough to know that sooner or later it will pay off,” said Wawrinka, whose last appearance in Doha came in 2007. “I’m feeling good physically. Tennis-wise also. Today is the first match of the year against an in-form player, who won Paris Masters last year, had already played three matches before coming here, so I’m happy with the way I was playing today. I’m looking forward for tomorrow’s match,” added the 33-year-old, who will next face Chilean Nicolas Jarry, who defeated Robin Haase yesterday, for the first time. Meanwhile, Djokovic picked up from where he left off last season, with a 6-1, 6-2 thrashing of 47th ranked Dzumhur to enter the second round. The Serbian has already won an exhibition title in Abu Dhabi before landing in Dubai, and based on last night’s display, looks on course for his third Qatar title. It was top seed’s 11th consecutive victory in Doha, where he tasted back-to-back success in 2016 and 2017. The top seed will take on Marton Fucsovics today for a spot in the quarter-finals. Fucsovics beat Marius Copil 6-3, 6-2 in 72 minutes. The Hungarian saved all eight break points he faced to defeat the Romanian, whom he broke four times. “To start off the tournament as I have tonight obviously makes me very, very confident and also very happy. First day of the new year, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year, lots of good emotions and lots of good tennis,” Djokovic said to the cheers of the centre court crowd. Today, Djokovic will also be in action in doubles, where he will team up with younger brother Marko as the siblings take on Dzumhur and Dusan Lajovic in the quarters. Meanwhile, sixth seed David Goffin was knocked out early. The Belgian lost to Lithuanian qualifier Ricardas Berankis 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) in two hours and 18 minutes. Berankis will play Dusan Lajovic in second round, after the Serbia got past Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 7-6(5). In another match, fourth seed Marco Cecchinato got his season off to a good start with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph against qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky.  Results  (1st Round) 1-Novak Djokovic (SRB) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 6-2;  Q-Ricardas Berankis (LTU) bt 6-David Goffin (BEL) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4); Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) bt 3-Karen Khachanov (RUS) 7-6 (9-7), 6-4; 4-Marco Cecchinato (ITA) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-4, 6-2; Guido Pella (ARG) bt Cem Ilkel (TUR) 7-6 (1), 6-3; Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) bt Mubarak Shannan Zayid (QAT) 6-1, 6-3; Dusan Lajovic (SRB) bt Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-3, 7-6 (5); Marton Ficsovics (HUN) bt Marius Copil (ROU) 6-3, 6-2; Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) bt 2-Dominic Thiem (AUT) 6-3, 7-5 Doubles (2nd Round) Robin Haase & Matwe Middelkoop (NED) bt 4-Dominic Inglot (GBR) & Franko Skugor (CRO) 3-6, 6-3, 10-7; Nicolas Jarry (CHI) & Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) bt Albert Ramos-Vinolas & Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 6-3, 6-4; Aisam Qureshi (PAK) & Santiago Gonzalez (MEX) bt Marco Cecchinato & Andreas Sippi (ITA) 6-3, 6-2.

“That winning feeling after long time,” tweeted Tomas Berdych with a smiley emoji after last night’s win in the first round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open yesterday. The Czech had not played since last June after struggling with back injury, which put an end to his 2018 hopes. Berdych had to rely on wild card to enter the $1.4mn ATP 250 event here in Doha. And the former World No 4, now fitter and fresher, made a good start to his new season as he overcame Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 7-6(5) at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash complex. Berdych, ranked 71 now, was not at his fluent best but it was enough to get past Kohlschreiber, whom he had beaten on eight of 10 attempts coming into yesterday’s first round match. Berdych will next play eighth-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who beat lucky loser Paolo Lorenzi of Italy 6-3, 6-4. Verdasco, the 2017 semi-finalist in Qatar, relied on his strong service game as he struck nine aces in a routine victory on centre court. Seventh seed Roberto Bautista Agut, too, had little trouble on the day as the Spaniard avenged his loss to Italian Matteo Berrettini in last year’s Gstaad final with a 6-1, 6-4 win in 69 minutes. Last year’s runner-up Andrey Rublev, who received a late entry after No 53 Mikhail Kukushkin withdrew, made good use of his fortune to beat Italy’s Andreas Seppi.  Russian Rublev snatched a tough first set 7-5, breaking Seppi in the last game, before cruising in the second set 6-1. Elsewhere, fifth-seeded Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili lost just five of his first-service points in beating Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 in one hour and 38 minutes. Chile’s Nicolas Jarry, making his tournament debut, scraped past Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4) in two hours and 38 minutes. Today, all the top seeds will be in action, with sixth seed David Goffin kicking off the proceeding against qualifier Ricardas Berankis. But all eyes will be on World No 1 Novak Djokovic who will take on 47th ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur. Djokovic is bidding for his third Qatar title, after winning here in 2017 and 17   The match to look forward today is though between Paris Master winner Karen Khachanov and former World No 3 Stan Wawrinka. Russian Khachanov finished 2018 as one of the hottest players on the ATP Tour, beating Djokovic in the Paris final. Wawrinka came out on top in their only previous encounter in St Petersburg three months ago, but the big-hitting Khachanov will be hard to beat for returning Swiss, who has struggled with series of injuries recently. Meanwhile, second seed Dominic Thiem from Austria takes on Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.  Results  (Singles 1st Round)) Andrey Rublev (RUS) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 7-5, 6-1 8-Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Paulo Lorenzi (ITA) 6-3, 6-4 7-Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) bt Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 6-1, 6-4 5-Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) bt Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 Tomas Berdych (CZE) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) Nicolas Jarry (CHI) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) Maximilian Marterer (GER) bt Peter Gojowczyk (GER) 6-1, 6-4 Doubles (first round) Damir Dzumhur (BIH) & Dusan Lajovic (SRB) bt 1-Mate Pavic (CRO) & Oliver Marach (AUT) 6-4, 1-6, 10-7 Guido Pella (ARG) & Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt 2-Jamie Murray (GBR) & Bruno Soares (BRA) 6-3, 6-4 3-Alexander Peya (AUT) & Nikola Mektic (CRO) bt Marius Copil & Horia Tecau (ROU) 6-4, 7-6 (4) Marco Djokovic & Novak Djokovic (SRB) bt Mubarak Shannan Zayid (QAT) & Cem Ilkel (TUR) 6-3, 3-6, 10-6 David Goffin (BEL) & Pierre-Hughes Herbert (FRA) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS) & Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 7-5, 6-3    Today’s Order of play First round (prefix denotes seeding) Centre Court 3:30pm: (6) David Goffin vs (Q) Ricardas Berankis Followed By: (3) Karen Khachanov vs Stan Wawrinka (1) Novak Djokovic vs Damir Dzumhur                         Pierre-Hugues Herbert vs (2) Dominic Thiem  Court 1 3:30pm: Guido Pella vs (WC) Cem Ilkel Followed By: (WC) Mubarak Shannan Zayid vs (Q) Guillermo Garcia-Lopez Marton Fucsovics vs Marius Copil Court 2 3:30pm: Sergiy Stakhovsky vs (4) Marco Cecchinato Followed By: Dusan Lajovic vs  Adrian Mannarino Marco Cecchinato and Andreas Seppi vs Santiago Gonzalez and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi Court 3: 3:30pm 1st Rd: Robin Haase and Matwe Middelkoop vs (4) Dominic Inglot and Franko Skugor Followed By: Maximo Gonzalez and Nicolas Jarry vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Fernando Verdasco

