Mon, Apr 13, 2009 page19

• Sports Briefs

  • AGENCIES
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  ■CYCLING

  Contador wins stage, Tour

  Spain’s Alberto Contador, riding for the Astana team, won the Tour of the Basque Country on Saturday after clinching the sixth and final stage, a 24km time trial around the town of Zalla. It was the second straight Tour of the Basque Country title win for the defending Giro d’Italia and Spanish Vuelta champion. “It’s incredible how I continue to progress in my time trial work,” said Contador, who took part in the event as part of his preparations for the Tour de France. “Two, three years ago this would have been impossible. I am a typical climber, in theory we are not so strong in time trial work. This gives me confidence for the next goal, the Tour de France,” he said.

  ■MOUNTAIN BIKING

  Hermida wins cross-country

  Olympic champion Julien Absalon of France had to settle for second place behind Spaniard Jose Hermida on Saturday in the World Mountain Bike Cup cross-country race. In a thrilling race, near the KwaZulu-Natal city watched by 6,000 spectators, Absalon moved to the front at the halfway mark, with only Hermida and South African Barry Stander able to respond. The lead changed one lap later with Hermida building a 15-second advantage that kept him in front until the finish and Absalon held off a late Stander surge. Austrian Elisabeth Osl won the women’s race for the first time, with Russian Irina Kalentieva surviving a late challenge from Norwegian Lene Byberg to finish second.

  ■SOCCER

  Ancelotti rules out move

  AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti categorically ruled out a move to Chelsea on Saturday following his side’s 1-0 win at Chievo in Serie A. Earlier in the week, the Sun newspaper in England had claimed that a deal was done between Chelsea and Ancelotti that would see the Italian coach move to London in the summer. But the 49-year-old, who has been at Milan since 2001, said that simply was not true. “I’m ruling out the possibility of going to Chelsea and I don’t have to give any explanations either,” he said, before adding tongue in cheek: “I’m ruling out Manchester United as well.” Milan kept their hold on third place with the victory courtesy of Clarence Seedorf’s goal eight minutes into the second half, but the game ended on a sour note for Ancelotti who was sent from the dug out for the first time as coach of the club.

  ■SOCCER

  Bordeaux go top of Ligue 1

  Bordeaux took over from Lyon at the top of Ligue 1 on goal difference with a 2-0 win at mid-table Auxerre on Saturday. Bordeaux, who notched a fourth win in a row with goals by Brazilians Fernando and Wendel, lead the table on 59 points with seven games left. Toulouse defeated lowly Nantes 1-0 to climb to fourth place thanks to Ligue 1 top scorer Andre-Pierre Gignac, who took his tally to 19 with a 25m, left-footed shot that went in off the post.

  ■MOTOGP

  Stoner takes pole position

  Australian Casey Stoner took pole position on his Ducati for a night-time MotoGP race on a dusty track at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit on Saturday. The 2007 world champion clocked a lap record of 1 minute, 55.286 seconds and starts ahead of six-times world champion Valentino Rossi and the Italian’s Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo of Spain. The 23-year-old Stoner complained about the weather conditions at the Doha circuit, which was dusty after light rain dried up in the Gulf Arab capital. “I think it is going to be very risky toward the end of the race tomorrow [Sunday],” Stoner said.

  ■RUGBY UNION

  Cheetahs shock Sharks

  Bottom team Central Cheetahs outplayed leaders Coastal Sharks 31-6 in an all-South Africa Super 14 clash in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on Saturday. Given no chance even at home after seven consecutive losses in the southern hemisphere championship, the Cheetahs came from behind to lead 10-3 at half-time before dominating the second half at Vodacom Park. The sole consolation for the sluggish Sharks was that they stayed top of the table, three points above Waikato Chiefs of New Zealand, Northern Bulls of South Africa and New South Wales Waratahs of Australia. And even a bonus-point victory for scoring four tries did not lift the Cheetahs off the bottom as they are six points adrift of Queensland Reds of Australia. “Rather late than never,” said Cheetahs captain and 2007 World Cup winner Juan Smith, who returned to the team last week after being injured on a disastrous Australasia tour. “The Cheetahs owed it to the supporters who came here over Easter weekend to back us despite so many losses.”

  ■ICE HOCKEY

  Detroit to keep Franzen

  The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Johan Franzen to an 11-year contract that will keep him with the team through the 2020 season, the Red Wings said on Saturday. The contract is worth just less than US$44 million, the Detroit Free Press said on its Web site. It is the second longest ever for the Red Wings after Henrik Zetterberg signed a 12-year contract extension with the team in January. “His production over the past year and a half, both regular season and playoffs, has been remarkable and we feel, at 29 years old, that he is just now entering the prime of his career,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said on the team’s Web site.

  ■TENNIS

  Federer gets hitched

  World No. 2 Roger Federer married his long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec in his hometown of Basel in Switzerland on Saturday. “Earlier today ... surrounded by a small group of close friends and family, Mirka and I got married,” Federer said on his official Web site. “It was a beautiful spring day and an incredibly joyous occasion.” federer and Vavrinec met at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Federer said last month they were expecting their first child later this year.

  ■HORSE RACING

  Papa Clem wins in Arkansas

  Papa Clem, ridden by Rafael Bejarano, secured a spot in the Kentucky Derby by winning the US$1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday. The Southern California-based son of Smart Strike wore down favorite Old Fashioned in the stretch to win the Grade II, mile-and-an-eighth affair at Oaklawn Park in 1 minute, 49.01 seconds. The victory was worth US$600,000 for Papa Clem, giving the colt more than enough graded stakes earnings to qualify for the Kentucky Derby in three weeks. In another Derby prep, General Quarters captured the Grade I, US$750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

  ■BASEBALL

  D’backs to host All Stars

  The Arizona Diamondbacks will host the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, MLB commissioner Bud Selig said on Saturday. The 82nd All-Star Game, scheduled for July 12, 2011, will mark the first time the National League club stages the Midsummer Classic. This season’s All-Star contest will be on July 14 in St Louis, Missouri, while next year’s 2010 game is scheduled for July 13 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
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