Kidney stone doesn’t stop Biles as U.S. gymnasts rule qualifying
Simone Biles spent part of the night before her return to world championships in the emergency room in Doha, Qatar. The sensation she chalked up to the usual pre-meet stress evolved into searing agony that at times left her crawling on the floor.
When a CT scan revealed a kidney stone — one she nicknamed “the Doha Pearl” — the reigning Olympic gymnastics champion grabbed her stuff and discharged herself from the hospital, telling the staff she would deal with the pain later.
Smiling through each twist, flip and turn, the 21-year-old Biles was nearly flawless during qualifying Saturday, posting the highest scores on balance beam, floor exercise and vault on her way to a total of 60.965 on a day when the Americans put up a team score of 174.429, 12 points clear of secondplace Japan through six of 11 qualifying groups.
Biles couldn’t be treated with the same pain medication typically given those dealing with kidney stones because doing so would put her in jeopardy of failing a drug test. She thinks she'll be fine. Even if she’s not quite 100 percent, the gap between herself and the rest of the world is so sizable it might not matter. She finished more than four points ahead of teammate and 2017 world champion Morgan Hurd, whose score of 56.465 edged Japan’s Mai Murakami for second halfway through qualifying and assured Hurd of a spot in the finals.
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Tennis: Roger Federer advanced to the 14th Swiss Indoors final of his career by beating seventhseeded Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-4.
Seeking a ninth title at his hometown event, and a 99th overall, Federer will play 93rd-ranked Marius Copil today. Copil upset expectations of a Federer final against Alexander Zverev in a 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-4 win over the fifthranked German. ...
Kei Nishikori will try to end his long losing streak in ATP finals and Kevin Anderson will go for his second title of the year at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna today. The fifthseeded Nishikori reached his third final of 2018 after beating Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan in the semifinals. The secondseeded Anderson defeated Fernando Verdasco in three sets.
Soccer: Former England player and manager Glenn Hoddle was in a serious condition but “responding well” to treatment after collapsing in a TV studio Saturday, his 61st birthday.
Hoddle was at BT Sport studios as a commentator when he fell ill and was taken to a London hospital. ...
Sadio Mane scored twice as Liverpool sprinted three points clear at the top of the English Premier League with a 4-1 rout of Cardiff at Anfield. Bournemouth turned up the heat on Fulham’s under-fire manager Slavisa Jokanovic with a 3-0 win. Brighton beat Wolverhampton 1-0 while Watford defeated Huddersfield 3-0. Leicester and West Ham drew 1-1 and Southampton vs Newcastle ended 0-0. ...
Memphis Depay came off the bench to set up one goal and score the other as Lyon won 2-1 at 10-man Angers to move up to third in the French league. ...
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to help Juventus come from behind to win 2-1 at relegationthreatened Empoli and maintain its unbeaten start in Italy’s Serie A. Francesco Caputo had given Empoli the lead in the first half but Ronaldo converted a penalty and scored a second. Juventus moved seven points clear of second-placed Napoli, which hosts Roma today. ...
Atletico Madrid bounced back from its worst defeat under coach Diego Simone by beating Real Sociedad 2-0 to take the lead in the Spanish league. Atletico was one point ahead of Barcelona and Espanyol.
Figure skating: Olym
A pic bronze medalist Shoma Uno of Japan won Skate Canada International in Laval, Quebec, rallying in the free skate to edge Canada’s Keegan Messing.
Uno finished with a total of 277.25 points. Messing, the leader Friday after the short program, was second at 265.17. South Korea’s Cha Jun-Hwan took bronze with 254.77.
France’s Vanessa
James and Morgan Cipres won the pairs title, scoring a personal-best 147.30 in the short program for a total of 221.81. China’s Peng Cheng and Jin Yang were second at 201.08, followed by Canada’s Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro at 200.93.
Motor sports: Daniel
A Ricciardo’s smile beamed its brightest in months, while his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen steamed. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, looked completely comfortable knowing he’s in a perfect spot to win his fifth career Formula One championship.
Ricciardo snatched the pole position from Verstappen at the end of a sizzling round of qualifying at the Mexican Grand Prix, setting up a Red Bull fight from the front row as both drivers duel for the team’s third win of the season. Hamilton will start third, knowing he can let the Red Bull cars go off and running while he coasts his Mercedes to the finish line. A seventh-place finish will secure the British driver’s fifth career title. Hamilton missed his chance to win the title last week at the U.S. Grand Prix, where he finished third.