CYCLING
Astronaut to cycle Amazon
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy is keeping his exploration impulses down-to-earth, biking 965km across the Amazon to raise awareness about climate change and record its effects. Cassidy told WCSH-TV in Maine, where he grew up, that the world is affected by every action humans take. He is traversing the South American jungle with a team of environmental scientists as part of a documentary. The team is biking across the Trans Amazon highway and posting their travels on Twitter.
SOCCER
Burnley forward ruled out
Striker Jon Walters will miss Burnley’s Premier League game at Everton today and faces a spell on the sidelines with a knee injury, manager Sean Dyche has confirmed. The former Stoke City player was not included in the Ireland squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifying games against Moldova and Wales and is set to visit a specialist. Walters has made only two substitute appearances for Burnley in the league since signing in the close season and Dyche said he would not set a timeline for the 34-year-old’s return. “Jon won’t make it for the weekend as we are still letting his knee calm down,” Dyche told the club’s Web site on Friday. “We’ve had a view on it and it’s all common sense in terms of rehab and something we know about, but the knee has flared up and there is a settling down period for that type of injury, so we are unsure on timescales,” he added. Ninth-placed Burnley have secured five points on the road this season with a win over Chelsea and draws against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
GOLF
Henderson closes on Mozo
Spain’s Belen Mozo yesterday saw her lead slashed to one stroke in a windswept third round of the New Zealand Women’s Open as Canadian Brooke Henderson chipped her way into contention ahead of an approaching storm. As many players struggled in the stiffening breeze, overnight leader Mozo had two bogeys in her 71 to be 15-under 201 going into the final round, while Henderson had five birdies in her faultless 67 to be on 202. “My chipping was awesome. It saved me a couple of times and got me close to make a couple of tap-in birdies so that was the key today. I was hitting it well and judging the wind pretty well,” she said. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, the former world No. 1, carded a third-round 70 to move up one place for a share of 11th on 208. Taiwan’s Chien Pei-yun was in 17th place, Yani Tseng was in 37th and Hsu Wei-ling was in 90th. Forecast stormy weather has forced the tournament organizers to move the tee times earlier than first scheduled and use a two-tee start.
FORMULA ONE
Track given all-clear
Formula One inspectors have given Sepang International Circuit the all-clear, race organisers said yesterday, after a loose drain caused a shocking tire explosion during the Malaysian Grand Prix practice on Friday. Romain Grosjean’s Haas was flung into the barriers at high speed on Friday after a drain grille, which should have been welded down securely, popped up at a kerb on turn 9 after Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari drove over it. “All drain covers were inspected last night. It was reinforced — double checked, triple checked,” Sepang circuit chief executive officer Razlan Razali said. “If FIA [Federation Internationale de l’Automobile] do not say anything the race is good to go. We only listen to the FIA,” he added.
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
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
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
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later