■ 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.
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
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two
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