RUGBY UNION
Mitchell gets one-match ban
Melbourne Rebels winger Lachlan Mitchell has been suspended for one Super Rugby match after being found guilty of a lifting tackle on British and Irish Lions winger Simon Zebo in their tour match on Tuesday. Judicial officer Nigel Hampton yesterday said Mitchell was guilty of lifting and dropping Zebo onto his upper body in the 52nd minute of the Lions’ 35-0 win at Melbourne. Zebo appeared to leap as Mitchell attempted a tackle and Hampton said “the incident was clearly at the lowest level for this offense.” Hampton gave Mitchell two reductions in penalty for his previous good on-field record and for the nature of the incident. Mitchell can return after the Rebels’ next Super Rugby match on July 12.
SWIMMING
Franklin books Spain ticket
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin cruised to victory in the 100m freestyle at the US national trials in Indiana on Tuesday, booking her spot at the upcoming FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. Franklin was the star attraction on the opening night of the event, which serves as the US trials for the championships, to be held from July 19 to Aug. 4. The 18-year-old set a personal best and championship record time of 53.43 seconds to win her race. Shannon Vreeland finished second in 53.83, followed by Simone Manuel and Megan Romano, who all booked their ticket to Spain. On the men’s side, Nathan Adrian, who won the 100m freestyle gold in London, won his race in 48.10. Other national champions crowned on the night included Cammile Adams and Tom Luchsinger in the 200m butterfly, Katie Ledecky in the women’s 800m freestyle and Connor Jaeger in the men’s 1,500m.
GOLF
‘Toledo Strongman’ dies
American Frank Stranahan, a six-time PGA Tour winner who was also a world-ranked weightlifter, has died at the age of 90, the PGA Tour announced on Tuesday. Stranahan, who enjoyed a stellar amateur career before turning professional in 1954, died on Sunday in the Hospice of Palm Beach County, Florida. “Frank’s achievements are no doubt underappreciated today, including the fact that he was a remarkable all-around athlete. Frank was a noted powerlifter during this period and later, became an accomplished long-distance runner,” PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement. Ohio-born Stranahan, who was nicknamed the “Toledo Strongman” during his golfing days, triumphed twice on the PGA Tour as an amateur and piled up more than 50 tournament victories in the amateur ranks. At the 1947 British Open, he fell one stroke shy of forcing a playoff for the title with Fred Daly after his approach shot from 110 yards on the final hole stopped three inches short of the cup.
SOCCER
Mignolet signs for Liverpool
Belgium international goalkeeper Simon Mignolet became English Premier League side Liverpool’s fourth signing of the close season on Tuesday when he moved from Sunderland for ￡9 million (US$13.9 million). The 25-year-old, who signed a long-term contract, joins manager Brendan Rodgers’ new recruits since a disappointing season saw them fail to qualify for Europe in finishing seventh and without a trophy. Mignolet, who played more than 100 games for Sunderland since a ￡2 million move from Belgian side Sint-Truidense VV in June 2010, could replace the club’s long-time No. 1 ’keeper, Spaniard Pepe Reina, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona.
MEDVEDEV AWAITS: The world No. 1 Spainiard said that he is ‘finding the right shots’ as he pushed his record so far this year to 16 victories and no losses Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday extended his unbeaten season and got revenge over Cameron Norrie to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells for a fifth straight year. The world No. 1 from Spain emerged from a see-saw battle with 29th-ranked Norrie with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. In the semis tomorrow, he faces Russian Daniil Medvedev, who pushed his own ATP winning streak to eight matches with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over defending champion Jack Draper. World No. 2 Jannik Sinner powered past Learner Tien 6-1, 6-2 to line up a semi-final with fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Arthur Fils. Alcaraz, 22, became
West Ham United on Monday advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 5-3 penalty shoot-out win against Brentford, who paid the price for Dango Ouattara’s spot-kick blunder. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side twice blew the lead as Jarrod Bowen’s double was canceled out by an Igor Thiago brace to force extra-time in the 2-2 draw at the London Stadium, but in the shoot-out, Brentford winger Ouattara attempted a chipped Panenka penalty, but his woeful effort was straight at West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. It was an awful mistake by the Burkina Faso international and West Ham took full advantage. Bowen, Valentin Castellanos, Callum
Thanks to Italy beating Mexico on Wednesday, the US get another chance in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). What looked like a potentially disastrous early exit for US manager Mark DeRosa and his team turned out to be nothing more than substantial worry and significant embarrassment for about 24 hours. It remains to be seen whether the US really want to win badly enough for the reprieve to matter, as if it is just a switch they can flick, but there is little reason for their fans to be optimistic. The team’s attitude and behavior have been all over the place when
Ollie Watkins’ second-half header on Thursday gave Aston Villa a 1-0 win over Lille OSC in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie. Just past the hour mark, Ezri Konsa sent a deep pass that Emi Buendia headed to Watkins in the home team’s box. The England forward noticed goalkeeper Berke Ozer was off his line before sending a looping header over him and into the net. Minutes later, Watkins wasted a chance to double the advantage when he failed to score in a one-on-one with the ’keeper. Nottingham Forest were stunned 1-0 by Danish club Midtjylland, with substitute Cho
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