A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Rebellin returns after doping ban
CYCLING:Italian Davide Rebellin, stripped of his Olympic road race silver medal after retrospective tests showed he failed doping checks in Beijing, will make his return from a cycling ban with Andalucia-Caja Granada on Thursday.
The Spanish outfit compete in the second-tier Continental circuit.
Rebellin, who lost his appeal against a two-year ban last July, is set to compete in this week’s Tour of Asturias.
10 through to quarters in Antalya
BOXING:Ten Irish boxers are through to the quarter-finals of the first Women's World Youth and Junior Championships in Antalya, Turkey, following four wins out of six yesterday.
European Youth silver medallist Katie Rowland, Oliwia Samsonow, Michaela Walsh and Clare Grace claimed last-16 Youth victories at the Kepez Belediye Kapili Sport Salonu venue yesterday.
But there was disappointment for Sarah Close and Shauna Browne/OKeefe following reversals to Minu Basumatary of India and Gamnze Basar of Turkey.
Samsonow, who boxes out of the Cavan BC, hammered Syrian light-flyweight Alsaleh Haya, and Grace had 20 points to spare over Indias Tokas Heena in a 27-7 verdict.
Rowland cruised to an 18-9 win over Damira Mussina of Kazakhstan and Walsh had a 25-12 decision over Farazona Karimova of Tajikstan.
Veteran Todd takes fourth Badminton horse trials title
EQUESTRIAN:Veteran New Zealand rider Mark Todd yesterday won his fourth Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, this time riding the 10-year-old grey gelding NZB Land Vision, writes Margie McLoone.
Todd (55), who made a winning debut at the four-star event back in 1980, held on to his overnight lead with a good clear in the show jumping phase to finish on 43.6 penalties.
Clears over the coloured poles were all-important in such a tightly-packed field, with Germany’s Marina Kohncke dropping to ninth from second when picking up six penalties with Calma Schelly.
Her place was taken by Piggy French on Jakata (45.2), while fellow British rider Mary King moved up from overnight seventh to third when clear on the Irish-bred Imperial Cavalier.
Mullingar-born Joseph Murphy (35), who was making his Badminton debut, also show jumped clear to move up eight places to 27th and finish best of the Irish on a score of 68.6. on Electric Cruise.
According to her brother Robert, Elizabeth Power was to spend a further 48 hours under observation at Frenchay Hospital following her heavy cross-country fall on Sunday.
She had a small bleed to the right side of her brain and had bruising to the other side,” Power said. “She is in a normal neurological ward at the hospital but will be under observation for 48 hours. The doctors are not worried about her but she is very sore.”
O'Sullivan rockets into last eight
SNOOKER:Ronnie O'Sullivan last night set up a quarter-final clash of the snooker titans with John Higgins as his resurgence continued at the World Championship in Sheffield.
O’Sullivan converted a 9-7 two-session lead over Shaun Murphy into a 13-11 triumph as he turned on the style in the Crucible.
He rammed in breaks of 128 and 119 to leave Murphy stuck in his seat, and when the 2005 champion did begin to fight back he left himself too much ground to make up.
Mark Selby has warned it will be impossible to maintain the form which saw him demolish Stephen Hendry yesterday to reach the Crucible quarter-finals. The Leicester potter set a new record for the World Championship with six centuries in a 13-4 victory, plus further breaks of 98, 87 and 81.
Selby, 27, goes on to meet Ding Junhui or Stuart Bingham in the last eight and the manner of his display against Hendry saw him installed as favourite to win the title.
Djokovic puts form down to new diet
TENNIS: A change of diet has played a major role in Novak Djokovic's unbeaten run this year, the world number two said yesterday. The 23-year-old Serb, who has won 24 straight matches to land the Australian Open and Dubai Championship titles and Masters Series events in Miami and Indian Wells, said a doctor who joined his team eight months ago had improved his fitness.
“His name is Igor Cetojevic, he is a nutritionist and he’s done a great job in changing my diet after we established I am allergic to some food ingredients like gluten,”Djokovic said on the opening day of the Serbia Open.
“It means I cant eat stuff like pizza, pasta and bread. I have lost some weight but it’s only helped me because my movement is much sharper now.”
Railway claim European bronze
HOCKEY: Railway Union capped their debut in European outdoor competition in some style at Park Avenue yesterday when they beat Scotland's Grove 4-1 to take bronze at the EuroHockey Club Champions Trophy, writes Mary Hannigan.
Isobel Joyce deflected home a Jean McDonnell short corner strike to give the hosts an early lead. They soon relinquished it, but Emma Smyth’s reverse stick strike had them 2-1 up by half-time.
Ireland captain Alex Speers created Railway’s third early in the second half, pulling the ball back from the baseline for Cecilia Joyce to score, and Sinéad Walsh sealed the victory from a short corner.
Victorya Smolevichi of Belarus took gold in the tournament, beating Belgium’s Royal Wellington 3-1 in the final.
Meanwhile, Ireland had their second 2-0 win over France in as many days in Dublin with goals from Anna O’Flanagan, her first in international hockey, and Cliodhna Sargent. Shirley McCay was captain on the occasion of her 100th cap.
