The big story: Jamaica stripped of 4 x 100m medal from 2008 Olympics, Bolt sees end of ‘triple-triple’

Ace Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt was stripped of his 4 x 100 metres relay gold medal from the Beijing 2008 Olympics after his teammate Nesta Carter was found guilty of doping. Bolt will now see his unique ‘triple-triple’ meet its end – the 30-year-old had won three gold medals in each of the Olympic games he has participated in.

Months ago, Bolt was aware of the possibility of losing a medal, and had stated that handing back the 4 x 100m gold medal was “not a problem” for him, “It’s heartbreaking [the positive test] because over the years you’ve worked hard to accumulate gold medals and work hard to be a champion.”

“But, it’s just one of those things. Things happen in life, so when it’s confirmed or whatever, if I need to give back my gold medal, I’d have to give it back, it’s not a problem for me,” Bolt was quoted as saying by the Guardian before the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

Other top stories

Cricket

  • Australian David Hussey has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after his Big Bash League side Melbourne Stars lost their semi-final to Perth Scorchers, “It’s a bit raw at the moment, a bit emotional. Just wait and see what happens,” reports Cricket Australia’s official website.
  • Sydney Sixers progressed to the final of the Big Bash League at the expense of Brisbane Heat through a one-over eliminator. The match was tied after 40 overs of cricket. For Sixers, Moises Henriques’ heroics took helped his side match Heat’s total.
  • Ahead of the first Twenty20 International at Kanpur between India and England, Eoin Morgan has stated that his current side are the best limited-overs outfit he has been a part of. “We’ve done some fantastic things. We’ve still got a long way to go,” Morgan said.  
  • Pakistan’s blind team were issued visas for the upcoming World Cup in India. “We plan to travel to India on January 28 as the championship begins from January 31 and we have already applied for clearances from the relevant government ministries to go to India,” a spokesperson from the PBCC was quoted as saying by the report.
  • Indian skipper Virat Kohli and the Indian blind team’s cricket captain Shekar Naik were awarded the Padma Shri. Shuttler PV Sindhu, wrestler Sakshi Malik, Indian hockey captain PR Sreejesh, gymnast Dipa Karmakar’s names also featured on the list, along with Mariyappan Thangavelu and Deepa Malik, who won gold and silver medals respectively in the Paralympics last year.
  • Australia coach Darren Lehmann called for the axing of former England star Kevin Pietersen from the Big Bash League for putting up poor performances. “Time for Stars to move KP on, spent too much money on him and didn’t win. Don’t want to listen to his excuses anymore,” Lehmann tweeted after the BBL semi-final between Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers.

Football

  • Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski stated that moving to Real Madrid and Barcelona would not be a step up for him, going on to say that the Bavarian giants were “on par” with the two Spanish powerhouses.
  • Barcelona coach Luis Enrique insisted that his side can cope without the injured Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets for the second leg of the Copa del Rey against Real Sociedad. 
  • Enrique also heaped praise on five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, opining that the Argentine has evolved into a “total footballer”, “As he’s so intelligent, he will be able to cover any potential physical weaknesses in the long-term,” Enrique said. 

Badminton

  • Defending champion Kidambi Srikanth beat compatriot Lakhanee Sarang in a tight encounter to reach the second round of the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in Lucknow on Wednesday.  
  • Meanwhile, Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu registered a comfortable 21-9 21-11 win over compatriot Anura Prabhudesai to enter the last 16.

Tennis

  • Police investigating the knife attack on two-time champion Petra Kvitova revealed that the 26-year-old was slashed at her home in Prostejov as a part of a blackmail plot. Kvitova suffered multiple injuries on her left hand while trying to shield herself from the intruder, and underwent an operation.