| Mar 18 | Sumo: Ozeki hopeful Baruto steamrolls to stay tied for Osaka lead (AP) |
| It wasn't pretty but sekiwake Baruto disposed of Wakanosato to retain his share of the lead alongside grand champion Hakuho in his chase for ozeki promotion at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Thursday. The sekiwake giant came flying out of the crouch and almost lost his footing as he tipped off-balance but regrouped to get a hand under his opponent's armpit before toppling the former sekiwake at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. |
| Mar 18 | Baseball: Matsui starts over with Angels (Fox News) |
 New team. New coast. New lifestyle. New highways to learn. New fans to impress.
New nickname, too?
Hideki Matsui has been known as "Godzilla" for years, both in Japan and the U.S. But now that he has left the Yankees for the Angels, I wondered if the reigning World Series MVP was in the mood for wholesale change.
So, I asked him the other day in the Angels clubhouse. Before Matsui could answer, he was preempted by a teammate who had overheard.
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| Mar 17 | Golf: Move aside Ryo, Ishikawa's sister is new kid on the block (Reuters) |
| Japanese teen-ager Ryo Ishikawa's 13-year-old sister Yoko will make her Japan LPGA Tour debut at this week's T-Point Ladies golf tournament. Just a year out of elementary school, Ishikawa had accepted an invitation to play at the 70 million yen ($775,600) event in Kagoshima, southern Japan, organizers said Wednesday. Ishikawa quickly declared she wanted to follow in her multi-millionaire brother's footsteps and turn professional after some initial butterflies over entering the field. |
| Mar 17 | Sumo: Ozeki hopeful Baruto dodges bullet to stay tied for Osaka lead (AP) |
| Promotion-chasing sekiwake Baruto dodged a bullet to floor Aminishiki and retain his share of the lead alongside grand champion Hakuho at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Wednesday. Baruto looked set to taste his first "kuroboshi" defeat of the 15-day tournament when he was tipped off balance at the start of an absorbing encounter at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. But the Estonian behemoth dug in deep and neutralized Aminshiki's (1- 3) attacks before getting both arms around the komusubi and squashing him to the sandy surface to improve to 4-0. |
| Mar 16 | Sumo: Hakuho marches on at spring sumo (AP) |
| Hakuho enjoyed another easy day at the office Tuesday as the lone grand champion tore down veteran maegashira Wakanosato to preserve his unbeaten start to the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament. Hakuho barely broke sweat in the day's final bout at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, the Mongolian bruiser quickly wrapping up former sekiwake Wakanosato (0-3) to make it three wins out of three. With former yokozuna Asashoryu having retired last month amid allegations that he attacked a man during an alcohol-fuelled rage outside a Tokyo nightspot, Hakuho is the odds-on favorite to win the spring basho and his 13th Emperor's Cup. |
| Mar 16 | Olympics: Japan's ski officials told to tighten 'morals' (Reuters) |
| Japan's skiing officials have been read the riot act after one of their snowboarders wore his Vancouver Olympic uniform in "hip hop" style last month. Dreadlocked boarder Kazuhiro Kokubo narrowly escaped being kicked out of the Games after arriving with his trousers pulled low on his hips, shirt hanging out and his tie loose. The 21-year-old with double nose piercings was banned from attending the opening ceremony and forced to apologize at a news conference before finishing eighth in the men's halfpipe. |
| Mar 15 | Sumo: Hakuho rolls over Kakuryu on 2nd day of spring sumo (AP) |
| Hakuho outmuscled Mongolian countryman Kakuryu to move closer in pursuit of his 13th Emperor's Cup on the second day of action at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday. Hakuho made it two of two in the absence of former yokozuna Asashoryu, who retired last month amid allegations that he attacked a man outside a Tokyo nightclub. Estonian sekiwake Baruto, meanwhile, charged ahead full throttle in his bid for ozeki promotion with a demolition of local favorite Goeido. |
| Mar 14 | Sumo: Hakuho off to flying start in Osaka (Japan Times) |
Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho pounced on Aminishiki to start off in the winner's column at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday - the first meet after the retirement of former yokozuna Asashoryu.
Hakuho threw the komusubi off-balance with a series of well-placed shoves before sending him packing from the rear in the day's final bout at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium.
