Sports Digest

A round up of today's other news in breif...

Landis' two-year ban upheld as appeal is dismissed 

CYCLING:The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) have dismissed Floyd Landis' appeal to regain the 2006 Tour de France title and upheld his two-year drugs ban.

Landis was stripped of the title - which passed to Spaniard Oscar Pereiro - and handed a two-year ban from the sport after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone.

The CAS verdict sees the 32-year-old disqualified from the 2006 race and banned from cycling for two years from January 30th, 2007. He has also been ordered to pay $100,000 (€63,514) to the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

Landis has always maintained his innocence and appealed the decision against him at every stage. The ruling was his last hope of clearing his name and his failure to do so means he is the first rider in the 105-year history of the Tour to be stripped of a title for doping. His first appeal failed last September when the USADA upheld the original ruling after agreeing his sample from Stage 17 of the Tour was positive for exogenous testosterone.

Relay team's quest is thwarted

ATHLETICS:Ireland's quest to secure a place in the men's 4x400 metre relay at the Beijing Olympics has ended on a frustrating note with the cancellation of the event at tomorrow's Salamanca meeting in Spain, reports Ian O'Riordan.

This was being lined up as the last-chance effort for the Irish quartet to qualify, following some improving runs in recent weeks. As things stand, their season's best of 3:04.43 ranks them 18th in the world, with the top 16 invited to Beijing. They officially have until July 8th to improve their ranking, but even if they had made the top 16, would probably need to defend it until July 23rd, the final cut-off date.

Team manager Patsy McGonagle had already arranged for the best four runners to make the trip, including David Gillick, who just last Friday lowered his Irish record to a superb 45.12. Paul McKee, Brian Doyle, and Gordon Kennedy were to complete the team.

"This is a serious blow to our hopes of qualifying this team for Beijing," said McGonagle. "Both the lads and myself were extremely confident about making it as everyone has been in good form and with the addition of David Gillick we felt we had enough to get through."

Coughlin quick to reclaim record

SWIMMING:Natalie Coughlin needed just a minute to reclaim her 100 metres backstroke world record after Hayley McGregory had snatched the mark during heats at the US Olympic trials yesterday.

McGregory brought the crowd at the Qwest Centre pool to its feet when she stormed to the wall in 59.15 seconds during the morning preliminaries to break Coughlin's world record of 59.21.

But McGregory held the mark only as along as it took Coughlin to complete her heat, the 25-year-old touching in 59.03 to take back the record. The back-to-back world records came on the heels of world record-breaking swims by Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff on Sunday.

Ireland have high hopes

GOLF:Ireland will be in buoyant mood as they open the defence of their European Amateur team title over Turin's Royal Park course in Italy this morning.

Jonathan Caldwell, the Walker Cup man who knocked in the winning putt last summer in Scotland, is one of three survivors from that successful line-up.

Lurgan's Gareth Shaw and Shane Lowry from Esker Hills were also in the team. Joining them this week will be the highly talented Royal Dublin golfer Niall Kearney, Portstewart's Paul Cutler and Paul O'Hanlon.

Caldwell, from Clandeboye, was in fine fettle in the qualifying rounds of the Amateur Championship at Turnberry a fortnight ago, firing 69 and 71, and Ireland will hope he repeats that form in the qualifying rounds.

The action begins with the first of the two qualifying rounds, after which the top eight countries go forward to the championship flight from which the winners will emerge on Saturday.