■GOLF
Three share Evian lead
Becky Brewerton, who only got into the Evian Masters by winning last week’s Spanish Open, shot a first round five under par 67 to share the lead after the first round on Thursday. The 26-year-old Welshwoman had seven birdies to finish top of the leaderboard alongside two South Koreans, Choi Na-yeon and Kim In-kyung. World No.1 Lorena Ochoa had a disappointing day. The Mexican, seeking a first Evian title, shot 75. Off the course, there was drama on the eve of the tournament when there was a serious fire at one of the local hotels. Several players were staying at the Hotel Pavillons du Golf, and South Korean Amy Yang threw out her mattress and jumped to the ground from the balcony. Her father suffered burns to his arm.
■TENNIS
Federer enjoys twin joy
Roger Federer is the father of twin girls after his wife Mirka gave birth on Thursday. In a statement released on his personal Web site and Facebook page. “I have some exciting news to share with you,” Federer’s Facebook page said. “Late last night, in Switzerland, Mirka and I became proud parents of twin girls. We named them Myla Rose and Charlene Riva and they are both healthy and along with their mother they are doing great. This is the best day of our lives.” The 27-year-old Federer met his wife-to-be — born Miroslava Vavrinec in Slovakia — in 2000 when they were competing for Switzerland in the Sydney Olympic Games. Mirka, 31, emigrated with her family to Switzerland as a small child, and after playing on the WTA Tour and retiring prematurely due to injury, became one of Federer’s managers.
■CURLING
Thieves steal rocks
Thieves have stolen 58 curling rocks from a refrigerated truck, representing more than a third of the total of the rocks in Australia. The 22km granite rocks, valued at US$400 each, or about US$23,200 combined, were stolen between June 16 and July 7 in a parking lot next to an ice rink at Docklands in downtown Melbourne. Police believe the thieves would have been excited about the prospect of a refrigerated trailer containing alcohol, but would have quickly discovered the rocks were useless to them. Curling competitor Paul Meissner said the theft had stopped all training for both serious curlers and people learning the sport in Melbourne. There are only about 150 curling rocks in Australia. Meissner urged the thieves to return the rocks or leave them in a safe place to be found. “They’re useless to anyone else except for us, apart from as a doorstop or propping up a coffee table,” he said. “They might be valuable ... but that won’t do you any good. They could sell them to the Canadians, but they’ve got their own rocks.”
■ATHLETICS
UK sprinters lazy: Powell
Former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell branded British sprinters lazy and said they were unlikely to beat the world’s best, reports said yesterday. The Jamaican said British runners were perhaps lacking in motivation to succeed because their lifestyles were already comfortable, the BBC reported. “I’ve said over the years that British sprinters are very lazy and don’t really want to practise,” Powell said. “Maybe it’s comfort. In Jamaica, you have to work harder for what you want. We have a different mindset. You have to make a living out of it because you don’t get a living from anywhere else. “You have to go out there and make something of yourself.” Powell takes on triple Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt at this weekend’s London Grand Prix ahead of the World Championships in Berlin next month.
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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