Author: Agence France-Presse - AFP
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a narrow 117-115 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, completing a 4-0 sweep and making them the first team to advance to the NBA Western Conference semifinals. The Cleveland Cavaliers were on the brink of advancing, taking a 3-0 stranglehold on their Eastern Conference series with a 124-87 blowout of the Miami Heat. And the Denver Nuggets leveled their Western Conference series with a stunning 101-99 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, sealed by Aaron Gordon’s put-back dunk at the final buzzer. Jalen Williams added 23 points…
Leicester City will part ways with captain Jamie Vardy at the end of the season, the relegated side confirmed Thursday. The iconic striker, a pivotal figure in the Foxes’ surprise Premier League title win in 2016, was hailed as “our greatest-ever player” by the club. At 38, Vardy joined Leicester in 2012 from non-league Fleetwood Town for 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) and has since netted 198 goals in nearly 500 appearances, including a club-record 143 in the Premier League. Vardy scored 24 times in the 2015-16 Premier League campaign, helping the Foxes to their first top-flight title in one…
Iga Swiatek acknowledges that strict doping protocols can be stressful for players but feels she has “been through the worst” after overcoming a positive test for contaminated melatonin. The incident has sparked paranoia among tennis players, following Swiatek’s and Jannik Sinner’s failed drug tests, despite both athletes not intentionally doping. Swiatek served a one-month suspension at the end of last year after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined that the over-the-counter melatonin she used as a sleep aid was contaminated with the banned substance trimetazidine. Sinner is currently serving a three-month ban after testing positive twice for the banned…
Iga Swiatek acknowledges that strict doping protocols can be stressful for players but feels she has “been through the worst” after overcoming a positive test for contaminated melatonin. The incident has sparked paranoia among tennis players, following Swiatek’s and Jannik Sinner’s failed drug tests, despite both athletes not intentionally doping. Swiatek served a one-month suspension at the end of last year after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined that the over-the-counter melatonin she used as a sleep aid was contaminated with the banned substance trimetazidine. Sinner is currently serving a three-month ban after testing positive twice for the banned…
From a commemorative jersey to plans for a stadium bearing his name, Argentina’s football world is paying heartfelt tribute to its ultimate “captain” – Pope Francis – remembered not just as a spiritual leader, but as a team player in every sense. The Argentine pontiff, who died Monday at age 88, was a lifelong fan of the beautiful game. In his homeland, tributes have flowed with football metaphors, honoring the first pope from Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Association said in a moving statement, calling him a generational talent who “never hogged…
From a commemorative jersey to plans for a stadium bearing his name, Argentina’s football world is paying heartfelt tribute to its ultimate “captain” – Pope Francis – remembered not just as a spiritual leader, but as a team player in every sense. The Argentine pontiff, who died Monday at age 88, was a lifelong fan of the beautiful game. In his homeland, tributes have flowed with football metaphors, honoring the first pope from Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Association said in a moving statement, calling him a generational talent who “never hogged…
From a commemorative jersey to plans for a stadium bearing his name, Argentina’s football world is paying heartfelt tribute to its ultimate “captain” – Pope Francis – remembered not just as a spiritual leader, but as a team player in every sense. The Argentine pontiff, who died Monday at age 88, was a lifelong fan of the beautiful game. In his homeland, tributes have flowed with football metaphors, honoring the first pope from Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Association said in a moving statement, calling him a generational talent who “never hogged…
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr headline a trio of big-spending Saudi clubs chasing continental supremacy as the revamped AFC Champions League Elite enters its final stretch Friday on home soil. Saudi Arabia will host the quarterfinals, semifinals and final of Asia’s top-tier club tournament from April 25 to May 3, with all eyes on Jeddah’s 62,000-seat King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. Fueled by a surge of European star power, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli are leading title contenders. All three flexed their might in the West Zone group stages, with unbeaten runs by Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, while Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr were close behind –…
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr headline a trio of big-spending Saudi clubs chasing continental supremacy as the revamped AFC Champions League Elite enters its final stretch Friday on home soil. Saudi Arabia will host the quarterfinals, semifinals and final of Asia’s top-tier club tournament from April 25 to May 3, with all eyes on Jeddah’s 62,000-seat King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. Fueled by a surge of European star power, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli are leading title contenders. All three flexed their might in the West Zone group stages, with unbeaten runs by Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, while Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr were close behind –…
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr headline a trio of big-spending Saudi clubs chasing continental supremacy as the revamped AFC Champions League Elite enters its final stretch Friday on home soil. Saudi Arabia will host the quarterfinals, semifinals and final of Asia’s top-tier club tournament from April 25 to May 3, with all eyes on Jeddah’s 62,000-seat King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. Fueled by a surge of European star power, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli are leading title contenders. All three flexed their might in the West Zone group stages, with unbeaten runs by Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, while Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr were close behind –…