■ Soccer
Celtic dumped out by Hibs
Eight points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League, Celtic lost its first domestic game of the season on Thursday when it tumbled 2-1 at Hibernian in the League Cup. Kevin Thomson's first goal for Hibs eight minutes from the end prevented Martin O'Neill's men from meeting big rival Rangers in the semifinal. Celtic went ahead through a 56th minute header by Slovak international Stanislav Varga but a penalty by Grant Brebner leveled the game eight minutes later.
■ Cycling
End is in sight for Armstrong
Five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong says he'll compete in two more tours before retiring. Armstrong expects to race in the 2004 and 2005 tours but has not made plans for what to do after he retires. A win next year would give Armstrong a record sixth straight. Armstrong, a testicular cancer survivor who overcame the disease, spoke Wednesday at the National Press Club to unveil a new drive to increase funding for cancer research.
■ Taekwondo
Champ gets gold back
Olympic taekwondo champion Lauren Burns thanked a "ratbag with a conscience" after her stolen gold medal was found yesterday. The medal, which Burns won in the 49kg class at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was stolen from Burns' Melbourne home on Wednesday. After widespread media coverage of the theft, the medal was reportedly found under a dust bin in a Melbourne street on Friday. "I guess I'd given up hope on getting it back and that maybe one day, in 20 years, it would turn up," Burns told television station Channel Nine. "There's some ratbags out there but they're ratbags with a conscience."
■ Tennis
Roddick set for Athens
Andy Roddick will play in the Olympic tennis tournament this summer. "Athens 2004 -- we're definitely going," Roddick's coach, Brad Gilbert, said Thursday. The top-ranked Roddick is eligible for the Summer Games because he plays in Davis Cup competition. The Olympic Games are scheduled for Aug. 15-22, ending eight days before the start of the US Open, where Roddick will defend his first major title. Roddick hired Gilbert, who previously coached Andre Agassi, after he suffered a first-round loss in the French Open this year. With Gilbert, Roddick reached the Wimbledon semifinals, won the US Open and rose to No. 1 in the rankings.
■ Cricket
Warne blackmailer fined
A businessman was fined A$11,500 (US$8,500) yesterday for attempting to blackmail the Australian Cricket Board with an allegation that star player Shane Warne had kissed his 15-year-old niece. Christopher Kent, 46, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in the County Court in Melbourne to a charge of attempting to obtain property by deception and a second charge of using a telephone to menace. The court heard Kent rang the ACB early last year, telling them the media was offering his niece A$5,000 (US$3,675) for her story about an encounter with Warne. Kent told the board to match the offer or his niece would go public with allegations. Warne was alleged to have kissed the teenager and to have asked her to expose her breasts in January last year, an allegation he emphatically denied. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
■ Rugby Union
Australia licked again
Fans of England's World Cup winning rugby team can now lick the Australians again and again with every letter they send down under. Britain's Royal Mail yesterday issued a set of commemorative 68 pence stamps that feature scenes of England's nail-biting 20-17 victory over their historic rivals in Sydney on Nov. 22. "In case you hadn't realized, the 68p stamps are just the right value to send to any friend you might have in Australia," Royal Mail said in a statement, stoking the friendly rivalry between the sides. Fly-half Jonny Wilkinson's extra time kick clinched the win for England, considered the country's greatest sporting victory since its football team triumphed at the 1966 World Cup. The loss was also a rare humiliation for Australia, who have made it a tradition to pound England at a number of sports, including rugby and cricket. The stamps will also be issued in a 28p denomination, the price of a regular first class letter sent within the UK.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care