Friday, 15 May 2026
JONAS VINGEGAARD CONCQUERS BLOCKHAUS TO WIN STAGE 7
The Dane is now second the GC as he seeks to win the Giro d’Italia for the first time
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| Jonas Vingegaard conquers Blockhaus to win Giro stage seven Reuters |
Pre-race favourite Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) proved his Giro d'Italia credentials by going alone to conquer the Blockhaus summit finish and win stage seven on Friday in his first telling move of the race to move second overall.
Dane Vingegaard, making his Giro debut, went for broke with just over 5km to the top, with Austrian Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) looking impressive as the only rider to get close, coming in 13 seconds behind the winner and now third in the General Classification.
"Today is a big day for me, it's my first Giro stage win, so it's a nice day," Vingegaard said. "Felix is a very strong rider, so we knew he'd be up there close. He's a big rival and so he is a guy we have to worry about."
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| Jonas Vingegaard conquers Blockhaus to win Giro stage seven AP |
Australian Jai Hindley, who triumphed at Blockhaus in 2022 before going on to win that year's Giro, finished third on the longest stage of this year's race, 244 km from Formia ending with the 13.6 km steep climb to the line..
Overall leader, Portugal's Afonso Eulalio (Bahrain Victorious), put in a brave ride, coming home less than three minutes after Vingegaard to hold onto the pink jersey, with the Dane three minutes and 17 seconds behind.
Vingegaard, aiming to become the eighth rider to win all three Grand Tours, began the day 15th in the general classification, over six minutes down on Eulalio, and the first summit finish was always going to be a target for the Dane. An early five-man breakaway, including sprint specialist Jonathan Milan, was allowed to build a significant gap over the peloton, and the Italian was caught with 80 km left, his job done having taken maximum points at the intermediate sprint.
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| Jonas Vingegaard conquers Blockhaus to win Giro stage seven AP |
With 60 km to go, the gap to the front was six minutes but the reduced bunch upped the pace and were less than three minutes behind when the leaders hit the start of the final climb. Two riders, Nickolas Zukowsky and Jardi Christiaan van der Lee, tried to stay away but resistance was futile as Visma-Lease a Bike pushed their way up in support of Vingegaard.
Giulio Pellizzari was the only one to keep pace when Vingegaard went in front but the Italian was soon dropped and it was Gall who powered to the finish. Gall is 17 seconds behind Vingegaard overall and could prove to be the Dane's biggest danger.
- Trevor Stynes
JORGE MARTIN CALLS FOR BARCELONA SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AFTER “DANGEROUS” MOTOGP CRASH
Jorge Martin suffered a concussion after an unusual crash at Turn 12 during opening practice in Barcelona on Friday
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| Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images |
Jorge Martin believes the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya needs to extend the run-off area at Turn 12 after a crash during Catalan Grand Prix practice left him with a concussion.
The 2024 MotoGP champion lost the front-end of his Aprilia into the right-hander, with the bike smashing into the air fence before bouncing back into the gravel. With limited run-off available to slow him down, Martin hit the front fairing and was visibly shaken after getting back to his feet.
The Spaniard had to visit the medical centre for check-ups, with MotoGP’s official doctor later revealing that he was “slightly concussed” and also suffered bruising to his left forearm.
Martin was eventually cleared to take part in practice starts at the end of the session, but the incident renewed concerns about rider safety at what Martin described as a dangerous part of the circuit.
The 28-year-old said the crash immediately reminded him of the fatal accident that claimed the life of Moto2 rider Luis Salmon at the same corner in 2016.
“I think that it's really dangerous to crash there," he said. "I don't really like to say it, but it reminds me a lot about Luis Salom. When I was crashing, I thought about him straight away.
“Luckily, the bike turned so I went into the fairing and not the handlebars or other pieces. For sure, it's a place where they need to improve because it's really dangerous.”
Martin explained that he was trying to warm-up the tyre when he made a mistake at Turn 12 and hit the ground.
