Augsburg fires coach and sporting director after less-than-satisfactory Bundesliga season

Augsburg fires coach and sporting director after less-than-satisfactory Bundesliga season

AUGSBURG, Germany (AP) — Augsburg fired coach Jess Thorup and sporting director Marinko Jurendić after an end-of-season review found there's room for improvement in a team that finished 12th in the 18-team Bundesliga. "Following an intense decision-making process and open and honest discussion, we have decided to make a change in our head coach in the interests of continuing the development and direction of our club," Augsburg chief executive Michael Ströll said on Friday. Thorup took over from thefired Enrico Maaßenin October 2023 and steered the team away from the relegation zone. The team's form dipped toward the end of the season, however, with five defeats in a row resulting in an 11th-place finish. This season it was four losses in a row that led to 12th. Ströll said the club took "an in-depth look at all areas" and decided to "restructure our sporting leadership" leading to Jurendić's dismissal. The club said it will announce successors "as soon as they've been confirmed." Former Hertha Berlin, Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich forward Sandro Wagner is reportedly a candidate to take over as coach. The 37-year-old Wagner is an assistant to Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann but is leaving that position after the final Nations League games on June 4 and 8 to pursue a career in club coaching. Augsburg has played in the Bundesliga every year since clinching promotion in 2011. ___ AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

byKevin Jones

in

May 23, 2025

Augsburg fires coach and sporting director after less-than-satisfactory Bundesliga season

Augsburg fires coach and sporting director after less-than-satisfactory Bundesliga season AUGSBURG, Germany (AP) — Augsburg fired coach Jess...

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'Not Her First Rodeo' puts spotlight on women bull riders: Everything to know

'Not Her First Rodeo' puts spotlight on women bull riders: Everything to know

Women bull riders take center stage in the new series "Not Her First Rodeo." The upcoming series follows the Elite Lady Bull Riders, an all-women's bull riding association aiming to pave the way for other women in the predominantly male sport. Jorden Halvorsen, the founder of the group, introduces audiences to the world of bull riding, which she describes as an "adrenaline rush." 1st look at new docuseries 'Not Her First Rodeo' "Bull riding is eight seconds at a time, and it's action packed, and you never know what's going to happen," she told "Good Morning America." Here's everything to know about "Not Her First Rodeo." According to a description for the series, "Not Her First Rodeo" is a "six-part docuseries inside the adrenaline-fueled world of female professional bull riding." "The series follows the Elite Lady Bull Riders, five remarkable women battling in and out of the arena, risking life and limb for a shot at a championship buckle, eight seconds at a time," the description adds. See the trailer below. In addition to Halvorsen, a four-time female bull riding world champion who created the Elite Lady Bull Riders in 2023, the series also stars Alexia Huffman, a two-time Junior Bull Riding Champion and the Elite Lady Bull Riders' 2023 Novice Division Year-End Champion; Catalina Langlitz, who is a 2021 Women's Bull Riding Organization World Champion; and Athena Rivera, the Elite Lady Bull Riders' 2023 Novice Reserve Champion. Renata Nunes, the daughter of Professional Bull Riders legend Renato Nunes, also stars in the series. Halvorsen told "Good Morning America" in an interview that having that camaraderie among the group "means a lot to me, because we all have our own struggles inside and outside of the arena, and we can help each other in so many different ways." How one Black cowboy hopes to win a world champion title in bull riding Halvorsen said that when audiences see the series, she hopes it inspires them to "chase your dreams, no matter what it is in life." "The dream for me was riding bulls, and hopefully it empowers them to want to chase their dreams, whether it's riding bulls or not," she said. The first two episodes of "Not Her First Rodeo" premiered May 22. New episodes will arrive weekly on Freeform, and the full six-episode docuseries will be available to stream Friday, June 6, on Hulu. Freeform and Hulu are owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News and "Good Morning America." 'Not Her First Rodeo' puts spotlight on women bull riders: Everything to knoworiginally appeared ongoodmorningamerica.com

byKevin Jones

in

May 23, 2025

'Not Her First Rodeo' puts spotlight on women bull riders: Everything to know

'Not Her First Rodeo' puts spotlight on women bull riders: Everything to know Women bull riders take center stage in the new series ...

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Alexander Zverev says his plane was struck by lightning while en route to French Open

Alexander Zverev says his plane was struck by lightning while en route to French Open

Last year, German tennis player Alexander Zverev made the final of the French Open. This year, Zverev will have to see if lightning strikes twice — literally. Ahead of the French Open, Zverev told reporters during media availability on Friday that his plane to Paris was struck by lightning, and was forced to turn around. "We were supposed to fly yesterday evening at 6:45 p.m., and we took off from Hamburg," Zverev said, via theAssociated Press. "We got struck by lightning. We had to do an emergency landing back in Hamburg." The unexpected shock resulted in him arriving in France hours later than expected. The 28-year-old German switched planes at around 1 a.m., and didn't get in to Paris until around 3 a.m. He was able to attend a practice session at Roland Garros on Friday. Per Zverev, Czech player Jiri Lehecka and American Brandon Nakashima, the No. 28 seed, were also on the plane. When describing the incident, Zverev said that, other than the travel delay, the lightning strike was largely uneventful. "It made a little noise — no real wobbling or anything," Zverev said. "It was a first-time experience." For the French Open, Zverev seeded at No. 3, sitting behind Italian Jannik Sinner and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. The German is coming off a tough loss in the Hamburg Open, falling to French player Alexandre Müller in a third-set tiebreaker in the Round of 16. Zverev is set to play his first matches of the tournament on Sunday, going up against 19-year-old American Learner Tien — who beat Zverev in straight sets at the Mexican Open in Feburary — in the first round.

byKevin Jones

in

May 23, 2025

Alexander Zverev says his plane was struck by lightning while en route to French Open

Alexander Zverev says his plane was struck by lightning while en route to French Open Last year, German tennis player Alexander Zverev made ...

