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Review 2019: added string to German bow

Published in Table Tennis
Saturday, 28 December 2019 09:06

Team events provide the evidence; the 2019 ITTF World Tour supports the evidence.

All three qualified for the men’s singles event at the end of year Agricultural Bank of China 2019 Grand Finals; alongside Sweden’s Mattias Falck, they were Europe’s only representatives.

Alas, at the Grand Finals all three disappeared from view in the opening round. Timo Boll when facing China’s Fan Zhendong; Dimitrij Ovtcharov in opposition to the latter’s colleague, Lin Gaoyuan. Meanwhile, for Patrick Franziska his nemesis was Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto.

Somewhat similarly at the Chengdu Airlines 2019 World Team Cup, the previous month, both Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov departed at the quarter-final stage against most worthy host nation adversaries; Timo Boll again to Fan Zhendong, Dimitrij Ovtcharov when facing Ma Long.

Ruled in Europe

However, in European competitions the German men ruled, in February, after beating Timo Boll in the penultimate round, Dimitrij Ovtcharov overcame Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus to secure the CCB 2019 Europe Top 16 title; later in the year Timo Boll struck men’s singles gold at the European Games.

Win or lose, worthy performances; arguably the one occasion when the trio did not come to the party was the 3-1 quarter-final defeat in November at the Zen-Noh 2019 Team World Cup in Tokyo. No Jun Mizutani present for Japan, facing Tomokazu Harimoto, Koki Niwa and Maharu Yoshimura, the outcome was somewhat of a surprise.

Overall picture

However, looking at the overall picture, it was a more than satisfactory year. On the ITTF World, they had a record that surpassed all fellow Europeans. Timo Boll was a semi-finalist in the Czech Republic and Austria, Patrick Franziska the same in Australia; Dimitrij Ovtcharov, the runner up in the Czech Republic.

The only other European players to reach a men’s singles ITTF World Tour semi-final in 2019 were Mattias Falck in Qatar; Portugal’s Marcos Freitas in the Czech Republic.

Vanguard of success

Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov very much at the vanguard; it has been the same now for well over a decade.

Ever since 2007, winning the men’s team title at the European Championships in Belgrade for the first time ever, at the now biennial tournament, Germany has been the potent force; they have experienced defeats but only when either or both Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov have been ill or unfit.

The question has been who will complete the team? Bastian Steger, ahead of Patrick Baum gained the nod more often than not. He was on duty at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games; however, since those days Patrick Franziska, the reserve in the Brazilian city, has come to the fore.

Immediately prior to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, he stood at no.51 on the men’s world rankings; when the listings for this December were announced he had transposed the digits. He was named in the no.15 spot.

Extra ingredient

Arguably, more than any other player, who has completed the line-up, he adds an extra ingredient; results would suggest he is becoming a doubles expert. He is the latest partner for Timo Boll.

Joining forces with Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth and later Christian Süss, Timo Boll enoyed great success, with both he became European champion; it is a feat Patrick Franziska has also achieved but not with Timo Boll! In 2016 he partnered another left hander, Denmark’s Jonathan Groth to gold in Budapest.

Doubles success

Now in 2019, alongside Timo Boll, on the ITTF World Tour, the duo reached the semi-finals in Austria, they were the runners up in Qatar, the winners in China. Significantly in China in the final, they beat the host nation’s Ma Long and Wang Chuqin, crowned world champions in Budapest just over one month earlier; moreover they won in three straight games (11-8, 11-7, 11-5).

Equally, Patrick Franziska proved himself with another left hander; at the European Games, he partnered colleague Petrissa Solja to mixed doubles gold and thus booked a place in the Olympic Games.

Proved himself again

Always, ever since 2004 in Beijing when the men’s team event made its Olympic Games debut, Germany has secured a medal, silver followed by bronze in London and Rio de Janeiro; in Tokyo can they maintain the record?

