World Sports Brief: June 19, 2023

Verstappen takes Red Bull's 100th win in Formula One

Max Verstappen won the Canadian Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday (June 18) to stretch his Formula One championship lead and take Red Bull's milestone 100th victory.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates with a trophy on the podium after winning the race -Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada - June 18, 2023. (Photo: Reuters)
Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates with a trophy on the podium after winning the race -Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada - June 18, 2023. (Photo: Reuters)

The Dutch 25-year-old led every lap as he took his career tally to 41 wins, stepping up alongside Brazil's late triple champion Ayrton Senna in the record books. Fernando Alonso finished second for Aston Martin at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Spaniard's sixth podium in eight races, with Britain's seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes.

* A package of social media tools designed to protect players from online abuse will be offered to all teams at the 2023 Women's World Cup, soccer's world governing body FIFA said on Sunday. The Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), developed by FIFA and the players' union FIFPRO, monitors and moderates hate speech on social media, hiding harmful content from the players.

* The Belgian capital hosted its second annual pedal boat world championship on Sunday in which competitors raced in a four-hour relay and vied for best costume. Organiser Jean-Christophe Ghys said the teams were mainly from Belgium but some were also from Spain, France and England.

* Striker Kelechi Ihenacho scored a stoppage time winner as Nigeria beat Sierra Leone 3-2 in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers to become one of four countries on Sunday to be added to the list of finalists for next year’s tournament. Guinea Bissau also qualified from Group A, as Sierra Leone’s hopes of catching them were ended, while the Cape Verde Islands are through from Group B and Mali from Group G.

* Wyndham Clark birdied the par-five first hole to move to 11-under and grab the outright lead from Rickie Fowler as the final pairing of the US Open's final round set out at Los Angeles Country Club. Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, who is out to end his nine-year major drought, birdied the first hole to climb into a tie with Fowler at 10 under par.

* Italy claimed the consolation bronze medals at the Nations League finals, and added to a disappointing week for hosts the Netherlands, as they edged the Dutch 3-2 in Sunday’s third place playoff tie at the Twente Stadium.

* American rider Magnus Sheffield has been discharged from hospital after crashing at the Tour de Suisse on Thursday, his team Ineos Grenadiers said on Sunday. Sheffield, who came off at the same part of Thursday's stage five as the crash that claimed the life of Swiss rider Gino Mader this week, was taken to hospital with concussion and soft tissue damage.

* England were 26 for none with a 33-run lead over Australia when rain halted play just after lunch on day three of the series-opening Ashes test at Edgbaston on Sunday. Opener Zak Crawley was seven not out while Ben Duckett was on 18.

* Spaniard Jorge Martin won the German Grand Prix for Pramac Racing after a thrilling duel with Ducati's reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia of Italy on Sunday. The pair crossed the line just 0.064 of a second apart, their bikes also touching in the heat of battle two laps from the chequered flag.

* Andy Murray ramped up his Wimbledon preparations by beating Arthur Cazaux in the Nottingham Open final on Sunday to lift a second straight grasscourt title while fellow Briton Katie Boulter beat compatriot Jodie Burrage in the women's final. The three-time Grand Slam champion put in a clinical performance to win 6-4 6-4, converting three of his four break points against the Frenchman to claim the Challenger Tour title.

* Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez withdrew from the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring after crashing in Sunday's warm-up. Honda said the decision came after the turn seven fall - the Spaniard's fifth crash of the weekend - left him with a fractured left thumb.

Reuters