SPORTS DIGEST: RALLYING: Citroen's world champion Sebastien Loeb won Rally Finland for the second time in his career on Saturday to forge farther ahead in the overall standings.
The French seven-time world champion, who won in Finland in 2008, was the first non-Nordic driver to win the rally twice.
Loeb beat Ford’s Finnish driver Jari-Matti Latvala by 8.1 seconds with Citroen’s other French driver, Sebastien Ogier, in third place ahead of Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen.
Loeb (171) is now 27 points clear of Hirvonen (144) after eight rounds with five remaining.
“I’m really happy with my performance because I’ve cleaned the road for three days but won,” Loeb said after his 66th win of his world championship career.
Yang breaks 1,500m freestyle world record
SWIMMING: China's Sun Yang provided a record-breaking finale to the World Championships yesterday, while Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps set up the potential of a mouth-watering showdown at next year's London Olympics.
The long-stroking Sun, roared on by his home crowd, produced a storming final 100 metres to break Grant Hackett’s long-standing 1,500m freestyle world record by clocking 14 minutes 34.14 seconds – just the second mark to be bettered in Shanghai.
“All the pain that I endured during my training in the past had paid off,” said Sun. “I didn’t think too much about it (the record) before the race.”
Lochte picked up his fifth gold of the championships when he won the 400m individual medley, to add to the 200 IM, 200 freestyle, 200 backstroke and the 200 freestyle relay titles. Phelps won four golds, the 100 and 200 butterfly titles as well as gold in the 200 freestyle relay and the 100 medley relay.
Massive new deal for Manning
AMERICAN FOOTBALL: Quarterback Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts agreed to a five-year €62 million contract on Saturday that will make the four-time most valuable player the National Football League's highest paid player.
Colts owner Jim Irsay announced the deal on Twitter, and it was later reported on the NFL’s official website.
While the contract will average out at €12 million per season, matching New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s deal, Manning will be paid €48 million over the first three seasons.
The average would easily make the 35-year-old Manning the league’s top paid player.
It remains uncertain, though, when Manning, who has never missed a game in 13 seasons with the Colts, will be able to start earning his raise. The quarterback is recovering from off-season neck surgery to correct a disk problem and is expected to miss most, if not all, of the pre-season training camp.
Ireland take the plaudits in Paris
MEN'S HOCKEY: Ireland completed one of their most successful outings in years when they finished the INSEP Challenge in Paris as the top team in the competition, reports JOHNNY WATTERSON.
Given the top-ranked nation in the world, Australia, along with Korea (sixth), Argentina (11th) and France, ranked one place above Ireland in 17th, were involved, it augers well for the European Championships and Olympic Qualifier in Germany in a few weeks.
Ireland ended the elite, five-team tournament with nine points, two ahead of Korea, three ahead of Argentina and five ahead of Australia.
Ireland were also the top goal scorers with 13 from four matches.
Ireland beat France 2-0 on Saturday, Argentina 4-1 last Friday, Australia 4-2 and the Koreans 5-1.
Ireland play Argentina twice in Dublin next week in their final preparatory games.
Cassells and Black net double gold
ROWING: Ireland had an impressive medal haul at the the Coupe de la Jeunesse, a European junior tournament in Ottensheim in Austria, reports LIAM GORMAN.
The men’s pair of Joel Cassells and Chris Black were dominant on both days and took gold yesterday and on Saturday, while the Portora/Skibbereen double scull of Katie Cromie and Shelly Dineen finished second yesterday, having won on Saturday.
Ireland’s men’s double of Matthew Monteith and Adrian Sheehan took silver on Saturday and bronze yesterday, while the men’s four took bronze on both days and the young junior women’s double took bronze yesterday.
“It was a great weekend,” said team manager Clare Cox, who was particularly pleased that the women’s junior quad came back from missing out on a medal on Saturday to take one yesterday.
Third time unlucky for Irish under-19s
CRICKET: After winning their first two games of the World Cup qualifier in the final over, Ireland came out on the wrong side of another thrilling encounter yesterday as they lost to Scotland by two wickets in Milverton.
Jason van der Merwe’s innings of 96 and useful contributions from all-rounders Andy McBrine (53) and Adam Coughlan (36 not out) helped Ireland post a healthy target of 237 for six after being put in to bat.
Scotland had made it to 106 for three at the end of the 24th over before rain forced the players off.
The game was reduced to a 40-over match when it resumed after an almost two hour delay, with a new target set at 206. Ireland continued to claim wickets, with skipper George Dockrell taking three for 29. Scotland found their hero in the shape of Peter Ross, who hit an unbeaten 60 to get his side home.
Ireland, who play Kenya in Rathmines today, now have four points from three games as do five other sides, but lie in sixth position in the table on run rate.
