FOOTBALL
Former Patriots’ defensive tackle Brace found dead
Ron Brace, a former defensive tackle for the New England Patriots, died Sunday at age 29.
The cause of death was not immediately known. Police told MassLive.com that the death was not suspicious.
Brace, was the 40th overall pick of the 2009 draft out of Boston College. He played 29 games and made seven starts, but his career was shortened by injuries.
Soccer
PREMIER LEAGUE: Even with top-scorer Jamie Vardy suspended, league leader Leicester overpowered Swansea 4-0 in London to move another step closer to collecting the trophy.
The only team that can catch Leicester is Tottenham, but the preseason 5,000-1 outsiders have their destiny in their own hands. Tottenham is eight points behind Leicester in second place going into Monday’s game against West Bromwich Albion.
FA CUP: Connor Wickham headed Crystal Palace into the final for the first time in 26 years as his team beat Watford 2-1 at Wembley Stadium.
The south London side will meet Manchester United on May 21 in a repeat of the 1990 final, which United won after a replay.
Road racing
LONDON MARATHON: Eliud Kipchoge defended his London Marathon title by running only eight seconds slower than the world record and setting a course record on a chilly morning.
The 31-year-old Kenyan completed the 26.2-mile route in front of Buckingham Palace in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 5 seconds.
The world record of 2:02:57 was set by Dennis Kimetto in 2014.
Stanley Biwott was 46 seconds behind Kipchoge, while Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia was third.
Jemima Sumgong of Kenya won the women’s race in 2:22:58 after overcoming a fall with about four miles remaining. Defending champion Tigist Tufa of Ethiopia was five seconds behind, and Florence Kiplagat of Kenya was third.
AUTO RACING
INDYCAR: Simon Pagenaud led most of the way and overcame late contact with Graham Rahal to win at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, for his second straight victory.
OPS: Reigning Oxford 250 champion Glen Luce of Turner opened his season with a victory in the Super Late Model 50-lap feature at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Luce held off a challenge from Buckfield’s Timmy Brackett, last year’s series champion. Chris Coolidge of Norway finished third.
Other feature winners were Calvin Rose Jr. of Turner in Street Stocks; Nicholas Naugle of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in INEX Legends; Brandon Varney of Auburn in Bandits; and Shane Green of South Paris in the Figure 8 division.
Tennis
BARCELONA OPEN: Rafael Nadal beat defending champion Kei Nishikori 6-4, 7-5 to win the title for the ninth time, in Barcelona, Spain, equaling Guillermo Vilas’ record of 49 career clay-court titles.
PORSCHE GRAND PRIX: Angelique Kerber defended her title with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-0 win over qualifier Laura Siegemund in an all-German final in Stuttgart, Germany.
NASTASE TIRIAC TROPHY: The final in Bucharest, Romania, between unseeded Lucas Pouille and Fernando Verdasco scheduled for Sunday was postponed because of rain.
– From staff and news services
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.