■NASCAR
Fans injured in Talladega
Seven fans were injured by debris when Carl Edwards’ car went airborne into the safety fence on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama on Sunday. Track medical director Bobby Lewis said none of the injuries was life-threatening but two women were airlifted to Birmingham hospitals. He said one likely had a broken jaw and the other was not injured but was taken because of a medical condition. Lewis said they were airlifted because of traffic, not the severity of the injuries. The other six were treated and released. Edwards was trying to block a move from winner Brad Keselowski, and contact sent his spinning car over Ryan Newman’s hood and into the fence. The fence held and Edwards’ car landed on the track.
■ATHLETICS
Wanjiru and Mikitenko win
Olympic champion Sammy Wanjiru lived up to his favorite billing as the Kenyan won the men’s London Marathon on Sunday, while Irina Mikitenko of Germany claimed a second successive women’s crown. Wanjiru secured victory in a course record and personal best time of two hours, five minutes and 10 seconds, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Beijing bronze-medalist Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia. Two-time world champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco was third, 17 seconds adrift of the winner. Mikitenko secured victory in the women’s race with a time of 2:22.11, finishing one minute, one second ahead of Great Britain’s Mara Yamauchi. Russian Liliya Shobukhova finished in third place.
■SOCCER
Wembley manager sacked
The row over the state of Wembley’s pitch has claimed a high-profile victim in the shape of the national stadium’s ground manager Steve Welch, who was sacked on Saturday. The Sunday Times said Welch has been made to pay with his job for the pitch that Arsene Wenger labeled “a disaster” after Arsenal’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea last weekend. Manchester United boss sir Alex Ferguson was equally dismissive 24 hours later when he said his team selection in the penalty shootout defeat to Everton had been influenced by fears the likes of Wayne Rooney could be injured on the “spongy and dead” turf. As Welch was being shown the door the pitch was being dug up at a cost of £80,000 (US$116,700) for the sixth time since the stadium opened in time for the FA Vase on May 9, the paper reported.
■SWIMMING
Bousquet sets 50m record
French swimmer Frederick Bousquet has set a world record in the 50m freestyle, becoming the first person to break the 21-second barrier. Bousquet set the record on Sunday at the French championships in Montpellier by finishing in 20.94 seconds.
■SOCCER
Fans banned in ethnic rivalry
Fear of ethnic fan violence prompted officials to hold a match between two teams in a near-empty stadium, with most spectators locked out and trying to watch from the street. The New South Wales Premier League ordered that the match between Bonnyrigg White Eagles and Sydney United be an invitation-only event on Sunday in a bid to prevent fan violence between Serbs and Croatians — the heated club rivalry goes back 45 years. Police and a heavy security presence ensured only accredited Bonnyrigg club members and private box holders at the Bonnyrigg Sports Centre were allowed to attend. Parents, partners and relatives of the players were barred. The match ended 1-1.
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
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
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