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.”
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
The Golden State Warriors on Wednesday withstood Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52-point outburst to beat the Western Conference leading Thunder 116-109. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Golden State erased a double-digit deficit and pulled away late for the victory. “We just stayed solid,” said Curry, who entered the contest mired in a shooting slump and had just four points on one basket in the first half. “Just all-around effort.” The Thunder, fueled by 31 first-half points from Gilgeous-Alexander, led by as many as 14 in the
Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing league stage, with three losses and a draw, but were utterly dominant against an outclassed Stuttgart side as they confirmed their place in the playoffs. With six minutes gone, Bradley Barcola headed PSG in front after Desire Doue stood a cross up at the back post following a corner. Stuttgart probed for an equalizer, but PSG hit on the counterattack, Dembele tapping a Barcola pass into an
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