Ethiopia sweeps Paris marathon

Paris: Ethiopian Abrha Milaw upstaged two-time defending champion Paul Lonyangata to win the Paris Marathon on Sunday. Milaw clocked 2hr 07min 05sec, with Kenyan rival Lonyangata coming in third as 49,155 runners took to the streets of the French capital in cold, clear conditions. Gelete Burka produced a spurt of extra gas in the final kilometre to ensure an Ethiopian winner in the women's race with a time of 2:22:48. France's Clemence Calvin, who was only cleared to race on Friday after the last-minute lifting of a temporary ban for evading a doping test last month in Morocco, smashed the French women's record. Calvin finished fourth in 2:23:41, bettering by 41 seconds the previous national record set by Christelle Daunay in 2010. It also bettered by almost three minutes her own previous best of 2:26:28 which she set when finishing second in the European championships in Berlin last year.

Timo Werner set to leave Leipzig

Munich: RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff admitted on Saturday that Bayern Munich target Timo Werner is on the verge of leaving the club. Germany striker Werner joined Leipzig in 2016 and has scored 59 goals in 108 games for the Bundesliga side. He has been frequently linked with a move to champions Bayern, and touted as a long-term replacement for star striker Robert Lewandowski. With his contract set to expire in 2020, Leipzig had hoped that Werner would sign an extension, but on Saturday, CEO Mintzlaff admitted that this was now unlikely. "It's well-known that we want to keep hold of him and extend his contract, but he has indicated that he does not want to sign an extension," Mintzlaff told Sky. "We are in reasonable discussions with him and we will find a solution that suits everybody. We have to see what the right thing to do is, for us and for Timo."

Norwich closer to PL return

London: Prolific striker Teemu Pukki's 27th goal of the season edged Norwich closer to a return to the Premier League as they came from 1-0 down to draw 1-1 with Championship strugglers Wigan. The 29-year-old Finnish international's delightful finish nine minutes from time gives Norwich a four-point advantage over Leeds United with four games remaining. Leeds — seeking a return to the Premier League for the first time in 15 years — moved into the second and last automatic promotion spot on Saturday due to a deserved 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. Wednesday's city rivals Sheffield United had been held to a 1-1 draw on Saturday leaving them three points adrift of Leeds.

Thiem confirms split with coach

Paris: Dominic Thiem confirmed on Sunday's opening day of the Monte Carlo Masters that he has all but split from longtime coach Gunter Bresnik. The 26-year-old who played the 2018 French Open final against Rafael Nadal and won the Indian Wells Masters title on hardcourt a month ago for a career breakthrough, explained the parting of ways. "We've been together 15 years, he will stay on my team - but tennis-wise, it's over." "We had some great training before Indian Wells," number five Thiem said. "We achieved a title and have a great relationship. "He has added many good things to my game. He also grew up on clay, which is my favourite surface. "I'm expecting good things to happen."

Zaza scores, sees red in 1-1 draw 

Turin: Simone Zaza scored for Torino before seeing red as the northerners missed a chance to move into the European places in a fiery 1-1 draw against nine-man Cagliari on Sunday, with three red and nine yellow cards handed out. Three players were sent off in the second-half including Zaza who had opened the scoring after 52 minutes after connecting with a perfect low cross from Armando Izzo for his third goal this season. But the Italian forward was sent off on 74 minutes for arguing with referee Massimiliano Irrati over a free kick awarded against him. Cagliari pulled level a minute later when Leonardo Pavoletti headed in a Luca Cigarini cross, with the goal confirmed following a long VAR review. But there was more late drama with Cagliari having two players sent off for second bookings.