Category: Other Sports

Influential advisor Helmut Marko is leaving the Formula One giants, Red Bull, according to several media outlets on Tuesday.

The 82-year-old Austrian has been front and centre of Red Bull’s remarkable run in F1 since their arrival on the grid back in 2005, helping to oversee six constructors’ championships and eight drivers’ titles.

The 1971 winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours for Porsche is a close ally of Max Verstappen, who missed out on a fifth successive title by only two points to McLaren’s Lando Norris in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Marko was responsible for Red Bull’s young driver programme, and was behind Sebastian Vettel’s four titles, along with Verstappen’s emergence as one of the all-time greats.

The decision to split ways with Marko was said to have been made after talks with Red Bull executives in Abu Dhabi on Monday, including Oliver Mintzlaff, one of the Austrian firm’s managing directors in charge of sports, according to motorsport.com.

His departure comes months after Red Bull sacked team principal Christian Horner, who, like Marko, was at the team for its launch two decades ago.

Red Bull declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

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When quizzed on Sunday over his future, Marko responded: “It’s not in question, but I will have a discussion and then see what I do. It’s a complex set of different things.”

Horner’s replacement, Laurent Mekies, hinted changes were afoot.

“Helmut has been incredible in the support he has given us to help turn things around this year,” the Frenchman said.

“Obviously, the management and he had to make several tough decisions throughout the year, and of course, we still have more to make.

“But Formula One is not a static environment: we are always adjusting the organisation, whether in the technical or sporting domain.

“It is perfectly normal for us to constantly review how we can improve our way of working.

“I’m not saying this specifically about Helmut, but in general, we are in an environment where we continuously question ourselves and look for the next steps, no matter how small, to work together.”

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KARACHI: Pakistan’s Olympic hero Arshad Nadeem reaffirmed his supremacy in javelin on Monday, clinching the gold medal at the 35th National Games with a commanding 81.1m throw.

Representing WAPDA, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion surged to the top of the leaderboard with his very first big effort, and no competitor came close to threatening his mark for the remainder of the competition. His throw stood unchallenged as the winning distance.

The silver medal also went to WAPDA through Yasir Sultan, whose best attempt of 70.77m placed him comfortably ahead of the rest but well short of Arshad’s benchmark. Pakistan Army’s Abrar secured bronze with a throw of 67.68m.

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Arshad, who became Pakistan’s first-ever individual Olympic gold medallist last year, is also serving as the flag-bearer for the National Games.

“Honoured to be the Flag Bearer at the National Games 2025 in Karachi,” he wrote on social media, lauding the electric atmosphere. “Amazing crowd and unforgettable energy.”

The star athlete performed a ceremonial throw at the glittering opening ceremony attended by Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Sports Minister Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mahar, and several prominent political figures, including PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

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Lando Norris claimed his maiden Formula One world drivers’ title in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, ending Max Verstappen’s four-year reign.

The Briton finished third in the season-closer behind race winner Verstappen and the other title challenger, McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, to claim the crown by two points.

Norris, in tears on the team radio, said: “Thanks so much. I love you mum, I love you dad.”

“That was exciting, a little too exciting, awesome,” said McLaren team principal Zak Brown.

Norris becomes Britain’s first world champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2020 with this 13th drivers’ crown for McLaren.

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The 26-year-old’s success comes over half a century after Emerson Fittipaldi claimed the British marque’s first drivers’ title in 1974.

A galaxy of F1 greats followed – James Hunt (1976), Niki Lauda (1984), Alain Prost (1985, 1986, 1989), Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990, 1991), Mikka Hakkinen (1998, 1999) and Hamilton in 2008.

McLaren, headed by team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Brown, secured back-to-back constructors’ titles in Singapore last month.

Sunday’s season-closer was the first time the title was decided by a contest involving more than two drivers since a four-way scrap at the final race in Abu Dhabi in 2010.

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The 17-time WWE world champion, John Cena, will bid farewell to in-ring competition on December 13, at Saturday Night’s Main Event, where he will take on Gunther.

Gunther booked his place in Cena’s retirement bout by defeating LA Knight in the final of “The Last Time is Now” tournament on the December 5 episode of SmackDown.

The month-long, 16-man competition was designed to determine Cena’s last opponent, and the “Ring General” entered as the overwhelming favourite.

With his reputation as one of WWE’s most technically gifted performers, his emergence as the winner felt almost inevitable.

The Austrian powerhouse also carries the aura of a legend-ender. Earlier this year, he handed Goldberg a memorable final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in July.

Adding Cena to that list would further cement his status as one of the defining figures of the modern era.

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For Cena, this marks the final chapter of a storied two-decade career, one filled with championships, era-defining rivalries, and unmatched longevity at the top.

Whether he chooses to go out with a classic victory or puts Gunther over on his way out, the match is set to be an emotional farewell.

In the tournament final, Gunther and LA Knight delivered a contest worthy of its high stakes, fighting with the urgency of a championship bout.

With Cena’s retirement on the line, neither man held back. Gunther eventually clamped Knight in a Rear-Naked Choke, only for Knight to claw his way out.

The “Ring General” quickly responded with a brutal Modified STF, forcing Knight to submit and sending a clear warning to Cena ahead of December 13.

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KARACHI: Pakistan Army edged Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) 27-21 in the inaugural Netball fixture of the 35th National Games here at the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Coaching Centre on Thursday.

Secretary General of the Pakistan Olympic Association, Khalid Mahmood Chaudhary, was the chief guest and inaugurated the 4-day Netball event.

Chairman of the Pakistan Netball Federation, Capt. Zafar Iqbal Awan (Rtd), Secretary General, Muhammad Riaz, Secretary, Sindh Sports Department, and Muhammad Saeed Arian also attended the event.

Chairman of the Pakistan Karate Federation, Muhammad Jehangir, Senior Vice President of the Sindh Tennis Federation, Khalid Rehmani, and a large number of people were also present on the occasion.

 

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In the men’s category, Pakistan Army defeated Pakistan Wapda by 27-21 goals, whereas Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) defeated Sindh by 23-19 goals.

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Pakistan Navy also secured a victory against Balochistan by 32-8 goals, while Pakistan Police beat Punjab by 28-12 goals.

In the Women’s event, Pakistan Wapda outplayed Pakistan Army by 15-10 goals.

Both men’s and women’s semi-final competitions will be played on December 6, while position matches, 3rd-position matches, and finals will be played on December 7.

For the unversed, the 35th National Games Karachi are currently underway in the metropolitan city, featuring a range of multi-sport events from 6 to 13 December 2025.

The event will bring together athletes from across the country in a sweeping programme that spans endurance sports, combat disciplines, precision events, and crowd-favourite team competitions.

The event features Olympic mainstays such as athletics, swimming, gymnastics, and fencing. Moreover, Kabbadi, tug of war, netball, and boxing games are also part of the competitions.

It is pertinent to mention that the National Games, first held in 1948, stand among Pakistan’s most prominent multi-sport events and frequently serve as a pathway to international selection.

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SKARDU: Pakistan mountaineering sector marked a milestone in Skardu with the official inauguration of the Karakoram Mountain Guides Association (KGMA), the country’s first national body created by mountaineers.

The event was hosted at a private hotel that brought together numerous mountain professionals from across the country, particularly from Gilgit-Baltistan.

During the event, participants discussed the structure of the new association and its working manual, highlighted the challenges faced by mountain guides in Pakistan, and emphasized the need for training, welfare systems, safety protocols, and stronger representation at national and international levels.

The event also included female members, a positive step toward creating equal opportunities within the profession.

A 17-member governing body was formed through regional representation. Later, the governing body, with full representation of all mountain guides of Pakistan, further elected the official office bearers.

The organisation elected its office bearers with renowned climber Sirbaz Khan chosen as President. The three Vice Presidents are Saad Munawar, Zahid Hussain Rajput, and Sajid Ali Sadpara, while Shah Daulat has been appointed Treasurer. Mirza Ali will serve as the General Secretary.

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Each elected member brings extensive field experience and a deep commitment to improving the future of Pakistan mountaineers.

The KMGA aims to improve safety standards, create career pathways, provide training, and promote professionalism across the industry.

Moreover, the KMGA will train and develop professional mountain guides in Pakistan, working in collaboration with international mountain guide associations.

The organization’s aim also includes improving rescue response systems and high-altitude safety procedures.

The KGMA will also work closely with the Government of Pakistan and tourism departments to address guide welfare, safety concerns, rescue systems, and all issues directly related to mountain professionals.

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Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time winner of the French Open, has died at the age of 92, Italy’s tennis federation announced on Monday.

“Italian tennis is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted into the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died,” said the FITP.

Born in Tunis in 1933 to an Italian father and Russian mother, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country’s greatest ever tennis player until the emergence of current world number two Jannik Sinner.

He was also one of the best clay-court players of his generation, with three titles in Monte Carlo and his home Italian Open tournament in Rome, where a court is named in his honour.

In total, Pietrangeli won 44 singles titles over his career, including his two triumphs at Roland Garros in 1959 and 1960, and reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in the same year as his second French Open title.

An all-round sportsman, Nicola Pietrangeli played for the football team Lazio until he was 18 years old, but he switched to tennis after the Rome-based club tried to send him away on loan.

Pietrangeli’s first victory at Roland Garros was the first time any Italian player had won a Grand Slam and came after he defeated South African Ian Vermaak in the final.

He also won that year’s doubles tournament, which back then was hugely popular, alongside his compatriot Orlando Sirola, with whom he formed a formidable pairing.

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Gifted with an excellent backhand, precise ball control, and impressive stamina, he won his second French Open title in 1960 against Chilean Luis Ayala before being beaten twice in the 1961 and 1964 finals by Spaniard Manuel Santana.

During the majority of his career, tennis was divided between amateurs, who played in the traditional top tournaments and the Davis Cup, and professionals who joined a parallel circuit once they established a reputation as a top player.

Unlike his contemporaries Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall, Pietrangeli didn’t turn professional until the beginning of the Open era in 1968, by which time he was in his mid-30s.

