ally. My battle was already won. Beating cancer, everything else was a reward.Con

SINGAPORE -- Locked in an intense fight for the Formula One championship, and preparing for his 200th career start, Nico Rosberg pulled out a stunning lap to snatch pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday.Rosberg, who trails championship leader and Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton by two points, put himself in the best possible position for a third consecutive race victory by qualifying more than half a second faster than Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo in second.For my 200th appearance, definitely one of my top three laps ever, Rosberg said. It wasnt clear in qualifying how we would stack up against Red Bull so I really had to give it everything and pull it out of the bag, which is cool.Hamilton, who struggled relative to his teammate throughout practice at the Marina Bay street circuit, qualified third, seven-tenths of a second off Rosbergs time.Red Bulls Max Verstappen qualified fourth.Ferraris Kimi Raikkonen was fifth, and teammate Sebastian Vettel will start last in Sundays race after his car had an anti-roll bar failure in the Q1 session.I was a bit annoyed because first we decided to go for another lap but it wasnt really any quicker, said defending champion Vettel, a four-time winner in Singapore. Then we decided to pit to try and fix it but there was no time to do it.Though Rosbergs time was stunning, Red Bull retained confidence about its prospects of a race victory. Both Ricciardo and Verstappen will start the race on harder tires than Mercedes, so their first stint before pitting should be longer. That will allow them greater flexibility of strategy at a venue that has had safety car periods in all of its previous races.We are a bit surprised we are the only ones (on that tire strategy), Ricciardo said. We feel its a good thing but lets see if it makes a difference tomorrow.We have created a good opportunity by starting on the front row, and our race pace has been good (in practice). Track position and safety cars can determine a lot here.Hamilton struggled in practice, with several instances of missed braking points, tire lock-ups, and trips down escape roads.Its not been my weekend so far, Hamilton said. I havent been able to string them (laps) together.Ive been on the back foot all year long, so its really no different tomorrow, and Ill try to fight my way through.Verstappen was also unhappy with his rhythm during qualifying, complaining that he was unable to get sufficient heat in his tires despite the tropical conditions and high track temperatures. He was in better spirits during the final practice as he laughed over the team radio about almost hitting a large monitor lizard that scuttled across the circuit.Toro Rossos Carlos Sainz Jr. qualified sixth -- equaling his season best -- followed by teammate Daniil Kvyat in seventh.Force Indias Nico Hulkenberg qualified eighth and McLarens Fernando Alonso ninth. Force Indias Sergio Perez initially qualified 10th but received an eight-place grid penalty for setting his best time in the Q2 session while double-yellow caution flags were being waved following a crash into the barriers by Haas driver Sebastian Grosjean.Rosbergs 29th career pole took him level with the great Juan Manuel Fangio on the all-time list, and provided a fillip for his confidence on a track where he has never shown his best. This was his first pole in Singapore, where his best finish was second back in 2008, when he was with Williams.He paid credit to his team for being able to diagnose and overcome the problems that saw the team perform relatively poorly in qualifying here last year.We really came away and learned what went wrong last year, Rosberg said. We were nowhere in qualifying so it really shows the quality of the team to be able to turn something like that around and be so successful.Hydro Flask 20 Oz Coffee . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Flex Cap . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. http://www.hydroflask32oz.com/water-bottle-straw-lid/40-oz.html .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Hydro Flask 32 Oz Sale .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Hydro Flask 32 Oz Straw Lid . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries.Less than four months after he beat cancer,?Pitt running back James Conner?returned to the football field and scored two first-half touchdowns in Saturdays 28-7 home win over Villanova.Conner led the Panthers out of the tunnel and onto the field before the game, receiving a raucous ovation. More applause followed after he carried the ball on Pitts first offensive play, a rush that lost 1 yard.Conner finished with 17 carries for 53 yards and added 3 catches for 16 yards.Its not my first game, Conner said. I know its a comeback game, but its felt like a regular-season football camp, really. My battle was already won. Beating cancer, everything else was a reward.Conner scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 7:08 left in the second quarter to give Pitt a 7-0 lead. He stiff-armed a Villanova defender the whole way and was mobbed by teammates upon reaching the end zone.He also recorded his first career receiving touchdown on a 9-yard catch that gave the Panthers a 14-0 lead just before halftime.ddddddddddddThat first touchdown couldnt be any better, stiff-arm into the end zone right into the student section, quarterback Nate Peterman said. It was an emotional moment.Arizona Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald, a Pitt alum, applauded Conners efforts in a tweet during Saturdays game.The 2014 ACC Player of the Year, Conner announced in December that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. The redshirt junior vowed all along to beat the disease and be ready for the Panthers season opener, and he did just that after going through 12 chemotherapy sessions.Conner earned multiple All-America honors as a sophomore in 2014, rushing for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns. His 2015 season ended in Week 1, when the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder tore the MCL in his right knee.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '