AP Sports

Kylian Mbappé starting for France at Euro 2024 and will wear a mask against Poland

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Kylian Mbappé has returned to France’s starting lineup for the match against Poland at the European Championship. The game on Tuesday comes eight days after he broke his nose. Mbappé is France’s captain. He will be wearing a protective mask for the Group D closer at Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion. The Real Madrid-bound striker sustained the broken nose late in France’s 1-0 win over Austria on June 17 and was an unused substitute in the 0-0 draw with the Netherlands on Friday. Mbappé has since featured in a behind-closed-doors match against a local youth team.

Paris Games: Welcome to the weird world of men’s soccer at the Olympics

Welcome to the weird of world of men’s soccer at the Olympics. The world’s most popular sport occupies a strange space at the Games. It is confused by compromises and contortions that appear designed to ensure it remains a part of the roster so long as it provides the least possible disruption to teams, players and authorities that have priorities that lie elsewhere. The result is an international soccer tournament unlike any other because of the exceptions and caveats that are shoe-horned in at all angles.

Afghans celebrate their men’s cricket team reaching first Twenty20 World Cup semifinals

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Thousands of jubilant Afghans are celebrating their country’s most iconic sporting moment after their men’s national cricket team reached the Twenty20 World Cup semifinals for the first time. Videos on social media show huge gatherings in different Afghan provinces after watching Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by a nervy eight runs in St. Vincent in the Caribbean. In the semifinals, Afghanistan will take on unbeaten South Africa in Tarouba, Trinidad on Wednesday night, Thursday morning for Afghans.

Rally great Ogier and co-driver Landais hospitalized in Poland after crash

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Eight-time world rally champion Sébastien Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais are undergoing hospital medial tests after crashing in Poland while preparing for this week’s race. A police spokesman in Olsztyn, Tomasz Markowski, says two cars were involved in a crash near the northeast village of Wlosty on Tuesday. He says four people have been taken to hospital. There are no reports of serious injuries. Andrzej Borowczyk, the Rally Poland director for media contacts, says “Nothing serious happened.” Ogier’s Toyota Gazoo Racing team says in a statement the French crew has been “involved in a road accident during reconnaissance for Rally Poland and have been taken for medical checks.”

Jordan Spieth is now an expert on what a 59 looks like in golf. He’s watched it happen twice

Jordan Spieth became a footnote in history as the only player on the PGA Tour to twice play alongside someone who shot 59. And it was almost three times. He was there when Bryson DeChambeau missed a 6-foot putt for a shot at 59 in the 2021 BMW Championship. The best round he saw? Spieth is leaning toward DeChambeau’s 60 because it was on a par 72 course. He also gives props to Justin Thomas for making eagle on the last hole of his 59. In other golf news, Ally Ewing has come up a shot short of going to the Olympics.

Risk vs. reward as NHL teams assess Russian prospects at camp to dispel concerns entering draft

The NHL draft is later this week and there are a handful of Russian prospects who could be picked. There is always a higher risk with choosing a Russian player. NHL teams have no control over their prospect’s development and ice time in Russia and a pick could choose to stay home. Player agent Daniel Milstein and others brought the Russian players to a combine in Florida earlier this month so any NHL team could meet with them. The camp was held to dispel reservations over selecting Russians and boost their stock entering the draft this weekend.

American slalom canoeist Casey Eichfeld seeks first Olympic podium on record fourth try

Casey Eichfeld has qualified for the Olympics in canoe slalom, becoming the first American to qualify for four Olympics in slalom. He previously qualified in 2008, 2012 and 2016. He considered retirement after failing to qualify for the Tokyo games. Now 34, he seeks his first Olympic medal. His best Olympic finish was seventh in 2016. The United States has not won a gold medal in canoe slalom since the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, when Joe Jacobi and Scott Strausbaugh teamed for a canoe doubles victory.

Caitlin Clark wins Honda Cup as top female college athlete for second consecutive year

NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark became the fourth person ever to win the Honda Cup twice, earning the prestigious honor Monday night. The former Iowa star, who finished her career as the all-time Division I scoring leader, joined Tracy Caulkins (1982, 1984), Maya Moore (2010, 2011) and Rachel Garcia (2019, 2021) as the only people to accomplish that. Moore is the only other person to win the award in back-to-back years. This year there was a tie in voting for the top three finalists resulting in four outstanding honorees. In addition to Clark, the others were Texas volleyball player Madisen Skinner, LSU gymnast Haleigh Bryant and Stanford softball player NiJaree Canady.

Lawmakers in a New York county pass transgender athlete ban after earlier ban is thrown out in court

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A county legislature outside New York City has voted to to bar transgender female athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s teams at county-owned facilities after a bid to restrict trans athletes by executive order was thrown out in court. The Republican-controlled Nassau County Legislature voted 12-5 on Monday to bar trans athletes from playing at county-owned facilities unless they compete on teams matching the gender they were assigned at birth or on coed teams. The move followed Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s Feb. 22 executive order attempting to enact a similar ban.