Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard prepared for showdown with Tadej Pogacar at Tour de France

"As champion, you could say I'm the hunted man, but believe me I'll be hunting too."

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MotoGP may use concessions system to aid Honda and Yamaha

Honda and Yamaha have had terrible seasons in 2023, with only one podium finish each in the first eight rounds to occupy the bottom two ...

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Shohei Ohtani connects on 29th home run in Angels loss to White Sox

Ohtani set a franchise record with his 14th home run in June.

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Yasuhiro Yamashita re-elected as president of Japanese Olympic Committee

Yamashita voiced unease regarding Sapporo's bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics.

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Star gymnast Simone Biles may return to competition in August

Biles dazzled at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where she won gold in team, all-around, vault and floor exercise and bronze in balance beam, ...

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Yankees Domingo German tosses perfect game against As

German fired the first perfect game in MLB since the Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez fanned 12 in a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays ...

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Shinji Okazaki extends stay at Sint-Truiden

Former Japan and Leicester forward Shinji Okazaki has agreed to extend his contract at Sint-Truiden, the Belgian top-flight club said Wednesday.The 37-year-old, who famously won ...

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Urawa pulls away from Shonan to climb into fourth place

Takahiro Sekine hit a brace as Urawa Reds grabbed a 4-1 home win against bottom club Shonan Bellmare, moving up to fourth in the J. ...

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Former No. 4 Kei Nishikori to end long ATP Tour layoff in Atlanta

The 33-year-old, a 12-time ATP Tour winner and 2016 Rio Olympic bronze medalist, has not played on the tour since undergoing surgery last year on ...

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Connor Bedard offers Blackhawks a chance to fast-track the rebuild

There is no reason to think the Blackhawks will not use the top pick of the NHL Draft to select the Canadian forward, who has ...

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Tomoya Mori hits walk-off homer for Orix after Miyagi-Sasaki pitching duel

The power-hitting catcher's 12th homer came minutes after the Marines' Koki Yamaguchi tied the game.

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Broadcaster standoff shows fragile state of Japanese womens soccer

Failure to find a television home for the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup could all but cripple the sport's hopes of mainstream acceptance in the ...

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Shohei Ohtani regains sole MLB home run lead in Angels win

Ohtani was called out on strikes in the first inning, but tied it in the fourth in his second at-bat against the White Sox's Dylan ...

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Victor Wembanyama to skip FIBA World Cup focus on NBA rookie season

France is the reigning Olympic silver medalist with an eye on winning the World Cup in September.

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Pacific League trio already facing critical juncture in playoff race

It might be a long summer for fans of teams at the bottom of the Pacific League.

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Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi matches MLB career high with seventh win

The 32-year-old left-hander used his curveball effectively en route to equaling his major league career high in wins, set in 2021 with the Seattle Mariners.

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Yin Ruoning wins Womens PGA Championship to collect first major title

Yin Ruoning produced a flawless final round with four birdies to win the Women's PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club on Sunday and claim her ...

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United States to host expanded FIFA Club World Cup in 2025

The current version of the FIFA Club World Cup, an annual competition with seven teams, will be discontinued after 2023.

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DeNA closes on first place as Katsuki Azuma shuts out CL-leading Tigers

Azuma struck out nine without a walk to outduel fellow lefty Masashi Ito, who took the loss despite seven solid innings.

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Tokyo beats Grampus in new manager Peter Cklamovskis debut

The Australian, who previously managed at Shimizu and Yamagata, replaced Spaniard Albert Puig during the recent international break.

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Frances Victor Wembanyama could be coming to Japan for World Cup warmup game

Tokyo Olympics men's basketball silver medalist France and bronze medalist Australia will play an exhibition game in Tokyo on Aug. 20, the Japan Basketball Association ...

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IOC strips boxings governing body of its recognition

The International Boxing Association's (IBA) recognition as the global body for the sport was stripped by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday due to ...

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Shohei Ohtani leads AL in votes to earn spot as starting DH for All-Star Game

Ohtani will be making his his third straight All-Star appearance.

