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Neymar revels in Esports World Cup action in Riyadh

Neymar revels in Esports World Cup action in Riyadh
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Neymar taking in the action at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. (Supplied)
Neymar revels in Esports World Cup action in Riyadh
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Neymar taking in the action at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. (Supplied)
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Updated 22 July 2024
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Neymar revels in Esports World Cup action in Riyadh

Neymar revels in Esports World Cup action in Riyadh
  • Al-Hilal’s Brazilian superstar was avid spectator at the largest gaming and esports festival in the world
Updated 22 July 2024
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RIYADH: Neymar, the Brazilian superstar footballer who plays for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, was a delighted spectator in Riyadh at the inaugural Esports World Cup, the globe’s largest gaming festival.

The No. 10 joined packed crowds to watch the action at Boulevard Riyadh City, as teams in the “Dota2 Riyadh Masters” and “Counter-Strike 2” contests battled it out in the finals.

He also met Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation.

The world event features a unique cross-game structure pitting the top clubs and players against one another across 22 global competitions in 21 leading games.

Held at the 8,000-capacity SEF Arena at Boulevard Riyadh City, the event runs until Aug. 25, and has a tournament prize pool of $60 million, the largest in the history of esports.

More than 1,500 players, of over 60 nationalities, are participating at the Esports World Cup.

As well as the “Dota 2 Riyadh Masters,” week three of the competition featured elite action in the “Counter Strike 2” and “PUBG Mobile” contests.

 

Topics: Neymar eSports Riyadh

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British cycling star Sarah Storey wins her 19th Paralympic gold

British cycling star Sarah Storey wins her 19th Paralympic gold
Updated 18 sec ago
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British cycling star Sarah Storey wins her 19th Paralympic gold

British cycling star Sarah Storey wins her 19th Paralympic gold
Updated 18 sec ago
The British cycling star won the women’s C4-5 road race for the fourth time straight for her 19th gold medal at a Paralympic Games
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a bike race here at the Paralympics, at the Olympics, in a grand tour, you just have to trust your instincts and race,” said Storey

PARIS: Sarah Storey says every race is different. Yet, the outcome — gold medal — always seems the same.
The British cycling star won the women’s C4-5 road race for the fourth time straight for her 19th gold medal at a Paralympic Games.
But the 46-year-old Storey was pushed harder than ever on Friday as French teenager Heidi Gaugain almost snatched the victory in a dramatic finish in front of the flag-waving cheering home fans lining the streets in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois.
Gaugain, 19, made her break on the final climb of the 71-kilometer course and opened a promising lead.
The experienced Storey recovered in the final 100 meters to get her front wheel to the line first in 1 hour, 54 minutes, 24 seconds. Gaugain, just half a wheel behind, was left with her third silver medal of the Games.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a bike race here at the Paralympics, at the Olympics, in a grand tour, you just have to trust your instincts and race,” Storey told The Associated Press.
“And if you have as many tools in the toolkit as you can, you pull a different one out and win a bike race in a different way. And I’ve been so fortunate that I’ve always managed to find the right tool for the right race.”
Storey is taking part in her ninth Paralympics. After winning the C5 individual time trial on Wednesday, she became the only athlete from any sport to have won a medal at all nine editions going back to the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Storey was a swimmer then, winning the first of her gold medals in the pool. She switched to cycling after an ear infection at the 2004 Athens Paralympics stopped her swimming for months. Storey won the first of her Paralympic golds in cycling at the 2008 Beijing Games.
“Every single race is different, and you have to see how it plays out and make good judgment. And that’s what makes it exciting,” she said. “So it’s not easy to find motivation when there’s so many unknowns and you need to try and win a race. You don’t know what’s going to happen until it happens.”
Storey, who was born with a disabled left hand because her arm got entangled with the umbilical cord in the womb, has long campaigned for greater accessibility for people with disabilities.
“Paralympic athletes have been provided with incredible support and opportunity. And that’s the metaphor for society,” said Storey, who said disabled people can “thrive” if given opportunities and support.
“It’s about unpicking and unpacking how this is so incredible and why athletes are so well supported, and how you then translate that into something that can enable society. That enablement, that’s really key.”
Storey, who will be 47 next month, is not ruling out defending her titles at the next Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028, though she acknowledged age’s impact.
“I was creaking before the race. Absolutely. But that’s normal, right?” she posed. “It’s about finding ways to manage the process of and the privilege of getting older as an athlete. And I wanted to be an athlete for as long as I possibly could. I never anticipated eight Games, let alone nine.”
Friday’s close finish and the fight with emerging star Gaugain set the stage for more contests.
“You put yourself out there every time you get on the start line,” Storey said. “I keep doing that and keep finding ways to win a bike race. So, yeah, long may that continue.”

