U.S./World Sports category, Page 194
South Carolina still No. 1 in women’s Top 25; Oklahoma jumps 9 spots
South Carolina remained the No. 1 team in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll released Monday. The Gamecocks received 28 of the 30 first-place votes from a national media panel after beating Texas A&M and Arkansas last week. South Carolina is off until hosting Vanderbilt next Monday. There was...
Gonzaga back at No. 1 in AP Top 25; Auburn up to No. 2
A wild week of upsets led to big changes in the AP Top 25. Amid the chaos, a familiar team returned to the top. Preseason No. 1 Gonzaga climbed back to the top of The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released Monday, ending Baylor’s five-week run. The Bulldogs had...
With Novak Djokovic gone, Naomi Osaka starts her Australian Open defenseVideo
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian Open started Monday without nine-time champion Novak Djokovic and, finally, the focus was on forehands and backhands instead of his fight to avoid deportation because he isn’t vaccinated against covid-19. And it got started in a big way, with a combined 64 matches scheduled on...
Hideki Matsuyama caps big rally with eagle to win Sony Open in playoffVideo
HONOLULU — Hideki Matsuyama made up a five-shot deficit on the back nine and then won the Sony Open in a playoff with one of the best shots he never saw, a 3-wood into the sun to 3 feet for an eagle to beat Russell Henley on Sunday. The eighth...
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz disbands diversity group created after 2020 probeVideo
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz disbanded an alumni advisory committee that was created after a 2020 investigation found evidence of racial bias against Black players in his program and bullying behavior by some of his assistants. The Gazette reported Ferentz’ decision to end the committee came...
Australian court upholds decision to deport Novak Djokovic
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia on Sunday after losing a bid to stay in the country to defend his Australian Open title despite not being vaccinated against covid-19. A masked Djokovic was photographed in a Melbourne airport lounge with two government officials in black uniforms before...
Clap, don’t chant: China aims for ‘Zero Covid’ Olympics
Athletes will need to be vaccinated — or face a long quarantine — take tests daily and wear masks when not competing or training. Clapping is OK to cheer on teammates, not chanting. Anyone who tests positive for covid-19 will be sent into isolation and unable to compete until cleared...
Hawaii football coach Todd Graham steps down
HONOLULU — Todd Graham resigned as the University of Hawaii’s football coach Friday, stepping down amid controversy after completing the second-year of a five-year contract. Graham resigned a week after former players and some parents testified before a state legislative hearing, criticizing the coach’s management style and relationships with players....
Tennis Hall of Famer Chris Evert says she has ovarian cancer
Former tennis star Chris Evert says she was diagnosed with an early stage of ovarian cancer. The 67-year-old Evert revealed the illness in a story posted Friday on ESPN.com; she is an on-air announcer for ESPN. She learned of the cancer last month and began chemotherapy treatments this week. “I’ve...
Longest tenure grows as Iowa extends Ferentz’s contract
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The nation’s longest-tenured FBS head coach plans to stick around a lot longer as the University of Iowa on Friday announced it was extending Kirk Ferentz’s contract through the 2029 season. Iowa athletic officials announced the four-year extension that followed a 10-4 record in 2021. It...
Column: Novak Djokovic whiffed on 2 shots, 3 if you count boosterVideo
After more than a week of lies, hypocrisy, partisan bickering, bureaucratic bumbling and the inevitably idiotic comparison to the crucifixion of Jesus — by his own father, no less — the Novak Djokovic story still boils down to this: He threw away a chance to make history at the Australian...
Novak Djokovic faces deportation as Australia revokes visa again
MELBOURNE, Australia — Tennis star Novak Djokovic faces deportation again after the Australian government revoked his visa for a second time. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said Friday he used his ministerial discretion to revoke the 34-year-old Serb’s visa on public interest grounds three days before the Australian Open is to...
