■BOXING
Flyweight falls to his death
Former Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation flyweight champion Noriyuki Komatsu has been found dead after falling from a waterfall, Japanese media reported yesterday. The 29-year-old is believed to have accidentally fallen into the pool below while carrying out ascetic training after visiting a Kyoto temple for meditation courses. Komatsu, who made a failed attempt to win the WBC world flyweight title in 2005, had a professional record of 24 wins, six defeats and six draws.
■ATHLETICS
Bolt denies marijuana use
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt says he doesn’t use marijuana. On Sunday, the Jamaican sprinter was quoted in a German newspaper as saying he smoked marijuana when he was very young and learned how to roll a joint. Bolt released a statement on Monday through his manager admitting he tried marijuana at a “tender age,” but saying he had not used it again since. He also apologized for suggesting all young Jamaicans roll joints and urged young athletes not to do drugs of any kind.
■BOXING
Valuev in Chagaev rematch
Russia’s WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev was on Monday given the opportunity to avenge his sole professional defeat by Ruslan Chagaev as the Team Sauerland promotion group won the purse bid for the bout. Chris Meyer, part of Team Sauerland, said their intention was to hold the title fight in Helsinki on May 30. Chagaev is officially recognized as “champion in recess” after he failed because of injury to defend his title on two occasions against the present incumbent. Valuev suffered the only loss of his career in April 2007 when Ruslan Chagaev clinched a close majority decision in Stuttgart, Germany. However, Valuev regained his crown once Chagaev was named “champion in recess” when he beat John Ruiz in August last year. Valuev expressed his delight at the chance to gain revenge. “I have been waiting for this day for two years,” he said from his training camp in Japan. “I will finally make amends for the only loss of my career.”
■RUGBY UNION
Botha to miss three matches
Northern Bulls lock Bakkies Botha has been suspended for three Super 14 matches over an incident in the weekend game against the NSW Waratahs in Sydney, officials said on Monday. The Springbok forward was charged with striking and appeared before judicial officer Dennis Wheelahan along with members of the Bulls’ team management and legal representatives. Wheelahan categorized the offense as mid-range, which could incur a five-week penalty, SANZAR, the ruling body for rugby union in the southern hemisphere, said in a statement. But after taking into account mitigating circumstances, the suspension was reduced to three weeks.
■SOCCER
Anorthosis’ Ketsbaia quits
Temuri Ketsbaia on Monday resigned from his position as manager of Cypriot champions Anorthosis Famagusta only months after taking them to the Champions League group stage, the club said. A statement from the club said the 40-year-old Georgian had handed in his resignation to the board during a routine meeting on Monday evening. Ketsbaia told the board the decision came after much “soul searching,” but was done for the “best interests of Anorthosis.”
“I don’t remember the moment, but ever since I was a kid, that’s the first thing I loved,” two-time NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas said of his lifelong romance with basketball. However, that journey unfolded against the limitations of his size in a game where height often dictates opportunity — a reality he confronted throughout his career. At 175cm, Thomas is less than 2cm taller than the average Taiwanese adult male, while NBA players during his career stood at about 200cm on average. Compared with the NBA’s average career length of less than five years, Thomas’ 13-season career stands out as
Hans Niemann declares he would become a “stone cold killer” in a Netflix documentary released on Tuesday about his feud with five-time classical world champion Magnus Carlsen, a pledge that injects new edge into the lingering fallout from the cheating scandal that shook elite chess. “I’m gonna be a stone cold killer the rest of my life,” the US’ Niemann says in the film. “I’m going to become the best player in the world, and no one is going to believe that now, but this clip will play over and over again in 10 years — just wait.” “I just
Dakar and Rabat have longstanding ties, but relations have been strained since the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, which Senegal won in mid-January before being stripped of the title, which was transferred to Morocco. Now, the AFCON trophy is something of a thorn in the two countries’ sides. On Rue Mohamed V, the street where Moroccan vendors are based in the Senegalese capital, a police van is parked. “The police have been on high alert since the Confederation of African Football [CAF] decided to award the title to Morocco, but there have been no incidents,” a local resident said.
Top seeded Jessica Pegula on Friday once again fought back from a set down to reach the WTA Charleston Open semi-finals with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win against Russia’s Diana Shnaider. Defending champion Pegula has lost the first set in all three of her matches at the tournament so far, but again dug deep to maintain her hopes of retaining the title. The world No. 5 from the US took 2 hours, 10 minutes to defeat 19th-ranked Shnaider, relying on a formidable service game that included eight aces. Shnaider battled well in the first two sets and broke early for a 2-0 lead
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