The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Vettel and Franklin take Laureus Awards in sombre Malaysia Posted: 26 Mar 2014 08:21 AM PDT Nearly all of the seven winners at the lavish awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur remarked on flight MH370, which went missing 18 days ago with 239 passengers and crew on board after leaving Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing. Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak opened the ceremony, after a moment's silence, and talked about the strength his nation could take from the achievements of the nominees. Satellite images have shown possible debris of the missing plane in the southern Indian Ocean, miles off course. "Sport reflects what is happening in the world," Razak told the audience. "But for millions of people sport is also an escape, from hardship, from poverty, from conflict. In the hardest times we look for heroic feats to inspire us. For Malaysia this is one such time. "At this difficult moment we draw strength from individual stories of perseverance, of generosity, and endurance. The nominees here tonight display those values." Malaysia had stepped in to host the ceremony – which featured a performance from Grammy-winning singer and actor Jamie Foxx and was hosted by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch – after Rio de Janeiro was dropped amid local reports that the Brazilian state government owed Laureus money. Franklin, 18, collected the first award of the night in recognition of her stunning efforts in the pool in 2013 as she became the first woman to win six golds at a single world championships in Barcelona in August. The four-times Olympic champion gushed at her surprise in winning the award, presented by compatriot and swimming great Mark Spitz, ahead of five others including American tennis player Serena Williams and Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Vettel enjoyed similar dominance of his sport by winning 13 of 19 Formula One races, including the last nine, in 2013 as he took a fourth consecutive world championship and constructors' title for Red Bull. The German, in Kuala Lumpur ahead of Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix, beat athletes Usain Bolt and Mo Farah, Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, American basketball player LeBron James and tennis player Rafa Nadal to the prize. "It's a big honour. It's one of the most special trophies I have received," Vettel said after being selected by the Laureus Academy, featuring 46 sporting greats including former world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, who handed him the award. Spaniard Nadal completed a hat-trick of Laureus awards after he took the Comeback of the Year prize after bouncing back from a seven-month absence to win the 2013 French and U.S. Opens as well as five ATP Masters titles. "How tough the year before with my injury? I never thought I would have the chance to come back as I did so for that reason this Laureus means more," he said in a recorded message. Bayern Munich were named World Team of The Year after the German side completed a treble by winning the Bundesliga, Champions League and German Cup, while MotoGP champion Marc Marquez took the Breakthrough of the Year prize after taking the title in his rookie season. Marie Bochet, the French paralympic skier, was named sportsperson of the year with a disability, with Jamie Bestwick named World Action Sportsperson of the Year. – Reuters, March 26, 2014 |
| Formula One party arrives in mourning Malaysia Posted: 26 Mar 2014 08:11 AM PDT The Sepang circuit is a stone's throw from Kuala Lumpur International Airport where the Malaysian Airlines flight carrying 239 passengers and crew departed 18 days ago and has since become the home for many associated with the story. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said earlier this week that the Beijing-bound flight had crashed into the southern Indian Ocean with a search for debris ongoing some 2,500 km (1,550 miles) southwest of Perth in Western Australia. While the Laureus Sports Awards in Kuala Lumpur today opted to scale down their week of events in response to Najib's announcement, the Formula One party has continued as normal for the 16th staging of Malaysia's premier sporting event. That meant Chinese relatives of the missing MH370 passengers were forced to change hotels to make way for those involved in the glamour sport, which started its new season in Australia two weeks ago. The drivers have been quick to offer their support and Lewis Hamilton also has a "#PrayForMH370" message on the side of his Mercedes car this week and he will be hoping it is on display for the entire 56 laps of Sunday's race after only managing a brief three-lap run in Melbourne. The season opening race was won by the Briton's team mate Nico Rosberg after the German overtook pole sitter Hamilton before the first turn and eased to the chequered flag. Mercedes appear to have been quickest in adapting to the new V6 turbocharged hybrid engines that have levelled the playing field after years of Red Bull dominance but they remain wary of being labelled championship favourites. "While we were pleased to come away from Melbourne with a win, we were also left with plenty to think about," Mercedes executive director Paddy Lowe said. "As is to be expected with such new technology, we are learning more about the car with every lap. This inevitably brings more problems to the surface, all of which require careful management. Encouraging pace One driver in greater need of major progress is four-times defending world champion Sebastian Vettel, who failed to finish in Melbourne after reliability issues dashed his hopes of a 10th race win in a row after only a few laps at Albert Park. Vettel's pre-season had been struck by big question marks over the Red Bull's Renault-powered unit but the German saw a few shoots of optimism ahead of the Malaysian race which he won in controversial style last year after defying team orders. "We still have a lot of work to do with the car but it was encouraging to see that our pace was better than expected in Australia," said Vettel, who won 13 of last season's 19 races. His new team mate Daniel Ricciardo thought he had sealed a brilliant second place finish on his Red Bull debut at his home grand prix but the podium place was taken away from him by the FIA after the Australian was deemed to have broken fuel rules. Red Bull have appealed the decision with a verdict due after next week's Bahrain race in the Manama desert. McLaren's Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen was promoted up to second in Melbourne following Ricciardo's disqualification with team mate Jenson Button joining him on the podium in a bright start to the season for the team that had a 2013 to forget. However, the Briton said the car lacked race pace to challenge for victory on the notoriously quick Sepang circuit where afternoon thunderstorms are again predicted, which could play havoc on the undulating track. "Even if we don't yet have the pace to take the fight to the front runners, we should have a car that's decent in every sector, and which we'll be able to hustle through the race," the 2009 world champion said." – Reuters, March 26, 2014 |
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