OLYMPICS
Dumped medals unclaimed
Olympic medals dumped in a pile of rubbish outside a house in Melbourne, Australia, remain unclaimed five months after they were handed in to police, Australian media reported. A bronze medal from the 1952 Helsinki Games and a participation medal from the 1948 London Olympics were handed in to police in June after they were found in trash outside a house in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Police had been unable to link them to any burglaries and no one had come forward to claim them. “Whether they were handed down from one generation to another, or they belong to another athlete from another country, we don’t know,” Senior Constable Damien Bowman told the Australian Associated Press. “I wouldn’t limit it to Australian athletes at this stage. We’d just like to get them back to the owner safe and sound.”
FOOTBALL
Lions fire GM, president
Detroit Lions owner and chairman of the board Martha Firestone Ford fired general manager (GM) Martin Mayhew and team president Tom Lewand on Thursday. “We are very disappointed with the results of the season so far and believe a change was necessary,” Ford said. “I have informed coach [Jim] Caldwell of our decisions, although no changes have been made to our coaching staff.” Ford said Sheldon White would be the acting general manager. White, who is in his 19th season with the franchise, was vice president of pro personnel. Allison Maki, the team’s chief financial officer, will be the team’s interim chief operating officer. Detroit have a 41-63 record and two playoff appearances since Mayhew was hired six years ago.
FOOTBALL
Smith convicted of murder
Former Oakland Raiders star Anthony Smith is set to spend the rest of his life in jail after being convicted of murdering three men on Thursday. The former NFL defensive end, a first-round draft pick in 1990, was found guilty of shooting two brothers to death in 1999 and stabbing a third man to death in 2001. All three men had been tortured before their deaths, according to earlier testimony. A Los Angeles County Court jury was unable to reach a verdict on a fourth killing Smith had been accused of carrying out in 2008. Smith faces life in prison without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced on Dec. 21. Prosecutors had already stated they would not seek the death penalty in the case. A lawyer for Smith said the former Raiders player would appeal against the convictions.
BASEBALL
Mariners trade six players
The Seattle Mariners continued their revamp by completing a six-player trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. The Mariners sent infielder-outfielder Brad Miller, first baseman Logan Morrison and pitcher Danny Farquhar to Tampa Bay in exchange for pitchers Nathan Karns and C.J. Riefenhauser and minor league outfielder Boog Powell. Miller and Morrison were core players for Seattle last season, but the team is moving in a new direction under general manager Jerry Dipoto, hired in September to replace Jack Zduriencik. Last month, the Mariners fired manager Lloyd McClendon, who went 76-86 in his second season with the team, and replaced him with Scott Servais. With the trade, Seattle have added a new weapon to their starting rotation in Karns, as well as a reliever and young prospect.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care