■ SOCCER
Lazio ease relegation fears
Lazio eased their relegation fears and boosted their Champions League morale with a 2-0 win over Catania on Saturday. Tommaso Rocchi and Goran Pandev were on target in a timely tune-up ahead of their Champions League trip to Real Madrid tomorrow, where they have to win to have any hope of making the knockout round. "We have nothing left to lose at Real," Lazio coach Delio Rossi said. "There are teams far stronger than Lazio in the Champions League, but I know full well my lads will not let their heads drop." Fabrizio Miccoli and Fabio Simplicio's stunning goals gave Palermo a 2-0 win over Fiorentina who had to play the final 22 minutes with 10 men after Alessandro Gamberini went off injured and all three substitutions had already been used.
■ BOXING
Abraham stops Elcock
Undefeated Arthur Abraham stopped Wayne Elcock in the fifth round to retain his IBF middleweight title in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday. The Armenia-born German knocked down Elcock in the second round and then again in the fifth. The referee stopped the fight after Abraham landed a flurry of punches to the Englishman's head. Abraham -- who extended his record to 25-0 with 20 knockouts -- has been eyeing a unification bout against either Jermain Taylor or Kelly Pavlik next year in the US. The 27-year-old's only scare came in the third round, when an accidental head-butt opened up a cut above his right eye. But Elcock, 18-3, was unable to take advantage. "I'm happy that I won tonight," Abraham said. "It wasn't an easy fight."
■ SOCCER
Etoile Sahel edge Pachuca
Tunisia's Etoile Sahel overcame Mexico's Pachuca 1-0 at the Club World Cup yesterday to set up a lucrative semi-final against Boca Juniors. Midfielder Moussa Narry's deflected 25m drive five minutes from time finally settled an absorbing contest in favor of the African champions in Tokyo. Argentine giants Boca await Etoile on Wednesday. European champions AC Milan play either Japan's Urawa Reds or Iranian side Sepahan in the second semi-final on Thursday. Sepahan will be aiming to avenge their defeat by Urawa in last month's Asian Champions League final when the teams meet in Toyota today. Pachuca will consider themselves unlucky after sustained early pressure led to striker Juan Carlos Cacho crashing a header against the crossbar in the 15th minute. Christian Gimenez shaved the bar with a free kick, while defender Julio Manzur had a goal ruled out for offside midway through the second half for offside.
■ SKIING
Coach criticizes course
The women's World Cup downhill race should never have taken place because the course was dangerous and contributed to two skiers being injured, the head coach of the Austrian women's World Cup team has said. Four Austrian skiers withdrew after their team mate Alexandra Meissnitzer suffered a heavy crash, injuring her left knee. Later in the race France's Anne-Sophie Barthet also suffered a heavy fall and was left screaming after crashing into the side of the course -- a French team official said she had dislocated her knee and would spend the night in hospital having undergone minor surgery. "Meissnitzer has a bruised bone -- she was lucky actually," Austrian coach Herbert Mandl said at the team captain's meeting following the race.
■ SE ASIA GAMES
Thai fails drug test
A Thai field hockey player became the first athlete at the Southeast Asian Games to fail a drug test and has been expelled from the regional event, a games official said yesterday. The player, whose name was not immediately released, tested positive for steroids in a urine test, said Kanokphan Julakasem, head of the Sports Authority of Thailand. "I have signed the endorsement to punish the player who was found positive today," Kanokphan said.
■ FOOTBALL
Tebow wins Heisman Trophy
University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, making him the first first-or second-year player to take American college football's most prestigious award. Since 1935, when Jay Berwanger of Chicago won the first Heisman, every winner had been a junior or senior -- until Tebow. He beat out University of Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, the first player since 1949 to finish second in consecutive seasons. Tebow received 1,957 points and 462 first-place votes to McFadden's 1,703 points and 291 first-place votes from sports writers and broadcasters.
■ BASEBALL
Fukudome rules out Giants
Highly coveted Japanese free agent Kosuke Fukudome has decided not to move to the Yomiuri Giants and will sign with a major league team instead, local media reported yesterday. Fukudome had previously indicated the Giants would be the only Japanese team he would consider playing for next season but has now ruled them out, opening the way for a move to the major leagues, the Nikkansports newspaper reported. Fukudome has drawn interest from the Chicago Cubs, the San Diego Padres and the Chicago White Sox. Fukudome, 30, is regarded as one of the best outfielders in Japanese professional baseball and was a key member of the Japan team that won the inaugural World Baseball Classic last year.
■ FORMULA ONE
Rosberg signs new deal
German driver Nico Rosberg has put an end to speculation that he might be gearing up for a move to McLaren by signing a new deal keeping him at Williams until 2009. Rosberg, whose best result from 35 grand prix was fourth in Brazil in October, said: "Williams have made me an attractive, far better offer with a new contract up to 2009 and I decided to accept it. For Williams the question of letting me go [to McLaren] never arose," the son of Finland's former champion Keke Rosberg told yesterday's edition of Bild. "I could imagine myself [joining McLaren] just like I could see myself at Ferrari in 2008. Every young driver wants a car that can bring you the title."
■ BOBSLEIGH
Holcomb completes sweep
Steven Holcomb completed a sweep of the World Cup bobsleigh races on his home Utah Olympic Park track on Saturday, edging Andre Lange of Germany by .09 seconds in the four-man event. Holcomb, joined by Pavle Jovanovic, Steve Mesler and Brock Kreitzburg, trailed Lange by .01 seconds after the first heat, but won with a combined time of 1:35.05. Lange and his team of Rene Hoppe, Kevin Kuske, and Martin Putze were second in 1:35.14, while third place went to Pierre Lueders of Canada and his team of Keb Kotyk, Lascelles Brown and Justin Kripps in 1:35.37. Holcomb leads the World Cup with 450 points.
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