Basketball, NBA: Los Angeles made Mike D’Antoni’s debut behind the Lakers’ bench a successful one by beating Brooklyn Nets 95-90 on Tuesday at the Staples Center arena. D’Antoni, limping after undergoing recent surgery, had been unable to take over until Tuesday because of discomfort and tightness in his knee. “It is great be out there,” D’Antoni said. “That’s what you coach for... I feel pretty good. It (tightness) is starting to wear off.”
Golf: South Korean Choi Jin-Ho is preparing for what could be his last competitive tournament for nearly two years as he contemplates swapping his golf spikes for army boots. The 28-year-old is part of an Asia-Pacific select side that takes on Team China in OneAsia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup next week before beginning about 20 months of national service. “I’m thinking of joining the army,” Choi said. “After taking the basic training course, I’ll probably be assigned to the reserve forces because I am married and have a baby.”
Horse Racing: Frankie Dettori was yesterday temporarily banned from riding in France “based on medical grounds”, French racing’s ruling body announced. The suspension follows Tuesday’s inquiry at France Galop’s headquarters in Paris into Dettori’s positive test for a banned substance when he was riding at Longchamp on September 16. The stewards’ verdict on what if any action to take against the legendary rider will be delivered “within the next fortnight... in accordance with the Rules of Racing”.
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Auto Racing: Danica Patrick (picture) and her husband have decided to end their seven-year marriage, the IndyCar and NASCAR star announced this week. In a message to fans on her Facebook page, the 30-year-old driver and model wrote: “I am sad to inform my fans that after seven years, Paul and I have decided to amicably end our marriage. This isn’t easy for either of us, but mutually it has come to this. He has been an important person and friend in my life and that’s how we will remain moving forward.”
Boxing: Former three-time world champion Hector Camacho was seriously injured this week after being shot in the neck in Puerto Rico. Camacho, 50, was being driven in a car when he was hit in the head by gunshot from another vehicle around 7:00 pm local time, the Primera Hora de Puerto Rico newspaper reported. Ernesto Torres, director of the Centro Medico de Rio Piedras, was cautious about Camacho’s chances of survival, saying that a bullet had fractured two bones in his neck.
Rugby League: Australian Rugby League authorities said they are outlawing the shoulder charge because of the “unacceptable risk of injury”, with work under way to extend the move internationally. The decision, due to take effect from next year, came after the Australian Rugby League Commission (ALRC) assessed a report by Sydney Roosters chief executive Brian Canavan following a spate of incidents. The ALRC accepted that the increased size of players was creating a situation where the shoulder charge could lead to an unacceptable risk of injury.
Tennis: The Brisbane International tennis tournament, starting next month, will feature the world’s top three women players with confirmation yesterday that top-ranked Victoria Azarenka will also take part. Azarenka, of Belarus, joins Russian world number two Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, of the United States, in the main lead-up tournament to January’s Australian Open in Melbourne, the season’s first Grand Slam event. Tournament organisers said the field would feature eight of the top 10 women.