olympic spirit

Federer, Nadal out of Qatar Open

2012-01-07T02:12:00.000-08:00

Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts after his semi-final match against Gael Monfils of France during the ATP Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha January 6, 2012.

DOHA - Frenchman Gael Monfil supset top seeded Rafael Nadal, while defending champion Roger Federer pulled out of the Qatar Open for back injury on Friday.

Monfils will face third-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsongain in an all- French finale here on Saturday. Doha serves as a tune-up for the first Grand Slam event of the year, the Australian Open, which will commence January 16 in Melbourne.

The former world No. 1 Nadal succumbed to a fourth-seeded Monfils 6-3, 6-4 on the hardcourt.

Monfils ended a five-match losing streak versus the 10-time major champion Nadal. After dropping the opening set on Friday, Nadal appeared to be back in the match against Monfils as he held a 4-1 lead in the stanza.

But the Frenchman shocked onlookers by taking five straight games to pull off the upset in 1 hour, 35 minutes. Monfils won 16- of-21 points to go from 1-4 down to 5-4 up.

Nadal is the reigning French Open champion, was last year's Wimbledon and US Open runner-up, and was a Doha finalist two years ago.

Monfils was the Doha runner-up back in 2006. The powerful Nadal and Monfils met for a 10th time, as Nadal still comfortably leads the lifetime series, 8-2.

The Frenchman, however, was a quarterfinal victor here in Doha two years ago. The 25-year-old Monfils will now appear in his 16th career final (4-11), seeking only a fifth title.

He was 1-1 in a pair of finals last year, including a big victory in Stockholm. Tsonga received a walkover into the final when the second-seeded former No. 1 Federer exited the draw on Day 5 with back spasms.

Federer said he expects to be ready for the Aussie Open. "For Australia, I'm optimistic, just because it's not very good but it isn't crazy bad," Federer said.

"I have had bad backs in the past. This is definitely not very good; otherwise I would be playing. But I feel without play and the right treatment, I will get through it in the next few days."

This marks only the second time that the 30-year-old Federer has withdrawn during an event because of injury.

The 16-time major champion Federer is a three-time Doha titlist, including a victory over Russian Nikolay Davydenkoin last year's finale.

The 26-year-old Tsonga will appear in his 13th career ATP World Tour final, seeking an eighth championship. He went 2-4 in his 2011 title tilts.

Tsonga and Monfils will meet for a fourth time, with Tsonga leading their all-time series 2-1, all on hardcourts.

The winner of this 1.24 million dollar tournament will claim 175,380 dollars.

(Xinhua)

Carroll scores as Liverpool crush Oldham

2012-01-07T02:08:00.000-08:00

Liverpool's Andy Carroll celebrates after scoring during their FA Cup soccer match against Oldham Athletic at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England, January 6, 2012.

LONDON - Andy Carroll scored at Anfield for the first time this season to help Liverpool reach the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 5-1 win over League 1 (third division) Oldham Athletic on Friday.

England international Carroll, bought for 35 million pounds ($53.93 million) from Newcastle United last January, pounced with injury time approaching to put Liverpool 4-1 up after they had gone behind in the 28th minute.

Oldham's Robbie Simpson produced an unstoppable strike from 25 metres in the 28th minute but Liverpool quickly drew level when a Jonjo Shelvey shot destined for the goalkeeper's hands deflected off Craig Bellamy into the corner of the net.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, plagued by injuries in 2011, then rifled home a penalty at the end of the first half to give his side a 2-1 lead.

Bellamy's pace unsettled Oldham as Liverpool made it 3-1 after 68 minutes, the Welsh winger's cross after a dashing run dispatched by Shelvey.

Misfiring striker Carroll then grabbed his third goal of the season after a swivel on the edge of the box and a smart finish before Stewart Downing made it 5-1 deep into injury time.

(China daily)

Clijsters eases into semis, Kanepi upsets Petkovic

2012-01-07T01:58:00.000-08:00

Kim Clijsters of Belgium challenges a line call during her match against Iveta Benesova of Czech Republic at the Brisbane International tennis tournament Jan 5, 2012.

Benesova had beaten top seed Stosur in the second round on Wednesday and was targeting the Australian Open champion in their quarter-final to achieve a special double of beating grand slam champions on successive days.

The 28-year-old Belgian refused to let that happen by racing to a 5-1 lead in the first set and then, after tightening up a little to allow the Czech to narrow the gap, serving out 6-3.

Clisjters made short work of the second set, with Benesova holding her first service game before the four-times grand slam champion raced through winning the next five games to again have a 5-1 lead.

Bensova finally held her serve again in the seventh game but it only delayed the inevitable and Clijsters served out in just under 80 minutes.

Andrea Petkovic of Germany hits a return to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during their match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament, Jan 5, 2012.

Estonia's Kaia Kanepi earlier provided the upset of the quarter-finals when she beat second seed and world number 10 Andrea Petkovic 6-1 7-6.

The hard-hitting Kanepi had been cruising to victory but needed five match points to seal the win as her German opponent offered some late resistance.

Petkovic had been hampered by a back injury throughout the match but was able to increase the pressure when the 26-year-old was serving for the match at 5-4 and eventually forced a tie-break.

Despite having an opportunity to finish off the match on three further occasions, Kanepi finally managed to seal the win 9-7 in the tie-break after one hour, 40 minutes to set up a semi-final against Francesca Schiavone.

Third seed Schiavone had earlier ground down former world number one Jelena Jankovic 5-7 7-6 6-3 in a drawn-out quarter-final that lasted almost three hours as both players squandered numerous match point opportunities.

Jankovic wasted two match points in the second set while 2010 French Open champion Schiavone also squandered two match points of her own in the third.

Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova had a walkover into the semi-finals after Serena Williams withdrew on Wednesday with an ankle injury that she sustained in her second round victory over Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski.

Kaia Kanepi of Estonia reacts after winning her match against Andrea Petkovic of Germany at the Brisbane International tennis tournament, Jan 5, 2012.

In the men's draw, second seed Gilles Simon started sluggishly but managed to overcome Santiago Giraldo 7-6 6-4 in the quarter-finals.

Simon, who beat American Ryan Sweeting and Australia's James Duckworth in the first two rounds, is building nicely for the Australian Open later this month in Melbourne, something the Frenchman was pleased with.

"I've already played three good matches so it's good preparation for Melbourne," Simon said.

"I'm feeling good, I'm moving better and better everyday."

(Agencies)

Messi, Fabregas give Barca 4-0 win over Osasuna

2012-01-05T03:42:00.001-08:00

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring against against Osasuna with Dani Alves during their Spanish Kings Cup soccer match at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona January 4, 2012.

MADRID - Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas each scored twice as Barcelona thrilled the Nou Camp with a crushing 4-0 win over Osasuna in their King's Cup last-16 first leg on Wednesday.

The Spanish and European champions dominated their La Liga rivals from start to finish and the victory was made all the sweeter when talisman Messi came off the bench to add two goals to first-half strikes from former Arsenal captain Fabregas.

Barca had said earlier on Wednesday Messi would miss the game because of flu and fever but club doctors managed to subdue the illness sufficiently for the Argentine World Player of the Year to replace Pedro for the final half hour

Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas (L) and Dani Alves celebrate a goal against Osasuna during their Spanish King's Cup soccer match at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, January 4, 2012.

Fabregas put the home side ahead in the 13th minute and doubled their lead five minutes later with a fine piece of close control and a sublime chip over Osasuna goalkeeper Asier Riesgo.

Messi netted a rare header 20 minutes from time before picking up a Xavi pass on the edge of the area, the Spain's playmaker's third assist of the night, and curling a shot into the corner of the net.

Barring upsets in next week's second legs, Barca will face great rivals Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, who beat them 1-0 in last year's final and came back from two goals down to win their last-16 first leg against Malaga 3-2 on Tuesday.

(china daily)

Mavs silence Thunder as unbeaten records fall

2012-01-05T03:36:00.001-08:00

* Mavs climbing out of 0-3 start

No last-second buzzer-beater could save Oklahoma City this time as the Thunder lost a rematch with the Dallas Mavericks 100-87 on Monday to become the last NBA team to record a loss this season.

In a matchup between these teams just four days earlier, Kevin Durant made a three-pointer as time expired to give the Thunder a dramatic win against the Mavericks squad that knocked them out of the Western Conference Finals last season.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (R) drives past Dallas Mavericks guard Vince Carter during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Dallas, Texas, Jan 2, 2012.

Dallas hit back on Monday, taking a seven-point lead at halftime before moving ahead by 15 in the third to hand Oklahoma City (5-1) their first loss.

The Miami Heat also entered the night 5-0, but fell to Atlanta to leave the NBA without any undefeated teams.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points to counter Durant's 27 and the defending NBA champion Mavericks (2-4) made strides after their tough start to the season.

"I feel like we're going to be able to play with anybody ultimately," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters.

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (C) hits a three-point shot as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (L), forward Lazar Hayward (2nd L), guard Reggie Jackson (2nd R) and guard Vince Carter are near during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Dallas, Texas, Jan 2, 2012.

Dallas, having made some key roster changes, stumbled to an 0-3 start but have now won two of their last three games.

New acquisition Vince Carter had 14 points while Shawn Marion added 17 for the Mavericks who made a big move in the second half.

Dallas opened the third quarter with a 14-6 run to move 68-53 ahead and the Thunder were facing an uphill battle from there.

"We didn't have any energy from the beginning," Durant said. "You also have to give credit to Dallas for the effort they made on defense. They made us shoot tough shots and made us see multiple defenders if a guy had the ball."

Russell Westbrook finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort for the Thunder.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant dunks the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Dallas, Texas, Jan 2, 2012.

(Agencies)

LeBron fires Heat to Pacers thrashing

2012-01-05T03:31:00.000-08:00

Miami Heat forward LeBron James argues with an official during their NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers in Miami, Florida January 4, 2012.

LeBron James carried the extra load without Dwyane Wade as the Miami Heat crushed the Indiana Pacers 118-83 on Wednesday to rebound from their first loss of the season.

James just missed a triple-double, posting 33 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds to ensure the Heat (6-1) kept their offense running smoothly while Wade sat out with a nagging foot injury.

Having lost to the Atlanta Hawks two days earlier to end their undefeated start, Miami quickly returned to business as usual.

They buried Indiana with a 33-12 second quarter, sparked by James Jones who caught fire with a trio of three-pointers in the period and finished with 14 points starting in place of Wade.

Chris Bosh added 22 for the Heat, who continued to pad out their lead and were never threatened by the visitors.

Roy Hibbert led the way with 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers (4-2) who managed just 34 percent shooting as they fell to their second loss in three games.

(Agencies)

Li Na says 'cheese' with baby kangaroo in Australia

2012-01-02T02:44:00.000-08:00

China's Tennis player, Li Na holds a baby kangaroo while posing for a photo shoot at Kings Park on day 2 of 2012 Hopman Cup tennis tournament in Perth, Australia, Jan. 1, 2012.

China's Tennis player, Li Na poses for a photo shoot with the local fans at Kings Park on day 2 of 2012 Hopman Cup tennis tournament in Perth, Australia, Jan. 1, 2012.

(Xinhua)

New faces joined pantheon of greats

2011-12-29T23:08:00.000-08:00

The year 2011 may not go down as the most exciting or uplifting in sports history. But new stars were unveiled, the most reviled teams kept a safe distance from championships and Japan found a reason to smile after the bitter disaster that plagued the country. So things weren't all bad, China Daily reports.

1. Lovable winners in North America

The Dallas Mavericks' first title in franchise history was so charming, even the team they defeated in the NBA Finals - the Miami Heat - got into the spirit. After the game, several players from the Heat were seen at a nightclub celebrating with the Mavs. ("Thanks for embarrassing us in the Finals, fellas! Buy you a Jagerbomb?")

The Green Bay Packers? Maybe it's the cheese, maybe it's the coolest uniforms in sports, maybe it's the cute accents (it's the accents), but for a team with four Super Bowl rings, it was surprisingly hard to get upset when it racked up another title. Better the Packers than the Cowboys or Giants, anyway.

The St Louis Cardinals' seven-game World Series win over the Texas Rangers was just the beginning of a great year for Albert Pujols, who parlayed his second ring into a $254 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. If that isn't a win-win, nothing is (at least for Pujols) And that came in the wake of Sept 28 - what many called the greatest day in baseball's long history - which was capped when the Rays came back from a 7-0 deficit to stun the Yankees in the 12th inning, just as Baltimore was putting the final touches on Boston's epic collapse.

The Stanley Cup was marred by a riot in Vancouver after the Bruins beat the Canucks, but even that ugly scene left behind the best photograph of the year - a man and woman laying in the street kissing while the riot swirled around them. Boston's win marked not only its first appearance in the Finals since 1990, but also its first Cup since 1972.

2. A new era dawns in golf

The No 1 golfer in the world is very definitely not Tiger Woods. That distinction instead belongs to Luke Donald, who spent 31 consecutive weeks at the top and became the first to top the money list on both the PGA and the European PGA in the same year.

It wasn't a total loss for Woods - after watching his world ranking dip into the 60s, he ended up with his first win since 2009, and finished ranked No 22.

Rory McIlroy's year went from terrible to fantastic, as he followed up his disastrous final round at the Masters by becoming the youngest winner of the US Open in 81 years.

3. Dry spells finally end in rugby, cricket

Long droughts were broken at the two most prestigious World Cup events of the year.

Perennial favorite New Zealand finally claimed its first Rugby World Cup since the inaugural event in 1979. The host side hung on like grim death in the final at Auckland's famed Eden Park in October to beat a mercurial French team 8-7.

The unlikely hero for the All Blacks was the backup fly half's backup, Stephen Donald, whose penalty kick in the second half put the Kiwis up 8-0.

India, like New Zealand, also claimed its second Cup after a lengthy break when it clinched the Cricket World Cup crown in Mumbai in February.

Co-host and co-favorite India, which won its only other title in 1983, chased down an imposing total of 279 set by fellow host and favorite Sri Lanka with 10 balls to spare in the final. Mahela Jayawardene made 102 for the Sri Lankans, but a fine 97 from Gautam Gambhir and a great captain's knock of 91 not out from M.S. Dhoni sent India home.

Also, India's Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag became the first and second batsmen to make 200 runs in an ODI innings.

Tendulkar had an unbeaten 200 against South Africa in February, while Sehwag bookended the year with 219 against the West Indies.

4. Barca's the best

Could a national team like Spain or Brazil beat Barcelona? We think not. Not on the form it showed in the 2010-2011 Champions League, anyway.

The men from Camp Nou ran roughshod over the world's top club competition and claimed their fourth crown with a 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in May. The team's only hiccup along its journey was a 2-1 loss to Arsenal in the round of 16, but it avenged that 3-1 in the return leg.

Brilliant Argentine Lionel Messi was the tournament's top goal scorer (12) and was justifiably named man of the championship. However, the team's diminutive sparkplug is just a cog in a star-studded Catalan side that modest manager Pep Guardiola manages to make play with great flair, but within the concept of team. Beware Europe, Barca's not going away anytime soon.

5. Joyful Japanese

In perhaps the greatest sporting upset of the year, the Japanese women's soccer team downed the United States to win the gold medal at the Women's World Cup in Frankfurt, Germany.

The Japanese stunned a strong host side, 1-0, in the quarterfinals after finishing the group stage second behind England. It then swept past Sweden in the semis (3-1) to set up a final date with the perennial women's powerhouse. With only nine minutes remaining in regulation time and Japan down by a goal, Aya Miyama struck to level the score and ultimately send the game into extra time. The US went ahead again and seemed to have the gold in its keeping until player of the tournament Homare Sawa scored in the 117th minute to send the game to penalties. Japan held its nerve, the US missed its first three shots and a nation ravaged by an earthquake and tsunami earlier in the year finally had something to cheer about.

6. No love in the pool

They may be US teammates and friends, but when Super Fish Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte dive into the pool, there's no quarter asked nor given. Having swum in Phelp's wake for so long, Lochte finally got his chance to turn the tide at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai in July, and that's exactly what he did.

Lochte claimed five gold medals at the event to be named top male swimmer. Phelps, still struggling to find his best form after a lengthy post-Olympics break, still finished with a hefty haul of seven medals (four gold, two silver, one bronze), and the stage is now set for what should be a classic showdown between buddies in London.

7. The best of enemies

World sprinting has devolved into a race between two nations - the United States and Jamaica - and the fascinatingly heated rivalry was on show for all to see at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, in September.

When the dust has settled on the sprint lanes (after the 100m, 200m and 4x100m finals) the final tally was: Jamaica - four gold and three silver, the US - three gold, three silver and one bronze. Ooooh, are thing going to get hot in London or what?

(China Daily)

The sad and ugly of 2011

2011-12-29T22:58:00.000-08:00

This fading year was supposed to be the calm before the London Olympic storm of 2012. Instead, tragedies on and off the field, scandals, lockouts and big stars making bigger mistakes kept sports in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, Tym Glaser writes.

1. Russian tragedy Before leaving for his first job as a head coach in professional hockey, Brad McCrimmon, asked a fellow American coach with experience in Russia's Kontinental League (KHL) what to expect. The response, according to a Sports Illustrated article, was that the money is green, but the knuckles are white due to the travel.

On Sept 7, the chartered flight carrying McCrimmon and his highly rated Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team crashed on the way to the opening game of the season in Minsk, Belarus - ultimately killing all on board, including 37 team personnel.

A famous franchise fell from the sky and the Russians now say rapid reforms will be on the way to improve air safety in a country that has a record among the worst in the world.

2. Horror on campus

Penn State University was a paragon of collegiate athletic virtue in an otherwise shady world. Its highly successful American football program, under legendary coach Joe Paterno, the man with the most NCAA wins of all time, was also known for graduating its student athletes.

That Ivory Tower crumbled this year when a former assistant coach of Paterno's, Jerry Sandusky, was charged with 40 counts of child molestation involving eight young men. That in itself would not have been a problem for the university or Paterno, except it has been reported the university and coach knew of at least one alleged incident that happened in the showers on campus for almost a decade but had not reported it to police. Paterno was told of an incident and informed his superiors (although Paterno runs the show there); and that's where he left it, and they did as well. When word came out publicly, the lack of any follow-up action cost the college's president and Paterno their jobs, while two other staff members have been charged with perjury.

Sandusky, who is under house arrest, has pleaded innocent to the charges and claims he was just "horsing around". Adults should not "horse around " with juveniles in showers - full stop. And officials involved in the overall welfare of young people should not brush such matters under the carpet or try to ignore them. This stain on Penn State will never be cleaned.

Sadly, the Penn State scandal opened a can of worms, with allegations being made against Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine, who was fired in November, and even prominent Philadelphia sport journalist Bill Conlin, who resigned his post at the Daily News in that city just before the allegations emerged.

3. Cricket bowled over

Three Pakistan cricketers are enjoying the delights of time in an English jail after being found guilty of spot-fixing during a Test match against England at Lord's in 2010.

Spot fixing is not the altering of a result, but the orchestrating of a stage or facet of a match that can be bet upon. The Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were found guilty of conspiring to cheat at gambling and accepting corrupt payments after Butt ordered the two pacemen to bowl no balls at certain times

4. Deadly rides

Life racing at high speed comes with even higher risks. Unfortunately, the world lost three prime racers this year.

Dan Wheldon, the two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and father of two young children, died in a horrific crash during the Indy 300 race in Las Vegas in October. The Englishman, 33, was a special invite to the field and was racing from the back of the pack in pursuit of a special $5 million prize offered to a non-series driver who could win the season finale at a track many of the drivers said was sure to cause crashes. Sure enough, early in the race, Wheldon drove into a wreck, became airborne, hit the side wall and died instantly.

MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli died as a result of injuries he suffered in a crash at the Malaysian Grand Prix, also in October. The mop-haired Italian was just coming off his best MotoGP result with a second-place finish the week before in Australia.

Popular Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt crashed and died during a steep decent during the Giro d'Italia in May. He was 26 and left behind a girlfriend five months pregnant with their first child.

5. Basket cases

The NBA tried to shoot itself in the foot this year with an unseemly lockout The owners cried poor and wanted concessions from the players, which they by-and-large got. The league tipped off on Christmas Day with a 66-game schedule, but it's left a bitter taste in many fans' mouths as they wonder how millionaire players and billionaire owners can fight when they are supposed to be entertaining the public, not ignoring it. Commissioner David Stern and his NBA has some serious making up to do to fans.

6. Star stumbles

Everybody around the globe was wondering what time Usain Bolt could run in the men's 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea - it turned out to be a DQ.

Under the IAAF's ridiculous one-and-out false start rule, Bolt broke and was disqualified. The world was cheated of watching the most-anticipated race of the meet and its biggest star. Bolt admitted it was his fault after his rising Jamaican stablemate, Yohan Blake, took the gold in 9.92, but that rule needs a serious review.

Meanwhile, in the world of baseball, the NL's newly crowned MVP, Ryan Braun, tested positive for a much higher level of testosterone than normal. The Milwaukee Bucks star is appealing the findings, of course. Thank goodness that steroid crisis in the game is over with now!

7. Foot in mouth

Ole Uncle Sepp had a tremendous year, what with a one-man presidential election (himself - after his only opponent, Mohamed bin Hammam (pictured), pulled out after allegedly being caught trying to bribe CONCACAF officials for their vote) and issues about corruption and racism in the sport. But don't let us tell you about it; we'll let Blatter blather.

"I will take care of it personally, to ensure there is no corruption at FIFA." What a guy.

"Crisis? What is a crisis? Football is not in a crisis."

In May, Blatter denied claims FIFA was in crisis amid corruption allegations directed at bin Hammam and Jack Warner. Two months later, bin Hammam was banned for life and Warner resigned.

"I would say they should refrain from any sexual activities." "Joking" that gay people should not indulge in "sexual activities" at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as homosexuality is illegal in the Gulf state.

"He should say that this is a game. We are in a game, and at the end of the game, we shake hands, and this can happen, because we have worked so hard against racism and discrimination." Sepp's simple solution to on-field racism ... why didn't we think of that?

(China Daily)

Welcome rest day for Lakers after hectic start

2011-12-29T22:54:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (L) and Pau Gasol (R) of Spain walk towards the bench for a time out after losing possession of the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Dec 25, 2011.

With egos badly bruised after losing their first two games of the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers enjoyed a rare day off on Wednesday having avoided their first 0-3 start since 1978.

The 16-time NBA champions were beaten 88-87 by the Chicago Bulls in their season opener then 100-91 by the Sacramento Kings before returning to winning ways with a 96-71 romp at home to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

Three games crammed into three hectic days at least ended on a winning note after many Lakers fans despaired while watching their team squander an 11-point lead against the Bulls and then look worryingly old and slow against the younger, faster Kings.

New Lakers coach Mike Brown was delighted to watch his players finally earn him a win and he rewarded them with a day off, their first since training began on Dec 9.

"I feel good about my team, I feel good about the process we're going through right now," Brown told reporters.

"It's helping me to see what kind of character we have while we're learning."

Los Angeles Lakers fans, one wearing a shirt asking to trade NBA commissioner David Stern (R), dance during a stop in play against the Chicago Bulls during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Dec 25, 2011.

The Lakers have been perennial championship contenders in recent years with All-Star guard Kobe Bryant and Spanish forward Pau Gasol leading the way but their fans were hardly encouraged by the moves made, or not made, during the offseason.

Inspirational coach Phil Jackson retired and disgruntled forward Lamar Odom, the league's best bench player last season, asked to be traded to the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks.

Odom had felt more than slighted when he and Gasol were part of a three-club deal that would have brought four-time All-Star Chris Paul to the Lakers, only for that trade to be blocked by the NBA.

(Agencies)

Year-ender: World's top sports news in 2011

2011-12-29T22:43:00.000-08:00

The world's top sports news in 2011 selected by Xinhua News Agency:

Lionel Messi of Argentina, FIFA World Player of the Year holds his FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 trophy during the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 soccer awards ceremony in Zurich, Jan 10, 2011.

1. The first ever FIFA Ballon d'Or award, which has merged the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the France Football's Ballon d'Or award was crowned to Lionel Messi on January 10.

The Barcelona football player was elected from a list of three nominees and the other two are Andres Iniesta and Xavi, both Spanish football players and teammates with Messi in Barcelona. According to FIFA, Messi had obtained 22.65 percent of the votes, ahead of Andres Iniesta at 17.36 percent, and Xavi at 16.48 percent.

