ATHLETICS: Ireland's Alistair Cragg anchored the University of Arkansas to the coveted Penn Relays 4 x mile title in Philadelphia on Saturday, clocking four minutes 3.50 seconds during the fourth and decisive leg. It was the 17th mile relay title for Arkansas in the last 21 years.
The drizzle and cool weather at Franklin Field was far from ideal for fast running, and the Arkansas time of 16:16.22 was some 10 seconds short of their own US collegiate record.
Yet the team, which is coached by Mayo-born John McDonnell, still had plenty to spare on second-placed team, Villanova, who are coached by another Irishman, and the former World Indoor champion, Marcus O'Sullivan.
Cragg will next target the 5,000 metre qualifying time for the World Championships in Paris next August, which would mark his first major appearance on the track for his adopted country since changing his allegiance from South Africa early last year.
TENNIS: Spain's Carlos Moya recovered from a set down yesterday to drive an exhausted Marat Safin to retirement and win the Barcelona Open for the first time.
Safin, playing his first tournament after a month out with an ankle injury, edged the first set but fell behind early in the second and was eventually forced to abandon with second seed Moya on the brink of victory at 5-7 6-2 6-2 3-0.
Victory for Moya gave him his first Barcelona Open title at the eighth attempt on the Catalan clay.
"I've been close to winning this tournament before but now it's mine," said the Spaniard.
"I just couldn't carry on," Safin said. "I came into this tournament after a month out with injury and it was impossible."
ATHLETICS: Raheny Shamrock yesterday took both men's and women's titles at the AAI National road relay championships, which were also hosted by the north Dublin club.
The men's team of Mark Kenneally, Pierce Hickey, Richie Corcoran and Mick Traynor combined for the victory in 38:52, ahead of Rathfarnham (39:56) and Clonliffe (39:58).
The women's team of Brid Ní Chonaill, Annette Kealy and Orla Gormley clocked 22:06, well ahead of Donore Harriers in second (22:42) and Sportsworld (23:02).
There was a triple Irish success at the European Grand Prix Meeting in Leamington at the weekend when 16-year-old Ann Loughane from Loughrea took over a minute off her Irish Junior 10km walk record in a time of 48.14.
Colin Griffin from Ballinamore won the senior men's 20km event in a personal best of 1.27.40 and there was also a career best for David Kidd from Carlow in seventh. Ivonne Cassin took the women's 20km event in 1.44.34, the European Grand Prix of race walking.
MOTOR SPORT: Dublin driver Michael Barrable won the Monaghan rally and now shares the lead in the Dunlop National Rally Championship with Eugene Donnelly (Magherafelt) on 38 points each.
RESULTS: 1 M Barrable/D O'Gorman (Subaru) 1 hr 16 mins 04 seconds; 2 E Donnelly/P Toner (Toyota) 1:16:15; 3 N Maguire/P McLaughlin (Subaru) 1:17:00; 4 D Armstrong/H Blackburn (Ford) 1:17:10; 5 A McElvaney/P Goodman (Subaru) 1:17:32; 6 A Nesbitt/E Sherry (Toyota) 1:19:45.
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: = 1 E Donnelly and M Barrable 38; 3 A McElvaney 27.ROUND 3: Carlow Car Club Stages, May 11th.
John Leinster and Michael A Roche were the winners of the two weekend opening rounds of the Dunlop Hillclimb Championship, run by the Galway MC, in the Burren area of Co Clare. In the Saturday event at Ballyryan, Leinster (Pilbeam) was fastest with a time of 53.0 seconds. On the longer Ballyallaban Hill Michael B Roche was quickest in a time of one minute 42.54 seconds.
