BASEBALL
Ohtani homers after surgery
Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani on Friday night looked a little rusty for a moment at Camelback Ranch, producing just one awkward swing and miss while working a full count against Los Angeles Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi in the first inning. The five-pitch warm-up was all he needed. Batting in the leadoff spot, Ohtani drove the next pitch high into the air to the opposite field, easily clearing the left field wall for a solo homer in his first spring training appearance following offseason shoulder surgery. “Regardless of the results, I think the biggest takeaway was that I got through my three at-bats without any issues,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Physically, I felt really good.”
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / USA Today
GOLF
Ex-biker eyes first title
Australian former biker club member Ryan Peake, who spent time in jail for assault, yesterday charged to within sight of a maiden golf title at the New Zealand Open. Peake is alone in second place after three rounds of the US$1.12 million tournament at the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown, having overcome a disrupted buildup. The 31-year-old received a delayed clearance to travel to New Zealand because of his criminal record, only arriving at the South Island destination on Tuesday evening ahead of a Thursday morning tee-off. A member of outlawed motorcycle club the Rebels at the time, Peake was found guilty of serious assault as a 21-year-old and sentenced to five years in prison. He told journalists on Friday that golf became a focal point in a bid to turn his fortunes around and leave behind a “young and stupid” lifestyle. Asked yesterday to reflect on his past, the burly, tattooed golfer said the final round was the focus. “I’ll reflect on all that sort of stuff after the tournament, but in the meantime I’m mid-tournament going into a final round,” Peake said.
Photo: AFP / Australian Golf & Photosport.NZ / Michael Thomas
OLYMPICS
Paris to replace medals
The mint in France responsible for producing medals for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics has received 220 requests to replace ones won at the Games, it said on Friday. Some athletes have complained their medals have been discolored or chipped, sometimes within weeks of the Games ending last year. The Monnaie de Paris said the replacement medals would be identical to the originals, but a protective varnish would be added to increase their durability. It said in a statement it had “done everything possible, from August 2024, to ensure the replacement of the medals concerned.” The International Olympic Committee in January said it would systematically replace “defective” medals. The French mint prefers to call them “damaged.” Some Olympians from the Paris Games have taken to social media to share photos of the state of their medals. One of the first was American skateboarder Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in the street skateboarding competition on July 29. Ten days later he posted a picture of his medal, complaining about its quality. “These Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new, but after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and then letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they’re apparently not as high quality as you would think,” he said. “It’s looking rough. Even the front. It’s starting to chip off a little.”
Photo: AFP
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
THRILLER: Raphinha gave Barca a 3-2 lead with two minutes remaining of regular time, but Francesco Acerbi equalized the game in the second minute of added time Davide Frattesi on Tuesday fired Inter into the UEFA Champions League final with an extra-time winner that gave the Italians a stunning 4-3 triumph over Barcelona, 7-6 on aggregate. Italy midfielder Frattesi won a tie for the ages under a downpour in Milan when he lashed home in the 99th minute, sending a packed and rocking San Siro wild with joy. Simone Inzaghi’s team will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this month in Munich, Germany, where they would feel they have a great chance to be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time after
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
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