ATHLETICS
Taiwan wins Masters medal
Hsu Yung-chung of Taiwan placed third in the 70-74 age group men’s 300m hurdles at the biennial World Masters Athletics Championships in Lyon, France, on Tuesday. Hsu, 73, and Dietmar Steiner of Austria both finished in a time of 50.67 seconds behind the winner, Hans-Jurgen Fruhauf of Germany, but Steiner had a better record in the qualifying rounds and was judged second, while Hsu was awarded third place. In an interview after the event, Hsu said he had learned about the championships in 2013 and been training for the event for only 18 months. At the Asia Championships last year, Hsu won a gold medal in the 400m dash and a silver medal in the 300m hurdles. More than 8,000 athletes are competing in age categories ranging from 35 to 95 at this year’s event, which runs through Sunday.
BOXING
Cotto to defend crown
Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto is to defend his WBC middleweight crown in a 12-round world title fight against former two-time world champion Canelo Alvarez on Nov. 21 in Las Vegas. The 34-year-old Cotto, who is the first boxer from Puerto Rico to become world champion in four weight divisions, has 40 wins, four losses and 33 knockouts. Mexico’s Alvarez, 25, has won 32 of his 47 bouts by knockout and has just one defeat. “I have always said during my whole career that I am here to fight the best names and the best fighters,” Cotto said on Thursday. “This fight has something more,” Alvarez said. “It will hold a special place in history as part of the big rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico.”
RUGBY UNION
‘Men In Black’ make advert
New Zealand’s All Blacks have teamed up with former rugby rivals in a Men In Black-themed safety video produced for national carrier Air New Zealand. The video, shown on all the company’s domestic and international flights, features coach Steven Hansen, players Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Israel Dagg, along with former Wallabies winger David Campese and former England captain Martin Johnson. US actor Rip Torn, who appeared with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as the chief of the shadowy Men in Black agency in the franchise’s three movies, appears in that role.
SOCCER
Leicester fines Vardy
Leicester has fined striker Jamie Vardy after he was filmed apparently calling a Japanese man a “Jap” in a casino. Footage published by the Sun newspaper appeared to show Vardy using the derogatory word for a Japanese person three times to a fellow gambler in a Leicester casino last month. Vardy has issued an apology and Leicester says it has now handed him a “substantial fine and prescribed a program of diversity awareness training.”
ATHLETICS
British kit criticized
Olympic long-jump champion Greg Rutherford has criticized the lack of a British flag on the team’s world championships kit. Rutherford posted a picture of the vest on Twitter and said: “Well this isn’t right ... Where’s the Union Jack!?!?” The vest is emblazoned with the words “Great Britain” and also features the logos for British Athletics and Nike on a large white “V” section at the top. There are small red sections on the sides of the vest, which is mostly blue. Although the colors of the Union Jack feature, the flag itself is absent. Rutherford tweeted: “This new kit is ridiculous ... and wrong.” He added: “This isn’t a British kit anymore. It’s promoting British Athletics the company.”
American rugby sevens star Ilona Maher is to join 15-a-side club Bristol next month in a bid to play in next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, the English club announced on Monday. Maher, 28, helped the US to a bronze medal at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris and is the seven-a-side sport’s most popular player on social media. “This is a huge coup to be able to bring Ilona Maher to Bristol Bears on a short-term deal,” Bristol head coach Dave Ward said. “She is one of the biggest names in women’s sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will
US skier Mikaela Shiffrin said she sustained an abrasion on her left hip and that something “stabbed” her when she crashed during her second run of an Audi FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom race on Saturday, doing a flip and sliding into the protective fencing. Shiffrin stayed down on the edge of the course for quite some time as the ski patrol attended to her. She was taken off the hill on a sled and waved to the cheering crowd before going to a clinic for evaluation. “Not really too much cause for concern at this point, I just
CLASH OF MANAGERS: Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler and Russell Martin of Southampton accused each other of disrespect, while both were booked Southampton on Friday were denied a priceless victory by a controversial decision as they drew with hosts Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 in the Premier League. Kaoru Mitoma spectacularly headed Brighton into a first-half lead and Flynn Downes hammered home an equalizer an hour in. Minutes later teammate Cameron Archer converted a cross from Saints substitute Ryan Fraser. A video assistant referee check of more than four minutes eventually decided that Archer was onside, but then penalized Adam Armstrong, who was offside, but did not touch the ball, for interfering with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. “I find it hard to accept,” Southampton manager Russell Martin
HISTORIC VICTORY: Botafogo are the last of the four big Rio clubs to win the Copa Libertadores and they earned a spot in next year’s FIFA Club World Cup Botafogo on Saturday overcame playing with 10 men to win their first Copa Libertadores title after beating fellow Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro 3-1 in the final at Estadio Monumental. After just 30 seconds, midfielder Gregore, one of Botafogo’s best players, hit the head of Fausto Vera with his foot and was given a straight red card. “It was so hard to have one less so early in a final. It was an unfortunate move,” Botafogo defender Alexander Barboza said. “But Gregore deserves this title as much as we do. We made history and that won’t ever be erased.” Winger Luiz
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