GOLF
Gallacher hospitalized
Former European Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher is in critical condition in hospital in his native Scotland after suffering a suspected heart attack. The 64-year-old Scot skippered the Ryder Cup team in 1991, 1993 and 1995. Europe lost by 14.5 to 13.5 points at Kiawah Island, South Carolina in Gallacher’s first match in charge. His team were then beaten 15-13 on home soil at The Belfry two years later, before he finally landed his first win by 14.5 to 13.5 points against Lanny Wadkins’s US side at Oak Hill Country Club in New York in 1995. Gallacher, one of the leading players on the tour in the 1970s and 1980s, won 13 times in Europe and on eight occasions elsewhere. In 1969, he became the youngest golfer to represent the-then Britain and Ireland team in the Ryder Cup, a record that has since been eclipsed by Nick Faldo, Paul Way and Sergio Garcia. Gallacher went on to compete in eight Ryder Cups as a player.
WEIGHTLIFTING
USADA bans Ramos, 80
Don Ramos, an 80-year-old who was bidding for a world record at the Pan American Masters Weightlifting Championships, has been busted for steroid use. The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), known for taking on such high-profile cheats as cyclist Lance Armstrong, said on Friday that Ramos had been banned for two years after testing positive during the competition on June 14. Ramos “tested positive for the presence of a steroid of exogenous origin” and will forfeit all competitive results since the date of the test, USADA said. The weightlifter, who had been attempting to set a world record for his age group at the event for competitors 35 and older, will be eligible to return to competition in July 2015.
BASKETBALL
Odom charged with DUI
NBA player Lamar Odom was arrested early on Friday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated (DUI) after police noticed his Mercedes SUV steering erratically on a Los Angeles highway, authorities said. Odom, 33, the husband of reality TV star Khloe Kardashian and currently not under contract with any team, was pulled over by California Highway Patrol officers at 3:25am after he was spotted “driving in a serpentine manner,” police said. Police said the former Los Angeles Lakers player passed two exits on the US 101 freeway before pulling over and showed signs of intoxication. Police did not detail the suspected source of intoxication. Odom was unable to perform sobriety tests, was arrested and booked in jail after refusing all chemical tests, the police report said. The arrest comes at a time when the two-time National Basketball Association champion is looking for a team for the upcoming season. His marriage to Kardashian has been the focus of the US tabloid media. Odom posted US$15,000 bond and was released from Los Angeles County jail at 8:33am, records indicate.
SOCCER
Court girds for debt cases
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is bracing for a flurry of cases related to UEFA rules that aim to curb debt in Europe’s soccer leagues by clamping down on big spending, its head said on Friday. “We’ve already had cases concerning clubs that had overdue payments or debts, who did not pay a debt on time,” CAS secretary-general Matthieu Reeb told reporters, citing Spanish side Malaga, and Turkey’s Bursaspor and Besiktas. He said that the CAS’s expert arbitrators would have their work cut out handling what have the potential to be highly complex disputes over club finances.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
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
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
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
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