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Twelve years into his big league career, Pablo Sandoval is used to being labeled. Some of those labels were ones he dreamed of earning as a young boy in Venezuela. Major league player, which he achieved in 2008. MVP candidate, which he did by finishing seventh in the voting in his first full season in 2009. All-Star, which he earned in 2010 and 2011. World Series champion, which he earned as a key part of the San Francisco Giants' title-winning teams of 2010, 2012 and 2014.

But some of the other labels that have been applied to him have been harder to take. Mediocre. Below average. And worst of all: fat.

It was enough to make people forget the Kung Fu Panda nickname hung on him toward the start of his career. When Sandoval was released by the Boston Red Sox in 2017, he was instead labeled one of the game's greatest financial mistakes made in free agency. After just 161 games in his injury-ridden Boston career spread across parts of three seasons, the Red Sox opted to designate him for assignment, deciding they were better off eating the remaining $49.5 million salary they owed him.

The veteran third baseman was widely mocked for his weight and poor performance with the Red Sox, for whom he barely contributed, hitting just .237/.286/.360 with 14 home runs. It was a far cry from what the Red Sox had envisioned when they offered him a five-year, $95 million contract in 2015 after he had won that third ring with the Giants.

After the Red Sox let him go, Sandoval wondered if he had anything left to offer after his career had been reduced to a new and perhaps final label: a $95 million mistake.

"Being let go by the Red Sox hurt, especially because I was coming back from an injury and going through so many things in my life," Sandoval explained. "I am a person who loves this sport. This is my passion. Besides my family, there is nothing I love more, and baseball has given me many blessings.

"But I also put in a lot of work and made many sacrifices, and I wasn't ready to leave the game. I wanted to prove to everyone, especially my children and my family, and set the example for my children, that in spite of the things that may happen to you, you always have to fight on."

Fight on he did. After missing virtually all of the 2016 season with a shoulder injury for which he had to undergo surgery, he felt that he was finally healthy and able to contribute. He knew he still had baseball left in him. The Red Sox did not agree.

"Being in Boston was a learning experience," Sandoval said, having spent all of his career up to that point with the Giants since signing with them as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela in 2003. "The truth is that it was a great organization, and I have nothing against [the Red Sox]. And the fans, they are demanding, they want to see their players contribute. They want to see the best of them. And I learned from that.

"And, of course, lots of comments were made. I was mocked many times for my weight, but I learned to use all that as inspiration and as a learning experience."

But after being cut loose midseason in 2017, who would want him? That's when he found out that the Giants, and especially manager Bruce Bochy, still believed in him. Whether it was just nostalgia for what had been, Sandoval committed himself from that point forward to once again have fun in every at-bat and ignore the rest.

"Despite all the things that I'd went through, the Giants always trusted me and they gave me the blessing of returning home. I am trying to make the best out of this second chance," Sandoval said.

But that second chance was not a shot at being an everyday player. The Giants might have brought him back, but not with the same responsibilities.

"It was a learning opportunity because I had to start from scratch, forget what I had accomplished in the past and now try to do something different and accept a new role [as a bench player]," Sandoval observed. "That has been difficult for me, to accept that role after playing every day or wanting to be an everyday player.

"But I am enjoying myself to the fullest. And I do that with a lot of love for those people who are in that office, that from the first they opened the doors to me."

"That office" means both the front office that gave him his first break to reach the majors but also the manager's office that belongs to Bochy, the man who has managed Sandoval during the entirety of his Giants career. The skipper whose three World Series rings eventually will put him in Cooperstown. And the manager who already has announced that this will be his last season in the dugout.

"I think [Bochy] has been a very important factor in me being here today," Sandoval noted. "He has always fought for me and put his feet to the fire for me, and I know I owe this second chance to him, and I love giving it all for him in what will be his final year."

Sandoval isn't the only one enjoying this second chance. The Giants are benefiting from his slugging .509 while spot-starting at first base (15 times) and third base (36 times) -- but most often entering the game as Bochy's top bat off the bench, making 49 pinch-hit appearances so far this season. Despite being relegated to a part-time role, he has committed to enjoying each day with the Giants like it could be his last. After having come so close to seeing his career come to an end after Boston cut him loose, he knows that's the truth. His tenure with the Giants could end any day. And with Bochy gone at the end of the year, he knows his future with the organization is far from guaranteed.

"Any opportunity that you get in this game, you have to enjoy with love and professionalism. And you also have to have fun. If you don't have fun, there's no reason to do this," Sandoval said. "No matter what people say, no matter the comments being made around you, you have to persevere and turn a deaf ear. You do it for yourself, you do it for the love of the game and for the love of those around you."

Host nation on top at European Team Championships, with shot putter Haratyk in record-breaking form

Wins by Michał Haratyk, Marcin Lewandowski and Justyna Święty-Ersetic on the first full day of finals helped hosts Poland to top of the table at the European Team Championships Super League in Bydgoszcz ahead of France.

It had originally looked as though the French team were to be overnight leaders but disqualification of the men’s 4x100m squad saw them drop to second on 181.50 points behind Poland’s 193. Italy sit in third with 171 points, with Great Britain fourth with 160.50 and Germany fifth with 160.

Haratyk’s victory came after a championship record-breaking throw of 21.83m in the second round of the shot put. The European indoor and outdoor champion backed that up with marks of 21.41m and 21.31m to win ahead of Tomáš Stanek’s 20.65m, while GB’s Scott Lincoln was fifth with 19.57m.

Another Polish throws win came in the men’s hammer as Wojciech Nowicki secured maximum points with a best of 78.84m, with France’s Quentin Bigot second after a 76.70m throw.

British record-holder Nick Miller was a way off his best after recording a mark of 66.20m and two fouls. Back in Bydgoszcz in June, the Commonwealth champion had thrown his third best-ever mark of 78.39m.

Over on the track, Poland also secured top points through Lewandowski as he had the finishing strength to win the 1500m on home soil. After a 51-second last 400m, he ran 3:47.88 as GB’s in-form Charlie Da’Vall Grice secured second in 3:48.35.

“The crowd really inspired me today,” said Lewandowski. “I’m very happy to have achieved this win in my home stadium as the team captain. It’s another valuable experience before the World Championships.

“I may be an old fox, but I can still learn something from every race.”

There were further big cheers from the home fans as European champion Święty-Ersetic stormed to 400m victory, clocking 51.23 ahead of Switzerland’s European 400m hurdles winner Léa Sprunger with 51.84. GB’s Amy Allcock secured sixth in 52.92.

Poland’s first win of the weekend was claimed by Patryk Dobek in the men’s 400m hurdles as he clocked 48.87 for full points. GB’s Chris McAlister ran a PB of 49.28 for fourth – a world championships qualifying time and his fourth PB of 2019, having improved his best down from 50.36 in 2018.

The GB squad secured one win and a number of runner-up finishes on the second of three days of competition in Poland.

In the men’s 4x100m, the GB team of Dominic Ashwell, Oliver Bromby, Richard Kilty and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey had crossed the finish line in second place behind the French quartet but the team of Mouhamadou Fall, Jimmy Vicaut, Méba-Mickaël Zézé and Christophe Lemaitre were later disqualified, which also had an impact on the overall team ranking at the end of the day.

Aikines-Aryeetey crossed the finish line with 38.73 on the clock which eventually secured top points for GB.

The British team captain had earlier finished fourth in the men’s 100m final won by Vicaut.

In that individual event, joint European record-holder Vicaut lived up to his status as favourite by winning in 10.35 (-1.4m/sec) ahead of Italy’s Marcell Jacobs with 10.39 as Aikines-Aryeetey ran 10.57 behind Germany’s Michael Pohl’s 10.55.

There was disappointment for the host nation’s Remigiusz Olszewski as he was disqualified for a false start.

Vicaut might have been denied a double win because of the relay disqualification, but his team-mate Carolle Zahi did secure such success as she led off the winning women’s 4x100m team after having earlier claimed full points in the women’s 100m.

In the relay the French team, which also included Orlann Ombissa-Dzangue, Estelle Raffai and Sarah Richard, ran 43.09 to take the A final win, with GB’s Kristal Awuah, Alisha Rees, Bianca Williams and Rachel Miller second in that race in 43.46. The GB team ranked third overall behind B race winners Switzerland with 43.11.

