ATHLETICS
Kipsang wins England Run
Wilson Kipsang defeated fellow Kenyan Micah Kogo in a sprint finish to win the Great North Run in northeast England on Sunday.
Kipsang, this year’s London Marathon winner and the 2012 Olympic Games bronze medalist over the distance outsprinted Kogo in the final 20m to win in a time of 59 minutes and six seconds in the half marathon. Ethiopia’s Imana Merga finished third. In the women’s race, his compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba powered to victory on her half marathon debut. The three-time Olympic champion and four-time world champion, who became the first athlete to retain the Olympic 10,000m title in London, defeated last year’s world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat and 2012 Olympic Games marathon champion Tiki Gelana for victory in a time of 67 minutes 35 seconds.
GOLF
Ballesteros takes Open
Javier Ballesteros, the son of Spanish golfing legend Seve, won the Madrid Open amateur title on Sunday and dedicated his victory to his father who died from cancer in May last year. The 22-year-old Ballesteros, a law student, finished the three-round tournament on six-under. “I thought about him [Seve] over the 18 holes and I dedicate this victory to him and to my mother,” Ballesteros told reporters. Seve Ballesteros won five majors in his career and played in eight Ryder Cups, captaining Europe to victory in 1997.
RALLYING
Finn claims Wales Rally
Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala won the Wales Rally GB on Sunday, finishing 27.8 seconds clear of championship leader Sebastien Loeb to claim a second victory of the season. Loeb edged Petter Solberg to second place to take a 61-point lead in the overall standings, meaning the Citroen driver is likely to clinch a ninth straight title in his home French Rally at the start of next month. Latvala, driving a Ford, was not headed after taking the lead after Friday’s third stage, with Loeb and Solberg never threatening the 24.5-second advantage he held from Saturday.
SPEEDSKATING
US coach investigated
US speedskating coach Jae Su Chun was placed on administrative leave on Sunday, hours after his spokesman released a statement denying claims of verbal, physical and psychological abuse brought by current and former members of the national team, including five Olympic medalists. Nineteen short-track skaters filed a wide-ranging grievance against US Speedskating and 14 signed a code of conduct complaint with the US Olympic Committee on Aug. 30. A USOC spokesman confirmed Friday the organization is investigating charges that include accusations Chun slammed an athlete against a wall and repeatedly hit him, threw bottles and chairs at skaters, and repeatedly told female skaters they were “fat” and “disgusting.”
RUGBY UNION
Exiles clinch victory
London Welsh head coach Lyn Jones was delighted as the Exiles clinched their first English Premiership win with a nailbiting 25-24 victory over Exeter on Sunday. For the Exiles, playing at their new home of the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, this was their first win since clinching promotion and followed heavy defeats by Leicester and champions Harlequins. With less than two minutes left, No. 8 Ed Jackson rounded off a desperate surge by forcing his way over for a try, which replacement fly-half Seb Jewell converted to win the match.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that
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