Sport magazine issue 293

Issue 293 | February 15 2013

Head boy James Anderson on leading England’s attack in a double Ashes year

issue 293, February 15 2013 radar 06 Nitro Circus The Movie 3D

We ask the adrenaline-addicted Travis Pastrana about his new film and accompanying stunt

08 Red Bull Soapbox Drive around part of London in a silly car. No, we’re not talking about your precious Ford Ka oFeatures this coming week

18 Jimmy Anderson

England’s pace bowler on his split personality, and why he can’t think of anything worse than being stuck in a lift with Tim Bresnan

Cover image: Neil Gavin. This page: Tom Shaw/Getty Images

25 Laura Trott

18 25

We talk to cycling’s golden girl ahead of her bid to defend her two world titles on the track

28 Another golden generation?

Trott’s blazing a trail for the stars of the future – we rate their chances at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships next week

31 Sir Robin Knox-Johnston The first man to circumnavigate the globe non-stop and solo looks forward to the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

extra Time

06

60

52 Kit Football boots to ensure you look the part on a Sunday morning, despite your hangover

54 Gadgets Pimp your ride with gizmos that would have Q hitting the eject button in Bond’s Aston Martin

56 Grooming Many hand creams – your mum would thank us for looking out for you on this one

60 Entertainment

A Good Day To Die Hard and Lichtenstein at the Tate make it a good day to turn to page 60 | February 15 2013 | 03

Radar

p06 – Run away with the adrenalineaddicted Nitro Circus The Movie 3D

p08– East or West? Gear up for the NBA All-Star Game

Burning rubber F

ive years ago, Codemasters’ Race Driver: Grid revolutionised the genre with an innovative career mode and the ability to rewind the action and recover from your mistakes – what Romain Grosjean would give to have that feature in real life, eh? Today, Sport can reveal that a sequel is in the works – and, as you can see from the exclusive screenshot above, it looks to be a worthy successor.

Grid 2 will keep the best bits of its predecessor, but add something equally revolutionary (although, sadly, fictional): players will be able to compete in a World Series of Motorsport across all disciplines, in an attempt to find the greatest driver in the world.

It will feature commentary and graphics from ESPN for added authenticity and, coupled with the hyperrealistic damage models when you get it wrong, it should make for a totally immersive experience.

Grid 2 will be released on May 31 2013 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3. Visit gridgame.com for more

Fast and furious? Let off some steam by smashing up expensive virtual cars

| February 15 2013 | 05

Radar

Circus in town A

head of the release of Nitro Circus The Movie 3D, we talk to daredevil, motocross champ and 10-time X Games goldmedallist Travis Pastrana. He tells us about the record-breaking live stunt planned for the O2 alongside the screening of his film, and why he’s in the ‘near-crazy half per cent’

“We’ve got pretty much every rider in the world that can backflip, almost every guy that’s been on Nitro Circus, trying to do a melée of timed backflips. So a world record of people in the air at the same time, everyone flipping, going in different directions and trying to time it where no one collides. If that happens, the whole pile could come down.”

Defining crazy “Nitro Circus is really a group bonded by an idea: anyone in any sport that was willing to push themselves and not just set boundaries based on what’s already been done. You’ve got to figure that 99 per cent of people in the world are very safe, and about half a per cent are just plain crazy.

So Nitro is that fine balance between the two. Okay, we go a little more

06 | February 15 2013 |

towards the crazy, but we’re pretty rational on what’s possible.”

Banged up crew “The worst injury filming the Nitro Circus movie was Jim DeChamp, who got a broken back and a concussion.

Luckily – well, okay, I can’t say luckily – that was really close to the end of filming, but Jim stole the show. He had the most crashes by far. You need to understand what can go wrong with a stunt before anyone can do it right – and Jim showed that perfectly. When you go first, it’s really hard to know the speed, man.”

Ask a stupid question “We went back and forth on whether to include Jim’s injury in the film. We had to put it in, first because Jim would have killed us if we didn’t, and also because we didn’t want to hide the danger factor. When you see people crashing on TV, you can lose the realisation that it’s actually dangerous. The question I get asked most is: ‘Does it hurt when you fall?’

I’m like: ‘Yeah! What do you think?’”

Living the dream There’s two things I’m proudest of.

I was selected for the Motocross of

Nations – in which every country sends three of their top riders – in my first year as a professional in Motocross. I was 15, the youngest person ever to represent the US, and we won. The second thing is Nitro Circus, in that we put together a group of friends who still don’t have real jobs – and we’re close to 30 now.

It’s not really an accomplishment but, ah, it’s still great.”

Experience Nitro Circus in 3D, plus a record-breaking stunt at London’s O2 arena, on February 28. Book your tickets now on www.nitrocircusthemovie3d.com

Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool

Flipping ’eck

Radar

coast v coast T

he States will be un-united on Sunday, as the annual NBA All-Star Game pits the best of the West against some Eastern beasts.

The starters for the game were chosen by a fan vote.

So, after thousands of votes made in the spirit of feverish partisanship, the likes of LeBron James, Luol Deng, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant will swap their club garb for these rather fetching directional offerings. You can get in on the action too – these jerseys, plus a host of other East and West merchandise, is available from NBAstore.eu.

Perfect for basketball fans stranded in the margins of England or, indeed, for sport-loving wicked witches.

From £45 at NBAstore.eu. Turn to page 36 for our preview of the NBA All-Star Game 2013

Wacky racers

08 | February 15 2013 |

Red Bull Content Pool

T

hrowing ourselves face first down a hill while being ridden by a giant panda used to be the stuff of nightmares – at least until we had all that therapy. Now, though, Red Bull are offering you the chance to bring any similar fantasies you may have to life, as the Red Bull Soapbox Race comes to London’s Alexandra Palace after a nine-year absence.

The race is in July, but applications are open now. You have until the end of March to get a crew and an idea together if you want to join those wanting to career down a big slope.

Although, the way things are going, it’ll be in the Olympics before long.

It’s surely more worthy than golf. redbullsoapboxrace.co.uk

Radar Editor’s letter RvP: 25 goals for Man Utd so far – but is he worth it? www.sport-magazine.co.uk @sportmaguk facebook.com/sportmagazine Free iPad app available on Newsstand

Sport magazine Part of UTV Media plc 18 Hatfields, London SE1 8DJ Telephone: 020 7959 7800 Fax: 020 7959 7942 Email: firstname.lastname@ sport-magazine.co.uk Editorial Editor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951) Deputy editor: Tony Hodson (7954) Art editor: John Mahood (7860) Subeditor: Graham Willgoss (7431) Senior writers: Sarah Shephard (7958), Alex Reid (7915) Staff writers: Mark Coughlan (7901), Amit Katwala (7914) Picture editor: Julian Wait (7961) Digital designer: Chris Firth (7952) Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963) Contributors: Del Gentleman

United do it their way They don’t do much in the way of defending, but that won’t stop Manchester United this season

B

ack in the summer, when Manchester United were spending £24m on Robin van Persie, I took to Twitter to say that I didn’t think he was a great buy.

Clears throat. Ahem.

Editor-in-chief Okay, okay, I got it wrong. The point I was Simon Caney trying to make, in 140 characters or fewer, @simoncaney was that scoring goals was not United’s problem – they managed to do it 89 times in 38 games last season. What was required, I argued, was maybe a defence, or at least another midfielder. Or a decent goalkeeper.

As it turns out, those things are not really important in the 2013 version of the Premier League. Indeed, it resembles the under-12 league I so fondly remember – it doesn’t matter if you let in five as long as you score six. So it is that United have notched an exceptional 62 goals in 26 games, thanks largely to that man RvP.

They have, however, shipped 31 at the other end. And yes, before you start, I know that recently they have remembered the art of defending and have conceded just three in their past seven league games – though on more than one occasion that seems to have had more to do with luck than judgement.

The thing is that this is not a typically balanced Alex Ferguson team. While it is a goalscoring machine, there are gaping areas for improvement, but they are clearly unimportant – at the current rate, United will have the league won by the time they play neighbours Man City on April 6, and will finish the season with a record points tally.

That they can do it without really breaking sweat must be of huge concern to the rest of the league, especially because a couple of astute summer buys – Gareth Bale, anyone?

– would strengthen them drastically.

That RvP bloke is not bad though. That’s what I really wanted to say.

Here’s a name to remember: Lydia Ko. Die-hard golf fans may have heard of her, but most people won’t have done. She is 15, still an amateur, but last week won her third professional golf tournament in the New Zealand Open. She was already the youngest player, male or female, to win a pro tournament and to win on the tough LPGA Tour. The Korean-born Kiwi has the world at her feet. It will be fascinating to watch her progress into the paid ranks.

Wasn’t it heartening to see Laura Robson literally banging the drum for her Fed Cup teammates against Bulgaria at the weekend? True, it was a toy drum and she looked very slightly daft; but, even so, there is clearly a fine spirit in British women’s tennis, and it is yielding results.

Robson and Heather Watson are leading the way – they may not be winning Grand Slams yet, but the signs are promising.

Commercial Agency Sales Director: Iain Duffy (7991) Business Director: Kevin O’Byrne (7832) Advertising Managers: Steve Hare (7930), Aaron Pinto del Rio (7918) Sales Executive: Joe Grant (7904) Distribution Manager: Sian George (7852) Distribution Assistant: Makrum Dudgeon Head of Online: Matt Davis (7825) Head of Communications: Laura Wootton (7913) Managing Director: Calum Macaulay PA to Managing Director: Sophia Koulle (7826) Colour reproduction: Rival Colour Ltd Printed by: Wyndeham Group Ltd © UTV Media plc 2012 UTV Media plc takes no responsibility for the content of advertisements placed in Sport magazine £1 where sold Hearty thanks to: Abby Burton, Mark Sinclair, Gaia Bursell, Emily Dawson, Luke Sutton

Cover of the Year

@Sportmaguk painful account of Jose’s state!

Hope he sheds the dark streak & soon returns as the charismatic yet cocky managerial master!

Wow, just 11 weeks to go until we run the #VLM2013 Great article from running coach Martin Yelling in today’s @sportmaguk

@S4NK33 Twitter

@NickiPetitt Twitter

10 | February 15 2013 |

I wonder what @davidflatman will be buying @george_chuter for Valentines day?? @Sportmaguk #whatgoesinDublin

Good work @amitkatwala for including Eddie Howe in @sportmaguk Top Young Managers feature #kingeddie #legend #afcb

@RBradshaw8 Twitter

@dean_potter Twitter

@sportmaguk thanks for heads up on the gorgeous World Cup winner kits print. My girlfriend will love it hanging over the telly #sportart

LAUNCH OF THE YEAR

2008

Total Average Distribution: 305,676 Jan-Jun 2012 Don’t forget: Help keep public transport clean

and tidy for everyone by taking your copy of Sport away with you when you leave the bus or train.

@GMizzle_SW Twitter

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

Reader comments of the week

Flats on Friday

David Lyttleton

Radar Opinion

Rugby union: as happy as a pig in mud

I

am an extremely modern man, so once I had finished watching Ireland v England last Sunday, I grabbed my phone and sought the oxygen fix that only Twitter can provide. That’s right, I was multi-screening.

In truth, this is more to do with muscle memory and uncontrollable habit than with genuine interest. But, every now and then, an unexpected theme makes itself known and a new perspective is proffered by way of the thumb-tapping public.

I loved Sunday’s game in Dublin. I thought it showed – from England’s point of view – a stunning level of maturity for a team so young. Owen Farrell kicked well, yes, but he also showed monstrous desire in the kick-chase, in the tackle and in the undisguised quest to out-dog Ronan O’Gara once the veteran took the field. The back row tackled like machines, and the front five were so aggressive and proficient at the breakdown that the predicted Irish threat on the floor was extinguished at source.

However, Twitter didn’t agree. Twitter told me that rugby needs to be played in the summer, because the Aviva Stadium pitch was more farmland than fairway. This is an argument that has long been discussed; it probably won’t ever happen, but I do see the sun-seekers’ point.

Rugby at this time of year is grim. The ball is sopping wet and covered in sludge, therefore wide passes are ill-advised; the ground is ploughed up by the gorillas up front, so those who once skated across the pitch are reduced to a plod; and any

12 | February 15 2013 |

aesthetically pleasing footwork or snazzy sidesteps are washed away with the rain.

The British winter makes rugby a dogfight.

We begin the season on crisp, autumnal Saturdays full of promise, and we finish it in the scorching sunshine, with tracks hard and fast enough to have wingers and outside centres alike salivating before kick-off. And then there’s the bit in the middle. The winter sees the game cut in half; the forwards’ required workload doubles with the rains, and the backs begin to wonder how they might keep their delicate hands warm until they hit the baths. And as for the supporters? Well, they just keep coming. They deserve medals.

So why do we need this stodgy, rugby-bydarkness in our lives? Because it’s totally wonderful, that’s why. Think of rugby and, invariably, the images that spring unconsciously to the front of your mind will involve large men whacking into each other... and mud. From the iconic image of Fran Cotton’s face post-submergence to the local under-15s on a Sunday morning, we need mud in our game. As a player, you never know what sort of individual you really are until you’ve gone toe to toe in a game in which route-one confrontation is the only way to survive. As my approach to social media confirms, I am up for the shiny and the new – but I am also convinced that no bloke can call himself a bloke until he’s had a good scrap in the mud. Winter rugby is for heroes. @davidflatman

It’s like this…

Bill Borrows

I

t’s worse than we thought. After a brief period of illness, our esteemed editor is now at rest with his arms crossed and his hands flat against his chest. His last words were, apparently: ‘Double Carpet! Double Carpet!’ But panic not – he is still breathing.

A man familiar with the nuances of tic-tac betting, he is in fact offering me 33/1 that City will win the Premier League. It’s not a bad bet. After the results at the weekend, high-street bookies are offering 16/1 – and the tabloids reckon, variously, ‘It’s In The Bag’ and that ‘It Dozen Get Any Better’.

Roberto Mancini reckons we only have a 10 per cent chance of repeating last year’s title win, and even Sir Alex Ferguson allowed himself a little smile.

Although that may have been trapped wind.

The response of City fans, however, is divided by category. ‘Etihad City’ comprises the under-20s, deluded seniors a couple of season tickets away from a rest home and bandwagon jumpers who started supporting the club after the arrival of Robinho in September 2008.

Everybody else is ‘Maine Road City.’ Neither group is suicidal.

Etihad City believes the club probably won’t win the league this year – despite United having the distraction of the Champions League and the fact that RVP has to run out of form and/or fitness soon – but Neymar is a shoo-in for next year, when City will sweep all before them and finally knock Fergie off his ‘f*cking perch’.

Maine Road City are the fans who said ‘bless’ when youthful chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak claimed, after the dramatic final game of last season: “We are not ‘typical City’… we have destroyed that thought.”

They also remember City playing Macclesfield Town.

In the league.

Forever criticised by the Etihads for finding the glass half-empty, Maine Roaders (while keeping a wary eye on Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal) are far from downcast.

Happy to point out that we have already won a trophy this season – the Whatever-They-Call-The-CharityShield-This-Week Trophy – they note that Betfred is paying out on United again, and that we should have a full-strength side for the last third of the season.

So, I’ll have a tenner, Mr Editor. Each way. @BorrowsSPORT

Plank of the Week Emanuel Britez, defender, Union de Santa Fe Struggling to get to grips with striker Pablo Lugüercio in a tight Argentina Primera Division match at the weekend, Britez decided to stick his fingers up Lugüercio’s bottom. The Arsenal de Sarandi (yes, really) player responded, not unnaturally, by flooring the defender and receiving the red card. Britez, feigning a face injury, then proceeded to smell his fingers. Wrong on so many levels.

Frozen in time

14 | February 15 2013 |

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

28 Dollar thrills We’re more used to pictures of dozens of football pitches at Hackney Marshes, but across the pond they’re made of sturdier stuff. Indeed, this is the Pond Hockey Championship in Wisconsin – 2,400 ice hockey players competing on 28 makeshift pitches over three days on the frozen Dollar Lake for the honour of winning a trophy made out of a beer keg. The ice is almost two feet thick, in case you were wondering.

Even the biggest American won’t fall through it.

| 15

James Anderson

Split personality England’s Jimmy Anderson tells Sport why it’s time to leave the nice guy at home

18 | February 15 2013 |

Your daughter hates cricket! Jimmy, this is no good…

“I know. But for me, I’ve got used to it, playing for almost 10 years now. It sounds horrible, but wherever I am, when I get out on the pitch, I just switch off from what goes on at home and concentrate on the job.”

In your autobiography, you talk about the two different sides to you: James at home and Jimmy on the cricket pitch. Is that a deliberate divide?

“Yeah, over the last couple of years I’ve been working with the team psychologist to try and differentiate between the two. If a bit of the person I am at home creeps into my cricket, I’m a bit too nice on the field, whereas you want to be aggressive and really have that hunger to win. So it’s tuned into a bit of a skill, trying to separate the two. I try and work on it, like I would on any part of my bowling.”

Credit

So when does James disappear and Jimmy take over?

“It’s a gradual thing. Once I get on the plane it starts and, then, when I meet up with

the guys, I kind of switch into cricket mode.

That’s when the changes start, I guess – and then throughout practice I’ll get more and more settled into it. Hopefully I’ll be raring to go once the first game comes around.”

Sunday New ZealaNd v eNglaNd: First ONe-day iNterNatiONal | HamiltON | sky spOrts 1 1am

Are you a very different character to the one who came into the team a decade ago, would you say?

“I’m more sure of what I’m doing. I’m louder in the dressing room now and I voice my opinions, whereas in the past I’d be a bit too shy and maybe not speak up when I felt something needed to be said. I’ve changed a little bit, but not a huge amount.”

Last year had plenty of ups and downs for the England team. Were there any lessons you learned from it?

“As a team, we’ve come out of it quite positively, because we now know that we can actually get through a year like that. The year we had was a real one-off, we won’t have anything like it again – or at least I hope we won’t. The stuff that went on in the summer [with Kevin Pietersen] wasn’t great, but we’ve moved on from that. Going to India in the winter, a lot of people – probably even ourselves – weren’t sure how we were going to get on. I think to win that >

“Last year was a real one-off, we won't have anything like it again – at least I hope we won't” | 19

Neil Gavin

You join up with England for the one-day games against New Zealand. How much of you is looking forward to the cricket, and how much of you finds it hard to tear yourself away from your family?

“It’s a tricky balance. I’m looking forward to playing cricket, but it is difficult to leave behind a young family. My wife and I have got used to it over the years and, unfortunately, the kids are going to have to get used to it too. It’s harder for them the older they get.

Especially my four-year-old, who’s now understanding that I do go away for chunks of time. She doesn’t like cricket at the minute.”

James Anderson

Are the fences now mended between Kevin and the team?

“Definitely. We sorted most of it out before we went to India, and he’s settled back into the team really well. Things needed to be said from both sides. Kevin wanted to say a few things, the players wanted to say a few things, so we got those out in the open. That was a really positive step. Once we got out to India, it was like he’d never been out of the side and nothing had happened.”

India was Alastair Cook’s first series as England’s full Test captain. We tend to think of him as cut from a similar cloth to Andrew Strauss, but do you see a difference in their captaincy styles?

“They’ve probably got the same tough mental composition, but actually in personality they’re very, very different. I think Alastair is planning to put his own stamp on the captaincy. The biggest difference is that Straussy was very eloquent and spoke brilliantly to the team – and that’s something Alastair is still developing. He’ll get better and better at it.”

20 | February 15 2013 |

“The biggest difference is that Straussy was very eloquent and spoke brilliantly to the team – that’s something Alastair is still developing. He’ll get better and better at it”

You had a lot of responsibility under Strauss – he would often refer to you as the leader of the bowling attack. Is that something you see continuing under Cook?

“I hope so, yeah. Unless he drops me! But that’s something I’ve really enjoyed and, since I’ve felt like I have that responsibility, my performances have improved a huge amount.

I want to carry on in that role, if it’s possible.”

New Zealand have had a tumultuous time of it lately. Does that make them a difficult team to prepare for? We’re not sure what to expect.

“Not for us, because we know how good New Zealand can be. You can’t prepare to play a team thinking they’re going to be out of form; we’ll go into this series thinking that they’re going to be at their strongest. There’s a bit of danger that, as you say, they’ve had a tough time of it of late – certainly in the Tests – and some people are expecting us to roll over them, but they play very well at home.

It’s going to be a hard tour for us.”

I’m sure the start of any cricket year is exciting, but does this one feel extra special because there’s two Ashes series ahead?

“It’s special when any Ashes series comes around, but having two in a year does make >

Harry Engels/Getty Images, Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images

series shows that, as a team, we can probably get through most things that are thrown our way.”

James Anderson it even more so. But looking ahead can be dangerous. We can’t ignore the Ashes, because everyone’s talking about it, but that’s just something we’ll put on the backburner for a bit. If we concentrate on the New Zealand series, hopefully we can win those matches and build up some momentum.”

You tell a story in your book about cuffing Michael Clarke around the head with a cricket pad in the dressing room while the teams shared a drink once. Is it fair to say you don’t like him much?

“Erm [laughter and long pause]. Well, that was a long time ago – six years, I think. Look, I don’t know him well at all, so I’m not going to say either way. It’s one of those things.

Sometimes you get into those situations when you’re having a beer with someone.

At that moment in time, we probably didn’t see eye to eye.”

Another prolific Australian batsman, Mike Hussey, announced a surprise retirement this year. It’s good news that he’s out of the team, right?

“Well, the professional answer here would be that any sportsman wants to test themselves against the best – and he was one of the best that I’ve bowled at. The other way of looking at it is that he’s one of the best players I’ve ever bowled at, so I’m quite glad I don’t have to this time. I was quite happy with that, yes.”

You must be looking at the Australian batting line-up and licking your lips...

“Well, the media and people in general who I speak to seem to have written off New Zealand and are doing the same to Australia as well. They’re saying Australia have guys they’ve never heard of coming in, but we have played against most of them before and we know how good they are. A lot of them have

“Bresnan is the last man I’d want to be stuck in a lift with. I couldn’t think of anything worse” played in England in county cricket, so there will be experience in their side. We know how competitive and determined the Australians are, so expect a very tough series.”

new year. My wife is quite close to his wife and they have two young kids as well, so we’ve seen a lot of each other. Well, not a lot, but enough to get by.”

Lastly – and crucially – we asked Tim Bresnan which England teammate he’d most like to be stuck in a lift with, and he picked you. So, would you like being stuck in a lift with Tim Bresnan?

[Suddenly animated] “I honestly couldn’t think of anything worse! Tim Bresnan is the last person I’d want to be stuck in a lift with.”

Oh. Who would you pick to be stuck in a lift with, then?

“I wouldn’t really want to be stuck in a lift with any of them. I’m trying to think of someone who’s sort of like a handyman who could actually get us out. No, I can’t think. [Relents] Probably Swanny. He’ll know what buttons to push or which screws to unscrew. I hope.”

Alex Reid @otheralexreid

As you’re on tour: have you ever made a worse decision while away than letting Stuart Broad cut your hair?

“That was a bit silly, yeah. I once let a drunk Simon Jones do it and he shaved it all off, so that was stupid. Although I actually probably got a better haircut from Simon. But stuff like that goes on when you’re on tour – you have to try and keep yourself amused.”

Have you missed your pal Graeme Swann?

“I’ve not really missed him because I’ve seen quite a lot of him over Christmas and the

Jimmy Anderson is sponsored by Vitabiotics Wellman vitamin supplements. For more, visit wellman.co.uk

The 12 months ahead England in New Zealand

New Zealand in England

(FebruaryMarch) The current tour involves three T20 internationals (already played), three ODIs and culminates in a three-Test series against the Kiwis

(May-June) Begins on May 16 with the first of two Tests, followed by three ODIs. A pair of Twenty20 internationals take place after the ICC Champions Trophy

22 | February 15 2013 |

Champions Trophy in England (June) The second most important ODI tournament after the World Cup starts on June 6.

England will play Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand in the group stage

Australia in England

England in Australia

(JulySeptember) The first of five hotly anticipated Ashes Tests begins on July 10 at Trent Bridge. A pair of Twenty20 internationals and a five-match ODI series follows

(NovemberJanuary) Australia get a quick chance to avenge their 5-0 humbling in England as the first in a five-Test Ashes series starts on November 21 in Brisbane

Why oh why?

The reason England and Australia are playing back-to-back Test series for the first time in 38 years is to break the cycle of a ODI World Cup following quickly after the end of an Ashes winter. Previously – in 2011, for example – the England team went into the World Cup straight on the back of a long, tiring winter in Australia spent batting away giant insects and erratic fast-bowlers.

With this rescheduling, Australian Ashes series will now end in non-World Cup years.

Tom Shaw/Pool/Getty Images

That’s fine though, isn’t it? A bit of heat tends to work in the bowler’s favour, and you’ll probably be bowling at him a fair bit this year.

“It can do, but a lot of batsmen thrive on that sort of thing. A bit of heat is not too bad, but I don’t want to go overboard with it.”

Golden Generation

Laura Trott

double olympic track cycling champion laura trott heads to the world championships as, once again, the woman to beat When Laura Trott competed at last year’s Track Cycling World Championships, she was the holder of just one Rainbow Jersey – for the team pursuit in Holland in 2011. Next week, she heads to Minsk, Belarus, as the holder of the World Championship and Olympic team pursuit and omnium titles.

Sport caught up with Britain’s golden girl to ask how she’s coping with the weight of expectation

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

You’ll arrive in Minsk as a double world and Olympic champion. Is that a confidence boost or a burden?

“I’m used to the expectation now. I tend not to let things I hear in the background bother me. If I listened to people saying ’oh, she should win both [the omnium and team pursuit]’, I’d never be where I am now because it would have cracked me after the World Championships last year. I was a double world champion going into a home Olympics. Before the worlds last year, I did let things get to me because I’d read articles – especially in cycling magazines – that put pressure on me. They’d say: ’She could be the next best thing.’ And I was like: ’Oh my god, people are actually going to expect me to win.’ Whereas now I’m like: ’Oh, whatever.’”

What expectations do you have for yourself in Minsk, then?

“I’d love it if I could defend my omnium title and, as a team, we defended the team pursuit – that would be a dream. But it’s a new team. Elinor Barker is riding with me and Dani King in place of Joanna Rowsell, and it’s only a year after the Olympics – so this is more of a stepping stone. I need to look at the bigger picture, but it’s hard as an athlete to think: ’Oh, it’s alright if I don’t win because I’m training for Rio.’ I just want to race and see what we can do.” >

| February 15 2013 | 25

Laura Trott

"look at the younger generation. look up to us and forget about all that crap in the past" team because it’s British-registered, so my coach has a bit of involvement. It’s professionally run, too, so we have the equipment and the kit – whatever we need – at our fingertips. I’ve raced for club teams before, and it’s completely different. You get a jersey and that’s it. You have to ride your own bike and, if you puncture, that’s it. Game over. So it’s nice that I can actually race and know that I have that support behind me.”

Your sister, Emma, is a road racer. Will you come up against each other on the circuit?

“Oh yeah, we will. All summer I’ll race against her.

The first time we’ll go head to head is in April, at a time trial out in Holland. We used to be really competitive with each other when I first started cycling – I always wanted to beat her. I think that’s why I am where I am today, because she’s three years older than me. So if I beat her, that meant I was likely to beat the boys in my age group, which was like a massive deal. Not many girls did that.”

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

The omnium’s one of your favoured events, but there’s talk of it being dropped from the Rio Olympics...

“I know. How annoying. I don’t get what they’re trying to achieve with that. It just annoys me – it really does.

They’re chopping and changing the events every Olympics. I’m sorry, right, but you don’t see the heptathlon being taken out of athletics, do you? It doesn’t make sense to me. I understand that it can be confusing to watch, but at the Olympics so many people got behind me and enjoyed it. Somebody tweeted the other day to say if the omnium got taken out of the Olympics, he’d organise a street party.

So I tweeted him back saying: ’Each to their own, but I think a lot of people enjoyed it.’”

How different is life for you now, compared with before the World Championships in Melbourne around this time last year?

“Completely. People actually know me now. Just a minute ago, I was walking through the reception area in the velodrome and three girls were walking with their teacher. One of them just shouted: ’Laura!’

They were hysterical because they really wanted to meet me. It was so nice, and that is the reality of it now, whereas before it wasn’t like that at all. The first few weeks after the Games were absolutely mental, though, with people recognising me in the street and stuff. To start with I just wanted my life to go back to normal. But once you get used to it and see that you are inspiring people – especially the younger generation, like those girls today – it’s brilliant. If I can get them riding their bikes just by having a photo with them, then that’s what I’ll do.”

26 | February 15 2013 |

It’s the start of a new Olympic cycle and there are some new faces around the velodrome in Manchester, while some older ones have departed. How does the mood compare with the start of the 2012 cycle?

“In our team, Elinor Barker has stepped straight in and it’s really nice – almost like a fresh start. So that side of it is nice. But I also loved it when Sir Chris Hoy was there – I did – because I looked up to him and it was so nice that I had the chance to train with him and just have him there telling his stories. I loved that and I miss it. He’d come out with the most random things.”

You’ve joined the new British-run Wiggle Honda road team. What was it that made you decide that was the team for you?

“I am a track rider and I will still be track right up to Rio – but I need to go on the road to get stronger, and it’s an easy transition from track to road with that

When we spoke to you early last year, you told us how you’d blown up your oven cooking a jacket potato. Have your cooking skills improved at all?

“I’m much better now because I was given a machine, and it’s quality. It’s called a Thermomix and you just chuck everything in – whatever you want. The other day, I made a prawn curry. I chucked all the ingredients in: peppers, tomatoes, coconut milk, prawns, then put rice and water in the top of it. You set it for 20 minutes, then it starts going nuts when it’s done.

That’s it. It’s basically done the cooking for you.”

You tweeted that you were reading Tyler Hamilton’s book about drugs in cycling, The Secret Race. What impact did the revelations in the book have on you?

“The book itself is a bit like ’woah’, because you don’t expect it all to go on. I only read it because there were so many stories going around that made me want to read it. But the book is one thing and everything else is another, isn’t it? I just want everyone to forget about that and look at us, for example – the younger generation coming through. Look up to us and forget about all that crap that’s gone on in the past.”

Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag

a neW DaWn

UCI Track Cycling World Championships

next week’s trAck cycling world chAmpionships mArk the stArt of A new erA for British cycling.

Sport introduces the riders tAsked with continuing the gold medAl trend in minsk

sprint

Becky James

Age 21 An unused reserve for Team GB at London 2012, the 2009 world junior sprint and keirin champion has moved swiftly to fill the Pendletonshaped hole in the women’s sprint squad. After winning four titles at the British Championships last year, James teamed up with Jess Varnish to win team sprint gold at both the Cali and Glasgow rounds of the Track Cycling World Cup (as well as winning silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the individual sprint at the same events). She heads to Minsk – her third appearance at the worlds – expecting to compete in the sprint, team sprint, keirin and 500m time trial events.

Vicky Williamson

Age 19 With James’ usual sprint partner Varnish out with a back injury, academy rider Vicky Williamson steps up to make her World Championships debut just four years after switching from athletics. “Lots of people were talking about cycling after Team GB’s success in Beijing, so I thought I’d give it a shot,” says Williamson. ”I did some power tests and produced some really good results.”

They were good enough for her to be offered a spot on British Cycling’s Olympic Development Programme, and medals at the 2011 Track Cycling Junior World Champs suggest that’s exactly where she belongs.

Jason kenny

Age 24 One of the younger athletes who has benefited from training and racing alongside Chris Hoy for more than five years, Kenny was chosen over his more experienced colleague for the sole sprint spot at London 2012. And he proved it was the right choice, winning a second gold to match the one he won with Hoy (and Philip Hindes) in the team sprint. Kenny’s focus is now on trying to add to his solitary world title from 2011, which he won despite initially coming second to France’s Gregory Bauge in the final. The Frenchman was later stripped of his medal for missing a drugs test.

THE ULTIMATE SOL

“BONE-BREAKING, BULLE

VARI

OUT NOW ON DVD, BLU-RAY AND LIMITED 28 | February 15 2013 |

Kian emadi

Age 20 Making his World Championships debut in Minsk, Emadi is one of the new breed in the team sprint alongside Kenny.

There’s no question over Kenny’s faith in his teammate’s ability: “It’s impossible to ignore that Kian is going quicker than anyone at the minute, and he has shown real speed. He’s obviously been working really hard while we were at the Olympics, and he’s getting the rewards for that now.” Emadi will also compete in the 1km time trial in Minsk – an event that has already won him a British title and a World Cup silver on his debut in Colombia last October.

elinor BarKer

Age 18 With Joanna Rowsell skipping the World Championships to focus on her road racing, world junior time trial champion Barker is joining Laura Trott and Dani King in their bid for continued domination of the women’s team pursuit. The Welshwoman has already filled in for Rowsell once, at the Glasgow World Cup last November, when the trio rode to gold. Her performance there elicited high praise from Dave Brailsford, British Cycling’s performance director, who described it as “one of the best debuts I’ve seen in the senior ranks“.

And Brailsford has seen a fair few...

sam Harrison

Age 20 The Welshman – a former boyfriend of Laura Trott – won a bronze medal on his senior World Championships debut in Apeldoorn, Holland in 2011, when he was a last-minute replacement for the ill Ed Clancy in the team pursuit. He filled in for Clancy in the omnium, too, finishing 12th overall, but joins the Olympic champion in the squad this time.

Harrison is one of a number of young riders called up – Jon Dibben, Owain Doull and Simon Yates join the more experienced Clancy, Steven Burke and Andy Tennant in Minsk, with Brailsford searching for the right combination to lead the way in Rio.

tHe team in Full

Finals scHedule

men’s sprint

wednesdaY

Matt Crampton Kian Emadi Jason Kenny Phil Hindes

women’s sprint

Becky James Vicky Williamson

men’s endurance Steven Burke Ed Clancy Jon Dibben Owain Doull Sam Harrison Andy Tennant Simon Yates

• Men’s kilo time trial final • Women’s individual pursuit final • Women’s team sprint final • Men’s team pursuit final

tHursdaY

• Women’s 500m time trial final • Men’s individual pursuit final • Women’s team pursuit final • Men’s scratch 15km final • Men’s team sprint final

FridaY

women’s endurance Elinor Barker Dani King Laura Trott

• Women’s scratch 10km • Men’s points race 40km • Men’s keirin final

saturdaY

• Women’s sprint final • Women’s points race 25km • Men’s omnium final

it's on tV

sundaY

BBC Red Button, WednesdAy 10Am BBC tWo, WednesdAy 4pm

• Women’s omnium final • Men’s sprint final • Women’s keirin final • Men’s madison 50km final

LDIERS ARE BACK

ET-BLASTING VIOLENCE”

IETY

2D+3D

4X

BOXSET

STEELBOOK

WATCH IT NOW ON

D EDITION 3D BLU-RAY STEELBOOK | 29

All pictures Getty Images

endurance

Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

A Knight's sAil The first person to make a solo non-stop circumnavigation of the globe by boat, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston went on to co-found the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. We caught up with him before the event’s ninth edition to talk solitude, satellite phones and sailing >

| February 15 2013 | 31

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

"i rounded cape horn on january 17. Moitessier did it on february 9. only in france does that put hiM ahead" How do you pass the time alone for that long? ”You don’t have time to be bored. Bear in mind there were no satellites or GPS equipment, so you’re spending at least two hours a day navigating. Then you’ve got maintenance to do. And, apart from the normal things like sail changes and so on, you’re just checking the boat and making sure she’s alright. Then there’s constantly checking the weather. All the boat had was a barometer, so you’re watching the clouds and the wind direction to try and establish what’s going on. People think you can just sit back with a gin and tonic in your hand, but sadly it isn’t like that.”

In 1968, you set off to sail around the world without stopping. What possessed you to do that? ”It came about quite simply, really. I was sailing my boat back from India, where I’d built it, when I read that Francis Chichester had sailed around the world with one stop. I just thought: ’Well, that’s it then – there’s only one thing to be done.’ I wrote to 52 companies asking for sponsorship for the journey, and they all wrote back saying no. So I said: ’Well, I’m going anyway.’”

So where did you get the money to do it, then? ”I got an overdraft from the bank. I just had to be clever, so the bank didn’t know what I was spending it on. By the time they found out, I’d sailed myself into solvency.”

AFP/Getty Images, onEdition

What was the toughest thing about a challenge like that? ”The hardest thing was actually making the decision to go. Once you’ve made that decision, an awful lot of the problems actually disappear. The next thing is finding the money to set off, and that is hard work.

In my case, I was unsuccessful asking for money from potential sponsors, so my journey was more of a gamble. My biggest problem, though, was that I had a touch of jaundice, so I wasn’t able to be too energetic for the first four or five weeks. I’d had jaundice before, so I knew if I went to a doctor, they would have sent me to hospital. I just decided that I wasn’t going to say anything, but just sit around and take it easy.

That was quite hard at times, to begin with.”

And you were alone on the boat for 10 months.

What was the longest time you went with no contact whatsoever? ”I had a link every Thursday on the radio, but I lost the radio after two and a half months in a storm.

I spoke to a vessel off the coast of Melbourne, and had a chat with a fisherman off New Zealand.

But, after that, I didn’t speak to anyone until I was close to home. So it would have been about five or five and a half months.”

How did you keep track of the other competitors in the race? ”I didn’t – I had no idea what was going on. Without the radio, I had no idea how anyone else was doing. By the

time I rounded Cape Horn, I was 20 days ahead of the second-placed Bernard Moitessier, who later withdrew, but I only found that out afterwards. I was in France soon afterwards, and they were saying to me: ’Moitessier was ahead of you when he pulled out of the race!’ I rounded Cape Horn on January 17.

Moitessier did it on February 9. Only in France does that put him ahead of me.”

How did it feel finishing the race? ”It was fantastic, but it was also a bit of a comedy situation. I was going to finish at about 9am, so I told people on the shore and I was asked to slow down because the mayor and mayoress were going to greet me – and the mayoress had her hair appointment at 9am. They asked me to slow up, so I did. But then the wind changed, so I didn’t end up finishing until past 3pm [pictured above], by which time the poor dear’s hairstyle was ruined anyway.”

Do you enjoy the solitary time on the boat? ”Yeah, I’m one of the few who does. I don’t mind it.

I’m perfectly content in my own company, or I’ll sail with crews just as happily. But I’m probably one of the few who doesn’t mind sailing alone. You miss company from time to time, but on the whole you’re out there for a reason – so you just get on with it.”

Do you prefer that to modern, technology-filled boats? ”The problem with sailing today is people expect to hear from you, and that puts pressure on. When I went around the world again in 2007, I’d snarl if my satellite phone went off twice in a day. Tell me if you’re going to call at a certain time, or else please do not bother me. By the time I’d got below to answer it, the person would be gone, and they’d have interrupted me when I might be doing a sail change or something. Then I’d start again and the phone would go off again. To hell with it. I just couldn’t be bothered!”

So, what was the idea behind the Clipper Series? ”It started in 1995, when I was in Greenland climbing and someone told me how much it cost to climb Mount Everest. I thought: ’Whoah, that’s a lot of money.

What’s the sailing equivalent?’ Just as total amateurs climb Everest, our idea was to get amateurs sailing around the globe. We put an ad in the paper and got 8,000 replies, so we thought we’d better do it.”

Were you surprised by the level of interest? ”Yeah, I really was. An awful lot were just people dreaming. But we had enough to fill eight boats, and that was the beginning of the Clipper races.”

What advice do you give people ahead of the races? ”Train hard and sail easy. The easiest people to train are the ones who have never sailed before, because they don’t have any bad habits. But anyone can be a great sailor as long as you train hard. You’re doing a once-in-a-lifetime event, so why not learn as much as possible about the boat so you get to enjoy the event all the more? Learn to navigate, learn about the boat.

It’s about building up their confidence and their awareness of what’s going on around them.”

This year sees the ninth staging of the Clipper race.

Will you be jealous when you watch the race start? ”It depends what I’m doing at the time. I love seeing the start and all the excitement and nerves among the crews. They’re really good sailors by the time they come back, and that’s probably one of the things I get most satisfaction from. It’s not just the sailing – you notice the extra self-confidence and it really shows.”

Mark Coughlan @coffers83 For more information about the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, visit www.clipperroundtheworld.com

| February 15 2013 | 33

Advertising Feature

A different world You pause. You think. You start life as a naval recruit. And, before you know it, your life has changed. You see more opportunities than ever before.

You learn a lot about yourself.

You save lives in the Caribbean.

You defend British borders. You tour Cyprus with the Navy Rugby Team.

You live a life without limits.

Not everyone joining the Royal Navy will have the experience described above, of course, but therein lies the beauty of a career in the Armed Forces – it means something different to everyone who joins, and offers so many varied opportunities that no two careers, no two Royal Navy lives, will ever be the same.

Indeed, no two days will ever be the same. Take a look at the case study on this very page: one day, you could be onboard a Royal Navy submarine, working closely with your friends and colleagues to help protect our nation’s borders; the next, you could be padding up to open the batting for the Royal Navy cricket team.

You need not be on a submarine, however – as the box elsewhere on this page shows, the Royal Navy offers a vast range of job opportunities across a whole spectrum of different areas. And if cricket isn’t your thing, don’t worry – you would be encouraged to pursue whatever sporting interests you have.

If this sounds like the kind of future you want for yourself – one in which travel, sport and an environment of encouragement and camaraderie all feature – then read on for examples of the different types of career you can follow in the Royal Navy. Why wouldn’t you?

The Royal Navy, A Life Without Limits

www.royalnavy.mod.uk/navyjobs 34 | February 15 2013 |

CAREERS iN foCuS

Mine Warfare Specialist You’ll be doing important work making the seas safer for both Royal Navy and civilian ships. You’ll be trained to find mines using mine-hunting sonar and, having detected them, you will launch and control your ship’s remote-controlled mine-disposal vehicle to deal with them. The safety of your ship could one day depend on your skill, quick thinking and powers of concentration.

Chef

Weapons Engineer

Join a team preparing first-class food, making sure the ship’s company (as many as 900 people) receives three nutritious meals a day. During a port visit, you could even find yourself cooking for royalty. As part of the crew of a fighting ship, you’ll also be trained in firefighting, first aid and get involved in operations ranging from delivering humanitarian relief to searching ships for smuggled goods.

Weapons engineers manage the repair and maintenance of a ship’s weapons and sensors equipment.

Experience the thrill and challenge of being part of a team responsible for bringing together the fighting capability of the ship. On shore, you could lead and manage technical projects, working with industry partners to develop new equipment and roles in home support to frontline operations.

*The Royal Navy believes in equal opportunities. This means we’ll consider your application no matter what your sex, race, ethnic origin, religion, sexuality or social background † Not the serviceman in the featured image

CASE STudy

this week, we speak to Matt – an Engineering Technician Weapon Engineering Submariner on HMS Ambush† What inspired you to join the Royal Navy?

“My dad. At university, I decided it wasn’t for me – but he had been in the Army, and thought my desire for an exciting career would be suited to the Armed Forces. So I visited my local careers office and decided to join the Royal Navy as a Submariner.”

Tell us about your career so far...

“I’m a fully qualified ETWE (SM) onboard HMS Ambush, one of the new Astute class

submarines. In the near future, I hope to be selected for promotion to Leading Engineering Technician, then complete my leadership training at HMS Collingwood.

Being presented with my dolphins, which signifies I’m a qualified Submariner, was one of my proudest moments to date.”

How have you developed since joining?

“I think my leadership skills have developed massively since joining, especially in the Submarine Service. I’ve matured as a person, and gained some lifelong friends, too. The camaraderie we have onboard is something you can’t replicate anywhere else.”

What skills have you learned that you can take into everyday life?

“The professional environment required to

live and work on a submarine is something I’ll definitely take with me. When you’re working so closely with people, you always have to be professional, not to mention tolerant of their needs and feelings. There isn’t a lot of space to hide on a submarine!”

What sports do you play?

“I’m the Royal Navy cricket captain, as well as a full Combined Services cricketer, which I have been for three seasons. I also use the gym facilities provided by the Royal Navy (free of charge) to keep myself fit. I regularly play five-a-side football with my colleagues, and play other sports like squash. There is even a dry ski slope at HM Naval Base Faslane, where I’m based, which is available for everyone there to use.”

For further information on Royal Navy careers, call 08456 07 55 55 or search 'Navy Jobs' online

What do you like about the sports you play?

“Being involved in Royal Navy cricket, I have played against some top-class players at some of the best venues in the world. Every year we play the T20 competition at Lord’s, where every cricketer wants to play. We also tour periodically, to places including the Caribbean, Australia and South Africa.

This year, I’m hopefully touring India with the Combined Services. The opportunities to play sport in the Royal Navy are endless.”

| 35

7 Days OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD

FEB 15-FEB 21 HIGHLIGHTS » Football: FA Cup 5th Round » p38 » Football: Champions League Last 16 » p40 » Rugby Union: Saracens v Exeter » p44 » Tennis: Dubai Duty Free Championships » p46 » Golf: WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship » p48

SUNDAY BASKETBALL | NBA ALL-STAR GAME | TOYOTA CENTER, HOUSTON | SKY SPORTS 2 & ESPN 1AM

Star-spangled razzmatazz The NBA All-Star weekend is difficult to top for sheer entertainment. Events in Houston start on Friday, with the All-Star Celebrity Game. This year it will feature Usain Bolt, who has already promised to “try and dunk a few times”, as well as music stars Ne-Yo, Common and Trey Songz – all of whom we’re huge fans of, obviously. Saturday’s programme includes the Skills Contest and the Sprite Slam Dunk competition, in which Utah Jazz forward Jeremy Evans (pictured) will look to defend his 2012 title.

Sunday brings the main event, as the Eastern Conference attempts to avoid a third successive defeat to the Western Conference – although there will be very little focus on defense, allowing the players to showcase their offensive skills.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Injury permitting, the very best NBA talent will be on display. That includes, for the East, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

The West, meanwhile, have Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant and last year’s MVP Kevin Durant in their ranks.

Expect a high-scoring game – last year finished 152-149, the second highest in All-Star history.

36 | February 15 2013 |

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

7 Days SATURDAY FOOTBALL | FA CUP FIFTH ROUND: OLDHAm v EvERTON | BOUNDARy PARk | ITv1 6Pm

Baxter’s coup Jose Baxter’s reward for helping Oldham dispatch Liverpool is a match-up with his former club, Everton. Released last summer by the team he joined at the age of six, the 21-year-old tipped as the next Wayne Rooney has rebuilt his career at the Latics – and his quality has been instrumental in their cup run so far. Oldham are, however, currently managerless after the departure of Paul Dickov, a casualty of their poor league form. Club chairman Simon Corney has admitted that staying in League One is “more important than beating Everton”, with the club 21st in the table at the time of writing. The Toffees, meanwhile, were semi-finalists last year, and are having one of their best seasons under David Moyes. They’ve efficiently seen off Cheltenham and Bolton to get to this stage, and will have no intention of joining their neighbours on Oldham’s list of scalps.

SUNDAY FOOTBALL | FA CUP FIFTH ROUND: mAN CITy v LEEDS ETIHAD STADIUm | ESPN 2Pm

SATURDAY FOOTBALL | FA CUP FIFTH ROUND: LUTON v mILLWALL kENILWORTH ROAD | ESPN 12.45Pm

MONDAY FOOTBALL | FA CUP FIFTH ROUND: mANCHESTER UNITED v READINg OLD TRAFFORD | ESPN 8Pm

Don’t predict a riot They’re the lowest ranked side left in the draw, but non-league Luton’s ‘giantkilling’ of Norwich in the fourth round rang a bit hollow, given that the sides were in the same division as recently as six years ago. That feeling was only compounded when, instead of the lucrative tie their battling performance deserved, the ball bag threw up

Salvage crew

a home fixture with Millwall – to groans from

With Manchester City’s league challenge in

the teams met in the quarter finals, with 47

tatters, Roberto Mancini will hope an FA Cup run

injured and 31 arrests. Expect a quieter affair

will be enough to stay the gilded axe above his

in the stands, if not on the pitch.

both Hatters fans and the local police. In 1985, Kenilworth Road was the scene of rioting when

head. Leeds have a great cup record against Spurs, Everton and Southampton this season.

Mancini has vowed to make several changes to his side in the wake of the 3-1 defeat to Southampton – Carlos Tevez, Vincent Kompany, Matija Nastasic and Kolo Toure could all return.

Leeds are adjusting to life without Luciano Becchio, who left for Norwich in January. El Hadji Diouf could be joined in attack by loan signing

Royal rumble

Habib Habibou, famous for lobbing a stray duck over the advertising hoardings in Belgium.

The last meeting between these sides produced seven goals in the first 34 minutes of a thrilling 4-3

SATURDAY - SUNDAY FOOTBALL | FA CUP: THE OTHER mATCHES THIS WEEkEND

away win for United. The Royals have been resurgent of late, although their good run ended with defeat

Elsewhere, Arsenal host

relegation zone despite an

with Brentford is on Sunday

to Stoke last weekend – and they haven’t beaten

Championship strugglers

unbeaten run of seven matches,

afternoon (12pm), before Wigan

the Red Devils in 12 attempts since 1927.

Blackburn (Saturday, 3pm), who

head to League 1 MK Dons, who

visit either Huddersfield or

at the time of writing had won

beat QPR in the fourth round

Leicester (3.55pm) – those two

though. Adam le Fondre will be a threat up front –

three on the spin. Barnsley,

(Saturday, 3pm). Speaking of the

were commencing their replay

he’s scored seven goals in 2013 already, one more

who are in the Championship

fourth round, Chelsea’s replay

as Sport went to press.

than Robin van Persie.

38 | February 15 2013 |

The result is not quite a foregone conclusion,

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images, Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images, Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

top-flight opposition, though – they’ve beaten

eil be .e b.keaka m“m .“n.ointoa i tr aorpo rp or C o yCnyonSofSof soksr k ar a mem dead rtartded r ert seit g si eg r ea r sai s”i Y” N YO NSO “S .“c.nIctnI ntene mnimanti ratert e ntEn“rEedrtne utapu”p m noom i tC o”aytnCn o Siyto yyn“aS lto 2 aflP So “P ”yf ,“aslol“kP sr k ala r ya mS em d teaa“d trita od nn rntd n”ead raen tr se dit g s“i eg reeerrre ar ”aare registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “SONY” is a registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. “make.bellieve” ieve” iis s a ttrademark rademark o off tthe he ssame ame c company. ompany.

LIMITED EDITION 500GB CONSOLES WITH 2 MATCHING CONTROLLERS.

YOUR FAVOURITE KIT. NOW IN YOUR FAVOURITE KIT. /PlayStationAccess #redorblue

7 Days TUESDAY FOOTBALL | ChAmpiOns LeAgue LAsT 16 FirsT Leg: ArsenAL v BAyern muniCh | emirATes sTAdium | iTV1 7.45pm

Bayern look to set the bar high

Pep Guardiola’s decorated feet ought to have no

New faces

the centre of defence. Mertesacker has played

problem filling the biggest of managerial shoes,

Munich are a slightly different prospect this year –

Bayern 16 times during his career and won just twice,

but even he might have a challenge when he takes

fans used to seeing Arjen Robben’s ovoid head

which doesn’t bode well.

over Bayern Munich in the summer if their season

sprinting down the touchline to feed Mario Gomez

continues at its current pace. Last year’s beaten

might have to turn their attention to the bench – the

Bright signs

Champions League finalists are 15 points clear in

Dutch winger has made just 10 appearances this

Still, there are reasons to be cheerful if you’re a

the Bundesliga under outgoing manager Jupp

season, with Thomas Müller favoured on the right.

Gooner. Theo Walcott has been in the form of his life

Heynckes, and have returned from their winter

His combination with new signing Mario Mandzukic

since securing a new contract, and Olivier Giroud is

break with some ferocity – winning four without

(who has ousted his namesake Gomez) has been

starting to show the finishing finesse that compelled

conceding in the league.

the cornerstone of Bayern’s attack this season –

Arsene Wenger to sign him from Montpellier in the

the Croat impressed at Euro 2012, and has 16 goals

summer. Gervinho is back from the Africa Cup of

in 24 games since joining from Wolfsburg.

Nations, where he was one of Ivory Coast’s best

Home comforts It’s a tough task, then, for Arsenal, whose Euro trip

players (but we’ll leave it to Arsenal fans to decide

has ended at this stage in each of the previous two

Trouble at the back

whether that’s a reason to be cheerful or a reason

seasons. Their last exit was particularly disastrous,

The Gunners’ traditionally leaky defence spent the

to bang your head repeatedly against a brick wall).

going down 4-0 to AC Milan in the away leg. Despite

start of the season doing a passable impression of

The result on Tuesday night will depend on which

a spirited home comeback, when they went in at half

the impregnable unit they formed in the early 1990s,

Arsenal side turns up – the controlled and lethal

time three goals to the good, the tie ended 4-3.

with three clean sheets in their opening three games

creative attack that put five past West Ham, or the

Arsenal have lost to German opposition at the

and a general sense of cohesion that’s been sorely

shaky, shambling defence that struggled to contain

Emirates this season – a 2-0 defeat to Schalke in the

lacking of late. Arsenal’s new left-back Nacho

Bradford and Brighton. For neutrals, the best

group stage – but that was their first home defeat

Monreal is cup-tied, and with Kieran Gibbs injured

outcome might just be if both Arsenals make an

against non-English opposition in 45 matches, so

they will probably shift Thomas Vermaelen left,

appearance, as they did in the ludicrous 7-5 win over

they’ll still welcome playing the home leg first.

leaving Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker in

Reading, or that aggregate loss to Milan last season.

