Raf Casert
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/ 1 June 2008

Pistorius starts bid for Beijing

After he dipped across the line on Saturday and his Cheetah runner blades finally came to a standstill, Oscar Pistorius realised it was almost too good to be true. He was running competitively again. And despite being a double amputee, he was embarking on his bid to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

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/ 31 May 2008

Pistorius gets down to business

Good thing Oscar Pistorius loves running from behind. The double-amputee sprinter hasn’t fully given up on competing in the Beijing Olympics, but realises it will take a major effort to qualify in time, considering he was only cleared to run by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on May 16.

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/ 13 January 2008

Pistorius wants crack at Olympics

All Oscar Pistorius wants is a shot at the Olympics. But such a simple wish has turned into a contentious issue that is dividing sports fans and professors alike — even half a world away from the South African practice tracks where the double-amputee sprinter dreams of running on his artificial blades in Beijing.

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/ 21 December 2007

Another year of doping leaves cycling tainted

Under a golden sun, Paolo Bettini capped a perfect day for cycling by outracing, outwitting and, finally, outsprinting everyone to win the world road race title. If ever there were a glorious highlight to a season, that was it. As the Italian crossed the line, though, there was little joy because he had been involved in a doping scandal.

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/ 15 March 2007

Chelsea close gap on United

Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 on Wednesday to close within six points of English Premier League leaders Manchester United. Frank Lampard converted a penalty in the 28th minute for his 20th goal of the season after winger Salomon Kalou was fouled by defender Micah Richards.

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/ 18 September 2006

Italy win first Fed Cup title

Italy won its first Fed Cup title Sunday, beating Belgium 3-2 after Justine Henin-Hardenne retired with an knee injury during the deciding doubles match. The French Open champion won both her singles matches this weekend despite several health complaints, but she was forced to abandon the final in the third set of the decisive doubles when a knee muscle gave way.

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/ 16 September 2006

Henin-Hardenne edges Pennetta

Count on Justine Henin-Hardenne to draw a weakened Belgium level with Italy in the Fed Cup final. Trying to win a second major title this year after playing all four Grand Slam finals, the French Open champion edged Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday to keep Belgium and Italy tied 1-1 on the opening day.

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/ 14 December 2005

Why Bosman is bitter 10 years on

Jean-Marc Bosman five-year court battle ended victoriously in 1995, allowing players to move without transfer fees and effectively ending European leagues from limiting players from other European countries. But now, he’s asking himself whether he really won anything.

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/ 14 August 2005

Dibaba completes double at world athletics meet

On a day made for doubles, Tirunesh Dibaba clinched an unprecedented long-distance sweep and sprinter Lauryn Williams added a second gold by helping the United States win the 400m relay on Saturday at the World Athletics Championships. The 19-year-old Dibaba successfully defended her title in the 5 000m race.