Could Patrick Franziska be the player to make the difference?

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Pro14: Edinburgh 29-19 Glasgow Warriors

Published in Rugby
Saturday, 28 December 2019 09:02

Edinburgh moved top of Pro14 Conference B and kept alive hopes of a third-straight 1872 Cup with a bonus-point win over 14-man Glasgow at Murrayfield.

Darcy Graham went over early for the hosts aiming to avenge last week's 20-16 Scotstoun defeat with Huw Jones and the boot of Adam Hastings levelling at the break.

Tries from Scott Cummings and George Horne put the visitors ahead twice, but a Henry Pyrgos score, a penalty try and a second Graham touch-down sealed the victory.

It was not all good news for Richard Cockerill's men, though, who lost captain Stuart McInally in the first half to injury.

For Warriors, who played out the final minutes with a man down due to Jonny Gray's sin-binning, it leaves them in fourth in Conference A, two points behind Cheetahs, who now have two games in hand.

From early blunders to blinding brilliance

Last week's meeting of these sides took more than an hour to raise itself above a mistake-ridden, defence-dominated mundanity, but it was a whole lot more satisfying a whole lot earlier at Murrayfield.

It wasn't without its blunders - Glasgow lost three line-outs in the first quarter and Edinburgh kicked out on the full three times in the first half - but when it was good, it was very good. The longer it went on, the more open it got, the more brilliant it became. Edinburgh's bench made a big difference. The home team powered their way through the decisive minutes at the end.

The class came early. Not least when Edinburgh opened the scoring with a high-class try from Graham. The hard-running Duhan van der Merwe started it all with a thunderous break from his own half that had Glasgow scrambling. For a second it looked like Edinburgh were going to undo their good work when Ben Toolis threw a ropey pass as the home team were trying to make more inroads, but when they regathered and came roaring from left to right they had a handy man in possession.

Bill Mata was out near the right touchline when he got it, with one Glasgow defender on his case and another, Ruaridh Jackson, in his way. No bother to the Fijian. He slipped his pass out the side door to Graham, taking Jackson out of the equation and putting Graham free to run to the line. Gorgeous.

Simon Hickey's conversion made it 7-0, but the advantage didn't stand for long. Glasgow experienced significant problems out of touch last week and went through some of the same problems here, but despite losing a third throw, picked off by Toolis, they scored a minute later.

If Edinburgh's try was all about pace and dexterity, Glasgow's response was about patience and accuracy, the visitors sucking in the Edinburgh defence through a series of carries and then striking when the overlap was on, Jones going into the space and stepping his way over. The centre's return to form in recent weeks will come as a major boost not just for Dave Rennie but Scotland coach Gregor Townsend, too.

Hastings, having missed a kickable penalty earlier on, made no mistake with the conversion. Hickey's boot put Edinburgh back in front early in the new half, a prelude to the thrill-fest that followed.

Glasgow took the lead when passing up three easy points and instead of taking a gamble on a kick to touch from a close-range penalty conceded by Jamie Ritchie and a no-arms tackle. Great call by Glasgow, as it turned out. They kept hold of it, worked Edinburgh backwards and forwards and then Cummings pile-driving between Pierre Schoeman and Grant Gilchrist to score. Hastings' extras made it 14-10 to Glasgow.

Again, the lead didn't survive. Matt Scott came off the bench and had a massive influence. His clever line and searing break had Murrayfield on its feet, the centre darting for the posts with three Glasgow giving chase and another, Jackson, moving in from Scott's left.

Scott ate up the ground, his target being the left-hand pad on Glasgow's posts. There was a ferocious collision as the try loomed. Bodies piled up, Scott reached out and Murrayfield thought the score was good. Jackson, though, had timed his intervention brilliantly, sticking his arm between pad and ball and denying Scott his moment.

Glasgow didn't survive, though. Edinburgh's scrum pressure told. They piled it on, launched Mata who found Pyrgos. With Hickey's conversion, Edinburgh were ahead 17-14.