In the 100m, Zahi dipped for the win in 11.31, racing into a -2.5 (m/sec) wind and having kept her cool despite the race having been restarted.

Behind her, Olympic, world and European sprint relay medallist Daryll Neita kicked off a series of 11-point performances by British team members as she finished second in 11.33, despite earlier having run around 60m before the race was recalled, while Poland’s European indoor 60m champion Ewa Swoboda ran 11.35 for third.

The day before had seen Neita run a smooth-looking season’s best of 11.19 to win her heat.

In the next two races, European indoor champion Shelayna Oskan-Clarke and 2017 European Team Championships winner Dwayne Cowan also scored 11 points each for Britain.

First Oskan-Clarke finished strongly in the 800m, running 2:01.45 behind Rénelle Lamote who kicked to victory for France in 2:01.21, before Cowan clocked 46.18 to secure second in the 400m behind Italy’s Davide Re who strode away for a clear win in 45.35.

A little later, Miguel Ángel Sancho won the high jump for Spain after clearing 2.26m as Chris Baker was another second-placed finisher for Britain thanks to his clearance of 2.22m.

Czech two-time world champion Zuzana Hejnová won the women’s 400m hurdles in 55.10 as Poland’s Joanna Linkiewicz was roared down the final straight by home fans, moving from sixth to third to finish just behind Ukraine’s Anna Ryzhykova, 55.61 to 55.67. GB’s Meghan Beesley secured sixth in 56.46.

The women’s 3000m steeplechase saw a clear win by Germany’s Gesa Felicitas Krause as the two-time European champion clocked 9:36.67 ahead of Spain’s Irene Sánchez with 9:39.24 and Britain’s Rosie Clarke with 9:39.85.

Olympic, world and European champion Katerina Stefanidi of Greece had the pole vault competition won with her first vault as she cleared her opening height of 4.56m.

She then had the bar moved to 4.70m and needed three attempts at that height before unsuccessfully attempting 4.80m.

Ukraine’s Maryna Kylypko was second with a best of 4.56m and GB’s Sophie Cook joint eighth with 4.21m.

Another win for Greece was claimed by Miltiádis Tentóglou as he added to his European indoor and outdoor titles, taking full points in the men’s long jump thanks to his 8.30m (+1.8m/sec) leap. GB’s Jacob Fincham-Dukes was seventh with 7.85m (+2.7m/sec).

Paraskevi Papachristou continued the Greek jumps success as she won the women’s triple jump with a 14.48m leap. GB’s Naomi Ogbeta placed seventh with 13.90m.

Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa even had time for celebrations in the men’s 5000m as he waved his arms on his way to the finish, winning clearly in 13:43.30 ahead of Switzerland’s Julian Wanders with 13:45.31. GB’s Nick Goolab was eighth in 14:27.43.

The women’s 3000m saw Yolanda Ngarambe gain full points for Sweden, running 9:07.67 ahead of Italy’s Marta Zenoni with a time of 9:08.34. GB’s Emily Hosker-Thornhill was ninth in 9:19.99.

The javelin was won by France’s Alexie Alaïs as she added almost two metres to her PB with 63.46m. Bekah Walton placed 12th with 46.29m for Britain.

On Friday, the first day of competition had seen two finals take place and they were won by Germany’s Julian Weber, as he threw 86.86m in the javelin, and Claudine Vita, who threw 61.09m in the discus. GB’s Tom Hewson and Kirsty Law finished 12th and eighth with marks of 64.93m and 54.78m respectively.

In the non-scoring mixed 4x400m relay, the GB team of Niclas Baker, Yasmin Liverpool, Jess Turner and Alex Knibbs won in 3:19.40 to break the British best.

Results can be found here.

England v Wales: Warren Gatland's side hunt famous win

Published in Rugby
Saturday, 10 August 2019 11:57

Wales travel to Twickenham as favourites to beat an injury-hit England in their World Cup warm-up and move to the top of the world rankings.

Coach Warren Gatland has picked a strong team featuring 13 starters from Wales' Grand Slam-clinching victory over Ireland in March.

England's experimental starting XV, rejigged after a trio of late injuries, have 390 caps compared to Wales' 676.

Wales have won their last 14 Tests, a run that goes back to February 2018.