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Defeat to Hyderabad dents Bengaluru's hopes of top-two finish in IPL

Defeat to Hyderabad dents Bengaluru's hopes of top-two finish in IPL

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Ishan Kishan's unbeaten 94 off 48 balls helped Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in its penultimate game of the Indian Premier League on Friday. Kishan hit five sixes and seven fours as Hyderabad notched up a huge 231-6. In reply, Bengaluru was bowled out for 189 in 19.5 overs, a defeat that dents its chances of finishing in the top two of the table. Bengaluru has already qualified for the knockouts and sits third. While it still has a game in hand, Bengaluru is dependent on Punjab Kings' final two results for a top-two finish, which holds advantage in the knockouts. Hyderabad has already been eliminated from contention but managed to register its fifth win in 13 games. Opting to bowl, Bengaluru was hit by a quick start from the Hyderabad openers. Abhishek Sharma scored 34 off 17 balls and put on 54 off 24 balls with Travis Head. Hyderabad was pegged back to 54-2 in 4.2 overs — both openers were dismissed in the space of three deliveries. Kishan then took charge and smacked 50 off 28 with four fours and two sixes. He hit three more sixes and another three fours racing towards a second century of the season but ran out of balls to hit. Cameos from Heinrich Klaasen (24 off 13) and Aniket Verma (26 off nine) — the duo hit five sixes — also steered Hyderabad past 200, including a whirlwind 43 off the last three overs. Bengaluru started well. Phil Salt survived a no ball to score 63 off 32 balls and put on 80 off 43 balls with Virat Kohli. Kohli scored 43 off 25 with seven fours and a six. Salt reached 50 off 27 and overall hit five sixes and four fours. The openers put Bengaluru's chase on track, but fortunes changed with Kohli's dismissal in the seventh over. Mayank Agarwal, in for the injured Devdutt Padikkal, was out for 11 and Rajat Patidar for 18. Stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma made 24 off 15, sharing 44 off 26 with Patidar, but the lower order couldn't hold the momentum. Bengaluru lost seven wickets for 16 runs across 25 balls. ___ AP cricket:https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

byKevin Jones

in

May 23, 2025

Defeat to Hyderabad dents Bengaluru's hopes of top-two finish in IPL

Defeat to Hyderabad dents Bengaluru's hopes of top-two finish in IPL LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Ishan Kishan's unbeaten 94 off 48 balls h...

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Putellas recalls Barcelona's humble start to Women's Champions League boss

Putellas recalls Barcelona's humble start to Women's Champions League boss

LISBON, Portugal (AP) —Alexia Putellashas been with Barcelona from its inauspicious Women's Champions League debut over a decade ago right up through its spectacular rise to be the world's top club. Putellas and Barcelona have a chance to prove it again on Saturday in Lisbon where theyplay Arsenalin a fifth straight final, aiming for a fourth European Cup. Arsenal whipped an inexperienced Barcelona side, which included a young Putellas, in its competition debut by the combined score of 7-0 over two games back in 2012. After joking to reporters that she didn't want to recall the lopsided scoreline in those back-to-back losses to Arsenal, Putellas reflected on the growth of her club since then. She recalled the tiny crowds her team used to draw compared to the Estadio de Jose Alvalade which will be a 50,000-seat sell-out on Saturday. "From those first games in this competition, it was impossible to imagine everything that would come later," Putellas said on Friday. "I am privileged to have been along for this journey. And it continues with the final. "It is anecdote that this all started with the first game against Arsenal and we will now play them tomorrow." The final will be Barcelona's 100th game in the Women's Champions League. First star of Spain women's soccer Putellas, 31, has done more than any player to put Barcelona at the pinnacle of women's soccer. She was its best player when it won its first Champions League in 2021 and helped put women's soccer in Spain on the global map when she won back-to-back Ballon d'Or awards. Her emergence as a star coincided with the pronounced slump of Barcelona's men following the departure of Lionel Messi. It is also hard to imagine that Spain would have won the 2023 World Cup without the boost Putellas gave the sport. And when Spain was embroiled in crisis after its then soccer federation president Luis Rubiales kissed a player without consent during the World Cup awards ceremony, it was Putellas wholed the player revoltthat prompted his downfall. Back to her best Putellas won thewon the Ballon d'Orin 2021 and 2022 because of her goal-scoring and leadership from Barcelona's midfield. Thenserious leg injuriesput her star status in doubt for Barcelona and Spain. She was sidelined for months and, when she returned to the field, she was reported to be considering a move from Barcelona due to her limited playing time. But last May she signed a two-year contract extension. Those injuries and stiff competition from a packed Barcelona midfield that also features reigning Ballon d'Or holderAitana Bonmatímeant that Putellas played only the final minutes of the last two Champions League finals as a late substitute. But she is back at her best this season and has recovered her starting spot. So she is set to start against Arsenal. "When you keep getting injured, you lose your playing rhythm," Putellas said. "This year I stayed healthy and I put in the work to feel good all season and play at my best." As for her motivation to keep winning? "You always want to focus on the next objective, forgetting what you have achieved," she said. "Our next objective is tomorrow's final and we will give it our all to achieve it." ___ AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

byKevin Jones

in

May 23, 2025

Putellas recalls Barcelona's humble start to Women's Champions League boss

Putellas recalls Barcelona's humble start to Women's Champions League boss LISBON, Portugal (AP) —Alexia Putellashas been with Barce...

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