SOCCER
Colombia edge lowly Peru
Midfielder James Rodriguez scored the only goal as Colombia beat Peru 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Lima on Sunday to give Jose Pekerman a winning start as their coach. Striker Dorlan Pabon flicked a through ball with the outside of his right foot past a defender to Rodriguez, who sidestepped goalkeeper Diego Penny and shot left-footed into the net. The victory at the Estadio Nacional lifted Colombia into fifth place in the nine-nation South American group with seven points from four matches. They are three points behind leaders Argentina, who have played one more match. Colombia, who have not reached the finals since 1998, appointed Argentine Pekerman after sacking Leonel Alvarez in November last year following a home defeat by Argentina. Peru, whose coach Sergio Markarian was deprived of half a dozen players through injury, are one from the bottom with three points from four matches.
SOCCER
Celta promoted to top flight
Real Club Celta de Vigo were promoted back to Spain’s top flight after five years in the second division after a 0-0 draw at home to Cordoba on Sunday secured them second place behind division winners and Galician neighbors Real Club Deportivo de la Coruna. Celta, who reached the last 16 of the Champions League in 2004 and won the Intertoto Cup three years earlier, have 85 points from 42 matches, six behind Depor, who were 1-0 winners at Villarreal B, setting a second-tier record of 91 points. Real Valladolid, AD Alcorcon, Hercules and Cordoba finished the season in third through sixth respectively and are to playoff for the final promotion spot. Celta’s return to La Liga may help the club tackle the financial problems that have forced it into administration as they are likely to reap more from selling audiovisual rights next season.
CRICKET
‘Little Master’ sworn in
Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar was sworn in as a member of the upper house of parliament yesterday after being nominated in a surprise move criticized by some government opponents. Tendulkar, who is worshipped by millions of cricket fans in India, took his oath in Rajya Sabha for a seat theoretically reserved for people who distinguish themselves in the fields of arts, sciences or social service. He is the first active sportsman to serve in the house, though he has previously vowed to steer clear of politics and is expected to hold the seat only as an honorary position. When he was nominated in April, the Times of India said the gesture made “little sense,” while some opposition lawmakers accused the government of crass populist politics.
RUGBY UNION
Kirwan knighted by queen
Former All Blacks great John Kirwan, who has also coached Italy and Japan at Rugby World Cups as well as being an advocate for sufferers of depression, was honored with a knighthood yesterday. The 47-year-old was named a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday honors list for his services to mental health and rugby union. Kirwan, who played 63 Tests for the All Blacks, has become a campaigner for mental health issues and he has written about his own battle with depression in the book All Blacks Don’t Cry. “There were scary times because of the stigma attached to depression, but I have tried to break those down because it is an illness, not a weakness,” he told the New Zealand Herald. He said he accepted the knighthood “on behalf of all those people who are suffering, to show there is hope.”
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
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite