SYDNEY – An Australian teen completed her around-the-world trek yesterday, becoming the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world after a seven-month journey.

Thousands cheered as 16-year-old Jessica Watson manoeuvred her pink 34-foot yacht into Sydney Harbour, the finale to an adventure in which she overcame 40-foot waves, homesickness and critics who said she’d never make it home alive.

“She said she’d sail around the world and she has,” a tearful Julie Watson said as she watched her grinning daughter cruise past the finish line from a nearby boat. “She’s home.”

Jessica Watson was set to touch land for the first time in 210 days when she docked at the Opera House, where she was greeted by her parents, whose decision to let their daughter attempt such a feat was highly criticised.

“I don’t think any of us would ever doubt Jessica Watson again,” said New South Wales state Premier Kristina Keneally, who was waiting at the Opera House to welcome the teen.

“I’m completely overwhelmed. I just don’t know what to think and what to say at the moment,” Watson said, her voice trembling, in an interview broadcast live on a screen outside the Opera House.

“It’s all a bit much but absolutely amazing.”

Watson, from Buderim, north of Brisbane in Queensland state, sailed out of Sydney on October 18. She travelled northeast through the South Pacific and across the equator, south to Cape Horn at the tip of South America, across the Atlantic Ocean to South Africa, through the Indian Ocean and around southern Australia.

Australian Jesse Martin holds the current record for the youngest person to sail around the world solo, nonstop and unassisted, after he completed the journey in 1999 at the age of 18.

He boarded Watson’s boat and took over as she cruised toward the Opera House, so she could relax and wave to the fans – many wearing pink clothes and waving pink flags in honour of her pink yacht.

Watson’s feat, however, will not be considered an official world record, because the World Speed Sailing Record Council discontinued its “youngest” category. (AP)

DOHA, Qatar – A solution to the controversy over the gender of South African runner Caster Semenya will be reached by the end of June, says president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, (IAAF) Lamine Diack.

The 19-year-old Semenya has not run competitively since winning the women’s 800 metres title at last year’s World Championships in Berlin.

She underwent sex tests to determine whether she was eligible to compete as a woman.

“We are on the way to finding a solution not later than the end of June,” Diack said on Friday, ahead of the season’s first Diamond League meet.

“This girl is in a difficult situation and it’s difficult for everyone.”The IAAF has repeatedly said it will not make any public comment on Semenya until the medical process was complete, and Semenya has agreed to wait for the results of her gender test to be released before competing.

Return

Semenya, however, has said she plans to return to competition on June 24 at a meet in Zaragoza, Spain, though that remains uncertain until results of her medical tests had been analysed.

In April, shortly after she was prevented from taking part in a meet in Stellenbosch, South Africa, Semenya insisted she would fight to compete but acknowledged she had not taken any decision for a long-term career in the sport.

Semenya destroyed the field to win the 800 at the Worlds last August. Her dramatic improvement in times and in muscular build led the IAAF to order gender tests.

The IAAF has refused to confirm or deny Australian media reports that the tests indicate Semenya has both male and female sex organs.

On a separate matter, Diack said he would step down as head of the IAAF if elected president of Senegal in 2012.

Diack, who has held the IAAF presidency since 1999, confirmed he will stand for re-election of the athletics body next year in Daegu, South Korea – venue for the 2011 World Championships.

“I’m as enthusiastic as I was when I was 36,” the 77-year-old Diack said. “I’m in good health and I will try to demonstrate that we are not in bankruptcy.”

Budget

Diack said he will propose cuts of US$8 million as part of a commitment to reduce the budget to US$47 million by 2011. Cuts will be discussed and agreed at an IAAF executive board meeting in Monaco this month and then proposed to a full council meeting in Kiev in August which would then approve the budget.

Asked about a presidential bid in Senegal, Diack said nearly everyone in his homeland wants him to run.

President Abdoulaye Wade announced last year that he would run for a third term – a move that came after lawmakers in 2006 removed term limits.

There have also been reports that Wade’s son would run, which Diack opposes over concerns that it would be undemocratic.

Diack said that if he were to become president of Senegal, he would step down from the IAAF and an interim president would serve out the remainder of his four-year term. (AP)

WEMBLEY – Didier Drogba scored his 37th goal of the season yesterday to give Chelsea a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth in the English FA Cup final and complete the Premier League champions’ first domestic double.

Chelsea hit the frame of the goal five times and Portsmouth missed a penalty before Drogba curled a free-kick in off the post in the 59th minute.

“It’s fantastic we achieved the double. It was difficult to come back and stay focused for this game because last week we celebrated the title,” Drogba said.

