Mike Slade’s ICAP Leopard won the 2009 Fastnet Race on Wednesday, retaining the biennial offshore classic title.
The 100 foot (30m) Canting Keel Maxi crossed the finish line at Plymouth in southwest England at 1:09am, completing the race in two days, 11 hours, nine minutes and 36 seconds.
The catamaran retained the title, having won the 2007 race in a record time of 44 hours, 18 minutes.
A total of 300 yachts from 15 countries took part in the 43rd Fastnet Race, a 608-nautical mile (1,126km) sprint.
Yachts set off from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, southern England, round the Fastnet Rock off the southern tip of Ireland then head back to Plymouth.
Hong Kong yacht Beau Geste, Karl Kwok’s brand new Farr 80, came in second at 2:25am, while Sebastien Josse claimed third place for France when BT IMOCA 60 crossed the line at 3am.
ICAP Leopard will contest the Middle Sea Race out of Malta in October, followed by the Sydney Hobart in December.
Two people died on Thursday after fans and police clashed outside the Estadio Monumental in Santiago ahead of a game in South America’s Copa Libertadores, Chilean authorities said. The fatalities happened shortly before the match between Chile’s Colo-Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza, when police blocked about 100 fans when they attempted to enter the stadium. There were conflicting accounts of how the fatalities occurred, with local media reporting that one of the dead was a 13-year-old boy. The other victim was an 18-year-old woman, according to a relative at the hospital where she was treated. The fans died after being caught underneath a
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to