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Arjen Robben powered the Netherlands to a vital 1-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro in their first World Cup Group C game on Sunday. With Argentina beating the Ivory Coast 2-1 on Saturday, this was a must-win match for the Dutch in the tournament’s ”group of death”, and an irrepressible Robben ensured just that.
Reigning Commonwealth champions New Zealand set up a mouth-watering semifinal against hosts Australia at the Games rugby union sevens tournament in Melbourne on Friday. New Zealand, champions in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and Manchester in 2002, coasted to a 24-0 win over Canada, while Australia overcame a doughty South African side 20-14.
Tonga produced the only surprise in the opening 12 matches of the Commonwealth Games rugby union sevens competition in Melbourne on Thursday, beating medal contenders South Africa 26-19. The hard-tackling South Pacific islanders deserved their Pool D win at the Telstra Dome and were led superbly by inspirational captain Tevita Tu’ifua.
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/ 14 February 2006
It may be proclaimed as the blue riband event of alpine skiing, but a series of gruesome crashes in the women’s training has highlighted the inherent dangers of the downhill. Dressed only in a figure-hugging catsuits and helmets the skiing speed kings and queens hurtle down long, steep and icy slopes at speeds that could see you cautioned on any of the world’s motorways.
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/ 17 December 2005
The world championships in a rain-swept Helsinki marked a year during which a new generation of athletes usurped the older guard. The youngsters are best personified by the likeable trio of American sprinter Justin Gatlin, Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele and Russian polevaulter Yelena Isinbayeva.
Ethiopian teen Tirunesh Dibaba is confident of sewing up a historic double after running a breathtaking final lap to win the women’s 10Â 000m world title here at the World Athletics Championships. The 19-year-old, who was the youngest ever world champion over the 5 000m in Paris 2003, will attempt to become the first woman to win the two races when she competes in the 5km event later this week.
Olympic champion Justin Gatlin goes into this weekend’s 100m at the world championships in Helsinki as firm favourite after the withdrawal of injured world record holder Asafa Powell. The 23-year-old American said he was disappointed by the absence of his Jamaican rival, who has been beset by groin injuries since setting his record 9,77second time in Athens in June.
Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva is the undisputed queen of women’s pole vault and this season became the first female to go over five metres. The 23-year-old from Volgograd has set her targets even higher and now plans on jumping 5,50m.
Prevented from hunting dwindling stocks of wildlife in their desert homelands, Gulf Arabs are increasingly setting their sights on the big game and birds of South Africa’s veld.