2. Ronaldo revealed his decision to retire as a professional football player in a tearful announcement on February 14, claiming that he suffers from hyperthyroidism, a disease that leads to constant body pain, weight gain, depression and tiredness.

3. Barcelona defeated Manchester United 3-1 to win the UEFA Champions League for the fourth time on May 28.

4. Sepp Blatter, who has headed FIFA since 1998, was re-elected as FIFA president for another four-year term on Jun. 1 as his sole rival Mohamed bin Hammam, the Qatari head of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), withdrew from the election amid allegations of vote-buying.

5. History-making tennis legend Li Na notched the first-ever grand slam women's singles title for China and Asia, beating defending champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-4, 7-6(0) in the French Open final on June 4.

6. South Korea's Pyeongchang won the 2018 Winter Olympic Games with ease as it needed just one round of voting by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 6. It was the third consecutive time that Pyeongchang bid for the Winter Olympic Games as the city lost to Canada's Vancouver and Russia's Sochi respectively in 2003 and 2007.

7. NBA legendary center Shaquille O'Neal announced his retirement on June 1 on Twitter to end his 19-year professional career, in which he won three consecutive titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and then a fourth with the Miami Heat in 2004.

On July 20, another NBA great Yao Ming announced his retirement in a press conference in Shanghai. The Shanghai native played for eight seasons in the NBA after being the top overall pick in the 2002 draft and has been named to the NBA All-star team eight times, but he was troubled with a series of injuries.

8. In the summer of 2011, several professional sports leagues, including NFL, NBA, La Liga, Serie A, suffered lockout or postpone as owners and players disagreed on terms of a new collective bargaining agreement.

Following NFL, NBA's lockout started from July 1 upon the expiration of the 2005 collective bargaining agreement, and it was ended on December 8 after owners and players reached a new deal, including a 66-game regular season, with games commencing on December 25.

La Liga and Serie A were also forced to postpone their opening round because the disagreement between owners and players on new terms, but the second round began on time after new agreements were reached.

9. Japan beat the United States 3-1 in the shoot-out after tying the rival 2-2 in extra time of the women's World Cup final on July 17 to grab the first ever FIFA World Cup title for Japan and Asia.

10. On Sept 7, 43 out of 45 people were killed in crash of a Russian plane carrying a top Russian ice hockey team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl near the central Russian city of Yaroslavl.

(Xinhua)

Rose agrees 5-yr contract extension with the Bulls

2011-12-23T03:14:00.000-08:00

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls goes for a slam dunk during a USO "Hoops for Troops" event at Schofield Army Barracks in Wahiawa, Hawaii, Oct 27, 2011.

MVP point guard Derrick Rose has agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Chicago Bulls, the National Basketball Association (NBA) team said on Wednesday.

While no financial details were disclosed by the Bulls, local media estimate the deal to be worth $94 million.

"We are thrilled that we have signed Derrick to an extension," Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman said in a statement. "On top of being a great player, what has set Derrick apart is his make-up, character, drive and his leadership.

"We look forward to having Derrick in a Bulls uniform for years to come, as he helps lead us in our quest to become a championship team."

Rose became the youngest player to win the league's coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after averaging 25 points per game last season, and helped Chicago reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1998.

He also became only the fifth player ever to record more than 2,000 points, 600 assists and 300 rebounds in a single NBA season, emulating Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

"It is a dream come true to play for the Chicago Bulls, and with this new contract the dream continues." said the 23-year-old Rose, who was named Rookie of the Year in 2009 after being selected by the Bulls as the first pick overall in the draft.

"It is an honor to play in the city that I grew up in, and I am very appreciative of this opportunity with my hometown Bulls.

"I want all of our fans out there to know that I am committed to one goal and that is winning an NBA championship for Chicago."

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose speaks during the news conference at the Berto Center in Chicago, Dec 21, 2011.

(china daily)

Messi voted Argentine sports personality of the year

2011-12-23T03:09:00.001-08:00

Lionel Messi of Spain's Barcelona celebrates after he scored their first goal against Brazil's Santos during their Club World Cup final soccer match in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Dec 18, 2011.

BUENOS AIRES - Barcelona's Lionel Messi was named as Argentina's sports personality of the year on Wednesday, winning the Olimpia de Oro (gold) for the first time.

The prize, his first in his home country, is awarded by Argentina's sports writers and follows a year in which his goals helped Barca win Spain's La Liga, the European Champions League and the Club World Cup.

"I'm happy and proud of the award. Thanks to God, I've received prizes all over the world but I'd never before had one in Argentina," his country's captain told reporters.

Clay "caganers" representing Lionel Messi are sold at the Santa Llucia Christmas market in central Barcelona Dec 21, 2011. Catalans hide "caganers", or defecators, in Christmas Nativity scenes then invite friends to hunt for them during Christmas celebrations. The "caganers", which symbolise defecating and fertilizing the earth, are believed to bring prosperity and luck for the coming year.

Messi is also in line to win a third consecutive Ballon d'Or, the prize for the world's best footballer.

He returned to Argentina to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays with family and friends in his home town of Rosario.

The Olimpia de Oro was won by Luciana Aymar, captain of Argentina's world champion women's hockey team, in 2010 and former US Open tennis champion Juan Martin del Potro in 2009.

(Agencies)

Cohesiveness, fitness favors Heat in 2011-12

2011-12-23T03:07:00.000-08:00

Orlando Magic guard Quentin Richardson (C) goes around Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh (L) as he defends forward LeBron James (R) during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Orlando, Dec 21, 2011.

The starter's gun sounds Christmas Day on an National Basketball Association (NBA) sprint of a season that will reward cohesiveness and fitness in a compressed 66-game campaign that has the Miami Heat as clear front-runners.

Miami's 'Big Three' of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh came together as free agents last year and the nucleus made it to the NBA Finals before falling to the Dallas Mavericks.

After one season to work out the kinks, the Heat look ready to show they really have a hold on a league that used a five-month lockout of players to get a labor agreement that gave owners a bigger share of revenues and reshaped rules toward improving competitive balance.

James, who shied away from crunch-time responsibilities in the Finals, showed his commitment to claiming a maiden title by making an off-season pilgrimage to Houston for a tutorial on post moves from Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon.

In preparation for the season's Dec. 25 start, teams held hurry-up training camps that coincided with a frenzied free-agent signing period that produced winners and losers.

The Heat index shot up, the Mavericks lost some firepower and the lowly Los Angeles Clippers created an instant rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant by adding premier point guard Chris Paul and other pieces.

Miami improved by adding sweet-shooting small forward Shane Battier, while Dallas may have taken a step back after losing center Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks), forward Caron Butler (Clippers) and back-up guard J.J. Barea (Minnesota Timberwolves) despite welcoming two-times NBA champion Lamar Odom to Texas.

A disgruntled Odom was ultimately traded by the Lakers, who had included the versatile forward in a trade offer to league-owned New Orleans for Paul, which was nixed by the NBA.

The Chicago Bulls, who reached the Eastern Conference final against Miami, added a potentially key piece in shooting guard Richard Hamilton, who could provide just the complement to point guard Derrick Rose, the NBA's reigning most valuable player.

While the impact of provisions on competitive balance is yet to be seen, the season figures to be ruled by teams that already know how to play together and can withstand the rigors of a schedule that includes three games in three days for all teams and stretches for some of five games in six nights.

Veteran-laden teams like the Boston Celtics, with their aging impact trio of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, could start fast but may wear down come playoff time.

The San Antonio Spurs could be in the same boat as Boston, ready to hit the hardcourt smoothly with a veteran trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker, but eventually challenged to keep step with last year's Western Conference runners-up the Oklahoma City Thunder.

(Agencies)

Beckham to join Paris Saint-Germain

2011-12-23T03:02:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham (L) holds a ball during practice before their friendly match against the Philippines national football team Azkals at the Rizal Memorial football stadium in Manila, Dec 2, 2011.

PARIS - Veteran British midfielder David Beckham will join soon French top league soccer club Pari Saint-Germain (PSG) for 18 months, a local daily reported Wednesday.

"After many months of negotiations, David Beckham said yes to managers of PSG," Le Parisien said citing sources close to the affair.

"Some details remain to be finalized... Sources close to the club said the transfer is acquired by 99 percent," the daily added.

Currently playing for US club Los Angeles Galaxy, the 36-year-old player gave a verbal accord to join the PSG for one year and a half starting from January, according to the report.

Wearing the PSG jersy, Beckham will enjoy 800,000 euros ($1 million) per month, twice the highest wage in French top championship.

Paris Saint-Germain ranked second in France's first league standings after scoring 37 points so far.

(Xinhua)

Mancini says Liverpool played cards a bit too well

2011-11-29T16:44:00.000-08:00

Manchester City's Vincent Kompany (right) celebrates scoring against Liverpool during their English Premier League match in Liverpool on Sunday.

After a 1-1 draw, Manchester City manager says referee goaded into sending off Balotelli

LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom - Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini accused Liverpool's players of getting Mario Balotelli sent off as the Premier League leaders were held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield.

Substitute Balotelli was given his marching orders in the 83rd minute following a second yellow card for elbowing Liverpool's Slovakian defender Martin Skrtel - 18 minutes after the Italian had come on.

But while Mancini agreed with referee Martin Atkinson's decision to book the 21-year-old for pulling back Glen Johnson, he accused Liverpool's players of pressuring the official into producing a second yellow.

"I think so," said Mancini when asked if he thought Skrtel made the most of the incident.

"My impression is he gave a free-kick and didn't want to give the yellow card, but after all the Liverpool players went there.

"I'm disappointed with him (Balotelli) for the first yellow card but not for the second yellow. For me, the second yellow was not a yellow card. In fact, I don't think he wanted to give a yellow card.

"I have said many times Mario can do everything. We can't change him in one month and today he didn't deserve it," the Italian manager added.

"The last three months he has played well and scored goals. He is an important player for us."

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish insisted Balotelli had no-one but himself to blame for his third red card in a City shirt since joining in August of 2010.

"Ballotelli got himself sent off," he said.

"Sometimes you get yourself sent off. Sometimes you look in the mirror, you get the answer. Sometimes he doesn't help himself and others, and then maybe he doesn't get the leeway.

"But I don't think any of our boys influenced the referee in any way, shape or form."

Despite the end of its seven-match winning league run, City kept its lead over nearest rival Manchester United to five points at the top of the table.

City captain Vincent Kompany gave the visitors the lead before an own-goal by Joleon Lescott earned Liverpool, which was frustrated by a string of fine saves by City keeper Joe Hart, a hard-earned point.

"It is a good result because in the last 10 minutes we played with 10 and it is difficult here," added Mancini, whose side is back in action against Arsenal on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the League Cup.

"Joe saved two or three situations, but even with 10 men we had big chances with David Silva.

"It is a good result for us because we played five days ago in Naples and there was a difference from Liverpool because they were fresh and we were not 100 percent."

Liverpool, which is also in action on Tuesday at Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the League Cup, climbed to sixth in the table after eight games unbeaten in the league.

"I couldn't have asked for much more in terms of commitment and how we went about the job," said Dalglish, who paid tribute to Wales manager Gary Speed, whose death was announced on Sunday.

Dalglish signed Speed when he was Newcastle manager in February 1998.

"Gary was a fantastic footballer and more importantly a decent fella. There will be a lot of people saddened by what has happened," he said.

"The most important people are his wife and two boys and my heart goes out to them. They will get all the support they need in the immediate future."

(China Daily)

Barca president wants fewer clubs in La Liga

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Barcelona's President Sandro Rosell (L) and Catalonia's President Artur Mas attend the opening ceremony of the new Academy for youngsters named "La Masia" at Ciutat esportiva Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despi near Barcelona Oct 20, 2011.

ZURICH - Spain's La Liga has too many clubs and should shed four of them, Barcelona soccer president Sandro Rosell said on Monday.

"My opinion is that our league has too many clubs," Rosell said during a debate at the International Football Arena conference.

"We have 20 and we should go down to 18, then to 16. This will mean that all the clubs will be more competitive and we can reduce players' salaries."

Describing Spanish football as facing huge financial problems, Rosell added that he was opposed to foreign ownership of the country's clubs and warned that some clubs could disappear.

Rosell said Spain would have to change the system of distributing television money under which the lion's share goes to Barcelona and Real Madrid, putting them at an advantage over their rivals.

"It is the only league where TV rights are negotiated individually and some time in the next three or four or five years we have to put it all in one pot and make the distribution the way it is in Serie A and the Premier League," he said.

"This is something Barcelona and Real Madrid are talking to the other clubs about; we have to listen to the demands of the other 18 clubs."

He added: "The Spanish league is the second most popular (in Europe), but we are facing huge problems financially speaking.

"None of the clubs in Spain are in a good position; we owe a lot of money to the banks.

"(At) Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Osasuna, the situation is not good but it is under control.

"As for the other 16 teams, some are in a very bad position and I don't think they will come back; maybe next year they will go to the second or third division or disappear."

Rosell added: "The most important thing is to reduce the number of clubs for the future and put financial conditions that have to be accomplished, also in terms of people from abroad buying clubs in Spain.

"They are coming to Spain and I don't like this but it's happening.

"They have (bought) Malaga and Santander and some other clubs; my question is where we go and if this fair on the associations when these clubs can increase capital with no limits."

Rosell said the clubs were the only ones losing out financially in football.

"FIFA and UEFA and the national associations are earning more and more money, you have the players' agents and the players earning more money, but the clubs every year are losing more money. Something is wrong with the equation."

(Agencies)

Messi rescues Barca, Real rout Osasuna

2011-11-07T23:55:00.000-08:00

Barcelona's Lionel Messi (R) and Athletic Bilbao's Javi Martinez fight for the ball during their Spanish first division soccer match at San Mames stadium in Bilbao Nov 6, 2011.

MADRID - Lionel Messi scored a last-minute equaliser to grab a 2-2 draw for Barcelona at Athletic Bilbao in a dramatic La Liga clash at a rain-soaked San Mames on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo struck a hat-trick as Real Madrid crushed Osasuna 7-1 and Jose Mourinho's team lead the standings on 28 points, three ahead of the European and Spanish champions.

The clash between Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola and Argentine Marcelo Bielsa had been eagerly anticipated and produced a breathless encounter in Bilbao.

Barca keeper Victor Valdes was beaten for the first time in 10 matches when Ander Herrera fired Bilbao in front in the 20th minute, but Cesc Fabregas headed the visitors level just four minutes later.

Standing water on the pitch added to the tension and the conditions contributed to both late goals.

A Bilbao corner 10 minutes from time was cleared badly by Eric Abidal and the ball rebounded off Fernando Llorente and then Gerard Pique before slipping past Valdes.

In the frantic closing minutes Bilbao's Fernando Amorebieta was sent off for a second yellow card and Barca grabbed an equaliser after a free kick, which pinged around the area until it fell to Messi to score his 14th this season.

"We have shown a lot of character and maintained our unbeaten start," Fabregas told Spanish television. "It was a very difficult match especially in the second half with such a wet pitch.

"It was typical match at San Mames against a team with a great spirit and fantastic fans."

Barcelona's Lionel Messi (R) leaps over Athletic Bilbao's Ander Herrera during their Spanish first division soccer match at San Mames stadium in Bilbao Nov 6, 2011.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi reacts after missing a scoring opportunity against Athletic Bilbao during their Spanish first division soccer match at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao Nov 6, 2011.

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his goal against Osasuna during their Spanish First Division soccer match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid Nov 6, 2011.

Real Madrid's soccer star Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo kisses the European Golden Shoe trophy after receiving it in a ceremony in Madrid Nov 3, 2011. Ronaldo was awarded the trophy after being the top goal scorer out of all European domestic leagues last season.

(Agencies)

Rodgers throws 4 TDs, as Packers stay perfect

2011-11-07T21:40:00.001-08:00

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) runs for a first down past San Diego Chargers outside linebacker Travis LaBoy (99) in the first half during their NFL football game in San Diego, California, Nov 6, 2011.

SAN DIEGO - Aaron Rodgers was at his best, throwing lasers where only his receivers could catch them and finding four different teammates in the end zone.

Yes, Rodgers had a lot to do with the Green Bay Packers remaining undefeated with a crazy 45-38 win over the staggering San Diego Chargers on Sunday.

So did Philip Rivers, whose miserable run of turnovers continued with three critical interceptions, two by Charlie Peprah.

Peprah and Tramon Williams returned pickoffs for touchdowns in a span of six plays in the first quarter, and Peprah's second pick in the closing seconds sealed the win for the Packers (8-0).

Rodgers completed 21 of 26 passes for 247 yards and ran his NFL-leading total to 24 TD throws. He had scoring passes of 5 yards to Jermichael Finley, 16 to Jordy Nelson, 21 to James Jones and 4 to Greg Jennings.

"I think Aaron has a lot of strengths. His decision-making is clearly the highest level that I have personally been a part of," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of his Super Bowl MVP quarterback.

Rodgers, who lives in the upscale San Diego suburb of Del Mar in the offseason, seemed more impressed with the high percentage of cheeseheads in the sellout crowd than being the NFL's only perfect team.

"The crowd was incredible," Rodgers said. "When you're on the road and up by seven and it's late in the game and they have to go on a silent count, that's pretty impressive. I have to give a lot of credit to our fans the way they travel. It says a lot about the kind of fans we have."

Jennings couldn't emphasize enough how much Rodgers means to the Packers.

"He is a special, special, special, special player," Jennings said.

The Chargers (4-4) have lost three straight games, including road collapses at the New York Jets and on Monday night at Kansas City, when Rivers inexplicably fumbled a snap in the final minute of regulation.

Rivers also threw four touchdown passes on Sunday to tie his career high, three of them to Vincent Jackson.

"We're fighting through a rough time right now," said Rivers, whose 14 interceptions and 17 total turnovers lead the NFL. "These tough times, you find out a lot about guys, a lot about yourself."

Rivers was 26 of 46 for 385 yards. It was the first time in his career that he threw three interceptions in a game.

The Packers led by 21 points early in the fourth quarter before Rivers threw touchdown passes of 5 and 29 yards to Jackson in the span of 1:07 midway through the quarter.

San Diego had a final chance to tie it, starting a drive at its 32 with 1:05 remaining and no timeouts left. Aided by a pass interference call against Charles Woodson, Rivers moved the Chargers to the Packers 41 before putting up a deep ball that Peprah easily picked off and returned 76 yards to the San Diego 6. The Packers took a knee to end the game.

(China Daily)

Ivanovic celebrates birthday with Bali high

2011-11-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia returns the ball during the final tennis match against Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain at the Bali Tournament of Champions in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, sunday, Nov 6, 2011. Ivanovic beat Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-0.

BALI, Indonesia - Ana Ivanovic celebrated her 24th birthday by successfully defending her Tournament of Champions title with a comfortable 6-3 6-0 victory over Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues on Sunday.

The victory was the Serb's 11th singles title but first since winning the event last year. Her previous best results in 2011 were achieved with semi-final appearances in Birmingham and Carlsbad.

The Spaniard was seeking her third title of the season following victories in Estoril and Palermo, and had enjoyed an easier route to the final after her previous two opponents this week retired from their matches.

Marion Bartoli suffered an ankle injury and quit after holding two match points and Sabine Lisicki failed to complete the third set of their semi-final due to a back problem.

"I feel great," Ivanovic told reporters. "I think I played an impeccable match today. I didn't do much wrong and really stayed so focussed and even sat at her chair (at a change of ends)."

Ivanovic, who was granted a wild card into the tournament, won all three of her matches in straight sets and did not face a break point in the final.

Although Medina Garrigues defended well and engaged her Serbian opponent in many long rallies, it was Ivanovic who always found the killer shot, producing a number of spectacular winners.

Ivanovic broke just once in the first set, to lead 2-0, but she also held four break points to lead 4-0 before Medina Garrigues managed to haul herself into the match.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia returns the ball during the final tennis match against Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain at the Bali Tournament of Champions in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, sunday, Nov 6, 2011. Ivanovic beat Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-0.

The second set was a rout, however, as Ivanovic surrendered just seven points on her way to her convincing victory.

Remarkably, Ivanovic went into the match concerned about her ability to perform.

"My shoulder was actually scary," Ivanovic admitted. "Yesterday it started to feel really sore. I did some autographs after the match and I couldn't even sign.

"I really tried to keep points short and take pace off my serve and it really worked well. I'm very proud of the way I played and the way I handled myself."

Medina Garrigues felt she was helpless as Ivanovic played at such a high level, and believes her opponent is capable of regaining the number one ranking she held briefly in 2008.

"I don't feel good about the way I played today, but Ana was playing so good I couldn't do too much," said Medina Garrigues.

"She didn't feel the pressure and was playing good, solid.

"I think she can be number one again. She has unbelievable tennis. It's difficult, but she was already number one.

"It's going to be tough but she has the game, the technique and the physical strength."

Following a three-year run in Bali, the tournament will move to Sofia, Bulgaria for three more years from 2012.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia holds her champion trophy at the award ceremony after defeating Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain in their Bali Tournament of Champions tennis final match in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Nov 6, 2011.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in traditional Balinese outfit holds her Championship trophy after winning the final tennis match at the Bali Tournament of Champions in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov 6, 2011.

(Agencies)

China advances into men's team final in Magdeburg

2011-11-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany returns the ball to Wang Hao of China during the men's team semi-final match in Magdeburg, Germany, Nov. 5, 2011. Ovtcharov won 3-1. China won 3-1 and entered the final.

Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany (Back) returns the ball to Wang Hao of China during the men's team semi-final match in Magdeburg, Germany, Nov. 5, 2011. Ovtcharov won 3-1. China won 3-1 and entered the final.

Bastian Steger (R)/Patrick Baum of Germany compete with Ma Long/Wang Hao of China during the men's team semi-final match in Magdeburg, Germany, Nov. 5, 2011. China won 3-1 and entered the final.

Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany celebrates after winning a match of the men's team semi-final against Wang Hao of China in Magdeburg, Germany, Nov. 5, 2011. Ovtcharov won 3-1. China won 3-1 and entered the final.

Pakistan trio found guilty in fixing scandal

2011-11-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

A combination of pictures show former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Asif (center) and former captain Salman Butt (left) leaving Southwark Crown Court in London on Tuesday after being found guilty of fixing parts of a Test against England, and former Pakistan bowler Mohammad Amir (right) arriving at Westminster Magistrates Court in central London, on March 17, 2011 over the same charges.

No-balls bowled at pre-agreed times in return for cash; jail terms await

LONDON - Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were found guilty on Tuesday of taking bribes to fix part of a Test match against England in a case that prosecutors said revealed rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket.

Former captain Butt, 27, and opening bowlers Asif, 28, and 19-year-old Mohammad Amir, who had admitted his part in the scam before the trial started, plotted to bowl deliberate no-balls at pre-arranged times during the Lord's Test in August of last year.

The men will be sentenced on Wednesday with Butt and Asif facing up to seven years in jail or large fines. The three players have already been banned from playing by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a minimum of five years.

While former Pakistan players said Pakistan cricket had been shamed and the guilty players "deserve no mercy", ICC chief Haroon Lorgat hoped the verdict would deter others from being tempted to corrupt the sport.

"We hope that this verdict is seen as a further warning to any individual who might, for whatever reason, be tempted to engage in corrupt activity within our sport," Lorgat said in a statement.

"The ICC has a zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption and we will use everything within our power to ensure that any suggestion of corrupt activity within our game is comprehensively investigated and, where appropriate, robustly prosecuted."

The spot-fixing plot was orchestrated by Butt and sports agent Mazhar Majeed, London's Southwark Crown Court was told.

During the three-week trial, the jury heard how an undercover reporter recorded Majeed, 36, boasting he could arrange for Pakistan players to rig games for money and how huge sums could be made for gambling syndicates.

Majeed said he had been carrying out match-fixing for 2-1/2 years, had seven players from Pakistan's national side working for him, and had made "masses and masses of money".

He told Mazher Mahmood, an undercover journalist with the now defunct News of the World newspaper, that it would cost between 50,000 pounds ($81,000) and 80,000 pounds ($130,000) to fix "brackets", a set period of a match on which punters bet.

Rigging the outcome of a Test match would cost 1 million pounds, Majeed said. The agent was secretly filmed accepting 150,000 pounds in cash from the journalist as part of an arrangement to rig games.

Majeed promised the reporter that Asif and Amir would deliver three no-balls at specific points during the Lord's Test. The no-balls were bowled as promised, with the probability of someone predicting this by chance estimated by a cricket statistician as 1.5 million to one.

