Raisman critical of USA Gymnastics
Aly Raisman is calling for sweeping change in USA Gymnastics in the wake of dozens of allegations of sexual abuse former national team doctor Larry Nassar, a scandal that has left one of the U.S. Olympic movement’s marquee programs scrambling and the Needham native shaken.
The 23-year-old Raisman, who was around Nassar regularly at the team’s training facility in Texas and at meets around the globe, declined to talk about whether she was treated improperly by Nassar. She did agree to speak more generally and called Nassar “a monster” and blames USA Gymnastics for failing to stop him and spending too much of the fallout attempting to “sweep it under the rug” in a wide-ranging interview yesterday shortly after she and other members of the “Final Five” that won team gold at the 2016 Olympics were inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame . . . .
Yul Moldauer won the all-around title at the U.S. men’s gymnastics championships in Anaheim, Calif., overcoming an early bobble on high bars to hold off Oklahoma teammate Allan Bower.
Moldauer posted a two-day total of 171.600, a full point better than Bower and nearly two points clear of 2016 Olympic alternate Donnell Whittenburg.
Akash Modi, the reigning NCAA champion, began the night with the best chance at chasing down Moldauer but ended up fourth thanks to significant form breaks on four of the six events.
Tennis: Halep eyes No. 1 ranking
Second-ranked Simona Halep needed just 54 minutes to cruise past Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-1 yesterday in the Western & Southern Open semifinals in Mason, Ohio, and can displace Karolina Pliskova as world No. 1 with a win over Garbine Muguruza today.
The fourth-ranked Muguruza reached thhe final with a 6-3, 6-2 win over defending champ Pliskova.
The men’s final will feature two first-timers. Grigor Dimitrov outlasted John Isner 7-6 (4), 7-6 (10) in the first men’s semifinal. He’ll next face Nick Kyrgios, who beat David Ferrer 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4).
Auto Racing: Sato takes Pocono pole
Indianapolis 500 champion Takuma Sato posted an average of 219.639 mph to win the pole for the IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.
Sato’s Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan HunterReay was involved in a high-impact crash, limped to an ambulance and was transported to a hospital. Helio Castroneves, the series point leader, also was involved in a violent wreck.
Simon Pagenaud joins Sato on the front row. Charlie Kimball and Tony Kanaan are on the second row.
Boxing: Crawford wins all the belts
Terence Crawford stopped Julius Indongo in the third round to become the undisputed world champion at 140 pounds in his hometown of Lincoln, Neb.
Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs) sent Indongo (22-1) to the canvas with a right to the body in the last minute of the second round and just missed with a massive left hook before the bell. Midway through the third round, Crawford caught Indongo with a left hook to the body that put him down writhing in pain.