SOCCER
Scotland beat Liechtenstein
Craig Mackail-Smith’s 32nd-minute goal earned Scotland a 1-0 victory in Liechtenstein on Saturday to help them leapfrog the Czech Republic into second place in Euro 2012 Group I qualifying and move within range of the playoffs. Starting for the first time and winning his third cap, the striker headed over stranded home goalkeeper Peter Jehle to put his country on 11 points with one match against group winners Spain remaining tomorrow. The Czechs, who have 10 points, travel to Lithuania tomorrow. “We’ve got a good spirit, everyone wants to work for each other,” Mackail-Smith told the BBC. “It shows in how many chances we’re creating and hopefully we can do that on Tuesday.”
SOCCER
Banner sees team charged
Legia Warsaw has been charged by UEFA after their fans unfurled a potentially offensive banner before a Europa League game against Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv. The Polish club’s fans displayed a green banner spelling out “Jihad Legia” in Arabic-style script across one end of the Pepsi Arena on Sept. 29. UEFA rules prohibit acts of a “political, offensive or provocative nature” at matches. The European soccer authority says its disciplinary panel will consider the case on Nov. 17. UEFA has the power to order Legia to play future European competition matches in an empty stadium. Legia won the match 3-2. The teams will play again in Israel on Dec. 15.
TOURING CAR
Tander wins Bathurst
Garth Tander won his third Bathurst 1,000 race yesterday, holding off a fast-finishing Craig Lowndes in Australia’s most prestigious touring car race at Mount Panorama in New South Wales. The Holden Racing Team driver won by less then three-tenths of a second yesterday after holding off five-time Bathurst winner Lowndes in a two-car sprint at the end of the 161-lap race. Lowndes charged over the final 20 laps, coming from fourth position to cut the margin to half a second behind Tander going into the last lap. However, despite several attempts to pass over the 6.2km circuit, Lowndes had to settle for second. Pole sitter Greg Murphy finished third.
GYMNASTICS
Japan takes early lead
Japan delighted its home crowd by taking the early lead in men’s qualifying yesterday at the world gymnastics championships. The Japanese finished with 364.291 points, 2.7 points ahead of the US. However, this was only the first session of men’s qualifying, with Germany, last year’s bronze medalist, competing later yesterday and China, Olympic champion and winner of the last four world titles, going today. The top eight teams earn trips to next summer’s London Olympics as well as spots in Wednesday’s team finals. Kohei Uchimura, who has been untouchable since the Beijing Games, is on track for a third-straight all-around title, topping the individual standings.
SOCCER
US defeat Honduras
Clint Dempsey’s 36th--minute strike was enough to give the US a 1-0 victory over Honduras in a friendly international soccer match on Saturday, their first triumph under coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Klinsmann, the former German superstar who was named US coach on July 29, had presided over a 1-1 draw with Mexico in August and 1-0 defeats to Costa Rica and Belgium last month. The US had several scoring opportunities in the first half, an indication that they are getting to grips with Klinsmann’s system.
TRIATHLON
Alexander is world Ironman
Craig Alexander ran away with the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on Saturday, setting a course record to win the event for the third time. The 38-year-old Australian, also the 2008 and 2009 winner, finished in 8 hours, 3 minutes, 56 seconds. “I wish I could tell you how it feels,” Alexander said. “It’s unbelievable. I wish everyone in the world could feel what I felt in that mile. It’s the finish I’ve been dreaming of.” The previous course record was 8:04:08 by Belguim’s Luc Van Lierde in 1996.
ATHLETICS
Korir eyes prize for hospital
Kenyan Wesley Korir was to have one eye on the finish line and the other on a cause when he was to run the Chicago Marathon yesterday. As sweet as winning a major marathon would be, he was running for something even bigger. Korir is helping build a hospital in his poverty-stricken village, where his younger brother died from a snakebite. He is using part of his earnings to build the facility and with US$100,000 going to the winners of the race, there was to be quite a bit for the taking.
BASKETBALL
Bayern Munich eying Dirk
Top German basketball team Bayern Munich are bidding to lure German star Dirk Nowitzki and the US’ Chris Kaman to Bavaria should the NBA season be wiped out following a 100-day lockout of players. “Kaman is a very interesting player who we could consider if the [NBA] season is cancelled,” Bayern coach Dirk Bauermann said. “And there would obviously be another interesting man,” he added of Dallas Mavericks forward Nowitzki. Kaman, 29, plays center for the Los Angeles Clippers.
BASKETBALL
Yi Jianlian back in CBA
Chinese NBA player Yi Jianlian, the main man in the post-Yao Ming era, will return to play in China, state media reported, as the NBA season is threatened by a protracted lockout of players. According to Xinhua news agency, Yi — who last played for the Washington Wizards — signed a contract with the Guangdong Southern Tigers ahead of the start of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season next month. The team’s manager Liu Hongjiang was quoted as saying the 23-year-old had signed a one-season contract “with an option to leave once he accepts an invitation from NBA teams.” Liu acknowledged Yi may not stay long if the lockout was resolved and he returned to the NBA. “Although he may not stay with us very long, I am quite sure his return is good for himself, the team and Chinese fans as well,” Liu was quoted as saying in the Saturday report. “He could keep his edge in the CBA, our team will also benefit from his skills and fans certainly want to see him play in his best years.”
BASKETBALL
Calderon follows Gasols
FC Barcelona say Toronto Raptors point guard Jose Calderon has followed the Gasol brothers and decided to train with the Spanish club during the NBA lockout. Calderon is the latest Spanish international to practice with Barcelona after Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol and his brother Marc of the Memphis Grizzlies linked up with the club earlier last week. While the Gasol brothers are practicing with the first team, Calderon was to train with the Barcelona B team from yesterday. All three players helped Spain defend their European Championship title last month. Dallas Mavericks forward Rudy Fernandez signed a contract to play for Real Madrid until the end of the lockout last month.
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