■ Figure Skating
Award named after Kwan
Five-time world champion Michelle Kwan has won Skating magazine's skater of the year award so often she practically owns it. Now it's hers for good. The magazine announced Saturday that its Readers' Choice Award will now be called the Michelle Kwan Trophy. Voted on by readers of Skating, the official magazine of the US Figure Skating Association, the award honors an Olympic-eligible skater for their accomplishments. Kwan won the award for a seventh time this year, and the third year in a row. Since the award began in 1989, no other skater has won it more than once. The USFSA also honored Kwan for a "Decade of Achievement" at its governing council Saturday night. In addition to her five world titles, Kwan has won seven US championships and Olympic silver and bronze medals. Her eight medals at the world championships are a record for a US skater.
■ Boxing
Diaz overcomes Contreras
Unbeaten Juan Diaz rallied in the last two rounds and unanimously outpointed Eleazar Contreras in their lightweight boutt on Saturday. Contreras seemed to take control in the sixth round when he floored Diaz with a right hand for the only knockdown of the 10-round fight. Contreras still led on two of the three judges' cards entering the ninth, but was stunned by a combination and had to hold on to make it through the round. Diaz also hurt Contreras during toe-to-toe exchanges several times in the final round. Although Contreras remained on his feet, Diaz was in control by that time. Judges Chuck Hassett and Max DeLuca scored the bout 95-94 in favor of Diaz and judge Gale Van Hoy had it 97-92. Diaz, 19, of Houston weighed 60.75kg and improved to 21-0 with 10 knockouts. Contreras, also 19, of Bakersfield, California, weighed 60.5kg and fell to 19-2-3.
■ Auto racing
Billy Boat crashes at Indy
Billy Boat crashed on the front straightaway Saturday in the final practice before qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. Boat, the pole-winner in 1998, was helped out of the car after the crash. He was transferred by ambulance from the track's infield medical facility to Methodist Hospital for evaluation. A team spokeswoman said Boat was complaining of pain between the shoulder blades and was undergoing tests. Boat spun coming out of the fourth turn and continued spinning as the car came down the front straight. The back of Boat's car hit hard into a plastic foam block padding the concrete wall between pit road and the track. Boat's car went airborne, spun around and came to a quick stop near the outside retaining wall.
Agencies
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but