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.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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