RUGBY UNION
Carter comeback canceled
All Black superstar Dan Carter will be sidelined for at least half of New Zealand’s Rugby Championship campaign after cracking a calf bone in last weekend’s Super 15 final, officials said yesterday. Carter left the field during the Canterbury Crusaders 32-33 loss to the NSW Waratahs in Sydney after an injury to his lower leg, which the club said was a hairline crack to the bone that would need at least four weeks to heal. “A scan has revealed a small crack in his upper fibula. The size of the crack meant it was not originally picked up by an X-ray and required a scan to locate it,” the Crusaders said. “The injury just requires rest to heal and it is hoped that his recovery will take approximately four weeks.” The 100-Test flyhalf will definitely miss New Zealand’s opening two Championship fixtures against Australia, where the Bledisloe Cup will be on the line, as well as a Test against Argentina in Napier on Sept. 6. The 32-year-old had been coming back from an extended break that began at the end of last year and saw him sit out most of the Super 15 season.
ATHLETICS
Triathlete dies during run
Russian athlete Yegor Leontiev died during the Russian national triathlon championships in Nizhny Novgorod at the weekend, local media reported on Monday. The RIA-Novosti agency said the 26-year-old had collapsed during the 21km run after having completed the 1.9km swim and 90km cycling sections of the event. A medical emergency crew struggled for more than an hour to try to keep Leontiev alive, but all of their efforts were in vain, RIA-Novosti said. Investigating authorities in Nizhny Novgorod have ordered an inquest into his death.
CRICKET
Zimbabwe recalls firestarter
Zimbabwe recalled batsman Mark Vermeulen to their cricket squad on Monday, six years after he was cleared of arson on psychiatric grounds after setting fire to the national union’s headquarters and an academy building. Vermeulen was cleared in a court in 2008 despite admitting setting fire two years earlier to the union offices at the Harare Sports Club Test venue and an academy pavilion at another location. He successfully argued that at the time he set the fires at the two buildings he was suffering from problems related to epilepsy caused by being hit on the head by a ball during a game. The 35-year-old Vermeulen’s recall came after he recently made a century for Zimbabwe A against Afghanistan. He was part of a 25-man squad named by new coach Stephen Mangongo for tours by South Africa and Australia this month.
CRICKET
Pakistan to elect chairman
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday appointed a retired judge to hold elections for the country’s cricket head within a month, hoping to draw a line under a long-running crisis. The post of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman has been held by rivals Zaka Ashraf and Najam Sethi five times each since May last year, leading to widespread ridicule at home and abroad. Ashraf was first suspended by the Islamabad High Court over dubious elections. Sharif appointed Sethi, a journalist and former newspaper editor, to the post after he was elected prime minister last year. “Justice Sair is appointed election commissioner with immediate effect as per requirements laid down in the new PCB constitution and will hold elections of PCB chairman within the next 30 days,” a statement said.
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