Global Sport

Freeman, Perec face offBRUSSELS: Olympic champion Marie-Jose Perec is to race Australia's Cathy Freeman, the favourite to win 400 metres a...

Freeman, Perec face off
BRUSSELS: Olympic champion Marie-Jose Perec is to race Australia8217;s Cathy Freeman, the favourite to win 400 metres at the Sydney Games, meet organizers said on Sunday.

The race, at the Van Damme Memorial, will be their first head-to-head meeting since 1996. Katharine Merry of Britain, one of the season8217;s top performers will complete a stellar trio for Friday8217;s race. 8220;It will look like the Olympic final,8221; she said. Freeman has been unbeaten at 400 for the last two years and the two-time reigning World champion underlined her gold medal favourite status clocking the season8217;s best time of 49.48 seconds at the Herculis Golden League meeting Friday.

Sanchez released from hospital
MASHANTUCKET CONNECTICUT: Prince Naseem Hamed was knocked down in the second round, bloodied by the third and had a point taken away in the fourth for hitting Augie Sanchez while he was down. Through it all, the WBO featherweight champion never stopped smiling. He stopped Sanchez at 2:34 of the fourth round to retain his title on Sunday.

Sanchez was taken out of the ring on a stretcher as precaution and whisked to the trauma center at Backus Hospital in Norwich where he was treated and released.

Nordics protest Sotomayor decision
STOCKHOLM: Sweden, Denmark and Norway decided on Monday to file a joint protest over the IAAF8217;s controversial decision to reduce World high jump record-holder Javier Sotomayor8217;s doping suspension.

8220;We just made an unanimous decision,8221; Swedish Track and Field Federation chairman Bengt Westerberg said in a telephone interview from Uppsala, where the Board was meeting. 8220;We have agreed to send a protest to the IAAF in the next few days,8221; Norwegian federation president Anne Thidemann said in Oslo, Norway. 8220;It8217;s important to emphasize our dissatisfaction8221;.

Johnson8217;s back on track
CHERRYRALEIGH NORTH CAROLINA: A now-healthy Michael Johnson says he will be ready for some fast times when he resumes racing this week in Brussels after a month-long rehabilitation from a hamstring injury at the US Olympic trials.

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8220;Hopefully the weather will cooperate enough that I can keep running 43s 43-second races,8221; said the 200 and 400-meter World record holder, who will be making his first return to the track since he and Maurice Greene pulled up lame in their 200-meter showdown at the American Olympic Trials in Sacramento.

Pollock welcomes indoor cricket
SINGAPORE: South African cricket captain Shaun Pollock said on Monday that he welcomes the introduction of indoor cricket and it could help make the game more popular.

8220;It was certainly a whole new experience playing at the Colonial indoor stadium in Melbourne and we quite enjoyed it,8221; he said. 8220;We had some problems adjusting to the lights that were scattered around the stadium, unlike at other venues where there are towers, but once we got used to them, it was fine.8221;

Australians ponder over the result
MELBOURNE: Australia were brooding on Monday on having let their three-match One-day cricket series against South Africa get away from them.Vice captain Adam Gilchrist said the one-all result in the series played for the first time indoors at the new Colonial Stadium had taught the Australian team a timely lesson. 8220;It gives us all something to work on in regards to preparation for Kenya and the season coming up,8221; the wicketkeeper-batsman said, referring to the October knock-out tournament in Nairobi.