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Paulino pips Naser at Paris Diamond League

Paulino pips Naser at Paris Diamond League

Express Tribune15 hours ago

Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino outfought Salwa Eid Naser to win the women's 400 metres at the Paris Diamond League meet on Friday, Faith Cherotich won the steeplechase and Grace Stark set a personal best to outgun Tobi Amusan in the 100m hurdles.
Dominican Republic's Paulino needed a season's best time of 48.81, a new meeting record, as the world champion came from behind to pip Bahrain's Naser, who took silver at last year's Olympics.
"All I focused on was to get to through to the finish line feeling strong, although I am not feeling very well, my stomach has been playing up a bit," Paulino said.
Kenyan Cherotich took bronze at the Paris Olympics behind Ugandan silver medallist Peruth Chemutai in the 3,000m steeplechase, and the pair left the rest of the field behind early in the race.
This time 20-year-old Cherotich came out on top as she left her rival behind in the closing metres, with a personal best time of 8:53.37, to repeat her wins in Doha and Oslo.
"It's great that I have already won three Diamond Leagues this season being the youngest in the field," Cherotich said. "The big goal are the World Championships in Tokyo and I want to win."
Nigeria's world record holder and 2022 world champion Amusan had to settle for second place as American 24-year-old Stark led from the start to win the women's 100m hurdles in 12.21 seconds, knocking one tenth of a second off her personal best.
"I wanted to break that 12.3 so bad, I was really pushing for it in Stockholm," Stark said. "I'm just so excited to break 12.3, I really knew I could do it this year."
In the men's 400m hurdles, Olympic champion Rai Benjamin barely broke sweat in setting a meeting record 46.93, doing enough down the home straight to hold off Qatar's Abderrahman Samba, who had set the previous record back in 2018.
"I just took it easy because we just had a really fast race in Stockholm. There was no need to come out and force something, especially because the season is so long," Benjamin said.
Ukrainian Olympic high jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke the world record with a leap of 2.10 meters at last year's meeting, but she could only manage 1.97 this time to take second place behind Australia's Nicola Olyslagers.

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Paulino pips Naser at Paris Diamond League
Paulino pips Naser at Paris Diamond League

Express Tribune

time15 hours ago

  • Express Tribune

Paulino pips Naser at Paris Diamond League

Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino outfought Salwa Eid Naser to win the women's 400 metres at the Paris Diamond League meet on Friday, Faith Cherotich won the steeplechase and Grace Stark set a personal best to outgun Tobi Amusan in the 100m hurdles. Dominican Republic's Paulino needed a season's best time of 48.81, a new meeting record, as the world champion came from behind to pip Bahrain's Naser, who took silver at last year's Olympics. "All I focused on was to get to through to the finish line feeling strong, although I am not feeling very well, my stomach has been playing up a bit," Paulino said. Kenyan Cherotich took bronze at the Paris Olympics behind Ugandan silver medallist Peruth Chemutai in the 3,000m steeplechase, and the pair left the rest of the field behind early in the race. This time 20-year-old Cherotich came out on top as she left her rival behind in the closing metres, with a personal best time of 8:53.37, to repeat her wins in Doha and Oslo. "It's great that I have already won three Diamond Leagues this season being the youngest in the field," Cherotich said. "The big goal are the World Championships in Tokyo and I want to win." Nigeria's world record holder and 2022 world champion Amusan had to settle for second place as American 24-year-old Stark led from the start to win the women's 100m hurdles in 12.21 seconds, knocking one tenth of a second off her personal best. "I wanted to break that 12.3 so bad, I was really pushing for it in Stockholm," Stark said. "I'm just so excited to break 12.3, I really knew I could do it this year." In the men's 400m hurdles, Olympic champion Rai Benjamin barely broke sweat in setting a meeting record 46.93, doing enough down the home straight to hold off Qatar's Abderrahman Samba, who had set the previous record back in 2018. "I just took it easy because we just had a really fast race in Stockholm. There was no need to come out and force something, especially because the season is so long," Benjamin said. Ukrainian Olympic high jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke the world record with a leap of 2.10 meters at last year's meeting, but she could only manage 1.97 this time to take second place behind Australia's Nicola Olyslagers.

Pakistan must fix defence to beat New Zealand in FIH Nations Cup final: Hassan Sardar
Pakistan must fix defence to beat New Zealand in FIH Nations Cup final: Hassan Sardar

Business Recorder

timea day ago

  • Business Recorder

Pakistan must fix defence to beat New Zealand in FIH Nations Cup final: Hassan Sardar

As Pakistan gear up to face New Zealand in the final of the FIH Hockey Nations Cup in Kuala Lumpur today, former Olympian Hassan Sardar has praised the team's attacking improvements but cautioned that defensive lapses must be addressed to clinch the title and earn promotion to the prestigious FIH Pro League. In an exclusive interview with Business Recorder, Sardar, who led Pakistan to Olympic gold in 1984 and a World Cup title in 1982, said the team showed real promise in attack, particularly with their ability to score field goals and capitalize on penalty corners. 'The positive thing is that our forward line is scoring field goals and we are converting penalty corners too,' Sardar noted. 'That's very encouraging in modern hockey.' However, he emphasised that winning the final will require defensive discipline and collective responsibility. 'Defensively, I saw many mistakes. We need to work as a unit, not just in the forward line but overall,' he said. 'When the forwards are out of the game, midfield and defense must step up. They should remain connected like a chain.' Sardar stressed that modern hockey demands an all-round approach. 'Defense and attack go hand in hand. All eleven players must support each other. That's what wins matches today.' Nations Cup final: a ticket to the elite level The Nations Cup is not just a trophy - it's a gateway. A win today will promote Pakistan to the FIH Pro League, joining global powerhouses like Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and India. 'This is a small league, but winning it opens the door to the senior league. That's where real international hockey is played,' said Sardar. 'Pakistan has a high chance of qualifying.' Road to redemption Despite a group-stage loss to New Zealand, Pakistan have impressed with resilience and improved structure throughout the tournament. Their semi-final win was a testament to grit and growing confidence. Now, they get a chance at redemption, against the same team they previously lost to, but with silverware and Pro League promotion on the line. 'I believe this team will win' Sardar also praised the team's fighting spirit, the team had played throughout the tournament. 'I liked the performance of the Pakistan Hockey team. The matches won and lost were played well. It's a good sign that the team played well,' he said. 'Although they lost to New Zealand earlier, I believe this team will win. Their morale is high, and that's a good sign.'

Pakistan must fix defense to beat New Zealand in FIH Nations Cup final: Hassan Sardar
Pakistan must fix defense to beat New Zealand in FIH Nations Cup final: Hassan Sardar

Business Recorder

timea day ago

  • Business Recorder

Pakistan must fix defense to beat New Zealand in FIH Nations Cup final: Hassan Sardar

As Pakistan gear up to face New Zealand in the final of the FIH Hockey Nations Cup in Kuala Lumpur today, former Olympian Hassan Sardar has praised the team's attacking improvements but cautioned that defensive lapses must be addressed to clinch the title and earn promotion to the prestigious FIH Pro League. In an exclusive interview with Business Recorder, Sardar, who led Pakistan to Olympic gold in 1984 and a World Cup title in 1982, said the team showed real promise in attack, particularly with their ability to score field goals and capitalize on penalty corners. 'The positive thing is that our forward line is scoring field goals and we are converting penalty corners too,' Sardar noted. 'That's very encouraging in modern hockey.' However, he emphasised that winning the final will require defensive discipline and collective responsibility. 'Defensively, I saw many mistakes. We need to work as a unit, not just in the forward line but overall,' he said. 'When the forwards are out of the game, midfield and defense must step up. They should remain connected like a chain.' Sardar stressed that modern hockey demands an all-round approach. 'Defense and attack go hand in hand. All eleven players must support each other. That's what wins matches today.' Nations Cup final: a ticket to the elite level The Nations Cup is not just a trophy - it's a gateway. A win today will promote Pakistan to the FIH Pro League, joining global powerhouses like Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and India. 'This is a small league, but winning it opens the door to the senior league. That's where real international hockey is played,' said Sardar. 'Pakistan has a high chance of qualifying.' Road to redemption Despite a group-stage loss to New Zealand, Pakistan have impressed with resilience and improved structure throughout the tournament. Their semi-final win was a testament to grit and growing confidence. Now, they get a chance at redemption, against the same team they previously lost to, but with silverware and Pro League promotion on the line. 'I believe this team will win' Sardar also praised the team's fighting spirit. 'I liked the performance of the Pakistan Hockey team. The matches won and lost were played well. It's a good sign that the team played well,' he said. 'Although they lost to New Zealand earlier, I believe this team will win. Their morale is high, and that's a good sign.' Watch Live Pakistani fans can catch the final live at 6:00 PM PST on Tapmad.

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