Author: The Guardian

Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales completed a perfect weekend at the Grand Prix of the Americas, with the pole-sitter and sprint champion taking victory on Sunday despite a poor start Dropped out of the top ten on the first lap.Viñales became the first rider to win a race with three different manufacturers on Sunday (having won in the past with Suzuki and Yamaha), taking the checkered flag in an eventful race, He took the lead many times during the game.Red Bull GasGas Tech3 Team’s 19-year-old rookie Pedro Acosta led in two separate races but finished second, becoming the youngest driver to…

Israel is weighing its response to Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone assault on its territory, signalling on Sunday night that it would not immediately act alone, but insisting its forces remained on high alert and that the leadership had approved both “offensive and defensive action”.Two members of Israel’s three-man war cabinet made statements suggesting they were taking a longer-term view of the response to Iran’s first ever direct attack on Israeli soil. But the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had not declared a formal decision by late on Sunday.US officials said the Iranian salvo, which included over 100 ballistic missiles, could…

The Masters is expected to begin on the back nine on Sunday. Scotty Scheffler didn’t bother waiting that long. It’s a fitting approach for a golfer who is now so dominant that comparisons to the pomp and circumstance of Tiger Woods are more than apt.Hopes are growing that Ludvig Åberg could become the first Masters debutant to win a green jacket since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. Oberg’s achievement is actually more historic. Before Thursday’s appearance at Augusta National, he had never played in a major championship.From 36 feet above No. 9, Oberg created a stunning moment. His downhill, tight birdie…

The Vessel, the huge climbable centerpiece of New York’s upmarket Hudson Yards development that saw a number of suicides, is set to reopen later this year with new safety features, according to developers.The 150ft sculpture, designed by Thomas Heatherwick and built at a cost of $260m, was closed three years ago after four people jumped to their deaths. Besides overall criticism of its design – including descriptions of it as a giant gold shish-kebab rotisserie – the construction was grimly described to the Guardian as “staircase to nowhere”.Before its closure, Related Companies, the company that controls Hudson Yards, imposed a…

Jason Day has said he intends to make his Olympic debut in Paris this summer after the Australian was among a group of golfers to opt out of the sport’s return to the Olympics in 2016.Day cited concerns about the Zika virus when he announced he would not compete in Brazil, and the former world No. 1 has not qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to a career downturn and injuries. The 36-year-old has recently enjoyed a resurgence and is firmly ranked among the top 50 players in the world.”I’m going to play,” Day said after the fourth round…

More than five decades after a second world war veteran was killed while working as a milkman in Florida, investigators say they have solved the case thanks to two people who came forward after the killer died.Hiram “Ross” Grayam was delivering milk in April 1968 and failed to return home after work. Deputies later found his body and his milk truck deep in the woods in the Vero Beach area, the Indian River county sheriff’s office said in a news release. He had been shot several times.The case went cold, and no arrests were made during the next 56 years.“Through…

timeThe sun rose in Augusta at 6:58 a.m. on Sunday, a full three hours after Tiger Woods. People all over the city were fast asleep, dreaming the same dreams: a vista of pine trees along the first fairway, hitting shots over the water at Amen Point, the long uphill walk to the 18th green, the club president said. Right there Fred Ridley and last year’s champion Jon Rahm will be waiting in that freshly ironed green jacket. Woods said he still has these thoughts himself during the hours of rest between warming up in the evening and warming up again…

Iran’s widely anticipated missile and drone attack was defeated with the orchestrated help of the US, UK and Jordan who, alongside the Israeli military, ensured that all but a handful of ballistic missiles were neutralised overnight.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that about 360 missiles and drones were fired from Iran and that “99% of the threats” had been intercepted in a successful defence mission that may have cost Israel £800m – but will have saved many lives and dented Iran’s military credibility.Iran’s plan appears to have been to try to overwhelm Israel’s system of air defences with…

Warrington Wolves produced a second-half masterclass to set up a Challenge Cup semi-final with Huddersfield Giants as Sam Burgess’s brilliant start as manager continued with an impressive win Victory over St Helens.Burgess has had a transformative impact since taking charge of Warrington in the off-season. Wolves are second in the Super League after the opening seven games and are just one win away from a trip to Wembley in Burgess’ first season in charge. It was also arguably their most accomplished performance under the former England superstar.They trailed Saints 8-7 after a mesmerizing opening 50 minutes, but the final half-hour…

Bayer Leverkusen have secured a remarkable Bundesliga title after beating Werder Bremen in a 5-0 victory that extended the newly crowned German champions’ unbeaten run to 43 games, a record 29 in the league.Leverkusen’s victory gives them an unassailable 16-point lead at the top of the table and ends Bayern Munich’s push for a 12th successive league triumph.While Bayern ensured that the title race would be extended by one more day with victory over Köln on Saturday, Xabi Alonso’s side wrapped up the title with five games to spare by beating Werder at the BayArena thanks to a penalty from…