Page 18 - aruba-today-20190112

A18 SPORTS
Saturday 12 January 2019

Loeb, Sunderland back in Dakar contention after stage wins

Associated Press er de Soultrait until Quinta-
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Se- nilla ran into trouble just four
bastien Loeb and former kilometers from the finish.
champion Sam Sunderland De Soultrait crossed first, fol-
came back into contention lowed by defending cham-
halfway through the Dakar pion Matthias Walkner, but
Rally by winning the fifth Sunderland was given the
stage on Friday. stage win when he was
Loeb drove the race’s credited for the 10 minutes
longest stage from Tacna he stopped to help Gon-
back north to Arequipa calves.
masterfully, pulling away “I didn’t have any refer-
about 200 kilometers into ence of how much time I
the 517-kilometer course was losing, so I was think-
to win it by 10 minutes from ing that my race was going
overall leader Nasser Al- downhill,” Sunderland said.
Attiyah. “I pushed a lot and finally it
“We pushed really hard was OK.
from the start to the end of “It’s been really tough, re-
the stage, with no mistakes, ally difficult. If the first five
no punctures, nothing. We days are anything to go by
had a perfect day,” said then, sure, there will be a
Loeb, the nine-time world lot more chaos to come.”
rally champion. Toby Price of Australia, second from right, sits on his KTM motorbike next to teammate Sam Ricky Brabec, a safe 11th
Al-Attiyah stretched his Sunderland of Great Britain, left, at the start of stage five of the Dakar Rally between Tacna and on the marathon stage,
overall lead to 24 minutes Arequipa, Peru, Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. Associated Press remained the overall lead-
over chief rival Stephane er, but was only a min-
Peterhansel, who had to cause fog made driving make up the time. Paulo Goncalves crashed ute ahead of Sunderland,
stop briefly about 40 kilo- hazardous. Just as the stage finished and reportedly suffered whose only completed Da-
meters from the finish. Loeb also won the second prematurely because of head and hand injuries. kar of his previous five was
Nani Roma was 34 minutes stage but during the third fog, the start was delayed Sunderland stopped to a title victory in 2017. That
back in third, Jakub Przy- on Wednesday he made by fog, and Sunderland help the Portuguese rider made him the first British
gonski was hanging in at 38 a navigation mistake in fog was slow to get going. He Goncalves, the runner-up champion.
minutes down, and Loeb and lost half an hour. After kept in touch with the lead- in 2015. “I don’t know if it’s a dream
was 40 minutes behind. the rest day on Saturday, ers until about halfway Meanwhile, the motorbike or if it’s reality,” Brabec said
The stage was eventually there’s still plenty of racing through the 345-kilome- lead swapped between of being the leader. “It’s
cut 100 kilometers short be- in the Peruvian desert to ter motorbike stage when Pablo Quintanilla and Xavi- pretty wild.”q

Murray British Legacy

Continued from Page 17 phenomenon in Britain. He
won Olympic gold a month
In July 2012 — before he later — fittingly on the same
won any of his three Grand Wimbledon lawns — and
Slam titles, his two Olympic his first Grand Slam title at
medals, or led Britain to its the U.S. Open soon after.
first Davis Cup in 79 years — The following year, he be-
an emotional Murray broke came the first British man
down in an on-court inter- to win the Wimbledon title
view following his four-set since Fred Perry in 1936. In
loss to Roger Federer in the 2015, he inspired Britain to
Wimbledon final. the Davis Cup title. By the
Inadvertently, it might have time he had won Wimble-
boosted his public standing don and the Olympic sin-
more than winning the title. gles title again in 2016, he
In an instant, Murray was was firmly in the conversa-
humanized. His emotions tion about Britain’s greatest
laid bare, it felt like he was sports star and the public
finally accepted by the was enamored.
whole country, not just ten- He was honored with a In this Aug. 5, 2012 file photo, gold medalist Andy Murray waves the British flag during the medal
nis fans who had long ap- knighthood by Queen Eliz- ceremony for the men’s singles tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
preciated his undoubted abeth II in 2017, the same Associated Press
talent since turning pro in year he rose to No. 1 in the ment, while social media you know,” read a tweet time.
2005. rankings for the first time. was awash with praise and from Wimbledon’s official While Murray was widely
Murray’s popularity soared It was no surprise, there- discussion about his impact account, above a picture hailed as the epitome of
and perhaps it was no co- fore, that Murray led the on tennis and sports in gen- of Murray clutching his hard work and determina-
incidence that, from that news bulletins Friday morn- eral. face the moment he won tion, his work in champion-
turning point, he became ing as Brits woke up to the “Whatever happens next, the singles title at the All ing equality in tennis was
something of a sporting news about his likely retire- you’ve done more than England Club for the first also highlighted. q