RUGBY UNION
Japan obliterate UAE 111-0
Japan pulverized the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 111-0 to capture the Asian Five Nations for the fourth time in a row and with a game to spare, Japanese rugby officials said on yesterday. The “Brave Blossoms” exploded for 17 tries in Friday’s game in Dubai to make it a perfect three wins from three and move to an unassailable 18 points. Japan, warming up for this year’s World Cup in New Zealand which kicks off on Sept. 9, play Sri Lanka in their last match next weekend. Lock Hitoshi Ono, whose family’s dairy farm has been threatened by collapse by the current nuclear crisis at the crippled power plant north of Tokyo, was given the captain’s armband for the game.
Photo: Reuters
ICE HOCKEY
Canadian player found dead
Canadian professional hockey player Derek Boogaard was found dead on Friday in his Minneapolis, Minnesota, apartment. He was 28. The New York Rangers announced the forward’s death on Friday night, but gave no details. Boogaard had signed a four-year, US$6.5 million deal with the Rangers in July last year and appeared in 22 games with them last season. He had a goal and an assist to go with 45 penalty minutes. One of the most feared fighters in the NHL, Boogaard missed the last 52 games of the regular season with a concussion and shoulder injury and did not play in the playoffs. The Saskatchewan native began his NHL career with Minnesota and appeared in 255 games with the Wild from 2005 to 2010.
SWIMMING
Phelps flounders in free
Switzerland’s Dominik Meichtry beat Michael Phelps and four other Olympians to win the 200m freestyle on Friday at the Charlotte UltraSwim meet. Meichtry finished with a time of 1 minute, 48.55 seconds, overtaking early leader Ryan Lochte and edging Ricky Barens, who finished second in 1 minute, 49.25 seconds. Austria’s Markus Rogan was third in 1 minute, 49.47 seconds. Phelps finished in sixth place, 1.34 seconds behind Meichtry. The race was Phelps’ first since he finished a surprising fourth in the 200m butterfly at a meet in Michigan last month, ending a winning streak in the event dating back to 2002. Phelps, who has been training intensely for the upcoming world championships in Shanghai in July, was in an outside lane after posting a slow time in the heats.
BASKETBALL
Rivers extends with Celtics
Doc Rivers has agreed to a fresh five-year deal to remain head coach of the Boston Celtics, the NBA team said on Friday. Rivers’ existing contract was set to expire at the end of this season and he had initially planned to take a break from coaching after the Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday. However, the 49-year-old changed his mind and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told the team’s Web site that Rivers would return for next season. No further details of the new deal were disclosed, but local media estimate the contract extension to be worth US$35 million. Rivers, an NBA All-Star as a player with the Atlanta Hawks in 1988, led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship and also to last year’s Finals.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
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