If they extend their streak to 15 against their oldest rivals, or even draw, they will overtake New Zealand when the world rankings are published on Monday.

The All Blacks suffered a heavy defeat against trans-Tasman rivals Australia on Saturday.

History repeating?

As the teams meet in their first warm-up match before Japan 2019, Wales will be aiming for a first win at Twickenham since their famous pool-stage success in the previous World Cup.

Seven of Wales' starting XV on Sunday were involved in the dramatic 28-25 win that derailed hosts England's campaign.

"We won't take it lightly, but we have to be confident," said captain Alun Wyn Jones.

"There are a few of us who have been Twickenham and been successful. We are a settled side, but that does put pressure on us."

Gatland has admitted that he is taking a gamble by exposing selection certainties such as Jones, flanker Justin Tipuric and full-back Liam Williams to the possibility of injury ahead of their World Cup opener against Georgia on 23 September.

It is a risk that Gatland has fallen foul of before. Key men Rhys Webb and Leigh Halfpenny were ruled out of the 2015 tournament after picking injuries in Wales' final warm-up match against Italy.

"Sometimes you have just got to roll the dice and go with it," said Gatland.

"You can't get it right all the time. You are trying to negotiate warm-up games with sides and trying to get the balance right."

Wales will meet England in Cardiff next weekend, before playing Ireland home and away on 31 August and 7 September respectively.

'A most fascinating time'

England coach Eddie Jones has made light of the disruption that has blighted his team's build-up to the match.

As well as the late withdrawal of centre Henry Slade (knee), flanker Sam Underhill (toe) and would-be debutant wing Ruaridh McConnochie (hip) from the starting line-up, it has emerged that Ben Te'o and Mike Brown were dropped from the squad after an incident during the team's head and humidity training camp in Italy last week.

"It's all part of a World Cup campaign - adapting, adjusting, bring people in and out, finding your role. It's a most fascinating time," said Jones.

"I have had four World Cups so I think I know how to prepare the team for the tournament."

Even without McConnochie, Jones' line-up contains two players making their England debuts, with another two uncapped players on the bench.

New Zealand-born scrum-half Willi Heinz, 31, will audition for a place on the plane as back-up to first-choice nine Ben Youngs while Lewis Ludlam, who has made only 25 Premiership appearances for Northampton, is attempting to force his way into consideration in the back row.

Hooker Jack Singleton and centre Joe Marchant could make their first England appearances off the bench while prop Joe Marler, who has come out of retirement for the World Cup, is also among the replacements.

England: Daly; Cokanasiga, Joseph, Francis, Watson; Ford, Heinz; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Cole, Launchbury, Ewels, Ludlam, Curry, B Vunipola

Replacements: Singleton, Marler, Williams, Kruis, Lawes, Youngs, Marchant, Tuilagi

Wales: L Williams; North, J Davies, Parkes, Adams; Anscombe, G Davies; Smith, Owens, Francis, Beard, Wyn Jones, Wainwright, Tipuric, Moriarty.

Replacements: Dee, Jones, Lewis, Ball, Shingler, A Davies, Biggar, Watkin.

Dominic Scelzi Back In Knoxville Nationals A-Main

Published in Racing
Saturday, 10 August 2019 12:30

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Dominic Scelzi is making a habit of finding his way into the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals championship feature.

One year ago, Scelzi snuck into the Knoxville Nationals finale during FVP Hard Knox Night at the black-dirt half-mile in thrilling fashion, and Friday night he did so once again – in nearly the same fashion.

Last time, Scelzi won the SPEED SPORT World Challenge to earn the “golden ticket” 25th starting spot in the $150,000-to-win, 50-lap A-main, but when that race didn’t return to the docket this season, the California driver had to search for another way to crack the grid for the big dance.

He discovered it with a strong run during Friday night’s Hard Knox program at the Marion County Fairgrounds, qualifying inside the top five in his time trial flight, transferring through his heat race and finishing fourth in the 25-lap “second chance race,” taking the last guaranteed spot into the Nationals.

“They took away my golden ticket, so I figured that instead of starting 25th, I’d start 24th this year,” Scelzi grinned. “I like to make things hard, and boy, Knoxville is hard. Racing with these guys, beating some of them and being in the field is amazing, though.

