■NASCAR
Fans injured in Talladega
Seven fans were injured by debris when Carl Edwards’ car went airborne into the safety fence on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama on Sunday. Track medical director Bobby Lewis said none of the injuries was life-threatening but two women were airlifted to Birmingham hospitals. He said one likely had a broken jaw and the other was not injured but was taken because of a medical condition. Lewis said they were airlifted because of traffic, not the severity of the injuries. The other six were treated and released. Edwards was trying to block a move from winner Brad Keselowski, and contact sent his spinning car over Ryan Newman’s hood and into the fence. The fence held and Edwards’ car landed on the track.
■ATHLETICS
Wanjiru and Mikitenko win
Olympic champion Sammy Wanjiru lived up to his favorite billing as the Kenyan won the men’s London Marathon on Sunday, while Irina Mikitenko of Germany claimed a second successive women’s crown. Wanjiru secured victory in a course record and personal best time of two hours, five minutes and 10 seconds, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Beijing bronze-medalist Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia. Two-time world champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco was third, 17 seconds adrift of the winner. Mikitenko secured victory in the women’s race with a time of 2:22.11, finishing one minute, one second ahead of Great Britain’s Mara Yamauchi. Russian Liliya Shobukhova finished in third place.
■SOCCER
Wembley manager sacked
The row over the state of Wembley’s pitch has claimed a high-profile victim in the shape of the national stadium’s ground manager Steve Welch, who was sacked on Saturday. The Sunday Times said Welch has been made to pay with his job for the pitch that Arsene Wenger labeled “a disaster” after Arsenal’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea last weekend. Manchester United boss sir Alex Ferguson was equally dismissive 24 hours later when he said his team selection in the penalty shootout defeat to Everton had been influenced by fears the likes of Wayne Rooney could be injured on the “spongy and dead” turf. As Welch was being shown the door the pitch was being dug up at a cost of £80,000 (US$116,700) for the sixth time since the stadium opened in time for the FA Vase on May 9, the paper reported.
■SWIMMING
Bousquet sets 50m record
French swimmer Frederick Bousquet has set a world record in the 50m freestyle, becoming the first person to break the 21-second barrier. Bousquet set the record on Sunday at the French championships in Montpellier by finishing in 20.94 seconds.
■SOCCER
Fans banned in ethnic rivalry
Fear of ethnic fan violence prompted officials to hold a match between two teams in a near-empty stadium, with most spectators locked out and trying to watch from the street. The New South Wales Premier League ordered that the match between Bonnyrigg White Eagles and Sydney United be an invitation-only event on Sunday in a bid to prevent fan violence between Serbs and Croatians — the heated club rivalry goes back 45 years. Police and a heavy security presence ensured only accredited Bonnyrigg club members and private box holders at the Bonnyrigg Sports Centre were allowed to attend. Parents, partners and relatives of the players were barred. The match ended 1-1.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
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