Sekiwake Baruto, meanwhile, also made an encouraging start out of the blocks in his quest for promotion to ozeki with a bulldozing of second-ranked Russian Aran.
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| Mar 14 | Marathon: Kano wins Nagoya marathon (AFP) |
 Japan's Yuri Kano won the Nagoya International Women's Marathon Sunday and then set her sights on the world's top races including the 2012 London Olympics.
Kano crossed the line in 2hrs 27min 11sec ahead of Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia, who clocked 2:28:13, and compatriot Hiromi Ominami in 2:28:35. Japan's Mai Ito was fourth in 2:29:19.
The 31-year-old Kano, winner of the 2007 Hokkaido marathon, said she focused on winning the race, not on her time.
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| Mar 14 | Sumo: Ticket sales sluggish with Asashoryu gone (Japan Times) |
 Things just got really lonely at the top. After perennial troublemaker Asashoryu quit sumo following allegations he attacked a man outside a Tokyo nightspot, Hakuho remains as the sole yokozuna and hot favorite to cart home the Emperor's Cup at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament getting under way on Sunday.
Alas, sumo without Asashoryu, who took time out from his reputed street brawling to also win the New Year's meet, could be a lot like watching a one-man show - predictable and lacking the unique pizzazz that the Mongolian firebrand brought to the sport.
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| Mar 13 | Sumo: Grand champ Hakuho lonely at the top in post-Asashoryu era (AP) |
| After perennial troublemaker Asashoryu quit sumo following allegations he attacked a man outside a Tokyo nightspot, grand champion Hakuho remains as the sole yokozuna and the hot favorite to cart home the Emperor's Cup at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament getting under way Sunday. Alas, sumo without Asashoryu, who took time out from his reputed street brawling to also win the New Year meet, could be a lot like watching a one-man show -- predictable and lacking the unique pizzazz that the Mongolian firebrand brought to the sport. |
| Mar 13 | Sumo: Bar set high for Baruto's promotion to ozeki (AP) |
| A senior sumo official in charge of promoting wrestlers said Friday that Estonian sekiwake Baruto needs at least 13 wins in the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament starting Sunday to be promoted to ozeki. The consensus in the sumo world is that a sekiwake needs to win 33 bouts in three most recent tournaments to be promoted to sumo's second-highest rank. Baruto has posted nine and 12 wins in the past two meets, leaving him 12 wins shy of 33. |
| Mar 11 | Sumo: Asashoryu denies alleged drunken rampage, undecided on future (AP) |
 Former Mongolian-born grand champion Asashoryu on Thursday refuted reports of an alleged drunken rampage that preceded his retirement from sumo.
"I didn't commit any violent act," Asashoryu said at a press conference in Ulan Bator, referring to Japanese magazine reports in January that said he became extremely drunk before striking and seriously injuring a man outside a nightclub in Tokyo in the early hours of Jan. 16.
On rumors that he will go into mixed martial arts, Asashoryu said, "I haven't really thought about what to do next. I don't regret my decision to quit sumo, though."
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| Mar 11 | Golf: Ishikawa hopes to show improvement in 3 U.S. PGA events (AP) |
| Teenage star Ryo Ishikawa said Thursday he is well prepared to play in three U.S. PGA tournaments, including the Masters Tournament, in the next four weeks. "My spirit, technique and physical condition are great," the 18-year- old JGTO money title winner said before flying off to the United States from Narita airport, east of Tokyo. "I want to give all I have got in the upcoming events." |
| Mar 10 | Sports: Mori to step down as JASA head next year (AP) |
| Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said Wednesday he will step down as head of the Japan Sports Association when his current term expires at the end of March next year. "Next year will be time to take a new step forward. It will be the JASA's 100th anniversary, a crucial time. I would like to be allowed to serve out my term in March next year," the 72-year-old Mori said at an association board meeting. |
| Mar 09 | Sumo: Schoolboy tipped to crush opponents (ABC News) |
 A 15-year-old Japanese schoolboy tipping the scales at 145 kilograms is set to make his professional sumo debut and is already being tipped as a future 'yokozuna'.
National junior high school champion Ryoya Tatsu stands 1.93 metres tall and is expected to take part in the Osaka grand sumo tournament beginning this weekend.
The Japan Sumo Association said Tatsu had passed his first health check and was waiting for the results of internal tests to determine if he could wrestle in Osaka.
