ICE HOCKEY
Avalanche win Game 1
Josh Manson scored in overtime on Tuesday as the Colorado Avalanche overcame a sluggish start to beat the St Louis Blues 3-2 in Game 1 of their second-round Western Conference NHL playoff series. Ryan O’Reilly had a first-period goal and Jordan Kyrou tied it late for St Louis. In Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 4-1 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semi-final series.
WRESTLING
Punch earns life ban
A wrestler has been banned for life after punching a referee as tempers flared in a sweltering New Delhi arena with no air-conditioning during a heat wave. Satender Malik was sweating it out in the under-125kg class during trials on Tuesday for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham when the referee ruled in favour of his opponent. Malik stormed across the mat, shouted expletives at referee Jagbir Singh and punched him in the face. “Never before has such a thing happened,” Vinod Tomar, an official with the Wrestling Federation of India, told reporters. “He not only hit the referee, but also threatened to kill him. A police complaint has been made and we have banned him for life.”
CRICKET
Anderson, Broad recalled
England yesterday recalled bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad for the opening two matches of a three-Test series against New Zealand next month. The pacemen were left out of the squad for the recent tour of the Caribbean, but were named in a 13-man squad as England prepare for the first match of Ben Stokes’ reign as England captain at Lord’s, starting on June 2. Meanwhile, Australian Matthew Mott has been appointed as the new head coach of the England limited-overs side in a four-year deal.
GYMNASTICS
Russian gets one-year ban
Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak has been given a one-year ban for displaying a symbol supporting the invasion of Ukraine. Kuliak had taped the “Z” symbol — seen on Russian military vehicles in Ukraine and embraced by supporters of the war — to his vest for a medal ceremony at a World Cup event in March. Along with the ban, Kuliak must return the bronze medal he won in parallel bars, the International Gymnastics Federation said.
CYCLING
Cork ends Girmay’s tour
Biniam Girmay’s Giro d’Italia has been cut short after an eye injury sustained during the celebrations of a stage win forced the Eritrean rider to pull out of the race, his Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert team said yesterday. The 22-year-old won Tuesday’s Stage 10. While on the podium, Girmay placed a bottle of prosecco on the floor as he attempted to open it and was hit by its cork in his left eye. He was taken to a hospital in the Italian town of Jesi for a medical examination following the incident. “Medical examinations revealed a haemorrhage in the anterior chamber of the left eye of Biniam Girmay,” team doctor Piet Daneels said in a statement. “His injury is evolving in the right direction and will be followed up by a medical team in the next days. In order to minimize the risk of expansion of the haemorrhage and the intraocular pressure, it is strongly recommended to avoid physical activity.”
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38