Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women’s sports

Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women’s sports
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark makes a heart gesture after the team's NCAA college basketball game against Michigan, on Feb. 15, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. Clark broke the NCAA women's career scoring record. (File/AP)
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Updated 25 December 2024
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Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women’s sports

Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women’s sports
  • After leading Iowa to the national championship game, Clark was the top pick in the WNBA draft as expected and went on to win rookie of the year honors in the league
  • Clark is only the fourth women’s basketball player to be honored as the female athlete of the year since it was first presented in 1931

NEW YORK: Caitlin Clark raised the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both the college ranks and the WNBA, and Tuesday she was named the AP Female Athlete of the Year for her impact on and off the court.

After leading Iowa to the national championship game, Clark was the top pick in the WNBA draft as expected and went on to win rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers tuned in to follow her journey. Clark’s exploits were far reaching, casting a light on other women’s sports leagues along the way.

A group of 74 sports journalists from The Associated Press and its members voted on the award. Clark received 35 votes, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles was second with 25 and boxer Imane Khelif was third, getting four votes.

Clark is only the fourth women’s basketball player to be honored as the female athlete of the year since it was first presented in 1931, joining Sheryl Swoopes (1993), Rebecca Lobo (1995) and Candace Parker (2008, 2021).

“I grew up a fan of Candace Parker and the people who came before me and to be honored in this way, is super special and I’m thankful,” Clark said in a phone interview. “It was a great year for women’s basketball and women’s sports.”

Shohei Ohtani won the AP Male Athlete of the Year on Monday for the third time.

Clark broke the NCAA Division I career scoring record for both men and women finishing her career with 3,951 points while guiding Iowa to its second consecutive national championship game. After her Hawkeyes lost t South Carolina for the title, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley took the mic during her team’s celebration and said, “I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport.”

For all the success Clark has had and the attention she has brought to women’s basketball, she is often the centerpiece of debates and online toxicity toward her and other players in the league.

For her part, Clark has disavowed the toxic discourse.

Lobo also has been impressed with the way the 22-year-old Clark has handled the pressure and attention that has come her way.

“I would say she’s navigated it almost flawlessly. she hasn’t had an big missteps or misspeaks at a time you’re under constant scrutiny,” Lobo said. “She’s seemed to say and do all the right things. That’s just incredible at a time when it’s constant attention and scrutiny. She has not done anything to tarnish this sort of mild persona she has.”

As Clark handled the praise — and the backlash — during the heat of competition, it was hard for her to appreciate just what she was able accomplish over the past year. But after having time to reflect on the whirlwind tour, she appreciates those who were there alongside her for the ride.

“I’m thankful for the people I got to do it with,” Clark said. “A year ago I was still in the early part of my senior year in college. ... How fast things change, and now I can see how great a college season it was.”

Iowa sold out all of its games at home and on the road with Clark as the main attraction. That momentum continued into the pros. Her No. 22 jersey was prevalent wherever she played during her rookie season and will be retired at Iowa.

“You’d be remiss not to acknowledge how crazy her fan base is and the eyes she gets with everything she does,” said Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was often spotted courtside at Clark’s Indiana Fever games. “It’s a different type of popularity, she’s one of the most popular athletes in the world. It’s not just women’s sports anymore.

“It’s really cool to see and she just handles it with such grace.”

Clark said she enjoys spending time with fans at games, usually taking a few minutes before and after games to sign autographs.

“For me it’s still really fun,” she said. “Whether it’s 15 seconds or 10 seconds or 5 seconds can be very impactful in a young girl and young boys life. Seeing the fans going crazy an hour before tipoff, I never take that for granted. That’s super cool and I never want that to go away.”

After a slow start to her WNBA career, Clark eventually found her stride there too. She set the single-game assist record with 19 and also had 337 assists on the season to break that mark as well. Clark, known for her logo-distance 3-pointers, was the fastest player to reach 100 3’s when she did it in 34 games which helped Indiana reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Lobo, who won the AP female athlete of the year award after lifting UConn to its first national championship, was on the court for launch of the WNBA two years later. The ESPN analyst sees Clark’s ascension as something different.

“She’s brought unprecedented attention both in the building, but also viewership to the sport that was worthy of it but didn’t have it yet,” Lobo said. “There’s never been anything like this.

“That timeframe from 1995-97 was a baby step in the progression of it all. This is a giant leap forward. I’ve never seen anything like this. There’s more attention then the sports ever had.”

The numbers have been record breaking when Clark is part of a broadcast:

— TV viewership in the WNBA was up 300 percent thanks in large part to Clark with ABC, CBS, ION, ESPN, and ESPN2 all having record viewers when Fever games were on.

