Sports round-up

Athletics: Prague will host the 2015 European Indoor Championships, it was announced yesterday. The European Athletics Council made the decision after the Czech Athletics Federation presented their candidacy to host the 33rd edition of the event. Istanbul was the only other city to have presented a bid. Prague hosted the 1967 European Indoor Games, the precursor to the European Athletics Indoor Championships, and the 1978 European Athletics Champion-ships. The next European Indoor Championships are scheduled to be held between March 1-3, 2013 in the Swedish city of Gothenburg.

Golf: Tiger Woods’s bid to bounce back from a disastrous Masters ended abruptly as the 14-time major champion missed the cut at Quail Hollow. Woods carded a second-round 73 for an even-par total of 144, one shot outside the cut line of one-under 143. It marked the eighth time as a pro Woods has missed a cut – and the second time he has missed it at this event.

American Football: Junior Seau’s brain will be examined for evidence of repetitive injuries from his playing days following the retired line-backer’s suicide in his California home, a pastor for the family said, yesterday. Seau, who played for 20 years in the National Football League, was found unconscious at his home by his girlfriend on Wednesday with a gunshot wound to the chest. Pastor Shawn Mitchell, a former chaplain for Seau’s longtime team, San Diego Chargers, said he did not know who would study Seau’s brain.

Marathon: Cambodia has selected an eccentric Japanese comedian to compete in the marathon at the 2012 Olympics – but the country’s best long-distance runner is not amused. His record time may be seven minutes faster than that of Japan-born TV star Kuniaki Takizaki but Cambodian runner Hem Bunting will not be competing in London in August. The 27-year-old quit the national team last year after complaining about training conditions prompting the national federation to tap Takizaki for a wild card to the Games.

Giro D’Italia: American Taylor Phinney pulled on the race leader’s pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia after winning the opening stage time-trial held over 8.7km yesterday. BMC’s Phinney, 21, finished nine seconds ahead of another former individual pursuit specialist, Britain’s Geraint Thomas, with Dane Alex Rasmussen in third a further four seconds adrift. On what is his maiden participation in the three-week race, Phinney becomes the first American to wear the pink jersey since Christian Vande Velde, who took the race lead after winning the opening stage in Palermo in 2008.

Horse Racing: Irish favourite Camelot gave trainer Aidan O’Brien his sixth English 2000 Guineas and his 18-year-old jockey son Joseph his first in Newmarket yesterday as he edged out Qatar-owned French challenger French Fifteen by a neck. Camelot – the 15/8 shot – was brought with a late run by O’Brien to just get up and deny the Qatari race sponsors victory with French Fifteen (12/1) while another French runner, Hermival, was third at 16/1.