“I felt like we were good enough to maybe be second or third – I never saw the (No.) 2 car, so he must have been pretty sporty,” Scelzi noted. “That’s two Knoxville Nationals that I never thought I’d get in. It’s so cool, and a dream come true to get in again. We can only go forward from here.”

Scelzi’s road to a transfer spot was built on the high side of the Knoxville dirt, as he rim-rode around for much of the distance in Friday night’s feature after struggling down low during his preliminary night.

“I feel like I’ve spent a lot more time on the top this week than I have on the bottom; we’ve been struggling down there with almost having too much drive down low,” Scelzi explained. “When I saw Sammy (Swindell) pass me down there, though, I figured I’d just roll the bottom … and I knew he probably wasn’t pounding the wall (down) off turn two.

“I went down there and did exactly what I’d hoped, and from there, chasing Shane … he was running good laps until he started having problems, but I couldn’t tell what was wrong for him because I had my eyes closed,” Scelzi added. “When he got tight, I just started cheating the cushion into (turn) three, but the last thing I wanted to do was race him, because I know that when two guys get racing here, they lose a lot of time.

“I just tried to stay with him and knew we’d both be OK where we were. It was a hectic race.”

Dominic Scelzi (left) talks with younger brother Gio Scelzi on Friday at Knoxville Raceway. (Paul Arch photo)

Scelzi has now made the Knoxville Nationals finale two years in a row on Friday night, a unique feat.

While he was hesitant to compare the pair of performances, the 21-year-old recognized how important being back in the Knoxville Nationals A-main is for his family-owned Scelzi Motorsports operation.

“Winning the SPEED SPORT (Challenge) last year was the best moment of my life, for sure,” Scelzi said. “It was very, very special … in fact, Ralph (Sheheen, SPEED SPORT President) and I were talking about it earlier this week, but to make it into the Nationals finale racing in on Hard Knox Night is just as hard.

“Maybe I should just put my entry in for Friday every year, because for whatever reason, I seem to want to do it the hardest possible way,” Scelzi added. “I’m excited to get in, but I’m even more excited that I’m not alone in the back row now and can actually claim to be part of the field now! I can’t go backwards, either, so that’s a big deal for us.”

With the hardest task – making the Knoxville Nationals – now complete, Scelzi has one goal for his second Saturday A-main start besides moving as far forward in 50 laps as he can.

“This time, we’re gunning for Gio,” the elder Scelzi said of his younger brother. “I want to beat that 71.”

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Felix's Atleti beats Ronaldo's Juve in ICC finale

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 10 August 2019 12:25

Record signing Joao Felix scored two first-half goals for Atletico Madrid as they secured a 2-1 win over Juventus in the International Champions Cup at the Friends Arena on Saturday.

Although the vast majority of fans in the crowd seemed to be more interested in seeing his fellow Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, Felix opened the scoring by squeezing a first-time finish through two defenders and into the back of the net midway through the first half.

Sami Khedira equalised for the Italian champions in the 29th minute but Felix, who joined Atletico from Benfica for a reported €126 million ($141 million) in July, netted his second four minutes later.

The Spanish side open their La Liga campaign at home to Getafe next Sunday, while Juventus travel to Parma on Aug. 24 to begin their Serie A season.

In the rained-out first ODI in Guyana, Chris Gayle played the slowest innings of his career, scoring 4 off 31 balls.

This was perhaps an extreme case of it, but West Indies captain Jason Holder has said his batsmen will be looking to start their innings cautiously through the ODI series.

"I think in the past we have let ourselves down in having a foundation," Holder said on the eve of the second ODI in Trinidad. "It's just a matter for us to take a few balls at first and get ourselves set and then we take it as the innings goes on."

The second ODI on Sunday - if he features - will be Gayle's 300th - he will be the first West Indian cricketer to reach the landmark.

"300 games is a lot of games," Holder said. "Some of us in the dressing room can't even imagine that. We just hope he can get us off to a really good start tomorrow."

West Indies had a chance to look at the pitch at Queen's Park Oval before rain forced the covers to come on, and Holder hoped for good batting conditions.

