ICE HOCKEY
Panthers beat Bruins
Aleksander Barkov on Wednesday had two goals and two assists, while Sam Reinhart added four assists as the Florida Panthers beat the Boston Bruins 6-1 to tie their NHL Eastern Conference second-round playoff series at 1-1. Brandon Montour had a goal and two assists, while Steven Lorentz, Gustav Forsling and Eetu Luostarinen also scored. The Panthers chased Bruins starter Jeremy Swayman early in the third period after four straight goals, then added two more against Linus Ullmark. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 14 saves for the Panthers. Charlie Coyle had the goal for the Bruins, who lost to Florida for the first time in six meetings this season. In Vancouver, Conor Garland broke a tie with 5 minutes, 34 seconds left as the Canucks overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in Game 1 of their Western Conference series. Garland took a short pass from Dakota Joshua, faked a slap shot at the right circle, sped in on Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner and slipped a wrist shot between his legs from a sharp angle for Vancouver’s second goal in 39 seconds.
Photo: AFP
OLYMPICS
Flame starts France relay
The French leg of the Paris Olympic flame relay began yesterday in the southern port city of Marseille, a day after it arrived from Greece on a 19th-century ship. Former France soccer star Basile Boli carried the torch from a majestic cathedral overlooking the city and handed it over to 83-year-old Colette Cataldo. The event drew dozens of spectators including Marseille archbishop Jean-marc Aveline. “That really makes the heart beat fast and it’s fantastic,” said Boli after handing over the torch. “It’s the Olympic flame, it’s the symbol of sport and of living together.” The event marked the start of a 12,000km torch relay across France and its far-flung overseas territories, terminating at the opening ceremony on the Seine in Paris on July 26.
ICE SKATING
Shoma Uno retires
Two-time figure skating world champion and three-time Olympic medalist Shoma Uno of Japan yesterday said that he is retiring from competition. Uno, 26, won a second consecutive world title last year despite an ankle injury. “My skating life started when I was five, and I am very grateful that I was able to continue for 21 years and lead a fantastic life in competition,” the Nagoya native wrote on Instagram. Uno, who was born prematurely weighing just 0.9kg, was the world’s first skater to successfully land a quadruple flip in competition.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
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