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| Mar 08 | Golf: Ishikawa graduates from high school (AP) |
| Japan's No. 1 golfer Ryo Ishikawa attended his high school graduation ceremony in Tokyo on Monday, receiving his diploma along with the general student body. The 18-year-old, who became the youngest ever to top the money rankings on the Japanese men's professional tour last year, turned pro while still a freshman at Suginami Gakuin High School in January 2008. He has won six tournaments while enrolled there. |
| Mar 08 | Soccer: Is J-League about to become one of the world's biggest? (goal.com) |
It is a league that is seeing a growing number of international players in its stadia, it has some of the best facilities in the world and it is already one of the most-watched football leagues around but the J-League is not about to stop there.
From the atmospheric old arenas like Shimizu S-Pulse's Nihondaira Sports Stadium where fans can gaze at Mount Fuji if the football is not up to much and Kawasaki Frontale's oddly shaped Todoroki Stadium, located in a picturesque park in the middle of a pleasant residential area to the space age World Cup arenas such as Urawa's Saitama Stadium and the Kashima Soccer Stadium - the J-League is growing in stature and reputation.
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| Mar 07 | Tennis: Japan clinches win over Philippines in Davis Cup (Sports Illustrated) |
| Japan has taken an insurmountable 3-0 lead over the Philippines in their Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group 1 tie after a straight-sets victory in doubles. Japanese duo Takao Suzuki and Toshihide Matsui beat Treat Huey and Cecil Mamiit 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 Saturday to clinch the best-of-five series. Japan took a 2-0 lead Friday after singles victories by Tatsuma Ito and Go Soeda, and will take on Australia in the second round on May 7-9. |
| Mar 06 | Japan's teen pro skips PGA for school graduation (AFP) |
 Japan's number-one golfer, teenager Ryo Ishikawa, will miss playing in a US PGA competition next week to attend his high school graduation, his agent has said.
The 18-year-old, who became the youngest money leader on any of the world's six major tours last year, is due to attend his graduation ceremony at his Tokyo high school on Monday.
His agent said attending his graduation would make it difficult for Ishikawa to prepare for the CA Championship, which starts Thursday in Doral, Florida.
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| Mar 04 | Soccer: Japan downs Bahrain 2-0 in Asian Cup qualifier (Reuters) |
 Shinji Okazaki and Keisuke Honda scored Wednesday to lead Japan to a 2-0 win over Bahrain in an Asian Cup qualifier.
Okazaki found the net in the 36th minute with a header from five meters (yards) and Honda doubled the lead with another header, from Naoto Uchida's cross in the 47th.
Both teams have already qualified for the Asian Cup, and Japan was using the match to prepare for the World Cup.
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| Mar 03 | Sumo: Are surprises in store at Haru Basho? (Japan Times) |
| With all eyes on the shenanigans surrounding Asashoryu in recent weeks, Hakuho's elaborate wedding celebrations in various locations around the country, and a new nationality rule in sumo that essentially limits a stable to one foreign-born rikishi at a time (even if the rikishi does later change his nationality), few have really given any thought as to what might happen down in Osaka starting the end of next week. |
| Mar 02 | Olympics: Asada aims to break Kim's record score toward Sochi (AP) |
| Olympic figure skating silver medalist Mao Asada has set a goal of breaking gold medal winner Kim Yu Na's record score as she looks ahead to the 2014 Sochi Games. Asked if she would prefer that the South Korean champion does not turn pro before a possible Olympic rematch, Asada said Tuesday, "I don't know what she's going to do. But even if she retires from amateur competition, her score will remain in place. I'd like to break it as soon as possible." The 19-year-old was making the comments at a news conference, also attended by the other Japanese medalists, upon their arrival from Vancouver. |
| Mar 01 | Olympics: Japan's five medals a positive step toward 2014 (AP) |
 The Japanese Olympic team walked away prouder than could have been expected after the conclusion of the Vancouver Olympics on Sunday.
Its five medals -- the second-largest haul for the nation overseas following the 1992 Albertville Games' seven -- was surely an improvement after finishing with only one medal, albeit gold, in Turin four years ago.
Although a gold medal eluded Japan this time, a fact most painfully felt by women's figure skater Mao Asada who had to settle for silver against South Korean rival Kim Yu Na, there was still plenty to smile about with the delegation falling just five shy of its inflated target.
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| Mar 01 | Baseball: Rookies Nakata, Matsui go yard against Marines (AP) |
| Rookies Ryoji Nakata and Yusuke Matsui both homered and drove two runs apiece to make a big splash as the Chunichi Dragons played the Lotte Marines to a 4-4 tie in a preseason game on Monday. Nakata had a leadoff shot to the seats in right off Shingo Ono in the third inning and added an RBI single in the fifth, which was capped by Matsui's two-run blast at Nagoya Dome. |
| Mar 01 | Olympics: Japan delegation chief pleased with effort in Vancouver (AP) |
| Japanese delegation head Seiko Hashimoto expressed satisfaction with the country's medal count at the Vancouver Olympics on Sunday, praising the efforts of the athletes for winning five medals. Japan failed to win a gold medal and the haul of three silver and two bronze medals was well short of the 10 it had targeted ahead of the Games. But Hashimoto pointed out that it was a significant improvement on the lone gold won by figure skater Shizuka Arakawa in Turin four years ago. |
| Mar 01 | Marathon: Fujiwara wins Tokyo Marathon (Japan Times) |
 Masakazu Fujiwara pulled away with around 2 km remaining to win the men's race at a rain-swept Tokyo Marathon on Sunday.
Fujiwara was never in danger after breaking away from the pack and crossed the finish line at Tokyo Big Sight in 2 hours, 12 minutes, 19 seconds. Russia's Alevtina Biktimirova won the women's race in 2:34:39.
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| Mar 01 | Olympics: Germany denies Japan speedskating team gold (Japan Times) |
 Japan's silver medal win in the women's speedskating team pursuit final on Saturday was met with a mixture of joy and frustration after its skaters missed out on the gold by a whisker. Masako Hozumi, Nao Kodaira and Maki Tabata were ahead for most of the final at the Richmond Olympic Oval and looked to be on course to give Japan its first gold medal of the Vancouver Games.
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| Feb 28 | Olympics: Playing safe lands Miki Ando in fifth in Olympic figure skating event (Mainichi) |
 Japan's Miki Ando dropped from fourth to fifth after a conservative performance in the women's free figure skating competition at the Vancouver Winter Olympics on Thursday.
Ando avoided the triple-triple jump combination planned for the opening of her free skate program and chose safer triple-double jumps instead, after her triple lutz-triple loop combination was downgraded in the short program two days earlier.
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| Feb 27 | Soccer: Kashima beat Gamba in shootout to retain Super Cup (AP) |
| Brazilian striker Marquinhos converted the winning spot kick as Kashima Antlers beat Gamba Osaka 5-3 on penalties to retain the Fuji Xerox Super Cup on Saturday. Marquinhos fired Kashima ahead from the spot in the 20th minute but the season curtain-raiser at National Stadium was left locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes after former Japan winger Akira Kaji leveled in first-half stoppage time. |
| Feb 27 | Olympics: Asada says now proud of silver, triple axels (AP) |
| Olympic figure skating silver medalist Mao Asada was filled with disappointment Thursday for not being able to strike gold, but one day later she began to feel proud of her medal and successful triple axels. "I couldn't sort out my feelings yesterday, and I was just upset," Asada said at a press conference. "But now I'm happy that I cleanly landed three triple axels at an Olympics and won the silver medal." Asada finished a distant second behind fellow 19-year-old Kim Yu Na, who brought South Korea its first Olympic figure skating medal with a record 228.56 points. |
| Feb 26 | Olympics: Komuro apologizes for skeleton disqualification sticker gaffe (AP) |
| Nozomi Komuro on Thursday apologized for the embarrassing sticker blunder that resulted in her disqualification from the women's skeleton competition at the Vancouver Olympics. Komuro was left in tears after she was disqualified from the event on Feb. 18 because she mistakenly removed from her sled the proper sticker mandated by the sport's international governing body. |
| Feb 26 | Olympics: Asada fails to overcome Kim's lead, settles for silver (AP) |
 Japan's Mao Asada could not raise the bar in the free skate against world champion Kim Yu Na on Thursday, settling for the silver medal against her chief rival at the Vancouver Olympics.
