Today's other stories in brief
Thanou out of the Games
THE Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou has been barred from competing in the Beijing Games because of her involvement in a doping scandal four years ago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said yesterday.
Thanou and her Greek compatriot the sprinter Costas Kenteris missed a drugs test just before the Athens 2004 Games. The case brought the Olympic movement into disrepute, the IOC said.
Returning from a ban, Thanou qualified for Beijing but needed IOC approval to compete.
"Upon receiving the recommendations of the IOC's disciplinary commission, the executive board has declared Miss Thanou ineligible to participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games," and IOC spokeswoman, Giselle Davies, said.
"This is an illegal decision that goes against any concept of equality, equity and legality in the civilised world," Thanou said.
Ronaldinho overcome
FORMER world player of the year Ronaldinho was overcome with emotion after scoring two goals against New Zealand's team of university students yesterday.
"It's a special day," he said after scoring with a fortuitous free-kick and a penalty in Brazil's 5-0 win.
"Because of everything that has happened, because of my performance, because we qualified. The atmosphere here is great and that helps a lot."
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) website (www.cbfnews.com.br) said the player was too emotional to make any further comments.
Ronaldinho (28) has been included as one of Brazil's three permitted overage players in the under-23 tournament in an attempt by Brazil coach Dunga to help reignite his career. Ronaldinho, who was recently signed by AC Milan, barely played for Barcelona in the second half of last season because of persistent fitness and injury problems.
O'Sullivan speaks to Irish team
OLYMPIC silver medallist Sonia O'Sullivan arrived in Limerick on Saturday to address the Irish team at their training camp ahead of the 2008 Paralympic Games, which get underway in Beijing on September 6th. The 45-strong Irish team was shown a montage of footage of her most memorable experiences on the track; including her first Olympics in Barcelona, the world championship win in 1995, her silver-medal winning run in Sydney and her experience at the Athens Games.
Contrary to the thinking of many athletes O'Sullivan said that carrying the flag at the Sydney Games was a good idea. The track athlete Patrice Dockery will carry the Irish flag at the Paralympics.
"Looking back it was the best thing I did (to agree to carry the flag). I was so proud, it was such a wonderful feeling, it was one of those moments you'll always remember, it was something so special," said O'Sullivan.
The Irish team leaves for the Chinese capital on August 24th, ahead of the opening ceremony in the Bird's Nest stadium on September 6th.
TOP seed Ana Ivanovic has pulled out of the tennis tournament because of a thumb injury. "This is one of the worst moments of my career," said the Serb, who now faces a battle to make the US Open, which starts on August 25th.
Ivanovic, who will be replaced by her compatriot Jelena Jankovic as world number one today, had not been able to practise since arriving in China. She sustained the injury in training.
Rice takes gold in record time
AUSTRALIA'S Stephanie Rice won gold in the Olympic 400-metre individual medley with a world record and left the hot favourite, Katie Hoff, back in third.
Rice claimed victory in four minutes and 29.45 seconds as she edged out Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe.
The former world-record holder Hoff (USA) disappointed and was more than two seconds behind the winner. No woman had previously gone under four minutes and 30 seconds in this race, and both the front two beat the mark.
Before heading to Beijing, Rice was making headlines away from the pool in Australia.
Just before the Olympics she broke up with another Aussie swimmer, Eamon Sullivan, who is competing in the 50m freestyle, and was previously asked by Swimming Australia to block public access to her personal facebook page, which had pictures of her in a policewoman's uniform.
Victory for defending champions
DEFENDING world and Olympic champions Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia won the synchronised three-metre springboard diving to earn another gold for China.
In front of 17,000 fans in Beijing's Water Cube the pair led all five rounds of the final, giving the hosts their fourth gold overall.
The pick of the dives for the duo was a back leap in the second round, which scored three perfect 10s.
Russia pipped Germany for silver, while the USA narrowly missed out on bronze.
Victory for defending champions
SOUTH Korean teenager Park Tae-Hwan took gold in the 400-metre freestyle final.
The 18-year-old tracked Australia's double Olympic champion Grant Hackett for the first 200 metres before pulling away.
He survived a late surge by China's Zhang Lin to secure his country's first Olympic swimming title. Larsen Jensen finished third in a US record time.
Hackett (28), twice an Olympic gold medallist over 1,500 metres, could only finish sixth.
