Sports RoundUp May 22

• Source: The Global Times
• [23:39 May 21 2009]
• Comments

Athletics

Gebrselassie set to run Berlin Marathon

Ethiopian long-distance great Haile Gebrselassie said yesterday that he was gunning for his own world record in September’s Berlin Marathon.

The 36-year-old became the first athlete to go under the two hours and four minutes’ mark on the notoriously-fast Berlin course last year and confirmed he will take part in this year’s race on September 20. But the two-time Olympic 10,000-meter champion will not run the marathon at the Berlin World Championships in August.

Along with the New York, London, Chicago and Boston races, the Berlin long-distance event is one of the world’s premier marathons.

Tennis

Sampras to play Agassi in Macau

Tennis legends Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi will renew their epic rivalry later this year for the first time since the US Open final in 2002.
The two Americans, who have won 22 Grand Slams in all, have not faced off since Sampras won that classic match and then retired. They played each other 34 times and Sampras won 20 of those encounters.

The old rivals will be back on court in front of 15,000 fans at the Venetian Macau Showdown for an exhibition on October 25.

Cricket

Pakistan’s Akhtar pulled from Twenty20

Pakistan pulled fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar out of next month’s World Twenty20 tournament in England due to a groin injury, the Pakistan Cricket Board said yesterday.

Fitness concerns have continued to plague the 33-year-old bowler, who captained the squads’ conditioning camp for the World Twenty20 and was not featuring in any of their last three practice matches.

Pakistan are placed in Group B alongside hosts England and the Netherlands.

Baseball

Ortiz ends home run drought

Boston’s David Ortiz ended his career-record home run drought with a two-run homer in the fifth inning against Toronto yesterday.

It was Ortiz’s first home run in 149 at-bats, the longest dry-spell of his career. That included 135 at-bats this season for the Red Sox designated hitter, whose last previous homer had come September 22.

Ortiz grounded out and struck out in his previous two at-bats against the Blue Jays, dropping his batting average to .200. He belted a two-run homer to center field off rookie Brett Cecil, one of four homers Boston had off Cecil in the fifth.