Ending season on victorious note

Description

24 Mar 2011 – 26 sports (37 percent of the. Olympic programme). Bela- rusian taekwondo and foot- ball players plan to reach the 2012 London Olympics ...

Sujets

• Sport

Informations

• Publié par: Sportif
• Nombre de lectures: 103
• Langue: English

Extrait

SPORT 11 The Minsk Times Thursday,March 24, 2011 Trophies scatter Ending This year’s Freestyle Ski FIS Aerials Europa Cup is season on exceptionally long e first awards were shuffled in Finland in early December, with the most recent bestowed in Russia. e victorious Cup envisaged ten rounds, although one was cancelled (in Switzerland) due to bad weather. e opening rounds in Scandinavia were the most representative, with many European the European Cup is seen as a warm- note athletes training for the season at Fin- land’s famous Ruka resort. Naturally, Darya Domracheva wins Small Crystal up for the World Cup. Among the men, Anton Kush- nir of Belarus won two rounds, with Globe in mass start of biathlon season several younger athletes having per- formed at various stages and some By Yuri Karpenko 236 points towards the Small Crys- host team’s elite skiers joining them.tal Globe, putting her ahead of Despite expectations, the clos-e Belarusian athlete has wonMagdalena Neuner of Germany ing competition in Polyarnye Zori,the Biathlon World Cup mass start(228 points) and Tora Berger of Russia, did not see the world’s topin Norwegian Holmenkollen, cov-Norway (206). Nadezhda Skardino athletes in attendance. Belarus’ Alex-ering the 12.5km track in just 36(59 points) is 28th so far, while andra Romanovskaya took the lead minutes and 13 seconds, with four Lyudmila Kalinchik is 33rd (35 in both rounds, with a quite compli-shooting intervals, missing threepoints) among 50 sportswomen. Victorious finish by Darya Domracheva at Holmenkollen track cated programme. is enabled hertargets. Anna Bogaliy-Titovets hasTo date, the Small Crystal Globe to outstrip her country mate Annaclaimed silver, with bronze goinghas twice been claimed by Belarus’boasts a total of three gold med-Swedish Östersund and Norwegian Guskova, who was obliged to dropto Olga Zaitseva, both from Rus-triple world champion Svetlanaals, six silver and ten bronze. SheHolmenkollen, in the mass start out through injury. Maxim Bulosh ofsia. Darya entered the second circleParamygina (in 1993 and 1994) andclaimed three medals at the Worldin Italian Antholz-Anterselva and Belarus claimed the main men’s tro-from second position, behind Bo-by the Belarusian men’s relay teamCup final stage, in Holmenkollen.in American Fort Kent, and in the phy. During the event in Russia, Pavelgaliy-Titovets by more than eight(in 2003). In 1994, the Big CrystalIn the sprint in Austrian Hochfilzen,pursuit in Austrian Hochfilzen and Krotov and Ilya Burov were viewed asseconds, but eventually closed theGlobe was won by Paramygina, whoin the pursuit in Norwegian Hol-in American Presque Isle. the favourites for a local win but Bu-gap to create an impressive lead ontopped the World Cup standings atmenkollen, and in the mass start atKaisa Makarainen of Finland losh confidently performed his pro-her opponents. Belarusian Nadezh-the end of the season.the Biathlon World Championship,has won the Big Crystal Globe of gramme, obliging the Russian duo toda Skardino finished 20th among 30e current victory in the massin Khanty-Mansiysk, she claimedthis season, topping the women’s take silver and bronze. He also toppedparticipants. startis Domracheva’s first of thesilver. Domracheva has also wonstandings with 1,005 points. As last the overall standings.Her win gives Domrachevaseason, although the 24 year oldbronze six times: in the sprint inyear, Domracheva is placed sixth. Summer Olympic Games’hopes By Yuri Kovalev mittee, Igor Zaichkov, atthe World Championship,the Beijing Games saw Be- a press conference held inathletes may qualify directlylarusian athletes participat- 500 days before the 2012 ing in 112 disciplines acrossfor the Olympics. In others,Minsk, the system of quali- Olympics, Belarusian 26 sports (37 percent of theadditional tournaments willfication for the Olympics is athletes boast two tickets be held. Our Olympic teamOlympic programme). Bela-complicated. It has several to London line-up will be finalised byrusian taekwondo and foot-stages, with terms, condi- Based on the results oftions and quotas. e mainJuly 2012.ball players plan to reach 2010, marksman Sergey ‘selection’lies ahead, withAccording to the Sportsthe 2012 London Olympics Martynov, a world cham-Belarus competing this yearand Tourism Minister, Oleg— new events since the last pion, and world champion- to send athletes in marks-Kachan, 275 Belarusian ath-Games. Our regular nation- ship bronze medallist Victo- manship, weightliſting,letes across 31 sports (at leastal rowing slalom team and ria Chaika have places at the freestyle and Greco-Roman115 out of 302 disciplines)beach volleyball squad are 2012 Olympics.wrestling, calisthenics, row- are training for the 30th Ol-also preparing for qualifica- As pointed out by theing, canoeing and kayaking,ympics, to be held from July tion. First Vice-President of theand boxing. In some events,27th to August 12th in Lon- Our Belarusian athletes’ National Olympic Com- dependingon their place atdon. To compare, in 2008,target is 25 medals. Mikhail Grabovsky celebrates another success New heights of Return of big game Mikhail Grabovsky By Kirill Karin sky saved several attempts By Kirill Pirogov at goal by the oppositionHowever, Kostitsyn earned his points across 78 matches: Belarusian national and was deservedly named Belarusian forward ten more than Grabovsky. handball team defeats player of the match, along- playing for Toronto sets C o n s e q u e n t l y , Switzerland twice, aiming side Swiss goalkeeper Pascal seasonal record among Grabovsky’s achievement to qualify for 2012 Stauber. Belarusians performing is considered to be a new European Championship e win over formida- in regular championships For almost four years,ble Switzerland shows Be-record. Having scored 27 of National Hockey Belarusian handball demon-larus with a high level ofgoals, Grabovsky now holds League performance once more.strated nothing to comparethe shooting seasonal record Mikhail Grabovsky hasamong Belarusians: Andreywith beating the Swiss teame core Belarusian line-up scored two striking pointsKostitsyn scored 26 goalstwice. Symbolically, the lastis playing confidently, with in a victorious home NHLduring the 2007/08 regulartime that our handball fanspromising younger reserves match against Buffalo, duringseason. celebratedvictory over thewaiting behind. which he was named the thirdAmong Belarusians whosame squad, it was whenQualification matches for Match between Belarusian and Swiss teams star of the match. In total, he have played in the strong-we beat Switzerland in thethe continental tournament earned 53 points (27 goals + est world hockey champion- play-offs for the 2008 Euro- beat Switzerland in an awaye squads were equallyare to continue over the sum- 26 resultful passes) across 68 ship, Belarusian national ice pean Championship finals.match, scoring 34:31. At matched, with only threemer. Belarus will welcome matches. is repeats the sea-hockey team coach VladimirIt was the first and last timeMinsk’s Palace of Sports,points dividing them at any Denmark in June and will son record of NHL BelarusianTsyplakov also set a record,of this century. e presentYuri Shevtsov’s trainees alsotime. e second half offinish the qualification round player Andrey Kostitsyn, setduring the 1997/8 season.achievement may have lessproved stronger, winningthe match, however, settledby playing an away match in 2008 by the Montréal for-With the Los Angeles Kings,significance, but is still a26:24. Sergey Rutenko wasthe winner, with the hostsagainst Russia. e European ward; he scored one goal lessin the regular championship,considerable landmark.the best shooter on the Be-turning luck to their side.finals will see the top two but made one more resultfulhe claimed 52 (18+34) pointsAt the beginning oflarusian team, scoring eightExperienced Belarusianteams from each group bat- pass (26 goals + 27 passes).across 73 matches.March, the Belarusian teamgoals. goalkeeperKazimir Kotlin-tling for supremacy.