NASCAR
Jimmie Johnson bows out
Jimmie Johnson strode into the final news conference of his NASCAR career wearing a black hat reading: “One Final Shot.” Told he was the first driver in the room after Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion had a quick response. “I won something this year,” he said. Johnson closed out one of the greatest careers in NASCAR history by finishing fifth at Phoenix — first among the drivers not in the Cup playoffs. The 45-year-old spent some of the final moments in his No. 48 car pumping his fist and shouting from the window at his Hendricks Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott after the 24-year-old won his first Cup championship. “It was nice to be competitive out there, but my bucket’s full,” Johnson said. “NASCAR has been so wonderful for me. This journey has been more than I could have dreamed of or expected. Last couple years weren’t as I would have dreamed up, but I’ve experienced the highest of highs and worked with the greatest of people.” Johnson, who is sixth on NASCAR’s all-time win list with 83 victories, plans to turn his focus to the IndyCar Series.
CRICKET
Delhi head to IPL final
The Delhi Capitals on Sunday advanced to their first Indian Premier League (IPL) final after a 17-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. After choosing to bat first in the second qualifier, Delhi posted 189-3 with Hyderabad managing 172-8 in reply. Delhi face defending champions the Mumbai Indians in today’s final in Dubai. “This has been a roller coaster,” Delhi captain Shreyas Iyer said. “A lot of ups and downs. We have stuck together like a family.” Mumbai, the most successful team in IPL history, are playing for a record-extending fifth title.
CYCLING
Roglic hints at hat-trick
Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic hinted he might try for a third consecutive success at the Vuelta a Espana after winning the race for the second time in as many years on Sunday. Team Jumbo-Visma’s Roglic became the first rider to defend the Vuelta since Roberto Heras in 2005, with Germany’s Pascal Ackermann clinching the 18th and final stage victory in Madrid. “It’s beautiful to be on the podium again... It’s nice to win the red and green jersey at the end of my season,” Roglic said. “So thank you very much and see you next year.”
TENNIS
Kyrgios ‘was in a dark place’
Australian Nick Kyrgios has opened up on his battle with depression and said that returning to live with his parents in Canberra during the COVID-19 pandemic this year has been good for his mind and soul. Kyrgios, who started seeing a psychologist in 2018, has been criticized for not caring enough about his tennis career. “I felt like no one wanted to know me as a person; they wanted to get a hold of me as a tennis player and use me,” Kyrgios told Stellar magazine. “I didn’t feel like I could trust anyone. It was a lonely, dark place.” Kyrgios, 25, recalled a time in Shanghai when he “didn’t want to see the light of day.” “There are people who live and breathe tennis and that’s fine. I’m not saying that’s wrong or right,” he said. “I’ve reached a level of freedom in my life that I really don’t care what anyone thinks of me.”
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS