Sotomayor retires

Athletics: Cuban world high jump record holder Javier Sotomayor has retired on the eve of his 34th birthday, the official news agency Prensa Latina reported yesterday.

Sotomayor, who holds the world record of 2.45 metres, won silver at last year's Sydney Olympics and gold at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

He was banned for two years after a positive test for cocaine at the 1999 Pan-American championships but was reinstated under the world governing body's exceptional circumstances clause.

Hockey: The Irish under-21s, having held Australia to 1-1 and losing only 1-0 to England, went closer than expected to qualifying for the more prestigious stages of the Junior World Cup in Hobart, Tasmania. But the 4-1 win against Chile in Pool A yesterday was in vain, as Australia's scoreless draw with table-toppers England ensured that the home team would maintain their bid to retain the trophy.

David Eakins (from penalty corners) and Alan Giles eached scored twice for the dominant Irish side, though they allowed Chile to be on level terms at the interval. Ireland are now involved in the competition for 9th-16th places.

IRELAND (v Chile) - N Slane; J Brennan, K Burns, D Eakins (capt), M Harte, D Hobbs, J Hobbs, A Kershaw, S Nicholson, J Quigley, S Symington. Subs: I Allen, A Giles, S Irvine, J Jermyn.

Cycling: Ukrainian rider Yaroslav Popovych won the under-23 world championship road race in Lisbon yesterday, breaking clear with Italian Giampaolo Caruso with three laps to go to win by 17 seconds. The 1998 junior world champion Mark Scanlon performed disappointingly, slipping out of contention with four laps to go and finishing 36th, six minutes and 33 seconds off the winning pace. Denis Lynch was the only other Irish finisher in 78th place.

Rugby: The Heineken Cup match between Leinster and Newport will be played on Friday October 26th, in Donnybrook at 7 p.m. The match is all-ticket, and tickets will go on sale next Tuesday at 10.30 a.m. from Leinster's offices in Donnybrook.

Athletics: Middle distance runner Diane Modahl yesterday lost her case for £1 million sterling damages from the British Athletics Federation ( BAF) over a ban, subsequently overturned, for a positive drugs test.

Modahl (35) had taken her case to the appeal court, alleging bias on the part of a disciplinary committee which imposed the four-year ban in December 1994.