Novak Djokovic and his younger brother Marko finally broke their losing streak as doubles partners. The Djokovic siblings had previously partnered each other five times and ended up on losing side on every occasion. The Court One at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash complex finally brought them some luck though, as Novak and Marko won their opening round match at the Qatar Exxonmobil Open, which began Monday. It wasn’t a cake walk for the Serbian pair as they had to comeback from a mid-match slump to register a 6-3, 3-6, 10-6 win over Qatar’s Mubarak Shannan Zayid and his Turkish partner Cem Ilkel. The packed crowd got a rare glimpse of the Djokovics in action together. The last time the two had played together was when they lost to Nikolay Davydenko and Dick Norman in 2013 at the Dubai Open first round. The Djokovic brothers had debuted as a pair at the Croatia Open Umag in 2007 -- when they lost to France's Mathieu Montcourt and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the first round. It turned out to be sixth time lucky for Novak and Marko, as they celebrated each point like they would have done in their Belgrade backyard during their childhood. “Well, I'm glad to end 2018 with a win with my brother on the court,” beamed Novak, the World No. 1 singles player, later. “That was a very special moment. We played so far I think maybe four or five tournaments together, doubles, and we've never won a match, so today was a day we will remember together,” he added. The real Novak will be on show Tuesday though, as he bids for this third Qatar Exxonmobil Open singles title, with a first round match against Bosnain Damir Dzumhur. Novak, a champion here in 2016 and 17, is on a 10-match winning run in Doha and is the overwhelming favourite for the golden Falcon trophy. But Novak had bigger things on his sights as the 31-year-old opened up about his ambitions in the New Year. The 14-time Grand Slam champion felt that big four of tennis – himself, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray – were still the favourites to win Grand Slam titles in 2019, but did not rule out the younger generation to spring a surprise in the majors. “Judging by the last ten years and the dominance of the four guys in the Grand Slams, I think still if we are healthy and if we are playing well, the four guys still have probably the best chance to always win Slams because of the experience and just understanding of what it takes to win that title,” he said. Novak was quick to add that the next generation is already in contention and singled out Germany's World No. 4 Alexander Zverev, Croatia's No. 12 Borna Coric and Greece's No. 15 Stefano Tsitsipas as the ones to most likely make a breakthrough. “And in terms of the next generation, they are already there in terms of the rankings. You have Zverev who is now an established top five player in the world. For several years in a row he's been winning Masters events and he won World Tour Finals in 2018, which is a great win. “And then you have Tsitsipas and Coric and guys like that proving they can win against the top players of the world. And it's a matter of time when we will see some of them competing in the last stages of Grand Slams. Whether that's going to happen the next season or not, nobody knows, really,” the Serbian noted. Novak also hinted that he may adopt a lighter schedule in the upcoming years in order to spend more time with his wife and two kids. “Obviously, main focus and objectives are Grand Slams. That's where I want to be able shine and play my best. And the top ATP tournaments, of course, I will try to play with full season as I have in the past, but things are different nowadays with two kids and a family. That is obviously a priority for me. So, I have to always try to find a balance between the two and kind of try to satisfy both the professional needs, but also the private ones,” he said.

 World No.1 Novak Djokovic will open his Qatar ExxonMobil Open campaign against 47th ranked Damir Dzumhur, but it is a tough first round draw for Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam Champion. Switzerland’s Wawrinka, who is on a comeback trail after suffering a series of injuries in the last couple of years, will take on third seed Karen Khachanov of Russia in the opening round at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash complex.   In a twist to the tale, Khachanov is Wawrinka’s doubles partner this week at the ATP World Tour 250 series tournament, which will begin from tomorrow. Former World No. 3 Wawrinka missed three months of action last year after additional knee problems and dropped out from the top-250 for the first time since 2003. He recovered late in the season to finish the year ranked 66. In the New Year, the 33-year-old will be eager to get back to his best. Wawrinka is in Doha for the first time since 2008, when he lost in the final to Andy Murray. But Wawrinka won’t have it easy against the 22-year-old Khachanov, who was one of the leading players of last season. The Russian began 2018 just inside top-50 and finished the year just outside top-10. His breakthrough title came at the Paris Masters, where he toppled Djokovic in the final. After three ATP titles and 46 wins in total in 2018, Khachanov will be chasing bigger goals this year. On the other hand, Djokvoic, who is two-time champion in Doha, in 2016 and 2017, should have no problem in getting past Dzumhur of Bosnia. The two have faced each other once, at Paris Masters last year, where Dzumhur retired hurt after losing the first set. Djokovic is hoping to put on a strong 2019 campaign after an outstanding 2018 season. The 31-year-old managed to return to his best form during the second part of the last season. Most notably, the Serb won back-to-back Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the US Open, as well as returned to the No.1 spot for the first time since 2016. Last night, Djokovic showed he is in a good shape after winning an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. The 14-time Grand Slam champion will be the absolute favourite to win his third title in Qatar since there are just three other top 20 players in the field:  Dominic Thiem is the second seed, followed by Khachanov and this year’s French Open semifinalist Marco Cecchinato. Thiem had a good run in Doha last year before he withdrew from his semi-final match against eventual champion Gael Monfils due to a fever. The Austrian will open this year’s campaign against 55th-ranked Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert, to whom he lost in the only match they have played each other two years back in Rotterdam. Tomas Berdych, who has not been competing since June, has received a wild card for the event. The Czech, ranked 71 now, will take on German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round, the winner of which may face eight seed Fernando Verdasco next. Fourth seed Cecchinato and sixth seed David Goffin will await the qualifiers in their opening round matches.  Last year’s runner-up Andrey Rublev, who received a late entry after No. 53 Mikhail Kukushkin withdrew, will take on Andreas Seppi.  Meanwhile, World No 50 Robin Haase, who will kick-off his 2019 season against Nicholas Jarry of Chile, said he was ready to start the new season but added he didn’t want to go with any expectations. “I don’t have any expectations, because expectations is the mother of all disappointments. So I just try to do my best and work on my game. It’s going well with my coach, who has been with me for two years. If you keep pushing the boundaries and work hard then the results will take care of itself,” the Dutchman said at the draw ceremony yesterday.

Having spent the last three years in Doha playing for Al Sadd, midfield maestro Xavi is convinced Qatar will be ready well ahead of time to host the 2022 World Cup. Xavi was part of Spain’s four World Cup squads, including the triumphant one in 2010, and knows a thing or two about what it takes to host the biggest sporting spectacle in the world. And from what he has seen from close quarters, the former Barcelona star believes Qatar should have no problem hosting the showpiece football event. “I am the ambassador of Supreme Committee and I think they are ready. The Qatar national team and country both are ready. You can see such amazing stadiums. Everybody is surprised by the way Qatar is organising everything,” said Xavi on Saturday at the design launch event for Lusail Stadium, the venue for the opening and final matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The 38-year-old also felt that Qatar’s national team is heading in the right direction and praised coach Felix Sanchez’s side for their recent performances in the friendlies against higher-ranked teams, Switzerland and Iceland. “I think they are preparing very well but it’s too early to make a prediction. The team are in a good way, they are doing well. They have a very good coach in Felix Sanchez. He is a brilliant coach so they can compete. Let’s see how they do at the Asian Cup in January. They have a culture of football. They are ready to compete. Everybody can see that in the last games they won against Switzerland and drew with Iceland. So they are ready and they have time four years more,” Xavi said. Xavi, who won 133 caps for Spain, has been tipped to be the Qatar coach in 2022. He is in his final year of his contract with Al Sadd and the midfielder spoke on what he intends to do in future once he decides to hang up his boots. “I am preparing as a coach, maybe next season I will start as a coach. At the moment, I am still a player at Al Sadd,” he said. Meanwhile, former the Netherlands star Wesley Sneijder, who is currently plying his trade for Qatar Stars League club Al Gharafa, said the World Cup in Qatar would be an experience in itself for fans across the world. “It (The World Cup in Qatar) won’t be different. The only difference is that you can now watch three games in the same day. So all these kind of things are an advantage. Let’s take for example Brazil, South Africa and Russia, it was impossible to travel to watch all the games in three days. Now you have this advantage and for sure the organisation will be perfect,” said Sneijder “The changes that I have seen over one year, it’s amazing. The roads, the parks that they are building, they are really making Qatar better and ready for the 2022 World Cup,” he added. Former Netherlands and Ajax international Frank de Boer said the weather will not be an issue at the 2022 World Cup and backed Qatar to outdo Russia, which hosted the most recent edition earlier this year. “I don’t see any problem with the weather. Right now outside it is 18-25 degrees Celsius, which is perfect for playing football. So I am not worried about it. The most beautiful thing is it is so compact. You can see three games in one day. The most important thing is that you can feel that there is a World Cup going on,” the former Inter Milan manager said. “In Russia, they did a great job but it is so spread out that you don’t really feel that a World Cup is going on. A World Cup should be for the fans. What I experienced in South Africa, in Johannesburg where so many teams were together and fans celebrating the World Cup. We are going to experience this even more,” he added. His twin brother, Ronald de Boer, who lived in Doha for seven years, said Qatar is a football-crazy nation and that the World Cup has come to the right place. “People here adore football. There (is) still lots of miscommunication in the world, so it’s a great opportunity to show the world what Qatar is all about,” said Ronald, who played for Al Rayyan and Al Shamal in the mid 2000s.

While many would crumble under home pressure, Bassem Hassan Mohamed seems to relish performing in front of the domestic audience. After winning the opening class on Thursday, the Qatar rider struck again by clinching the CSI5* speed class at the Global Champions Tour yesterday. Under lights at the spectacular Al Shaqab arena, watched by packed holiday crowd, Bassem was astride his 12-year-old Gelding Argelith Squid and the pair galloped around the 1.50m course in splendid fashion to eke out another win. Argelith Squid once again was in sync with Bassem and the rider was all praise for the horse for giving him his second successive win. “After three-four fences I really felt I could win. My horse did an amazing job today. For sure I am thrilled, but to be honest I am happier how I finished that course and how I planned and how he made it easier for me,” Bassem said. While on Thursday Bassem had to share his first place with Julien Epaillard after both finished on same time, yesterday the Qatari rider beat his French rival. One of the fastest riders on the circuit, Epaillard on board Safari d Auge flawlessly set a leading time of 64.22 seconds. But Bassem and Argelith Squid shaved off 0.11 seconds off Epaillard’s time by taking the inside line to fence 10, that would have made course designer Uliano Vezzani proud. France’s Roger Yves Bost and Tesway de la Batia, like many others, cut a stride out between fence 4 and 5 and was on track to challenge Bassem’s time. Unfortunately, the pair couldn’t execute the plan and finished with 8 faults and 66.85 seconds. The third place went to Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts and J’Adore van het Schaeck, who completed their round in 66.29 seconds. Bassem, who became the first Qatar rider to win a home Grand Prix last year, will be looking for an encore today. It’s a high class field that will be in action today at the €375,000 marquee event, including 2018 champion Ben Maher. But Bassem in current form will fancy his chances as he rides with Gunder, who had partnered him in his victory last season. “Today’s win feels good but I am already looking forward to the last day and hope it goes well,” Bassem said. “I will ride with Gunder for the Grand Prix, the same horse I had last year. I am looking forward to it. I have had a good season. I was few times in the podium this year and also won a few classes with Argelith Squid,” the 31-year-old added. Bassem said the local support at Al Shaqab drives him to give his best. “To be honest, I am happy when I see more people. There is a good support for us and I want to thank everyone who are supporting us,” he said. Meanwhile, today’s Grand Prix will be see intense battle for championship runner-up position. With Maher to be crowned as the new champion, seven riders are in contention to finish second. Alberto Zorzi is currently second with 237 points, but the Italian has just a four-point lead over last year’s overall champion Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands. But what makes it interesting is the fact that just 28 points separate Zorzi and eighth-placed Christian Ahlmann of Germany. And with 40 points for a win at Al Shaqab, the battle for second place can swing many ways. Meanwhile, yesterday’s feature class was won by Ahlmann with 11-year-old grey Stallion Caribis Z. The pair came home in 45.06 seconds to set the fastest time as Ahlmann picked up €47,850 in prize money from a total pot of €145.000 in the CSI 5* 1.55m class. Smolders finished second with Emerald, while Shane Sweetnam of Ireland came third with Main Road. RESULTS CSI 5* Against-the-clock with jump-off 1.50/1.55m (€145.000) 1. Christian Ahlmann (GER) Caribis Z. Time: 45.06 secs. Prize money: €47,850 2. Harrie Smolders (NED) Emerald. 45.61 secs. €29,000 3. Shane Sweetnam (IRL) Main Road. 45.80 secs. €21,750 CSI5* Against the clock (1.50m) Table A, FEI Art. 238.2.1 (€50,000) 1. Bassem Mohamed (QAT) Argelith Squid. Time: 64.11 secs. Prize money: €16,500 EUR 2. Julien Epaillard (FRA) Safari d Auge. 64.22 secs. €10,000 3. Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) J’Adore van het Schaeck. 66.29 secs. €7,500   TODAY’S SCHEDULE GLOBAL CHAMPIONS TOUR 2:30pm: CSI 5* GCL of Doha Round 2 - 1.55/1.60m (€95.000 to individual class winners); 5:45pm: CSI 5* Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Doha - 1.60m (€375.000) HATHAB SERIES 9am: Against the clock NO Jump Off 1.15/1.25m; 11:50am: Against the clock with Jump Off 1.30/1.45m

Simone Biles, like many of us, would have lost track of the number of records she broke during the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha. The American is still just 21 and is far from finished, with a good four-five years remaining at the high level, probably more if she keeps her motivation intact. But even if she stops competing today, her records will be hard to beat. Yesterday at the Aspire Dome, Biles stormed to gold in the Floor Exercise and picked up a bronze in the Balance Beam, thus equalling retired Svetlana Khorkina for 20 medals at the Worlds. Since Biles has 14 of those in golds, compared to Russian Khorkina’s nine, the Texan is now the most decorated female artistic gymnast in world championships history. Only Vitaly Scherbo and Kohei Uchimura have more world medals than Biles with 23 and 21. The 21-year-old will be chasing the record next year in Stuttgart, Germany. Biles, who medalled in all six events in Doha, also became the first gymnast to win a medal in every event at a world championship in 31 years. No woman had medalled on every event since Daniela Silivas of Romania at the 1988 Olympics. Biles already has the record for most overall world titles, by a man or woman, now with 14. Biles finished her Doha sojourn, which began at a night in hospital with kidney stone, with four gold, one silver and bronze. It’s a remarkable feat, considering she was making a comeback after taking a year off, after she won four gold and one bronze at 2016 Rio Olympics. When asked what makes her the proudest of her accomplishments in Doha, Biles said: “There’s a lot to be proud of, but I’m most proud that I’m here, made all of the event finals, medalled in all of the events and I survived. “I am definitely very happy, especially to win a medal in every event. No matter what colour the medal, I’m really proud of myself. It feels really rewarding because I’ve put a lot of hard work and dedication into this sport, so I couldn’t be happier. I’m really proud of my performances here. I wish some of them would have been better but I’m really proud of the outcome.” At one point yesterday, it looked like Biles would miss out on a medal in at least one apparatus as she began the Balance Beam. The American was wobbly, nearly falling off the beam couple of times as she scored 13.600. As it turned out, that was enough for Biles to snatch a bronze, with only gold medallist China’s Tingting Liu (14.533) and Canada’s Anne-Marie Padurariu (14.100) putting on a better performance. “To be completely honest, I’m really just happy that I stayed on the beam because going into these World Championships I wasn’t as confident as I used to be on beam. So I think it’s a step forward and hopefully from here on out it can only improve. It was really easy to turn around and go into floor with an open mind,” Biles said. Once the beam hurdle was crossed, there was no doubt Biles would finish with six out of six. She was untouchable in Floor, with her difficultly level one point more than seven other finalists. The three-time Floor world champion made it four as she was sublime again, scoring 14.933 and finishing a full point above second place. The silver medal also went to US with Morgan Hurd (13.933) just beating Mai Murakami of Japan (13.866). Meanwhile, men’s all-round and Floor champion Artur Dalaloyan rounded off his Worlds with four medals. The Russian won silver in Vault and bronze in Parallel Bars yesterday. North Korea’s Ri Se Gwang, who performed the most difficult vaults, bagged the gold with 14.933 score, .050 ahead of Dalaloyan. Kenzo Shirai of Japan was the bronze medallist with 14.675. Men’s Parallel Bars went the expected way as Zou Jingyuan of China broke the 16-point mark again to become the world champion. Jingyuan’s perfect precision and smooth transitions put him a step above the rest of the field. Oleg Verniaiev of Ukraine with 15.591 finished ahead of Dalaloyan for silver. The last event of the Doha Worlds was a high-class, spectacular men’s Horizontal Bar, in which Epke Zonderland of the Netherlands emerged triumphant. Zonderland earned gold with 15.100 for his baffling release moves, adding to his Olympic and world titles from 2012, 2013 and 2014. Japan’s Kohei Uchimura took silver with 14.800, his 21st career world medal. American Sam Mikulak ended his individual medal drought at global event, by clinching bronze with 14.533, just .033 ahead of defending champ Tin Srbic of Croatia. Zonderland was happy to regain his title he relinquished to Srbic last year.  “It was a really nice routine. It felt good and there weren’t big mistakes. After two bad years before the (2016) Olympics, last year felt really good, but now I’m really back, and that feels really nice,” the ‘Flying Dutchman’ said. Results (top 3) Men’s Vault 1. Ri Se Gwang (PRK) 14.933 2. Artur Dalaloyan (RUS)  14.883 3. Kenzo Shirai (JPN)  14.675 Women’s Balance Beam 1. Liu Tingting (CHN)  14.533 2. Anne-Marie Padurariu (CAN)14.100 3. Simone Biles (USA)  13.600 Men’s Parallel Bars 1. Zou Jingyuan (CHN)  16.433 2. Oleg Verniaiev (UKR)  15.591 3. Artur Dalaloyan (RUS)  15.366 Women’s Floor Exercise 1. Simone Biles (USA)  14.933 2. Morgan Hurd (USA)  13.933 3. Mai Murakami (JPN)  13.866 Men’s Horizontal Bar 1. Epke Zonderland (NED)   15.100 2. Kohei Uchimura (JPN)  14.800 3. Sam Mikulak (USA)  14.533

