Motor racing: The latest news about the health of seven-time Formula One world champion Mic-hael Schumacher (picture) is not good, his former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo said yesterday. The German is still receiving intensive treatment far from the public eye at his home in Switzerland following severe head injuries that he suffered in a skiing accident in France in December 2013. “I have news and unfortunately it is not good,” Montezemolo told reporters without giving any further details. “Life is strange. He was a fantastic driver and only had one accident with Ferrari in 1999.”
Snooker: Mark Selby got the defence of his German Masters title under way with a comfortable 5-0 win over Steven Hallworth in Berlin. Selby made a top break of 88 to ease through to the last 16 as he continues to chase his first title of the season. He will next face Glasgow’s Stephen Maguire who produced a consistent performance to see off Ken Doherty 5-1. Maguire, who needs ranking points having slipped out of the world’s top 16, said: “This is a ranking event so there is more pressure – it will be a tough match against Mark but I’m up for it.”
Cycling: Tour de France champion Chris Froome presented a token of appreciation to team-mate Peter Kennaugh by allowing the 26-year-old to claim a stage victory and the overall lead of the Herald Sun Tour yesterday. Kennaugh leads fellow Briton Froome by seven seconds in the overall standings after the Team Sky pair dominated the first stage which started and finished in Healesville. “The number of times Peter has emptied himself for me out on the road, he’s been part of both my Tour de France victories,” Froome told reporters. “It feels nice to do something for him now,” the 30-year-old added.
Basketball,NBA: Kevin Durant turned the conversation back to the court and away from his impending free agency with a final-second jump shot that lifted the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 117-114 victory over Orlando Magic on Wednesday. With daily reports focusing on Durant’s possible departure from Oklahoma City following this season, the All-Star forward provided a timely reminder that his loyalty at this moment remains with the Thunder. Oklahoma City and Orlando were locked at 114-114 when Durant pulled off a nifty cross-over dribble and fired a three-pointer that found the bottom of the basket with less than a second remaining.
Tennis: Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro announced another comeback on Wednesday after almost a year out with a left wrist injury. The 27-year-old former world number four, who won the US Open in 2009, used social media to announce he would be returning to the circuit at Delray Beach on Feb. 15. The 2011 Delray Beach champion added that the “uncertainty and bad things I have lived through even made me think of giving up.”
Rugby Union: England winger Chris Ashton has lost his appeal against a 10-week ban for eye-gouging that has ruled him out of the Six Nations championship. The 28-year-old Saracens player, recalled to the England squad for the first time in 18 months, was suspended for making contact with the eyes of Ulster’s Luke Marshall during a European Champions Cup match on Jan. 16. Ashton pleaded not guilty at a hearing last week and had appealed against the severity of the punishment. But an Independent Appeal Committee upheld the ban on Thursday, meaning Ashton cannot play again until March 28.