Butt and Asif denied any involvement in the plot but were convicted of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments, the Press Association reported.

Same charges

Amir admitted the same charges in September but his guilty plea could not be revealed until the end of the trial of his teammates.

Butt, appointed Pakistan's captain during last year's tour of England, told the court the agent asked him to rig parts of crunch games at the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup and last summer's Test series, but he had ignored the requests.

Butt, who made his Test debut for Pakistan in 2003 and has played 33 Test matches and 78 one-day internationals, admitted he did not fulfil his duty to inform the cricketing authorities about the corrupt approach.

The guilty verdicts came on the day Butt's wife, Gul, gave birth to their second son in Lahore.

"It is a day of sadness and happiness for us," Butt's father, Zulfiqar Butt, said.

"We are shocked by this verdict and will fight to the end. But at the same time God has given us a new life."

Asif was first selected for Pakistan in 2005 and has represented his country in 23 Tests and 38 one-day internationals. He declined to answer reporters' questions as he left court.

"This is a case of cheating, pure and simple," said Detective Chief Supt Matthew Horne after the verdict.

"The defendants have let down the cricketing world, their fans and the hard-working people that buy tickets to watch," he said. "I am not sure these men really appreciated how much they were admired by cricket fans; they were role models to countless children around the world and have betrayed their trust."

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) reiterated its policy of zero tolerance towards corruption in sport.

"The ECB will make no comment on the court cases of Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, but hopes that such criminal actions will act as a strong deterrent to support the eradication of such activity in sport," it said in a statement.

Pakistan's Salman Butt holds up the ball during the first day of the fourth cricket test match against England at Lord's cricket ground in London in this August 26, 2010 file photo.

Pakistan's Mohammad Asif fields the ball during the fourth cricket test match against England at Lord's cricket ground in London in this Aug 28, 2010 file photo.

(Reuters)

Brizilian bull rider wins PBR world finals

2011-10-30T21:49:00.003-07:00

Brazilian bull rider Robson Palermo rides a bull during the Professional Bull Riders World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada Oct 30, 2011.

Brazilian bull rider Silvano Alves rides a bull during the Professional Bull Riders World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada Oct 30, 2011. Alves won the season championship and $1million.

Brazilian bull rider Silvano Alves rides his final bull during the Professional Bull Riders World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada Oct 30, 2011.

Brazilian bull rider Silvano Alves waves the flag after winning the season championship and $1million at the Professional Bull Riders World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada Oct 30, 2011.

Brazilian bull rider Silvano Alves poses after winning the season championship and $1million at the Professional Bull Riders World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada Oct 30, 2011.

(Agencies)

Arsenal slam five past Chelsea, City stay top

2011-10-30T21:49:00.001-07:00

Arsenal's Robin Van Persie (L) challenges Chelsea's Juan Mata during their English Premier League soccer match at Stamford Bridge in London Oct 29, 2011.

LONDON - Robin van Persie's red hot form stepped up a gear on Saturday as his hat-trick fired Arsenal to a 5-3 win at Chelsea in a remarkable see-saw match, while Manchester City stayed top of the Premier League by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1.

City remained five points clear of Manchester United and moved nine clear of third-placed Chelsea and fourth-placed Newcastle United with second-half goals from Edin Dzeko, Aleksandar Kolarov and Adam Johnson at the Etihad Stadium.

Wolves' goal came from a Stephen Hunt penalty after City skipper Vincent Kompany was sent off but it could not stop them slumping to a second defeat by City in four days after losing 5-2 at home in a League Cup match on Wednesday.

Manchester United bounced back from their 6-1 mauling by City last weekend with a 1-0 victory at Everton where Javier Hernandez scored the first-half winner.

Those results left City top with 28 points from 10 games, followed by United (23), Chelsea (19) and Newcastle United (19), at least until they meet Stoke City on Monday.

Liverpool beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 to move into fifth place on 18 points, two clear of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, but Spurs can overtake Liverpool again if they beat Queens Park Rangers at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Wigan Athletic suffered a seventh successive league defeat, a 2-0 loss at home to Fulham, and slipped to the bottom of the table, while fellow strugglers Blackburn Rovers drew 3-3 at Norwich City who came back from 3-1 down and equalised with a Grant Holt penalty with the last kick of the game.

The eight matches produced 31 goals with eight of them coming in an astonishing match at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal won with a hat-trick from skipper Van Persie, including two in the last seven minutes, and one each from Andre Santos and Theo Walcott.

Chelsea led twice with goals from Frank Lampard and John Terry but although they then came back to equalise with an 80th-minute goal from Juan Mata, they went on to concede five at home for the first time in a league match since Liverpool beat them 5-2 in 1989.

The stunning victory was Arsene Wenger's 500th since he became Arsenal manager in 1996, Arsenal's first away win in the league this season and Chelsea's first home defeat as the English top-flight continues to dish out goals galore.

Chelsea lead

Chelsea went ahead through Lampard after 14 minutes before Van Persie equalised in the 36th minute and Chelsea skipper Terry took advantage of some woeful Arsenal defending to put his side 2-1 up in the last minute of the first half.

Santos struck Arsenal's second equaliser after 49 minutes before Walcott scored a brilliant solo goal, picking himself up and continuing his run after slipping over, to give Arsenal a 3-2 lead after 55 minutes.

Mata then equalised for Chelsea with a brilliant swerving shot, which Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had no chance of saving, to make it 3-3 after 80 minutes.

Chelsea were then guilty of some poor defending five minutes later with Florent Malouda hitting a stray pass back to Terry, who stumbled to leave Van Persie to run in on Chelsea keeper Petr Cech before rounding him and blasting the ball in.

The Dutchman, the league's top scorer, then made it 28 goals from his last 27 Premier League games in this calendar year to make it 5-3 in the second minute of stoppage time with a swerving shot to match Mata's.

Arsenal, who made a poor start to the season, climbed up to seventh place and celebrated as if they had won a cup final.

"We needed to win with style and class and we did that against a big team and it was a big win for us," Wenger told Sky Sports.

Must improve

The result consigned Chelsea to a second successive defeat in a London derby after losing at QPR last weekend and was the first time they had conceded five against Arsenal since 1979.

Chelsea's stunned manager Andre Villas-Boas said: "It was so open it could have gone either way. We will have to reflect on the mistakes we made -- there are some things we must improve."

At Goodison Park, Hernandez scored what proved to be the winner and gave United their first victory at Everton since September 2007 when he capitalised on good approach work from Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck before Patrice Evra crossed from the left for the unmarked Mexican to turn in on 19 minutes.

"It's an important result to come away from home and win," United manager Alex Ferguson told the BBC.

"Everton is never an easy game and they put everything they could into the game. First half we played some fantastic football and scored a good goal. Hernandez is fantastic in the box. It's a good result and we worked hard for it."

It was not all good news for United, though, as Chris Smalling sustained a fractured foot and Ferguson said the defender could be out for a month.

Liverpool, who had won eight of their previous nine league visits to West Brom since 1983, made that nine out of 10 with a Charlie Adam penalty and a second from Andy Carroll giving them a well-deserved victory over their former manager Roy Hodgson.

In other action, Swansea City beat Bolton Wanderers 3-1 and Sunderland drew 2-2 with Aston Villa.

(Agencies)

Moments of Pan American Games

2011-10-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

Ecuador's Diego Ferrin makes a successful jump in the men's high jump final at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara Oct 27, 2011.

Emilie Heymans from Canada competes in the women's 3 metres springboard diving preliminary at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara Oct 28, 2011.

Cuba's Yoandris Betanzos competes in the men's triple jump final at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara Oct 27, 2011.

Gillian Hanselwood of Canada jumps while riding George during the equestrian team jumping competition at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara Oct 27, 2011.

Maikel Zulueta (front),Osvaldo Labrada, Reinier Torres and Jorge Garcia of Cuba react after winning the men's kayak four K4 1000m final at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara Oct 27, 2011.

Philippe Beaudry of Canada reacts after defeating Timothy Morehouse of the US to win their men's individual sabre gold medal bout at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Oct 26,2011.

Canada's Reuben Daniel Ross and Eric Thomas Sehn compete in the men's synchronized 3m springboard diving final at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara Oct 26, 2011.

Moses Ehambe of the US (2nd L) goes up to shoot past Elys Guzman Garcia (L) and Juan Montas (2nd R) of the Dominican Republic during their men's preliminary round basketball game at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara October 26, 2011. The games run through Oct 30.

Mexico's Zoila Flores competes in the women's long jump final at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara Oct 26, 2011.

Yvette Lewis of the US crosses the finish line to win gold in the women's 100m hurdles final at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara Oct 26, 2011.

(Agencies)

Iniesta, Villa lift wasteful Barca

2011-10-20T02:55:00.003-07:00

Barcelona's Andres Iniesta (L) shoots to score against Viktoria Plzen during their Champions League Group H soccer match at the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona, Oct 19, 2011.

BARCELONA - A spot of Andres Iniesta magic and a late David Villa strike lifted profligate Barcelona to a 2-0 home win over competition newcomers Viktoria Plzen in Champions League Group H on Wednesday.

Playmaker Iniesta netted for the holders as early as the 10th minute at a balmy Nou Camp arena but in the face of near-constant pressure on their goal the visitors somehow managed to hold firm until Villa scored eight minutes from time.

World Player of the Year Lionel Messi had a frustrating night, twice hitting the post and several times being denied by last-ditch tackles after typically breathtaking runs.

The Czech champions, making their debut in Europe's elite club competition, did not muster a shot on goal while Barca had 18 attempts - although only four on target - and more than 70 percent of possession.

The victory, which extended Barca's unbeaten run to 19 in all competitions, lifted them to seven points after three of six games, level with Italian side AC Milan who beat BATE Borisov of Belarus 2-0.

Plzen and BATE, who lost 5-0 at home to Barca on matchday two, each have one point.

"We found it tougher to decide the match than usual but we are pleased to have the win and to make progress," Villa said in an interview with Spanish television.

"When you are only 1-0 ahead things can get difficult because it's only a narrow lead but typically we would convert at least one of our chances."

Dazzling run

Iniesta's goal came after a trademark quickfire passing move that left the visiting defenders in disarray.

He twice exchanged passes with Messi before dinking the ball around his marker and sidefooting narrowly inside the near post from close range.

Villa made sure of the three points when he followed up after a Messi effort and swept the ball high into the net.

Messi, Champions League top scorer the past three seasons, had earlier curled a long-range free kick on to the inside of an upright and flicked the ball on to the post after a dazzling run early in the second half.

Plzen's failure to muster a shot was only the second time that has happened in a Champions League game in the last five seasons after English Premier League side Arsenal suffered the same fate against Barca last term.

Plzen coach Pavel Vrba was under no illusions about the overwhelming superiority of his side's opponents and said Barca were "in a league of their own".

"I watched the last few games Barca played and it's always the same story with them totally dominating possession," he told a news conference.

"The Barca players are the best in the world and I would say they are perfection, there is no other way to define it.

"I said yesterday it would be a miracle if we were able to stop those players but we were not able to manage it."

(Agencies)

Erratic Milan stutter past Borisov

2011-10-20T02:55:00.002-07:00

AC Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng (C) celebrates with his teammates Taye Taiwo (L) and Daniele Bonera after scoring the second goal against BATE Borisov their Champions League soccer match at the San Siro stadium in Milan Oct 19, 2011.

MILAN - Erratic AC Milan missed a hatful chances and survived several scares before running out 2-0 winners over rank outsiders BATE Borisov in the Champions League on Wednesday.

An opportunist strike from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a spectacular effort from midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng left Milan with seven points from three games after a wildly unpredictable Group H match.

Milan could have had a hatful of goals, yet should have found themselves behind against the side whose full name is Borisov Automobile and Tractor Electronics and who have still to win a Champions League match in nine attempts.

With Milan alternating moments of inspiration and sloppiness, the game turned on a one-minute spell in the first half.

A dreadful defensive slip-up by Milan left Borisov playmaker Renan Bressan with a clear run on goal in the 32nd minute but the Brazilian took too long over his shot and Christian Abbiati was able to turn it wide.

"You have to make the most of those chances, you only get one against teams like Milan," Bressan told reporters.

One minute later, Milan went ahead when Ignazio Abate's dangerous low cross was only partially cleared and Ibrahimovic raced in to rifle home a first-time shot.

The volatile Swede had nearly given Milan a spectacular start when he saw goalkeeper Aleksandr Gutor off his line and tried to catch him out from 40 metres, his effort going just over.

He also wasted another chance when he nonchalantly side-footed over the bar after Antonio Cassano's floated cross found him on the right.

Alberto Aquilani also hit the foot of the post in a lively Milan opening.

The goal seemed to make Milan overconfident as Ibrahimovic tried to flick the ball over a defender's head and missed another chance when he clipped the ball delicately across the face of the goal from Cassano's incisive pass.

Borisov, who finished with three draws and three defeats in their only previous Champions League campaign in 2008-09, were glad to hear the halftime whistle.

The Belarus champions for the last five seasons came out with renewed hope and they briefly controlled the match early in the second half, the ineffective Mateja Kezman wasting their best chance on the break when his shot was blocked.

Milan, who had 24 shots but only five on target, continued to perform in fits and starts.

Ibrahimovic seemed to sum it all up just before the hour when he did everything right, cutting inside and making space for his shot, only to sky a wild effort high into the stands.

Robinho's introduction for Cassano gave Milan more life and he nearly made an immediate impact, cutting inside and firing wide.

Milan finally settled the game when a long crossfield pass found Boateng and the Ghanaian - who somehow escaped a yellow card for kicking an opponent who was on the ground - scored with a rasping 25-yard shot which went in off the underside of the crossbar.

(Agencies)

Rising star Wang on course for a stellar career

2011-10-20T02:55:00.000-07:00

13-year-old Chinese girl Wang Ziyi competes at the Fangshan-Changyang China Amateur Golf Championship over the weekend in Beijing.

BEIJING - A strong rival pushes you hard and makes you strong. For 13-year-old Chinese girl Wang Ziyi, that opponent is the girl in the mirror.

"On the course, my biggest rival is myself. I just try to play my usual game," Wang said.

"I never set my eyes on the rankings or compete with other players. It means a lot more for me to just make the ideal strokes."

Wang finished runner-up at the Fangshan-Changyang China Amateur Golf Championship on Sunday afternoon. She finished with a three-day total of 216, one behind the women's champion, Ma Andrea Victoria of the Philippines.

From day one, the pair distanced themselves from the rest of the field and staged a white-hot battle right until the final sun-splashed but windy day at the California County Golf Club. Wang nailed five birdies, one more than Victoria, but had a double-bogey at the par-4 14th hole and three bogeys.

It was the second time Wang had battled the Philippine girl, who is three years her senior. Last time it was Wang who laughed last - at January's HSBC junior tournament.

Her mental toughness has seen her move up to higher-level tournaments. This year she took the leap into the intense world of professional golf and has stood strong.

"A minor error will cost a lot. The biggest difference is not in the skills, but the mind-set," said Wang when asked about the difference between professional tournaments and amateur competitions.

Wang took to the sport in May 2004 and won her first title in the qualifying event of the US Kids Golf World Championship two years later.

Wang won the Beijing stop of the CITIC Bank China Amateur Golf Tour in 2009, becoming the youngest female champion in the history of the tour. She lifted the silverware on the same course she played last weekend.

Wang will continue to go forth against the girl in the mirror.

(China Daily)

Indy 500 winner Wheldon dies in massive wreck

2011-10-17T01:58:00.000-07:00

The race car of driver Will Power (L) goes airborne during the IZOD IndyCar World Championship race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada Oct 16, 2011. British IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in an horrific crash at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, race organizers said. The 33-year-old Englishman, who lived in Florida, was involved in a multi-car accident 13 laps into the Las Vegas Indy 300 which sent his vehicle flying.

LAS VEGAS - Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after his car became ensnarled in a fiery 15-car pileup, flew over another vehicle and landed in a catch fence just outside turn 2. The 33-year-old racer was a two-time Indy winner, including this year's race.

Three other drivers, including championship contender Will Power, were hurt in the pileup during Lap 13.

Weldon was airlifted from the track to University Medical Center; about two hours later, his colleagues were told of his death.

"IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries," IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today. IndyCar, its drivers and owners, have decided to end the race."

In his honor, drivers took part in a five-lap salute around the oval.

IndyCar has not had a fatality since Paul Dana was killed at Homestead in 2006, during a crash in a morning warmup.

Sunday's wreck left Townsend Bell upside down while smoldering cars and debris littered the track nearly halfway up the straightaway of the 1.5-mile oval.

The accident appeared to start when Wade Cunningham's car swerved on the track and JR Hildebrand drove over the left rear of Cunningham's car. Hildebrand appeared to go airborne, and Cunningham's car shot up into the wall, setting off a chain reaction among the cars behind him.

Some of those cars slowed, others didn't, and others spun in front of Wheldon and Power. There was so much chaos on the track it was hard to tell who was driving what car.

Power appeared to fly over Alex Lloyd's car, rolling into the catchfence and landing on its right side. His in-car camera showed one of the front tires coming toward him in the cockpit.

Wheldon then appeared to drive over Paul Tracy's car. Tracy seemed to be slowing but Weldon did not. He went airborne and spun into the fence.

The track was red-flagged following the accidents while crews worked on fences and removed smashed cars.

Wheldon started in the back of the pack but quickly worked his way through the 34-car field before the wreck.

Despite winning this year's Indy 500, Wheldon couldn't put together a full-time ride this season. He landed in Sunday's race thanks to Bernard's promotion that promised $5 million to any moonlighting driver who could win the IndyCar season finale at Vegas. Although there were no takers, Bernard refused to scrap the idea and Wheldon was declared eligible for the prize.

It was Wheldon's 134th career start, but only the third of the season for the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.

"It was like a movie scene which they try to make as gnarly as possible," said Danica Patrick, making her final IndyCar start. "It was debris everywhere across the whole track, you could smell the smoke, you could see the billowing smoke on the back straight from the car. There was a chunk of fire that we were driving around. You could see cars scattered.

Bryan Herta Autosport driver Dan Wheldon of England poses with his family, wife Susie (L) holding son Oliver with older son Sebastian (R), next to the BorgWarner trophy the day after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race in Indianapolis, Indiana, in this May 30, 2011 file photo.

Drivers had been concerned about the high speeds at the track, where they were hitting nearly 225 mph during practice.

Their concerns became reality when contact on Turn 2 sent cars flying through the air, crashing into each other and into the outside wall and catch fence.

"I'll tell you, I've never seen anything like it," Ryan Briscoe said. "The debris we all had to drive through the lap later, it looked like a war scene from Terminator or something. I mean, there were just pieces of metal and car on fire in the middle of the track with no car attached to it and just debris everywhere. So it was scary, and your first thoughts are hoping that no one is hurt because there's just stuff everywhere. Crazy."

Also injured in the crash were Hildebrand and Pippa Mann. Both will remain in the hospital overnight. IndyCar said Mann was being treated for a burn to her right pinkie finger and will be released Monday morning, and Hildebrand was awake and alert but will be held overnight for further evaluation

The accident spoiled what Bernard had hoped would be a showcase event for the struggling IndyCar Series.

The second-year CEO worked the entire season on turning the finale into a spectacle, and said he'd offer his resignation to the IndyCar board of directors if ABC's broadcast didn't pull a .8 ranking. His goal was to improve upon last year's season finale's horrible television rating and give the series some momentum for what's hoped to be a strong season in 2013 with the introduction of a new car and new manufacturers.

So Bernard poured everything into Las Vegas, renting the speedway from owner Bruton Smith and agreeing to promote the event himself. He landed enough sponsorship to at least break even on race, and the $5 million challenge bought him an enormous amount of publicity the entire year.

Bernard got the Las Vegas Strip to close to stage a parade of cars, hosted industry parties and a blackjack tournament all to boost interest in the race. He even got MGM Grand Resorts to offer a pair of tickets to anyone staying this weekend in one of the chain's 14 properties.

But what was hoped to be a day of celebration quickly turned somber.

(Agencies)

United, Liverpool share points and jibes

2011-10-17T01:49:00.000-07:00

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard shoots and scores during their English Premier League soccer match against Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England Oct 15, 2011.

LIVERPOOL - Manchester United shared the points and the taunts with bitter rivals Liverpool as Javier Hernandez's late header cancelled out Steven Gerrard's opener in a 1-1 draw on Saturday that put the brakes on the Premier League champions' title defence.

Liverpool captain Gerrard marked his first start for seven months with a 68th-minute free kick that broke the deadlock in a game where the action on the pitch had until then failed to match the passion in the stands.

The goal prompted United to bring on all the firepower they had left on the bench, two of whom combined for the 81st-minute equaliser as Hernandez nodded in from a Nani corner to ensure a lively finale at a high tempo that was not there before.

"I don't think they really threatened until they scored the goal, but when they scored the game opened up," United manager Alex Ferguson - whose team is unbeaten in 11 games this season and have 20 points from eight league matches - told Sky Sports.

The excitement until Gerrard's goal had been off the pitch, where a plane trailing a banner reading "Bonjour 19X" flew over Anfield before kickoff as United fans revelled in last year's 19th English league title, which broke Liverpool's record.

The homemade posters and noisy chants were along the same lines, but the Liverpool faithful returned with jibes of their own, including flags depicting five European cups reading "That's what we call history" in a dig at their 5-3 advantage.

Ferguson billed contests between United and Liverpool as the "game of the season" in the build-up, but he can not have been talking about the quality of play that was on show in the first hour at Anfield.

Counterpart Kenny Dalglish's assessment of "sterile" was closer to the mark. Both sides had opted for a lone striker, making for an overcrowded midfield that choked any chance of a fluid game.

Liverpool had the better chances in the opening period, with Luis Suarez - architect of the 3-1 victory in this fixture last season - twice finding a way through only to be let down by his final touch.

United, whose title defence started at blistering pace with goals galore, have stalled of late, and here barely tested Pepe Reina in the opening hour as Park Ji-sung and Phil Jones went wide with half chances.

Manchester United's Javier Hernandez (C) heads the ball past Liverpool's Pepe Reina (L) to score during their English Premier League soccer match at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England Oct 15, 2011.

The game came to life when United centre back Rio Ferdinand tripped Charlie Adam just outside the area, and Gerrard, who has been out since March with a groin injury that needed surgery, stepped forward to take the kick.

His right-footed strike whizzed through the United wall between Danny Welbeck and Ryan Giggs and low into the net to trigger wild celebrations in the Kop and a double substitution for United with the arrival of Nani and Wayne Rooney.

A few minutes later Hernandez came on for Jones, who had been playing in an unfamiliar midfield role that made him look every bit the out-of-position defender he was, and the Mexican goal poacher pulled one of his specials out of the bag.

Nani's corner was flicked on by Welbeck and Hernandez arrived to head in his third league goal of the season.

"His goal scoring is unbelievable, that boy, he's just got that scoring touch," said Ferguson, who perhaps had in mind United's demanding games this week when he left key players on the bench. On Tuesday they visit Otelul Galati in the Champions League needing a win to kickstart their campaign after two draws, and next Sunday they host English title rivals Manchester City.

Ferguson's side had to hang on for the point as Liverpool pressed for a late winner, with Dirk Kuyt's low shot well saved by De Gea and substitute Jordan Henderson forcing a good stop in the dying moments and heading over the bar in stoppage time.

"We could have had (all three points)," Dalglish told a news conference after the game, which marked the first anniversary of the takeover by Fenway Sports Group that has led to an improvement in the club's fortunes.

"It is a real indication when you get in the dressing room afterwards and they are disappointed that they have drawn 1-1 with Manchester United - that says how far they've come."

(Agencies)

Levante living the dream after humbling Malaga

2011-10-17T01:44:00.001-07:00

Levante's players celebrate after they scored against Malaga during their Spanish first division soccer match at the Ciudad de Valencia Stadium in Valencia Oct 16, 2011.

MADRID - Levante extended their remarkable early-season run when they beat 10-man Malaga 3-0 on Sunday to rejoin champions Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

The tiny Valencia-based club, whose annual budget of around 20 million euros ($27.7 million) is dwarfed by Barca's approximate 500 million, took the lead through Jose Barkero in the 14th minute before Malaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero was shown a straight red card for handling outside his area.

His replacement Ruben saved the resulting free kick but Juanlu, one of a slew of Levante players over 30 years old, was quickest to react and poked the loose ball in to double the home side's lead with just over half an hour gone.

A Ruben howler gifted Levante a third in the 41st minute when he failed to clear and Arouna Kone, who scored the only goal in Levante's shock 1-0 win over Real Madrid last month, broke clear to tap the ball into an empty net.

Levante's fifth successive victory put them level on 17 points with Barca, who are top on goal difference after seven matches.

Ambitious and free-spending Malaga, owned by a member of the Qatar royal family and with a budget of around 150 million euros, are sixth on 13 points.

Levante's coach Juan Ignacio Martinez told a news conference it was important to remain realistic about what the club could achieve this season and said avoiding relegation was still the main objective.

"We have to enjoy this but we know that the league is very long and we are bound to suffer accumulating points," he said.

"We will achieve our goal of 42 points (to avoid relegation) in April, although hopefully I am wrong about that," he added.

Higuain treble

On Saturday, La Liga top scorer Lionel Messi netted his ninth and 10th goals of the campaign in a 3-0 win for Barca, bidding for a club record-equalling fourth title in a row, at home to Racing Santander.

Barca and Levante have a one-point lead over Real Madrid, who thumped visiting Real Betis 4-1 thanks to a third hat-trick in two weeks from Messi's Argentina team mate Gonzalo Higuain.

Sevilla climbed to fourth after their 2-1 win at home to struggling Sporting Gijon in Sunday's late kickoff, Manu Del Moral smashing a long-distance effort into the top corner in the 15th minute at the Sanchez Pizjuan and Martin Caceres nodding a second early in the second half.

Valencia, who drew 1-1 at Real Mallorca on Saturday, are fifth on 14 points.

In Sunday's earlier kickoffs, Real Zaragoza's Portugal striker Helder Postiga struck twice, including a brilliant volley, to earn a 2-0 home win over Real Sociedad.

Ivory Coast midfielder Ndri Romaric scored the only goal as Espanyol ended a run of two defeats with a 1-0 victory at promoted Rayo Vallecano.

Athletic Bilbao are looking for a second straight win after a poor start when they entertain Osasuna on Monday (1900).

(Agencies)

China wins men's team title in gymnastics worlds

2011-10-13T02:31:00.000-07:00

China's team members show their gold medals on a podium during an awarding ceremony at the men's team final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Tokyo Oct 12, 2011.

China's team members celebrate their win on a podium during an awarding ceremony at the men's team final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Tokyo Oct 12, 2011.

Players of China celebrate victory after the men's team final at the 43rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Oct 12, 2011. Team China won the title of the men's team event with 275.161 points.

China's team member celebrates to win the men's team final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Tokyo Oct 12, 2011.

China's Yang Mingyong (L) celebrates with his teammates Chen Yibing after performing the pommel horse during the men's team final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Tokyo Oct 12, 2011.

China's Teng Haibin competes on the rings during the men's team final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Tokyo Oct 12, 2011.

China's Feng Zhe competes on the parallel bars during the men's team final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Tokyo Oct 12, 2011

China's Yan Mingyong competes on the pommel horse during the men's team final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Tokyo Oct 12, 2011.

(china daily)

Football murder probe against Gadhafi's son

2011-10-13T02:26:00.001-07:00

Saadi Gadhafi, son of Muammar Gadhafi, kicks the ball during his team Al-Ahli's training session in Hamrun outside Valletta, in this June 6, 2000 file photo.

TRIPOLI - Libya's interim leaders have approved a request to open an investigation into Muammar Gadhafi's son Saadi over the murder of a footballer who played for the national team in the 1980s, prosecutor Abdullah Banoun said on Wednesday.

Banoun told people gathered at the player's club for a memorial service that the National Transitional Council (NTC) had agreed the investigation into the murder of former midfielder and coach Basheer Al-Rryani could go ahead.

Al-Rryani was known as 'number nine' because of a law forbidding any players but Saadi Gadhafi, who had a brief career as a soccer player, from being mentioned by name. He was tortured and killed in December 2005.

During the Gadhafi-era there had been no independent judiciary and no attempt had been made to investigate the role of Saadi Gadhafi, who is also the subject of an Interpol arrest warrant, the prosecutor said.

After the uprising against his father's rule, Saadi Gadhafi sought refuge in neighbouring Niger, where the government says it has him under surveillance but says it is unlikely to extradict him any time soon to a country where he would not be given a fair trial and risked the death penalty.

Saadi is accused of leading military units responsible for crackdowns against protesters and misappropriating property.

Al-Rryani had coached at Saadi Gadhafi's club for several years after playing for Libya's national team between 1975-1983.

Friends attending the memorial remembered Al-Rryani as an outspoken critic of Gadhafi's regime and said he had been attacked on one occasion before his death.

"Two years before he was killed he told Saadi he was part of a dictatorship and had corrupted Libya. After that he was beaten and left outside his house," said Dr Hussein Rammali, a former team-mate who attended Wednesday's ceremony.

Rammali said Al-Rryani's family had last seen the star at Saadi Gadhafi's seaside resort four days before his body was returned to their home.

(Agencies)

Ryan Giggs wins 'Golden Foot 2011' award

2011-10-11T03:49:00.001-07:00

Soccer player Ryan Giggs of Wales has his feet in a mould during the "Golden Foot 2011" awards in Monaco, Oct 10, 2011.

Soccer player Ryan Giggs of Wales with his "Golden Foot" award during the "Golden Foot 2011" awards in Monaco, Oct 10, 2011.

Soccer player Ryan Giggs of Wales signs his foot mould during the 'Golden Foot 2011' awards in Monaco, Oct 10, 2011.

(Xinhua)

Tony Martin wins first-ever Tour of Beijing

2011-10-11T03:41:00.001-07:00

Germany's Tony Martin of the HTC-Highroad team (2nd L) celebrates as the overall winner with runner-up Britain's David Millar (L) of team Garmin-Cervelo and second runner-up British Chris Froome (2nd R) of team Sky Procycling during the awarding ceremony of the first UCI Tour of Beijing cycling race in Beijing, Oct 9, 2011.

BEIJING - Germany's Tony Martin of team HTC-Highroad won the first-ever Tour of Beijing as Russian star Denis Galimzyanov of team Katusha took the last stage on Sunday.

Galimzyanov sprited in the last 500 meters, snatching the fifth stage of 118km from Tian'anmen Square to the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium.

"Of course I am very happy because it is my first victory on the pro tour. I am in good condition and I did my job but today was my last race for the season and to win the race is amazing," Galimzyanov said.

Argentina's Juan Jose Haedo of team Saxo-Bank placed second, followed by Italian Elia Viviani of Liquigas-Cannondale in third.

The German world time-trial champion Martin maintained his lead in overall standing since the first day's time trail, beating British David Millar of Garmin-Cervelo by 17 seconds, while another British Chris Froome of Sky Procycling placed third with nine seconds further back.

"It's been a fantastic year and now is a fantastic week for me, " Martin said.

"It's really nice to have a victory and it makes me so proud to win the first race in Beijing. We had a very strong team and I have to thank them for the win," added Martin.

Ben King of team Radioshacks kept his white jersey (for the young rider classification) he won in Yong Ning on Friday.

"This is really special for me. It is my first World Tour stage race and it has been an incredible experience to have my teammates taking care of me," said the 22-year old American.

Igor Anton of team Eskaltel Euskadis became the King of Mountains with a total of 22 points, beating Lloyd Mondory of team AG2R-La Mondiale by four points.

Sky Procycling topped the overall team classification in 40 hours 58 minutes and 58 seconds, followed by Omega Pharma-Lotto in 40:59:57, and the third place went to Rabobank Cycling team in 41:00:06.

The Tour of Beijing is the first of its kind in Asia. The inaugural Tour of Beijing started and finished at the Olympic Park and included international tourism landmarks such as Tian'anmen Square, the Bird's Nest Stadium, Summer Palace, Great Wall and Ming Tomb Reservoir.

The 2011 Tour of Beijing is the last stage race on the 2011 UCI World Tour calendar, finishing six days before the final event of the season, the one-day Giro di Lombardia (Italy) on October 15.

A pack of riders cycle past Tian'anmen Square during the fifth stage of the first UCI Tour of Beijing cycling race in Beijing, Oct 9, 2011.

Helicopter incident knocks rider out

A low-flying helicopter sent a sign board into the path of Yannick Eijssen and the Belgian rider was knocked out of the Tour of Beijing in the freak incident last Friday.

Eijssen was then hit by a TV motorbike that was following the peloton, his BMC Racing team said.

He suffered facial abrasions in the accident, which occurred in the final descent of the third stage, won by Ireland's Nicolas Roche.

(Xinhua)

England prepares for Euro 2012 qualifiers

2011-10-07T02:12:00.000-07:00

England's Wayne Rooney (C) races Phil Jones (L) and Danny Welbeck during a training session in Podgorica, October 6, 2011. England are due to play Montenegro in a Euro 2012 Group G qualifying soccer match on Friday.

England's manager Fabio Capello holds the ball as he conducts a training session in Podgorica, October 6, 2011. England are due to play Montenegro in a Euro 2012 Group G qualifying soccer match on Friday

England's John Terry stretches during a training session in Podgorica October 6, 2011. England are due to play Montenegro in a Euro 2012 Group G qualifying soccer match on Friday.

(Reuters)

Walk in each others' shoes

2011-10-04T04:08:00.001-07:00

Two 120-people teams broke the Guinness world record by walking on 50-meter-long specially designed plank shoes for more than 180 meters at a local sports festival in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Sept 22.

It was no stroll in the park, but two teams of 120 people broke a world record through teamwork and perseverance, traveling 180m on pairs of plank shoes, Tang Yue writes

You must have seen hundreds or even thousands of people walking together in the same tempo, like a military parade. But what about doing it in one pair of shoes?

Last month, two 120-person squads broke the Guinness world record by walking on 50-meter-long, specially-designed plank shoes for more than 180m at a local sports festival in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Each shoe consisted of nine pieces of wood, linked by hinges and bolts, and 120 half-round iron hoops attached to it, into which you could put your foot. It meant all the people on the super-long shoes had to maintain the same pace to keep moving. Either that, or they would stop or even fall down.

"It was really incredible when we first heard of the idea. It just sounded so crazy," said Wu Boning, 16, from the Jinchengjiang No 1 Middle School.

Walking on the plank shoes is a traditional sport among many Chinese ethnic minorities. However, to do it with five or nine people, as it is usually done, is one thing. To do it with 120 people is another matter.

To complete their "mission impossible", they started with nine people together and gradually increased the amount.

Walk in each others' shoes

Once all 120 people were wearing the shoes, the most difficult part was not to keep moving, but how to start.

"Since the team was so long, if one player said, 'ready, go', the member on the other end may not hear it clearly. So the teacher shouts it alongside," Wei Qiwen, the instructor of the other team, Guangxi vocational school, said.

"But there was still a problem. Some players just started walking at the same time when they heard 'go', while others just paused before moving. Even a very small time difference could stop the squad from moving.

"Sometimes, they were excited to get off to a nice start, but then they lost their tempo and fell."

With so many people in the same shoes, it was just like dominoes, Wei said. Some students, trying not to disrupt their teammates, chose to fall to the side and injured their ankles.

However, it only took the team a week to get into a proper rhythm.

"This is the greatest thing I have ever done in my life," said Wei Minlan, 21. "If there is something called sense of achievement, I think I have a great taste of it.

"Especially when you do it with 119 other people. You just move at the same pace and you feel the power of solidarity.

"I thought I couldn't make it at first, but we did it and broke the world record. Now I want to do it with more people in the future."

(China Daily)

Home 'advantage' matters

2011-10-04T04:00:00.001-07:00

Peng Shuai of China returns a shot against Flavia Pennetta of Italy during their first-round singles match at the China Open at the National Tennis Center in Beijing on Monday. Pennetta won 7-6 (6), 7-5.

Zheng Jie is the only Chinese player to reach the second round of Open

BEIJING - Playing at home is not always an advantage as it can often result in more pressure and distractions.

After China's top player Li Na was knocked out on Sunday due to, in her words, a lack of confidence and increasing pressure from outside, China's world No 15, Peng Shuai, also suffered a first-round exit at the China Open on Monday, leaving Zheng Jie as the only Chinese player to reach the second round.

After bouncing back from being a set down to oust Italian Brianti Alberta 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, Zheng put her victory down to her mental strength and support from the home audience. Meanwhile, Peng was eliminated by Flavia Pennetta of Italy 7-6 (6), 7-5.

"Chinese players have to take up more pressure on their home courts, because there are more expectations now," said 28-year-old Zheng. "Also, I am not satisfied with my performance today. It's always hard to play the first game, and I was nervous.

"When I was behind 0-4 in the third set, I thought victory was slipping away, but I told myself not to give up," she said. "To play professional tennis with my physical attributes, I must have something others don't have, which is the determination to hold on until the last minute, and play with a full effort no matter what the circumstances."

Home 'advantage' matters

Zheng said the encouragement of the fans also gave her a lot of confidence, though she blew one match point after hearing a fan shout the ball was out.

"I heard someone shout 'out' at match point, and the umpire said it was not her, but someone in the audience," she said. "The fervent cheers from the audience provide motivation, but they also can increase the pressure.

"Of course, players want to have a quiet environment to play, that's the best, but we can't control the audience, what we can do is adjust our mindsets," said Zheng. "From another perspective, the fans are supporting me. If we try to look at it like that when on court we can put ourselves at ease."

Zheng also revealed she may partner Peng in the women's doubles at the London Olympics.

"I hope we have the chance to play together, but we have to check with our teams," Zheng said. "Peng played well in singles this year, and I also want to lift my single's ranking fast; therefore we need to find out how can we practice doubles together while not affecting our singles form.

"I think we have an 80 percent chance of playing at the Olympics together," she said.

In another match on Monday, world No1 Caroline Wozniacki ousted Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 3-6, 6-0, 7-5.

(China Daily)

The underdog will have its day

2011-09-25T04:04:00.000-07:00

China's Ding Jinhui (L) tries to work his way free of South Korea's Moon Tae-jong during China's semifinal victory on Saturday night. China defeated South Korea 56-43 and advanced into the final on Sunday. The host will play Jordan.

Players of Jordan celebrate with their national flag after their semifinal victory over the Philippines at the 2011 FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championship in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Sept 24, 2011. Jordan won the match by 75-61.

WUHAN, Hubei - The individual members of Jordan's basketball team are pretty average.

The underdog will have its day

China's Sun Yue (L) goes for a basket against a South Korean player during China's semifinal victory at the 2011 FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championship in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Sept 24, 2011. [Photo by Cui Meng/chinadaily.com.cn]

As a team, though? Maybe the best in Asia.

Jordan defeated the Philippines, 75-61, on Saturday at the 26th FIBA Asia Championship, proving its quarterfinal victory over two-time defending champion Iran was no fluke.

"Our key for advancing to the final was to put aside our personal goals. As a team we are dangerous, as a group of individuals, we are not," said Jordan head coach Thomas Baldwin.

"It feels very much like a dream coming true. But it is real. We really do want to win the final, and we are really not satisfied with where we are. I want it (the title) so much."

After struggling to establish any tempo in the first half, Jordan regained its defensive intensity and offensive discipline in the third quarter to upset the Filipinos and move within one win of its first Olympic appearance.

Jordan sharp shooter Rasheim Wright and swingman Zaid Abbas scored a combined 38 points to lead the offense, while Islam Abbaas' defense held Marcus Douthit, the tournament's top scorer, to nine points in the first half.

Playmaker Osama Daghles knocked down two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to seal the game.

Facing China, which thrashed Jordan by 33 points in the group stage, in the final, Wright said he is keen to exact revenge from the host.

The underdog will have its day

"For tomorrow, of course, we want revenge. Last time we faced China, I played terrible. I want to beat them tomorrow and play (better)," said the American-Jordanian guard.

Daghles echoed Wright's sentiment, banking on the team's "underdog advantage" to stun the tournament favorite.

"They (China) have much more pressure than us - they're playing at home," he said. "They can't lose like two years ago in Tianjin again. We are excited, motivated and free minded. We have no pressure. That's our advantage," Daghles said.

After an up-and-down struggle during the pool stage, Jordan turned out be a tough-minded, team-oriented squad.

Infused with a big boost of confidence after consecutive crossover victories, the team is making its first final appearance.

"We are already a different team in a short period. We have more confidence and toughness. No matter which team stands in front of us tomorrow, we are gonna hit it hard," Baldwin said.

Chinese players celebrate their victory over South Korea during their semifinal games at the 2011 FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championship in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Sept 24, 2011.

China's Yi Jianlian (L) tries to work his way free of a South Korean player during China's semifinal victory at the 2011 FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championship in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Sept 24, 2011.

China's Yi Li (L) goes for a basket against a South Korean player during China's semifinal victory at the 2011 FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championship in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Sept 24, 2011.

China's Wang Zhizhi (R) gestures during China's semifinal victory over South Korea at the 2011 FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championship in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Sept 24, 2011.

China's head coach Robert Donewald Jr reacts during China's semifinal victory over South Korea at the 2011 FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championship in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Sept 24, 2011.

(China Daily)

The wild and wooly world of goat grabbing

2011-09-23T19:14:00.001-07:00

Horsemen fight for a goat during a goat grabbing competition at the Naadam festival in Jinghe county of Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Sept 21, 2011. The Naadam festival, which runs from Sept 19-21, was held for the first time in Jinghe and attracted more than 500 competitors taking part in 13 sports and 50 events. Goat grabbing, or kok-boru, is a traditional Central Asian team sport played by herdsmen from the Kazak, Uzbek, Uygur and Mongolian ethnic groups. Competitors try to grab the carcass of a headless white goat or calf, usually below two years old, from the ground while riding on a horseback and pitch it across a goal line or into a target circle.

Horsemen compete during a goat grabbing competition at the Naadam festival in Jinghe county of Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Sept 21, 2011.

A competitor holds a goat during the competition at the Naadam festival in Jinghe county of Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Sept 21, 2011.

Horsemen compete during a goat grabbing competition at the Naadam festival in Jinghe county of Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Sept 21, 2011.

(china daily)

Yao joins in shark conservation campaign

2011-09-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yao Ming(R), ambassador of shark conservation of the wild aid association under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) attends a press conference to announce a campaign to protect the endangered species in Shanghai September 22, 2011.

Yao Ming, ambassador of shark conservation of the wild aid association under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) attends a press conference to announce a campaign to protect the endangered species in Shanghai September 22, 2011.

(china daily)

Murray, girlfriend spotted at London fashion week

2011-09-21T02:14:00.000-07:00

British model and actress Rosie Huntington Whiteley (L), celebrity photographer Mario Testino (2nd L), British tennis player Andy Murray (2nd R) and Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears watch the presentation of the Burberry Prorsum 2012 Spring/Summer collection during London Fashion Week, Sept 19, 2011.

British actress Sienna Miller (L), celebrity photographer Mario Testino (2nd L), British tennis player Andy Murray (2nd R) and his girlfriend Kim Sears watch the presentation of the Burberry Prorsum 2012 Spring/Summer collection during London Fashion Week, Sept 19, 2011.

British tennis player Andy Murray and his girlfriend Kim Sears arrive for the Burberry fashion show, during London Fashion Week, at Kensington Gardens, London, Sept 19, 2011.

(Agencies)

Spanish basketball team parades celebrating European title

2011-09-21T02:08:00.000-07:00

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero holds a trophy as he poses with member of Spain's basketball team at Moncloa palace in Madrid, Sept 19, 2011.

MADRID - The Spanish Basketball team celebrated winning the European Championship by parading the trophy through the streets of Madrid on Monday before offering it to thousands of delighted fans in the middle of the capital.

Spain defeated France 98-85 in the Lituanian capital of Kaunas on Sunday to win the trophy and end an impressive tournament in which they were defeated only once.

The Spanish side, which is coached by Sergio Scariolo, holds players such as Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio, Rudy Fernandez and Jose Calderon who all ply their trade in the NBA.

Spain's star player Pau Gasol is currently with the LA Lakers, but it was Juan Carlos Navarro who was the hero in Kaunas. The guard scored 27 points in the final and was voted MVP of the competition.

The Spanish team carried the trophy in an open topped bus, down the central, Avenida de la Castellana and along the Gran Via, where thousands of fans were waiting.

Spain's national basketball team captain Juan Carlos Navarro raises the FIBA EuroBasket 2011 trophy during a celebration ceremony in central Madrid, Sept 19, 2011.

The players took turns to lift the trophy into the Madrid sky and all of them had words to saw, while the fans wasted no time in showing their appreciation.

The team spent over half an Callao before making their way onto the bus and while many supporters decided to continue their celebrations.

The team is now thinking ahead to their next big task - the 2012 Olympic Games, where they hope to improve on the silver medal they won in Beijing.

Spain's national basketball team player Pau Gasol gives the thumbs up while holding his gold medal during a celebration ceremony in central Madrid, Sept 19, 2011.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (R) shakes hands with Spain's basketball team member Pau Gasol at Moncloa palace in Madrid, Sept 19, 2011.

(Xinhua)

Vettel has a hand on title after Italy win

2011-09-13T04:04:00.001-07:00

Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany (R) and Red Bull Formula One Team Principal Christian Horner celebrate after winning the Italian F1 Grand Prix at Monza circuit, Sept 11, 2011.

MONZA, Italy - Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel had his second successive Formula One world championship almost sealed and delivered after winning the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The 24-year-old German, who had started on pole position for the 10th time in 13 races, stretched his overall lead to a mighty 112 points after Australian team mate and closest rival Mark Webber crashed out.

With only 150 points remaining to be won from the last six grands prix, Vettel has now won eight races this season and can clinch the title at the next one in Singapore on Sept 25 if results go his way.

Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany (C) leads ahead of Ferrari Formula One driver Fernando Alonso of Spain (L) and Mercedes Formula One driver Michael Schumacher of Germany during the Italian F1 Grand Prix at the Monza circuit, Sept 11, 2011.

McLaren's Jenson Button finished runner-up for the third season in a row at Monza with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, last year's winner from pole, giving the sea of red-shirted fans something to cheer about with third place at his team's home race.

Vettel, who took his first Formula One win at Monza with Red Bull's Italian-based sister team Toro Rosso on 2008, let all the emotions flood out on his return to the podium. He now has 284 points to double world champion Alonso's 172 and Button's 167.

"When you stand up there you feel so blessed. It doesn't happen to many people," said Vettel who swerved across to the pit wall with one finger raised as he crossed the line.

"This circuit means a lot to me...obviously the first one was very special but to be back here...incredible," he gasped. "I really had a very, very good race car and a fantastic day today.

Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany reacts on the podium after winning the Italian F1 Grand Prix at Monza circuit, Sept 11, 2011.

"It's the best podium in the world. The only thing that could make it better is probably wearing a red suit."

On a sweltering afternoon in the royal park near Milan, Alonso had the home fans leaping in excitement at the start by seizing the lead, roaring past Vettel with one wheel on the grass, from fourth place on the grid.

The Spaniard held his advantage for the first four laps thanks to the safety car, which had to be deployed immediately after Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi lost control of his HRT, skidding across a corner and slamming into Vitaly Petrov's Renault.

Germany's Nico Rosberg was also caught in the mayhem, retiring his Mercedes on the spot.

Ferrari supporters celebrate the third place of Fernando Alonso of Spain after the Italian F1 Grand Prix at Monza circuit, Sept 11, 2011.

Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany celebrates on the podium after winning the Italian F1 Grand Prix at Monza circuit, Sept 11, 2011.

Second placed McLaren Formula One driver Jenson Button of Britain (L) and first placed Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany celebrate on the podium after the Italian F1 Grand Prix at Monza circuit, Sept 11, 2011.

(Agencies)

Rugby World Cup will reap rewards

2011-09-13T04:04:00.000-07:00

Japan's Tomoki Yoshida takes part in a training session in Auckland September 13, 2011, ahead of their Rugby World Cup Pool A match against New Zealand All Blacks in Hamilton on Friday.

WELLINGTON - New Zealanders should bask in the rugby World Cup and reap the benefits of hosting a global sporting event, said one of the British politicians in charge of the London Olympics.

"What a fantastic achievement," Jeremy Browne, Britain's Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth office and who has responsibilty for the legacy effects of the 2012 London Games, said in an interview in Wellington on Monday.

"This is the biggest sporting event anywhere in the world this year and it's in New Zealand -- which has a population of just over four million people.

"You have put on a fantastic show and the excitement is palpable ... and the vast majority of people are right behind it and are very enthusiastic."

Georgia's Shalva Sutiashvili takes part in their Captain's run in Invercargill September 13, 2011, ahead of their Rugby World Cup Pool B match against Scotland at Rugby Park Stadium on Wednesday.

Browne was making a flying visit to New Zealand where he saw four rugby world Cup matches in two days and was addressing New Zealand Olympic Committee officials on Monday on how they could use the World Cup to drum up more business, government and sporting networking opportunites heading into London 2012.

"There are a lot of people who are looking at New Zealand at the moment who wouldn't ordinarily be looking at New Zealand," he said.

"We are going to be getting that next year with the Olympics.

"There are business people, heads of state, lot of economic events around the Games with high profile businessmen and women talking to people and developing their business contacts.

"So there will be a sense of London being a hub for global attention for the Olympics and Paralympics so obviousy we want to exploit that in the best possible way."

Browne said the recent riots in Britain had tarnished the country's image, but added that communities were horrified at the rioting.

"It was a serious law and order failure and we don't want to project those images around the world," he said.

"I'm not making excuses, but what you didn't see was the millions of young people who were going to work, or participating in voluntary work and community sports teams."

Browne attended the opening game of the tournament in Auckland between the All Blacks and Tonga before he attended the Scotland-Romania match in Invercargill and the England-Argentina match in Dunedin, which was "a little too close for comfort".

He also went to the Springboks-Wales game in Wellington on Sunday and said after his short time in the country he felt that New Zealanders, while they wanted the All Blacks to win, were passionate about seeing rugby develop as a global sport.

"Everyone who follows rugby has a genuine affection for rugby as a sport," he said.

"I want the British teams to do well but I would like to see rugby come on in countries like Argentina and Italy and Japan, who are hosting in eight years time.

"People were right behind the Japan team ...against France (in Albany on Saturday) and I think people want rugby to rise to the occasion.

"The games have been a lot closer than expected and that bodes well for rugby as a sport.

"The world game is ...getting stronger and stronger and the World Cup is about building that."

France's Rafael Lakafia (L) and Julien Bonnaire take part in a training session in Auckland Sept 13, 2011, ahead of their Rugby World Cup Pool A match against Canada in Napier on Sunday.

Australia Wallabies' Will Genia (L) and Luke Burgess take part in a training session in Auckland Sept 13, 2011.

(Agencies)

Player power wins the day at US Open

2011-09-09T02:15:00.000-07:00

Rafael Nadal of Spains serves to Gilles Muller of Luxembourg during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Sept 7, 2011.

* Officials change schedule after player complaints

NEW YORK - Rafa Nadal flexed his muscles at the US Open Thursday with a show of power rarely seen in the modern game.

Showing no mercy against his unseeded opponent, the Spaniard stormed into the quarter-finals with a ruthless display then led a player revolt that pressured organisers into rearranging the schedule after the two previous days were washed out by rain.

The defending champion was quick to express his displeasure after weather delays left him facing the daunting prospect of having to win four matches in as many days to retain his title.

"That's not fair, but that's what it is," Nadal growled after thrashing Luxembourg's Gilles Muller 7-6 6-1 6-2 in a little over two hours. "If you don't have rest, you have a big chance not (to) be fit enough to play well (in) the next match."

Andy Roddick and Andy Murray were also unhappy at the schedule, which they said favoured players in the top half of the draw, who would only have to play three times in four days.

Within hours, the US Tennis Association (USTA) announced they had bowed to the player's demands.

The women's final, originally scheduled for Saturday, was put back a day, while the men's championship decider was shifted from Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks, to Monday, marking the fourth year in a row the last major of the year has gone into overtime.

"We revised the schedule for the remainder of the 2011 US Open in an effort to be fair to the players and our ticketholders," tournament director Jim Curley said in a statement.

But not all the players were impressed with the decision, including world number one and title favorite, Serbian Novak Djokovic. "I'm not really happy about that, to be honest," he said.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia lunges to make a return to compatriot Janko Tipsarevic during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Sept 8, 2011.

The scheduling changes were in stark contrast to events on court, where almost everything went according to the script.

Djokovic became the first man to reach the semi-finals when his Davis Cup team mate Janko Tipsarevic retired while trailing 7-6 6-7 6-0 3-0 because of a thigh injury.

It was the first time in the tournament that Djokovic had lost a set but the result was never in doubt and he will play Roger Federer in Saturday's semis.

Roger Federer of Switzerland laughs behind his towel after watching a replay between sets against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in their quarterfinal match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Sept 8, 2011.

Federer advanced to his eighth straight US Open semi-final with an impressive 6-4 6-3 6-3 win over Frenchman Jo-Wilfied Tsonga to stay on course for a possible sixth title.

"It's always a great match-up between the two of us. We've played over 20 times, I think, so there is no real secrets out there," Federer said of his Djokovic encounter.

"We have had particularly good matches here at the US Open and I have the feeling it's going to be something similar again."

Murray produced his best display of the tournament in beating American wildcard Donald Young 6-2 6-3 6-3 but Roddick and John Isner kept the Stars and Stripes fluttering in the men's draw by beating higher-ranked European opponents.

Roddick showed glimpses of the form that saw him win at Flushing Meadows in 2003 as he ousted Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3 to set up a quarter-final clash with Nadal.

The towering Isner beat French 12th seed Gilles Simon 7-6 3-6 7-6 7-6 in a match unsurprisingly dominated by his serve and advances to face Murray.

Roddick's match was supposed to be played on the Louis Armstrong Stadium but was moved to an outside court with less than 600 spectator seats after farcical scenes.

The big-serving American joined forces with Nadal and Murray to berate the tournament referee Wednesday when they were asked to play in light rain and let his feelings known again when the Louis Armstrong Stadium court started leaking water and staff tried in vain to dry the playing surface.

"Find us a court," Roddick snapped. "At a certain point that has to take precedence over what people can watch."

Andy Roddick of the US serves to David Ferrer of Spain during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Sept 8, 2011.

(Agencies)

Wozniacki sets up semis against Serena

2011-09-09T02:05:00.001-07:00

Serena Williams of the US celebrates winning match point against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Sept 8, 2011.

Serena Williams of the US celebrates winning match point against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Sept 8, 2011.

World No 1 Caroline Wozniacki and three-time champion Serena Williams both cruised into the semifinals of US Open on Thursday and had to face off for a final slot.

Last year's runner-up Vera Zvonareva, No 2 seed, succumbed to Aussie Samantha Stosur in straight sets of 6-3, 6-3 in a quarterfinal.

The 2009 US Open runner-up Wozniacki got past 10th-seeded German Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 7-6 (5) in 1 hour and 40 minutes in another quarterfinal, including a hard-fought 73-minute second set.

The top-seeded Dane broke Petkovic six times, compared to three breaks for the German, who reached the quarterfinals at three of the four Grand Slam events this year, her best-ever one on the WTA circuit.

The 21-year-old Wozniacki will challenge Williams for a third time, all on hardcourts, seeking a first ever win. The two stars haven't met since the 2009 season.

The 28th-seeded Williams overpowered 17th-seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-1 with her seventh ace of the play to end the contest, advancing into semifinal hitting 26 winners.

The powerful American broke the young Russian six times and Pavlyuchenkova piled up 31 unforced errors en route to the predictable defeat.

"I think Caroline is a very consistent player," Williams said. "I think both consistent on the court and then consistent in playing tournaments and doing well and winning tournaments as well as going really far in tournaments. That's pretty much what it takes to be the best."

The 29-year-old Williams is a 13-time major titlist, including a trio of US Open victories. She also posted a runner-up finish to her older sister Venus here in Flushing Meadow 10 years ago.

Serena is currently riding a 17-match overall winning streak, all on hardcourts, which includes titles in Stanford and Toronto.

Samantha Stossur of Australia celebrates after defeating Vera Zvonareva of Russia in their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Sept 8, 2011.

Ninth-seeded Stosur beat Zvonareva for an eighth straight time, as the Aussie posted a comprehensive 6-3, 6-3 victory in 67 minutes.

Stosur fired 25 winners, compared to only nine for the Russian. The Australian converted three of four break points, while Zvonareva was unable to get even a break point.

"When you're playing well, it just kind of flows," said Stosur. "You step up to the line and you play the next point and the next one and the next one. Happy to close it out in straight sets."

Stosur was last year's French Open runner-up, while Zvonareva lost in last year's US Open and Wimbledon finals.

The 27-year-old Stosur will now appear in her third career Grand Slam semifinal and her first-ever US Open semi.

She'll play against upstart 92nd-ranked German Angelique Kerber on Saturday.

The 23-year-old left-handed Kerber will appear in her first career Grand Slam semifinal after upending 26th-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Angelique Kerber of Germany kneels as she celebrates after winning match point against Flavia Pennetta of Italy at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Sept 8, 2011.

Vera Zvonareva of Russia hits a return to Samantha Stossur of Australia during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Sept 8, 2011.

(Agencies)

Belarus mourns Russian air crash victims

2011-09-09T01:55:00.000-07:00

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko carries a bunch of flowers as he skates on the ice during a commemorative event at the Minsk-Arena sports complex in Minsk, Sept 8, 2011. A passenger plane carrying Russian ice hockey team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to a season-opening match crashed after takeoff from a provincial airport on Wednesday, killing 43 people and plunging the Russian and international sports world into grief. The match would have taken place at the sports complex in the Belarus capital on Thursday.

Women hold candles during a commemorative event at the Minsk-Arena sports complex in Minsk, Sept 8, 2011.

A woman reacts as she holds a portrait of Daniil Sobchenko, a member of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Russian ice hockey team Lokomotiv, during a commemorative event at the Minsk-Arena sports complex in Minsk, Sept 8, 2011.

4Belarussian hockey players from Dinamo Minsk attend a commemorative event at the Minsk-Arena sports complex in Minsk, Sept 8, 2011.

(Agencies)

Cramping Nadal, Roddick into fourth round, Del Potro out of US Open

2011-09-05T01:52:00.001-07:00

Rafael Nadal of Spain hits balls in the crowd after after his opponent Nicolas Mahut of France retired with an injury at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, September 2, 2011.

NEW YORK, Sept. 4 -- Defending champion Rafael Nadal and former winner Andy Roddick both marched into the fourth round of US Open with straight-set victories.

Nadal, the second seed, won 7-6 (5), 6-1, 7-5 in 2 hours, 39 minutes against David Nalbandian of Argentina.

About two hours later, the 25-year-old Spaniard suddenly slumped to the floor under a large table because of right leg cramps during a press conference.

"I just have cramping in my leg, that's all," Nadal said in a statement after the interview room was locked for about 10 minutes while trainers and his family attended to him. "That's why I fell. It was so painful."

"It could have happened anywhere, it was just bad luck it happened here," Nadal said in Spanish while standing in front of the interview podium.

Nadal will play Gilles Muller of Luxembourg for a place in the quarterfinals at the final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. Muller breezed past Igor Kunitsyn of Russia 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

Roddick, the 21st seed from the United States and the champion in 2003, won 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (5) against Frenchman Julien Benneteau and set up a match against David Ferrer, the fifth seed from Spain for a quarterfinal place.

Ferrer moved on also in straight sets against 26th seed Florian Mayer from Germany 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (2).

Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, the 2009 US Open champion and the 18th seed this year, lost 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (3) to Gilles Simon, the 12th seed from France, in a 3 hour, 57 minute match.

"It's very hard make a winner playing against Simon," said Del Potro.

"But I try until the end, and I play in lower level the tiebreaks. He take the chance and he close the match on fourth set," added the Argentinean, who lost both tiebreakers.

Donald Young became the second American player progressing in men's draw as the 22-year-old got into the tournament as a wild-card entrant, winning 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 against Juan Ignacio Chela, the 24th seed from Argentina, and next faces the winner between fourth-seeded Andy Murray of Britain and Feliciano Lopez, the 25th seed from Spain.

(Reuters)

Russia's Lysenko wins women's hammer throw in Daegu worlds

2011-09-05T01:30:00.000-07:00

Gold medalist Tatyana Lysenko of Russia competes in the women's hammer throw final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, on Sept. 4, 2011. Lysenko won the final with 77.13 metres.

DAEGU, South Korea, Sept. 4 -- Russia's former world record holder Tatyana Lysenko defeated the current holder Betty Heidler from Germany to claim her first world title here on Sunday with a 77.13-meter effort in the women's hammer throw final.

The 27-year-old opened the final by improving her seasonal best mark by three times out of three attempts to 77.13m, which brought her the first ever gold medal in a global major event. The mark is also the second longest in the world championships history, just behind Anita Wlodarczyk's winning mark of 77.96m in Berlin 2009.

"Until the last attempt, I was not sure I will get gold," said the Russian. "My throws were very solid and stable but hammer throw is the event in which you can never be sure about your victory until the last throw."

Lysenko made a below par start to the season but her form has taken an upward trajectory in recent weeks. The European silver medalist clinched the Russian title with 73.26m on July 24 before recording a then-season's best 75.70m at her final pre-Daegu competition in Moscow.

The 2006 Euro champion served two-year doping suspension to July 14, 2009 after failing an out-of-competition test on May 9, 2007. Her world record of 78.61m on May 26, 2007 and her European Cup win for that year were annulled.

Heidler, the 2007 world champion who smashed the world record with a stunning 79.42m in Halle in May 2011, got the silver with 76.06m from her penultimate throw.

"I do not know what was wrong with me today, why I did not get it today, why I did not get it together today. There was just no rhythm. It was not a good competition," said the 27-year-old. "I am not happy about this competition and my result. But at least I still got a silver medal because until the fifth attempt I was only third."

"Today's championship is a good motivation for me for 2012. Because I know that I am the best in the world this year and also the world record holder," she added.

China's Zhang Wenxiu won her third bronze medal in major global events by throwing the hammer to 75.03m in her first attempt. The 25-year-old Asian record holder landed world bronze in 2007 and the same color medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

"I achieved my second best throw of the season and managed to return to the medals after missing the podium in Berlin," she said. "The gold and silver medal winner were very strong today and I wanted to achieve my best result in the first round. I am satisfied with my performance coming back from a long injury last year."

Cuba's twice world champion Yipsi Moreno managed to record only twice out of six attempts and finished fourth with her seasonal best of 74.48m.

"This is the first time I finish fourth at a major championship since 2001 and I am not unhappy," said the 30-year-old veteran. "I did not compete against the top girls this year and I only saw them here. Lack of competition was reflected in a number of fouls and playing safe to score a valid throw. Despite all this, I fought and produced my season's best."

"I feel I can improve today's result before the end of the season. The motivation is there and I will continue to pursue my Olympic dreams," she added.

Defending champion Wlodarczyk followed Moreno with this year's personal best mark of 73.56m.

"After many injuries, I only managed to do physical conditioning before coming here. I wanted 75m, but I am satisfied with my season's best and the fact that I did not commit many fouls," said the 26-year-old Pole.

Tatyana Lysenko of Russia competes during the women's hammer throw final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, on Sept. 4, 2011. Lysenko won the final with 77.13 metres.

(Xinhua)

Farah of Britain snatches gold in men's 5,000m at Daegu worlds

2011-09-05T01:28:00.000-07:00

Mohamed Farah of Britain reacts after winning the men's 5,000 metres final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, September 4, 2011. He claimed the title of the event in 13 minites and 23.36 seconds.

DAEGU, South Korea, Sept. 4 -- Mohamed Farah of Britain took gold in the men's 5,000m in 13 minutes and 23.36 seconds on Sunday night at the Daegu world championships.

Fatah, 28, who is a Somali-born British middle-distance runner, took the lead in the last lap. In the final 100 meters, his competitors were challenging him, but he also charged ahead and crossed the finish line first.

It was his first world title in the men's 5,000m.

Bernard Lagat of the United States finished second in 13:23.64.

Imane Merga of Ethiopia finished third in 13:23.78, but was then disqualified by track referee for running inside his lane for 10-15m.

His fellow Ethiopian Dejen Gebremeskel then replaced him as the bronze medalist.

Bolt makes amends with lightning 200

2011-09-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

DAEGU, South Korea - The doubters said Usain Bolt was vulnerable and that his star was on the wane. In response, the Jamaican showman silenced his critics on Saturday with the fastest feet in the world.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates winning the men's 200 metres final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu September 3, 2011.

Six days after his humiliating disqualification from the 100 metres final, the lanky Jamaican blew away his rivals in the 200, his favourite event, to retain his Berlin title and give the Daegu crowd the show they had been waiting for.

The 25-year-old, who set the world record of 19.19 in winning the title in Berlin two years ago, has struggled to regain top form after a back injury ended his 2010 season prematurely but he was back to his imperious best on the penultimate day of competition.

"I wasn't running angry, I was running hard just to say to fans sorry about the 100 metres," said Bolt. Only he and Michael Johnson have run 19.40 or faster over 200 metres.

"I came out here to do my best...19.40 for me, it is a good time. I am not in my best shape, but it is all about fun and enjoyment. Fans will decide if I made it up to them."

Bolt admitted he had been anxious before last Sunday's 100 final, which had contributed to his false start.

"I think it was anxiety," he said. "I was ready to go, I was excited, I wanted to get on the track and run.

"Anxiety got the best of me. I was in the blocks and after he said 'set' a second after that I thought I heard someone say 'go'. I left the blocks. It was all my fault."

During the race buildup to the 200 final on Saturday, Bolt looked loose and relaxed, playfully fist-bumping with the track assistant looking after his gear and handing him his numbers.

After putting his fingers to his lips to hush the crowd as the runners took their marks, the world record holder burst from the blocks in lane three and ate up the ground on American Walter Dix on his outside in a matter of strides.

Moving up through the gears around the bend, Bolt emerged at the top of the home straight with the race in the bag, pushing himself towards the line as the crowd rose to the sight of Bolt in full flight.

With his country's flag draped around his shoulders like a cape, the Jamaican super-sprinter worked the Korean crowd into a frenzy, delivering his signature victory pose and playing cat-and-mouse with the chasing pack of photographers.

Bolt said he was looking forward to the chance of winning another gold in the 4x100 on Sunday and paid tribute to Frenchman Lemaitre, who clocked 19.80 to finish behind Dix.

"It is good to run a good 200. It is my favorite event," he added. "I said over the years that Christophe was going to be a good athlete."

Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates winning the men's 200 metres final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Daegu September 3, 2011.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica holds his shoes after winning the men's 200 metres final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Daegu September 3, 2011.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica bows after winning the men's 200 metres final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Daegu September 3, 2011.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after crossing the finish line next to Walter Dix of the US (L) winning the men's 200 metres final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Daegu September 3, 2011.

(Agencies)

Serena Williams beats Azarenka in US Open

2011-09-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK - Victoria Azarenka weathered the full force of Serena Williams at her best, an experience she described as "painful", before turning their US Open third-round match into a taut drama.

Serena Williams of the US celebrates a point against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, September 3, 2011.

Williams battered the fourth-seeded Belarussian in the first set but then was pushed to a scintillating tie-break to decide a dynamic second set before advancing to the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows with a 6-1 7-6 win.

Firing on all cylinders, Williams roared out to a 5-0 lead in just 17 minutes against Azarenka, a two-time tournament winner this season who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and is ranked fifth in the world.

"I think I played really well," said Williams. "I was doing the right things.

"It's a good feeling, for sure. It feels amazing."

The 22-year-old Azarenka described it differently.

"o have somebody just going at you like that, it's a little bit painful," she said.

"You try to do your best, but somebody's on fire."

Williams, seeded 28th after a long layoff due to injury dropped her from the world number one ranking, looked set to turn the tough match-up into a rout but Azarenka bounced back with some of her best tennis.

She changed the rhythm by playing aggressively and the pair produced the best tennis of the women's tournament so far.

Azarenka used deep groundstrokes to force Williams to race from corner to corner, but the American met the challenge, going into a full split after reaching for one forehand, and nearly crashing into a photographers' well after chasing down another shot into the corner.

Williams looked set to finally subdue her opponent when she took a 0-40 lead with Azarenka serving in the ninth game trailing 5-3 and trying to stay alive. The Belarussian fought off three break points in a row and held serve to make it 5-4.

With Williams serving for the match, Azarenka saved another match point in the next game, and put the set back on serve with a reflex block of a forehand smash to break serve for 5-5.

It went to a tie-break and the decider was 5-5 when Azarenka, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon this year, netted a forehand to give Williams her fifth match point.

Williams did not squander this one, inducing Azarenka to send a forehand wide to claim the tie-break 7-5.

"I think the whole match was (the quality of) a semi-final," Williams said.

"At the end of the day, it was a third round. I'm only in the round of 16 now. So, you know, I got to keep going the best I can."

The 29-year-old Williams will next face former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, the 16th seed, who beat American wildcard Sloane Stephens.

Serena Williams of the US serves to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, September 3, 2011.

(Agencies)

Brawl over penalty spoils Spain win over Chile

2011-09-03T23:44:00.001-07:00

Spain's Cesc Fabregas celebrates with team mates David Silva (back) and Pedro Rodriguez (L) after he scored the second goal for the team during their international friendly soccer match against Chile in St Gallen, Sept 2, 2011.

ST GALLEN, Switzerland - Cesc Fabregas scored twice, including an injury-time winner, to give Spain a 3-2 victory over Chile on Friday in a friendly that ended in an ugly brawl involving players and officials from both sides.

Television replays suggested the penalty which resulted in substitute Fabregas's winner should not have been awarded as Alvaro Arbeloa seemed to dive.

Mauricio Isla and Eduardo Vargas stunned Spain with early goals as a sizeable contingent of Chileans fans produced a carnival atmosphere rarely seen at the home of Swiss second division club St Gallen.

Halftime substitute Andres Iniesta inspired a Spanish revival by pulling one back and he also set up the equaliser for Fabregas.

The former Arsenal player then saw his penalty saved by Claudio Bravo but fired home the rebound for the late winner.

A huge brawl then erupted involving almost all of the players, and the benches joined in.

Spain's goalkeeper Pepe Reina tries to calm down his team mate Sergio Busquets (L) as Spain players argue with Chile players at the end of their international friendly soccer match in St Gallen, Sept 2, 2011.

Spain left Iniesta on the bench and appeared unprepared for the whirlwind which was unleashed against them as Chile began with the same mesmerising style which made them stand out at the 2010 World Cup.

The South Americans went ahead when a raking 60-metre crossfield ball by Gonzalo Jara from the left of the defence found Isla who took his time before firing an unstoppable shot past Iker Casillas in the 10th minute.

Chile struck again when Alexis Sanchez flicked the ball over a defender's head to send Vargas away and the 21-year-old Universidad de Chile forward rounded Casillas before flicking the ball in after 20 minutes.

Casillas then diverted Jean Beausejour's shot on to the post before Sanchez chipped over as Chile repeatedly caught out the Spanish rearguard.

Some of Chile's play bordered on show-boating while the Spanish showed an uglier, petulant side with numerous late tackles flying in as their frustration got the better of them.

The game changed completely after Iniesta was one of three Spanish substitutions at halftime.

The Barcelona midfielder reduced the arrears with a deflected low shot from the edge of the area nine minutes after the restart.

Fabregas and Fernando Torres came on in the 64th minute and the former Arsenal captain needed only seven minutes before slipping the ball under Bravo.

Spain and Chile players argue at the end of their international friendly soccer match against Chile in St Gallen, Sept 2, 2011.

(Agencies)

Germany humiliates Austria 6-2 in Euro qualifiers

2011-09-03T23:44:00.000-07:00

Germany's Lukas Podolski and Holger Badstuber (R) celebrate a goal against Austria during their Euro 2012 Group A qualifying soccer match in Gelsenkirchen, Sept 2, 2011.

BERLIN - Germany remained with a clean sheet in Euro qualifiers 2012 when they trashed Austria 6-2 thanks to a hat-trick by midfielder Mesut Oezil at Veltins Arena on Friday.

The Germans shocked the guests with an early goal when midfielder Oezil hammered a shot into bottom left in the 8th minute. Oezil doubled the score for Germany at the 23rd minute when he rounded Austrian goalkeeper Christian Gartzei.

Only five minutes later, German striker Lukas Podolski tripled the lead when he netted from sharp angle inside penalty area. Just before break Austria showed a vital sign as striker Marko Arnautovic headed home a cross to make it 3-1 on the scoreboards.

After the break, Oezil sealed his hat-trick when he netted a pass into path for the 4-1 lead.

