GOLF
Bae faces military issue
The burgeoning USPGA Tour career of South Korean golfer Bae Sang-moon appears on hold after the 28-year-old was ordered to return home to complete military service. Bae, who has won twice on the PGA Tour, had his overseas travel permit extension request rejected by the South Korean Military Manpower Administration, the Yonhap news agency reported on Monday, quoting his mother. The world No. 84, who has qualified to compete in the US Masters in April, must return to South Korea at the end of January or he could risk criminal charges as his current permit expires in the coming days, his mother added. All South Korean men between 18 and 35 must complete two years of military service, with the country still technically at war with North Korea after a peace treaty went unsigned following the 1950-1953 Korean War. Bae, who won the Frys.Com Open in October, is the highest ranked South Korean golfer and would be expected to compete at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 when the sport makes its return to the Olympics.
BASKETBALL
Prices rise on coach rumor
The prospect of spotting Jim Harbaugh, reported to be on the brink of becoming the University of Michigan’s next football coach, has caused ticket prices to more than double for the school’s basketball game tonight. Harbaugh, 51, who mutually agreed to part ways with the San Francisco 49ers following four National Football League seasons and a Super Bowl appearance last year, will be introduced today at his Ann Arbor, Michigan, alma mater, ESPN reported, citing a person who spoke with the school’s top boosters. The university issued a statement late yesterday saying interim athletic director Jim Hackett would have a news conference today at noon “to make a major announcement regarding Michigan football.” The average resale price paid in the past few days for a ticket to the Wolverines Big Ten conference basketball opener against Illinois was US$116, more than twice the US$48 average paid last week, according to secondary market ticket aggregator SeatGeek.
YACHTING
‘Wild Rose’ wins handicap
The Wild Rose was yesterday named the overall winner of the Sydney to Hobart race, following doubts about the results after some boats diverted to search for a crashed light plane. Supermaxi Wild Oats XI on Sunday won a record eighth line honors title, becoming the most successful yacht in the history of the 628 nautical mile (1,163km) competition when it crossed the line in 2 days, 2 hours, 3 minutes and 26 seconds late on Monday. Wild Rose, which was also formerly named Wild Oats, won the handicap honors with a corrected race time of 3 days, 10 hours, 47 minutes and 43 seconds. The handicap honors take into account the size, weight and length of each boat and the time they took to complete the race.
SKI JUMPING
Kraft outpoints Cup leader
Stefan Kraft of Austria won the opening event of ski jumping’s Four Hills tour in Oberstdorf, Germany, on Monday after it was postponed for a day because of bad weather conditions. Kraft soared 136.5m for the first-round lead and held his nerve with a jump of 129m in the second. He finished with 291.9 points, 6.9 more than compatriot Michael Hayboeck, who jumped 137.5m and 132.5m. Hayboeck took the overall World Cup lead by 1 point from Norway’s Anders Fannemel, who placed sixth with 270.7 points. Slovenia’s Peter Prevc was third, with 283.9 points.
Ademola Lookman on Thursday scored on his Atletico Madrid debut in a 5-0 rout of Real Betis Balompie that sent Diego Simeone’s team to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. David Hancko, Giuliano Simeone, Antoine Griezmann and Thiago Almada also scored for Atletico as they advanced to the last four for the third straight season. Atletico are trying to reach their first Copa final since winning the competition in 2012-2013. Hancko opened the scoring for the visitors in the 12th minute and Giuliano Simeone added to the lead in the 30th, before Lookman got his first goal for Atletico on a fast
GUNNING FOR A WIN: The victory sending Arsenal to the final for the first time in six years was cathartic for a team who had lost their previous four semi-finals Arsenal on Tuesday reached the League Cup final for the first time in eight years as Kai Havertz sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the semi-final second leg. Mikel Arteta’s side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg and Havertz came off the bench to finish the 4-2 aggregate victory in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium. It was a cathartic triumph for the Gunners, who had lost their previous four semi-finals in last year’s UEFA Champions League and League Cup, the 2022 League Cup and the 2021 UEFA Europa League. In their first final for six years,
SUPERSTAR DELIVERS: Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to propel the Spurs to a 135-123 victory over the Dallas Mavericks The Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday shook off the early exit of injured star Luka Doncic, rallying without him in the second half for a 119-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Austin Reaves, again coming off the bench in his second game back from a 19-game injury absence, scored 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, drilling a pair of back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lakers their first lead of the game early in the final frame. “Losing Luka, you know nothing’s going to be easy after that because he does so much for us, but we bonded together,” said
France head coach Fabien Galthie on Thursday lauded his team’s attacking performance after their dazzling 36-14 victory over Ireland in their Six Nations opener. A brace of tries from Louis Bielley-Biarrey and one from mercurial flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert helped France storm into a 29-0 lead before taking their foot off the gas and allowing Ireland back into the match, before winger Theo Attissogbe put some gloss on the victory late on. “In an attacking sense, with the ball, the team played with great accuracy,” Galthie said. “It was one of the most accurate attacking performances in a long time, despite the weather
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