“You start to think that you won’t score . . . I saw a little gap. I hit the post again, but it went in this time.”

Salomon Kalou missed an easy chance in the first half, hitting the ball against the crossbar six metres out in front of an open goal.Portsmouth could have gone in front just before Drogba’s goal but Kevin-Prince Boateng’s weak penalty kick was saved by Petr Cech’s legs.

Frank Lampard also missed a late penalty for Chelsea, with the England midfielder dragging the ball wide.

That Portsmouth survived so long without conceding was unexpected.

The 129th final pitted one of English football’s wealthiest clubs – the Roman Abramovich-bankrolled Chelsea – against Portsmouth, who have been relegated from the Premier League and are still fighting for their existence while in bankruptcy protection.

“It’s a day that I am very proud and very sad – proud because we could [have won] the game,” said Portsmouth manager Avram Grant, who is set to leave the club.

“We closed them [down], we played tactically very well, we gave everything.”

Recent routs by Chelsea, who ended the championship-winning league season with an 8-0 thrashing of Wigan, raised fears that it could be the most one-sided final in decades.

Chelsea’s line-up was unchanged from last weekend and took less than four minutes to threaten Portsmouth’s goal.

Lampard shot just wide from the edge of the penalty area, and the England midfielder unleashed a dipping strike that hit the goal frame ten minutes later. But having upset the odds to reach the final, Portsmouth weren’t going to capitulate.

And having survived intense pressure for 20 minutes, they were only prevented from taking a shock lead by Cech’s reflex save. Boateng’s deflected volley reached Frederic Piquionne, but the resulting shot from close range was blocked by Cech.

While fine goalkeeping denied Portsmouth, Chelsea only had dire finishing to blame for not going in front in the 27th. Ashley Cole forced Portsmouth keeper David James to cover the near post before squaring to the unmarked Kalou.

The Ivory Coast forward had an unguarded goal to tap into from close range, but inexplicably lifted the ball against the bar.

Chelsea captain John Terry headed against the bar from Florent Malouda’s free-kick in the 30th, and the goal frame denied Drogba again just before the break. (AP)

DYNAMIC former Barbados and Caribbean Junior Squash Champion Bryant Cumberbatch produced a significant upset at the semi-final stage of the 36th annual National Squash Championships on Friday night at Marine Gardens in Hastings, Christ Church.

The talented Cumberbatch, 21, the No. 3 seed, put his charismatic older brother Gavin Cumberbatch, the second seed and defending champ, in the shade in their semi-final match with a comprehensive display of attacking squash for an 11-13, 11-4, 11-8, 11-4 victory in just 22 minutes.

Long first game

The result was never in doubt after a long and punishing first game that took the wind out of the older brother’s sails. The rallies in that first game were very fast with both players playing their shots at extreme pace and moving each other to every corner of the court.

Bryant lost that game 11-13 but the damage had been done and Gavin thereafter never tried to attack with pace again, trying to slow things down in the remainder of the match to save his legs and lungs from further punishment. 

Unforced errors

This tactic didn’t work and he was also undone by several unforced errors at crucial times and was never able to mount a further challenge as his younger brother ran away with the next three games.

In the other men’s semi-final, the top seed and Caribbean No. 3 seed Shawn Simpson started out very slowly, then picked up the pace to oust No. 4 seed Mark Sealy 3-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-0 in 31 minutes.

When Simpson did warm up, things became a little easier as his pace of shot and court coverage allowed him to dominate most of the rallies from about halfway in the second game.

In the women’s semi-finals, top seed and Caribbean No. 2 Karen Meakins moved smoothly into her tenth straight national final with a straightforward three-set victory over local radio personality Alex Jordan, who has made a return to the local squash scene. 

In the bottom half of the draw, second seed Cheri-Ann Parris was pushed hard by Lilianna White, but survived 9-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-5. (PR/BA)

• Australia are five-time winners of the Women’s World Cup, with the most recent victory in 2005.

• New Zealand were runners-up in the 2009 World Twenty20 after making just 85 against England in the final.

• Australia had a disappointing campaign in the 2009 Women’s World Cup, where they finished fourth, losing twice to India, although they were the only side in the competition to defeat  England, the eventual winners.

• New Zealand captain Aimee Watkins was the leading run-scorer at the 2009 World Twenty20, scoring 200 runs in five innings.         

• Ahead of the 2010 World Twenty20, Australia had won only ten of their last 20 matches.     

• Ahead of this tournament, New Zealand won 14 of the 22 matches in the Twenty20 format.

AUSTRALIA reached the semi-final of 2007 World Twenty20 tournament despite having lost to Zimbabwe in the Group Stage.

