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p15_Layout 1 5/28/17 6:09 PM Page 1 MONDAY, MAY 29, 2017 SPORTS Sparta appoint Italian Costa will only leave Hakuho caps 38th title coach Stramaccioni Chelsea for Atletico with perfect record PRAGUE: Sparta Prague have appointed Italian LONDON: Diego Costa claims he will only leave Chelsea to return to TOKYO: Grand champion Hakuho celebrated his 38th Andrea Stramaccioni to replace out of con- Atletico Madrid this summer, turning his back on long-term speculation Emperor’s Cup with a win over Mongolian compatriot tract Petr Rada as coach on a two-year deal, of a blockbuster move to China. Costa scored 22 goals this season in fir- Harumafuji yesterday to finish the Summer Grand the Czech top-flight side said yesterday. The ing Chelsea to the Premier League title for the second time in three sea- Sumo Tournament undefeated. Hakuho forced out 41-year-old has managed Inter Milan and sons at the club. Yet, the Brazilian-born striker has struggled to settle in Harumafuji (11-4) in the day’s final bout at Ryogoku Udine in the Serie A, as well as Greek side London and had a training ground bust-up with Chelsea boss Antonio Kokugikan to improve to 15-0 a day after securing his Panathinaikos. Sparta have won 12 titles in Conte in January fuelling rumours he could be the latest star of first title in a year with a win over ozeki Terunofuji. the Czech league which emerged following European football to be snapped up by China’s football boom. However, Hakuho won the summer tourney last year but has the split of former Czechoslovakia in 1993, after losing out to Arsenal in Saturday’s FA Cup final, Costa said only a struggled with foot and thigh injuries since then the last one in 2014. They finished third this return to Atletico, where he won La Liga in 2013/14, would tempt him and missed much of the March tournament due to season which ended on Saturday, clinching away from Stamford Bridge. “If the club really want to sell me and there injury. Hakuho won his 33rd title in 2015 to break a spot in the Europa League third play- is an offer from a different club, I will stay,” he said. “If the offer is from Taiho’s record for the most Emperor’s Cups in off round. Foreign coaches-other Atletico, I will think about it that much is clear. “I am going to choose the history of sumo. The 32-year-old Mongolian than Slovak-are rare in the Czech my future, not them. I won’t change city or country for another that isn’t has said he would like to win 40 champi- league, with Stramaccioni being Spain. “If the club want to sell me, there is only one team and I have onships. In other bouts, sekiwake Takayasu, only the fourth in the history of made that very clear.” Costa nearly rejoined Atletico last year, but the who is bidding for promotion to ozeki, lost to the top flight. — AFP Spanish side failed to meet Chelsea’s valuation. — AFP Terunofuji (12-3) to drop to 11-4. —AP GOLF S African Burmester makes late charge WENTWORTH: South African Dean house on five-over par and Thailand’s Burmester was one of the few early starters Thongchai Jaidee who finished his week on to make an impression on the leaderboard 282, four-over par. as the final round of the European PGA Last year’s US Masters winner Danny Championship got underway at Wentworth Willett was another to finish early-he yesterday. signed for a closing 73 to leave himself on a The 27-year-old had five birdies in his disappointing six-over par and out of the first nine holes to move to four-under par, running. The leaders were still to go out four off the lead, and record an outward with Australia’s Andrew Dodt heading the nine of 30. Burmester recorded his first win field at eight-under par ,a shot ahead of on the European Tour in March when he Branden Grace of South Africa. Dodt led won the Tshwane Open in Gauteng South courtesy of a 68 on Saturday, four-under Africa but he also has seven wins on the par, whilst Grace continued to shrug off Sunshine Tour. Thursday’s free drop controversy with a 70. Scotland’s Stephen Gallagher was one English veteran Lee Westwood and Italian shot back after six holes, which included Francesco Molinari were a further two four birdies and a bogey, and Sweden’s shots back with Westwood aiming to win Alex Noren pulled back shots at the first the title for the first time at the 24th two holes to also be three-under the