AP National Sports

SAN VIGILIO DI MAREBBE, Italy (AP) — Sara Hector has won the final World Cup giant slalom before the Beijing Olympics. Hector was second after the opening run but overtook defending overall champion Petra Vlhova for her second straight GS victory. The Swedish skier let out a scream after crossing the line 0.15 seconds ahead

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Anthony Martial is close to securing a move away from Manchester United. The France forward is set to be loaned out to Spanish team Sevilla until the end of the season. There will be no fee involved or option to buy at the end of the season. United manager Ralf Rangnick

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Players have called on the German hockey league to consider suspending its operations because of coronavirus outbreaks. The call came as Germany revealed its men’s roster for next month’s Olympics. The Ice Hockey Players’ Union says the virus is so widespread in the Bundesliga that the league should consider following the

OSLO (AP) — Every member of Norway’s men’s Olympic cross-country skiing team is isolating ahead of the Beijing Games because a coach has contracted the coronavirus. Sprint team head coach Arild Monsen tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Norway from the Italian Alpine resort of Seiser Alm. The Norwegian Ski Association says all eight

MADRID (AP) — Barcelona says forward Ansu Fati will follow a conservative recovery plan to treat his left hamstring injury. Barcelona and the player have opted to avoid surgery and his recovery time should be reduced. The club did not say how long it expects Fati to be sidelined. The 19-year-old Fati had to be

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian figure skater Mikhail Kolyada has been ruled out of next month’s Beijing Olympics after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Russian Figure Skating Federation says Kolyada tested positive ahead of traveling to a pre-Olympic training camp and has been replaced by Evgeni Semenenko. The federation says Kolyada first started feeling unwell

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian figure skater Mikhail Kolyada has been ruled out of next month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Russian Figure Skating Federation said Kolyada tested positive ahead of traveling to a pre-Olympic training camp and has been replaced by first-time Olympian Evgeni Semenenko. The federation says Kolyada

MILAN (AP) — Defending snowboard cross gold medalist Michela Moioli will replace Sofia Goggia as Italy’s flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics after the latter’s injury over the weekend. Goggia was injured during a World Cup super-G in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Sunday. Moioli was slated to carry the country’s flag at

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia and China oppose “the politicization of sport and demonstrative boycotts” ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The U.S. is among several countries which have said they will not send politicians or other representatives to next month’s Games in a so-called diplomatic boycott. The U.S. cited

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer The Professional Fighters League and ESPN have announced a new, multi-year agreement that will see expanded coverage on ESPN linear networks and ESPN-plus. PFL CEO Peter Murray said he expected undefeated champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison to return to the league in 2022. Harrison is 12-0

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Collin Morikawa has had plenty of thinking to do ahead of this week’s Dubai Desert Classic. The British Open champion finished tied for 62nd at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday and the guy with one of the purest swings in golf says “I didn’t know where the golf

SAN VIGILIO DI MAREBBE, Italy (AP) — Petra Vlhova has clocked the fastest time in the first run of the last World Cup giant slalom before the Beijing Olympics. 2018 Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin was third fastest at San Vigilio Di Marebbe in Italy. Vlhova made good use of the No. 1 start bib

By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rafael Nadal fended off Denis Shapovalov in five sets to reach the Australian Open semifinals for the seventh time and keep his bid on track for a men’s-record 21st Grand Slam singles title. Nadal shares the men’s record with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Neither

By BRUCE MATTHEWS Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Nick Kyrgios handed over a racket as a sympathetic gift for accidentally hitting a young fan and the umpire left her chair to check on the boy’s condition. And that was all in the opening few games of the latest version of tennis played in a

By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rafael Nadal held off Denis Shapovalov in a four-hour, five-set victory to reach the Australian Open semifinals for the seventh time and keep his bid on track for a men’s-record 21st Grand Slam singles title. Nadal shares the men’s record with Roger Federer and Novak