Just as before, the lead was wiped out in rapid order when Glasgow moved downfield ominously, working the field position from where Horne squirreled his way over. Horne is a try-scoring machine and at 19-17 to Glasgow with 14 minutes left to play you wondered how Edinburgh would respond.

The answer was emphatic. With eight minutes left their forward pressure proved too much for Glasgow again, a devastating maul being dropped illegally as he swept inexorably to the try-line. A penalty try was given and Edinburgh were back in front at 24-19. What was worse for Glasgow, Gray was identified as the culprit and he was binned.

Edinburgh were ruthless from there. The try that sealed the win, and the bonus point, was a peach. Nick Grigg coughed it up in midfield and Edinburgh's work from there was exceptional. Van der Merwe picked up the loose ball and was razor sharp in identifying where the opportunity lay. They screamed down the right side, Graham being found by Mark Bennett, the wing then sprinting like a demon down his wing and all the way to the line. A superb score to finish a hugely absorbing game.

Glasgow Warriors: Jackson; Tagive, Jones, Johnson, Van der Merwe; Hastings, Price; Kebble, Brown, Z Fagerson, Cummings, Gray, Harley, Gibbins (capt), Wilson.

Replacements: Turner, Seiuli, Nicol, Ashe, Gordon, Horne, Grigg, Matawalu.

Edinburgh: Kinghorn; Graham, Bennett, Taylor, Van der Merwe; Hickey, Groom; Schoeman, McInally (capt), Nel, Toolis, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Watson, Mata.

Replacements: Willemse, Bhatti, Berghan, Carmichael, Bradbury, Pyrgos, Van der Walt, Scott.

Riverhead To Award Ted Christopher Cup

Published in Racing
Saturday, 28 December 2019 08:20

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – Riverhead Raceway owners Eddie and Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz have announced a four-race series for the NASCAR Modifieds that will encompass the extra distance races scheduled for the upcoming season, now known as the Crown Jewel Modified events.

In addition to the weekly NASCAR track championship points, the series will carry a separate set of points awarding the top driver the Ted Christopher Cup. Christopher, one of the most successful drivers to ever strap into an open-wheel modified, died in an airplane crash while flying to Riverhead Raceway for a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race on Sept. 16, 2017 at 59.

The four race Crown Jewel modified series is the concept of Riverhead Raceway Race Director Scott Tapley, who along with track General Manager John Ellwood, put the final touches on the series.

The chase for the Ted Christopher Cup will start with the biggest race of the season at Riverhead on May 30, the Islip 300, a race that pays the winner $7,000. The second race will unfold on July 4 during the 70th Year Celebration with the NASCAR Modifieds set to do battle in a 70-lap tilt.

Race three takes place during the annual Baldwin, Evans & Jarzombek 77 July 25, with the four-race series set to conclude Aug. 29 during the NASCAR 100.

During the victory lane celebration at the conclusion of the NASCAR 100, the Ted Christopher Cup will be presented to the champion of the series.

Track management additionally disclosed the Ted Christopher Cup will be a perpetual award, much like the Big Brothers & Big Sisters Drivers Cup that is presented annually to the track’s NASCAR Modified champion.

Ellwood noted the rules package for the series that Chief Technical Director Randy Murray will be implementing are the same that have been used during the annual Islip 300. That allows teams who run Modified Racing Series, Race of Champions or Tri-Track Modified Series to run their series rules while competing in the Crown Jewel modified events at Riverhead and chasing the Ted Christopher Cup at Riverhead Raceway.

All teams will be required to run Hoosier Racing Tires. The starting field for all four races will be set via time trials, with no invert or redraw in play.

Sabres' Skinner suffers injury, out 3-4 weeks

Published in Hockey
Saturday, 28 December 2019 08:43

Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner is out three to four weeks with an upper-body injury, the team announced Saturday.

