Sports Digest/Tennis:When David Ferrer refused to take training seriously as a junior his coach, Javier Piles, used to lock him in a small cupboard and refuse to let him out. How the 25-year-old Spaniard must have yearned for the anonymity of that darkened space yesterday. Having played superbly to reach the final of the Tennis Masters Cup unbeaten, Ferrer was outclassed by Roger Federer, the world number one, who crushed him 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.
At least Ferrer could console himself with the thought that better players have been similarly dismissed in both grand slam finals, of which Federer has won 12, and this tournament, won for the fourth time by the Swiss. Ferrer had arrived in China as the least known of the world's top eight players but endeared himself to the Chinese with his fighting displays.
It was just a pity that when it most mattered he was overwhelmed, though that applied equally to his fellow Spaniard and world number two, Rafael Nadal, who was beaten 6-4, 6-1 by Federer in Saturday's semi-finals.
If Ferrer's unexpected run could be seen as a fanfare for the common man, then Federer, drew on his cloak of invincibility as the tournament reached its climax and once more bestrode the tennis world like a colossus.
Federer, who had previously beaten Ferrer seven times, acknowledged that the biggest difference in the Spaniard's approach this year, during which he has risen to a career-high number five, was his greater mental strength: "He used to get down on himself very quickly."
The Swiss has a happy propensity for turning an opponent's strength into weaknesses and he hit the Qi Zhong court running, rattling off the opening set in a mere 26 minutes. Ferrer tried desperately to exclude negative thoughts but he was already a candidate for the psychiatrist's chair.
At the end of the second set the disconsolate Spaniard, who reached the US Open semi-finals this year, snapped his racket over his thigh as he took his seat. That was easy; breaking Federer proved impossible. A Spanish trumpeter in the crowd tried to inspire him but it was Federer who orchestrated every move to within a demi-semi-quaver.
Athletics: It was a year when Athletics Ireland found themselves with several candidates for the coveted Athlete of the Year award, but inevitably there could be only one winner - and that was Kilkenny's record-breaking hammer thrower Eileen O'Keeffe, writes Ian O'Riordan.
O'Keeffe collected her award at Saturday's ceremony in Dublin, along with that of Field Event Athlete of the Year.
It was no doubt a close call between herself, Paul Hession and David Gillick, but the judging panel settled on O'Keeffe, who set a series of Irish records, finishing at 73.21 metres, and topping off her season by finishing sixth at the World Championships in Osaka.
Hession was named Track Athlete of the Year, fully deserved given his record-breaking spree over 60, 100 and 200 metres - and his impressive progression to the World Championship semi-final in the 200 metres.
Gillick took the Performance of the Year award, as voted on by Ireland's athletics media, after his brilliant gold-medal run over 400 metres at the European Indoors in Birmingham back in March.
Other winners included Fionnuala Britton, claiming the Cross Country/Road Athlete of the Year award, and Robert Heffernan taking the Race Walker of the Year award - neither of who could be denied. The Junior Athlete of the Year Award went to the Waterford long jumper Kelly Proper.
Swimming: Sweden's Stefan Nystrand broke a world record for the second time in two days when he swam 20.93 seconds in the 50 metres freestyle at a short-course World Cup meeting yesterday.
Nystrand, who broke the 100-metres freestyle record on Saturday, was inside the previous 50-metre best of 20.98, set by Roland Schoeman of South Africa in Hamburg in 2006. Schoeman was second yesterday.
It was the second world record to fall yesterday. Thiago Pereira of Brazil clocked 1:53.14 for the men's 200-metre individual medley, bettering the previous mark of 1:53.31 set by the American Ryan Lochte in Shanghai last year.
That made it four world records in total at the two-day World Cup event in Berlin. Marleen Veldhuis of the Netherlands set a new best of 23.58 in the women's 50 metres freestyle on Saturday.
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