CYCLING
Van Garderen takes title
Tejay van Garderen added the USA Pro Challenge title to the Tour of California crown he won in May on Sunday, as Slovakia’s Peter Sagan claimed the final stage. “I felt like it was a long time coming because I’ve been so close both the other times,” Van Garderen said. “It’s amazing to get it.” The 2013 Tour de France sprint-jersey champion Sagan notched his fourth stage win in the seven-stage event as the Cannondale Pro Cycling rider’s sharp bust at the finish gave him the win in the 116.5km circuit race in the streets of Denver in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 15 seconds. He edged Canadian Ryan Anderson, with UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling’s Alessandro Bazzana of Italy a close third. American BMC rider Van Garderen led the sprint out into the final 300m. He placed 15th to secure the victory. His Swiss teammate Mathias Frank was second overall, 1:30 behind, and the US’ Tom Danielson (Garmin-Sharp) completed the podium.
SPEED SKATING
Simon Cho suspended
Olympic short track medalist Simon Cho of the US has received a two-year suspension from the International Skating Union (ISU) after admitting he tampered with the skates of a Canadian rival. US Speedskating announced the decision on Sunday. The suspension runs through Oct. 4 next year, which means Cho will not be eligible to compete at the Sochi Winter Olympics. Cho confessed on Oct. 5 last year that he sabotaged the skates of Canada’s Olivier Jean during the 2011 World Team Championship. Cho says he did it at the direction of former short track national coach Jae Su Chun. Chun has always denied that he had any role in the tampering. However, the ISU suspended him for two years through Aug. 25, 2015, saying he also violated the code of ethics.
SAILING
N Zealand defeat Italy
Emirates Team New Zealand knocked Italy’s sailors out of America’s Cup contention on Sunday by clinching a challenger match-race series with a faster AC72 catamaran and will now attempt to wrest the coveted trophy from Oracle Team USA. New Zealand defeated Luna Rossa Challenge 7-1 in the Louis Vuitton Cup, the regatta that determines which boat and crew will sail against the previous winner of the 162-year-old trophy. The Kiwis beat Luna Rossa in the previous Louis Vuitton Cup in 2007. With their 72 foot twin-hulled yacht up on its foils, the Kiwis sailed across the finish line at 74kph. Italy finished 3 minutes, 20 seconds behind on the fog-enshrouded San Francisco Bay as fans cheered and waved flags for the victors.
BASEBALL
Japan take world crown
Ryusei Hirooka’s two-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning lifted Japan over the US 6-4 in the Little League World Series championship game in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Sunday. Kazuki Ishida got the start for Japan and allowed four runs on five hits, while striking out five over three innings. Kyousuke Kobayashi tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory. Shunpei Takagi hit two solo home runs and scored three times for Japan, who claimed their ninth Little League World Series title. Takuma Gomi had an RBI and scored a run. Giancarlo Cortez knocked in two runs for the US team that came from Chula Vista, California. Japan won the International championship with a 3-2 victory over Mexico on Saturday. Mexico held on for a 15-14 win over the US’ Connecticut in the consolation game of the Little League World Series.
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