“I had more lean angle and more brake than the lap before,” he said. “But I was relaxed, I wasn't pushing.
“But we struggled a lot to put temperature into the front in the morning. The evening was very good, we could go with the medium, but the morning was tough to put temperature and that's why you couldn't even push. And if you don't push, you don't warm up, and then it never stops.
“The problem is more on the left for sure, but it happened also on the right. So we have to be really careful. At that point I wanted to be behind Fabio [di Giannantonio] just to warm up the tyre and then I crashed.”
Martin also went down at Turn 2 towards the end of the main practice session on Friday afternoon, leaving him 17th on the timesheets and forcing him to go through Q1 for the first time this season.
While both team-mate Marco Bezzecchi and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez earned a direct passage into Q2, Martin struggled for pace throughout the hour-long session, despite having finished second in first practice.
Martin insisted that there were no lingering effects from his Turn 12 crash when he took to the track in the afternoon session.
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| Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images 1 / 1 Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team |
“I'm good,” he said. “I feel lucky that nothing happened in the morning because I think it was a dangerous and a really scary crash.
“But I was fine to ride in the evening and physically, I feel great. In the second run I didn't feel anything about the first crash.
“For sure, after the evening crash, [there is] again some pain in other places, but we'll check later.”
- Rachit Thukral & Germán Garcia Casanova
NURBURGRING 24 HOURS: MAX VERSTAPPEN QUALIFIES FOR POLE SHOOTOUT WITH SIXTH IN TQ2
The four-time F1 world champion set an 8m11.614s which put him around one second off top
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| #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO: Max Verstappen Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool |
Max Verstappen scraped through to the pole shootout for the Nurburgring 24 Hours by only finishing sixth in Top Qualifying 2 - topped by Nick Yelloly in the Team Abt Audi.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion set an 8m11.614s which was faster than last year’s overall pole time of 8m12.741s, but Verstappen was still in danger of dropping out late on.
Qualifying is slightly different at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, as Qualifying 1, 2 and 3 are all used to determine grid spots 50 to 161 with TQ1, 2 and 3 being what matters to the frontrunners.
A car must finish inside the top 20 in TQ1 to progress to the second session and the Verstappen Racing Mercedes managed to do that as Lucas Auer took fifth with an 8m14.871s.
Then it was Verstappen’s turn to drive the AMG for the second session, where he needed to finish inside the top seven to progress to the final outing which is determining pole.
It seemed early on that the #3 Mercedes was a banker for TQ3 as the Dutchman went fastest with his first lap (8m14.459s) that put him 0.984s in the lead having kept it clean.
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| Grippe C/ ADAC |
That is unlike the current DTM points leader Maro Engel, who spun the sister Mercedes into the Hatzenbach barriers resulting in an early end to one of the event’s pre-favourites.
It was then with approximately four minutes left in the session that drivers headed back out for their second laps, and this is when Verstappen started to drop down the order despite also improving on his final tour.
The fastest time in the session ultimately went to Yelloly with an 8m10.485s, 0.139s quicker than second-placed Christian Krognes (Walkenhorst Aston Martin), while Ayhancan Guven’s (Manthey Porsche) 8m11.222s completed the top three.
A pair of HRT Ford Mustangs took fourth and fifth with Arjun Maini (8m11.278s) ahead of Dennis Olsen (8m11.423s), who was around two tenths quicker than Verstappen’s time that was 1.129s off top.
Christian Engelhart (Frank Konrad Lamborghini) rounded out the top seven with an 8m11.937s, meaning eighth-placed Adam Christodoulou just missed out on qualification for Prosport Racing.
That Mercedes set an 8m13.935s lap in TQ2, so Verstappen was still inside the qualification spots by approximately two seconds ahead of TQ3 which starts at 1:35pm local time.
