Sport Magazine - Issue 240

Page 1

Issue 240 | January 20 2012





ISSUE 240, JANUARY 20 2012 Radar 06 NFL crunch time We run the rule over the Championship deciders

08 Winter X Games

06

So, is anyone going to try the triple cork? No, us neither

10 David Price The heavyweight hopeful talks to Sport about his plans for 2012

28

12 The Lacoste bike ... and kit. Truly, cycling just got a whole lot cooler to do this coming week Features

18 Africa Cup of Nations

Cover illustration: Luke James, www.lukejames.co.uk. This page: Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images, Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Coming to you this week from Equatorial Guinea and Gabon... we bring you the full A-Z

18

26 Nathan Robertson The badminton ace desperate to go out in a blaze of Olympic glory

28 Paula Radcliffe

52

Coming into her fifth Olympics: can she finally do it?

30 Handball

NEW ENERGY FOR THE NEW YEAR Improve both your fitness and lifestyle in 2011, with the help of an expert nutritionist...

The sport that could be the most thrilling at this summer’s Games

34 Tiger’s back Woods makes his seasonal bow in Abu Dhabi

Extra Time 46 Winter sports Where to head for a Valentine’s Day to remember on the slopes

48 Jessica Cribbon The Aussie Open’s on and, well, she has at least got a racket

52 Entertainment The whole country’s gripped by Sherlock, but if you missed it...

54 Grooming To find out more, turn to page 42!

Everything you need for a truly luxurious bathtime | January 20 2012 | 05


Radar

p08 – Shirt of a Stallion

p10 – David Price: box fresh for 2012

p12 – A crocodile on a bike

Super Bowl calling Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

American football expert and NFL pundit Mike Carlson reveals all ahead of Sunday’s NFC and AFC championship games – the winners going head to head in February’s Super Bowl XLVI

NFC: San Francisco 49ers v New York Giants “The eerie thing is that the Giants appear to be in exactly the same position they were back in 2007, when they won the Super Bowl. When the teams met in the regular season, the 49ers won narrowly and they didn’t have Frank Gore, who is their best runner. But the Giants weren’t playing as well at that point of the season as they are now – they didn’t have Ahmad Bradshaw, who’s a big player for them in big games, and their defence is playing much better right now. This game is a toss-up – but I would assume the bookies will make the 49ers slight favourites because they’re at home. “For San Francisco, Alex Smith has made some big plays – and he’s got to continue to do that. [49ers coach] Jim Harbaugh has done a tremendous job with this team, because it’s basically the same one that was no good last year under Mike Singletary. They’re very

06 | January 20 2012 | Sport

similar to the Giants in a lot of ways, but Smith doesn’t have the receivers who are big playmakers – except for his tight end Vernon Davis. I’m sure the Giants will be aware of that and try to take Davis away from him.” Sky Sports 2, Sunday 11.30pm AFC: New England Patriots v Baltimore Ravens “I’m going to pick the Patriots – I would assume they’ll be a touchdown favourite. This is a great match because the Ravens are statistically the top defensive team against the pass, and the Patriots are a pass-first offense. The Patriots are also horrible at stopping the pass, and the Ravens are a big-play team – their passing game is designed around hitting one of two long passes during the game. But, like with the 49ers, the Patriots’ offense now runs through their tight ends – and that’s a difficult thing for any team to stop.

Day of the Hunter: can Kendall Hunter’s 49ers land a record-equalling sixth Vincent Lombardi trophy?

“I’d love to see the Harbaugh brothers [Jim’s brother John coaches the Baltimore Ravens] against each other in the Super Bowl, but I’m pretty confident in picking the Patriots. All season long the big story has been the high-powered offenses and the quarterbacks throwing for lots and lots of yards. Green Bay, New Orleans and New England are offensefirst teams. Their strategy is to score lots of points and take pressure off their defence, and Tom Brady is the only one of those three teams’ elite quarterbacks who’s left now. The way you beat Brady is you either get to him and sack him continuously, or you confuse him – and it’s very difficult to confuse him these days.” Sky Sports 2, Sunday 8pm Mike Carlson is hosting the NFL Championship Bash this Sunday at no1sportsbar, Moorgate. Visit latinoheatent.co.uk



Radar

Unleash the elephant s you might have guessed from our cover, the Africa Cup of Nations begins this weekend, so it’s high time you made your choice. Will you be cheering on (from left to right) the Black Stars of Ghana, the Panthers of Gabon, the Elephants of the Ivory Coast or perhaps the Stallions of Burkina Faso? These awesome nicknames play a large part in the stylish design of each team’s shirt as well. If you get one now, you can show off your support (and your mighty, Drogba-esque guns) to the world.

A

Visit puma.com/football

Sweet 16 f the London Olympics is the star pupil of the sporting year (we hope, anyway), then the Winter X Games is the kid at the back of the bus with the long hair and trainers, flicking V-signs. The most spectacular winter sports event of them all begins next week in Aspen, Colorado, for the 16th time – and while big names such as 11-time gold-medallist Shaun White (pictured) will be there, it’s the massive tricks that

I

08 | January 20 2012 |

really get people excited. The Big Air Final is the most eye-catching event, with the talk in 2012 all about whether anyone will try a ‘triple cork’. This involves spinning like Sonic the Hedgehog stuck in a washing machine until you find yourself back on the snow. Enough of the technical explanation; it’s well worth checking out live to see what we mean. Winter X Games 16 is on ESPN America from January 26-30


In cinemas everywhere January 20


Radar

Price is right Undefeated heavyweight David Price, 28, is looking to make an impact in 2012 – he tells us about KO power, Tyson Fury and the Klitschko blueprint

KEY STRENGTHS

KLITSCHKO CHALLENGE

“I’m a tall, stand-up boxer – 6ft 8ins – but I can punch as well. I like to try and control a fight with my jab and I’ve got a hard, straight right hand – but I’ve got a good variety of punches for someone my size, too. I work the body and use uppercuts inside and things like that as well. So I believe I’ve got a lot to my game. I’m not just a one-trick pony.”

“Will I ever fight a Klitschko? It depends, as I think Vitali might retire soon. There’s a possibility of Wladimir if I can get to that level in the next two or three years – but I want to work my way to the top, not just jump in at the deep end. I want to keep learning, so that if a chance to fight for a world title does come, I have a real chance of winning.”

STYLE INSPIRATION

TYSON FURORE

“I don’t think I have to look much further than the Klitschko brothers as a blueprint. They’ve dominated the division for the past 10 years and they’re of a very similar physical stature to me. I always look at their fights and see what they’re doing right to try and see if it can make a difference to my game.”

“Tyson Fury is flawed as a boxer, but he’s got heart and he’s tough. His last couple of performances have been a bit sloppy, but he finds a way to win. I’m not going to badmouth any fellow professional because getting in the ring alone is an achievement, and to be a British champion at 23 is impressive.

POWER CHARGE

Knockouts for David Price in 11 professional fights (all wins)

“I had a hand injury at the start of my career, which was really holding me back power-wise. I wasn’t really able to let my punches go. However, it’s been dealt with by a top hand surgeon – and since it’s healed, I just seem to be knocking everyone out. But it’s also down to my strength and conditioning work in the gym. It’s just all coming together for me now.” David Price v John McDermott, Saturday January 21, live on Sky Sports HD1 from 8pm

Talking to Tiger

Chess on the green

ntimate portraits of greats such as Jack Nicklaus, John McEnroe and Tiger Woods form the basis for this new book by US sports writing legend John Feinstein. His views on the latter are particularly illuminating, as John bellows questions at Tiger over the sleazy music of the Eager Beaver Bar, Las Vegas. Not really. It’s actually Feinstein explaining how Team Tiger were pushing people around at a very early stage – then having peace talks with Woods himself. It’s every bit as engrossing as the Beaver scene would’ve been.

olf and chess are both a mental challenge, but only one is fun over winter months – and it’s not the one where you spend 10 minutes hunting for your ball in the heavy rough. So feel the allure of this high-end, handcrafted, golf-themed chess set, complete with golf bags for rooks, putting players for knights and swinging bishops (oo-er).

I

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

“But the winner of my next fight will be his mandatory challenger, so it should happen soon. That will be very interesting, because he’s had a lot to say about me. It would be good to let him know what I’m all about.”

One on One by John Feinstein is out now, £20

10 | January 20 2012 |

G

$890, neimanmarcus.com



Radar

Lacycle here is no cooler crocodile in the world than the Lacoste snapper. No, not even the croc who munched Captain Hook’s hand or the one from Crocodile Dundee (that wrinkly Australian creature was supposed to be a crocodile, right?). If you want proof, just cast your eyes right and see the fine sporting items that the Lacoste LAB are busily creating. From the carbon-fibre helmet by GPA Design to the rugby ball and football created with Mitre, Lacoste have put a snow-whiteand-green touch to a variety of top products. This is just the tip of the iceberg, too – there are also skis, a surfboard, golf clubs and more. Let’s just hope that that scaly little green chap keeps churning this classy stuff out.

T

Find out more at www.lacoste.com/lab

Red Devil chemistry rsenal and Manchester United have an explosive chemistry together. So, before their clash this weekend, now would seem the perfect time to show you the latest artwork from On a Six Pence. The idea is to take the periodic table and adjust it to illustrate football history. The Science of Dreams (left) tells the story of Man Utd, from gB to cR (we’ll let you work out which players they are) with appearances, goal stats and more. Arsenal fans needn’t feel left out, as The Professor of Science 15 was also created last month, honouring Arsene Wenger’s years at the club (download the Sport iPad app and check it out). Engrossing, and a handy guide for Arsene and Sir Alex as they decide which ex-players they can sweet-talk into returning for their teams come Sunday.

A

High-quality prints, £60, onasixpence.bigcartel.com

12 | January 20 2012 |



Radar Editor’s letter Closed for the last time – maybe: the Darlington Arena www.sport-magazine.co.uk @sportmaguk facebook.com/sportmaguk

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) Associate editor: Nick Harper (7897) Art editor: John Mahood (7860) Deputy art editor: William Jack (7861) 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) Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963) Contributors: Hannah Engelkamp

Will football help itself?

COMMERCIAL

The game seems to have turned its back on Darlington, the latest club to battle bankruptcy

Editor-in-chief Simon Caney @simoncaney

After all, we live in an age in which money in football continues to spiral, in which multibillionaires own our top clubs and in which Carlos Tevez rots on the bench for more than £200,000 a week. It would not take many of his wage packets to at least get Darlington playing again. Whether or not football should help is a different matter. There are those who argue that Darlington contributed to their own downfall – the rogue owner, George Reynolds, departed more than eight years ago, after all. Could the club not have righted their ship in that time? The crying shame is that there are plenty of clubs and individuals in football who could help, but it is no longer a sport that wants to help itself – let alone feels it actually has a duty to. Darlington are not the first, and nor will they be the last, to go under while the rest of the game turns its back and talks among itself.

Matt Every is a PGA Tour golfer who was suspended two years ago for a supposed drugs offence. Last weekend, he hit the headlines for the right reasons – he was leading the Sony Open. And then he gave a very awkward – if refreshingly honest – interview to The Golf Channel. Take us back to that suspension, implored questioner Kelly Tilghman. “It was alright,” he said. “I mean, I just got three months off.” The PGA Tour will have hated every second, but I rather like Every. Whatever happens in the current Test series being played in Dubai, it’s great to have Pakistan back and playing good Test cricket. Heaven knows, there are few enough decent international teams about at the moment, and cricket needs a strong and vibrant Pakistan. Just imagine how good they’d be if they could call on Mohammad Amir.

Colour reproduction: Rival Colour Ltd Printed by: Wyndeham (Peterborough) Ltd © UTV Media plc 2011 UTV Media plc takes no responsibility for the content of advertisements placed in Sport magazine £1 where sold

Hearty thanks this week to: Darren Roberts, Leroy Rosenior, Mike Carlson Total Average Net Distribution: 306,217 Jan-Jun 2011

Reader comments of the week I am irritated by the myth you are perpetuating with regards to the Vincent Kompany sending off last week. You state that ‘by the letter of the law’, Kompany had to be sent off. This is clearly wrong. Nowhere in the laws does it state, as many (including Twitter’s Rio Ferdinand) have claimed, that a ‘twofooted tackle’ is an automatic red card. The laws talk about reckless tackles and intent to injure. As with any challenge, the interpretation of the referee is all that matters. Matt, via email

14 | January 20 2012 |

Muhammad Ali quote in @Sportmaguk is genius. “Mr Ali, Superman don’t need no plane” #loveaquote #greatest.

fantastic info from @Sportmaguk. All teams in the PL covered for transfers.

absolutely terrific iPad app. Live in an area where copies are hard to come by so great to have a digital version.

LAUNCH OF THE YEAR

2008

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.

@ekachambers Twitter

@tomdav10 Twitter

@chrisbennett7 Twitter

Agree or disagree? Tweet us @sportmaguk

Stu Forster/Getty Images

T

here has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth this week at the news that Darlington FC were in such dire straits. Sadly, most people found out just as the axe was about to fall, not that any of us would have been able to actually do anything to save such a famous old club Darlington are unlucky; there but for the grace of God goes practically any cash-strapped club in the land. The background is all too predictable – new chairman comes in, declares there will be Premier League football in this town, builds a stadium that is way too big (named after himself) and then bails out when the going gets tough, leaving the club to fend for itself. But the big question that is, rightly, being asked is this: what can football do to help when a club such as Darlington falls on such hard times?

Agency Sales Director: Iain Duffy (7991) Advertising Managers: Paul Brett (7918), Dan Dawson (7822), Kevin O’Byrne (7832) Head of Brand Solutions: Adam Harris (7426) Distribution Manager: Sian George (7852) Distribution Assistant: Makrum Dudgeon Head of Online: Matt Davis (7825) Head of Communications: Laura Wootton (7913) Managing Director: Adam Bullock PA to Managing Director: Sophia Koulle (7826)



Radar Frozen in time

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Trucking hell Despite working for a sport magazine called Sport, we can’t pretend to know everything there is to know about sport – and we do have our blind spots. For example, until this image dropped on to our desk, we never realised that the Dakar Rally was a race contested by bin lorries. We’d always naively assumed it involved sexy bikes and throbbing dirt mobiles. Yet here’s Ernie Throttle of Bridlington, out front in stage five in his 1973 red rear loader (0-45mph in 60 minutes). Frankly, had we bought a ticket and seen this sorry show trundle by, we’d have demanded our money back. Luckily we didn’t, and nor did anyone else.

16 | January 20 2012 |


| 17


Illustrations by Luke James, www.lukejames.co.uk

is for Africa

is for ball The last international football tournament in Africa was graced by the presence of the infamous Jabulani – probably the only ball in the history of sport ever to be described as ‘infamous’. Adidas have again pitched in with the Comoequa, named after the Como River – which runs through host nations Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

18 | January 20 2012 |


Africa Cup of Nations: A-G is for draw and dates Group stages Quarter finals Semi finals Third-place playoff Final

Group A Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Senegal, Zambia Group B Ivory Coast, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Angola Group C Gabon, Niger, Morocco, Tunisia Group D Ghana, Botswana, Mali, Guinea is for Equatorial Guinea and Gabon These neighbouring west African countries have a combined population of slightly more than two million people, and are hosting the tournament for the first time. Equatorial Guinea are playing in their first Africa Cup of Nations having qualified as hosts, and are generally considered one of the weakest teams in the confederation. Their key player is probably the captain Rodolfo Bodipo (far left), who plays up front for Deportivo La Coruña in Spain’s second division. Gabon have qualified three times but have never made it past the first round. In 2010 they finished third in their group, earning a shock win over Cameroon thanks to a goal from key player Daniel Cousin (left), formerly of Hull and Rangers. Eurosport pundit Leroy Rosenior’s verdict: “Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are not real threats in terms of winning the ACoN this year. Success for either of them would be to get through the group stages, so I’m sure they will be targeting a win in their opening games – Equatorial Guinea v Libya and Gabon v Niger. If they can conjure up a result there, next-stage qualification could become realistic. That would be great not only for them as co-hosts, but for the tournament as a whole.”

is for favourites Ivory Coast 13/8 Ghana 5/1 Senegal 13/2 Morocco 9/1 Tunisia 11/1 Odds from oddschecker.com

is for Ghana The Black Stars are the second most successful team in ACoN history, with four wins. They were beaten finalists in 2008, and ‘carried the hopes of a continent’ (thanks, Clive) at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 – where they were a handball on the line away from reaching the semis, their progress cruelly halted by pantomime villain Luis Suarez. Ghana play with a fluid, high tempo, the defensive solidity of Sulley Muntari, John Mensah and Derek Boateng providing a platform for the attacking talents of Asamoah Gyan, Andre Ayew and Prince Tagoe to flourish. Ghana haven’t actually won the tournament since 1982, but with Egypt and Nigeria missing, this is a golden opportunity for them to end the 30-year curse. Serbian coach Goran Stevanovic will be without some key players, though – Michael Essien misses another tournament through injury and Kevin-Prince Boateng announced his retirement from international football last year, after just nine appearances. Gyan is also an injury doubt; he picked up a hamstring injury playing for Al-Ain, and is in a race to be fit for the start of the tournament. > Star players Ghana play with a holding midfielder, with time on the ball to pick passes and direct play. Inter’s Sulley Muntari (left) could prove to be instrumental if he plays that role. He also makes the occasional foray forward, and has scored 20 goals in 68 appearances for his country. Asamoah Gyan’s (far right) goals will be important, as will the attacking play of Marseille’s Andre Ayew (right).

| 19

All pictures AFP/Getty Images: Jose Jordan, Wils Yanick Maniengui, Stu Forster, Gianluigi Guercia, Pedro Ugarte, Julian Finney

is for Cadbury Meet Gaguie the gorilla, the tournament mascot, last seen rocking out to Phil Collins in a popular Dairy Milk advert. The organisers will be hoping that the final of the tournament doesn’t go into extra time, because that costume needs to be back at the shop by 5pm.

January 21-February 1 February 4-5 February 8 February 11 February 12


Africa Cup of Nations: H-L is for host stadia Four cities will host the 32 games that make up this year’s tournament – Bata and Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, and Libreville and Franceville in Gabon. Bata, Estadio de Bata Capacity: 35,700 Bata, in Equatorial Guinea, is a port city, and the largest in the country. The stadium was built in 2007, and has had its capacity increased for the tournament. It will host the opening ceremony, one semi final, one quarter final and six group-stage games.

Malabo, Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Capacity: 15,250 Unusually for a capital, Malabo is not actually on the Equatorial Guinea mainland, but on the island of Bioko – 32km off the African coast. The national team play their games at the Nuevo Estadio, which was built in 2007 and will host six group games and the third-place playoff.

Franceville, Stade de Franceville Capacity: 25,000 Franceville’s population is just 22,000, so the brand new stadium constructed for the tournament will comfortably fit everyone who lives there inside. A few of them will even get a seat to put their bag on while they’re watching six group games and a quarter final.

is for Ivory Coast The clear favourites, according to Leroy Rosenior and pretty much everyone else. We’re inclined to agree; the squad is bursting with talent, especially in attack, with a probable front three of Gervinho, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou. This is a golden generation for Ivorian football, with the three above and Kolo and Yaya Toure all plying their trade at top European clubs. There’s youth coming through as well – Seydou Doumbia has been putting in some promising performances for CSKA in the Champions League (five goals in five games) and Cheick Tiote will be an asset in midfield if he can perform to the standards we’ve seen at Newcastle. After the failures of recent ACoN campaigns, coach Francois Zahoui will not want to let his team’s potential go to waste again.

Libreville, Stade d’Angondjé (above) Capacity: 40,000 A brand new stadium in the suburbs of the Gabonese capital, built with funding from the Chinese government. It will host six group games, a quarter final, a semi final and, wait for it, the final of the whole bloody thing on February 12.

Key player At 33, this will probably be Drogba’s last chance to win a major tournament with his country, especially if he leaves Europe in search of career fulfilment/a big sack of money with a dollar sign on it. Even now, the Ivorian powerhouse is still a talismanic figure for his country, both on and off the pitch, with 51 goals in 77 appearances overall. See also: Y for Yaya Toure

is for juju Previous tournaments have been beset by allegations of witchcraft, voodoo and magic – or ‘juju’, as it’s known in some parts of west Africa. The continent’s football governing body, CAF, has tried to clamp down on this kind of thing in recent years, but there have been a string of incidents involving African teams. At the 2002 ACoN, the Cameroonian goalkeeping coach was arrested after placing a ‘black magic’ charm on the pitch. At the World Cup in South Africa, a 9ft-long Burmese python was seized by the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Its owner was charging fans who wanted to use the snake to communicate with their ancestors to ask them to intervene in World Cup matches. Other reported tactics include smearing pig’s blood in the opposing team’s changing room, and burying a cow in front of the opponents’ goal (presumably you have to dig it up and re-bury it at the other end at half time). It all seems quite unusual, but is it really that different to putting your socks on in the same order for every match? is for keeping everything crossed Alan Pardew might be tempted to employ a bit of juju to keep his players out of harm’s way – he recently vowed to personally chaperone Cheick Tiote or Demba Ba back from Gabon if either gets to the final. The ACoN’s awkward scheduling means it has a reputation for tiring players out and damaging club’s seasons. Roberto Mancini in particular begged the Ivory Coast for special dispensation (not granted) to keep Yaya and Kolo Toure a little longer. We have sympathy for Mancini – imagine how difficult it must be to lose a defensive midfielder when you’ve only got five to choose from. But is the ACoN’s reputation justified? Let’s take Yaya Toure as an example – he joined the squad on January 6 but won’t play until day two of the tournament, January 22. If the Ivory Coast make it all the way to the final, he’ll play six games in 32 days. If he’d stayed at City, he could easily have played eight times. You do the math.

20 | January 20 2012 |

is for Libya reborn Under the Gaddafi regime, football was seen as a threat and something to be controlled. In 2000, popular club Al-Ahly Benghazi were banned from all competitions for five years and had their stadium demolished, supposedly because fans dressed a donkey in the shirt of Gaddafi’s son Saadi, who was playing for the club. After Saadi retired he became head of the Libyan Football Federation, where he allegedly misappropriated property and engaged in “armed intimidation”. Libya’s national team announced its support for the rebels in June, and their ACoN qualifier against Mozambique on September 5 saw them take to the field under a different flag and in a new kit to distance themselves from the Gaddafi regime. A 1-0 ‘home’ win (played in Egypt) and a 0-0 in Zambia in the following match were enough to take them through. Under such oppressive conditions and in the midst of a violent revolution, it’s remarkable that they have qualified at all. >

Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty Images, Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images, Martin Oeser/AFP/Getty Images, Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images

Leroy Rosenior’s verdict: “Their squad has depth and experience, and with them only reaching the quarter finals two years ago in Angola they’ll have the motivation to go further this year.”



Africa Cup of Nations: M-R is for Morocco Morocco have been one of the more successful African teams – they were the first to get through the group stages at a World Cup, (at Mexico ‘86, where they finished ahead of Poland, Portugal and England) and rose as high as 10th in the FIFA rankings in 1998 after qualifying for consecutive tournaments. Their ACoN record is patchier: they won it 1976, were runners-up in 2004, but apart from that have failed to reach the second round this century. Belgian coach Eric Gerets has the Moroccans playing organised football, and has lost just one of 11 games in charge. is for nicknames Can you match up these ACoN teams to their nicknames? (answers at bottom of page)

is for out of Africa Players making big-money moves to Europe is often seen as a sign of the improving quality of football on the African continent, but – as our data reveals – there is actually a lower percentage of ACoN stars playing in Europe compared with 10 years ago. Can this be attributed to the absence of Cameroon and Nigeria, or are the domestic leagues now a viable option for budding professionals?

Zebras Elephants Black Antelopes Stallions Lions of Teranga Copper Bullets Eagles of Carthage Lions of the Atlas

is for playing it again The tournament is moving from even to odd-numbered years to avoid the biannual clash with the World Cup. As a consequence, there will be another ACoN next year – due to be hosted by Libya originally, but now moved to South Africa. A by-product of this scheduling quirk is that qualification for the 2013 tournament has actually started already, although the teams competing in this tournament get a bye to the second round. is for qualifying mishaps Egypt have won the tournament three times in a row, so their failure to qualify this time was something of a shock – but it was far from the only one. Four-time winners Cameroon also missed out, a 1-1 draw against the Congo costing them the best runners-up spot. The hapless Egyptians won just once in qualifying and finished bottom of a group containing Niger, Sierra Leone, and the even-more-hapless South Africa. In farcical circumstances in their last qualifying game, the Bafana Bafana were instructed by their coach to play for a 0-0 draw as he believed that their superior goal difference would see them through. He had, unfortunately, failed to actually check the tournament rules, and Niger qualified thanks to their superior head-to-head record among the teams level on points. Leroy Rosenior: “Ideally you want the big teams at the big tournaments, but they simply have not been good enough to qualify and their absence will certainly not diminish the tournament. In fact, it could make it more exciting at times, as there could be a few surprise results along the way. My advice is to expect the unexpected.”

2012

AFRICA: 41% Home country: 68% Other Africa: 32%

EUROPE: 52% France: 33% England: 9% Other: 58%

ASIA: 6%

THE AMERICAS: 1%

ASIA: 3%

THE AMERICAS: 1%

2002

AFRICA: 39% Home country: 84% Other Africa: 16%

EUROPE: 57% France: 34% England: 8% Other: 58% is for rising stars

1

2

3

1) Andre Ayew The BBC’s African Footballer of the Year, Ayew’s absence from Ghana’s World Cup quarter final has been cited as one of the reasons they didn’t get through. The powerful winger has been in explosive form for Marseille this season, with 12 goals in 21 domestic and Champions League appearances. 2) Max Gradel “Watch out for Max Gradel of the Ivory Coast! He’s now at St Etienne in France after his move from Leeds United. I was surprised a bigger club didn’t take a gamble on him – he’s quick, good technically and can score goals. If his temperament is right, he could make a real name for himself.” Leroy Rosenior 3) Kwadwo Asamoah Another promising Ghanaian, this 23-year-old plays in midfield for Udinese and has been linked with Manchester United. Played every game at the World Cup, and it’s a measure of how highly he’s rated that when he was first called up he wore the number 10 shirt of former captain Stephen Appiah - although Ayew will wear it this month. >

* Answers: Botswana - Zebras, Ivory Coast – Elephants, Burkina Faso – Stallions, Senegal – Lions of Teranga, Zambia – Copper Bullets, Angola – Black Antelopes, Tunisia – Eagles of Carthage, Morocco – Lions of the Atlas

22 | January 20 2012 |

Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images, Jurie Senekal/Getty Images, Clive Mason/Getty Images, Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images, Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

Angola Botswana Burkina Faso Ivory Coast Morocco Tunisia Senegal Zambia

Key players Marouane Chamakh (left) of Arsenal provides the attacking threat alongside Youssouf Hadji (brother of former Coventry player Mustapha) – with 59 and 64 caps respectively, they are among the squad’s most experienced players, and the onus will be on them to lead by example. Elsewhere, Adel Taarabt, marginalised at QPR this season, is undoubtedly a real talent. He has four goals in 12 games for the national team.



Africa Cup of Nations: S-Z is for Senegal Senegal were runners-up in 2002, the same year they reached the quarter finals of the World Cup (remember Salif Diao’s brilliant goal on the counter-attack against Denmark?). That was the closest they’ve come to winning the ACoN, and after failing to qualify in 2010 they will be keen to perform – especially as the national FA’s headquarters was torched following their qualifying exit. Only a handful of Senegal’s youthful World Cup team remain. Forward Amara Traore is now the coach, and he has brought in young blood to replace disruptive older players like El Hadj Diouf (only eight of the squad have more than 15 caps). Whether this new crop of youngsters will be as good as the ones who shocked France in 2002 remains to be seen.

is for Tunisia Won as hosts in 2004, but were eliminated in the first round last time. The Eagles of Carthage are in something of a transitional period – they qualified for three consecutive World Cups from 1998 to 2006, but only three of the squad that went to Germany in 2006 remain. Many of the replacements play in Tunisia’s own domestic league, and coach Sami Trabelsi is facing a big challenge in his second spell in charge.

Key player

Key player

Demba Ba (right) has scored four times in his 11 appearances for Senegal, but this could be the tournament where he really makes his name on the international stage, according to Leroy Rosenior: “If he can carry on his scoring streak from Newcastle United he can cement his reputation. I was going to say if he gets the service – but in all honesty he has, on occasion, scored without any great service. He is at the very top of his game.”

With all that youth around, Tunisia will need convincing performances from their experienced players. Defender Karim Haggui and midfielder Adel Chedli are survivors from the World Cup, and Auxerre striker Issam Jemaa (right) is Tunisia’s all-time top scorer with 26 goals in 57 games.

is for Value for Money Niger 150/1 Also first-time qualifiers, Niger picked up home wins over Egypt and South Africa and topped their qualifying group, so perhaps the bookies are being unfair. They did lose all three away games, though. Botswana 125/1 They’re probably not going to win it, but these are very generous odds. Botswana lost just once en route to their first ACoN finals, a 1-0 defeat in Togo after they had already secured their place. They beat Tunisia home and away, and comfortably topped their group. Odds from oddschecker.com

is for (All Star) XI (3-4-1-2)

1

2

5

3

6

4

7

8

9 10

11

Lowest ticket prices at ACoN 2012 Group Stages €7.65 QF €9.50 SF €31 Final €46 Lowest ticket prices at EURO 2012 Group Stages €30 QF €40 SF €45 Final €50

is for Yaya Toure Yaya Toure was crowned African Football of the Year in December, the latest accolade in a career that has seen him win two La Liga titles and the European Cup with Barcelona, as well as drag Manchester City to their first trophy for 34 years. Toure’s ability and influence is highlighted by how keen Roberto Mancini was to keep him for an extra few days before this tournament – and that he is one of two Manchester City players in the top three of the EA Sports Player Performance Index for passes completed this season, taken from the end of December, with 609 (David Silva was the other, with 607). Leroy Rosenior believes Toure will be the player of the tournament: “He’s been amazing for Man City in the Premier League so far. If he has the energy, he certainly has the ability to take this competition by storm.”

is for why, when and where to watch Why? Leroy Rosenior: “It’s a tournament that generates an incredible atmosphere from the fans, and the players usually respond with exciting attacking football. This year will be no different.” When? Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are just an hour ahead of the UK, so group games kick off at 4pm, 6.30pm and 9pm our time from January 21 to February 1. The quarter finals are on February 4/5 at 4pm and 7pm, with the semis both on February 8, also at 4pm and 7pm. The final is at 7pm on Sunday February 12, with the third-place playoff at the same time the day before. Where? British Eurosport will broadcast all 32 matches live with high-definition coverage on Eurosport HD. Eurosport channels are also available online via Eurosport Player. Visit eurosportplayer.co.uk is for Zaire and that free-kick We know this happened in the World Cup and not the ACoN, but you can’t expect us to leave out this priceless moment. In 1974, reigning ACoN champions Zaire are 3-0 down to Brazil in their final group game after a 2-0 defeat to Scotland and a 9-0 thrashing by Yugoslavia, and Brazil have a free-kick. As Rivelino pondered where to send the ball, Zaire defender Mwepu Ilunga charged out of the wall to lump it downfield, earning himself a booking. Amused viewers put his actions down to ineptitude, but he was actually trying to get himself sent off. Zaire’s campaign was hampered by pay disputes, and the players had originally refused to take to the pitch against Yugoslavia when they found out they wouldn’t be paid. Ilunga told the BBC: “I was aware of football regulations, but I did that deliberately. I did not have a reason to continue playing and [risk] getting injured while those who would benefit financially were sitting on the terraces.” Amit Katwala @amitkatwala

1. Richard Kingson (Ghana, Wigan) 2. Bakary Kone (Burkina Faso, Lyon) 3. Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast, Man City) 4. Armand Traore (Senegal, QPR) 5. Gervinho (Ivory Coast, Arsenal) 6. Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast, Man City) 7. Sulley Muntari (Ghana, Inter) 8. Andre Ayew (Ghana, Marseille) 9. Adel Taarabt (Morocco, QPR) 10. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea) 11. Demba Ba (Senegal, Newcastle)

24 | January 20 2012 |

Alexander Klein/AFP/Getty Images, Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images, Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

is for underdogs Equatorial Guinea 125/1 Ranked 150 in the FIFA world rankings and had never qualified for a major tournament until this one – which they did automatically as hosts, of course. None of their players have more than 20 caps.


YOU CAN’T CONTROL THE ELEMENTS, BUT YOU COULD CONTROL THE RACE.

At the Monte-Carlo Rally more than anywhere else, driving conditions can change several times during the race, so drivers need to have confidence in their tyres’ ability to adapt. With MICHELIN tyres they get excellent performance, whatever the weather or terrain. You could also benefit from the expertise MICHELIN has derived from motorsport with the MICHELIN Pilot Sport 3 and MICHELIN Pilot Alpin. Experience the performance at www.michelin.com/experience-the-performance


Nathan Robertson

Net gains We speak to Olympic badminton silver-medallist Nathan Robertson, who is aiming to finish his 16-year career by landing a place at London 2012 alongside mixed doubles partner Jenny Wallwork...

What are your goals for 2012? “Olympic qualifying is now under way, and we’re chasing another British pair [Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier] as they’ve had a very good start – including a silver medal at last year’s World Championships, which was a fantastic performance.” Are you still confident of Olympic qualification, being that you’ve fallen to 23rd in the world rankings? “I was at the start, but at the moment the other British pair are playing to a really consistently high standard. We’re kind of chasing them, but we also know we’ve had

26 | January 20 2012 |

world-class results in the past, so we’ve got to concentrate on ourselves. It will be just the one pair at the Olympics, unless we can get two pairs in the top eight in the world – but that will be a very difficult ask.” You had a long and successful association with your previous partner Gail Emms – was it difficult to change? “Actually, changing partner is not too difficult for most people. I live with my current partner Jenny Wallwork, so we are professionally and personally involved. There are quite a lot of couples within the badminton teams – it’s just something that happens naturally because of the amount of time you spend together, travelling on tour and also training back in Milton Keynes. But when you’ve had a partner with whom you’ve had consistent high success, it’s always going to be difficult – especially when you’re changing to a partner who is still developing. So that was a quite a big change for me a couple of years ago. “It’s a change in mindset, moving from going into every tournament thinking you’ve got a good chance of winning it into more of a development mindset – developing your partner to be world-class. The idea was that we would develop as a partnership and hopefully be at a stage where we would

One last feather in his cap? Robertson - with Wallwork - is keen to bow out at the Games

qualify for the Olympics, put in a world-class performance and actually try and compete for medals. Hopefully we’ll have a good set of tournaments coming up to get ourselves qualified – then we’ll see where we’re at.” What are your long-term plans? Will you keep playing after the Olympics? “I’m definitely retiring this year. My goal was always to finish at London – it could have been and maybe will be a fantastic sort of farewell swansong, and then afterwards I’ll move away from badminton into the business world. It isn’t my intention to go into full-time coaching; I’m more interested in maybe a sport business link.” What has been the highlight of your career? “The Olympic silver medal is probably what most people will remember, but I always say that becoming world champion in 2006 is at the top, because at the Olympics we walked away losing our finals game. You always have great memories from the Olympics, but there’s always a tinge of sadness because of the result of that last match.” Amit Katwala @amitkatwala

Nathan Robertson supports Badminton England’s initiative to introduce more people to badminton. Visit playbadminton.co.uk

Julian Finney/Getty Images

M

any of Team GB’s athletes will get their first taste of an Olympics in London this summer, but badminton veteran Nathan Robertson has seen it all before. The 34-year-old from Nottingham counts a silver in the mixed doubles in Athens in 2004 among the 10 major medals he has collected in an illustrious career. Robertson and Jenny Wallwork – his partner both on and off the court – won silver at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, but endured a difficult 2011. The duo will be hoping to rise up the world rankings enough to secure their place at the Olympics when the decision is made in May.


+JUS -EN S Charger Shell Jacket

THE

WINTER SPORTS SPECIALISTS

save

save

£207 Was £690 Now £483

save

£84

.00

Was £420 Now £336

SAVE UP TO 30% ON 3+) #,/4().'

save

£65

.00

Was £259.99 Now £194.99

£18.00 Was £89.99 Now £71.99

SAVE UP TO 20% ON GOGGLES

SAVE UP TO 25% ON 3+) "//43

"URTON !FTERMATH 3NOWBOARD

6ANS !NDREAS 7IIG Boots

3MITH 6ANTAGE !$ (ELMET

save

save

save

£50

.00

£118.50 SAVE UP TO 25% ON 3./7"/!2$3

/AKLEY #ROWBAR Goggle

save

£110

Was £395 Now £276.50

SAVE UP TO 30% ON 3./7"/!2$ #,/4().'

&ISHER 3OMA 6IRON Ski Boots

save

SAVE UP TO 20% ON 3+)3

£57.00 Was £190 Now £133

SAVE UP TO 30% ON 3+) #,/4().'

+ !MP Charger Skis )NCL "INDINGS

Was £559.99 Now £449.99

"ONlRE -EN S Tanner Jacket

%IDER 7OMEN S (AINES 3HELL Gore-Tex Jacket

Was £200 Now £150

£40.00 Was £159.99 Now £119.99

SAVE UP TO 25% ON 3./7"/!2$ "//43

SAVE UP TO 30% ON (%,-%43

www.snowandrock.com .ATIONAL 3TORES "RIGHTON s #HERTSEY s #ROYDON s 2OMFORD s 0ORTSMOUTH ,ONDON 3TORES #HELSEA s #OVENT 'ARDEN s (ARRODS s (OLBORN s +ENSINGTON s -ONUMENT 4HE .ORTH &ACE STORES ,ONDON 6ICTORIA !LL OFFERS AND PRICES ARE CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS BUT ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND AVAILABILITY

ALSO IN SELECTED SNOW+ROCK STORES:

ALSO IN SELECTED SNOW+ROCK STORES:

SALE

SALE

UP TO 40% OFF CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

UP TO 30% OFF SELECTED SHOES & CLOTHING


Paula Radcliffe

One for the road After a 19-month layoff, Paula Radcliffe returned to competition in 2011, and duly secured her place at the London 2012 Olympics. But, having fallen short of the podium at four previous Games, she tells Sport she is determined to make home advantage count this time...

T

he Olympic dream comes home “Ever since it was announced that London has the Games, it’s been a goal for me to compete. I suppose it’s a dream for any athlete to have an opportunity to compete in a home Olympics. I pretty much knew my time in Berlin would get me selected, but it’s still nice to have it confirmed. This will be my fifth Olympics, so it’s something special. I’m just hoping I can stay healthy and give it my best shot.” We don’t realise how massive it will be “It’s going to be so special for this country. I can kind of imagine what it will be like from the London Marathon and from the Commonwealth Games in Manchester back in 2002, but I don’t think any of us really know how big it’s going to be and how great it’s going to feel until we get there. The anticipation is certainly a huge inspiration to make the training camp as big as possible, and put as much hard work in as we can.” It helps to visualise the finish line “The route is going to be pretty similar to the one we ran for the 10k last year [at the Olympic Test Event], with just a few tweaks. I know the finish is going to be on The Mall, so it kind of helps to visualise that because I have a lot of happy memories of good runs on there. If we get the chance, I’d like to run the track before, but it’s not vital to know every inch of the course. Obviously it’s 26.2 miles on the streets of London, so it’s quite hard to run it properly beforehand. I normally make sure I know exactly how the finish is going to pan out, and know how some parts are going to go.” I just want a chance to give the Olympic marathon my best shot “You could say that, with my history, I’ve definitely seen the ups and downs of Olympics.

So I think that helps to provide me with a bit of perspective coming into my fifth Games. Obviously I’ve yet to win an Olympic medal, so that’s just something I really want to do. “I hope my career isn’t going to be defined by it, but at the same time I feel I haven’t been able to go out and give it my best shot at an Olympic marathon yet. Hopefully this is my chance. I won’t run any competitive marathons beforehand, but I’ll be running a few half-marathons, 10ks and things like that. I actually feel really good at the moment, so I just want to keep building up to the race.” Time off has been beneficial “I’m back in full training now. I went to Kenya before Christmas and was doing a bit of cross-training to help the rehab of my foot after surgery, but since then I’ve just been in normal training. I really feel like the time off to recover was beneficial. I’m happy with where I am at this point, and now I’m looking forward to building up to the Games. “My normal training sees me run about 120 miles a week. I run twice a day, apart from the long-run day, and then I do three weights sessions a week with core sessions in between those. It works out to about an hour and a half in the gym every day, and probably about two and a half hours’ running every day. Then I get one rest day in eight.” You sometimes hear the joker in the crowd “You don’t always hear distinct voices while you’re running, but you definitely take in the whole atmosphere – and certain things can stand out. I’ll usually be able to pick out [husband and coach] Gary or my dad in a crowd, and you can sometimes pick out someone who has said something funny or inspirational. It’s mostly just noise and atmosphere, but that is still hugely inspirational. There is a definitely a positive difference with the London crowd, and that’s

one of the reasons London is my favourite place in the world to run. I like New York, but I’ve got so many happy memories of running in London – running on the track at Crystal Palace, running in the marathons, running in Hyde Park and basically just growing up here. I’ve been racing at Crystal Palace since I was 12 or 13, so it’s been a long time... and I’ve got a lot of happy memories.” The IAAF were devaluing all that I’d worked for “The IAAF [International Association of Athletics Federation] tried to say that women’s road world records set in mixed races didn’t count, so they tried to take my record away because I competed against men in that race. Obviously I didn’t agree. I wasn’t that annoyed – it was more that I felt they were devaluing my achievement and devaluing how much work and effort had gone into it. I honestly think that I would have run the same time whether I was on my own or running alongside the two guys. It’s not like they were pushing me or really helping me – we never spoke during the race. I ran alongside them the whole way and there was someone from the IAAF overseeing the race. “I was really touched by the support I received from the public and through the whole Nike campaign. A lot of people got behind it and the IAAF took that on board and realised that the majority of road races are mixed. They eventually changed their mind and made sure the record still stands. I still think it’s unfair that, to beat it, someone will now have to compete in a women-only race. It’s something that has to change. They need to have two records – one for women only races and one for mixed races.” Mark Coughlan @coffers83

Appearing in the latest Nike campaign, Paula Radcliffe has made her pledge for this year. Join the movement #makeitcount

Marathon master Paula Radcliffe’s long-distance record 2002 London, 1st (best time for womenonly race); Chicago, 1st (world record)

28 | January 20 2012 |

2003 London, 1st (current world record)

2004 New York, 1st; Athens Olympics, DNF

2005 London, 1st; World Championships, Helsinki, 1st (championship record)

2007 New York, 1st

2008 Beijing Olympics, 23rd; New York, 1st

2009 New York, 4th

2011 Berlin, 3rd


| 29

Adam Hinton


189 Days to go

Focus 2012

Handball THE VENUE The building that until earlier this month went by the very sensible name of the Handball Arena has since been renamed the ‘Copper Box’. It’s about as imaginative as it is catchy. The name refers to 3,000 square metres of external copper cladding that covers the Olympic Park building’s exterior and will give it a “rich, natural colour as it ages”, says LOCOG. Once inside, visitors will find a multicoloured and multipurpose venue creating a vibrant interior that will be used not only for the preliminary rounds and quarter finals of the handball, but also for the fencing discipline of the modern pentathlon and goalball in the Paralympics. It will be cast aside when the handball competition gets down to the latter stages, though, as the larger Basketball Arena is preferred for the semi finals and finals. THE EVENT A fast and furious team sport played by more than 30 million people worldwide, handball has obvious links to both football and basketball. It essentially combines the two, with players dribbling and passing using their hands, with the aim of beating the opposition’s keeper, who guards a 3m-wide goal. This typically happens around 50 times in a 60-minute match.