card. attempt. Two-time winner Luke Donald had finished Also in range were Shane Lowry of a miserable week with a double bogey on Ireland, Hideto Tanihara of Japan, who had the par-5 18th leaving him at 12-over for a third round 67 and Henrik Stenson, the the tournament-his chances wrecked by a British Open champion, who were on four- disastrous 81 on Saturday. Other notable under. The European Tour’s flagship event early finishers were European Ryder Cup carries a prize of one million euros ($1.1 captain Thomas Bjorn who was in the club- million) to the winner. —AFP GOLD COAST: The South Korean team celebrates during the Sudirman Cup presentation ceremony in Gold Coast yesterday. South Korea won Feng seizes one-shot badminton’s Sudirman Cup for the first time in 14 years with an emotional 3-2 victory over 10-time champions China.— AFP lead at LPGA Volvik BADMINTON CHICAGO: China’s Feng Shanshan fired six stuck her approach close and converted birdies in a six-under par 66 on Saturday to the birdie. “I’m feeling good about my con- S Korea upset China grab a one-stroke lead going into the final dition right now and what I’ve done the round of the LPGA Volvik Championship in first three days, so I am looking forward to Ann Arbor, Michigan. the final day,” she said. Salas finished the Feng’s 15-under par total of 201 put her day with seven birdies and two bogeys in one stroke in front of American Lizette her five under effort. to win Sudirman Cup Salas, who carded a 67 for 202. Norway’s “I hit the ball amazing today, I putted Suzann Pettersen was a further stroke back really great,” said Salas, who nevertheless after a 69 for 203, with overnight leader admitted that bogey at the last rankled. GOLD COAST: South Korea yesterday won badminton’s Park Sung-Hyun (72) tied on 204 with fel- “Finishing like that really just gets under Sudirman Cup for the first time in 14 years with an emotional 3- low South Korean Lee Jeong-Eun (68) on my skin,” she said. “I think that is going to 2 victory over 10-time champions China at Australia’s Gold 204. Feng, who claimed the most recent of be an extra push for tomorrow, too. Coast. The South Koreans claimed their fourth cup in the bien- her six LPGA titles at the Japan Classic last “I had a two-shot lead and now I’m one nial tournament with a charged 21-17, 21-13 win by Choi Sol- year, has three top-10 finishes this season. back. But that’s golf. You hit great ones, you Gyu and Chae Yoo-Jung in the mixed doubles match. The victo- She grabbed a share of the lead with hit bad ones, and unfortunately that bad ry-their first in the world mixed teams competition since back-to-back birdies to cap her round, and one was on my last hole today.” Pettersen Eindhoven in 2003 — ended China’s 14-year grip on the was alone at the top after Salas bogeyed kept herself in striking distance with four Sudirman Cup. the par-five 18th. birdies and one bogey in her three-under China were on a streak of six straight victories and boasted “I started the round a little slowly. I was effort. LPGA rookie Park, who came into the an assembly of stars. They were red-hot favourites to add an only one-under through eight holes and day with a two-stroke lead, had two bogeys 11th title and few gave South Korea a chance of topping the then I made two putts in a row on the ninth and two birdies in her even par round. podium in Australia. and 10th,” Feng said. “After that I was just With afternoon and evening storms pre- It was stunning achievement for South Korea and their feeling like, ‘Oh, I can start making birdies,’ dicted for Sunday, starting times for the young and relatively inexperienced players, coming less than a and I was more comfortable.” final round have been moved up in hopes year after they limped out of the Rio Olympics with just one Down by one when she arrived at 18, of beating the weather. Players will go off bronze medal. “Before the event we were asked about our Feng admitted she felt some pressure hit- in groups of three from both the first and men’s doubles players, and we were called a weak team,” head ting her wedge into the final hole, but 10th tees to speed the round.— AFP coach Kang Kyung-jin said. “We tried to build our team spirit. We were in it together, and we believed we could do it.” South Korea, who also won the Sudirman Cup in 1991 and 1993, fought back from 2-1 down in the final to claim victory.