There is a long-running joke about how Simone Biles would win even if she falls two or three times. The American turned that joke into a reality at the Aspire Dome yesterday. Biles had an off day by her enormous standards at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, as she fell twice on Vault and Balance Beam, yet the 21-year-old was good enough to clinch a record-breaking fourth All-around Worlds title. Later, Biles was her harshest critic as she admonished her performance, calling it “little disappointing and very uncharacteristic”. But in the annals of gymnastics, Biles is well on her way to become the greatest ever. The 21-year-old finished with a score of 57.491, ahead of Japan’s Mai Murakami and teammate Morgan Hurd, who was last year’s champion in Biles’ absence. Even with the mistakes, Biles’ margin of victory – 1.693 – is the largest at the Worlds since the current points system replaced perfect-10 method in 2006. Only her victory at the Rio Olympic Games, by 2.1 points, is bigger. Biles had won four gold and a bronze in Rio and came to Doha as a ten-time world champion, and the American conceded yesterday’s triumph was her toughest till date. “This one has probably been the hardest to get out of all my world championships and Olympic medals, and the scariest one. It’s exciting to bring back a gold medal for the US, but for me it’s a bit disappointing because that’s not the performance I would hope to give,” she said. “It was a tough day. I didn’t know if I was going to pull it off today, and then I started doubting myself and I tried to track back to training and see how well that went. I tried to just think of that. You should always fall back on training because I’ve had such a good training here,” she added. Biles has already added two more gold medals in Doha – the team and All-around – and she is in contention for four more in the individual apparatus today and tomorrow. She is the hot favourite to win in three of them, with Uneven Bars not being her best routine. Biles currently has 12 Worlds gold, tied with Vitaly Scherbo and she is certain to pull away from the retired Belarusian today, making her the most decorated gymnast. She could also become the first woman to earn six medals at a world championships since Yelena Shushunova did for Soviet Union in 1987. The kidney stone that had troubled Biles last week and forced her to check into a hospital seemed to have an impact on her yesterday. Or it was just the pressure of being on the verge of creating a history. Either way, Biles was jittery to begin with. The 4 feet 8 inch from Texas began her All-round final yesterday with a Vault, that has been named after her, but she goofed up her with landing, as Hurd took the early lead. Because of the Vault’s difficulty, Biles scored a 14.533, which left her in third place. Biles, however, vaulted into the lead, after a clinical display in Uneven Bars, where she scored 14.725. But a fall on the Balance Beam, when a somersault went wrong, and some impressive performances by Murakami and Nina Derwael, cut down her lead to mere 0.092 going into the final rotation. While Belgium’s Derwael was unlucky to miss out on a medal despite a good Floor Exercise, Murakami jumped into the lead with a score of 13.666. With all eyes at Aspire Dome on her, and not to mention about the pressure, Biles seemed to have crumbled when she began her Floor Exercise with one foot out of bounds on her first tumbling pass. But in the rest of the routine she bounced back in spectacular fashion, nailing her every move as the spectators gasped in awe at Biles’ agility and strength. The difficulty level of her routine was so high that the judges awarded her 15.000 points, sealing a remarkable victory. On her flawless floor routine, Biles said: “I was like, ‘Well, today seems to be horrible, so let’s see what else can go wrong.’ Then I had to get those bad thoughts out of my head.’ I’m used to ending on floor, so that’s nothing new to me. I had to go out there and put on a good performance for myself.” Silver medallist Murakami summed up the final perfectly, when she said: “Instead of thinking I could win, I was thinking ‘Oh, Biles can fall.’” The Japanese finished .066 ahead of last year’s champion Hurd. “I just wanted to do four clean routines and I did and it brought the silver medal. And I wanted to finish with a smile,” Murakami said. Hurd paid the price for a poor show in Beam and slipped down to fourth before a confident finish on Floor Exercise fetched her a bronze. “Vault, Bars and Floor went really well. I’m not completely happy with beam. I had kind of a large mistake. I’m not satisfied, and I would rather it have been little better, but that’s OK. It happened. I was trying to be a little too perfect,” she said. Hurd shares a good camaraderie with Biles, with the two constantly egging on each other to perform better during their routines. “I think we play off each other’s energies and keep each other having fun. It’s absolutely insane that she fell twice. It definitely pushes me to be such a better gymnast, and if I can’t reach her in difficulty, I definitely want to catch her with my execution,” Hurd said. Women’s all-around final (Top 8) 1. Simone Biles (USA) 57.491 points 2. Mai Murakami (JPN) 55.798 3. Morgan Hurd (USA) 55.732 4. Nina Derwael (BEL) 55.699 5. Angelina Melnikova (RUS) 55.698 6. Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos (FRA) 55.599 7. Chen Yile (CHN) 54.632 8. Flavia Saraiva (BRA) 54.366

It’s been a drama-filled 48 hours for Artur Dalaloyan at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. On Monday in the team final, the gymnast fell off the Parallel Bars, which cost Russia a gold medal to China. Post the final, Dalaloyan was gut-wrenched, crying in a corner as he trudged off the Aspire Dome main hall. But yesterday, Dalaloyan had his redemption after he became the first Russian man to win a world championships All-around title since 1999. But it was not before he went through some anxious moments. Defending champion Xiao Ruoteng needed 14.234 in the Horizontal Bar to snatch the gold away from Dalaloyan, who had already finished his routines. As it turned out, Ruoteng fell short by .001, which resulted in a tie for the total score of 87.598 points with Dalaloyan. But the Russian walked away with gold via tiebreak after the judges threw out each gymnast’s lowest score from the six routines. There was a moment of confusion on Dalaloyan’s face, but after the Russian was announced as the winner, he heaved a huge sigh of relief and hugged his teammate Nikita Nagornyy, who took bronze in 86.331. “When I saw the results I immediately saw that No. 2 came next to (Xiao’s) name and, of course, felt happy and amazing,” Dalaloyan said, still coming to terms with his dramatic win. “I had only one goal, and that was to perform my job from beginning to end without mistakes. I was surprised and can’t say anything more. I’m just so happy. I feel good, excellent. I simply tried to put in my best. I can’t believe it yet. I need to probably go to my hotel, take a deep breath and realise that yes, I won this championship,” the 22-year-old added. Dalaloyan only said “super” when asked how he felt yesterday, after having gone through the trauma of losing the team gold to China by mere .049 on Monday. “Yesterday was an off-day for me. I tried my best not to think about it. I didn’t train yesterday, and tried to focus on the (All-around) final,” he added. While the battle for gold was expected to be between Ruoteng and Nagornyy, who had finished 1-2 in qualifications, Dalaloyan was consistent in all six of his routines. After Ruoteng took an early lead, Dalaloyan’s high class Parallel Bar routine, which fetched him 15.566 points, enabled the Russian to jump into the top of the standings by .067 going into the last piece of apparatus. In the Horizontal Bar, Dalaloyan had a relatively reserved routine, giving Ruoteng hope of retaining his title. However, the Chinese star failed to beat the required total by the narrowest of margins, leading to a short period of confusion before Dalaloyan’s name came up at the top of the scoreboard. “I feel pity about that (losing a close final), but I respect the judges and my rival. I basically want to be number one but anyway. I am still happy with the result,” Ruoteng said. “There was a little pressure, but not so much, because I know how to adjust myself and give my best. I am satisfied with my performance,” he added. When asked if he knew the score he needed to win going in as the last gymnast in the competition, Ruoteng said, “I don’t pay so much attention to that. I just be myself and try to do my best to perform my routine. When I return to training, I will try my best to improve and be stronger to perform better in future competitions.” Meanwhile, United States’ Samuel Mikulak, who was third heading into the final apparatus, had to settle for fifth position after making two significant errors in the High Bar. The American’s mistake helped Nagornyy to bronze, while China’s Sun Wei was fourth. Today, Simone Biles will be eyeing a record-breaking fourth women’s world All-around title, which would take her beyond Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina.   On Tuesday, she led the US to team gold, tying Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman for her country’s record of four Olympic/world team titles. The 21-year-old, if she was to claim two more wins in the individual apparatus this weekend, will overtake Vitaly Scherbo’s mark of 12 for the most golds in Worlds history. Final Standings 1. Artur Dalaloyan (Russia) 87.598 pts 2. Xiao Ruoteng (China) 87.598 3. Nikita Nagornyy (Russia) 86.331 4. Sun Wei (China) 85.898 5. Sam Mikulak (United States) 85.273 6. Kazuma Kaya (Japan) 84.765 7. Kenzo Shirai (Japan) 84.531 8. James Hall (Great Britain) 84.298

