FORMULA ONE
Raikkonen off to nice start
Kimi Raikkonen’s comeback with Lotus got off to a perfect start, as the former world champion was fastest on the first day of preseason testing on Tuesday in Jerez, Spain. The Finnish driver and 2007 F1 champion marked his first official ride since the end of 2009 with a fastest lap time of 1 minute, 19.670 seconds at the Jerez circuit for the former Renault team. “It was a positive first day of testing and everything went almost to plan,” Raikkonen said. “We had no major issues and I got a good feel for the car and the tires. I’m looking forward to making further progress with the car tomorrow.” Raikkonen edged Force India’s Paul di Resta and Nico Rosberg of Mercedes, with constructors’ champions Red Bull beginning their campaign with a fourth-place run by Mark Webber, who trailed Raikkonen by more than eight-tenths of a second. Red Bull’s session were delayed due to fog at the airport that kept the team from receiving rear-wing components they needed.
BASKETBALL
Billups out for season
The Los Angeles Clippers were dealt a blow as starting guard Chauncey Billups was ruled out for the rest of the NBA season with a torn left Achilles tendon, the team said on Tuesday. He will also miss this year’s London Olympics. The five-time All-Star suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of the Clippers’ win on Monday over the Orlando Magic when he tried to change direction after missing a three-point shot. Los Angeles acquired the 35-year-old Billups off waivers in December last year just before trading for four-time All-Star Chris Paul. The tandem has helped the Clippers to a first-place start in the Pacific Division and turned them into contenders, but the loss of Billups clouds their status. “It was tough. It was deflating,” Billups told reporters of his injury during a television interview. “The team is coming together and what we have going on is exciting. To know that this season is over, it hurt.”
BASKETBALL
Carmelo out one, two weeks
New York Knicks All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony will be sidelined for one to two weeks with a strained right groin, the team said on Tuesday. Anthony, the Knicks’ leading scorer, apparently was hurt while throwing an alley-oop pass to center Tyson Chandler midway through the first quarter of Monday’s 99-88 victory over the Utah Jazz. He left the game on the Knicks’ next possession and did not return. Anthony, who was recently named a starter in this year’s Feb. 26 All-Star game in Orlando, is averaging 22.3 points, 6 rebounds and 4.2 assists in his second season with New York.
SOCCER
Michel hired to coach Sevilla
Sevilla hired coach Jose Miguel “Michel” Gonzalez on Tuesday to take over from the fired Marcelino Garcia Toral. Michel agreed to a contract until the end of the season that will automatically be extended an extra year if he manages to guide the Andalusian club to a top-four finish and a place in next season’s Champions League. “My message is clear, there are three months to go and I am very excited to help Sevilla get to where [they] should be,” Michel said. “I know the team for the quality of its players. I also know that I arrive in an abnormal situation for a club like Sevilla, [who have] always had good results but in the last two years [have] fallen into a complicated situation.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
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
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
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two