■TENNIS
Davenport pulls out
Former Olympic tennis champion Lindsay Davenport has pulled out of the Beijing singles tournament with a knee injury, a US official said yesterday. The 1996 gold medalist has been struggling with the problem since it forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon. “It’s still complications from the knee injury that forced her to pull out of Wimbledon,” a team spokesman said. “There’s concern about being able to play potentially 11 matches on it.” Davenport remains in the doubles competition, where she will partner Liezel Huber.
■BASKETBALL
Aussie Bogut fit and ready
Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut declared himself fit yesterday to play for Australia in their Olympic opener, reveling in being the underdog against a US team stuffed with NBA superstars. “My ankle is 70 percent. Rest was the best thing. I’m feeling pretty good,” said Bogut, who last month signed a contract extension with the Bucks in a new deal reportedly worth US$72.5 million over five years. He injured his ankle last week during a warm-up game in Nanjing and his recovery is welcome news for the “Boomers” as they prepare to face Croatia tomorrow. The soreness put him out of their game against the US in Shanghai this week, which the Americans won 87-76 with Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade scoring nine points in the fourth quarter to hold off the surging Aussies.
■SAILING
Regatta set for light winds
The Olympic sailing regatta will start in light winds today with the breeze picking up early next week, US team meteorologist Jennifer Lilly said yesterday. Strong tides and light winds are a feature of this stretch of coastline in August and Olympic sailors having long been preparing for such conditions. “What we have been seeing is normal climatic conditions this month,” Lilly said. “Hot, hazy, humid days with weak sea breeze conditions.” Practice racing was abandoned at the Olympic Sailing Center on Thursday on a calm day in Qingdao following several days of moderate breeze. Lilly said Monday and Tuesday could be “more interesting.” “There is an area of low pressure to the south and we may get a stronger breeze,” she said.
■ATHLETICS
Fukushima to make history
Chisato Fukushima will become the first Japanese woman to run in the Olympic 100m for 56 years when she races in Beijing. Fukushima, who follows Ayako Yoshikawa’s appearance in the 1952 Helsinki Games, equaled the national record of 11.36 seconds in April to achieve the “B” qualifying standard and was selected last month. “I’ve been given this chance, so if I can I want to help in the advancement of women’s sprinting by breaking the Japanese record and making it out of the first round,” the 20-year-old said. “I’m suddenly in this situation, so it’s tough to get used to. I didn’t think I would be chosen, but I set a goal of making the Beijing Olympics.” The athletics competition starts on Friday.
■BOXING
Russell dropped from team
US bantamweight Gary Russell Jr will miss the Beijing Olympics after collapsing while struggling to make his weight, US team coach Dan Campbell told reporters yesterday. The 20-year-old Russell was removed from the US team’s list of competitors before yesterday’s draw for the tournament starting today. “Medically, he’s been cleared, he’s now resting,” Campbell said. “He’s extremely depressed.”
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