— The NCAA women’s championship game outdrew the men on TV for the first time in the sport’s 42-year history with 18.9 million viewers tuning it to watch the event. It was the second most watched women’s sporting event outside of the Olympics in the history of US television.

— The 2024 WNBA draft was the most-watched in league history with 2.4 million viewers.

Clark credits the community of women athletes for the popularity increase of women’s sports, saying “we” did this or “we” did that when asked about it.

“It’s fascinating, you don’t always appreciate how many people 18 million is,” Clark said. “You see that number against a college football game or the Masters or whatever it is as far as the biggest sporting events in our country and it puts it in perspective. We outdrew the men’s Final Four.”


Snooker great Ronnie O’Sullivan plans move to Middle East after World Championship exit

Snooker great Ronnie O’Sullivan plans move to Middle East after World Championship exit
Updated 27 sec ago
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Snooker great Ronnie O’Sullivan plans move to Middle East after World Championship exit

Snooker great Ronnie O’Sullivan plans move to Middle East after World Championship exit
  • The 49-year-old, widely regarded as the greatest snooker player in history, made the announcement after a heavy 17–7 defeat to Zhao Xintong in the semifinals of the World Championship

LONDON: Seven-time world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed plans to leave the UK and start a new chapter of his life in the Middle East, BBC Sport reported on Saturday.

The 49-year-old, widely regarded as the greatest snooker player in history, made the announcement after a heavy 17–7 defeat to Zhao Xintong in the semifinals of the World Championship in Sheffield on Friday.

The loss marked the end of his first tournament appearance since snapping his cue in frustration at the Championship League in January.

“I think I am going to be moving out of the UK this year,” said O’Sullivan, who is based in Essex and also runs a snooker academy in Saudi Arabia.

“I’ll be moving away to the Middle East. We’ll see how it goes, I might be back in six months. A new life somewhere else. I don’t know how that is going to pan out,” he added.

“The Rocket,” as he is known, had raised hopes of an eighth Crucible crown, which would stand alone as a modern-era record, with earlier victories over Ali Carter, Pang Junxu and Si Jiahui. But he was comfortably outplayed by former UK champion Zhao, who sealed victory with a session to spare.

Despite his long list of achievements — including a record 41 ranking titles, five more than Stephen Hendry — O’Sullivan admitted he is struggling to visualize what lies ahead.

“I will still try to play snooker, but I don’t know what the future looks like for me, really,” he said. “It is a big part of my life, but I have to try and figure out what my future looks like, whether it’s playing or not.”

O’Sullivan has spoken openly in recent years about his struggles with motivation and mental health, and previously revealed he had taken medication to deal with anxiety.

His absence from the sport for several months earlier this season prompted speculation about whether he might be winding down his career ahead of his 50th birthday in December.

At this year’s tournament, he has also faced a battle with his equipment after breaking his trusted cue — a problem he said was still unresolved.

“I don’t even know if it was the cue, the ferrule or me. There were three things,” he said. “I didn’t know where the white ball was going. I was at a loss. I won’t throw the cue. The merchandise people want it, so it will be up for sale.

“I’ve been playing like that quite a lot in practice and it’s just hard to get my head around. I can’t even fix it, that’s the problem. I know I said I’d like to try and give it two years, but if you’re going to play like that it’s pretty pointless. It’s not good.”

O’Sullivan was full of praise for his young Chinese opponent following the crushing defeat.

“We’ve got a really nice relationship, I’m always trying to help him if I can. He wanted the crowd to give me clap, but it’s his moment. I tried to get off as quick as I could because it’s his moment,” he told Sportsboom.com

“It’d be amazing if he did it. He’d be a mega star, he’s still very big in China as it is. But if he becomes world champion, he’ll be unbelievable. It will just be amazing for snooker, and his life as well.

“He can definitely get over the line. But he’ll have more of a test against the other two guys in the semis. I think that’ll be a proper test for him.”


Times Square boxing event ends in a stunner as Rolando Romero beats Ryan Garcia. Haney, Lopez win

Times Square boxing event ends in a stunner as Rolando Romero beats Ryan Garcia. Haney, Lopez win
Updated 03 May 2025
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Times Square boxing event ends in a stunner as Rolando Romero beats Ryan Garcia. Haney, Lopez win

Times Square boxing event ends in a stunner as Rolando Romero beats Ryan Garcia. Haney, Lopez win
  • Turki Alalshikh, the head of Riyadh Season and the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, wanted something unique for Ring Magazine’s first boxing card in the US after purchasing it last year.

