Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Soccer-Liverpool close gap on Man City, Chelsea thrash Burnley
Liverpool rode their luck in a 1-0 victory over West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday to turn up the heat on leaders Manchester City, who face a derby showdown on Sunday. Sadio Mane’s 12th league goal of the season, tucked away midway through the first half, proved just about enough to secure the win as Liverpool narrowed City’s lead at the top to three points with both teams having 11 games left to play.
NBA roundup: LeBron James scores season-high 56 in Lakers’ win
LeBron James capped a season-best, 56-point performance with a dunk during a late 8-0 run as the Los Angeles Lakers survived a frantic finish to outlast the visiting Golden State Warriors 124-116 on Saturday night. The points were the most James has scored as a member of the Lakers, while his 50-point game was the 13th of his career. His previous high since joining Los Angeles had been 51 points at Miami in 2018.
Athletics-Double Olympic champion Kipchoge wins Tokyo Marathon
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, the two-times Olympic marathon champion and world record holder, won the Tokyo Marathon in Japan with a time of two hours two minutes and 40 seconds on Sunday. Kipchoge, who defended his marathon title at Sapporo at the Tokyo Games last year, fell short of his world record mark by just over a minute in his debut Tokyo Marathon.
Tennis-Ukraine’s Yastremska says ‘spirit strong’ after reaching Lyon final
Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska, who was forced to flee her home after Russia’s invasion last week, said her spirit was strong after reaching the final of the Lyon Open.
The world number 128 beat Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 7-6(5) 4-6 6-4 over the course of two hours 31 minutes in a hard-fought victory at the WTA 250 event on Saturday.
Golf-Late charge takes top-ranked Ko to Women’s World Championship title
World number one Ko Jin-young hit five birdies in the last six holes to beat Lee Jeong-eun and overnight leader Chun In-gee at the final hole and win the HSBC Women’s World Championship title at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on Sunday. A birdie at the 18th gave Ko the title for the first time by two shots as former U.S. Open winner Lee, joint leader going down the last, imploded around the final green.
Cricket-Warne’s family ‘shattered’ by his death – manager
Shane Warne’s family has been “shattered” by the sudden death of the Australian cricket great, and his children are in “complete shock,” his long-time manager, James Erskine, said on Sunday, as the player’s body was taken for an autopsy. One of the finest bowlers of all time whose talent and personality transcended cricket, Warne died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52 on Friday, a day after arriving on Thailand’s island of Koh Samui for a vacation.
Soccer-Chelsea fans chant Abramovich’s name during Ukraine solidarity gesture
Chelsea fans chanted the name of their Russian owner Roman Abramovich during a minute’s applause in solidarity with Ukraine before their Premier League game at Burnley on Saturday.
There have been gestures of support for Ukraine before kick-off at Premier League games, and Burnley’s Turf Moor ground featured the slogan “Football Stands Together” and the Ukrainian flag on a large screen.
Soccer-Real Madrid recover to thrash Real Sociedad 4-1
Real Madrid fought back to earn a 4-1 home win against Real Sociedad that extended their lead at the top of LaLiga to eight points ahead of second-placed Sevilla on Saturday. Real dominated the game but they fell behind after 10 minutes to a penalty converted by Mikel Oyarzabal after Dani Carvajal tripped David Silva.
‘I hope I live to reach 100’: World’s oldest tennis player staying put in Ukraine war zone
Four months after 97-year-old amateur Leonid Stanislavskyi’s dreams came true when he played with 21-times Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal, the Ukrainian is enduring his worst nightmare in Kharkiv as Russian forces bomb the city. Stanislavskyi, who holds the Guinness World Record as the world’s oldest tennis player, also had dreams of playing Swiss great Roger Federer but now he has only one simple wish — survival.
U.S. WNBA All-Star Griner detained in Russia, customs service cites hash possession
U.S. basketball officials said on Saturday they were closely monitoring the situation surrounding seven-time WNBA All-Star player Brittney Griner after Russia said it had detained a U.S. player last month for possession of vape cartridges containing hash oil. Without identifying Griner, a center for the female league’s Phoenix Mercury, the Russian Customs Service said a player was detained in February after arriving at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on a flight from New York.
(With inputs from agencies.)