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World Sports News Roundup
Australia
WORLD RECORDS FALL AT UCI TRACK
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Australia’s Anna Meares
broke her second world
record in the women’s
500m time trial at the
2012 UCI Track Cycling
World Championships to
blitz the field on the final
night of competition.
It was the eighth
world record of the
championships
which
were held on 4 – 8 April
in Melbourne, Australia.
The result was enough
to ensure the home team
stayed at the summit of the medal standings, finishing with
six gold, six silver and three bronze for the championships.
Great Britain finished in second position, also finishing with
six gold, but with four silver and three bronze medals.
However in the Olympic events it was Great Britain who
prevailed, winning five of the ten gold medals on offer.
Australia was next best with three, with Germany and
France finishing with one a piece.
Meares’ victory earned the 28-year-old her second rainbow
jersey of the championships and tenth world title to sit equal
with French track legend Felicia Ballanger as the winner of
the most world track titles in women’s events.
Her first world championship victory was won in the same
event at the same venue in 2004.
Other highlights included a move of pure genius on the final
turn by Sir Chris Hoy who shocked the field with what was
an unbelievable display of bike handling and pure speed
to take out the men’s keirin final. Hoy looked certain to be
caught four wide in an attempt to come over the top of New
Zealand’s Simon Van Veltooven, Germany’s Maximilian
Levy and compatriot Jason Kenny before the 36-year-old
slipped to the inside to find what appeared to most to be a
non-existent gap to race to his eleventh world title, and his
fourth in the keirin.
In the women’s individual pursuit, Alison Shanks picked up
New Zealand’s first gold medal of the championships.
USA
NBA ALL-STAR GAME GOING TO NEW
ORLEANS
New Orleans is slated to host the 63rd NBA All-Star Game
on Sunday, 16 February, 2014, it was announced by NBA
Commissioner David Stern.
The 2014 All-Star Game will be played at New Orleans
Arena, home of the Hornets, pending the completion of
arena and hotel agreements. This will mark the second
time that the NBA All-Star Game will be hosted in New
Orleans, having previously been held in the “Crescent
City” in 2008.
“There is no better place to celebrate and showcase
the NBA than in New Orleans, a city with a rich tradition
of hosting major events that is second-to-none,” said
Stern. “Our 2008 NBA All-Star festivities proved a terrific
experience for everyone involved, and we anticipate 2014
will be even better.”
Germany
SLINGSBY WINS FIFTH CHAMPIONSHIP
“Defending champion Tom Slingsby of Australia has won
his fifth world laser championship in Boltenhagen, northern
Germany.
The 27-year-old New South Welshman wrapped up the title
with a race to spare. The reigning world No.1 started the
day already 20 points ahead of his nearest rival, Croatia’s
Tonci Stipanovic.
And his second place in the day’s first race was enough to
gain an unassailable lead.
Slingsby sat out the final race and received treatment for
an ankle injury he sustained during the seven-day regatta.
Victory will be a major boost ahead of the London Olympics,
which Slingsby will now enter as overwhelming favourite
for the laser class gold medal.
Only one man, Brazil’s Robert Scheidt has won more Laser
world titles.Scheidt, who will compete in the Star at the
2012 Games, has eight to Slingsby’s five.
But the Australian yesterday signalled that he will move
away from the Laser after the Olympics.