NEW YORK: Ryan Garcia arrived in Times Square in a Batmobile, hoping to look like a superhero in his return to boxing.
Minutes later, he was hurt and on the canvas, looking up at the billboards and bright lights on the marquees surrounding the ring after being knocked down by Rolando “Rolly” Romero’s crushing left hand in the second round.
Wham! Pow!
Romero went on to beat Garcia by unanimous decision Friday night, a surprising finish to a night of boxing like none other.
“Just Rolly’s night,” Garcia said. “He fought a good fight. Caught me early.”
Times Square was the setting for Garcia’s first fight since he was suspended for a year after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs in his victory over Devin Haney that was later overturned and ruled a no contest.
The plan was for Garcia and Haney to move on to a rematch if they both won Friday, but only Haney held up his end of the bargain.
He beat Jose Ramirez by unanimous decision in a matchup of former 140-pound champions, after Teofimo Lopez defended his junior welterweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Arnold Barboza Jr.
On a night that saw ring girls replaced by impersonators of celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Hulk Hogan and Michael Jackson, performers in Elmo costumes and a drummer playing — standard sights and sounds in Times Square on a Friday night — Romero (17-2) ended up as the star of the show.
He seemed to gain more confidence in the later rounds, letting more hard shots go as it become clear Garcia (24-2) didn’t seem capable of stopping him. He won 115-112 on two cards and the other judge scored it 118-109.
But Romero, who was knocked out by Gervonta Davis in a previous title shot in New York, didn’t argue that he should now take Garcia’s place against Haney.
“Man, I ain’t even thinking about what’s next,” he said. “I think Devin and Ryan should get their rematch and make a big one.”
The Garcia who knocked Haney down three times was nowhere to be seen in Times Square – which will undoubtedly lead to questions about how much the drugs affected that performance last April 20.
“I just think that whole year took a lot off my body physically and mentally,” Garcia said.
Haney and Lopez looked like themselves. So much going on around them looked nothing like a normal big-fight night.
Fighters were delivered from the hotel a couple of blocks away by cars, with Lopez arriving in a traditional yellow taxicab and Garcia coming in Batman’s vehicle. The cars had to stop at traffic lights in between before pulling up outside the ring for the fighters to take a shortened ring walk.
Haney (32-0) won by scores of 119-109 twice and 118-110 on the other card, repeatedly catching Ramirez (29-3) coming in with counter punches off the ropes.
Lopez won 118-110 on one judge’s card and 116-112 on the other two after controlling the fight with his advantages in hand and foot speed.
The Brooklyn product who has fought in title bouts in Madison Square Garden put on a strong performance in a venue unlike the famed arena 10 blocks to the south.
He improved to 22-1, celebrating in front of his hometown fans with his arms raised in the shadows of the pole from where the ball drops on New Year’s Eve in New York’s tourist center.
Boxers such as Mike Tyson, Terence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson had seats outside the ring along with New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns and a couple of people wearing Elmo costumes. A drummer performed earlier in the night while waiting for the next bout to begin.
Turki Alalshikh, the head of Riyadh Season and the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, wanted something unique for Ring Magazine’s first boxing card in the US after purchasing it last year.
Thus began the plan to fight in Times Square, bypassing Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center for the trip to New York.
Seventh Avenue remained open to traffic — with cars being held only briefly when the fighters’ cars crossed over — with orange fencing blocking the view of fans standing across the street wondering what was happening inside.
Those who did have ringside access — and it was unclear how many did or how they got it, though it wasn’t a large number — could pass the time between bouts reading the ticker that scrolled along the outside of ABC’s Times Square studios just above the ring.
“It wasn’t as big as I expected it to get,” Lopez said of his bout, before adding it felt bigger as the night went on.


Al-Hilal part ways with coach Jorge Jesus

Al-Hilal part ways with coach Jorge Jesus
Updated 03 May 2025
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Al-Hilal part ways with coach Jorge Jesus

Al-Hilal part ways with coach Jorge Jesus

RIYADH: Al-Hilal and coach Jorge Jesus have parted ways, according to a club announcement early on Saturday.

“The Board of Directors of Al-Hilal Club Company has agreed with the Portuguese head coach of the first football team Jorge Jesus to terminate the contractual relationship between them,” the club posted on social media.

Coach Mohammed Al-Shalhoub will now take over first-team duties.

“The Board expressed its appreciation for the efforts made by the technical staff since last season,” the Al-Hilal statement said.

