■ RUGBY UNION
France sets spectator record
France may not have won last year's World Cup, but the hosts were part of a record-breaking tournament as spectator figures broke the 2 million barrier for the first time in its 20-year history, the International Rugby Board (IRB) said. The number of people attending a Rugby World Cup reached 2.25 million in a tournament that saw matches also hosted in Scotland and Wales. This represents an average match attendance of 47,000 across the 48 tournament matches in France, Scotland and Wales, with a 97 percent attendance rate across the 42 matches held in France.
■ SOCCER
Pearson set to save Saints
Former Newcastle coach Nigel Pearson has been handed the task of saving former FA Cup winners Southampton from relegation from the Championship when he was appointed manager in succession to George Burley. The 44-year-old left his Newcastle post last week, but had not been seen as a likely contender for the Saints post as he has mainly managed clubs in a caretaker role. His sole experience of the job on a permanent basis was with League Two side Carlisle, who he managed to just save from demotion from the league in the last match of the 1998-1999 season. However, with Southampton lying just six points above the relegation zone and eliminated from the FA Cup on Saturday by League One side Bristol Rovers, club chairman Leon Crouch decided it was time to replace the temporary managerial duo of John Gorman and Jason Dodd. The club said the pair will remain as part of the backroom staff.
■ TENNIS
Galimberti guilty of betting
Italian player Giorgio Galimberti was found guilty on Monday of betting on tennis and was suspended for 100 days and fined US$35,000. The ATP said Galimberti bet on tennis during a period dating from June 2003 to January 2006, but did not specify if he bet on his own matches. Galimberti is ranked No. 1,009, with his highest ranking No. 115 and his career singles record 9-21. He is the fourth Italian player to be suspended for betting. Late last year, Potito Starace, Daniele Bracciali and Alessio Di Mauro were found guilty of gambling on matches involving other players. The governing body of men's tennis began its investigation of Galimberti in August last year, and the findings were presented to an independent anti-corruption hearing officer.
■ BASEBALL
Andy Pettitte apologizes
New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte has not spoken to Roger Clemens since giving a sworn statement which implicated his good friend in the use of human growth hormone. "I think it's put a strain on our friendship," Pettitte said in an eagerly awaited news conference on Monday at the Yankees' spring training complex. Pettitte apologized to the Yankees, Houston Astros and his fans for the "embarrassment" he caused them by taking HGH. "I never want a young person to do what I did," Pettitte said. "I'm sorry for the mistakes I have made."
Pettitte was excused from testifying publicly at a US congressional hearing last week after he gave a deposition and an affidavit. In addition to his December admission that he used HGH for two days in 2002 while with the Yankees, he said he injected himself with HGH for one day in 2004 while with the Astros after obtaining two syringes from his father.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
Naomi Osaka is braced for a “battle” after yesterday setting up a clash with Coco Gauff in the round-of-16 of the China Open, while top seed Aryna Sabalenka also marched on. Osaka defeated 60th-ranked American Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-2 and next faces Gauff in a showdown of former US Open champions in Beijing. World No. 2 Sabalenka swatted aside Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-2 for her 14th consecutive victory and plays another American in 24th-ranked Madison Keys. Looking ahead to the Gauff meeting, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka said: “She’s very athletic, obviously.” “For me, my strongest traits are being aggressive and also my serve,
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