■Hockey
Patrick Roy to retire
Colorado's Patrick Roy is retiring, ending the 18-year career of one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. Roy was to make the announcement at a news conference yesterday, team spokesman Jean Martineau said. A four-time Stanley Cup champion, Roy leaves as the NHL's career leader in victories with 551 and games played with 1,029. He also is the all-time leader in playoff victories, games played and shutouts. Roy is still considered one of the best goalies in the game at age 37, but he has been bothered by arthritic hips the past few years. He also has made it clear he wants to follow the career of his oldest son, Jonathan, a goalie who will start playing in Quebec this fall.
■ Soccer
Ono `Player of the Year'
Japan midfielder Shinji Ono has been voted Asian Player of the Year for last year after helping Dutch club Feyenoord win the UEFA Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said yesterday. The 23-year-old edged out Japan team mate Junichi Inamoto (Fulham), South Korea striker Ahn Jung-hwan (Shimizu S-Pulse) and China midfielder Li Tie (Everton) to become the third Japanese player to win the award since its introduction in 1994. Former Japan captain Masami Ihara won it in 1995 and Parma midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata received the award in 1997 and 1998. Ono will be presented with the AFC trophy on June 4 when Feyenoord play his former J-League club Urawa Reds in a friendly at Saitama Stadium. He becomes the first person to win both the AFC Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, having won the latter in 1998.
■ Baseball
Coach attacker pleads guilty
A man who pleaded innocent in the father-son beating of a Kansas City Royals base coach changed his plea to guilty Tuesday and will be sentenced June 18. William Ligue Jr. was charged with two counts of aggravated battery last September after leading his teenage son onto the field and beating coach Tom Gamboa at a Chicago White Sox game in Comiskey Park. Ligue's son, released to his mother's custody, was sentenced to five years' probation and 30 hours of community service. Before his sentencing, Gamboa advocated probation rather than prison. The change of plea was unexpected and not part of a plea agreement, said Marcy Jensen, spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office. She said his sentence could range from probation to five years in prison.
Agencies
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care