■ Athletics
German wins longest race
Germany's Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk won the 4,988km Self-Transcendence event, capturing the world's longest foot race in 41 days, eight hours, 16 minutes and 29 seconds, organizers announced on Thursday. The 51-year-old completed 5,649 laps around a 833m loop at a school and upon paved sidewalks in the ultra-running event ahead of Finland's Ashprihanal Aalto, 35, by two days, seven hours, 33 minutes and four seconds. Racers began every morning at six starting June 11 and can race as long as they desire until a mandatory midnight break with food, medical care and rest facilities available at the start-finish line. Suprabha Beckjord, 50, was 14th overall and the only woman to finish, doing so on Thursday after 60 days, four hours, 35 minutes and 24 seconds.
■ Basketball
Tall Black banned over dope
New Zealand point guard Mark Dickel has tested positive for cannabis ahead of the world championships in Japan, Basketball New Zealand said yesterday. Dickel, who played college basketball for the University of Nevada, has been suspended from New Zealand's two-match warmup series against Qatar which started yesterday. He was randomly tested after a recent match between New Zealand and Australia and his A sample showed traces of cannabis. Basketball New Zealand said Dickel had admitted using the drug. "We encourage the Tall Blacks to act as role models for young Kiwis and this is clearly not what we stand for," coach Tab Baldwin said.
■ Soccer
Everton fine midfielder
Everton fined midfielder Andy van der Meyde an undisclosed amount on Thursday for breaking curfew after claims his drink was spiked on a night out. "I have spoken with Andy and he is sorry for what has happened," manager David Moyes said. The Dutchman broke curfew rules by being out less than 48 hours before a match -- Everton played Aberdeen on Tuesday. Van der Meyde was admitted to Arrowe Park hospital on Monday morning after suffering breathing difficulties from what his partner claimed was a "spiked drink." Police are investigating the claims.
■ Cycling
Mayo wins Tour of Burgos
Euskaltel-Euskadi rider Iban Mayo won the Tour of Burgos on Thursday as Illes Balears racer Jose Ivan Gutierrez took the final stage, a 174km ride between Miranda de Ebro and Burgos. Gutierrez won a race for the line over the final 2km in 3 hours, 51 minutes and 22 seconds, but it was Mayo who took the overall plaudits as he secured victory in a total 15:45:32, 49 seconds ahead of Jose Pecharroman of Comunidad Valenciana, with Daniel Moreno Fernandez completing the final podium. Carlos (VMC) was second on the day, a wheel rim ahead of Italian MRM rider Simone Cadamuro after Jose Joaquin Rojas and Nacor Burgos fell back having made an early breakaway at the 30km mark at Barcina del Barco.
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