Sports

Sharon Lokedi breaks Boston Marathon course record. John Korir joins his brother as a Boston winner

BOSTON (AP) — Sharon Lokedi broke the Boston Marathon course record, and fellow Kenyan John Korir joined his brother as a race champion on Monday as the city celebrated the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. The runners followed in the hoofsteps of a Paul Revere reenactor who rode down Boylston Street and proclaimed “the runners are coming” as the race celebrated the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. Lokedi finished in an unofficial 2 hours, 17 minutes, 22 seconds. Korir won in 2:04:45.

Sports world mourns soccer-loving Pope Francis with games in Italy and Argentina postponed

ROME (AP) — Top-flight soccer matches in Italy and Argentina have been postponed after the death of Pope Francis. The Buenos Aires club that the Argentine pontiff supported throughout his life is also mourning its most famous fan. The wider soccer and sports world also paid homage after Francis passed away at 88. All sports events scheduled for Monday in Italy were postponed including four Serie A games. Three top-flight games in Argentina were postponed to Tuesday. Francis’ passion for soccer became known almost immediately after he was elected pope in 2013 when the Argentine club San Lorenzo tweeted a photo of him holding up the team’s crest. San Lorenzo says in an Instagram tribute that Francis “was always one of us.”

Long journey to the NFL draft is only the beginning for college prospects aiming to make the pros

The NFL draft is the culmination of a lifelong dream for many college players who’ve envisioned hearing their names called by Commissioner Roger Goodell since they were kids. They’ve put in a ton of work, made plenty of sacrifices and spent hundreds of hours practicing on the field, exercising in the weight room and studying film. They’ve dealt with injuries and battled adversity along the way. It’s been a long, arduous road just getting to this point and the journey is just beginning, especially for the players who aren’t picked in the first round and don’t get a guaranteed multiyear contract.

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick

Duke star Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The program announced Flagg’s move in a social media post Monday. That came after a lone college season that saw the 18-year-old become only the fourth freshman named as The Associated Press national player of the year while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Newport, Maine, averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals to lead Duke in each category.

Former No. 1 picks Mize and Torkelson are giving the AL Central-leading Tigers a boost, finally

When the Detroit Tigers returned to the postseason last year for the first time in a decade, they did it without great production from Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson. Those two were supposed to be cornerstones of their rebuild after being taken No. 1 overall in the 2018 and 2020 drafts. But Torkelson hit .219 last year, and Mize posted a 4.49 ERA. Now both of them are starting to show why they were picked at the top of the draft. The 27-year-old Mize is 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA this season. Torkelson is still just 25, and he already has seven home runs in 2025.

Hawks fire GM Fields, promote Saleh to that role, will search for president of basketball ops

Landry Fields was fired as general manager of the Atlanta Hawks after three seasons, with the team missing the playoffs in the last two of those. The Hawks promoted Onsi Saleh to the GM role, while also announcing that they have opened a search for a president of basketball operations. Atlanta went 40-42 this season, then missed the playoffs after going 0-2 in the play-in tournament. Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler says “every offseason we evaluate how we operate and ways we can improve our organization.” Fields led the decision-making a year ago when Atlanta had the No. 1 pick and selected Zaccharie Risacher.

Here they go again: Lightning vs. Panthers in Round 1, for Sunshine State hockey supremacy

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — It’s starting to feel like an annual tradition: Panthers vs. Lightning in the NHL playoffs, the battle of Florida, a matchup that has seemed to decide which team will eventually get to the Stanley Cup Final. And here they go again. Defending Stanley Cup champion Florida heads to Tampa Bay for Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round series Tuesday night, the start of the fourth postseason meeting in five years between the Sunshine State rivals. Tampa Bay won the East title in 2020, 2021 and 2022; Florida is trying to match that run of success after winning the East in 2023 and 2024.

Ostapenko stuns world No. 1 Sabalenka to win Porsche Grand Prix

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Jelena Ostapenko has upset No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-1 in the Porsche Grand Prix final in Stuttgart. Ostapenko has beaten Sabalenka for the first time in four meetings to win her first clay-court title since the 2017 French Open. She also beat world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals in her run to her ninth career title. The Latvian broke Sabalenka six times, twice in the first set. Sabalenka has lost four Stuttgart finals.

Switzerland’s Hug gets 8th Boston Marathon wheelchair win, American Scaroni a 2nd in milestone year

BOSTON (AP) — Marcel Hug of Switzerland blitzed to the front of the field to win his eighth Boston Marathon wheelchair title, claiming the victory in the 129th edition of the race in 1 hour, 21 minutes, 34 seconds. The 39-year-old Hug crossed the finish line in downtown Boston to claim his fifth consecutive win in the race on the 50th anniversary of the first official wheelchair finisher in Boston. Daniel Romanchuk of thew United States was second in 1:25:58, followed by Jetze Plat of the Netherlands in 1:30:16. In the women’s race, Susannah Scaroni of the United States won her second Boston title. Swiss athletes Cathering Debrunner and Manuela Schar were next.

Former Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava announces he has committed to UCLA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nico Iamaleava says he’s heading to UCLA, a week after Tennessee announced the quarterback who helped the Volunteers reach last season’s College Football Playoff was no longer with the program. Iamaleava issued an Instagram post of himself in a UCLA uniform Sunday. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel had indicated during the Volunteers’ spring game on April 12 that Iamaleava wouldn’t be part of the team anymore. Heupel declined to get into details about any discussions with Iamaleava and his representatives. Various reports said Iamaleava was seeking a big raise in his name, image and likeness compensation after helping Tennessee to its first playoff berth.