Skinner, 27, did not return to Friday's game following a collision in which he led with his right shoulder while attempting to check Bruins' David Pastrnak with 15:51 remaining in the third period. The two-time All-Star selection, who was playing in his 700th career game, was slow to get up and immediately left the ice for the locker room.

The 10-year veteran is fifth on the team in scoring with 11 goals and eight assists. He had a career-high 40 goals last season, which led to an eight-year, $72 million deal with the Sabres.

"Yeah, it's tough," teammate Jack Eichel told reporters after the Sabres' 3-0 loss. "You never want to see anyone go down. Obviously, Skins is a big part of our team, so you don't want to see him go down. Hopefully he's all right."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LIVE: Spurs travel to Norwich eyeing top four

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 28 December 2019 08:44

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Last year, India completed a historic 2-1 triumph in Australia, their first-ever Test series victory in the country. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly believes India will face an even bigger challenge when they go back down under in 2020-21 for a four-Test series against a "full-strength" Australia side.

Back in 2018-19, the hosts were without two key batsmen in Steven Smith and David Warner, who were serving year-long bans for their role in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. With both Smith and Warner back in action, a "different Australia", according to Ganguly, awaits India next year.

Following the end of the 2019-21 World Test Championship cycle, India are also set to tour England (2021) and South Africa (2021-22). Ganguly wants India to win Test series on those tours as well.

"They beat Australia in 2018. But I will still expect to win in South Africa and England," Ganguly told India Today. "And I think, they are going back to Australia next year. That's going to be a bigger challenge and I am sure with the standards that Virat [Kohli] sets for himself and the others, he will know at the back of his mind that the 2018 Australia team was not the best Australian team of this generation. And what he is going to face next year, which is not very far away, is going to be a different Australia."

The enormity of the challenge notwithstanding, Ganguly was confident Indian have the ability to beat Australia in their backyard once more.

"The full-strength Australia are a strong Australia," Ganguly said. "They (India) have the team to beat them. They will just have to believe and get everything right to beat them. That's what I am looking for.

"When I became a captain, one of our aims was to compete with the best. And I remember, 2003 in Australia against that Australia, we were outstanding. And this team has the potential to do it. They have proper fast bowlers, they have spinners, they have a champion in Virat Kohli as a batsman."

As for the shorter formats, Ganguly said he would discuss with Kohli, head coach Ravi Shastri, and the other players, the potential causes - mental or otherwise - for India's defeats in crunch matches of world tournaments in the recent past. Under Kohli, India's defeat to Pakistan in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy was bookended by eliminations in the semi-finals of the 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2019 ODI World Cup.

"As I said, it's a very strong team. But then you have to get past the semi-final," Ganguly said. "Like in this World Cup, they played so well but lost to New Zealand one day. This is something that they will have to address. At some stage, we will speak to Virat, Ravi and then the players. You need to find a way to get past that hurdle in the big game. Whether it's a mental hurdle or whatever, they will do that. I still expect them to win in England and South Africa in Test matches, which they need to do to be a good side."

Ganguly rated Kohli's leadership skills highly, but wasn't willing to compare him with past India captains.

"Very good (Kohli's captaincy is)," Ganguly said. "But I don't think you can judge captains because the teams were different, the strengths were different. I don't think you can compare captains of any era with the captains of other eras. He is a fantastic cricketer, a fantastic person. Yes, he may make mistakes, he may say something, everybody does.

"I believe, as a human being, you carry what you do off the field to the field. He is a very solid person off the field. A lot of things rest on his shoulders in India.

"When India travel to Australia, it won't be easy. It will not be as easy as in 2018. I don't know whether I will still be board president then but I will be looking forward to Virat beating this Australian team in 2020 when they get there after the T20 World Cup."

