Snooker: Judd Trump reached the final of the Coral Welsh Open for the first time by beating Scott Donaldson 6-3 in Cardiff, yesterday. Trump is aiming for the seventh world ranking title of his career, and is hoping to win two in the same season for the first time, having landed the European Masters crown in October. The world number four will face Stuart Bingham in today’s final, with first to nine frames to take the Ray Reardon Trophy and a top prize of £70,000. Bingham beat Robert Milkins 6-0 in the semi-finals.
Alpine Skiing: Mikaela Shiffrin won a record-equalling third successive World Championship women’s slalom title with two blistering runs yesterday to secure a first gold medal for the United States at this year’s event. The 21-year Shiffrin, from old from Vail, Colorado, matched the accomplishment of German Christl Cranz who completed her treble in 1939, finishing a staggering 1.64 seconds ahead of home crowd favourite Wendy Holdener, of Switzerland. It was a second podium finish for overall World Cup leader Shiffrin who also took the silver medal in Thursday’s giant slalom.
Basketball: Six-times NBA All-Star Pau Gasol of San Antonio Spurs claimed another honour yesterday when he was elected to the National Basketball Players Association’s executive committee. Gasol was voted in during the union’s annual All-Star meeting of the board of player representatives in New Orleans. The Spaniard begins his three-year term effective immediately as a voting member of the nine-player NBPA executive committee. He is the only non-American on the committee.
Rugby: Tonga’s test against Wales in June is to be moved to another venue over concerns about the state of the pitch at the National Stadium in Nuku’alofa. The match, scheduled for June 17, could now be moved to New Zealand. New Zealand media reported yesterday that Auckland was being considered as a possible venue for the match, given the large Tongan community in New Zealand’s biggest city. Wales, who will be without their British and Irish Lions players, also face Samoa in Apia on June 24.
Winter Games: North Korea will send a team to next year’s Winter Olympics in neighbouring South Korea, the country’s International Olympic Committee member has said. Pyeongchang will stage Asia’s first Winter Games outside Japan next year, kicking off an Olympic cycle that reflects the continent’s growing influence on sport with Tokyo hosting the 2020 Summer Games and Beijing the 2022 Winter Olympics. Pyeongchang is only 80 kilometres from the border with North Korea.
Athletics: Mo Farah ended his indoor career with a new European record, winning the 5,000 metres at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix yesterday in a time of 13 minutes 10.60 seconds. Farah, Britain’s four-times Olympic champion, plans to focus on road racing after the outdoor World Championships in London in August when he will say his final farewell to the track. The 33-year-old shaved over half a second off the European record after pacemaker Adam Clarke had taken the 11-man field through a fast opening to the race.