■ ATHLETICS
Man dies after marathon
A 22-year-old man died in the hospital on Monday, a day after completing the London Marathon. The man fell ill after finishing Sunday's race and was taken to the hospital, organizers said in a statement. He is the ninth fatality in the 27-year history of the race. "We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and friends," the statement said. "We fully respect the wishes of his family not to release any further details at this difficult time." More than 36,000 people took part in a record turnout for the London Marathon. The race was run under sunny skies with a maximum temperature of 22?C.
■ BASKETBALL
`Brazilian Blur' wins award
Leandro Barbosa, among the fastest players in the NBA, ran away with the league's sixth man award on Monday. The "Brazilian Blur" received 101 of a possible 127 first-place votes from a media panel. The honor came one day after Barbosa matched his career playoff high with 26 points in the Phoenix Suns' 95-87 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday in Game 1 of their opening series. "Give him a soccer ball," the Lakers' Kobe Bryant said when asked what could be done to stop Barbosa. "Tell him Brazilians should be playing soccer, not basketball." Barbosa was a reserve in 62 of the 80 games he played this season, adding extra speed to the already fast Suns.
■ GOLF
Lorena Ochoa now No. 1
After missing two chances to become No. 1 in women's golf, Lorena Ochoa finally replaced Annika Sorenstam at the top on Monday without even hitting a shot. Despite the US LPGA Tour having no tournaments last week, Ochoa moved to No. 1 in the computerized ranking with 12.84 points, while Sorenstam was at 12.70. Ochoa, who won six times last year and was the US LPGA player of the year, could have gone to No. 1 by winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship a month ago and the Ginn Open that ended on April 15. She made double bogey on the final hole at the Ginn Open to finish one shot behind Brittany Lincicome.
■ MOUNTAINEERING
Edmund Hillary hospitalized
Mount Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary was recovering in hospital yesterday, his wife said, after a report he had suffered a fall. His wife June did not comment on why the 87-year-old mountaineer and explorer had been hospitalized, in a short statement issued on her behalf by Auckland Hospital. Hillary was admitted to the hospital on Sunday after returning from Kathmandu in Nepal. "He is in a comfortable condition and improves daily," his wife said. An Auckland Hospital spokeswoman said there would be no further comment about Hillary's condition and she would not confirm he had been hurt in a fall, as reported on the New Zealand Herald newspaper Web site.
■ SOCCER
Palermo coach fired
Francesco Guidolin was fired as coach of Palermo on Monday, a day after his team lost to Parma 4-3 in a fourth-straight defeat at home. Guidolin is the 12th Serie A coach to be fired this season. Renzo Gobbo was promoted from assistant coach to replace Guidolin, Palermo said. Palermo has recorded just two victories since Christmas, when it was third in Italy's top division. The Sicilian team is now winless in its last 11 games and sixth in the league.
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