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Spurs take French phenom Victor Wembanyama with first pick of NBA draft

Wembanyama comes into the league with buzz that has not been seen since LeBron James was drafted out of high school 20 years ago.

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Veteran star Megan Rapinoe to play new role for U.S. in fourth appearance at Womens World Cup

The 2019 Golden Boot and Golden Ball winner turns 38 next month, making her two decades older than the youngest member of the U.S. squad, ...

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Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan make fourth U.S. World Cup team

The two-time defending champion will be without captain Becky Sauerbrunn, 2023 leading scorer Mallory Swanson and veterans Sam Mewis and Catarina Macario due to injuries.

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Gamers to receive education about doping rules during Olympic Esports Week

WADA said last month that the Global Esport Federation (GEF) approached it about putting together an education program, a potential first step toward embracing the ...

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Japan Boxing Commission says Kazuto Iokas doping sample contained traces of cannabis

"Ioka hasn't taken or used any banned substance," his Shisei Gym said in a statement. "We'll prove his innocence. We wonder why they needed to ...

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Hiroto Takahashi leads Dragons to win over Eagles in NPBs interleague finale

Hiroto Takahashi allowed two runs, none earned, over 6⅔ innings to pick up the win as the Central League's Chunichi Dragons completed this year's interleague ...

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Five decades on Billie Jean King says birth of WTA among her greatest moments

The Women's Tennis Association has gone from strength to strength over the last 50 years, with circuit restructures and the onboarding of major worldwide sponsors ...

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Lively Japan thumps Peru to end June friendlies on high

The Samurai Blue followed up their 6-0 win over El Salvador with a 4-1 finish in front of an appreciative crowd at Panasonic Stadium Suita.

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Joshua Franco feeling strong ahead of rematch with Kazuto Ioka

The duo's previous bout, a super fly unification match at Tokyo's Ota City General Gymnasium on New Year's Eve, was a 12-round draw, leaving them ...

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Ethnic Korean Lee Seung-sin hopes to set example in Japans RWC squad

The fly-half was among 36 players named in Japan's test squad as Jamie Joseph begins his preparations for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

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Victor Wembanyama arrives in New York for NBA Draft

The 224-centimeter teen prodigy is expected to be selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the top pick in the league's annual allocation of talent.

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Suns close to acquiring Wizards guard Bradley Beal in trade

The Phoenix Suns are finalizing a deal to acquire All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards in exchange for veteran point guard Chris ...

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Wyndham Clark holds off Rory McIlroy to win U.S. Open

Clark beat McIlroy by one stroke to earn his first major title.

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Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout homer in consecutive at-bats in win over Royals

Ohtani hit his major league-leading 24th home run and his sixth in the past seven games.

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Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark tied atop U.S. Open heading into final round

After some late twists and turns, a two-shot swing on the last hole changed the complexion of the last day.

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Ohtani slugs league-leading 23rd homer to become second Japanese with 150 MLB homers

Hideki Matsui, who hit 175 MLB home runs, lauded his compatriot who is emulating him at the plate while also excelling on the mound.

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Kylian Mbappe says staying with PSG my only option for now

Kylian Mbappe on Thursday said staying at Paris Saint-Germain was his "only option for now," after the France superstar told the club he would not ...

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Kei Nishikori reaches semis of comeback tourney in Puerto Rico

Nishikori is on the comeback trail at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Puerto Rico after undergoing hip surgery in January last year and subsequently ...

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Yuki Tsunoda eager to earn points in Canada after missing out in Spain

"Even though we know we are struggling a bit this season, we have achieved good results in the races and that is down to how ...

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Former Dragons ace Shigeru Sugishita known as the God of the Forkball dies at 97

Known as "the God of the Forkball," Sugishita won 215 career games, all but four for the Dragons between 1949 and 1958.

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Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele get off to record starts at U.S. Open

Fowler and Schauffele each fired an 8-under 62, the lowest round in U.S. Open history and tied for the lowest ever in a major.

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Japan cruises past 10-man El Salvador in friendly

The lopsided result at Toyota Stadium marked the first win for Hajime Moriyasu's men since last year's Qatar World Cup.