30 | January 20 2012 |

Teams are made up of seven players (six outfield players and a goalie) with 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams going for gold at the Games. Grabbing or punching the ball out of another player’s hands isn’t allowed; nor are players permitted to stand still with the ball for longer than three seconds. At the Games the 12 teams will be divided into a round-robin format of two groups of six, with the four best teams from each group qualifying for the knockout stage. TEAM GB’S PROGRESS “Competition experience is key to the final six months of our preparation,” says British Handball chief executive Paul Goodwin. The women’s team have training games against Norway and Brazil planned, in addition to Euro qualification fixtures against Poland and Montenegro. The men were recently crushed 40-24 at home to Austria, leaving them bottom of their 2013 World Championship qualification group without a win. HANDBALL AT LONDON 2012 DATES July 28-August 12 SEATING 7,000 HOW TO GET THERE Tube, National Rail, DLR, London Overground

GB hopeful

Bobby White AGE IN 2012 29 MEDAL RECORD None A former semiprofessional goalkeeper, 6ft 4ins White played handball for the first time in 2007. Four years later he was made captain of the GB side, and is now preparing to lead them into their first Olympic Games.

After only four seasons as a handball player, White faces a momentous challenge – he and his team must prove they are deserving of their home nation place. UK Sport’s ‘Sporting Giants’ talent identification programme got White into handball as one of seven athletes to make it through the first trial phase, which received more than 2,500 applicants. He admits that, despite the general aim being the same (stop the ball from going in the net), the transition from football to handball has not been easy. Team GB’s funding issues haven’t helped, meaning that White has sought vital experience playing for clubs in Denmark, Greece and now France.

KEY EVENTS BEFORE LONDON 2012 Women’s Euro 2012 qualification: GB v Poland March 22, Loughborough Women’s Euro 2012 qualification: Poland v GB March 25, Poland Men’s Olympic Test Event April 2-8, Crystal Palace

Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

It’s not a sport with much of a history in this country, but what better time to start creating one?



WINTER I GOLF JUST GOT BETTER!

t’s January. And for golfers, January means winter greens, frozen fairways, six hours of daylight and the sickening vibration of a thinned 3-iron in the cold – not to mention the rain, wind and, heaven forbid, snow that can stop a round before it’s started. Yet not one of these problems rears its head if you play at one of Urban Golf’s three London centres: the brilliantly named Kensington National, Soho Golf and Country Club, and Royal Smithfield. The simulators at all three have now been updated to a new model from aboutGolf that beats anything ever seen before in the UK, with technology that is exclusive to Urban Golf. So, you can choose to play more than 60 of the best and most iconic golf courses in the world, including St Andrews, Pebble Beach and Sawgrass, with each one recreated in

32 | January 20 2012 |



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

JAN 20–26 HIGHLIGHTS » Football: Arsenal v Man Utd » p36 » Football: Carling Cup Semis » p38 » Racing: Victor Chandler Chase » p39 » Rugby Union: Heineken Cup » p40 » Best of the Rest » p40

THURSDAY > GOLF | ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP | ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB | SKY SPORTS 2 10AM

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

If anyone needed reminding about the aura that still surrounds Tiger Woods, this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship does it in spades. It’s the first big event anywhere in the world this year. As such, it features some of the game’s top players: Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, perennial champion Martin Kaymer, and current major champions Rory McIlroy, Charl Schwartzel and Darren Clarke. But it’s the inclusion of – as the official press release puts it – ‘Abu Dhabi debutant, Tiger Woods of America’ that has everyone just a teensy bit excited, because this will be his first tournament of the year and

30%

Tiger's win ratio on the PGA Tour between turning pro in 1996 and the end of the 2009 season (71 wins in 239 events)

34 | January 20 2012 |

therefore his first chance to demonstrate what sort of shape his game is in, just two months away from the Masters. His winter form was pleasing, with victory in the Chevron World Challenge and a third place in Australia. But this is a step up in class from those events, and Woods will need to finish in the top 10 if he is to convince anyone he is a serious major contender. Tiger himself will only be happy if he manages to achieve what he likes to call a ‘W’ – his rather long abbreviation of ‘win’. Kaymer is the man he’ll have to beat; the Abu Dhabi Golf Club clearly suits his eye, and he has lifted the trophy here three times

0%

Tiger's win ratio on the PGA Tour since the end of the 2009 season (0 wins in 21 events)

Abu Dhabi debut: Woods will be desperate for a ‘W’

previously, in 2008, 2010 and 2011. This time last year he romped away from a world-class field to win by eight shots, and there’s no reason to suggest he won’t do the same in 2012. Kaymer won the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in November, in another highclass field; assuming he’s not done anything to wreck his swing over the winter, the German should start as a warm favourite in Abu Dhabi. He probably won’t be, however – Tiger still terrifies the bookmaking fraternity (he’s currently favourite for both the Masters and Open). This could well be the week when we find out if the real Tiger is back.

69% 19%

Tiger's top-10 ratio on the PGA Tour between turning pro in 1996 and the end of the 2009 season (164 from 239)

Tiger's top-10 ratio on the PGA Tour since the end of the 2009 season (4 from 21)


7- 9 MARCH 2012 PALAU DE CONGRESSOS DE CATALUNYA - BARCELONA

Join the GSFB community now and contribute to the future of Sport

-30%

OFF

SPECIAL OFFER

420 € EX VAT

Since its first edition in 2009, the Global Sports Forum Barcelona has grown as a continuous platform of exchange and network for all key sport stakeholders. Come to Barcelona and explore the upcoming trends in sport business, social media, entertainment, major sport events and sustainability.

HAVAS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A host of workshops, debates, and networking sessions will see international personalities and experts share their thoughts on sport’s revolutionised playing field and what you should do to stay ahead of the game.

Speakers already confi firmed d Éric CANTONA // Director of Soccer at New York Cosmos Sebastien COE // Chairman of London 2012 Sandro ROSELL // President of FC Barcelona Thierry WEIL // Director of Marketing at FIFA Claude RUIBAL // Head of sports content for Youtube

Laurent-Éric LE LAY // Chairman and CEO of Eurosport Norbert TEUFELBERGER // Co-CEO of bwin.party digital entertainment pls.

Debates// Experiences//Networking REGISTER NOW ON WWW.GLOBALSPORTSFORUM.ORG TO RECEIVE A 30% DISCOUNT ON REGISTRATION, ENTER THE CODE : GSF12QBBU3ST MAIN PARTNER

Follow us on

@GlobalSportsFor

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA PARTNERS


7 Days SUNDAY PREMIER LEAGUE | ARSENAL v MANCHESTER UNITED | EMIRATES STADIUM | SKY SPORTS 1 4PM

The ex factor Ahead of a match that will bring back painful memories of the 8-2 thumping Manchester United gave Arsenal at the beginning of this season, the Gunners will no doubt look to returning hero Thierry Henry for guidance. And the Frenchman will be sure to alert his old/new young teammates to the dangers posed by another returning hero gracing the visiting team on Sunday. Paul Scholes – or ‘Sat-Nav’, as Rio Ferdinand has nicknamed the 37-year-old – scored the opening goal of United’s 3-0 victory over Bolton last weekend, timing his run into the box superbly to tap in Wayne Rooney’s cross. Henry couldn’t continue his own fairytale return at Swansea, though, where Arsenal were outplayed and outpassed while recording their sixth defeat away from home this season. Stand-in full backs Johan Djourou and Ignasi Miquel struggled at the Liberty Stadium, so Arsene Wenger will be relieved to have the option of putting Laurent Koscielny at right back on Sunday, with Thomas Vermaelen set to return from a calf injury. The Belgian’s presence is key for Arsenal , who tellingly were without him in defence for that 8-2 trouncing. But whether he alone will be enough to prevent the Gunners from

36 | January 20 2012 |

sinking to a run of three consecutive defeats in the league is questionable. United were in the same position when they played Bolton last weekend, going into the game on the back of league defeats to Blackburn and Newcastle. But their return to winning ways wasn’t quite as smooth as the 3-0 scoreline suggests, with a host of chances (including a Rooney penalty) missed before Scholes ensured a slender lead at the break. Such a storyline will do nothing to quell fears that Alex Ferguson slotting the ginger genius straight back into his side after six months of retirement indicates that those primed to replace him remain significantly short of his level. It was always going to be a mammoth task, as Wenger himself will recognise with respect to one of the Premier League’s greatest ever strikers in Henry. On Sunday we may get a sense of which player has been missed most – and which manager might feel the need to make a late foray into the transfer market for another attempt at replacing him.

Arsenal have lost more matches from winning positions than any other team in the league this season (with West Brom)

Around the grounds

EVERTON V BLACKBURN Goodison Park, Saturday 3pm FULHAM V NEWCASTLE Craven Cottage, Saturday 3pm QPR V WIGAN Loftus Road, Saturday 3pm STOKE V WEST BROM Britannia Stadium, Saturday 3pm SUNDERAND V SWANSEA Stadium of Light, Saturday 3pm WOLVES V ASTON VILLA Molineux, Saturday 3pm BOLTON V LIVERPOOL Reebok Stadium Saturday 5.30pm, ESPN

Premier League table 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Man City Man Utd Tottenham Chelsea Arsenal Newcastle Liverpool Stoke Norwich Swansea Everton Sunderland Aston Villa Fulham West Brom Wolves Blackburn QPR Bolton Wigan

P 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21

W 16 15 14 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 7 6 5 5 6 4 4 4 5 3

D 3 3 4 4 3 6 8 6 7 8 4 6 9 8 4 6 5 5 1 6

L 2 3 3 5 7 5 4 7 7 7 10 9 7 8 11 11 12 12 15 12

F 57 52 39 40 38 30 24 22 32 23 21 27 23 23 20 23 32 19 25 18

A Pts 16 51 20 48 21 46 25 40 31 36 25 36 18 35 31 30 36 28 25 26 25 25 24 24 27 24 29 23 30 22 37 18 44 17 36 17 46 16 42 15



7 Days WEDNESDAY FOOTBALL | CARLING CUP SEMI FINAL SECOND LEG: LIVERPOOL V MAN CITY | ANFIELD | SKY SPORTS 1 7.45PM

Final fantasy They might have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks, but Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool are 90 minutes away from a first domestic final since 2006. Steven Gerrard's penalty at the Etihad two weeks ago was enough to see the Reds to a 1-0 win and allows them to go into Wednesday night’s home leg knowing a draw will be enough. Liverpool may have lost only one in their past nine, but that defeat – a 3-0 dismantling at the hands of City – was recent enough to still be very fresh in the mind. Roberto Mancini’s men weren’t at the races in the first leg, though, with the loss of Vincent Kompany and the Toure brothers painfully clear for all to see. In fact, City have lost three of their past five – an unthinkable run before the start of this year – and need to bounce back quickly. Liverpool have been strong at the back this

season, while City have scored only six in their past six games. A team with the likes of Mario Balotelli, Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Edin Dzeko can never be written off, but the Citizens might have given themselves too high a mountain to climb this time. In the other semi final, Crystal Palace travel to Cardiff on Tuesday (BBC Two 7.30pm, for those who care) with a slender 1-0 lead of their own. The London side rode their luck at times in the first leg, but got away with the all-important win. A rearguard action may be called for if they are to make their first domestic final since 1990, but Cardiff will be in no mood to help the Eagles on their way. A League Cup final pales into insignificance against promotion dreams, but Malky Mackay’s team would love a trip to Wembley – and quality of the likes of Kenny Miller and Peter Whittingham makes them slight favourites.

