BASKETBALL
Derrick Rose inks extension
Reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose has agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Chicago Bulls worth approximately US$94 million, a person familiar with the situation said on Tuesday. The extension will start in the 2012-2013 season, when Rose is eligible to make about US$16 million. The Chicago Tribune, citing sources, first reported the deal. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been finalized. The local product went from Rookie of the Year to All-Star to MVP in his first three seasons, becoming the youngest player to win that award. He also joined Michael Jordan as the only Bulls players to win the MVP.
CYCLING
Kolobnev not extended
Russia’s 2008 road race Olympic bronze medalist Alexander Kolobnev was not offered a new contract by the Katusha team on Tuesday following his disqualification from this year’s Tour de France for a positive dope test. The team decided not to extend his contract for another year despite him receiving a light punishment from his national federation in October of a fine of US$1,700 and no suspension, contenting itself with a formal warning. Kolobnev, 30, tested positive on July 6 for a masking agent called hydrochlorothiazide that hides the presence of performance-enhancing drugs in the system. The Russian-sponsored Katusha pulled the two-time world road race silver medalist out of the race and later suspended him from the team.
WINDSURFING
Olympic champ misses cut
Reigning Olympic men’s windsurfing champion Tom Ashley missed selection in the New Zealand team for next year’s London Games. Ashley lost New Zealand’s sole spot in the RS:X class to rival J.P. Tobin, who finished one spot ahead of him in fifth at last week’s world sailing championships in Australia. Tobin has beaten Ashley three times in head-to-head contests this season and the selectors attached most weight to the world championship placings. Ashley continued New Zealand’s strong history in Olympic windsurfing when he won in Beijing, following brother and sister Bruce and Barbara Kendall, who are both former Olympic gold medalists.
SWIMMING
Phil Rogers’ medals stolen
Three-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games champion swimmer Phil Rogers of Australia had many of his medals stolen from his home during a daylight break-in. The 40-year-old Rogers, a former breaststroker, said yesterday that thieves made off with an Olympic medley relay bronze medal from Atlanta in 1996, two Commonwealth Games gold medals, two world championship gold medals, two Pan Pacific golds and Rogers’ Order of Australia medal. He said the medals had no monetary value, but “they’re of tremendous value to me because it’s 20 years of hard work.” Police in Adelaide cautioned secondhand dealers to look out for anyone trying to sell the medals, half of which are engraved with Rogers’ name.
BASEBALL
Rays re-sign Joel Peralta
The Tampa Bay Rays re-signed key reliever Joel Peralta to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration, the MLB team said on Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed, but a report on MLB’s Web site said the right-hander would receive US$2.2 million. Peralta, 35, held opposing batters to a .188 average, posted a 3-4 record with a 2.93 earned run average last season and tied for second among American League relievers with 71 appearances.
South Korean giants T1, led by “Faker,” won their fifth League of Legends (LoL) world championship crown in London on Saturday, beating China’s Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in a thrilling final. The teams were locked at 2-2 at a packed O2 arena, but T1 clinched game five to make it back-to-back titles after nearly four hours of tense action. China’s BLG started strongly, taking the first game before T1 struck back to level. The Chinese team pulled ahead again at 2-1 only for their opponents to hit back again and go on to take the decider. Faker, who won the Most
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Belgian partner Elise Mertens on Monday notched up their first win in the doubles group stage of the WTA Finals in Riyadh to keep their semi-final hopes alive, while Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russian partner Veronika Kudermetova were aiming to record their first victory after press time last night. Third seeds Hsieh and Mertens came back from a disheartening opening-day loss to Australia’s Ellen Perez and Nicole Melichar-Martinez to defeat top seeds Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, the women’s doubles world No. 3 and 4 respectively. The 6-1, 6-3 victory at King Saud University Indoor Arena
Amber Glenn overcame a fall and her own doubts to win a maiden Grand Prix figure skating title on Saturday at the Grand Prix de France. The American skater had the lead from Friday’s short program. That and the support of the crowd got her through a tough free skate in which she fell on a triple flip and put a hand onto the ice to steady herself on two other jumps. “I didn’t feel that great out there today, but I really tried, and the audience really got me through that last half when I was doubting myself,” Glenn
Taiwan’s top table tennis player Lin Yun-ju made his debut in the US professional table tennis scene by taking on a new role as a team’s co-owner. On Wednesday, Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), founded in September last year, announced on its official Web site that Lin had become part of the ownership group of the Princeton Revolution, one of the league’s eight teams. MLTT chief executive officer Flint Lane described Lin’s investment as “another great milestone for table tennis in America,” saying that the league’s “commitment to growth and innovation is drawing attention from the best in the sport, and we’re