Update on the latest sports
APOLYMPICS
With Simone Biles out, ROC wins women’s team gymnastics
TOKYO (AP) — Simone Biles says she will regroup Wednesday before deciding whether to defend her Olympic title in the all-around gymnastics final on Thursday.
Biles withdrew from Tuesday’s team final, after deciding following a shaky vault that she wasn’t in the right headspace to compete. Biles said later that she didn’t want to go into any of the events second-guessing herself.
With Biles looking on, her teammates took the silver medal, as the Russian Olympic Committee gymnasts won the gold.
The gold came a day after the ROC men’s team edged Japan for the top spot in the men’s final.
In other Olympic action Tuesday:
— Seventeen-year-old swimmer Lydia Jacoby of Alaska pulled off a stunning victory in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke, upsetting American teammate and defending champion Lilly King.
— U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel opened his individual Olympic program as the second-fastest qualifier in the 100-meter freestyle. Dressel already owns one gold medal in Tokyo, having led off the victorious 4×100 free relay on Monday. He is a candidate to swim the 4×200 free relay final on Wednesday.
— The host country’s superstar is out of the Tokyo Olympics. Naomi Osaka lost to former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-4 in the third round of the Olympic tennis tournament. The second-ranked Osaka, who was born in Japan and grew up in the United States, struggled with her usually reliable groundstrokes.
— Japan won its second straight Olympic softball gold medal, beating the United States 2-0 in an emotional repeat of their 2008 victory in Beijing that again left the Americans in tears. Yukiko Ueno took a one-hitter into the sixth inning five days after her 39th birthday, and Japan snuffed out an American rally attempt with an acrobatic double play in the sixth inning.
— The U.S. women’s basketball team opened play with an 81-72 win over Nigeria that extended the Americans’ win streak at the Olympics to 50 games. A’ja Wilson scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in her debut.
— The United States made it through to the quarterfinals of the women’s Olympic soccer competition after a 0-0 draw with Australia. The Americans are looking to win a fifth Olympic gold medal in Tokyo.
— The expected Olympic showdown between the top two women’s volleyball teams in the world turned out to be a one-sided affair. The U.S. women swept defending gold medalist China in a pool-play match that left the Americans at the top of Pool B.
— A series of underdogs stole the show at the beginning of surfing’s historic Olympic debut but two of the sport’s most seasoned superstars took home the gold medals. Carissa Moore of the United States and Italo Ferreira of Brazil became the first Olympic surfing champions more than a century after the sport first tried to get on the program.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT
Big 12′s Texas, Oklahoma make request to join powerhouse SEC
UNDATED (AP) — Texas and Oklahoma have made a request to join the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey says his league will consider the request in the “near future.”
A day after the Big 12 schools notified the league that they would not be extending an agreement that binds conference members to 2025, the schools publicly stated for the first time they want to join the SEC.
The SEC would grow to 16 teams with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma, half of which have won at least one national championship in football since 1980.
MLB-NEWS
Nationals’ Strasburg to have season-ending neck surgery
UNDATED (AP) —Stephen Strasburg will have season-ending neck surgery, ending another frustrating year for the Washington Nationals’ 2019 World Series hero. Manager Dave Martinez says Strasburg has been diagnosed with neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome and will have surgery in Dallas on Wednesday. The right-hander is 1-2 with a 4.57 ERA in five starts this season and has made just seven starts since he was named MVP of the World Series two years ago.
Elsewhere in MLB:
—Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich has tested positive for the coronavirus and is showing mild symptoms. Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns says Yelich and utilityman Jace Peterson have been placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Yelich has been vaccinated against the virus. Stearns said Peterson went on the list due to contact tracing and hadn’t tested positive. Stearns said Yelich will miss at least 10 days from the date of his positive test and that Peterson will miss at least even days.
— Trevor Bauer’s administrative leave has been extended by 10 days through Aug. 6 by Major League Baseball and the players’ association while the sport’s investigators check into allegations of sexual misconduct against the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher. Bauer was placed on seven days’ paid leave on July 2 under the joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy adopted by MLB and the players’ union in 2015. MLB and the union have agreed to three extensions.
NHL-NEWS
Capitals re-sign Alex Ovechkin to $47.5M, 5-year contract
UNDATED (AP) — Alex Ovechkin has re-signed with the Washington Capitals for $47.5 million over five years. Ovechkin will count $9.5 million against the salary cap through the 2025-26 season.
The Russian superstar captain and 2018 playoff MVP during Washington’s Stanley Cup run held off signing a new contract until after the Seattle expansion draft. There was never any real chance Ovechkin would play for another NHL team. Ovechkin turns 36 in September. He’s fifth on the career goals list with 730 and sits 164 back of Wayne Gretzky for the record.
In other NHL activity:
— The Vegas Golden Knights have traded reigning Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks. The return of a minor leaguer Mikael Hakkarainen indicates it was a salary dump. Fleury counts $7 million against the salary cap next season.
— Among other goalie moves around the NHL, Vancouver’s Braden Holtby and San Jose’s Martin Jones will become free agents after going on buyout waivers.
NFL-NEWS
Rodgers arrives in Green Bay for start of training camp
UNDATED — Aaron Rodgers has made it to Green Bay on the eve of the Packers’ first training-camp workout.
Rodgers was seen arriving at Lambeau Field on Tuesday morning, the day after NFL Network and ESPN had reported the reigning MVP was closing in on a deal that would keep him with the Packers this season. The Packers open training camp Wednesday. Rodgers hadn’t participated in organized team activities this spring – a change from his usual offseason routine – and skipped the Packers’ mandatory minicamp.
In other NFL news:
—Denver Broncos team president and CEO Joe Ellis says the team will be in new hands by this time next year. Ellis says the trust that runs the team will either select Pat Bowlen’s 31-year-old daughter Brittany Bowlen or sell the franchise altogether. Either way, Ellis says it’s time to move on and get the ownership question settled. A judge earlier this month dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the trustees’ power to run the franchise and decide its future. Ellis says he hopes the Broncos can snap a five-year playoff drought in 2021.
—Ron Rivera opened Washington’s training camp expressing frustration about a lack of vaccinations among players. Rivera says he believes Washington is now over 50% of players fully vaccinated. Only five NFL teams are at less than 70% of players who have either received one vaccination shot or both. The low vaccination rate has caused Rivera to wear a mask around unvaccinated players because he says he is immune deficient. Rivera was treated for a form of skin cancer last year. Offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas was placed on the NFL’s COVID-19 reserve list Tuesday.
—Sam Darnold isn’t saying whether or not he’s been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Instead, Carolina’s new starting quarterback said his focus is on making “smart decisions” as he tries to resurrect his NFL career. The 24-year-old Darnold raised some eyebrows in June when he said on a Zoom call he hadn’t been vaccinated.
—The Baltimore Ravens have signed defensive end Chris Smith. Smith played eight games last season for the Las Vegas Raiders. In seven NFL seasons, he’s played in 68 games, starting two. Smith spent his first three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and then was with the Cincinnati Bengals for three.
— All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard has joined the rest of the Miami Dolphins reporting for training camp after he sat out mandatory minicamp because he’s unhappy about his contract. Howard wants to renegotiate the $75.25 million, five-year extension he signed two years ago and there had been speculation he might hold out. Last year Howard had 10 interceptions, the most in the NFL since 2007.
—First-round pick Rashawn Slater signed his contract with the Los Angeles Chargers as players reported for training camp. The 13th overall pick in the draft in April is expected to be the Chargers’ left tackle when the season begins on Sept. 12 at Washington. Tight end Tre’ McKitty, a third-rounder, also signed.
SOCCER-MAHOMES-SPORTING KC
Chiefs QB Mahomes becomes part of Sporting KC club ownership
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes has become part of MLS club Sporting Kansas City’s ownership group. The Chiefs quarterback and 2018 NFL MVP had his stake in the soccer team announced Tuesday.
Mahomes also is a part owner of baseball’s Kansas City Royals and his fiancée, Brittany Matthews, is a co-owner of the women’s soccer club Kansas City NWSL.
FOOTBALL PLAYER DEATH-GEORGIA
Georgia 15-year-old collapses, dies after football practice
MACON, Ga. (AP) — A 15-year-old high school football player died after collapsing at the first day of practice in middle Georgia.
Bibb County school district officials say Joshua Ivory of Macon’s Southwest High School went into distress Monday, leading coaches to call an ambulance. He later died at a hospital. No cause of death has been announced and an autopsy is planned.
Monday was the first day of practice for football teams statewide. Players aren’t allowed to practice in pads until Aug. 2 to help them get used to heat and physical exertion. Macon reached a high of 97 degrees late Monday afternoon.
