■ Supercross
Rider dies in crash
A motorcycle rider was killed during a qualifying race, flying over the handlebars and crashing while his parents watched from the stands at Qualcomm Stadium. Jason Ciarletta, 19, died Saturday at the AMA Supercross. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. There will be an autopsy Monday, the medical examiner's office said.
Ciarletta landed headfirst in the dirt and did not move as paramedics worked on him for more than 15 minutes. The death is the first in Supercross, a more compact and technically demanding hybrid of the off-road sport known as motocross. The last recorded death in American motocross was in 1975. Fewer than 2,000 people were in the stands at the time of the accident, delaying the featured event by almost an hour.
■ Soccer
Brazil misses out on berth
Brazil, who have never won an Olympic gold medal in soccer, failed to qualify for this year's Games in Athens after a shock 1-0 defeat to Paraguay on Sunday. Brazil, five times world champions, had needed only to draw against their less illustrious neighbors in their last game of the South American qualifying tournament but were instead sunk by a 32nd-minute goal scored from rival captain Jose de Vaca. Paraguay will thus join Argentina, who qualified with a game to spare, as South America's Olympic representatives. Paraguay finished the four-team final stage with six points alongside Argentina, who were playing their final game against hosts Chile later Sunday. Brazil have three points and Chile none. Brazil have always taken Olympic soccer seriously and see the gold medal as the one item missing from their trophy cupboard.
■ Olympics
Kim questioned again
Prosecutors questioned IOC vice president Kim Un-yong yesterday for a second time over allegations that he collected illicit money from former South Korean Olympic officials and embezzled funds from taekwondo organizations. Prosecutors questioned Kim last month, and initially planned to summon him for more questioning last week, but delayed it after the 72-year-old collapsed and was hospitalized. Kim, wearing a white mask and a navy blue hat, entered the Seoul District Prosecutor's Office yesterday morning. He entered the building without answering reporters' questions. Kim is South Korea's best-known sports official and a longtime member of the International Olympic Committee. He helped taekwondo become a medal sport in the Olympics in 2000. He also played a role in helping South Korea host the 1988 Summer Games. But Kim has been suspended from all Olympic duties amid corruption accusations against him in South Korea. Investigators are focusing on allegations Kim received tens of thousands of dollars from a sports equipment company while picking an official sponsor for the Korea Olympic Committee, which he headed at the time, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said, citing a prosecutor who questioned Kim yesterday.
■ Soccer
Red cards too much for ref
A Turkish league match between leader Besiktas and Samsunspor was stopped in the 85th minute on Sunday when Besiktas star Ilhan Mansiz was given the team's fifth red card. Samsunspor was leading the match 4-1 when it was stopped. The Turkish soccer federation is expected to declare Samsunspor the winner later this week. Besiktas also had Brazilian defender Carlos Antonio Zago, Ibrahim Uzulmez, Ahmet Yildirim and Daniel Pancu sent off.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
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