Boxing: Natasha Jonas, the first female boxer to represent Great Britain in the Olympics, has announced her retirement from the sport. The Liverpool 30-year-old made history when she took on eventual gold medallist Katie Taylor of Ireland in the first round of the women’s lightweight competition at London 2012. Although Jonas lost her bout with Taylor, she was widely praised for her performance in front of a crowd which registered the loudest noise of any event at the 2012 Games at 113.7 decibels.
Cricket: England made a flying start to their tour of West Indies by bowling out a St Kitts Invitational XI for 59 before Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott added 158 for the first wicket. In England’s first match game since their dismal World Cup campaign in Australia and New Zealand, Ben Stokes took three wickets and Stuart Broad and Chris Jordan two each as the hosts were dismissed in 26.3 overs. Captain Cook opened the England innings with Trott, back in the international side for the first time since leaving the Ashes tour in 2013 due to depression issues, and they added 158 before Trott was out for 72. England reached the close on 181 for one with Cook unbeaten on 95.
Rugby Sevens: Singapore added to its growing portfolio of sporting events by confirming yesterday they will stage a leg of the Rugby Sevens World Series next year at its National Stadium. The wealthy Southeast Asian city-state joins Canada’s Vancouver as the new stops for the burgeoning 10-leg series that, this year, acts as a qualifier for rugby’s Olympic return at the Rio de Janeiro Games next year. The awarding by governing body World Rugby is a boost for Singapore after they missed out to Japan last year in the race to become the 18th franchise in the southern hemisphere Super Rugby tournament.
Athletics: Usain Bolt will compete in next month’s IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas, the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association said yesterday. The May 2-3 competition, which will be held in Nassau, is the newest addition to the IAAF’s global events and will feature over 600 athletes in five relay disciplines and the distance medley relay for both men and women. “I am happy to be part of the Jamaican team. I am fit, healthy and ready to run,” Bolt said in a statement. “I hear the meet was a lot of fun last year and there was a great atmosphere. Jamaica has a long and successful tradition in relays and when we put on our colours we always do our best to make the country proud.”