Lewis Hamilton earned a late 100th F1 victory in a dramatic Russian Grand Prix, celebrating in Sochi for the fifth time after torrential rain denied the impressive Lando Norris a maiden win.
In soaking conditions that threatened to emulate the thunder and lightning which delayed qualifying, 21-year-old Norris was minutes from victory despite rain beginning to batter the track with eight laps to go.
The McLaren prodigy’s decision to persist with slick tyres meant he suffered an agonizing finish, failing to even make the podium as Hamilton hauled his way past from the back of the grid, leapfrogging arch-rival Max Verstappen at the top of the standings.
“I want to say a big thank you to all the fans – it’s such a great crowd here,” Hamilton beamed to fellow British Formula One champion Damon Hill on Sky Sports afterwards, lauding the 30,000 punters who filled the Autodrom to half-capacity by the Black Sea.
HAMILTON TO THE LEAD!!
A massive downpour in the final laps of the Russian GP sees Lando Norris' first F1 victory slide away. pic.twitter.com/MrTpV4UKXU
“I know it’s not been the best of weather but what a race we provided, so thank you for backing us. It’s taken a long time to get to 100 [wins] and I wasn’t even sure whether or not it would come.”
Norris, who spun before finishing seventh, overcame his heartbreak to share a warm handshake and embrace with Hamilton as the seven-time champion spoke in the setting where he has won on three of his last four visits.
“Lando did such an amazing job,” said Hamilton. “He had incredible pace. He’s doing such a great job for McLaren and it’s very bittersweet to see my old team ahead and doing so well. They’re doing fantastically.
“I’m incredibly grateful to all these men and women who are here and back at the factory.”
Verstappen had started at the back because of an engine penalty and looked thrilled with the result at a circuit where Mercedes has traditionally been dominant.
Norris shunned the chance to be given intermediaries while his more established rivals made decisions to switch that paid off handsomely, with prophetic Verstappen charging through to finish second, having been seventh before the downpour.
“At one point it was really slippery and I think we decided to pit at the right time,” he said after he ended the day two points behind Hamilton, setting up a tantalizing final six races of the season.
“To come from last to second is very, very good. When I work up this morning, I definitely didn’t expect this result.”
Carlos Sainz Jnr – the leader at one point – finished third, with Norris teammate Daniel Ricciardo fourth and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, who won the race in 2017 and 2020, fifth.
Home racer Nikita Mazepin finished 18th on another difficult day for Haas, with teammate Mick Schumacher failing to finish.
Extinction Rebellion organizers have claimed that “history will vindicate” a Paralympic hero after he was sentenced to a year in jail for holding up a flight in a climate protest stunt in the UK.
Northern Ireland-born James Brown glued his hand to an Amsterdam-bound British Airways aircraft in October 2019 as part of the group’s takeover of London City Airport, explaining at the time that he felt “compelled” to bring about “radical change”.
The champion for Britain in the B3 800 metres and 1500m at the 1984 Games spent an hour on the aircraft before being removed.
Visually-impaired Brown, 56, was estimated by prosecutors to have cost the airline around $55,000 and will reportedly serve at least six months in prison.
“I was compelled to do what I did because of my concerns for the future of my children. We all know the catastrophe that awaits them… We also know that nonviolent civil disobedience have proved itself… to bring radical change”, Paralympian, Rebel and hero James Brown. pic.twitter.com/5hPcf7kTlO
“To put a partially blind man in jail, while the [UK] prime minister [Boris Johnson] quotes Kermit the Frog to the UN and recruits the [cartoon litter-pickers] Wombles as the [climate change conference] COP26 mascots, shows what a mockery our leaders are making of this moment,” responded the group, which invited people to protest outside London’s HMP Wandsworth, where Brown is incarcerated, on Sunday.
“History will vindicate him just as it vindicated past activists who went to prison after non-violently fighting for a just cause.
“If enough people do something like what James Brown did, then there will be a future.”
