ALBERTO CONTADOR used the third and final Alpine stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday to take a further step toward a second victory in cycling’s showcase event. The 26-year-old Spaniard, following another impressive run through the mountains, handed one more blow to his rivals when he tightened his grip on the yellow jersey […]

WORLD No. 5 Sergio Garcia will represent Spain for the fourth time in the US$5.5 million World Cup of Golf at the Mission Hills Club in Shenzhen and Dongguan later this year, organizers said Thursday. The 29-year-old, who won the HSBC Champions in China last November to briefly take over the world No. 2 spot, […]

THE Chinese synchronized swim team claimed a silver medal Wednesday in Rome at the World Championships in Rome, Italy, on Wednesday. It was China’s best record at the event. China’s total was 97.667 points, after Spain’s 98.333. Canada followed in third with 96.167. “We are very satisfied with this silver,” Zhang Xiaohuan said. “As Russia […]

SUBSTITUTE Sutee Suksomkit scored a stunning second-half equalizer to earn Thailand a surprise 1-1 draw with Premier League Liverpool on Wednesday. Lifted by a partisan Bangkok crowd dressed mainly in red, the 18-time English champions went ahead after only six minutes through Ryan Babel but were unable to hold on for a pre-season victory. Babel […]

LANCE ARMSTRONG mustered one of his strongest showings yet at this Tour de France on Tuesday, a dazzling burst of acceleration from yesteryear that allowed him to keep second place. The seven-time champion was so buoyed by the performance that he said he could still contend for the yellow jersey if teammate and race leader […]

ROCKETS center Yao Ming had surgery Tuesday to repair a broken bone in his left foot. The team announced the surgery was performed at Memorial Hermann Hospital by Dr. Tom Clanton, the Rockets’ team physician, along with Dr. Bill McGarvey. Surgeons grafted bone onto the tarsal navicular bone and realigned his foot to reduce stress […]

ITALIAN champion Inter Milan declared Monday that Brazilian Lucio’s move was official, several days after Bayern Munich reported on its official Web site that the deal was done. “With all the paperwork now given into the offices of the Lega Nazionale Professionisti (the Italian FA) this afternoon, the purchase of the Brazilian international captain Lucimar […]

MANCHESTER City continued its spending spree with the signing of Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor for an undisclosed fee Saturday. The 25-year-old Togo international penned a five-year contract with the big-spending Premier League club. The side boasts Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz, also signed in the close season, plus Robinho, Craig Bellamy and Benjani Mwaruwari. […]

MICHAEL OWEN made an immediate impact in his Manchester United debut Saturday, coming off the bench to score with five minutes left in a 3-2 victory over a Malaysian all-star squad in the team’s Asian tour opener. The striker, who joined Man United on a free transfer from Newcastle, scored after the Premier League champions […]

HOUSTON center Yao Ming will have surgery on his broken left foot this week and will likely miss all of next season, the latest blow to the Rockets’ faltering bid to return to the NBA’s elite. Yao on Friday announced the decision and the team said there was no timetable set for Yao’s return, but […]