26 Aug 2019

Today's sports news: what you need to know

12:41 pm on 26 August 2019

New Zealand canoe sprint star Lisa Carrington has collected a second gold medal at the World Championships in Hungary.

Lisa Carrington.

Lisa Carrington. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

A day after powering to a dominant win in the K1 200m, the two-time Olympic champion has taken out the K1 500m title final at Szeged.

Carrington bolted off the start line to establish an early one boat-length buffer and never relinqueshed the lead to win by 1.63 seconds from runner-up Volha Khudzenka of Belarus.

The 30-year-old has now won 17 World Championship medals, including ten golds, as she ensured NZ qualified a boat in the women's K1 500m at next year's Tokyo Olympics.

Carrington, who has won the last seven world titles in the K1 200m event, also contested the K4 500m final alongside Aimee Fisher, Caitlin Ryan and Kayla Imrie.

The quartet were third at the halfway point of the race, but fell off the pace to eventually finish fourth.

McIIroy gets biggest payday in golf

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland celebrates his victory as he holds the trophy at the conclusion of the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland celebrates his victory as he holds the trophy at the conclusion of the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Photo: Photosport

Golfer Rory McIlroy has won the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup in style in Atlanta collecting the biggest first prize in the sport, $23 and half million.

McIlroy beat Americans Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele with a four-under-par 66 in the final round at East Lake.

He finished at 18 under par, four shots ahead of Schauffele to claim the season-long FedEx Cup points competition for the second time on the PGA Tour, after his 2016 win.

McLaughlin equals Lowndes

Kiwi star Scott McLaughlin will look to break the Supercars' single-season victories record on home soil next month after back-to-back wins in South Australia.

McLaughlin equalled motorsport legend Craig Lowndes' 1996 record of 16 wins after taking race two from pole position on Sunday at The Bend SuperSprint.

Supercars competition leader Scott McLaughlin.

Supercars competition leader Scott McLaughlin. Photo: Photosport

DJR Team Penske gun McLaughlin has won 16 of 22 races this season and can break Lowndes' record next month at his home Auckland SuperSprint.

With nine races left in the season, the 26-year-old is well placed to obliterate the record in his Ford Mustang. His 41st career victory moves him to sixth on the list of overall winners.

The weekend marked a big turnaround from the same event last year when McLaughlin finished sixth and 10th. He leads the 2019 drivers' standings by a whopping 573 points.

- AAP

Serbia too good for Tall Blacks

The Tall Blacks have been put through another vigorous workout ahead of the Basketball World Cup.

With less than a week until their tournament opener against Brazil on Sunday, New Zealand have been beaten 88-78 by world number three ranked Serbia at the Four Nations tournament in Anshan.

Tai Webster

Tai Webster Photo: Basketball NZ

The size of the European heavyweights proved difficult to handle for the Tall Blacks, who lost the rebound count 43-28.

Tai Webster returned to form, posting 16 points as he and brother Corey shared the guard duties in the absence of Jarrod Kenny and Shea Ili who both sat the game out as they manage minor muscle strains.

The New Zealanders, who came into the Serbia game after two losses to Canada and defeat to France, play world number 13 Italy on Monday night in their final game of the Four Nations.

Koepka on track at Tour Championship

Brooks Koepka is in the driver's seat for a $US15 million payday unless a raft of big guns can reel the Tour Championship leader in during the final round in Atlanta, Georgia.

FARMINGDALE, NY - MAY 18:Brooks Koepka of the United States Tees off at the 1st hole during the third round of the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 18, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

US golfer Brooks Koepka. Photo: ©Icon Sportswire (A Division of XML Team Solutions) All Rights Reserved

World No.1 Koepka will take a one-shot lead into the final day at East Lake Golf Club having climbed to 15-under-par.

If Koepka can maintain his position atop the leaderboard through the final round, he will win the Tour Championship and the $US15 million FedEx Cup bonus.

But big guns McIroy (68) and Xander Schauffele (67) are hopeful of reeling in Koepka from their joint position of second at 14 under. England's Paul Casey (68) and Justin Thomas (71) are tied fourth at 11 under.

The third round was completed on the morning of the final day after being suspended due to a thunderstorm.

Six spectators were subsequently injured after a lightning bolt struck a tree on the course. Five were taken to hospital but had all been released, the PGA Tour said in a statement.

- AAP, Reuters

Pacific Cup for Paddon

Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon has won the FIA Pacific Rally Cup, part of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, at the Eureka Rush Rally in Victoria, Australia.

The Eureka Rally was the final event of four which counted for the APRC's Pacific Cup.

Hayden Paddon

Hayden Paddon Photo: Marcin Rybak

Paddon won the first two rounds in New Zealand, Otago and Whangarei, to top the Pacific Cup points table, while Australian competitor Harry Bates was the best placed Pacific Cup competitor at the first of the Australian rounds in Tasmania.

Paddon was the only New Zealander to contest the Eureka Rally, starting with 78 points to Bates' 39. With 39 points on offer for the top Pacific Cup competitor, Bates had a mathematical chance to level the score with Paddon.

Meanwhile Estonian Ott Tanak won his third consecutive Rally Germany to extend his lead over Hyundai's Thierry Neuville in the world championship to 33 points.

Kris Meeke and Jari-Matti Latvala finished second and third respectively to ensure a first clean sweep of the podium for the Japanese team since 1993 and the first in the world championship since this rally started four years ago.

Man City moving on up

Sergio Aguero has scored twice as Manchester City returned to winning ways with a 3-1 English Premier League victory at Bournemouth.

Sergio Aguero.

Sergio Aguero. Photo: Photosport

Aguero and Raheem Sterling put the reigning champions 2-0 up and though Harry Wilson scored from a free kick, Aguero grabbed his second on 64 minutes to seal the win.

The result moved City moved up to second, two points behind leaders Liverpool, while Bournemouth dropped to 10th.

Tottenham suffered their first defeat of the season as they slipped up with a 1-0 home defeat to Newcastle, with Joelinton scoring the only goal on 27 minutes.

Lucas Moura fired over the bar late on and Spurs had a penalty appeal turned down as Newcastle picked up their first points under new manager Steve Bruce.

A late penalty from Raul Jimenez salvaged Wolves a draw at home to Burnley.

Ashley Barnes's 13th-minute goal looked to be enough but Erik Pieters fouled Jimenez and the Spaniard stepped up to convert the penalty himself.

- PA