England’s new coach may only have two games to prove he’s up to the job

England’s new coach may only have two games to prove he’s up to the job
Updated 06 September 2024
AP
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England’s new coach may only have two games to prove he’s up to the job

England’s new coach may only have two games to prove he’s up to the job
  • Interim head coach Lee Carsley takes charge of his first game for the national team against Ireland after Gareth Southgate stepped down following the European Championship
  • “He’s a great manager tactically, man-management is great,” said Morgan Gibbs-White, who has been called up for Carsley’s first squad
Updated 06 September 2024
AP

MANCHESTER, England: A new era for England’s soccer team begins on Saturday. How long it will last is unknown.
Interim head coach Lee Carsley takes charge of his first game for the national team against Ireland after Gareth Southgate stepped down following the European Championship.
Carsley, who stepped up from coaching the Under-21s, will take up the role for the upcoming UEFA Nations League games against Ireland and Finland, but could remain in the position for longer if the search for Southgate’s permanent successor extends beyond the next international break in October.
In that time, the 50-year-old Carsley may even put himself in the frame.
“He’s a great manager tactically, man-management is great. ... I feel like it suits him perfectly,” said Morgan Gibbs-White, who has been called up for Carsley’s first squad.
Gibbs-White, a Nottingham Forest midfielder, was part of England’s Under-21 European Championship winning squad, which Carsley coached to the title last year.
Southgate ended his eight-year reign as England manager after the loss to Spain in the final of Euro 2024. He led the team to back-to-back Euros finals and the semifinals of the World Cup in 2018 but failed to end England’s wait for a first trophy since the World Cup in 1966.
The English Football Association has set a high benchmark for his replacement and said in July it had already identified several candidates.
It said the job was to “win a major tournament and be consistently ranked as one of the top teams in the world.”
The FA said its next head coach would have “significant experience of English football, with a strong track record delivering results in the Premier League and/or leading international competitions.”
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was quickly mentioned as a potential contender, though he has said he wants to take a year out after stepping down from his position at Anfield at the end of last season.
The closing date for applications was Aug. 2, but with no candidate in place ahead of England’s first games since the Euros, Carsley was given the job on an interim basis.
While Carsley has no experience as a Premier League manager, he is respected for his work developing young players, having been part of Manchester City’s successful academy.
England’s success at the U21s Euros last year was the first time since 1984 that they had won the competition. Whether the FA would consider that among the “leading international competitions” it wants its next head coach to have experience in remains to be seen. But Carsley is in position and will know Southgate’s own ascension to the job came after he was initially named as interim in 2016.
That makes the games against Ireland and Finland potential auditions for him to put forward his credentials. Saturday’s game is in Dublin. Finland visit Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.
He is without star players like Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, but has picked some exciting young talent.
Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes and Noni Madueke — all uncapped — were part of that U21s Euro-winning squad, along with Anthony Gordon and Levi Colwill.
Gomes describes Carsley’s style as “very attacking, but also (with) a huge emphasis on defense.”
He also speaks highly of Carsley’s personal touch.
“He’s a very fair coach. He’s very, very honest and direct in his approach and he’s very close to the squad,” Gomes said. “It helps as a player when a coach takes interest in a player, not just on the pitch, but off the pitch.”
New Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson is aiming to make his own statement in his first game in charge.
He already played a part in shocking England once. Hallgimsson was Iceland’s co-manager with Lars Lagerback when the team beat England 2-1 in the last 16 at Euro 2016.
“I hope we will have the same result tomorrow, of course,” he said Friday. “Everything we did that night succeeded, whether it was tactical, taking our chances, defending our goal, and nothing England tried that night succeeded, so it was just one of those days.
“Hopefully it will come again tomorrow. But we know, even if we have our best game, it still isn’t sure it will lead into a victory against a good team like England.”

Topics: England UEFA Nations League Ireland Lee Carsley

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Oliver Bearman back in F1 with Haas as replacement for suspended Kevin Magnussen

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Updated 06 September 2024
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Oliver Bearman back in F1 with Haas as replacement for suspended Kevin Magnussen

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  • The 19-year-old Bearman usually races in Formula 2 but was impressive as he finished in seventh place in his F1 debut for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March
Updated 06 September 2024
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KANNAPOLIS: British teenager Oliver Bearman is returning to Formula 1 ahead of schedule after the Haas team said Friday he will replace the suspended Kevin Magnussen for next week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Bearman signed in July to race for Haas in 2025 but he’ll make an early appearance with his new team in Baku next week because Magnussen is serving a one-race suspension for accumulating too many penalty points.
The 19-year-old Bearman usually races in Formula 2 but was impressive as he finished in seventh place in his F1 debut for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March after Carlos Sainz Jr. was sidelined with appendicitis.
“It’s definitely more of a challenge stepping in to race as a reserve driver, with limited prep-time and so on, but I’m in the fortunate position of having done it earlier in the year with Scuderia Ferrari, so I can at least call on that experience,” Bearman said Friday in a Haas statement.
Bearman, who is a Ferrari academy driver, is one of two reserve drivers at Haas this year. The other, Pietro Fittipaldi, competes in IndyCar, which has a race next week in Nashville.

