SPORTSARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MAY 17-18, 2019

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Russia’s top skateboarder ‘Mad Maxim’ hit with doping ban

Russian boxing powerbroker says govt not backing $16m offerMOSCOW, May 16, (AP): The Russian boxing powerbroker behind a $16 million offer aimed at keeping the sport in the Olympics has denied the government is funding his campaign.

Umar Kremlev is due to present his offer when the International Boxing Association’s executive committee meets on Saturday, four days before the International Olympic Committee board discusses boxing’s place on the program.

The IOC has criticized the boxing body, known as AIBA, over its long-running financial problems and choice of leadership.

Kremlev has offered to cover AIBA’s $16 million debts in full and fund its development budget for five years. He said the offer is “all transpar-ent” but hasn’t named the investors he says are backing him.

“It’s private funds, not state,” Kremlev said on Wednesday. “We will do it with transparency, openly, and on (May) 18 there will be an AIBA executive committee and I want to discuss it, so that it’s all transparent. The covering of the debt and a busi-ness plan, a development plan for AIBA for the first five years. Whatever

sum is needed, we are ready to attract it and allocate it, so that boxing devel-ops.”

Kremlev said he hasn’t received a response from the IOC to his offer, but AIBA’s management has been recep-tive.

“We are very blessed to have a member in our AIBA family with such philanthropic heart,” executive direc-tor Tom Virgets said last month.

Boxing’s uncertain Olympic status is a concern for Russia, which is host-ing both the men’s and women’s world boxing championships this year. Part of the appeal of those events is the Olympic qualification on offer.

“I don’t think (the dispute with the IOC) should affect the world cham-pionships or qualifying,” Kremlev said.

Meanwhile, a top Russian skate-boarder has been handed a four-year doping ban, just as his sport prepares to make its Olympic debut.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency says Maxim Kruglov, known as “Mad Maxim”, was punished under a rule against athletes who evade or refuse giving a drug-test sample.

The agency didn’t give further details of Kruglov’s actions.

Kruglov was the top-ranked Russian in the World Cup street series last year and was aiming for a place at next year’s Olympics in Tokyo.

Performers take part in the countdown of 1,000 days to the opening cere-mony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in Beijing on May 10. (AP)

‘Crucial point’

Redgrave targets Oly gold for China in Tokyo & ParisSOFIA, May 16, (RTRS): China has targeted one Olympic rowing gold at the 2020 Games in Tokyo and two titles in Paris in 2024, the team’s first high performance director Steve Redgrave said.

Redgrave, who won five successive Olympic gold medals between 1984 and 2000, was handed the role last year.

Chinese officials said he would offer advice and try to improve the structure and methods at all levels of Chinese rowing as well as teaching local coaches.

“The Olympic Games in Tokyo are, of course, an important step in our strategy and China wants to win a gold Olympic medal there,” Redgrave said in the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, which hosted the 2019 World Rowing Cup’s opening event last weekend.

“So far the country has only one Olympic title, won at home in 2008,” Redgrave, who retired after the Sydney 2000 Olympics, said.

China won the women’s quadruple sculls in Beijing and took two bronze medals at the Games in Rio in 2016.

“So, the first goal now is to win gold at the Olympics outside China but the

main goal is two titles in Paris in 2024,” the 57-year-old Redgrave said.

China took a large team to Plovdiv and finished top of the World Cup points table for the first time.

The World Rowing Cup series was launched in 1997 and consists of three regattas over the year.

Redgrave said rowing was at a “cru-cial point” with the men’s lightweight four being removed from the Olympic

regatta as part of the International O l y m p i c C o m m i t t e e ’ s (IOC) move towards gender equality.

The IOC also aims to reduce the number of ath-letes competing at the Games and there will be just two lightweight

classes in Tokyo next year – the men’s and women’s lightweight double sculls.

“We’ve always been pressed against the wall but we should not lose our positions,” said Redgrave.

“There are a lot of challenges ahead of us and I hope that the World (Rowing) Federation will be able to cope with them and protect rowing’s image in the Olympic family.”

