RIYADH: France’s Stephane Peterhansel, a record 14-time winner of the Dakar Rally, crashed out of the 2023 edition on Friday as Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah won the sixth stage in his Toyota.
The 57-year-old Peterhansel, whose nickname is ‘Mr Dakar’ after eight car victories and six on a motorbike, “had an accident after 212km of the day’s special,” organizers said.
“His co-pilot Edouard Boulanger has been injured by the impact leaving him with pain in the back. He has been evacuated by the Dakar medical team to the hospital in Buraydah to undergo further examinations.”
Peterhansel told AFP that he did not remember the car landing such was the violence of the accident, suggesting that Boulanger had taken hold of the steering wheel before their car came to a halt.
Peterhansel’s Audi team-mate Carlos Sainz, a three-time former Dakar car winner, also suffered an accident at the same place.
Sainz and his co-pilot were unharmed, according to organizers, but any hopes of victory were washed away after hours spent trying to fix their Audi in the middle of the desert.
In the absence of Peterhansel and in light of Sainz’s problems, Al-Attiyah made no mistake in notching up his third stage victory despite mechanical problems of his own.
The defending champion won the stage 3min 29sec ahead of nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb (Prodrive), with South African Henk Lategan (Toyota) 8:52 adrift.
Lategan moves into second in the overall standings, 1hr 06min behind Al-Attiyah, with Brazilian Lucas Moraes (Overdrive) in third, a further 7min off the pace.
“It was a very tough stage, not easy,” said Al-Attiyah. “We really pushed a lot but for the last 40km we broke the steering pump, so we didn’t have any steering.
“We had a lot of oil coming out, but we’ll try to repair it now and then we’ll go to Riyadh.”
Loeb now stands sixth, 1hr 57min off the Qatari, but was left satisfied with his stage podium.
“It was a clean stage for us,” the Frenchman said. “We lost a little bit of time on some way points, but not too much, just like two or three minutes.
“When you see what happened on the stage, I think in the end that we did a good stage, with second time overall. It was better than the previous ones and I think we’ve made a good step in the general rankings, so that’s not too bad.”
Luciano Benavides won the sixth stage of the motorbike section to make it seven different winners for seven days of racing.
The Argentinian Husqvarna rider beat teammate Skyler Howes home by 0.56sec, with Red Bull KTM’s Toby Price in third, at 2:28.
The result saw Howes increase his lead over his direct pursuers, whose positions have not changed on the provisional podium. Price now trails by 3:31, with Benavides 7:01 behind.
It was announced that Saturday’s motor-cycling stage will be canceled after heavy, cold rain caused delays Friday.
“In view of the very late return of very tired bikers, and due to the rain, the event is canceled in this category,” said race boss David Castera.
Saturday’s stage will be a truncated affair for the car competitors, raced over 288km toward Al Duwadimi.
Dakar legend Peterhansel crashes out, Al-Attiyah wins stage six — weather hits Saturday’s stage
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Dakar legend Peterhansel crashes out, Al-Attiyah wins stage six — weather hits Saturday’s stage
- It was announced that Saturday’s motor-cycling stage will be canceled after heavy, cold rain caused delays Friday
Day three of Saudi Smash table tennis event serves up shocks, surprises
- Drama unfolded in the women’s and men’s singles
JEDDAH: Day three of the Saudi Smash tournament served up shocks and surprises as some of the pre-tournament favourites were eliminated.
In the women’s singles, Manika Batra ended Wang Manyu’s quest for successive Grand Smash titles.
A ranked outsider ahead of Saudi Smash, India’s Batra overcame the Chinese world number 2 and Singapore Smash 2024 champion in convincing fashion, sealing a last 16 place with a 3-1 victory – the tournament’s biggest upset so far.
Reflecting on her giant-killing win inside the Infinity Arena, Batra said: “I’m delighted with the win against Wang – this is a great moment for me. I’ve lost twice previously against her, but I was well-prepared, gave 100% and played at my highest level.
She continued: “For me, I’m enjoying the Saudi Smash and this is key. Enjoyment is helping me to embrace the atmosphere and win. I’m taking it one match at a time, but today was a great win and I’m happy to be in the next round.”
More drama unfolded shortly after in the Men’s Singles Round of 64 – as Jonathan Groth beat world number 6 Lin Gaoyuan.
The Danish star sealed his best-ever win on the World Table Tennis tour with a 3-1 win against China’s two-time World Team Championship gold medallist.
“I’m really happy to have won,” the world number 27 said after his match.
“Lin Gaoyuan played some of the best table tennis at the ITTF World Cup just a few weeks ago and maybe should have won the title, so I’m thrilled to play him and win when he’s in top shape.
“I’m happy with how I handled the crucial moments out there against a great player. I enjoyed myself today, I prepared well, and now I’m looking forward to the last 16 where another top players awaits.”
Suryakumar hits ton as Mumbai dent Hyderabad’s play-off push
- Chasing 174 for victory, Mumbai slipped to 31-3 before Suryakumar Yadav put on an unbeaten stand of 143 with Tilak Varma to achieve the target
- Hyderabad, led by Pat Cummins, stay fourth in the table but their fifth loss and a big one could hurt their play-off chances
MUMBAI: Suryakumar Yadav hit an unbeaten 102 to lead Mumbai Indians to a crushing seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday as teams jostle for a play-off berth in the IPL.
Chasing 174 for victory, Mumbai slipped to 31-3 before Suryakumar put on an unbeaten stand of 143 with Tilak Varma to achieve the target with 16 balls to spare at their home Wankhede Stadium.
Suryakumar hit the winning six, which also raised his second IPL ton in 51 balls and comes as a welcome sign for India ahead of the T20 World Cup in June in the West Indies and the United States.
However the win for five-time winners Mumbai, placed ninth in the 10-team table, could be late in a tournament fast moving toward its business end.
Hyderabad, led by Pat Cummins, stay fourth in the table but their fifth loss and a big one could hurt their play-off chances.
Hyderabad need to win two of their remaining three matches to make the play-offs as they remain locked at 12 points with third-placed Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants at fifth.
The top four teams will make the play-offs with the final on May 26 in Chennai.
Former champions Hyderabad posted 173-8 courtesy of Travis Head’s 48 and an unbeaten 17-ball 35 by lower-order batter Cummins after being invited to bat first.
The left-handed Head gave the team a brisk start with his 30-ball knock before his departure in the 11th over and Hyderabad lost their way with regular wickets.
Skipper Hardik Pandya spinner Piyush Chawla took three wickets each to rattle the opposition middle and lower-order as Hyderabad slipped to 136-8 in 17 overs.
But number nine Cummins had other ideas as the Australian Test and ODI captain hit back in the final three overs and put on an unbeaten stand of 37 off 19 balls with Sanvir Singh.
The batting effort inspired the team and fast bowlers came roaring to reduce Mumbai to 31-3 including the key wicket of Rohit Sharma, out caught behind for four off Cummins.
Suryakumar soon took charge with his attacking batting as he raised his 50 in 30 balls and hammered the opposition bowling with 12 fours and six sixes.
The left-handed Varma made 37 and enjoyed Suryakumar’s blitz from the other end.
FIA President Ben Sulayem welcomes Trump to Miami Grand Prix
- The former US president witnessed maiden Formula 1 win for McLaren’s Lando Norris
MIAMI: Former US president Donald Trump was welcomed to the Miami Grand Prix by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, where he saw McLaren’s Lando Norris notch up his first Formula 1 victory.
Sunday’s race saw British driver Norris take the checkered flag from three-time world champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull Racing car. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came third.
Trump, along with a number of famous athletes and other celebrities, delighted the audience by engaging with fans and attendees. He was also invited behind the scenes to tour the McLaren pit garage accompanied by the team’s CEO, American Zak Brown.
A spokesman for the Miami Grand Prix said the race weekend had sold out, with more than 275,000 fans in attendance to witness the high-octane atmosphere and exciting result.
Sandhagen to face Nurmagomedov at UFC fight night in Abu Dhabi
- The event will take place at the Etihad Arena on Aug 3
ABU DHABI: UFC has announced that its return to Abu Dhabi will see No. 2 ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen face No. 9 ranked Umar Nurmagomedov on Saturday, Aug. 3 at Etihad Arena.
Tickets for the event, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi go on sale from on Tuesday, May 7
Sandhagen, with a record of 17-4 and fighting out of Aurora, Colorado, returns to the UAE capital to cement his status as top contender in the bantamweight division. The Colorado native boasts wins over Rob Font, Chito Vera, and soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar. He now hopes for a convincing win over rising star Nurmagomedov to make his case for a title shot.
Nurmagomedov, 17-0, fighting out of Chelyabinsk, Russia, looks to put the division on notice by taking out a top-ranked opponent and making his first Octagon appearance in Abu Dhabi. He made his mark in the division after delivering dominant performances over Raoni Barcelos, Brian Kelleher and Sergey Morozov.
Now, he sets his sights on securing the biggest win of his career by getting his hand raised against Sandhagen.
Al-Itttihad fined $37,000 for King’s Cup misconduct
- The reigning Saudi Pro League champions lost 2-1 to Al-Hilal last week in the semifinals of the Kingdom’s renowned competition
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad Football Club have been fined $37,000 (SR140,000) for misconduct by players and fans in its recent 2-1 defeat by Al-Hilal in the semi-final of the King’s Cup.
A statement issued by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s disciplinary and ethics committee said Abderrazak Hamdallah and Saad Al-Mousa were each fined around $5,300 for not fulfilling their post-match media duties.
The committee also imposed a fine of $27,000 on the Jeddah club after fans threw bottles at opposition players from the stands. Nobody was harmed as a result of the incidents.
The authorities stressed that the three decisions are not subject to appeal.
