Farah faces heat for changing accounts
LONDON: Mo Farah repeatedly denied to the United States Antidoping Agency taking a legal supplement prior to the 2014 London Marathon, before changing his account once he learned the doctor who injected him had told the investigators he had taken it, the BBC reported on Monday. Farah had been asked by USADA whether he had been injected with L-carnitine—a naturally occurring amino acid—as part of its investigation into his former coach Alberto Salazar.
As a result of the overall investigation, Salazar has been banned from athletics for four years over doping violations. Two of Salazar’s violations relate to using a banned method to administer an infusion of L-carnitine.
The US coach, who is appealing against his ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, led the Nike Oregon Project training group, where Farah was a star name from 2011-2017.
DJOKOVIC BEGINS WITH WIN IN STRAIGHT SETS
DUBAI:WORLD No 1 Novak Djokovic extended his unbeaten start to the season with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Tunisian Malek Jaziri in the opening round of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday.
Djokovic struck 22 winners and did not face a break point against wildcard Jaziri. “It’s a great way to start out the tournament,” Djokovic, who is playing in Dubai for the first time since 2016, said. “I miss playing here. I really enjoy it. I enjoy night sessions... I think I’ve done everything as well as I imagined it to be for the first match. Of course, there’s things that always can be improved, things that can be better,” he said.
Djokovic is chasing his fifth title in Dubai and his first since 2013. He will next face Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber, who beat Egypt’s Mohamed Safwat 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. Meanwhile, the seventh seed Karen Khachanov cruised to a 7-6(2), 6-1 win over Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin.
JAMES’ JUMP SHOT HELPS LAKERS TRIUMPH
LOSANGELES: Lebron James delivered the go-ahead jumper with 30 seconds left to help lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-112 victory over the Boston Celtics as the two franchises renewed their historic rivalry. Both are once again title contenders, with the Lakers on top of the Western Conference standings and the Celtics third in the Eastern Conference.
FADTE CLAIMS FRENCH OPEN JR SQUASH TITLE
LILLE, FRANCE: India’s Yash Fadte justified his top ranking by winning the French Open Junior U-19 squash. Fadte defeated Marek Panacek of Czech Republic 10-12, 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 in the final.
LAHIRI FINISHES 44TH AT PUERTO RICO OPEN
RIOGRANDER,PUERTORICO: Anirban Lahiri could not build on a positive start in the final round of the Puerto Rico Open as the Indian golfer finished tied-44th, with an eight-under 280.