■ ATHLETICS
Hooker leads 100m qualifier
Former collegiate champion Marshevet Hooker ran an eye-popping but wind-assisted 10.76 seconds to lead the women’s 100m qualifying on the opening day of the American Olympic trials on Friday. No woman has run faster under any conditions since disgraced American sprinter Marion Jones clocked 10.68 seconds in 2000. The wind on the quarter-final race was 3.4m per second, well above the accepted 2.0mps. “I stuttered a little bit [at the start], but I just kept running,” said the 23-year-old Hooker.
■ RUGBY
Les Kiss quits Waratahs
Australian Les Kiss said yesterday he has quit the New South Wales Waratahs to take up an appointment as Ireland’s new defense coach. The Irish Rugby Football Union confirmed the appointment of Kiss on Friday. “The opportunity to work with Ireland and to be involved at the international level of the game held great attraction for me,” Kiss said in a statement. “I am looking forward to working with [new coach] Declan Kidney and his group and learning about and contributing to the overall structure. There is an exciting challenge ahead for us over the next few years in the lead-up to the Rugby World Cup in 2011.”
■ ICE HOCKEY
Jagr offered US$35m bid
A Russian Super League club has offered Czech star Jaromir Jagr a US$35 million contract to play in Europe next season, American media reported on Friday. The New York Post said Omsk reportedly offered the three-year contract earlier this week after months of conversation with Jagr, who scored 25 goals and had 71 points as the captain of the New York Rangers last season. Jagr, a seven-time all-star, will become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday and has said that his first choice is to sign a new deal with the Rangers. Jagr, a native of the Czech Republic who won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP 10 years ago, has 646 goals and 953 assists in parts of 18 seasons with the Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.
■ CYCLING
Court to rule on Landis case
Disgraced American cyclist Floyd Landis will find out on Monday from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) whether he can reclaim his 2006 Tour de France title. The CAS said in a statement on Friday that it would announce at its headquarters in Lausanne the decision of a three-lawyer panel on a five-day hearing that took place in New York in March. Landis, who has denied wrongdoing, made his final appeal in closed door sessions before a CAS panel against a decision by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) last May that resulted in his two-year ban from cycling through Jan. 29. The International Cycling Union later stripped Landis of his 2006 Tour de France crown and awarded the title to Spain’s Oscar Pereiro.
■ ATHLETICS
Poland wins World League
World silver medalists Poland powered past Japan 25-14, 25-12, 25-22 for their third win against two defeats in the World League men’s volleyball preliminary round yesterday. Japan, with one win against four defeats, remained at the bottom of the four-team Group D round robin, which also includes China and Egypt. A total of 16 teams were divided into four groups. The winners of each group, hosts Brazil and a wild card chosen by the International Volleyball Federation will reach the final round in Rio de Janeiro from July 23 to July 27.
A runner who stopped during a marathon in China to pose doing the splits and another who hoarded energy gels have been banned for two years, the local athletics association said yesterday. The incidents happened during Sunday’s marathon in Sichuan Province’s Chengdu and were widely shared online. Videos showed a female runner stopping suddenly and dropping to the ground in the splits position, holding up her arms in a heart shape as she apparently posed for a photograph. She “committed obstructive fouls during the race, affecting the safe participation of other runners,” the Sichuan Athletics Association said in a statement, which identified
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
Workers are hammering, cranes are swinging and seats are being bolted into place — but the clock is ticking. Mexico City’s famous Azteca stadium, reborn as Estadio Banorte, is in a frantic race to be ready for its grand reopening on Saturday. Drone footage showed crews installing seats and attaching the new stadium name to the facade, with cranes looming overhead 48 hours before the gates are due to open for a high-profile friendly between Mexico and Portugal. For residents, the breakneck pace of construction has done little to inspire confidence. “I know they are working practically seven days a week, 24 hours
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