Austria was only able to make it 2-4 on the scoreboards through striker Martin Harnik as Germany kept it bowling with another two goals by joker youngster's striker Andre Schuerrle and midfielder mate Mario Goetze to mark the final 6-2 score to stun the guests.

"During the European Championship qualifying this team has done great," Joachim Loew said after his 70th match as German head coach.

Germany dominated Group A with 24 points from eight victories, followed by Turkey with 13 points, Belgium 12 points, Austria 7 points, Azerbaijan 4 points and Kazakhstan with 3 points. In October the German squad faces Turkey for the 9th match day of Euro qualifiers 2012.

(Xinhua)

China beats Singapore 2-1 in World Cup qualifier

2011-09-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

Singapore's Shahril Ishak (L) fights for the ball with China's Liu Jianye during their Asian qualifying soccer match for the 2014 World Cup, in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan province September 2, 2011.

KUNMING - China laboured out a 2-1 comeback win over Singapore at the first group match in the third round of the 2014 World Cup Asian qualifiers here on Friday.

Singapore opened the scoring in the 33rd minute from China skipper Li Weifeng's dribbling error in the hosts' own half field. Tall striker Aleksandar Duric and his front line partner Qiu Li took good use of the chance to carve open the Chinese defence in the counter-attack, and Duric drove home a sharp small angle shot from Qiu's assist.

After missing a 59th-minute penalty, China levelled the score also by a penalty ten minutes later by substitute midfielder Zheng Zhi. Yu Hai took the winner on 73 mintues after substitute Yu Dabao's powerful shot following Zheng Zhi's left wing cross was blocked by keeper Lewis, who replaced injured Izwan Mahbud in the 54 minute and denied Qu Bo's penalty five minutes later.

Singapore coach Raddy Avramovic was sent off for protesting the referee after giving the hosts two penalties.

It is the first win for China's head coach Jose Antonio Camacho, who took over from Gao Hongbo on August 14. China is grouped with Iraq, Jordan and Singapore in Group A at the third round of the Asian qualifiers. The top two will qualify for the fourth round, which is made up of 10 teams.

China will meet Jordan in the next group match on September 6.

China had only one world cup experience: Bora Miludinovic guided them to the 2002 South Korea/Japan edition.

Singapore's Mustafic Fahrudin (L) fights for the ball with China's Chen Tao during their 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifying soccer match in Kunming, Yunnan province September 2, 2011.

(Xinhua)

China braves early scare to beat Singapore

2011-09-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

Singapore's goalkeeper Lionel Lewis fails to save a penalty goal by China's Zheng Zhi (2nd R) during their 2014 World Cup Asian qualifying soccer match in Kunming, Yunnan province Sept 2, 2011.

China's coach Jose Antonio Camacho Alfaro of Spain reacts during his team's 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifying soccer match against Singapore in Kunming, Yunnan province, Sept 2, 2011.

KUNMING, Yunan - China won Friday at Kunming Tuodong Stadium.

That wasn't a big surprise - China never loses there.

The men's team kicked off 2014 World Cup Asian Zone qualifying with a 2-1 victory over Singapore.

The Chinese team hasn't lost a game on the pitch since 1985, going 8-0-2 over its past ten matches there.

There was, of course, more to the victory than home-field advantage.

China survived an early 1-0 deficit with some gritty play in the clutch, and a healthy dose of luck.

Singapore took the lead in the 33rd minute, when 41-year-old striker Aleksandar Duric found the net after Chinese captain Li Weifeng lost the ball at midfield.

Yu Hai from China celebrates scoring a goal against Singapore during their 2014 World Cup Asian Zone qualifier in Kunming, Yunan province on Friday.

China wasted a chance to equalize in the second half when striker Qu Bo missed a penalty created by teammate Chen Tao in the 57th minute.

Things would get much worse for Singapore.

The home side got another penalty in the 69th minute. Midfielder Zheng Zhi converted the goal, giving China a fresh slate at 1-1.

Three minutes later, Singapore coach Avramovic Radojko was sent off the field for arguing with officials. One minute later, Yu Hai scored another goal for China and sealed the team's first-round-of-20 qualifier.

In other games, the Republic of Korea trashed Lebanon 6-0 at home, with Park Chu-young contributing a hat trick.

Japan secured a 1-0 victory against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with a late goal.

Australia defeated Thailand 2-1.

China will play its second game on Sept 7 in Jordan.

Singapore's coach Radjoko Avramovic of Serbia (C) is escorted off the field after he was kicked out of the pitch during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifying soccer match against China in Kunming, Yunnan province, Sept 2, 2011.

(China Daily)

Bolt back on centre stage on day seven in Daegu

2011-09-02T02:50:00.003-07:00

Usain Bolt of Jamaica (R) competes in the men's 200 metres heat at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, Sept 2, 2011.

DAEGU, South Korea - Jamaican Usain Bolt returns to the Daegu Stadium on Friday with a second chance to put his stamp on the 13th world championships five days after his 100 metres debacle.

The world's fastest man, who stormed out of the arena after a false start in the final of the blue riband sprint on Sunday, opens the defence of his 200 title in the heats on the seventh morning of the championships.

While he was thought to be vulnerable in the shorter sprint after a patchy season, Olympic champion and world record holder Bolt could hardly be a stronger favourite in the half-lap event.

American Allyson Felix admitted her decision to add the 400m to her schedule had left her sluggish in the heats of the 200m and she will need to be at her best when she goes for a fourth straight world title in the highlight of the evening session.

Compatriot Carmelita Jeter has targeted a double of her own after winning the 100 earlier in the championships, while Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown and a third American, Shalonda Solomon, all looked impressive in the heats.

Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot and Ethiopian Meseret Defar will be battling it out for 5,000 metres gold immediately before the 200 final in an intriguing contest between the past two champions.

There could be American success in the men's shot put final through defending champion Christian Cantwell, while Czech world record holder and Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova and German Christina Obergfoell will be among those fighting it out for gold in the women's javelin.

Australian Mitchell Watt has made no secret of his belief that he can turn his bronze in Berlin two years ago into gold in the men's long jump although defending champion Dwight Phillips enjoyed a return to form in the heats.

In the last event of the evening, double amputee Oscar Pistorius will open South Africa's bid for gold in the 4x400 relay final.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica points skyward while preparing himself in the starting blocks during his men's 200 metres heat at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, Sept 2, 2011.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica comes out of the starting blocks during his men's 200 metres heat at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, Sept 2, 2011.

(Agencies)

Djokovic romps past Berlocq in US Open 2nd round

2011-09-02T02:50:00.002-07:00

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates his win over Carlos Berlocq of Argentina during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York September 1, 2011.

NEW YORK - Novak Djokovic got a full match in but barely a full workout as the world number one romped past unseeded Carlos Berlocq of Argentina 6-0 6-0 6-2 on Thursday to advance to the third round of the US Open.

The Serb had won his first round match when Irish qualifier Conor Niland retired trailing 6-0 5-1 over worries he would get sick on court from a bad case of food poisoning.

Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Djokovic spent a bit more time on Arthur Ashe Stadium court against Berlocq, with the greatest suspense being whether the soft-hitting Argentine would be able to win a game from the top seed.

Berlocq broke through in the 15th game and won a standing ovation from the centre court crowd.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits tennis balls into the crowd after winning his evening match against Carlos Berlocq of Argentina at the US Open tennis tournament in New York Sept 1, 2011.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates his win over Carlos Berlocq of Argentina during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York Sept 1, 2011.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a forehand to Carlos Berlocq of Argentina during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York Sept 1, 2011.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns the ball between his legs against Carlos Berlocq of Argentina during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York Sept 1, 2011.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a shot between his legs to Carlos Berlocq of Argentina during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York Sept 1, 2011.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a forehand to Carlos Berlocq of Argentina during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York Sept 1, 2011.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia serves to Carlos Berlocq of Argentina during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York Sept 1, 2011.

(Agencies)

Top seed Wozniacki surges into 3rd round at US Open

2011-09-02T02:50:00.001-07:00

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark returns volley to Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York Sept 1, 2011.

NEW YORK - Top seed Caroline Wozniacki took another step in her campaign for a first grand slam title by surging past Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-2 6-0 on Thursday to reach the third round of the US Open.

After a stuttering start in which she was twice broken by the 82nd-ranked Rus, Wozniacki swept the last nine games of the 63-minute match.

"I think I started off a little bit slower, I didn't get too many first serves in," Wozniacki said in an on-court interview.

The Dane picked up steam as the match wore on, landing 13 of 15 first serves in the second set.

Wozniacki, who has won six tournaments this year, next plays unseeded American Vania King, a straight-sets winner against 29th seed Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia.

(Agencies)

Liu Xiang advances to next round at Daegu worlds

2011-08-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

China's Liu Xiang(L) competes during the heat of men's 110m hurdles at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Aug. 28, 2011. Liu advanced to the next round with 13.20 seconds.

China's Liu Xiang gestures before the heat of men's 110m hurdles at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Aug. 28, 2011. Liu advanced to the next round with 13.20 seconds.

China's Liu Xiang(2nd, R) competes during the heat of men's 110m hurdles at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Aug. 28, 2011. Liu advanced to the next round with 13.20 seconds.

China's Liu Xiang(C) reacts before the heat of men's 110m hurdles at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Aug. 28, 2011. Liu advanced to the next round with 13.20 seconds.

(Xinhua)

Blake wins 100 after Bolt disqualified

2011-08-28T17:22:00.001-07:00

A combo photo shows Usain Bolt of Jamaica (R) makes a false start as Nesta Carter of Jamaica stays in the blocks in the men's 100 metres final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011. Bolt false started and was disqualified from the world athletics championships 100 metres final on Sunday.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after being disqualified for a false start in the men's 100 metres final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011.

DAEGU, South Korea - Jamaican Yohan Blake won the men's world 100 metres final on Sunday after defending champion and Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt was dramatically disqualified for a false start.

World record holder Bolt ripped off his vest as soon as the second gun went off to indicate the false start and was led disconsolately from the track.

His 21-year-old training partner Blake made the most of Bolt's absence, storming home in 9.92 seconds to claim his first major title.

American Walter Dix pipped Kim Collins to silver in 10.08 seconds, dipping over the line to leave the 2003 champion from St Kitts and Nevis with a third world championship bronze medal in 10.09.

The field for the final had already been weakened by the absence through injury of Bolt's most likely challengers, American former world champion Tyson Gay and former world record holder Asafa Powell.

Yohan Blake (C) of Jamaica celebrates as he crosses the finish line ahead of Walter Dix (R) of the US and Nesta Carter of Jamaica to win the men's 100 metres final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011.

Yohan Blake of Jamaica poses with official mascot Sarbi after winning the men's 100 metres final at the IAAF 2011 World Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after being disqualified for a false start in the men's 100 metres final at the IAAF 2011 World Championship in Daegu, August 28, 2011.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica walks without his shirt after being disqualified for a false start during the men's 100 metres final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011.

(Agencies)

Li Yanfeng wins China's first world title in discus throw

2011-08-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

Li Yanfeng of China celebrates after winning gold in the women's discus throw final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, August 28, 2011.

DAEGU, South Korea - Chinese vetern Li Yanfeng maintained her great form of the season, earning the first world title on Sunday with 66.52 meters in the women's discus throw.

Li Yanfeng of China competes in the women's discus throw final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011.

Li Yanfeng of China competes in the women's discus throw final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011.

(Xinhua)

Barcelona beat Porto to lift European Super Cup

2011-08-27T03:41:00.000-07:00

Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas (2nd L) celebrates his goal against Porto with his teammates during their European Super Cup soccer match at Louis II stadium in Monaco, August 26, 2011.

Barcelona's David Villa (L) and Cesc Fabregas pose with the trophy after they beat Porto in their European Super Cup soccer match at Louis II stadium in Monaco August 26, 2011.

Barcelona's captain Xavi Hernandez holds the trophy as they celebrate their victory against Porto in their European Super Cup soccer match at Louis II stadium in Monaco, August 26, 2011.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi (L) celebrates his goal against Porto with teammates during their European Super Cup soccer match at Louis II stadium in Monaco August 26, 2011.

(Reuters)

Kiplagat leads Kenya marathon sweep at Daegu worlds

2011-08-27T03:26:00.000-07:00

DAEGU, South Korea - Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat of Kenya took the first gold medal of the World Championships in the women's marathon in this South Korean city on Saturday morning, by clocking 2:28.43 hours.

Her Kenyan teammate Priscah Jeptoo took the silver, 17 seconds behind Kiplagat. Sharon Jemutai Cherop, also from Kenya, took the bronze by clocking 2:29.14, which is her personal season best.

Edna Kiplagat of Kenya celebrates winning the women's marathon final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 27, 2011.

The winner's timing is far poorer than the world record of 2:15.25, which was created by former British runner Radcliffe Paula in London in 2003. It was also poorer than Kiplagat's personal best of 2:20.46, which she achieved at last November's ING New York City Marathon.

The timing partly resulted from the sweltering conditions in Daegu, though the weather was much cooler on Saturday than previous days.

The three Kenyan runners began their collective hunt for the medals after running some 35 kilometers togather with other competitors, and since then they continued their lead all the way to the finish line.

Bezunesh Bekele from Ethiopia, Africa's another formidable athletics power, ranked the fourth by clocking 2:29.21. Japan's Yukiko Akaba was the fifth.

Zhu Xiaolin of China was the sixth by clocking 2:29.58. Her teammate Wang Jiali ranked the eighth by running 2:30.25. Another Chinese runner Chen Rong was the 11th. ( The Chinese team ranked the second, by clocking 7:31.34 hours collectively, after Kenya's 7:26.57. Such performance by the Chinese runners was better, if not much better, than expectations since China had fielded a team without defending world champion Bai Xue and Zhou Chunxiu.

Bai Xue snatched the gold at the Berlin World Championships in 2009 by surprise, while Zhou took the gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha and won the silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka.

Zhu told Xinhua at the finish line that she was satisfied with the mark.

Edna Kiplagat of Kenya holds up her gold medal after winning the women's marathon final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 27, 2011.

"My goal is better than the eighth place. Today's timing gives me more confidence. I wish I can enter the London Olympics, and could have better performance there," she said, admitting there is some gap between her and world's top runners like those from Kenya.

Zhu said the weather in Daegu is a bit sweltering so that better results are unlikely.

Gao Shijun, a coach with the Chinese marathon team, was also pleased with the team's results.

"Our runners have basically met our target. After all, the Chinese team lags behind strong teams such as Kenya. ... since some team members debut the marathon race internationally here in Daegu," he said.

Edna Kiplagat of Kenya (R) celebrates winnng the women's marathon with teammates, second-placed Priscah Jeptoo (2nd L) and Sharon Cherop (2nd R), as fourth-placed Bezunesh Bekele of Ethiopia (L) walks behind them, at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 27, 2011.

Edna Kiplagat of Kenya reacts after winning the women's marathon final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 27, 2011.

(Xinhua)

Big three ready as 110m hurdles showdown looms

2011-08-27T03:11:00.000-07:00

David Oliver of the US (L) and Dayron Robles of Cuba compete in the men's 110m hurdles event during the IAAF Diamond League athletics meeting at the Stade de France Stadium in Saint-Denis, near Paris, July 8, 2011.

DAEGU, South Korea - The world's three fastest men are gearing up for the men's 110m hurdles at the World Championships in this South Korean city. Cuba's Dayron Robles said Friday the game would be "complicated" while American David Oliver admitted it would be "very very tough".

Daegu will see the first Championship clash of hurdling's current big three - world record holder and 2008 Olympic champion Robles, former World record holder and 2004 Olympic champion China's Liu Xiang, and 2011's fastest man Oliver. They are also the three fastest hurdlers in the history of the event - Robles, 12. 87 seconds, Liu 12.88, Oliver 12.89.

The final here, should all three men make it, will be their first meeting in a final at a global championships. All three were in Osaka 2007, but Oliver failed to make the final which Liu won. Robles was fourth.

Each of the big three comes to Daegu with some question marks against their form. Liu has raced sparingly, trading wins with Oliver in the Shanghai and Eugene SDL races, before winning the Asian championship in Kobe.

One phrase kept popping up during the formal part of Robles' media conference at Daegu Sports Museum on Friday. "It's complicated," he inserted somewhere in almost every answer. "One mistake and you're dead," he said.

Robles said he wanted the gold medal in Daegu, and he had a finite time at the top and he must use it to acquire championship medals. "I need to win every medal I can. I'm working hard to stay at the top every year."

He ran his fastest time for the season at the London Samsung Diamond League - his 13.04 repelling the challenge of the USA's emerging Jason Richardson, Oliver, Dwight Thomas, and the third American in Daegu, Aries Merritt.

The 25-year old Cuban hurdler said he began 2011 at about "80- 90 percent fitness," but "in the last competition in London, I felt better. It was my best competition of the season. It is better to be coming here getting faster."

"I'm training hard, but there are so many things. Maybe you have some injury, maybe a poor start, you hit some hurdles - you never know what happens.

"You have 10 hurdles. You need to look in your own lane and prepare to run very fast."

Robles said he does not think about records. "I think about the perfect race," he said, while admitting he may never run it. "Only after I run I check the clock, but that's it."

Also in the day, Oliver told a press conference of the US team that the game would "really really tough", with most of the best hurdlers in the world in Daegu and the tight competition schedule.

"I think it will be really tough. We all knew coming into the season it was going to be about mastering these three rounds in 24 hours' time. But my main rival is always the same - the hurdles," he said.

Oliver, who missed the 2009 World Championships in Berlin due to injury, said, "We've got the three fastest people in the event. We're in the spotlight which I think is cool and I'm sure we'll go out there and perform like we usually do."

David Oliver (L) of the US leads Liu Xiang (R) of China in the 110m hurdles at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League track meet in Eugene, Oregon June 4, 2011.

But the 29-year-old Olympic bronze medalist said he was not nervous. "I'm never nervous. I've raced them several times and I talk to them all the time. It is the same people who are going to be in the final, and the same people in the Diamand races.

"They're pretty cool guys. Liu's English is becoming better and Robles' is a lot better than we met in 2006... They are all pretty cool," Oliver said.

Oliver is the only one of the three under 13 seconds, with his 12.94 in Eugene (to Liu's 13.00). But his form has dipped of late and he has lost both to teammate Richardson and Robles.

He said the start would be definitely a critical part. "You got to execute the start and if you can do that, everything will be taken care of."

With the world's three fastest men all in Daegu, is a new world record possible? Oliver said he can't make any predictions. "I just want to make sure that I can go out there and try to win the gold medal."

While Robles said maybe it will take a world record to win the gold medal in Daegu and anything is possible.

(Xinhua)

Messi wins Europe best player award

2011-08-26T01:22:00.002-07:00

Barcelona's Lionel Messi, who was named the Best Player in Europe for the 2010-11 season, poses with his award during the Champions League draw in Monaco, Aug 25, 2011.

MONACO - Lionel Messi won the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe award on Thursday, finishing ahead of Barcelona teammate Xavi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

The vote, conducted by sports journalists representing each of UEFA's member associations, was organised with the idea of reviving the spirit of the former European Footballer of the Year award which is now known as the Ballon D'Or and organised by soccer's ruling body FIFA.

Messi, the overwhelming winner, collected his prize during the Champions League group-stage draw at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

The Argentine international hit 53 goals last season, including 12 in the Champions League where he finished top scorer for the third successive season.

UEFA President Michel Platini (R) poses with Barcelona's Lionel Messi, who was named the Best Player in Europe for the 2010-11 season, during the Champions League draw in Monaco, Aug 25, 2011.

Messi's last European goal of the season was the second in Barcelona's 3-1 final win over Manchester United in May and he also helped his club to a third straight La Liga title.

The 24-year-old, already the World Footballer of the Year, said: "I keep all these awards at home and I still have some space for more ... thanks to my teammates for helping me achieve this."

Barcelona will meet Europa League winners Porto in the European Super Cup on Friday.

(Agencies)

Liu Xiang spearheads Team China to Daegu meet

2011-08-26T01:22:00.001-07:00

China's star hurdler Liu Xiang is welcomed by local fans as he arrives in Daegu, South Korea, for the upcoming Athletics World Championships, Aug 25, 2011.

Liu Xiang arrives at the airport in Daegu, South Korea, for the upcoming Athletics World Championships, Aug 25, 2011.

With the recovery of the star hurdler Liu Xiang and the emerging race walking trio, China is expecting two to three medals in the upcoming IAAF World Championships in Daegu slated for Aug 28 to Sept 4.

"Our goal is to win two to three medals in Daegu. But it is difficult to dope out the colour of the medals," said Feng Shuyong, head coach of the Chinese athletics team, during a Thursday's news conference.

The 58-athletes team, including two substitutes, is headed-up by former Olympic and world champion Liu Xiang. The 28-year-old Liu, flag-bearer of the country's athletics, has fully recovered from injuries and the Osaka worlds champion in 2007 is ready to repeat his gold-winning feet in Daegu.

However, it will not be easy for Liu, who has been striving to return to his peak form, to fulfil his ambition as he is still trying to smooth his new-adopted technique of approaching the first hurdle with seven steps instead of eight.

David Oliver of America showed a strong and consistent performance in the recent two seasons and the 29-year-old is still leading a season best of 12.94 seconds compared with Liu's personal season best of 13.00 second.

The world record holder Dayron Robles, who has also come back from injuries recently also will be of great competitiveness in Daegu with his season best being 13.04.

Moreover, Jason Richardson of American, who clocked a personal best of 13.08 early this month, will also pose great threat to Liu.

"Liu is in a good technical and physical condition now. He has recovered from his injuries and showed a high quality in his daily training, "said Feng. "But it will be the first time for him to run three races in two days since his injury in 2008. The intensity will be a big challenge for him. Currently Liu is busy with the final preparation work in Shanghai, under the guidance of his coach Sun Haiping."

"If Liu can clock a final time of 13.00 to 13.05, he will have a good chance to cruise to the podium. And the gold-winning time might be between 12.95 to 13.00," forecasted Feng.

Liu's return is definitely a good news, but the withdrawal of reigning women's marathon champ Bai Xue is a big blow for China.

And Wang Hao, who won a men's 20km race walking silver in 2009 Berlin worlds, will also be ruled out due to a haunting leg injury.

However, the absence of Wang will be well made up by the emerging trio of Wang Zhen, Chu Yafei and Chen Ding, who have swept the top five world leading times in 2011.

The rising star Wang Zhen, who will turn 20 next week, showed a solid performance by claiming a series of titles this season, including the test event for London Games in May and set a season leading time of one hour, 18 minutes, 36 seconds at the 9th Memorial Mario Albisetti in March.

Meanwhile, China will also be competitive in events like women's shot put, discus throw and hammer throw.

Hammer thrower Zhang Wenxiu set a new Asian record of 75.65 meters in June and Li Yanfeng keeps a world leading result of 67.98 in discus throw.

Feng believe that how to maintain their consistency in the World Championships is a big question for the Chinese athletes, especially the inexperienced and nervous young athletes.

"We have assembled a relatively young squad this time as 32 out of the 58 athletes have never competed in Olympic Games or World Championship," said Feng. "Lack of confidence and experience may lead to instability in their performance."

The Chinese athletes, who won one gold, one silver and two bronzes in 2009 in Berlin, will compete in 23 events in Daegu.

Liu Xiang is interviewed before leaving for Daegu, South Korea, to attend the upcoming Athletics World Championships at the Shanghai Hongqiao International airport, Aug 25, 2011.

Liu Xiang arrives at the Shanghai Hongqiao International airport before he leaves for Daegu, South Korea, to attend the upcoming Athletics World Championships, Aug 25, 2011.

(Xinhua)

'Blade Runner' Pistorious ready for Daegu challenge

2011-08-26T01:22:00.000-07:00

Oscar Pistorius of South Africa wears his prosthetic running blades during a training session for the IAAF Daegu 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Aug 24, 2011.

LONDON - Oscar Pistorius will become the first amputee sprinter to compete at a World Championships against able-bodied rivals later this month but the South African accepts there will always be voices saying his carbon-fibre prosthetic blades give him an advantage.

Far from getting him down, however, the doubters spur him on and fuel his desire to reach greater heights.

The 24-year-old double amputee, nicknamed "Blade Runner," has been selected to run in the 400 metres and 4 x 400m relay in Daegu, South Korea, after smashing his personal best last month to meet the qualifying time.

That success was the fruition of two and a half years of hard training, he said.

