■ATHLETICS
Jelimo causes stampede
Olympic 800m champion Pamela Jelimo late on Tuesday caused a big media stampede on arrival back home as the clamor to grab a piece of Kenya’s athletics millionaire nearly turned ugly. Local and foreign journalists pushed and shoved each other to get a shot of the teenage sensation, but were fought back by a team of police officers who had thrown a cordon around their fellow policewoman. Jelimo, who became the first Kenyan athlete to win the US$1 million Golden League jackpot, appeared shaken by the whole episode. “I am humbled by the reception,” said Jelimo after being allowed to get over the circus. “My performance should serve as a motivation for the youth. We need to do something to motivate them.”
■SWIMMING
Hansen’s medal returned
Olympic swimmer Brendan Hansen lost his gold medal from the Beijing Games during a flight in the US and got it back a day later. The American breaststroke specialist was returning to Austin, Texas, on Sunday after visiting his suburban Philadelphia hometown for a bachelor party, said his mother, Miriam Hansen. He was carrying the medal he won for the 4x100m medley relay, the race that gave Michael Phelps his record eighth gold. The medal fell out of a side pocket of Hansen’s backpack, which he kept between his legs during the flight. He realized the medal was gone when he was getting off the plane, his mother said on Tuesday. Hansen informed Southwest Airlines, Philadelphia police and USA Swimming. A woman who found the medal on the floor in the back of the plane saw that it was from the relay event and contacted police, Miriam Hansen said. Police advised her to contact the University of Texas, Hansen’s alma mater, on the belief that any swimming medalist in the area probably was affiliated with the school. The university called Hansen and asked: “Brendan, are you missing something shiny?”
■SOCCER
Schalke pair in hot water
Schalke 04 captain Marcelo Bordon and defender Mladen Krstajic could be in hot water with the German Football Federation (DFB) for comments made after last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Borussia Dortmund. Having led 3-0 after 65 minutes, Schalke had defender Christian Pander and midfielder Fabian Ernst sent off in the last 20 minutes as Dortmund fought back to seal a 3-3 draw. Pander was dismissed for a second yellow card on 73 minutes after a second heavy tackle, while Ernst was shown a straight red three minutes later for a dangerous tackle. Both players will be suspended for future league games. But the DFB have ordered an inquiry after Bordon is alleged to have sworn in Portuguese at referee Lutz Wagner in the tunnel after the game. And German tabloid Bild quoted Krstajic as having told journalists: “No one makes as many errors as German football officials. At the end of the game it was 14 against nine.”
■SOCCER
Barnes lands Jamaica job
Former England player John Barnes was named Jamaica’s new national soccer coach on Tuesday. Jamaican-born Barnes, 44, will take over the coaching of the Reggae Boyz from Nov. 1, Jamaica Football Federation president Horace Burrell said. Burrell did not immediately disclose specifics of Barnes’ contract. Barnes will succeed Rene Simoes, who was fired last week following Jamaica’s poor start to the semi-final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but