■ Athletics
Denise Lewis retires
Denise Lewis, UK Olympic heptathlon gold medallist at the 2000 Sydney Games, has quit athletics. The 32-year-old had been expected to compete at both the World Championships in six weeks and chase a third title in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next March. Lewis claimed her first major title at the 1994 Commonwealth Games and retained the title four years later in Kuala Lumpur. The victory in Malaysia came only weeks after winning the European title in Budapest and the following year, as she shrugged off injury problems, she finished runner-up at the World Championships. Then came her Olympic Games success in Sydney. Lewis has been hit by injury since then and it was three years before she contested her next competition, finishing fifth at the World Championships.
■ Soccer
Collina gets another season
Top referee Pierluigi Collina will be allowed to carry on for another season, Italian football federation (FIGC) president Franco Carraro confirmed on Wednesday after a meeting of their federation council. It was agreed to make an exception for the 45-year-old Collina, as the FIGC proceed to change the retirement age for international referees from 45 to 46. Collina will be able to handle Italian league and Champions League matches up to June 30 next year but will be ruled out of the 2006 World Cup. Voted world referee of the year five times, Collina has been a referee for 28 years. The pinnacle of his career was when he officiated at the 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany. Instantly recognisable for his bald head and bulging eyes, Collina is a celebrity in his own right in Italy, often appearing on television shows.
■ Baseball
Japan must decide
Japan professional baseball yesterday said it has tentatively agreed to take part in the inaugural 16-nation World Baseball Classic subject to the approval of the Japanese baseball players' association. Japanese baseball officials were responding to an end-of the month deadline set by the US' Major League Baseball (MLB) for Japanese owners and players to decide on whether to take part in the World-Cup style tournament set for March next year. The Japanese players' association will hold a meeting on July 22 to decide whether to take part. MLB and its players' association have already approved the tournament. MLB officials and union traveled to Japan earlier this month and set an end-of-the-month deadline for Japan to reach a decision. MLB wants to make an announcement about the tournament on July 11, the day before the All-Star game in Detroit.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
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