Sports

Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, Casiey Dongallo out of AVC Cup team

MANILA, Philippines — National University’s MVP duo Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon have begged off participating in Alas Pilipinas’ upcoming AVC Challenge Cup campaign while University of the East star rookie Casiey Dongallo has also been ruled out due to a right wrist fracture. Philippine women’s volleyball team coach Jorge Souza De Brito told Inquirer Sports that Belen and Solomon will no longer play for the upcoming AVC hosting from May 22 to...

UAAP: Healthy Sheena Toring relishes ‘satisfying’ NU championship

MANILA, Philippines — Sheena Toring has completed her unfinished business for National University after playing an instrumental role in the team’s UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball Finals sweep of the University of Santo Tomas to capture the championship. After missing the opportunity to finish last year’s Finals after suffering a knee injury when NU lost the crown to La Salle, Toring helped the Lady Bulldogs complete a successful title...

Exclusive: What goes on inside Formula 1's race control room

Formula 1’s race control is the most secret – yet important – room in the paddock, so what goes on in there and who’s making the decisions to make everything tick?

NBC might not be interested in Charles Barkley

As basketball fans await to learn the fate of the NBA on TNT, Bomani Jones cautions against assuming NBC could be an eventual landing spot for Charles Barkley Warner Bros. Discovery might be fighting to save the NBA on TNT, but it sounds like the league is hellbent on moving its “B” package of games to NBC. If that happens, does NBC bring Inside the NBA to their network? Or does NBC reacquiring NBA game rights subsequently close the book on the...

PBA: San Miguel stops Beau Belga when it mattered most in Game 1

MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel escaped Rain or Shine in Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals thanks to its successful game plan of dousing red-hot Beau Belga with freezing defense. At Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, the Beermen saw themselves go up against a gritty Elasto Painters team led by Belga and his stellar shooting from beyond the arc. Before San Miguel’s 101-98 victory though, it had to withstand a third quarter surge led by one of...

I'm ready for a good fight - Tyson Fury reserved as Oleksandr Usyk bout looms

Tyson Fury refused to engage in the face off with Oleksandr Usyk in a muted final press conference ahead of Saturday's undisputed world heavyweight showdown in Riyadh. While Usyk stood staring at his rival in the customary ritual 48 hours out from the fight, Fury turned to the crowd and folded his arms. The British WBC champion, wearing a flame suit in a nod to the event's 'Ring of Fire' billing, began flexing his muscles and mouthing the words of Rocky IV theme music 'Hearts on Fire'.

Jurgen Klopp mocks Steven Gerrard during final Liverpool press conference - 'Good luck'

Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool this weekend with his goalkeeping coach, John Achterberg, also departing and moving to Saudi Arabia where he'll work under Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq

PVL: Sister teams Akari, Nxled trade coaches, players–sources

MANILA, Philippines — In an attempt to fill each other’s needs, sister teams Akari and Nxled have traded players and coaching staff with Japanese coach Taka Minowa now taking over the Chargers, bringing Ivy Lacsina and some of his key players for Dindin Santiago-Manabat and four others ahead of the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference. Multiple sources revealed to Inquirer Sports that sister teams Akari and Nxled have undergone a major shake-up in...

Leclerc: Rare F1 race engineer swap was ‘team decision’

Charles Leclerc has revealed that the decision to change his Formula 1 race engineer from this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was a team choice.

Notable People who died in 2024

British boxer Sherif Lawal dies after being knocked down in pro debut

LONDON — A British boxer has died after he lost on his professional debut in London. Sherif Lawal was knocked down by a blow to the head from Malam Varela in the fourth round of a scheduled six-round middleweight fight on Sunday at Harrow Leisure Centre. READ: Mexican teen boxer dies of injuries suffered in ring The referee waved it off to allow paramedics to attend to Lawal. He was taken to hospital but died. He was 29. “The British Boxing...

