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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2016/sports/03/08/masha_030816.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Maria Sharapova speaks to the media announcing a failed drug test after the Australian Open during a press conference today at The LA Hotel Downtown. <em>Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters.</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>Sharapova&#x27;s failed dope test shines light on Meldonium</strong></div><div><strong>Agence France-Presse</strong></div><p>Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova&#x27;s tense admission that she failed a dope test at the Australian Open shone a spotlight on Meldonium, added to the World Anti-Doping Agency&#x27;s banned list this year.</p><p>Sharapova said on Monday she had taken the drug on medical advice since 2006 under the name mildronate for a variety of symptoms.</p><p>Although she said she took it for health reasons, and not as a performance enhancer, she became the most high-profile athlete to test positive for the drug used to treat ischemia, a lack of blood flow to parts of the body.</p><p>The drug is manufactured in Latvia and prescribed to treat heart disease, although it is not approved by US regulators.</p><p>The increase in blood flow it produces could improve endurance and recovery time after exercise and WADA moved it from the &quot;monitored&quot; to the &quot;prohibited&quot; drugs list &quot;because of evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance,&quot; the anti-doping body said in a statement.</p><p>The ban approved last September came into effect on January 1.</p><p>(READ: <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/tennis/news/2016/03/08/sharapova-says-failed-drug-test-penalty-unknown-9472"><strong>Sharapova says she failed drug test; penalty unknown</strong></a>)</p><p>------------------------------------------</p><div><strong>Falcons assistant apologizes for asking if prospect gay</strong></div><div><strong>Agence France-Presse</strong></div><p>Atlanta Falcons assistant coach Marquand Manuel apologized and accepted full responsibility on Monday for asking former Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple if he was gay at the NFL Combine.</p><p>&quot;I take full responsibility for the inappropriate question I asked at the combine,&quot; Manuel said. &quot;It was wrong and I apologize to Eli Apple, (team owner Arthur) Blank, the entire Falcons organization, my family, and our Falcon fans for my insensitivity.&quot;</p><p>Manuel, a 36-year-old defensive backs coach whose eight-year NFL career ended in 2009, spent three seasons as an assistant with the Seattle Seahawks before joining the Atlanta staff last year.</p><p>Falcons coach Dan Quinn had acknowledged last week that an assistant coach had asked Apple an insensitive question.</p><p>The NFL is still looking into the incident and could impose disciplinary action for the violation of league rules.</p><p>------------------------------------------</p><div><strong>Cardinals shortstop Peralta could miss 2-3 months</strong></div><div><strong>Agence France-Presse</strong></div><p>St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta could miss up to three months for the Major League Baseball squad after suffering a left thumb injury, general manager John Mozeliak said on Monday.</p><p>The 33-year-old Dominican suffered a torn ligament on Saturday, a preliminary MRI exam showed, and Peralta felt discomfort in his glove hand after fielding a ground ball in a pre-season game but &quot;didn&#x27;t think it was to this level&quot;, Mozeliak said.</p><p>Peralta hit .275 with 17 homeruns and 71 runs batted in last season. He has missed only 12 games in the past two seasons but the opening games of the 2016 campaign are less than a month away.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;ve got to determine what this next step looks like,&quot; Mozeliak said.</p><p>------------------------------------------</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2016/sports/03/08/scott_030816.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Adam Scott celebrates after sinking his putt on the 18th green during the final round at TPC Blue Monster at Trump National Doral. <em>Photo by John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters.</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>Scott up to 6th in rankings, McIlroy takes 2nd from Day</strong></div><div><strong>Agence France-Presse</strong></div><p>Adam Scott&#x27;s thrilling victory in the World Golf Championships Cadillac Championship has moved him up to number six in the latest world golf rankings released on Monday.</p><p>The Australian became the first back-to-back winner on the PGA Tour since Billy Horschel in 2014 after also winning the Honda Classic.</p><p>Rory McIlroy held a four-shot lead early in the final round at Doral but struggled to finish two back, although the Northern Irishman does retake second spot in the rankings from Jason Day, while closing the gap on number one Jordan Spieth.</p><p>The other big mover in the top 20 is Englishman Danny Willett, the 28-year-old moving to the brink of the top 10 after a run of three top-three WGC finishes in the last year.</p><p>Phil Mickelson has ended a long spell out of the top 20, the five-time major champion finishing fifth in Florida despite being the oldest player in the field, and rising to 17th.</p><p>------------------------------------------</p><div><strong>Svitolina makes rankings progress with Malaysia win</strong></div><div><strong>Agence France-Presse</strong></div><p>Ukrainian Elina Svitolina jumped up five places in the WTA rankings released on Monday after taking her fourth career title by beating Eugenie Bouchard in Kaula Lumpur.</p><p>The 21-year-old, coached by former world number one Justine Henin, is now at a career-high number 14 in the world.</p><p>Switzerland&#x27;s Timea Bacsinszky drops from 14th to out of the world&#x27;s top 20 after not defending her title in Monterrey.</p><p>Britain&#x27;s Heather Watson claimed her third WTA title in Mexico, her efforts after a difficult start to the season enough to move up 31 places to 53rd.</p><p>Serena Williams has not played since her shock defeat in the Australian Open final to Angelique Kerber, but remains well clear in the world rankings.</p><p>------------------------------------------</p><div><strong>Goffin slips in world rankings after Davis Cup exit</strong></div><div><strong>Agence France-Presse</strong></div><p>There were no changes in the top 10 of the ATP rankings on Monday after the Davis Cup weekend threw up some exciting matches for the world&#x27;s best players.</p><p>Novak Djokovic, who helped Serbia to a first round victory with a thrilling five-set win over Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin, retains his mammoth lead at the summit.</p><p>Andy Murray stays a distant second after he edged past world number six Kei Nishikori as defending champions Great Britain beat Japan.</p><p>David Goffin drops two places after last year&#x27;s runners-up Belgium were knocked out by Croatia.</p><p>(<strong>For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">website</a>.</strong>)</p>

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova's tense admission that she failed a dope test at the Australian Open shone a spotlight on Meldonium, added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list this year.

WORLD SPORTS: Sharapova's failed dope test shines light on Meldonium

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WORLD SPORTS: Sharapova's failed dope test shines light on Meldonium

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Published Mar 08, 2016 09:37 AM PHT

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