Topics: F1

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Top seed Judd Trump through to semifinals of Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters as Ronnie O’Sullivan exits after loss to Si Jiahui

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  • Shaun Murphy overcame Xiao Guodong and Mark Williams beat Jimmy Robertson in the other quarterfinals
Updated 06 September 2024
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RIYADH: Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has been eliminated from the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters as the tournament enters the semifinals stage on Friday.

Top seed Judd Trump is set to face fellow Englishman Shaun Murphy and Wales’ Mark Williams takes on China’s Si Jiahui at the Green Halls in Riyadh.

Thursday’s quarterfinal matches saw top seed and tournament favorite Trump continue his blistering form, with a 6-3 win against Australia’s Neil Robertson.

The former world champion is now through to the 63rd ranking event semifinal of his career, and many are tipping “The Ace in the Pack’ to go all the way this weekend.

Awaiting the 28-time ranking event winner in the last four is Murphy, with the ex-world champion and current world no. 7 seeing off Xiao Guodong 6-2.

This will now set up a replay of the Shanghai Masters final in July, where Trump emerged victorious against Murphy.

Meanwhile, the second semifinal will see Si continue his quest for a maiden ranking title after the 22-year-old defeated O’Sullivan.

All square at 2-2 heading into the interval, Si established a three-frame lead to move within one of victory at 5-2 before O’Sullivan responded with back-to-back frames to make it 5-4.

But a break of 82 in the 10th frame secured a famous victory for Si, who meets three-time world champion Williams next.

Williams whitewashed the in-form Jimmy Robertson 6-0 in his quarterfinal to move within touching distance of the 42nd ranking event final of his career.

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Berrade wins Spanish Vuelta stage as O’Connor protects 5-second lead over Roglic

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Updated 06 September 2024
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Berrade wins Spanish Vuelta stage as O’Connor protects 5-second lead over Roglic

Berrade wins Spanish Vuelta stage as O’Connor protects 5-second lead over Roglic
  • Berrade made his move to the front with about five kilometers (3.1 miles) to go in the 179.5-kilometer (111-mile) mid-mountain stage through Basque Country roads
  • O’Connor and Roglic finished together again, and the gap between the two remained at five seconds entering the decisive stages and the weekend finish in Madrid
Updated 06 September 2024
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VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain: Urko Berrade made a late move to escape the breakaway group and win the 19th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Thursday, with Ben O’Connor holding on to a five-second lead over three-time champion Primoz Roglic.

It was the third stage win for team Kern Pharma, whose founder — Manolo Azcona — passed away last week. Pablo Castrillo, another Spaniard, had won twice following Azcona’s death.

Spanish riders have won four Vuelta stages so far, their best tally since 2019.

“Without a doubt, it’s a dream,” Berrade said. “The stage closer to home, with all my family watching me, friends, in the last stages of La Vuelta... When there are so few opportunities left it seemed complicated to get a stage. I’ve been close in others, but it’s incredible. At the end, that last climb, with everyone pretty cooked, they told me: ‘You all have a chance, try it.’ I tried from there, almost without looking back, I tried not to look back. I didn’t see myself as the winner until I crossed the finish line.”

Berrade made his move to the front with about five kilometers (3.1 miles) to go in the 179.5-kilometer (111-mile) mid-mountain stage through Basque Country roads.

O’Connor and Roglic finished together again, and the gap between the two remained at five seconds entering the decisive stages and the weekend finish in Madrid. Enric Mas was also in contention, 1 minute, 25 seconds off the lead.

“It wasn’t an easy stage at all, to be honest. There are no easy days this year,” said O’Connor, an Australian. “But somehow, I’m still managing to crack out some pretty good numbers, so I don’t think it makes any difference now. And I’m still in the lead. It’s nice to have it for another day. I don’t know if it’s 13 or 14 days, a long time. I’ve loved it and I enjoyed it a lot.”

On Friday, riders will face a 173.5-kilometer (107.8-mile) route that includes a challenging climb of nearly 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).

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