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Why the WGC-Mexico results hurt Tiger Woods' Olympic chances

Published in Golf
Monday, 24 February 2020 00:40

Tiger Woods was nowhere to be found at last week's WGC-Mexico Championship, but the results still had an impact on Woods' chances of representing the U.S. later this year at the Tokyo Olympics.

Woods tied for 10th in Mexico City last year, but he opted to skip the event after a 68th-place finish at the Genesis Invitational. With increased points in the Official World Golf Ranking available because of the WGC status, Woods could only watch as Americans Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau finished 1-2 and significantly boosted their respective OWGR average.

The world rankings are the metric by which Olympic teams will be finalized in June, with a maximum of four Americans earning spots in Tokyo. Reed is now ahead of Woods in the rankings, and after being the fourth-highest ranked American earlier this month Woods is now down to No. 7 among Americans even though he's 10th in the world – behind Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, Reed and Webb Simpson.

But the news gets worse for Woods when you project how the standings will look on June 22, which is when the Olympic teams will be finalized. Based on those projections, Woods would be 10th on the U.S. list, behind also Xander Schauffele, Matt Kuchar and DeChambeau.

It means that the reigning Masters champ is facing a tall task if he wants to make his Olympic debut, and because he's expected to keep a light playing schedule through the summer it means he'll likely need to get win No. 83 before the June cutoff if he's going to qualify.

But with less than four months to go until the cutoff, here's a look at the 60 men who would head to Tokyo if the teams were finalized based on the current OWGR standings (Note: Countries can send a maximum of two participants, with the maximum raised to four if all are ranked inside the top 15 in the world):

1. Rory McIlroy (IRL)

2. Jon Rahm (ESP)

3. Brooks Koepka (USA)

4. Justin Thomas (USA)

5. Dustin Johnson (USA)

6. Adam Scott (AUS)

7. Patrick Cantlay (USA)

8. Tommy Fleetwood (GBR)

9. Justin Rose (GBR)

10. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA)

11. Shane Lowry (IRL)

12. Hideki Matsuyama (JPN)

13. Marc Leishman (AUS)

14. Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)

15. Francesco Molinari (ITA)

16. Abraham Ancer (MEX)

17. Henrik Stenson (SWE)

18. Sungjae Im (KOR)

19. Shugo Imahira (JPN)

20. Jazz Janewattananond (THA)

21. Erik Van Rooyen (RSA)

22. Sergio Garcia (ESP)

23. Victor Perez (FRA)

24. Byeong-Hun An (KOR)

25. Adam Hadwin (CAN)

26. Viktor Hovland (NOR)

27. Corey Conners (CAN)

28. Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)

29. Thomas Pieters (BEL)

30. Joaquin Niemann (CHI)

31. Matthias Schwab (AUT)

32. Haotong Li (CHN)

33. C.T. Pan (TPE)

34. Sebastian Munoz (COL)

35. Andrea Pavan (ITA)

36. Marcus Kinhult (SWE)

37. Joost Luiten (NED)

38. Rory Sabbatini (SVK)

39. Danny Lee (NZL)

40. Lucas Bjerregaard (DEN)

41. Thomas Detry (BEL)

42. Martin Kaymer (GER)

43. Emiliano Grillo (ARG)

44. Ryan Fox (NZL)

45. Carlos Ortiz (MEX)

46. Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN)

47. Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA)

48. Xinjun Zhang (CHN)

49. Scott Vincent (ZIM)

50. Gavin Green (MAS)

51. Jhonattan Vegas (VEN)

52. Mikko Korhonen (FIN)

53. Rashid Khan (IND)

54. Kristoffer Ventura (NOR)

55. Sebastian Heisele (GER)

56. Kalle Samooja (FIN)

57. Darius Van Driel (NED)

58. Adrian Meronk (POL)

59. Miguel Tabuena (PHI)

60. Udayan Mane (IND)

Mushfiqur Rahim has admitted that he had his eyes on a maiden triple-century, but was cut short by a surprising declaration against Zimbabwe late on the third afternoon in Mirpur.

