Guardian Life tennis finals on today
The 17th annual Guardian Life Open Junior Tennis Series will climax with a number of the island’s top tennis talents battling for trophies and prizes in their respective categories at the Liguanea Club in St Andrew.Play is slated to serve off at 12:30 p.m.In yesterday’s boys’ 12 and under semi-finals, Kaiel Casserly stopped Daniel Moe 8-0 while Joshua Haye defeated Kyle Clarke by the same scoreline.In boys’ Under-14 semis, Keyondre Clarke easily advanced ahead of Jason Duval ,who retired after being 6-0, 2 -0 down.The Boys’ 16 and under competition saw Richard Barnett outclass Joshua Campbell 6-0, 6-0 while John Chin got by Karan Chatani 6-2, 6-3.In the Boys’ Under-18, Cliff Dwyer ousted Gregory Spencer 6-0, 6-4 while Nicholas Gore cruised by Daniel Hill 6-2, 6-1.In the Girls’ 14 and under semi-final action, Re-Anna Barclay defeated Nia Scott 8-5 and Peta-Gaye Graham stopped Gabrielle Steele 8-3.The Girls’ Open saw Micheala Stephens get by Moesha Fox 8-2 while Jenna Harrison easily stopped Iesha Sterling 8-0.
Dear Editor,April 26, 2019, will surely be recorded as a day of infamy, for it is the date when the Granger Administration Members of Parliament successfully passed a motion to eulogise convicted international terrorist Abdul Kadir. What message has our nation delivered to a world reeling from terrorist attacks on a seemingly daily basis? The headlines screamed of hundreds dead from suicide bombings in Sri Lanka; of the deadly shooting deaths in New Zeeland; uncertainty pervades every major city on the planet, nowhere is safe and amidst all of this, our National Assembly is offering an official seal of approval to a disciple of the infamous Iranian terrorist Mohsen Rabbani. Abdul Kadir had indeed served as a PNC MP but the shame he brought to our dear land with his involvement in terrorist activities negates that service. Abdul Kadir is a blot on our book and he should not be celebrated as a highlight.The specific charges Kadir was convicted of were: conspiracy to attack a public transportation system, in violation of 18 United States Code § 2332f; conspiracy to destroy a building by fire or explosive, in violation of 18 USC § 844(n); conspiracy to attack aircraft and aircraft materials, in violation of 18 USC § 32; conspiracy to destroy international airport facilities, in violation of 18 USC § 37; and conspiracy to attack a mass transportation facility, in violation of 18 USC § 1992(a)(10).Editor, it is now up to Guyanese not connected to the Granger Administration to let the civilised world know that we do not share the sympathies nor do we endorse the actions of those MPs who delivered this message ostensibly on behalf of our nation.I can categorically state that endorsement of terrorism, in any shape or form is not representative of my view and urge all persons and organisations to make their position know publicly. President George W Bush, after 9/11, at the launch of his anti-terrorism campaign said “Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists”. I never thought there would be a day any segment of Guyanese would side with evil in its worst manifestation.Respectfully,Robin Singh
As regards China, Goolsbee – who favors a tougher approach, especially through the World Trade Organization – notes that all imports are only 16.7 percent of the U.S. economy and imports from China are a small portion of all imports. Mexico, he says, is genuinely stressed by China, whose exported products “overlap” with nearly two-thirds of Mexico’s. China’s exports overlap with 5 percent to 10 percent of America’s economy. Rising imports from China predominantly replace those from other lower-skilled countries. Were China to be pressured into revaluing its currency in isolation, Goolsbee says, America would not start making the kind of toys it imports from China – America would import toys from Vietnam. Economics is the only academic discipline that in recent decades has moved in the direction that America and much of the world has moved, to the right. Goolsbee no doubt has lots of dubious ideas – he is, after all, a Democrat – about how government can creatively fiddle with the market’s allocation of wealth and opportunity. But he seems to be the sort of person – amiable, empirical and reasonable – you would want at the elbow of a Democratic president, if such there must be. George Will’s e-mail address is georgewill@washpost.com.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! In his curriculum vitae, Austan Goolsbee lists as his “other interests” – other than teaching at the University of Chicago – two activities: triathlons and improv comedy. Evidently he is a masochist with a sense of humor, so he is suited to participate in presidential politics, which he is doing as an adviser to Barack Obama. Before they met in person, Obama, running for the Senate in 2004, asked Goolsbee a perplexing question. Obama’s opponent, Alan Keyes, an African-American imported from Maryland by Illinois’ chaotic Republican Party, had been asked whether he believed in reparations for slavery. Keyes said perhaps America could do what Rome did – exempt descendents of former slaves from taxes for two generations. Obama asked Goolsbee how much that might cost. Goolsbee’s two answers were: Hard to say. And: Trillions. Goolsbee graduated from Yale and earned his doctorate from MIT before coming to the University of Chicago’s business school. The university’s economics department has been adorned by the likes of Milton Friedman and George Stigler, each a Nobel laureate, each a conservative by virtue of his inclination to expect more utility from markets than from government interventions therein. Is Goolsbee dismayed about widening income inequality? Yes, but with a nuanced understanding. The stagnation of middle- and working-class incomes, and the anxiety this has generated, is, he says, a pressing problem, but policymakers must be mindful about addressing its root cause, which Goolsbee says is “radically increased returns to skill.” In 1980, people with college degrees made on average 30 percent more than those with only high school diplomas. That disparity has widened to 70 percent. In the same year, the average earnings of people with advanced degrees were 50 percent more than those with only high school diplomas; today it is more than 100 percent. The market is shouting, “Stay in school!” and Goolsbee’s conservative colleagues at Chicago say a high tax rate on high earners is “a tax on going to college.” Conservatives say: Don’t tax something unless you are willing to have less of it. But Goolsbee says: Conservatives often exaggerate the behavioral response to increased tax rates. The solution is to invest more in education, which will raise wages, reduce inequality and move toward equilibrium. The GI bill was, he says, so prolific in stimulating investment in “human capital” – particularly, college education – that for a while the return on it went down relative to high school. “Globalization” means free trade and various deregulations that supposedly put downward pressure on American wages because of imports from low-wage countries. Goolsbee, however, says globalization is responsible for “a small fraction” of today’s income disparities. Goolsbee’s rough estimate is that technology – meaning all that the phrase “information economy” denotes – accounts for more than 80 percent of the increase in earnings disparities, whereas trade accounts for much less than 20 percent. This is something congressional Democrats need to hear from a Democratic economist as they resist trade agreements with South Korea and such minor economic powers as Peru, Panama and Colombia. 
Dave Stevens joins the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast to round up the latest sporting odds.The Coral spokesman previews Southampton v Liverpool in Wednesday night’s Capital One Cup quarter-final, and says the match-up is almost too close to call.He also looks at the likely first goalscorer, revealing Christian Benteke is 11/2 to make the breakthrough for the Reds, while Graziano Pelle is 5/1 for the hosts.Coral is the official betting partner of the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast
Pádraig MacLochlainn is a Sinn Féin politician who serves the Donegal North-East constituency. A busy man, Pádraig has acted as the Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Justice and Equality, Defence, and Foreign Affairs and Trade, and also served as Mayor of Buncrana not once, but twice, during the periods 2005/2006 and 2010/2011.MacLochlainn has spoken out about a wide range of issues facing the people of Donegal today, and is a familiar face on national platforms such as ‘Tonight with Vincent Brown’. Prior to serving as a public representative, he was a community activist and campaigner, locally and nationally. This is Pádraig’s Donegal…(1) What is your favourite place in Donegal and why?Grianán of Aileach. It’s such a special and spiritual place and central to the history of our people in Donegal and West Ulster. (2) If you could change one thing about Donegal what would it be?The weather. A little less rain and more sun shine thank you.(3) Who is the one person in Donegal that you look up to and why?I admire many people in the county but if I was forced to name just one, it would be my good friend, Carrigart man, Pat Doherty, the MP for West Tyrone and former Sinn Féin Vice President. Pat has been a remarkable leader of Irish Republicanism for decades. He played a central role in the peace process over the years and he is renowned for his wise counsel and calm and understated demeanour.(4) Daniel O’Donnell or Packie Bonner?Both men have done Donegal proud but I will plump for Daniel.(5) What has been Donegal’s proudest moment in recent years?Our Donegal All Ireland and Ulster winning football teams. They have made huge personal sacrifices and lifted our people’s spirits through difficult economic times.(6) What was Donegal’s saddest moment?The saddest moment in recent times was the tragedy and deaths at Buncrana Pier. Truly heartbreaking.(7) What is your favourite Donegal-made product?Donegal Creameries milk(8) Who is Donegal’s greatest ambassador around the world and why? Daniel O’ Donnell is a great ambassador for the people of Donegal and another man, also proud of his Donegal mother and who never fails to promote the county, Martin McGuinness, Joint First Minister in the Six Counties.(9) Who is Donegal’s most successful businessperson in your opinion?My favourite person in business in Donegal has to be Pat Doherty and his family who have developed the fantastic tourism centre over the years that is the Doagh Famine Village in Inishowen without any grant assistance. Just inspiration and really hard work.(10) Who is your favourite Donegal sportsperson of all time?Tony Boyle, member of the All Ireland winning team of 1992. He was a mighty footballer and so exciting to watch in full flow.(11) What is your favourite Donegal restaurant?Harry’s in Bridgend. Top food, showing off our local Donegal produce. The Ubiquitous in Buncrana is a favourite of mine too.(12) Donegal’s golden eagles or basking sharks?Golden eagles but hats off to the team promoting the basking sharks off Malin Head too.(13) What is your favourite Donegal saying or expression?“Hup Donegal”, thanks to our footballing heroes. (14) What is the biggest challenge facing the people of Donegal today?Brexit has been a serious setback after years of efforts to breakdown the impact of the border and partition on our people in this county and region. We cannot go backwards following this referendum result. We need to stand together and fight together to protect the interests of Donegal, the 6 Counties and the island of Ireland.(15) What is your favourite Donegal food?Most things on Harry’s or the Ubiq menu(16) Is there anything that really annoys you about Donegal or its people?I like to focus on the positives and that’s easy when it comes to the great people of my county.(17) Do you have a favourite local band?Altan are wonderful ambassadors for our native music and language. (18) What inspired you to pursue a career in politics?My late father, Reamonn was a political prisoner and he died when I was just 12 years old. He inspires me always.(19) If you have a million euro to improve something in Donegal what would it be?Donegal will need tens of millions of euro in investment and more to reverse the years of neglect. We need to continue to demand equality of access in terms of investment in our public services; health, education and Donegal County Council’s services, our roads network and God forbid, a rail link some day.(20) Is there anything about Donegal that you are very proud of? The people. For all its unrivalled natural beauty, this county would be nothing without its people.If you’d like to have a chat with Pádraig you can visit his website, or his Twitter page.My Donegal… with Sinn Féin Senator Pádraig MacLochlainn was last modified: August 3rd, 2016 by Elaine McCalligShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Tags:MY DONEGALPADRAIG MACLOCHLAINNSinn Fein
TODAY: Native plant sale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd., Encino. Free admission. Call (818) 881-3706. Rose show and sale, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Caada Flintridge. Call (818) 949-7984 or see www.descansogardens.org. Brownie Troop 383-sponsored garage sale to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims, 8-11 a.m. at 19525 Shirley Court, Tarzana. American Legion Post 308’s 78th anniversary party, 4:30-9 p.m., 7338 Canby Ave., Reseda. Call (818) 344-3800. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREWalnut’s Malik Khouzam voted Southern California Boys Athlete of the Week Oktoberfest, noon-9 p.m., Winnetka Park, 8401 Winnetka Ave., Winnetka. Call (818) 348-6908. Mail Datebook entries – including time, date, location and a phone number – to Daily News City Desk, P.O. Box 4200, Woodland Hills, CA 91365; fax (818) 713-0058; e-mail dnmetro@dailynews.com.
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREBlues bury Kings early with four first-period goals 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! MIAMI (AP) – An agitated passenger who claimed to have a bomb in his backpack was shot and killed by a federal air marshal Wednesday after he bolted frantically from a jetliner that was boarding for takeoff, officials said. No bomb was found. It was the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks that an air marshal had shot at anyone, Homeland Security Department spokesman Brian Doyle said. Another federal official said there was no apparent link to terrorism. According to a witness, the passenger ran down the aisle of the Boeing 757, flailing his arms, while his wife tried to explain that he was mentally ill and had not taken his medication. The passenger, identified as Rigoberto Alpizar, “uttered threatening words that included a sentence to the effect that he had a bomb,” said James E. Bauer, agent in charge of the Federal Air Marshals field office in Miami. He was confronted by air marshals but ran off the aircraft. Doyle said the marshals went after him and ordered him to get down on the ground, but he did not comply and was shot when he apparently reached into the bag. Alpizar, a 44-year-old U.S. citizen, was gunned down on a jetway outside the American Airlines plane, which was parked at a gate at Miami International Airport. Alpizar had arrived earlier in the day from Quito, Ecuador, and Flight 924 was going to Orlando, near his home in Maitland. Relatives said Alpizar and his wife had been on a working vacation in Peru. A neighbor who said he had been asked to watch the couple’s home described the vacation as a missionary trip. “We’re all still in shock. We’re just speechless,” a sister-in-law, Kelley Buechner, said by telephone from her home in Milwaukee. The shooting occurred shortly after 2 p.m. as Flight 924 was about to take off for Orlando with the man and 119 other passengers and crew, American spokesman Tim Wagner said. After the shooting, investigators spread passengers’ bags on the tarmac and let dogs sniff them for explosives, and bomb squad members blew up at least two bags. No bomb was found, Bauer said. He said there was no reason to believe there was any connection to terrorists. The concourse where the shooting took place was shut down for a half-hour, but the rest of the airport continued operating, officials said. Federal officials declined to say how many times Alpizar was shot, or reveal how many air marshals were on the plane. Mary Gardner, a passenger aboard the Orlando-bound flight, told WTVJ-TV in Miami that the man ran down the aisle from the rear of the plane. “He was frantic, his arms flailing in the air,” she said. She said a woman followed, shouting, “My husband! My husband!” Mike Irizarry, a passenger shown on CNN, added that Alpizar “just kept saying, `I got to get off, I got to get off’ and then he ran off the plane.” Gardner said she heard the woman say her husband was bipolar – a mental illness also known as manic-depression – and had not had his medication. Bauer said he could not say whether Alpizar was ill. Gardner said four to five shots were fired. She could not see the shooting. Afterward, police boarded the plane and told the passengers to put their hands on their heads, Gardner said. “It was quite scary,” she told the TV station via a cell phone. “They wouldn’t let you move. They wouldn’t let you get anything out of your bag.” Lucy Argote, 15, said police kept passengers on the plane for about an hour, then eventually told them to leave with their hands behind their backs – and without taking any of their possessions. Argote, from Codazi, Colombia, did not have her passport when she and other passengers arrived in Orlando late Wednesday, about seven hours behind schedule. Argote said Alpizar got up from his seat and ran toward the plane’s door, with his wife yelling in Spanish. “Officers told him to stop and he said no. … He was running like a crazy man,” she said. Passenger Mike Deshears, who works for the Marriott vacation club in Orlando area, said that as the couple ran, “a gentleman in a Hawaiian shirt immediately followed. … It was a matter of seconds before there was six pops.” The wife returned to get her bag and was profusely apologetic, he said. “She said it was her fault that he was bipolar. He was sick and she had convinced him to get on the plane.” Alpizar’s brother-in-law, Steven Buechner, said he was a native of Costa Rica, and met Buechner’s sister, Anne, when