SATURDAY BOXING | DAVID PRICE v JOHN MCDERMOTT | LIVERPOOL OLYMPIA | SKY SPORTS 1 8PM

Survival of the fittest

38 | January 20 2012 |

“He’s a tough, fit, underrated boxer,” unbeaten Liverpool heavyweight David Price told Sport about his next opponent. “He’s a clever fighter, too – and he knows how to punch.” That imposing description might not quite match the portly image you see of ‘Big Bad’ John McDermott (far left), who looks one crucial vowel away from the ‘fit’ fighter Price describes. However, the 6ft 8ins scouser is correct in his assessment that McDermott’s truffle shuffle physique can be misleading. He can box – McDermott was on the wrong end of a bad decision in his first fight with current British champion Tyson Fury – and can punch, stopping touted prospect Larry Olubamiwo in one round last year. However, his ninth-round defeat in a rematch with Fury and his 26-7 win-loss record tell that, while McDermott is a domestic danger man, the 31-year-old will never remotely trouble top-grade heavyweights. And the highest level is where Price (11-0) is aiming. The 28-year-old has had a stop-start pro career, but his last performance of 2011 was his best yet – a punch-perfect two-round destruction of then-undefeated Tom Dallas. If Price can impose his jab, size and undoubtedly superior boxing ability on McDermott, he should dominate and perhaps even make quick work of his Essex-born opponent. On paper this should be one-way traffic, but it’s not over ‘til the fat man swings.


FRIDAY > MOTORSPORT | WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 1: MONTE CARLO | BRITISH EUROSPORT 10PM there, Kris can drive – he’s a world-class driver,” said a Mini spokesman on the eve of the season. The Monte Carlo Rally Sky News motorsport presenter Jon Desborough was supposed to herald Mini’s biggest adventure explains why the World Rally Championship in motorsport since season could stall on the starting grid... their world-beating exploits of the 1960s. The World Rally Championship season got But potential sponsors pulled out of a deal to under way on Wednesday this week, with the back them, and now their plan to take Monaco prestigious opening event in Monte Carlo. by storm has turned into something of a PR The showpiece opener reaches its climax this gaffe among British motorsport fans. weekend, but all is not running smoothly in Northern Irishman Meeke was supposed to the sport after it lost its cash-strapped be starting the famous event. Instead, he’s promoter, North One Sport. Convers Sports been back in Britain and said to be seething. Initiatives, NOS’s parent company, went into In frustration, he turned to Twitter to tell his administration at the end of last year, followers: “Ever wonder what it would be like meaning that while the first race of the to have the girl you loved tell you she’s leaving season has gone ahead, the rest of the you to go work as a prostitute?” calendar remains in doubt – and, at the time Mini’s rallying history in the principality of writing, there is no TV rights deal in place isn’t without controversy. Paddy Hopkirk beyond Monte Carlo. shot to fame when he won the first of two For British rally star Kris Meeke, the Montes in 1964. On the verge of a hat-trick situation is already looking bleak. Although he of wins, the team were excluded for a rule has been reassured by his BMW Mini team infringement. This weekend was supposed that he can still drive in the World Championship to rekindle those pioneering exploits. this year, he’ll have to find up to £200,000 for The defending world champion, France’s each event if he wants to compete. Sebastien Loeb, has won the Monte Carlo With teams’ budgets so tight, a Spaniard Rally five times and starts the season as has stepped in and taken Meeke’s entry for favourite. If no TV deal is reached, you can the iconic Monte Carlo Rally. “If the money is follow the race at worldrallyradio.com.

A Mini crisis

Saturday HORSE RACING | VICTOR CHANDLER CHASE | ASCOT | CHANNEL 4 3.10PM

8

Frenchman Sebastien Loeb has been world rally champion for the past eight seasons

All over the Rainbow his Champion Chase claims tomorrow. The exciting Paul Nicholls novice Al Ferof would appear the main threat in a small but high-quality field, but Wishfull Thinking reopposes and Henrietta Knight’s darling Somersby isn't without a chance either. But Finian's Rainbow is a bold jumper yet to taste defeat going right-handed; it would take a brave man to bet against him, and we are not he – hence the headline up there.

Scott Heavey/Getty Images, Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

The Cheltenham Festival may yet be the best part of two months away, but anticipation is already growing and the antepost markets are beginning to rumble. Cue this weekend’s Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot, in which at least a couple of horses have it in them to cause those rumblings to grow still further. Run over two miles and a furlong, Saturday’s big race could hold clues to a few of the championship races at Cheltenham – but it’s the market for the two-mile Queen Mother Champion Chase that could be most affected, particularly if Finian’s Rainbow lives up to his billing and romps home for trainer Nicky Henderson. The nine-year-old (pictured) has won five from six over fences, beaten only by Captain Chris in a thrilling Arkle Trophy (for novice chasers) at last year’s Cheltenham Festival. He survived an almighty blunder to defeat the talented Wishfull Thinking on his return at Kempton in December, and as a result goes into his next run as third favourite for this year’s Queen Mother – behind only the Irish-trained pair of Sizing Europe and Big Zeb. With neither of those appearing at Ascot, Finian’s Rainbow has a real chance to stake

| 39


7 Days SATURDAY RUGBY UNION | HEINEKEN CUP | CLERMONT v ULSTER | STADE MARCEL MICHELIN | SKY SPORTS 1 3.30PM

Ulster face French resistance It’s the final round of pool games in the Heineken Cup this weekend, with so much still to be settled across the six pools. It’s to France where our attention is drawn, as the top two in Pool 4 go head to head with a quarter-final place at stake.

Clermont are the home side and currently sit three points adrift of their visitors. Their 82-0 hammering of Italian side Aironi last weekend showed that Vern Cotter’s men are ready for the fight – and, with the Six Nations on our doorstep, it will be fascinating to see the probable French centre partnership of Aurelien Rougerie and Wesley Fofana in action. The French side are unbeaten at home this season, so Ulster have it all to do. The Irishmen are on a high, however, having inflicted a record European defeat on Leicester last weekend. The problem for Brian McLaughlin is that six of his side’s seven defeats this

season have come on the road. Ulster will need to upset the form guide to triumph in France, although a losing bonus point could well be just enough to sneak through. With this side desperate for more knockout rugby, there’s never been a better time to cure those awayday blues.

Clermont have scored 25 tries - including a 12-try haul last weekend - and conceded just five in their five Heineken Cup games to date

Pool 1 Munster have booked their place in the next round with a game to spare and will be keen to secure a home quarter final with victory this weekend, but an awayday at Northampton is no easy task.

BEST OF THE REST

Pool 2 It’s up for grabs here, as Cardiff and Edinburgh are tied on 17 points and are both at home this weekend. The Blues have the better head-to-head record, and face a poor Racing Metro side , so expect them to take top spot.

Pool 3 Another story of Irish domination in Pool 3, as Leinster have qualified already. Again, a home quarter final is the aim here; Montpellier at home shouldn’t cause too many problems tomorrow.

FRIDAY

SUNDAY

CRICKET Pakistan v England: 1st Test Day 4, Dubai, Sky Sports 1 6am

FOOTBALL La Liga: Real Madrid v Athletic Bilbao Bernabeu, Sky Sports 1 7pm

GOLF Volvo Golf Champions Day 2 South Africa, Sky Sports 3 11am

SNOOKER Masters: The Final Alexandra Palace, British Eurosport 2 2pm

Pool 5 English champions Saracens need just a bonus point away to bottom side Treviso to guarantee knockout rugby, but expect them to go one better and secure a win that should see them at home in the quarter finals.

Pool 6 Harlequins travel to Connacht knowing a victory will earn them a second-place qualification at the very least. Toulouse head to Gloucester looking to avoid the slip-up that would allow the Londoners to steal top spot.

FOOTBALL Copa del Ray Quarter Final Second Leg: Barcelona v Real Madrid, Camp Nou, Sky Sports 2 9pm TENNIS Australian Open: Women’s Semi Final, Melbourne, British Eurosport 2.30am

MONDAY CRICKET South Africa v Sri Lanka: 4th ODI, Kimberley, Sky Sports 2 12.25pm

CRICKET Australia v India: 4th Test Day 1, Adelaide, Sky Sports 1 11.55pm

SATURDAY FOOTBALL SPL: St Mirren v Celtic St Mirren Park, ESPN 11.45am

FOOTBALL Championship: Southampton v Leicester, St Mary’s Stadium, Sky Sports 1 7.45pm

TENNIS Australian Open: Men’s Semi Final, Melbourne, British Eurosport 7.45am

SNOOKER Masters Semi Finals, Alexandra Palace, British Eurosport 1pm

NBA Boston Celtics v Orlando Magic TD Garden, ESPN 12.30am

NBA Orlando Magic v Boston Celtics, Amway Center, ESPN 1am

FOOTBALL League One: Huddersfield v Brentford Galpharm Stadium, Sky Sports 2 5.20pm

CRICKET Pakistan v England: 2nd Test Day 1, Abu Dhabi, Sky Sports 1 5.30am

40 | January 20 2012 |

WEDNESDAY

NBA LA Lakers v LA Clippers Staples Center, ESPN 3.30am

THURSDAY

Thierry Zoccolan/AFP/Getty Images, Stu Forster/Getty Images, David Rogers/Getty Images, Harry How/Getty Images

Pool runnings How things are looking across the other groups


Rules of

Rule 54 - Divots

The massive £40 divot taken out of the price of an hour on our game-changing simulators must be replaced by March. Until then an hour’s golf for you and three mates costs just £10.

Offer excludes Thursdays. For full terms and conditions, go to www.urbangolf.co.uk/tenner

Email ....................................................................................................

Name ....................................................................................................

From now until February 29, you and three mates can enjoy an hour on one of our brand new aboutGolf™ simulators for just £10, instead of £50. Over sixty of the world’s finest courses, including Pebble Beach, Sawgrass, and St Andrews, in a golf revolution. So lifelike it’s what world number one, Luke Donald, practices on. Now there are 22 simulators exclusive to Urban Golf Soho, Smithfield and Kensington. Visit www.urbangolf.co.uk/tenner for full details and bring this coupon along when you come to play. Urban Golf rules.

AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS 2012

21 JAN – 12 FEB

The most vibrant football tournament in 2012 Every match LIVE across British Eurosport and Eurosport HD

Also available online with Eurosport Player British Eurosport and Eurosport HD are available via Sky and Virgin Media.


