■ Fleet to meet in Sydney
Boats from Sweden, Britain, the US and New Zealand are among a fleet of 57 -- one of the smallest fields in nearly 40 years -- to contest the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race beginning today. The starting cannon for the 628 nautical-mile race will be fired by 87-year-old Gordon Elliott, who competed in the first Sydney to Hobart race in 1945 aboard Kathleen Gillett. The race ends in Hobart on the island state of Tasmania. Skandia's canting keel is looming as the unknown factor in Australia's bid to end the recent foreign dominance of line honors. Brindabella in 1997 was the only Australian boat in the last eight years to reach Hobart first, although 1999 winner Nokia was an Australian-Danish combination and last year's Victor Alpha Romeo was from New Zealand. The race record of one day, 19 hours, 48 minutes and 2 seconds was set by the 60-footer Nokia. In 1998, six sailors died during a terrible storm that struck most of the fleet.
■ Basketball
ESPN notes Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, currently facing sexual assault charges in Colorado, heads ESPN's list of 100 sports personalities, moments, trends, games and stories that mattered in 2003. "He is finally is the biggest story in sports, just not the one he had in mind," ESPN The Magazine said of Bryant. Top NBA draft choice LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers is No. 2 on the list followed by the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, sharing third place after each came within five outs of reaching the World Series. The World Series champion Florida Marlins are No. 4 and Maurice Clarett, who led Ohio State to the national championship and then was suspended by the team and sued the school and the NFL, is No. 5.
■ Boxing
Mosley to fight Wright
Shane Mosley will fight Winky Wright on March 13 for the undisputed world championship at 154 pounds. Mosley (39-2, 35 knockouts) will defend the WBA and WBC super welterweight titles he took from Oscar De La Hoya in a 12-round unanimous decision last September. Wright (46-3, 25 knockouts), the IBF junior middleweight champion, won a unanimous decision over an outmatched Angel Hernandez last month. Wright, who captured the IBF title in 2001 after Felix Trinidad vacated it, has successfully defended his championship four times. The bout, which will unify the 154-pound title for the first time since 1975, will take place at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.
■ Hockey
Alexei Yashin gets injured
Center Alexei Yashin of the New York Islanders is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks after partially severing tendons in his right wrist in Tuesday night's 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Yashin's right arm was cut by the skate of Flyers center Michal Handzus during a scramble that led to Arron Asham's game-tying goal. The cut resulted in two partially-severed extensor tendons and a severed sensory nerve. Yashin underwent surgery by Islanders orthopedist Dr. Kenneth Montgomery at Lenox Hill Hospital and will be in a cast for four weeks before rehabilitation can begin. Dr. Elliot Pellman, the Islanders team physician, said the injury is not career-threatening and Yashin is expected to make a complete recovery.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
His team were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in agonizing fashion on Tuesday, but the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DR Congo) human statue Michel Kuka Mboladinga would be remembered as the tournament’s most remarkable supporter. The colorfully dressed Kuka has earned fame as the fan who stands completely immobile throughout his team’s games, looking toward the sky with his right arm raised and palm open. He has become a media star and on Tuesday was accompanied by a delegation of several hundred Congolese supporters whose trip to Morocco was paid for by the country’s government. They took their
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