Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/392875
48 THE Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said it was not impressed by her behaviour at the medal cer- emony but decided to let her off with a warning after she issued an unconditional apology and the In- dian delegation assured the OCA it had not planned the incident. "We decided to give this athlete a strong warning," OCA honorary life vice-president Wei Jizhong told a news conference on Saturday. "We considered this had nothing to do with the Indian delegation. This is just a personal misbehav- iour of the athlete." Sarita was furious after losing her lightweight semi-final bout with South Korea's Park Ji-na on Tuesday, believing she should have been declared the winner. Her husband launched an exple- tive-laden tirade at the judges and Sarita lodged a protest against the decision but it was rejected, trig- gering cries of foul play from the Indian team. The following day, she refused to wear the bronze medal when it was presented to her, taking it only in her hand before trying to drape it over Park. When the presentation was over, Sarina left the medal behind, de- spite being told by the organisers to take it with her. "As an athlete, she had to respect the referee's decision," OCA Presi- dent Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al- Sabah said. "She feels sadness because she felt she deserved better, but she al- so killed the moment for the other athletes. I am happy she apologised and this will not happy again." Sarita was just one of a number of beaten boxers who questioned the judging at the Asian Games and Ahmad said the OCA would carry out an investigation after receiving a number of formal complaints. "We received letters from five different NOCs (National Olympic Committees) commenting about the boxing," he said. maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 OCTOBER 2014 Sport TRIATHLON BOXING CYCLING YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt Hannah Pace wins Triathlon Olimpico Citta di Palermo NEWLY crowned National Cross Triathlon Champion Hannah Pace continued to show her fine form in the recently held Triath- lon Olimpico Citta' di Palermo, where she was the first female to cross the finish line as well as obtaining an overall twelfth posi- tion in a field of over one hundred fort y athletes. Covering a distance of 1.5km in what was a very challenging swim where triathletes had to battle high swells, a cycling segment of 40 kilometres, consisting of a hilly start followed but a fast f lat route, and a scenic run of 10 kilo- metres which saw athletes run along the coast, Pace led the female category from the very start, exiting the water in a time of 21 minutes 42 seconds. A fast transition proceeding to the cycling segment, Pace was able to catch up with the male chase pack and keep a consistent pace on the six loops of a rela- tively f lat course, finishing the segment in 1 hour, 1 minute and 16 seconds. Pace covered the 10km run seg- ment in 39 minutes 50 seconds which saw her cross the finish line as the first female in a finish- ing time of 2 hours, two minutes and 48 seconds. Pace's racing future was put into considerable doubt at the start of the year when she suffered a serious injury which saw her out of action for eight weeks. Pace's determination and commitment however saw her return into fine form resulting in her winning the National Cycling Championships, the first ever National Cross Tria- thlon Championships as well as obtaining second place in the National Open Water Swimming league. "2014 started off as a very chal- lenging year. Having to contend with a serious injury, my partici- pation in races, let alone positive results, were very much in doubt' said Hannah Pace. "Working closely with my coaches, Dermot Galea, Neil Agius and Nicky Lan- zon has enabled me to get back on track and obtain such results" The season is not yet over for Pace, where she plans on racing the last race of the Birkirkara St. Joseph Sprint Triathlon Series, the National Triathlon Champi- onships and the Triathlon Sprint di San Vito lo Capo, where she will be representing Team Garmin. Pace's participation in such rac- es is possible through the support of Garmin, Maxinutrition Malta, Cfragrances Perfumes and Two and a half Lemon Restaurant. Good performances in the Tria- thlon Olimpico Citta' di Palermo were also registered by other Maltese triathletes, most notably Graham Borg - first in his Age Group, David Galea, third in his Age Group. Strong performances were registered by Jude Zammit, Bruce Zarb, Gejtu Catania and Mario Muscat. Hannah Pace Boxer given 'strong warning' after refusing medal Tour de France - Thailand left red-faced over Tour stage claim Indian boxer L Sarita Devi has escaped with a warning after apologising for her petulant display at the Asian Games when she refused to accept her bronze medal Sarita Devi in tears THAILAND is not in talks with Tour de France organisers about bringing the world 's most prestig- ious cycling race to Asia, despite earlier reports that the race could take place there in 2016. The Tourism Authority of Thai- land claimed to have held fruitful talks with Jean-Etienne Amaury, chairman of the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) who organise the Tour de France, last month in Paris and were encouraged. But ASO have now dismissed the story as a misunderstanding, saying that while they did hold a meeting, the only thing up for dis- cussion was a new one-day race - with the subsequent Thai claims about the Tour being a complete surprise. "There are talks indeed but not to bring the Tour to Thailand," a spokesman said. "There are discussions to set- tle in Thailand via a criterium, just like we did in Japan with the 'Saitama Criterium by Le Tour de France'." A criterium is a one-day race held on a circuit or though a city which often attracts the Tour de France winner but has little sport- ing value. "We are still talking with Tour de France organisers but we are look- ing at next fiscal year. So 2016, not 2015," TAT governor Thawatchai Arunyik had told Reuters. "We're not sure yet how many stages we will hold whether it is one or two stages or the whole competition. This is something that still needs to be discussed. "Thailand is the perfect location for this highly prestigious compe- tition, not to mention that cycling as a sport is enjoying enormous popularity here at the moment." The Tour, first held in 1903, is one of the most gruelling sporting tests, with professional cyclists completing last year's 3,663.5 kilometre race (2,276 miles) in 23 days. The race, a mix of energy-sap- ping mountain stages and time trial sprints, takes place through France but last year's 101st edi- tion began in England and also went through Belgium with more countries keen to host stages. Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Spain and Luxem- bourg have also hosted the start of the race in recent years before the riders make their way through France and finish at the tradition- al end point, the Champs Elysees in Paris. The finish of the 2014 Tour