she was an exchange student there. Relatives said the couple had been married about two decades. Neighbors described Alpizar as a pleasant man who worked in the paint department of a home-supply store and spent his spare time tending to the lawn of his ranch-style house. Many found it incomprehensible that he could have made a bomb threat. “He was a nice guy, always smiling, always talkative,” Louis Gunther said. “Everybody is talking about a guy I know nothing about.” Alex McLeod, 16, who lives three houses from the Alpizars, said: “This whole neighborhood is shocked. … Totally uncharacteristic of the guy.” No one answered the door Wednesday evening at the Alpizars’ modest, four-bedroom house on a tree-lined street in suburban Orlando. A car was in the driveway, and television crews milled about. There were only 33 air marshals at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks. The Bush administration hired thousands more afterward, but the exact number is classified. Marshals fly undercover, and which planes they’re on is a closely guarded secret. Until Wednesday, no marshal had fired a weapon, though they had been involved in scores of incidents. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., who as chairman of the House aviation subcommittee was involved in the expansion of the air marshal service, called Wednesday’s shooting “an unfortunate incident.” “Everyone’s on edge because we view the biggest threat as explosives, or bombs,” he said. Associated Press Writers Mark Sherman and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington contributed to this report.
OAKLAND — The Athletics made their first adjustment to the starting rotation Monday night, and using 2018 as a guide, there will be more on the way.First, the good news. Left-hander Brett Anderson, who left after 2 2/3 innings in Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, was walking without a limp and looks on track to make his turn on April 27 when the Athletics are in Toronto.When Chris Bassitt in the first game of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers, it was the first …
13 June 2002Blue IQ is a multi-billion rand initiative of the Gauteng provincial government to invest in economic infrastructure development in identified mega-projects in the areas of tourism, technology, transport and high value-added manufacturing.The majority of projects are located in Johannesburg, the capital of the province and home of the provincial government.“It is estimated that about R100-billion worth of investment could be generated within the next 10 years, with over 100 000 jobs created,’ says Predeep Maharaj, CEO of Blue IQ. He adds that these goals will be achieved “over a 15-25 year horizon’.The province allocated a further R700-million to Blue IQ in the 2002/03 budget announced in June 2002. Blue IQ says that “in excess of R2-billion has already been allocated by the Gauteng provincial government towards this initiative, based on a well-researched trade and industrial strategy’.Says Maharaj: “The province has limited resources and we need to be very focused.’ Investment, he says, is expected to rise to R7-billion with the inclusion of the Gautrain Rapid Rail link between Pretoria and Johannesburg.Blue IQ works in partnership with national, provincial and local government departments, institutions and private organisations on each of the mega-projects. In working closely with the Gauteng Economic Development Agency (GEDA), the province’s official economic, investment and trade promotion agency, potential investors have access to both macro- and micro-level information on Gauteng and Blue IQ.STRATEGYThe strategy takes a three-pronged approach to developing Gauteng into the smart province of South Africa:Create a high value-added manufacturing sectorShift Gauteng’s manufacturing sector away from traditional heavy industry and low value-added production to focus more on sophisticated, high value-added production and the development of similar production activities in other sectors of the economy.Make Gauteng the smart province of SACreate an environment in which smart industries can thrive – information technology, telecommunications equipment, research and development, biomedical industries.Develop Gauteng’s service sectorDevelop Gauteng’s finance and business service sector by focusing on financial services and technology, auxiliary business services, corporate head office location and business tourism Blue IQ has a highly skilled, professional, strategic taskforce mandated to:Develop world-class infrastructure that provides comparative and competitive advantages to Gauteng’s investorsImplement marketing and investment strategies to attract foreign and local investors in targeted sectorsReduce bureaucratic delays for investors and suppliersEncourage skills training and resource building.SECTORSSpearheaded by Blue IQ, mega-projects have been identified that have the potential to make a significant impact on the economy. The taskforce is accountable to government for delivering specific results on these projects by 2004.TechnologyTelecommunications is recording a growth rate of 45% a year in South Africa, the African role model for technological sophistication and advancement. Considering the size of the market, the number of operators is low, ownership is concentrated and there is much opportunity to both diversify ownership and encourage new entrants. The creation of The Innovation Hub will attract “smart” industries to GautengTransportSouth Africa’s seven commercial ports, moving 500 million tons of cargo annually, are the strategic transhipment hub for traffic between Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa. Well-developed road and rail links provide the platform for efficient transportation deep into sub-Saharan Africa. Gauteng is perfectly positioned for access to the 14 countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Major projects include: Gautrain Rapid Rail LinkThe upgrade of Johannesburg International Airport (JIA) FreezoneThe upgrade of the City Deep Transport Logistics Hub High value-added manufacturingThrough continuous upgrading and innovation, Gauteng’s manufacturing base is moving towards sophisticated products such as electrical and non-electrical machinery and appliances, as well as transport equipment. By aggressively pursuing market penetration in high value-added exports in emerging markets, this sector’s gross annual output is projected to grow beyond R50 billion. Major projects include:The expansion of the Gauteng Automotive ClusterThe regeneration of the Wadeville-Alrode Industrial Corridor.TourismThe tourism industry in South Africa is a vast and largely untapped market. The substantial increase in international travellers in the past five years underscores the potential for further growth. Gauteng is the preferred point of entry for most business and leisure travellers, and Johannesburg has been rated the least expensive global destination by an international travel publication.Gauteng has enormous potential to further develop its cultural, heritage and eco-tourism offerings, capitalising on its natural resources to offer tourists a unique experience. To develop this maket, Blue IQ is concentrating on:The marketing of the Cradle of HumankindThe marketing of the Dinokeng Big Five Reserve/NEGIThe upgrade of the Newtown Cultural PrecinctThe creation of Constitution HillThe development of Kliptown.INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIESAll 11 Blue IQ projects offer numerous opportunities for private investment. Gauteng Finance and Economic Affairs MEC Jabu Moleketi, in the foreword to the Blue IQ annual report for 2001, said: “Interested investors have already been invited to participate in individual projects through an open tendering process. An excellent example is the Gautrain investor conference in held in September 2001, which sparked considerable interest in the target market.“Similarly, government demonstrated its commitment to public-private partnerships and its determination to attract private sector investors through an inaugural Blue IQ Means Business Week in October 2001, which aimed at exploring common areas of interest with the private sector.’Moleketi said that Blue IQ is intensifying its campaign to raise awareness of the opportunities available to private sector interests through its projects. Provincial delegations led by the Premier and other senior government officials have canvassed foreign businesses in Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the USA.“In seeking to attract private sector business partners for its projects, Blue IQ is especially aware of the need to recruit empowerment business entities for participation. Blue IQ recognises that the success of the programme as a whole and of the individual projects will to a large extent be determined by the level of commitment to small and medium enterprises managed and controlled by formerly disadvantaged South Africans.’For full details of all investment opportunities, contact the project manager for each project.
