SWIMMING
Phelps wins 100m butterfly
US swimming star Michael Phelps posted his second victory in two days, capturing the men’s 100m butterfly at the Canada Cup swimming competition on Sunday. The 14-time Olympic gold medalist, who turns 26 on Thursday, clocked 51.32 seconds to beat his compatriot Chris Brady by more than a second. On Saturday, Phelps cruised to victory in the 200m freestyle in the event which serves as a tune up for the World Championships in two weeks in Shanghai, China. Phelps could swim up to seven events at the world championships, including the 100m and 200m butterfly, the 200m freestyle, the 200m individual medley and three relays.
ICE HOCKEY
Sharks trade for Haylat
The San Jose Sharks continued their busy offseason overhaul by swapping Dany Heatley for fellow forward Martin Havlat in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. After snaring All-Star defenseman Brent Burns in a separate deal that sent forward Devin Setoguchi to the Wild, the Sharks are hoping to utilize Havlat’s breakaway speed to improve on consecutive unsuccessful trips to the Western Conference finals. The 30-year-old Havlat recorded 22 goals and 40 assists last season for the Wild and despite not playing in the post-season since 2009, the Czech winger does have 49 career playoff points in 67 games. Heatley enjoyed a two-year run with the Sharks that saw him notch 39 goals and 43 assists in the 2009-2010 campaign, along with 26 scores and 38 assists last season. However, the nine-year veteran underperformed in the playoffs and was unable to lead San Jose to their ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup finals appearance.
ICE HOCKEY
Leafs acquire Lombardi
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Matthew Lombardi and defenseman Cody Franson from the Nashville Predators on Sunday, in exchange for defenseman Brett Lebda and prospect Robert Slaney. Looking for more offense, the Leafs rolled the dice on the speedy Lombardi, who played just two games last season due to a concussion, but a year earlier scored 19 goals while setting career highs in assists (34) and points (53) with the Phoenix Coyotes. Selected in the third round of the 2002 NHL draft by the Calgary Flames, Lombardi has 89 goals, 147 assists with 275 penalty minutes in 446 career games. The Leafs also added some depth to their blue line with the addition of the hulking 23-year-old Franson, who registered career highs in goals (8), assists (21), points (29) and penalty minutes (30) last season. In Lebda, the Predators get a mobile defenseman who never found a regular job in Toronto, scoring just one goal and three assists in 41 games.
GOLF
Cook edges Lu in Montreal
John Cook won the Montreal Championship for his third Champions Tour title of the year, closing with a six-under 66 on Sunday for a tournament-record 21-under 195 total. Cook, the runner-up last year at Fontainebleau Golf Club, beat Taiwan’s Lu Chien-soon (70) by three strokes. Joey Sindelar (68) was third at 17 under, and Bill Glasson (64), Corey Pavin (67) and Dan Forsman (68) were another stroke back. Canadian Rod Spittle broke the course record with a 62 to finish at 15 under. “To win coming from behind and win from being ahead, it’s two different animals, really,” Cook said. “Mr Lu did a nice job and he kind of got things going on the back side there and made some beautiful birdies coming down the stretch. He just battled all day and he wasn’t giving up.”
ATHLETICS
Townsend, Harrison win
Tiffany Townsend and Queen Harrison of the US won their races at the Znamensky Brothers Memorial track meet in Zhukovsky, Russia, on Sunday. Townsend finished the 200m in 22.84 seconds to edge countrywoman Charonda Williams by 0.05 seconds, while Harrison’s time of 12.88 seconds in the 100m hurdles was 0.09 seconds faster than compatriot Kristi Castlin. In the men’s 100m, Michael Frater of Jamaica ran 10.11 seconds to beat Ramil Guliyev of Turkey and Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis. In the women’s shot put, Belarussian world indoor champion Nadzeya Ostapchuk threw a season-best 20.94m, beating her mark of 20.59m set last month. US shot-putter Jillian Camarena-Williams was next with 19.15m. Olympic champion Andrey Silnov won the men’s high jump with a leap of 2.32m. Russian teammate Aleksandr Shustov was second with 2.29m. Defending champion Roba Gary of Ethiopia won the men’s 3,000m in 8 minutes, 12.74 seconds. Elijah Chelimo Kipterege was next, followed by fellow Kenyan Patric Terer. Hammer throw world record holder Betty Heidler won with a throw of 75.54m. Krisztian Pars of Hungary won the men’s hammer with a heave of 79.70m. In the men’s 800m, Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia ran 1 minute, 43.00 seconds to beat Kenya’s Boaz Lalang by 0.21 seconds.
SOCCER
FFA, Kewell talks fail
Former Leeds and Liverpool forward Harry Kewell will not be returning home to play in Australia’s top flight after talks with the national governing body fell through, his manager said yesterday. Kewell, Australia’s first world-class player, had been courted by Sydney and Melbourne Victory, with Football Federation Australia (FFA) offering to pitch in payments linked to a marketing role for the struggling A-League. However, Kewell’s manager Bernie Mandic said the FFA had baulked at a demand for Kewell to get a slice of gate revenues at away games. “The FFA offered to assist in bringing Harry back to play in Australia and asked what it would cost to use Harry to market and promote the sport in partnership with the FFA,” he told local radio. “It was a 30-70 split of any additional gate revenue from the away games that Harry plays in. If there are no more people coming to the away games that Harry plays in, Harry gets nothing.”
SOCCER
Dalglish adds Keen to staff
Liverpool appointed Kevin Keen as first team coach on Sunday as part of manager Kenny Dalglish’s reorganization of his backroom staff. The arrival of the 44-year-old former West Ham United first team coach comes after assistant manager Sammy Lee’s departure from Anfield by mutual consent on Friday. Keen was caretaker manager at West Ham for their final match of last season following Avram Grant’s sacking after their relegation from the Premier League.
SOCCER
Model in nude pose vow
Paraguayan fans will be keener than ever for their team to land the Copa America after model Larissa Riquelme on Sunday promised to pose nude should they triumph. Paraguay are in Group B with favorites and holders Brazil, as well as Ecuador and Venezuela. The busty Riquelme gave them extra motivation after making her promise, similar to one she also made during the last World Cup, earning her the sobriquet la Novia del Mundial (World Cup girlfriend) in her homeland. “If Paraguay win the Copa America, then I shall pose nude on the pitch,” she said before the match against Ecuador.
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
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