6 NBA players who can take Nikola Jokic’s MVP crown away next season

Guiao on how formidable SMB is: 'Tatlong grupo 'yung first five'

One short CYG sentence to show the tough task RoS is facing in the PBA semis

Dante Alinsunurin sculpts UAAP title after PVL shortcoming

MANILA, Philippines—What a difference three days make for coach Dante Alinsunurin On Sunday at Araneta Coliseum, Dante Alinsunurin watched as Creamline celebrated the PVL’s All-Filipino Championship at the expense of his Choco Mucho Flying Titans. He could’ve thrown a fit of rage or shed a tear or two, but he didn’t. READ: After Choco Mucho, Alinsunurin also steers NU back to UAAP Finals Instead, Alinsunurin turned to another gargantuan task and...

Nadal knocked out in Rome, eyes R. Garros

ROME – Rafael Nadal said Saturday that he is leaning towards playing at the Roland Garros despite his second-round elimination in Rome, as Novak Djokovic laughed off being hit by a bottle which briefly cast doubt on his continued participation. Clay court icon Nadal had previously said that he would only play at the French Open, where he has won a record 14 titles, if he feels competitive after a raft of injury problems over the last two years...

Chiefs Star Shows Support For Harrison Butker Amid Calls For Him To Be Cut

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has been at the center of controversy since giving a commencement speech at a college graduation ceremony. In his speech, Butker suggested that women should focus on being wives and homemakers instead of pursuing external careers. He also discussed ...

There can only be one heavyweight king in boxing

ALL roads lead to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this Sunday (Manila time) when Tyson Fury of the United Kingdom and Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine face each other for the undisputed (WBA. WBC, IBF and WBO) world heavyweight championship. History looms as the winner of the 12-round contest will go down in the record books as the first boxer to simultaneously hold all four major belts in the heavyweight division. Yes, the world of pro boxing will finally have...

NBA: Timberwolves force Game 7 by blowing out Nuggets

MINNEAPOLIS— Anthony Edwards flashed seven fingers to the roaring crowd as he walked off for a fourth-quarter timeout during a blowout by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had that tenacious look of a superstar player refusing to cede to the defending champs all night. Edwards scored 27 points to pull the Timberwolves out of their mid-series slump and deliver a flawless 115-70 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday to force a Game 7 in this...

Verstappen: Red Bull "severely off the pace" in Imola F1 practice

Max Verstappen says Red Bull is "severely off the pace" for Formula 1's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after struggling with his car handling in Imola on Friday.

How Verstappen plans to fit Nurburgring 24 sim race into Imola F1 weekend

Max Verstappen has explained how he plans to dovetail his Formula 1 duties at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with a Nurburgring 24 Hours sim race.

F1 weighs up rule change to stop Magnussen-style racing tactics

Formula 1 teams and the FIA will evaluate a potential rule change to eradicate the controversial tactics that have put Kevin Magnussen under the spotlight this year, Autosport has learned.

PBA: Stanley Pringle delivers with his bread and butter for Ginebra

MANILA, Philippines—Stanley Pringle did what he does best and hit shots that bailed Ginebra out in Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals against Meralco. The Gin Kings turned to the veteran guard Pringle to make clutch buckets late in the fourth to emerge victorious over the Bolts, 92-88, for a 1-0 lead. Already 10 years in the league, Pringle has had his fair share of hitting daggers since his uprising in the now-defunct club Globalport...

10 most underrated NBA players right now, including one big surprise

Tired ESPN analysts get heated on air

ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins is many things. On Friday, it appears one of those might have been “fatigued.” ESPN’s Perkins has been busy this NBA season, and during playoff time, that workload has seemingly only increased. The network aired the pivotal Game 6 matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. Perkins participated in coverage of that game, which didn’t end until pretty late on the East Coast. Then, as...

