Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - Tokyo Olympic cyclist Bryony Botha has become the third fastest female pursuiter in history.

The 24-year-old has clocked 3:19.818 to win the 3000m individual pursuit title at the National Track Championships in Cambridge on Friday.

Only two women have gone faster in American world record holder Chloe Dygert (3:16.937) and German world champion Lisa Brennauer (3:18.258).

Botha's effort came just a day after she had already recorded a national record of 3:21.506 in qualifying.

Last month Botha broke the national record of Olympic gold medallist and then world record holder, Sarah Ulmer, which had stood for 18 years.

Botha recorded 3:24.256 at the Waikato-Auckland Championships in Cambridge, which was 0.3s under Ulmer's time for the 3000m individual pursuit.

World Cup qualifier disrupted by Covid

A set back for the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournament in Qatar with this morning's opening game between Tahiti and Vanuatu called off because of positive Covid-19 cases in the Vanuatu squad.

The tests were conducted prior to the Vanuatu squad departing their team hotel for the stadium.

Vanuatu would not have had enough players to field a team.

OFC is yet to make a statement on the future of the game.

In the other game on the opening day, beaten finalists from the last tournament in 2017, the Solomon Islands beat the Cook Islands 2-0.

New Zealand's opening game is against Papua New Guinea tomorrow.

Vettel out of opener

Germany's Nico Hulkenberg will replace compatriot Sebastian Vettel in the Aston Martin Formula One team for this weekend's Bahrain season-opener after the four times world champion tested positive for COVID-19.

Hulkenberg is the team's reserve driver and has stood in for them three times already since he last raced full time in Formula One with Renault in 2019.

The 34-year-old replaced Mexican Sergio Perez twice and Canadian Lance Stroll once in 2020 when the Silverstone-based team competed as Racing Point, with both drivers testing positive for COVID-19.

His last race was the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring, when he replaced Stroll.

The 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours winner has started 179 Formula One grands prix, without standing on the podium, in a career that began with Williams in 2010 and included stints with Aston Martin's predecessors Force India.

He holds the F1 record for most starts without a top three finish.

Vettel is the second driver to test positive for COVID-19 this month, with McLaren's Australian Daniel Ricciardo returning to the paddock yesterday after a period of isolation.

-Reuters

Storm sneak home against bunnies

The Melbourne Storm held off a fast finishing South Sydney to ensure supercoach Craig Bellamy celebrated his 500th game in style with a 15-14 golden point win in Melbourne.

Leading 14-0 with 12 minutes to play the Storm conceded three quick tries to see their lead cut to two before a booming two-point field goal from 48 metres out by Latrell Mitchell sent the game to golden point.

Ryan Papenhuyzen then stepped up in the 84th minute to nail the field goal which handed the home side the win.

Tonight the Dragons play the Panthers and the Roosters play the Sea Eagles.

The Warriors play the Titans on the Gold Coast tomorrow

Dennis Lillee pays tribute to Rod Marsh

Former Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee led the tributes at much-loved cricketer Rod Marsh's funeral on Thursday, describing the wicketkeeper-batsman who died earlier this month as a unique man with whom he developed a lasting friendship.

Marsh, who played 96 tests in the 1970s and 1980s, died at the age of 74 in Adelaide, eight days after suffering a heart attack while on his way to a charity event in Queensland.

"Caught Marsh, bowled Lillee" appeared on test scorecards 95 times as the moustachioed Western Australian combination wreaked havoc on opposing batting orders in a golden era for cricket Down Under.

"It's taken me days to be able to write my thoughts down on this amazing bloke," Lillee said in Adelaide. "I don't want to talk about his cricket ability because that's been very well documented - it's the person Rod Marsh that I loved.

Lillee, who made his test debut in the same Ashes series as Marsh, told around 800 people in attendance that his friendship with the wicketkeeper did not get off to the best start.

"One day after a day's play, him, unusually with a beer in his hand and me pouring a full-strength soft drink ready to chat, he said to me, 'I gotta tell you, I don't trust you'," Lillee said to laughter.

"Gradually our friendship blossomed. I miss my mate and will keep remembering the good times. He was a one-off."

-Reuters

No Curry for a month

Golden State Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a sprained ligament in his left foot.

ESPN reported the Warriors are optimistic Curry can return by the start of the NBA playoffs next month.

Curry underwent an MRI immediately following the Warriors' 110-88 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday at San Francisco.

The injury occurred with just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter when Boston's Marcus Smart landed on the back of Curry's leg while diving for possession of the ball.

Curry had his foot twist awkwardly in the incident, and shortly thereafter had to be removed from the game. He headed straight to the locker room, walking under his own power.

Curry, 34, holds team-leading averages in points (25.5) and assists (6.3) to go along with 5.2 rebounds in 64 games this season.

-Reuters

Another title for Shiffrin

Mikaela Shiffrin claimed the overall World Cup ski title with two races to spare when she took second place in the final super-G of the season in Courchevel, France.

The American opened an unassailable 236-point lead at the top of the standings over second-place Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, who finished in 17th place outside the points.

Shiffrin, who now has four overall World Cup titles to her name and three Olympic medals, recovered from a disappointing outing in the Beijing Winter Games to finish the season in style.

Shiffrin, who won three consecutive overall World Cup titles from 2017-19, is now level with fellow American Lindsey Vonn on four, two shy of the women's record of Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell, winner from 1971-75 and in 1979.

Another Austrian, Marcel Hirscher, holds the record with eight titles in a row from 2012-19.

Queenstown's Alice Robinson finishes her season with an 18th place finish in France

-Reuters

Indonesia ready for return of bikes

Indonesia will host a sellout crowd this weekend for its first motorcycle grand prix event in a quarter of a century, as MotoGP comes to the resort island of Lombok for the second race of the season.

Indonesia has reassured organisers that the track on the 4.3 kilometre Mandalika International Street Circuit is race-ready, with repairs completed following complaints during testing last month about dirt, rocks and cracks putting riders in danger.

The archipelago nation last hosted a grand prix in 1996 and 1997, but the buzz of motorcycle engines never left, with tens of millions of motorcycles in use in Indonesia, where monthly sales averaged 421,000 units last year.

Competitors met with Indonesian leader Joko Widodo on Wednesday and took a ride around the streets outside the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, among them six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez and 2020 winner Joan Mir, as crowds waved and cheered from the roadside.

But the choice of Lombok as the venue has courted controversy, with United Nations experts raising concerns about what they called aggressive land grabs and forced eviction of indigenous people as part of a major tourism project that includes the circuit.

-Reuters

Saints keen on Watson

The Saints have met with Deshaun Watson for a second time.

That's one more reported meeting than the Houston Texans quarterback has had with the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers or any other suitors.

Multiple outlets reported that the Browns have been notified they are no longer in the running for Watson.

New Orleans has created nearly $44 million in cap space by recently restructuring several veterans' contracts, per ESPN.

Watson, 26, carries a $50 million cap hit on his current contract, which also includes a no-trade clause.

Watson did not play last season after 20 women accused him of sexual misconduct. He was not indicted but remains the subject of civil lawsuits.

Watson passed for a career-high 4,823 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2020 following a landmark contract extension with the Texans worth $226 million over four years.

-Reuters