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.”
British cycling star Sarah Storey wins her 19th Paralympic gold
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British cycling star Sarah Storey wins her 19th Paralympic gold
- 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
Saudi Arabia’s greatest World Cup moments
- Al-Owairan received the ball inside his own half and embarked on an astonishing run that saw one Belgian defender after another beaten, before finishing past Michel Preud’homme
- Saleh Al-Shehri equalized straight after the break and just five minutes later Salem Dawsari sent Saudi and Arab fans wild with one of the tournament’s most stunning goals
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has taken part in six World Cup tournaments, an Arab record it shares with Morocco and Tunisia. Here are our favorite Green Falcons moments from football’s grandest stage.
5. Saudi defeat Egypt to end winless streak (Russia 2018)
Saudi Arabia returned to the World Cup after an absence of 12 years at Russia 2018 and while there would be no progress from the group stage as there was in the Green Falcons’ debut at USA 1994, there was a first win since that tournament 24 years earlier.
Saudi suffered a painful 5-0 defeat against the hosts on the opening day of the tournament and followed that up with a narrow 1-0 loss against Uruguay. It meant that while the final Group A match against fellow Arab qualifiers Egypt was a dead rubber, pride was very much still at stake.
Mohamed Salah, after a stellar season for Liverpool, gave Egypt a 1-0 lead, but deep into stoppage time at the end of the first half, Salman Al-Faraj equalized from the penalty spot.
As the clock passed the 90-minute mark it looked like both teams would be heading home without a win, but Salem Al-Dawsari scored in the 95th minute to make it 2-1 and end the Green Falcon’s 15-match winless World Cup streak.
4. Almost a perfect send-off for Sami Al-Jaber (Germany 2006)
It was almost the ideal end for arguably Saudi Arabia’s greatest ever footballer.
The 2006 World Cup in Germany may not have ended up being too fondly remembered by Saudi fans but it did provide an early moment which hinted at a repeat of the team’s 1994 heroics.
The Green Falcons’ opening match against Tunisia at the Allianz Arena in Munich saw the North African team take the lead from Ziad Jaziri after only 23 minutes but the Saudis struck back with a fine finish by Yasser Al-Qahtani on 57 minutes.
Enter Al-Jaber. Wearing his favored No. 9 green shirt, he was introduced as a substitute after 82 minutes and within moments he was bearing down on Tunisian goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel with the goal at his mercy. Al-Jaber did not disappoint, scoring Saudi’s second before being mobbed by his ecstatic teammates.
Unfortunately for the team managed by Marcos Paqueta, Tunisia equalized in the dying seconds and Saudi went on to lose their next two matches against Ukraine and Spain.
But at least Al-Jaber’s fourth and last World Cup had ended like his first, with a goal for his beloved Saudi Arabia.
3. Al-Ghesheyan stunner gives Saudi a fleeting dream (US 1994)
Saudi Arabia had already created history by progressing from the group stages at the US World Cup in 1994 and their reward was a round of 16 clash with Sweden, who would end up being one of the teams of the tournament.
In the stifling heat of Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Green Falcons, fresh off a stunning win over Belgium in their previous match, put on brave display but found themselves two goals down after an early header from Martin Dahlin and a strike from Kennet Andersson six minutes after the break.
Just as it looked like an exhausted team was only minutes from heading home, up popped substitute Fahad Al-Ghesheyan to breathe life into Saudi Arabia’s World Cup campaign and allow the fans to dream again.
The 21-year-old collected the ball inside the Swedish penalty area and unleashed a right-foot strike into the roof of the net five minutes from time to suddenly give Saudi hope of a stunning comeback.
But just two minutes later, Andersson scored his second to give Sweden a 3-1 win and eliminate the Falcons from the competition. They had become the first Arab nation to reach the last 16 in their first attempt and no team from the region would progress further until 2022.
2. Al-Owairan scores one of the World Cup’s greatest goals (USA 1994)
To Diego Maradona’s iconic solo goal against England in 1986 and Roberto Baggio’s international career-launching strike against Czechoslovakia in 1990, you can add Saeed Al-Owairan’s remarkable winner against Belgium in 1994.