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| ADAC Motorsport |
Jumping aboard the Verstappen Racing Mercedes in the final session will be Daniel Juncadella, and the top seven from TQ2 will join the five cars that had already qualified for the final outing ahead of the event.
That was done through either their results in previous Nurburgring Endurance Series rounds, or their performances in the Nurburgring 24 Hours qualifying races, leaving it as a 12-car shootout for pole.
The five cars that Verstappen Racing will join are the #45 Kondo Racing Ferrari, #16 Scherer Sport Audi, #47 KCMG Mercedes, #1 Rowe Racing BMW and #84 Team Abt Lamborghini.
- Ed Hardy
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ EXPLOSIVE COMMENTS BRING REAL MADRID INTO THE OPEN
The forward had his say on recent controversies after the win over Oviedo.
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| Kylian Mbappé came off the bench in the second half of Thursday’s victory. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images |
Kylian Mbappé told reporters that he is “the fourth-choice striker” at Real Madrid, in the aftermath of Thursday night’s 2–0 victory over Real Oviedo, adding to the off-field drama surrounding the club.
Madrid made light work of La Liga’s bottom club, sealing the win with goals from Gonzalo García and Jude Bellingham. However, it was still a tough night at the Bernabéu, as several stars faced jeers from the crowd in their first outing since the Clásico defeat that confirmed Barcelona’s title.
Mbappé started the match on the bench, having missed the two previous matches, including El Clásico, with a hamstring issue. The French superstar entered the pitch midway through the second half, but was greeted with a chorus of boos from the home support and was regularly whistled throughout the rest of the game.
The reaction comes as little surprise, given that millions people have signed a petition calling for Mbappé’s Real Madrid exit, amid a season mired in disappointed and controversy.
The striker, who was included as captain in France’s 26-man World Cup roster announced on Thursday, bagged the assist for Bellingham’s goal on 80 minutes, but couldn’t add to his league-leading tally of 24 this season.
Mbappé did, however, ensure he stole the headlines after the match.
Mbappé’s Candid Mixed Zone Appearance
🗣️ Mbappé sobre su suplencia frente al Real Oviedo: "Estoy muy bien. Hoy no he sido titular porque Arbeloa me ha dicho que soy el cuarto delantero de la plantilla".
#LALIGAenDAZN ⚽ pic.twitter.com/RBousiSOMQ
— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) May 14, 2026
When asked about his fitness after the match, Mbappé insisted he had been ready to start but was bumped down the pecking order by Álvaro Arbeloa.
“I’m 100% fine” he said. “I haven’t played because the manager told me I’m the fourth-choice striker in the squad behind [Franco] Mastantuono, Vini and Gonzalo. I was ready to start, it’s his decision and you always have to respect it. I’m not angry.”
The comments raised eyebrows, as the club’s highest-paid player continued to double down, speaking apparently without filter as he addressed his and Madrid’s situation, telling reporters in the mixed zone: “I prefer to speak here, with my own mouth. That way it’s clearer. My only responsibility is to play well and give everything for the badge.”
Asked what it’s like to be “fourth-choice,” Mbappé replied: “Ask the manager. What do you want me to say?
“I was ready to start, but it’s his decision. I can’t be angry with the manager. You always have to respect a manager’s opinion. I'll just work hard in training and matches, hoping to become a starter.”
In comments that appeared to be a direct slight on Arbeloa, Mbappé assessed Madrid’s disappointing season by saying: “We started the season well, in La Liga, in the Champions League ... but we lost it in the second half [of the campaign]. And it hurts a lot, because I feel we had a clear playing style and we let it slip away.”
Meanwhile, on the two managers he has played under this season, he said: “I have a great relationship with Xabi [Alonso], he’s going to be a great coach. But that’s in the past and we have to look ahead.
“I have no problem with Arbeloa. You have to respect him. You have to accept the coach’s philosophy, and I have to do my best to play ahead of Vini, Gonzalo and Mastantuono.”
