Sports in Brief

Non-running Bolt puts Gay in shade

Former world champion Tyson Gay sprinted to victory in the 100m at the IAAF World Athletics final on Saturday, but was overshadowed by superstar Usain Bolt, who wasn’t even competing.

Bolt, the triple Olympic and world champion, runs in the 200m on Sunday, but he made a brief appearance on the track to take the applause of the 25,000 fans, producing his trademark repertoire of comic gestures.

American Gay won the 100m in 9.88sec with former world record-holder Asafa Powell in second spot, the Jamaican clocking 9.90sec.

“I am very happy with my win,” said Gay. “I tried hard to beat Asafa and I didn’t quit the race, even though I was far behind him.

“My groin was sore but that didn’t stop me chasing him and finally beating him. I had great energy inside me.” Powell said: “After 80 metres I thought, ‘That’s it’. I saw him coming, but I couldn’t react. I thought I had it at 80 metres.”

Yelena Isinbayeva, the Olympic champion and world record holder in the women’s pole vault, won her fifth World Athletics Final with a 4.80m clearance, well short of her 5.06m world mark set in Zurich last month.

SALONIKA, AFP

Goss finish keep Paris-Brussels classic in Aussie hands

Australia’s Matthew Goss, of Saxo Bank, won the Paris-Brussels cycling classic on Saturday, succeeding compatriot Robbie McEwen as champion.

Goss finished ahead of fellow Australian Allan Davis and Belgium’s Kristof Goddaert as he proved the stronger in a mass sprint finish.

It was 23-year-old Goss’s fifth win of the season and his third in Belgium after two stage triumphs on the Tour of the Walloon during the summer.

“It was a difficult sprint especially towards the end when it was vital not to go too early,” said Goss.

Saxo Bank team sports director Dan Frost added: “We knew that Matthew was the guy to put us in a great position and he fulfilled our hopes in style. He is in perfect condition and last night he said he wanted to make a big result.”

BRUSSELS, AFP

A drawn game

Kandy Sports Special Corr.

St. Thomas’ College, Matale took major honours in their schools Under 19 Cricket encounter against Dharmaraja College, Kandy which ended in a draw at Lake View ground on Saturday.

Main feature of the match was a superb 96 runs with 13 fours by Thomian allrounder R. Kellapotha, Rahula Ekanayake and R.Y. Bandara too scored half centuries for Rajans.

Chief Scores:

Dharmaraja 167: (Rahula Ekanayake 54, R.Y. Bandara 17, L. Madhushanka 4 for 50, R. Kellapotha 3 for 46) and 211 for 7: (R. Bandara 54, Sandun Weerakkody 37, Rahula Ekanayake 31, Prathap Silva 35, B. Jayathilake 4 for 41).

St. Thomas’ 176: (R. Kellapotha 96, Tharaka Silva 4 for 27, Nuwan Karunaratne 2 for 24) and 76 for 5: (K. Karunaratne 32, C. Jayathilake 17, Tharaka Silva 1 for 14, Nuwan Karunaratne 1 for 12, Prathap Silva 1 for 5).