RUGBY UNION
Japan told to speed up
Japanese organizers were yesterday warned to accelerate their preparations for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, with training venues a key area of concern. Following the conclusion of evaluation meetings in Tokyo, Rugby World Cup Tournament Director Alan Gilpin was underwhelmed by the progress made with two years to go before the sport’s showpiece competition comes to Asia for the first time. “There are some areas where the organizing committee has not progressed as much as we would expect by this stage,” he said in a media release. “The Japan Rugby 2019 organizing committee recognize that they need to accelerate the selection of training venues,” Gilpin added. “These venues must be of a world-class standard that provide the platform for the players to perform at their best.”
GOLF
Leishman in command
Marc Leishman on Saturday fired five birdies in a three-under par 68 to stretch his lead to five strokes over fellow Australian Jason Day and Rickie Fowler in the BMW Championship. Leishman started the day with a three-shot lead. His solid performance at Conway Farms put him on 19-under 194 going into the final round of the penultimate tournament in the US PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoff series. Day and Fowler both carded one-under par 70s for 199. England’s Justin Rose signed for a 66 that put him in solo fourth on 201. Spain’s Jon Rahm carded a 65 to head a group of seven players on 202. Leishman capped his round with a birdie at the par-five 18th to put himself in prime position to seize a third US PGA Tour title.
TRIATHLON
Mola, Duffy win grand final
Mario Mola of Spain and Flora Duffy of Bermuda on Saturday won their second-straight triathlon world championships when they reached the podium in the world series grand final. Mola was third in the men’s race, and Duffy won the women’s, her sixth win out of nine races in the series this year. Mola won four races this year and finished 10 seconds behind grand final winner Vincent Luis of France. Luis broke from the leading pack of four in the last few meters of the run. Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway finished second to replace Richard Murray of South Africa in third place for the season. Five-time world champion Javier Gomez Noya, fourth in the race, was second overall to compatriot Mola. Duffy dominated the women’s race to win by nearly one minute. “Today went just how I wanted it to,” Duffy said. Katie Zaferes of the US was second to finish a career-best third overall. Ashleigh Gentle of Australia was also a career-best second overall, and sixth in the final.
TENNIS
Apology for racist gesture
Brazilian tennis player Guilherme Clezar has apologized after making a racist gesture in a Davis Cup match in Japan. The 24-year-old Clezar put his fingers to the edge of his eyes and then stretched them after successfully challenging a line call. The Brazilian on Friday lost his singles match against Japan’s Yuichi Sugita in Osaka. Clezar was fined US$1,500 by the International Tennis Federation on Saturday for “unsportsmanlike conduct.” In a written apology, Clezar said: “Even though I didn’t mean any prejudice ... I want to express my regret and my most sincere apology.” The federation said it “condemns any form of offensive behavior.” Sugita won 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (5) as Japan took a 2-0 lead over Brazil in their World Group playoff in Osaka.
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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