MOTOR RACING
Schumacher faces ‘long fight’
Michael Schumacher faces a “long fight” for recovery as the first anniversary of his skiing accident approaches, the former Formula One driver’s manager said on Sunday. Her comments cast doubts over a newspaper report that said he was making cognitive progress. “We need a long time. It’s going to be a long time and a hard fight,” Sabine Kehm told reporters by telephone. “He is making progress appropriate to the severity of the situation,” she added, reiterating a statement she made a month ago. Schumacher suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident in Meribel in the French Alps on Dec. 29 last year. He emerged from an induced coma in June, and was released from the hospital in September.
FOOTBALL
Harbaugh leaves 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers and head coach Jim Harbaugh have parted ways, the National Football League team announced shortly after their regular season finale on Sunday. Harbaugh is widely expected to return to the American college ranks and accept the head coaching position at the University of Michigan, which according to multiple media reports have offered him a six-year, US$48 million deal. “I had the time of my life. It’s like that song,” Harbaugh said in a report on NFL.com. “I had the time of my life; I really did.” The 49ers finished a tension-filled season with a disappointing 8-8 record, missing the post-season. However, the fiery Harbaugh signed off with a 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals and was handed the game ball after the final whistle. Harbaugh took over the 49ers in 2011, leading the team to three straight post-season berths, including three NFC championship games and a Super Bowl appearance.
SOCCER
Lemina not playing for Gabon
Gabon have named their 23-man squad for the African Nations Cup, but Olympique de Marseille midfielder Mario Lemina has already said he will not honor his call-up. The 21-year-old French junior international was named by Gabon coach Jorge Costa for the Jan. 17 to Feb. 8 tournament, but has declined the invitation. “All that is being said are just rumors. I’m sorry, but there has been no agreement between Gabon and me,” Lemina, who was born in Gabon, said on Twitter. “I will not go to CAN.” Lemina, who helped France win the under-20 World Cup last year, is still hoping for a call-up to the French senior national team and is unwilling to pin his colors to the Gabonese mast at this stage. The squad is headlined by Borussia Dortmund forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but also has Cardiff City defender Bruno Ecuele Manga and Charlton Athletic striker Frederic Bulot.
ALPINE SKIING
Ganong takes first WC win
Skiing on a hill he has not seen before usually gets Travis Ganong fired up. Racing the downhill on a new slope to the men’s World Cup circuit certainly brought the best out of the US skier on Sunday. A flawless run on the Deborah Compagnoni course earned Ganong his first World Cup victory, less than six weeks before his home world championship race in Beaver Creek, Colorado. “First World Cup win!!!! Stoked to be able to say that!!” Ganong posted on Twitter. “I love to take on a new challenge and a new slope,” said Ganong, a Squaw Valley, California, native who was just 26th in the only training session on Friday. “I love the hill, the mountains are huge here and it’s fun skiing.” It’s the second downhill win in a row for the US team and the second in Italy after Steven Nyman’s triumph in Val Gardena last week.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
Kumar Rocker, a first-round pick in both the 2021 and 2022 drafts, on Thursday won for the first time in the major leagues. Rocker struck out a career-best eight in a career-best seven innings as the Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 to complete a three-game sweep. Rocker (1-2) threw a career-high 78 pitches and allowed three runs on five hits without a walk. The 25-year-old right-hander was drafted third overall by Texas in 2022, a year after concerns over a physical led to him going unsigned by the New York Mets as the 10th overall pick. He made his major
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