■ Hockey
Farjestad sweeps into final
Farjestad came back from a two-goal deficit to complete a sweep of its semifinal series with Sodertalje in the Swedish Elite League in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday, advancing to the finals for the fifth year in a row. Farjestad won 4-3 on home ice in Karlstad, despite going down 2-0 in the first six minutes. Florida Panthers forward Jonas Hoglund scored a goal and added an assist to lead the comeback for Farjestad, and Oscar Steen, the league's Rookie of the Year, made it 4-2 on a power play 2:31 into the third period. Farjestad, which swept the series 4-0, became the first team ever to make it to the Elite League finals five straight years. Last year, it lost to HV71 in the finals. Djurgarden defeated Frolunda 4-3 to stay alive in the other semifinal series, after dropping the first three games.
■ Boxing
Fight ends in controversy
Demetrius Hopkins, the nephew of undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins, earned a wildly unpopular, unanimous decision over Norberto "Nito" Bravo in Sahuarita, Arizona on Friday to remain unbeaten. On March 1, Bravo became the first fighter from southern Arizona to join the stable of Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. Bernard Hopkins is De La Hoya's partner and top fighter. Both stars sat at ringside and signed autographs throughout a fight card at the Desert Diamond Casino. Bravo (20-9-2) was aggressive throughout the welterweight fight and threw more combinations, including several that had Hopkins (18-0-1) hanging on in the ninth round. But Bravo's 11-bout unbeaten streak ended when judges Gonzalo Valenzuela and Gerald Maltz had Hopkins ahead 97-93. Judge Chris Wilson saw the gap even wider, 98-92. The decision brought roars of protest from the crowd, and shouting reached near-riot level in the concourse of the Tohono O'Odham tribal arena.
■ Sumo
Asashoryu takes the Cup
Grand champion Asashoryu upended ozeki Kaio on the second last day of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka, Japan, yesterday, to win his 11th Emperor's Cup. With French President Jacques Chirac looking on, Mongolian Asashoryu used a textbook arm throw in the final bout at Osaka Municipal Gymnasium to send Kaio sprawling to the dirt surface. Chirac, who is on a three-day visit to Japan, is an avid sumo fan. Asashoryu improved to 13-1 while Kaio fell to 10-4. "I've faced him many times in the past and just tried to keep him from gaining control of the belt," said Asashoryu. "It's too bad I couldn't go undefeated but I'm happy with the result."
■ Cycling
Tuen Mulder wins kierin
Tuen Mulder of the Netherlands rode away from pack and claimed an easy men's kierin title in Carson, California on Friday at the Track Cycling World Championships. Mulder jumped to the front of the six-rider pack with about 1 1/2 laps left and was never seriously challenged. Theo Bos, also of the Netherlands, claimed the men's kilometer time trial in 1 minute, 1.165 seconds at an average speed of 58.85kph. Great Britain's Jason Quelly and Chris Hoy finished second and third in 1:01.230 and 1:02.262.
Six years after claiming his first world title, Robert Bartko of Germany surged in the final kilometer and rode to an easy title over Sergi Roure Escobar of Spain in the men's pursuit.
■ Darts
England recognizes sport
Darts has long been associated with smoky pubs and beer-swilling participants, but that didn't stop Sport England from officially recognizing it as a legitimate sport. The decision, announced Thursday, means darts could possibly get government funding and tax incentives. "The presentation of darts as a pub game has helped popularize its cult appeal, but the reality is that it is a sport played by many thousands of people across the country in locations ranging from schools to village halls, social clubs and sports centers," Sport England chief executive Roger Draper said.
■ Curling
Norway overcomes Russia
Norway defeated Russia 10-2 in a tiebreaker in Paisley, Scotland on Friday to reach the playoffs at the World Women's Curling Championship. Sweden beat Denmark 8-1 to stay undefeated ahead of its playoff against the United States. Earlier Friday, Russia lost to host Scotland 10-4 when victory would have clinched fourth in the standings and a playoff against third-place Canada. That left it tied with Norway, forcing the tiebreaker. Norway started by stealing a double in the first end. Although Russia scored a single in the third, Norway tallied five in the fourth to take a decisive lead and Russia conceded after another three ends. Russia's fifth-place finish is its best ever result at the Worlds and secured a berth at next year's Olympics.
■ Gymnastics
Belu decides to coach
Octavian Belu announced Friday that he was ready to return as coach to Romania's gymnastics team, nearly two months after he resigned amid legal troubles and media criticism of his methods. Belu coached Romania from 1981, helping it to 272 medals -- including 104 golds -- at Olympic, world, European and other top competitions. At the gymnastics federation's annual meeting Friday, Belu told members and the media that he was ready to take back his position. "I feel the need to get involved in the situation of the Olympic team, which is not easy," he said. Federation officials said they were happy with Belu's return. Romanian gymnastics has been rocked by scandals and legal problems.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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