Apr 22
Former South Africa coach Carel du Plessis says their backs will give them the edge in the summer series against the British and Irish Lions.
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Apr 20
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Mike Brown was named NBA coach of the year on Monday after guiding the Cleveland Cavaliers into the playoffs with a franchise-record 66 wins this season.
Apr 08
South Africa coach Mickey Arthur pledges his loyalty to the Proteas in answer to speculation linking him to the vacant role of England coach.
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Apr 08
Czech football is in turmoil after they sack coach Petr Rada and six players are banned for a breach of discipline.
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Apr 03
Sven-Goran Eriksson is sacked as Mexico boss following Wednesday’s World Cup qualifying defeat against Honduras.
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Mar 28
South Korea’s Kim Wins Short Program at Figure Skating Championships
information, olympics No Comments »When her score popped up on the monitor at the world figure skating championships on Friday, Kim Yu-na could hardly believe it.
She buried her face in her hands. Her jaw dropped. Her coach, the two-time Olympic medalist Brian Orser, grabbed and shook her.
In front of a crowd filled with South Korean fans waving South Korean flags, South Korea’s Kim dominated the short program here Friday, winning by more than 8 points. Her score was 76.12, the best ever for a woman. It easily eclipsed her previous best score of 72.24.
Joannie Rochette of Canada finished second, with 67.90. Mao Asada of Japan, the defending world champion and Kim’s longtime rival, was third, with 66.06.
“I was very comfortable when I was skating,” Kim said of her reaction to the audience, many of the fans from the sizable Korean community here. “I felt that I was able to do well because of all the people cheering me on in the stadium.”
Kim, 18, had come into worlds expecting her biggest competition to be Asada, but she had no competition at all. Her performance put her in perfect position to win her first world title on Saturday, less than a year from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Skating in a black outfit that sparkled in the lights, she landed each of her jumps, but her moves in between were what mesmerized the crowd. She effortlessly floated from one element to another, often with a smile, always with grace.
“It’s one of those moments in skating people will always remember,” Orser said.
The United States team had a night to forget, with its hopes of earning three spots at the Olympics likely slipping away.
The Americans must finish at least a combined 13th for the team to be awarded three Olympic entries. After the short program, the Americans are in 21st, combined. The last time the team brought only two women skaters to the Olympics was in 1994.
Alissa Czisny, the national champion, fell twice and is 14th going into the long program. She had 53.28 points.
“Today was disappointing because that’s not the way I’ve been practicing,” she said, devoid of emotion. “I have higher expectations of myself, and it just didn’t happen.”
Rachael Flatt, who finished seventh, stepped out of a triple flip and flubbed her first combination jump. But it did not ruin her night. Flatt, 16, said she was excited, not nervous, for her first senior-level world championships. She scored 59.30 points.
“I was hopping around out back, saying, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so cool,’ ” said Flatt, who has been studying for her A.P. chemistry test and writing an English paper on “The Great Gatsby” during her down time.
The United States men could rest easy. They secured their three spots for Vancouver on Thursday. Evan Lysacek’s gold medal certainly helped the cause. At 23, he will go into the Olympic year as the gold-medal favorite.
Lysacek skated brilliantly to George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” landing eight triple jumps as the crowd roared. He became the first American man in 13 years to hold the world title.
“To perform it just how I imagined it hundreds of times and visualized it,” he said, “I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
source: nytimes.com
Mar 17
INDIAN WELLS, California, (March 17) – Former world number one Kim Clijsters may make a comeback to the tour, her former coach Carl Maes said on Tuesday.
Mar 13
TEHRAN (Reuters) – They lost most of their matches against Iranian opponents, but U.S. wrestlers hope the friendly relations they enjoyed with their tournament hosts can help improve ties between Washington and Tehran.
Jan 29
Mark Johnson was appointed coach of the U.S. Women’s Olympic hockey team for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and that’s good news on so many levels that it’s impossible to list them all.
He wasn’t appointed because he played on the gold medal-winning 1980 U.S. men’s team at Lake Placid, N.Y., where he scored twice in the “Miracle on Ice” team’s upset of the heavily favored Russians — and assisted on the winner and scored the insurance goal in the gold-medal game against Finland.
He wasn’t appointed because he’s the son of “Badger” Bob Johnson, the ever-optimistic coach who enjoyed the rare success of winning three NCAA titles at the University of Wisconsin and a Stanley Cup championship with the Pittsburgh Penguins before he died of brain cancer in November 1991.
