John Gainsford dies

FORMER Springbok centre John Gainsford, hailed as a “superstar of his generation”, has died at the age of 77 after a long battle with cancer, the South African Rugby Union said. Gainsford established himself as one of the best centres of his generation, earning 33 Test caps and scoring eight tries during a Bok career that spanned 1960 to 1967. He played 71 matches in total for South Africa, including tour games, and was the most-capped Bok centre until his record was overtaken by Japie Mulder in 2001. Gainsford scored two tries during the 1962 British Lions tour that contributed to the Boks’ 3-0 series victory. – Reuters

The finalists are …

LONDON: Usain Bolt, Ashton Eaton and Christian Taylor were the finalists for this year’s World Athlete of the Year award, the IAAF said yesterday. Jamaican sprinter Bolt retained his 100, 200 and 4x100m titles at the world championships in Beijing in August. American decathlete Eaton, 27, won his second successive world gold with a world record 9 045 points, including a world decathlon best of 45 seconds for the 400m, while triple jumper Taylor, 25, won the world crown with a North American record 18.12 metres, the second best jump in history. Women’s world champions Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia, 1 500m), Dafne Schippers (Netherlands, 200m) and Anita Wlodarczyk (Poland, hammer) were nominated as the three finalists in the women’s category. – Reuters

Congo coach resigns

BRAZZAVILLE: Congo coach Claude le Roy resigned just hours after securing a place for the country in the final phase of African qualification for the next World Cup. The 67-year-old Frenchman told officials directly after Congo beat Ethiopia 2-1 in Brazzaville on Tuesday, for a 6-4 aggregate triumph, that he would be leaving. “After two formidable years, I’ve decided to embark on another adventure,” he told local reporters, fuelling speculation he is to take over from Volker Finke as coach of Cameroon. – Reuters

Tag drop McLaren

LONDON: Luxury watch brand Tag Heuer is to end a 30-year partnership with struggling McLaren to join Formula One rivals Red Bull in another blow for the Honda-powered team, concluding their worst ever season. Tag Heuer chief executive Jean-Claude Biver told Swiss magazine L’Hebdo in an interview that the brand had signed a deal with Red Bull, whose deal with Japanese watch brand Casio ends this year, for next season. – Reuters