Martin wins 4th men’s world time-trial title
Kuwait competes in int’l sailing tourney in Qatar Kiryienka finishes 2nd, Castroviejo 3rd
Photo taken during the Qatar’s International Sailing Open Championship at Katara beach. The Qatar’s International Sailing Open Championship 2016 kicked off Tuesday at Katara beach with participation of 70 contestants from 10 countries, including Kuwait.
The five-day event, organized by the Qatar Sailing and Marine Sports Federation (QSMF), started off with team racing competitions in the Optimist class, where Qatar1 team won the first place, India came second, and Qatar2 placed third.
Meanwhile, three competitions are to be held tomorrow in all five classes; 470, Hobie 16, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial, and Optimist. However, sailboat racing is subject to nature law regarding wind speed, in which a specific speed is required to enable sailors from racing with consideration of their safety.
The international event brings together elite of professional and amateur sailors to compete for valuable awards and trophies offered by the QSMF.
The participating sailors and teams represent Qatar, Kuwait, Tunisia, Sudan, India, UK, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, and France. (KUNA) DOHA, Oct 12, (AFP): Germany’s Tony Martin won the men’s time-trial title in Qatar on Wednesday for a recordequalling fourth time.
Martin obliterated the field of 66 riders, winning the 40 kms race by 45 seconds from last year’s champion Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus, with Spain’s Jonathan Castroviejo a further 25sec back in third.
Martin previously won the title in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and joins Fabian Cancellara as the only four-time winners of the event.
“It’s amazing, I can’t believe it,” said Martin afterwards.
“Everybody knows that I haven’t had a good year.
“But this makes everything OK — the course was made for me.”
One of the pre-race favourites, Tom Dumoulin, the Olympic silver-medallist, finished way back in 11th place, more than two minutes off the pace.
The race was surprisingly led for a long time by Ireland’s Ryan Mullen, who eventually finished fifth.
It is the second time this week Martin has taken gold, having also triumphed in the team time-trial in his last race for his Etixx-Quick Step outfit.
Martin told reporters that his first victory in Copenhagen was the most special to him, but he would try and beat the record he shares with Cancellara.
“I am still motivated to go for the fifth or sixth title, I am not close to the end of my career, and after today I am more motivated to go for more titles.”
He added that before this season his form was such that he had begun to doubt whether he was still a “really big time-trialler”.
The race began in temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) as the flat course took riders from just north of Doha to the finish on a manmade Germany’s Tony Martin celebrates on the podium after winning the gold medal at the end of the men’s elite individual time-trial event as part of the 2016 UCI Road World Championships on Oct 12, in the Qatari capital Doha. (AFP)