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Yuma Tongu and Yutaro Sugimoto power Buffaloes to win over Tigers

The two-time defending Pacific League champions came from behind to beat the Tigers.

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Harry Brook eager to realize dream with England during Ashes

Brook has had a remarkable start to his international career, hitting four centuries in his first seven tests and winning the T20 World Cup.

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Nevada assembly approves funding deal for As

The Oakland Athletics inched closer to a move to Las Vegas when the Nevada state assembly approved a bill providing public funding to assist in ...

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BayStars Trevor Bauer strikes out 12 to earn first complete-game victory in NPB

The BayStars' win at Yokohama Stadium kept them tied atop the interleague standings and 3½-games behind the league-leading Hanshin Tigers in the CL pennant race.

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Kaoru Mitoma drawing Japan World Cup inspiration from FA Cup run

Brighton's sixth-place finish in the English Premier League means the Japan winger is set for his first taste of European continental club competition next season ...

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Kylian Mbappe says he never discussed extending stay with PSG

With the player confirming he will leave when his contract expires in 2024, the Ligue 1 champion risks losing a huge asset for nothing in ...

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Yohander Mendez collects first win and first hit in Giants’ win over Lions

Yohander Mendez enjoyed a night of firsts at Tokyo Dome.He swung at a fastball in the fourth inning against the Seibu Lions and got his ...

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Posh Miami enclave to become U.S. soccer hub

Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s highly-connected president, is expected to relocate to Miami in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup.

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Mana Iwabuchi left out of Japan’s Women’s World Cup squad

The Tottenham midfielder was part of the team that won the World Cup in 2011 but did not make Futoshi Ikeda's list of 23.

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World Cup winner Kozue Ando claims WE League MVP

Five players made the best eleven from Urawa, including upcoming World Cup hopefuls Hikaru Naomoto and Kiko Seike.

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Jamie Joseph confident Brave Blossoms’ style can give England trouble at Rugby World Cup

Joseph, who led Japan to the quarterfinals in 2019, says his team can "achieve anything."

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Shohei Ohtani collects three hits in Angels’ win over Mariners

Shohei Ohtani went 3-for-5 with three singles and Zach Neto homered twice to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 9-4 win over the Seattle ...

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Novak Djokovic stands alone after capturing record 23rd Grand Slam title at French Open

If the debate about the best man to ever wield a tennis racket came down to statistics alone, Novak Djokovic's status is already secure.

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Koki Yamaguchi hits grand slam, Roki Sasaki fans 10 in Marines’ win

Sasaki (5-1) struck out 10 in seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits and walking one at Zozo Marine Stadium in Chiba

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Manchester City is Europe’s champion, a title years and billions in the making

City is now only the second English team — and one of only a select handful of clubs across Europe — to have completed a ...

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Padres power Yu Darvish to 100th MLB win

The Padres spotted Darvish (5-4) an early 6-0 lead at Coors Field and he held on to become the second Japanese pitcher to reach 100 ...

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Shohei Ohtani stars at the plate, but not on the mound, as Angels top Mariners

Los Angeles posted its fifth consecutive win, while Seattle lost for the fifth time in six games, as Ohtani slugged his 17th home run of ...

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Saudi Arabia furthers ‘sportswashing’ ambitions with PGA merger

Human rights, it turns out, are a bore and an obstacle. "Sportswashing,” as it is known, is powerful and effective.

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England captain Ben Stokes hopes to be part of transcendent Ashes series

England captain eager to create lasting memories during test against archrival Australia.

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Jimmy Butler and Heat stars excited to welcome Lionel Messi to Miami

Lionel Messi saying he will soon play for Inter Miami of Major League Soccer is exciting news for the Miami Heat players, already thrilling South ...

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Rory McIlroy eager to put focus back on golf

McIlroy was one of the staunchest critics of the breakaway LIV Golf circuit, which lured top PGA Tour and DP World Tour stars with signing ...

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No. 1 Iga Swiatek sets up clash against Karolina Muchova in French Open final

The 22-year-old Pole, who improved her record in Paris to 27-2, is bidding to become the first woman to successfully defend the title since Justine ...

