TRACK AND FIELD

Shoes face scrutiny amid run of world marks

Another world record has fallen to a distance runner wearing Nike’s controversial, high-tech shoes.

Ababel Yeshaneh of Ethiopia ran a half-marathon in the United Arab Emirates in 1:04:31 on Friday, besting the previous mark by 20 seconds.

Yeshaneh appeared to be wearing a version of the Nike Vaporfly shoe, which features unusually thick foam and carbon in its sole, a technological advancement aimed at making runners more efficient.

During the past two years, elite-level competitors wearing some form of the Vaporfly have broken the records for the men’s and women’s marathon and half-marathon. The international track federation has stopped short of banning the shoes but did issue new parameters last month.

Rojas breaks indoor triple jump record

Yulimar Rojas broke the indoor triple jump world record in Madrid. The two-time world champion from Venezuela had a jump of 50.62 feet, 2.75 inches more than the previous record held by Russian Tatyana Lebedeva since 2004.

NHL

Blue Jackets’ top scorer suffers broken ankle

Injuries to key players keep coming for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who now have lost top goal scorer Oliver Bjorkstrand for the rest of the season.

The 24-year-old forward fractured an ankle in Thursday night’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Friday that Bjorkstrand will be out eight to 10 weeks.

Bjorkstrand has 21 goals and 15 assists in 49 games this season.

Ducks ship Kase to Bruins

Three days before the NHL’s trade deadline, the Anaheim Ducks dealt forward Ondrej Kase to the Boston Bruins in exchange for forward David Backes, prospect Axel Andersson and a first-round draft pick in 2020. Kase, a 24-year-old winger, had 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists).

The Buffalo Sabres placed suspended defenseman Zach Bogosian on unconditional waivers with the intention of terminating his contract. The move puts the Sabres in position to part ways with a disgruntled player who asked to be traded earlier this season and spent the past week refusing to report

  • to Buffalo’s American Hockey League affiliate in Rochester, N.Y.

    • Cody Eakin

  • is going home to Winnipeg. The Jets acquired the Winnipeg-born center from the Vegas Golden Knights for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2021. The 28-year-old Eakin had four goals and six assists in 41 games with Vegas this season.

    • NBA

    Lakers to waive Cousins, plan to sign Morris

    Markieff Morris, a 6-foot-10 forward shooting 39.7% from 3-point range this season, plans to sign with the Lakers, source told the Los Angeles Times. The eight-year veteran became a free agent after he reached an agreement Friday on a buyout of his contract with the Detroit Pistons.

    The Lakers have 15 players on their roster, so they will waive injured center DeMarcus Cousins before they can sign Morris.

    Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns will sit out for at least two more weeks because of an injured left wrist that the team said Friday is broken. Towns hurt the wrist Jan. 25 against Oklahoma City.

    BASEBALL

    Fiers has received death threats

    Oakland A’s pitcher Mike Fiers, who blew the whistle on the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, has received death threats.

    The San Francisco Chronicle was first to report the death threats against Fiers, who played for Houston from 2015 to 2017. He has thrown two no-hitters, one for the A’s last May, and is coming off a 15-4 season.

    Fiers said he wouldn’t ask for extra security.

    Cleveland right-hander Carlos Carrasco

  • has been diagnosed with a mild strain of his right hip flexor after feeling discomfort while doing squats in the weight room during spring training.

    • TENNIS

    Rybakina reaches fourth final of season

    Elena Rybakina will play her fourth final of the young WTA season at the Dubai Championships.

    Rybakina beat eighth-seeded Petra Martic 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2) in the semifinals on Friday.

    In the final on Saturday, Rybakina will face top-seeded Simona Halep, who dispatched qualifier Jennifer Brady 6-2, 6-0.

    Daniil Medvedev was beaten by Gilles Simon, losing 6-4, 6-0 in the Open 13 quarterfinals in Marseille, France, for a third loss in three matches against the French veteran. The U.S. Open runner-up and top seed in Marseille dropped his serve five times against Simon. Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the semifinals by beating Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 6-3. The big-hitting Greek next plays Alexander Bublik, who ousted fourth-seeded Denis Shapovalov

    No. 6-seeded Ugo Humbert advanced to the semifinals at the Delray Beach (Fla.) Open by beating 2018 champion Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 6-2. Humbert’s opponent Saturday will be unseeded Yoshihito Nishioka, who rallied past 18-year-old Brandon Nakashima

    ELSEWHERE

    Buffalo football coach Lance Leipol

  • agreed to a new five-year contract for the second consecutive offseason, this time after leading the Bulls to their first bowl victory in school history. Leipold’s new contract runs through the 2024 season.

    • Juvaris Hayes tied the NCAA career steals record with 448 and scored 22 points to help Merrimack beat Sacred Heart 64-57 on Friday night for the most wins by a team in its first year of Division I. Hayes matched the all-division mark held by Tennyson Whitted

  • , who played for Division II Ramapo College from 2000 to 2003, with his sixth steal of the game.