ATHLETICS
Kipsang wins England Run
Wilson Kipsang defeated fellow Kenyan Micah Kogo in a sprint finish to win the Great North Run in northeast England on Sunday.
Kipsang, this year’s London Marathon winner and the 2012 Olympic Games bronze medalist over the distance outsprinted Kogo in the final 20m to win in a time of 59 minutes and six seconds in the half marathon. Ethiopia’s Imana Merga finished third. In the women’s race, his compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba powered to victory on her half marathon debut. The three-time Olympic champion and four-time world champion, who became the first athlete to retain the Olympic 10,000m title in London, defeated last year’s world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat and 2012 Olympic Games marathon champion Tiki Gelana for victory in a time of 67 minutes 35 seconds.
GOLF
Ballesteros takes Open
Javier Ballesteros, the son of Spanish golfing legend Seve, won the Madrid Open amateur title on Sunday and dedicated his victory to his father who died from cancer in May last year. The 22-year-old Ballesteros, a law student, finished the three-round tournament on six-under. “I thought about him [Seve] over the 18 holes and I dedicate this victory to him and to my mother,” Ballesteros told reporters. Seve Ballesteros won five majors in his career and played in eight Ryder Cups, captaining Europe to victory in 1997.
RALLYING
Finn claims Wales Rally
Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala won the Wales Rally GB on Sunday, finishing 27.8 seconds clear of championship leader Sebastien Loeb to claim a second victory of the season. Loeb edged Petter Solberg to second place to take a 61-point lead in the overall standings, meaning the Citroen driver is likely to clinch a ninth straight title in his home French Rally at the start of next month. Latvala, driving a Ford, was not headed after taking the lead after Friday’s third stage, with Loeb and Solberg never threatening the 24.5-second advantage he held from Saturday.
SPEEDSKATING
US coach investigated
US speedskating coach Jae Su Chun was placed on administrative leave on Sunday, hours after his spokesman released a statement denying claims of verbal, physical and psychological abuse brought by current and former members of the national team, including five Olympic medalists. Nineteen short-track skaters filed a wide-ranging grievance against US Speedskating and 14 signed a code of conduct complaint with the US Olympic Committee on Aug. 30. A USOC spokesman confirmed Friday the organization is investigating charges that include accusations Chun slammed an athlete against a wall and repeatedly hit him, threw bottles and chairs at skaters, and repeatedly told female skaters they were “fat” and “disgusting.”
RUGBY UNION
Exiles clinch victory
London Welsh head coach Lyn Jones was delighted as the Exiles clinched their first English Premiership win with a nailbiting 25-24 victory over Exeter on Sunday. For the Exiles, playing at their new home of the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, this was their first win since clinching promotion and followed heavy defeats by Leicester and champions Harlequins. With less than two minutes left, No. 8 Ed Jackson rounded off a desperate surge by forcing his way over for a try, which replacement fly-half Seb Jewell converted to win the match.
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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