Advertising Feature

In the second of a three-part series dedicated to helping men across the nation improve their fitness and diet in the new year, expert nutritionist Darren Roberts focuses on the adventurer – a man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to go after it...

42 | January 20 2012 |


2 The adventurer Age Late 20s Job Photographer, graphic designer, entrepreneur Family Single Sports Mountain climbing

guy has shunned the all-too-common route into the structured life of a professional in favour of going it alone. He relies on his wits and raw talent to succeed, but also recognises the need for focus and discipline – two characteristics that are vital in his chosen leisure pursuit of mountain climbing, where he must mix instinct with the alertness required to maintain safety in potentially dangerous surroundings. “This is a guy with the time and resources to plan meticulously for what he wants to do,” explains expert nutritionist Darren Roberts who, as a former military parachutist, knows all about this kind of approach. “He needs to maintain his focus with clear goals, whether daily, weekly or monthly – and he needs to use his planning skills and time to map out everything he wants to do. “We all like to think we are ‘goal-led’, but the reality is that we often confuse ‘intentions’ with ‘goals’. As a mountain climber, it’s a process he’ll be familiar and comfortable with... namely, breaking something down into manageable chunks (goals) and working through them.”

A broad mix “Using goal-driven detailed plans and having the time available to implement them means this guy can employ a broad mix of aerobic training and muscular endurance training, combined with the strength work for those high-intensity efforts over tricky technical obstacles on a climb. He really needs to be a physical all-rounder, as that’s what climbing demands. “As time is available, you’re looking at three or more aerobic sessions a week, at a minimum of one hour – with an equal amount of resistance training sessions, which could mean up to two training sessions per day. As a freelance professional, this is more feasible – but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Committing to two training sessions a day requires detailed, goal-driven plans. But, as detailed as they need to be, they should not be written in stone. Flexibility and a ‘what if’ coping strategy are important, should a work or other commitment present itself.”

In brief... At least three one-hour aerobic sessions a week, to be matched by the same amount of resistance training.

All in the planning “Just as with his training, his diet needs detailed planning. With a fair number of training hours in the week – as well as in the mountains at the weekends – planning is absolutely essential. He can’t get to the top of an ascent hoping to find a shop selling chocolate bars. He’ll have to be totally self-sufficient in the hills, carrying everything with him he needs – and that includes food. “Given the endurance element and amount of training, eating a nutrient-dense diet is key. Boiled chicken and plain pasta may sound healthy, but the plate needs to be as colourful as possible... so dark breads, rice, grains, lots of vegetables and lean meat. I’m no fan of calorie-counting or scale-watching, but excess weight will do this guy no good on the mountain, so it’s more about watching the treat snacks in the day. Using a Red Bull Sugarfree also helps keep the calories down – whether using it on the hill for concentration, or for that extra motivational energy to get to a training session.” In brief... A nutrient-dense diet featuring lean meat, lots of veg, dark breads and rice grains. Darren Roberts is an expert nutritionist at Peak Performance Fitness

THE ATHLETE

gee atherton Age 26 | Sport Mountain bike racing A mountain-biking sensation since the age of 15, Atheron (the middle of three racing siblings) won his first Downhill World Cup at 19 in 2004. In that year, his first in the senior ranks, he claimed the National Championship at his first attempt – and has gone on to finish in the top five of the World Cup series every year since. He won the sport’s highest honour – a World Championship gold medal – in Italy in 2008. THE EXPERT SAYS... “Elite downhill mountain bike racers like Gee Atherton need detailed, goal-driven plans to keep them on track,” says Darren Roberts. “Having trained Gee (along with his brother and sister) since 2007 and through two World Championships, I know exactly what that looks like. Gee needs to have good muscular strength and endurance, as well as an aerobic engine with high-intensity repeatability. “To try and juggle all those competing physiological demands, you need strong detailed plans in place. Gee is naturally lean, so a calorie-dense diet is essential for the energy he needs to train, adapt to the training and recover.”

Red Bull Sugarfree Red Bull Sugarfree is Red Bull without sugar, with only 8 calories per can. As with the Red Bull Energy Drink, Red Bull Sugarfree is a functional beverage that vitalises both body and mind. Red Bull Sugarfree has been developed for people who want to have a clear and focused mind, perform physically, are dynamic and performance-oriented while also balancing this with a fun and active lifestyle.

| 43

Images by Mark Teo for Red Bull Content Pool

C

reative, innovative, experimental, this


P50 Aaaay! Listen to your iPad tunes like the Fonz would

Extra time Kit

Making the most of your time and money 1

2

3

4

5

6

Hike in happiness Get out of the gym and into the countryside – these boots will keep you warm and comfortable while you do so

1 Celtic Sheepskin Lined Walking Boots

A pricey option but well worth the spend, these bad boys are water-resistant, have thick rugged soles to deal with any terrain and are lined with soft sheepskin for increased warmth. £165 | celtic-sheepskin.co.uk

2 Asics Gel Arata MT G-TX

One for the longer walks, these mid-cut boots boast a GORE-TEX upper to protect from even the most inclement weather, as well as a GEL cushioning system for extra padding and comfort. £123 | asics.co.uk

3 Teva Riva Leather Walking Boot

The Vibram outsole offers traction over any kind of surface, while the waterproof membrane and leather material ensure your feet are well looked after. £100 | amazon.co.uk

4 Cushe After Ride WP Boots

Why not try something a bit different? These taller boots have a rubber outsole and waxy suede upper to keep your feet dry, while the memory foam boot cushioning and shearling lining will keep them warm and comfy. Perfect for a more relaxing walk. £130 | surfdome.com

5 The North Face Back-To-Berkeley Boots One for the trickier terrain, these offer Ice Pick lugs that extend as temperatures get lower, insulated interiors to protect from the cold and a gusseted tongue to lock out small stones and other debris. Bring it on, nature. £100 | thenorthface.com/eu

6 Karrimor KSB 350 Boot

This durable offering from Karrimor has multidirectional grip soles to increase stability on all surfaces, as well as a padded ankle collar, mesh panels and waterproof fabric to promote comfort for your feet. £45 | sportsdirect.com

44 | January 20 2012 |


CHEAT ON YOUR GYM. Already seeing someone else? Try Soho for free. Don’t tell a soul. G E T YO U

R

E E R F Y A D 3 PA S S SOHOGYMS.COM COVENT GARDEN | EARLS COURT | CAMDEN | CLAPHAM | WATERLOO | BOROUGH


Extra time Winter sports

Snowy Valentine? With three weeks to go before Valentine’s Day, you still have time to arrange a romantic winter getaway for two...

THE FIRST RESORT La Plagne, France

KIT CORNER

THE ALTERNATIVES

La Plagne knows how to celebrate big occasions, having just marked its 50th birthday with a spectacular display of fireworks and more than 300 ski instructors taking part in a torchlit descent. It also has one of the most romantic mountain restaurants we have ever come across

for your Valentine’s Day tryst. The Chalet Verdon Sud (left) is a lovely traditional wooden chalet owned by Maxence Talenti and his family, who have been in La Plagne since it opened for skiing in 1962. Despite spectacular views from its terrace, this might be one time you’re hoping for colder weather. Maxence, who runs the chalet, will lend you both slippers, so you can ease off your ski boots and warm your toes and hearts in front of their blazing fire. They will also supply glasses of fizz and roses on the day – all you have to do is book a table and turn up. The restaurant offers both traditional Savoyarde cuisine and more gastronomic options. Chalet Verdon Sud +33 (0) 621 54 39 24

Salomon BBR 7.9 £400 | salomon.com/uk

With an oversized, surfboard-like tip and narrow waist and tail giving it a V shape, the BBR – the brainchild of legendary ski designer Bertrand Krafft – challenges conventional thinking in skiing. The tip and rocker make turning easy yet enable the ski to float in powder and flow smoothly over uneven terrain, while the efficient waist and pintail shape combine to give effective edge control and grip on harder snow. A carving ski that floats in powder, and a powder ski that carves on piste. In a word, brilliant.

46 | January 20 2012 |

Les Gets, France

Courmayeur, Italy

Glencoe, Scotland

Over in Les Gets, they’ve had the inspired idea of running the Mont Chéry gondola as a restaurant on Valentine’s night. Lovers sit in the bubble, gazing at the view as they feast on wild nettle pannacotta, filet of ostrich, chocolate fondant and champagne, all for just €50 per person. Sadly fully booked this year, but an idea for 2013...

St Valentine is the patron saint of Courmayeur, so they really do go to town here. Fancy-dress processions weave through the cobbled streets, accompanied by local folk music and red heartshaped balloons... and, if you are on the look-out, there are even noticeboards on which you can pin your love letters.

A top last-minute option, and take the overnight sleeper for a little extra romance. Once there, stay at the Ballachulish Hotel, who can organise a champagne picnic for you to take with you up the hill. A good day in Glencoe is pure magic, and a bad day... well, sack it off and have a big plate of haggis instead. For better or for worse, after all.

lesgets.com/valentine

courmayeur-montblanc.com/en

ballachulishhotel.com

For more info on most of these resorts and many others, check out maddogski.com. MadDogSki has a website full of useful tools to help you track down and make the most of your ski holiday. Sign up for their weekly newsletter at maddogski.com/newsletter

StockShot/Alamy, CuboImages srl/Alamy, Graham Knowles/Alamy

February. A non-event of a month here in England, with the extra pressure of Valentine’s Day sat menacingly at its heart. But you can woo your beloved with a trip to the Alps: picturesque villages, twinkly starlit skies, cosy restaurants... and already more snow in some resorts than there was in the whole of last season. Hannah Engelkamp of MadDogSki.com picks her numberone location for such a break, with the mandatory three alternatives...


Advertising Feature

Reboot yourself I

t’s lucky that skiing is such very good fun, or we’d never put up with ski boots. After all, who’d voluntarily ratchet their feet into tight, stiff, plastic casts without very good reason? Not us, we can tell you, but selecting your new boots has not only become a lot more scientific than it used to be; it’s also become a lot easier, as we found out with a visit to the Snow+Rock store in London’s Covent Garden. The boot-fitting service is part of buying your boots, you see – it comes at no extra cost and you don’t even need to book. So head into a Branch of Snow+Rock or Ellis Brigham – preferably in the morning, when your feet are rested and after cutting your toenails – and this is more or less what will happen next... 1. A question of ability Your fitter – Rick, in our case – will ask how you ski. Luckily there’s a scale of abilities mapped out in Snow+Rock, so you don’t have to mumble something about being awesome as a kid. You just look at the scale and say: “I’m a seven.” 2. Open mind The fitter looks at your feet and suggests a few boots.