Somerset confirm move for Vernon Philander on Kolpak deal

Published in Cricket
Saturday, 28 December 2019 08:29

Somerset have confirmed that they have agreed personal terms with South Africa seamer Vernon Philander ahead of his signing as a Kolpak player, although the club do not expect to complete the signing until the new year.

It had been widely reported that Philander would move to the county following news of his international retirement at the end of the ongoing Test series against England, and the seamer mentioned in a post-match press conference on Friday that he was on the cusp of joining on a "year-by-year basis".

Somerset confirmed in a club statement that they are on the verge of signing Philander, and that they will be "working through all of the necessary processes with the ECB in order to be able to register him as a Kolpak player" following this series. "The official paperwork required to complete the deal is being finalised with the ECB," the club said. "[We are] working towards the full procedure being completed successfully in the New Year."

ALSO READ: The stats stack up as Philander approaches his endgame

Philander played five games for Somerset as an overseas player back in 2012, taking 23 wickets at 21.43.

It remains unclear what will happen to players on Kolpak registrations after the UK leaves the European Union, but it is highly likely that counties will be unable to register new players via that loophole after January 31, 2020. Kolpak players will continue to be eligible to play as local players throughout next season, but may only be available as overseas players thereafter - though the ECB is understood to be considering allowing teams to field two overseas players, rather than one, in the County Championship to compensate.

Andy Hurry, Somerset's director of cricket, said: "Vernon is undoubtedly a genuinely world-class performer and we are delighted to have agreed terms with such a talented player. When the possibility of signing him presented itself, and considering the challenges that we feel lie ahead of us with regards to achieving our aspirations, we felt that it was too good an opportunity to miss.

"To put it simply, he is one of the very best bowlers in the game and he would add quality to any team in the world. His experience and knowledge of the game will also be of huge benefit to our bowling group, especially the young players looking to break in to the first XI."

The signing of Philander may seem to block first-team opportunities for some of Somerset's seamers, with Lewis Gregory, Craig and Jamie Overton, Josh Davey and Jack Brooks already competing for places in the Championship side. But Hurry suggested that with the several bowlers - including spinners Jack Leach and Dom Bess - in international reckoning, another signing was needed to ensure the squad was deep enough to compete on three fronts.

"When we consider the development that a number of our senior bowlers have made in recent years, and the number of those bowlers who are now playing international cricket or on the cusp of playing international cricket, it is vital for us as a club to ensure that we have the quality and depth in our squad to fulfill our aims of winning silverware in all three formats," he said.

"The addition of Vernon to our bowling unit will enable us to continue to manage the workloads of all of our quality seamers through the demands of a full and demanding season even more effectively."

Philander said: "I'm really pleased to have agreed personal terms with Somerset. It's a great club and I really enjoyed my time there a few years ago.

"I know that they won the 50-over cup last year and came close in the Championship and hopefully I'll be able to help them to another successful year in 2020. Right now, I am 100% focused on the series against England and then my focus will turn to my next chapter."

Sources: Jaguars plan to dismiss Marrone

Published in Breaking News
Saturday, 28 December 2019 09:41

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars will dismiss head coach Doug Marrone after Sunday's regular-season finale, sources told ESPN's Dianna Russini on Saturday.

"Reports that Doug Marrone will be dismissed after Sunday's game are 100 percent incorrect," a spokesman for Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement. "Owner Shad Khan will meet with his football staff, which includes coaching and personnel, midweek next week."

A coaching change would come on the heels of Khan ousting Tom Coughlin, the team's executive vice president of football operations, on Dec. 18.

Marrone has a 21-28 record in his two-plus seasons with the Jaguars, which includes a 10-21 mark since winning the AFC South with a 10-6 record in 2017 and an appearance in the AFC title game. The Jaguars are 5-10 heading into Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts.

This has been an eventful season for Marrone and the Jaguars. The team signed quarterback Nick Foles to a four-year, $88 million contract with a franchise-record $50.125 million guaranteed in March and had defensive end Josh Allen fall to them at No. 7 in the draft.