Pistorius celebrated another notable achievement in his career with an eye-catching time of 45.07 seconds, not far behind Grenadan teenager Kirani James's 44.61 effort in London, the fastest one lap the year.

However, a leading South African sports scientist Dr Ross Tucker said allowing him to run at the World Championships was a "farce".

"I don't like being called, in essence, a cheat, when I know how hard I work," Pistorius told Reuters in a telephone interview from his home in Pretoria after enduring a heavy training session in cold temperatures and through a hailstorm.

"I graft extremely hard and have sacrificed a lot to get where I am. If my prosthetic legs gave me such an advantage then every paralympic athlete would be running the same times I run.

"I know that I would never be in this sport if I had the smallest doubt in my mind that I had an advantage. Ninety-nine percent of people do know what the facts are and I can't be bothered with the one percent that don't."

Mixed emotions

Pistorius, born without a fibula in both legs, fought long and hard for the right to line up on the track in able-bodied competition.

Initially banned from running in able-bodied events by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 2007 he appealed successfully to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the decision was revoked in 2008.

Oscar Pistorius of South Africa runs on his prosthetic running blades during a training session for the IAAF Daegu 2011 World Championship in Daegu, Aug 24, 2011.

The sport's highest court determined that Pistorius's biomechanics were only tested at full-speed when he was running in a straight line (unlike a real 400m race).

He has little time for the scientists who maintain his blades allow him to run at the same speed as able-bodied athletes while using less energy.

While he says he has the full support of the IAAF and respect from his competitors, it is those "outside the athletics fraternity" who are stirring the pot.

"It's a minority of people that don't agree with the science that has been done, that are very vocal and maybe ill-informed," Pistorius said. "I've come to terms with the fact that I will always have people that criticise me. I can't spend the rest of my career worrying about it. Everybody is entitled to their opinion ... but it is not my job to prove them wrong.

"I'm not a scientist, I'm an athlete. The IAAF are very happy to have me in their races and my competitors are happy."

Pistorius said he was in great shape for his World Championships bow from Aug 27-Sept 4 in Daegu where he is sure to generate plenty of attention.

"I'm very excited ... a bit nervous... a lot of mixed emotions but they are all positive," he said.

"It's an amazing time in my career to be able to qualify to run in an IAAF World Championships... at such a prestigious event. It's also a learning curve. I need to go there and run my best, be open-minded and gather as much experience as I can for next year's competition and the future."

(Agencies)

'Best' Universiade comes to an end

2011-08-24T02:57:00.001-07:00

SHENZHEN, Guangdong - Praising the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen as the best ever, Claude-Louis Gallien, president of the International University Sports Federation, closed the games on Tuesday.

Two representatives from Kazan, Russia, which will hold the next Universiade in 2013, accompany Igor Shuvalov, first deputy prime minister of Russia, as he brandishes the flag of the International University Sports Federation at the closing ceremony of the 26th Universiade in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Tuesday.

The games were the largest ever, involving a record 10,603 participants, with 7,132 athletes and 3,471 officials from 151 countries and regions. It also provided the most events, at 24, producing 949 medals.

Three Universiade records were broken in athletics, swimming and archery.

China topped the gold medal list with a record 75, followed by Russia, 43, and South Korea, 27. China's haul broke the record of 69 gold medals set by the former Soviet Union delegation 38 years ago. The Chinese delegation also won the highest number of medals in Universiade history - 145 - followed by Russia, 131, and Japan, 87.

"Four years ago, Shenzhen promised the world that we would make a difference to the Summer Universiade. Today, I am proud to say that we have fully completed our promise and provided the most successful Universiade in history," said Huang Guoqiang, a spokesman for the games.

During the games, not a single case of doping was found, nor any accidents concerned with food safety or medical safety issues were reported, officials said.

The event was "a safe, efficient, fair and healthy Universiade", Huang said.

Some 1.27 million citizens worked as volunteers for the games, whether in the venues, in the Athletes Village or on the streets. Owners of more than 430,000 vehicles voluntarily suspended their cars during the Universiade.

"My husband, my daughter and I watched the Universiade every night and we truly enjoyed the whole event. It brought us a lot of pleasure, and I think most people in Shenzhen will share my feeling," a local resident surnamed Meng told China Daily.

Huang said the city could benefit from such achievements in the long term.

"For Shenzhen, the Universiade was not only a sport event but a precious chance to enhance the infrastructure, promote international cultural communication and lift the young city's culture," Huang said.

"The games further opened the door for the special economic zone to encourage it to develop into an international city with greater economic openness and a wider horizon," said Huang.

"We have shared the tears and joys of the young athletes around the world in the past 12 days. We witnessed their success in the competitions and joined their happiness here in Shenzhen," concluded Huang.

(China Daily)

Serena seeded 28th for US Open; Wozniacki on top

2011-08-24T02:57:00.000-07:00

Serena Williams of the U.S. serves to Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic during their first round match at the 2011 Cincinnati Open tennis tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, August 16, 2011.

NEW YORK - Serena Williams was seeded a lowly 28th for the Aug. 29-Sept. 11 US Open as tournament organisers opted to rigidly follow the current rankings rather than reward her for outstanding past performances.

Williams, the dominant figure in women's tennis over the past decade, had already won the US Open three times but the former world number one's ranking tumbled after spending almost a year away from the game because of health problems.

The 29-year-old American returned to the courts in June and won back-to-back tournaments in California and Toronto to climb back to 29th in the world rankings after falling to 175.

She was bumped up one place for the US Open after last year's champion and world number three Kim Clijsters withdrew because of injury, but officials stopped short of elevating the 13-time grand slam champion much higher.

"After careful deliberation regarding Serena Williams' seeding, we decided to maintain the objective criteria in place to determine the women's singles seeds at this year's US Open," US Open tournament director Jim Curley said in a statement.

Although the US Open traditionally sticks with the world rankings, other grand slams have used their discretion to promote top players returning from injury.

At Wimbledon in June, Williams was elevated to seventh seed despite it being only her second tournament after a long layoff during which she suffered a foot injury and was diagnosed with life-threatening blood clots in her lungs.

Williams' sister Venus, a two-time US Open champion, was not seeded at all because her current ranking is 36th.

Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, who has never won a grand slam but was a finalist at the US Open two years ago, was named top seed because she holds the number one ranking.

Russia's Vera Zvonareva, also chasing her first grand slam title after making the 2010 finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, was seeded second while former world number one Maria Sharapova was third.

Victoria Azarenka was fourth followed by Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, French Open champion Li Na and last year's French Open winner Francesca Schiavone.

The men's seedings were due to be released on Wednesday before both singles draws were made.

(Agencies)

Japan outclasses Britain to win 5th Universiade soccer title

2011-08-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

British forward Mark Anderson (10) fights for the ball with Japanese players in the Universiade men's soccer finals at the Shenzhen Stadium in Shenzhen, Aug 22, 2011.

Japan claimed the Universiade title for the fifth time after beating Great Britain 2-0 in the men's soccer final Monday night.

The dual between the countries with a time-honored soccer tradition and an emerging Asian soccer powerhouse drew local fans to the Shenzhen Stadium.

The two sides, which clashed with each other in the group stage and ended with Japan's 1-0 victory over Britain, aroused roaring chants from the bleachers when they entered the main pitch.

The British team amused local fans first by throwing gifts and kicking footballs to the bleachers 25 minutes before the game. The Brits then, carrying a banner reading "Thank You Shenzhen," ran around the soccer field, lightening up spectators' enthusiasm for the final showdown.

The Japanese side opened the match with a series of shots. In the 3rd minute, Japan's midfielder and skipper Miyasaka Masaki made an attempt on goal when he got the ball just over the half way mark, but it was blocked by the British goalie Nicholas Jupp. In the next five minutes, the Japanese repeatedly tried to score with swift and agile passes.

The British side started their offense in the 14th minute when its forward Mark Anderson got a pass from midfielder Jack Winter on the right and hit a header, but the ball flew out.

One minute later, Anderson drove the ball all the way to the Japanese penalty area, but couldn't break loose of the Japanese defender and was forced out. Minutes later, Anderson shot the ball again on the left of the goal, but was blocked by Japanese goalie Masuda Takuya.

Around the 22nd minute, British goalie Jupp foiled two shots from the rival, when Japanese Shiina Nobuyuki made a long shot from the left, followed by another shot from the right.

Kawamoto Akito of Japan celebrates scoring against Britain in the Universiade men's soccer finals at the Shenzhen Stadium in Shenzhen, Aug 22, 2011.

The Japanese broke into the rival's net in the 29th minute, when budding star Kawamoto Akito got a long pass from midfielder Musaka Mitsunari, tearing the Britain's backline defense and head-butting a goal.

Britain made two substitutions and intensified the offense after the second half began.

In the 58th minute, Japan's Maruyama Yuichi earned Japan a penalty kick after he was fouled by British defender Scott McCubbin. Japan's national team member Yamamura Kazuya converted the penalty into a goal. Japan took the lead 2-0.

Japan made another round of attack in the 78th minute. Musaka drove the ball to the left of the penalty area, and passed it to Kawamoto, who positioned in front of the penalty area but struck the ball on the post.

"Though Japan won the game 2-0, Britain is also a wonderful team. I'm not sure whether we could win if we were to play it again." said Japan's head coach Nakano Yuji at the news conference after the finals.

Japan has a sound system of nurturing soccer players, and that's why it got its place in the Asia Cup and the World Cup, said the coach.

As for the tactics Japan adopted to win the game, Nakano Yuji said, the final was a hard game, but Japan stemmed the height advantage of the British players.

British head coach Ellis James congratulated Japan for the victory, and encouraged his players, "Getting to the final is a very big thing for the British team. We haven't been this far in the tournament ever, so I'd like to congratulate my players… I would also like to thank people from Shenzhen for hosting such a wonderful game and looking after us. We hope to see you real soon."

Moses Craig Peter (C) of Great Britain fights for the ball with Japanese players in the Universiade men's soccer finals at the Shenzhen Stadium in Shenzhen, Aug 22, 2011.

Britain's head coach Ellis James (L) and Japan's head coach Nakano Yuji (R) pose for a photo during a news conference after the men's soccer finals at the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, Aug 22, 2011.

The British players demonstrate a banner reading "Thank You Shenzhen" before the men's soccer finals against Japan at the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, Aug 22, 2011.

(china daily)

Brazil lifts U20 World Cup title

2011-08-22T02:42:00.000-07:00

Brazil's players celebrate after winning the FIFA U-20 World Cup final in Bogota, August 20, 2011.

BOGOTA - Brazil clinched a 3-2 extra-time victory over Portugal in the under-20 World Cup soccer final on Saturday.

Oscar completed his hat-trick with the match-winner in the 111th minute. He had scored in the fifth and 78th minute.

Portuguese scorers were Alex in the ninth minute and Nelson Oliveira in the 59th.

Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos and FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter (L) give to Brazil's Bruno Uvini the trophy after the team won the FIFA U-20 World Cup final soccer match against Portugal in Bogota August 20, 2011.

Brazil's Henrique holds the Golden Boot award after their team defeated Portugal in the FIFA U-20 World Cup final in Bogota August 20, 2011.

Brazil's Negueba is lifted by an unidentified teammate after their team beat Portugal in extra time during the FIFA U-20 World Cup final soccer match in Bogota, August 20, 2011.

Brazil's Henrique (R) and Portugal's Mario Rui compete for the ball during their FIFA U-20 World final soccer match in Bogota August 20, 2011.

(Xinhua)

Host China takes women's footbal title at Universiade

2011-08-22T02:41:00.000-07:00

Chinese players throw their coach in the air in celebrating their victory over Japan in the women's football final game at the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen August 21, 2011.

SHENZHEN - Host China came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 in overtime and won the women's football gold medal at 2011 Shenzhen Universiade here on Sunday after 18 years' waiting.

In 1993 Buffalo Universiade, in which women's football made its debut at Universiade, China defeated United States 2-1 to win the gold. From then on, Chinese women's football team only made into the Universiade finals once, which they were runner-up at the 2005 Izmir Universiade.

After eliminating Brazil through shooting-out in the semifinals, China played against Japan who finished second place in last University Games.

China's Wang Shanshan (top) controls the ball as a Japanese player tries to challenge her during the women's football final at the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen August 21, 2011.

Japan took the lead at the 33rd minutes. Ami Otaki stole the ball from China's Xu Yanfen and passed it to Hikari Nakade, who shot the ball under the defence of two Chinese players to the lower-left corner. China's goalkeeper Wang Fei, who saved two penalties in the shooting-out against Brazil in the semifinals on Friday, made the wrong judgement and witnessed the ball hit the net.

Japanese' goalkeeper Sakiko Ikeda made a bad pass at the 55th minute and Zhao Rong got the possession of the ball and passed it to Pang Fengyue. Pang headed the ball in and tied the score.

Xu Yanfen made up for her mistake during the overtime. Chinese captain Bi Yan's corner kick was punched by Ikeda. Xu reached the ball and her shoot hit the bar. Fan Tingting headed the ball into the net and seized the victory for the host.

China's Wang Shanshan (top) controls the ball as she leaps over a Japanese player during the women's football final at the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen August 21, 2011.

Team China cheers on the podium during the awarding ceremony of the women's football game at the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen August 21, 2011.

Chinese spectators display slogans reading "come on, iron roses" during the women's football final game at the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen August 21, 2011. "Iron rose" is the nickname addressed the national women's football players in China.

(Xinhua)

Germany beats Belgium 71-65 at BEKO Supercup

2011-08-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

Dirk Nowitzki of Germany waves after their men's basketball BEKO Supercup game against Belgium in Bamberg August 19, 2011. Germany won the game.

Dirk Nowitzki (R) of Germany tries to score past Axel Hervelle of Belgium during their men's basketball BEKO Supercup game in Bamberg August 19, 2011.

Dirk Nowitzki of Germany wipes his bloody lips during their men's basketball BEKO Supercup game against Belgium in Bamberg August 19, 2011.

Dirk Nowitzki of Germany tries to score during their men's basketball BEKO Supercup game against Belgium in Bamberg August 19, 2011.

(Reuters)

LeBron on Shanghai tour, Liu Xiang joins in

2011-08-19T01:07:00.000-07:00

NBA basketball player LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Chinese Olympic hurdler champion Liu Xiang take part in a commercial promotion in Shanghai August 18, 2011. James is on a promotional tour in Asia, visiting Taipei, Chengdu, Xi'an and Shanghai.

(china daily)

Here comes the 'King': LeBron in China

2011-08-19T00:58:00.000-07:00

NBA basketball player LeBron James of the Miami Heat gestures to his fans as he walks along Nanjing road, the main shopping area in Shanghai August 17, 2011. James is on a promotional tour in Asia, visiting Taipei, Chengdu, Xi'an and Shanghai. Picture taken August 17, 2011.

NBA basketball player LeBron James of the Miami Heat smiles during a photo-taking session with university student volunteers in Shanghai August 18, 2011. James is on a promotional tour in Asia, visiting Taipei, Chengdu, Xi'an and Shanghai.

NBA basketball player LeBron James of the Miami Heat takes part in a basketball training clinic with university student volunteers in Shanghai August 18, 2011. James is on a promotional tour in Asia, visiting Taipei, Chengdu, Xi'an and Shanghai.

NBA basketball player LeBron James of the Miami Heat shoots a basketball during a training clinic with university student volunteers in Shanghai August 18, 2011. James is on a promotional tour in Asia, visiting Taipei, Chengdu, Xi'an and Shanghai.

(Agencies)

Australian swimmers set first record in Shenzhen

2011-08-16T02:21:00.000-07:00

SHENZHEN - Australian swimmers set the first record at the 26th World University Games on Sunday as Japan overtook hosts China at the top of the medals table.

China captured a gold medal each in weightlifting and swimming to lift its total to five at the end of Day 2, while Japan has also won five golds so far but had three more medals in total.

Ji Jing made it three gold medals for China from the first three weightlifting events by winning the women's 53kg category, but Indonesia's Eko Yuli Irawan broke China's dominance when he upset local favorite Chen Meilong to take gold in the men's 62kg division.

"I'm so happy I've won. This is the first time I've won gold at a major international competition," said the 22-year-old Irawan.

"My next goal is to win the gold medal at the Olympics. I hope we can beat the Chinese athletes there," he added.

Ji Jing was impressive early, lifting 100kg in the snatch giving her an 8kg buffer on nearest rival Hsu Shuching from Chinese Taipei.

With the pressure on the other competitors, Ji pressed her advantage by confidently making her first clean and jerk lift of 115kg. Hsu fought hard and was successful at all of her clean and jerk lifts 110kg, 113kg and 115kg.

However, these efforts paled in comparison to Ji, who went on to make her next lift with 122kg. She then made an unsuccessful attempt at her final lift of 127kg, only 2kg shy of the world record.

Ji finished with a combined total of 222kg, 15kg clear of Hsu. "This is my current best result in competition, I will next focus on next year's Olympic Games," said Ji.

In the pool, the Australian quartet of Cate Campbell, Alice Mills, Jessica Morrison and Marieke Guehrer won the women's 4x100m freestyle relay in 3 minutes 40.03 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark of 3:40.85 set by the United States at the 2007 Universiade in Bangkok.

China's Lu Ying cruised to gold in the women's 50m butterfly in 25.98 seconds, just one hunderdth of a second shy of the Universiade record.

"I am quite satisfied with my performance tonight, but when I got to the finish, my hand slipped on the touch pad. Without this mistake, I think I would get a better result," said Lu, the 100m butterfly bronze medalist in last month's world championships in Shanghai.

The Netherlands celebrated double gold in women's judo on Sunday. Esther Stam won the 63kg event and Kim Polling clinched the 70kg title at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center.

Japan and Russia split the two other gold medals at stake in judo.

The first day of tennis competition turned out to a lopsided affair as 12 matches ended in 6-0, 6-0 scorlines.

China's Xu Junchao needed only 34 minutes to dismiss Lebanon's Rami ALAYLI 6-0, 6-0 in the opening match on Center Court, while Germany's Carmen Klaschka claimed the fastest victory of the day, beating Faith Cecilia Mulenga of Zambia to love in just 25 minutes.

A total of 20 gold medals are up for grab on Monday and the Shenzhen Universiade runs through August 23.

(Xinhua)

Fabregas finally 'comes home' to Barca

2011-08-16T02:20:00.001-07:00

Cesc Fabregas kisses his new jersey during his official presentation at the Camp Nou's stadium in Barcelona.

La Liga giant's marathon pursuit of star midfielder ended on Monday

BARCELONA - Former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has completed his move to Barcelona by signing a five-year contract with his boyhood club, the Spanish giant confirmed on Monday.

"Cesc has finally joined FC Barcelona, after signing a contract for the next five seasons. His buyout clause will be 200 million euros ($286.8 million)," the club said in a statement on its website.

"I am coming back home after eight years away," Fabregas, wearing the No 4 shirt, told thousands of fans at the Camp Nou stadium after passing a medical and signing the deal.

Arsenal announced on Sunday that it had finally agreed a deal with Barcelona for the transfer of Fabregas to the Spanish and European champions, where he will link up with the likes of Argentine world player of the year Leo Messi and Spain's World Cup star Xavi Hernandez.

Barcelona confirmed the deal, news of which was released at half-time in their Spanish Supercup clash against Real Madrid.

Financial details have not been revealed.

But Barca president Sandro Rosell told the Catalan daily Sport that the club would pay "29 (million euros) and we are very happy, because we said that we wouldn't pay more than 30 and we achieved that."

The deal, which brings to an end a transfer saga which began last year, takes Fabregas back to the club which he left as a 16-year-old in 2003.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he was sorry to let the player go.

"We have been clear that we didn't want Cesc to leave and that remains the case," said Wenger on Sunday.

"However, we understand Cesc's desire to move to his hometown club and have now accepted an offer from Barcelona. We thank Cesc for his contribution at Arsenal and wish him future success."

The midfielder spent eight years at Arsenal and made 303 appearances, scoring 57 goals in all competitions.

Named as Arsenal captain in November 2008, Fabregas also became a regular in the Spanish national team and has made 58 appearances to date.

Barcelona defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique had already anticipated the move on Friday when they sent messages on their Twitter accounts welcoming the player before any official announcement.

"Welcome home, happy to have you here @cesc4official," Puyol tweeted, addressing his message to Cesc's Twitter account. "@cesc4official, we have got him," tweeted Pique.

But Fabregas now faces a fight to earn a regular starting place in the star-studded team.

The 24-year-old is seen as the natural successor to Spain and Barca playmaker Xavi, who turns 32 in January, but it will not be easy to dislodge a man who is central to Barca's trademark possession-based game.

Barca's tried and tested midfield triumvirate of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets have secured three consecutive league titles and two European Cups since 2009.

The same trio have also helped keep Fabregas on the fringes of Spain's national team, but the reason Guardiola pushed so hard for the former Barca academy player is for his adaptability and his intimate knowledge of the Catalan club's playing style.

(Reuters)

Kazan foil queen: Universiade connects Shenzhen and Kazan

2011-08-16T02:20:00.000-07:00

SHENZHEN, China - Kamilla Gafurzianova, the fresh women's foil champion at Shenzhen Universiade, shed tears when she received an unexpected call right after she stepped down the fencing podium.

The call was from the sports minister of Russian Federation, who congratulated her on her win.

"He said I have brought glory to my hometown, and I am just so excited." said Kamilla, who is from Kazan, the capital of Republic of Tatarstan, Russia and the host city of next Universiade in 2013.

The 23-yeear-old girl seized the gold by defeating favourite Korean Joen Hee Sook, the bronze medalist in 2010 World Foil Championship and the world No. 5 in this event.

Kamilla, who ranks 92nd in the world, fought back from 9-13 to 14-14 and finally hit Joen on her chest and pocketed her first gold by 15-14.

Joen bursted into sad tears and walked out of the audience's sight right away, while Kamilla threw herself into her coach's arms.

"When I won the game, I first thought of my hometown, Kazan," said KamIlla. "I am the pride of Kazan and I will present my gold medal to all the people in Kazan."

Kamilla was born and grew up in Kazan. She started to turn foiling a hobby into a normal training since she was 12, and then turned it almost a profession in 2009, when she was selected as a member of Russian national foil team.

"It's extremely complicated for one to enter the national team. There is a special selection system, through which you have to undergo many many competitions and earn enough points," she said. "But that really changed my life."

The same year, she finished ninth in European Championships and clinched a silver with her teammates in World Foil Championships.

"She is not the strongest in all the athletes, but she is the hardest and most potential one," said Kamilla's coach Ildar Shaymardanov.

Shaymardanov, who is also one of the officials of the 2013 Kazan Universiade Organizing Committee, took 24 fencers to compete in Shenzhen. He said he came here not only for good results but also for learning from Shenzhen in hosting such a perfect Universiade.

"Everyone in the Russian delegation thinks Shenzhen has done a great job. From my first day here, I found that everything is organized so perfect without any problem," he said. "If you ask how we hold the 2013 Kazan Univerisade? We just need to look how Shenzhen did."

Different from the aggressiveness in competition, Kamilla was a "too quiet person" in life. "Except foiling, reading books is my favorite," said Kamilla.

She is now a undergraduate in Moscow State University of Railway Engineering, majoring in sport management.

"It's very hard for me to balance my study and training. I often practise foiling for at least six hours a day and have to study late at night or evening," she said.

She hoped to become a world-level foil player, and when she retires, she will be engaged in "work concerning sport management."

"I am impressed that Shenzhen is holding such a high-level Universiade, the perfect organization, the (emphasis on) friendship. I really hope 2013 Kazan Universiade will be mentioned in the same breath," she said.

She may visit "the window of the world", a hot tourist destination in Shenzhen, during her 12-day stay in Shenzhen.

Eight days later, Kazan will take the event's flag from Shenzhen.

She said Shenzhen and Kazan has been closely connected because of Universiade. "I would be happy if I am chosen as the friendship ambassador of the two cities, and I will take my good luck here and the blessing of Shenzhen people bcak home," she said.

(Xinhua)

Tsonga surrenders in face of Djokovic juggernaut

2011-08-14T02:34:00.000-07:00

Serbia's Novak Djokovic hits a return to France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga during his semi-final match at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal, August 13, 2011.

MONTREAL - World number one Novak Djokovic advanced to the final of the Montreal Masters when Frenchman Jo Wilfried Tsonga retired trailing 6-4 3-0 on Saturday, leaving the sensational Serb on the brink of a record-smashing title.

