All Aussies AUSTRALIANS David Palmer and Rachel Grinham successfully defended their British Squash Open titles in the final at the Royal Albert Hall in Nottingham. Top seed Grinham beat fourth seeded American Natalie Grainger 3-9 9-5 9-0 9-3 in a 41-minute final. Palmer, the third seed, also needed four games to beat world champion Amr Shabana of Egypt in a physical final. Both players were warned by the referee before Palmer prevailed 10-11 11-7 11-0 11-7 to retain his title. Grinham admitted she had not felt ready for the tournament after taking a month's break since the World Team Championships in October. "But they were going to have to beat me," she said. "I wasn't going to sit down and just lose." "I knew Natalie would start off strong. She always does." "She wins a lot of her matches by overwhelming her opponents from the off -- and she began to do that. "But I stuck with her and eventually took control. But I feel so tired right now. It's been a really long week." Palmer said the opening game had been significant in his victory. "That was tough. British Open finals don't come easy," agreed the 28-year-old champion from New South Wales after the 89- minute victory. "Shabana's a great shot player and he proved that again. "That first game was crucial. I didn't win it but I extended Shabana and it paid dividends. I knew if I got 2-1 up, I'd be hard to beat, but he came back strong in the fourth." Nightmare over PAULA RADCLIFFE said victory was all that mattered after she shook off her Athens nightmare by winning the New York Marathon on Sunday. Radcliffe outfoxed Kenya's Susan Chepkemei in the final kilometres to win in a time of two hours, 23 minutes and 10 seconds. The time was almost eight minutes off her world record but she said: "That doesn't matter at all. Coming here and winning was all that really mattered." The 30-year-old said she had enjoyed her return to the marathon and had not suffered like she had at the Olympics. "It's good to be back, feeling like myself and enjoying it," Radcliffe said. "I felt totally different. I felt totally myself. "The point where I felt tired, they were normal tired -- legs tired. There was nothing of the dead, an empty feeling that I had in Athens." Radcliffe paid tribute to the fans who had cheered her on in New York and said the marathon was still her favoured distance. "There was a hell of a lot of British support out there and thank you very much for that," she added. "I was just confident in hanging on and running hard in the closing stages to win the race. "I think the marathon is still my future." London vision LONDON has unveiled its vision for hosting the 2012 Olympics with an Olympic Park within east London. The new 500-acre site will contain the Olympic Stadium, aquatics centre, velodrome, three sports arenas, a hockey centre and media facilities. Bid chairman Lord Coe said: "Our stadium will provide the best natural conditions for the world's athletes." London will submit its official bid document for the Games on the deadline date of Monday 15 November. Coe added: "We aim to end up with the best collection of sports facilities in Europe, maybe anywhere in the world." The 500-acre site will also contain the Olympic Village, in which 17,800 athletes and officials will be housed. The inspiration for the main stadium is the human form, with a roof wrapping itself "in a similar way that muscles support and represent the human body", according to those behind the project. Chief designer Alejandro Zaero-Pollo, of Foreign Office Architects, added: "We're trying to make the building communicate physical strength, sport and movement. "We are not creating another Olympic Village that is just a series of nice, white, modern buildings on a flat land... but something that will grow out of the specific conditions and form of the Lea Valley, making it totally unique." London faces competition from Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow to host the Games in eight years time. Assisting Mutu ADRIAN MUTU has been given a football lifeline days after being banned from playing for failing a drugs test. The former Chelsea striker, sacked by the club in October, has been offered a job as assistant coach of Romania. "I have invited Mutu to join the team during his break to become my assistant coach," Romania boss Anghel Iordanescu told the News of the World. "Adrian made a big mistake but he is still ours. I'm sure he will come back from this and we want to help him." Iordanescu added: "He has the ability because he is a strong individual and has the support of everybody in Romania. "Fans who don't agree with me should not forget that Adrian won two games for us almost single-handedly. "I have heard many people executing him with their comments, saying that they are ashamed to be the same nationality as Mutu. They are stupid people. The boy must be helped." Back again FORMER Formula One world champion Mika Hakkinen has ended a three-year absence from motorsport by agreeing to compete