However, linebacker Telvin Smith, the team's leading tackler last season and a player who had compiled more solo tackles (441) than anyone else in the league the past five seasons, announced in May that he was taking the 2019 season off for personal reasons.

Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue held out the first 11 days of training camp before reporting without a new contract. Foles lasted just 11 snaps before suffering a broken collarbone while throwing a touchdown pass to DJ Chark in the season opener.

Foles returned as the starter in Week 11 against Indianapolis, but the supposed franchise quarterback was benched by Marrone just 10 quarters after his return from a broken collarbone.

Rookie sixth-round quarterback Gardner Minshew turned into a pleasant surprise and was able to go 4-4 as the starter until Foles' return in November. He then again took over after Foles was benched and has gone 1-2 as the starter heading into Sunday's game.

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey got into a sideline spat with Marrone in a Week 2 loss at Houston, was privately chastised by management after the game, and demanded a trade. Ramsey played the following week against Tennessee but missed the team's next three games because of a back injury before GM Dave Caldwell traded him to the Los Angeles Rams for a first-round pick in 2020 and first- and fourth-round picks in 2021.

Marrone went 10-6 during his first season with the Jaguars in 2017, winning the franchise's first division title since 1999 as the Jaguars made their first playoff appearance since 2007. They beat Buffalo at home in an AFC wild-card game before upsetting Pittsburgh on the road in a divisional game to reach the AFC Championship Game in New England.

The had a 10-point lead against the Patriots with 10 minutes remaining, but quarterback Tom Brady led a pair of touchdown drives -- converting a third-and-18 on one drive -- and the Patriots won 24-20 to reach the Super Bowl.

Khan gave Marrone, Coughlin and Caldwell two-year contract extensions through 2021 after the 2017 season.

The Jaguars were the most disappointing team in the NFL in 2018. They finished 5-11, which included a seven-game losing streak and an embarrassing loss at Tennessee on national television in early December. The season fell apart because of a slew of injuries, poor play by quarterback Blake Bortles and a defense that didn't play at the elite level that it did in 2017.

Marrone was named the Jaguars' interim head coach on Dec. 18, 2016 after Khan fired Gus Bradley, who compiled a 14-48 record in nearly four seasons. Marrone, who had been the Jaguars' assistant head coach/offensive line coach since 2015, became the head coach less than a month later and hired Coughlin at the same time.

Marrone served as the Buffalo Bills' coach in 2013 and 2014, going 15-17 -- including Buffalo's first winning season in 10 years in 2014 (9-7) -- before opting out of his contract after an ownership change. He was hired as the Jaguars' offensive line coach and an assistant coach for offense before the 2015 season.

Marrone, 55, coached Syracuse to a 25-25 record from 2009 to 2012, which included a share of the Big East title in 2012. The Orange won two bowl games under Marrone, and their victory in the Pinstripe Bowl over Kansas State after the 2010 season was the program's first bowl victory since 2001. That also was the first time Syracuse had posted a winning season since 2001.

Merit rankings 2019 – International men

Published in Athletics
Saturday, 28 December 2019 09:28

Athlete form through the year has been assessed by an international panel of experts to create rankings based on merit

For the 21st year, Athletics International has collaborated with AW to produce an annual statistical review including world top 10 merit rankings.

The selection panel – consisting of Athletics International co-editors Peter Matthews and Mel Watman, with Stuart Mazdon (UK), Mirko Jalava (FIN), Alfons Juck (SVK), A Lennart Julin (SWE) and Ed Gordon (USA), plus Elliott Denman for walks – assessed the year’s records of the leading contenders and the ranking order was determined by consensus.

The criteria are the traditional ones of honours won, win-loss records and sequence of marks.

The World Championships were, of course, the major focus for most top athletes but as usual there were many other major events such as the continental championships and for the elite the Diamond League and World Challenge meetings.