Different brands suit different foot shapes; custom fitting helps a lot, and you should always have your boots fitted. For this reason, it’s best to go boot shopping with no preconceptions of what you want. 3. The fit sticks He will then take the liners out of the shells of your chosen boots and you stand in the shells with your toes touching the front. Using ‘fit sticks’ (different diameter rods), he’ll measure the space between your heel and the shell: 20mm is good for recreational skiers and those who want a bit more space, 15mm is good for anyone wanting a bit more precision, and 10mm is for ski racers who live on adrenaline and don’t mind paying for it in crippling foot pain. 4. Bedding in Custom footbeds aren’t strictly part of the boot-fitting process, but they support your arches, offering stability and reducing fatigue – without them, your feet flatten out as you ski, often resulting in

squashing along the outside edges, or pain in all sorts of other places. Oh, and having them made is also great fun, as you stand on rubber cushions filled with tiny hot porcelain balls (see below). As the air is sucked out of the cushions your feet sink pleasantly into them, moulding the shape of your sole. 5. The heat is on The footbeds are snipped and shaved into the final shape, after which it’s time for the heat moulding of the liners. After a spell in the specialist hi-tech oven, the liners are wrestled back into the shells. Put the boots on your feet, and your fitter does them up extra tight. As the liners cool, the foam inside sets to the shape of your feet and ankles. Custom-shell technology at its most impressive.

and Atomic are THE Salomon running a plain fantastic this weekend. * promotion DEAL Just spend more than £199 on a pair of ski or snowboard boots in any Snow+Rock or Ellis Brigham branch, and you’ll get a £50 voucher to spend on any of 3,000 items in store, from ski clothing to backpacks, watches to walking boots.

6. The final fit If any sore spots remain, your bootfitter can stretch or grind away at the plastic of the shell to make space where you need it – and these guys are dogged when it comes to making your feet comfortable. What’s more, if you take your boots skiing and need a bit more adjustment on your return, they’ll do that for free too. This really is the future, only in the present.

| 47

*Terms and conditions: promotion period January 16-22 2012, no cash alternative. No change given when redeeming promotional vouchers. One voucher issued per pair of boots sold over the value of £199. Only one voucher per transaction is redeemable. This voucher must be accompanied by an original proof of purchase. This voucher can’t be redeemed against the original qualifying transaction. Vouchers can only be redeemed in Ellis Brigham or Snow+Rock stores. Vouchers are valid until March 31 2012. This voucher is only valid against the purchase of Salomon, Bonfire, Atomic or Suunto products.

Finding the right ski boots is an integral part of your snow season preparations – and now, thanks to new technology from Salomon, you can get yourself fitted with a pair that is just right for you


Extra time Jessica Cribbon

48 | January 20 2012 |


| 49

bviously we’re excited about the Australian Open having started this week. And – strewth! – it seems Jessica Cribbon is too. Aside from being both Australian and, well, open (sorry) when it comes to her choice of tennis attire, Cribbon’s sporting interests extend beyond the baseline: she is currently stepping out with Darnell Hinson, guard for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association. The Perth-based model confesses she cannot live without regular overseas travel – which presumably explains the deep vein thrombosis-preventing flight socks – and describes herself as energetic, outgoing and a lover of all sports. So, naturall,y we were obliged to have her grace these hallowed pages. Sport wonders how Jesski here will repay us for featuring her. That thing you’re thinking? It won’t be that.

O

Cribbon notes

APIX Syndication


Extra time Gadgets

Viva Las Vegas The home of gambling and ‘escorts’ played host to the annual Consumer Electronics Show last week – here’s our pick of the new product launches

Ion Jukebox Dock Arthur ‘The Fonz’ Fonzarelli, he of Happy Days fame, could operate a jukebox just by whacking it or snapping his fingers. Sadly, this trick probably wouldn’t work quite as well with this jukeboxstyle iPad dock, which is due to hit the virtual shelves this summer. That is, unless someone uses the tablet’s microphone and motion sensors to design an app that can make our slick dream a reality. Aaaaaay!

Boston Acoustics SoundWareXS Designed to sit astride a TV, this digital cinema system pumps out virtual surround sound, so doesn’t require you to drape unsightly cables across your living room. You can also stream to it from your tablet or smartphone, making it the perfect way to rock out to More Than A Feeling. £270 | bostonacoustics.eu

£80 | ionaudio.com

Sony Z1000 Walkman The latest iteration of Sony’s distinguished personal music player range is a far cry from the chunky cassete players of Sport’s youth. Running Android 2.3, the Z1000 has an LCD touchscreen and connects to the internet via Wi-Fi. We hope that the rather stern looking gentleman peering out to the left is this device’s version of the MS Office Assistant. £TBC | sony.co.uk

Olympus VG-170 The flash on this camera has twice the range of your average compact camera, so you can light up objects or people up to 15 metres away – or blind anyone within a couple of metres, presumably. A good option for getting well-lit photos from nights spent lurking in murky bars. £100 | olympus.co.uk

Logitech Cube A team of scientists discover a mysterious box buried deep beneath the Arctic ice. And, despite local legends that have foretold the peril of ‘The Cube’, they activate the device, unleashing a fearsome touchpad computer mouse-type thing. £60 | logitech.com

50 | January 20 2012 |


Make your tablet even better. ®

With 40% faster MiFi from Three. Create your own mobile Wi-Fi hotspot Connect up to 5 gadgets One month rolling contract 5GB data for £15.99 a month

Pocket-sized MiFi®

£ 49.99 upfront

From the UK’s fastest growing mobile network.

Use Wi-Fi when you’re on the move. Share photos, shop the sales and send emails on your tablet whenever you like. All with the freedom of a one month rolling contract. Get yours now, call

0800 358 9083 Visit a 3Store or search online for Three

Or get the most out of your 3G tablet with our flexible Micro

SIM deal. Includes 10GB data for just

£15 a month on a one month rolling contract. Out of bundle charges apply to MiFi® and Micro SIM deals show · One month rolling contracts requires 30 days notice to terminate · 40% faster claim is compared to Three’s own MiFi® E585 dongle

Sorry we do not accept Visa Electron or Solo cards.


Extra time Entertainment DVD

Elementary picks We savour Sherlock, stare at Hockney and seek first aid from Swedish sisters. It’s all totally innocent, we assure you... MUSIC

The Lion’s Roar First Aid Kit

Sherlock Series Two

The warm, whiskey-soaked folk vocals of First Aid Kit certainly don’t match up to the appearance of these fresh-faced Swedish siblings. In fact, it’s slightly unsettling hearing such worldworn lyrics as “Stockholm’s cold, but I’ve been told I was born to endure” springing from such a youthful source. Even if they wear slightly odd shoes, First Aid Kit fit them perfectly. The sweeping melodies see to that, lifting the duo’s harmonies and making for a subtly sublime second album. A winter treat – even in somewhere as chilly as Stockholm.

Bondage, smartphones and Holmes sulking naked in Buckingham Palace – the BBC’s take on Baker Street’s finest took a bit of licence, but repaid the rapt audience in spades. The whip-smart dialogue, flawless performances and high-octane pace also mean it’s a certainty to stand up to repeated viewings, so it’s great news that the DVD and Blu-ray release is as swift as this Monday. As well as the three episodes from the second series, extras include a documentary plus commentaries from the key players. The latter should be particularly enlightening, as creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat are renowned Holmesophiles and should shed some light on the subtle allusions to the books that litter the show. Way smarter-than-average TV – much like its hero.

MUSIC

FILM

Tough Love Pulled Apart By Horses

David Hockney: A Bigger Picture Pop art maestro and Britain’s greatest living artist (no, not Neil Buchanan), David Hockney displays a new range of large-scale landscape paintings in this blockbuster Royal Academy exhibition, opening on Saturday. As well as technicolour views of the Yorkshire Dales, there’s a display of the 74-year-old’s iPad drawings, proving Hockney is as willing as ever to embrace new technologies. At £14 for a ticket, it’s not cheap, but the class is guaranteed.

52 | January 20 2012 |

With track titles such as Bromance Ain’t Dead, it’s clear that raucous Leeds rockers Pulled Apart by Horses don’t take themselves too seriously. However, their three-minute blasters are as hard, fast and fun as they are noisy. An enjoyable mix of rasped vocals and muscular riffs – out Monday.

BOOK Siege Simon Kernick

Coriolanus Shakespeare flexes his guns in your awed face in this modern-day take on The Bard’s bloody tragedy. Ralph Fiennes slips into the director’s chair for the first time, as well as starring in the title role. The highlight, we’re told, is a macho throwdown with his arch nemesis Aufidius (Gerard Butler). Brains, brawn and brutality – we’re totally sold on this.

Bomb-packing gunmen take over a Park Lane hotel and set a five-hour deadline for their demands in this new novel. British crime author Simon Kernick has a strong knack for gritty detail, so expect a pacy read with plenty of visceral violence. Don’t expect: the hotel to blow up and everyone to die. Colin Hutton/Hartswood Films, Steve Oliver

EXHIBITION



Extra time Grooming 1

Lie back in luxury

2

3

With your choice of product from this high-class bathtime selection

1 Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Bath Soap A champagne-coloured bar that oozes style and will leave your skin soft, smooth and lightly scented with Tom Ford’s classic Neroli Portofino cologne. If you’re a soap aficionado, this is the one you want.

4

5

6

£25 | harrods.com

2 Ole Henriksen Rub n’ Buff Salt Scrub A spa-strength salt scrub containing lavender and lemongrass, which work to exfoliate and retexturise the skin in what would surely represent the most expensive bath you’ve ever had.

9

£53 | harveynichols.com

3 The Organic Pharmacy Detoxifying Seaweed Bath Soak

8

Not the only seaweed-infused product on the page, but this detoxifying soak from the always-impressive Organic Pharmacy also contains juniper. Two scoops per bath and you’re away.

7

£36 | theorganicpharmacy.com

4 Rituals Sento Foaming Cream Bath Organic bamboo and wakame (edible seaweed, we’re told) are the natural extracts in this rich, creamy bath foam from Rituals. Will leave your skin feeling both hydrated and supple, which is nice.

5 Elemis Quiet Mind Relaxing Bath Elixir

6 EcoTools Ecopouf Bath Brush

7 G Baldwin & Co Everyday Aches & Pains Bath Oil

8 NGT by Nougat for Men Intensive Muscle Soak

9 Radox Spa Rejuvenate Bath Soak

End-of-day tranquility is the order of the day with this soothing bath elixir from Elemis. Patchouli, ho wood and the inevitable eucalyptus all feature in a formula that is pleasingly gentle on the skin.

Create a sudsy lather and clean your hard-to-reach crannies with this ethically produced bath brush from natural-product specialists EcoTools. The netting is 100 per cent recycled, don’t you know.

Eucalyptus, rosemary and black pepper combine in this restorative bath oil from a firm that dates back to the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign. How much heritage do you want?

Perhaps one for the sportier gentleman (it says ‘intensive’, after all), this muscle soak comes stylishly packaged and contains ivy extract to help improve blood circulation. Intensively super.

£6.09 | baldwins.co.uk

£12 | nougatlondon.co.uk

Come on, you didn’t think we would bang on about bathtime and not include the brand we all grew up with, did you? Radox is as reliable as beans on toast, and comes at a price that is bound to please in long old January.

£19 | timetospa.co.uk

£9.99 | Boots

54 | January 20 2012 |

£2.21 | available nationwide

Full Stop Photography

£9.90 | uk.ritualsstore.com




Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.