OTHER SPORTS
Usain Bolt backs Adam Gemili to become a 'great' sprinter
Jamaica's Olympic champion Usain Bolt has backed British sprinter
Adam Gemili for success, as long as he is given space to develop.
Gemili, 19,
blamed a poor start
in Thursday's Diamond League meeting in Zurich for his failure to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m.
Analysis
"He ran under pressure on Thursday in a red hot field towards the end of a very busy season.
"Usain Bolt has said he will be departing the scene after the Rio Olympics in 2016, so the field will be much more wide open then. At that stage, Gemili will be just 22- years-old."
If he had done that, he would have become the first Briton to also have run
under 20 seconds in the 200m.
"He's going to be great, as long as you do not pressure him," Bolt, 27, said.Gemili, who finished eighth in Zurich in a season's best time of 10.06 seconds, has enjoyed an epic rise since deciding to concentrate on athletics full time in January 2012 and abandon a career as a lower league footballer.
Last summer, he became the fastest British junior of all time as he won gold in the World Junior Championships 100m in 10.05 seconds - a time that remains his personal best.
The Blackheath and Bromley Harriers star then narrowly missed out on a place in the final of the same event at the Olympics in London.
After winning 100m gold at the European Athletics Under-23 Championships in Finland this July, he marked his first appearance in a major final by finishing fifth in the 200m at this month's World Championships in Moscow.
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In the semi-final his time of 19.98s saw him become the
second fastest Briton of all time over that distance, behind only John
Regis, who clocked 19.87 seconds in Italy in 1994.
Bolt wins 100m in Zurich
Bolt warned of the dangers of placing too many expectations on Gemili, despite the impressive start to his career.
"With younger athletes, the biggest thing is when people pressure them too much," said Bolt. "If you try to put too much pressure on these athletes, they cannot handle it.
"When they are younger, you should just enjoy [them]. Over time, they will get more experience, they will get serious, and they will do well."
Louise Hazel: Commonwealth champion quits heptathlon
Reigning Commonwealth Games champion Louise Hazel has announced her
retirement from heptathlon, although she could compete in other events.
"I'm retiring from heptathlon but I'm not ruling out other sports. I feel I can't carry on in that discipline," said the Birchfield Harrier.
"The past 17 years have been an amazing journey and one I'm very grateful for."
After making her major championship debut for Great Britain at the 2006 European Championships, Hazel went on to finish 14th at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
Her personal best of 6,166 points set in Germany in 2011 ranks her as the seventh best British heptathlete of all time, but she could only finish 27th at the London 2012 Games, where Jessica Ennis-Hill took gold and Katarina Johnson Thompson came 15th.
In March, she called England Athletics' selection policy for next year's Commonwealth Games "elitism gone mad".
Since the Games, Hazel has competed over 60m hurdles and remains in the top 10 in the UK in the discipline.
F1 star Fernando Alonso saves Spanish cycling team
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso is preparing to become a team boss after announcing plans to buy the Euskaltel Euskadi cycling team.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso agrees a deal to buy the Spanish Euskaltel Euskadi cycling team
- The Formula One driver plans to start work building a new team for 2014
- Euskaltel did not have funding to continue racing next season
- The team was famous for only employing riders born in the Basque region of Spain
The double Formula One world champion, who earns over $30 million a year according to Forbes, has decided to save the cash-strapped Spanish Euskaltel Euskadi cycling team.
"We are pleased to
announce that the Spanish sportsman has reached an initial agreement to
buy the cycling team and so avoid its demise," said a statement on Alonso's personal website.
Euskaltel added in a
statement: "During the next few weeks negotiations will be finalized
[to] formally give Alonso the acquisition of Basque Pro Cycling, which
owns the team.
"The agreement guarantees the continuity of the Euskaltel Euskadi team in the elite of world cycling from 2014.
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Cycling for a better future
"This guarantees a new
future... Euskaltel wants to thank and emphasize respect, understanding
and love that Fernando Alonso has shown for the team, its practitioners,
its historical legacy and his hobby."
Euskaltel Euskadi was
famous for only employing riders born in the Basque region of northern
Spain -- as well its bright orange cycling lycra team kit.
The team changed its
selection criteria in 2012 and now employs riders from other regions of
Spain as well as Slovenia, Morocco, Germany and Russian.
But the team feared it
would have to quit cycling's World Tour at the end of the 2013 season
after losing sponsorship from the Basque authorities because of the
economic downturn in Spain.