When asked if he had been hurt by the manager’s recent comments, Mbappé joked: “I have French TV, I don't have Spanish TV at home. So I don’t know what he said!”
Arbeloa Insists ‘I Decide the Team’
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| Álvaro Arbeloa addressed Mbappé’s explosive claims in his post-match press conference. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images |
In his post-match press conference, Arbeloa initially disputed Mbappé’s claims.
“He must not have understood correctly,” the Madrid boss insisted. “I don’t know what to tell you, I didn’t tell him he’s the fourth-choice striker.”
However, when pressed on the matter, Arbeloa hit back insisting he is the one responsible for team selection and the players need to live with it.
“If I don’t play him, he can’t play,” Arbeloa said. “I decide; I’m the coach. I spoke with him earlier, and I don’t know how he might have interpreted it. He shouldn’t have started today because it’s not a matter of life or death. We have a match on Sunday, and he’ll definitely be the starting striker.
“Seven days later, he’ll have earned his place as the starting striker. I decide who plays. I understand that whoever isn’t playing isn’t happy. I can understand that he’s not happy, but it’s a decision based on the circumstances. I didn’t want to take any risks. It was the most logical, common-sense thing to do.
“I said that a player who couldn’t even make the bench four days ago should come on in the second half. He’ll start on Sunday. Gonzalo deserved to play today. I understand that those who don’t start aren’t happy. But as long as I’m in this position, I’m going to make the decisions. If they like it, fine. If not, they can wait until next time.”
When asked about Mbappe’s comments that Madrid have fallen off in the second half of the season, Arbeloa snapped back at his No. 9.
“I’d be happy if he thinks that. He’s probably scored many more goals in the first half of the season than in the second,” Arbeloa concluded.
- Andrew Headspeath
PBKS IPL 2026 PLAYOFFS QUALIFICATION SCENARIO: HOW CAN PUNJAB QUALIFY AFTER 5 DEFEATS
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| PBKS Playoffs qualification scenario, IPL 2026: Punjab have suffered five consecutive losses. (CREIMAS) |
PBKS IPL 2026 Playoffs qualfication scenario: Punjab were on a phenomenal run since the start of the season, bossing the park with an unbeaten run of seven consecutive matches before losing five matches.
IPL 2026 Playoffs qualification scenario: Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings have endured a terrible patch of bad form right in the middle of their IPL 2026 campaign. PBKS’ staggering freefall has now extended to five successive defeats after a loss to Mumbai Indians in Dharamsala on Thursday night.
After a wobbly batting effort that still ushered them to a 200-run total, Punjab floundered in defence as Mumbai snatched a rare win during their poor season. Already eliminated from the Playoffs race, Mumbai have put Punjab under great pressure now to pull themselves through to the Playoffs.
Punjab’s move to their second base in Dharamsala has coincided with two losses now, the previous one occurring by 33 runs during a steep 236-run chase against SunRisers Hyderabad a few nights ago.
PBKS IPL 2026 Playoffs qualification scenario
Punjab were on a phenomenal run since the start of the season, with Iyer and Co. bossing the park with an unbeaten run of seven consecutive matches. However, things changed drastically as they went on to drop the next five matches.
Having ceded the top spot over the last two weeks, Punjab are stranded on 13 points from 12 games, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of them.
Punjab’s next two matches are against RCB and Lucknow Super Giants, who are already eliminated from the Playoffs race.
If they manage to win both games, Punjab could finish at 17 points and be secured of a top-four finish as only two other teams can be in contention to surpass the mark then. If they slip-up in either of the two remaining matches and earn only one win, Punjab will be all but out of contention as they will finish on 15 points. RCB and Gujarat Titans have already reached 16 points with SRH, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals also in the race to reach 16 points.
Punjab will have their task cut out, but can still rest easy believing that their fate still lies in their own hands.
