RUGBY UNION
De Villiers to lead S Africa
Jean de Villiers is back from injury to captain South Africa in the Rugby Championship against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. De Villiers leads the 30-man squad named on Saturday after a left knee problem kept him out of the Springboks’ Tests against Wales and Scotland in June. The center is one of six players returning for South Africa, with forwards Tendai Mtawarira, Frans Malherbe and Eben Etzebeth and backs Patrick Lambie and Damian de Allende also fit again and recalled to the squad. De Allende and Cobus Reinach are the only uncapped players in coach Heyneke Meyer’s group. Reinach was called up after World Cup-winning scrumhalf Fourie du Preez was ruled out for six months with an ankle injury. The tournament is to start on Aug. 16 with Australia playing current champions New Zealand in Sydney.
RUGBY UNION
Uruguay book playoff tie
Uruguay defeated Hong Kong 28-3 in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday to set up a playoff against Russia for the final berth at next year’s tournament. Flyhalf Felipe Berchesi scored a try and two penalties and scrumhalf Agustin Ormaechea kicked 12 points to lead the hosts past the No. 2-ranked side in Asia after struggling to break down Hong Kong in the first half. Uruguay are to play Russia, who earlier beat Zimbabwe 23-15 in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, in a two-legged tie with the aggregate winner booking a place in Pool A alongside Australia, England, Wales and Fiji. Russia competed at their first World Cup in 2011, while Uruguay last played on the sport’s biggest stage in Australia in 2003.
SOCCER
Valbuena signs with Dynamo
France playmaker Mathieu Valbuena has completed a transfer from Olympique deMarseille to Dynamo Moscow, the Russian club confirmed on Saturday. Dynamo announced on Twitter that Valbuena had signed a three-year deal in the Russian capital. The confirmation came after a Marseille director, speaking before his team’s friendly against Italian club AC Chievo Verona in southern France, told journalists that Valbuena had departed for a transfer fee of 7.5 million euros (US$10 million). “Dynamo have a very interesting project and I’m happy to be a part of it,” Valbuena told Dynamo’s Web site. “The club’s ambitions match my own and I’m looking forward to making my debut and to helping the club achieve their goals for the season.” The 29-year-old Valbuena, who underwent a medical earlier on Saturday, will reportedly earn 10 million euros over the course of the three-season deal. Valbuena has won 38 caps for France, including featuring in four games during Les Bleus’ run to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Brazil last month. He opted to move to Moscow despite reported interest from English Premier League clubs Queen’s Park Rangers and West Ham United.
ATHLETICS
Hejnova out of Euros
World 400m hurdles champion and Olympic bronze medalist Zuzana Hejnova yesterday pulled out of the European championships because of a tendon injury. The 27-year-old Czech athlete announced her decision to skip the Aug. 12 to Aug. 17 event in Zurich on the sidelines of her national championships in Ostrava. “I’m still feeling a real pain in the tendon. I could improve to around 54.50 seconds, but the risk would be too much,” she said.
BASKETBALL
George faces long recovery
Paul George’s recovery from a gruesome right leg injury could take a year or more, doctors say. The 24-year-old Indiana Pacers star has already undergone surgery on his broken leg, and doctors in Las Vegas said George was resting comfortably on Saturday morning. James Gladstone, an orthopedic surgeon who is not treating George, called that a good sign. In a statement, Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said the team would not establish a timetable for George’s return to the court, although he said the Pacers hoped George would return to Indianapolis next week. Gladstone said athletes with this type of injury normally take between nine and 12 months to recover, although another doctor said it could take George up to 18 months to completely regain his form.
FOOTBALL
Strahan in Hall of Fame
Defensive end Michael Strahan has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Strahan was one of the game’s most dominant pass-rushers during 15 seasons with the New York Giants. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2001. Strahan had 22.5 sacks in 2001 to set the NFL single-season record. His 141.5 career sacks rank fifth on the NFL list. He retired following the 2007 season, after helping the Giants win the Super Bowl. Strahan was the seventh member of this year’s Hall of Fame class, which included receiver Andre Reed, offensive tackle Walter Jones, linebacker Derrick Brooks, defensive back Aeneas Williams, punter Ray Guy and defensive end Claude Humphrey.
CYCLING
Kreuziger given doping ban
Czech rider Roman Kreuziger has been provisionally suspended with immediate effect for an anti-doping rule violation based on his biological passport, the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced on Saturday. “The decision was taken following confirmation received on Aug. 1, 2014, that Roman Kreuziger intended to participate in the upcoming Tour of Poland and Vuelta a Espana,” the UCI said in a statement. Kreuziger, 28, finished fifth on last year’s Tour de France, but was told by his team, Tinkoff-Saxo, that he would not be take part in this year’s edition of the race after the problems were initially discovered. He is now to face disciplinary proceedings for the anomalies in his biological passport, which relate to the periods between March and August 2011 and April 2012 until the end of that year’s Giro d’Italia. At that time he was riding for the Kazakh team Astana. Tinkoff-Saxo said that Kreuziger “will remain suspended from all racing
until a verdict has been reached.”
GOLF
Ogilvy leads Barracuda
Geoff Ogilvy got up-and-down for birdie from a greenside bunker on the par-five closing hole to take a three-stroke lead on Saturday in the Barracuda Championship in Nevada. In the modified Stableford event, players receive eight points for double eagle, five for eagle, two for birdie, zero for par, minus-one for bogey and minus-three for double bogey or worse. Ogilvy, the Australian who won the 2006 US Open, had seven birdies and two bogeys in a 12-point round in hot, windy conditions at Montreux to push his total to 35. appearance in the event since 2002 after failing to qualify for the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care