RUGBY UNION
Ulster, Ospreys get wins
Scrumhalf Paul Marshall grabbed a brace of tries as last season’s runners-up Ulster began their new European Cup campaign with a bonus-point 41-17 victory over French side Castres on Friday. Winger Andrew Trimble also crossed at Ravenhill in Belfast, as did South African replacement flyhalf Ruan Pienaar in the last minute, after a punishing 17 phases following a loss of possession by Castres. Paddy Jackson converted three of the tries and added five penalties for Ulster. Ulster, the 1999 European champions, are now unbeaten in six matches this season. In Friday’s other game on the opening night of this year’s tournament, Welsh side Ospreys also secured a bonus-point victory with a last-minute try from Ashley Beck. Eli Walker and Hanno Dirksen, with a brace, scored the other tries, with flyhalf Dan Biggar kicking 18 points at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium. Treviso scored two tries through Manoa Vosawai and Luke McLean.
MOTO GP
Lorenzo secures pole
Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo secured his sixth pole position of the MotoGP season with a record last-gasp spurt in qualifying for today’s Japanese Grand Prix. The Yamaha rider clocked a record lap of 1 minute, 44.969 seconds as the checkered flag fell at Motegi’s Twin Ring circuit yesterday, comfortably faster than main title rival Dani Pedrosa’s Honda. Britain’s Cal Crutchlow was third quickest in 1:45.257, with the US’ Ben Spies, also on a Yamaha, fourth in 1:45.336. Australian world champion Casey Stoner, returning after ankle surgery, was seventh quickest on his Honda in 1:45.745, having missed the last three races.
SOCCER
Ivanov quits Lokomotiv
Former Bulgaria striker Georgi Ivanov has quit as coach of Lokomotiv Plovdiv a day after agreeing a contract until the end of the season, the club said on Friday. Ivanov, twice Bulgarian Footballer of the Year, was officially presented to the media at a news conference on Wednesday, replacing Emil Velev, who was fired following Lokomotiv’s disappointing start to the season. Ivanov, 36, who resigned as Levski Sofia coach in April, decided to quit after a training session on Thursday, saying he despaired of the “organizational chaos.” The club’s owner, Veselin Mareshki, failed to persuade him to return at an emergency meeting on Friday. Lokomotiv’s administrative director Atanas Uzunov also resigned, saying he did not want to face fans who criticised him for the club’s policies, and honorary president Hristo Bonev announced he would “no longer occupy any position at the club.” Lokomotiv, champions in 2004, have won one of their eight league games so far this season and are 13th in the table with eight points.
GOLF
Fisher extends lead
Ross Fisher of England shot a 4-under 67 on Friday to extend his lead at the Portugal Masters to three strokes after the second round. Fisher hurt his left foot while walking off the first tee, but he played through the pain to make one eagle and four birdies to go with two bogeys on the Oceanico Victoria Golf Course. Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher, who shared the overnight lead after round one with Fisher, and Bernd Wiesberger of Austria were three shots back. Ryder Cup player Martin Kaymer, who sealed Europe’s dramatic win over the US two weeks ago, and captain Jose Maria Olazabal both missed the cut.
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