DRESSAGE
Dujardin ‘deeply ashamed’
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin of Britain repeatedly whipped a horse while coaching another rider in a video that was published by multiple media outlets on Wednesday. The video is part of an official complaint filed against Dujardin with the International Federation for Equestrian Sports. It shows Dujardin repeatedly striking the horse, walking closer and swinging the whip again after it moves away. Dujardin was set to compete in the Paris Games, but withdrew after word of the video emerged. She said on Tuesday in a statement that the video is from four years ago, and it “shows me making an error of judgment during a coaching session.” She said it “was completely out of character” and she was “deeply ashamed.”
RUGBY
France struggle
Antoine Dupont scored a brilliant individual try as France kept alive their medal hopes despite a stuttering start to the Rugby Sevens tournament in front of a passionate home crowd at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday. Reigning champions Fiji, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Ireland secured spots in the quarter-finals with two wins out of two at the Stade de France in Paris. France, who have looked like genuine title contenders since Dupont made the switch to Sevens after last year’s Rugby World Cup, had been expected to make light work of Pool C, but were held 12-12 by the US in their opener. They were trailing 7-5 to Uruguay at halftime of their second match, but Dupont broke through a series of tackles to touch down under the posts and set the hosts on their way to a 19-12 victory. As of press time last night, France were to play against Fiji.
BMX
Olympian’s items stolen
Reigning Olympic BMX freestyle champion Logan Martin had some of his equipment stolen by thieves who broke into a team van in a “crazy start” to the Australian’s title defense. Martin posted video on Instagram on Wednesday showing the passenger side window of the vehicle smashed. “Our van got broken into last night,” he said. “Luckily my bikes weren’t in there, although my bike bags were in there with some things in it. What a crazy start to the trip.” Martin, who won gold in Tokyo ahead of Venezuela’s Daniel Dhers, also lost his wallet. The incident occurred in Brussels, where the Australian team was at a training camp before leaving for Paris on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Sinner withdraws
Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner pulled out of the Paris Olympics on Wednesday because of tonsillitis, meaning Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will be the top-seeded men, setting up a potential gold medal rematch of the Wimbledon final. Sinner, a 22-year-old from Italy, posted on social media that a doctor advised him that he should sit out the Games. Sinner won the Australian Open in January for his first Grand Slam title and moved up to No. 1 in the ATP rankings last month after reaching the French Open semi-finals. Tennis matches in the Olympics are to begin tomorrow. “Missing the Olympics is a big disappointment, given that it was one of my main goals this season,” Sinner wrote in Italian. “I couldn’t wait to have the honor of representing my country in this extremely important event.”
HOMETOWN ZERO: Fans relished the fall of former Brewer-turned-Cubs manager Craig Counsell, as Milwaukee braces to face the Dodgers, who in 2018 denied them a pennant Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy has referred to his team as the “Average Joes,” a nod to their small-market status and lack of big names, but after they beat rivals the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in the decisive fifth game of their National League Division Series (NLDS) on Saturday night, Murphy decided it was time for an upgrade. “You can call them the average Joes, but I say they’re the above-average Joes,” he said. The Brewers relied on contributions from just about every player to get past the Cubs. Andrew Vaughn hit a tiebreaking homer in the fourth inning, and William Contreras and Brice
Mexico’s teenage playmaker Gilberto Mora has lit up the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile as he basks in the limelight afforded by the absences of Barcelona and Real Madrid stars Lamine Yamal and Franco Mastantuono. “I don’t know if I’m the biggest star, and I’m not really interested in that. I think you can always give more,” 16-year-old Mora said before Mexico’s 4-1 win against host nation Chile in the round-of-16 on Tuesday, in which he provided the assist for the opening goal. Next on Mora’s schedule is a quarter-final clash against Argentina this morning Taiwan time, but after
‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’: Nathan Lukes hit a two-run single and Addison Barger had three of Toronto’s 12 hits as the Blue Jays bounced back After taking down the storied New York Yankees in their own ballpark in their American League Division Series on Wednesday, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider was ready to revel in the triumph. “Start spreading the news,” Schneider said while popping a bottle of bubbly to set off the Blue Jays’ jubilant celebration inside their Yankee Stadium clubhouse. With the party under way, the familiar lyrics from Frank Sinatra’s version of New York, New York — the Yankees’ long-time victory anthem — sounded in the background as roaring Toronto players sprayed each other with booze in the Bronx. This time, it was their
‘IT’S BASEBALL’: In just the second error to end a post-season series in the MLB, the Phillies reliever fumbled a comebacker and threw to home, despite the signal Eyes red, Orion Kerkering on Thursday received words of support from his Philadelphia Phillies teammates. “Just keep your head up. It’s an honest mistake. Just, it’s baseball,” he remembered hearing. “You’ll be good for a long time to come,” they added. “It’s not my fault, then. We had opportunities to score,” was the message he kept getting. Kerkering made a wild throw past home plate instead of tossing to first after mishandling Andy Pages’ bases-loaded comebacker with two outs in the 11th inning. Pinch-runner Kim Hye-seong scored and the Phillies were eliminated with a 2-1 loss that gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a
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