SMB survives ros scare

MANILA, Philippines — It wasn’t the prettiest of victories but top seed San Miguel Beer would gladly take it. The battle-scarred Beermen were made to sweat by youthful but tough Rain or Shine before escaping with a 101-98 win and taking a 1-0 running start in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series yesterday. “A win is a win,” SMB coach Jorge Gallent said after getting the job done despite blowing an eight-point lead in the fourth and going...

F3 Imola: Leon wins chaotic sprint but faces investigation

Noel Leon secured his first Formula 3 victory in dramatic circumstances at Imola in a sprint race that saw four safety car interventions.

Why forcing Red Bull to make a “bad choice” is Vasseur’s main F1 target

As someone who understands well the challenges of Formula 1, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur knows there is no magic bullet that guarantees success.

Has Nikola Jokic had the best four-year spell in NBA history?

NBA Playoffs: Knicks Pacers Game 5 recap with key takeaways

Unsure of future, Juami trusts team bosses to ‘run it back’

Juami Tiongson wants Terrafirma to “run it back” and build on what it was able to do in the PBA Philippine Cup, where it defied traditionally low and came within a win of making the semifinals. Tiongson, who led the Dyip’s Cinderella run that finally struck midnight with a loss to the mighty San Miguel Beermen, is also leaning on management’s wisdom regarding what’s next for the promising lineup that could either get better or be broken into...

Boxing fans forced to pay £25 to watch Fury v Usyk on pay-per-view

Furious boxing fans have labelled the lack of radio coverage for the Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk fight a 'tradegy' as supporters are forced to cough up £25 to watch the clash on pay-per-view.

UAAP: Angge Poyos sees bright future for young UST Tigresses

MANILA, Philippines — Angge Poyos may have ended her superb rookie year with an injury, but she vows to come back stronger for the University of Santo Tomas Tigresses next season. Poyos, who injured her right ankle in the second set of the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball Finals opener last week, hardly saw action in Game 2 as National University reclaimed its lost glory with a title-clinching 25-23, 23-25, 27-25, 25-18 win on Wednesday at Mall...

Six undisputed world heavyweight champions

Paris - Victory for either Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) will create the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in 24 years.The ever-bubbling alphabet soup of boxing sanctioning bodies -- a winner in Riyadh would become the first four-belt heavyweight champion -- means that becoming, and remaining, undisputed champion requires not just skill and toughness in the ring, but acumen outside it.A winner will...

Maple Leafs name new head coach

The Toronto Maple Leafs already have a new head coach.

Lewis Hamilton makes Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso furious with Imola antics

Lewis Hamilton appeared to get in the way of several drivers throughout second practice for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, prompting angry responses from his rivals

Shohei Ohtani's opposite field HR vs. the Reds is ridiculous

Shohei Ohtani tied for the MLB lead in home runs with a ridiculous opposite-field blast.

UAAP: UST Tigresses and the ghosts of Game 2s at Mall of Asia Arena

MANILA, Philippines—There is a ghost inside the Mall of Asia Arena… and University of Santo Tomas just couldn’t exorcise it. Back in Season 81, the Golden Tigresses figured in a women’s volleyball Finals affair against Ateneo only to fall short to the eventual champions Lady Eagles. Five years later, UST saw itself on a collision course with National University in the hopes of doing what it couldn’t do five years prior. READ: UAAP: All-heart UST...

Mercedes parting ways with F1 aero chief but will get Ferrari signings early

Mercedes is set to part ways with its Formula 1 chief aerodynamicist Gioacchino Vino, as it emerges the German manufacturer will get hold of two key signings from Ferrari early.

F1: Lewis Hamilton says struggling Mercedes has found ‘North Star’

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton offered an upbeat view on Mercedes’ future prospects on Thursday when he said the team had finally found its “North Star” in the prolonged effort to develop their car. The Briton, without a win since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, said he was encouraged by the directional breakthrough and both the energy and resilience of the team. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the first race...

PBBM throws full support to PH volleyball

MANILA, Philippines — MALACANANG has thrown its full support for five major international volleyball competitions the country is hosting for the second semester of the year beginning with the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women's Challenge Cup that kicks off on Wednesday, May 22 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila. In Memorandum Circular 49 dated May 13 and signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, President Ferdinand "Bongbong"...

Noynay takes on Japanese knockout artist in Tokyo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Joe “Jaw Breaker” Noynay and Japanese Jin Sasaki passed the official weigh-in for their double regional title showdown at the Korakuen Hall scheduled in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday, May 16. Noynay, a native of Bogo City in northern Cebu, will battle Sasaki for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia Pacific welterweight title. Also up for grabs in this 12-rounder bout is the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF)...

Toto Wolff sees THIRD ally leave Mercedes as duo join Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

Jerome D'Ambrosio and Loic Serra have already had their Mercedes departures confirmed and will be heading to join Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, and now Gioacchino Vino has also left the team

NHL commentator blasts ref after disallowed goal

Controversy emerged in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Friday night when a series-winning goal was disallowed. Afterward, comments made by former NHL player and current analyst Paul Bissonnette made the controversy even greater. Leading 3-2 in their series against the Colorado Avalanche, the Dallas Stars appeared to put the series away with a goal from Mason Marchment. The goal, though, was called off due to goalie interference, with the officials...

Why Vettel wanted to lead a Senna F1 tribute at Imola

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel has opened up on the reasons he wanted to lead an Ayrton Senna tribute at Imola this weekend.

Far from done: Alyssa Valdez aims to return to 100% health before thinking on-court farewell

Philippine volleyball star Alyssa Valdez says she is far from done with the volleyball courts. In a Rappler Talk Sports interview, she shares she is well-aware that she has not been in her best form for quite some time. Full story: https://www.rappler.com/sports/volleyball/alyssa-valdez-aims-return-health-before-thinking-on-court-farewell/

Sister squads’ swap stopped in a snap

On paper, the switch made sense. Akari and Nxled shuffled their players and coaches to fit each other’s needs for the next Premier Volleyball League (PVL) conference. The question now is if that paper ever becomes official. Because if it were up to PVL president Ricky Palou—and he has already warned teams about this—there would be no swapping players between sister teams. “That’s not allowed. We told everybody starting this season no trades and...

IDF announces name of fallen soldier

The IDF announced the death of Staff-Sergeant Ariel Tsym, 20-years-old, from Modi'in on Saturday. Tsym was a combat soldier in the 931st Battalion in the Nahal Brigade and was killed in battle in the northern Gaza Strip. His family was notified. Tsym was posthumously promoted from the rank of Staff-Sergeant to the rank of Sergeant. Fallen IDF soldi...

NU volleyball programs basks in rare feat of UAAP golden double

MANILA, Philippines — National University is proud to make history by ruling the UAAP Season 86 men’s and women’s volleyball tournaments, playing in jampacked venues throughout their Finals series against teams from University of Santo Tomas. For the first time in the school’s history, the NU men’s and women’s volleyball squads were crowned champions in the UAAP before an ecstatic 22,515 crowd at Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday. National U...

Yulo bags first individual all-around gold in Asian meet

(UPDATE) CARLOS Yulo claimed his first-ever gold medal in the individual all-around competition of the Men's Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Friday, as he steps up his preparation for the Paris Olympics. Yulo totaled 84.931 points in the floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar for the gold. The 24-year-old Filipino won the silver medal in the 2022 and 2023 editions of...

NU queens Belen, Solomon beg off from national squad

Eya Laure is excited over the chance to represent the country and improve herself. But whatever hopes fans were nursing to watch the brightest young stars in women’s volleyball team up with the rebranded Philippine squad took a hit on Friday after it was revealed that National University (NU) stars Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon begged off from joining. University of the East’s Casiey Dongallo, meanwhile, has been ruled out due to a right wrist...