FOOTBALL
Wolverines beat Huskies
The Michigan Wolverines on Monday rumbled past the Washington Huskies to end their 27-year title drought with a 34-13 victory in the US College National Championship game. The University of Michigan’s Wolverines, who last won the national college crown in 1997, scored four rushing touchdowns to cap an unbeaten season at Houston’s NRG Stadium. Michigan’s ground game proved too much for Washington, who themselves had been chasing a first national title since 1991. Michigan took control in the first quarter, with running back Donovan Edwards motoring into the end zone for a 41-yard rushing touchdown. Edwards then grabbed a second touchdown late in the first quarter, accelerating through a huge gap in the Washington defense before galloping 46 yards to score. Washington got a touchdown of their own just before halftime when quarterback Michael Penix Jr found Jalen McMillan with a 3-yard pass to make it 17-10 at the break. Michigan running back Blake Corum had a 12-yard run for a touchdown that made it 27-13 and victory was all but assured on the next Washington possession, when Penix was picked off by the Wolverines’ Mike Sainristil who raced 81 yards to the brink of the Huskies endzone. Two plays later, Corum grabbed his second touchdown of the night to make the game safe.
RUGBY UNION
Robertson seeks change
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson yesterday said that he was pressing New Zealand Rugby to change its rule banning overseas-based players from Test selection, saying he wanted to pick from the best available. The governing body has refused to budge on the issue, believing selecting players enticed overseas on big-money contracts would weaken the domestic game at Super Rugby and provincial level. Robertson said at his first news conference since taking over as All Blacks coach that he had asked the board to “keep an open mind.”
SOCCER
Henry discusses depression
Former France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has spoken of his mental health battles, saying he “must have been in depression” throughout his playing career. The 46-year-old ended his glittering 20-year club career in 2014, which also included stints at AS Monaco, Juventus, Barcelona and the New York Red Bulls. He scored 228 goals for Arsenal during his two spells, winning two Premier League titles before moving to Camp Nou, where he won a pair of La Liga crowns and the UEFA Champions League. A FIFA World Cup winner with Les Bleus, Henry has also managed Arsenal’s youth teams, served as assistant coach of Belgium and was the head coach of Monaco and Montreal Impact. He is currently the head coach of France Under-21s. “Throughout my career, and since I was born, I must have been in depression,” Henry told The Diary of a CEO podcast. “Did I know it? No. Did I do something about it? No, but I adapted to a certain way.” Henry said it had been a difficult time for him during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was managing Major League Soccer side Montreal. “I was in isolation in Montreal, and not being able to see my kids for a year was tough,” he said. “Tears were coming alone. Why I don’t know, but maybe they were there for a very long time.”
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946