Saudi Arabia’s debut at the World Cup had ended with a 2-1 loss to reigning European champions the Netherlands at the RFK Stadium in Washington D.C., but in their second Group F match, they managed an excellent 2-1 win over Morocco at the Giants Stadium in New York.
It meant that progress to the last 16 would depend on their result against Belgium, and the Green Falcons would go on to record one of their greatest ever results back at the RFK.
Only five minutes into the match, Al-Owairan received the ball inside his own half and embarked on an astonishing run that saw one Belgian defender after another beaten, before the forward finished past stranded goalkeeper Michel Preud’homme.
The stunned Belgians had no answer to that goal in the next 85 minutes. Saudi Arabia, in their first World Cup, were heading to the last 16 and Al-Owairan had written his name alongside the World Cup greats.
1. Saudi claim greatest win over Messi’s Argentina (Qatar 2022)
There can be few debates about Saudi Arabia’s greatest World Cup moment.
Few people would have given Herve Renard’s team much hope of a victory when they took on Lionel Messi and Argentina at Lusail Stadium on Nov. 22, 2022.
And sure enough it was the Argentine maestro who gave the South Americans the lead on 10 minutes from the penalty spot. But the expected Argentinian procession did not materialize. Instead, the Falcons, through gritty defending and smart counterattacks, slowly grew into the game.
The second half would be a revelation. First Saleh Al-Shehri equalized straight after the break and just five minutes later Salem Dawsari sent Saudi and Arab fans in the stadium and around the world wild with one of the tournament’s most stunning goals.
Messi and his colleagues would go on to win the World Cup, but that day they had no answer to Saudi Arabia’s tigerish performance.
There would be no progress from the group stage for the Falcons, but the 2-1 scoreline gave them their most famous victory and they would end the tournament as the eventual world champions’ only conquerors.
Saudi Arabia confirmed as 2034 World Cup host: FIFA
- The Saudi bid was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer.
The Saudi bid was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich on Wednesday by the soccer body’s president Gianni Infantino.
“The vote of the congress is loud and clear,” said Infantino, who had asked officials on a bank of screens to clap their hands at head level to show their support.
The decision was combined with approving the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each getting one of the 104 games.
The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930.
No deal yet for Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy cricket format
- Tournament hit a snag last month when India refused to allow its team to travel to Pakistan
- Stand-off means ICC is still unable to announce schedule for February 19 to March 19 event
KARACHI: The saga of next year’s cricket Champions Trophy drags on, with sources saying Thursday that no agreement has been reached on a proposed “hybrid” format allowing India to play their matches outside host nation Pakistan.
The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars since being carved out of the subcontinent’s partition in 1947 and that rivalry is often reflected on the cricket field.
The eight-team tournament hit a snag last month when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) told the International Cricket Council (ICC) that their side would not compete in Pakistan over security fears and political tensions.
Sources speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP the PCB has agreed to the hybrid model — but only on condition that every ICC tournament taking place in India until 2027 follows the same format, with Pakistan not going to India.
Under the hybrid model, Pakistan will host the group matches but its high-profile clash with India will be played in Dubai.
The final would be held in Dubai or Lahore depending on whether the Indian side make it through.
But the BCCI is objecting to the tit-for-tat condition on its own hosting and to the proposal to play the final in Lahore if India do not qualify, the sources said.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is in Dubai, where the ICC has its headquarters, to finalize the arrangements, sources said.
The stand-off means the ICC is still unable to announce the schedule for the February 19 to March 19 event.
The arch-rivals only meet in ICC multi-national events, with the last bilateral series held when Pakistan toured India in 2012-13.
India last toured Pakistan to feature in the 2008 Asia Cup and have not played a bilateral series across the border for 18 years.
Pakistan were also forced to host last year’s Asia Cup on a hybrid model, with India’s matches and the final hosted in Sri Lanka.
India are set to co-host the next Twenty20 World Cup with Sri Lanka in 2026 in addition to the Champions Trophy in 2029 and co-host the 2031 World Cup with Bangladesh.
In the last few years, Pakistan has hosted the world’s top teams, emerging from cricketing isolation that began after a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009 in Lahore.
