CYCLING
Lance Armstrong at peace
Lance Armstrong said he was more at peace now than he has been in a decade. In his first interview since the US Anti-Doping Agency disciplined him with a lifetime ban from professional cycling and vacated his seven Tour de France titles, he said: “Nobody needs to cry for me. I’m going to be great.” Still, his ego was bruised after being beaten by 16-year-old Keegan Swirbul at the Power of Four mountain bike race on Saturday. Armstrong finished second, nearly five minutes behind the lanky teenager. Soon after crossing the finish line and skidding to a stop, Armstrong chatted for a few minutes before saying: “OK, I’m going to go eat a cheeseburger.”
BASKETBALL
NBA stars visits Myanmar
The US has appointed an ambassador to Myanmar and helped bring in US businessmen keen on doing business in the rapidly reforming Southeast Asian nation. Now, Washington is sending professional basketball players and coaches in a bid to boost cultural ties. The US embassy said ysterday that four “sports envoys” have arrived in the country as part of a US Departmentof State-sponsored program “to emphasize the importance of academics, cooperation and respect for diversity.” The group will conduct several sports workshops with local youth before leaving on Friday. The group includes Charlotte Bobcats basketball team manager Richard Cho, a Myanmar native who migrated to the US. Also traveling are Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Darvin Ham, former Women’s National Basketball Association player Allison Feaster and former NBA player Marty Conlon.
NASCAR
Hamlin wins in Bristol
Denny Hamlin won for the first time at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee with a calculated late pass on Saturday. Hamlin flirted with Carl Edwards for the lead late in the race, and set up his move with 39 laps remaining. Hamlin used a slide move to get past Edwards, then held on as Edwards tried to use a cross-over move to get back in front. It did not work for Edwards, and Hamlin drove away for his third victory of the season. Jimmie Johnson finished second and clinched a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr also locked down spots in the 12-driver field. Jeff Gordon was third, followed by Brian Vickers and Marcos Ambrose.
ATHLETICS
Merritt eyes world record
Olympic 110m hurdles champion Aries Merritt was eyeing the world record when he was to race at a Diamond League meeting in Birmingham, England, yesterday. The US hurdler, who was disqualified from the event at the Lausanne Diamond League earlier this week for a false start, said if conditions were agreeable, bettering the world mark of 12.87 seconds was within his reach. “I think the world record is obtainable,” Merritt told a news conference said. “I just need the right conditions and I need to stay in the blocks,” he said in reference to Lausanne. “I need to execute my race like I’ve been doing all season all hopefully it’ll come.” The field features Olympic silver and bronze medalists, Jason Richardson of the US and Jamaican Hansle Parchment. Merritt has dominated the event this year, with the most sub-12.95 second performances recorded in a single season. American sprinter Tyson Gay, fourth in the 100m at the Olympics, will race over 200m for the first time in two years.
GOLF
Garcia takes the lead
Spain’s Sergio Garcia held his own at demanding Bethpage Black in New York on Saturday, firing a two-under 69 to seize sole possession of the lead after three rounds of The Barclays. Garcia, who shared the overnight lead with Nick Watney in the first event of the US PGA Tour’s playoffs, had a 54-hole total of 10-under par 203, two strokes in front of Watney. Garcia, who has the Ryder Cup in his sights after his victory in last week’s Wyndham Championship, survived Bethpage’s fast, slick greens which caused plenty of trouble for others, including Tiger Woods. Woods appeared to be over the sore back that bothered him on Friday, but the 14-time major champion had four three-putts in a one-over par 72. “I hit good putts, but my speed was awful,” said Woods, who was tied for 10th at four-under par. “That was a bit of a shocker. It was slippery out there. I played a beautiful round of golf, unfortunately didn’t clean it up on the greens. It was unbelievable how fast it got. Some of the greens have grass, some of them are on the dirt side. They’re right at the limit. They’re slippery once you start putting.” Garcia finished the day with five birdies and three bogeys.
GOLF
Teenager Ko seizes lead
New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko seized a one-stroke lead in the Canadian Women’s Open on Saturday, setting her sights on becoming the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history. Ko, 15, fired an even-par 72 on the Vancouver Golf Club layout for an eight-under total of 208. She was one stroke in front of a quartet of players: the US’ Stacy Lewis and South Koreans Jiyai Shin, Inbee Park and Chella Choi. “It’s good to stay at the top of the leaderboard, but my first goal was to make the cut and hopefully top 15 or something,” Ko said. “But to be up there is just an honor, especially playing against the world’s best. Fifteen-year-olds don’t lead at an LPGA event all the time. Like I said, I’m very surprised. But I’ve been playing really good golf and I’ve been really confident with my game.” Choi, who shared the overnight lead with Ko, carded a 73. Lewis climbed up the leaderboard with a 66, Shin posted a 69 and Park carded a 70. World No. 1 Yani Tseng, who led after the first round, struggled to a two-over 74 on Saturday. The Taiwannese star is tied for 21st at one-under 215.
GOLF
Lawrie eyes Ryder Cup
Scotland’s Paul Lawrie is determined to deliver European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal a third victory boost after muscling his way to a one-stroke lead on day three of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. Lawrie, seeking his second Tour victory this year, grabbed seven birdies in a five-under 67 on Saturday to move to 12-under par and one stroke clear of Frenchman Romain Wattel. Earlier this week, Lawrie’s return to the European Team for the first time in 13 years since making his only appearance at Brookline in 1999 was confirmed. “I played very good again today and hit the ball very solid,” he said. “I gave myself a lot of chances and only hit two poor shots all day. But the big thing this week is that I have been working on my rhythm again. I was doing that at the start of the year, but what has been going on lately, it’s not been the same so if I can hang on tomorrow [yesterday] and that would be huge to have two wins in a Ryder Cup year.” If successful in capturing an eighth European Tour success, Lawrie would then join fellow European Ryder Cup members Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia as a third straight winner for Olazabal.
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