SPORTS DIGEST

A round-up of today's sports news in brief

Rossi already planning career on four wheels

MOTO GP:Italian Valentino Rossi, the world's fastest man on two wheels, is planning a career on four wheels once he is done with motorcycling.

The MotoGP world champion, who signed a new two-year deal with Yamaha last July, said he could drive for Ford in the World Rally Championship in the future.

“I do hope to switch to four wheels,” said Rossi before this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, where he regained his title in 2008. “I think it’s too late for Formula One, but I hope to have the second part of my career with the car. It’s always been my great passion so I hope when I finish with bikes I have another 10 years with the car.”

The six-times premier class world champion, second in the season opener in Qatar earlier this month, has tested for Ferrari and admitted he had seriously considered a move to Formula One. The 30-year-old made his third competitive appearance for Ford in last December’s Wales Rally.

Lola tempted to make F1 return

FORMULA ONE:British company Lola are considering a return to next year's newly streamlined Formula One World Championship.

The Huntingdon-based motorsport specialists have not been involved since the failure of their works team in 1997, but the cost-cutting measures set to be implemented for 2010 have tempted them to reconsider.

Lola were a consistent presence in the Formula One paddock from the 1960s.

Ireland beaten 3-0 by Greece

TENNIS:A young Irish team went down 3-0 to Greece in yesterday's Federation Cup in Malta.

Having beaten Algeria 3-0 in their opening game, with 15-year-old Amy Bowtell making a winning Ireland debut, Ireland just didn’t have the depth against a more experienced side.

Bowtell lost 6-2 6-2 to Eleni Daniilidou and Rachael Dillon also went down in straight sets to Anna Gerasimou, 6-0 6-1. Gerasimou is ranked at 207 in the world.

The doubles partnership of Jenny Claffey and Lynsey McCullough could do little against the experience of the Greek doubles pairing of Gerasimou and Daniilidou and despite playing well against two top players, lost out in straight sets, 6-2 6-2.

Ireland will face the other top-spot contenders Finland today and hosts Malta on either Friday or Saturday.

COC getting serious about London

OLYMPICS:China's Olympic committee banked a $60 million windfall from last year's Beijing Games and has already raised another $60 million to fund athletes' preparations for London 2012, officials from the country said yesterday.

China topped the medals table with 51 gold medals last August and, even in these gloomy economic times, is capitalising on that success to assemble a huge war chest to help get its athletes ready for the London Games.

To top up its considerable state funding, the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) has rebranded itself and embarked on an ambitious sponsorship programme modelled on the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) lucrative TOP partnership programme.

Veteran Davis thrashed by Robertson

SNOOKER:Australian Neil Robertson completed a quickfire 10-2 victory over veteran Steve Davis in round one of the Betfred.com World Championship yesterday.

Last year’s runner-up, Ali Carter, awaits Robertson in the last 16. The world number 10 fired in a break of 125 in the second frame of yesterday’s short session, as he swiftly converted a 7-2 overnight lead into a resounding victory.

Former champion Shaun Murphy set up a second-round showdown with Marco Fu after denying Andrew Higginson. Murphy prevailed 10-8.

Two-time former champion John Higgins was made to struggle by Michael Holt, trailing 1-3 and 2-4, but took advantage of a missed pink by his opponent in the seventh frame to claw one back. The 33-year-old Scot, who won his world titles in 1998 and 2007, then levelled the match with a 91 break and dominated the ninth frame to clinch a 5-4 lead overnight.

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Wanjiru targets world record

ATHLETICS: Olympic champion Sammy Wanjiru has targeted the men’s world record in the London Marathon on Sunday if conditions are favourable and the pace fast.

“My target is to break the world record,” Wanjiru said at a news conference yesterday. “Maybe on Sunday if the conditions and the pacemakers are right.”

Kenyans Elijah Kitani and John Kales are the designated pacemakers in the men’s elite race and they have been asked to keep the field on world-record pace.

The world record of 2:03:59 was set by Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin last year.

Wanjiru (22) became the first Kenyan athlete to win the Olympic marathon when he clocked a Games record 2:06:32 in oppressively hot weather in Beijing last year.

Sunday’s race will mark a first marathon for Eritrean Zersenay Tadese, described by the news conference co-ordinator Tim Hutchings as “the most exciting debut in London, perhaps in the world”.