■ SKATING
French pair take gold
Years of hard work finally paid off for French ice dancing veterans Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder on Friday when they claimed their first gold in Gothenburg, Sweden, at the world figure skating championships. The six-time French national champions, who have skated together for 18 years, had never made it to the podium at worlds before. They led the dance sections earlier in the week and sealed victory with a routine to the soundtrack from The Piano, which included sign language. Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir took silver with Russians Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski taking bronze after the free dance final.
■ CYCLING
Anti-doping official sued
Cycling's governing body is suing former World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Dick Pound. The International Cycling Union (UCI) and its former president Hein Verbruggen have lodged a complaint in a Swiss court over what they call Pound's "continual injurious and biased comments." The dispute centers on comments by Pound criticizing the role of UCI and Verbruggen in fighting doping in cycling. Pound stepped down this year after heading WADA for eight years. He has regularly clashed with Verbruggen and the UCI over the doping scandals that have rocked the sport. In explaining its course of action, the UCI said that "Pound has publicly questioned the extent of the UCI's efforts in the fight against doping." Pound did not immediately respond on Friday to a message. The Canadian is currently running for the presidency of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, which has settled a number of high-profile doping cases in cycling.
■ RUGBY UNION
White keen on England job
Jake White, the coach who led South Africa to World Cup glory last year, has reiterated his desire to replace Brian Ashton as England head coach if the job were to become available. White, speaking to the Guardian newspaper, also made it clear that the England job was the only one that interested him in world rugby and that he would rule out any chance to step into the vacancy left by Eddie O'Sullivan with Ireland. "I've made no secret of the fact that the job has always appealed to me," White said. "But England have their own review process under way and must decide what's right for them." The English Rugby Football Union are due to decide on the future of Brian Ashton next week and there is speculation that he will either step down voluntarily or be asked to leave.
■ SOCCER
Ancelotti dismisses rumors
AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has dismissed speculation he is set to take over as Italy coach from Roberto Donadoni after Euro 2008. "It pleases me to hear my name linked to the Azzurri bench, but I believe it is impossible," Ancelotti told a news conference on Friday. "I could only train the national team after 2010 [when my contract with Milan expires]. Donadoni deserves to stay, he is doing well and I hope he faces the European Championship with the utmost calm and takes the national team to the 2010 World Cup." Thursday's Italian Soccer Federation statement that Donadoni's future would not be decided until after Euro 2008 in June had fuelled media speculation linking Ancelotti to the job.
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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