Sport in brief: 27/06/2009

Marathon hopeful Yamauchi forced out by foot injury

Britain’s medal prospects two months out from the world championships in Berlin have not exactly been looking the brightest, what with only four athletes ranked in the world’s top 10 this year in events that will be contested there in August.

They were looking even dimmer yesterday with the news that one of the quartet will be missing because of injury. Ranked second in the marathon after finishing as runner-up to Germany’s Irina Mikitenko in London in April, Mara Yamauchi has withdrawn from the British team because of a foot problem. “After thinking it over very carefully, I have come to the conclusion that I will not beable to race competitively in Berlin,” she said. “There is insufficient time left to enable me to prepare properly for such a high quality race and reach the start line in 100 per cent top shape.”

It is a major blow both for Yamauchi and for Britain. Sixth in the Olympic marathon in Beijing, the Tokyo-based Oxford woman showed with her London run that she has broken into the elite global class and she would have been a strongly fancied medal contender in Berlin. Simon Turnbull

Drysdale turns on style but golden Goosen is still the man to beat

The best round of Scot David Drysdale's best-ever year on the European Tour was still not enough to dislodge Retief Goosen from the top of the leaderboard at the BMW International Open in Munich yesterday. Six behind Goosen overnight, the 34-year-old had an eagle and six birdies for a 64 which matched the South African's first-round effort. However, Goosen added a 68 to reach 12 under and retain the two-stroke lead he took into the second round.

Pay strikes Gold with double clear round to end Breen winning run

Jo Pay halted Shane Breen's run of success on Dorada when she defeated the Irishman in a two-horse jump-off at the British Jumping Derby meeting at Hickstead yesterday, repeating last year's success on Goodman Randi's Gold. Breen looked like winning without recourse to a jump-off until Randi's Gold completed the only other clear round. Dorada, who will compete in tomorrow's Derby event, had three fences down in the jump-off, leaving Pay to achieve an unhurried victory with her second clear round. Genevieve Murphy