TRACK AND FIELD
Ugandan Olympian killed
Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat has been found dead in Kenya, police said on Sunday, with local media reporting he had been stabbed to death. The Kenyan-born Kiplagat, 34, had represented Uganda internationally in the 3,000m steeplechase, including at several Olympic Games and World Championships. His body was found in a car on Saturday night on the outskirts of the Rift Valley town of Eldoret, which is home to many athletes who train in the high-altitude area. “An investigation has been launched and officers are on the ground pursuing leads,” local police commander Stephen Okal told reporters in Eldoret. He said Kiplagat’s body had a deep knife wound to his neck, suggesting he was stabbed. “World Athletics is shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Benjamin Kiplagat,” the global athletics governing body wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
RUNNING
Chebet smashes 5km record
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet on Sunday smashed the women’s world 5km record in Barcelona. The 23-year-old’s time of 14 minutes, 13 seconds improved on the previous women-only world record of 14:29 set by Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi in September 2021. Her performance also bettered the women’s world record set in a mixed race of 14:19, achieved by Ethiopia’s Ejegayehu Taye at the same Barcelona meet in 2021. “I came to Barcelona determined to better the world record as I felt capable of that,” Chebet said. “This world record means a lot for me, I can’t believe it.”
ICE HOCKEY
Fleury plays 1,000th game
Marc-Andre Fleury on Sunday became the fourth goalie in NHL history to play in 1,000 games in the Minnesota Wild’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. Martin Brodeur (1,266 games), Roberto Luongo (1,044) and Patrick Roy (1,029) are the only goalies to have played in more games than 39-year-old Fleury, who is in his third season with the Wild. “I feel very fortunate that I’ve played for so long and I got to do what I live for many years. I’m lucky for that,” Fleury said. He began the game third on the all-time victories list with 550, trailing Brodeur (691) and Roy (551). The Jets prevented him from tying Roy with a 3-2 victory. “He’s got 999 other ones he can probably celebrate,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry, who beat Fleury for his 100th career goal. “That’s a tremendous accomplishment, an amazing career, and it was pretty cool to be able to share the ice with a guy like that.”
CRICKET
Warner retires from ODIs
Dynamic Australian opener David Warner yesterday called time on one-day internationals (ODI) ahead of his farewell Test against Pakistan tomorrow, but kept the door open to play the 2025 Champions Trophy if needed. The 37-year-old is to pad up in his 112th and final Test in his home city Sydney, having plundered 8,695 runs at an average of 44.58, with 26 centuries and 36 half-centuries. “I’ve got to give back to the family and also on the back of that I’m definitely retiring from one-day cricket as well,” he told a news conference in Sydney. “That was something that I had said through the [last year’s] World Cup, get through that, and winning it in India, I think that’s a massive achievement.”
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
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
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
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