Hamilton sets record , takes pole

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS,BELGIUM:FORMULA One champion Lewis Hamilton set a track record at the Belgian Grand Prix as he clinched a record-extending 93rd pole position on Saturday, finishing well ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Hamilton is primed to extend his championship lead, which stands at 37 points over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and 43 over Bottas. “I didn’t make a mistake,” Hamilton said proudly.

Hamilton dedicated it to Chadwick Boseman, who played Black American icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before inspiring audiences as the regal “Black Panther” in Marvel’s movie franchise.

SHARMA MISSES CUT AT UK CHAMPIONSHIP

BELFRY: Shubhankar Sharma carded a disappointing six-over 78 in the second round to crash out at the midway stage of the 2020 ISPS Handa UK Championship, his fourth missed cut in last five starts.

Sharma, who scored an evenpar 72 in the first round, ended six-over for 36 holes as the cut fell at one-over 145. Since returning after the break, Sharma has missed cut in four events.

ROCA JOINS BARCA, LEAVES HYDERABAD NEWDELHI:SPANISH football coach Albert Roca has left Indian Super League (ISL) club Hyderabad FC to join Ronald Koeman’s staff at Barcelona as fitness coach, both clubs announced on Saturday.

Roca, who had earlier coached Bengaluru FC in both I-league and the ISL, had been appointed as head coach of Hyderabad after the sacking of Phil Brown in January but had taken full charge of the team only in June.