■ BASEBALL
Rodriquez to switch sides
Alex Rodriguez will switch sides to play for the Dominican Republic at next year’s World Baseball Classic. Rodriguez made the announcement on Saturday while playing at a charity golf tournament hosted by friend David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox at Punta Cana. “I am 100 percent sure that I will play for the Dominican Republic team,” he said. “This time, there will be no doubts and it is a dream of my mom’s that I intend to fulfill.” Rodriguez played for the US in the 2006 inaugural Classic and was largely criticized by fans in the Dominican Republic and across Latin America.
■NORDIC SKIING
Moan wins World Cup
Norway’s Magnus Moan won a World Cup Nordic Combined competition on his home trails on Saturday, edging runner-up Jason Lamy Chappuis of France by 0.7 seconds in the 10km cross-country ski race. “What a wonderful day,” Moan said. “It’s great to win on my home track. This is the race where I feel the most pressure. I had really good skis today and when I’m among the leaders on the final straightaway I know that I have one of the best finishing kicks.” He proved it again after one of the tightest finishes in years. Only 4.2 seconds separated the top six racers. Anssi Koivuranta, the overall leader from Finland, was 1.5 seconds back in third.
■BOXING
Khan beats Fagan in two
Amir Khan overwhelmed Oisin Fagan in two rounds to capture the WBA international lightweight title on Saturday and suggest that his first-round loss in his previous fight was a minor setback. Knocked out in 54 seconds by Breidis Prescott of Colombia in September, the big-hitting Khan put US-based Irishman Fagan down twice in the opening round with big right hands at London’s ExCel Arena. He knocked down Fagan again with another fast combination in the second and referee Mickey Vann stopped the fight at 1 minute, 37 seconds of the round.
■BOBSLED
Lange wins 40th World Cup
Andre Lange of Germany won his 40th World Cup bobsled race in Saturday’s two-man competition. The two-time world and Olympic champion and his partner Kevin Kuske finished the course in 1 minute, 52.60 seconds over two runs for their first victory this season. The American pair of Steven Holcomb and Justin Olsen finished second, 0.25 seconds back. Beat Hefti and Thomas Lamparter of Switzerland, who won the first race of the season, took third. Lange took the lead in the World Cup two-man bobsled standings with 435 points, 10 ahead of Hefti. The German pair of Sandra Kiriasis and Berit Wiacker won the women’s race in a time of 1:55.71.
■RALLYING
Spectators killed in crash
Two spectators were killed and three others injured, including an eight-year-old girl, after a car smashed into the crowd watching a rally in Prague, Czech Republic, on Saturday, police said. A Peugeot 307 WRC, driven by the Polish-British pairing of Leszek Kuzaj and Craig Parry, came off the course in Reporyje, in the south-west suburbs of the Czech capital. In rainy conditions, the car skidded on a bend, bounced off an electricity pylon before hurtling into the watching crowd. A 26-year-old Pole, believed to be a close friend of Kuzaj, died at the scene while the second spectator died later in the day.
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
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