The surprising aspect about Jorge Jesus being dismissed by Al-Hilal is that it is not that surprising. The Portuguese boss took the job for a second time in July 2023 and hit the ground running. A few months later, he was leading the Blues to a world-record winning streak of 34 games. It was a phenomenal first season with the Saudi Pro League title, the King’s Cup and the Saudi Super Cup. Yet despite the silverware, the bullet had been coming.

Losing the semifinal of the AFC Champions League Elite against Al-Ahli 3-1 in late April was the final straw. The most successful team in the history of Asian football was just 90 minutes away from the final and a real chance of a fifth title, but in the end, the defeat was deserved.

It comes after an uncertain period in which Al-Hilal have not looked like their usual selves. In November came a first-league defeat in 18 months, a surprise 3-2 loss to Al-Khaleej. It was even more of a surprise given that the defending champions were 2-0 ahead at the break before throwing it all away in the second-half.

Well, even Al-Hilal have to lose sometime. The next five league games brought the maximum 15 points, 23 goals, and title number 20 still looked to be on the cards, but the loss had changed something. Al-Hilal were vulnerable, after all. In the following 13 league games, there were four defeats — including a painful Riyadh Derby loss to Nassr and a 4-1 loss to Ittihad — and four draws. Given Al-Hilal’s high standards, it was a shock. It was also a gift to Al-Ittihad, who were able to take control of the title race.

Not winning the domestic title is always dangerous for a coach of Al-Hilal. Add an exit from Asian competition, then it really is time to worry. Leonardo Jardim was fired early in 2022, just a few weeks after winning the club’s fourth Champions League.

“Things didn’t go the way I planned, and when the result is negative, we look for a victim,” said Jesus just before the end. “I am the one who bears responsibility. I am the one who builds the team and sets the match plans, and I am responsible as the coach.”

Everything comes from results, and the change from a winning machine to a team that was then struggling to put wins together meant that off the pitch, pressures grew. The 70-year-old has come under attack with increasing regularity from ex-players and/or pundits, which is never a good sign. There had also been rumors for a few months that some players had grown unhappy with the methods and that there was tension between the boss and some senior and influential players.

As Al-Hilal started to lose the big games, tactics and in-game management were questioned. In the 7-0 thrashing of Gwangju FC in the Champions League quarter-finals, Hilal looked solid at the back and devastating in attack. Yet against Al-Ahli a few days later, Hassan Tambakti, who looked imperious in defense, was benched and in came Ali Al-Bulaihi, who did not have one of his best games. The Jeddah club were finding a lot of space between the lines and causing all kinds of problems but the Portuguese boss did not react quickly enough and by the time he started to do so, Kalidou Koulibaly was red-carded and a tough situation became almost impossible.

And there was some disquiet about the public linking of Jesus with the Brazil job. In some ways, this helped his position, initially at least. How could Al-Hilal think about firing a coach twho was being linked with the most successful national team in the world? But the longer it went on, it started to become a bigger story. Carlo Ancelotti was always the front-runner but Real Madrid started to become annoyed at how Brazil were going about trying to get their man; the Al-Hilal hierarchy took note of their man being in the news. The Brazilian media has said that Jesus wanted the job and was upset at being the second choice.

It all meant that, with the season petering out at home and overseas, it was not a surprise that Hilal wanted a change. The FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament that Al-Hilal take very seriously, is looming, especially the opener against Real Madrid. Having a new man in charge sooner rather than later makes sense for that competition and also for the next season. Expect a big name.


Man City climb to third as De Bruyne sinks Wolves

Man City climb to third as De Bruyne sinks Wolves
Updated 03 May 2025
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Man City climb to third as De Bruyne sinks Wolves

