SPORTS DIGEST:RUGBY: Daniel Carter, widely regarded as the best outhalf in the world, has signed a new four-year contract to continue playing for the All Blacks until 2015, the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) said yesterday.
The 29-year-old, who has played 79 Tests and scored 1,188 points, said he had turned down lucrative offers to move abroad after this year’s World Cup, which is being held in New Zealand.
“This has been an incredibly important decision for me personally and I have received some significant offers to play overseas, which were both flattering and tempting,” Carter said.
“But in the end the overriding factor for me was the All Blacks jersey.”
Carter’s decision is a major long-term boost for the NZRU, who, fearing a wholesale exodus after the World Cup, asked their players to determine their future beyond 2011 before the September 9th to October 23rd tournament.
Griffin to lead Ireland in Rás
CYCLING:With the start of the An Post Rás now just three days away, two teams containing many of the top Irish hopes have been confirmed, writes SHANE STOKES.
Former Giant Asia pro Paul Griffin will lend his experience to the Skoda Ireland national team, helping guide younger competitors such as the promising under 23 riders Sean Downey, Felix English and Conor Dunne, plus Belgian-based Peter Hawkins.
Cycling Ireland’s performance director Phil Leigh said Griffin showed good form in winning a stage in the Rás Mumhan and would be team captain.
Meanwhile, the more experienced An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly team will start the race with higher ambitions. Sam Bennett, Mark Cassidy and Ronan McLaughlin represent home hopes, with both Bennett and Cassidy having won stages in the past, while the team is completed by foreign riders Mark McNally and Gediminas Bagdonas.
Bolt returns at Rome meeting
ATHLETICS:Usain Bolt may be the fastest man in the world but the Jamaican sprinter has been in no hurry to get back on the track as he prepares for the World Championships and next year's London Olympics.
After a back injury forced him to cut short his 2010 season, Bolt has been slower than usual getting out of the blocks this year, but he said there was a valid reason unrelated to his back.
“Things are coming together. I had a few niggles over the winter, as most athletes have, but nothing serious,” he said yesterday.
The triple world and Olympic champion has not raced for more than nine months but will make his belated comeback next week, at a lucrative Diamond League meeting in Rome.
His eagerly-awaited return comes about two months later than he normally kicks off his season but the 24-year-old said his delayed start was part of a masterplan to time his run to perfection for the bigger meets ahead.
Gadret pounces late for victory
CYCLING:A last-minute attack with just 200 metres left by John Gadret earned the Frenchman a solo win by a few seconds in stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia yesterday.
Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez was second behind the Ag2R rider, with Italian Giovanni Visconti in third on the 144km hilly stage from Tortoreto Lido to Castelfidardo.
Spain’s Alberto Contador was fifth on the stage and remains the overall leader for a third day.
Warne fined for criticism of Dixit
CRICKET:Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne has been fined €35,000 for his public criticism of Rajasthan Cricket Association secretary Sanjay Dixit.
The 41-year-old spinner was handed the punishment by the Indian Premier League’s disciplinary commission after RCA lodged a complaint over comments aimed at Dixit following last week’s match between Rajasthan and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Rajasthan’s defeat in that game prompted Warne’s outburst towards Dixit over the decision to switch pitches in Jaipur during the tournament.
RCA had called for the former Australia international to be banned, which would have ruled him out of tomorow’s game against the Mumbai Indians – Warne’s final appearance before his IPL retirement, but Warne escaped with a heavy fine.
