SKIING
Lindsey Vonn to return
US ski great Lindsey Vonn on Friday said that she hopes to redefine the parameters of what is possible after confirming she is to make her World Cup comeback in St Moritz next week, nearly six years after retiring from the sport. The 40-year-old former Olympic and world champion said she had decided to return to skiing after a successful right knee replacement in April had left her living “pain-free” for the first time in years. Vonn cited US Olympic gymnastics superstar Simone Biles as an example of an athlete who successfully returned to the sport at a relatively advanced age. “I think Simone Biles is a perfect example of what can be done at an older age and she’s not even old,” Vonn said. “It’s just it’s outside of the confines of what we believe is the right age for the sport.”
Photo: AFP
SOCCER
Valladolid beat Valencia
Real Valladolid on Friday beat Valencia 1-0 and rose off the bottom of La Liga’s standings. Moroccan forward Anuar scored with a solo effort after 19 minutes. “It’s a sense of relief because we needed the three points,” Anuar said on broadcaster DAZN. “It was like a final, and fortunately, we managed to come out on top.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
SOCCER
Toulouse win 2-1
Toulouse on Friday came from behind at home to beat AS Saint-Etienne 2-1 in a scrappy match that left the visitors stuck in the Ligue 1 relegation zone. Dennis Appiah’s cross after 53 minutes gave Lucas Stassin his first goal for the club, but the lead lasted only a minute as almost straight from the kick-off, Toulouse equalized through Shavy Babicka. The home side got the win five minutes from time, when Zakaria Aboukhlal nodded home from close range.
Photo: AFP
SOCCER
Freiburg survive comeback
SC Freiburg on Friday survived a late comeback to beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-2. Lukas Kubler scored an opportunist opener three minutes before the break and added a second with his head six minutes into the second half to put Freiburg in the driving seat. Michael Gregoritsch added the third in the 62nd minute. Jonas Wind scored his third goal in two games and Mattias Svanberg cut the deficit seven minutes from time, but it was too late as Freiburg moved above Wolfsburg to fifth place on the table.
Photo: AP
BOXING
Naoya Inoue bout delayed
Naoya Inoue’s Christmas Eve super-bantamweight world title fight against Sam Goodman in Tokyo has been postponed to Jan. 24, his gym announced yesterday after the Australian cut his eye in sparring. “We were informed today from Goodman’s side that he had sustained an injury,” Inoue’s Ohashi Gym said in a statement. “We decided to postpone the fight after discussing with Goodman’s side the status of his recovery.” Goodman hurt his left eye during his final training session before jetting to Japan to face the undisputed champion, the Australian’s promoter and his manager told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
BELGIANS ADVANCE: Club Brugge gave Atalanta a lesson in efficiency, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s team had 29 efforts at goal, compared with seven from the visitors Seldom has a player’s sending off had such an influence on a game. AC Milan was to left rue Theo Hernandez’s second yellow card — for diving — as Feyenoord advanced to the UEFA Champions League last 16 at the former European champion’s expense with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff on Tuesday, giving the Dutch team a 2-1 win on aggregate. Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Benfica also won their playoffs, eliminating Celtic, UEFA Europa League winner Atalanta BC and French team AS Monaco respectively. “In soccer everything changes in a second,” said Milan forward
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