Kim was flawless en route to 150.6 points to capture the gold with a total of 228.56 points -- both record highs. Asada took silver with 205.50, while hometown favorite Joannie Rochette claimed the bronze with 202.64.
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| Feb 26 | Baseball: Hideki Matsui proves to be a big media magnet (Los Angeles Times) |
| Bench coach Ron Roenicke, who works with the team's outfielders, was told by communications manager Eric Kay onTuesday that a Japanese reporter wanted to speak to him about Hideki Matsui's first practice with the Angels. Moments later, Roenicke was swarmed by 30 to 40 reporters, photographers and camera operators, turning it into a media event. Matsui, 35, took batting practice and participated in some light fielding drills Tuesday, but with a pair of arthritic knees that will probably relegate him to designated hitter, the Angels will ease him into action this spring. |
| Feb 25 | Olympics: Figure Skaters Kim and Asada Carry the Hope of Two Nations (Time) |
 For Japan, an Asada victory would cement the growing dominance of that country's skating program: the reigning Olympic champion, Shizuka Arakawa, earned the Land of the Rising Sun's first figure skating gold medal in 2006; and Daisuke Takahashi pumped out an energetic and technically demanding performance last week to win the country's first medal ever, a bronze, in the men's event in Vancouver.
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| Feb 25 | Soccer: Under-fire Okada names strong squad for Asian Cup dead rubber (AP) |
| Under-fire Japan coach Takeshi Okada on Thursday named Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto and four other European-based players to a full-strength squad for next week's 2011 Asian Cup final- round qualifier at home to Bahrain. Along with Morimoto, Okada has recalled unsettled Espanyol playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura and fellow midfielders Makoto Hasebe (VfL Wolfsburg), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble) and Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow) to a 20-man squad for Wednesday's match at Toyota Stadium. |
| Feb 25 | Australia, Japan in Olympic partnership (AFP) |
Australia signed an Olympic partnership agreement with Japan at the Vancouver Winter Games Wednesday, under which it will be able to use winter sports venues in the Asian country.
After signing the accord, Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates expressed his satisfaction at the results produced so far in Vancouver by his country better known for its feats in summer sports.
"Generally, we're hoping to do as well or a bit better than we did at the last Games," Coates said.
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| Feb 25 | Baseball: Ichiro feeling good amid familiar faces (Japan Times) |
 Ichiro Suzuki can talk about separating the way last season ended from the start of a new year, but all indications are that the good vibes will linger with the nine-time All-Star. The Seattle Mariners won their final game of 2009, finishing with 85 wins, and had the fans at Safeco Field wishing the season could go on. Teammates carried Ichiro, the team's biggest star, off the field on their shoulders.
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| Feb 24 | Sumo: Ex-yokozuna Asashoryu back in Japan (AP) |
| Mongolian-born former grand champion Asashoryu, who quit sumo earlier this month amid allegations he attacked a man outside a Tokyo night club, arrived back in Japan on a flight from New York on Wednesday looking tanned and relaxed. Donning white-framed designer glasses and wearing a dark suit, Asashoryu, topknot undone and hair bound in the back of his head, appeared with a bodyguard in toe but refused to respond to questions from waiting reporters, simply waving and smiling as he left Narita airport. |
| Feb 24 | Soccer: Broken jaw puts Japan midfielder K. Nakamura out for up to 8 weeks (AP) |
| Japan international Kengo Nakamura is set to be sidelined for up to eight weeks after suffering a broken jaw in Kawasaki Frontale's 2-0 defeat away to Seongnam Ilhwa in their Group E opener in the Asian Champions League, Kawasaki said Wednesday. The 29-year-old midfielder, who sustained the injury in a clash with an opponent in the second half of Tuesday's match in South Korea, underwent tests at a Yokohama hospital Wednesday and was told he will need between six to eight weeks to make a full recovery. |
| Feb 24 | Olympics: Asada 2nd, Kim steals show to take commanding SP lead (AP) |
 Japan's Mao Asada nailed a triple axel en route to second place as South Korean rival and reigning world champion Kim Yu Na stole the show with a sensational skate to win the women's short program at the Vancouver Olympics on Tuesday.
Dressed in a black costume with jeweled straps, Kim flowed like liquid gold at Pacific Coliseum, effortlessly gliding through her Bond Girl routine to take a commanding lead with the world's highest ever score of 78.50 points, over two points more than the previous record of 76.28 she set at Skate America last November.
