Pistorius weeps, enters no plea

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) – In a courtroom, not an Olympic stadium, there was no click-clickclick of Oscar Pistorius’ prosthetic limbs. His only sound Friday was loud, uncontrollable sobs as prosecutors charged him with premeditated murder in the shooting death of his model girlfriend. “Take it easy,” Chief Magistrate Desmond Nasir told the Olympic star-turned-murder-defendant... 

Messi wins FIFA Ballon d’Or

ZURICH (AP) – Lionel Messi won the FIFA Ballon d’Or award on Monday as an expected reward for his astonishing 91-goal year for Barcelona and Argentina in 2012. Aged just 25, Messi has now been voted the world’s best player for an unprecedented fourth straight year as the outstanding talent of his generation.  Read More »

Olympic bottle thrower on trial

LONDON (AP) – A man got into the Olympic Stadium for the men’s 100-meter final at the London Games without a valid ticket and shouted abuse at Usain Bolt before throwing a plastic bottle onto the track, prosecutors said Thursday. Ashley Gill-Webb went on trial in London, five months after the incident took place on Aug. 5.  Read More »

Hoya’s firm signs Olympic medalist

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions has signed 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Ogogo and expects the British middleweight to make his pro ring debut in early 2013. ”Anthony Ogogo has everything you look for in a boxer,” said Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions.  Read More »

5 athletes may lose medals

LONDON (AP) ­- The IOC will hold hearings early next month for the five athletes whose doping samples came back positive in retests from the 2004 Athens Olympics, the final step that could lead to the stripping of several medals.  Read More »

Thorpe says he’s not gay

SYDNEY, (AFP) – Swimming legend Ian Thorpe admits he is a nerdy bookworm who hardly fits the stereotype of an Australian sportsman, but says rumours he is gay are simply not true. Launching his autobiography ”This is Me” on Wednesday, the five-time Olympic gold medallist opened up about his battle with depression and his failure to qualify for the London Games in his... 

Ang wins, but Rosario loses

Manila, Philippines – Olympian Eric Ang won the trap gold medal for a record 10th time but London Games veteran Brian Rosario lost to Gabriel Tong in stunning upset in the skeet event of the shotgun competition in the Philippine National Shooting Association’s 2012 National Open held over the weekend at the Marines Shooting Range in Fort Bonifacio, Makati.  Read More »

Bolt fast, impressive in Lausanne

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) – Usain Bolt was fast and impressive at the Athletissima Diamond League meeting on Thursday. Yohan Blake was fast and maybe even more impressive. Bolt, the Olympic champion and world record holder over 100 and 200 meters, timed 19.58 seconds in the fastest 200 ever run at the speedy Lausanne track.  Read More »

Nadal out of US Open

NEW YORK (AP) ­ – Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam count will stay stuck at 11 for now, sidetracked by another knee problem. The third-ranked Spaniard withdrew from the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Tendinitis has kept him out of action since his stunning loss at Wimbledon in late June.  Read More »

US tops with 46 golds

LONDON (AP) – A rocking night of performances by Annie Lennox, Eric Idle, George Michael and others inside the Olympic Stadium on Sunday marked a triumphant end to the London Games, where the United States topped the medals chart and host country Britain surpassed expectations. The last American gold of the Olympics did not come easily, as a U.S. basketball team that included Lebron...