ATHLETICS
Handover a ‘logistics’ issue
There is an “understanding” on how crucial data on drug use by Russian athletes is to be handed over to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), whose representatives arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, the Kremlin said. WADA officials are making their third visit to retrieve the Moscow laboratory data, which could help the agency file doping charges against numerous Russian athletes it believes doped in previous years. Russia missed a deadline to hand over the data by Dec. 31, meaning the Russian Anti-Doping Agency could face sanctions from WADA. “There were some working disagreements, which arose last time, related to which storage devices [the data] will be transferred onto and how, and so on. I would say these are not so much substantial matters as issues of logistics,” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said. “As far as we know via our sports authorities, there are intensive contacts under way and now understanding has been reached with the WADA representatives regarding how the work will continue.” WADA spokesman James Fitzgerald said that the three-person team had arrived in the Russian capital. “They look forward to starting their work tomorrow,” Fitzgerald told reporters by e-mail. WADA estimates that the team will stay three days, Fitzgerald said, but “it could be longer, could be shorter.”
CYCLING
Grove ‘over’ loss of record
A 90-year-old cyclist who was stripped of his world record after a failed drug test has questioned the wisdom of the US Anti-Doping Agency’s decision. The agency has admitted that Carl Grove’s failed test was probably due to his inadvertent consumption of contaminated meat, but said that it still had to issue him with a public warning, the least serious punishment available. Grove this week told reporters that he believes taxpayers’ money would be better spent on catching more serious offenders. “Us old guys are kind of like peanuts. I think that they’re wasting their time,” he said. “I think that somewhere there ought to be a cutoff and they ought to zero in on the stuff that is done for money reasons or whatever it may be. But I think after 65 or 70, you know, they ought to just give up.” Grove tested positive for epitrenbolone, a metabolite of banned substance trenbolone, at last year’s US Masters Track National Championships, where he won the 90 to 94 age group sprint title. The former US Navy Band saxophonist, who played for US presidents during his time in the armed forces, said that the decision had initially hurt him. “I was really kind of down for a while, but I’m over it,” Grove said. Grove said that he is determined to continue his cycling career. His next goal is the world record for the distance ridden in an hour in the 90 to 95 age bracket. Grove is to turn 91 on July 13.
TENNIS
Jason Jung falls in qualifiers
Taiwan’s Jason Jung yesterday crashed out of the Australian Open, which starts on Monday. In the second qualifying round for the men’s singles, world No. 120 Jung lost 2-6, 3-6 to world No. 185 Hiroki Moriya of Japan. Moriya broke Jung three times at the start of the match and ran away with the first set 6-1. In the second set, Jung managed to draw level at 3-3 in a seesaw battle, but eventually lost, ending his chance to advance in the tournament.
By the time Cameron Menzies finally left the arena on Monday, the blood gushing from the gash on his right hand had trickled down his wrist, part of his forearm and — somehow — up to his face. Smeared in crimson and regret, and already mouthing sheepish apologies to the crowd, he disappeared down the steps, pursued by a stern-looking Matt Porter, the chief executive of Professional Darts Corp (PDC). The physical scars from Menzies’ encounter with the Alexandra Palace drinks table after his 3-2 defeat against Charlie Manby at the Darts World Championship would be gone within a few weeks.
Manchester United on Monday blew the lead three times to miss out on moving up to fifth in the Premier League as AFC Bournemouth would not be beaten in a thrilling 4-4 draw at Old Trafford. United have lost just once in their past 10 games, but Ruben Amorim would be frustrated as more points at home were frittered away despite arguably the best attacking display of his reign in charge. Amad Diallo and Casemiro gave the hosts a halftime lead either side of Antoine Semenyo’s equalizer. Two Bournemouth goals from Evanilson and Marcus Tavernier in seven minutes at the start of the
LOW-GOAL SHOOT-OUT: Of the nine penalties in the shoot-out, only three went in, with Flamengo’s Samuel Lino, and Vitinha and Nuno Mendes of PSG netting Matvei Safonov on Wednesday made four straight penalty saves in a penalty shoot-out to help Paris Saint-Germain beat Flamengo in the Intercontinental Cup final and win a sixth trophy of the year. The Russian goalkeeper was thrown in the air by his teammates after his exploits in the shoot-out, which was won 2-1 by PSG after a 1-1 draw after extra-time. It completed a trophy-laden 12 months for the French team, who had already won the Trophee des Champions, Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup — also on penalties against Tottenham Hotspur in
Italian Luca de Aliprandini described Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom at Val d’Isere as the hardest race of his life, coming two days after his Swiss partner Michelle Gisin suffered a heavy fall in training which required neck surgery. De Aliprandini finished 26th in the men’s event won by Loic Meillard, but the result paled into insignificance with two-time Olympic ski champion Gisin in hospital with injuries to her wrist, knee and cervical spine (neck). “It was Michelle’s wish that I race here. I couldn’t say no to her, but it was the toughest race of my entire life,” an emotional De
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