■ Motor Racing
Schumacher strikes first
Michael Schumacher struck the first blow for his chance at a sixth world driving title by finishing ahead of rival Kimi Raikkonen in the prequalifying yesterday for the Japanese Grand Prix, the final race of the Formula One season. Jarno Trulli in a Renault had the fastest time on the 5.807km Suzuka circuit with 1 minute, 30.281 seconds. Ralf Schumacher in a Williams-BMW timed 1:30.343 to come in second. There is the one-lap qualifying today and the drivers go out in reverse order from yesterday's results. While Ralf Schumacher had an impressive time, the attention was more on his brother's Ferrari and Raikkonen's McLaren with Michael Schumacher coming in third in 1:30.464 and Raikkonen fifth with a time of 1:30.558. Schumacher has a nine-point lead in the driver standings over Raikkonen, 92-83. The only way Schumacher can lose the title is if Raikkonen wins the race and Schumacher fails to score a point either by not finishing or finishing worse than eighth.
■ Soccer
Man surrenders in probe
A man surrendered to police Thursday and said he was responsible for the beating death of a fan after a Spanish soccer game, news reports said. Police said they had identified the 29-year-old on Wednesday but had not tracked him down because he had not slept at home. The man surrendered at a courthouse in Santiago de Compostela in the northwest Galicia region, the news agency Efe said. Police were not available for comment. The death occurred Tuesday in Santiago after a Copa del Rey match between the local team Compostela and Deportivo de la Coruna. Newspapers say the victim died from a karate kick that ruptured his liver.
■ Soccer
Two arrested in rape case
Two more men were arrested yesterday in connection with the alleged gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl by a group of men, including several Premier League players. The unidentified men, aged 19 and 22, turned themselves in at separate stations in London, police said. The two were being questioned by detectives. Police said they can only reveal the identity of the men if charges are filed. On Thursday, police arrested a 27-year-old man before releasing him on bail pending further investigation. Nicholas Meikle, described as a party organizer, was arrested on Wednesday before also being released on bail pending further inquiries. Meikle told a Sunday tabloid that he, two players and another man had consensual sex with the girl. According to media reports, the girl told police she agreed to have sex with one man but was raped or sexually assaulted by up to seven others at the Grosvenor House hotel in London in the early hours of Sept. 27.
■ Athletics
White to lose 100m gold
American sprinter Kelli White is set to be stripped of her world championship 100m and 200m gold medals after her dope test failure was confirmed on Thursday. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) confirmed that the B-sample of her test taken after her 100m triumph at the championships in Paris in August showed traces of the stimulant Modafinil. "The United States federation had to wait for the result of the B sample and now they will hold talks with the athlete on a date to be agreed," said an IAAF spokesman. The case will be discussed by the US Anti-doping Agency (USADA) who will decide if a doping violation has been committed
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and