■SOCCER
CSKA boss Penev resigns
CSKA Sofia coach Luboslav Penev resigned on Friday, saying he was frustrated by the club owners’ decision to reinstate nine players who were suspended after late-night drinking sessions. “I’m informing you officially that today ... I resign as CSKA coach,” the 43-year-old said in a statement addressed to club bosses. “My decision is dictated by the recent events at the club.” Penev imposed the ban after Sunday’s 2-0 league defeat by Litex Lovech, saying the players were “ruining the atmosphere,” but club owners Dimitar Borisov and Ivo Ivanov reinstated four players the following day and the rest on Thursday. Penev’s resignation comes after CSKA, the most successful Bulgarian club with 31 league titles, suffered two league defeats in a row to surrender top spot in the standings. He said he had made his decision a day before Thursday’s 3-1 away loss to Swiss club Basel in the Europa League, but did not announce it immediately “to protect players from additional pressure.”
■MOTOGP
Stoner sets the pace
Australia’s Casey Stoner set the pace in the first free practice session on Friday ahead of today’s season-ending Valencia MotoGP. The Ducati rider clocked 1 minute, 32.813 seconds to hold off Spaniards Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, with world champion Valentino Rossi fourth fastest on his Yamaha. Stoner, who has won the last two races on his Ducati following a three-event absence because of fatigue, dominated the race weekend last year. He secured pole position, set a lap record and won the race. He is looking for a similar result this year. “Whether I win or lose this race won’t change much for my season, but I’d like to finish the year with a good result,” said Stoner, who is currently third in the world championship ahead of Pedrosa. “This final meet of the year should above all serve to gather the maximum information for next season,” the Australian said. Rossi, meanwhile, had the pleasure of riding as world champion after making sure of this year’s championship by finishing third in the rain-hit Malaysian Grand Prix two weeks ago.
■CYCLING
Landis finishes Tour in 17th
US cyclist Floyd Landis finished 17th overall in the six-day Tour of Southland which ended with two stages yesterday on New Zealand’s South Island. Landis, who started the final day in 14th place, was 21st among 95 riders in yesterday’s 79km eighth stage, 1 minute, 12 seconds behind fellow American Michael Olheiser of Huntsville, Alabama, the stage winner. Landis finished 40th, 2 minutes, 51 seconds behind Romain Fondard of France, in the tour’s 64km final stage between Winton and Invercargill. The American finished the nine-stage race 16 minutes behind overall winner Heath Blackgrove of New Zealand.
■SAILING
Watson not feeling lonely
Australian teenager Jessica Watson said yesterday that loneliness was not an issue as she passed the two-week mark in her bid to become the youngest person to sail solo and unaided around the world. Jessica, 16, set sail from Sydney on Oct. 18 for what she hopes will be an eight-month voyage and a place in the record books. She is in the South Pacific and two weeks away from the equator, which she must cross before steering Ella’s Pink Lady south toward South America and around Cape Horn. Her mother, Julie Watson, said being a solo sailor was not troubling her daughter. “She reiterated again that it’s not lonely,” she told ABC television.
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