■OLYMPICS
Medal designer dies
Leo Obstbaum, a designer of Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic medals and mascots, died suddenly at age 40, Games organizers said on Monday. The cause of his death at his home on Thursday evening has not been released. As design director for the Games, Obstbaum led a team that created the yet-to-be-unveiled 2010 Winter Olympic medals, as well as the torches and mascots.
■SOCCER
Everton sign Bilyaletdinov
English Premier League side Everton have signed Lokomotiv Moscow skipper Diniyar Bilyaletdinov on a five-year deal, the railway-backed side announced on their official Web site on Tuesday. The 24-year-old midfielder, who has played for Lokomotiv since 2004, signed a deal with Everton late on Monday in Hamburg, Germany, where he had undergone a medical examination. No financial details of the deal were disclosed.
■BASKETBALL
Beasley checks into rehab
The Miami Heat’s troubled forward Michael Beasley has checked into a Texas rehab facility, the Miami Herald reported on Monday. The newspaper said that Beasley had spent the last two weeks in a Houston rehab as part of the NBA’s substance abuse program to address concerns over his mental state and drug abuse. The paper said the team was concerned about pictures and messages posted to the player’s Twitter page. The photos show Beasley showing off a tattoo on his back in front of a mirror with two bags on either side that were rumored to be filled with marijuana. The messages reportedly indicated Beasley writing that life was not worth living. Both the picture and the posts have been removed, the paper said.
■SOCCER
Man charged over stabbing
A 25-year-old man was charged on Monday with stabbing West Ham defender Calum Davenport, who remained hospitalized in serious condition with leg wounds. Davenport and his 49-year-old mother were attacked on Friday night at her home in Bedford, 92km north of London, and the centerback needed emergency surgery. The 26-year-old player’s condition was described as serious but stable. Bedfordshire police said on Monday that 25-year-old Worrell Whitehurst, from Derby, was charged with grievous bodily harm to Davenport and also assaulting the player’s mother. Whitehurst was due to appear in court later on Monday, while a 19-year-old man who was also arrested on Sunday has been released on bail. No motive for the attack was given.
■RUGBY UNION
Australia delay naming team
Lock Nathan Sharpe and center Berrick Barnes have been ruled out of Australia’s team to play South Africa in the Tri-Nations on Saturday. The pair joined a mounting casualty list that forced the Wallabies to delay the naming of their team by 48 hours. The selectors were due to name their side yesterday, but had to postpone the announcement until tomorrow because of the heavy injury toll from last weekend’s 19-18 loss to New Zealand in Sydney. Four players, Sharpe, Barnes, teenage fullback James O’Connor and flanker Rocky Elsom, missed Monday’s training session in Perth to seek medical treatment. Sharpe was then ruled out of the match because of a shoulder problem while Barnes was overlooked after suffering concussion and injuring his neck against the All Blacks last weekend. Elsom is nursing an ankle injury while O’Connor limped off the field after hurting his leg, although X-rays later cleared him of any fractures.
BUMRAH WATCH: Captain Jasprit Bumrah left the SCG for scans for back spasms and although he returned to the ground, there was no word on if he would play Rishabh Pant’s blistering counterattack yesterday capped a chaotic second day of the fifth and final Test between Australia and India, with 15 wickets falling and the star bowler of the series leaving the Sydney Cricket Ground with an ambulance escort. Yet the Border-Gavaskar trophy still remains very much in the balance as India reached 141-6, holding a 145-run lead over Australia with three days remaining. “Low-scoring games like this, it just heightens the pressure within it, so long way still to go,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said. “There’s gonna be plenty of cricket, so we’ll see what happens.” Australia were bowled out for
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek yesterday beat Elena Rybakina in straight sets to take Poland into the final of the mixed-teams United Cup with victory over Kazakhstan. Last year’s runners-up face the US today for the title in Sydney after they beat the Czech Republic in the other semi-final. “This win makes me really proud,” Swiatek said after seeing off Rybakina 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to give Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was a statement of intent from the world number two with the first major of the year to start on Jan. 12. “It is perfect preparation for the
Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien and Jiang Xinyu of China yesterday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, while Naomi Osaka retired from the women’s singles final with an abdominal injury. Second seeds Wu and Jiang defeated Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US 6-3, 6-4 on ASB Tennis Centre’s Stadium Court in 1 hour, 5 minutes. The WTA 250 victory was 25-year-old Wu’s second WTA Tour title, after winning the 2023 Hua Hin Championships in Thailand with Taiwanese partner Chan Hao-ching. Later that year, Wu and Taiwan’s Hsu Yu-hsiou won the mixed doubles gold at the World
SHORT-HANDED: Reigning champions the Boston Celtics were without stars Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis, but they still downed the Timberwolves Oklahoma City on Thursday stretched the NBA’s best winning streak to 13 games with a home victory, while reigning champions the Boston Celtics held on for a last-shot triumph at Minnesota. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had game highs of 29 points and eight assists to spark the Thunder over the Los Angeles Clippers 116-98, improving the Western Conference leaders to 28-5. The Thunder’s winning streak is the longest since the team relocated from Seattle after the 2007-2008 season. “It’s just being present, going day by day, working on ourselves, and I think we’re doing a good job on that,” said Isaiah Hartenstein, who added 11
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