Tsegay smashes 1500m indoor world record
- Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay smashed the world indoor 1500m record by over two seconds in Lievin, France yesterday, beating Laura Muir, who became the first British woman to break the four-minute barrier when finishing second.
Tsegay blew the rest of the field away at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-deCalais with a blistering time of 3:53.09, taking more than two seconds off the world indoor record set by compatriot Genzebe Dibaba in Karlsruhe in 2014.
Muir also impressed, setting a British indoor record time of 3:59.58 to come in a distant second, with team mate Melissa Courtney-Bryant taking third in 4:04.79.
“I’m very happy to set a world indoor record,” said Tsegay.
“I have been training really hard and I set myself a target to break the world indoor record.”
MELBOURNE, World number one Ash Barty barely broke sweat as she swept into the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-0 6-0 thrashing of error-prone Danka Kovinic on Rod Laver Arena yesterday.
The Australian won the first 16 points and lost only 10 of 60 over the 44-minute match as the hapless Kovinic sprayed 28 unforced errors - almost one every other point — to succumb to the dreaded “double bagel” scoreline.
“I wanted to go out there and almost take the sting, take the pepper out of the match a little bit and get it on my terms as much as possible right from the get-go and make it feel like she had a real mountain to climb,” Barty said.
“I think that was probably the most pleasing thing overall, right from the start I set the tone and was able to run away with it.”
Such one-sided contests will do nothing for ticket sales at a tournament struggling to get fans through the gates, but Barty will not care a jot as she seeks to become the first homegrown singles champion at the Grand Slam since 1978.
The 24-year-old played her first tournament in almost a year last week and walked away with the title but she knows there will much be tougher tests ahead if she is to land a second Grand Slam crown at the end of next week.
She was also the top seed at Melbourne Park last year after winning her first Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open but fell to eventual champion Sofia Kenin in the semi-finals.
While she has had a long layoff, not having to quarantine for two weeks before the tournament like her rivals should be an advantage and her draw was kind.
Barty believes, however, that there are more threats than ever in the women’s game.
“I think more than anything is you’re seeing that the women’s game is getting so strong, the depth is incredible. You certainly can’t underestimate anyone,” Barty said.
“Every single opponent deserves to be here and has the right to press you as much as possible.”
Next up for Barty is a secondround match against Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo or local wildcard Daria Gavrilova.
“It will be a challenge if she gets through,” she said of compatriot Gavrilova.
“I always enjoy testing myself against other Aussies. If she does get through, it will be a ripper.”
– Nkrumah Bonner has recalled the “rough but enjoyable journey” that led to his Test debut at age 32, and saw him emerge as one of the heroes of the historic first Test win over Bangladesh last Sunday.
The right-handed strokemaker made his first class debut 11 years ago for his native Jamaica but then endured a turbulent period where he switched to Combined Campuses and Colleges, spent a few seasons with Leeward Islands Hurricanes before returning to Jamaica.
His resurgence started in the 2018-19 season when he struck two fifties and averaged 44 after featuring in only two matches, and the form continued last season when he hammered 523 runs at an average of 58, along with two centuries.
“It has been a rough but enjoyable journey. There’s been a lot of ups and downs,” Bonner told media yesterday.
“When I started my career, I was very optimistic of playing for West Indies and that [hope] went down for a [while] and then I went to the Leewards and I learnt a lot in the Leewards because for the most [part] I was living by myself and actually helped me and my maturity.
“Going back to Jamaica and meeting my mentor made a big difference in terms of my mindset, my work ethic, my tactics as it comes to cricket and even my training methods as well.
“So as I said before, it’s been a rough and enjoyable journey and now I’m finally here, I’m just trying to enjoy it and make the best of it.”
Bonner hit 86 in his debut Test in Chattogram last Sunday as West Indies chased down 395 on the final day to stun Bangladesh by three wickets.
Resuming the day on 15, Bonner combined with Kyle Mayers (210 not out) in a historic 216-run fourth wicket stand which defied the hosts’ bowlers for two sessions and laid the platform for victory. The Test came against the backdrop of tours of England and New Zealand last year where Bonner found himself part of the squad but unable to break into the final XI.
“Obviously not playing in England and New Zealand you’ll feel a small disappointment but obviously you’re part of the team and I try to give my full support each and every time and basically wait on my chance to perform,” said Bonner.
“I’ve enjoyed the experience in England and New Zealand as it has helped me to prepare mentally and physically even more for this Bangladesh series.”
Resuming from their overnight 110 for three, the Caribbean side was given little chance of saving, far less winning the Test, but Bonner and
Mayers showed grit and determination against the spin trio of Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan and Taijul Islam to nullify their threat. And Bonner said during the run chase, mental toughness and clarity had been equally as important as batting skill.
“It’s very important to have a clear mind be confident, be patient and be willing to fight for your country. Those are some of
the most important points I’ve taken away from this innings,” he explained.
“When you’re playing, the coaches always emphasize staying in the ‘now’. I think that’s what I did for most [of the time].
“Now I’m looking back I can actually feel more emotion than when I’m there [at the crease]. When I’m there, I’m just trying to focus on what I have to do and
staying in the now and do what I have to do.”
Bonner said making his Test debut and also winning had made for a special occasion.
“It’s a big achievement for me. It’s been my childhood dream and something I’ve wanted to accomplish. I don’t have words to say how I really feel but all I can say is it’s an amazing feeling.”