Brown represented himself at his trial in July, when he denied one count of causing a public nuisance and admitted he felt he had wanted “to do something spectacular” to highlight the climate crisis.
A jury deliberated for less than an hour before delivering a guilty verdict on the former GB cyclist and athletics star, who also competed in cross-country skiing for Ireland.
“The right to protest does not entitle you to cause major widespread disruption to a major airport… simply because you think it is the right thing to do,” the BBC reported Judge Gregory Perrins to have told Brown.
Tonight at 8pm, outside HMP Wandsworth where James Brown is serving time for his action, and across the UK in Bath, Malvern, Birmingham, Leicester, St Ives, Barnstable, Norwich we are coming together to say #FreeJamesBrown. If you can't join in person, please tweet in support. pic.twitter.com/zv9hJSgR8i
“This is a case in which you acted together with at least 10 other activists to plan and execute a major act of disruption.
“You intended to cause the maximum amount of disruption possible at the airport, if not shut it down completely.”
Representing Brown at his sentencing hearing, Tim Maloney QC said the former athlete “has expressed an intention not to become involved in unlawful protest again.”
Brown is said to be the first UK protester from the group to receive a custodial sentence. He has also reportedly been fined around $4,785.
A 21-year-old American footballer has been killed in a shooting which took place during a house party in the Salt Lake City late on Saturday night – just hours after his team, Utah, beat Washington State.
Salt Lake Police announced on Sunday that highly-rated defensive player Lowe was one of two people shot at around midnight local time while he was celebrating his team’s 24-13 against the Cougars on Saturday.
Lowe was pronounced dead soon afterwards while the other victim, an adult female, is understood to be in critical condition.
No arrests have yet been made yet over the incident, which took place in the Sugar House area.
Abby and I mourn with our @UUtah family and friends at the tragic passing of Aaron Lowe this morning. Our prayers are with his family at this terribly difficult time.
“These investigations are complex. Our detectives have been hard at work trying to identify the suspect or suspects in this case,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown of the investigation.
The Mesquite, Texas native was a prominent defensive back for the Utah Utes after he was recruited to the famous college football program as one of the top-rated safety prospects in the United States before he converted to cornerback.
He had appeared in each of the Utes’ first four games of the season – and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said that Lowe’s absence will be sorely felt.
“We are devastated to hear about the passing of Aaron Lowe. Our thoughts and prayers are with Aaron’s family and friends, along with the other individual who was harmed in this tragic incident,” said Whittingham in a statement.
“Aaron was a great teammate, friend, brother and son and was loved by anyone who crossed paths with him. He will be deeply missed.”
Spencer Cox, the Republican governor of Utah, has also spoken of his sorrow at Lowe’s passing. “[We] mourn with our [University of Utah] family and friends at the tragic passing of Aaron Lowe this morning,” he said. “Our prayers are with his family at this terribly difficult time.”
Lowe’s passing comes just months after he was named as the recipient of Utah’s Ty Jordan Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to a player who embodies a spirit of “work ethic, positivity and perseverance through adversity“.
The scholarship was named after former Utah running back Jordan, who was killed on Christmas Day 2020 at the age of 19 in what police called an accidental shooting.
Both Lowe and Jordan attended West Mesquite High School in Texas and Lowe had changed his shirt number to ’22’ this season in honor of his former teammate.
Russian former UFC champion Petr Yan has petitioned the promotion to offer him a new opponent for the upcoming fight card in Abu Dhabi after title holder Aljamain Sterling withdrew from their scheduled rematch citing an injury.
The UFC’s return to the United Arab Emirates suffered a blow when it was revealed late on Saturday that Sterling had pulled out of the anticipated fight opposite Yan, scheduled for October 30.
The American fighter blamed “lingering” issues with his neck after having surgery to repair an injury in April, with no timetable as to when ‘The Funk Master’ might be medically cleared to return to action.
Reacting to the news, Yan has fired another salvo at his foe in what is fast becoming one of the UFC’s most contentious rivalries.
