Other sports news...

¤ World marathon champion Paula Radcliffe is close to regaining full fitness after undergoing surgery on her foot and is aiming for a return to major competition at the European Championships in August. "I'm back running 35 minutes a day," marathon record holder Radcliffe said. "By next week I'm hoping for normal volume." Radcliffe said the injury to her right foot was originally misdiagnosed as a bone bruise, before doctors realised she had a cyst on a nerve that was causing her discomfort.

¤ Swimmer Ian Thorpe has abandoned plans to return to competition in Europe next month, preferring to stay at home in Australia and train rather than compete. The Olympic and world champion had been planning to make his comeback at Monaco on June 3 but Australia's national coach Alan Thompson said the trip had been cancelled.

¤ Australia's Lleyton Hewitt remains a doubt for next week's French Open despite being cleared of serious injury. Hewitt twisted his right ankle playing a warm-up tournament in Austria on Monday but scans showed there was no ligament damage. However, Hewitt's manager Rob Aivatoglou told Australian media yesterday the former world number one was still not certain of playing in Paris.

¤ Germany's Stefan Schumacher won the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia from Sillian in Austria yesterday in a sprint finish. The Gerolsteiner rider beat Italy's Marzio Bruseghin and Spain's Jose Gutierrez after being part of a five-rider breakaway. Italy's Ivan Basso finished in the main peloton, 2:43 behind Schumacher, and retained the overall race lead. Today's 224-km 19th stage is from Pordenone to the summit of the Passo di San Pellegrino in the heart of the Dolomite mountains.