"It's normally pretty humid." he said. "The wicket is a decent one, hopefully the rain stays away and it doesn't get too soggy. The pitch normally is a very good pitch here. The conditions should be really good tomorrow. We've got to see how the pitch plays, but ideally in one-day cricket, 300 runs is the benchmark. We'll see how it all plays out tomorrow."

While Gayle endured a struggle in Guyana, his opening partner Evin Lewis showed encouraging signs of a return to form, scoring an unbeaten 40 off 36 balls before showers forced the players off the field.

"Definitely happy to see Evin get some time in the middle," Holder said. "He didn't get the runs he was looking for in the T20 format but it's good to see him get into form in Guyana and hopefully he can transfer that performance here as well."

India's batting line-up is among the best in the world, and Holder was confident West Indies had the bowling to challenge it.

"We got to put pressure [on the batsmen] and try to get as deep into their batting line-up [as possible]. The wickets nowadays are very good for batting. It tends to play a little bit more in the batsmen's favour, [but] we've been doing a really good job, especially in the World Cup I thought our bowlers did a great job, and [we'll look to] just continue from there and just try to be consistent."

Reports: Tebow done for season with cut hand

Published in Baseball
Saturday, 10 August 2019 13:15

Tim Tebow's minor league season has ended early for the second straight year, according to multiple reports.

While playing for the New York Mets' Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, the 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback suffered a cut hand while fielding a ball in the outfield on July 21 and was placed on the injured list.

Newsday first reported that the injury would not heal in time for Tebow to return this season.

At the time of the injury, Syracuse manager Tony DeFrancesco said the cut was in a bad spot and required several stitches.

Tebow finishes 2019 hitting .163 with 4 home runs, 19 RBIs, 98 strikeouts and 20 walks in 239 at-bats over 77 games.

Tebow, who also works as an SEC Network analyst, is in his third year of professional baseball and first at Triple-A after a three-year stint at quarterback in the NFL.

In 2018, he hit .273 at Double-A Binghamton with 6 homers and 36 RBIs in 271 at-bats over 84 games before breaking a bone in his right hand, an injury that ended his season.

Surprise winners, runners spots for top seeds

Published in Table Tennis
Saturday, 10 August 2019 10:31

Defeats for the top seeds, it meant mixed fortunes for the host nation, in men’s team class 6, the partnership of Rungroj Thainiyom and Chalermpong Punpooo, experienced a 2-0 defeat in the final when facing DPR Korea’s Kim Yong Rok, Jon Ju Hyun and Lee Se Ho.

The DPR Korea team was not listed amongst the seeded outfits, a status they belied, the previous day Jon Ju Hyon had won men’s singles class 6 accounting for Rungroj Thainiyom in the final (11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6).

Conversely, Phisit Wangphonphathanasiri and Suki Samee, the no.2 seeds, recorded a 2-1 win in opposition to Germany’s Jochen Wollmert and Tonnie Heijnen of the Netherlands to secure the top prize in men’s team class 8-9. Likewise, in men’s team class 10, the second seeds prevailed. The combination formed by Russia’s Ivan Karpov alongside the Czech Republic’s Ivan Karabec and Kristian Jelinek, claimed a 2-0 win against the host nation’s Bunpot Sillapakong and Phitak Kankingkam to claim gold.

Notably at the semi-final stage Bunpot Sillapakong and Phitak Kankingkam had secured a 2-1 success against, the top seeds, Great Britain’s Kim Daybell, Billy Shilton and Jack Stockdale.

“It was a poor performance from me in the team overall.” Kim Daybell

“I’m pleased to get a medal in the team event and happy with how Kim and I played together in the doubles.” Billy Shilton

“Even though my individual performance could have been a lot better over the tournament it was still a nice feeling to get a medal with two great team mates. It has been a massive learning curve for me for future tournaments.” Jack Stockdale

Success for the second seeded outfits in the men’s team events; there was one more. Great Britain’s Jack Hunter-Spivey and Japan’s Kentaro Doi combined to clinch the class 4-5 title; a contest that was a repeat success. In the group stage of play, they had recorded a 2-1 win in opposition to Korea Republic’s Lee Kyeonghun, Kim Jinsung and Joo Youndae; in the final they met again, only this time they spared no charity. A 2-0 win was gained against an outfit very much in form; at the semi-final stage the Korea Republic team had secured a 2-1 victory in opposition to Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Ming-Chih and Lin Yen-Hung, the top seeds.

“I’ve really enjoyed playing the team event here. On the whole I’m a little disappointed with my form in the singles matches but I’m really happy to get the gold.” Jack Hunter-Spivey

Four surprise men’s team winners; in the two remaining categories it was success as expected, the top seeds prevailed. Thailand’s Anurak Laowong, Wittaya Wichaiwattana and Busree Wawaeni secured gold in class 1-3; in class 11 Japan’s Ryo Miyauchi and Yuki Kinoshita emerged the winners.

Gold for Japan in accordance with expectations; in the counterpart women’s team class 11 event, it was the reverse scenario. Nanako Hazeyama and Ayumi Kawasaki secured a 2-0 win against Turkey’s Ebru Acer and Sumeyra Turk to reserve first place in a group administered event.

Victory for the second seeds, it was the same in women’s team class 4-5; also in a group organised event, India’s Bhavina Patel and Sonalben Patel posted a 2-1 win in opposition to Chinese Taipei’s top seeded outfit comprising Lu Pi-Chun, Hsiao Sh-Chin and Lee Ya-Chu to secure first place.

Otherwise in the women’s team competitions it was success for the top seeds. The combination of Korea Republic’s Yoo Jiyu and Japan’s Yukimi Chada emerged the class 2-3 winners; Indonesia’s Suwarti Suwarti and Hamida Hamida alongside Siti Fadhilah secured gold in class 6-8, Chinese Taipei’s Tian Shiau-Wen and Lin Tzu-Yu ended the day the class 9-10 champions.

Play concluded in Bangkok, the next para tournament on the horizon is the 2019 Para Pan American Games; play commences in the Peruvian capital city of Lima on Thursday 22nd August.

2019 Para Bangkok Open: Draws and Latest Results

Stewart Hoping For Strong Showing In Nationals Finale

Published in Racing
Saturday, 10 August 2019 09:30

KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Shane Stewart finished third in Friday night’s Hard Knox feature and as a result will start his 19th consecutive NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals feature on Saturday night.

It’s a big deal for Stewart considering his CJB Motorsports team has struggled all season, and the fact that he wrecked the Barry Jackson-prepared No. 5 while leading his heat race on Thursday night.

Still, Stewart nearly ran out of fuel on the final lap Friday night.

“We were completely out of fuel. We were lucky to finish that race,” Stewart said. “This is a huge relief. When you come here your goal is to sit on the front row for the A-main. People like myself and a few others had a mishap on their qualifying night. Hats off to Barry and Tyler for working their butts off yesterday and last night. I am really happy I can make this A main for the team.”

Stewart and his team have struggled this season, but Knoxville Raceway is a place the Oklahoma driver has excelled during his career. He has seven top-five finishes in the Knoxville Nationals and he’s won the 360 Nationals five times.

“I have a lot of emotions. The 5 car hasn’t had the best season,” Stewart said. “There were big expectations going into this race. I have had a lot of success here and Barry has over the last several years, too, with different drivers. The plan is always to try to shoot for the front row. We felt like we jumped over the first hurdle of having quick time.”

But that’s when things got ugly and Stewart wrecked on the first lap of his heat race Thursday night.

“My wreck, honestly, it happened so quickly. There was a little greasy moisture before you got to the cushion,” he explained. “I thought the cushion was going to hold me and it didn’t. So I thought, ‘OK, if I get on the brakes I’m going to wreck no matter what, so maybe I can power through it and get back out of the cushion.’

“It is a lot of high emotions for this race,” Stewart added. “The amount of effort that goes into it is hard to explain. Fortunate and happy to be in this situation. My guys worked hard to get another car put together for today. We were completely out of gas coming under the checkered flag. We were very fortunate and happy that the CJB car is in the show.”

Stewart hopes Friday night was the turning point for his team.

“I hope it turns it around for us. This team deserves to run better than we have all year,” he said. “Some things happened this year that you start second guessing everything. We have all the key ingredients to make a good cookie, but we haven’t been making a good cookie. That’s been the frustrating part.

“Everything is there. It is up to Barry and I to keep working,” Stewart continued. “He has struggled getting me comfortable in the race car. It is pretty obvious that car has been fast the last few years and we had high expectations going into the year. We started the year strong and we kind of hit a wall and haven’t been able to get out of it.”