Novak Djokovic in Australian Open draw despite visa uncertainty
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic now knows he’ll face fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of his Australian Open title defense, if he’s allowed to play. Djokovic’s visa status dominated attention until the moment the draw was conducted Thursday, after a postponement of 75 minutes, to determine the...
U.S. Olympic men’s hockey roster includes 15 college playersVideo
Matty Beniers called his parents to ask them to answer a group FaceTime request so he could deliver some big news. Of course that’s how the 19-year-old would tell loved ones he is going to the Olympics. Beniers was one of 15 college players named Thursday to the U.S. Olympic...
Australian Open draw delayed amid uncertainty over Djokovic
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian Open draw was delayed indefinitely on Thursday amid uncertainty over top-ranked Novak Djokovic’s visa status. The draw, to determine men’s and women’s singles brackets at the year’s first tennis major, was scheduled to be held at 3 p.m. local time in Melbourne, but a tournament...
Texas doctor charged with giving Olympic athletes performance drugs
NEW YORK — U.S. prosecutors charged a Texas man on Wednesday with providing performance-enhancing drugs to athletes competing in last summer’s Olympics in Tokyo, including star Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare. Eric Lira, 41, of El Paso, is the first person to be charged under a new U.S. anti-doping law governing...
Webb Simpson looks to atone for missing favorite events this week at Sony OpenVideo
HONOLULU — Webb Simpson has been on the PGA Tour long enough and won enough to not be in a hurry. He was no less eager to fly to the middle of the Pacific for one week at the Sony Open. “I realized that when I got off the plane...
U.S., Canada women eager to resume fierce hockey rivalry
Forward Brianna Decker was unable to contain her enthusiasm in being selected to represent the United States in hockey for a third Olympics. She then bluntly declared the team’s one and only objective heading to the Beijing Games next month. “Our business isn’t finished until we come back with a...
No NHL boosts Russian hopes for Olympic gold in men’s hockey
When the National Hockey League and its players agreed to pause the season and participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics, it came with the caveat of pandemic conditions not making it impractical to go to China. Seven weeks before puck drop at what was supposed to be the first Olympics...
IOC major sponsors mostly muted in runup to Beijing Olympics
The Beijing Winter Olympics are fraught with potential hazards for major sponsors, who are trying to remain quiet about China’s human rights record while protecting at least $1 billion they’ve collectively paid to the IOC. That could reach $2 billion when new figures are expected this year. Sponsors include big...
Georgia savors national championship, already looks ahead to next seasonVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Kirby Smart learned from his former boss that the time for celebrating is short in college football. Even while he reveled Tuesday in the hangover from Georgia’s first national title since 1980, the coach already was thinking about what comes next. “The wind blows a lot stronger at...
Djokovic back into swing in Australia, visa questions lingerVideo
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic held a practice session Tuesday, a day after he left immigration detention, focusing on defending his Australian Open title even while he still faces the prospect of deportation because he’s not vaccinated against covid-19. The top-ranked tennis star hit the show courts of Melbourne Park,...
Georgia snaps 41-year title drought with win over AlabamaVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Stetson Bennett delivered the biggest throws of his storybook career and Georgia’s defense sealed the sweetest victory in program history, vanquishing rival Alabama 33-18 in the College Football Playoff title Monday night for its first national title in 41 years. Bennett connected with Adonai Mitchell on a 40-yard...
College Football Playoff talks stall, dimming hopes of expansion before 2026
INDIANAPOLIS — College Football Playoff expansion talks remain stalled and the possibility of implementing a new format by the 2024 season dimmed Monday after three days of meetings failed to produce an agreement. “We have entrenched issues that are no closer to be resolved, ” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby...
South Carolina still No. 1 in AP women’s basketball poll
South Carolina beat two more ranked opponents to strengthen its grip on the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. The Gamecocks topped then-No. 13 LSU and No. 21 Kentucky this past week to raise their record to 8-0 against Top 25 teams this season. South Carolina...
