ATHLETICS
Liu Xiang beats David Oliver
China’s former Olympic and world 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang ended American David Oliver’s winning streak of 18 finals at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting on Sunday. Liu’s time of 13.07 seconds was one of five year’s bests set at the second Diamond League meeting of the season. His new starting technique of seven rather than eight steps to the first hurdle paid off as he recorded a comfortable victory over the US record holder, who had been unbeaten since Aug. 31, 2009. Other year’s bests came from Jamaican Kaliese Spencer in the women’s 400m hurdles (54.20 seconds) and Kenyans Brimin Kipruto in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase (8:02.28), Nixon Chepseba in the men’s 1,500 (3:31.42) and Vivian Cheruyiot in the women’s 5,000 (14:31.92).
SOCCER
Rangers win Scottish title
Rangers sent manager Walter Smith into retirement on a high after securing the Scottish Premier League title for the third successive year on Sunday. A 5-1 win in Kilmarnock, Scotland, which featured a Kyle Lafferty hat-trick, ensured Rangers finished a point ahead of bitter Glasgow rivals Celtic, whose 4-0 win over Motherwell proved academic. Smith, 63, will be replaced by his assistant Ally McCoist.
RUGBY UNION
Saracens beat Gloucester
Teenage outside-half Owen Farrell steered Saracens into a second successive English Premiership final as they came from behind to beat Gloucester 12-10 on Sunday. The 19-year-son of former dual code international Andy Farrell landed four out of eight goalkicks in windy conditions, including the one that sealed the hosts’ two-point victory to set up a repeat of last year’s final against champions Leicester at Twickenham on May 28. His winning effort was all the more commendable as it came soon after Farrell’s charged-down drop-kick paved the way for a breakaway try by Wales international Nicky Robinson.
GOLF
Clarke wins Iberdrola Open
Darren Clarke overcame a four-shot deficit to win the Iberdrola Open in Mallorca, Spain, on Sunday and dedicated his 13th European Tour title to the memory of golf legend Seve Ballesteros. The Northern Irishman, 42, carded a final-round 69 for a six-under-par total for the tournament, three ahead of the English duo of Chris Wood, who had led after the second and third rounds, and David Lynn. “We wouldn’t be here without Seve, simple as that,” said Clarke of the great Spaniard who lost his long battle with cancer on May 7. “The European Tour would not be in the position it is today without Seve. “He was the first man to do so many things and make so many breakthroughs that we have all followed, so to win in his homeland in the week that he passed away is a real honor.”
TENNIS
Argentina beat Kazakhstan
Champions Argentina made a perfect start to their World Team Cup defense, beating Kazakhstan 3-0 in their opening red group game on Sunday. Juan Monaco eased past Andrey Golubev 6-4, 6-0 on the clay court at the Rochus club, while compatriot Juan Ignacio Chela disposed of Mikhail Kukushkin 6-1, 6-2. Monaco, ranked 37th in the world, then teamed up with Maximo Gonzalez to beat Golubev and Kukushkin 6-4 6-3 to complete the rout. Hosts Germany took a 1-0 lead over 2009 champions Serbia in the blue group with Philipp Kohlschreiber needing a second set tiebreak to edge past Janko Tipsarevic 6-4 7-6.
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