Mike Tyson has been released from a Maryland jail after serving three-and-a-half months of a one-year assault sentence. The former world heavyweight champion was allowed home after an Indiana judge's decision to end his probation for a 1992 rape conviction was announced earlier yesterday. Judge Patricia Gifford, of Indiana's Superior Court, approved Tyson's release on Friday and he was granted parole.
Cycling: Ciaran Power followed up his ninth place on Sunday's opening stage of the British Prutour cycling race in London with another ninth on Stage 2a yesterday, over 112 miles from Medway to Portsmouth. In the bunch sprint, American champion George Hincapie of the US Postal Services team was unable to get past his lead-out man, New Zealander Julian Dean. Stage one winner Leon van Bon (Rabobank) was third.
The rest of the Irish team were delayed by a series of crashes near the end, but were all given the same time. There was a home win in Stage 2b, a 4.2 miles time-trial, with Chris Boardman (Credit Agricole) fastest, but van Bon was fourth and retained his lead over Hincapie, with Boardman moving up to third. The Irish lost out, however, with Power best in 54th place, over a minute behind. That is also his position overall. He is one minute 13 seconds behind the leader.
Athletics: David Matthews provided a major surprise when finishing in front of James McElroy in the international meeting at Lubjana at the weekend.
Matthews, left out of the Europa Cup squad, answered the selectors with his best run of the season when finishing second in the 800 metres race in a time of one minute 47.70 seconds.
McElroy, who will contest either the 800 or 1,500 events in the Europa Cup meeting in Finland on June 5th and 6th, was three hundreds of a second slower in third place.
Paul Brizzel, another member of the team, delivered the only success of the meeting, winning the 200 metres from Gary Ryan in figures of 21.05.
Brid Dennehy, who was awarded the women's 5,000 metres nomination after Catherina McKiernan declined to accept it, showed that she is in form for a big run in Finland by winning the Pennsylvania Avenue mile in Washington at the weekend with a new course record of 4.36.
Also among the winners on Sunday was Belfast teenager Colm McLean who crossed the line first in 3.44.67 in a 1,500 at Loughborough. James Nolan finished third in the 800 metres at the same meeting.
Swimming: The urgent need for the restoration of Government funding at this crucial juncture of the season was highlighted yesterday when Swim Ireland conceded that, due to a lack of funds, it will not be represented by an official team at next weekend's grand prix event at Sheffield.
By not competing swimmers will be forced to forego their last opportunity of achieving a qualifying mark for the European Championships in Istanbul in July.
Hockey: Instonians had to be satisfied with a fourth place finish in the B Division European Club championship series in Milan yesterday when Glasgow Western denied the Ulster side bronze with a 3-1 victory.
Andrew Meredith put the Scots in front in the first half, but Paul Hollway drove in an equaliser from a 51st-minute penalty corner. However, Western clinched victory with goals from Gordon Moore and Barry Kane in the final six minutes.
Meanwhile, Robbie Taylor, the durable Lisnagarvey midfielder, returns to the Irish squad for the matches against Japan at Belfield on June 5th and 6th.
