■ATHLETICS
Bekele wants record
Twice Olympic 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele has his sights set on setting a fourth world indoor record in Birmingham, England, next year. The Ethiopian will race the 3,000m, the distance at which he won his only world indoor title in 2006, at the Feb. 20 Grand Prix at the National Indoor Arena (NIA) where he has run three of his five personal best times on the indoor circuit. “Five years ago I broke the world record in the 5,000 at the NIA and I also broke the 2,000 and two-mile records at the same arena, so it’s definitely a track I enjoy running on,” Bekele said in a statement from the organizers. The three indoor world records he set in Birmingham all still stand and the Ethiopian’s familiarity with the track gives him good reason to believe he can claim another mark. “Now I hope to break my fourth world record there, this time in the 3,000,” the 27-year-old said.
■FOOTBALL
Haynesworth sent home
Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was sent home from practice on Friday for “disciplinary reasons.” Coach Jim Zorn did not specify why he ordered Haynesworth to leave the training session, but several teammates said it was because he arrived late. “He wasn’t belligerent or nasty to me, and I was not nasty to him. It was just something that needed to be done,” Zorn told the NFL team’s Web site. “So I handled things the way I felt I should, and he’ll be back tomorrow [Saturday] and he’ll be ready to go and play in the game [today against the Dallas Cowboys].” Zorn told reporters that while Haynesworth would play against the Cowboys, he may not start the game. It was the second time this week Haynesworth had been in trouble. He was fined US$10,000 by the NFL on Thursday for scuffling with New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs on Monday.
■SPEEDSKATING
Sponsor yens for gold
The sponsor of a Japanese speedskating team has pledged ¥20 million (US$219,100) to any of its athletes who win a gold medal at next year’s Olympic games. Nidec Sankyo Corp, an electronic component maker that runs a speed skating team, has doubled its prize from the 2006 Olympics, team boss Shigehara Arai said on Thursday. “I want it to be enough to build a splendid home,” said company president Kazuyoshi Yasukawa, who was quoted in the Yomiuri Shimbun. Speedskaters employed by Nidec include Japanese ace Joji Kato, former world record holder and world champion in the men’s 500m, and Sayuri Yoshii, who was ninth in the women’s 500m at the last winter Olympics. Nidec will also pay ¥10 million for a silver medal and ¥6 million for a bronze. Yasukawa is putting up half of the prize money himself, with the company providing the rest.
■BASEBALL
Ex-Dodger sues ex-Dodger
Park Chan-ho sued his former Los Angeles Dodger batterymate Chad Kreuter, accusing him of failing to pay off a US$460,000 loan. Park filed the suit on Wednesday at the Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming breach of promissory note and negligent misrepresentation. The suit claims Park loaned Kreuter US$460,000 in October 2005 to be repaid a year later with interest. Park alleges Kreuter paid US$290,000 in April 2007 and the balance has grown, with interest, to US$281,870 as of Dec. 1. Park is a free agent after playing for the Philadelphia Phillies last year. Kreuter retired in 2003. The men played on the Dodgers in 2000-2001. Attempts to reach Kreuter were unsuccessful.
■CRICKET
Tanvir out of ‘Big Bash’
Pakistan’s all-rounder Sohail Tanvir pulled out of a contract with Australian side Victoria on Friday after doctors advised him to rest an injured knee. The 25-year-old was due to play for the Bushrangers in the Australian Twenty20 tournament, known as the “Big Bash,” but he has instead informed the Australian side of his unavailability after taking medical advice. “Tanvir had to pull out of his contract with Cricket Victoria, as he has been further advised by doctors to make sure his knee injury is properly healed,” a statement from his agents said. They added that the healing process may need two to three weeks. Tanvir, who last year turned out for South Australia in the event, has recently recovered from back trouble and a knee injury that forced him out of the Pakistan team. The lanky left-arm paceman’s ambitions to play for Surrey in the English season also failed to materialize earlier this year. “As much as I feel really good on my fitness, I have to listen to the advice of my doctors at the Pakistan Cricket Board,” Tanvir was quoted as saying in the statement.
■CRICKET
Tendulkar to miss tri-series
Batting world record holder Sachin Tendulkar has opted out of next month’s limited-overs tri-series in Bangladesh, the Indian cricket board said yesterday. Tendulkar, 36, was not named in India’s 16-man squad for the tri-series, also featuring Sri Lanka, which will be played in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka from Jan. 4 to Jan. 13. Tendulkar will, however, be available for the two Test matches against Bangladesh that follow the tri-series, cricket board secretary N. Srinivasan said in a statement. “Sachin Tendulkar desired to be rested for the tri-series in Bangladesh. He will play the Tests against Bangladesh,” Srinivasan said. The selectors also dropped seamers Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar, and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha for the tri-series. They were replaced by seamers Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and Ashok Dinda, and leg-spinner Amit Mishra. Batsman Rohit Sharma, who did not figure in the ongoing one-day series against Sri Lanka, was recalled.
■SOCCER
Forget Levein, players told
Dundee United caretaker manager Peter Houston has told his players to put Craig Levein’s departure out of their minds and focus instead on their game with Kilmarnock. Levein was installed as Scotland manager on Wednesday, leaving Houston in charge for the Kilmarnock game. “Time moves on and, in football, people move on,” Houston said. “Craig’s done well and moved on to a new job. It’s done now and everyone at Tannadice just needs to look forward.” Houston, a long-term assistant to Levein, will be in charge at United for the next three weeks. “Craig always told the players we didn’t want them here forever — hopefully they’d get good enough and move on,” Houston said. “The same has applied to him.”
■SOCCER
Bougherra to miss derby
Scottish Premier League leaders Rangers were dealt a blow on Friday when their Algerian international defender Madjid Bougherra was ruled out of facing bitter rivals Celtic next Sunday. The Algerian soccer federation announced that any of its England and Scotland-based players, due to take part in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, could only fulfill their club commitments until Wednesday. Bougherra can play for Rangers today against Hibernian, but not against Celtic, despite pressure from Rangers boss Walter Smith.
The next generation of running talent takes center stage at today’s Berlin Marathon, in the absence of stars including Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian world record holder Tigist Assefa. With most of the major marathon stars skipping the event in the wake of the Paris Olympics just more than a month ago, the field is wide open in the men’s and women’s races. Since 2015, Kipchoge has won five times in Berlin, Kenenisa Bekele has won twice and Guye Adola once — with all three missing today. Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and Ethiopian Tadese Takele are among the favourites for the men, while
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
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
Taiwanese martial artists bagged one gold, four silver and three bronze medals at the World Junior Wushu Championships in Brunei, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Brunei Darussalam said yesterday. Liu Yu-tzu won the gold medal in the girl’s taijiquan A group and also picked up a silver medal in the girl’s taijijian A group. Hu Hsin-ling, Yu Min-hsun and Chen Chao-hsiang each won a silver medal in the girl’s jianshu B, boy’s nangun B and boy’s taijijian A groups respectively. Hu also won a bronze medal in the girl’s qiangshu B group, while Yu and Lin Shih-hung picked up bronze medals
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