OLYMPICS

OLYMPICS

Redgrave

Maeda carries Dodgersto 2-0 win over Padres

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Emilio Pagan throws during the fifth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Miami Marlins on May 15 in Miami. (AP)

7 Rays pitchers shutout Marlins

LOS ANGELES, May 16, (RTRS): Kenta Maeda did it all for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, striking out 12 over 6-2/3 scoreless innings while also driving in two runs in a 2-0 victory over the visiting San Diego Padres.

It was the second consecutive solid start for Maeda (5-2), who gave up just one hit over six innings in a victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday. The right-hander gave up just three hits to the Padres with no walks.

Matt Strahm gave up two runs over five innings for the Padres, who lost for the fourth time in five games against the Dodgers this season. Strahm (1-3) walked two after he entered with six walks in his seven previous starts.

Kenley Jansen put two aboard in the ninth inning with one out but escaped the jam for his 14th save as the Dodgers swept the brief two-game series and went 7-2 on their just-com-pleted homestand.

Rays 1, Marlins 0In Miami, Anthony Bemboom, a

29-year-old rookie catcher, recorded his first major league hit and RBI on the same play, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 1-0 win over the hosts Miami Marlins.

Bemboom drove a run-scoring dou-ble to right field in the second inning, and the Rays used seven pitchers to keep the Marlins off the scoreboard. Reliever

Jalen Beeks (3-0) earned the win, pitch-ing three innings. Diego Castillo worked the ninth for his fifth save.

The Rays swept the two-game series against their in-state rival. Miami has lost seven games in a row and scored just eight runs during that stretch. The Marlins have not scored since the third inning Saturday – a drought of 24 innings.

Brewers 5, Phillies 2In Philadelphia, Jesus Aguilar

ripped a two-run single and Gio Gonzalez tossed 5-1/3 strong innings as Milwaukee won for the ninth time in its last 12 games, knocking off hosts Philadelphia.

Gonzalez (2-0) overcame Jean Segura’s solo homer in the first inning for the lone run he allowed. He scat-tered seven hits and struck out three before three relievers bridged the gap to Josh Hader, who retired the side in the ninth for his 11th save.

Yankees 5, Orioles 3, Game 1

Yankees 3, Orioles 1, Game 2In New York, Gleyber Torres hom-

ered in consecutive at-bats, and hosts New York slugged four homers in defeating Baltimore in the opener of a doubleheader.

Torres recorded his fourth career multi-homer game and second this season. He also hit two homers in Baltimore on April 4. Torres led off the second and fourth by connecting off right-hander David Hess (1-5).

Gary Sanchez and Cameron Maybin also homered for the Yankees. Sanchez hit a 443-foot blast in the first, and Maybin homered in the second.

Domingo German escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning and became the first eight-game winner in the major leagues as hosts New York completed the doubleheader sweep of Baltimore.

German (8-1) allowed one run on six hits in seven innings.

Red Sox 6, Rockies 5, 10 InningsIn Boston, Michael Chavis hit an

RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the 10th inning as hosts Boston beat Colorado to salvage a two-game series split.

After Boston lost in 11 innings the night prior, Chavis assured a different result on the first pitch he saw from Rockies reliever Chad Bettis (1-3). Brandon Workman (3-1) got the win after escaping a two-out, two-on jam in the top of the 10th.

Reds 6, Cubs 5, 10 Innings

In Cincinnati, Yasiel Puig’s bases-loaded single in the 10th inning gave hosts Reds a walk-off win over Chicago, two innings after the Reds tied the game on Eugenio Suarez’s two-run homer.

The Reds put runners at second and third with one out in the 10th against Cubs reliever Brad Brach (3-1), who then walked Jesse Winker to get to Puig. Amir Garrett (3-1) got the win after retiring the only batter he faced.

Braves 4, Cardinals 0In Atlanta, Austin Riley hit a long

solo home run in his second major league at-bat, and Mike Soroka fired seven shutout innings as the rookies, both first-round draft picks from 2015, led host Atlanta past St Louis.

Riley, a slugger ranked as the team’s top position-player prospect, hit a 438-foot homer against St Louis starter Michael Wacha (3-1) in his second at-bat. Riley was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday morning when outfielder Ender Inciarte was placed on the injured list due to a lumbar strain.

Astros 5, Tigers 1In Detroit, Justin Verlander over-

powered his former team, Alex Bregman homered, and Houston stretched its winning streak to eight games by topping hosts Detroit.