PBKS remaining matches
PBKS vs RCB, May 17, 3:30 PM IST – Dharamsala
LSG vs PBKS, May 23, 7:30 PM IST – Lucknow
- The Indian Express
TIGER WOODS HOME FROM REHAB | Hops Off Plane In Florida
Tiger Woods is back on U.S. soil for the first time since heading to Switzerland for rehab in early April ... and we've got the first visuals of the golf legend getting off his private jet, after leaving Zurich hours earlier.
50-year-old Woods was photographed stepping off his Gulfstream G550 Wednesday afternoon at Palm Beach International Airport ... and he looked stoned-faced, showing no emotion as he walked across the tarmac, with his pup by his side.
Tiger had been in an exclusive, and ultra-expensive Swiss rehab facility since around April 3, when his PJ took him from Florida to Europe for treatment.
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| Backgrid |
Woods went overseas for help after his March 27 rollover crash and DUI arrest in Jupiter, FL ... after telling the judge in his case that he feared he couldn't privately get help in the States.
The judge gave T.W. the green light, and he was off to Switzerland.
He may be back, but he's still got his DUI case to contend with ... and he suffered a loss in court this week.
Tiger wanted to block prosecutors from accessing his prescription drug records, but a judge ruled in the State's favor, clearing the way for them to see what Woods was taking the day of the crash.
It wasn't a total loss for Woods -- the judge said the information would be limited to people involved with the case.
Tiger is facing two misdemeanors ... one for DUI, and another for refusing to take a urine test after the wreck.
- TMZ
Thursday, 14 May 2026
MADONNA, SHAKIRA AND BTS ANNOUNCED AS CO-HEADLINERS FOR FIRST EVER HALFTIME SHOW AT THE 2026 WORLD CUP FINAL
The 2026 World Cup final will take place on Sunday, July 19, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey
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| Shakira, BTS and Madonna. Credit : Kevin Mazur/Getty; Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty; Marc Nader/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock |
The 2026 World Cup final is going to have some global superstars headlining its first ever halftime show.
On Wednesday, May 13, the official FIFA World Cup Instagram account announced that Madonna, Shakira and BTS will be performing at the final in July.
“On July 19, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Halftime Show is coming to New York New Jersey Stadium, featuring superstars@madonna ,@shakira , and@bts.bighitofficial , curated by@coldplay ‘s Chris Martin!” the post read.
The tournament’s final will be held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with the match kicking off at 3 p.m. ET.
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| Madonna performs at Coachella 2026. Kevin Mazur/Getty |
The post added, “A FIFA World Cup first, the Halftime Show supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, a landmark initiative working to raise $100 USD million to expand access to quality education and football for children around the world. Throughout the tournament, USD 1 from every ticket sold to FIFA World Cup 2026 matches will be donated to the Fund.”
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin also shared the news in an Instagram video featuring BTS on FaceTime, along with the help of Sesame Street’s Elmo and Muppets characters Kermit, Miss Piggy, Animal, the Cookie Monster and Statler and Waldorf.
This will be the first time a halftime show has taken place during a World Cup final.
The news comes after Madonna announced her new album Confessions II last month and made a surprise appearance at Coachella during Sabrina Carpenter's headlining set. The Queen of Pop’s new record, a sequel to her 2005 hit album Confessions on a Dancefloor, will be released on July 3.
The 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico and features 48 teams, begins on June 11 when Mexico take on South Africa.
Earlier this month, the likes of Katy Perry, J Balvin, Future, Michael Bublé, Tyla and Lisa were announced to be among those performing at the three opening ceremonies of the soccer tournament.
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| Shakira performing in New York City in September 2025. Theo Wargo/Getty |
While Perry will headline the U.S. opening ceremony on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, J Blavin will headline the opening ceremony in Mexico City and Bublé, Alanis Morissette and Alessia Cara will co-headline in Toronto.
According to Variety, the soccer World Cup Finals are the most-watched annual sporting event, with the 2022 final drawing in more than 500 million live viewers.
- Kirsty Hatcher
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