40 | February 15 2013 |

Iberian action

WEDNESDAY FOOTBALL | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16 FIRST LEG: AC MILAN v BARCELONA | SAN SIRO | Sky SPORTS 2 7.45PM

WEDNESDAY FOOTBALL | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16 FIRST LEG: GALATASARAy v SCHALkE 04 | TURk TELECOM ARENA | Sky SPORTS 4 7.45PM

Milan’s Catalan déjà vu

Old Turks

Malaga’s first crack at the Champions League

Milan probably reacted to the draw for the last 16

Schalke’s challenge looks a lot harder now than

might be their last, with the club in financial

with a weary sigh – not again. These giants of

it did at the beginning of the year, with Turkish

turmoil after their wealthy benefactor pulled the

the European game met four times in last year’s

champions Galatasaray having since added

plug. They certainly aren’t wasting it, though –

competition. They played out a thrilling 2-2 draw

Champions League winners Wesley Sneijder and

their reward for topping a tough group ahead

followed by a narrow Barcelona win in the group

Didier Drogba to a legion of ex-pats that already

of Milan is a very winnable tie against Porto.

stages, and then in the quarter finals Barcelona

includes the likes of Felipe Melo and Emmanuel

The Portuguese side are tough to beat in their own

prevailed 3-1 over two legs. Milan didn’t win any

Eboué. The Ivorian striker has ditched Shanghai

stadium, but have won just two of their past nine at

of their group home games this time and we

because he wants to “win the Champions League”

home against Spanish teams. Malaga’s threat will

can’t see Kevin-Prince Boateng, for one, being

with Galatasaray, apparently – although they will

come from Roque Santa Cruz and Javier Saviola

disciplined enough for his side to do a Celtic

have a tough time getting past Schalke, even

(still only 31, incredibly), while Porto will look to

against the Catalans either. There’s no doubt it

with their new stars.

smash open the Spanish defence with Colombian

will be a game of high quality, but probably one

striker Jackson Martinez. Hulk’s gone to Russia.

with a disappointing end for the Rossoneri.

The Germans made it undefeated through the group stages. They will miss Spurs recruit Lewis Holtby, but the Dutch pair of Ibrahim Afellay and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar offer threat enough. They

THURSDAY (FEBRUARY 21) FOOTBALL | EUROPA LEAGUE | ITV & ESPN

should more than match Galatasaray’s own Dutch talent; Wesley Sneijder is finding his way back to

We went to press before the first

build on their disappointing/

Adebayor should return/has

match fitness after months frozen out at Inter. And,

legs kicked off this week, so

promising performances in

already returned to the first XI for

if his Africa Cup of Nations performances are any

please delete as appropriate to

eastern Europe, as they welcome

Tottenham as they try to overturn

indicator, Drogba is in a similiar state. If the Turks

guide your Thursday viewing/

Sparta Prague (8.05pm) and

a deficit/protect their lead away

continue to flex their financial muscle, they could

ignoring. Chelsea and Liverpool

Zenit St Petersburg respectively

at Lyon (6pm). Newcastle are

well become the force Drogba predicts. But this

will be looking to make up for/

(8.05pm). Meanwhile, Emmanuel

away at Metalist Kharkiv (6pm).

year’s knockout stage has come a little too soon.

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

| 41

Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images, Denis Doyle/Getty Images, Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/GettyImages

TUESDAY FOOTBALL | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16 FIRST LEG: PORTO v MALAGA ESTádIO dO dRAGãO | Sky SPORTS 2 7.45PM

The fans’ tournamen

nt

Advertising Feature It’s not just about the winning: Aston Villa fans show how much the competition meant to them

As we approach the Final of the Capital One Cup, we look at the incredible contribution of the most important people – the supporters

I

t’s hard to find anyone who will argue that this has been anything other than an amazing season for the Capital One Cup, with thrilling matches and great moments in every round. But let’s take a moment to recognise the people behind this great competition - the fans.

The fans who have followed the competition from the beginning. The fans who followed their clubs all over the country. The fans who missed anniversaries, burned the dinner, or forgot to take the bins out, because they were too busy cheering on their team. The fans who used up their holiday to travel. The fans who stayed until the last minute. Or the fans that never missed a game on TV. How can anyone forget the sheer delight of Bradford City’s fans as they realised the Wembley dream had become a reality? Or that of the Swansea supporters as they stormed past Chelsea to the Final? Both wonderful stories, made all the better by the reaction of the crowd.

Now we’re getting close to the Final, we want to take a moment to recognise this commitment.

Capital One wants to put these fans centre stage, saluting their efforts and thanking them for everything they’ve done – whether their team has made the Final or not. They’ve been part of the Capital One Cup, they’re part of the fabric of football, and we’re going to say thank you by making them part of the Final.

Along the way, they have been brilliant supporters of the competition – even if their team didn’t make it to the Final. Let’s face it, you didn’t have to be a supporter of either Arsenal or Reading to have loved every second of their monumental encounter earlier in the competition.

The Capital One Cup has created a real buzz this season, and been a topic of conversation for those watercooler moments – not just in this country, but all over the world. The supporters have made it a competition to cherish: a credit to the game.

Capital One, Official Credit Card Of The Football League.

For further details, see facebook.com/CapitalOneUK

| February 15 2013 | 43

7 Days SATURDAY Rugby union | aviva pRemieRship: saRacens v exeteR | allianz paRk | sky spoRts 1 3pm

Fake plastic Sarries

SATURDAY boxing | adRien bRoneR v gavin Rees | boaRdwalk hall, atlantic city | sky spoRts 2 2am

History is set to be made

December, it was all the more

tomorrow afternoon, as perennial

painful losing up in Sale, given

pretty dismal in defeat to London

Mayweather Junior, Junior

innovators Saracens take another

the fact they led 16-5 early in the

Irish last week, with mistakes

Gavin Rees is one of the most

step into the unknown with a first

second half. A visit to Saracens is

littering their game and handing

underappreciated boxers in Britain.

ever Premiership match on an

hardly the ideal tonic, but Exeter

the initiative to the Exiles.

The doughty 32-year-old lightweight

artificial surface. After the Six

are the league’s second-highest

Nations pitches fell apart last

try scorers, and Gareth Steenson

Charlie Hodgson’s boot has been

held British, European and (briefly)

week, and with the wet and cold

insists they aren’t far off

keeping Sarries ticking over – the

world titles. And yet this weekend his

weather returning in force, it

rediscovering their winning ways.

Londoners have both scored and

chances of victory are between slim

conceded the least number of tries

and none – and not many people have

could just be the perfect time

“We are creating the chances,

The home side, meanwhile, were

In Owen Farrell’s absence,

has lost just once in 39 fights and has

to showcase what the plastic

and we are getting into the right

in the league – but the new pitch

spotted slim in Atlantic City. That’s

4G pitch can do.

areas of the pitch, and it has got to

might allow them to showcase the

because he’s facing an unbeaten

click at some point,” the fly half

more expansive game that has

American touted as the successor to

however, tomorrow’s clash is set to

insisted after last week’s second-

seen them flying in Europe.

Floyd Mayweather Junior: the flash,

be a titanic battle on the field (is it

half capitulation. And, with the

still called a field?), with both sides

likes of Sireli Naqelevuki and

third of the league season. They

desperate to bounce back from

powerful winger Watisoni Votu

bounced back with good wins over

stuck on Broner for more than just his

respective defeats to the league’s

– who scored on his debut last

Harlequins and Gloucester after

hand speed and shoulder roll defence.

bottom two sides. For Exeter,

week – in the back line, the Chiefs

the previous two. It would take a

The 23-year-old is a cocky showman

whose winless run in the league

could relish the opportunity to

brave man to bet against a similar

whose trademark is having his hair

now stretches back to early

take to Sarries’ new surface.

return to form here.

brushed by a lackey during the ring

Shiny new surfaces aside,

Last week’s defeat was Sarries’

brash Adrien ‘The Problem’ Broner.

The ‘new Mayweather’ tag has been

announcements and in his post-fight interviews, which usually involve the kind of boastful patter that would make Narcissus blush.

He doesn’t quite have Mayweather’s effortless fluidity, but Broner has a stronger, more solid look than Mayweather did at the same age and boasts good power (21 knockouts in 25 fights, all wins). Rees is game and tenacious, but isn’t too hard to hit. The Problem presents problems that are well beyond the

Scott Heavey/Getty Images, AP Photo/The Enquirer, Joseph Fuqua II

Welshman’s capabilities.

44 | February 15 2013 |

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

7 Days SATURDAY > WINTER SPORTS | BOBSLEIGH & SKELETON WORLD CUP | SOCHI, RUSSIA | BRITISH EUROSPORT 2 11PM (DELAYED COVERAGE)

the bobsleigh a first glimpse of the track on which they’ll go for gold next February.

It’s also the final World Cup race of the regular season, but with Rudman having finished on the podium just once in the past eight rounds

Newly crowned skeleton world

– when she won gold in

champion Shelley Rudman brings

Winterberg – there’s little chance

her World Cup season to a close

of her finishing among the medals.

on the 2014 Winter Olympics track

Rudman is currently seventh in

in Sochi this weekend. The 2006

the FIBT World Cup standings,

Olympic silver-medallist became

with fellow Brit Lizzy Yarnold up in

the first British woman ever to win

fourth, behind Canada’s Sarah

a sliding world title when she beat

Reid and the German pair of

her rivals by more than half a

Marion Thees and Anja Huber.

second in St Moritz a fortnight

If the 2012 world junior champion

ago – a win that marks her out as

can finish her season among the

a real medal contender when the

medals, Britain’s female sliders

Olympics go to Russia 12 months

will be among the most feared in

from now.

Sochi next winter.

MONDAY > TENNIS | DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS | DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CENTRE | BRITISH EUROSPORT 10AM

SUNDAY CRICKET | ICC WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FINAL | BRABOURNE STADIUM, MUMBAI SKY SPORTS 1 8.55AM

Azarenka on the charge The women begin

One person

Li Na will also be

proceedings in Dubai

she managed to

next week before the

avoid en route in

men’s tournament arrives

Melbourne was

on February 25, with

Serena Williams – the

world number one

American suffered a

Victoria Azarenka leading

shock defeat in the

the charge. Despite a

quarter finals to her

dropped out of

dodgy pedicure forcing

younger compatriot,

the top 10 after

her to withdraw from a

Sloane Stephens.

her fourth-round exit in

warm-up tournament

Azarenka may not be so

Melbourne. She is back in,

in Brisbane, Azarenka

lucky in Dubai, though.

but only just – and only by

defended her Australian

And when the two do

dint of Marion Bartoli

Open title in Melbourne

meet, it’s usually Williams

failing to repeat her run

last month, coming from

who prevails, the world

to the final of the Open

a set down to defeat

number two having won 11

GDF Suez in Paris earlier

China’s Li Na in the final.

of their 12 meetings so far.

this month.

46 | February 15 2013 |

competing for the hefty prize fund in Dubai, along with 2011 winner Caroline Wozniacki.

The former world number one

Final time At the time of writing, we don’t

know if England have made it through to Sunday’s World Cup final to defend the trophy they won in 2009. But it will be a huge disappointment if they’ve not.

Their possible appearance on Sunday rested not only on them beating New Zealand on Wednesday, but also on Australia – who are definitely in Sunday’s showpiece – defeating the West Indies earlier on the same day.

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images, Cameron Spencer/Getty Images, Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Brit sliders rule

This weekend gives Rudman (right) and her colleagues in

Completely free every Friday.

The UK’s top sport magazine The biggest interviews The best previews

iPad edition on Newsstand now

7 Days WEDNESDAY > GOLF | WGC-ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP | DOVE MOUNTAIN, ARIZONA | SKY SPORTS 1 5PM

Survival of the fittest

Luck of the Irish

Shane Lowry might want to think about investing in a lottery ticket. The Irishman finds himself lining up in this week’s

Matchplay can be a fickle mistress, especially over

He won three US Amateur Championships in

WGC-Accenture Match Play – guaranteed

18 holes, so think carefully before betting too much

succession, has been successful in the WGC three

to take home at least $45,000 – thanks

on next week’s WGC-Accenture tournament. In

times (in 2008, he dished out a record beating of

to two pieces of great fortune.

many respects, it’s something of a lottery – and the

8&7 to Stewart Cink) and has lost just one Ryder Cup

First, the event is open to the 64

golfer with the best score may well not prevail.

singles match. He may be world number two, but he

top-ranked players in the world, and

Tiger Woods first realised the vagaries of

will be the most feared opponent when the world’s

Lowry is 65th; but Phil Mickelson’s kids

matchplay as a 13-year-old. Playing in the Southern

top 64 (or is that 65? see right) tee it up at Dove

are on school holiday, so Lefty is taking

California Junior Matchplay, he lost to one James

Mountain on Wednesday.

the week off, leaving an extra spot open.

Mohon, despite recording a better strokeplay score.

“I shot 69 that day – got to the 18th hole and lost,”

Second, Freddie Jacobson was set to

Despite its unpredictable nature, this matchplay event mostly sees the cream rise to the top, eventually.

take that 65th position, until he dropped

Woods recalls. “I didn’t quite understand that. I just

Along with Woods’ three wins, there have been

a place, by 0.0002 ranking points, when

came home and told Dad: ‘I don’t understand, I shot

successes for noted matchplay experts Geoff Ogilvy

Patrick Reed birdied the last hole at

a better score than he did, but he won the match.

(twice), Ian Poulter and Luke Donald, while only

Pebble Beach last week, to tie the Swede

That doesn’t seem right.’ He explained it to me. That

Jeff Maggert and Kevin Sutherland have been real

for seventh place in the AT&T Pro-Am.

was the first time I had ever experienced anything

surprise winners in the tournament’s 14-year history.

like that before. We went out the next couple of days

As for James Mohon, one of the few players to ever

clubs and head for Arizona. Waiting for

and played matchplay.”

get the better of Tiger Woods in matchplay, he now

him in the first round will be world number

sells real estate. He estimates he would struggle to

one Rory McIlroy. How’s your luck?

Since then, Woods has got the hang of matchplay,

break 80 around a golf course these days.

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images, Scott Halleran/Getty Images

maybe to a greater extent than anyone in history.

All of which means Lowry can pack his

48 | February 15 2013 |

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Rules of

Rule 24.

DRINKABLE OBSTRUCTION A bottle of Asahi Super Dry that is placed in front of a player is his or hers to drink for free.

Bring this ad into any one of our three clubs - Royal Smithfield, Soho Golf & Country, or Kensington National - and you and a maximum of three playing partners won’t just get to play in the most advanced golf simulator on the planet (the same one Luke Donald uses), you’ll enjoy a round of Asahi Super Dry on us too. And the offers don’t end when February is over. There are half-priced Mondays and half-priced Fridays (after 5pm) all year long, and even more perks if you go to the web site and become a club member, like free membership. www.urbangolf.co.uk/freedrop Please drink responsibly. Only one Asahi beer available per person per booking regardless of the length of the booking up to a maximum of four beers.

Advertising Feature

Pick uP your fitness, Performance, and definition with the uk’s no.1 maximuscle

www.maximuscle.com/ProteinProject 50 | February 15 2013 |

Protein is for anyone who wants to get into great shape. It’s not just professional athletes and bodybuilders who can benefit from protein’s bodyboosting power. And now Maximuscle’s Protein Project – with your help – is going to prove it.

From more than 10,000 entrants, we have chosen three average guys to take part in The Protein Project: a

12-week challenge that will prove just what protein, when combined with a healthy diet, the right belief and the right exercise, can do for them. And now you can join them.

Log on to www.maximuscle.com/ProteinProject for regular updates and follow our three average guys on Twitter to see the difference protein makes

It’s time to see the difference protein can make to you, using Maximuscle’s expert advice and tips online at www.maximuscle.com/ProteinProject, while also following the progress of the chosen three.

Make 2013 your fittest year yet by increasing your power, picking up your speed, improving your definition and recovery. The benefits go beyond just muscle bulk – see an all-round better performance in the gym and on the sports field. The Protein Project is about to change everything. It’s time to change perceptions.

Name: David Reilly TWITTER: @Dave_ProteinP ProfessioN: Self-employed electrician sPort: Football exercise Goal: Pick up my performance Products: Promax

Name: Oli Ward TWITTER: @Oli_ProteinP ProfessioN: Apprentice engineer sPort: Rugby exercise Goal: Pick up my definition Products: Promax Diet

Name: James Goddard TWITTER: @James_ProteinP ProfessioN: Finance sPort: American Football exercise Goal: Pick up my power Products: Cyclone

| 51

MAXIMUSCLE, MAXIMUSCLE and star device, PROMAX and CYCLONE are registered trademarks of the GlaxoSmithKline Group of companies

to them. They are: David Reilly, a self-employed electrician; Oli Ward, an apprentice engineer; and James Goddard, who works in finance. They have 12 weeks to show – live in front of the nation – that with just protein and exercise, they can make themselves fitter, leaner, stronger and perform better than ever before.

EXtrA tIME Making the most of your time and money

P60 Bruce Willis is back (again) as John McClane.

Yippee-ki-yay, mother russia

Kit

Booty haul

Nike Mercurial Vapor IX

The boot giants are back with another nifty new pair, and a colour scheme that will have traditionalists in tears isn’t the only thing they offer. The ‘forefront grip zone’ (the toes, to you and me) is inspired by track spikes and promises explosive power, while energy is transferred to the studs, thus reducing the pressure on your feet. Those little pockmarks you see? They reduce air resistance and enhance your first touch. £160 | nike.com

Adidas AdiZero F50

Designed for the quicker players out there, Adidas’ new line of F50s boasts a single-layer synthetic to reduce the weight of the boot and give you a better feel for the ball. The Sprintweb design promises increased stability and touch at speed, while Adidas’ miCoach technology allows you to record your every movement. £160 | adidas.com/football

52 | February 15 2013 |

Adidas Predator LZ

The good old Predators have been revamped yet again, with Traxion 2.0 studs for maximum grip and acceleration, and five zones of Predator technology ensuring pinpoint passing accuracy – depending on the practice you’ve put in and what sort of day you’re having, of course. But if any boots will help, it’s these beauties. £160 | adidas.com/football

Puma King

The classic king of the boot world is back with a revamped look to fit the current market.

Optimised fit around the heel ensures maximum comfort as well as protection against stray kicks, while a mix of traction and conical studs increases grip and manoeuvrability on even the muddiest of mudbaths. At your level, that makes you king. £125 | prodirectsoccer.com

Under Armour Spine Blur Carbon III

Bringing their usual lorryloads of technology to the boot world, Under Armour’s latest incarnation features carbon wings to eliminate foot roll, a heel grip to reduce slippage, revolutionary 4D foam for optimum comfort, and electric windows as standard. That last one may not be completely true. £150 | prodirectsoccer.com

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Advertising Feature

kinetica’S range of SportS nutrition productS are a Simple Step towardS optimiSing your performance in training and competition Stay hydrated

Whatever your sport, you’ll have had training sessions or matches in which it hasn’t quite come together. For some reason, you find yourself lacking energy when you’re usually going strong, or taking longer to recover. The answer, as all professional athletes know, might be in your food.

The pillars of nutrition could well be the solution to that problem, explains elite sports nutritionist Matt Lovell. And, in conjunction with Kinetica’s range of sports nutrition products, you can train harder, last longer and recover quicker to get the most out of your training.

#whatmatterS

and replace minerals lost in sWeat “You get dehydrated long before you feel thirsty, so make sure you drink plenty of water during the day,” says Lovell. To replace the minerals and salts lost through sweat, you might need more than just water, though – try out Kinetica’s range of Hydrating Energy gels. They provide a rapidly absorbed tri-carb blend with exciting, natural flavours to improve and replenish

energy levels. In addition, high-quality natural sea salt maintains hydration.

Be prepared

With carbohydrates before you train If you want to perform at maximum level in competition, it’s vital that your muscles are loaded with carbohydrates which are “the primary fuel for high intensity exercise”, says Lovell.

Kinetica’s products are made of what matters – their concentrated Fuel Gel includes a blend of three carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, maltodextrin) for optimal energy release. Additional key nutrients help enhance mental alertness, delay physical fatigue and increase athletic endurance. They can also be helpful if you like to exercise outdoors and are planning to be out for a long time, according to Lovell. He says you should try to eat every three hours, so you may need to take four or five meals or snacks with you.

recover quickly

With a mix of carbs and protein If you play regular sport and you’re expected to perform week in, week out,

to find out more viSit

www.KineticaSports.com

post-exercise recovery is paramount.

Lovell says “CHO-rich foods with a high glycemic index will aid recovery after exercise”, adding that after exercise is also a “vital time to top up your body with protein” to repair and protect your muscle tissue. Kinetica’s Ready-to-Drink high-protein shakes and their 100% Recovery carbohydrate/protein formula give you all the building blocks your muscle tissue needs to strengthen and recover ready for your next training session.

quality in, quality out

natural products cut doWn toxicity Eating right is important not only for making sure your body gets the right fuel, but also to ensure you are not consuming anything that could slow you down. Kinetica products are flavoured with natural ingredients to prevent deficiency and toxicity, which Lovell says can “severely interfere with your ability to perform”.

Kinetica’s range is fully drug-tested and expert-driven – and the company has more than 35 years’ experience manufacturing high-quality whey proteins.

