El Guerrouj retires: Hicham El Guerrouj, the world 1,500 metres and mile record holder, officially announced his retirement last night in Casablanca, writes Duncan Mackay.
The 31-year-old Moroccan had not raced since winning the Olympic 1,500m and 5,000m double in Athens in 2004, the first to achieve the feat since Finland's Paavo Nurmi 80 years earlier.
He missed last season with injury and his failure to recover from a back injury in time for the world indoor championships in Moscow in March appears to have sealed his decision. - Guardian Service
Sepeng gets two-year ban
South Africa's former Olympic 800 metres silver medallist Hezekiel Sepeng has been banned from all competition for two years.
Sepeng, who won the silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, was drug tested out of competition in February 2005. The findings of the test were made public in May last year, when it was revealed that his sample contained traces of the steroid norandrosterone.
Sepeng had denied any wrongdoing and claimed there were "exceptional circumstances", without revealing the details in public.
Herron ends drought
American Tim Herron, without a US Tour victory since 1999, ended the drought with a play-off success in the $6 million Colonial Championship in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday. Herron edged out Sweden's Richard Johnson with a birdie at the second extra hole after they finished level at 12-under-par 268, two shots clear of Australia's Rod Pampling.