After his retirement, Pietrangeli, a fan of the high life, became a media personality, presenting popular sports programme La Domenica Sportiva and appearing in three films.

“If I’d trained harder, I would have won more, but I would have had less fun,” he once said.

Pietrangeli was also a Davis Cup stalwart, playing a record 164 matches for Italy, although he never managed to win it as a player, losing the final in 1960 and 1961.

He racked up those appearances between 1954 and 1972, but he didn’t taste success in the international tournament until 1976, when he captained his country to its first title.

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Max Verstappen’s quest for a fifth drivers’ world title suffered a setback on Friday when he was out-qualified by a Red Bull team-mate for the first time in 440 days.

The Dutchman will start sixth in Saturday’s sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda on the third row.

The last time Verstappen, who is level with Oscar Piastri and 24 points adrift of Lando Norris in the championship, was outpaced in any qualifying session was at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when he was beaten by Sergio Perez.

Tsunoda, widely expected to be dropped by Red Bull at the end of this year, was 0.009 seconds faster than Verstappen, who spent most of the sprint qualifying session complaining about the balance and performance of his car.

“Not good,” was his verdict on the session. “From the first lap, it was really bad bouncing and with aggressive understeer, which would shift into oversteer at high speeds. Just not what you want!”

“We were locked in (to the set-up), and of course, we tried to change a few things on the wheel, but it never really worked and made it tricky.”

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He said he had changed his set-up after the earlier sole practice session at the high-grip but dusty high-speed Lusail International Circuit, but added that he and the team needed to understand the problems.

“It wasn’t working well in qualifying, so that’s something we need to understand,” he added.

“With this balance, in the sprint at least, it will not be a lot of fun. It will be more about trying to survive, I guess, and then make some changes going into qualifying (for Sunday’s race).”

Max Verstappen made clear before the weekend’s action began that he had only an outside chance to take the title and was relying on perfect results and more self-inflicted problems for his rivals after McLaren’s double disqualification last weekend in Las Vegas.

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Fuzzy Zoeller, a two-time major golf champion who was known for his humour but sparked a firestorm with a racially insensitive joke about Tiger Woods, has died at the age of 74, the PGA Tour said Thursday.

“The PGA Tour is saddened by the passing of Fuzzy Zoeller,” commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “Fuzzy was a true original whose talent and charisma left an indelible mark on the game of golf.”

No cause of death was disclosed.

Zoeller remains the last man to win the Masters in his first attempt, triumphing at Augusta National in a three-way playoff in 1979.

He beat Australian Greg Norman in a playoff at Winged Foot to take the 1984 US Open, not before waving a white towel in mock surrender when he erroneously thought Norman had seized the lead with a birdie at the final hole of regulation.

In fact, Norman had made par, and Zoeller calmly forced the 18-hole decider.

Beloved by fans for his gregarious nature and light-hearted approach, Zoeller was plunged into controversy in 1997 as 21-year-old rising star Woods was marching to a stunning victory in the Masters.

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Asked to comment, Fuzzy Zoeller told CNN that “that little boy” was playing well.

“Tell him not to serve fried chicken next year …or collard greens or whatever they serve,” he added in a reference to the champions’ dinner.

Zoeller apologised, but said he received death threats for years. In 2008, he wrote in Golf Digest that it was “the worst thing I’ve gone through in my entire life.

“If people wanted me to feel the same hurt I projected on others, I’m here to tell you they got their way,” he wrote, adding that he “cried many times” over the remarks that he said were a misguided attempt at humour.

“Still, I’ve come to terms with the fact that this incident will never, ever go away.”

Zoeller, born Frank Urban Zoeller Jr. in New Albany, Indiana, on November 11, 1951, turned professional in 1973 after playing college golf at Edison Junior College and the University of Houston.

In addition to his two major victories, he won eight other PGA Tour titles. He won twice on the Champions Tour and played for the United States in three Ryder Cups.

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LAHORE: Pakistan’s star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem has shifted his focus to the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the Diamond League after clinching gold at the Islamic Solidarity Games earlier this month.

Arshad lit the torch for the 35th National Games in the Punjab Stadium on Wednesday.

During the event, he spoke to the media and expressed gratitude for the support he has received and outlined his major international targets for the upcoming season.

“I am thankful to Allah for winning a medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games,” Arshad said, adding that being part of the torch relay ceremony was a moment of pride for him.

He also acknowledged the role of the Sports Board Punjab for providing training facilities and continuous backing throughout his journey.

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Arshad’s latest triumph came on November 19 at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Stadium, where he dominated the men’s javelin final with a best throw of 83.05 metres on his second attempt.

After a modest 74.00m opening throw, the Pakistani ace crossed the 80-metre mark with authority and never looked back. His series also included efforts of 77.06m, a foul on the fifth attempt, and a final throw of 77.98m.

Pakistan enjoyed a one-two finish in the event as Muhammad Yasir Sultan claimed the silver medal with a throw of 74.43m, while Nigeria’s Samuel Kure settled for bronze with a 75.46m effort.

Notably, Arshad was the only athlete in the competition to cross the 80-metre barrier, underlining his dominance on the day.

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