SKIING
Shiffrin scores second win
Mikaela Shiffrin picked up her second victory of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season with a dominant performance in the women’s slalom in Killington, Vermont, on Sunday. The 28-year-old American, five-time winner of the overall World Cup rankings, beat off her Slovakian rival Petra Vlhova and Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener to claim her record-extending 90th win. Shiffrin led after the first run. She was quickest again on the second, holding off Vlhova by 0.33 seconds. “This track is incredible. The crowd helps me here, they’re so noisy, I can even hear them shouting at every split time,” Shiffrin, who has now won six of the seven World Cup slaloms at Killington since 2016, told NBC. “Every time I pass one, I hear them get louder, and I’m like: ‘Oh man, I don’t know if I’m ahead or behind, but either way, I’ve got to push. It’s amazing to ski with that kind of energy.”
Photo: AP
SKIING
Contestant’s privates freeze
The sub-zero temperatures in Ruka in northern Finland on Sunday took their toll on Swedish cross-country skier Calle Halfvarsson during a 20km mass start event as he lost all feeling in his private parts. As the race began the mercury plummeted to minus-15°C. The 34-year-old eventually crossed the line in 18th place before rushing to the tents where the athletes were warming themselves back up. “I had frozen my penis for real — I had to lie in there for 10 minutes to warm it up,” Halfvarsson told Swedish newspaper Expressen. The temperatures in Ruka have proven hazardous for male athletes before, with their thin suits and under-layers providing minimal protection against the cold. “It’s lucky my second child is on the way, because it’s going to be difficult in the future if I continue like this,” Halfvarsson said, laughing.
FORMULA ONE
Verstappen ups record
Max Verstappen on Sunday extended his record for wins in a Formula One season, capturing his 19th victory at this year’s finale in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Verstappen wound up earning a record 575 points this season. Perez finished second in the standings, 290 points behind, as Verstappen also set the record for the largest gap between first and second place. “An incredible season. It was a bit emotional on the in lap,” Verstappen said. “The last time I was sitting in the car that has of course given me a lot. Of course, very proud to win here, also at the last race.”
SOCCER
Terry Venables dies at 80
Former England and Tottenham Hotspur manager Terry Venables, whose death at the age of 80 was announced on Sunday, was yesterday remembered fondly in Australia, where he served as head coach of the Socceroos for two years. Despite the most notable aspect of Venables’s reign being the failure to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in a playoff against Iran, warm tributes were paid to the man who became known to one and all as “El Tel” after his stint at Barcelona. With Crystal Palace, the Queens Park Rangers, Spurs and the Catalan giants on his resume, it was a huge surprise when Venables was lured down under after England’s semi-final exit from UEFA Euro 1996. “We had to pinch ourselves to think we had Terry Venables as coach,” former Australia midfielder Robbie Slater told Fox Sports News. “He was a wonderful man, larger than life, almost like a rock star.”
Tallon Griekspoor on Friday stunned top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year. Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017. It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German. That included a five-setter
Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday scored 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat. A seesaw battle in Cleveland saw the Heat threaten to end the Cavs’ 11-game unbeaten streak after opening up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs clawed back the deficit in the closing minutes to seal their 12th straight victory and a place in the post-season. The Cavaliers improved to 52-10, maintaining their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference with 20 games of the regular season remaining. Mitchell was one of six Cleveland
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced. “No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he said. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.” Djokovic is just the latest in Van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims. He
Manchester United on Thursday settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie. United led on Joshua Zirkzee’s goal in the 58th minute, but the hosts equalized 12 minutes later after Bruno Fernandes’ hand ball and Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the penalty spot. The Europa League could be a way for United to finish the season with a trophy after crashing out of the FA Cup on Sunday. A spot in the quarter-finals is to be on the line at Old Trafford in the second leg on Thursday next
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