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.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
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