SOCCER
Another Neymar suit filed
The Rennes supporter who was hit in the face by Neymar last season has filed a lawsuit against the Brazil star. The fan’s lawyer, Philippe Ohayon, told L’Equipe that his client decided to take legal action after a meeting between members of Neymar’s entourage and the alleged victim failed to ease tensions. The Paris Saint-Germain striker was given a three-game ban for lashing out at the fan following a loss in the French Cup final in April. Neymar reacted angrily to the man who was filming and verbally goading players as they walked up the stairs to collect their runner-up medals. Neymar exchanged a few words with the supporter and then raised his hand to him.
TENNIS
Murray to return next week
Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray on Friday said he would return to singles competition next week at the Cincinnati Masters, seven months after having right hip surgery that he feared might end his career. The 32-year-old Scotsman has fallen to 325th in the world rankings after his January operation to ease nagging hip pain. His first match next week in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the final major tuneup for the US Open will be his first competitive singles outing since the Australian Open in January. “Good news for the sport,” Rafael Nadal said. “After all the retirement that he predicted in Australia ... six months later seems like he’s back again, healthy, competing well.” Murray will face Richard Gasquet in the first round in Cincy. Should Murray make it to the second round, he would face fourth seed Dominic Thiem.
BASEBALL
Davis sorry over flare-up
Orioles first baseman Chris Davis said he reached a “breaking point” when he charged at manager Brandon Hyde in the dugout on Wednesday night, and expressed regret during a lengthy conversation with Hyde. The flare-up occurred in the fifth inning of Baltimore’s 14-2 loss to the New York Yankees. Hyde walked over to Davis and said something that the first baseman clearly did not like, and Davis attempted to charge at the manager before being restrained by teammate Mark Trumbo and hitting coach Don Long. Davis is batting .182 with nine homers and 31 RBIs, hardly the production the Orioles expected from a slugger who is in the middle of a US$161 million, seven-year contract. Last season he batted .168, the worst average in MLB history by a player with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.
ATHLETICS
Long-time record broken
Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on Friday broke the 40-year-old Pan American Games 200m record. The two-time Olympic 100m champion clocked 22.43 seconds. The tournament’s previous record of 22.45 seconds was set by American Evelyn Ashford in 1979. Brazil’s Vitoria Cristina Rose won silver and Bahamian Tynia Gaither took bronze. “It’s a long time since I’ve broken a record, so I feel great about that,” the 32-year-old said. Although it took a while to warm up in Lima’s damp, chilly weather, she was focused on her strategy, Fraser-Pryce said. “My coach told me to run the first half very hard and I decided to go for it from the gun,” she said. She is still working on getting a “perfect finish,” and her goal now is to break Elaine’s Thompson’s Jamaican record and win the gold at the World Championships.
New Taipei Kings guard Jeremy Lin on Friday was named the Taiwan Professional Basketball League’s (TPBL) Player of the Month, the first domestic player to win the award, while the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers are to welcome their third head coach in less than a year. Lin averaged 22 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists over five games in October and last month, helping the Kings to second in the standings with a 4-2 record as of Friday. The Kings last night defeated the Lioneers 96-78 to move level with the top-of-the-table Formosa Dreamers (5-2), while in the night game, the New Taipei
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
TO NO AVAIL: The Denver Nuggets’ Serbian center Nikola Jokic surpassed his 53-point performance in the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix The Washington Wizards withstood a 56-point explosion from Denver star Nikola Jokic to beat the Nuggets 122-113 on Saturday and snap their 16-game NBA losing streak. Jokic, who won his third NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award last season, posted a career scoring high — surpassing a 53-point performance in game four of the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix and a 50-point regular-season best against Sacramento in 2021. The Serbian big man added 16 rebounds and eight assists, but it was all to no avail as Washington, buoyed by 39 points from Jordan Poole, won for the first time
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