■SOCCER
Cheyrou salvages a point
A superb late goal from Benoit Cheyrou gave Marseille a 1-1 draw at 10-man Bordeaux in the highlight of weekend Ligue 1 action on Sunday. Midfielder Cheyrou controlled the ball on his chest and volleyed home nine minutes from time to allow the visitors to share the points with the champions, now seven points clear of second-placed Lille. Bordeaux, who had defender Marc Planus sent off for a dangerous tackle in the second half, moved in front with a controversial own-goal just before halftime, Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda sending the ball into his net under pressure from Marouane Chamakh. The Marseille players protested that the Morocco striker had pushed Mandanda and television replays suggested he had, but referee Laurent Duhamel ruled the goal was valid. Marseille remained fourth, 11 points off the pace and three behind third-placed Montpellier. Bordeaux suffered after the break when goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso had to be substituted with an injury, before Planus received his marching orders on the hour for a challenge on Marseille captain Mamadou Niang. Marseille came close to scoring shortly before equalizing, Benoit Tremoulinas clearing a Niang header off the line.
■GOLF
Woods a bad example: Pele
Brazilian soccer legend Pele on Sunday said Tiger Woods was a bad example to youngsters who once looked up to the tainted golf superstar. “We are all human. We have weaknesses and we can break at any time,” Pele told Caracol de Bogota radio while on a visit to promote the Copa Libertadores tournament. “You have to be very strong because famous names are often examples to youngsters. Sadly, this was something sad for him and his family. He’s not been a very good example.” World No. 1 golfer Woods has suffered a momentous fall from grace since a Nov. 27 late-night car crash. The mysterious accident touched off a sensational sex scandal, with Woods eventually admitting to marital infidelity.
■RUGBY UNION
Toulouse qualify for quarters
Toulouse swept into the Heineken Cup quarter-finals by beating Harlequins 33-21 to win Pool Five on Sunday. Toulouse joined fellow French side Biarritz, who have qualified from Pool Two. London Irish had their hopes severely dented when they were beaten 31-22 by Llanelli in Pool Six and even victory next week over holders Leinster might not clinch top spot. In Pool Five, Northampton’s Jon Clarke scored a last-gasp try to give the 2000 champions a precious bonus point with a 34-0 thrashing of French club Perpignan.
■BOBSLED
Lange wins in St Moritz
Andre Lange of Germany won his third straight four-man bobsled World Cup race in St Moritz, Switzerland, on Sunday. The reigning Olympic champion in two-man and four-man bobsled had a combined time of 2 minutes, 10.13 seconds. Lange and his team of Rene Hoppe, Kevin Kuske and Martin Putze edged the Germany III sled driven by Karl Angerer by 0.25 seconds.
■LUGE
Germans fill the podium
Andi Langenhan led a German sweep of the top three places in a men’s luge World Cup race in Oberhof, Germany, on Sunday, capping a perfect weekend for the home competitors. The Germans also swept the men’s doubles and the women’s singles on Saturday. Langenhan clocked 1 minute, 31.383 seconds for the two runs for a comfortable victory over Johannes Ludwig and Jan Echhorn.
■FOOTBALL
Bears’ Adams dies at 26
Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines Adams died on Sunday of a cardiac arrest caused by an enlarged heart, a South Carolina coroner said. Greenwood County Coroner Jim Coursey said Adams, 26, was taken to the emergency room at Self Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Sunday morning. Adams was experiencing “health issues” and his girlfriend called for an ambulance, Coursey said. Adams arrived at the hospital just after 7am and was pronounced dead in the emergency room at 7:21am. Coursey said results of a toxicology report probably will not available for “a few months.” Adams played college football at Clemson University and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2007 draft. Adams was traded to the Chicago Bears in October and featured in 10 games for the team this season.
■BOXING
Khan signs with de la Hoya
British superstar Amir Khan, the World Boxing Association super-lightweight champion, has signed a promotional deal with Oscar de la Hoya, hoping the “Golden Boy” can boost his US recognition. Khan, 22-1 with 16 knockouts, joined a stable of British fighters that includes WBA heavyweight champion David Haye and Ricky Hatton who have deals with Golden Boy Promotions, which announced the contract with Khan on Sunday. “I am really happy,” Khan said.
■CYCLING
Armstrong opens center
Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has broken ground on a new cancer research center in Adelaide, Australia, while capping his preparation for the Tour Down Under, combining the charitable works and the cycling ambitions that lured him from retirement 12 months ago. The cancer survivor has raised more than US$350 million to fight cancer through his Livestrong Foundation and last year while in Adelaide endorsed fundraising efforts to build the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer.
■MARATHON
Ethiopians win in Houston
Ethiopia’s Teshome Gelena set a course record in winning the Houston Marathon men’s title on Sunday, while compatriot Teybe Erkesso defended her title in the race by breaking her own course mark. Gelena won in two hours, seven minutes and 37 seconds, while Erkesso took her crown in 2:23:53, nearly 30 seconds under her old mark. American Shalane Flanagan, the 10,000m Olympic bronze medalist at the 2008 Games, won the Houston women’s half-marathon crown in her first race beyond 10,000m in 1:09.41.
■BADMINTON
China earn three golds
China swept up three gold medals on the final day of the Korea Open badminton championship on Sunday, while the host nation managed a gold and a silver. In the women’s singles final, China’s Wang Shixian edged Korean Sung Ji-hyun 21-10, 25-23 in a battle of unseeded players. In the women’s doubles, top-seeded duo Cheng Shu and Zhao Yunlei overcame the second seeded pair Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiwa of Japan, 21-16, 21-15. He Hanbin and Yu Yang gave China the third gold of the day, as they beat compatriots Tao Jiaming and Zhang Yawen in the mixed doubles finals. Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia claimed the men’s singles title over the second seed Peter Hoeg Gade of Denmark. South Korea got its only gold in the men’s doubles. No. 1 seed Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae needed three sets to get past Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng of China.
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
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
RSS