Kinetica’s line of complete sports nutrition products, coupled with the mindset to improve performance and naturally consume a balanced diet, can help enhance recovery times and improve performance.

| 53

eT

Gadgets

CAr kIT TO MAke q jeAlOuS

Because there’s no point having a laser-guided missile system in your Aston Martin if you can’t work out which lane you’re meant to be in

TomTom Via 130

KITT comes a step closer with the Speak & Go function on TomTom’s latest satnav.

Control the device with just the sound of your voice and input addresses without having to press the 4.3-inch touchscreen, because the unit recognises more than 1,000 commands. Sadly, though, “take the wheel!” isn’t one of them. Yet...

From £130 | tomtom.com

iO Play2

If you’re still rolling around with a cassette player in your motor, this might be the upgrade you’ve been looking for. The iO Play2 can link two devices to your car’s sound system via Bluetooth for music and call streaming. It also has an LCD screen and a separate control module. Let the battle for control over music commence. £160 plus installation | my-io.com

54 | February 15 2013 |

Griffin iTrip DualConnect

Less high-tech, but considerably cheaper than the iO Play 2, the iTrip beams music to your car radio using FM waves. Searching for free airwaves on which to broadcast can now be done via a bespoke app, which means it’s easier than ever to listen to your music on any car radio. And, if you’re lucky, your tunes might be beamed into other vehicles. £40 | store.apple.com/uk

Supertooth Crystal In-car Speakerphone

This clips to your sun-visor for an installation-free way to make calls from your car – while continuing to pay attention to the road, or safely parked in a lay-by, of course. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, and big buttons make it much easier than fiddling with the unlock screen while turning. £50 | Vodafone stores

Parrot Asteroid Mini

Like a tiny smartphone for your car, the Asteroid Mini comes with its own app marketplace, so you can download whichever additional features you see fit.

The 3.2-inch screen is an unobtrusive way to access maps, music or anything else you might find useful while driving – and the wireless remote is a handy addition. £250 | parrot.com/uk

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

ET

Grooming

MAnLy HAndS

Sport’s mother is concerned for our dry hands in this cold weather.

Take heed, dear reader, for mum knows best

Anthony Logistics For Men Glycerin Hand and Body Lotion

Get your skin working like it’s supposed to, says our man Anthony. He’s mixed together sea kelp to strengthen skin, shea butter to soften, aloe vera and glycerin to moisturise, chamomile to smooth and a nourishing bunch of vitamins: namely, A, B5, C and E. He’s even been kind enough to include directions on the bottle: “Apply anywhere you have skin.” Easy, innit? £24 for 355ml | mankind.co.uk

Jack Black Intense Therapy

This is not the best hand cream in the world – this is a tribute.

And a pretty damn good one, at that, given that this is not the work of the comic actor-comemusician, but of the range that seeks to “embody the comfort and approachability of a good friend”. Contains eucalyptus, macadamia nut oil and vitamins A and E to heal dry, rough skin and cuticles. Smells good, too. £14.50 for 88ml | boots.com

56 | February 15 2013 |

Ole Henriksen Hands Forward This deeply nourishing hand cream is supercharged with soothing shea butter and blackcurrant oil, and comes with a broad spectrum SPF 15 sunscreen to help protect from UV damage. It contains sugar maple extract, too, which stimulates cell renewal. It’s still one for your mitts, however, and not last Tuesday’s pancakes.

But you knew that, right? £18 for 50ml | beautybay.com

Eucerin Intensive

One for extremely dry, rough hands, say Eucerin. Fragrance and colourant-free, it absorbs quickly and intensely replenishes the skin’s natural moisturisers: urea and lactate. But don’t take our word for it – Eucerin have a research centre in Hamburg that’s home to 650 scientists carrying out dermatological research. That’s nearly nine white coats per millilitre . £9 for 75ml | boots.com

Selexir Peace Balm

A rich balm for extremely dry, irritated and sensitive skin – this one’s toward the premium end of the scale, but packs a lot in for your money: aloe vera, beeswax, honey, mango seed butter, zinc, blackcurrant seed oil and black cumin seed oil are among its 21 natural ingredients. Pick it up, and re-e-wind the damage done to your palms. And when the crowd say ‘Bo’, Selexir. £99 for 75ml | selexir.com

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Extra time Alana Blanchard

Carte Blanch

Apix Syndication

A

lana Blanchard is a pro surfer from Kauai, Hawaii. Well, she was always going to be, after her grandfather wrote Surf Safari – an account of what Blanchard refers to as the “wild adventure” when he took her father and her uncle on a journey down the Pacific Coast from California through 1960s Latin America to Panama when they were kids.

The trio survived war, guerilla uprisings and meetings with armed soldiers while surfing undiscovered surf breaks where villagers stood on beaches, amazed as the tourists “rode waves that terrorised residents”. After two years, they settled in Kauai, where Alana – for the sake of a headline – was given the freedom to do exactly what she wanted. Thus did she grow up, surfing and bikinimodelling her way in the world.

So, to use the local dialect, mahalo, grandpa Blanchard. It was all for a good cause.

58 | February 15 2013 |

| 59

ET

Entertainment

PoP iDoL

Roy Lichtenstein adds a dot of colour to a drab winter, while South Park’s creators fill your ears with musical profanity

Exhibition

Music

Push the Sky Away Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

We’re not sure when the term ‘blockbuster’ came into common use for the year’s major art exhibitions.

We always thought of blockbuster as a description for the summer’s action movies or perhaps a chain of rental stores whose profits have probably been a bit dented by the invention of the old internet. However, for the Lichtenstein retrospective opening at the Tate Modern next week, the term blockbuster is well applied. The American pop artist’s large, colourful, eye-catching canvases have long lent themselves to making immediate, striking impressions (and probably caused him to be seriously underrated by

Blu-ray

Skyfall

Last year saw 007 pop the Queen on to his chopper, but even that wasn’t his 2012 highlight. Skyfall is the James Bond film that broke the mould, shining a light on his mysterious past while retaining franchise staples such as Javier Bardem’s deliciously deformed villain. The Blu-ray extras include Sam Mendes wittering over the good bits on audio commentary.

Out Monday

60 | February 15 2013 |

some critics). In the often po-faced art world, his big comic strip-inspired artworks also present strong undercurrents of humour, with their melodramatic dialogue and hints at soap opera plots. Joining the Tate’s own Whaam! (pictured above, top) are more than a hundred further paintings and sculptures. This includes Look Mickey, featuring Disney duo Donald and Mickey (you don’t get that with van Gogh), plus Drowning Girl, with its sweeping waves and tearyeyed heroine. Even at £14 a ticket, this exhibition is destined to be jam-packed, but also to put a cheesy grin on the face of pretty much anyone who visits it.

Opens February 21

Theatre

The Book of Mormon Prince of Wales Theatre

South Park duo Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s adventures in global blasphemy continue as their hit musical-comedy satire arrives in London’s West End. The Book of Mormon sees two naive young missionaries sent to a remote Ugandan village, only to come up against a one-eyed warlord with an obscene name.

Opens February 25

Book

Guilt Jonathan Kellerman

Kellerman’s Alex Delaware is a refreshing alternative to your usual, hard-bitten private dick.

The forensic psychologist is an empathetic, caring type, so it’s not easy for him handling a grim case that begins when a couple find an old strongbox containing a tiny human skeleton in their new home. Still, maybe it’s just Richard III turning up again.

Out now

Film

A Good Day to Die Hard

John McClane’s ‘ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation’ shtick ended a while ago: our favourite wisecracking cop is a standard action film superman these days.

This theme continues in this fifth Die Hard, in which McClane heads to Russia to help his wayward son, Jack, escape a murder rap.

Expect spectacular set pieces, but little of the original’s wry wit.

Out now

© Estate of Roy Lichtenstein/DACS 2012

Lichtenstein Tate Modern

Loping back into view like the big, creepy old monster he is, Nick Cave’s 15th album with his Bad Seeds is a sublime, unsettling treat. Similar in style to their 1997 masterpiece The Boatman’s Call, its lush, minimalist melodic loops provide a perfect backdrop to Cave’s baritone.

Opener We No Who U R is, despite the Prince-style txt spk, the band at their old-fashioned best: a rich, warm, unsettling lullaby. The album doesn’t miss a beat from there and marks a shift from the louder, thrashing rock of their Grinderman side project. Still, when you have songs this classy, you don’t really need to shout about them.

Out Monday

Advertising Feature

Silva tongued devil Javier Bardem talkS aBout Skyfall director Sam mendeS, having the freedom to Shock audienceS and the power of hiS Bond villain: raoul Silva A lot of Bond villains can be like cartoon, pantomime villains. Was that something that you were conscious of, that you decided to embrace or to try to understand a bit more?

“It’s not something that you do logically.

It’s like you read the material or the script, and then I saw there were some options there. Then I went to Sam [Mendes], and Sam gave me his input, and everything he said to me was very, very fun to hear – very creative.

We started to search for the look of the character online and I felt this was going to be great. This is going to be fun and this is going to be creative – this is the word that always matters to me, because if you’re in a creative ambience then you can see something of yourself.”

Did you enjoy the script?

“I loved it. When I first read it I thought it was a very interesting movie. A very good, powerful movie. And yes, it was a James Bond movie on top of that – but I didn’t see just a James Bond movie.

I saw a great movie with James Bond in it.”

How did you find the right balance between the evil and human?

“Everything was written there. What Sam Mendes did was to approach the same scene with different options.

Like, let’s do that version, now let’s do the opposite. Everything was open to different interpretations. So, that flirty moment between Bond and Silva... or is it just word play? You just see everybody kinda lean forward, ’cause

it was shocking. Because it’s not expected. But Sam, the producers and the screenwriter were really brave on that – to create, the word he said to me the first time – ‘uncomfortableness’.

You want to put this person in a place where he’s not James Bond any more.

He’s like: ’What the hell?’ So, he doesn’t know how to proceed. And that’s the power of Silva.”

Do you enjoy watching yourself in your element?

“I don’t. I don’t ever watch myself.

Some actors don’t really watch themselves, and I understand.

I only need to watch it once.”

Were you at all nervous though? Have you played a killing machine before?

“I didn’t necessarily find Silva evil. I just thought he had a lot to deal with [laughs]. Yeah, I’ve been working now for 25 years, and in these 25 years I’ve probably done three of what I call really mean people. One was a Spanish movie, the other one is No Country for

Old Men. This is the third one, so there are not so many. From the moment I read the Skyfall script, I felt it didn’t really have anything to do with that, because this is more about a damaged human being.”

How much input did you have into how Silva looked?

“I can’t give you percentage, but it was about the actor and director [working together]. He felt something and I felt something back, and both of us decide.

I mean, some of it was in the script, some of it was imagination – it was part of the process. That’s a good thing. For me, what is wrong is when vanity won’t allow you to let go.”

Are you ready for the unconditional love of the fans?

“Unconditional love, unconditional attention of the fans of Bond – because it’s the first time and forever. Well, yeah [laughs]. And we have put a lot of ourselves in it, in the sense of putting in a lot of care and love.”

own Skyfall on Blu-ray & dvd from monday