ATHLETICS
Semenya eyes next month
The coach of champion, but trouble-plagued, South African runner Caster Semenya said she hopes to resume racing next year. Semenya has not competed since a back injury forced her to drop out of the Commonwealth Games in October. Michael Seme told reporters yesterday that Semenya was still being treated for the injury, but had resumed light training. He said he believes Semenya would start competing next month and that her first return races would be in South Africa.
BOBSLEDDING
US gets Worlds earlier
The bobsled and skeleton world championships are returning to Mount Van Hoevenberg one year sooner than expected. The Olympic Sports Complex track outside Lake Placid was awarded the 2013 worlds last year. However, after a meeting in Calgary, Lake Placid switched dates with St Moritz, Switzerland, which was scheduled to host the 2012 event. Jim Goff of the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority said the change was primarily made because of team travel to Sochi, Russia, for Olympic training in 2013. Goff says the FIBT and its member nations felt it would be easier for teams to travel from St Moritz to Olympic host Sochi. Races for the 2012 worlds at Lake Placid are expected to be held in mid-February.
FOOTBALL
Haynesworth suspended
The Washington Redskins have suspended defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth without pay for the last four games of the NFL regular season. The team says in a press release Tuesday that Haynesworth was punished for “conduct detrimental to the club.” Coach Mike Shanahan said Haynesworth “repeatedly refused to cooperate with our coaching staff in a variety of ways over an extended period of time.” The move caps a long feud between Haynesworth, a two-time All-Pro with a US$100 million contract, and first-year Washington coach Shanahan. Haynesworth was inactive for Washington’s 31-7 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, which dropped the Redskins to 5-7.
TENNIS
Del Potro to return in Sydney
Argentina’s US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro looks set return to tennis at the Sydney International next month after ending this season early due to injury, officials said. Del Potro, who beat Roger Federer to win last year’s US Open but had this year been unable to shake off a troublesome wrist injury, has been granted a wild card entry for the Sydney tournament. Del Potro ended his season early in late October after missing all but three events of this year because of the wrist complaint. Tournament organizers said seven of the world’s top 10 women — including world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki — will compete at the Jan. 9-to-Jan. 15 event in Sydney, which serves as a warm-up to the Australian Open.
SNOWBOARDCROSS
Holland wins season-opener
Nate Holland of the US won the season-opening World Cup snowboardcross on Tuesday for his fourth career victory. The 32-year-old Holland beat Tom Velisek of Canada and Mario Fuchs of Austria in the final run. Holland and Andreas Promegger of Austria, who competes on the parallel slalom circuit, share the lead in the overall World Cup standings with 1,000 points each. In the women’s race, Dominique Maltais led a Canadian 1-2 by defeating Olympic champion Maelle Ricker to win her fourth career title. Yuka Fujimori of Japan took third.
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