“Greetings, all,” said Yan on an Instagram Live video. “You know what’s just happened to my fight.
“You all know that Aljo just ran away like a sneaky coward. Here is what I would like to say.
“I am not going to sit and wait for him. I am going to fight on October 30 in Abu Dhabi, and I would like to address the UFC.
“UFC! Give me any fighter. Top five, top seven, top ten. Anyone who deserves to fight for the belt, and I will get the job done.
“I will show you who is the real champ.”
The tense relationship between the two fighters dates back to their controversial first meeting in March, when Yan, who entered the fight as the champion, was disqualified after he landed an illegal knee on Sterling in the fourth round when he appeared to be winning.
Sterling determined that he was unable to continue after being given time to recover by the referee, with officials announcing the 32-year-old as the winner by disqualification in what is the first and only time in UFC history that a world title has changed hands in that way.
But despite what Yan asserts is Sterling’s “cowardice“, he says that he wishes to remain on the forthcoming October 30 card to make another statement as to his own title credentials.
Since news of Sterling’s withdrawal broke there has been speculation that the UFC may opt to create an interim bantamweight title, with Yan heavily linked to a fight with the impressive American fighter Cory Sandhagen.
Sandhagen was recently defeated by the returning TJ Dillashaw, who is currently unavailable through injury.
After emotionally claiming that she did not know when she would play again earlier this month, Naomi Osaka has declared that she has “that itch” and could return soon.
The despondent four-time major winner broke down in tears after being knocked out by then-world number 73 Leylah Fernandez at the US Open, losing in the third round a year after winning the title.
After a difficult season in which she hit the headlines for withdrawing from the French Open on mental health grounds after boycotting press duties, Osaka has now starred on a US TV show, HBO’s ‘The Shop’, which is produced by NBA legend LeBron James.
“It was a bit weird because after I won the US Open that first time [in 2018], I had to immediately play another tournament, so I didn’t really have to face the business stuff until the end of the year,” Osaka said of her whirlwind 12 months, appearing on the program alongside actress Wanda Sykes, rapper Jadakiss and James’ ex-teammate and fellow All-Star Kevin Love.
“And by then, I was just so happy to be getting deals and stuff. I also felt like I didn’t compromise my integrity that much at all – although I would say it’s a bit wild when you feel like people start knowing who you are overnight over one event. It’s honestly taken me two years to adjust from that.”
Those business deals made the Japanese hero the highest-earning female athlete in a year of all time, raking in an estimated $60 million to 2021 as part of a period when Osaka says she felt “overwhelmed” at times.
“I want to feel like I’m playing for myself,” she said of her plans for her future now. “And I started to feel like that power was being taken away from me in the way that I felt like I wasn’t playing to make myself happy and I was more concerned about if I won or lost, what would people say about me.
“I just used to love like the competition and just being competitive. You know, I’ve been playing tennis since I was three years old; for sure, I love the sport.
“I know I’m going to play again. Probably soon, because I kind of have that itch again, but it wouldn’t really matter to me if I won or lost.
“I’d just have the joy of being back on the court, just to… know that I’m doing it for myself.”
Currently the world number eight, Osaka said she is grateful for the influence late NBA icon Kobe Bryant had on her, as well as voicing her admiration for 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams.
“I always feel like if there was a younger player that ever needed any advice from me, I would love to give it,” she hoped.
“I would want people to remember me like how I acted toward people and how I interacted. For example, Serena? Her legacy is more than being Serena.
“I started playing because of her – I’m sure there’s so many girls that started playing because of her. She literally built champions. And I think passing it down is how the new generation gets inspired.”
Osaka enjoys using social media – including an Instagram account with almost three million followers – to broadcast her taste for fashion, including an eye-catching outfit for the recent Met Gala at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The darker side of the platforms, she warned, has “given people the chance to say things that they would never say to you in person.”
“I feel like it just gives people access to you in a way that, I feel like, a couple of years ago, people would have to come up to you to affect you that way,” the 23-year-old added.