Marks made indoors were not considered, nor were any athletes who were suspended for two years or longer during the year for drug-related offences.

Below we list the top three in each men’s event. The women’s international rankings are to follow, while UK merit rankings for men are here and women are here. The full top 10 lists for every event, including the details of athletes’ seasons and more in-depth explanations, appear in our December 19 end-of-year review special issue, which is available to buy and read digitally here or order in print here.

100m
1 Christian Coleman (USA)
2 Noah Lyles (USA)
3 Justin Gatlin (USA)

Coleman showed that, apart from Lyles who beat him in Shanghai, he was a class apart and he ranks top after two years at No.2.

200m
1 Noah Lyles (USA)
2 Andre De Grasse (CAN)
3 Michael Norman (USA)

Lyles ran six of the year’s 10 fastest times and lost just one of his six finals at 200m.

400m
1 Steven Gardiner (BAH)
2 Michael Norman (USA)
3 Fred Kerley (USA)

Gardiner raced sparingly but was unbeaten.

800m
1 Donavan Brazier (USA)
2 Nijel Amos (BOT)
3 Amel Tuka (BIH)

After Amos got injured Brazier was a clear No.1.

1500m
1 Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN)
2 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
3 Ronald Musagala (UGA)

Cheruiyot had a near perfect season with four Diamond League wins and the world title.

5000m
1 Selemon Barega (ETH)
2 Telahun Haile (ETH)
3 Yomif Kejelcha (ETH)

Barega had no wins, but after four seconds and all his five races under 13:05, he retains his top ranking.

10,000m
1 Joshua Cheptegei (UGA)
2 Yomif Kejelcha (ETH)
3 Rhonex Kipruto (KEN)

Cheptegei only had one race, but that was a convincing win at the Worlds in the year’s fastest time.

Marathon
1 Eliud Kipchoge (KEN)
2 Kenenisa Bekele (ETH)
3 Lelisa Desisa (ETH)

Although each had only one marathon, Kipchoge and Bekele were magnificent in winning two of the major races.

3000m steeplechase
1 Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR)
2 Getnet Wale (ETH)
3 Lemecha Girma (ETH)

El Bakkali takes top ranking from the teenage Ethiopian pair.

110m hurdles
1 Grant Holloway (USA)
2 Orlando Ortega (ESP)
3 Daniel Roberts (USA)

Top ranking was a split decision between Holloway and Ortega. The former won the world title and had much better times than Ortega.

400m hurdles
1 Karsten Warholm (NOR)
2 Rai Benjamin (USA)
3 Abderrahman Samba (QAT)

Warholm had a superb unbeaten season of seven finals with three European records and returns to the top ranking he had in 2017.

High jump
1 Mikhail Akimenko (RUS)
2 Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)
3 Ilya Ivanyuk (RUS)

Probably the most difficult event at which to choose the No.1 and there were votes for each of the top three.

Pole vault
1 Sam Kendricks (USA)
2 Armand Duplantis (SWE)
3 Piotr Lisek (POL)

The top three athletes all cleared 6.00m or higher twice and were well clear of the rest.

Long jump
1 Juan Miguel Echevarría (CUB)
2 Tajay Gayle (JAM)
3 Luvo Manyonga (RSA)

Echevarría had seven wins from nine events.

Triple jump
1 Christian Taylor (USA)
2 Will Claye (USA)
3 Pedro Pablo Pichardo (POR)

Taylor is top for the seventh time with nine wins and three second places.

Shot
1 Ryan Crouser (USA)
2 Tom Walsh (NZL)
3 Joe Kovacs (USA)

Standards were at the highest ever for this event with a terrific World Champs.

Discus
1 Daniel Ståhl (SWE)
2 Fedric Dacres (JAM)
3 Lukas Weisshaidinger (AUT)

Ståhl had 13 of the world’s best 17 performances.

