■ FOOTBALL
Tebow wins second Maxwell
Tim Tebow won the Maxwell Award for the second year on Thursday, edging Texas’ Colt McCoy and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell for the honor given to college football’s best all-round player. The Florida star joined Notre Dame quarterback Johnny Lattner as the only two-time winners of the Maxwell Award. Lattner won in 1952-53. Tebow, who will lead Florida against Sam Bradford’s Oklahoma in the national championship game next month, won the Heisman Trophy last year and, today in New York, could become the second player to win it twice. The versatile Tebow threw 28 touchdown passes and only two interceptions.
■ BOXING
Adamek captures title
Poland’s Tomasz Adamek captured the International Boxing Federation cruiserweight title on Thursday, taking a split decision to dethrone American Steve Cunningham. Adamek won by 115-112 and 116-110 in the eyes of two judges while the third scored Cunnignham a 114-112 winner even though Adamek knocked down the US fighter three times in the title bout. Adamek, a former World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion, improved to 36-1 with his fifth victory in a row while Cunningham — who was sent to the canvas in the second, fourth and eighth round — fell to 21-2.
■ SAILING
Volvo begins third stage
The eight competitors in the Volvo Race around the world leave the southwestern Indian port of Kochi today headed for Singapore in a grueling third stage taking the race through to Christmas. Leaders Ericsson 4, skippered by Brazilian Torben Grael, will be bidding to extend their advantage after setting out from Willingdon Island, the modern port area which serves Kochi. After negotiating the southern tip of India and passing Sri Lanka the crews, negotiating northeastern winds, will speed towards the Malacca Strait, then close in on Singapore following the obligatory passage north of Sumatra.
■ SWIMMING
Four world records broken
Four world records were broken at the European short-course championships on Thursday, with the Italian men’s relay team setting two on its way to winning gold in the 4x50m medley final. Mirco Di Tora, Alessandro Terrin, Marco Belotti and Filippo Magnini finished in 1 minute, 32.91 seconds, 0.85 seconds faster than the world record set by the Russian team earlier in the day. In Thursday’s first heat, the Italians broke the 2006 world record of 1:34.06 set by Germany in Helsinki, Finland. The Russians broke that mark in the following heat. The Russian and German teams tied for second in the final, finishing in 1:33.31. Amaury Leveaux of France set a record in the semi-finals of the 50m freestyle. He finished in 20.48, beating the mark of 20.64 set by Roland Schoeman of South Africa on Sept. 6 in Germiston, South Africa.
■ BOXING
Agbeko keeps title
Ghana’s Joseph Agbeko kept his International Boxing Federation bantamweight crown on Thursday with a majority decision over Nicaraguan southpaw William Gonzalez. The African fighter improved to 26-1 with his fifth triumph in a row, taking the decision on two judges’ scorecards by 116-112 while the third judge scored the bout a 114-114 draw. Gonzalez fell to 21-3, ending his five-fight win streak. Agbeko’s victory was the first defense of the title he won in September last year when he stopped Luis Alberto Perez in the seventh round.
■ GOLF
Pavin to captain US team
Former US Open champion Corey Pavin was appointed US captain for the 2010 Ryder Cup by the PGA of America on Thursday. The next Ryder Cup will be staged in Britain at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales. The US won the Ryder Cup for the first time in nine years in Louisville, Kentucky in September. Pavin, a former US Open champion who has played three times in the Ryder Cup and won twice, said the pressure in the match was unequaled within the sport. “Winning the US Open is a walk in the park compared with the Ryder Cup [in terms of pressure],” he told a news conference.
■ SOCCER
Jamaica to face Grenada
Jamaica defeated Guadeloupe 2-0 and Grenada upset Cuba 6-5 in a penalty shootout in the Caribbean championship semi-finals on Thursday. Jamaica and Grenada will return to the National Stadium tomorrow for the final. Jamaica won the last of their three Caribbean titles in 2005. It was coming off a World Cup qualifying campaign in which they won their last three matches, all at home, but missed out on advancing on goal difference. Grenada were runners-up in the inaugural tournament in 1989 and haven’t been back to the final until now. They eliminated Trinidad and Tobago to reach the semi-finals and qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time.
■ ATHLETICS
Murofushi receives bronze
Japanese hammer thrower Koji Murofushi said yesterday he was honored to receive the Beijing Olympic bronze four months after the Games, but regretted the doping scandal that handed it to him. The International Olympic Committee executive board on Thursday stripped the silver and bronze Belarussian medalists of their awards after finding traces of testosterone. Murofushi, who originally placed fifth, was given the bronze. “The Olympics were over a long time ago, but I think it is very honorable,” Murofushi told a nationally televised news conference held in the central Japanese city of Toyota.
■ BADMINTON
China pulls players
China has stunned the badminton world by withdrawing all its players from next week’s lucrative season-ending Super Series finals. In explaining the pull-out, China Badminton Association secretary-general Liu Fengyan cited “a hectic calendar, risk of aggravating injuries and an upcoming three-month training camp.” It means the US$500,000 tournament will be played without Olympic men’s singles champion Lin Dan, men’s doubles silver medalists Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng, and women’s doubles gold medalists Du Jing and Yu Yang.
■ SOCCER
Juninho, Cris fined by UEFA
UEFA fined Lyon captain Juninho and fellow Brazilian Cris on Thursday for deliberately getting booked in a Champions League group match in order to serve a suspension before the knockout phase. Midfielder Juninho was fined 10,000 euros (US$13,300) and defender Cris 15,000 euros by competition organizer UEFA’s disciplinary panel. Both players had collected two yellow cards before the French champion’s Nov. 25 game against Fiorentina in Italy, and were booked again to earn a one-match ban. The players later said they had deliberately committed fouls in order to trigger the suspensions for Lyon’s final group match on Wednesday against Germany’s Bayern Munich.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
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