■ Golf
Teenager wins in Evian
American teenager Paula Creamer's final round of 1-under 71 in Evian, France on Saturday saw her win the Evian Masters by eight shots. The 18-year-old from Mountain View, California, finished at 15-under 273 to dominate the 78-woman field and claim the second title of her rookie season. Tied for second were 15-year-old amateur Michelle Wie and Mexico's Lorena Ochoa. Canada's Lorrie Kane took fourth place at 282. "It's a good feeling with the leaderboard getting younger and younger," Creamer said. "I've just had a great week. Just the strength of this field and the Evian ensemble makes it huge for me to win here. It means an awful lot."
■ Sumo
Asashoryu takes Cup
Grand champion Asashoryu dispatched Tochiazuma yesterday to win his 13th Emperor's Cup on the final day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament. Fighting in the day's final bout at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, the Mongolian-born yokozuna held off a series of arm thrusts from Tochiazuma before working his opponent to the edge of the ring and lifting him by the belt over the straw ridge. Asashoryu finished the tournament at 13-2 to capture his fifth straight title. Tochiazuma dropped to 9-5. Bulgarian-born komusubi Kotooshu, who entered the final day tied for the lead with Asashoryu, was quickly thrown off balance by Wakanosato and pushed to the dirt. Kotooshu would have faced a possible winner-takes-all playoff with Asashoryu had he won. Kotooshu dropped to 12-3, while Wakanosato improved to 11-4.
■ Diving
China gathers more gold
Olympic champion Hu Jia won the 10m platform title Saturday at swimming's World Championships, giving China its fourth diving gold medal. Hu rallied to win on his last dive, a backward double somersault with one twist. He finished with 698.01 points. Cuba's Jose Antonio Guerra was second with 691.14, earning his country's first diving medal in the World Championships. Gleb Galperin of Russia rose from sixth to third on his last dive, taking the bronze with 656.19. Hu's teammate, Yang Jinghui, was seventh. He was in contention for the bronze until he botched his fourth dive. Bryan Nickson, a 15-year-old diver from Malaysia, was ninth among 12 finalists.
■ Hockey
Flyers buy out contracts
The Philadelphia Flyers have bought out the contracts of five-time National Hockey League All-Star forwards John LeClair and Tony Amonte. The 36-year-old LeClair spent 10 years with the Flyers, and was a member of the famed "Legion of Doom" line with Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg in the mid-1990s. LeClair, who entered the lockout due US$9 million in the final year of a five-year contract, was to make US$6.84 million after the league-wide 24 percent pay cut. "Obviously I'm disappointed," LeClair said. "But it was something I was prepared for. I knew it was a very realistic possibility for over a year now. My disappointment comes from knowing my years with the Flyers are over."
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
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
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