Rude’s winning time of 4:06.640 was a mere eight seconds slower than Greg Minnaar’s winning time in the elite men’s downhill of the 2012 UCI World Cup, which demonstrated not only how good his run was, but also how much faster the slightly modified course is in the hard, dry conditions. “[I decided] if she goes left, I go right, or I take the other line. I had a little gap,” she said of her breathtaking move to the front as she skipped across the challenging terrain. “I just tried to ride with my rhythm throughout the rest of the race. It went well.” Men’s junior downhillThe USA’s Richard Rude junior blitzed the men’s junior downhill to win by a massive 5.727 seconds over second place finisher Loris Vergier of France. Great Britain’s Michael Jones claimed third place, 7.403 seconds off Rude’s incredible pace. Reid, meanwhile, struggled with slipping gears and lost his saddle near the end of the race. Women’s under-23 cross countrySwitzerland’s Jolanda Neff, the defending women’s under-23 cross country champion, was on fire and destroyed her opposition in the five-lap race. Deep into the race, it appeared as if Italy could grab a stunning 1-2-3 on the podium, but Luca Braidot, who pushed Kerschbaumer all the way suffered a late fall and failed to finish, while his brother Daniele found the going tough over the final two laps and had to settle for ninth place. The leading South African, Mariska Strauss came home to a chorus of vuvuzelas and cheering in a very encouraging eighth place. Candice Neethling, the second South African finisher on the day, also enjoyed a strong outing, taking out 14th position. Brendon Davids, who finished 19th overall, was the leading South African. Rain late in the event made conditions tricky for the competitors, but Kerschbaumer rode within himself to claim the rainbow-striped world champion’s jersey. She crossed the finishing line in 1:25:44, a whopping two minutes and 26 seconds up on runner-up Pauline Ferrand Prevot of France, with Ukraine’s Yana Belomoyna coming home in third. At the Tree House Rock Garden, Prevot put the pressure on Neff, who admitted she hadn’t planned on making a move at that stage of the race. “I was surprised that Pauline passed me before this section,” she revealed. The Italian was a convincing winner in 1:28.55. Julian Schelb of Germany was a very happy runner-up in 1:29:53, with The Netherlands’ Michiel van der Heijden finishing in third, a further 20 seconds off the pace, and just ahead of last year’s junior world champion, Anton Cooper of New Zealand. Sadly for the home nation, the cooler weather brought with it some bad luck for South Africa’s talented under-23 national champion Rourke Croeser and James Reid, the fourth placer at the UCI MTB World Cup in Pietermaritzburg in 2012. Snapped chainCroeser had put in extensive time on the Cascades MTB Park cross country course in preparation for the World Championships and was considered a dark horse for a top result. His challenge was, however, effectively over within mere metres of the start when his chain snapped. That left him with a two-kilometre run to a technical area where he could fix his bike, a setback far too great to overcome. ‘I’m very happy’“I’m very happy,” he told the media afterwards. “When it started to rain, I was on the rocks, so it was quite difficult, but the rider behind me was far away from me, so I tried to control the advantage.” “I didn’t expect it and I was so angry and I wanted to pass her again,” she laughed. Too much firepowerPrevot threatened Neff for the lead on the second lap of the race, but admitted at the post-race media conference that the Swiss star simply had too much firepower for her on the day. She said she was aiming to attack Neff on a climb, but before that the defending champion made her move. 30 August 2013 After three days of extreme heat, cool weather moved over the UCI MTB & Trials World Championships in Pietermaritzburg on Friday afternoon. The conditions clearly suited Italy’s Gerhard Kerschbaumer, who clinched his second gold of the Championships after a victory in the team relay on Wednesday. Gregg Brown, the fastest South African qualifier in 16th place, had his run at glory torpedoed when his chain came loose, leaving him to finish in a very unfortunate 45th place. JP du Plessis was the leading rider from the home nation, picking up 19th place in 4:26.122. Women’s junior downhillA very small field contested the women’s junior downhill, with Britain’s Tahnee Seagrave romping to victory by seven-and-a-half seconds over Australia’s Danielle Beecroft in 4:52.001. The third place on the podium went to Tegan Molloy, also of Australia.