Athletics: Michael Johnson has said next year's Sydney Games will be his last Olympics.
"I'll be sitting in the stands with you," the double Olympic champion told reporters at the US championships yesterday when asked whether he would be competing in the 2004 Games in Athens.
"I have goals for next year, I have big goals for next year," said the 31year-old Johnson. "Certainly another year or two after that, but I want to move on."
Johnson, the world 200-metre record-holder will face newly-crowned world 100-metre record-holder Maurice Greene in the climatic event of the American championships tomorrow That could help him decide whether he will run either the 200 or 400 metres at August's World Championships in Seville.
He has said frequently that he would not attempt to do both, as he did in the Atlanta Olympics, again until the Sydney Games.
Johnson still believes he can break both his 200-metre world record of 19.32 seconds and Butch Reynolds's 400-metre mark of 43.29 seconds
Women's hockey: Ireland played out a scoreless draw with Scotland at Belfield yesterday in their opening game of the under-21 Four Nations tournament while Germany, the favourites, beat Wales 5-2 in the day's first match writes Mary Hannigan.
Scotland had the better of the goal-scoring chances in a poor game, Irish goalkeeper Avril Copeland doing well to deny the visitors. Sarah Rand, Lynsey Feeney and Fiona Ferguson also put in solid displays at the back for Ireland.
Four Nations Tournament: (at Belfield) - Germany 5 (K Holm, I Mathes, K Eidinger, A Kolmar, S Lehmann), Wales 2 (S Thomas, J Lowe); Ireland 0, Scotland 0. Today: Germany v Scotland, 12.0; Ireland v Wales, 2.0. Sunday: Scotland v Wales, 12.0; Ireland v Germany, 2.0.
Cycling: Although the Irish team went to the Manx International race on the Isle of Man yesterday with high hopes they disappointed with Paddy Moriarty, who was not a member of the Ireland team, the best finisher in 15th place.Philip Cassidy slipped off the back of the main group on the mountain climb after Ramsey on the first of three laps and Michael McNena was also towards the rear at the end of that circuit.
Tommy Evans lost contact the second time around and Ciaran Power lost touch at the start of the third climb leaving Moriarty as the only survivor behind the British winner David Millar of the Cofidis team.
Ireland's representative in the two-lap Viking Trophy race, Denis Lynch, finished eighth.
Meawhile, the Swiss Cycling Federation (FCS) opened an investigation into the Lampre-Daikin team yesterday after a Swiss television programme alleged that it was in possession of banned substances discarded by the Italian-Belgian outfit.
Allegedly one of the programme's reporters watched a Lampre-Daikin team car stop at a waste bin during the Tour of Switzerland on Wednesday and dispose of a sack. The reporter said drugs and syringes were found in the sack.
GOLF: Two members of last year's winning European Boys' Golf Championship side have again been named in the Irish team to defend the title in Uppsala, Sweden from July 6th-10th.
Sean McTernan of Sligo and Mervyn Owens of Cork, who won 2 of 3 and 3 of 6 matches respectively in Gullane last year, return alongside newcomers James McCracken (Malone), Paul McDonald (Old Conna), Derek McNamara (Connemara) and Mark O'Sullivan (Galway). Kenny Fahey of Connemara and Robert McCarthy of Forrest Little have been selected to compete in the European Young Masters Under-16 tournament in Turin at the end of July.
