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Athletics: Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba (picture) ran the fastest ever women’s 2,000 metres at the indoor Miting Internacional de Catalunya meeting in Sabadell, Spain. Her time of five minutes 23.75 seconds sliced almost seven seconds off the previous indoor world record of 5:30.53 set by Romania’s Gabriela Szabo in 1998. The IAAF, athletics’ world governing body, said although the 2,000m is not an official indoor world record event, Dibaba’s performance was “an outright world record” as it was faster than the outdoor mark of 5:25.36 set by Ireland’s Sonia O’Sullivan.

Basketball, NBA: Portland Trail Blazers swingman Evan Turner broke his right hand on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks and is out indefinitely. Turner left the game midway through the third quarter and the Blazers later announced that he had broken the third metacarpal bone in his hand and will require surgery. Portland went on to prevail over the Mavericks 114-113 on a buzzer-beater, but will miss Turner as they pursue a Western Conference playoff spot and are currently one game behind the eighth spot.

Doping: Beijing Olympics 100 metres hurdles champion Dawn Harper-Nelson has been banned for three months after she tested positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said yesterday. The ban is effective from Dec. 1, 2016. USADA said it had accepted Harper-Nelson’s explanation that her positive test was caused by medication she was prescribed by a physician to treat hypertension.

Golf: New Zealand’s women’s world number one Lydia Ko has confirmed South African Gary Gilchrist as her new coach, two months after parting ways with swing guru David Leadbetter. Gilchrist also coaches two of Ko’s main rivals, Thai world number two Ariya Jutanugarn and Chinese world number four Shanshan Feng. “I’ve been working with Gary the past month or so,” Ko told New Zealand media on Wednesday. “It’s been a lot of fun working with him. I tried a few lessons with him and we ripped the swing apart. I think that was really important and it’s been good to see the changes we’ve made.”

Snooker: Mark Selby and Anthony Hamilton crashed out of the  World Grand Prix yesterday. World no.1 Selby lost 4-3 to Martin Gould at Preston’s Guild Hall, while Mark Allen crushed German Masters winner Hamilton 4-0. Selby lost the first two frames but replied with an 87 – only for Pinner’s Gould to move within a frame of victory with a clearance of 142. ‘The Jester from Leicester’ edged the next frame to force a decider. However, Gould maintained his composure and made sure of his place in the last 16, helped by a break of 54.