TENNIS
Serena Williams wins prize
Serena Williams has been awarded Spain’s Princess of Asturias Prize for Sports for her stellar tennis career, organizers said yesterday. The 43-year-old American won 73 career singles titles, including 23 Grand Slams. She in 2022 said that she was stepping away from tennis to focus on her family and business interests. The 50,000 euros (US$56,684) award is one of eight annual prizes covering different areas, including arts, literature and science among others.
MOUNTAINEERING
Climber released in Nepal
Ukrainian climber Andrew Ushakov, who completed a journey from sea level to the summit of Mount Everest in a record four days, has been released on bail following his arrest for carrying undeclared foreign currency, a Nepalese official said on Tuesday. “If he chooses to raise hands [not fight the case in court] he forfeits the bail money,” Nepalese Department of Revenue Investigation Director-General Chandi Prasad Ghimire said. He had previously said the bail was set at US$60,000 — three times the amount allegedly carried by Ushakov, 40, when he was taken into custody on Sunday. Ushakov, a structural engineer who lives in the US, flew from New York to Nepal on May 15 before scaling Everest without the usual period of several weeks of acclimatization.
CYCLING
Roglic out of Giro d’Italia
Giro d’Italia favorite Primoz Roglic on Tuesday abandoned the race after suffering a crash on a downhill section alongside Richard Carapaz on stage 16. The 203km ride from Piazzola sul Brenta to San Valentino was plagued by heavy rainfall, leading to several crashes. The 2023 winner’s title bid had already suffered a major blow after a crash on Saturday, his third in a week.
OLYMPICS
Berlin seeks 2036 Games
Berlin has formally presented its bid to host the Olympics in the same stadium where Jesse Owens starred during the 1936 Games under the Nazis. Berlin Senator for Interior, Digitalization and Sport Iris Spranger on Tuesday said the city wants to put on a sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044, by refurbishing existing sports venues. She gave few details during a presentation, saying the bid was still at concept phase. Many Berliners oppose staging the Olympics at all, regardless of them potentially taking place on the 100th anniversary of the Games already hosted by the Nazis. An initiative called “NOlympia Berlin” has announced plans to block it by collecting enough signatures to force a referendum.
GYMNASTICS
Olympian Retton arrested
Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton was arrested for driving under the influence earlier this month, records on the West Virginia Judiciary Web site showed. The 57-year-old was charged with “driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs” on May 17 after police responded to reports of someone driving a Porsche erratically. Retton was slurring her words when police stopped her, and officers saw a container of wine on the passenger seat of her car, the report said. She refused to take a breath test and was released after posting a US$1,500 bond.
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
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