It was so near yet so far for the Russians. Nikita Nagornyy needed a score of 13.822 on the Horizontal Bar to clinch Russia’s first ever team gold medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. But a small error on an opening handstand meant he finished with 13.733 to hand China the gold by a meagre .049 points in a thrilling team final at the Aspire Dome. In the end, Russia had to settle for a silver, their first medal at the Worlds since 2006. Defending Olympic and world champions Japan took home bronze, 1.75 points ahead of the US. The top three teams also sealed their place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It was the closest Olympic or world men’s or women’s team final since the perfect-10 scoring system was replaced in 2006. The eight-team final was a see-saw battle, with China placed seventh after the second of six routines. But they slowly made progress and were leading Russia by 0.948 points heading into the final rotation — Horizontal Bar. Russia, however, came back into contention after China’s defending world all-around champion Xiao Ruoteng had a fall on the Bars, which meant a deduction of one point and a low score of 12.600. Russia would have prevailed if Nagornyy repeated his score from last week’s qualifying but with all eyes on him, the 21-year-old faltered on a headstand. In fact, it was Russians who were leading by a massive 1.919 after four rotations before Artur Dalaloyan slipped off the Parallel Bars and China took advantage of it, before nearly giving it away in the Bars. The breakthrough performance for China came from Zou Jingyuan, who was immaculate in Parallel Bars as he scored 16.200, the highest of the Doha Worlds far. China’s coach Liang Chow was pleased with victory especially as it comes after China had to be content with bronze at 2016 Rio Olympics. However, he added his team needs to improve a lot if they have to reach the greater heights of 1994 to 2014, when China won 10 of the 11 world team titles. “We are very happy with the win. After 2015, new athletes have come in and made our team stronger and that helped us to win the championship here in Doha. Russia have made a lot of progress and were impressive. Japan could not do well as they were missing two gymnasts due to injury,” Chow said. Ruoteng, meanwhile, was relieved his mistake on the Bars did not cost China the title. “I was feeling very disappointed after my fall. But I was keen to finish all my moves and help my team. I am glad it ended happily,” he said. Russia’s Dalaloyan looked at the bright side and said they were pleased to punch their ticket to Olympics. “Our main task was to qualify for Olympics and we have done it. We made mistakes but every team committed mistakes in the final. I am thankful to the fans who cheered for me after I fell as it gave me energy. We are happy with the silver medal as a podium finish at this level is a good achievement,” he said. Defending champion Japan, cheered on by vociferous supporters, were also in contention for a repeat of last year’s performance in Montreal. But they struggled on Bars, which undid all the good work till halfway point. Yusuke Tanaka came off on the fourth rotation, dropping the Japanese to third place, while three-time Olympic gold medallist and six-time world all-around champion Kohei Uchimura was still in discomfort yesterday, recovering from an ankle injury. Uchimura said: “I feel for bad for my teammates as I could not do well because of my injury. There is also lot of work to do between now and 2020, but we are confident we can win gold in Tokyo.” The US team, which came agonisingly close for a bronze, were impressive despite bringing a young team to Doha. Sam Mikulak said the experience of participating at a world stage will do a world of good for his young teammates. “We did the job we came out to do. We’re all much better gymnasts today than we were yesterday. This is an experience for a lifetime, and now, we put the pressure on a lot of teams who I think weren’t looking at us the way they’re going to start looking at us,” Mikulak said. “Coming into this, no one really saw us as being up on that podium, so we were coming in as underdogs. These guys are young. For a lot of them it’s their first Worlds. They came out and showed better than I did, the veteran, so that’s going to be a huge confidence-booster,” he added. The women’s team finals will take place today, with the United States led by Simone Biles heavily favoured to lead the defending champions to another gold. Russia, China, Brazil, Japan, France and Germany are other top eight teams who will be in action in the finals. Men’s team final Standings 1. China 256.634 points 2. Russia 256.585 3. Japan 253.744 4. United States 251.994 5. Great Britain 248.628 6. Switzerland 244.294 7. Brazil 243.994 8. Netherlands 240.660

Even when he is not at his best Kohei Uchimura can woo you with his pyrotechnics, like he did at the Aspire Dome yesterday. The Japanese legend is not the gymnast he used to be after tearing his ankle ligaments at the World Championships last year. His return has been slow and painful, but Uchimura is making steady progress as he makes a comeback with an eye on the 2020 Olympics at home. Yesterday at the Doha World Championships, the three-time Olympic gold medallist and six-time world all-around champion produced a magical display on the Horizontal Bar to top the individual standings with a score of 14.600 and help Japan qualify into the team final. Uchimura has opted out of all-round competition here in Doha with his ankle still in recovery mode and is focusing himself to just three events. While he erred on Pommel Horse, the 29-year-old posted the best score on the Horizontal Bar. Uchimura said he is still way short of peak physical condition after slipping off the Pommel Horse in the final rotation. “If I could say I competed six events, I could say I was tired. But I didn’t. Even though I didn’t do six events, I felt kind of tired when I got to pommels. And also, I didn’t have good training on the pommel horse,” he said. With less than 22 months to go until the Tokyo 2020 Games, Uchimura knows the pressure will only grow. “I come to the Worlds and everybody is looking at me like I am the king,” said Uchimura. “The other Japanese gymnasts don’t look at me like that but when I compete I feel it, I feel the pressure. I feel like I have to do well.” Meanwhile, Russian men, who had stormed into the lead in the team qualifications on the opening day, finished on top and look good to win their first World Championship medal in 12 years, after posting a massive score of 258.402. Yesterday, Japan could only manage a second after completing their routine, finishing five points behind Russia. The United States were third, with Great Britain coming fourth. China were competing late in the night, in the last of the ten sub-divisions.  Russia, China, Japan, USA, Britain, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Switzerland wrapped up the team qualification on top 8 positions respectively with France finishing 12th.  Xiao Ruoteng was star of the day replacing Russia’s Nagornyy Nikita (87.098) in Men’s All-Around Qualification after earning 87.332 points.  Sam Mikulak led the Americans with the second-highest individual total behind Ruoteng. Mikulak rallied his squad after, like Japan, three of his teammates missed routines on pommel horse in the fifth rotation. Mikulak appeared calm as he stepped up to the Pommel Horse despite his teammates’ inability to break 13.000 mark before him. “It definitely put a lot pressure (on me), but I think that moment I realised I needed that, I wanted that, because it’s going to be a lot of pressure in the next couple of meets. To really get out on this big stage and prove I’m a big competitor out here, I think making the statement was what I wanted this day to be,” he said. Meanwhile, defending rings champion Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece put his lack of preparation aside to top the qualifications. Petrounias, who will undergo a shoulder surgery in two weeks, scored 15.266 points. “It was a good performance if you think that I haven’t done anything since Europeans,” said Petrounias, referring to his gold medal-winning performances at the European Championships in August, when he last performed a full rings routine. “I used all my experience and everything was good.” Women’s qualifications will be held today and tomorrow. Based on their performances in qualifications, competitors will advance to team, individual all-around and individual apparatus finals. The competition will determine the winners of eight sets of medals for men (Team, All-around, Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Still Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, and Horizontal Bar) and six for women (Team, All-around, Vault, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, and Floor Exercise). The three medal-winning nations in the Team finals for both men and women will earn team berths directly to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo while the others will have further chances toqualify in 2019 and 2020.

Russian men made a steady start in their pursuit for first team medal since 2006 as the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships began in Doha yesterday.  At the Aspire Dome after first day’s qualifications, Russians were sitting pretty atop the leaderboard ahead of the Netherlands and Switzerland. Nikolai Kuksenkov, Artur Dalaloyan, Nikita Nagornyy, David Belyavskiy and Dmitrii Lankin combined for Russia’s total score of 258.402, which should be enough for them to make it to the final as one of the eight qualifiers. Reigning champions Japan will open their campaign today, so will USA, Great Britain and China.   Despite their barren run at the World Championships, Russia won team silver at Rio 2016 and are also reigning European team champions. With only two athletes per country advancing to the individual all-around final, there was fierce competition within the Russian squad. Nagornyy was the most consistent performer yesterday and led the all-around standings with a total of 87.098, ahead of Dalaloyan who tallied 84.572. Dalaloyan’s fine performances on the parallel bars and the floor saw him finish more than 1.000 ahead of third-placed Belyavskiy. Nagornyy was happy with the team’s performance, but added there was scope for improvement especially in pommel horse, where both Kuksenkov and Dalaloyan slipped. “It was overall quite good. I made a few mistakes but we will deal with them. I will work on fixing the mistakes in the future. On the pommel horse, we made a few mistakes but they were silly mistakes. Pommel horse is an event where we should be getting a lot of points,” said Nagornyy. The Netherlands had an overall exceptional performance as a team, finishing with a 245.663 team total to provisionally move into second place behind Russia. Epka Zonderland led his team on both events, scoring a 14.633 on parallel bars and a 14.4 (with a huge 6.2 difficulty score) on Horizontal Bar.  In fact, last year’s World Championships top three – Zonderland, Tin Srbic and Bart Deurloo – in Horizontal Bar eased their way towards the top of the leaderboard yesterday. Zonderland and Croatia’s Srbic were separated by just one-hundredth of a point, with the former leading. The pair remained on top of the standings for the rest of the day with Dalaloyan in third, just ahead of Deurloo. “Today I did a safe routine,” Zonderland, the London 2012 Olympic Games champion, said. “If I go to the final, there is no safe way. I wanted to do one more release, but I was so tired. I don’t know why I wasn’t recovered from Parallel Bars.” Srbic had high praise of Zonderland and said he was just pleased to compete with the Dutchman. “I have been looking at him since I was 10 years old,” said Srbic. “He is maybe the best gymnast on High Bar of all time and I am proud just to be in the same arena competing with him.” The Croat has had a tough run-up to defending his title. Three months ago he injured his left shoulder and then, while on the comeback trail, he ripped a rib muscle. He is certainly well-placed to once again challenge for a spot on the podium. Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ahmed al-Dayani was placed 57th, while Mosa Ahmed was lying in 102nd position in the Pommel Horse. It was a below-par performance from the young Qatar gymnasts, who are up against World class gymnasts.  The second and final day of men’s team and individual qualifications will be held from 9am today. The two days of women’s qualifiers will take place tomorrow and on Sunday. Only top eight teams will qualify for the final. The best 24 gymnasts from qualifications will qualify for the All-around final with a maximum of two gymnasts per country.  For the apparatus finals, only eight best gymnasts can make it to the medal round, with a maximum of two gymnasts per country. More than 500 gymnasts from 76 nations are taking part in the World Championship, which is being staged in the Middle East for the first time.

All eyes were on Simone Biles as she trained at the Aspire Dome on the eve of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. The Olympic champion holds court wherever she goes and it was no different in Doha.  At 21, Biles is already one of the greatest gymnasts ever to grace the sport, and by the time she winds up her career she could be perched alone at the top, at least in terms of the medals won. A quadruple gold medallist at Rio Olympics, Biles is already a three-time world all-around champion, three-time world floor champion, and two-time world balance beam champion. And if she adds another gold in Doha, she will become the first woman in history to win four world all-around titles. What adds more spice to the World Championships – the first ever to be held in the Middle East – is that Biles is making her return to international competition after taking a year off following her triumphant showing in Rio in 2016. There is an excitement in the air to see the Texan on stage with Biles set to nail a vault routine never been attempted at the big stage before. She gave a glimpse of what to expect in Doha, when she performed Cheng with an extra half twist at the USA Gymnastics’ selection camp earlier this month. Her closest challenge for the all-around title will come from compatriot Morgan Hurd, who claimed the crown in Montreal last year, in Biles’ absence.   “It’s really exciting to inspire the younger generation. I remember being so little and looking up to some of my heroes, and hopefully they’re looking up to me,” she said after Tuesday’s podium training at Aspire Dome.  The lone apparatus that Biles has not conquered internationally is the uneven bars. Biles has made one uneven bars final at worlds — placing fourth in 2013 — and was 14th in Rio. And the American has set her eyes on that elusive medal. “I’ve never medalled in uneven bars final but I’ve only been in one,” Biles said last week when asked the event she would most like to win aside from the team competition. “Maybe if I could make a bar final, that would be pretty cool because I think of all the medals you can get and the finals you can participate in, I always admire the bar workers just because it’s so hard mentally and physically,” she added.  Biles is the only member of the US women’s team of six who has competed at an Olympics or in a world championships team competition, but still they are the overwhelming favourite. If they do stand on top of the podium in Doha next week, the US will earn a sixth straight Olympic or world title — the longest female run of dominance in the sport since the 1970s Soviet teams. “We have a lot of rookies in our team and a couple veterans, but the veterans are excited to shine some light on the rookies and lead them through the Worlds,” Biles said.  “I’m really excited. I think our team as a whole will shine a lot of light at this competition and hopefully we’ll bring back some medals. It will be good. We’ll make memories,” she added. More than 500 gymnasts from 76 nations will converge at the Aspire Dome, with three medal-winning nations in the Team finals for both men and women earning team berths directly to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The line-up in Doha includes 22 world and Olympic gold medallists from 13 nations. The competition will determine the winners of eight sets of medals for men – team, all-around, floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar. There will be six for women – team, all-around, vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor. The Japanese men and American women are the reigning Olympic champions from Rio and defending world champions from the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow. The team competition is not held at the world championships in post-Olympic years. Men’s qualifying starts today, while the women’s qualifiers is on Saturday. The finals start from next Tuesday.

Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira slammed Persepolis for playing “wrestling... not football” during the first leg of their AFC Champions League semi-final at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Despite dominating the proceedings for much part of the game, it all came down to a Ali Alipour penalty to break the deadlock in the 86th minute, as Persepolis won 1-0. In the end, Sadd were punished for their lack of penetration in front of the goal as Persepolis’ narrow win put them in the driver’s seat ahead of the return leg at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on October 23. Alipour won a penalty after being fouled by Sadd goalkeeper Saad al-Sheeb, who had replaced injured Mishal Barshm, just inside the box. The home players protested the referee’s decision but it was a right call as the foul occurred just inside the box. After a prolonged delay, Alipour picked himself up and made no mistake in finding the bottom corner from the spot to signal celebratory scenes from their small pocket of away fans. There was late drama to the heated contest as well after an Al Sadd goal in the injury time was ruled out. In what seemed like a contentious call from the Sri Lankan referee Dilan Perera, Persepolis goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand threw the ball in front of him to kick it down the field but Sadd forward Akram Afif intercepted the ball mid-air which resulted in the ball bouncing into the post. Even as Afif started his celebratory lap, the referee ruled the effort as a foul. Despite that misfortune, Sadd and Ferreira will look back at the match as a missed opportunity and have a huge task in front of them in Tehran in three weeks’ time. For Sadd, who are chasing their third Asian title and first since 2011, they would need a repeat of their quarter-final win against Esteghlal in Tehran last month, where they stunned the massive, raucous crowd with a 3-1 scoreline. Ferreira said Sadd must believe they can still turn it around in the second leg. “The team must believe in its potential. There will be an opportunity to score in Tehran and now we are thinking of only one outcome: that is to win the return leg,” he said. The Portuguese manager was also critical of the physical game employed by Persepolis. “The Iranian team is a very difficult team. They were playing wrestling and this is not football. We fought a lot over the course of the match. Now we have no choice but to win the return leg, so that we can maintain our chance to compete for the title. We realise how difficult it is to achieve this goal but are determined to achieve it,” Ferreira added. There was no doubt that Sadd were the quality side at least on the paper. They had won 10 of their last 14 home games, scoring over 2.5 goals per game and failing to score just twice. But last night it was a different story as they failed to capitalise on a dominating start. Sadd enjoyed much of the possession with captain and midfield maestro Xavi playing in a free role, while Jung Woo Young and Gabi were employed as wide midfielders. But the mobility failed to translate into penetration as Sadd’s prolific striker and tournament top-scorer Baghdad Bounedjah was kept silent by a resolute backline marshalled by captain Jalal Hosseini. Persepolis were tough nut to crack despite missing three key players — Kamal Kamyabinia and Mohamed Ansari to suspension, and defender Hossein Mahini out of the season with knee injury. In fact, the away team looked dangerous with Ali Mosleh, Omid Alishah and Bashar Resan linking up down the left. The first real chance of the match for Sadd came in the 16th minute. Afif got into the box and had a go at the goal but Persepolis goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand was on hand to safely gather the ball. Two minutes later, Persepolis wasted a golden opportunity to take the lead. After Resan crossed the ball in from the left, all Godwin Mensha could do was head the ball over the crossbar. Afif remained a lively threat for the home team on the left and in the 43rd minute, his low drive at goal was kept out by a fingertip save from the diving Beiranvand. Hassan al-Haydos replaced Woo-young after half-time to inject space into Sadd attack but the Persepolis were determined not to make it easier for them. Bounedjah cut a frustrated figure throughout the match as he failed to find the opportunities and was also involved in few skirmishes with Persepolis defenders, which attracted attention from the referee. Having been eliminated at the same stage of the tournament last year, Persepolis now potentially are just 90 minutes away from contesting their first-ever Champions League final, where they will be looking to become only the third Iranian side to be crowned Asian champions after Esteghlal and PAS Tehran.