The team confirmed to
CNN that Eustkaltel, the leading telecommunications company in the
Basque region, had paid more than 7m euros to keep the team going in
2013 but could not afford to continue to fund the team alone next
season."
Alonso's decision to step in and spend some of his annual salary from Ferrari has effectively saved the team.
The racer has been motivated by patriotism as well as his other passion -- cycling.
Two-wheeled racers
The 32 year old Spaniard
regularly cycles as part of his training regime and he is not alone in
his passion for cycling within F1's fraternity.
Red Bull racer Mark
Webber is also a keen amateur cyclist, although the Australian broke his
leg after being knocked off his bike before the 2009 F1 season.
McLaren's Jenson Button
and Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg both ride as part of their triathlon
training while French four time world champion Alain Prost says cycling
has become his "all consuming passion" since quitting F1.
Alonso, who chose to
move back from Switzerland to Spain in part to help his homeland through
its economic crisis, now plans to help turn around the fortunes of the
Euskaltel team.
"As of today we will start to work against the clock," the statement on the racer's website said.
"With maximum effort and
humility, and transferring the best of our professional experience, in
order to be capable of starting the first races of the 2014 season with a
new team, full of desire and with a fighting spirit."
Australian Daniel Ricciardo lands 2014 Red Bull drive
Daniel Ricciardo has landed the coveted No.2 seat at Red Bull behind Sebastian Vettel.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Daniel Ricciardo lands coveted drive with Red Bull for next season
- Will team up with reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel
- Ricciardo is currently driving for Torro Rosso
- Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen had been linked Red Bull
The 24-year-old, who is
currently with Red Bull's sister team Torro Rosso, will replace his
compatriot Mark Webber, who is quitting F1 to race sportscars.
The announcement ends
speculation that former world champion Kimi Raikkonen would be leaving
Lotus for the reigning constructors' champions.
Red Bull team chief
Christian Horner said he was delighted that Ricciardo would be teaming
up with three-time defending champion Sebastian Vettel.
Formula One season off to a racing start
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"He's a very talented
youngster, he's committed, he's got a great attitude and in the end it
was a very logical choice for us to choose Daniel," he said in a
statement.
"He's got all the
attributes that are required to drive for our team: he's got a great
natural ability, he's a good personality and a great guy to work with.
Read: McLaren celebrates 50 years in F1
"Daniel knows what the
team expects from him; he'll learn quickly and it's very much a medium
to long term view that we're taking in developing him."
Ricciardo has been groomed by Red Bull since joining Torro Rosso, claiming 21 points from 41 Grand Prix races.
He started in F1 with the HRT team in 2011.
Ricciardo is following
in the illustrious footsteps of Germany's Vettel, who also learned his
trade with Torro Rosso before joining Red Bull in 2009.
The announcement comes
ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, with Vettel again holding a
commanding advantage over Fernando Alonso of Ferrari in this year's
title race.
Former WBO heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison has died at the age of 44
Tommy Morrison: Career cut short by positive test for HIV
Former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison has died at the age of 44.
The American reportedly passed away on Sunday night following a long battle against illness.Morrison's career was brought to a shuddering halt in 1996 when he tested positive for HIV prior to a fight.
The 27-year-old later held a press conference admitting he had the virus and that his career was effectively over, but in recent years he denied that he was HIV-positive, fighting as recently as 2008.
However, his health reportedly declined with his wife claiming he was suffering from Miller Fisher Syndrome, a respiratory illness.
Morrison was a fearsome knockout artist, with 42 of his 48 wins coming via KO, but like many heavyweights was undermined by a weak chin.
The heavy-handed Ray Mercer burst his bubble with a vicious knockout in 1991 but 'the Duke' rebuilt and won the WBO title by defeating George Foreman via lop-sided decision less than two years later.
The reign did not last long though and in his second defence he was stopped for a second time in his career, by rookie Michael Bentt in the very first round.
Again he fought back, earning a do-or-die clash with Lennox Lewis, who at the time was also rebuilding his career after losing to Oliver McCall.
But Lewis battered his opponent in six one-sided rounds and just three months later Morrison tested positive.
During his peak Morrison also took on acting roles and featured in Rocky V as 'Tommy Gunn'.
Sky Sports have added several international dates to the autumn schedule
Ricky Burns: Kicks off the new season in Glasgow on Saturday
Ricky Burns kicks off a fantastic season of
boxing on Sky Sports when he defends his world title against Raymundo
Beltran in Glasgow on Saturday night.
