Schumacher in theatre again

Motor Racing: Michael Schumacher begins a rehabilitation programme today after a second operation on his broken leg went without a hitch at the weekend. The double world champion, injured in a high speed crash at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 11th, was treated at a Geneva clinic and Ferrari said he had now returned to his Swiss home.

Schumacher's hopes of test driving a Ferrari at the team's Fiorano track this weekend were dashed on Friday when doctors said he needed further surgery to improve bone healing.

Ferrari said the German might be able to make a comeback at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 12th. The German driver was second in the world championship before his accident but has dropped to fourth, 20 points behind his team-mate Eddie Irvine, who leads the standings after winning the last two races.

Meanwhile, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo hinted yesterday that even if Irvine won this year's drivers championship he still rated Schumacher a better driver.

"Don't forget, with total respect for Irvine, Schumacher has finished 51 times out of 54 ahead of him in practice. Schumacher's contribution is fundamental. We really need a driver like that," he told Italian radio.

Athletics: Double Olympic champion Marie-Jo Perec of France said on Saturday she would miss the World Championships in Seville later this month despite winning the 200 metres at the Night of Hechtel athletics meeting. Perec, 200 and 400 metres winner in Atlanta, clocked 23.45 seconds in only her third race in nearly two years. "I won which was nice, the time wasn't that bad," she said.

"I'm making slow progress but I don't want to run 200 metres at the world championships if I run 23.5," said Perec.

"So the world championships, I will have to drop them, I'll just have to run races and try to get back at a decent level before the end of the season and see for next year," she said.

Perec, who has recovered from the viral mononucleosis that she suffered from in 1997, recorded 23.65 in Lahti, Finland, and 23.57 in Malmo, Sweden, last week.