CRICKET
Clarke announces comeback
Former Test captain Michael Clarke yesterday said that he was returning to cricket six months after he retired, telling Australian media he had “unfinished business” in the shorter form of the game. The 34-year-old, who bowed out in August after the disastrous Ashes series in England, said his first game would be with his grade club Western Suburbs against Randwick-Petersham in Sydney on Feb. 20 and 21. “To step away from cricket for four months has been great, I have found my body has enjoyed it and my mind has really enjoyed it too,” Clarke said. “At the same time I’ve realized the game of cricket is in my blood. I’ve been looking for an outlet to replace what I’ve chosen to walk away from.” One of the outstanding batsmen of his generation, Clarke said he “missed the game” and would “never say never to anything.”
ALPINE SKIING
Rebensburg takes title
Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg took her second successive giant slalom victory on Saturday while Lindsey Vonn crashed out of the race in Maribor, Slovenia, but still kept the overall World Cup lead. Vonn, winner of 75 World Cup races and on majestic form this season, lost her balance on the second leg — nearly hitting a course worker while a nearby photographer lost his footing — and slid into the safety netting. Switzerland’s Lara Gut, Vonn’s closest rival for the overall title, could have taken the lead but also failed to finish the second leg. Vonn has 900 points, Gut 855. In a men’s downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde topped a World Cup podium for the first time, beating Slovenia’s Bostjan Kline who also enjoyed a career-best finish.
ATHLETICS
Suhr smashes own record
Reigning Olympic champion Jenn Suhr of the US broke her own women’s world indoor pole vault record on Saturday by clearing 5.03 meters at the Golden Eagle Invitational meet. Suhr set the record at Brockport State in suburban Rochester, breaking the mark of 5.02m she established on March 2, 2013, at the US championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That effort made her the second woman in the world to crack the 5m mark after Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva. The 33-year-old won at London with a clearance of 4.75m after having taken a silver medal at Beijing in 2008. It is a good omen for the season for Suhr ahead of this year’s world indoors, which will be on home turf in March at Portland, Oregon.
CYCLING
Bicycle fraud investigated
World cycling body UCI confirmed on Saturday that it had seized a bicycle amid claims it was powered by a hidden engine at the cyclo-cross world championships. The bicycle was ridden by Femke Van den Driessche, the Belgian cycling federation (RLVB) later confirmed. Among the race favourites, Van den Driessche was forced to withdraw from the women’s under-23 race because of a mechanical problem toward the end. The UCI said they were examining the bicycle for “technological fraud.” “Our auditors detected mechanical fraud — it quickly became apparent that something was wrong,” UCI race coordinator Peter Van den Abeele told Belgian television Sporza. He gave no further details as to the nature of the alleged fraud, but Belgian state television claimed that a small motor had been discovered in the bicycle frame. If found guilty of cheating the rider faces disqualification, a six-month suspension and a fine of up to 200,000 Swiss francs (US$99,640).
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