Tsonga's retirement with an injured forearm provided a shock ending to their mouth-watering Wimbledon semi-final rematch but the Frenchman's surrender in the face of the Djokovic juggernaut seemed almost predictable.

Djokovic will now take on in-form American Mardy Fish in Sunday's final and have the chance to become the first to capture five Masters series titles in a single season.

Tsonga said the injury had dogged him for three days and the pain had worsened in that time.

"It was difficult for me to hit the ball well and hard. That's why I took this decision.

"I don't have the pretension to beat Novak without my arm."

Tsonga came into the contest holding a 5-3 edge in head-to-head meetings and had been in superb form in Montreal, counting two-time champion Roger Federer among his scalps.

But few tennis players have enjoyed a more spectacular campaign than Djokovic, who extended his match record to a dazzling 52-1, a magical run that has so far produced eight titles, including Wimbledon and the Australian Open.

"He plays incredible tennis but he's not an alien," said Tsonga. "In fact, what he does is doing everything better than the others ... He doesn't hit harder, he doesn't hit the ball earlier. But he's always there.

"He does not have the best return on the tour.

"But on every return, he returns well, and he's always there. So what does it is his consistency, and he has no weaknesses."

(Agencies)

World No.1 Wang Shixian out of badminton worlds

2011-08-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

China's Wang Shixian competes during her quarterfinal women's singles match against Cheng Shao Chieh of Chinese Taipei in 2011's Badminton World Championships at Wembley Arena, London, Britain, Aug. 12, 2011. Wang lost 0-2.

LONDON, Aug. 12 -- The women's singles world No.1 Wang Shixian from China was knocked out of the Badminton World Championships by Chinese Taipei player Cheng Shao Chieh on Friday in the quarterfinals.

The Asian Games champion Wang couldn't find her rhythm while against the seventh seed, losing the match 16-21, 17-21.

"I just couldn't play my own game while facing her," said Wang who also lost to Cheng in their most recent clash at Indonesia Open in June. "But I felt I played better than last time. I hope I could take the victory when we meet again."

Wang, 21, failed to repeat a semifinal finish of last year's World Championships while the 25-year-old Cheng managed to reach the same stage as she did at the 2005 World Championships.

"I did that once when I was young, I'm old now," Cheng joked. "I have never thought about the result, I'm just relaxed and enjoy badminton."

"I think Wang and other Chinese girls shoulder more pressures, but I have nothing to lose," said Cheng, who will meet the winner between Germany's ninth seed Juliane Schenk and Dane veteran Tine Baun.

(Xinhua)

Opening ceremony starts for Shenzhen Universiade

2011-08-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

The opening ceremony of the 26th Summer Universiade is held in the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Stadium in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, Aug 12, 2011.

Performers dance during the opening ceremony of the 26th Summer Universiade held in the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Stadium in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, Aug 12, 2011.

A Chinese national flag is marched into the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Stadium, where the opening ceremony of the 26th Summer Universiade is held, in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, Aug 12, 2011.

The Chinese national flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the 26th Summer Universiade held in the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Stadium in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, Aug 12, 2011.

The opening ceremony of the 26th Summer Universiade is held in the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Stadium in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, Aug 12, 2011.

Student athletes from Afghanistan enter the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Stadium where the opening ceremony of the 26th Summer Universiade is held, in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, Aug 12, 2011.

The opening ceremony of the 26th Summer Universiade is held in the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Stadium in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong province, Aug 12, 2011.

(china daily)

Li Na knocked out of Rogers Cup

2011-08-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

Li Na of China leaves the court after being defeated by Samantha Stosur of Australia during their third round match at the Rogers Cup women's tennis tournament in Toronto August 11, 2011. Li lost 0-2.

TORONTO, Aug. 11 -- Li Na, the reigning French Open champion and the world No. 6 player, was ousted in her first match on Thursday at the 2011 Rogers Cup here, yielding 6-2, 6-4 to Australia's Samantha Stosur.

Li became the second top 10 player to be eliminated in an opening match, following the stunning defeat of world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark on Wednesday.

Li trailed Stosur, the French Open runner-up last year, most of the match, losing her first service game to give Stosur an early lead of 3-1 in the first set. Li claimed her next service game after a tough fight with six deuces, before losing the first set 6- 2.

Li appeared rustic during the first match since the Wimbledon Open in June, sending returns long throughout the match. In the first round of Rogers Cup, Li Na got a bye as one of top WTA players, and then walked over to the next round after her opponent, fellow Chinese player Peng Shuai, withdrew from the match due to a hip injury.

"(It is) always tough after (a) break and come back for the first match, because I have six or seven weeks (when I) didn't play a tournament," Li said after the match.

"I didn't handle the rhythm very well in this first match after Wimbledon," she conceded.

"I even didn't know what I should do on the court, not like during the clay court season.

"I was feeling I'm like juniors on the court," she said, smiling ruefully.

The French Open is played on clay court.

Despite the setback, Li is putting it all behind and looking forward to the next WTA tournament in Cincinatti and the US Open from August 29 to September 11 in New York City.

"I will, yeah, start training harder tomorrow to try to be ready in Cincinnati," she said.

"Now is getting US Open already."

With the win, Stosur, the event's No. 10 seed with a WTA ranking of 11, will advance to the quarterfinals.

Samantha Stosur of Australia returns a shot to Li Na of China during their match at the Rogers Cup women's tennis tournament in Toronto August 11, 2011.

Samantha Stosur of Australia celebrates defeating Li Na of China during their third round match at the Rogers Cup women's tennis tournament in Toronto August 11, 2011.

(Reuters)

Nadal stunned by Dodig at Rogers Cup

2011-08-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts during his match against Croatia's Ivan Dodig at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal August 10, 2011.

Spain's Rafael Nadal hits a return to Croatia's Ivan Dodig at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal, August 10, 2011.

Spain's Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd following his loss to Croatia's Ivan Dodig at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal, August 10, 2011.

Croatia's Ivan Dodig celebrates his win over Spain's Rafael Nadal at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal August 10, 2011.

Croatia's Ivan Dodig hits a return to Spain's Rafael Nadal at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal, August 10, 2011.

Croatia's Ivan Dodig celebrates his win over Spain's Rafael Nadal at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal, August 10, 2011.

(Reuters)

Basketballers ditch uniforms for glam photo shoot

2011-08-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

Members of the Chinese women's national basketball team pose in wedding dresses in this computer-manipulated photo, Aug 10, 2011. They are (top from left to right) Zheng Shuang, Miao Lijie, Chen Nan, Ma Zengyu, (bottom from left to right) Guan Xin, Zhang Yu, Yang Banban and Zhang Wei. All the players are unmarried but decided to shoot the photos under the advice of a photographer to try the experience of wearing a wedding dress before they become brides themselves.

Yang Banban gets her hair done for a group wedding photo, Aug 10, 2011.

Ma Zengyu of the Chinese women's national basketball team poses for a wedding photo released by the Beijing Evening News, Aug 10, 2011.

Zhang Wei of the Chinese women's national basketball team poses for a wedding photo released by the Beijing Evening News, Aug 10, 2011.

Yang Banban of the Chinese women's national basketball team poses for a wedding photo released by the Beijing Evening News, Aug 10, 2011.

(china daily)

China tastes first win at Stankovic Cup

2011-08-10T01:51:00.002-07:00

China's Yi Jianlian (C) jumps for a shot against two Angolan players at the Guangzhou leg of the 2011 Stankovic Cup in Guangzhou, Aug 9, 2011.

GUANGZHOU - China eventually savored its first victory at the Stankovic Cup this year, beating Angola 64-54 in the Guangzhou leg on Tuesday to finish its Cup journey in the third place.

However, the Chinese team coach Robert Donewald still complained of the busy schedule for his team full of injuries.

After losing all its seven games at the Cup earlier, the hosts were desperate to get a single victory with their last hope lying here on Tuesday evening.

Leading the match all the way, China enjoyed 6-0 and 9-0 runs in the first half, stretching its lead up to 20 points. However, the hosts suffered a winless five minutes in the beginning of the fourth quarter, only to see the Angolan side cut the deficit to eight points.

Then, the Chinese players, for the first time at this year's Stankovic cup, showed their prowess at the big moments.

Yi Jianlian made a crucial block to stop the Angolan side, and Zhang Qingpeng stole the ball for an easy layup to stretch cushion to 11 points with only 50 seconds left.

Throughout the match, the Angolans only made 2 of their 20 attempts from the 3-point line, marking their worst record at the Cup.

"I believe the Chinese coach did a hard job in training their defence. Their tactics in defence have dramatically improved tonight," said Angola's coach Gomez said.

According to Gomez, China's NBA player Yi Jianlian posed the greatest threat to Angola, as his shooting was as sharp as a razor's edge.

Away from his dominance at crunching moments, Yi led the team to a united one, scoring the match high 22 points, while Zhang Bo and Zhang Qingpeng combined for 21.

"Yi returned, many of our guys could get back to their normal positions, so our attacking tonight seemed more normal and fluent than before," said Donewald, coach of the Chinese team.

Despite winning the first victory, Donewald would never forget to complain about the busy matches his team of injuries was suffering. "We won, you believe it is good. But I don't think so, there are more injuries in our team.

"Eight games in nine days, so I must choose to lose some games to protect the team." Donewald said, shaking his head, "Anyhow, I will make you proud in September at the Asian Championship, and that is my job," he said.

The Asian tourney will be held in China's southern city of Wuhan, with the winner qualifying for the London Olympics directly.

(Xinhua)

Olympic test events go ahead amid London riots

2011-08-10T01:51:00.001-07:00

The Olympic Stadium (bottom L) and the Aquatics Centre (bottom R), two of the venues for the 2012 London Olympics, is seen as smoke continues to rise from a Sony Warehouse, which was destroyed by arsonists in Enfield, in north London, August 9, 2011.

LONDON - As London reeled from three days of rioting and looting, 1012 Olympic organizers sought to maintain a business-as-usual attitude Tuesday, going ahead with a series of events to prepare for the 2012 Games that London will be hosting a year from now.

A women's beach volleyball tournament began as scheduled at Horse Guards Parade, with players in bikinis competing on a specially made sand court a short distance from Prime Minister David Cameron's 10 Downing Street residence.

But organizers decided to use two courts instead of one for Tuesday's 12 matches so that play could finish 90 minutes early, allowing spectators and staff to leave before dark.

FIVB Beach Volleyball Director Angelo Squeo consulted with high-ranking London Olympic organizers and police before taking the decision. Squeo, who was on site during the Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Games, said he "will do whatever to not even risk putting in danger anybody here."

The competition, which runs through Sunday, is a test event for the Olympic tournament that will be played at the same iconic venue next year.

Other scheduled test events this week include a cycling road race that will go through the streets of London on Sunday and a marathon swimming competition at Hyde Park on Saturday. The world badminton championship are taking place at the Olympic venue of Wembley Arena in north London.

Olympic men's badminton champion Lin Dan of China said he took some precautions amid the unrest. "I just aimed not to go along the street too much," he said through an interpreter. "It was all right."

A wave of violence and looting has raged across London, as authorities struggled to contain the country's worst unrest since race riots set the capital ablaze in the 1980s. More than 400 arrests have been made so far.

The image of the host city has been tarnished by the images broadcast around the world of buildings and vehicles in flames and looters running amok.

"A lot of detailed work has taken place regarding security plans for the games and we will continue to review them together with the Met Police and the Home Office over the coming year," LOCOG, the local organizing committee, said in a statement.

Olympic security officials said they are confident of their plans and have already taken public disorder into account as a potential risk.

"What is absolutely clear is that we are committed to the games being delivered in safety and security, for athletes, spectators and the wider public."

Mayor Boris Johnson said he felt "ashamed" at the violence and the damage to London's image around the world.

"In less than 12 months we will welcome the world to a great summer games in the greatest city on earth - and by then we must all hope that we will look back on these events as a bad dream," he said in a column in the London Evening Standard. "It can be done. But it will be hard, and we will have our work cut out."

British Olympic Association spokesman Darryl Seibel expressed confidence the games would pass off safely.

"It makes an Olympic Games and a Paralympic Games all the more important," he said on Sky TV. "We need a reason to come together. What better city to do it in than London. This is not a reflection of London, this is a reflection of the world we live in today."

Hundreds of Olympic delegates from around the world were gathering Tuesday at a luxury hotel in Park Lane, near Hyde Park, to check on logistical preparations for the games. The chefs de mission, or team leaders, from more than 200 national Olympic committees were scheduled to tour the venues on Wednesday.

The IOC reiterated its confidence in security planning for London. "Security at the Olympic Games is a top priority for the IOC," spokesman Mark Adams told the AP. "While we are not responsible for security, we're happy with how local organizers are dealing with the issue and we are confident they will do a good job."

UK Prime Minister Cameron cut short his summer vacation in Italy and returned to London to deal with the crisis. He recalled Parliament from its summer recess and said 16,000 officers would be on the streets of the capital Tuesday night - almost tripling the number on the streets Monday night.

Britain was already preparing a massive security operation for the Olympics, but most of the attention has been on the threat of international terrorism. About 12,000 police officers will be on duty each day of the games, which have a security budget of at least $770 million.

The O2 arena (bottom R), one of the venues for the 2012 London Olympics, is seen as smoke continues to rise from a Sony Warehouse, which was destroyed by arsonists in Enfield, in north London, August 9, 2011.

The 2012 Olympic Stadium is seen at sunset in London, August 9, 2011.

(Agencies)

Rugby World Cup visitors to rush to New Zealand

2011-08-10T01:51:00.000-07:00

Mils Muliaina of New Zealand's All Blacks runs at Quade Cooper (R) of Australia's Wallabies during their Tri-Nations Bledisloe Cup rugby match at Eden Park in Auckland August 6, 2011.

WELLINGTON - Around 95,000 rugby fans are expected to come to New Zealand next month for the Rugby World Cup, 10,000 more than previously forecast, organizers announced Tuesday, exactly one month before the tournament kicks off.

The new forecast was based on match ticket sales abroad, according to Rugby New Zealand 2011 (RNZ 2011).

"This is tremendous news and a real sign of just how big Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011) will be for our country," said RNZ 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden.

"The upsurge in support from overseas fans is a strong sign of confidence in our ability to host the biggest sporting event New Zealand has ever held."

Visitors were expected from more than 100 countries during the six-week tournament, including more than 30,000 from Australia, while expected numbers were also strong in traditional rugby- playing nations.

"We are expecting around 25,000 fans from the UK and Ireland and another 10,000 from France," said Snedden.

"It's also terrific to see good numbers coming from the Americas, and that USA, Canada and Argentina will be well supported. Our estimates suggest 10,000 from these countries."

Previous analysis suggested visitors on average would stay 23 days and 44 percent would visiting New Zealand for the first time.

RNZ 2011 also reported that ticket sales had climbed to 1.08 million up from 1 million a month ago putting the tournament on track to achieve its sales targets.

Revenue to date totaled 234 million NZ dollars ($191.34 million), against a target of 268.5 million NZ dollars based on an expected 1.35 million tickets sold for the 48 tournament matches.

"Fans have snapped up more than 180,000 tickets since the final ticketing phase launched on July 4," claimed Snedden.

"As at previous Rugby World Cups in France and Australia, sales will rise during the build-up to the tournament as the event becomes that much more tangible for fans. At the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, 20 percent of sales were made in the month of the Games.

"Our challenge over the remaining 10 weeks is to generate another 34 million NZ dollars of revenues, the equivalent of about another 230,000 ticket sales. Given what we have sold over the last 10 weeks, this is clearly achievable."

Before the Rugby World Cup, the highest revenue-generating event in New Zealand's history was the 2005 British and Irish Lions Tour, which had grossed 24 million NZ dollars.

In June, organizers were dismissing fears of half-empty stadiums during the tournament with only about half of 1.6 million total World Cup seats filled, and Snedden said in May that reaching the World Cup's sales target would be challenging, but achievable.

The IRB Rugby World Cup, the third largest sports event in the world, first kicked off in 1987 and is held every four years.

A total broadcast audience of more than 4 billion people saw the 2007 tournament in France.

RNZ 2011, established in 2006, is responsible for the planning and delivery of RWC 2011 in New Zealand on behalf of the New Zealand Rugby Union and the New Zealand government.

(Xinhua)

Kenyan Chemos wins Women's 3,000M Steeplechase title in London

2011-08-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

Milcah Chemos (R) of Kenya crosses the finish line during the Women's 3,000M Steeplechase of the IAAF Diamond League London meet, at the Crystal Palace in London, Britain, Aug. 6, 2011. Chemos won by 9 minutes and 22.80 seconds.

(Xinhua)

U.S. Carmelita Jeter wins Women's 100M Sprint title in London

2011-08-07T16:39:00.001-07:00

Carmelita Jeter of the United States competes during the Women's 100M Sprint of the IAAF Diamond League London meet, at the Crystal Palace in London, Britain, Aug. 6, 2011. Jeter won by 10.93 seconds.

Carmelita Jeter (L) of the United States crosses the finish line during the Women's 100M Sprint of the IAAF Diamond League London meet, at the Crystal Palace in London, Britain, Aug. 6, 2011. Jeter won by 10.93 seconds

(Xinhua)

China's Li Na meets with fans in Toronto

2011-08-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

China's Li Na poses as she goes to the Pacific Mall to interact with fans in Toronto, Canada, Aug. 6, 2011. No. 6 seeded player Li Na will compete in the 2nd round of the 2011 Rogers Cup.

China's Li Na smiles as she goes to the Pacific Mall to interact with fans in Toronto, Canada, Aug. 6, 2011. No. 6 seeded player Li Na will compete in the 2nd round of the 2011 Rogers Cup.

China's Li Na (L) poses with a fan as she goes to the Pacific Mall to interact with fans in Toronto, Canada, Aug. 6, 2011. No. 6 seeded player Li Na will compete in the 2nd round of the 2011 Rogers Cup.

(Xinhua)

Milan edge out Inter in Super Cup

2011-08-06T18:07:00.001-07:00

AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates with the trophy after winning the Italian Super Cup soccer match against Inter Milan at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

BEIJING - Serie A champions AC Milan scored twice in nine second-half minutes to come back and beat city rivals Inter Milan 2-1 in the Italian Super Cup played in Beijing on Saturday.

Milan, who ended Inter's five-year reign as Italian champions by winning the scudetto in May, fought back through ex-Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Inter dominated the first half with Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, heavily linked in the media with a move to Manchester United or City, firing in the opener on 22 minutes with a freekick after Gennaro Gattuso had escaped a red card.

Ibrahimovic equalised with a header against the run of the play in the 60th minute after being set up by Clarence Seedorf and nine minutes later Boateng scored the winner.

"A derby game is always a derby. We really faced difficulties with stamina in the first 30 minutes as players looked tired," Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri told a news conference after the season curtain-raiser.

"But in the second half, it has turned out to be much better. We did not give any more chances to Inter except Wesley Sneijder."

Sneijder talks

The defeat was an inauspicious start for new Inter coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who replaced Leonardo during the close season as the Brazilian became Paris St Germain sports director having had short spells as both Milan and Inter boss.

"We played very well in the first half," Gasperini said in a bid to find some positives.

"As for the rumour of Sneijder leaving, we will talk about it next week after we go back Italy."

Gasperini's appointment disappointed many Inter fans given he was sacked by modest top flight side Genoa early last campaign and has no big club experience.

His penchant for three at the back, rare in European football nowadays, has also raised eyebrows but his side got off to a good start only to let Milan impose themselves like they did in the two derbies last season which practically swung their first Serie A title since 2004 their way.

Transfer movement over the break has been limited for both clubs but despite the familiarity, the match had the feel of a friendly given there are several weeks before the actual season begins.

The new league season starts on August 28 when Milan travel to Allegri's former club Cagliari and Inter, Italian Cup winners last term having won the treble the previous season under Jose Mourinho, host Lecce.

The games are under threat of a strike by the Italian player's association over a long-running disagreement with the league over a collective contract, with two strikes narrowly averted last season.

The Super Cup was played in the packed Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing in front of over 70,000 under a deal between the league and Chinese authorities to host Italy's season curtain-raiser there four times over six years.

Lazio previously beat Inter at the Bird's Nest in 2009.

"I came from Sichuan province with a bunch of Milan fans to Beijing just to watch the Milan derby," 29-year-old Dai Wei, wearing a Milan shirt, told Reuters as he entered the stadium.

An Italian campaign to have the game played back in Milan failed to succeed because of the contract with the Chinese authorities and the huge marketing opportunities for European clubs in the world's most populous nation.

AC Milan's players celebrate with the Italian Super Cup trophy after winning the Italian Super Cup soccer match against Inter Milan at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

AC Milan's Robinho (L), Gennaro Ivan Gattuso (C) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrate with the trophy after winning the Italian Super Cup soccer match against Inter Milan at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

AC Milan's coach Massimiliano Allegri (C) holds the trophy with his colleagues as he celebrates after winning the Italian Super Cup soccer match against Inter Milan at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

Inter Milan's Thiago Motta (top) jumps for a header with AC Milan's Massimo Ambrosini (R) during their Italian Super Cup soccer match at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

Inter Milan's Samuel Eto'o (L) is challenged by AC Milan's Thiago Silva during their Italian Super Cup soccer match at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

Inter Milan's Thiago Motta (R) falls as he is challenged by AC Milan's Clarence Seedorf during their Italian Super Cup soccer match at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

Inter Milan's Thiago Motta (C) falls as he fights for the ball with Robinho (L) of AC Milan during their Italian Super Cup soccer match at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic (R) hugs his teammate Clarence Seedorf as he celebrates his goal against Inter Milan during their Italian Super Cup soccer match at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates after winning the Italian Super Cup soccer match against Inter Milan at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

(Agencies)

Milan wins Italian Super Cup after classic derby

2011-08-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

AC Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng (top) dives for a header as he is challenged by Inter Milan's Walter Adrian Samuel (bottom) and Dejan Stankovic during their Italian Super Cup soccer match at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

BEIJING - AC Milan rallied from one goal down to beat feud Inter Milan 2-1 to win the 2011 Italian Super Cup after an exciting derby at a fully-packed Bird's Nest here on Saturday evening.

Wesley Sneijder broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute for the Nerazzurri with a powerful shot from the edge of the box to beat Christian Abbiati.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalized in the 61st minute when the tall striker headed Clarence Seedorf's pinpoint center into the empty net at the far post.

Kevin Prince Boateng netted home the winner on 69 minutes when he slided in a rebound after substitute forward Pato's sharp diagonal shot hit the near post.

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri used a 433 formation, while Inter boss Gian Peiro Gasperini took a 361 starting eleven.

The two sides had a even first half, Inter's attacking power from the left flank seemed to be more effective compared to the opposing front pair of Ibrahimovic and Robinho, with Ricardo Alvarez and Joel Chukwuma Obi threatening their rivals from time to time.

Ibrahimovic missed a good chance to level the score before the end of the first period with a header hit the post.

After the break, both teams quickened the pace. AC Milan gradually took some advantage with fine combination upfront. Gasperini brought on Pato to replace Robinho, and the in-form Brazilian tried to challenge the opposing defence with his speed and technique.

Inter Milan's Wesley Sneijder (L) dribbles next to AC Milan's Mark Van Bommel (R) during their Italian Super Cup soccer match at the National Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, August 6, 2011.

Inter couldn't find their form after Boateng's goal, and had to taste the failure before some fervent 80,000 spectators.

The Italian Super Cup will still be held in the Bird's Nest for the next two seasons before the start of the Serie A, which means the event will create more business value and sporting fever in the place where the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was held.

More and more Chinese clubs of different Chinese cities began to invite top European clubs to play friendlies in the summer break.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Real Madrid all came to China to play with Chinese local teams this summer, and the clash between the Italian feuds was the climax one. Both the organizers and the foreign clubs can make benefits from these business matches.

According to a senior organizer of this years Italian Super Cup, the ticket sale of the game may reach an amount of more than 60 million Yuan, and the final result may likely to surpass the record high 70 million Yuan from the 2009 version Super Cup between Inter and Lazio in the National Stadium, one year after the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

More than 40 TV stations, and more than 100 companies of various kinds of media from different nations and regions covered the Milan Derby. Adding the advertisement profits, the total commercial revenue may be higher.

"We are also considering to hold the Spanish Super Cup at the Bird's Nestle in the future," said Wang Hui, a senior official of the organizing company.

"From the two Italian Super Cup held here, we think it's a successful example both in sporting and commerce."

(Xinhua)