Athletics: Russian athletes Yelizaveta Grechishni-kova and Ekaterina Ishova have been banned for two years for anti-doping rule violations, the Russian anti-doping agency has announced. Grechishnikova, 29, who came 19th in the 10,000m at the London Olympics, is banned until October 15, 2015. In addition all her results from August 18, 2009, the day before she raced in the 5,000m heats at the World Championships, have been disqualified. Twenty-four-year-old Ishova’s ban is due to end on October 22, 2015 and her results from July 12, 2011 have been annulled.
Cycling: Former Tour de France winner Cadel Evans will race on home soil for the first time since he won the French classic after confirming his participation in the Tour Down Under in January. The 36-year-old BMC rider was the first Australian to win road cycling’s most prestigious event and returns to the event in South Australia for the first time since his eighth appearance in 2010. Evans has decided to focus on the Giro d’Italia this year after finishing 39th in the Tour de France last summer, two years after cycling up the Champs Elysee in the yellow jersey. The Tour Down Under will be held in and around Adelaide from 19-26 January.
Cricket: South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee after he was found guilty of ball tampering in the second test against Pakistan. Du Plessis was caught on camera rubbing the ball against a zip on his pocket on the third day of the match in Dubai on Friday, leading umpires Ian Gould and Rod Tucker to penalise South Africa five runs and change the ball. Australian match referee David Boon said a hearing was held after the close of play and Du Plessis did not contest the charge.
Basketball: Hall of Famer Bill Sharman died on Friday, his wife told Los Angeles Times. He was 87. Joyce Sharman said her husband had a stroke last week and died at his home in Redondo Beach, California. Sharman, who was part of three NBA titles as a player for Boston Celtics, also coached Los Angeles Lakers to their first NBA championship in 1972. Sharman was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1976 and as a coach in 2004.
Tennis: Serena Williams yesterday blamed her struggles in beating Jelena Jankovic to reach the final of the WTA Championships on hitting the wall after a long season. It was a very strange performance from the world number one, who for much of the 6-4 2-6 6-4 victory seemed barely able to run for the ball. But Williams insisted she was not injured, merely feeling the effects of a season where she has played more matches and won more tournaments than in any other year of her career. Her trophy count for 2013 could reach 11 today when she takes on China’s Li Na, who was a much easier 6-4 6-2 winner over Petra Kvitova. “I just hit a wall,” said Williams. “I was so tired. I think I just played a lot of tennis this year.”
Motorcycling: American MotoGP rider Ben Spies announced his retirement from racing yesterday after being sidelined by injury and starting just two races this season. The 29-year-old Tennessee-born former world superbike champion and Italian manufacturer Ducati said in a statement that both parties had agreed to terminate a contract that still had a year to run. Spies injured his right shoulder a year ago in Malaysia while racing for Yamaha, missing the last two races of 2012 and the start of pre-season testing for the factory-supported Pramac Ducati team.