MOTORSPORTS
Max Verstappen takes pole
Runaway championship leader Max Verstappen yesterday took pole position for today’s Japanese Grand Prix as he attempts to clinch his second straight world title in Suzuka. The Red Bull driver topped the timesheets in dry conditions with a time of 1 minute 29.304 seconds, just 0.010 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, his nearest championship rival. Carlos Sainz was third in the other Ferrari. Verstappen was handed a reprimand after an incident involving the Dutchman and McLaren’s Lando Norris. Norris was forced onto the grass to avoid hitting Verstappen, with the Red Bull driver muttering “unbelievable” over his team radio, but later apologizing. Verstappen can clinch the title today if he wins the race with the fastest lap, no matter what his rivals do. The Dutchman would also retain his crown if he wins and Leclerc is third or lower. “It was incredible to drive here again and of course very happy to be on pole, but just super happy to be back here,” said Verstappen, whose car lost a chunk of bodywork on his last lap after he ran wide on a section of the track. “I lost a bit of my duct on that last lap which is why I didn’t improve. Tomorrow [today] will be interesting with the weather.” Showers are forecast for today.
TENNIS
Frances Tiafoe reaches final
Frances Tiafoe yesterday battled past unseeded Kwon Soon-woo of South Korea in three sets to reach the Japan Open final, but the American said that it had not made pretty viewing. The fourth-seeded Tiafoe won 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 and faces compatriot Taylor Fritz in today’s final in Tokyo after Fritz beat Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3. “It was a weird match, but I’m happy to get through,” Tiafoe said. “I wasn’t expecting him [Kwon] to play like that. He played really fast and really aggressive. He was playing really well, obviously, but a win’s a win, and you take it,” the 24-year-old said. “It’s not always going to be pretty, it’s not always going to be the best stuff, but a win is what matters.”
SOCCER
Mbappe to earn US$128m
French superstar striker Kylian Mbappe is expected to earn a record US$128 million in annual earnings to top the list of the world’s highest-paid soccer players, Forbes magazine reported on Friday. The magazine said that Mbappe crossed the US$100 million milestone at age 23, while such legends as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were in their 30s and at the peak of their careers when crossing that money mark for the first time. Mbappe in May signed a three-year contract extension to remain with Ligue 1 side Paris-Saint Germain. Forbes reported that the deal would bring Mbappe about US$110 million for his salary and season share of a signing bonus, plus an estimated US$18 million in annual endorsement income from such companies as Nike, Dior, Hublot and Oakley. Mbappe was on the cover of the EA Sports FIFA video game, founded the production company Zebra Valley and is an investor in fantasy NFT platform Sorare. “He’s a global icon already,” Sorare cofounder Nicolas Julia told Forbes. “He wants to aid the world and show, also, that huge things can be built out of France.” PSG teammate Messi, 35, ranks second at US$120 million, with Manchester United’s Ronaldo, 37, third on US$100 million.
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
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
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
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