in the German Touring Car Championship. The 36-year-old Finn, who won F1 titles in 1998 and 1999 with McLaren, retired to spend more time with his son Hugo. But he has accepted the offer to drive for Mercedes in touring cars. "I have close ties to Mercedes and look forward to taking part in the Touring Car Championship next year. My target is obviously to win it," said Hakkinen. During his 10-year McLaren career, Hakkinen won 20 Grands Prix and achieved 26 pole positions. He had been linked with a move back into F1 in recent months, with Williams and BAR mentioned as possible destinations. But he has opted for a new challenge in touring cars and will drive the AMG-Mercedes C-Class in 2005. "After the end of my Formula One career in 2001, I soon realised that I was not ready to retire for good," he said. "It was just the right moment that Mercedes-Benz offered me to test a DTM [Deutschen Tourenwagen Masters] car. "I saw immediately that I still enjoy racing very much and during the test three weeks ago, my lap times were at the same level as those of the touring car specialists." Liking winning AMELIE MAURESMO retained her Advanta Championships title in Philadelphia, beating Vera Zvonareva 3-6 6-2 6-2. The top seed, who had a semi-final walkover, was only broken once as she won her fifth title of the season. Mauresmo began falteringly, double- faulting to hand her opponent the first set, but soon took charge. She controlled the match from the baseline and produced a variety of shots as the Russian began to lose her composure, before wrapping up the win. Although the first set was closely fought, as the match wore on Mauresmo made light of a thigh injury to justify her top seeding by dominating the match. Big overhead shots and some deft passing shots seemed to confuse the sixth seed, who was caught off balance as Mauresmo mixed up the strokes. Zvonareva wasted a good chance when 2-1 down in the third set, putting the ball in the net when Mauresmo was out of position, and when she went 4-1 down in the set, she slammed her racquet into the ground and shouted at herself. It was a second title in as many weeks for Mauresmo, who won in Austria last week, but the Athens Olympic silver medalist said the fact she had retained the title was what mattered to her. "I've never held a title before and it's excellent for my confidence," she said. "It's the mark of consistency that I have acquired in 2004. "I have gained a lot of confidence in these past months that helped me in the match here." Third title MARAT SAFIN won his third Paris Masters title with a 6-3 7-6 (7- 5) 6-3 win over Radek Stepanek. The Czech was in his first final in eight years but had no reply to Safin's array of strokes. He took the first set in 35 minutes and showed his class when he came back from 4-2 down to win the next on a tiebreak. Three love service games in a row followed by a break of serve put Safin in control of the third set and on his way to victory. It was a third tournament victory of the year for the Russian, who began the year ranked 86th in the world but will now finish it as world No 4. Safin raced through the first set, breaking his opponent in the second game and having two set points in the eighth game, which he failed to convert. A double backhand drive saw Safin clinch the first set, and he went 2-1 up in the second with a backhand that clipped the top of the net and looped over the head of a stranded Stepanek. The Czech then staged somewhat of a comeback, taking the Russian to a tiebreak, but lost it when he put a backhand volley wide, and with that went his serious hopes of victory. Safin began the third set strongly and having reached 5-3, then had to survive two break points before a long forehand return by Stepanek confirmed Safin's victory. Message in a fist KOSTYA TSZYU sent out a message to Ricky Hatton and other would-be light welterweight challengers by crushing Sharmba Mitchell in Phoenix. The Australian, who had not fought for 22 months, stopped Mitchell in the third round to retain his IBF title. Tszyu sent his opponent to the canvas with a straight right in the second round and asserted his authority again with another massive right. Mitchell fought on gamely but referee Raul Caiz was then forced to intervene. Tszyu, 35, improved his record to 31-1, while condemning Mitchell to his fourth loss in 59 pro fights. American Mitchell also lost the pair's first encounter in 2001. Mitchell was unable to take advantage of a small vertical cut over the inside of Tszyu's left eye, the product of an accidental head butt in the first round. British WBU holder Hatton was on hand to stake his claim to a crack at the Australian champion's crown, as was WBA champion Vivian Harris. And Tszyu, who had previously hinted at retirement, talked up his chances of fighting on, saying he would take on "any big names" in the division. "I believe the two years off has only added longevity to my career," he said. "I am smarter than I was. The time off gave me a lot