The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Cycling: Ullrich admits to doping for the first time Posted: 22 Jun 2013 03:06 AM PDT
"Yes, I had access to treatment from Fuentes," the 1997 winner of the Tour de France told the Focus weekly in its edition to appear on Monday. "At that time, nearly everyone was using doping substances and I used nothing that the others were not using." Ullrich, who rose to prominence in cycling when he won gold and silver medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, said that he was motivated by the desire to be competing on a level playing field with his main rivals. "In my view you can only call it cheating on my part when it is clear that I have gained an unfair advantage," he argued. "That was not the case. All I wanted was everyone to have the same chances of winning." He also told Focus that he believed that the main factors contributing towards success in cycling were pure talent, effort, team spirit and the will to win and that the damage he had done by doping was mainly to himself, "It was myself who suffered most because of this episode as concerns my public image and what it meant for my own health," he said. "Now it is time to bring down the curtain on all of this. I want to look to the future and no longer be dragged back to the past." Ullrich's doping admission comes months after a similar public pronouncement by his greatest career rival and nemesis Lance Armstrong. The seven-time Tour de France winner, admitted to doping throughout his career in January and was subsequently stripped of his Tour titles and banned for life. Ullrich had three second-place finishes behind Armstrong in the Tour de France in 2000, 2001 and 2003 and was also runner-up behind Italian Marco Pantini in 1998, the year after he won the race. "We are both guilty," said Ullrich, referring to the American. "I am no better than Armstrong, but no worse either. "The great heroes of old are now people with failings that we've got to come to terms with. I always knew that even Lance Armstrong would not get away with it." Ullrich was barred from the Tour de France in 2006 amid speculation that he had used illegal substances. He retired from cycling in February, 2007, denying that he had ever cheated. He was later found guilty of a doping offence by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February, 2012 and was retroactively banned from August of that year with all results gained since May, 2005 wiped from his slate. - AFP, June 22, 2013. |
| Beckham apologizes for triggering stampede Posted: 21 Jun 2013 09:58 PM PDT International football superstar David Beckham has apologised for sparking a stampede at the Shanghai Tongji University. The famous footballer made his apology on his official China's twitter-like Sina Weibo account on Thursday, saying: "I had an incredible response from everyone at Shanghai Tongji University today. "Sorry I couldn't get out on the pitch to see the teams. It was impossible to get through the massive crowds. I heard there were a few injuries, hope the fans are okay and I wish them a speedy recovery," he said on the microblog. Beckham, who was appointed as China's first global soccer ambassador, is scheduled to make a seven-day promotional tour for the Chinese Super League in China. His arrival on Wednesday had triggered the stampede which resulted in seven people, namely three police officers, two security guards and two students being injured. It was reported that Beckham was to meet the university's football team when about 1000 fans stormed through a gate and broke through the human barricade formed by police and guards. Local media quoted Shanghai police as saying an investigation would be conducted. The stampede led to the cancellation of the interactive event between the university soccer team and Beckham, it said. It was reported that Beckham will continue his week-long tour with a trip to Hangzhou.- Bernama, June 21, 2013. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Sports To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan