CYCLING
Rider suspended over tweets
Team Trek on Thursday suspended 19-year-old American cycling hopeful Quinn Simmons from racing “until further notice” after he posted messages on Twitter in support of US President Donald Trump, which the team described as “divisive, incendiary and damaging.” Simmons, who is white, responded to a tweet by cycling journalist Jose Been that read: “If you follow me and support Trump, you can go,” by posting the word “bye” and a hand-waving emoji in a black skin tone. In a statement, the team said that Simmons had acted in a way that was “inappropriate for a Trek athlete.”
HORSE RACING
Jockey tests for cocaine
The champion jockey of British horse racing has tested positive for cocaine, the Professional Jockeys Association said on Thursday. Oisin Murphy returned a positive test for metabolites of the drug in a test undertaken in France on July 19, the association said. The 25-year-old rider from Ireland, who denied taking the drug, arranged for a hair sample test at an independent laboratory, which returned a negative result, the association said. He has shared those results with France Galop and is awaiting the result of its analysis of his B sample.
ATHLETICS
Runners’ shoes face scrutiny
Kenyan duo Brigid Kosgei and Ruth Chepngetich are tomorrow to use controversial shoes worn by Eliud Kipchoge in the London Marathon. Kenya’s Kipchoge broke the two-hour barrier in an unofficial event in Vienna in October last year, when he wore the platform Alphafly Next% shoes. While the shoes are allowed by World Athletics, they are estimated to improve running economy by up to 8 percent. Kipchoge’s record led to calls for the Nike shoes to be banned, but women’s marathon world record holder Kosgei is adamant the runner makes the difference. “It is someone who can run, it’s not the shoes, it does not depend on the shoes,” she said.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Burgess under investigation
Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) yesterday said it would investigate allegations of drug abuse and domestic violence involving former England international Sam Burgess and the South Sydney Rabbitohs team. The Australian newspaper said in a report that South Sydney had covered up misconduct by former captain Burgess during his playing career at the club. Burgess, who represented England in rugby league and rugby union at the 2015 World Cup, retired from the NRL last year, but has worked in a coaching role at the Rabbitohs. Hours after the NRL said they would investigate, Burgess stepped down from his coaching role at the Rabbitohs and his TV job with Fox League, a rugby league channel.
ATHLETICS
Athens Marathon canceled
This year’s Athens Marathon, scheduled for Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said in a statement. The Greek athletic federation, SEGAS, said they considered a number of scenarios, including conducting only the full 42km race and reducing the number of participants, but were forced to call it off as they could not guarantee the safety of the runners.
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
The Edmonton Oilers on Thursday defeated the Dallas Stars 6-3 to book their place in the Stanley Cup Finals, setting up a repeat of last year’s NHL showpiece against reigning champions the Florida Panthers. The Oilers, bidding to become the first Canadian team to win the NHL’s championship series since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, head to Florida for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series set for Wednesday. Florida, who are to play in the NHL showpiece for the third straight season, won last year’s title 4-3 to extend Canada’s decades-long Stanley Cup drought. Connor McDavid led Edmonton back to the championship series on
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