CANOEING
Suzuki banned for spiking
Japan’s anti-doping body has banned a top canoeist for eight years after he spiked a rival’s drink with a banned substance to boost his own chances of selection for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Japan Anti-Doping Agency slapped 32-year-old sprint canoeist Yasuhiro Suzuki with the eight-year ban, the Japan Canoe Federation announced yesterday, slamming his offense as “extremely evil.” Suzuki confessed to putting a banned muscle-boosting substance into the drink bottle of 25-year-old rival Seiji Komatsu during a domestic competition in September last year, the federation said. “Suzuki’s conduct is totally contrary to the spirit of sporting fair play,” it said in a statement, adding that it would consider expelling Suzuki permanently, as he has a history of sabotaging competitors, including by stealing their equipment. Suzuki admitted spiking the drink after receiving an intensive anti-doping lecture during a training camp, the federation said. “I was fretting. I did it as I thought he would overwhelm me. I didn’t expect he’d actually test positive,” Japan Broadcasting Corp quoted Suzuki as telling the federation. Komatsu won the race, but was later provisionally suspended after he tested positive to the drug, which he strenuously denied using. His suspension has now been lifted.
SOCCER
Murray leads Brighton to win
Substitute Glenn Murray on Monday grabbed Brighton & Hove Albion a 2-1, third-round FA Cup victory over Crystal Palace as video technology made its debut in England. It was the first time the Video Assistant Referee system had been used in English soccer for a one-off trial, but was never needed to overturn any decision by referee Andre Marriner at the American Express Community Stadium. However, there was some confusion over the winning goal in the 87th minute, as former Palace striker Murray bundled in the winner with his knee following a free-kick to score his seventh goal this term. Palace players protested to the officials after the game that the ball had touched Murray’s arm after his knee, but replays suggested the right decision had been made. Earlier, midfielder Dale Stephens gave the hosts a 25th-minute lead by rifling a shot through Wayne Hennessey at the Palace goalkeeper’s near post. Mali forward Bakary Sako, making just his fourth start of the season, hammered home a brilliant equalizer for Palace midway through the second period from long range to cap an excellent individual display. However, Murray came off the bench to secure the win for Brighton, who are to travel to Middlesbrough in the fourth round at the end of this month.
SOCCER
Espanyol defeat Malaga 1-0
RCD Espanyol on Monday scored early in the first half and held on to beat struggling Malaga 1-0 for their first away win of the La Liga season. Midfielder Sergi Darder scored six minutes into the match at Estadio La Rosaleda to spur Espanyol to the elusive victory in their 10th away match of the season. It was Espanyol’s second consecutive league triumph following a win over second-placed Atletico Madrid in their final game last year. The club from Barcelona reached 14th place in the 20-team standings, moving further away from the relegation zone. Malaga, who have lost three in a row, remained second-to-last on 11 points, the same as last-placed UD Las Palmas.
Major League Baseball (MLB) star Shohei Ohtani wants his former interpreter to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. The Los Angeles Dodgers star is also requesting Ippei Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly US$17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, return signed collectible baseball cards depicting Ohtani that were in Mizuhara’s “unauthorized and wrongful possession,” court documents filed on Tuesday said. The legal filing alleges Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account beginning in about November 2021, changing his security protocols so that he
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
Mary McGee, a female racing pioneer and subject profiled in an Oscar-contending documentary, Motorcycle Mary, has died, her family said. She was 87. “McGee’s unparalleled achievements in off-road racing and motorcycle racing have inspired generations of athletes that followed in her footsteps,” her family said in a statement. The family said McGee died of complications from a stroke at her home in Gardnerville, Nevada, on Wednesday, the day before the release of the short documentary Motorcycle Mary, on ESPN’s YouTube channel. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was an executive producer on the film, which became available globally on Thursday. Its premiere
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