Boston Herald - Boston Herald

IAAF: Jamaican case appears to be 'lesser' offense

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:28:18 -0400

LONDON — The doping case involving Jamaican sprint star Veronica Campbell-Brown appears to involve a "lesser" offense of unintentional use of a banned substance, the sport's world governing body said Wednesday.

The reigning 200-meter world champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist was suspended by Jamaica's national federation on Tuesday pending an investigation into a positive drug test.

Jamaican officials said Campbell-Brown, the 2004 and 2008 Olympic champion in the 200, tested positive for a banned diuretic at a meet on the island in May.

Calvin Smith II follows in father's footsteps

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:27:57 -0400

DES MOINES, Iowa — For Calvin Smith II, sharing the same name and being the son of Calvin Smith means carrying a lot of weight.

It's not easy following in the footsteps of a former world-record holder, world champion, Olympic medalist and Hall of Famer.

That's why, at an early age, the son decided he wasn't going to be a 100-meter sprinter like his father, but rather would make a name for himself in his own event, the 400, and stand out on his own merits.

Itsmyluckyday expected to be out 4 months

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:27:15 -0400

OCEANPORT, N.J. — Kentucky Derby disappointment Itsmyluckyday is expected to be sidelined up to four months with an injury in his pelvic area.

Itsmyluckyday, who was pulled up in the Pegasus Handicap at Monmouth Park on Saturday, was diagnosed with a slight fracture of the Ilium, trainer Eddie Plesa said Wednesday, adding that prospects for the colt returning to racing are very good.

Al Kazeem too strong for Camelot at Royal Ascot

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:30:23 -0400

ASCOT, England — Al Kazeem easily beat Camelot on Wednesday in the Prince of Wales' Stakes, the feature race on day two of the Royal Ascot meeting, underlining the two-time classic winner's decline.

Camelot won the 2,000 Guineas and the English Derby in 2012 but has faded since then, and only placed fourth here as 11-4 shot Al Kazeem chased down Mukhadram to edge to victory in a tight finish.

The Fugue was third as Camelot faded after a strong start in a race over one mile and two furlongs.

IAAF: Jamaican case appears to be 'lesser' offense

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:23:22 -0400

LONDON — The IAAF says the doping case involving Jamaican sprint star Veronica Campbell-Brown appears to involve a "lesser" offense.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist was suspended by Jamaica's national federation on Tuesday pending an investigation into a positive drug test.

Jamaican officials said Campbell-Brown tested positive for a banned diuretic at a meet in May.

Wawrinka downs Lorenzi in 2 sets to advance

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:59:21 -0400

ROSMALEN, Netherlands — Second-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka beat Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 7-6 (8) Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Topshelf Open on the grass courts of Rosmalen.

The Italian never managed to seriously threaten Wawrinka's serve until the 12th game of the second set, when he broke the Swiss to force a tiebreak.

He then fought off three match points before finally succumbing 10-8 to the No. 10-ranked Wawrinka, who next plays Jeremy Chardy.

Injured Blake withdraws from Jamaica championships

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:59:09 -0400

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Olympic Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake has withdrawn from the island's national championships this week because of a hamstring injury.

Agent Cubie Seegobin says Blake has not recovered from the injury. He says Blake is "steadily improving" but he's "not at the level for a national championship."

Blake won the 100 meters at the 2011 World Championships. That earns him automatic qualification for the race at the World Championships in August.

Serena Williams sorry after rape case comments

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:58:29 -0400

Serena Williams says she's reaching out to the family of the victim in the Steubenville rape case after the tennis star was quoted in a Rolling Stone article saying "she shouldn't have put herself in that position."

"I am currently reaching out to the girl's family to let her know that I am deeply sorry for what was written in the Rolling Stone article," Williams said in a statement released through her agent Wednesday. "What was written — what I supposedly said — is insensitive and hurtful, and I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame."

IMS lights Pagoda in honor of Jason Leffler

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:10:29 -0400

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Motor Speedway is honoring the late Jason Leffler with a tribute atop the iconic Pagoda scoring board.

Leffler died last Wednesday in an accident at a dirt track in New Jersey. His funeral was Wednesday in North Carolina.

IMS officials illuminated the scoreboard with the number "50," which was the number on his car when he ran the 2000 Indianapolis 500. The scoreboard was also illuminated with "1975" and "2013" for the years Leffler was born and died.

Pirelli, Mercedes to answer 'Tire-gate' charges

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:51:35 -0400

PARIS — Mercedes and Pirelli must answer charges that they breached Formula One rules by testing tires together.

The governing body of motorsport, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), has convened the hearing of its international tribunal. The disciplinary body will meet in Paris on Thursday and Mercedes and Pirelli have been summoned to appear.

