MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 SPORTS

US Eagles rip Chile to seize Americas tourney lead

WASHINGTON: Mike Te’o scored two bonus point in the overall standings, giv- from the US Sevens squad, scored in the were Chris Baumann, Nic Edwards, Joe points kicking from Andrew Ferguson in tries and the United States routed Chile ing them a 13-12 edge with two matches 64th and 77th minutes and fly half J.P. Taufete’e, Lorenzo Thomas, Jake keeping pace with the leaders. Marcos 64-0 Saturday to seize the lead of the remaining in the round-robin interconti- Eloff kicked seven conversions and Anderson, Chad London and Luke Hume. Bollini, Juan Cappiello and Franco Americas Rugby Championship over nental showdown. Canada remained scored his first international try, one of six “For me, it was a good performance but Cuaranta scored tries for Argentina, Argentina by a lone bonus point. third at 2-1 on 10 points with a 52-25 Eagles to achieve that feat in the rout. maybe too much individualism,” Mitchell which also had two conversions from The South American side took a 24-21 home triumph over winless Brazil, getting “The performance is more important said. “Sometimes that can happen in a Juan Novillo and a conversion and penal- road victory at Uruguay that left them two tries each from Lucas Rumball and (than the margin),” US coach John game like this. At times the execution ty kick by reserve Pedro Mercerat. The level at 2-0 and one drawn with the Clay Panga. Mitchell said. “I think we’re still naive in wasn’t on, but if you keep going to space scene shifts to South America as the five- Americans, who were deadlocked 35-35 “To get one try was amazing but to terms of game management, but these there’s always going to be a high proba- week event continues next weekend with with Argentina in their opening match. get two was just a bonus,” Panga said. “It are problems that have solutions and bility of scoring.” the United States at Brazil and Uruguay at But the 10-try outburst by the US was an unreal feeling. It’s a great testa- we’re dealing with a very youthful team.” Canada also had tries from Paul Ciulini, Chile on Saturday and Canada visiting Eagles against Chile earned an extra ment to how hard the boys worked.” Te’o, Also scoring tries for the Americans Mike Hamson and Ray Barkwill and 13 Argentina today. — AFP Chan wins gold at Four Continents

TAIPEI: The 2014 Olympic silver medallist China’s Jin Boyang, the leader of the Patrick Chan of Canada claimed the men’s short programme, finished runner-up with title at the Four Continents Figure Skating a total of 289.83 points in his first Four Championships in Taipei yesterday, despite Continents competition. a stressful start to the competition. The 18-year-old also became the first Skating to the music of Chopin, Chan skater to land four quads-a quad lutz, a kicked off his free skating programme with quad salchow and two quad toeloop-in an a quad toeloop/triple toeloop combination international competition. “In my previous and added two triple axel, among others, competition which was a domestic compe- to bring his total to 290.21 points. tition I also landed four quads in my free The three-time World champion, 25, skate, so it gave me confidence coming admitted he had been “very worried and into this competition,” he said. stressed” when he finished fifth after “I think I’ve done better today so I am Friday’s short programme, which he attrib- very happy with this.” China’s Yan Han took uted to “being jet-lagged and the ice not the bronze medal while Japan’s Shoma Uno being perfect”. and Takahito Mura ranked fourth and fifth, “But finally today it seemed that every- respectively. thing, my body, the ice, just felt just right Earlier in the past week Japanese and I could finally just relax and enjoy the skater Satoko Miyahara, the 2015 World programme,” Chan told a press conference silver medallist, claimed the ladies’ single after his victory. title. In the pairs event, 2015 World silver “I just let everything go and focus on medalists Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of myself and not focus on the other skaters. I China took gold. American sibling team think it paid off today,” added Chan, who Maia and Alex Shibutani, the newly was competing in his first Four Continents crowned US National Champions, won the after taking a one-year break. ice dance event. — AFP

