Six-time major winner Nick Faldo received a knighthood from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday, describing the honor as beyond his boyhood dreams. “I was so delighted my family were there to see that,” the 52-year-old said after the Windsor Castle ceremony. “It was quite an incredible experience.” Faldo, England’s most successful golfer, won the British Open three times and the US Masters three times between 1987 and 1996 and played in 11 Ryder Cups. Faldo, who captained Europe’s defeated Ryder Cup team last year, is the second golfer to be knighted after Henry Cotton was awarded the honor posthumously in 1987.
■CYCLING
Sagasti found dead at 39
Agustin Sagasti, a former Spanish rider who successfully sued the organizers of a race following an accident that ended his career, has been found dead in his home, Mungia, Spain, the Basque cycling federation said. He was 39. Sagasti’s career was cut short in June 1994 after colliding with a car during the Tour of Valles Mineros, leaving him in a coma with severe injuries. He never raced again but won a payout worth more than US$500,000 after organizers were judged to have failed to control traffic. Sagasti was coach from 1996 to 2000 of the Basque federation, which confirmed his death on Monday.
■BASKETBALL
Shaq, wife splitting up
Shaquille O’Neal’s wife is splitting from the Cleveland Cavaliers center. Va’Shaundya O’Neal filed for legal separation with intent to divorce on Monday in Los Angeles. She cited irreconcilable differences. She is seeking spousal and child support and full legal custody of the couple’s four children. No monetary amounts were listed in the court filing. “Obviously, this is a difficult time for our family, and we request that the media respect our privacy,” Shaquille O’Neal said in a statement released by the team late on Tuesday. “I will continue to focus on being there for our children and I am confident that Shaunie will do the same.” The O’Neals were married for six years, 11 months.
■BASKETBALL
Police cleared in fan death
An independent investigation of the death of a Boston Celtics fan who stopped breathing while in police custody found that officers acted “reasonably” and did not contribute to the man’s death, but also concluded that police made “any number of missteps” during the arrest. A report released by former US Attorney Donald Stern on Tuesday accepted the findings of the Massachusetts state medical examiner — which concluded that David Woodman’s death was brought on by a heart arrhythmia that was the result of a pre-existing heart condition — and cleared police of any wrongdoing. But Woodman’s parents, Cathy and Jeff Woodman, said they did not accept the report’s findings and believe that police lied about what happened during their son’s arrest. During a news conference in their lawyer’s office, the Woodmans said Stern’s report does not mention their son’s injuries, as documented by the medical examiner, including seven abrasions or bruises on his face, a laceration of his lip, a bruise on his right arm and a cut under his chin.
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