Italian Carolina Kostner won her second successive women's title at the European figure skating championships yesterday. Kostner, who was crowned champion last year in Warsaw, finished the two-leg event with a total score of 171.28 points after a confident free-skating performance. Last year's runner-up Sarah Meier of Switzerland retained her silver medal while Finland's Laura Lepisto held on to third place after finishing on 165.65 points.

Horse racing

Six-times champion jockey Kieren Fallon, suspended for 18 months after testing positive in France for a banned substance, has vowed to return. Fallon, who has won the Epsom Derby three times, will be 44 when the suspension expires but described the ban as "just a little setback." He said: "It's very silly of people to talk of retirement. I'm young at heart and have many years left."

Motor racing

Force India will launch their 2008 Formula One car in Mumbai on Feb. 7. The Ferrari-powered car will not do any demonstration laps in the Indian city however with the first test run scheduled for Spain's Barcelona circuit on Feb. 25. Force India have already confirmed Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and Germany's Adrian Sutil as their drivers. The 2008 car is expected to be the same basic chassis as used by Spyker last year.

Rugby

South Africa wing Bryan Habana would choose France ahead of Britain if he decided to play abroad. "I really don't like the weather, it's very cold, the sun sets too early and people in the street never look very happy," he said. "I could see myself playing in the south of France - plenty of sunshine and you only have to go to England when you play in the Heineken Cup."