MOTOR RACING
Robert Manzon dies
French racer Robert Manzon, the last surviving driver from Formula One’s debut world championship season in 1950, has died at the age of 97. Friends of his family said the ex-Simca-Gordini racer, who was a founder of the former Grand Prix Drivers’ Club, died at home in the south of France. Manzon took part in 28 Grand Prix from 1950 to 1956, finishing on the podium twice. He was third in Belgium in 1952 in a Gordini and in France in 1954 driving a Ferrari. The 1950 season comprised seven races, starting at Silverstone in Britain and including the Indianapolis 500. The championship was won by Italian Alfa Romeo driver Giuseppe Farina.
RUGBY UNION
Jerry Collins joins Narbonne
Former All Blacks captain and back-row forward Jerry Collins has joined second-flight French club Narbonne as a stop-gap for the injured Rocky Elsom, the club said on Monday. Narbonne’s player-owner Elsom, a former Wallabies captain, has an injured shoulder that is expected to keep him on the sidelines for three months. The 34-year-old Collins has played in France before, at Toulon in the 2008-2009 season, after seven seasons in Wellington. Collins was most recently with Japanese outfit Yamaha Jubilo, but after being arrested for carrying a carving knife had been on a sabbatical year. He captained the All Blacks three times and played his last international for them in 2008.
GOLF
Woods loses tooth
Tiger Woods lost a front tooth after being hit in the face by a video camera while watching his girlfriend Lindsey Vonn take a record 63rd World Cup Alpine ski win in Italy on Monday, according to his agent. The former world No. 1 surprised Vonn when he turned up in the resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo for the Super-G race, but caused more of a stir when photographs showed a gap where his tooth had been. “During a crush of photographers at the awards’ podium at the World Cup event in Italy, a media member with a shoulder-mounted video camera pushed and surged towards the stage, turned and hit Tiger Woods in the mouth,” Mark Steinberg told USA Today. “Woods’ tooth was knocked out by the incident.”
JUDO
Cancer claims Japan great
Two-time Olympic gold medalist and former Japan national coach Hitoshi Saito has died, aged 54, after a battle with cancer. Saito won consecutive Olympic golds for the heavyweight over-95kg category at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and in 1988 in Seoul, in addition to the 1983 Moscow World Judo Championship. He also served as the coach for Japan’s national team for the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Games, training the likes of Athens gold medalist Keiji Suzuki. Saito’s stellar international career was nevertheless overshadowed by national hero Yasuhiro Yamashita, who won the open-weight category in the Los Angeles Olympics and was a nine-time Japanese national champion. Despite his Olympic achievements, Saito never beat Yamashita in their three meetings at the national championships, including one bout a year after the Los Angeles Olympics. “He was my biggest rival during my competitive years,” said Yamashita, who now serves as the deputy head of the All Japan Judo Federation, for which Saito served as a board member. Physicians found a tumor near Saito’s gallbladder in 2013, and his condition deteriorated at the end of last year, reports said.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
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