NFL
Sharper gets prison sentence
Former NFL star Darren Sharper has been sentenced to 18 years and four months in prison in a case where he was accused of drugging and raping as many as 16 women in four states. US District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced Sharper on Thursday. He earlier pleaded guilty in federal court in New Orleans to drugging three women so he could rape them. He also has pleaded guilty or no contest in state courts in Louisiana, Arizona, California and Nevada to charges arising from allegations of drugging and raping women. Prosecutors suggested a nine-year prison term for Sharper under a multi-jurisdictional plea deal, but Milazzo in June rejected it as too lenient. The sentence, 18 years and four months imprisonment, was 15 months short of the maximum. Sharper was also fined US$20,000.
GOLF
Cabrera-Bello takes lead
Rafa Cabrera-Bello boosted his Ryder Cup hopes with a sizzling start, earning a share of the first-round lead with US’ Kevin Na at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina on Thursday. The long-hitting Spaniard bagged an eagle and five birdies for a seven-under-par 63 in the first round at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. Cabrera-Bello and Na are two strokes ahead of a group of five that includes Englishman Luke Donald, whose cause was helped by a hole-in-one with a nine-iron from 163 yards (149m) at the par-three 16th. American Jim Furyk, in his first round since carding a PGA Tour-record 58 in the final round at the Travelers 11 days ago, continued his machine-like ball-striking en route to a 66. He has hit 38 successive greens in regulation.
CRICKET
India ahead in fourth Test
Less than a day after becoming the world No. 1 ranked Test nation, India made a solid start in the fourth Test against the West Indies on Thursday, picking up two wickets before rain halted play for the day in Trinidad. Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin claimed one scalp each as the West Indies advanced to 62-2 in 22 overs at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. India assumed the top Test spot on the International Cricket Council rankings when Australia lost the third Test in their series against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. However, the stay at the top could be short lived, as India need to beat the West Indies in the fourth Test to stop Pakistan from taking over top position.
RUGBY UNION
Harris ruled out for season
New Zealand hooker Nathan Harris has been ruled out of today’s Rugby Championship match against Australia after sustaining a knee injury in training. The All Blacks yesterday said that Harris injured his ACL tendon in a session late on Thursday and will be replaced by Codie Taylor. Regular hooker Dane Coles was promoted to the bench despite not being selected originally as he recovers from a rib cartilage injury. “Looks like he’ll be out for the season,” All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said of Harris. Hansen said Coles had only traveled with the squad to Sydney to receive treatment after being hurt while leading the Hurricanes to their first Super Rugby title two weeks ago. However, with Harris out, Hansen had no alternative but to call on his first-choice rake.
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
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but