The Doha leg of the FINA World Cup ended with a bang as three competition records were shattered on the final day. At the Hamad Aquatic Centre last night, Sarah Sjostrom continued her streak of breaking the World Cup record in the 100m butterfly, while Andrii Govorov and David Verraszto also set a new mark in the men’s 50m butterfly and 400m individual medley respectively. For Sweden’s Sjostrom it was the icing on the cake, as she also won the women’s overall title after cluster one (Kazan and Doha leg), while the men’s title was pocketed by Russian Anton Chupkov. The 25-year-old Sjostrom bulldozed her way to the gold in a new record of 56.46. At the Kazan stop, Sjostrom had tied the record of 57.56 set by Japan’s Rikako Ikee in 2015 in the heats, and then took just over a tenth of a second off in the final to win gold in 57.42. Last night, she chopped nearly a full second off that record. Belgian Kimberly Buys was runner-up in 58.23, and Dutch Ranomi Kromowidjojo (59.40) took third spot. Later Sjostrom took her fifth win in Doha, the same as in Kazan, when she cruised to victory in the 100m freestyle in 53.13. She held off stiff challenges from Dutch rivals  Kromowidjojo (53.29) and Femke Heemskerk (53.34). “It was a very busy last couple of weeks, ten gold medals in two legs, I am very happy. I will go back home, and rest before preparing for the short course,” Sjostrom said. On her record-breaking spree, the Sweden’s first Olympic champion in swimming Sjostrom was pleased with her improvements. “I am very much happy because I was a lot faster than a few days ago in Russia. I couldn’t be happier. I was targeting to be fastest in Doha, than in Kazan, and I am happy that I have achieved that,” she said. Meanwhile, Hungarian Katinka Hosszu finished off the World Cup stop in Doha with three wins on the final night, coming out on top in the women’s 800 freestyle, 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley. After two victories on each of the first two days, the ‘Iron Lady’ left Doha with seven gold medals. But she still finished behind Sjostrom for the overall title, as the swimmers can only score points from their best three finishes. While Hosszu did not break any World Cup records, Sjostrom rewrote the record books five times over two legs. Each world record yields 20 points as Sjostrom cashed in for some breathtaking swimming. Last night, Hosszu started the session off in the 800 freestyle, edging out Kazan winner Zhou Chanzhen of China by just over a second in 8:34.58 for the victory. In no time Hosszu was back in the water for the 200 backstroke, easily picking up the win in 2:11.00 over Kira Toussaint (2:13.24) of the Netherlands. Her third win of the night came in the 200 IM, as she clocked 2:11.57 comfortably ahead of Russian Yuliya Efimova (2:13.60). Hosszu’s Hungarian teammate David Verraszto was also in the record books as he lowered his own World Cup make to win the men’s 400 IM. He clocked a time of 4:13.44 to knock off his mark set three years ago. Maksym Shemberev of Azerbaijan came second in 4:13.61 while, Tom Peribonio finished third at 4:17.02 for Ecuador. Ukrainian Govorov won the men’s 50 butterfly in a time of 22.82, breaking his own record of 22.87 set at the first stop in Kazan. At second place was American Michael Andrew (23.21) and the bronze went to South Africa’s Ryan Coetzee (23.54),  For Chupkov it was a memorable evening as the 21-year-old Russian claimed the men’s 200m breaststroke gold to add to his bronze on the opening day. Given Chopkov’s top show in Kazan, it was enough for him to emerge as the men’s cluster winner.    RESULTS: Men’s 400m Individual Medley: 1. David Verraszto (HUN) 4:13.44; 2. Maksym Shemberev (AZE) 4:13.61; 3. Tomas Peribonto (ECU) 4:17.02 Women’s 800m Freestyle: 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 8:34.58; 2. Chanzhen Zhou (CHN) 8:35.67; 3. Andrea Zapatero (ESP) 8:43.99 Women’s 100m Butterfly: 1. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 56.46; 2. Kimberly Buys (BEL) 58.23; 3. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) 59.40 Men’s 50m Butterfly: 1. Andrii Govorov (UKR) 22.82; 2. Michael Andrew (USA) 23.21; 3.Ryan Coetzee (RSA) 23.54 Women’s 200m Backstroke: 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 2:11.00; 2. Kira Toussaint (NED) 2:13.24; 3. Yuru Jiang (CHN) 2:14.54 Men’s 100m Backstroke: 1. Mitchell Larkin (AUS) 53.68; 2. Michael Andrew (USA) 54.11; 3. Vladimir Morozov (RUS) 55.07 Women’s 50m Breaststroke: 1. Yuliya Efimova (RUS) 30.43; 2. Vitalina Simonova (RUS) 32.01; 3. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 32.81 Men’s 200m Breaststroke: 1. Anton Chupkov (RUS) 2:08.77; 2. Arno Kamminga (NED) 2:11.21; 3. Kirill Prigoda (RUS) 2:11.61 Women’s 100m Freestyle: 1. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 53.13; 2. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) 53.29; 3. Femke Heemskerk (NED) Men’s 200m Freestyle: 1. Blake Pieroni (USA) 1:47.20; 2. Kyle Stolk (NED) 1:49.45; 3. Lorenz Weiremans (BEL) 1:49.68 Women’s 200m Individual Medley: 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 2:11.57; 2. Yuliya Efimova (RUS) 2:13.60; 3. Sishi Zhang (CHN) 2:14.23 Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay: 1. The Netherlands (Kira Toussaint, Arno Kamminga, Mathys Goosen, Femke Heemskerk) 3:49.18; 2. China (Yuru Jiang, Zhihao Zhang, Sishi Zhang, Zheqi Lin) 3:58.36; 3. Hungary (Katinka Hosszu, David Verraszto, Daniel Dudas, Zsuzsanna Jakabos) 3:59.43

Katinka Hosszu’s love affair with Hamad Aquatic Centre continued yesterday as the Hungarian scooped two gold and one bronze on the opening night of the FINA Swimming World Cup. Having come off five victories from the first leg in Kazan last week, Hosszu is set for another grand haul in Doha, which has been one of her favourite hunting grounds. Hosszu is the closest challenger to leader Sarah Sjostrom for the overall winner’s title, and after yesterday’s performance, she will fancy her chances of overtaking the Swede. Sjostrom, too, had a productive day, winning the only race she took part in. The Swedish sprint queen and Russia’s Vladimir Morozov, who is leading the men’s ranking, won the 50m freestyle to keep their chances of wins in cluster 1 intact. Hosszu kicked off her Doha campaign with a win in the 400m freestyle. Clocking 4:10.02 the Hungarian ‘Iron Lady’ was ahead of Femke Heemskerk of the Netherlands, who notched 4:12.56 for silver, while China’s Zhou Chanzhen rounded out the top three with a mark of 4:13.62. Racing in her second swim of the night, Hosszu had to settle for bronze in the 50m backstroke. She timed 28.57 seconds behind Dutch Kira Toussaint, who followed up her Kazan victory with another win in the event. The 24-year-old won the race in Kazan in 28.18 and shaved .17 off of that result in Doha. Toussaint’s compatriot Ranomi Kromowidjojo was second in 28.49. Hosszu second gold came in the 200m butterfly, although she only had to beat one other swimmer to land on the podium. Amid a field of just four competitors, with one disqualified for the final, Hosszu cruised to first place in a solid 2:09.26. Her Hungarian teammate Zsuzsanna Jakabos followed in a time of 2:10.34 for silver. “I am happy with my performance. It’s always good to win races and I have enjoyed the opening day in Doha,” said Hosszu. “I am trying to keep the right balance. My message for young swimmers is to enjoy your swimming,” she added. As expected, Sjostrom comfortably won the women’s 50m freestyle. The 25-year-old had created a new World Cup record last week in Kazan, clocking a monster effort of 23.83. She wasn’t too far off that mark last night, crushing a 23.99 to take gold. “I was expecting this victory. I am happy to continue winning this event and I am looking for some more victories in Doha,” said Sjostrom. Meanwhile, Morozov, who broke a World Cup record in 50m freestyle in Kazan, overcame a stiff challenge from American teenager Michael Andrew and his compatriot Blake Pieroni to win in the event with a time of 21.80. “I am happy to win the race. I am targeting a total of three gold medals in Doha,” the Russian said after his victory. “However, two wins in Doha should be enough for me to secure cluster 1 win,” he added. Pieroni and Andrew also recorded a victory each on the first day. Pieroni topped the men’s 400m freestyle race in 51.83 followed by Belgium’s Lorenz Weiremans and Wu Yuhang of China. World junior champion Andrew sealed 100m butterfly win in 51.83 with South Africa’s Ryan Coetzee and Dutchman Mathys Goosen second and third respectively.  The men’s 200m backstroke saw Australia’s Mitchell Larkin easily take the gold in a time of 1:57.45. He was followed by Spain’s Manuel Bacarizo and Hungary’s David Verraszto.    South African star Chad Le Clos was under the weather yesterday and pulled out of the morning’s prelims. He later tweeted to say he was hoping to be in action today, with 10 finals scheduled on the second day. “Hey guys I got a fever and vomiting all night, so wasn’t able to swim today, gutted not to able to compete but hopefully feel better tomorrow, good luck to rest of athletes thanks for the support,” the South African tweeted.

