Pole vaulter Alyana Nicolas is next headed to EJ Obiena’s prestigious tournament. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO CAPAS, Tarlac—Alyana Nicolas appreciates the fact that her performance rises to the level of the competition that surrounds her. Motivated by an equally determined rival, Nicolas cleared four meters for the first time in six years to retain her women’s pole […]

Calvin Oftana (third from left) shouldered a lot of the inside duties of TNT. —PBA IMAGES TNT came into the conference with a different moniker. Riding a winless start in three games, that wasn’t the only change the team needed to make. The Grand Slam-seeking team’s long-awaited entry into the win column of the PBA

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) chews on his jersey late in the second half during Game 1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers of the NBA basketball playoffs Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers broke one of Michael Jordan’s NBA

Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates with Jude Bellingham after scoring his side’s second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton) MADRID — Real Madrid survived a late scare but kept pace with leader

Liverpool’s English defender #66 Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrates on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Liverpool at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on April 20, 2025. Leicester were relegated from the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP) LIVERPOOL, England

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder attempts to drive past Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets during the first half at Paycom Center on March 9, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Joshua Gateley/Getty Images/AFP OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the young Oklahoma City Thunder must go through a Denver Nuggets team

Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics tries to get past Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks in the final minute of regulation of the game at Madison Square Garden on April 08, 2025 in New York City. The Boston Celtics defeated the New York Knicks 119-117 in overtime. Elsa/Getty Images/AFP BOSTON —

Norway’s Casper Ruud celebrates winning against Britain’s Jack Draper during their 2025 ATP Tour Madrid Open tennis tournament singles final match at the Caja Magica in Madrid, on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP) Casper Ruud joked seven was his lucky number after claiming the most important trophy of his career in

Spectators watch the B1 League basketball game between Chiba Jets and Sendai 89ers in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP) Japan has ambitious plans to become a basketball powerhouse but a row involving star player Rui Hachimura and disagreements over the domestic league’s direction mean

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts during the second half of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, Friday, May 2, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) HOUSTON — Golden State’s Draymond Green spent the last two days embarrassed after losing his poise early in