■ATHLETICS
Washington to receive gold
American Tyree Washington is finally going to get the 2003 world 400m gold medal draped around his neck, the retired sprinter said on Sunday. USA Track and Field (USATF) will present Washington with the newly cast medal at this week’s US championships in Eugene, Oregon. USATF spokeswoman Jill Geer confirmed he would be recognized. Washington, now 32, said he had mixed emotions about the presentation, which is scheduled for Saturday after the men’s 400m final. He began pursuing the gold after 2003 winner Jerome Young admitted last year to using prohibited substances and agreed to return the medal. “I have been treated poorly,” said Washington, the 2003 runner-up. “The IAAF gave Jerome Young a lifetime ban [for a doping positive in 2004] ... so they knew I was going to be the world champion, yet they held on to that [the gold].”
■MOTORING
‘The Stig’ unmasked again
After years of keeping his identity secret, former Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher has revealed he is “The Stig,” the anonymous professional test car driver from BBC motoring show Top Gear. Each episode of the cult show sees “The Stig” whizzing around test tracks in powerful cars wearing a white jumpsuit with his features hidden by a white crash helmet. The original Stig was axed from the show after British racing driver Perry McCarthy revealed his identity in an autobiography in 2002. In an episode broadcast on Sunday, the current Stig took off his helmet to loud cheers from the studio audience, revealing himself to be Schumacher.
■RUGBY UNION
Bastareaud beating probed
Police said yesterday they were investigating an attack on French rugby player Mathieu Bastareaud in Wellington after Saturday’s Test loss to the All Blacks. Bastareaud was assaulted by four or five people early on Sunday in central Wellington as he was returning to the team’s hotel and was left with a cut and bruised face, French officials said. The French team did not make an official complaint because Bastareaud could not identify his attackers, but police said they were looking into the incident, which followed the touring side’s 14-10 defeat.
■SUPERBIKES
Spies closes gap on Haga
Ben Spies won the first race at the San Marino Superbike Grand Prix on Sunday to close the gap on championship leader Noriyuki Haga of Japan, who leads the standings with 292 points, 48 ahead of Spies and 55 ahead of Italian Michel Fabrizio. In the first race of the day at Misano Adriatico, US rider Spies finished eight seconds ahead of Ducati’s Shane Byrne in second and Fabrizio in third. In the second race, Jonathan Rea claimed his first-ever victory. The Briton came home ahead of Fabrizio, whilst Haga was third.
■BASEBALL
Burnett’s suspension cut
New York Yankees pitcher AJ Burnett’s suspension for throwing high and inside to Texas’ Nelson Cruz on June 2 has been reduced from six games to five, the team said on Sunday. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the suspension would push Burnett’s next start to Saturday against the New York Mets. Burnett, 32, had appealed the suspension, saying he was surprised by the severity of the punishment.
Burnett fired a fastball near Cruz’s head during a 12-3 victory. Earlier in the game Texas hurler Vicente Padilla hit Mark Teixeira with two pitches.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
Kumar Rocker, a first-round pick in both the 2021 and 2022 drafts, on Thursday won for the first time in the major leagues. Rocker struck out a career-best eight in a career-best seven innings as the Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 to complete a three-game sweep. Rocker (1-2) threw a career-high 78 pitches and allowed three runs on five hits without a walk. The 25-year-old right-hander was drafted third overall by Texas in 2022, a year after concerns over a physical led to him going unsigned by the New York Mets as the 10th overall pick. He made his major
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