Coe: IAAF could suspend Kenya if it violates doping rules

LONDON: Track and field’s governing body place,” Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya chief is prepared to ban Kenyan athletes from executive Kiplimo Rugut said. LA THUILE: Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather, center, winner of an alpine ski women’s World Cup super G race, celebrates on the podium with sec- the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro if the coun- ond-placed Switzerland’s Lara Gut, left, and third-placed Lindsey Vonn, of the United States, in La Thuile, Italy, yesterday. — AP try fails to comply with global anti-doping MAKING PROGRESS rules, IAAF President Sebastian Coe said. WADA said last week that Kenya was The IAAF has already suspended Russia’s under investigation for failing to meet an Weirather wins while Vonn is track and field program from global com- initial deadline for complying fully with its petition, and now Kenya could be at risk of ant-doping code. the same sanction. Kenyan track and anti-doping authori- reminded of social media gaffe The IAAF’s ethics commission is investi- ties said Thursday they were making gating alleged extortion and doping cover- progress. ups in Kenya involving top officials. The “It does not worry me now that we may LA THUILE: A daughter of skiing royalty, Tina um result after losing sleep to clean up damage they have for the sport and it makes our job a lot World Anti-Doping Agency has also put face an Olympic ban, since ADAK (The Anti- Weirather of Liechtenstein won a slushy super-G from an ill-advised Facebook post. Vonn apolo- more fun as well.” Kenya on notice that it could be declared Doping Agency of Kenya) is working out a yesterday for her first victory of the season while gized to her equipment supplier Friday after Vonn’s overall lead over Gut was reduced to non-compliant with the global anti-doping policy bill which will be taken to parliament Lindsey Vonn was reminded of her social media posting a video of an angry outburst in which 23 points, while in the super-G ranks she holds a code. to be made into law,” gaffe during another podium finish. she destroyed her bindings with a hammer fol- 79-point lead on Gut with three races remaining “We know that a disproportionate said Jackson Tuwei, the acting president Racing in unusually warm weather, Weirather lowing a downhill where one ski detached. in the discipline this season. amount of reputational damage is caused of Kenya’s track and field federation. “I am finished 0.57 seconds ahead of Lara Gut with Fabienne Suter of Switzerland finished fourth by a relatively few countries and we have to confident we will succeed. And since we Vonn 0.64 back in third. It was the fifth career ‘MISTAKES HAPPEN’ and Romane Miradoli of France fifth, while local be very much more proactive,” Coe told have been given another two months we win for Weirather, the daughter of two-time The DJ during yesterday’s race poked fun at favorite of Italy was sixth. British television network BT Sport when will work day and night to conform with Olympic gold medalist Hanni Vonn by playing MC Hammer’s 1990 hit “U Can’t Saturday’s downhill winner Nadia Fanchini asked about investigations into Kenya. “Yes, the rules.” Wenzel and Harti Weirather, who won down- Touch This,” during the American’s run. and Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany were if it means pulling them out of World Former marathon world record-holder hill gold at the 1982 world championships. With “That was funny,” Vonn said. “There’s a lot of among those who didn’t finish. Championships or Olympic Games then we Wilson Kipsang is urging the Kenyan gov- the temperature soaring well above freezing on jokes out now but I did it to myself. “Mistakes Up next is a special parallel slalom city event will have to do that.” ernment to implement the necessary the Franco Berthod course in the shadows of happen and you just got to move forward and in Stockholm for men and women tomorrow. “I know the World Anti-Doping Agency measures, including fast-tracking legisla- Mont Blanc, organizers treated the snow with today I was finally 100 percent focused on the While Gut said she would travel to Sweden, Vonn has looked very closely at the Kenyan tion criminalizing doping. salt to prevent it from melting. skiing and I felt a lot better,” Vonn added. “I actu- was considering skipping the event over con- National Anti-Doping Agency, we of course “We must all step up the fight against “They did a really good job on the snow. It ally got some sleep last night. So now I’m just cern about a jump on the temporary course - monitor that through the IAAF so that work doping because if we are banned, Kenya was not easy to prepare the course,” Weirather thinking about racing and that’s what I should potentially giving up points to her Swiss rival. is ongoing,” Coe added in the interview, will never be the same again,” Kipsang was said. “We were already experienced because in be thinking about, because I have a lot of impor- “I have to think about all the consequences, which was being aired Thursday night. quoted as saying by Kenya’s Daily Nation. Garmisch we had the same problem, it was also tant races coming up.” the positives and the negatives and we’ll see,” Kenya’s problems with WADA relate to “This is a country which has made its like 10 degrees (Celsius, or 50 Fahrenheit) so we With bright sunshine, a crowd of nearly Vonn said. “The duel is definitely a different delays in setting up and funding a new name as an athletics giant. We have done kind of knew how to deal with it. 10,000 showed up, many of them young chil- beast. I really like duels, actually, but with the national anti-doping body, and delays in well in the Olympic and world champi- “When you inspect the course in the morning dren clamoring for autographs, and Vonn and jump in there I’m not really sure about it. So I passing legislation that would make dop- onships and therefore, we should not miss and there’s no salt in it you almost think it’s the other top skiers had to be escorted off the have to make that decision tonight or tomor- ing a crime - both promises made to WADA out complying with the doping directives.” impossible to have a race and then you still have mountain by police officers on skis. row.” as far back as four years ago. Earlier this week, the chief executive of to get ready for a race and be prepared,” “That was intense,” Vonn said. “Coming down The women’s circuit then travels to , The Kenyan anti-doping agency Kenya’s track and field federation took tem- Weirather added. from the finish was incredible. There were so Andorra, for a super-G and Alpine combined announced Thursday that it has received porary leave after two athletes alleged in For Vonn, it was a second consecutive podi- many kids and I love that. I love the enthusiasm next weekend. — AP nearly $3 million from the government to an interview with The Associated Press that buy anti-doping equipment, including test- he asked them for a bribe to reduce their ing kits for all the country’s remote training doping bans. camps. The IAAF’s ethics committee is already Marlins excited to have “We have fully cooperated with WADA, investigating three other senior Athletics although we recognize there has been Kenya officials, including its president, for delays in the processes, hence the lapse of doping cover-ups and other alleged mis- one of the deadlines that had been put in conduct. —AP Bonds as hitting coach