The CJB Motorsports team brought in Tanner Thorson to drive a second car this week and Stewart acknowledged he’s been lacking confidence.

“A lot of it is confidence. Sometimes like last night, you set quick time and you are nervous about the heat because I haven’t felt that great here since we unloaded on Sunday, and you are trying hard,” he said. “Every driver is on the edge. The start of my heat race wasn’t very good and then when you crash, none of it makes any sense. I don’t think I ever crashed at the Knoxville Nationals.

“You start second guessing things and a lot of it is getting your confidence back and knowing you can do your job the right way. Hopefully, this is a turning time for our team because they deserve it.”

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Francis Stars In Mid-Ohio Trans-Am Action

Published in Racing
Saturday, 10 August 2019 10:23

LEXINGTON, Ohio – The FirstEnergy Mid-Ohio 100, featuring the Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Trans-Am, SuperGT and GT classes, saw a dogfight at the front of the field for the entire 43-lap race Saturday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

In the end Ernie Francis Jr. managed to keep Chris Dyson in his rear-view mirror to capture his second victory of the season. In the SGT class, Mark Boden took the green flag from pole and never looked back, opening a lead of more than 23 seconds over second place Ken Thwaits before the race-ending yellow came out.

Twenty-one entries took the green flag in the TA/SGT/GT event, held in conjunction with the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Mid-Ohio. The first race on the Saturday card, the teams dealt with dramatically different weather circumstances than they had earlier in the weekend, with cloudy and cool conditions for the early-morning event. The field included a late entry – sports car legend Boris Said, making his season debut in the No. 2 SRI Performance Dodge Challenger that had arrived at Mid-Ohio late Friday.

Pole sitter Francis started his No. 98 Frameless Shower Doors Ford Mustang in the TA and overall pole position, looking to repeat his Mid-Ohio win of 2018. But Chris Dyson, winner of two straight TA class races and driving the retro-liveried No. 20 Thetford/Norcold Ford Mustang, would not allow Francis a moment of comfort on the tight, twisty and technical 13-turn, 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio circuit.

The duo fought hard throughout the race, with Francis able to post a three-second lead early, but Dyson came back mid-race with a succession of quick race laps as the pair separated from the rest of the field. Doug Peterson – pulling double duty this weekend in both TA and his regular TA2 drive – tried valiantly to stay in the fight but headed for pit lane on Lap 10 with a mechanical issue, handing third position to Adam Andretti.

On Lap 39, the GT class entry of Larry Funk went wide out of turn nine and hard into the barrier in turn 10, leaving a significant debris field that could not be cleaned before the race end, with the checkered flag waving at the 65-minute mark. Ohio natives Amy Ruman and David Pintaric finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Said seemed poised for a charge through the field, climbing as high as fourth before mechanical issues placed him back in the field with a 13th place finish.

“I was pretty excited to see if we would get back to green flag racing,” said Francis. “It would have been an awesome shoot out to the end. (Chris) Dyson and I were very close in our lap times. The lapped traffic held us up at the end. We had a really great race and our Ford Mustang was awesome. I can’t thank everyone at Breathless enough, we were fasted in just about every session. The car was flawless all weekend, I’m happy about this win and it’s good for us in the points. I can’t wait to take it to Road America.”

“We had a bit of too much understeer, so I was a little too conservative, “said Dyson. “I thought I was going to give Ernie a good run there to the end since we were back and forth all weekend. We were so close and I think that is how this championship is shaping up. We will be neck and neck the entire time. We had a great car and we were quick all weekend. We can’t wait to get to Road America now.”

Meanwhile, the SGT race was a tale of dominance by Mark Boden in the No. 46 Beverage Flavors International Porsche 991 GT3 Cup, who held a sizable lead over Ken Thwaits. Neither Thwaits nor Tim Kezman could post a charge at Boden, who captured his second win of the season.

“The car was absolutely on rails today,” said Boden. “The conditions to start the race were perfect. There are a few tricks to this place when the track is right. You have to focus on what you are doing and not what is going on behind. I love racing here – it’s one of my favorite tracks. The car was perfect to push as hard as I could to come home with championship points.”

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