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| Feb 24 | Sumo: JSA to change rule on foreign wrestlers (AP) |
 The Japan Sumo Association decided on Tuesday it will allow only one foreign-born wrestler per stable, meaning the one slot reserved for foreigners, which until now would become vacant when wrestlers took Japanese citizenship, cannot be filled.
For example, if a Mongolian-born wrestler belonging to a stable were to gain Japanese citizenship, other foreign wrestlers would be prohibited from joining the same stable.
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| Feb 23 | Olympics: At 19, Mao Asada already skating on thin ice (Los Angeles Times) |
 A world-beater just four years ago, Mao Asada has struggled to regain her form while chasing current No. 1 figure skater Kim Yuna of Korea. Less than two months before the 2006 Olympics, Asada became the first woman to land two triple-axel jumps in the same program.
And Asada wasn't a two-trick pony then.
She was, at age 15, the best women's figure skater in the world, winner of the 2006 Grand Prix Final, the one about whom everyone said: "Mao -- Wow!"
But she had to watch the last Olympics on television.
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| Feb 23 | Olympics: Japan curlers tied for fourth place (Japan Times) |
| Japan came from behind to beat Russia 12-9 in 11 ends but later lost to Germany 7-6 in the women's curling tournament at the Vancouver Olympics on Sunday. Japan now has a 3-3 win-loss record and is tied for fourth place with Switzerland in the 10-team round-robin stage, in which the top four will move on to the knockout phase. |
| Feb 22 | Soccer: Japan to face England, the Ivory Coast as World Cup warm-up matches (AP) |
| Japan are set to face off with Serbia, South Korea, England and the Ivory Coast as warm-up matches for the World Cup finals in June, Japan Football Association said Monday. Japan will first take on Serbia on April 7 at Nagai Stadium, which will be the last selection game for Japan coach Takeshi Okada to decide on 23 members for the final World Cup team. |
| Feb 22 | Boxing: Japanese boxer Yamaki dies after suffering brain injury (AP) |
| Japanese boxer Hirokazu Yamaki died at a hospital Monday after sustaining a traumatic brain injury during a bout on the weekend in Tokyo, the Japan Boxing Commission said. Yamaki, 26, suffered an acute subdural hematoma in his eighth-round knockout loss against Toshimasa Ouchi on Friday night at Korakuen Hall. |
| Feb 21 | Olympics: Daisuke Takahashi wins bronze in men’s figure skating (examiner.com) |
| Japan's "Ace," Daisuke Takahashi, won the 2010 Olympic bronze medal in men's figure skating to the delight of his nation on February 18th. Takahashi was ranked only behind gold medalist Evan Lysacek from America and silver medalist Evgeni Plushenko from Russia. Daisuke Takahashi was in third place after the short program on February 16th, just fractions of a point behind Lysacek and Plushenko. |
| Feb 20 | Basketball: Proposed new league will have major obstacles to overcome (Japan Times) |
| To accurately describe what's been going on for several years now in this nation's pro hoop scene, I submit the following analogy: The Japan Basketball League and the bj-league have been traveling in the same direction on identical trains on parallel tracks . . . with no destination in site. In their own ways, both leagues have felt they know what's best for the future of basketball in this country, while at the same time the Japan Basketball Association has had neither the will nor the skill to make the sport relevant to the masses. |
| Feb 19 | Olympics: Takahashi gets elusive medal after career-threatening injury (AP) |
| Four years ago at the Turin Games, Japanese figure skater Daisuke Takahashi wore Shizuka Arakawa's gold medal around his neck as a prank at the athletes' village. But he suddenly recalled a jinx of "being unable to win a gold medal if you put someone else's around your neck," and quickly took it off. That was when Takahashi set his bold target of winning Olympic gold. |
| Feb 19 | Golf: Ishikawa advances to 3rd round at Match Play (AP) |
| Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa edged England's Ross McGowan 1 up in the second round of the Match Play Championship on Thursday. Ishikawa won three holes in a four-hole stretch from the 10th for a 2- up lead before holding on for the win. The 2009 JGTO money title winner got back to even when McGowan, who outlasted Steve Stricker in 19 holes the previous day, missed a par- saving putt at No. 10. |