FOOTBALL
Smith killing disputed
An enraged Hummer driver chased down former Saints defensive end Will Smith’s Mercedes, deliberately rammed the SUV from behind, angrily confronted him in the street and then shot him eight times, yelling over his dying body as his wounded wife tried to crawl away, the Smith family’s lawyer said on Wednesday. However, a lawyer for the man accused of the shooting disputed that version of events, said a witness saw Smith with a weapon earlier that night and called this case the “ultimate example of a person being prejudged.” Racquel Smith said her husband was “her Superman” and that he died trying to protect her, Smith family attorney Peter Thomson said. However, Smith never pulled out his own handgun, which remained loaded, but unused in a compartment inside his Mercedes, he said. John Fuller, a lawyer for Hummer driver Cardell Hayes, has said his client felt threatened and was not the aggressor. Hayes is jailed on US$1 million bond after being arrested by police on a murder charge.
BOXING
Spadafora has second charge
Troubled former lightweight boxing champ Paul Spadafora, already charged with putting a woman in a headlock at a bar, has been accused of holding a knife in front of another woman at a convenience store later that night. Spadafora has been charged by police in Manor Township, Pennsylvania, for a bizarre April 4 incident at a convenience store, WTAE-TV reported on Wednesday. Charges of simple assault, public drunkenness and harassment were filed on Tuesday. Spadafora, 40, appeared to be drunk while holding a blueberry muffin in one hand and an opened, folding tactical knife in the other and yelling at a female clerk, police said. The clerk “was unable to make out what he was saying, but was extremely scared for her well-being,” police said.
SOCCER
No Everton move: Klinsmann
US manager Jurgen Klinsmann on Wednesday denied reports suggesting he was being lined up to take over from Roberto Martinez at Everton. A tweet from respected television commentator Ian Darke said there were “persistent Merseyside rumors” linking Klinsmann to the Premier League club. However former Germany international striker Klinsmann categorically denied the claims in a post on Twitter. “Rumours are wrong! Not going anywhere and Everton FC has a fantastic Manager in Roberto Martinez!” Klinsmann wrote.
GOLF
Singh out of Olympics
Fiji’s former world No. 1 Vijay Singh will not compete at the Rio Olympics, officials in the Pacific island nation said yesterday, with reports saying he was concerned about the Zika virus. Golf Fiji said the three-time major champion had informed them he would not be attending the Games in August. Golfchannel.com quoted Singh as saying he felt bad about not attending, but was concerned about Zika and wanted to concentrate on the PGA Tour.
TABLE TENNIS
Ma denies ‘bat doping’
China’s world No. 1 Ma Long has played down claims that top table tennis players are illegally doctoring their bats, saying all paddles are checked before matches. The 27-year-old, one of the Chinese stars playing this week’s Asian Olympic qualifiers in Hong Kong, dismissed the idea that players were “doping” their bats with special chemicals. “I don’t think this happens because before the start of each match there are umpires checking every bat,” Ma 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