MIAMI: Giancarlo Stanton grew up a Dodgers tomorrow in Jupiter, Florida. way to honor his late father, former major lea- fan and remembers attending their games when “He can help everybody,” veteran infielder guer Bobby Bonds, who taught Barry how to hit. Barry Bonds would step to the plate for the Chris Johnson said. “If you can’t pick something Bonds convinced the Marlins he’s willing to Giants. up from him, I don’t know who can help you. put in the long hours the job requires. “I’ve been “It’s one of those sounds you never forget - You’d be an idiot not to be picking his brain all a hitting coach, and I know how much time it how loud those boos were,” Stanton said. Bonds the chances you get.” takes,” Mattingly said. “I wanted to make sure has turned down the volume by keeping a low Bonds might agree. He said he knows what Barry was ready for that, and he was.” profile since 2007, his final year as a player. Now will work if a player is willing to put in the time, Mattingly, a six-time All-Star, said the hiring the polarizing home run king is back in the and as a mentor, he said he can be another Willie upgraded his staff’s collective resume. “Between major leagues as hitting coach for Stanton and Mays. me and Barry,” Mattingly said with a smile, “we the Miami Marlins. hit over a thousand homers.” —AP Bonds wore his familiar No. 25 and a smile as SPRING TRAINING he faced a cluster of notebooks and cameras “It’s great to be in the position I’m in, the during media day Saturday at Marlins Park. The same thing as my godfather Willie was,” he said. session included no boos or questions about Bonds said spring training will be a time to steroids, and only one brief reference to the Hall develop relationships and perhaps step on toes. of Fame, where Bonds is an uncharacteristic 0 for He was already acquainted with Stanton, who 4 in the annual balloting. played against Bonds’ son in high school in Los He received 44 percent of the vote in January, Angeles and grew up a fan of the Giants slugger. a career high but far short of the 75 percent “Me and my brother would fight over his needed for induction. Nonetheless, he said he rookie cards and stuff,” Stanton said. “I still have a considers himself a Hall of Famer. couple I stole from him.” “There’s not one player that ever could say I’m Bonds is the career leader in home runs with not one,” he said. “There’s not a coach who ever 762 and a seven-time NL MVP, but the Marlins coached me who says I’m not one. In my heart are treating him like one of the guys. Ace Jose and soul, and God knows, I’m a Hall of Famer.” Fernandez, a .190 career hitter, joked that he can Bonds will likely hear some jeers around the hit the ball farther than the new hitting coach. NL this season. Marlins players have expressed “I’m 51 years old, so he’d better,” Bonds no reservations about working with the steroids- responded with a laugh. “If he doesn’t, he’s terri- tainted slugger, however, and Stanton sounded ble.” enthusiastic despite an inadvertent choice of In recent years Bonds worked as a guest words that caused a few double-takes. instructor for the Giants in spring training and “I’m going to go in the lab, get to work and privately tutored several players, including Alex see what we can come up with,” he said. Bonds Rodriguez. Hiring him in Miami was team owner will begin working with Stanton, reigning NL Jeffrey Loria’s idea, and new manager Don JUPITER: Miami Marlins hitting coach Barry batting champion Dee Gordon and two-time AL Mattingly supported the move. Bonds attends workouts for the team’s pitchers and catchers at baseball spring training at Roger IAAF President Sebastian Coe batting champ Ichiro Suzuki, among others, Bonds said he has missed competition and when the full squad reports for spring training clubhouse camaraderie, and saw coaching as a Dean Stadium on Friday, in Jupiter, Fla. —AP