Month: April 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed support for figure skater Kamila Valieva. He says she did not compete “dishonestly” after her doping case dominated this year’s Winter Olympics. Valieva was on the gold-medal winning Russian squad for the figure skating team event at the Beijing Olympics but no medal ceremony has been held because she

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer A number of NFL draft prospects made the most of an extra season in college. Players such as Alabama tailback Brian Robinson Jr., Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson took advantage with huge seasons. They’re hoping it pays off in the draft. Pickett and

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer The British Open had a modest return of fans last year because of the pandemic. Now it’s full capacity and the R&A expects a record turnout for St. Andrews this summer. Organizers anticipate 290,000 spectators at the Old Course. That would smash the record of 239,000 at St. Andrews

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer There is dramatic change going on in men’s college basketball. Villanova’s Jay Wright has joined North Carolina’s Roy Williams and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski in retirement in the past 13 months. Athletes can now strike endorsement deals for money and players are making frequent use of the transfer portal. The

MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal says he will play the Madrid Open after recovering from a rib injury that sidelined him for a month. Nadal had been recovering from a stress fracture he sustained while playing at Indian Wells in March. Nadal missed tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona because of the injury. The

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Capitals are listing Alex Ovechkin as day to day with an upper-body injury. But there’s legitimate concern about the longtime captain’s health moving forward. Ovechkin slammed into the boards left shoulder first in the Capitals game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer Penn State is working to finalize a deal with Boston College athletic director Patrick Kraft to replace the retiring Sandy Barbour and become the school’s next AD. A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that the school and Kraft were close. Kraft has

PARIS (AP) — The doping suspension of French middle-distance runner Ophélie Claude-Boxberger has been extended to four years by France’s highest administrative court. The athlete tested positive for the banned blood-booster EPO before the 2019 track and field world championships. Claude-Boxberger has consistently denied wrongdoing. The case had been referred to the Conseil d’Etat after

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer All England Club officials are defending the decision to bar players from Russia and Belarus from Wimbledon this year because of the invasion of Ukraine. Club Chief Executive Sally Bolton says there is a responsibility to limit the possibility of Russians’ success at Wimbledon being used as a propaganda

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Actor Reese Witherspoon and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry have joined the ownership group of Major League Soccer’s Nashville team ahead of the opening Sunday of Geodis Park, its 30,000-seat stadium. Witherspoon’s husband, agent and investor Jim Toth, also has joined the ownership group, the team said Tuesday. The soccer

COPPERHILL, Tenn. (AP) — A fire early Tuesday destroyed Tennessee’s Ocoee Whitewater Center, which served as the host site for paddling events during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. Polk County Emergency Management Agency Director Steve Lofty told the Chattanooga Times Free Press the blaze had engulfed about 90% of the structure by the time a

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Juventus and Bayern Munich learned the hard way that Villarreal is no pushover even in Europe’s elite competition. Now the club from a small town of 50,000 inhabitants in eastern Spain must get past one more giant standing in the way of a dream appearance in

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — With Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the Brooklyn Nets had expectations of being the last team standing. Instead, they were the first team sent packing. Irving wasn’t around to start the season. Harden was long gone before the end of it. And after

By The Associated Press The PGA Tour returns to Mexico in the spring for the first time since 2020. Two years ago it was a World Golf Championship in Mexico City. Now it’s a regular PGA Tour event and resumes the history of the Mexico Open. Jon Rahm highlights an otherwise weak field that includes

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer Roger Federer intends to return to tournament tennis after what will have been more than a year away from the tour by playing at the Swiss Indoors in October. The event in Basel announced in a statement posted on its website that the 20-time Grand Slam champion officially entered

LONDON (AP) — U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has parted ways with coach Torben Beltz six months after hiring him. The 19-year-old British player said Tuesday she’s seeking “a new training model” despite rising to a career-high ranking of No. 11 this week after reaching the quarterfinals at the Stuttgart Open. Raducanu had split with

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer The All England Club says Novak Djokovic will be allowed to defend his title at Wimbledon despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19 because the shots are not required to enter Britain. Djokovic is a 34-year-old from Serbia who is ranked No. 1. He missed the Australian Open in January

By JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer Reagan Carey is the Premier Hockey Federation’s next commissioner. Carey takes over the PHF at a time when the league enters a critical offseason of expansion while facing the looming threat of competing for talent. The Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association continues to pursue plans to launch a league

MADRID (AP) — Davis Cup Finals organizers say that Serbia and Spain have been drawn the same group. That could mean a matchup of Novak Djokovic against Rafael Nadal when their nations play as part of Group B along with Canada and South Korea in Valencia from Sept. 14-18. Group A to be played in