Verlander (7-1) gave up one run on two hits with two walks and nine strikeouts in seven innings. Bregman’s homer was his 14th this season, help-ing the Astros sweep the three-game series.

Diamondbacks 11, Pirates 1In Phoenix, Zack Greinke pitched

7-2/3 scoreless innings before leaving with abdominal tightness as Arizona cruised past Pittsburgh.

Greinke (6-1) efficiently worked his way through the Pittsburgh lineup, allowing four hits while striking out five and walking none.

Twins 8, Angels 7In Minneapolis, Byron Buxton and

Jason Castro each hit two-run homers, and Jake Odorizzi won his sixth con-secutive start as Minnesota took the rubber game of a three-game series over Los Angeles.

Jorge Polanco went 2-for-4 with a triple, Ehire Adrianza went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Jonathan Schoop also had two hits for Minnesota.

Nationals 5, Mets 1In Washington, Patrick Corbin

allowed just one run in eight innings, and Anthony Rendon went 3-for-4 and scored twice as Washington beat New York, winning for just the eighth time in 20 home games.

Corbin (4-1) struck out 11 while giving up just four hits and one walk after he went seven shutout innings in his previous start against the Dodgers.

Giants 4, Blue Jays 3In San Francisco, Brandon Crawford

broke a tie with a sixth-inning home run, and four relievers combined on four shutout innings as hosts San Francisco salvaged an interleague series split against Toronto.

Crawford’s go-ahead homer came an inning after Blue Jays right-hander Edwin Jackson completed a historic start, having allowed three runs (two earned) and six hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out two.

Rangers 6, Royals 1In Kansas City, Ronald Guzman

homered and drove in three runs, and Willie Calhoun and Shin-Soo Choo also went deep for Texas, which won at Kansas City to snap a five-game los-ing streak.

Mike Minor (4-3) struggled through five innings but wiggled out of enough trouble to earn the victory. He gave up just one run on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

BASEBALL

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Kenta Maeda of Japan is hit by a foul ball during the sixth inning of the team’s baseball game against the San Diego Padres on May 15, in Los

Angeles. (AP)

WASHINGTON, May 16, (RTRS): Results and standings from the MLB games on Wednesday.Minnesota 8 LA Angels 7NY Yankees 5 Baltimore 3Arizona 11 Pittsburgh 1SF Giants 4 Toronto 3NY Yankees 3 Baltimore 1Reds 6 Chic Cubs 5Nationals 5 NY Mets 1Milwaukee 5 Phillies 2Boston 6 Rockies 5Tampa Bay 1 Miami 0Houston 5 Detroit 1Atlanta 4 St Louis 0Texas 6 KC Royals 1LA Dodgers 2 San Diego 0

American LeagueEast Division

W L Pct GBTampa Bay 26 15 .634 –NY Yankees 26 16 .619 0-1/2Boston 23 20 .535 4Toronto 17 25 .405 9-1/2Baltimore 14 28 .333 12-1/2

Central Division W L Pct GBMinnesota 27 15 .643 –Cleveland 22 19 .537 4-1/2Chic W. Sox 19 22 .463 7-1/2Detroit 18 23 .439 8-1/2Kansas City 15 28 .349 12-1/2

West Division W L Pct GBHouston 29 15 .659 –Seattle 22 23 .489 7-1/2LA Angels 20 23 .465 8-1/2Texas 18 22 .450 9Oakland 19 25 .432 10

National LeagueEast Division

W L Pct GBPhiladelphia 24 18 .571 –Atlanta 22 21 .512 2-1/2NY Mets 20 21 .488 3-1/2Washington 17 25 .405 7Miami 10 31 .244 13-1/2

Central Division W L Pct GBChic Cubs 25 15 .625 –Milwaukee 26 19 .578 1-1/2St Louis 23 20 .535 3-1/2Pittsburgh 21 19 .525 4Cincinnati 19 24 .442 7-1/2

West Division W L Pct GBLA Dodgers 29 16 .644 –Arizona 24 20 .545 4-1/2San Diego 22 21 .512 6Colorado 20 22 .476 7-1/2San Francisco 18 24 .429 9-1/2

MLB Results/Standings