The key issue is whether Mercedes gained a competitive advantage from testing tires with Pirelli in Barcelona from May 15-17.

Kuznetsova out of Wimbledon with abdominal strain

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:27:01 -0400

LONDON — Two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova has pulled out of Wimbledon because of an abdominal strain.

The Russian was seeded No. 26 at the All England Club. Her withdrawal moves 33rd-ranked Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic into the seedings at No. 32.

Kuznetsova won the U.S. Open in 2004 and the French Open in 2009. She's never progressed past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

The third Grand Slam of the year begins Monday.

Top-seeded Raonic upset by Dodig at Eastbourne

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:20:21 -0400

EASTBOURNE, England — Top-seeded Milos Raonic was upset 6-2, 7-6 (7) by Ivan Dodig in the second round at the Eastbourne grass-court tournament on Wednesday.

The Canadian struggled from the start, dropping his serve in the opening game and again to fall behind 5-2. He failed to convert a break point as Dodig served for the set. The second set went with serve and Raonic failed to convert a set point in the tiebreaker before Dodig clinched the match.

Bartoli withdraws from Eastbourne

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:18:38 -0400

EASTBOURNE, England — Marion Bartoli of France has withdrawn from the Eastbourne grass-court tournament with a viral infection, giving No. 2-seeded Li Na of China a walkover into the quarterfinals.

Bartoli, the 2011 champion, reached the second round with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Flavia Pennetta of Italy on Monday.

Later Wednesday, 2012 runner-up Angelique Kerber of Germany was paired against 2010 champion Elena Makarova of Russia and Czech Petra Kvitova faced Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium.

Rafael Nadal seeded No. 5 for Wimbledon

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:18:22 -0400

If Rafael Nadal is going to win Wimbledon for a third time, he'll have to do it the hard way.

Fresh from winning his eighth French Open, Nadal is seeded only No. 5 at Wimbledon — setting up the possibility of a quarterfinal match against title contenders Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray.

The All England Club released the seedings Wednesday for this year's grass-court Grand Slam, which starts Monday. The top five in the ATP rankings remain in their positions: Djokovic at No. 1, followed by Murray, Federer, David Ferrer and Nadal.

Venus Williams pulls out of Wimbledon, citing back

Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:06:53 -0400

After 16 consecutive years of always showing up at Wimbledon, winning five titles along the way, Venus Williams pulled out of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament Tuesday, citing a lower back injury.

Williams, who turned 33 on Monday, never had missed Wimbledon since making her debut there in 1997, although she lost in the first round a year ago. She won the singles trophy — it happens to be called the Venus Rosewater Dish — in 2000-01, 2005 and 2007-08, to go with two more major championships at the U.S. Open in 2000-01.

Marathon champ medals again

John H. Connolly — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:20:45 -0400

Reigning Boston Marathon men’s champion Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia is proving that gold can exist in a runner’s heart as well as in a victory medal.

Desisa, who crossed the finish line on April 15 to win the 117th Boston Marathon before a pair of bomb blasts went off, announced he will donate his medal to the City of Boston as a gesture of solidarity with all the runners who took part that day.

UFC issues statement on Boston show

Mark Daniels — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:15:00 -0400

If you read the story in yesterday’s Herald, the UFC’s return to Boston could be in jeopardy. However, the UFC issued a statement today saying that they are working to try and resolve the issue.

“For the first time since 2010, the UFC is very excited to return to TD Garden in Boston on Saturday, Aug. 17 with a live event card to coincide with the launch of the FOX Sports 1 network. Tickets went on pre-sale today for the event and are already off to a tremendous start.

UFC’s Boston donnybrook to go on, but law may KO some fighters

Dave Wedge — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400

UFC officials say their planned Boston blockbuster brawl will go ahead on schedule, but some foreign fighters might be knocked out of the live TV spectacle because of state red tape that requires combatants to have Social Security numbers.

“There’s no doubt it’s  going to be a burden,” UFC Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Epstein told the Herald.

Oly sprinter Campbell-Brown suspended amid probe

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:52:10 -0400

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Veronica Campbell-Brown's agent insists one of the cornerstones of Jamaica's wide-ranging sprint success "is not a cheat," even though the test results read differently.

While her case is being decided, the three-time Olympic gold medalist will sit out and her country will try to make sense of one of its longest-held fears: a high-profile track star getting busted for doping.

Car won't start but Johnson still wows school kids

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:14:23 -0400

EL CAJON, Calif. — Ready to thrill a few hundred school kids, Jimmie Johnson hopped into a replica of his No. 48 car to fire up the engine.

The battery was dead.

He and some members of his group tried to bump start the car. That just bashed in the show car's bumper, led to some odd grinding noises and the car started leaking oil.

Undaunted, the NASCAR star jogged through the parking lot to the grass plot where the kids were gathered, chanting his name.