MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2016 SPORTS Team Sky chief faces questions over mystery package LONDON: British Sports minister Tracey Wiggins’ therapeutic use exemptions that a “Jiffy bag” containing triamcinolone ments and interviewing all relevant wit- “great interest” as she believes “it is really Crouch on Sunday said Team Sky boss (TUEs) - which are essentially doctor’s was delivered to Team Sky doctor Richard nesses. Brailsford, British Cycling, Cope, important all sports are completely trans- Dave Brailsford faces “some extremely notes to allow athletes to use medicine Freeman, who now works for British Freeman and Wiggins have strongly parent” about their anti-doping practices. important questions” about a mystery that would otherwise be banned by the Cycling, by the then-GB women’s team denied breaking any anti-doping rules “If we want to continue to be success- package that is the subject of a UK Anti- World Anti-Doping Agency - and the manager and academy coach Simon but nobody has revealed the contents of ful in cycling, and to encourage more Doping investigation. package which was delivered to Team Sky Cope at the final stage of the 2011 the package, despite Brailsford and people to participate in cycling, it is Brailsford is one of six witnesses by a British Cycling employee at the end Dauphine Libere. British Cycling saying it was not triamci- important that the witnesses are trans- appearing before the Culture, Media and of a key pre-Tour de France race in 2011. Shortly after this allegation was nolone, which the former Tour de France parent in the answers they give,” Crouch Sport select committee in Westminster Leaked WADA documents revealed in reported, UKAD announced it was investi- champion would not have been allowed said. “Brailsford will be asked some today as part of its long-running inquiry September that Wiggins was granted gating alleged “wrongdoing” at Team Sky to take at that time. extremely important questions and he into sport’s fight against doping. TUEs to use the powerful corticosteroid and cycling’s national governing body, Speaking to BBC 5 Live’s Sportsweek will have to justify himself and his actions, The committee will ask Brailsford triamcinolone before races in 2011, 2012 with its investigators visiting the pair’s programme, Crouch said she would be and it’s not for me as sports minister to about Olympic champion Bradley and 2013. And in October, it was reported headquarters in Manchester, taking docu- following the committee hearing with say otherwise.” — AFP Lara Gut back to form with World Cup super-G win VAL D’ISERE: Lara Gut bounced back in so I lost two months of preparation, in the style from two miserable performances to most important moment.” win a World Cup super-G race yesterday for Weirather was .47 seconds up on Gut her third victory of the season and 21st but then faded. “I always lose a lot of time career win. at the bottom in Val d’Isere, I don’t know The defending World Cup overall cham- why,” said Weirather, who is not totally con- pion had failed to finish Friday’s Alpine tent with her form. “It’s really good this sea- combined race and Saturday’s downhill, son in super-G and GS but my downhill dropping valuable points in her quest to isn’t where I want it to be. I don’t know close the gap on current World Cup leader what to do, really.” Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States. Gut’s other wins this season were in “Today I loved the fact I could ski the super-G in Lake Louise - where Weirather way I wanted. That’s what I’m taking from also finished second - and giant slalom in the weekend, I found myself again,” Gut Soelden. The Swiss is a far more clinical said. “The last days I was skiing well, but I competitor, winning 21 of her 38 podium didn’t have the feeling. I’m a racer who real- finishes, compared to six in 28 for ly needs to have a good feeling. If I don’t Weirather. While the 25-year-old Gut has a have that feeling, I can’t push.” career haul of five world and Olympic Gut made no mistake this time, power- medals, the 27-year-old Weirather has ing down the Oreiller-Killy course to beat none. Gut is now five points behind Shiffrin Liechtenstein skier Tina Weirather by .13 heading into Tuesday’s GS in the nearby seconds and Italian Elena Curtoni by more Alpine resort of Courchevel. Shiffrin than one second. “From the first gate on it skipped the three speed events here in Val worked the way I wanted. It felt awesome, d’Isere, but returns for Courchevel. it felt fast, that’s the way I am,” Gut said. Italian Nadia Fanchini was fourth, just “You saw it yesterday, it was totally differ- like in Saturday’s downhill, and ent.” Gut said she felt much more focused Frenchwoman Tessa Worley placed fifth for after having in-depth discussions with her a career best result in super-G. team. “I opened my heart to my team and It was another good day for Italian rac- tried to describe what I was feeling. They ers after they placed four in the top six in know me better than I know myself,” she downhill. “We are a strong team” Curtoni said. “They showed me that nothing was said. “It’s nice if we can push each other wrong and this morning I was myself again more and more.” It could have even better on the slope.” as Sofia Goggia missed out on a seventh LAS VEGAS: San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey smiles after being named the most valuable player after the Las Vegas Bowl NCAA It was her sixth podium and fourth win podium of the season. college football game against Houston on Saturday, in Las Vegas. San Diego State won 34-10. — AP in Val d’Isere - and an especially important She was leading Gut after the first two one considering her unexpected slump in time splits, but then lost her balance and form. “Yesterday was a good lesson,” said went out. Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia finished a Gut, who had been reluctant to discuss her disappointing seventh behind Austrian Pumphrey breaks NCAA record poor form on Friday and Saturday. Stephanie Venier. “Sometimes I come in front of the media, Stuhec won the Alpine combined and and other people, and put myself in the the downhill to take her season’s tally to as SDSU wins Las Vegas Bowl position of being misunderstood.” four wins, but this time finished 1.75 sec- Curtoni was celebrating her second onds adrift of Gut. American Laurenne career podium. “I’m very happy,” Curtoni Ross, who missed the downhill with flu, LAS VEGAS: Donnel Pumphrey broke the NCAA his career. Game MVP Taylor Lamb passed for scored a touchdown to help Southern said. “I was injured in the middle of August was off form and finished 14th. — AP career rushing record Saturday in his college 119 yards and a touchdown and ran for 126 Mississippi beat Louisiana-Lafayette. Nick finale, running for 115 yards and a touchdown in yards and a score. Kareem Hunt covered 42 Mullens, the Southern Miss all-time leader in San Diego State’s 34-10 victory over Houston in yards on four straight rushes to propel Toledo (9- yards passing and passing touchdowns, finished the Las Vegas Bowl. Pumphrey passed former 4) down the field after the field goal. Damion his distinguished career by throwing for 346 Wisconsin star Ron Dayne’s mark of 6,397 yards Jones-Moore was stopped on third down. yards and two TDs. One of Mullens’ TD tosses on a 15-yard run early in the fourth quarter, with was a 6-yarder to running back Ito Smith, who teammates swarming him on the sideline, and NEW ORLEANS BOWL also rushed for 138 yards and two scores. wrapping up his career in his Nevada hometown SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI 28, However, Mullens’ turnovers helped the Ragin’ with 6,405 yards. “It means the world to me,” LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 21 Cajuns keep the game competitive despite the Pumphrey said as his father wiped away tears Allenzae Staggers set New Orleans Bowl Golden Eagles (7-6) outgaining ULL (6-7) 481 before hugging him. Pumphrey’s senior total of records with 11 catches for 230 yards and also yards to 252. —AP 2,133 yards rushing ranks in the top 10 for a FBS player. Ron Smith returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown, Curtis Anderson caught a Veteran Hopkins knocked 28-yard touchdown pass from Christian Chapman, Juwan Washington ran for a touch- down and John Baron kicked two field goals for out of ring in career finale the Aztecs (11-3). They overcame a 10-0 first- quarter deficit against the Cougars (9-4) for their LOS ANGELES: Bernard Hopkins’s bid to add Shumenov by split decision to become the second consecutive bowl win. a last chapter to a storied ring career ended oldest to unify world titles. Saturday with the 51-year-old former world After a two-year layoff, Hopkins looked all champion spent sprawling out of the ring by of his 51 years in the early going, but he said NEW MEXICO BOWL Joe Smith. In a fight that Hopkins vowed he believed he was on his way to turning the VAL D’ISERE: Switzerland’s Lara Gut, center, winner of an alpine ski, women’s World NEW MEXICO 23, TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO 20 would be his last the 27-year-old Smith-who tide.