30 Sep 2019

Today's sports news: what you need to know

9:58 am on 30 September 2019
Lewis Hamilton has scored his fourth Grand Prix win of the year.

Mercedes have scored a one-two finish in Russia. Photo: Photosport

Latest - Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton has won the Russian Grand Prix in a surprise Mercedes one-two after Ferrari tripped over team orders and were undone by a virtual safety car they triggered.

The five-times world champion also banked a bonus for the fastest lap of the race to go 73 points clear of Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas with five races remaining.

The Briton cannot clinch the championship at the next race in Japan but Mexico, round 18 of 21, is looking a distinct possibility.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was third while team mate Sebastian Vettel, who resisted pressure to give back a lead gained at the start with the young Monegasque's assistance, retired.

Fraser-Pryce makes history with fourth 100m gold

Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won the 100 metres at the athletics world champs in Doha, becoming the first person to win four gold medals over the distance at the event.

Fraser-Pryce won in a season best time of 10.71 seconds.

Britain's Dina Asher-Smith was second and the Ivory Coast's Marie-Josee Ta Lou third.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Photo: Photosport

Once again there was a sparse crowd at the 40,000 Khalifa Stadium to watch the world's top sprinters perform.

With the upper sections of the stadium covered in signage and only the lower bowl open for spectators, there were still more empty seats than occupied ones even on a night when five gold medals were on offer.

By the time the women's 100m hit the track for their race, the last of the night the stadium had almost emptied.

American Allyson Felix has won gold for the US in the four by 400 metre mixed relay.

Felix now has 12 World Championship gold medals, one clear of the great Usain Bolt.

Lights go out in Tokyo

Rugby World Cup organisers have launched an investigation after two-thirds of the floodlights failed towards the end of the Australia and Wales at Tokyo Stadium.

Rugby World Cup organisers are investigating why the lights went out at the Tokyo Stadium.

Rugby World Cup organisers are investigating why the lights went out at the Tokyo Stadium. Photo: Photosport

Wales withstood a furious Australian comeback to secure a 29-25 win in the epic Pool D encounter, recording their first win over the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup since 1987.

The lights went out in the final 10 minutes but referee Romaine Polite chose to continue with the game.

Officials said after the match they would investigate what caused the lighting failure.

Meanwhile Georgia have brought Uruguay back to earth, scoring five tries in a 33-7 bonus- point victory in their Rugby World Cup pool clash in Japan.

Uruguay's victory over Fiji was the first upset of the tournament but Los Teros were unable to reproduce that effort with Georgia earning their first win of the tournament after an opening loss to Wales.

Pedersen pedals to win

Mads Pedersen wins the road cycling world championship in Harrogate.

Mads Pedersen wins the road cycling world championship in Harrogate. Photo: Supplied

Mads Pedersen has won a brutal, rain-ravaged race to become Denmark's first road world championship.

After an attritional 261km in diabolical weather conditions, the 23-year-old found himself in a three-man fight for gold and timed his sprint to perfection to beat Italian Matteo Trentin.

Swiss Stefan Kung was third.

Dutch favourite Mathieu van der Poel looked poised for victory but faded late on.

More than half of the field, including New Zealand riders Patrick Bevin, Shane Archbold, Jack Bauer and Dion Smith abandoned the race which was contested in torrential rain forcing Championship organisers to shorten the race on safety grounds.

Jones qualifies for second Tokyo Olympic event

New Zealand paddler Luuka Jones has qualified for a second event at next year's Tokyo Olympics.

Luuka Jones in action in the heats of the women's C1 at the 2019 world canoe slalom championships in Spain.

Photo: ICF Media

She's finished ninth in the C1 final at the world canoe slalom championships in Spain, 24 hours after claiming a bronze in the K1 final.

Jones claimed silver in the kayak discipline at the Rio Olympics before also starting to compete internationally in the canoe.

Fellow New Zealander Jack Dangen has failed to qualify for the final of the men's K1, after finishing 31st in his semi-final.

Bekele narrowly misses marathon world record

Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele fell two seconds short of the world marathon record as he won in Berlin in two hours one minute 41 seconds.

Kenenisa Bekele crosses the finish line in Berlin.

Kenenisa Bekele crosses the finish line in Berlin. Photo: Twitter

The former Olympic and world 5,000m and 10,000m champion, 37, missed out on Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge's 2:01:39, set in the same race last year.

Bekele's run is the second fastest marathon in history.

"I am very sorry. I am not lucky. But I still can do this. I don't give up," Bekele said.

Kipchoge was absent as he prepares for his sub-two-hour marathon attempt in Vienna in October.

Ashete Bekere won the women's race in 2:20:14, beating fellow Ethiopian Mare Dibaba by eight seconds in a sprint finish.

Breakers callup replacement for Obekpa

American power forward Brandon Ashley will replace injured import Chris Obekpa in the Breakers roster for the upcoming Australian basketball league season.

The 25-year-old, who's had two brief stints at the Dallas Mavericks, will arrive in Auckland this morning and immediately join up with his new team.

Ashley played for the Sacramento Kings in July's NBA Summer League following a good season with the Texas Legends in the 2017/18 G-League.

In 45 games, he averaged 30.8 minutes scoring an average of 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks.

Obekpa has cut from the Breakers roster on Saturday because of lingering knee problems.