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Miyu Kato wins French Open mixed doubles title to end tumultuous stay in Paris on high note

"I really want to thank everyone who has been supporting me," she said. "The default was unfortunate, but I could keep my head up and ...

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Hanshin’s Kotaro Otake and Chunichi’s Seiya Hosokawa earn monthly honors with new clubs

NPB announced its monthly MVPs for May in the Central and Pacific Leagues on Thursday.

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Fourth-tier Kochi knocks Gamba out of Emperor’s Cup

J. League first-division struggler Gamba Osaka was handed a humiliating second-round exit from the Emperor's Cup on Wednesday, losing 2-1 at home against fourth-tier Kochi ...

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Soccer great Lionel Messi chooses Miami as next destination

"After winning the World Cup and not being able to go to Barca, it was time to go to the U.S. league to experience football ...

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Pep Guardiola closes in on silencing critics for good

Guardiola has already made City the dominant force of English soccer with five league titles in the past six seasons.

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Carlos Alcaraz hunts down Stefanos Tsitsipas to set up Djoko showdown

For almost three sets the world No. 1 played jaw-dropping tennis, eventually leaving the fifth-seeded Greek in the dust.

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Barcelona beats Vissel Kobe in Andres Iniesta’s Tokyo swansong

The 39-year-old, who has said he intends to continue his playing career, started on the pitch for Vissel and lasted until the 81st minute.

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President Biden lauds Chiefs’ unity during White House visit

Biden was presented with a Chiefs' No. 46 jersey in an outdoor gathering.

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Holger Rune double-bounces into French Open quarterfinals

The Dane will now need to improve on last year's performance against Casper Ruud, when he lost a bad-tempered quarterfinal.

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Newly minted ozeki Kirishima departs for long-awaited trip home to Mongolia

The Spring Grand Sumo Tournament winner returns home as the sixth Mongolian-born wrestler to achieve the esteemed rank, second only to yokozuna.

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Rose Zhang becomes first LPGA player since 1951 to win pro debut

Rose Zhang beat Jennifer Kupcho with a par on the second playoff hole to win the Mizuho Americas Open in her professional debut on Sunday, ...

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Strong third period lifts Knights over Panthers in Game 1

Adin Hill made 33 saves and Zach Whitecloud scored the go-ahead goal to highlight a three-goal third period for Vegas as the Golden Knights took ...

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Kyogo Furuhashi helps Celtic to Scottish Cup win

Furuhashi's 34th goal of the season broke a 0-0 deadlock against Inverness and helped his side complete a domestic treble.

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PSG announces Lionel Messi won’t return next season

The Argentinian was signed two seasons ago from Barcelona to help PSG win an elusive Champions League, but he failed in that aim.

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Sergey Karjakin may skip World Cup rather than compete without Russian flag

Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been banned from competitions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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Kazuma Okamoto hits sayonara double as Giants edge Fighters

Okamoto hit a double to left to drive in the game-winning run.

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Hideki Matsuyama gets into contention with flawless 65 at Memorial

The Japanese star, who began the day in a tie for 33rd, moved to a 7-under 137 total, one stroke behind Justin Suh of the ...

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Saudi Arabia reaps benefits of unprecedented attention as Cristiano Ronaldo pledges to remain

Reports have linked a string of other big names to the Saudi Pro League, thanks to the riches of the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign ...

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Golden Knights and Panthers each trying to capture first Stanley Cup title

Each team has reached the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in its history.

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Yoshihito Nishioka advances to third round of French Open

Nishioka, who has never previously gone beyond the second round of a Grand Slam event, will face giant-killing Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild next.

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No. 1 Iga Swiatek rolls into third round at French Open

The world No. 1 is looking to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup for the third time in four years.

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Shingo Kawabata provides spark as Swallows earn first win since May 14

The Swallows had one tie and 12 losses in their previous 13 games.

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Usain Bolt eager to play impactful role in future of track and field

The Jamaican, who dominated men's sprinting for nearly a decade

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Sevilla in seventh heaven after defeating Roma to win Europa League

Sevilla found its Europa League magic formula on Wednesday, beating Roma 4-1 on penalties in Budapest to make it a perfect seven out of seven ...

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