Rahim remained unbeaten on 203, his third double-century in Tests and second against Zimbabwe, before Bangladesh took two wickets to put the visitors in further trouble. Part of the reason for the declaration is assumed to be the forecast for rain on the fourth and fifth days, although Rahim said that the plan was different during the tea break.

Rahim, who struck 28 fours in his 318-ball innings that spanned more than seven hours, said that he may have needed till the first session on the fourth day to complete his target.

"I wasn't aware that we would be declaring today," he said. "I felt that with two days in hand and by batting more on this wicket, we could have helped deteriorate it further. There wasn't any discussion about declaration during the tea break, and we only heard thirty minutes before that we want to give Zimbabwe six to eight overs to bat later in the session.

"If we were still batting, it would have been easier for me [to get a triple], had Liton got to his hundred. Perhaps in the first session tomorrow, I could have reached [the triple-century]. I didn't ask about the decision, but it could be [due to the weather]. But our bowling attack is capable to bowl them out."

Rahim said that the quality of Zimbabwe's attack on a good pitch meant that it was the "easiest" of his three double-hundreds, considering Bangladesh batsmen have had to deal with tough wickets both home and abroad over the last four years.

"This double-hundred was on the easiest wicket. They didn't have much threat in their bowling attack. There was no reverse swing or any outrageous spin by a mystery bowler. I think this was an easier innings compared to the other two.

"It is difficult to play on a rank turner. I think Bangladesh is the only team where the batsmen face tough conditions in overseas matches, as well as at home when they have to play on rank turners. It gets hard to make big scores.

"This time we got a good wicket, so we wanted to make the most of it. In future it may be a different wicket depending on the opposition, but as a batsman I prefer this type of wicket."

Soon after Bangladesh's thrashing at the hands of Pakistan in Rawalpindi earlier this month, chief selector Minhajul Abedin had said that Rahim must "prove" himself in domestic cricket if he warranted being picked for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe.

Despite an animated celebration on Monday upon reaching his double-hundred, Rahim insisted he had nothing to prove to his critics.

"[This innings] wasn't about any pressure release. I made 74 in my last Test innings. I want to make the most contribution for the team. Since it was a good wicket, we planned that a top six batsman should try for a 150 or 200 once he is set. Mominul batted really well too," he said.

Rahim believes that at this stage of his career, every innings must be highly valued.

"In Bangladesh this is when players are discarded, but definitely in world cricket, this is the time when a player really matures as a bowler and batsman.

"This is the time to return the time a player has invested in his career, and that too consistently. Every innings is vital, and I want to maximise every time I go out to bat. I want to make unbeaten centuries, 150s and 200s, which should help me and the team."

Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan will look to prove their form and fitness when they return to action in the DY Patil T20 tournament, which began in Mumbai on Monday.

The invitations tournament, which is in its 16th edition, is usually utilised by the Indian players to tune up for the IPL. This time, it will also serve as a selection precursor for the three-match ODI series at home against South Africa, which will be played between March 12 and 18.

Pandya, India's premier allrounder, hasn't played competitive cricket since September 2019, having undergone surgery for a long-standing back injury. He was initially slated to return during the A team's tour to New Zealand - and later the senior side's tour of the country - but was eventually pulled out of both tours as he hadn't attained full match fitness.

Bhuvneshwar, who had undergone a hernia operation after being sidelined from the ODI series against West Indies last year, is set for his first taste of competitive cricket in two months. Dhawan, who is coming back from a shoulder injury which he sustained during the ODI series at home against Australia earlier this year, will turn out for the Reliance 1 team along with Pandya and Bhuvneshwar.

Fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti, who has been sidelined with injury for almost two years, will represent the DY Patil B side. Despite being prone to injuries and not having played for KKR over the past couple of seasons, the franchised had opted to retain him for the upcoming season.

Dinesh Karthik, Nagarkoti's captain at Knight Riders, and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who last played a competitive game in March last year, will also feature in the tournament.

The 28-year-old Tamil Nadu mystery spinner was sold for big money in the IPL auction for a second successive year, emerging as the highest-paid uncapped Indian, with Knight Riders shelling out INR 4 crore (USD 563,000 approx.) for his seven variations.

Atharva Ankolekar and Divyaansh Saxena, who were part of India Under-19's run to the World Cup final in South Africa, will also feature in the competition.

However, the availability of both Manish Pandey and K Gowtham are subject to their Ranji Trophy commitments. Karnataka will face Bengal in the semi-finals at Eden Gardens from February 29.

In addition to the big names, the Reliance team will also have former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan in the dugout along with James Pamment , both of whom are now part of the Mumbai Indians' coaching staff. Zaheer is the Mumbai team director while Pamment is the fielding coach.

Reliance 1 team: Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Anmolpreet Singh

BPCL: Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Divyaansh Saxena

DY Patil A team: Dinesh Karthik, Mandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Tewatia, Ruturaj Gaikwad

DY Patil B team: Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Aaron, Manan Vohra

CAG: Jalaj Saxena, Prashant Chopra, Ishwar Pandey, Sachin Baby

Income Tax: Atharva Ankolekar

IOC: Aditya Tare, Abhishek Sharma, Siddhesh Lad, Avesh Khan

Bank of Baroda: K Gowtham, KC Cariappa

RBI: Dhruv Shorey

Australia A 176 (Wildermuth 50*, Carse 3-50, Robinson 3-66) and 5 for 180 (Maddinson 52) trail England Lions 428 by 72 runs

England Lions closed in on a convincing win in their four-day game against Australia A, enforcing the follow-on as their seamers continued to impress at the MCG.

Resuming on 5 for 103, Josh Inglis continued to hold proceedings up alongside Jack Wildermuth before he was bowled by Ollie Robinson, and the wickets then came easily for the Lions, Brydon Carse and allrounder Tom Abell taking two apiece as the lower order offered limited resistance. Wildermuth did complete a 10th first-class fifty, but was left stranded as wickets fell around him.

Keaton Jennings did not hesitate to enforce the follow-on, and his faith in his attack was immediately rewarded as Craig Overton trapped Usman Khawaja lbw in the first over. Nic Maddinson, the Sheffield Shield's form batsman, made a quickfire 52 before falling to the same bowler, and then offspinner Dom Bess struck twice in as many overs to leave the hosts teetering at 4 for 85.

Robinson removed Inglis for the second time in the day before rain brought proceedings to an early close, and despite Kurtis Patterson's resistance, the stage was set for the Lions to wrap up a win on the final day.

"We've had another good day in the field but we know there's still work to be done tomorrow if we're to win the game," said Jennings. "Patterson and Wildermuth are good batsmen and I'm sure they'll do everything they can to frustrate us and take the game as deep as possible.

"Our bowling throughout the day was generally good and even when decent partnerships started to form we held our nerve to take advantage of any breakthrough and put the Australian batsmen under pressure. Winning any game in Australia is difficult, so hopefully we can push on to victory tomorrow."

Ospreys and Ulster's Pro14 trips to play in Italy at the weekend have been postponed as sporting bodies react to the spread of coronavirus.

Fears are growing that the outbreak could become a pandemic as more cases emerge around the world with Italy having reported a fourth death.

Ospreys were due to play Zebre in Parma with Treviso the venue for Ulster's game against Benetton.

Italy v Scotland in the women's Six Nations was called off last weekend.

In football's Serie A, Inter Milan v Sampdoria was among four postponed games and on Thursday, the Inter Milan v Ludogorets Europa League game is expected to be played behind closed doors.

Benetton v Ulster in the Pro14 has also been called off as sporting gatherings in Italy fall victim to the threat caused by the spread of the illness.

The Italian Rugby Federation has also suspended its National Championship and youth games for the weekend of 28 February-1 March.

Italy has the largest number of Coronavirus cases in Europe, more than 165, and announced a series of drastic measures over the weekend to try to contain the outbreak.

In the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto, a lock-down is in place in several small towns. For the next two weeks, 50,000 residents will not be able to leave without special permission.

Parma, where Zebre play, is in the Emilia-Romagna region, immediately to the south of Lombardy and Veneto.

Even outside the zone, many businesses and schools have suspended activities.

What are the symptoms?

The main signs of infection are fever (high temperature) and a cough as well as shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

What should I do?

Frequent handwashing with soap or gel, avoiding close contact with people who are ill and not touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands can help cut the risk of infection.

