Sports Round-Up: Räikkönen 3rd in China’s F1 debut, Tähti takes second Paralympics gold

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FORMULA ONE
     
      Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen returned to the podium on Sunday as China staged its first-ever Grand Prix in Shanghai. The race, at the new EUR 265 million circuit in front of 165,000 spectators, was won by Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari), with Jensen Button (BAR-Honda) in second spot. Räikkönen was close up in third.
      Apart from the historic nature of a first Formula One race in China, the event was most memorable for the poor showing by World Champion Michael Schumacher, who will probably prefer to forget this weekend. He limped home in 12th place after a series of mishaps.
      Kimi Räikkönen had driven his McLaren into 2nd place on the grid in qualifying, and he got off the line smartly behind Barrichello. Although the McLaren was reliable and competitive, it was not quite competitive enough to give Barrichello any real problems.
     
McLaren tried what they could to close the gap, even running a short central stint in the hope of catching the leader during a pitstop. It did not work, and in fact allowed Button (who was driving on a two-stop strategy) to slip by into second place.
      Despite a late charge by the Finn, the BAR-Honda driver just held on to the chequered flag. Räikkönen was less disappointed than he has sometimes been - the team had clearly gambled with a view to gaining outright victory, and third was really no worse than second in their eyes.
      The Formula One circus now moves on to Japan on October 10th, for the penultimate race of the season. Räikkönen is currently 7th in the drivers’ tables after a season littered with retirements. He could theoretically lift himself into 4th place if all goes well in the two remaining races.
     
PARALYMPICS
     
      Leo-Pekka Tähti  collected his second gold medal at the Athens Paralympics on Sunday, adding the 100 metres title to the 200 metres he had won earlier last week. The time of 14.19 was a new Nordic record.
      Tähti, competing in his first Paralympics, held off the 200 metres bronze medallist Dave Weir of Great Britain and third place and the bronze medal went to Holland’s Kenny van Weeghel, who was just behind Tähti in the 200 metres. Before these games, Tähti’s best performance had been 4th place in the 2003 European Championships. Finnish track and field athletes have now taken six medals at the games, with two of them golden.  
     
TENNIS
     
      Finland’s tennis players went down 3-2 to Israel in their Davis Cup tie over the weekend. The narrow Israeli victory was sealed in the second of Sunday’s singles matches, when Noam Okun beat Tuomas Ketola in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. In the day’s earlier match, the Finnish No.1 Jarkko Nieminen had hauled the vistors back on level terms with victory over Andy Ram in four sets, 6-1, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.
      Things had already gone downhill earlier in the ties, with an off-colour and flu-stricken Nieminen beaten comprehensively by Okun in the opening singles. Ketola managed to win his first match against Harel Levy, but the Finnish doubles pairing of Lassi and Tuomas Ketola went down in straight sets on Friday to the strong partnership of Jonathan Erlich  and Andy Ram. The Israelis breezed to an effortless 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory.
      The defeat leaves Finland in Group 2 of the Europe/Africa Zone. They will learn whom they are to meet first in next year’s tournament on September 30th.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Second gold medal at Paralympics; javelin thrower misses out by 10 cm (22.9.2004)

Links:
  Davis Cup
  FIA

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