CYCLING
Roglic shines in Spain
Olympic champion Primoz Roglic on Monday won the opening day time trial around the coastal town of Hondarribia in the Tour of the Basque Country. Wearing the gold helmet and riding a gold-trimmed bike as he is entitled to as Olympic champion, Roglic took just 9 minutes, 48 seconds to complete the hilly 7.5km circuit, with the crowds cheering him up the final stretch on a cobbled hill as the clock ticked down. Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl was second by just 5 seconds and his teammate Remi Cavagna came third, another 11 seconds off the pace. “It’s always nice to have a lead even if that doesn’t mean much,” Roglic said.
SOCCER
Alaves fire another coach
La Liga basement club Deportivo Alaves have sacked head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar just 12 games after he was appointed to replace Javi Calleja, who was also fired. Mendilibar’s last game in charge was Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid. The loss left Alaves rooted to the bottom on 22 points, six behind 17th-placed Cadiz, with eight games remaining. “Mendilibar came to [Alaves] ... at the end of last December, with the aim of reviving a team that was already in the relegation places,” Alaves said in a statement on Monday. “Despite the efforts of the coach and squad, the result has not been as expected. In the 12 games that [Mendilibar] has led Deportivo Alaves, only one victory has been achieved.”
ICE HOCKEY
Auston Matthews ties record
Auston Matthews had three goals to tie the franchise single-season record for goals, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on Monday night. Matthews, who also had an assist and extended his goal streak to six games, had his seventh career hat-trick, and fourth this season. The center equaled Rick Vaive’s mark with 54 goals set in the 1981-1982 season. Mitchell Marner had a goal and two assists, giving him 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) during a 10-game point streak. He also recorded his sixth straight multi-point game as the Maple Leafs took a two-point lead over Tampa Bay and the Boston Bruins for second place in the Atlantic Division. Pierre Engvall and Alexander Kerfoot had the other Toronto goals. Jack Campbell had 32 saves. Tampa Bay got goals from Nikita Kucherov and Jan Rutta, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 33 shots.
SPEEDSKATING
Nana Takagi retires
Japan’s double Olympic speedskating champion Nana Takagi announced her retirement yesterday. The 29-year-old won gold in the inaugural women’s mass start competition in Pyeongchang four years ago, as well as a team pursuit gold alongside her sister, Miho Takagi, and Ayano Sato. At the Beijing Winter Games in February, her fall on the last bend in the team pursuit cost Japan the gold medal. She crashed out on the same turn in the semi-finals of the mass start days later. “I’ve decided to end my career as an athlete,” Nana Takagi told a news conference. “My sister helped me get this far. I was able to take the ice as Nana Takagi and not as Miho Takagi’s older sister in the end, and that [sense of personal fulfillment] is why I decided to retire.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and