■SOCCER
Capello recalls Beckham
David Beckham’s successful loan move to AC Milan earned him a recall to the England squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Spain. England manager Fabio Capello named him among 23 players who will go to Seville to take on the European champions. Beckham has scored twice in six games since his temporary loan to Milan and Capello was convinced the former captain was fully fit and in form. “Beckham is a very important player,” Capello said. “His form is OK now. I followed him in Milan. Now he’s fit. You know every player who wants to be in the squad has to play, not only training.” Although Beckham played as a late substitute in all four World Cup qualifying victories, he was dropped for November’s 2-1 victory over Germany. Capello also called up Aston Villa’s James Milner and West Ham’s Carlton Cole for the first time.
■SOCCER
McCarthy scraps celebrations
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy cancelled his 50th birthday celebrations after his Championship leaders suffered an agonizing 2-1 defeat against Coventry. McCarthy had planned a birthday meal with his wife but he admitted it would be a somber affair as he tried to come to terms with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s stoppage time penalty miss. Wolves fell behind when Michael Doyle struck in the 25th minute. Sam Vokes levelled with 18 minutes remaining but Coventry quickly regained the lead as Leon McKenzie slotted home Jordan Henderson’s pass. Ebanks-Blake’s injury-time penalty was saved by Keiren Westwood. Meanwhile, Reading boss Steve Coppell admitted his second placed side will have to get used to playing defensive opponents at the Madejski Stadium after Preston ground out a 0-0 draw. The Royals have now gone 269 minutes without scoring despite dominating for long periods and they are four points behind Wolves. Elsewhere, Sheffield Wednesday claimed their first league double over bitter rivals Sheffield United in 95 years.
■GOLF
LPGA pioneer passes away
Betty Jameson, one of the 13 founding members of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), died on Saturday aged 89, the Tour said. A winner of 13 professional titles, including three majors, Jameson was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Women’s Golf in 1951. Jameson was recognized during the LPGA’s 50th anniversary in 2000 as one of the body’s top 50 players and teachers.
■BOBSLED
Latvians strike gold
Latvia’s Janis Minnins won the gold medal in the four-man bobsled on Saturday at the World Cup in Whistler, Canada. The team finished in a two-run time of 1 minute, 42.17 seconds, barely edging Steve Holcomb of the US by six hundredths of a second. Minnins moved up to second in the World Cup rankings while Holcomb added a second silver medal to go with one bronze this year. Russian Alexsandr Zubkov’s team was third.
■HOCKEY
Germans make Olympics
Germany qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Austria on Saturday. Uwe Krupp’s side booked their ticket to Canada with goals by Yannic Seidenberg and John Tripp in front of 5,000 spectators, while Japan beat Slovenia 5-4 earlier in the day. Austria pulled back a consolation goal from Dieter Kalt, but Germany held on to claim their second win in three days after beating Japan 7-1 on Thursday.
■SOCCER
Capello recalls Beckham
David Beckham’s successful loan move to AC Milan earned him a recall to the England squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Spain. England manager Fabio Capello named him among 23 players who will go to Seville to take on the European champions. Beckham has scored twice in six games since his temporary loan to Milan and Capello was convinced the former captain was fully fit and in form. “Beckham is a very important player,” Capello said. “His form is OK now. I followed him in Milan. Now he’s fit. You know every player who wants to be in the squad has to play, not only training.” Although Beckham played as a late substitute in all four World Cup qualifying victories, he was dropped for November’s 2-1 victory over Germany. Capello also called up Aston Villa’s James Milner and West Ham’s Carlton Cole for the first time.
■SOCCER
McCarthy scraps celebrations
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy cancelled his 50th birthday celebrations after his Championship leaders suffered an agonizing 2-1 defeat against Coventry. McCarthy had planned a birthday meal with his wife but he admitted it would be a somber affair as he tried to come to terms with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s stoppage time penalty miss. Wolves fell behind when Michael Doyle struck in the 25th minute. Sam Vokes levelled with 18 minutes remaining but Coventry quickly regained the lead as Leon McKenzie slotted home Jordan Henderson’s pass. Ebanks-Blake’s injury-time penalty was saved by Keiren Westwood. Meanwhile, Reading boss Steve Coppell admitted his second placed side will have to get used to playing defensive opponents at the Madejski Stadium after Preston ground out a 0-0 draw. The Royals have now gone 269 minutes without scoring despite dominating for long periods and they are four points behind Wolves. Elsewhere, Sheffield Wednesday claimed their first league double over bitter rivals Sheffield United in 95 years.
■GOLF
LPGA pioneer passes away
Betty Jameson, one of the 13 founding members of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), died on Saturday aged 89, the Tour said. A winner of 13 professional titles, including three majors, Jameson was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Women’s Golf in 1951. Jameson was recognized during the LPGA’s 50th anniversary in 2000 as one of the body’s top 50 players and teachers.
■BOBSLED
Latvians strike gold
Latvia’s Janis Minnins won the gold medal in the four-man bobsled on Saturday at the World Cup in Whistler, Canada. The team finished in a two-run time of 1 minute, 42.17 seconds, barely edging Steve Holcomb of the US by six hundredths of a second. Minnins moved up to second in the World Cup rankings while Holcomb added a second silver medal to go with one bronze this year. Russian Alexsandr Zubkov’s team was third.
■HOCKEY
Germans make Olympics
Germany qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Austria on Saturday. Uwe Krupp’s side booked their ticket to Canada with goals by Yannic Seidenberg and John Tripp in front of 5,000 spectators, while Japan beat Slovenia 5-4 earlier in the day. Austria pulled back a consolation goal from Dieter Kalt, but Germany held on to claim their second win in three days after beating Japan 7-1 on Thursday.
■ATHLETICS
Hooker closes in on record
Australia’s Olympic pole vault gold medalist Steven Hooker cleared 6.06m at the Boston Indoor Games on Saturday, becoming the second-best performer all-time indoors behind Ukrainian Sergey Bubka. Hooker, who won Olympic gold with a height of 5.96m, cleared 6.06 on his third attempt, then launched an assault on Bubka’s 16-year-old world record of 6.15m. Hooker put the bar at 6.16, but couldn’t clear it. With his 6.06 on Saturday, Hooker surpassed Radion Gataullin and Jeff Hartwig on the indoor all-time list, both with vaults of 6.02. In the women’s pole vault, American Jennifer Stuczynski became the third all-time performer indoors behind Russians Yelena Isinbaeva and Svetlana Feofanova as she cleared 4.82m.
■ATHLETICS
Jones dominates hurdles
US sprinter Lolo Jones took a cool 0.10 seconds off the previous fastest time this season as she dominated the women’s 60m hurdles at 7.85 seconds at Stuttgart’s IAAF indoor meet on Saturday. With strong fields assembled in key races at Stuttgart’s Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle stadium, several world best marks fell with a month to go before the European Indoor Championships. Having just missed out on Bejing gold, high-jumper Blanka Vlasic leapt to the highest mark of 2.04m so far this season. But she failed with her three attempts at 2.09m, which would have broken the 32-year-old world indoor record of 2.08m set by Sweden’s Kajsa Bergqvist. Ethiopia’s 5,000m world champion Meseret Defar ran a season’s best time of 8 minutes, 26.99 seconds. In the men’s 3,000m, US runner Bernard Lagat smashed the world’s previous best mark with a time of 7 minutes, 35.41seconds. Ismail Ahmed Ismail from Sudan lowered the 800m world’s best mark when he ran 1 minute, 45.73 seconds while Russia’s Yuriya Borzakovskiy finished second. In the men’s 1,500m, Ethiopia’s Deresse Mekkonen ran a new world mark of 3 minutes, 36.41 seconds.
■BASKETBALL
NBA fines Doc Rivers
Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers was fined by the National Basketball Association on Saturday for “verbal abuse of game officials,” the Boston Globe reported. The punishment will reportedly will cost Rivers US$15,000. Rivers was critical of the officiating in Boston’s 110-109 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. He said he believed officials made a mistake on the Celtics’ final play, when Ray Allen missed a three-point attempt while being closely marked by Derek Fisher. “I thought it was a hand check, I did,” Rivers said after the game. “But the officials say that they don’t call the game different from the first quarter to the end of the game. And if that’s true, then Ray should’ve been on the free-throw line.” Rivers also criticized the way the referees handled the second half, saying they allowed “chippiness” on both sides to become “out of control.”
■FIELD HOCKEY
Favorites enjoy easy starts
Favorites Argentina and the US enjoyed easy starts to the Pan American Cup on Saturday. Argentina thumped Trinidad and Tobago 7-1 while the US comfortably beat a spirited Jamaica 10-0. They are expected to meet in the final next Sunday, in which the winner will qualify for next year’s World Cup in Argentina. Argentina’s Noel Barrionuevo scored a hat trick, while Blair Wynne earned Trinidad’s goal. Lauren Crandall and Rachel Dawson scored twice each for the US. Chile beat Mexico 6-1, while Canada thrashed host Bermuda 10-0 with a hat trick for Stephanie Nesbitt.
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