Print

Mail

wiki links

Sports Briefs

■ LUGE

Huefner retains her title

Tatjana Huefner led a top-three sweep for Germany in retaining her world championship luge title on Friday. Huefner completed the two runs in a combined time of 1 minute, 26.007 seconds, setting a track record in the first heat of 43.019 seconds. Natalie Geisenberger lowered that record in the second run to 42.933 and finished second overall in 1 minute, 26.047 seconds. "I knew it would be a close race and that's why I am specially pleased," Huefner said. Former Olympic champion Silke Kraushaar-Pielach, in her last major competition, finished third. German women have not lost a race in the last 10 years.



■ CYCLING

Greipel takes ochre jersey

German cyclist Andre Greipel took the overall lead in the Tour Down Under when he won yesterday's stage, breaking away from a bunch sprint at the finish. Greipel has four wins this week -- three in the Tour and one in the Down Under Classic exhibition race last Sunday. He took the race leader's ochre jersey from Australian Mark Renshaw, who missed the crucial break up the decisive Willunga Hill climb near the end of the 147km stage south of Adelaide. The German now has an unofficial seven-second lead over Australian Allan Davis ahead of today's final stage, an 88km street race in Adelaide's East End.



■ RALLYING

Loeb extends overall lead

Sebastien Loeb won five of six stages in the Monte Carlo Rally on Friday to extend his overall lead. The four-time world champion leads Citroen teammate Daniel Sordo by 56.6 seconds after the second day of competition, where racers battled patches of dampness on course roads. Finland's Mikko Hirvonen, in a Ford Focus, is third overall, 1 minute, 22.8 seconds back. He is seeking a record fifth Monte Carlo title. "I went flat out. I have a very good feeling with the car," Loeb said on the Automobile Club de Monaco's Web site. Ford driver Khalid al Qassimi of the United Arab Emirates, who was in 10th place overall through five stages, skidded off the road and hit a bank in the sixth stage, crashing out of the race.



■ SKI JUMPING

Schlierenzauer claims win

Gregor Schlierenzauer of Austria had jumps of 134m and 131m to win a large hill ski jumping event and claim his second World Cup victory of the season. Schlierenzauer finished with 276.5 points, beating Norwegian Anders Jacobsen's total of 270.4 points after jumps of 136.5m and 129m. World Cup leader Thomas Morgenstern of Austria was third with 264.9 points after jumps of 126m and 132m, followed by countryman Wolfgang Loitzl, who scored 264.2 points from leaps of 131m and 128m.



■ EQUESTRIAN

Todd to try for Olympics

Olympic equestrian double gold medalist Mark Todd of New Zealand will attempt to qualify for this year's Beijing Olympics, eight years after retiring from top competition. Todd, 51, hopes to represent New Zealand in Beijing and to add to his tally of two gold and one bronze medals. He last represented New Zealand at the Sydney Olympics eight years ago, winning bronze. "It's a long shot. I've got to get qualified, I've got to get up to speed, I've got to produce the performances before I even think about going to the Olympics," Todd said. Todd has trained racehorses for the past eight years and has not practiced for equestrian competition since his retirement.
This story has been viewed 726 times.