Latest - New Zealand cross-country mountain bike champion Anton Cooper finished in sixth place in the opening round of the UCI World Cup racing in Germany.
Anton Cooper Photo: ROSS BELL
The 26-year-old was pipped for the last place on the podium in a sprint finish with rising British star Tom Pidcock who climbed through the 155-strong field.
Cooper, the Trek Factory Racing professional, fell behind the lead pack on the opening two laps before pushing up to join the front group.
He was in fifth place with the front group until the leaders piled on the pressure over the final two laps, ultimately finishing only seven seconds behind third place after Frenchman Victor Koretzky out-sprinted Olympic champion Nino Schurter for the win.
North Canterbury rider Ben Oliver, who started on the 10th row, pushed through to 37th place, while Commonwealth Games champion Sam Gaze finished 67th after starting a distant 117th in the packed field.
Abercrombie joins NZ Breakers injury list
The New Zealand Breakers have lost captain Tom Abercrombie to injury following their 98-84 defeat to the Perth Wildcats in the Australian NBL.
Tom Abercrombie Photo: Photosport Ltd 2021
Abercrombie limped from the court in Perth with a suspected hamstring injury in the final minutes adding to the team's injury woes.
The Wildcats' Bryce Cotton was dominant from the first whistle with 32 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. John Mooney stuffed the stat sheet as well with 27 points, nine rebounds and four assists while Todd Blanchfield had 18 points.
Finn Delany (21 points, three assists) and Tai Webster (20 points, seven rebounds) paced the Breakers but having both of them foul out when the game was on the line in the final quarter ended any chance they had of another upset.
The Wildcats remain on target to finish the regular season on the top of the table, while the Breakers remain near the bottom.
The Breakers next game is against South East Melbourne Phoenix on Wednesday.
Ko outside top 10 in Thailand
New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko has finished in 11th place at the latest LPGA tour event in Thailand.
Lydia Ko Photo: Icon Sportswire
Ko carded a final round one under par 71 to finish five shots behind winner Ariya Jutanugarn.
Jutanugarn fired a 9-under 63, then waited out a thunderstorm to claim the title by one stroke.
She became the first Thai woman to win the tournament on home soil. It was her 11th time playing in the tournament in Chonburi, dating back to 2007 when she became the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA event at age 11.
- Field Level Media
Huskies continue unbeaten run in NBL
The Auckland Huskies ended round 2 of the New Zealand National Basketball League season with a 90-87 overtime win against the Nelson Giants.
American import Jeremy Kendle finished his three-game Huskies stint with a match-winning block just moments after nailing a clutch triple to put the home team ahead.
Kendle, who could only commit to three games, will now head to Queensland to join his wife and family back at home.
The Huskies jumped out of the gates quickly, going on a 14-0 run to start the game before the Giants finally settled and rattled off a 12-2 run of their own, to claw themselves back to 15-18 at the first break.
The Giants lead 50-38 at half time but the Huskies out-scored the visitors in the third quarter to trail by three heading into the final term
The Giants had snuck back into a lead midway through the fourth, but a few uncharactaristic errors prevented them from sealing the game.
The extra period was tense, with points hard to come by, and a few coach killing errors.
Chris Johnson top-scored for thee Huskies with 30 points and Hunter Hale with 32 was the best for the Giants.
Tim Merlier sprints to victory in Giro d'Italia
Belgian Tim Merlier won the second stage of the Giro d'Italia, a 179-km ride from Stupinigi to Novara, with an impressive sprint to give his Alpecin Fenix team a victory on their first appearance in the race.
Merlier took the early lead in the final straight and he never looked in danger as he beat Italians Giacomo Nizzolo and Elia Viviani.
Dutchman Dylan Gronewegen, who is making his comeback to racing after a nine-month suspension for causing Fabio Jakobsen's horror crash at the Tour of Poland last August, was fourth.
Patrick Bevin was the best placed of the New Zealand riders, finishing in 39th with his Israel Start-Up Nation team.
Italian Filippo Ganna retained the overall leader's pink jersey.
Organisers paid tribute to Belgian Wout Weyland, who died on the race 10 years ago, with a painted 108 bib number - the one he was wearing when he crashed in the descent of the Passo del Bocco on May 8, 2011.
The third stage is a 190-km undulating ride from Biella to Canale.
- Reuters
Hamilton equals another Formula One record in Spain
Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton hunted down "sitting duck" Max Verstappen to win the Spanish Grand Prix for a record-equalling fifth year in a row and go 14 points clear at the top of the standings.
Lewis Hamilton Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Briton's 98th victory, from his 100th pole, was his third in four races and he and Mercedes delivered a strategic masterclass after Red Bull's Verstappen, who finished second, seized the lead at the first corner.
The breakthrough came when Hamilton made a second pitstop with 23 laps to go, returning on fresh tyres but some 22 seconds behind his Dutch rival.
Hamilton rapidly closed the gap, defying computer predictions that he would take until the last lap, to sweep past his helpless rival with six to spare in a re-run of his epic chase of Verstappen at the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who pitted for fresh tyres after he had lost the lead to secure a bonus point for fastest lap, said he could see it coming.
Hamilton's Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas finished third in a repeat of the podium from the last round at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Mercedes continued a remarkable winning run at the Spanish circuit, triumphant in every race there since 2013.
- Reuters
United win keeps City waiting in EPL
Manchester United recovered to beat Aston Villa 3-1 away in the Premier League as Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani scored in the second half to put on hold the title celebrations of leaders Manchester City.
Manchester United's Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes Photo: AFP
The result left United second on 70 points from 34 games, 10 behind City who have played a game more and missed a chance to secure the title after they suffered a 2-1 home defeat by Chelsea.
It also stretched United's unbeaten away league run to 25 games but came at a cost as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed captain Harry Maguire may be ruled out of the Europa League final against Spanish side Villarreal on May 26.
West Ham United blew their chance to apply real pressure in the race for a Premier League top-four finish as they slumped to a 1-0 home defeat by an Everton side who maintained their European qualification hopes.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin's 24th-minute goal proved decisive against a West Ham side who huffed and puffed but never really hit their stride on a crucial afternoon.
Morgan Gibbs-White's late strike earned Wolverhampton Wanderers a 2-1 comeback victory against 10-man Brighton & Hove Albion in a drama-filled Premier League encounter at Molineux.
Lewis Dunk fired the visitors ahead in the 13th minute, but the Brighton captain was dismissed early in the second half for a last-man challenge on Fabio Silva, turning the game on its head.
The hosts took full advantage of the extra man and drew level in the 76th when substitute Adama Traore fired home from close range after a neat one-two with Silva.
Gibbs-White, who had spurned a gilt-edged opportunity just minutes earlier, sealed the victory in the 90th when he smashed an effort from the edge of the penalty area perfectly into the top corner for his first Premier League goal.
- Reuters
