■MOTOGP
Stoner crashes to gift trophy
Valentino Rossi won the San Marino MotoGP on Sunday for his third victory in a row after Casey Stoner crashed while in the lead. The Italian riding a Yamaha won in 44 minutes, 41.884 seconds. Jorge Lorenzo was 3.163 seconds behind in second place, and Toni Elias finished third. Rossi has won six of the 13 races this year and leads Stoner by 75 points in the overall standings with five races remaining. For the second race in a row, Stoner started from the pole, crashed on his own and was unable to finish.
■RUGBY UNION
All Blacks shuffle lineup
The All Blacks have made three changes to their starting lineup for the one-off Test against Samoa today, including skipper Richie McCaw who has been ruled out with a rib injury. The low-key Test against Samoa, who will be missing many of their own stars because of commitments to European clubs, gives the All Blacks a chance to get on the field during their four-week break from the Tri-Nations series. McCaw is still suffering from a rib injury in the All Blacks’ win over South Africa on Aug. 16 but is expected to be fit for the Tri-Nations decider against Australia on Sept. 13. His place at flanker is being taken by Adam Thomson, who usually plays on the other side of the scrum, and number eight Rodney So’oialo will captain the side in his 50th Test.
■KAYAKING
Togolese welcome Boukpeti
Thousands of cheering Togolese gave a hero’s welcome on Sunday to kayaker Benjamin Boukpeti, whose bronze medal in Beijing was the first Olympic medal won by the tiny West African state. Shouting “Bravo Boukpeti” and “You’ve honored Togo,” crowds lined the streets of Aneho, 45km east of the capital Lome, where 27-year-old Boukpeti paraded in an open-back pickup truck. Boukpeti, born in France of a French mother and a Togolese father, lives and trains in the European country. It was only the second time he had visited the African nation he represented at the Olympics, a former French colony. Boukpeti was third in the men’s singles kayak slalom in Beijing.
■BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Olympians end streak
Olympic stars Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh lost for the first time in more than a year, falling 21-19, 10-21, 25-23 to Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh in the AVP Crocs Cup Shootout on Sunday. With the loss, the two-time Olympic champions’ winning streak ended at 112 matches and 19 titles. They last lost on Aug. 19 last year, also to Branagh and Youngs. The final took 1 hours, 45 minutes, making it the second longest women’s match in AVP history, missing the record by just a minute.
■CRICKET
Surrey target Shoaib Akhtar
Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been targeted by English county side Surrey, who are fighting relegation from the first division of the county championship. Surrey look set for the drop as they are bottom of the table by 18 points with three matches to play and two teams going down. But cricket manager Alan Butcher plans to have Shoaib available for next week’s match against title-chasing Kent at Canterbury. But one potential snag is legal documentation, which requires all overseas players to spend at least three weeks in England. Shoaib, 33, is hoping to press his claims for a recall to the Pakistan team, with his five-year ban following altercations with the national board recently rescinded.
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
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely