Page 18 - aruba-today-20191005

A18 SPORTS
Saturday 5 OctOber 2019
A world record, and a win for the home team

By EDDIE PELLS best. And she's surpassed finish showed Kipruto had
AP National Writer that." How close did Mu- crossed in 8 minutes, 1.35
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The hammad come to missing seconds. That was one-
message American hurdler out on this? Shortly after hundredth of a second
Dalilah Muhammad kept graduating from South- faster than Grima.
telling herself when her ca- ern California in 2012, she "I was praying, 'Let me be
reer was running into road- went to Olympic trials and faster than him,'" Kipruto
blocks: Why not me? completely flopped. Out in said. "I waited. I prayed. I
The message Qatari high the first round, she had nei- saw the screen and saw it
jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim ther a spot at the London said 'Conseslus.' It was my
kept receiving from an Games nor a sponsor. name. I was definitely hap-
adoring home crowd Things changed: She won py."
yearning to celebrate a nationals in 2013, then In the men's 400 meters,
champion: We love you! a silver medal at worlds. Steven Gardiner of the
On a thrill-filled night at the Then they changed again: Bahamas won gold over
track and field champion- She faltered in 2015 and Anthony Zambrano of Co-
ships Friday, Muhammad watched those world lombia and American Fred
answered her own ques- championships from home. Kerley. Finishing 1-2 in the
tion — again — by setting ""I had an epiphany one discus were Cubans Yaime
her second world record day, "Why not me?'" Mu- Perez and Denia Caballe-
in 10 weeks, while Barshim hammad said. ro, who ran to the stands to
loved everyone back by Muhammad barely broke share hugs with their small
becoming a back-to-back stride in clearing the 10 hur- group of fans.
world champion, winning dles. It was, she said, much But no win brought more
this one on home turf. closer to the perfect race joy throughout the stadium
"I've won a lot of gold med- that she decidedly did not than Barshim's.
als, but this one is home," think she had run at na- He brought the fans out of
Barshim said. "It feels differ- Dalilah Muhammad, of the United States wins the gold medal tional championships in the their seats every time he
ent. I just felt love." in the women's 400 meter hurdles final at the World Athletics rain, in Des Moines, Iowa. cleared a height, and not
The late-blooming, 29-year- Championships in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Oct. 4, 2019. And yet, this race still came long after it was over, he
old Muhammad smoothed Associated Press down to a lean at the line. was sharing a hug with the
her way through the won the race," Muham- nationals — but that one "Next year's going to be ruling emir of his country,
400-meter hurdles in 52.16 mad said. "I was looking was by .68 seconds. This amazing," Hayes said. talking about how Qatar's
to break, by .04 seconds, to see who won, and then one was by .07, and her Close as the race was, first gold medal of these
the world record she had I noticed, when they said time of 52.23 would have though, the men's steeple- championships was won.
set at U.S. national champi- 'world record,' that I had been the world record had chase was even closer. Much has been made
onships in July. broken it." she run it 10 weeks ago. Conseslus Kipruto and La- about the heat and poor
Both she and Barshim — Simply winning the race "We came into this season mecha Grima rambled attendance, the efficacy
they call him "The Qatari has become more difficult knowing who the main op- over barriers and through of air-conditioned stadiums
Falcon" — will head into because of the rapid rise ponent was going to be," the water over 3,000 me- and the legitimacy of the
the Tokyo Games next year of Sydney McLaughlin, the said McLaughlin's coach, ters, and as they ap- bid process that brought
as defending Olympic and 20-year-old phenom who Olympic gold medalist proached the finish, there not only these champion-
reigning world champions. juggles, rides a unicycle Joanna Hayes. "It's not a was nothing separating ships, but the 2022 World
Muhammad will almost and seems destined to win surprise. Dalilah has experi- them. With fans in the jam- Cup, to a country that's
certainly go in as the world one gold one day. ence over Syd, so all I want- packed crowd scream- striving to raise its profile
record holder, too. McLaughlin also finished ed her to do was get some ing, they sprawled as they beyond that of a mere oil
"I didn't even know who second to Muhammad at experience. And run her reached the line. A photo supplier. q

Shields-Habazin called off after altercation at weigh-in

By NOAH TRISTER It was supposed to be the greatest woman of all-
AP Sports Writer Shields’ first pro fight in her time, and I love when they
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Cla- hometown of Flint. say that because, I want
ressa Shields’ long-awaited The two-time Olympic you to come show me I’m
fight in her hometown has champion has won titles not the greatest woman of
been called off after her at the super middleweight all-time.”
opponent’s trainer was in- level, and she unified the Habazin (20-3) was sup-
jured in an altercation be- middleweight belts with a posed to make her U.S. de-
fore the weigh-in. victory over previously un- but, but now that won’t be
Shields was supposed to beaten Christina Hammer happening this weekend.
fight Ivana Habazin of Cro- in April. She took this fight The Shields-Habazin fight
atia on Saturday night, but at 154 pounds, trying to was initially scheduled for
that bout was called off become a three-division Aug. 17, but it had to be
after Habazin’s trainer was champion. postponed because of an
hospitalized after Friday’s “I had to lose a lot of weight injury to Shields.
incident. Salita Promo- for this fight, because I The Showtime telecast is still
tions said the remainder of cleaned out the division at set to include heavyweight Claressa Shields spars with trainer John David Jackson during a
the event would go on as 160,” Shields said earlier this Jermaine Franklin (19-0) of training session, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, in Detroit.
scheduled, and Showtime week. “Every time I clean Saginaw, Michigan, against Associated Press
would televise a two-fight out the division, somebody Pavel Sour (11-1) of the terweight Jaron Ennis (23- Demian Daniel Fernandez
card. else trying to tell me I’m not Czech Republic; and wel- 0) of Philadelphia against (12-1) of Argentina.q