Doping: Norwegian cross-country skier Therese Johaug (picture) says she is ‘devastated’ after her country’s skiing federation confirmed the 28-year-old had returned a positive test for a ban-ned substance found in sunburn cream yesterday. According to the federation, the reigning World Cup champion used the cream bought by her doctor at an Italian pharmacy last month without knowing that it contained the banned anabolic steroid clostebol.
Golf: Former Formula One driver Mark Webber will retire from professional racing at the end of the world endurance season in Bahrain in November, Porsche said yesterday. "The six-hour race...on November 19 will be the last time the reigning World Champion from Australia will compete as a works driver," the manufacturer said in a statement. Webber, 40, will become a Porsche 'special representative' at global events and work as a consultant on motorsport programmes. “I will miss the sheer speed, downforce and competition, but I want to leave on a high and I’m very much looking forward to my new tasks,” said the winner of nine Formula One grands prix with Red Bull.
Snooker: World number 70 Chris Wakelin scored a surprise 4-3 victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the last 32 of the Coral English Open yesterday afternoon. A patchy display from five-time world champion O’Sullivan means he now has no chance of winning the £1 million bonus on offer for any player winning all four Home Nations events. Neil Robertson, meanwhile, let slip a 3-0 lead as he lost 4-3 to Xiao Guodong. Robertson knocked in breaks of 121 and 125 in winning the first three frames but couldn’t get over the winning line and when he missed the final blue in the decider, China’s Xiao took blue and pink for victory.
Cricket: Australia will have a new chairman of selectors before the next Ashes series after Cricket Australia said yesterday that Rodney Marsh would not be seeking to stay on in the role when his contract expires next year. The 68-year-old former test wicketkeeper has headed up the four-man selection committee since 2014 having previously served on the panel for three years under John Inverarity. The next Ashes series will be in 2017-18 in Australia.
RUGBY UNION
■ Former British and Irish Lions captain Paul O’Connell has backed England hooker Dylan Hartley to lead the team in next year’s series against world champions New Zealand. Hartley, 30, was named England skipper this year under new coach Eddie Jones after a controversial career undermined by disciplinary problems. “It might be tough on Dylan but he seems to have learned from all of the scrapes he’s been in,” O’Connell told the BBC. “I think he’d be a great captain.”
TENNIS
■ British number one Johanna Konta pulled out of her second-round match at the Hong Kong Open because of an abdominal strain, which could jeopardise her hopes of making the season-ending WTA Finals. Konta became the first British woman to break into the top 10 of the world rankings in 32 years after reaching the final of the China Open last week, where she was beaten by Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska. The 25-year-old had beaten compatriot Naomi Broady on Tuesday, but was not able to resume the tournament against Qiang Wang of China in what was the first of yesterday’s scheduled matches.