Hammer
1 Pawel Fajdek (POL)
2 Wojciech Nowicki (POL)
3 Bence Halász (HUN)

Nowicki had the year’s best throw, but Fajdek had the next six top performances and won his fourth world title in fine style.

Javelin
1 Magnus Kirt (EST)
2 Johannes Vetter (GER)
3 Andreas Hofmann (GER)

Kirt is a pretty clear selection for first as was Vetter for second.

Decathlon
1 Niklas Kaul (GER)
2 Damian Warner (CAN)
3 Maicel Uibo (EST)

Kaul’s clear Worlds success overrode Warner’s much higher score at Götzis.

20km walk
1 Toshikazu Yamanishi (JPN)
2 Perseus Karlström (SWE)
3 Vasiliy Mizinov (RUS)

Yamanishi was obviously first, winning not only the Worlds but also the Asian title in the year’s fastest time.

50km walk
1 Yusuke Suzuki (JPN)
2 Masatora Kawano (JPN)
3 Satoshi Maruo (JPN)

Suzuki was a double winner and Kawano had two sub-3:40 times.

Pro14: Edinburgh v Glasgow Warriors

Published in Rugby
Friday, 27 December 2019 06:40

Scrum-half Ali Price starts for Glasgow Warriors in their second Pro14 1872 Cup derby against Edinburgh at Murrayfield.

Price, who scored in Glasgow's 20-16 first-leg win, replaces George Horne.

DTH van der Merwe and Ratu Tagive return on the wings as former Scotland back Tommy Seymour misses out injured while loose-head prop Oli Kebble also comes in to the starting XV.

Scotland forwards Jamie Ritchie and WP Nel return for Edinburgh alongside South African scrum-half Nic Groom.

Centre Matt Scott has recovered from injury to take a berth on the bench, but former Scotland captain John Barclay remains sidelined for Richard Cockerill's men.

Dave Rennie's Warriors are aiming for a first win in the capital since 2016 that would seal the trophy for the first time in three years, with the cup decided on a best-of-three basis, and the final derby of the season taking place in May.

Glasgow sit fourth in Pro14 Conference A, two points behind Cheetahs, who have a game in hand. They are seven and 19 points behind second-placed Ulster and table-topping Leinster respectively.

Edinburgh are fourth in a much tighter Conference B, one point shy of Connacht but only five adrift of leaders Munster.

As of Friday afternoon, almost 25,000 tickets had been sold, ensuring a record attendance for an 1872 Cup fixture.

Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill: "We've had a good review this week and the players have been able to get a bit of down time with their friends and families over the Christmas break.

"We'll have no problems with desire on Saturday. It's important for us. We're going to go full on and I'm sure Glasgow will come full on.

"These are no trials for the national team. These are full, we want the points, we want the bragging rights and we want to keep the 1872 Cup that we've won the last two years."

Glasgow Warriors head coach Dave Rennie: "Mentally the break has been good for the boys - it's a good chance for them to spend time with their family. They've trained well since coming back in and are in good shape.

"Hopefully half the crowd are in our colours tomorrow. It's a special atmosphere - BT Murrayfield is a magnificent ground.

"We know what to expect from Edinburgh, we just need to do what we did last week and be patient with ball in hand."

Glasgow Warriors: Jackson; Tagive, Jones, Johnson, Van der Merwe; Hastings, Price; Kebble, Brown, Z Fagerson, Cummings, Gray, Harley, Gibbins (capt), Wilson.

Replacements: Turner, Seiuli, Nicol, Ashe, Gordon, Horne, Grigg, Matawalu.

Edinburgh: Kinghorn; Graham, Bennett, Taylor, Van der Merwe; Hickey, Groom; Schoeman, McInally (capt), Nel, Toolis, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Watson, Mata.

Replacements: Willemse, Bhatti, Berghan, Carmichael, Bradbury, Pyrgos, Van der Walt, Scott.

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