(USA Hockey, the sport’s national governing body, is located on Bob Johnson Drive in Colorado Springs, Colo., one of many tributes to the man whose favorite saying, “It’s a great day for hockey,” is affectionately remembered by all who knew him).
Johnson, 51, got the Olympic job because of who he is and what he has done, not who he knew, and that can only be good for those who play for him and get to know him as he returns to the national stage.
Johnson, who played 11 seasons in the NHL, has been able to take the best of what he learned under taskmaster Herb Brooks with the 1980 team, blend it with his father’s knowledge and love for the game and bring to it his own ability to communicate, teach and create challenges that stimulate his players.
Johnson was an assistant coach of Wisconsin’s men’s team before taking over the women’s team and bringing the stability and solidity that would lead to two NCAA titles. He has been a part of the coaching staff of U.S. men’s and women’s teams for years.
Jan 05
Former world number one Ana Ivanovic kicked off her 2009 season ahead of the Australian Open with victory over Petra Kvitova at the Brisbane International.
Serbian Ivanovic, 21, who reached the Australian Open final last season, overcame the Czech 6-4 6-2 to set up a second-round match with Roberta Vinci.
Another former world number one Amelie Mauresmo also opened with a win in the ATP-WTA Australian Open tune-up event.
The Frenchwoman edged past Australia’s Jelena Dokic 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5).
The victory will provide a welcome boost for Mauresmo, whose ranking has slipped to 24 from a high of number one in 2006 when she won two Grand Slam titles.
She has been working with new coach Hugo Lecoq since failing to finish in the top 20 last year – the first time in a decade.
But she had to fend off two first-set points before overcoming Dokic, who herself has slumped in the rankings to 177th from a career high of number four.
“It was a tough first match – she was playing some good tennis and gave me a bit of trouble,” Mauresmo said. “But there were good things. Physically I felt good on the court. That’s a key point for me.”
It was a lot more comfortable for Ivanovic, who ended last season at five in the rankings following an injury-hampered mid-season.
“The end of last season was a bit of a disappointment for me so I was looking forward to a good start,” she said.
Three seeded players suffered an early exit, though, with fourth seed Daniel Hantuchova of Slovakia beaten 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-0 by Italy’s Sara Errani.
Italy’s number eight seed Francesca Schiavone also fell, ousted 7-5 6-2 by Olga Govortsova of Belarus, and Ai Sugiyama of Japan, seeded ninth, was defeated 6-2 6-3 by home favourite Samantha Stosur.
Italy’s Vinci beat Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld 0-6 6-3 6-1 to earn her place in the second round.
source: bbc.co.uk
Jan 04
John Daly smashed one tee shot off the top of a beer can during a pro-am. At another tournament, he returned from a rain delay with Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden as his caddie. And his most memorable photo this year came in an orange jail suit, eyes half-closed.
Daly said Wednesday that such unwelcome publicity is why the PGA Tour suspended him for six months.
The two-time major champion confirmed his suspension to The Associated Press, calling this the low point of an 18-year career during which he has made as much news off the course as he has with his prodigious game.
“Is it fair that I got suspended?” he said. “It’s not fair in reality, but it’s probably fair in perception.”
Daly said he wanted to go public to let fans and tournaments know that he wasn’t abandoning them by taking his game to the European tour. At least until the spring, he simply didn’t have much of a choice.
“I’m not sure this is the smartest thing to do, but I’d rather be honest, especially with the fans,” he said. “It’s hard for me not to play on the West Coast. I love it out there.”
PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw declined comment, even after seeing Daly’s remarks, citing the tour’s longtime policy of not discussing fines or suspensions.
This is the second time the tour has suspended Daly, along with at least two other times when he agreed to sit out the final few months of a season to get his life in order.
He has not played on the PGA Tour since he missed the cut Oct. 17 in Las Vegas. Ten days later, police in Winston-Salem, N.C., said he appeared intoxicated outside a Hooters restaurant, and Daly was taken to jail to sleep it off. That led to his photo in the orange jail suit, which became an Internet sensation.
Nov 30
GREECE’S former 400m hurdles Olympic champion Fani Halkia has been handed a two year ban for her positive dope test at the Beijing Games, the Greek athletics federation said.
The federation confirmed a decision by its judicial committee to punish the former star.
A gold medallist at Athens in 2004 Halkia was expelled from the Beijing Olympics after testing positive for the banned steroid Methyltrienolone.
Halkia, her coach and two other athletes who failed tests also face maximum sentences of five years in prison in Greece over their respective cases.
The four suspects deny any wrongdoing and Halkia claims she was the victim of sabotage.
Nov 18
Michael Phelps was named Athlete of the Year last night by USA Swimming at the annual Golden Goggle Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in the pool for American athletes.
Phelps was something of a shoo-in for the award after winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, but the 23-year-old Fells Point resident was happy to take a night off from his busy traveling schedule to celebrate the honor.
He also received an award for Performance of the Year for his victory in the 100-meter butterfly, as well as one for being a part of the men’s 400relay.
“It’s been an awesome run,” Phelps said. “I’ve had so much support, from my family, my coach and my friends. My coach, in particular, has put up with a lot. I look forward to seeing what we can do in the future.”
Phelps took some time to talk about his business partnership with his coach, Bob Bowman, and the recent announcement that the duo had purchased the business side of the Meadowbrook Aquatic Center, as well as control of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. It’s something Bowman and Phelps had talked about for more than a year before deciding to go forward with their plan.
Oct 06
For days, Albert Kirchmayr has been melting, molding and cooling gallons of milk chocolate, all for the glory of Michael Phelps. For as many mornings, Darlene Castle has lain in bed, composing rhyming couplets for her grandkids to chant in praise of Phelps and his eight gold medals from this summer’s games.
Others around town have been rehearsing songs and crafting everything from “Will you marry me?” posters to canvas oil paintings detailing step by step Phelps’s journey toward the Beijing Olympics. And yesterday, all of them converged on Towson, Md., to try to throw the largest and most extravagant parade ever for the swimmer.
It was a day of glory not only for Phelps, who looked relaxed in a hoodie and sunglasses as he rode in a military Humvee past the throngs of screaming fans, but also for the town he came from. As with any hometown parade, part of it — the fireworks, crowded streets and adulation — was about pride in claiming this hero as one of their own, as though to catch reflected glory for everyone around him.
“Towson’s pretty much still a small town,” said John Cadigan, who manages the pool where Phelps trained. “It’s a source of pride, a sense that one of us from little Towson went off into the big world and did something great.”
Sep 29
Ronaldinho picked the ideal time to open his AC Milan account as his first-half goal gave it a 1-0 win over city rivals Internazionale on Sunday.
The Brazilian powerfully headed home a cross from compatriot Kaka in the 36th minute as Jose Mourinho tasted his first defeat as Inter boss.
The Nerazzurri finished the game with 10 men after Nicolas Burdisso was sent off in the 77th minute, while Marco Materazzi was also sent to the stands from the Inter bench for protesting too strongly in a fiery end to the derby.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side look to have banished their woeful early-season form though after their third straight win lifted them up to sixth in the Serie A table.
Sep 11
The Track cycling events of Beijing Paralympic Games ended in Laoshan Velodrome here on Wednesday when Britain took three more golds to prove its domination with a total of 12 titles.
Sarah Storey stormed back in the women’s individual pursuit of LC1-2/CP4 category to take the gold medal in a new LC1 world record of three minutes and 36.637 seconds. She ripped four seconds off the record she set in the qualifications to snatch the title from Jennifer Schuble of United States by centimeters.
Schuble needed to match the CP4 world record she made in the qualifying rounds to beat Storey but crossed the line just 0.2 second off the pace and had to settle for the silver. She had been crowned in women’s 500 metres time trial of LC1-2/CP4 class.
“This Paralympics is really a tough game,” said Storey. “So it was difficult for me to take gold or to break the records. I’m satisfied with myself as I did both.”
“I’m satisfied with this result, too,” said Schuble. “I got two medals at this Paralympics, and got two best times I never had. I rode as fast as I could.”
“I felt much pressure. Storey and the British team never failed. And I also felt pressure from cheering spectators, teammates and my coach. I felt pressure from everywhere,” said Schuble. “But I achieved my goal and did my best.”
China was guaranteed a bronze with the third place being fought out between Dong Jingping and Ye Yaping, both in LC2 class, and Dong duly edged out her compatriot racing as full five seconds faster.
In men’s sprint of B&VI class, British Anthony Kappes won gold with pilot Barney Storey, edging Aussie Ben Demery and pilot Shaun Hopkins after two straight wins in the best of three race final. It was Kappes’ second after he took title in men’s 1km time trial on Monday, in which he also beat Demery.
“We have had a good battle with them for three years,” said silver medallist Demery. “They have come on the top every time. They are great bike riders, and the British team got a great programme. They ride very well, so I think the best thing is to catch them up one day.”
Team Britain also seized the title of men’s team sprint of LC1-4/CP3-4 category with three gold-medallists Mark Bristow, Jody Cundy and Darren Kenny. They defeated host Chinese team of Zhang Kuidong, Zhang Lu and Zheng Yuanchao in a three-lap final with an advantage of only one second.
Bristow was gold medallist in men’s LC1 1km time trial and Cundy won LC2 time trial while Kenny was winner in CP3 individual pursuit and 1km time trial. They all set world records in their respective events.
“We really enjoy the matches,” said Cundy. “The entire Britain team are happy with what we did. It is out of our expectation.”
American Barbara Buchan was the only non-British gold winner on Wednesday. She came home first by a margin of 2.316 seconds to spoil the day for Natalie Simanowski of Germany in women’s individual pursuit of LC3-4/CP3 class.
Simanowski was racing to go one better than the silver she took in 500m time trial but had to make do with another silver. She was fastest on the track but with the times adjusted with respect their disability levels, Buchan had the edge.
“It’s my honour to win gold and I’m so pleased,” said Buchan. “Though Simanowski is much younger than me, I think I am a good athlete.”
Britain topped the medal standings with 13 medals, 12 of which are golds. Australia also clinched three gold, four silver and six bronze medals. China ranked third with 0-3-3 in the track cycling events.
Sep 11
Pontypridd swimming star David Roberts is celebrating a golden hat-trick. Triumphing in the 400m freestyle (S7) in a new world record, won his third gold medal at the Beijing Paralympic Games.
Roberts’s time of 4:52.35 broke the record held by New Zealander Dean Booth’s since 2000 by 1.40 seconds. Not that he was satisfied.
“I expected better from myself this evening. I was really nervous when I was coming out and that doesn’t normally happen to me.
“I wanted to perform better but this is amazing to have my tenth Paralympic gold medal.
“I don’t know why I was nervous. That will be something I will be discussing with my coach before Sunday.”
He has amassed his ten gold medals from Games in Sydney, Athens and Beijing. And his 2008 campaign is not over yet he returns to the starting blocks on Sunday for the 50m freestyle before he competes in the medley relay on Monday.
Philip Carling, Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, was quick said: “David is always striving to excel and to better his performances. Ten gold medals in a career is absolutely superb. His success is particularly impressive considering how the Paralympic movement has moved on since Athens. We have seen other countries catching up yet, David has still maintained dominance in his events.”
Roberts is coached at the Wales National Pool in Swansea which was built with more than 8m pounds of National Lottery funding by the Sports Council for Wales. He is coached by former miner Billy Pye:
“In Billy Pye, we have a world-class coach and he has cultivated the careers of many swimmers including David. We can be very proud of the fact that the pool in Swansea supports many of the Paralympic swimmers competing in Beijing.”
The Pye training stable also features gold medallists Eleanor Simmonds, Rob Welbourn and Graham Edmonds.
Newport’s Pippa Britton faced a difficult encounter in the archery when she came up against fellow Brit Mel Clarke in the quarter-final of the compound. She will return to action next week for the team competition.
On the track, Tracey Hinton of Cardiff and guide runner, Steffan Hughes, qualified for tomorrow’s 400m semi-final.
Wales’s London 2012 hopefuls also put in promising performances. Chepstow sprinter Jenny McLoughlin, who is just 16-years-old, finished seventh in the heats of the 100m.
Meanwhile, her training partner, Kate Arnold of Newport, who turned 20 last week, delivered a new personal best, finishing ninth in the 200m. Arnold, a former swimmer made the switch from pool to track relatively recently and was originally not expected to qualify for Beijing.
Brian Alldis, who is coached by Tanni Grey-Thompson, was unable to advance to the semi-final of the 800m. The Cardiff wheelchair racer finished seventh in his heat which was won by David Weir:
“I’m a bit disappointed. I couldn’t get on the back of the pack as they pulled away and I was about two seconds off my PB. It was good that Dave was in the heat but it probably made it harder for me.”
The shot putt saw two North Walians take season bests. Beverley Jones of Queensferry finished fifth while training partner Rebecca Chin, the youngest member of the Welsh contingent at 16-years-old, finished tenth. Chin will be using the experience from Beijing as she trains towards London 2012.
Rower James Roberts demonstrated his potential for London 2012. Together with Karen Cromie of Northern Ireland, the Prestatyn rower today finished in fifth place in the double sculls at Shun Yi, an event won by hosts, China.
Bridgend footballer Keryn Seal suffered a Spanish inquisition. Paralympic GB’s visually impaired five-a-side football team lost 3-1 to Spain in a dramatic game that saw Britain take an early lead before the European Champions dominated the second half.
Britain now lies fifth in the rankings after three matches with two to play. They take on Brazil on Saturday.
Fortune didn’t shine on the women’s wheelchair basketball team either. Losing 42-50 to Germany in the final group game, Clare Strange, from Newport, and Caroline Matthews of Cardiff will face Japan in tomorrow’s quarter-finals.
Racing has been delayed in Qingdao but sailor Steve Thomas and the Sonar crew lie seventh overall. Not yet halfway through the race schedule, there is still time for the Bridgend man to move into a medal spot.
ONES TO WATCH FRIDAY DAY 6
ATHLETICS Cardiff’s Tracey Hinton and guide runner Steffan Hughes of Aberaeron will be in the line-up for the 400m semi-final. Hinton won three medals at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000.
CYCLING After success on the track, hopes are now riding high for the ParalympicsGB road cyclists. Rachel Morris of Pembrokeshire is making her Paralympic debut in Beijing as she goes in the time trial. As a double world champion though, she will certainly not be fazed. Nor will Simon Richardson. He is also on time trial duty but confidence will be high after winning two gold medals in the Velodrome.
SWIMMING Gareth Duke produced an emotional performance four years ago in Athens but winning gold second time around will really be an achievement. Known as El Dulche to his team-mates, he was victorious over the 100m breaststroke in Athens and he is well remembered for his tearful medal presentation. Twelve months later, his went into the operating theatre to receive a new kidney donated by his father, Trevor. Newport’s Liz Johnson is also in the swim – she will be racing in the women’s 100m breaststroke.
SAILING Steve Thomas of Bridgend will be into races nine and ten in Qindao. They currently lie in seventh position overall.
WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL Clare Strange and Caroline Matthews are into the quarter finals and will face Japan.
WHEELCHAIR RUGBY The rugby tournament kicks off which will see Oswestry’s Jason Roberts and Abergavenny’s Josie Pearson. Pearson is the only female in the entire competition to be playing murderball, as it is fondly described by Paralympians.
from: newswales.co.uk
Sep 07
Iran beat South Africa 73-62 in the opener of the men’s wheelchair basketball in the National Indoor Stadium Sunday at the Beijing Paralympics.
Alireza Ahmadi scored 24 points to lead Iran past South Africa for an easy win. Other Iranian players reaching double digit points were Vahid Gholam Azad, 18 points, Morteza Gharibloo, 14, and Adel Torfi Meneshidi, 12.
Iran did obviously a better job in offense and also defense in the first match of preliminaries, limiting South African double-digit scorers to two, Richard Nortje and Nicholas Taylor in 25, 24 apiece.
The 11 points deficit disappointed South African team. “It’s really disappointing. We put everything into this game. This was our must-win game that we identified. We’ve got some really hard games coming up and we thought if there was a team we could beat, we could beat Iran,” said South African coach Vivian Sierra.
“If we could have started off with a win, I’d feel a lot better than we do, but I think my guys played well. I think our shooting let us down a little bit and there’s two big men out there that just kill us.”
South Africa suffered a shooting slump in the third quarter and was outshot 23-15 to slide away.
“I think we just lost our focus during halftime. In the third quarter, we just were not thinking about basketball,” said South African forward Richard Nortje.
“We made a bit of comeback, but it was too little, too late. I think we need to identify the scorers and put pressure on them. We need to stop the big guys,” added the top scorer of the game.
“The third quarter really let us down. The whole team has identified the third as a critical point for us in terms of performance and something we really need to focus on. Once you’re down in a hole like that, it’s really hard to get out of it. We just didn’t perform like we’d liked,” said South African guard Nicholas Taylor.
There are 12 teams divided into two pools at the Paralympics. The top four teams in each pool after round-robin matches advance to the eliminations.
source: xinhuanet.com
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