Pakistan has not hosted an ICC event since the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.
Kasatkina returns for title challenge at 2025 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open
- The Russian star, beaten in the 2024 final, joins a star-studded line-up including Ons Jabeur, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Belinda Bencic and Paula Badosa
ABU DHABI: The 2024 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open runner-up, Daria Kasatkina, is back for another crack at the crown when the tournament returns to the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City, from Feb. 1-8.
The 27-year-old Russian overcame Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia in a third-set tiebreaker to reach this year’s final, before being beaten by Elena Rybakina.
Kasatkina, currently ranked ninth on the WTA Tour rankings, is enjoying a streak of good form having clinched the Ningo Open in China last month for her eighth Tour title.
She said: “I’m thrilled to be returning for another shot at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open title. Last year’s tournament was an incredible experience, competing in front of such passionate fans, and reaching the final was unforgettable.
“While on that occasion I came up short against a very strong opponent, it has only fueled my determination to go one step further this time. I’m feeling confident in my game, and I’m looking forward to competing once again in Abu Dhabi.”
The Russian will face a strong field, with several of the world’s elite players already announced. They include 2023 tournament winner Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, returning after the birth of her daughter.
Dubai resident and former World No. 2 Paula Badosa of Spain, currently 12th in the rankings, is also confirmed along with Haddad Maia, twice a losing semifinalist in Abu Dhabi. Fan favorite Ons Jabeur, will also take part again after reaching the quarterfinals this year.
LIV Golf’s Iron Heads acquire rising Korea star Yubin Jang
- Danny Lee and Jinichiro Kozuma return to the club for 2025 season after contract extensions
NEW YORK: Iron Heads Golf Club have announced the team’s finalized roster heading into the 2025 LIV Golf League season.
Following a valiant performance at the 2024 Team Championship in Dallas, the club has re-signed stalwart Danny Lee and budding talent Jinichiro Kozuma.
Rounding out Kevin Na’s team is the external acquisition of 22-year-old star, Yubin Jang, the No. 1 golfer from the Korean Tour.
Jang produced a dominant season finishing as the KPGA Money Leader and Genesis Points Champion, and first in Top 10 Finishes. The young gun is a three-time Korean Tour winner and won gold at the 2023 Asian Games.
“As a promising young talent from Korea, I’ve been following his career for years and have had my eye on him to join the team,” said Na, the Iron Heads captain.
“The Iron Heads needed young talent like his to push our veterans, and I’m confident he has what it takes to become a world-class golfer.
"Yubin’s presence shows young Korean golfers a clear path to competing globally against the best, and with an event in Korea this year, his addition is a major boost for our team. It’s an incredibly exciting time for Korean golf.”
Iron Heads Golf Club scripted one of the most memorable chapters in the short history of LIV Golf when, against all odds, they finished tied for second at the Team Championship in Dallas.
Fueled by both Lee and Kozuma, the unlikely finalists proved to be giant killers, taking down two seeded favorites in Smash GC (quarterfinals) and Crushers GC (semifinals).
Kozuma, the reigning Japanese Sansan KBC Augusta Champion, dropped a 3-meter birdie putt on the 18th hole to extend the match, prior to closing out the victory with a 9.1-meter for par on the first extra hole.
Lee, the 2023 LIV Golf Tucson champion, defeated the 2023 LIV Golf Individual Champion Talor Gooch and reigning US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau in back-to-back singles matches en route to the finals.
“We’re thrilled to re-sign Danny and Jini, who were pivotal to our strong finish last season,” said Iron Heads Golf Club General Manager Martin Kim.
“Danny is a proven winner in this league with great energy and Jini’s emerging talent will be essential as we strive to become a contender at every event.
“I’m really loving our roster with the addition of our new young gun (Jang). It’s going to be a fun ride next season.”
This offseason, the team will have a two-week training camp in Palm Springs, California, prior to teeing off the season at LIV Golf Riyadh from Feb. 6 to 8.
Given LIV Golf’s recent market expansion for the 2025 season, the Iron Heads will look ahead to their own “home event” as they play host at LIV Golf Korea from May 2 to 4 at the iconic Jack Nicklaus Golf Club.