of time to think. I know how to fight, and I studied and worked very hard for this. It was two years in the making." Tszyu added: "I told you I had a surprise, but I never expected this fight to end so early. "I knew all along that the right hand would work for me. I worked really hard. I was very confident. This is a great victory for me." Claiming the crown ARGENTINA's Aldo Rios claimed Jason Cook's IBO lightweight crown with a third-round stoppage in Hereford. Cook opened confidently, looking to off-load powerful left hooks, but Rios looked classier and landed with some sharp counter-shots. The challenger began to off-load in the second, shaking Cook with a right. A straight right dropped Cook in the third, the Welshman climbing to his feet but proving defenceless from the next attack as the referee stopped it. The loss was just the second of Cook's career, taking the 29-year- old's record to 23-2-0 (10 KOs). Thirty-year-old Rios' record moves to 39-3-0 (8 KOs), this proving his first win outside Argentina, although each defeat was against world-class opposition. Cook vowed to come back from the defeat, saying: "I took things a bit easy and got caught cold more than anything. This may have been a step too far, but I'll be back. "I made the weight all right, but maybe it's time to step up, I'm strong enough to carry my weight. "I had a setback earlier in my career and came back with 18 good wins, so I'll be back this time." Doncaster's best FRANKIE DETTORI has been crowned champion jockey for the third time at Doncaster. The Italian, whose previous titles came in 1994 and 1995, finished the season on 192 winners, 15 ahead of rival and six-time champion Kieren Fallon. "It has been a fascinating season and I was pushed by some great guys," said Dettori. "I've achieved my goal so I just want to put my feet up now." Dettori dedicated his title win to his wife Catherine, who is currently expecting their fifth child. "She gave me the push to go out and do it. She set the snowball rolling," he said. Dettori's wife and four children were on hand to see him and Fallon showered in champagne by their weighing-room colleagues during the presentation ceremony. Dettori singled out Doyen's win in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes as the highlight of his season. And the 33-year-old added that he would be making every effort to retain his title next season. "It's going to be hard because Kieren is a very determined person," said Dettori. Outgoing champion Fallon was gracious in defeat. "Frankie is a good friend of mine and I am happy for him," said the Irishman. "He's had a great season. He deserves it." There was some consolation for Fallon, champion for six of the last seven years, when he won the day's big race, the November Handicap, on Carte Diamond. $5 million mare THE MOTHER of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones has been sold for $5 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Selected Sale. I'll Get Along was sold to Olin Gentry and Thomas Gaines. The 12-year-old bay mare is now in foal to Elusive Quality, the sire of Smarty Jones. "When I looked at the mare, I saw Smarty Jones written all over her," said Gaines, son of thoroughbred breeder and Breeders' Cup founder John R Gaines. "That's what I love about her." I'll Get Along will give birth to a full sibling to Smarty Jones next year. Gentry called Smarty Jones "probably the most exceptional horse we've seen in training in 20 years. They just don't come along like that very often. Let's hope she [I'll Get Along] can do it again." I'll Get Along's value skyrocketed after Smarty Jones won his first six starts this year, including the first two legs of the Triple Crown. The colt lost to Birdstone in the Belmont Stakes, failing to become the 12th Triple Crown winner and the first since Affirmed in 1978. Smarty Jones, still a contender for Horse of the Year, was retired in August because of chronic bruising in all four hooves. Roy and Pat Chapman, Smarty Jones' owners, bought I'll Get Along for $40,000 at the 1993 Keeneland September sale. The daughter of sprint champion Smile, out of Don't Worry Bout Me, earned $276,969 in a five-year racing career before the Chapmans retired her in 1999 for breeding. Smarty Jones was her second foal. Her current foal will be her fifth. Charlton dead SNOOKER legend Eddie Charlton has died at the age of 75. The Australian, beaten in three World Championship finals, died in a New Zealand hospital after an operation, said the World Pool Association. "Eddie was still playing the game he loved right to the end and will be best known for appearing in Pot Black," said WPA president Ian Anderson. A hospital spokesman said Charlton, who had been suffering with illness for a while, was admitted at the weekend. Charlton won the Pot Black title three times in the 1970s to add to successes at the World Match Play Championship and the World Open Snooker Championship. He is survived by five children and eight grandchildren.
