■HORSE RACING
Trainer dies after kick
An 88-year-old thoroughbred trainer was fatally struck in the head by one of his horses before the start of a race. John Wilson was unresponsive after he was hit and was taken by ambulance to Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he was pronounced dead, Jennifer See, a spokeswoman for Presque Isle Downs and Casino, said on Sunday. Wilson is based out of a track in Fort Erie, Ontario. On Saturday night, he was readying two-year-old gelding Forbidden Dreams for a stakes race, See said. “The horse reared up, and when it came back down it struck him in the head,” she said.
■GOLF
Spaniard wins Masters
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano beat Lee Westwood by making par on the third playoff hole to win the British Masters on Sunday in Sutton Coldfield, England. The Spaniard putted from just off the green on the 18th hole at the Belfry to within an inch, and then watched as defending champion Westwood chipped poorly and missed a 15-foot par putt. Both players parred the 18th on the first two playoff holes. The victory earned Fernandez-Castano 382,000 euros (US$300,000). Fernandez-Castano began the final round three strokes behind Westwood and Michael Campbell, but shot a 5-under 67 while Westwood carded a 70.
■SUMO
Wrestlers vulnerable to virus
Japan’s sumo wrestlers are vulnerable to a more virulent strain of a herpes skin virus, contracted through grappling their opponents, scientists said on Sunday. The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is notorious among the general public for causing unsightly cold sores and sore throats. The symptoms recur because the pathogen can hide in nerve cells for a long time and then leap out. But a more extreme form of the disease occurs among athletes who take part in close-contact sports, such as sumo, rugby and judo. Known as Herpes gladiatorum, or scrumpox, it causes painful, virus-filled blisters to form on the face and the neck that can damage the skin.
■CYCLING
Schleck to face probe
Frank Schleck said on Sunday he will explain doping allegations to cycling authorities in his native Luxembourg over the coming days and insisted he had never taken illegal drugs. The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper alleged over the weekend that Schleck, who held the yellow jersey for three days during the Tour de France, was involved in the Spanish Operation Puerto doping scandal two years ago and had sent money to the key doctor involved. “I have never doped and I will explain myself next week to the authorities,” he said after finishing 41th in Sunday’s world championships.
■FOOTBALL
The Boss to play halftime
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show in Tampa, Florida, the NFL and NBC announced on Sunday night. Continuing a run of major talent that has lately included the Rolling Stones, U2, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the biggest television event in the nation will showcase one of its most beloved rock artists. The Super Bowl will be played Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium. Last year’s halftime show was watched by more than 148 million viewers in the US, the NFL said in a statement. It wasn’t always that way: For years, the game’s halftime show was made up of local and college marching bands.
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Chris Wood has fired Nottingham Forest into surprise UEFA Champions League contention and now the striker wants to score the goals to help New Zealand make history at the FIFA World Cup. New Zealand are strong favorites to qualify out of the Oceania region over the next week and reach the World Cup for only the third time. At the country’s two previous appearances at the finals, in 1982 and 2010, they have failed to win a match in six attempts. With Wood captaining the side and leading from the front, he told local media yesterday that the current squad can finally deliver
Paolo Banchero on Sunday scored 24 points as the Orlando Magic overturned a 13-point deficit to end the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16-game unbeaten streak with a gutsy 108-103 road victory. Cleveland, the runaway Eastern Conference leaders, had looked poised to extend their franchise-record winning run after surging clear of Orlando early in the third quarter, but after a season where they have staged hefty winning comebacks of their own, the tables turned on Cleveland in the face of a furious burst of Orlando scoring. The Magic outscored Cleveland 35-23 in the third quarter, with Franz Wagner leading the charge with nine points and
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