FOOTBALL
Jets’ Smith to miss season
New York Jets wide receiver Devin Smith suffered his second major knee injury in less than two years and will miss the 2017 NFL season, the team said on Saturday. Smith, the Jets’ 2015 second-round draft pick, has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that was discovered on Monday — just as the team began its off-season program. Smith had torn the ligament during his rookie season in 2015 after starting his career with broken ribs suffered in training camp. He did not return from the first knee injury until midway through last season. Overall he has played just 14 games over the past two years. “It’s bad luck and bad timing because the kid worked so hard to get back,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said.
GOLF
Nomura retains lead
Japan’s Haru Nomura shot a 1-over 72 on another windy day on the LPGA Tour in North Texas to extend her lead through three rounds despite a late double bogey.Nomura was at 8-under 205 at the end of play on Saturday. She was two strokes ahead of 17-year-old amateur Eun Jeong Seong (69), Cristie Kerr (70) and two-time Texas winner Inbee Park (71). Stacy Lewis won at Texas in 2014 and had the day’s best round with a bogey-free 66. Tied for 44th place after 36 holes, Lewis moved up to fifth place. There were winds of about 32kph and a threatening storm that created difficult conditions for the second straight day. The second-round leaders teed off nearly three-and-a-half hours earlier than scheduled for the third round, and in threesomes instead of twosomes, but play was finished without any rain and only three players carding rounds in the 60s. Taiwan’s Candie Kung and Hsu Wei-ling, the final two Taiwanese players in the tournament, were cut from the fourth round.
ICE HOCKEY
Devils get top pick in draft
The New Jersey Devils is to own the top selection in the NHL draft for the first time since 1979 after winning the lottery in Toronto on Saturday. The Devils finished last in the Eastern Conference in the 2016-17 season, but will now have the first pick in June 23-24 draft at the United Center in Chicago. They are expected to choose between two highly touted centers, Nolan Patrick of the Western Hockey League and Nico Hischier of the Quebec Junior Hockey League. “This is a great day for our franchise, and to pick first overall, to have that for our Devils fans and our organization, is great news,” New Jersey general manager Ray Shero told NBC Sports.
CYCLING
Yates leads in Romandie
British climbing specialist Simon Yates on Saturday grabbed the overall lead in the Tour of Romandie by capturing the fourth stage ahead of yesterday’s concluding time trial. The 24-year-old Orica rider put more than one minute between himself and previous overall leader Fabio Felline after a decisive break at the 5km mark before outsprinting Australia’s Richie Porte to the line. Britain’s Chris Froome, preparing for an assault on a fourth Tour de France, was 1 minute 15 seconds off the pace. Meanwhile, American Chad Young on Friday night died of injuries suffered in a crash during the final stage of the Tour de Gila in New Mexico, his team announced on Saturday. The 21-year-old was hurt on Sunday last week during a high-speed mountain descent in the fifth stage of the race, 11.3km trek known as the Gila Monster.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a