Page 1585 - Sports
Trump pardons boxer Jack Johnson, first black heavyweight champ
US President Donald Trump issued a posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion, who was sent to prison a century ago in a racially charged case. Trump yesterday said Johnson, the "Galveston Giant," was the victim of what "many viewed as a racially motivated injustice." Johnson, who held the heavyweight title from 1908-15, was convicted by an all-white jury in 1913 of taking a woman across state lines for "immoral purposes." Johnson, whose consensual relationship with a white woman was seen then by many as taboo, fled to Europe but returned in 1920 and spent a year in prison. Johnson died in a car crash in 1946 at the age of 68. Trump signed the pardon at a ceremony in the Oval Office attended by "Rocky" actor Sylvester Stallone, current WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and former champion Lennox Lewis. "Today as president, I've issued an executive grant of clemency, a full pardon, posthumously to John Arthur Jack Johnson," Trump said. "The ...
Sri Lanka cricketer Silva quits tour after father's murder
The father of Sri Lankan cricket allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on the eve of the national team's departure to the West Indies, police said. The player's father Ranjan, a local politician, was gunned down in Ratmalana, a suburb of the capital Colombo, close to midnight yesterday, police said. An investigation is underway but no arrests have been made. Cricket officials said 26-year-old de Silva withdrew from the tour that involves three Test matches. However, there was no official word from the cricket board on who will replace de Silva. Sri Lanka will also miss opener Dimuth Karunaratne who fractured a finger while batting in the nets earlier this month as he prepared for a limited-overs domestic tournament.
Serena, Venus get French Open doubles wildcard
Serena and Venus Williams were handed a wild card into the French Open women's doubles as the American sisters seek to add a third Roland Garros title to their triumphs in 1999 and 2010. They have won 14 Grand Slam doubles as a team but since their last win together in Paris they have only featured on two further occasions at the tournament, losing in the first round in 2013 and the third round in 2016. Serena, a three-time singles champion at the French Open, will be playing in her first Grand Slam tournament since winning the Australian Open in 2017 after which she stepped off the tour to give birth to her daughter in September. Yesterday, she was drawn to face Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the first round of the singles which gets underway on Sunday. Venus starts against China's Wang Qiang.
Klopp seeks turnaround to five forgetable finals
"We've won it five times," Liverpool supporters sing to celebrate their five European Cup final victories, but Jurgen Klopp, manager of the English giants, is attempting to end a very different run of results in tomorrow's Champions League final. Klopp has lost his last five finals, three with Borussia Dortmund before moving to Anfield in 2015, and two in his debut season with the Reds. "They don't hang silver medals at Melwood (Liverpool's training ground)," Klopp warned amidst the euphoria of making it to Kiev this weekend after an enthralling 7-6 aggregate semi-final win over Roma. "There's still a job to do but that's how it is. Going to a final is really nice but winning is even nicer." Those are words of a man who has been there and suffered before. Each of his five final defeats had their own context, but hurt all the same. "If something is really important for you, you have to be ready for suffering. That is how life is," Klopp said this week. "If you want guarantees then ...
Liverpool out to end Real hegemony in Champions League final
A thrilling run inspired by Mohamed Salah has taken Liverpool to tomorrow's Champions League final in Kiev against Real Madrid, where now Jurgen Klopp's side must stop the Spanish giants from winning the trophy for the third year running. Real have seen this as their competition ever since winning the first five European Cups in a row, and this is another golden era for them, in which they are dreaming of making it a fourth Champions League in five years. Neither Atletico Madrid (twice) nor Juventus have been able to stop Cristiano Ronaldo from inflicting pain on them in recent finals. But Liverpool's own attacking quality gives them reason to believe and suggests the Olympic Stadium in the Ukrainian capital could be the scene of an unforgettable encounter. In terms of history alone, this is a dream final. Real's 12 European Cup wins puts them way ahead of the rest, but Liverpool have lifted the famous trophy five times themselves, most recently in 2005, defying all the odds against ..
Fulham, Villa clash in ?160m promotion shoot-out
Slavisa Jokanovic has challenged Fulham to "cross the magic line" as they bid to return to the Premier League by beating Aston Villa in the USD 213 million Championship final. Jokanovic's side hope to end their four-year exile from the top-flight, while Villa are looking to get back to among the elite two seasons after their relegation. Whoever wins at Wembley on Saturday will bank a huge financial windfall, with the rise in revenue estimated at least ?160 million across the next three seasons, which could rise to in excess of ?280 million if they retain their Premier League status. Reflecting the thirst for fame and fortune provided by success in English football, Fulham are controlled by American tycoon Shadid Khan and Villa by Chinese businessman Tony Xia. But while the owners might be counting the cash, for players and fans it is the pride of competing with the best that offers the biggest incentive this weekend. Fulham missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of the ...
Trump pardons late Jack Johnson
US President Donald Trump on Thursday pardoned former world boxing champion Jack Johnson, who was convicted in 1913 of engaging in a relationship with a white woman and saw his career destroyed.
U-18 Youth League: Kerala Blasters stun SAI to reach final
Kerala Blasters entered the final of the ongoing 2017-18 U-18 Youth League after beating SAI Kolkata 2-1 in the first semifinal played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, here on Thursday.In a finely-poised tie, Kerala took the lead through Abdullah KS in the 39th minute, which was cancelled out just two minutes later by Injaman Molla.However, Abdullah struck again early in the second-half to ensure his team's progress to the final.Both teams started nervously trying to gauge the strengths of each other in the initial quarter of the game.But, as the game progressed, Kerala gradually gained control over the proceedings.The Southern outfit created numerous scoring opportunities, with Adarsh AS, Badusha TT and Abdullah all failing to make the most of their chances.However, Kerala were rewarded for their persistent efforts when Abdullah found the back of the net in the 39th minute.The winger received a well-timed pass from Yashin Malik before rounding SAI custodian Tuhin Goswami to give ...
Real Kashmir edge past Ozone in a five-goal thriller
Real Kashmir FC beat Ozone FC Bengaluru 3-2 to begin their final round campaign in the 2017-18 Hero 2nd Division League at the FSV Arena here on Thursday.With the win, Real Kashmir top the standings after the conclusion of round one, but they never had it that easy. They were made to sweat for victory by Ozone, who led twice, courtesy Robert De Souza (26') and Sabeeth Sathyan (67').Kashmir kept their composure and scored through Nadong Bhuita (39'), Ritwik Kumar Das (89') and Yao Kouassi Bernard (90+5') to bag full three points.Ozone began the match with good pace and high energy levels, aggressively pressing from the front.Contrary to Ozone's approach, Real Kashmir preferred to remain compact and dropped back.The Real Kashmir defenders were not allowed a lot of time on the ball and were therefore forced to hoof it up field, in the hoping that Bernard would be able to compete.Nadong and Bernard were not quick enough to close down, and the Ozone centre-backs had time to pick their ...
England vs Pakistan 1st Test Scoreboard
Scoreboard on Thursday on the first day of the first test between England and Pakistan at Lord's: Alastair Cook b Amir 70 Mark Stoneman b Abbas 4 Joe Root c Ahmed b Ali 4 Dawid Malan c Ahmed b Ali 6 Jonny Bairstow b Ashraf 27 Ben Stokes lbw b Abbas 38 Jos Buttler c Shafiq b Ali 14 Dom Bess c Shafiq b Abbas 5 Mark Wood c Amir b Ali 7 Stuart Broad lbw b Abbas 0 James Anderson not out 0 Extras: (1b, 6lb, 1nb 1w) 9 TOTAL: (all out) 184 Overs: 58.2 Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-33, 3-43, 4-100, 5-149, 6-168, 7-168, 8-180, 9-180, 10-184. Bowling: Mohammad Amir 14-3-41-1, Mohammad Abbas 14-7-23-4, Hasan Ali 15.2-2-51-4, Faheem Ashraf 9-2-28-1, Shadab Khan 6-0-34-0. Azhar Ali not out 18 Imam-ul-Haq lbw b Broad 4 Haris Sohail not out 21 Extras: (7lb) 7 TOTAL: (for 1 wicket) 50 Overs: 23 Still to bat: Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Abbas. Fall of wickets: 1-12 Bowling: James Anderson 5-2-11-0, Stuart Broad
Pakistan bowls England out for 184, reaches 50-1 in reply
Pakistan provoked England's latest batting collapse by combining disciplined bowling with superb catching before showing resistance in its reply to dominate the opening day of the first test at Lord's today. A new international season started with some familiar problems for England, which stumbled to 43-3 after winning the toss and then lost its last five wickets for 16 runs in 4.4 overs to be dismissed for 184 soon after tea. Opener Alastair Cook was the only batsman to stand out, making 70 in his record-leveling 153rd consecutive test. Pakistan was 50-1 at stumps, trailing by 134 runs. Pakistan seamers bowled a good line and length on a day when the ball swung around and moved off the seam. Mohammad Abbas and Hasan Ali each took four wickets. Cook and Jonny Bairstow (27) were both bowled from deliveries that shaped in and seamed away to hit off stump. Allied to that were some surprisingly good catches by a team that is often criticized for its fielding, with Asad Shafiq taking two .
Zidane calls entire squad for Champions League final vs Liverpool
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane on Thursday summoned all of his 24 players to compete against Liverpool in the upcoming final of the UEFA Champions League in Kiev.
Apurvi Chandela finishes fourth in Munich Shooting World Cup
Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela had a gold medal in her grasp before a slip up in the 19th shot pushed her outside the medal bracket at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol stage, in Munich. In the eight-woman final, Apurvi was leading her nearest rival by 1.1 points at the end of the 18th shot in the 24-shot final but managed only a 5.9 in the 19th to slip to fourth position. She closed with a 10.5 on her 20th and her tally of 205.4 was still 2.9 short of the medals. Chinese Taipei's Ying-Shin Lin won gold with a score of 250.3, China's Mingyang Wu won silver with 249.8 while Denmark's Rikke Maeng Ibsen landed Bronze with a score of 229. Apurvi shot a solid 630.9 at the end of the 60-shots qualifying round to make it to the finals in fourth position. In the finals she shot 53 after 5 shots to lead the field and continued her strong showing totalling 105.8 after 10 shots to be clear of second placed Chinese Wu by 1.3 points. An incredible 10.9 and 10.8 in the 16th and 17th shots ...
Evra, Collins leave West Ham United
French veteran full back Patrice Evra is set to leave West Ham United only three months after joining the English Premier League (EPL) club, the Hammers announced on Thursday.
Red Bull's Ricciardo sets pace in 2nd free practice of Monaco GP
Australian Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) on Thursday had the fastest time in the second free practice of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Amir removes England cornerstone Cook in first Test
Mohammad Amir captured the prise wicket of Alastair Cook after the England opener led a fightback on the first day of the first Test against Pakistan at Lord's on Thursday. At tea England were 165 for five, having slumped to 43 for three before lunch after home captain Joe Root had won the toss and batted. Cook, in his 153rd consecutive Test, which equalled Australia great Allan Border's all-time record for successive appearances at this level, revived England with a fine 70. But shortly before tea he was bowled by Amir, a team-mate when Essex won the County Championship last season, as the left-arm quick produced a brilliant delivery that cut away late off the pitch late to clip the top of the opener's off stump. Cook faced 148 balls, including 14 fours Ben Stokes was unbeaten on 36, having hoisted leg-spinner Shadab Khan for the first six of this match. Jos Buttler, recalled as a specialist number seven, was unbeaten on 13. Root opted to bat first in the opening match of this ...
Trump lauds NFL policy banning kneeling for national anthem
President Donald Trump praised an NFL policy banning kneeling during the "The Star-Spangled Banner," saying that "maybe you shouldn't be in the country" if you don't stand for the anthem. Trump spoke to "Fox & Friends" in an interview that aired today. The policy forbids players from sitting or taking a knee on the field during the anthem but allows them to stay in the locker room. Any violations of the new rules would result in fines against teams. "I think that's good," Trump said in the interview that taped Wednesday. "I don't think people should be staying in the locker rooms, but still I think it's good. You have to stand proudly for the national anthem. Or you shouldn't be playing, you shouldn't be there. Maybe you shouldn't be in the country." Trump last fall called on team owners to fire players who followed former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's lead by kneeling during the national anthem. During a rally, he referred to an NFL player making a gesture ...
FIFA announces 2018 World Cup national slogans
The worlds governing football body, FIFA, published on Thursday a list of official logos for each of 32 participating teams in the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup and the logo of hosts Russia is "Play With an Open Heart."
S. Korean legend tells football to stay confident at World Cup
South Korean football legend Hong Myung-bo said on Thursday that the national team players need to stay confident even though they will face difficult opponents at next month's 2018 FIFA World Cup.
IPL-Playoffs: We need two-three good overs to change course of game: Saha
Despite coming into the Qualifier 2 on the back of four straight losses, Sunrisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha feels "two-three overs" can change their fortunes in the big-ticket game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) here on Friday.