Sports

Superstar fan: Swift cheers on beau Kelce at Super Bowl

By Rob Woollard With her Kansas City Chiefs jacket slung over her shoulder and her gold necklace bearing Travis Kelce’s number, 87, music megastar Taylor Swift brought a bevy of celebrity friends to cheer her beau on at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on Sunday. The 34-year-old pop icon was the brightest in a galaxy of stars attending the game after making a trans-Pacific dash back to the United States on Saturday, after performing […]

Wiggins leads NBA Warriors over injury-hit 76ers, Celtics win

LOS ANGELES, Feb 8, 2024 (AFP) – Golden State won back-to-back NBA road games for the first time since early November as Andrew Wiggins delivered 21 points and 10 rebounds on Wednesday in a 127-104 victory at Philadelphia. While two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry managed only nine points, the Warriors led by as many as 30 points, their most in any game this season in routing the injury-hit 76ers. “It’s a team effort,” […]

Kelce relishing Swift spotlight ahead of Super Bowl

Travis Kelce says he is relishing the attention after being catapulted into the global spotlight via his romance with Taylor Swift. The 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end has found himself in the eye of a pop culture hurricane this season due to his relationship with the Grammy-winning music superstar. It has swept the two-time Super Bowl champion’s profile into a whole new dimension, meaning Kelce is just as likely to lead entertainment news headlines […]

Ivory Coast run to AFCON final ‘like a dream’ for coach Fae

By Andy SCOTT Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae described his team’s achievement in winning through to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations as being “like a dream” after the tournament hosts beat the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 in Wednesday’s last-four encounter. Sebastien Haller scored the only goal of the game in the 65th minute at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium to take Ivory Coast through to Sunday’s final against Nigeria. It is a […]

Davis triple double sparks Lakers to third NBA win in a row

Anthony Davis delivered his third career triple double on Monday to support big nights from LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell as the Los Angeles Lakers won 124-118 at Charlotte. Russell scored 28 points, James added 26 and Davis dominated with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists as the Lakers finished an NBA road trip 4-2 with the other wins at Boston, New York and Golden State. “We’ve been doing a good job at playing […]

Beal scores 43 on former NBA club to lead Suns over Wizards

Phoenix guard Bradley Beal unleashed a season-high 43-point barrage Sunday against his former NBA club, hitting 16 of 21 shots in a 140-112 triumph at Washington. The 30-year-old American sank four of five shots from 3-point range and all seven of his free throws while contributing six assists, two steals and two blocked shots. “Spectacular,” said Suns coach Frank Vogel. “He’s one of the best players in the world. That’s why we were excited to […]

Heatwave risk hovers over Paris Olympics

By Julien MIVIELLE, Adam PLOWRIGHT PARIS, Feb 5, 2024 (AFP) – Scorching summer heat is hard to imagine now in mid-winter Paris, but in six months’ time when the world’s athletes arrive for the Olympics, another pounding heatwave would spell trouble for organisers. A new study presenting “climate simulations to anticipate worst-case heatwaves during the Paris 2024 Olympics” has focused minds after it warned that the French capital faced a not insignificant risk of record-breaking […]

Shorthanded Lakers stun Celtics, Maxey scores 51 in 76ers win

LOS ANGELES, Feb 2, 2024 (AFP) – A Los Angeles Lakers team missing superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis barreled past the NBA-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday as Tyrese Maxey scored 51 points to lead Philadelphia over Utah. Austin Reaves scored a season-high 32 points to lead the Lakers’ in their 114-105 victory, saying afterward he and the rest of the Lakers had taken to heart James’ blunt demand after Tuesday’s loss to Atlanta that […]

Coste ‘proud’ to carry Olympic torch 76 years after winning gold

When the Olympic torch relay gets underway in France in May keep an eye open for Charles Coste, France’s oldest living Olympic champion. Coste, who will turn 100 on February 8, pedalled his way to glory in the men’s team cycling pursuit 76 years ago in the 1948 Olympics in London. He has bad knees these days but is hoping to do his bit for Paris 2024. “It will be unforgettable and I’m very proud,” […]

Blazers spoil Lillard’s return to Portland, Durant’s Suns eclipse Nets

LOS ANGELES, Feb 1, 2024 (AFP) – Damian Lillard’s emotional return to Portland opened with an ovation and ended in defeat as the Trail Blazers held off the Milwaukee Bucks 119-116 on Wednesday. Lillard was playing his first game in Portland since the September trade that sent him to Milwaukee after he spent his first 11 NBA seasons as a Blazer. Greeted by a massive standing ovation and feted with a video tribute, Lillard felt […]

Iran ‘following dreams’ in trying to win first Asian Cup since 1976

Iran are “following our dreams” in trying to win the Asian Cup for the first time in 48 years, winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh said on the eve of Wednesday’s last-16 clash with Syria. Three-time champions Iran face Syria in Qatar with a quarter-final against Bahrain or pre-tournament favourites Japan up for grabs. Along with holders Qatar, Iran are the only team left in the competition who went through the group stage with a 100 percent record. […]

Nuggets down Bucks in Rivers opener; Wolves roll Thunder

Nikola Jokic scored a 25-point triple double as the Denver Nuggets handed new Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers a 113-107 defeat Monday in his first game in charge. The heavyweight showdown between the reigning NBA champions and the 2021 champion Bucks did not disappoint, with two-time Most Valuable Player Jokic dominating at both ends of the floor. The Serbian star finished with 25 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists to seal his 14th triple double of […]