Auto Racing

Sato roars into Indy 500 history

When the moment came, Takuma Sato seized it, and was rewarded with one of auto racing's grandest prizes.

Sato became the first Japanese driver to win the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, holding off three-time winner Helio Castroneves of Brazil to do it.

Sato had toiled for two weeks at Indianapolis in the shadow of temporary Andretti Autosport teammate Fernando Alonso - the two-time Formula One world champion taking time out from the Grand Prix circuit to try his luck at Indy.

But the Japanese veteran emerged with a fearless finish - made all the more impressive by the memory of 2012, when his last-lap attempt to grab the lead from Dario Franchitti ended with a crash into the wall.

Baseball

Judge lays down the law for Yanks

Just a little bit farther and Aaron Judge's first career grand slam would have landed right in a mock jury box in the left-field bleachers at Yankee Stadium.

Judge's latest moonshot - his AL-leading 16th homer of the season - came in the third inning of New York's 9-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.

Michael Pineda (6-2) tossed six innings of three-hit ball to win his third straight start and match last season's win total. Aaron Hicks and Chris Carter each had an early sacrifice fly as the Yankees increased their AL East lead over the Boston Red Sox to three games.

Tennis

Journalists have their court dates

More than 150 journalists representing 69 of China's news organizations will take part in the 16th national media tennis tournament from June 9-11 at Beijing's Jiuhuashan Mountain Resort.

Organized by the China Tennis Association, the All-China Journalists Federation, the Beijing Tennis Association and the Zhengzhou Yongheng Group, the event was inaugurated in 1996 with the aim of enriching the cultural life of Chinese journalists while promoting the sport throughout the nation.

The competition includes women's doubles, men's youth, middle-age and senior doubles.

Tai Chi

Masters discuss future growth

China's national Yang-style tai chi summit and the cross-Straits tai chi exchange conference was held last week in Handan, Hebei province.

As a part of a series of activities in the lead-up to the Sanya-Nanshan Second World Tai Chi Cultural Festival, the event attracted tai chi masters for an exchange of ideas and a discussion for future development.

More than 300 people participated in the event, which included seminars, exchanges, demonstrations and an exhibition of global tai chi culture.

The Second World Tai Chi Cultural Festival will be held in Sanya, Hainan province in September.

Agencies - China Daily