■ATHLETICS
Missing chips cost runners
Two Indian orphans lost out on a much-needed payday as they could not afford the US$4 for timing chips in their shoes, media reported yesterday. The 18-year-olds, Sunita Kanna and Savita Kamble, members of a local sports trust for orphans, came fourth and fifth in the Mumbai women’s half-marathon, the Hindustan Times said. Kanna would have won US$500 and Kamble US$400 if they had the chips embedded in their shoes. “In hindsight, we can think that we lost some money,” Kamble told the paper. “But that doesn’t matter. We enjoy running and next time we will have another shot at getting the prizemoney.” Their coach, Bhagwan Nagargoje, said the trust would have had to borrow money to buy the chips. “We came here to test waters and never expected anything. So we thought ‘why add to our expenses?’” he said. “It is my fault.” Race manager Homiyar Mistry confirmed the pair were recorded in the official finish list, but would not get the prize money.
■SOCCER
Fan shot in chest
A man was shot following a pre-season match between Penarol and Nacional in another bout of soccer violence in Uruguay, police said on Sunday. He was taken to hospital after being shot in the chest as rival fans clashed outside the Centenario stadium following Saturday’s game, police said. Media reports said the man, who has not been named, was in intensive care and that his condition was serious. Police added that 93 people were arrested before, during and after the match. The Uruguayan championship was suspended for two weeks in November after supporters fought on the pitch following a match between Danubio and Nacional. The tournament was again suspended last month after police declared Danubio’s stadium unsuitable to host Penarol.
■SOCCER
CFA names new head
Nan Yong was named to replace Xie Yalong as head of the struggling Chinese Football Association (CFA) yesterday. Xie has faced criticism for the poor performance of China’s men’s team, and the promotion of his deputy had been rumored for months. The CFA gave few details in announcing the change, although the Titan sports newspaper quoted a top-ranking official acknowledging the challenges. “Although right now Chinese football is not in good shape, I hope the new leaders can improve it,” Cui Dalin, deputy sports minister, told the Titan.
■SKIING
Pranger wins in Wengen
Austrian Manfred Pranger won the men’s World Cup slalom in Wengen, Switzerland, on Sunday to record his third career victory four years after his last win. The 30-year-old timed 1min 40.36sec over the two legs with his fellow Austrian Reinfried Herbst and Croatia’s Ivica Kostelic in second and third, 34 and 39 hundredths behind respectively. Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Grange could only finish sixth but still stays atop of the slalom standings.
■WINTER OLYMPICS
City receives cash boost
Canadian lawmakers gave Vancouver, host of next year’s games, the power on Sunday to borrow nearly C$500 million (US$400 million) to finish its Olympic Athlete’s Village. With just 13 months left before the games, the global financial crisis has threatened construction of the facility. The project’s New York lenders, Fortress Investment Group, cut off funding last fall to the private developer of the village, leaving Vancouver on the hook to guarantee the project.
■BASEBALL
Cubs give Orioles Pie
The Baltimore Orioles have acquired outfielder Felix Pie from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for pitcher Garrett Olson and a minor leaguer, the clubs said on Sunday. Pie, 23, batted .287 in 85 games with Class AAA Iowa and .241 in 43 games with the Cubs last season. A native of the Dominican Republic, Pie has appeared in 130 major league games over the last two years. Olson, 25, went 9-10 with a 6.65 ERA in 26 starts last year.
■BASEBALL
Wood says farewell
Kerry Wood, who spent 10 years as a Chicago Cubs pitcher before signing with the Cleveland Indians last month, took out a full-page newspaper advertisement on Sunday to say goodbye to loyal supporters. Wood, a fan favorite in five years as a starter for the Cubs, signed a two-year deal worth US$10 million with Cleveland last month. “Thank you Cubs fans, the greatest fans in all of baseball, for believing in me and supporting me over the years,” Wood said in the advertisement. “I will always be proud to have been a Chicago Cub. Although I’m a member of a new ‘Tribe,’ I will forever be a Chicagoan.”
■ATHLETICS
Keflezighi wins Half
Meb Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic marathon runner-up, surged to an early lead and captured the US Half Marathon Championship men’s title in Houston, Texas, on Sunday. Keflezighi, an American who was born in Eritrea, won in 1 hours, 1 minute, 25 seconds for his first national crown at the distance with 2008 Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein the runner-up, 10 seconds off the pace. Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, a Beijing Olympic marathoner, won the women’s title in 1:11:47.
■BIATHLON
Bjoerndalen is back
Norwegian biathlon star Ole Einar Bjoerndalen appears to be back to his best after collecting his second straight World Cup victory, winning Sunday’s 12.5km men’s pursuit race. Bjoerndalen, who has battled an illness during the season, had a 33-second lead going into Sunday’s race in Ruhpolding, Germany, and missed just one of 20 targets in finishing the course in 36 minutes, 17.4 seconds. Finishing second was Bjoerndalen’s former Norwegian protegee Emil Hegle Svendsen, who trailed by 34.4 seconds after one penalty lap. Third place went to Dominik Landertinger, who was 46.5 seconds behind after two misses. The 20-year-old Austrian took second place in Saturday’s sprint. Bjoerndalen’s victory brings him closer to the overall World Cup leader Svendsen, who improved to 460 points. The women’s 10k pursuit was won by Germany’s Magdalena Neuner, who also was victorious in Saturday’s sprint.
■SUMO
Hakuho maintains record
Grand champion Hakuho threw down sekiwake Baruto yesterday to maintain his perfect record and share the lead with Asashoryu at the New Year Sumo tournament. In the day’s final bout at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Hakuho, who saw his rival yokozuna win in a match just before him, unlocked Baruto’s persistent clinching, ending a minutes-long deadlock at the ring center and smashed him down with a powerful overarm throw. The Estonian slipped to 7-2. Hakuho improved to 9-0 and is tied with Asashoryu, who beat newly promoted ozeki Harumafuji, who fell to 6-3 and is still short of a winning record to maintain his ozeki status. In other major bouts, Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu bulldozed out No.4 maegashira Wakanosato to stay on the heels of the two leaders at 8-1.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two