• Since losing in the 1992 World Cup final, England have only appeared in two semi-finals of ICC events – at the Champions Trophy in 2004 and 2009.

• Australia failed to qualify for the second round of 2009 World Twenty20, losing both first-round matches.

• England played their first Twenty20 International against Australia in Southampton in June, 2005, winning by 100 runs.

• Australia made the highest total batting second in a Twenty20 International, scoring 214-4 against New Zealand in Christchurch in February this year to tie the match. They lost on the Super over.

• England finished third in their group in the second round of the 2009 World Twenty20.

IN THE yellow corner is a multiple champion that has won every belt barring one.

In the blue corner is an uncrowned contender that has looked ominous in search of its first belt. They have thrown punches with ominous power over a series of preliminary bouts.

Now, they come face-to-face in a contest that will make one of them champion in the latest division of the sport.

That’s the script for the men’s final of the ICC World Twenty20, featuring all-conquering Australia and impressive England at Kensington Oval today.

For Australia, it presents a chance to add the only major title that has eluded them. They have won the last three World Cups, the last two Champions Trophies, but never made an impression in the first two tournaments in this the shortest form of the game.

“It would be fantastic [if we won]. We came here to try and win this tournament. We haven’t won it before. We’d be much happier leaving Barbados with that one last trophy,” captain Michael Clarke said yesterday.

For England, it gives them an opportunity to lift a global title for the first time. Defeats in the 1979, 1987 and 1992 World Cup finals and the 2004 Champions Trophy final will be forgotten if Paul Collingwood’s men can knock over Australia.

“When you’re going into a World Cup final there’s a lot of emotion around. But the guys seem very relaxed, and know their roles very well,” Collingwood said.

“We haven’t won anything yet. We’ve got to a final, but it means nothing until we win a World Cup. Until we do that, we’re going to keep our feet on the ground.”

Australia, who failed to get past the Group Stage at last year’s competition in England, have stormed into the final with a 100 per cent winning record.

They brushed aside the challenges of Pakistan and Bangladesh in the Group Stage; India, Sri Lanka, and West Indies in the Super Eights, and Pakistan again in the semi-finals when they had to dig deep to pull off a sensational victory off the penultimate ball when they were chasing 192.

On the evidence of that record, many will regard them as favourites to duplicate their unbeaten record of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

“People would have thought we were the favourites on Friday and we nearly got beaten,” Clarke said. “The fact is that we’ve got two wonderful cricket teams who’ve played fantastic Twenty20 cricket throughout this tournament.

“We have come a long way in this form of the game. But we didn’t come here to make the final, we came here to win the final.”

England have lost only once – in a rain-affected match in which they smashed 191 for five against West Indies and complained about the effectiveness of the Duckworth/Lewis Method in the Twenty20 format after the hosts were set a revised target of 60 in six overs.

Once they moved on to the Super Eights, England looked more and more ominous in taking care of Pakistan, South Africa, and New Zealand, and were even more convincing in the semi-finals where they made light work of Sri Lanka.

“There’s plenty of confidence in our side, the way we’ve played throughout this tournament has given us a lot of belief,” Collingwood said.

“We believe we’ve got the skills to beat any side on the day. We have surprised a few ourselves in this tournament and the guys are very, very positive.”

LEGENDARY West Indies batsman Brian Lara expects the World Twenty20 Championship final to be a cracker but says England could tear up the form books by beating the imperious Australians.

Lara, who quit international cricket in 2007 following the Cricket World Cup, said the final might represent a change of luck for the rampant Aussies. 

“I think the final is going to be a great one. The two best teams, I believe, are in the final,” the prodigious left-hander told CMC Sports yesterday. 

“Obviously, Australia will be favoured to win but I believe especially in a Twenty20 game any team that is doing very well and winning all their games tend not to win at the end.

“We saw that in the IPL with the Mumbai Indians, so the English could spring a surprise.” 

Both England and Australia cantered through the Super Eights, second round of the tournament in style, winning all three of their matches. 

However, while England brushed aside Sri Lanka in their semi-final on Thursday, Australia were forced to pull off a dramatic last-over win over title-holders Pakistan, with a ball to spare on Friday. 

Lara said the different pitches used had played a key role in the tournament and stressed that the Oval strip for the final had been the best one. 

“I think it was a good tournament. Obviously, [with] the different pitch conditions in Guyana, St Lucia and Barbados . . .  obviously you saw different results,” Lara said. 

“Play [was] affected in Guyana [and there were] slow pitches in St Lucia but I think that Barbados has produced the best pitches especially in the second round between May 5 to the 9.” (CMC)