"This is fast becoming one of the most exciting starts to any season," said Adam Smith, executive producer of boxing at Sky Sports.
"We have all been counting down to the massive heavyweight clash between David Haye and Tyson Fury, and now our schedule has been hugely boosted by the fascinating super-middleweight showdown between Carl Froch and George Groves.
"With the likes of Ricky Burns, Anthony Joshua and Kell Brook all in early Autumnal action, I am also really pleased about the addition of some cracking international matches with major boxing names.
"Every fight fan will have their favourite - be it the skill-set of Marquez, the quality of Cotto, the power of Stevenson or the slug-fest that will surely be Alvarado v Provodnikov.
"We can't wait for them all! Bring on the new season - it's going to be fabulous!"
Take a look at how the new season is shaping up on Sky Sports...
Raymundo Beltran has said his whole career was built towards challenging for a world title
Ray Beltran is hungry for Ricky Burns' WBO belt
Ray Beltran says he is ready to become world
champion after climbing out of poverty to take on Ricky Burns in Glasgow
on Saturday night.
"It is about my journey. With all that I have been through, that's why I believe I am going to win this fight."
Ray Beltran
Ray Beltran
However, Beltran questioned both of those narrow points losses and victory over another contender in Hank Lundy set his career back on track.
But it is his poor upbringing that continues to fire him on his road to destiny.
Nothing
"I really want this," he said. "I have been working my whole life for this. I come from a very poor family and it has been a hard road."Basically I had nothing. I had no food, no home, no electricity, nothing at all, that's how I grew up. I started working at five years old picking on a plantation.
"I also worked with my grandpa planting corn, it was very hard, I didn't like it but I did what I had to do.
On Sky Sports
"I support my family from boxing. I made it myself to this point, no promoter made my career, I made it on my own.
"It is about my journey. With all that I have been through, that's why I believe I am going to win this fight."
Beltran, who has been Manny Pacquiao's sparring partner for many years, says he has no reason to fear Burns.
"Ricky is a good fighter and a good champion and I have nothing but respect for him," he added. "He is a dangerous champion and I expect a very hard fight.
"I have fought very good quality of fighters and I have passed the tests. I can adapt to different styles, I am ready."
2013 Belgian Grand Prix analysis: Where Sunday's race was won and lost
Analysing the extent of Vettel's dominance and questioning whether Button could have finished on the podium...
While some race victories in Formula 1 require a fair bit of explaining, and others can be flattered by fortunate circumstances, Sebastian Vettel's 31st career victory at Spa fell into neither of these categories: it was the ultimate tour de force. In plain statistical terms, the World Champion's 16.8-second winning margin was the largest of the season so far - and the biggest since last October's Japanese GP, a race also won with consummate ease by Vettel.
The really concerning consideration for the German's increasingly distant title rivals is the lingering feeling Vettel still had plenty more speed in hand if he needed it, given as early as lap three he was told by his race engineers to "save your tyres, we don't need any more than this" having by then already opened up a 2.8-second lead over polesitter Lewis Hamilton.
Catch up with the action from the Belgian GP in 60 seconds.
If you need further evidence of the difference between the two cars, then you have it in the final stint: while Vettel never lapped slower than a 1:51.683s - even dipping into the 1:50s on four occasions - before cruising to the flag over the final two laps, Alonso only once lapped quicker than a 1:51.7. The fact that Vettel, as ever chasing the fastest race lap, suddenly upped his pace by four tenths of a second between laps 39 and 40 would appear to confirm he had plenty of spare capacity during what turned out to be a Sunday stroll in the Ardennes.
JG
For McLaren, Spa represented a missed opportunity as the team strive to secure their first podium of the year, with a lack of clear direction from the team's strategists arguably culpable for their failure to register a better result than Jenson Button's sixth place.
Having admitted the team had become "[too] excited" at the start of Q3 when Button was erroneously sent out with the rest of the pack, bar Paul di Resta, on slicks, the Englishman's race strategy was neither one thing nor the other as the McLaren pitwall continued to sway between a one-stopper and a two to costly effect.
"We stayed out longer in the first stint and were looking to do a one-stop but I think we got a little bit nervous when everyone pitted. We lost a bit of time and were overtaken by the cars that pitted already," Button reflected to Sky F1 afterwards. "So we pitted a little bit earlier than expected, went for a two-stop and then tried to go back to a one-stop at the end of the race. But it wasn't to be, so we pitted and came home sixth."
The lap charts bear out the muddled thinking: Button was still lapping in the 1:56s, where he had been since the start of the race, when he was called in for his first stop on lap 16. Although the late stop put him out of sequence with the frontrunners - Hamilton had pitted on 11, Alonso on 12 and Vettel on 13 - it was nevertheless not late enough to fix him to a one-stopping strategy. The upshot was that Button began his second stint in a strategic no man's land with McLaren only confirming they were reverting to "Plan A" on lap 32.
"I'm up for that," responded Button in the manner of someone who's just been invited by his mates for a midweek pint and has nothing better to do, but it's likely that the McLaren could have gone even quicker through that second stint if Button had known he needn't treat his Pirellis so leniently - leaving him with even less of a gap to recover against the fifth-placed Mark Webber when he returned to the track on lap 34.
But could he have achieved a podium finish? By the time of his second stop, there was only one strategic decision the team could make: Button was only two seconds ahead of the fourth-placed Lewis Hamilton with the Mercedes closing in at a rate of two seconds a lap. Had Jenson stayed out, sixth was the best he could have achieved whilst simultaneously running the risk of falling off the proverbial cliff in the final laps.
Yet a podium finish was possible if Button successfully ran a one-stop strategy - and, and, as stated above, judging by the lap charts, McLaren opted to call in Button on lap 16 even though his tyres were still delivering decent lap times. True, that's not to say that a one-stopper would have worked, and it's certainly possible that the strategy - and the Pirellis - would have unravelled in the closing stages had McLaren run Button on two ultra-long stints.
Nevertheless, given the team are yet to finish in the top three this season, the final reflection has to be that it's surprising McLaren didn't opt to roll the dice and pursue the only strategy which actually had the potential of securing their first podium finish of 2013.
PG
Answer: part fast start, part genius, part having a far faster car than his grid position first indicated.
As ever, Fernando was ultra-quick off the line and past the slow-starting Paul di Resta in an instant before hugging the inside line through the first corner to critical effect.
While both Lotuses were pushed wide by Mark Webber, Alonso was able to blindside them both with an unimpeded - and thus faster exit - which had the additional benefit of setting up a pass on the Red Bull through Eau Rouge in a mirror-repeat of the Australian's breathtaking move on the Ferrari a year ago.
And as simply as that, ninth had already become fifth. "You can put this first lap of the race with Valencia from last year," enthused Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali.
Alonso's next victim was slightly less obliging, with Button holding up the Spaniard until lap four when the McLaren's defences were finally breached by the Spaniard's straightline speed along the Kemmel Straight. Nico Rosberg was then overtaken in identical fashion two laps later. It's worth noting that by this stage Alonso had already fallen over seven seconds behind Vettel - the German would cross the line 38 laps later 'just' another ten seconds ahead of the Ferrari.
Fernando Alonso is hoping new parts set to be installed before Monza will help reduce the gap between Ferrari and Red Bull.
The first thought was that Hamilton must have made a mistake into the first corner. In fact, judging by Hamilton's - albeit slightly muffled - comments to Vettel as the drivers waited for the podium ceremony after the race, the Mercedes driver deliberately gave up track position to Alonso in order to enjoy a tow through Eau Rouge and then repass the Ferrari along the backstraight with the aid of DRS.
In other words, Hamilton meant to do to Alonso what the Spaniard had just done to Button and Rosberg and what Vettel had done to him on the first lap.
Full marks for the theory, just a shame about the practice: Despite closely following the Ferrari through Eau Rouge, Hamilton's Mercedes, even with DRS deployed, still didn't have sufficient speed to repass the F18 along the Kemmel straight as Alonso held the high line into Les Combes.
From that moment on, second place was all-but guaranteed, with the Ferrari's unexpected superior straightline speed also boding well for Alonso's prospects at Monza.
PG
In the opening eight grands prix of 2013, Force India scored an average of 7.375 points per race. Since the changes to the Pirellis were rolled out in Germany, however, that figure has dropped to just 0.6667. This would seem to point to a team previously light on their tyres at the start of the season are now struggling having lost that advantage.
Look back the Bahrain GP - the high temperatures meant tyre wear was also high and we saw Lewis Hamilton suffer a blowout in the Mercedes that weekend. Force India had no such problems, however, and Adrian Sutil set the second quickest lap of the race - just 0.109 seconds slower than the fastest lap set by Sebastian Vettel.
Take a straight comparison of that with Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday and Sutil - who was again the quicker of the two Force Indias - was 1.470 seconds slower than the German. Significantly in the battle for fifth in the Constructors' Championship, that was also 1.403 slower than Jenson Button whereas Sutil had been eight tenths quicker the 2009 World Champion in the Sakhir desert.
Whilst the change of tyres has clearly had an impact, it would be unfair to cite that as the sole factor, however. Force India have far from the biggest budget on the grid and thus cannot continue to develop the VJM06 in the way McLaren have enhanced the MP4-28. With attention switching more and more to 2014, there seems little chance of a Force India recovery in Italy.
WE
Sunday's race was unusual in that it featured neither of the two variables which are habitual features at Spa: rain or a Safety Car deployment. The flip side of that was that in pure hours and minutes terms the Belgian GP took the least time of any race to complete so far in 2013 - a mere one hour and 23 minutes. For comparison's sake, that was 19 minutes faster than the previous race in Hungary and 17 minutes quicker than the total average race time across the opening ten rounds.
Ted Kravitz reviews the Belgian Grand Prix.
Nonetheless, the dash from lights to flag will likely be even more pronounced when the season resumes at Monza next week given the Italian GP is usually done and dusted within 80 minutes.
Although, of course, should that race witnesses a repeat of Sebastian Vettel's dominance from Spa then few people may feel particularly short-changed...
Introducing Red Bull's new driver & Sebastian Vettel's next team-mate: Daniel Ricciardo
Profiling the young Australian who will join F1's elite next year
Daniel Ricciardo: Will be wearing Red Bull colours full-time in 2014
Daniel Ricciardo is stepping up to the senior Red Bull team in 2014, but what do we know about the Toro Rosso driver?
Daniel Ricciardo contests the 2006 Formula BMW World Final
The Australian stayed in Europe the following season and contested the Italian Formula Renault Championship where he was sixth in the standings.
The series was dominated that year by the Red Bull junior team which included Jamie Alguersauri as they finished first, second and third in the championship, but Ricciardo's performances had been enough to catch the eye of the firm's talent scouts and he was signed up for 2008.
Staying in two-litre Formula Renault for a second season, Ricciardo contested both the Western European Championship and the Eurocup. Winning over half the WEC rounds, the Australia comfortably clinched the title, but he missed out on the European crown by three points to future Williams driver Valtteri Bottas.
Daniel Ricciardo: On his way to the British F3 title with Carlin in 2009
Alongside his F1 commitments, Ricciardo contested the Formula Renault 3.5 Championship with Tech 1 Racing where he missed out on the title by just two points in his rookie season after eight poles and four victories - including the Monaco GP support race.
Daniel Ricciardo celebrates Monaco victory in FR3.5
He returned to the championship with ISR at the second round and would once again take victory on the streets of Monte Carlo as well as registering five second-place finishes.
In July that year Red Bull placed Ricciardo with perennial backmarkers HRT to gain F1 experience, contesting 11 grands prix with a best finish of 18th in Hungary and India. Despite the promotion, the Australian also continued in FR3.5, contesting rounds that did not clash with F1.
Ricciardo facts
- Age - 24
- GP starts - 42
- Points - 22
- Teams - HRT, Toro Rosso
- First Race - 2011 British GP
- Best Result - 7th (China 2013)
- Major titles - 2008 FR2.0 WEC, 2009 British F3.
However, the Australian is renowned for his qualifying ability and making Q3 on a regular basis is arguably what gave him the edge over current team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne, who has only made the final part of qualifying twice in his career.
This season Ricciardo has qualified an average of over three places ahead of his team-mate, with a career best fifth place start at Silverstone, and boosts a 7-4 head-to-head record, having finished 2012 with a commanding 16-4 Saturday record.
With race drivers allowed to test tyres at this year's Young Driver Test in July, the sport - and Red Bull - were afforded the opportunity to see Sebastian Vettel and Ricciardo in the same machinery and in similar conditions for the first time.
The Australian's fastest time in the RB9 on the Silverstone grand prix circuit was 0.293 seconds slower than what Vettel managed the following day, prompting speculation that, with more time in the Red Bull car, Ricciardo has the pace to challenge Vettel.
In 2014, we will find out whether that suspicion is well founded or not..
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