■RUGBY UNION
Johnson drops Wilkinson
Jonny Wilkinson has been dropped for England’s final Six Nations game against France on Saturday as manager Martin Johnson made six changes to the side that labored to a 15-15 draw with Scotland last weekend. Wilkinson is replaced at flyhalf by Toby Flood, but remains in the squad named on Wednesday among the replacements. Winger Ugo Monye is replaced by Northampton’s uncapped Chris Ashton, while fullback Delon Armitage gives way for Ben Foden to make his first start following some lively contributions from the bench. Outside center Mathew Tait is dropped again as 31-year-old World Cup-winner Mike Tindall makes his first appearance for a year. In the pack, Simon Shaw has recovered from a shoulder injury and comes back in place of Louis Deacon, while Lewis Moody, dropped against Scotland, returns at open-side flanker. Joe Worsley switches to blindside, with James Haskell dropping to the bench.
■PARALYMPICS
Zaripov snaps up third gold
Russia’s Irek Zaripov won his third gold medal on Wednesday when he won the biathlon 12.5km sitting event. Zaripov won in a time of 42 minutes, 22.4 seconds, adding the gold to his 2.4km pursuit and 15km cross-country titles. The 26-year-old finished ahead of compatriots Vladimir Kiselev and Roman Petushkov. In the women’s 10km sitting event, Russia’s Maria Iovleva triumphed in 38 minutes, 46.6 seconds. The 20-year-old saw off Ukraine’s Olena Iurkovska and Germany’s Andrea Eskau. Later on Wednesday, Norway’s Nils-Erik Ulset won the 12.5km standing men’s event in a time of 38 minutes, 29.4 seconds. Ukraine’s Grygorii Vovchynskyi and Germany’s Josef Giesen made up the podium. Ukraine’s Oleksandra Kononova took the women’s 12.5km standing gold in 46 minutes, 1.4 seconds. The 19-year-old saw off Russia’s Anna Burmistrova and compatriot Iulia Bantekova.
■SOCCER
Pompey deducted points
Portsmouth’s painful slide out of the Premier League accelerated past the point of no return on Wednesday when the club had nine points deducted as punishment for going into administration. The long-expected move was confirmed after legal uncertainty over the club’s protection from creditors was removed. The deduction reduces Portsmouth’s points total to 10, 14 behind second-from-bottom Hull City and 17 adrift of West Ham United and Wolves.
■SAILING
Artemis, Azzurra in semis
Artemis of Sweden and Azzurra of Italy have qualified for the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta for America’s Cup sailing teams, winning matches in the second elimination round. Azzurra and Artemis join Team New Zealand and Italy’s Mascalzone Latino, who secured semi-final places on Wednesday. Paul Cayard skippered Artemis’ multinational crew to a 38-second win over TeamOrigin of Britain yesterday, while Azzurra beat the French-German team All4One by 20 seconds.
■TENNIS
Lloyd quits captaincy
John Lloyd quit as Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain on Wednesday following the team’s embarrassing defeat to Lithuania that left them on the brink of relegation to the tournament’s lowest tier. “I am very proud of my time as Davis Cup captain and grateful to all the players for their support,” said Lloyd, whose decision to quit leaves a vacancy ahead of July’s relegation playoff with Turkey.
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
Lewis Hamilton on Thursday said there was a “racial element” to International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Mohammed ben Sulayem’s recent comments regarding drivers swearing during Formula 1 races. In an interview with motorsport.com, Ben Sulayem said: “We have to differentiate between our sport — motorsport — and rap music” when referring to drivers having a responsibility to stop swearing on the radio. “We’re not rappers, you know,” Ben Sulayem said. Responding to those remarks ahead of tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix, seven-time champion Hamilton said: “With what he said, I don’t like how he has expressed it. Saying ‘rappers’ is very stereotypical.” “If you