Catching coughs and sneezes in a tissue, binning it and washing your hands can minimise the risk of spreading disease.

What does 'pandemic' mean?

How much does losing tosses impact visiting teams?

Published in Cricket
Monday, 24 February 2020 04:39

It was quite uncharacteristic of India captain Virat Kohli to bring up the toss unprovoked at the post-match presentation after their 10-wicket loss to New Zealand.

Some might be tempted to look at it as an excuse - as was done by Faf du Plessis when South Africa lost in India - but if you scratch the surface, Kohli - and du Plessis - was only stating facts.

India, New Zealand and Australia are so strong at home that it has become nearly impossible for visiting teams to beat them if they lose the toss. The last time any visiting side won a Test after losing the toss in any of these countries was back in 2012, when a Kevin Pietersen masterclass made the difference against a transitional Indian team.

It has been more than a decade since New Zealand lost a home Test after winning the toss. Even Australia, for instance, who had a severely depleted side in 2018-19, managed to win the Perth Test against India when they won the toss.

The converse of this, unfortunately for visiting sides, does not hold true. When you are visiting these countries, winning the toss is no guarantee that you will go on to win the Test. The likes of India, New Zealand and Australia still manage to win home Tests despite losing the toss.

A few of New Zealand's wins despite losing the toss have come against Sri Lanka and West Indies. If they do lose the toss to India in Christchurch, they will want to replicate what they did against England at Bay Oval earlier in the season to make sure their strong record remains intact.

A word of caution, though: Virat Kohli, the captain, has never lost a Test after winning the toss. He has won 21 of the Tests he has won tosses in, and the record overseas remains just as impressive: eight wins after winning 10 tosses.

Karnataka will be bolstered by the addition of KL Rahul for their Ranji Trophy 2019-20 semi-final against Bengal at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, after he was included in the 15-man squad for the match starting on February 29.

Rahul had asked to be rested from Karnataka's quarter-final match but is now available for the climactic stages of the Ranji Trophy. Karnataka had already been strengthened by the addition of Manish Pandey for the quarter-finals, with both Pandey and Rahul having returned from New Zealand after India completed the limited-overs leg of their tour.

Last year's finalists Saurashtra will take on Gujarat in the other semi-final, at Rajkot. The other prominent players who will be part of the last four include Parthiv Patel (Gujarat), Jaydev Unadkat (Saurashtra) and Manoj Tiwary (Bengal).

Gujarat, Bengal, Karnataka and Saurashtra had finished on top of the combined Groups A and B table, and all four progressed to the semi-finals after dominating their respective quarter-final matches.

Gujarat beat Goa by 464 runs with a day to spare, and Karnataka induced a late collapse to beat Jammu and Kashmir by 167 runs to register outright victories. Saurashtra took a first-innings lead of 283 runs against Andhra, and then set them an out-of-reach target of 710 runs in a little over two sessions. Andhra finished on 149 for 4 in a drawn game.

Bengal also progressed on first-innings lead against Odisha, bowling them out for 250 after they had made 332. Odisha were then set an unrealistic 456 to win but a combination of time running out and bad light meant they batted only 10 overs in their second innings.

Melo's best game in 3 years helps Blazers rally

Published in Basketball
Sunday, 23 February 2020 21:11

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 32 points, including a key basket in crunch time, and CJ McCollum had 41 points, a career-high 12 assists and nine rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 107-104 on Sunday night.

It was the first time Anthony scored over 30 points since Feb. 25, 2017, when he was with the New York Knicks. He made a jumper with Portland protecting a two-point lead with 21 seconds left.

Anthony remained focused on the playoff fight his Blazers are in. With Portland four back in the loss column of eighth-place Memphis, Anthony knew it was up to him and McCollum to make sure the Blazers didn't take a costly loss to the lowly Pistons.

"We don't have a choice," Anthony said. "We've got to go out there and do what we do to win games or put ourselves in position to win a basketball game. At the end of the day, it's going to come down to us, too, and saying, 'This is what we got to do.' This is the last quarter of the season, and we in a dog fight trying to get that spot."

Of the 27 points Portland scored in the fourth quarter, 21 came from Anthony and McCollum, who worked well together down the stretch.

"I'm very comfortable with that," McCollum said. "I like low pick-and-rolls, side pick-and-rolls. Melo is good in isolation, he likes 15-foot jumpers. I know if I can turn the corner, then his man is going to be more hesitant to help. So it's either I'm going to be finishing and he's going to have opportunities to score. I think we played pretty well together and figure out ways to put the defense at a disadvantage."

McCollum scored or assisted on 14 consecutive Portland points in the first quarter and finished with 15 points and five assists in the period. The Blazers led 40-24, with Anthony adding 12 points.

Anthony continued his strong night in the third quarter, scoring 10 points and hitting a pair of 3-pointers, but the Pistons would not relent. The Pistons scored 11 straight points in the final few minutes of the period to take a 10-point lead. McCollum scored seven straight points to close the quarter, with Portland down only 85-80.

A basket by McCollum put Portland ahead 99-97 with 2:49 left. After Derrick Rose's layup, another runner from McCollum put Portland up 101-99 with 2:01 remaining. McCollum hit a pair of free throws before a dunk by Wood cut Portland's lead to 103-101. An empty possession gave Detroit the ball with 45 seconds left, but Rose's drive was blocked by Hassan Whiteside. A midrange jumper by Anthony after the block put Portland up 105-101.

Despite the Blazers' disappointing 128-115 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, Portland coach Terry Stotts liked what he saw from his squad, particularly in the second half.

"We did improve our transition defense and our defensive rebounding," Stotts said.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- It was hours before Game 4 of the 2018 World Series. Los Angeles Dodgers star Manny Machado was in the weight room at Dodgers Stadium, prepping for one of the biggest moments of his life. But in an instant, all that was put on hold. Kobe Bryant, Machado's idol, was in the nearby locker room, waiting to meet L.A.'s third baseman -- while wearing a Machado Dodgers jersey.

You wouldn't think a major league star would get nervous meeting another pro athlete. After all, Machado has been in the spotlight since he was a teenager, when he was drafted third overall by the Baltimore Orioles.

But this was different, an opportunity to meet face-to-face with his idol. For as long as he could remember, Machado had loved everything about Lakers great Kobe Bryant, and in his telling of the story, the baseball star sounded as nervous as a 10-year-old boy.

"I'm working out," recalled Machado, now with the San Diego Padres. "I'm in the weight room getting ready for Game 4. And they come up to me and say, 'Hey, Kobe's here. He's in the locker room.' I'm like, should I stop what I'm doing? Or should I go say something to my favorite athlete of all time? I didn't know what to do."

Honoring the spirit of Bryant is the reason Machado felt the need to open up about his fondness for No. 8, the uniform number he chose when he was traded to Los Angeles in July 2018. If there was a silver lining to being dealt across the country, it was going to the city where Bryant was a star.

"I wanted No. 3 or 13, you know, kind of stay with my number," Machado said. "I saw [Max] Muncy had [13], and CT [Chris Taylor] had [3], so I gravitated to 8 because that was [Bryant's] original number. I have to wear 8. It was just meant to be. I was proud to wear that number."

Bryant was wearing that number when he arrived at Dodgers Stadium for Game 4 in 2018. But it wasn't his own name on the back of the jersey.

"He was like, 'No, no, no, I want a Machado jersey,'" the Padres third baseman said. "When they told me that, I was like, 'What!? Are you serious?' There's no words to explain that. Kobe wants to wear my jersey. I was going insane."

As Machado was hurriedly finishing his workout in the weight room, Bryant was donning his jersey and waiting for him in the locker room. But before Machado could complete his last set, Bryant found him.

"As soon as I'm about to finish, Kobe walks in, and I look over, and I'm like, 'Oh, man, there's Kobe,'" Machado said with a big smile. "Like, what am I doing?

"He goes, 'OK, OK, I see you,'" Machado raised his voice and became more animated while imitating Bryant. "'I see what you're doing. I see you working hard.'

"So I kind of, like, finish my set. And I finally get up. And I introduce myself. I say I'm a huge fan. We talked for a couple minutes, and honestly, it was awesome."

Machado's dream of meeting his idol had come to fruition. All those years of hard work and inspiration stood in front of him for the first -- and last -- time.

"Honestly, I just wanted a picture," Machado said. "He puts his hand over my shoulder and right before the picture, he's like, 'Hold up, hold up.' He turns around. He takes off his Kobe blazer [to reveal his Machado jersey]. He's like, 'Now let's take the picture.' I mean, there's just no words to describe that feeling."

It's a moment Machado will never forget.

Although he grew up in Miami, thousands of miles from where Bryant played professional basketball with the Lakers, Machado gravitated to Kobe in the way so many athletes have expressed since his death. Bryant transcended sports -- and, apparently, time zones.

"Honestly, it was either the Heat on TV at the time or the Lakers, at 10 o'clock at night," Machado said. "So once I got done with my homework and got done with my baseball practice, I would get home, watch the Lakers play, and every time you saw Kobe step on the court, you kind of just knew that presence that he had. That's something that, as a kid, as an athlete, you admire, you look up to. 'How does he make it look so easy? I want to be like Kobe.'"

Machado is just one athlete on one team, but through his eyes, as well as those of his Padres teammates, you can begin to understand what Kobe Bryant meant to others striving for greatness. Every night, the stands were full of admiring and rabid Kobe fans, but the inspiration he gave to aspiring athletes was just as powerful. The sports world and the public at large will honor Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Monday with a memorial service at Staples Center.

"My whole family is Lakers fans," Padres prospect Reggie Lawson said. "He's a living legend. I just got on the wagon, and when I started playing baseball, I just loved how he went about his business with that Mamba Mentality."

Lawson had been planning to get a tattoo of Bryant on his leg already, but in the days after the helicopter crash that cost Bryant and eight others their lives, he did it.

"When I came out for spring training, I got it," Lawson said. "I was going to get it regardless, but now it was even more important."

Machado, who has a dog named (not surprisingly) Kobe, and Lawson aren't the only members of the Padres who want to keep Bryant's spirit alive. Pitcher Chris Paddack is petitioning the league to allow him to wear cleats in the Lakers' colors that feature pictures of Kobe and Gianna.

The cleats, from Stadium Custom Kicks, are among the first of their kind, according to Paddack. When the picture of Kobe and his daughter on one side is scanned by a device, they appear in 3-D, and a song plays. Scanning the image of Kobe on the other side of the cleat triggers a recording of a pregame introduction of Bryant.

Paddack became a Kobe fan after reading the book "Relentless," written by trainer Tim Grover, who worked with Bryant and Michael Jordan, among others.

"I'm not a big reader, but I read that book cover to cover," Paddack said. "I just loved the way he went about his business. The legacy he's leaving, words can't describe.

"I thought it would be cool if baseball would let us honor him by wearing the cleats."

The broad appeal of Bryant isn't lost on Machado or his teammates.

"It's so interesting because the West Coast thing, usually you gravitate to where you are, but I think he became a worldwide sort of name, like Michael Jordan," Machado said.

"As an athlete, you appreciate what he's done. I appreciate it even more now. I'm in the position he was in. I'm one of the older kids on this team. I have to lead by example. I have to lead this team to a postseason, to a championship. He did that.

"I'm learning from him. How he worked, how he pushed other players to be the greatest. You can't take that for granted. If you don't put that blood, sweat and tears into your craft, you can never accomplish anything. That's what he did as a player, as a family man, as a husband, as a dad. He just did it all."

Pole vault star attempts another world record at Perche Elite Tour, while Sasha Zhoya breaks world indoor U20 60m hurdles mark and Seville Marathon sees great depth

On one of the busiest weekends of the winter, action in the UK included national cross country competition and the British Indoor Championships (links to coverage below) plus age-group contests in Sheffield.

Here we list some of the many other highlights from around the world over the past few days.

Calum Johnson and Anna Emilie Møller win English National titles | READ MORE

Mhairi Maclennan retains her Scottish cross-country crown, while James Hunt is among the Welsh winners and Emma Mitchell gains a NI victory | READ MORE

Amy Hunt sprints into senior spotlight with UK 60m win | READ MORE

Dan Bramble goes fourth with another British indoor title | READ MORE

Sophie Cook claims emotional British pole vault win | READ MORE

Happy ending brings Guy Learmonth a third British indoor title | READ MORE

Jessie Knight makes the grade to win British 400m title | READ MORE

Lewis Byng among record-breakers in Sheffield | READ MORE

World indoor triple jump record from Yulimar Rojas | READ MORE

Ababel Yeshaneh smashes world half-marathon record in Ras Al Khaimah | READ MORE

Perche Elite Tour, Clermont-Ferrand, France, February 23

World pole vault record-holder Mondo Duplantis, who had soared over 6.18m in Glasgow the weekend before, cleared 6.01m to claim victory before three attempts at another world record height of 6.19m in France.

Former world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie and two-time world champion Sam Kendricks were second and third respectively, as Duplantis and Kendricks passed at 5.94m, while Lavillenie soared over it. Duplantis was confirmed victorious when neither Lavillenie or Kendricks could make 6.01m.

Britain’s Harry Coppell matched his PB from this winter with 5.80m to finish fifth.

World indoor champion Sandi Morris won the women’s competition with 4.80m.

British record-holder Holly Bradshaw cleared 4.66m to finish fourth.

French U20 Championships, Miramas, February 22-23

Sasha Zhoya broke the world under-20 60m hurdles record with 7.34.

National senior championships, various, February 22-23

On a busy weekend for national action, Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the Ukrainian high jump title with 2.01m.

World long jump champion Malaika Mihambo won her event at the German championships with a leap of 6.77m and also clocked a PB of 7.22 to place second in the 60m.

Three-time world indoor champion Pavel Maslak won the Czech 400m in 46.12.

Zurich Maratón de Sevilla, Spain, February 23

Britain’s Jonny Mellor ran a big marathon PB of 2:10:05 in Seville as Kevin Seaward clocked a Northern Ireland record 2:10:09 close behind.

The men’s winner was Mekuant Gebre of Ethiopia with 2:04:46 as the top 14 ran sub-2:08.

Marathon debutante Juliet Chekwel of Uganda won the women’s race in 2:23:13 as seven women went sub-2:28.

Both winners broke the course records.

Sir Graeme Douglas International, Auckland, New Zealand, February 23

World bronze medallist Tom Walsh won the shot put with a dominant 21.66m throw to win by almost two metres.

Canada’s Sarah Mitton threw a PB to win the women’s competition with 18.84m ahead of four-time world champion Valerie Adams, who threw 18.73m.

Sydney Track Classic, Australia, February 22

At the World Athletics Continental Tour event, Peter Bol won the 800m in 1:45.85 from Joseph Deng with 1:45.89.

Eleanor Patterson and Nicola McDermott both cleared 1.94m in the high jump, while Matt Denny won the discus with 64.23m.

Bloemfontein, South Africa, February 22

World 400m record-holder Wayde van Niekerk continued his comeback with a 20.31 200m and 10.10 100m.

Soccer

KC's Chawinga ties Kerr's NWSL scoring record

KC's Chawinga ties Kerr's NWSL scoring record

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsKansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga tied the record for goal...

Messi-led Miami 1 win from MLS points record

Messi-led Miami 1 win from MLS points record

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsInter Miami stands just one victory away from breaking the record f...

Madrid's Carvajal confirms cruciate ligament injury

Madrid's Carvajal confirms cruciate ligament injury

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsReal Madrid defender Dani Carvajal confirmed he suffered a "serious...

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UEFA

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Basketball

Kawhi says knee is 'good,' taking things slowly

Kawhi says knee is 'good,' taking things slowly

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsHONOLULU -- Kawhi Leonard said the inflammation in his right knee i...

Blazers guard Sharpe (shoulder) out 4-6 weeks

Blazers guard Sharpe (shoulder) out 4-6 weeks

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPortland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe suffered a small poster...

Baseball

Chisholm call propels Yanks, befuddling Royals

Chisholm call propels Yanks, befuddling Royals

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- Jazz Chisholm Jr. stood at first base in the seventh in...

Ohtani's HR part of Dodgers' rally in G1 of NLDS

Ohtani's HR part of Dodgers' rally in G1 of NLDS

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer in his postseaso...

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