GOLF
Feng grabs lead in Japan
Shanshan Feng yesterday put herself in a prime position for a successful title defense at the LPGA Toto Japan Classic after grabbing the sole lead with a stellar second round of nine-under-par 63. Feng came into the tournament with top-seven finishes in five of her last six starts and continued that imperious form to lead Japan’s Ai Suzuki by two shots after a bogey-free second round. Feng was part of a seven-way tie at the top after the opening round in Ibaraki Prefecture and broke loose early yesterday, birdying five of her opening seven holes in a spectacular front nine.
CRICKET
Man drives car onto pitch
A man drove his car onto the pitch on Friday during the ongoing Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in a major breach of security at the Air Force Sports Complex in Palam, New Delhi. About 20 minutes before scheduled close of play, the car entered the field through an unmanned gate and headed straight to the pitch, scaring away Delhi fielders and the two Uttar Pradesh batsmen. Former India players, including the Delhi duo of Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma, looked in disbelief as the car was twice driven over the pitch. Match referee V Narayan Kutti examined the pitch after the incident and approved it for further play.
FOOTBALL
Buoniconti to donate brain
Professional football Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti said he would donate his brain to Boston University to support research of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In May, Buoniconti revealed he was diagnosed with dementia, and his doctors suspect CTE might contribute to his symptoms, which include impaired cognition, behavior and motor control. “My life, as I know it, has been taken away from me,” Buoniconti said in a statement Friday. Buoniconti, 76, helped the Miami Dolphins achieve the NFL’s only perfect season in 1972.
NASCAR
Kurt Busch averages 323kph
Kurt Busch on Friday earned the pole at Texas, going faster than anyone has ever gone in NASCAR Cup qualifying on a 2.4km track. Busch averaged 323kph on his only lap in the final round of qualifying. Five drivers surpassed the previous qualifying record at the track, Tony Stewart’s 322kph before the fall race three years ago. Denny Hamlin, one of the eight drivers still in contention for the season championship, qualified second. Kevin Harvick, Erik Jones and Kyle Busch also averaged laps of more than 322kph on the high-banked fast track.
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