SPORTS DIGEST:SOCCER: Wolfsburg hope to name their new coach this week with Steve McClaren reportedly the preferred choice following his title triumph in Holland. The former England manager guided FC Twente to their first ever Eredivisie title with a 2-0 success at NAC Breda on Sunday.
Beating the likes of Ajax and PSV Eindhoven to the title has seen McClaren's stock rise across Europe and reports in England and Germany have linked him with a move to the Volkswagen Arena as a successor to interim boss Lorenz-Gunther Kostner. 'The Wolves' were reportedly close to recruiting former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier only for the deal to fall through.
Wolfsburg, last year's Bundesliga champions, have endured a disappointing season and can finish no higher than eighth, meaning McClaren, who extended his contract in Enschede only last October, would be sacrificing the chance of Champions League football were he to join them.
Negewo surprises favourite Mutai
ATHLETICS: Surprise package Uaga Negewo won yesterday's Belfast City Marathon in the closest finish in recent years.
The 32-year old Ethiopian’s time of 2:16:56 robbed favourite John Mutai (2:17:02) of Kenya of his fourth successive Belfast win by just six seconds. Third-placed David Kirkland was a further 10 minutes behind the two Africans, finishing in 2:28:47.
The women’s race was won by Belfast debutante Sarah Stradling, in 2:44:03.
However, the story of the race was that of Letterkenny’s Maria McCambridge, who was matching Stradling step for step until about five miles from the end, when she collapsed.
With the aid of her husband, Gary Crossan, McCambridge bravely battled on to the line, finishing second in 2:58:17.
Third place in the women’s race went to Breege Connolly, of the North Belfast Harriers, who finished in 3:00:48.
O'Dowd tops the Laser Radials
SAILING: After a testing series on Dublin Bay, the countdown event towards the ISAF Youth Sailing Worlds ended yesterday with full results across all seven disciplines despite the efforts of the light and cold breeze which dominated the three-day Mitsubishi Youth Championships.
Jane Butler and Jenny Andreason produced a convincing five bullets from six races in the 420 fleet though a high standard was especially evident in the single-handed classes as well, where Mattie O’Dowd topped the Laser Radials and Darragh O’Sullivan won the 28-strong 4.7 class.
A turnout of more than 230 boats contested the championships that is being used as selection trials for the worlds.
A total of 26 clubs from around Ireland were represented in Dun Laoghaire under the co-organisation of the Royal St George and National yacht clubs.
– David Brannigan
Aussie Tapner claims top honours
EQUESTRIAN:For the third time in four years, the Mitsubishi Motors horse trials at Badminton was won by an Australian with Wiltshire-based Paul Tapner, the overnight leader, claiming the title on the second of his two rides Inonothing.
The 34-year-old completed on a score of 44.9 penalties with Germany’s Andreas Dibowski, second in 2007, once again filling the runner-up position when completing on 49.5 with Euroridings Butts Leon.
Daisy Berkeley finished best of the home brigade when the 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Spring Along recorded a good clear over the coloured poles to complete on his overnight score of 50.4.
Disappointingly for Carlow’s Sam Watson, Horseware Bushman lowered two fences resulting in the partnership dropping from eighth to 13th.