Man City climb to third as De Bruyne sinks Wolves

MANCHESTER: Manchester City moved closer to qualifying for the Champions League as Kevin De Bruyne sealed a vital 1-0 win against Wolves on Friday.
Pep Guardiola’s side are embroiled in a tense battle for a top five finish in the Premier League and De Bruyne lifted them to third place with his first half strike at the Etihad Stadium.
For just the second time in a turbulent campaign, City have reeled off five successive wins in all competitions.
It was a major boost to City’s hopes of securing a place in Europe’s elite club competition.
“We are better than we were weeks ago. If we play like we did today, it is really good but we cannot relax. Winning in that way is good because it will make us realize that we still need to work,” Guardiola said.
After 10 years with City, it was De Bruyne’s penultimate appearance at the Etihad after the midfielder was told he will not get a new contract when his present deal expires at the end of the season.
It was only the sixth goal this season for the 33-year-old Belgian, underlining why Guardiola has decided to release him after an injury-plagued decline over the last two years.
But De Bruyne’s contribution could be crucial for City, who have three matches left and hold a four-point advantage over sixth-placed Nottingham Forest, who play their game in hand against Crystal Palace on Monday.
Fourth-placed Newcastle and fifth-placed Chelsea also have a game in hand over City heading into the weekend’s fixtures.
Hinting he could stay in the Premier League after leaving City, De Bruyne said. “A lot of teammates have said that it’s sad I have to go, but that’s just how it goes sometimes in life.
“I don’t know what the future will be, but I know that I can still play here. I try to play as much good football as I can. I’m still enjoying it.”
Guardiola saluted De Bruyne, saying: “Just thank you. His contribution in the game against Crystal Palace when we were 2-0 down and he delivers, and today the goal again.
“I want the best for Kevin. It cannot be possible to have done these many years without him.
“He has been an incredible player but the situation is what it is. It’s almost impossible to replace this kind of player.”
Even qualifying for the Champions League and winning the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace will not salvage the season in Guardiola’s eyes after their four-year reign as English champions came to a limp end.
Surrendering the title to Liverpool was bad enough, but missing out on a place in the Champions League for the first time since 2010-11 would be a complete catastrophe and this result kept them on course to avoid that fate.
Guardiola sprang a surprise by naming Erling Haaland as an unused substitute as the Norway striker returned ahead of schedule from the ankle injury he suffered at Bournemouth in March.
Wolves arrived buoyed by six successive top-flight victories for the first time since 1970-71 and their confidence was clear after such a successful streak.
Not for the first time this season, City were creaking at the back.
They rode their luck to escape as Rayan Ait-Nouri fired against the post from close-range before his effort from the rebound was cleared off the line by Josko Gvardiol.
Guardiola’s men recovered their composure and the breakthrough came in the 35th minute with the kind of flowing move that has been City’s trademark in De Bruyne’s decade in Manchester.
Ilkay Gundogan made a break from midfield and slipped his pass to Jeremy Doku, who deftly eluded his marker before pulled the ball back to the unmarked De Bruyne.
Having cleverly found space just inside the Wolves area, De Bruyne held his nerve to slot past Jose Sa, a finish that showed City what they will miss next season.
Wolves still carried a threat and Matheus Cunha rattled the post with a stinging strike from the edge of the area in the second half.


Bangladesh to face the UAE in 2-match T20 series in Sharjah

Bangladesh to face the UAE in 2-match T20 series in Sharjah
Updated 02 May 2025
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Bangladesh to face the UAE in 2-match T20 series in Sharjah

Bangladesh to face the UAE in 2-match T20 series in Sharjah
  • It is the 2nd T20 series between the sides in 3 years, following an encounter in Dubai in 2022 from which Bangladesh emerged with a 2-0 victory
  • The ‘series will provide an ideal preparation opportunity for the UAE ahead of this year’s ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup,’ says Emirates Cricket Board COO Subhan Ahmad

SHARJAH: The Bangladesh men’s cricket team will visit the UAE this month for a two-match T20 International series against the Emirati national side. The games will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on May 17 and 19.

It will be the second T20 series between the two sides in three years, following a two-match encounter in Dubai in September 2022, from which Bangladesh emerged with a 2-0 victory.

Subhan Ahmad, chief operating officer of the Emirates Cricket Board, welcomed the upcoming series and the chance for the UAE to test themselves against an established full member of the ICC from Asia.

“We are excited to host the Bangladesh men’s team for another bilateral T20I series with the UAE men’s team,” he said. “The Emirates Cricket Board is always keen on providing opportunities to the UAE’s national side against quality opponents.

“In the last three years we have hosted ICC full members New Zealand, the West Indies and Afghanistan, while Bangladesh’s T20 series tour is their second bilateral tour of the UAE in three years.

“The two-match Bangladesh series will provide an ideal preparation opportunity for the UAE ahead of this year’s ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup and we thank the Bangladesh Cricket Board for their support for UAE Cricket. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium is an excellent venue for T20 cricket and we look forward to hosting two exciting games.”

Nizam Uddin Chowdhury, CEO of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, echoed these sentiments and said the series will be an important part of his side’s broader preparations for upcoming competitions.

“We are pleased to see the Bangladesh national team’s return to the UAE,” he said. “The BCB values the opportunity to engage in competitive cricket and we appreciate the initiative of the Emirates Cricket Board in arranging this T20 series.

“These matches will serve as an important part of our team’s preparations ahead of a packed international calendar, including the upcoming Asia Cup. We are confident that these two games will further strengthen the cricketing ties between the BCB and ECB and provide quality entertainment to the cricket fans.”