SWIMMING
Franklin leads Bears victory
Missy Franklin of California won the 200-yard backstroke with the second-fastest time ever for her third title of the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships on Saturday night, and helped the Golden Bears win the team title. The four-time Olympic gold medalist touched first in 1 minute, 47.91 seconds in the final meet of her college career. Franklin plans to turn pro after two years of college and is aiming to compete in next year’s Rio Olympic Games. Franklin returned to lead off as part of the Golden Bears’ second-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. Cal won the team title with 513 points at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Georgia finished second with 452 and Stanford was third at 363.
SAILING
Iceberg causes race change
Volvo Ocean Race crews are speeding through the Southern Ocean toward Cape Horn in the fifth leg on Sunday after organizers guided them clear of a 1km-wide iceberg that was blocking their path. The massive iceberg was spotted on the Race HQ satellite screens at the end of last week and has led to a hasty change in the positioning of ice gates in the toughest of all nine stages in the nine-month offshore marathon. The ice limits will force the boats to sail clear of the iceberg’s passage in the Southern Ocean. Crews will be penalized if they sail over these boundaries toward hazardous areas. The iceberg itself is not the major hazard. Growlers — or chunks of ice that have broken off it are a more potent threat — as they can be unseen by the crews until the last minute.
BASKETBALL
Marbury leads Ducks in win
Stephon Marbury’s professional rebirth in China continues to bear fruit, leading the Beijing Ducks to their second consecutive title and third overall championship since joining the team. The 38-year-old former NBA standout was named series all-star following Beijing’s 106-98 victory over the Liaoning Leopards on Sunday. Marbury had a roller-coaster NBA career, in which he was twice named as an All-Star, but also endured a string of disappointing stints with several NBA teams. He is an unrivaled fan favorite in Beijing and the team’s on-court leader — there is even a statue of him in front of its arena. Marbury has said he plans to stay in China after retiring and hopes to coach the national team one day.
BASEBALL
Jose Pirela hurt after crash
New York Yankees prospect Jose Pirela suffered a concussion on Sunday after crashing hard into the outfield wall in a Major League Baseball spring training game against the New York Mets. Pirela was sent to hospital for a CT scan and cervical MRI, the Yankees said. The 25-year-old, who usually plays the infield, was in center field and chasing a drive hit by the Mets’ Juan Lagares, who made it around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. Pirela’s head and right shoulder slammed into the padded fence and he collapsed to the warning track.
GOLF
Madeira Open canceled
The Madeira Islands Open was canceled due to bad weather on Sunday and the European Tour will look to stage the event later in the year. Torrential rain meant that no play was possible in the second and final round at Santo da Serra on Sunday. It is thought to be the first time a European Tour event has been canceled due to bad weather since the European Grand Prix in 1998.
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
THRILLER: Raphinha gave Barca a 3-2 lead with two minutes remaining of regular time, but Francesco Acerbi equalized the game in the second minute of added time Davide Frattesi on Tuesday fired Inter into the UEFA Champions League final with an extra-time winner that gave the Italians a stunning 4-3 triumph over Barcelona, 7-6 on aggregate. Italy midfielder Frattesi won a tie for the ages under a downpour in Milan when he lashed home in the 99th minute, sending a packed and rocking San Siro wild with joy. Simone Inzaghi’s team will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this month in Munich, Germany, where they would feel they have a great chance to be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time after
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