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PRETORIA, February 15 - The South African government is geared to put up a brave fight next week at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) where local “heroine” Caster Semenya will contest the IAAF’s impending new rules on hyperandrogenism, called "Eligibility Regulations for Female Classification (Athletes with Differences of Sex Development)". “Through our department of sport and recreation we have established...

Melbourne - Naomi Osaka has seized the Australian Open title and the number one ranking after defeating Petra Kvitova 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-4 in a drama-filled battle on Saturday in which she failed to take three championship points in the second set. It makes the 21-year-old Japanese fourth seed the first woman to win back-to-back grand slam titles since Serena Williams in 2015, after...

MELBOURNE, Australia — Serena Williams faced her first real test at this year's Australian Open and emerged with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory over No. 1-ranked Simona Halep to reach the quarterfinals. It was a back-and-forth match Monday night, filled with momentum swings and terrific play by both women. Williams gained control for good after saving three break points in a...

JOHANNESBURG, December 23 – Illustrating the fierce competitiveness of athletics at the moment, just five athletes will begin their 2019 seasons with unbeaten streaks of 10 or more competitions. Topping that list is world and Olympic champion Caster Semenya of South Africa, who extended her undefeated streak in the 800m to 29 finals this year, a campaign that included victories...

LOS ANGELES - WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder on Tuesday said he was eager for a rematch with Tyson Fury after the two undefeated boxers fought to a thrilling but controversial split decision draw on Saturday in Los Angeles. The American knocked his opponent down twice, including a brutal takedown in the 12th round, but the towering Fury controlled much...

ABU DHABI - Red Bull's Max Verstappen was fastest in first practice for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Friday but five times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton made sure everyone knew who was number one. With both titles already won by Mercedes for the fifth year in a row, Sunday's race should be a no-holds-barred battle for...

LONDON - European record holder Mo Farah is to run next year's London Marathon for the third time, organisers said on Tuesday. The multi-Olympic, world and European champion over 10,000 and 5,000 metres retired from the track after the 2017 season to concentrate full-time on the marathon, having dipped his toe in at London in 2014. In this year's race, he...

NEW YORK - Talk of a rematch with Floyd Mayweather must wait until after January's WBA welterweight title defence against Adrien Broner, Manny Pacquiao said on Monday. "Floyd, if he comes out of retirement, we will see after this fight," said Pacquiao when asked about former champion Mayweather at a news conference to promote his Jan. 19 fight with Broner...

JOHANNESBURG, November 19 - Despite a season in which she was unbeaten and set yet another national record in the women’s 800m, South Africa’s Caster Semenya was not one of the five finalists for female World Athlete of the Year announced by the IAAF on Monday. Semenya was one of the initial 10 nominees for female World Athlete of the...

TOKYO - Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather's proposed fight against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa will definitely go ahead on New Year's Eve, according to the CEO of the promotional company organising the mixed martial arts event. After announcing he would take on Nasukawa at the next Rizin Fighting Federation event in Saitama at a news conference in Tokyo this month, the...