CYCLING
Cavendish wins final race
Mark Cavendish on Sunday sprinted to victory in the Tour de France Singapore Criterium with a signature surge to the line in his final race. “I really wanted that so bad,” the 39-year-old British cycling great said after the 166th victory of his career. “I’m terribly emotional. I realized in the last five laps that this was the last 15km of my career and I felt that, but I was so much on the limit.” Coming out of the last bend, Cavendish, who holds the record for most stage wins on the Tour de France, briefly latched onto the wheel of defending champion Jasper Philipsen before pulling away and raising his arms in triumph one last time, to deafening cheers from the crowd who had gathered for the race.
Photo: Reuters
SURFING
Surfers mass for record
Three hundred surfers over the age of 50 gathered at the weekend in Sao Paulo to attempt a world record for the most people riding the same wave. Participants, many of whom took up surfing later in life, arrived early, eager to hit the water. “I had a crazy desire to learn [to surf] and when I started, I couldn’t stop,” Christiane Melin said. “It’s an addiction, but an addiction that’s really good.” The event, organized by a local surf school specializing in teaching older adults, emphasized community and well-being. “This is a great example to show the world the importance that, after the [COVID-19] pandemic and beyond politics, we can all be together on the same wave,” organizer Cisco Arana said. With 98 surfers riding a wave together, the group fell short of the 110 achieved in South Africa in 2009.
Photo: Reuters
SOCCER
Israel tells fans to skip match
Israel has urged fans to avoid Thursday’s France-Israel tie, which authorities fear could become a flash point following violence in Amsterdam surrounding a match involving an Israeli team. Despite a large police presence and the expected attendance of French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli officials on Sunday warned fans to stay away because of fears they could be targeted after clashes at a match in Amsterdam left about two dozen people injured and were condemned as anti-Semitic by Israeli, US, Dutch and European leaders. A right-wing Jewish group has nevertheless announced a rally ahead of this week’s UEFA Nations League tie. Describing the France-Israel fixture as high risk, Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez said 4,000 gendarmes would be deployed around Stade de France.
SHOOTING
Kim Ye-ji to take a break
Olympic shooting star Kim Ye-ji is temporarily putting down her gun to spend time with family, her agency said on Sunday, saying she was exhausted from competition and the huge public attention her nonchalant cool has generated. The 32-year-old shooter rose to stardom during the Paris Olympics — where she won a silver in the women’s 10m air pistol — after a video of her calmly taking a shot and unloading her gun went viral. The clip, which was actually taken from a competition in May 2024, triggered an Internet frenzy, with people praising her “main character” energy. Kim would “temporarily suspend her sports career ... to have some time together with her young daughter,” her agent Yang Yong-sik said. She would also not renew her contract with her team, which expires in December, he added.
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
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
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
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that
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