Athletics: Triple Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba set a new course record as she won the Bupa Great Manchester Run with some ease, yesterday. The reigning Olympic 10,000 metres champion produced the first sub-31 minute performance by a woman over the 10-kilometre course as she finished in 30 minutes 49 seconds. It eclipsed the previous mark of 31mins 07secs set by fellow Ethiopian Berhane Adere seven years ago and was a new personal best.
Badminton: Badminton powerhouse China extended their Sudirman Cup hegemony yesterday, crushing South Korea 3-0 to win their ninth title in 10 final appearances. The Chinese shuttlers did not drop a single set in the final of the world mixed team championship in Kuala Lumpur against a Korean squad consisting mostly of debutants. World number two Chen Long won the men’s singles while China also claimed the mixed and men’s doubles rubbers to dash whatever hopes Korea had of repeating their famous 2003 victory over the formidable Chinese.
Motor Racing: The Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso Formula One team will switch from Ferrari engines to Renault next season, the French manufacturer announced yesterday. The long-term deal means the Italy-based team will be using the same units and gearboxes as champions Red Bull. Formula One’s engine rules are changing next year with the introduction of a new 1.6 litre V6 turbo-charged engine with energy recovery systems instead of the current V8.
Boxing: Britain’s Carl Froch got his revenge with victory over Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler in a unanimous points decision to retain the IBF super middleweight title at a packed 02 Arena late Saturday. The 35-year-old Froch, who lost to Kessler in Denmark three years ago, put on a typically gutsy performance to win with a scorecard that read 115-113, 116-112 and 118-110 in favour of the Nottingham fighter.
Golf: Italian Matteo Manassero became the youngest winner of the PGA Championship at Wentworth when he beat Britain’s Simon Khan with a birdie four at the fourth hole of their sudden-death play-off yesterday. Manassero is 60 days younger than Bernard Gallacher was when the Briton lifted the title in 1969 at the age of 20 years and 97 days. Britain’s Marc Warren dropped out of a three-man play-off after hitting a wayward drive at the first extra hole and having to play three off the tee.
Formula One: Lotus driver Romain Grosjean was handed a 10-place grid penalty for next month’s Canadian Formula One Grand Prix after smashing into the back of Daniel Ricciardo’s Toro Rosso in Monaco yesterday. Stewards ruled that the Frenchman, who had a spate of accidents last year and was banned for one race, had caused the collision as the two cars exited the tunnel on lap 62 of the crash-strewn 78-lap race.
Basket, NBA: San Antonio Spurs are just one win away from the NBA Finals after coming back from an 18-point deficit to beat Memphis Grizzlies 104-93 in overtime in Memphis on Saturday. The Spurs lead the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals 3-0 after the victory and can sweep into the title series for the first time since 2007 with another win tonight. Memphis Grizzlies led 29-11 late in the first quarter but were worn down across the rest of the game, with the Spurs taking their first lead in the fourth quarter.