Sun, Jan 31, 2010 page19

• Sports Briefs

  • AGENCIES
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  ■ATHLETICS

  US team may lose gold

  Crystal Cox of the US 4x400m gold-medal relay team at the Athens Olympics has accepted a four-year suspension and disqualification of her results for doping. Cox, who ran in the preliminaries for the team led by Sanya Richards, admitted to using anabolic steroids and agreed to the penalty on Friday, the US Anti-Doping Agency said. She almost certainly will have her gold medal stripped, while the consequences for her teammates aren’t yet known. Richards ran the final along with Dee Dee Trotter, Monique Henderson and Monique Hennegan. Moushaumi Robinson joined Cox in the preliminary heat. Russia won the silver medal, and Jamaica the bronze. Britain was fourth. Marion Jones’ relay teammates from the Sydney Games lost their medals after Jones admitted to doping, but they are fighting to have the medals restored. A relay gold medalist from the same year, Jerome Young, was stripped of his gold medal for doping, but a move to strip the entire team was rejected. Young only ran in the preliminary for the 4x400m team.

  ■BASEBALL

  Angels re-sign Saunders

  The Los Angeles Angels have avoided arbitration with former All-Star pitcher Joe Saunders by signing him to a new contract, the team said on Friday. Terms were not announced, but local media reported the one-year deal would earn the left-handed Saunders US$3.7 million. Saunders posted a 16-7 record with a 4.60 earned run average last year with the Angels despite missing many games with shoulder problems, Major League Baseball reported on its Web site. Saunders’ deal leaves catcher Jeff Mathis and shortstop Erick Aybar as the Angels’ two remaining arbitration-eligible players.

  ■OLYMPICS

  Hughes to carry flag

  Speed skater Clara Hughes, the only Canadian to win medals at both the Summer and Winter Games, has been selected to carry her country’s flag into the opening ceremonies of next month’s 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. A five-time Olympian with five medals, Hughes will defend the 5,000m title she won at the Turin Games, where she also took a silver in the team pursuit. The 37-year-old Winnipeg native was also a bronze medalist in the 5,000m at the 2002 at Salt Lake City Olympics and won bronze medals in cycling’s road race and time trial at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. Hughes, who speaks both of Canada’s official languages, English and French, is equally admired for her humanitarian work, donating US$10,000 to the Right to Play after her gold medal victory in Turin. The opening ceremonies, the first for a Winter Games to be staged indoors, are scheduled for BC Place on Feb. 12.

  ■FORMULA ONE

  McClaren launch car, team

  Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button unveiled McLaren’s car for the Formula One season Friday in their first public appearance as teammates. Button’s MP4-25 car is adorned with the No. 1, and he seemed to take the upper-hand at the launch despite the presence of the 25-year-old Hamilton, who won the 2008 championship. “You never know what to expect going into a new team, not knowing what the atmosphere will be,” said Button, who won last year’s title with Brawn. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised.” Both Button and Hamilton are eager to forget last season — for very different reasons. While Button doesn’t want to dwell on ending his long wait for a first title, Hamilton had a difficult third season, finishing 46 points behind his new teammate.

  ■CYCLING

  Ricco’s partner tests positive

  Riccardo Ricco’s partner, Vania Rossi, has tested positive for doping. The Italian Olympic Committee said on Friday that the blood-booster CERA was found in Rossi’s system after she finished second in the Italian cyclecross championships on Jan. 10 in Segrate, near Milan. It’s the same substance Ricco was caught using at the 2008 Tour de France after winning two mountain stages. The couple had a son, Alberto, born in July. Ricco’s 20-month ban is set to expire on March 19. “This persistent behavior by certain athletes who attempt to evade the rules is unbelievable, especially considering the continual and constant controls that we perform,” Italian cycling federation president Renato Di Rocco said.

  ■CRICKET

  Aussies win Cup final

  Australia’s next generation of cricketers proved they are primed to make it to the top when they won the under-19 World Cup yesterday, beating Pakistan by 25 runs in the final. In a four-over burst they ripped out the Pakistan tail at Lincoln Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand, to become the first country to claim the crown three times. After being sent into bat first, Australia posted 207 for the loss of nine wickets, with Kane Richardson notching up a rapid 44, Tim Armstrong adding 37 and Jason Floros 35. The match appeared evenly poised when Pakistan, two-times winner of the tournament, started the 43rd over of their reply needing 51 runs with four wickets in hand, but the collapse started when offspinner Floros bowled Pakistan captain Azeem Ghumman for 41. It was Floros’ sole wicket in the final, but provided an important breakthrough as the remaining three Pakistan wickets tumbled within four overs for the addition of only 26 more runs.

  ■RALLYING

  Raikkonen crashes into drift

  Former Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen crashed into a drift of snow on Friday in his debut on the rally circuit and trailed by more than 30 minutes after the first day of racing. Raikkonen was just 5.5 seconds behind leader Dani Sordo after the first stage of the Arctic Lapland Rally, but then went off the road during the second stage and needed help to pull the car out of the snow. The Finnish former Ferrari driver and co-pilot Kai Lindstrom escaped unhurt, but needed repairs to the car before continuing. Raikkonen then finished second to Sordo on three of the four remaining stages on the snowy, icy roads in northern Finland, but remained more than 30 minutes behind in the overall standings. Sordo led by 1 minute, 3.7 seconds ahead of Juha Salo of Finland after six of 12 stages.

  ■BOXING

  Shumenov claims WBA title

  Kazakhstan’s Beibut Shumenov set a boxing record on Friday by winning the WBA light heavyweight title in just his 10th professional bout, outpointing Spain’s Gabriel Campillo in a split-decision. Shumenov’s effort outdid Michael Spinks, who held the previous mark by winning a championship in his 17th professional fight. The scorecards revealed a peculiar discrepancy. Judge Levi Martinez scored the fight strongly in favor of Campillo (117-111), while both other judges went for Shumenov — Jerry Roth had it 115-113, while Particia Morse Jarman scored the fight 117-111. Shumenov started strongly, controlling the action in the early rounds, before Campillo rallied in the middle rounds. “I’m not surprised by the decision,” Shumenov said. “I had the better trainer and he told me what to do to win. This win is for my friends and family back in Kazakhstan.”
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