Greene denies drug-use claims

London: Former Olympic and world 100m champion Maurice Greene has denied claims that he used performance-enhancing drugs. Greene, who retired this year, was among 12 athletes cited by a witness in a US federal investigation as having been supplied with doping substances, a US daily reported on Saturday.

Greene said in Monday’s edition of a British daily that he had met with the alleged drug supplier but did not receive or use any drugs. “This is a bad situation for me,” he was quoted as saying. “My name’s coming up in something and it’s not true.”

Citing court filings, the US paper said that Angel Guillermo Heredia said he has provided prosecutors with the names of many elite track athletes and Olympic medal winners, as well as documentation. Among his clients, Heredia identified 12 Olympic medallists including Greene. “This is real messed up,” Greene told the British paper. “It’s an embarrassing situation. I have met him before and when he was talking to me, I told him I don’t believe in this stuff.”

Bronze for Narang

Beijing: Gagan Narang bagged a bronze medal in the men’s 10m air rifle in the ISSF World Cup while compatriots Abhinav Bindra and Pt Raghunath failed to make the finals of the event. Gagan fired 99, 99, 99, 100, 100, 100 and 100 to total 597 that earned him a place in the final. There, he shot 9.8, 10.4, 10.5, 10.9, 10.4, 10.6, 9.8 and 10.6 to tally 103.3 and his overall aggregate of 700.3 was good enough for bronze.

China’s Qinan Zhu (597+103.8) shot 700.8 to win the gold, while the silver went to American Matthew Emmons (599+101.7) who tallied 700.7.

Bindra shot 595 (99, 100, 99, 100, 99, 98) while Raghunath totalled 594 (100, 97, 99, 99, 100, 99).

Roger to try out Higueras

Geneva: Roger Federer says he will work with coach Jose Higueras at the Estoril Open in Portugal this week to see if the pair can “make a good team”. “I am excited as I have asked Jose Higueras, one of the most respected and accomplished coaches in the world of tennis, to join me,” the top-ranked player said on his official website on Monday. “We are going to spend the week together to see if we could make a good team.”

Federer begins the European clay court season at Estoril having failed to reach a final in four tournaments this year. Higueras is a clay specialist who coached a teenaged Michael Chang to the 1989 French Open title. The Spaniard also reached two semi-finals at Roland Garros and has also coached Americans Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Robby Ginepri.

Inter interest in Ronaldinho

Milan: Inter Milan has joined AC Milan in trying to sign Ronaldinho from FC Barcelona. Inter owner Massimo Moratti confirmed his club’s interest in the Brazil playmaker on Monday.

“I can say that there’s nothing definite yet,” Moratti said on Inter’s Web site. “I think that Milan wants to bring him aboard, but we too are interested. We’ll see. We have to evaluate several things before deciding, sounding out Barcelona and those close to the player.”

On Saturday, an Italian sports daily quoted Ronaldinho’s agent and brother, Robert de Assis, as saying that the player was a step closer to leaving Barcelona and joining AC Milan. Ronaldinho, who has been out with a muscle injury since the beginning of April and will probably miss the rest of the season, has a contract at Barcelona through 2010.

Ullrich case

Bonn: German prosecutors confirmed they have dropped a fraud investigation against former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich in return for a fine. The “six-figure” deal announced on Monday ends a 21-month-old investigation into whether the now retired rider defrauded his T-Mobile team by taking performance-enhancing drugs, thus increasing his income by illegal means.

The investigation by Bonn’s district attorney came after a private complaint. Monday’s decision, however, does not absolve Ullrich of doping, something he has always denied.

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