■ Racing
Rossi secures pole position
Valentino Rossi of Italy, aiming for his third consecutive Australian Grand Prix win in the MotoGP class, took pole position Saturday after the final round of qualifying. Rossi, the provisional pole winner Friday on a Honda, beat his rivals by almost half a second with a lap time of 1 minute, 30.068 seconds. He was 0.428 seconds quicker than the Ducati of fellow Italian Loris Capirossi. Spanish Honda rider Sete Gibernau took third spot in the final minutes of qualifying ahead of Australian Troy Bayliss. Rossi said he felt more comfortable since clinching the world title last week.
■ Baseball
Americans trounce France
Darren Blaklery's three-run homer propelled the US to a 14-2 win over France in seven innings, and its fourth straight win in the baseball World Cup Friday. The win in the eastern city of Holguin virtually ensured the US team a quarterfinals berth. France's fourth straight defeat virtually eliminated it from the competition. Also, Canada beat Italy 5-3 in Havana, as pitcher Brent Crowther gave up just three runs on seven hits, and Taiwan topped South Korea 8-2 in the provincial capital of Matanzas for its second win. Jothan Vegan and Avelino Asprilla hit two consecutive home runs to give Panama a 4-2 win over the Netherlands in the easternmost city of Santiago.
■ Racing
Kenny Brack rebounds
Kenny Brack, the IRL driver who was severely injured in the Chevy 500 on Sunday night, was upgraded from serious to satisfactory condition Friday and even felt well enough to crack jokes, his wife said. Brack remains at Parkland Memorial Hospital, but Team Rahal plans to have him transferred him next week to an Indianapolis rehabilitation center that has extensive experience in racing injuries, a team spokesman said. "Kenny was funny and telling us jokes today," said Brack's wife, Anita. "He told the team he would have the Texas race report next week for them. He told them he was a little busy this week to work on it." Brack was injured when his car spun into the air after contact with Tomas Scheckter's car in the closing laps of the race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. He had surgery on a broken thigh and broken ankles Sunday night, and on his broken back Monday, when doctors repaired a spinal fracture and fused three vertebrae.
■ Tennis
Serena Williams still out
Serena Williams will miss the rest of the season because of the knee injury that has sidelined her since Wimbledon. Williams, ranked third in the world, announced Friday that she has withdrawn from the WTA tournament beginning Oct. 27 in Philadelphia, and the season-ending Tour Championships in LA in November. This year's Australian Open and Wimbledon champion has not played since having surgery Aug. 1 to repair a partial tear in the quadriceps tendon of her left knee. "I really miss playing tennis and I can't wait to come back and compete," Williams said. "However, I feel that I need more time to prepare and get myself in the best shape possible." Williams, who withdrew from this year's US Open, had won five of the previous six grand slam titles
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and