CYCLING
BMX champ Bennett killed
Kyle Bennett of the US, a three-time world BMX cycling champion and 2008 Olympian, was killed on Sunday in a one-vehicle crash, USA Cycling announced. He was 33. Bennett’s truck went off the road early on Sunday morning in his hometown of Conroe, Texas. Bennett won an automatic berth on the first US Olympic BMX squad and was a semi-finalist at the Beijing Olympics. “All of us at USA Cycling were deeply saddened to learn this morning of the tragic and untimely loss of Kyle Bennett,” USA Cycling chief executive Steve Johnson said. “Kyle was a pioneer in Olympic BMX and an inspiration to those of us that knew him. He will be sorely missed, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”
SOCCER
Marcelo out for three months
Brazil and Real Madrid fullback Marcelo has fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot while on international duty, his club said in a statement on Sunday. The Brazilian Football Federation said in a separate statement they estimated the player would be out of action for about three months. Marcelo picked up the injury while training with Brazil in the Polish city of Wroclaw ahead of today’s friendly against Japan. He was to return to Madrid immediately, where a decision would be taken on the treatment required, Real said. Losing Marcelo comes as a double blow to Real coach Jose Mourinho, with his other leftback Fabio Coentrao also returning to the Spanish capital after picking up a muscle injury while on duty with Portugal.
SOCCER
United teenager charged
Manchester United’s highly rated young midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe has been charged with drunk driving, Greater Manchester police said on Sunday. Tunnicliffe, 19, was charged with driving with excess alcohol and is due to appear in court on Thursday next week. The charge relates to an incident which happened shortly before 1:15pm on Saturday when a Range Rover collided with a van. The van subsequently collided with the wall of a house and police said a passenger in the Range Rover suffered a minor whiplash injury in the collision and both vehicles were badly damaged. Tunnicliffe is regarded as a potential star by boss Alex Ferguson and the teenager made his debut as a substitute against Newcastle United in a League Cup tie last month.
TENNIS
Hsieh Su-wei wins in Suzhou
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei breezed past China’s Duan Yingying 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday to win an ITF torunament in Suzhou, China. Hsieh, the top seed at China’s third-largest women’s tennis tournament, was dominant throughout the match, controlling the rhythm with both her forehand and backhand. Hsieh was expected to see her world ranking rise from 31st to 25th yesterday with the points earned at the tournament, setting a record for a female Taiwanese player. Wang Shi-ting was the record holder with a ranking of 26th.
BASKETBALL
Fever stun the champions
Erlana Larkins had 16 points and 15 rebounds as the Indiana Fever stunned defending champions Minnesota with a 76-70 victory over the Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday. Tamika Catchings added 20 points for the Fever, who played without leading scorer Katie Douglas because of a sprained left ankle. Seimone Augustus scored 23 points, while Rebekkah Brunson added 10 points for the Lynx, who are looking to become the WNBA’s first repeat champions in 10 years.
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