■ Cycling
Armstrong engaged to Crow
American cycling hero Lance Armstrong and singer Sheryl Crow announced on Monday that they are engaged, said Mark Higgins, a spokesman for Armstrong. The two got engaged while they were holidaying in Sun Valley, Idaho. There is no wedding date as of yet. It will be the second marriage for Armstrong, who has three children with ex-wife Kristin. Rock star Crow has never been married. Armstrong retired in July after winning his seventh straight Tour de France. Last month French sports newspaper L'Equipe reported that urine samples taken from Armstrong in 1999 during his first Tour triumph tested positive for the banned substance EPO. Armstrong has denied taking any performance-enhancing drugs.
■ Cricket
Aussies asked to talk to team
Cricket Australia yesterday appealed to Australian cricket fans to get behind their team ahead of the final Ashes Test against England starting at The Oval tomorrow. Australia trail 2-1 in the series and must beat England in the last match of the series to maintain their 16-year hold on the Ashes urn. Cricket Australia have organized a link on their Web site for fans to send messages of support to their favorite player or to the team. "We encourage Australian cricket fans to send their message of support to our team as they prepare for this important contest," CA chief executive James Sutherland said in a statement yesterday. Messages of support can be sent to the team via australianteam@ashes.cricket.com.au
■ Rowing
Poland to host championship
The city of Poznan in western Poland was selected to host the 2009 World Rowing Championships, the International Rowing Federation (FISA) announced at its 113th annual congress. In a vote by delegates from 56 countries on Monday, Poznan defeated Amsterdam, the Netherlands, by a vote of 104-37. Poznan successfully hosted last year's World Rowing Under-23 Championships and also one stage of last year's Rowing World Cup. This year's World Rowing Championships wrapped up on Sunday in Kaizu, Japan.
■ Soccer
Australia win Oceania series
Australia edged the Solomon Islands 2-1 yesterday on Brett Emerton's 59th-minute goal to win the Oceania Football Confederation's World Cup soccer qualifying series. Australia won the opening match 7-0 on Saturday in Sydney and advances 9-1 on aggregate. Yesterday's match was played in humid conditions before a capacity crowd of 20,000 at Lawson Tama Stadium. Australia now plays a two-match series against the fifth-placed South American team on Nov. 12 and Nov. 16 for the right to play in next year's World Cup in Germany. It was Australia's 100th -- and final -- match in the Oceania confederation after 40 years. Australia will compete in the Asian Football Confederation from next year.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or