[attach id=547603 size="medium"][/attach]

Athletics: Russian heptathlete Tatyana Chernova (picture) was stripped of her 2011 world title on Tuesday for a doping violation, with Britain’s Jessica Ennis-Hill set to be awarded the gold medal. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said in a statement that analysis of Chernova’s Biological Passport showed evidence of blood doping. Sport’s highest tribunal annulled the Russian’s results achieved between Aug. 15, 2011 and July 22, 2013, stripping her of the world title she won five years ago as well as her bronze medal from the London Olympics in 2012.

Cycling: Australia’s triple world champion Jack Bobridge has retired from professional cycling at the age of 27 as he struggles to cope with rheumatoid arthritis. The national road race champion, who also won silver medals in the team pursuit on the track at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, was diagnosed with the chronic condition in 2010 and has been managing it with medication. He left his professional team Trek Segafredo in September and said the condition had eased as he lightened his training load.

Tennis: Argentina’s Davis Cup champions returned to a heroes’ welcome in Buenos Aires after clinching their maiden title with a 3-2 win over Croatia at the weekend. Injury-prone Juan Martin Del Potro led a spectacular final day comeback against the hosts that delighted the massed ranks of Argentine fans, including soccer legend Diego Maradona, who witnessed the final at Arena Zagreb. Argentine fans cheered the team captained by Daniel Orsanic as they made their way through the streets of Buenos Aires on an open-top bus.

Snooker: Ronnie O’Sullivan and Shaun Murphy became the first two players to reach the quarter-finals of the UK Championship as they both recorded 6-2 victories yesterday. O’Sullivan saw off Matthew Stevens and has now lost just three frames in his four matches so far. The Rocket is chasing his sixth UK title and first piece of silverware since the Welsh Open last February. Murphy ended the challenge of Chinese teenager Zhou Yuelong. After taking the first two frames with a top break of 79, Murphy was hauled back to 2-2 by his promising opponent. But 2008 UK Champion Murphy stamped his authority on the contest after the interval and won four in a row by firing runs of 96, 110, 80 and 79.

Motor Racing: The German Grand Prix was dropped formally from the 2017 Formula One calendar yesterday with the renamed Azerbaijan Grand Prix given a new date to avoid a clash with the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race. The absence of Germany was expected, with Hockenheim reluctant to host the race in successive years for financial reasons despite it being a home event for dominant Mercedes and new champion Nico Rosberg. Mexico’s race is again paired with the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, in October rather than with Brazil.