■ATHLETICS
Pistorius hurt in accident
South Africa’s double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery for facial injuries sustained in a boating accident, his manager Peet van Zyl said. Pistorius, 22, was flung from the speedboat he was steering on the Vaal River south of Johannesburg on Saturday night, local media reports said. “Oscar was in surgery for most of the afternoon to fix fractures in his jaw and nose region. He was then transferred to the ICU for normal post-operative observation. The doctors are quite happy with how the operation went and he is expected to make a full recovery,” Van Zyl said on Sunday. “We will obviously wait for medical advice, but Oscar should still be able to fulfil his international commitments like the Paralympic World Cup.” Pistorius, who had both legs removed between the knee and ankle as a baby, is nicknamed “Blade Runner” because of the prosthetic legs that enable him to sprint.
■RUGBY LEAGUE
Shearer in critical condition
Former Australian Test player Dale Shearer was reported to be in critical condition on Sunday after crashing his car in a Sunshine Coast community north of Brisbane. Police on Sunday confirmed the 43-year-old had been involved in an accident at Peregian Springs just after 11pm on Saturday. Hospital officials said Shearer was in critical condition with non-life-threatening injuries at Royal Brisbane Hospital. The Seven television network said on Sunday that the accident happened after Shearer drove away from a police stop check. Local media said the crash occurred on the first anniversary of the death of Shearer’s wife, Delyse, from cancer. Shearer played 20 Tests for Australia and scored 66 points, including 12 tries. He also played 26 State of Origin matches for Queensland and played for seven club sides during the 1980s and 1990s, including Widnes in England’s Super League in the 1987-88 season.
■BASEBALL
Choo signs one-year deal
Choo Shin-soo, a 26-year-old rightfielder from South Korea, has signed a one-year Major League Baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians, the team announced on Sunday. Choo, expected to compete for a starting spot, played in 94 games for Cleveland last season, hitting .309 with 14 home runs and driving in 66 runs. He made his US major league debut with Seattle in 2005, playing in 10 games, and was traded by the Mariners to Cleveland in July of 2006. In all, Choo played 65 major league games over three seasons before a breakout campaign last year.
■CRICKET
Leading umpire to quit
Veteran umpire Steve Bucknor will retire next month. The 63-year-old Jamaican has stood in a record 126 Tests and more than 170 one-day internationals, but his last engagement will be the third Test between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town from March 19 to March 23. “I have notified the International Cricket Council that the South Africa versus Australia series will be my last Test series,” Bucknor told the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper on Sunday. “The third Test match in Cape Town will be my last Test,” Bucknor said. “The body is feeling quite good and I know I could go on for another two or three years. However, something inside me is telling me that it is time to go,” he said. Bucknor will also be calling time on his involvement in ODIs soon, with the two games between the West Indies and England in Barbados his last limited-overs assignments.
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
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