A round-up of today's other sport's news in brief ...
Brilliant Farah sets new British 10km record
MO FARAH smashed the British record to win yesterday’s Bupa London 10,000m road race.
The 26-year-old crossed the line in a time of 27 minutes 50 seconds, knocking five seconds off the 25-year-old record of Mark Scruton, to easily beat Samuel Kosgei and Sergiy Lebid.
The Kenyan runner-up, who won the ‘World’s Best 10 kilometre race’ in Puerto Rico in March, clocked 28min 03sec with Ukraine’s Lebid, an eight-time European cross country champion, finishing in 28:36.
Farah, who won the European Indoor 3,000m title in March, continued his brilliant year by producing what ranks as one of the best performances of his career.
The European 5,000m silver medallist pulled clear of the field with three kilometres remaining.
New Zealander Kim Smith was a runaway winner of the women’s race in a fast time of 31:38 ahead of Hattie Dean and Olympic marathon champion Constantina Dita from Romania.
Joyce stars in comfortable win
CRICKET: A whirlwind innings of 56 not out from Isobel Joyce helped Ireland beat Pakistan by nine wickets in a rain-affected Twenty20 international at Milverton in Skerries yesterday, writes Emmet Riordan.
Chasing a revised target of 91 in 15 overs, Joyce and Clare Shillington put on 66 for the first wicket before Shillington was trapped leg-before for 21.
Joyce saw her side home in company with Emma Beamish, hitting her runs off just 32 deliveries, with six fours and two sixes as Ireland won with 27 balls to spare.
The sides meet this morning in a One Day International at Castle Avenue (10.45).
Elsewhere, Kevin O’Brien took two wickets on debut for Nottinghamshire as the county side went down to a tight one-wicket defeat to Durham on the opening day of the Twenty20 Cup at Trent Bridge.
Irish swimmers in 29-medal haul
SWIMMING: The national Down Syndrome swimming team have won 29 medals at the first European Down Syndrome Swimming Championships in Southampton.
The 14-strong team returned home Monday with seven gold medals, 15 silver and seven bronze.
Brave Carroll goes out to Cuban
BOXING: Ireland’s Roy O’Carroll is out of AIBA World Junior Championships despite a brave come-back against Cuban flyweight Carrazana Ramirez in Yerevan, Armenia, yesterday.
Ramirez, the reigning Cuban junior champ, advanced to the quarter finals after earning a 16-8 verdict over the Cork teenager, who boxes out of the Glen BC on Leeside.
The Cuban was leading 8-2 in the second but O’Carroll reduced the deficit to 10-6 at one stage. However, Ramirez pulled away in the final frame to book his ticket into the last eight of the championship.
Meanwhile, today is very much D-Day for Ireland as five boxers will be involved in last 16 bouts at the Yerevan Sports Centre.
Irish captain Joe Ward, Ryan McKeown, Christy Joyce, Chris Mullaly and Michael Reilly will all be in action.
Howard inspires the Orlando Magic to series lead
BASKETBALL: Dwight Howard had 24 points and nine rebounds as the Orlando Magic beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-89 to take a 2-1 lead in the National Basketball Association’s Eastern Conference finals. The Magic trailed 48-47 early in the third quarter at Amway Arena in Orlando before going on an 11-2 scoring run to take the lead for good.
Sastre's bold attack on final climb
CYCLING: Spain’s Carlos Sastre staged a stunning late charge to win the 16th stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterday, but Russia’s Denis Menchov stayed top of the overall standings.
Cervelo’s Sastre, the 2008 Tour de France winner, reeled in Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych on the final climb to finish the 237km slog from Pergola in seven hours 11 minutes 54 seconds.
Popovych looked to be on his way to victory when he zipped away from fellow escapees Damiano Cunego and Gabriele Bosisio of Italy.
But he faded in the closing stages and Sastre, who had briefly looked in trouble, took advantage to claim a superb win and move from fifth to third overall.
Sastre said he hoped the stage, which leaves him 2:19 adrift of Menchov, will revive his bid to win the race.
Ireland’s Philip Deignan finished 60th in yesterday’s stage and is now 55th in the overall standings.
