The Standard

26 The Standard September 14 to 20 2014
Sport
Pooley — The accidental world champion
The 31-year-old broke the course record in
Switzerland, tackling the gruelling course
which consisted of a 10km run, 150km bike
ride and a further 30km run in a time of 6:47:27
“If you love something enough,
you can put up with a bit of suffering,”
is Emma Pooley’s sporting
philosophy.
Which goes a long way to explain
why, after retiring from professional
road cycling only last
month, she has already become a
world champion in her new sport
— long distance duathlon.
The 31-year-old broke the course
record in Switzerland, tackling
the gruelling course which consisted
of a 10km run, 150km bike
ride and a further 30km run in a
time of 6:47:27 — more than half
an hour ahead of the second place
finisher.
She told BBC Sport: “I have
been wanting to take part in the
Powerman World Championships
in Zofingen for many years.
“I love running as well as cycling
and the course was very
hilly which definitely suited me.
“But as a professional cyclist,
I could never do it, because it’s
only a couple of weeks before the
UCI World Championships and
that’s simply too short a time to
recover.
“So, when I retired from cycling
in August, I did have Zofingen
at the back of my mind as a
target.
“I thought it would be a good
test of my new challenge of trying
to race professional triathlon!
But I only had about a month
to do some hard run training after
the Commonwealth Games, so
I was concerned that I wouldn’t
survive the running.
“But I think that sometimes if
you love something enough, you
can put up with a bit of suffering!
I really love running — and actually
I think I run better off the
bike than fresh, relative to other
people.
“By the last descent into the
finish my legs were killing me,
downhills really damage the
muscles. But I knew I had a good
gap on the next competitor and so
there was not too much pressure,
which was definitely a relief !”
Pooley’s aim when she started
at Cambridge University almost
a decade ago was not to become a
professional sportswoman.
The engineering student only
started cycling at the age of 22 as
a bit of fun because an injury at
the time prevented her from long
distance running.
A surprise fourth place at the
National Championships set
Pooley off onto what ultimately
became a successful career on
her bike for nine years. She won
a time trial world title, national
titles, an Olympic medal, and
numerous professional races be-
Emma Pooley won the world duathlon title on her first attempt
fore bowing out at the Commonwealth
Games with two silver
medals to her name.
Although now concentrating
on duathlon and triathlon, Pooley
will remain on cycling’s world
governing body, the UCI’s women’s
commission where she works
to bridge the inequality gap between
men’s and women’s cycling.
Pooley, alongside world and
Olympic champion Marianne Vos,
Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington
and Kathryn Bertine, was
instrumental in lobbying for a
women’s Tour de france which led
to La Course being staged around
the streets of Paris in July.
“It’s a positive time for the
sport. I’m really happy to see it
improving. La Course is the start
of something great, and I hope it
will grow next year; I’d love to see
a longer women’s stage race in
france,” Pooley said.
And she is a big advocate of cycling
for fun and is an ambassador
for Breeze, which is a British
Cycling initiative to get more
women on bikes.
“The Breeze rides are a great
way for women to try out cycling
in a no-pressure, friendly environment,”
she said.
“Cycling can be a daunting
sport, especially when you’re new
to it — I can remember when I
started I didn’t know what kit to
wear, how to stay warm enough,
or that there are saddles out there
that can make cycling so much
less painful!
“Whether you want to cycle to
commute, for fun, for fitness, or to
get into racing — these rides are
a great way to get started and develop
a regular cycling routine.
It’s often easier to go out cycling
when you’re meeting others and
know you’ll have good company
for your ride!” — BBCSport
highest paid
African football
players of 2014
Samuel Eto’o (US$90 million) Didier Drogba (US$70 million) Yaya Touré (US$65 million)
Emmanuel Adebayor (US$27 million) Michael Essien (US$25 million) Kolo Touré (US$18 million)
1. Samuel Eto’o (US$90 million)
ThE wealthiest player on the continent,
and the recipient of four
African Player of the Year trophies,
this Cameroonian striker
is sheer wonderment.
When he played with Anzhi
Makhachkala from 2011 to 2013,
he was the richest African kicker
as well, earning about US$25 million
a year. he’s played for Real
Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan,
Chelsea, and as of August 2014
signed with Premier League side
Everton.
he started his own charity, fundacion
Privada Samuel Eto’o, in
Cameroon, providing citizens
with basic health care.
2. Didier Drogba (US$70 million)
ANOThER prominent member
of Côte d’Ivoire’s “Golden Generatio”,
this striker did not earn a
big move until he was transferred
at the age of 26 to Chelsea, where
he was paid US$170 000 a week.
he is the club’s fourth-highest
goal scorer ever, and was number
one scorer for foreign players on
the team.
he once played for Turkey’s Galatasaray
for about US$5,2 million
annually, combining those earnings
with some lucrative sponsorship
deals. But as of now, he is
back at Chelsea.
3. Yaya Touré (US$65 million)
ANOThER Ivorian sensation (it
runs in the family), this midfielder
for Manchester City has embossed
his name in football history.
formerly a Barcelona star, he
signed a five-year deal with Manchester
City to the tune of around
US$40 million. his combined
earnings for his all-star international
performances amount to
roughly $15 million annually.
4. Emmanuel Adebayor (US$27
million)
hE’S Togo’s top scorer of all time,
and the striker earned a reported
US$268 000 a week with Manchester
City. he has signed a loan deal
to play with Real Madrid, and now
kicks for Tottenham hotspur. he’s
known for quarreling with managers
and also donating lots of
money to charities.
5. Michael Essien (US$25 million)
hE used to be Africa’s wealthiest
soccer player with his 2005 transfer
from Lyon to Chelsea, a signing
that gained the Ghanaian midfielder
around US$40,5 million.
After eight years with the British
club, Essien signed onto AC Milan
in January of 2014 for a one-and-ahalf
year contract.
6. Kolo Touré ($18 million)
ThE Ivorian juggernaut central
defender has played for some of
England’s biggest clubs: Arsenal,
Manchester City, and now Liverpool,
where’s he’s on contract until
2015. Kolo has a money-raking
sponsorship deal with Adidas.
he’s the wealthy sibling of the
even wealthier footballer, Yaya
Touré, and the late player Ibrahim
Touré, who died in June at
age 28 following a battle with cancer.
7. John Obi Mikel (US$15 million)
hIS career started with the Norwegian
club Lyn Oslo, but this Nigerian
midfielder became famous
for his playing with Chelsea, despite
the infamously extended contract
embroilment between the
two clubs and Manchester United
which took place in 2005. Mikel
ended up with Chelsea, and will
play with them on a contract until
2017.
8. Frédéric Kanouté (US$12 million)
hE’S from Mali, and has played
with Lyon in france, West ham
in England, and Sevilla in Spain.
A devout Muslim, he purportedly
spent US$700 000 buying a mosque
which was about to be sold in
Spain. he is currently playing for
Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super
League.
9. Seydou Keita (US$10 million)
ThE Malian sensation returned to
Valencia at the beginning of 2014,
after a year with the Chinese Super
League, where he made US$16
million before tax with their Dalian
Aerbin football club. In June, he
signed a one-year contract with Serie
A club AS Roma.
10. Christopher Samba (US$8
million)
ThE great Congolese defender made
US$160 000 a week with the contract
he signed for Anzhi Makhachkala,
and he he earned the same amount
between shifts with Anzhi playing
for Queens Park Rangers. he now
plays for Dynamo Moscow.
— afkinsider.com