Fresh from breaking three World Cup records in Kazan last week, Sarah Sjostrom is set to make a splash again at the Hamad Aquatic Centre from today. The Swede is in outstanding form coming into the Doha leg of the FINA Swimming World Cup, as she leads the women’s rankings. In Kazan, five World Cup records were broken and Sjostrom rewrote the books in three of them. The 25-year-old, who is Sweden’s first Olympic swimming champion, shattered the meet timings in Kazan in the 50m freestyle (23.83 secs), 50m butterfly (25.39 secs) and 100m butterfly fly (57.42 secs).  She also won two other races in the first leg and has made a strong start to reclaiming her last year’s overall winner title with 60 points. Sjostrom is in no mood to let her guard down as she is eyeing an improved show in Doha.  “My last year’s competition in Doha was successful, and after that I won the overall title. I am targeting another good performance at this venue and hoping to be faster than in Kazan,” she told reporters yesterday.  Katinka Hosszu of Hungary is Sjostrom’s closest challenger, having also won five titles in Kazan. The Hungarian star ,famously known as ‘The Iron Lady’ is third in the rankings with 36 points behind Russia’s Yulia Efimova (42 points). “I have many great memories in Doha and I am excited to be back. I am hopeful of giving a good show and win more races,” she said.  Hosszu leads all money-earners with $11,500 in winnings through the Kazan World Cup. The five-time tour champion won five golds, three silvers and one bronze, plus swam on two bronze-medal mixed relays for Hungary. No other athlete is yet over $7,500 after Kazan, which is the first of seven stops on the tour. Other top women swimmers who will be in action in Doha are Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Kira Toussaint from Netherlands, Yuliya Efimova.  Vladmir Morozov of Russia is leading the men’s rankings after the first leg. Morozov will return to action after winning three races in the previous meeting, which gave him 54 points. In Kazan, Morozov was responsible for two World Cup records in the 50m freestyle (21.49) and 50m backstroke (24.43). Morozov’s teammate, Anton Chupko, will be another Russian star to watch out for. At just 21-years-old, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist is one of the names to watch out for heading into the 2020 Olympic Games. In Kazan, he put in a spectacular display winning the 100m and 200m breaststroke. He is second in the rankings with 48 points. “It’s good to be here in Doha. After the Kazan performance, I am looking for some interesting results in this tough competition,” said Chupkov.        Races featuring last year’s overall winner in men’s challenge, Chad Le Clos, will also be must-watch contests as the South African star will be hoping to improve his ranking. He triumphed in the 200m fly in Kazan, and is on 5th position in the current rankings.  “I always rate Doha as my second home. I’ve spent a lot of time here especially in Aspetar. I’ve also achieved good results here and looking forward to be faster than in Kazan,” he said.    Doha  will also see the likes of Blake Pieroni and Michael Andrew from America and Australian Mitch Larkin in action. Andrew topped the men’s 100m butterfly field in Kazan, getting gold ahead of Le Clos in duelling times of 51.96 to 52.00, while Larkin remained untouched in the 100m back, 200m back and 200m IM events. Qatar, the host country for the FINA World Championships in 2023, is hosting the highly-anticipated event for the seventh consecutive year. Over 130 swimmers from 23 countries are ready to compete. Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) President and FINA Bureau member Khaleel al-Jabir said: “We look forward to continue hosting this event successfully and wish swimmers the best experience as ever.”  FINA Technical Delegate Craig Hunter was impressed with the preparations by the Qatar Swimming Association. “We are delighted to return to Doha. After the success of Kazan stop, we are hoping for more thrilling contests here. I saw the pool which is in outstanding shape. FINA would like to thank QSA and sponsors for their contribution,” Mr. Craig said.      The races will be held in two sessions daily – morning heats at 10:00 and evening finals at 18:00 – on all the three days. Each individual event yields points for the top three finishers with gold getting 12 points, while silver and bronze medal will fetch 9 and points respectively. Each athlete can swim unlimited events, but can only score points from their best three finishes. Each world record yields 20 points. Tying a world record is worth 10 points. The top 3 male and top 3 female swims of the meet earn bonus points. Top swims are determined based on FINA points and only the top-scoring swim from each athlete is counted.

“Sports and politics don’t mix,” said America’s champion speed skater Eric Heiden in 1980. Heiden’s famous quote is a truism that should hold good even today. But, quite evidently, it does not with Qatar’s neighbours. It’s been a year since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt abruptly froze relations with Qatar. At first, the four nations severed economic and diplomatic ties; then it soon spilled into sports, with the hostile countries refusing to send their teams to Qatar to participate in sporting events. With Qatar making rapid strides in football in the Gulf and having won the bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Saudi and UAE conspired to target football tournaments hosted by Qatar. The first indication of what they planned to do came in September 2017, when the UAE pulled its football team out of the AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rejected its request to not play against Qatar. Few days later, Saudi, the UAE and Bahrain refused to confirm their participation in the Gulf Nations Cup, which Qatar was to host in December. The Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF), of which the president is Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmad al-Thani, who also heads the Qatar Football Association (QFA), went ahead and conducted the draw ceremony. As the boycotting countries refused to rise above their personal greed while using football as means for their political good, Qatar chose not to mix politics with sports. In a move which was commended by the football governing body FIFA, Qatar offered to give up on hosting Gulf Nations Cup and agreed to move the 23rd edition of the tournament to Kuwait. It also played a key role in FIFA lifting a suspension imposed on Kuwait’s football association in 2015 over alleged government interference. FIFA President Gianni Infantino thanked Qatar football officials for moving the tournament. “I would like to congratulate and thank the Qatari football authorities for their honourable gesture,” Infantino had said.  He added that the move was “not unexpected as it is in line with Qatar’s commitment as the host country of the 2022 FIFA World Cup”. Qatar had showed football is a platform to bring people together, and it should stay away from any political ideology. QFA president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani had said: “This edition of the Gulf Cup of Nations is a celebration for all the people of the Arabian Gulf after lifting the international suspension on Kuwait.” While the tournament was held successfully in Kuwait, Saudi and UAE authorities were adamant their clubs would only play against Qatari clubs in the AFC Champions league on neutral territory. They were also lobbying the AFC to either have the home and away format of the tournament changed or accept their demand for neutral venues for matches involving Qatari and Saudi club sides. But AFC refused to accede to their demands. The AFC had sent a delegation to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE led by its senior vice-president Praful Patel. During his meetings, Patel had made it clear that there was no question of the format of the tournament being changed. Despite that Saudi Arabia and UAE kept hoping that the AFC would accede to their demand of playing their clubs’ matches involving Qatari teams in Kuwait, without any success. On the field too, Qatari football clubs enjoyed better success and showed their domination over Saudi and UAE teams. Al Duhail and Al Sadd were the only teams from the Gulf to qualify for the AFC Champions League quarter-finals. Ironically they beat Saudi and UAE teams on their route to last eight. QNB Stars League champions Duhail won all six of their group matches and thrashed UAE champions Al Ain 8-3 on aggregate in two legs of the Round of 16. On the other hand, Al Sadd beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli 4-3 on aggregate.