■ FUNNY CAR
Driver dies in fiery crash
American funny car driver Scott Kalitta died on Saturday in a high-speed fiery crash at the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. He was 46. Kalitt, one of the sport’s top drivers, was killed when his Funny Car crashed and burst into flames during qualifying for the National Hot Rod Association race. A two-time champion who had 18 victories, Kalitta’s car was traveling at around 485km per hour when the engine of his Toyota Solara exploded into flames. Unable to stop, the car hit a sand trap, then vaulted over a protective fence at full speed sending pieces of the car into different directions.
■ BOXING
Khan surprises Gomez in 5th
Amir Khan got up from a second-round knockdown and stopped Michael Gomez in the fifth on Saturday in Birmingham, England, successfully defending his Commonwealth lightweight title for a fourth time. Khan knocked down Gomez twice, first in the opening round and again early in the fifth, before a huge right hand forced the former British super featherweight champion against the ropes for a final flurry — when referee John Keane stepped in to halt the fight 2:32 into round. The victory kept the Olympic silver medalist unbeaten in 18 bouts as a pro and bolstered his stated desire for a title opportunity against WBO champion Nate Campbell next year.
■ SPRINTING
Powell makes comeback
Former world 100m record holder Asafa Powell made a successful return to the track with an impressive 9.96 seconds showing at the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic trials on Saturday. Powell, who missed the last three months with a chest injury, won a semi-final race at the Trinidad and Tobago trials ahead of hometown favorite and NCAA champion Richard Thompson (10.11), who had ran 9.93 earlier this season. Even though qualified for the final, Powell’s coaches have pulled him from this afternoon’s final. “That was the plan all along, for him to run one race,” Powell’s manager Paul Doyle said. “We just wanted him to get one race in before trials [Jamaica Championships from June 27 to 29].”
■ FIELD HOCKEY
Germany draw Argentina
World champion Germany was held to a 2-2 draw by Argentina on Saturday in the opening round of the Champions Trophy field hockey tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands. After Rodri Vila put Argentina 2-1 ahead in the 55th, Germany captain Timo Wess rescued his team with an equalizer two minutes from the end. Top-seeded Germany is defending its title which it has won a record nine times. Olympic champion Australia beat South Korea 5-3 in the six-nation tournament which involves five of the top six ranked teams.
■ BASKETBALL
NBA files suit against referee
The NBA is so angry at disgraced referee Tim Donaghy that it wants him to reimburse the league for the cost of his basketball shoes. The NBA said in a court filing it spent US$750 over three seasons to buy basketball shoes for Donaghy, who pleaded guilty last year to taking payoffs from gamblers. Now, the league wants its money back. It also wants a court to force the referee to repay his salary, his airfare expenses and meal allowances, and cough up at least US$4,500 for complimentary tickets he received over the years. All told, the league is seeking US$1.4 million from Donaghy. The written demand was filed on Thursday at a federal court in New York City.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB