Sports Digest

The other sports stories of the day...

Marathon test for exams

ATHLETICS:More than 30 competitors at the Xiamen International marathon earlier this month have had their results cancelled because of cheating, some having hired imposters to run for them. All the runners were ranked in top 100 of the men's race at the January 2nd event in the southeastern port city, according to yesterday's Jiefang Dailynewspaper, the mouthpiece of the Shanghai Communist Party.

Organisers found video footage revealed that some runners had carried the time-recording microchips of others so that one runner would register two or more results on passing the finish line, the report said.

The motivation for the cheating was not necessarily just for prestige, the report suggested, noting that most of the cheats had times under two hours 34 minutes.

That is the minumum standard required for high school students to get extra credits for China’s highly competitive college entrance examinations.

Indian weight lifter banned for life

WEIGHTLIFTING:Indian lifter Shailaja Pujari has been given a life ban by the international weightlifting body after a second doping offence last year, a senior Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) official said yesterday.

Pujari, the women’s 75 kg gold medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, was caught for an unidentified banned substance in an out-of-competition test in September last year. She had earlier tested positive for the steroid stanozolol and was dropped from the 2006 Commonwealth Games team.

Five other lifters, including 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Vicky Batta, have been handed four-year bans and fined €3,500 each for doping offences IWF secretary Sahdev Yadav said.

Last November, the countrys weightlifting federation committee stepped down after taking responsibility for the rampant doping in the sport in India.

Cardoso wins Tour Down Under stage

CYCLING:Portugal's Manuel Cardoso won an exhausting third stage of the Tour Down Under yesterday as Germany's Andre Greipel held his overall lead in the first event on this year's UCI ProTour calendar.

The Footon rider summoned up all his remaining energy to win the 132.5-km stage in the South Australia mountains held in oppressive temperatures topping 40 degrees. Spain’s Alejandro Valverde finished second, while Australia’s road race world champion Cadel Evans was third.

Greipel, who won the first two stages, finished with the front group to hold on to the leader’s jersey with three days to go.

Lance Armstrong needed a new rear wheel after puncturing a tyre. He recovered to finish in the main peloton in 23rd place.

In control India take first Test

CRICKET:Leg-spinner Amit Mishra grabbed four second session wickets as India completed a 113-run victory over hosts Bangladesh in the first Test in Chittagong yesterday.

Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim (101) was last man out following his maiden Test century, Mishra having him caught by substitute fielder Pragyan Ojha at long-off as the hosts were all out for 301.

Mushfiqurs century, in which he struck 17 fours and a six, was the highlight of an otherwise disappointing batting performance by the hosts.

Bangladesh resumed on the final day on 67-2 chasing an unlikely 415 for victory but they were reduced to 136-5 at lunch after Virender Sehwag dismissed Tamim Iqbal for 52. India, the number one ranked Test team, can wrap up a series win in the second and final Test which begins in Dhaka on Sunday.

Button bridge for Jenson

MOTOR SPORT:Britain's Formula One world champion Jenson Button is to have a footbridge named after him in his home town of Frome.

“The bridge is going to be built anyway so we decided it would be a good idea to name it after him,” said town mayor Damon Hooton.

Button, has joined McLaren since he won the championship with Brawn last year.

Irish trio move on to World Cup qualifier in Leipzig

EQUESTRIAN:Cian O'Connor, Jessica Kürten and Denis Lynch, who were all in the money at the four-star show in Basel last weekend, are now competing in Leipzig where the featured World Cup qualifier takes place on Sunday afternoon, writes Margie Mcloone.

O’Connor, ranked 31st in the world, fared best of the Irish trio at the Swiss show where he was crowned leading rider, his week culminating with victory in the Grand Prix on Aileen Bryan’s Rancorrado.

The Meath-based rider competes with that 12-year-old gelding again in Leipzig along with his own mare Irish Independent Echo Beach, which also won in Switzerland, and Splendor.

Kürten also struck twice at Basel with Castle Forbes Cosma, who she has brought again this weekend and she also jumps Castle Forbes Libertina and API Largo.

Lynch travelled to eastern Germany with Abbervail van het Dingeshof, Nabab’s Son and Upsilon d’Ocquier.