A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Landis faces trial on hacking charge
CYCLING:Disgraced cyclist Floyd Landis and his coach Arnie Baker will stand trial for alleged hacking into a French anti-doping lab computer system, a source involved in the case said yesterday.
Baker and Landis, who was stripped on his 2006 Tour de France title after failing a dope test, are suspected of storing data from the Chatenay-Malabry lab – the same lab that showed traces of testosterone in the Americans urine sample during his victorious ride.
Landis and Baker were charged with “fraudulently breaking into a computer system” as part of a broader investigation into criminal hacking, where several companies are charged with spying on opponents.
An arrest warrant for Landis was issued by a French judge earlier this year after officials from the Chatenay-Malabry lab said hackers had obtained confidential information about the rider from their computers.
Cruiserweight fight 'a sham'
BOXING:IBO cruiserweight champion Danny Green's 29-second knockout of fellow Australian Paul Briggs in July has been ruled a sham contest. The Western Australian Professional Combat Sports Commission said yesterday that the challenger, who was downed by a tame looking left jab to the top of his head in the Perth bout, had failed to reveal he had health issues.
“Paul Briggs, by not disclosing at any time to the examining doctors, his opponent or the professional sports combat commission the complete picture of his medical condition in relation to his nervous system . . . has participated in a sham contest, a commission spokesman said.
Briggs was ordered to pay the commission €53,224 of the €141,939 he collected for the July 21st contest, his first for three years.
Champion Green, who is preparing to defend his title against American BJ Flores in Western Australia later this month, was cleared of any wrong-doing by the commission.
Lynch confident Sizing Europe will get the trip
RACING:Kauto Star might be a heavy odds-on favourite to make Paul Nicholls the most successful trainer in the 10-year history of the JNwine Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday but Sizing Europe's jockey Andrew Lynch is confident of putting it up to the dual-Gold Cup hero, writes Brian O'Connor.
Along with Michael Hourigan and Arthur Moore, Nicholls has won the Grade One feature twice before with Taranis (2007) and Kauto Star two years ago.
The latter is an 8 to 13 favourite with Paddy Power to put Britain’s champion trainer out on his own. Sizing Europe is a 7 to 2 second best despite being beaten by China Rock on his seasonal debut and facing three miles for the first time in his career. However Andrew Lynch was in confident mood yesterday and said: “He’s working well and seems to have come on for his run at Punchestown. He needed the run badly that day but Saturday will tell us a lot more. He had a right good blow after the fourth last and I’d be hopeful of a good run.
“He galloped right to the line over two-mile-seven (furlongs) and needed the run, so Id like to think that having had a run, he should have no bother getting the trip.”
Yesterday’s meeting at Fairyhouse was abandoned after just four races due to unsafe ground. With conditions worsening throughout the day due to persistent rain stewards inspected the track and the meeting’s three subsequent races were cancelled.
Surfing champion Andy Irons dies
SURFING:Three times world surfing champion Andy Irons was found dead on Tuesday in a Dallas hotel room. The 32-year-old had been on his way home to Hawaii from a contest in Puerto Rico.
A statement posted on the website of his sponsor Billabong surfwear (www.billabong.com.au) said: “Irons withdrew from a professional surfing event in Puerto Rico last weekend due to illness and passed away during a layover en-route to his home in Kauai, Hawaii. He had reportedly been battling with dengue fever, a viral disease.
He then spent two days in Miami on an intravenous drip, but insisted on heading home to see his own doctor. However, Irons became more sick and could not make a connecting flight to Hawaii out of Dallas and checked into a hotel.
Hotel staff found Irons dead in his room the next morning.
Frustrating day for Hughes
RACING:Irish jockey Richard Hughes had a frustrating day in his quest to catch Paul Hanagan in the jockeys' championship in England yesterday.
Three behind Hughes had only one winner at Nottingham in the afternoon. Bad weather then prevented Hughes getting to Kempton for the later meeting where he was to have six rides. The title race continues today at Lingfield and Kempton, with Hanagan and Hughes in action at both venues. Hanagan is on 186 winners with Hughes on 184.
Australia lose again as Ashes loom
CRICKET:
Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga put on a one-day international record 132 runs for the ninth wicket to fire Sri Lanka to a remarkable one-wicket victory over Australia in Melbourne yesterday.
The Sri Lankans, who were chasing 240 for victory, looked dead and buried at 107 for eight before Mathews, who ended up with an unbeaten 77, and Malinga lit up the Melbourne night with some batting pyrotechnics to claim an unlikely victory.
The partnership was finally broken when Malinga was run out for 56 with the scores level at 239, leaving 10th man Muttiah Muralitharan to hit the winning boundary.
Australia have not tasted victory in nine matches in all forms of cricket going back to July and have the Ashes series against England looming. The first Ashes test begins in Brisbane on November 25th.
