AUTO RACING

Rosberg makes stunning statement: He’s retiring

Formula One champion Nico Rosberg shocked the racing world on Friday, retiring just five days after claiming his first world championship.

Rosberg said he made the decision on Monday, a day after finishing second at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to clinch the F1 title.

NASCAR: NASCAR’s top circuit has been the Winston Cup, Nextel Cup and Sprint Cup.

Starting in 2017, the sport could have a Cup-less name, one of many changes expected as Monster Energy takes over as title sponsor with a desire to attract younger fans to a sagging sport.

SKIING

WORLD CUP: Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec won the season-opening downhill at Lake Louise in Alberta for her first World Cup victory.

Italy’s Sofia Goggia was second and Sweden’s Kajsa Kling finished third.

American star Lindsey Vonn, the winner of seven of the previous eight downhills at Lake Louise, is sidelined after breaking an arm last month.

MEN: Kjetil Jansrud and Norwegian teammate Aksel Lund Svindal finished 1-2 in a World Cup super-G at Val d’Isere, France, the first men’s speed race of the season.

In his comeback race 10 months after sustaining a serious knee injury, Svindal was 0.17 seconds slower than Jansrud, the Olympic champion in super-G.

The country has dominated in super-G with three different Norwegians combining to win the past five season-long titles in the discipline.

SOCCER

FIFA: Antoine Griezmann is the new challenger to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for FIFA’s annual player award, naming the France forward on a three-man shortlist for the rebranded Best Player Award. All three candidates play for Spanish clubs.

Messi and Ronaldo have split the FIFA honor over the past eight seasons.

GOLF

PGA: Andrew Dodt shot a 5-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead over fellow Australian Ashley Hall in the Australian PGA Championship. Dodt had a 12-under 132 total at Gold Coast, Australia. Hall shot a 69.

Australian star Adam Scott and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox were 8 under.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Brandon Stone made an eagle on the last hole to jump into a one-shot lead after the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Malelane, South Africa.

Stone’s three on No. 18 moved him to 11 under and a shot ahead of Charl Schwartzel and Chris Hanson.

LPGA: Japanese teen Nasa Hataoka shot a 3-under 69 for a one-stroke lead after the third of five rounds in LPGA Tour qualifying at Daytona Beach, Florida. Hataoka, 17, won a Japan LPGA major in October.

OLYMPICS

2024: The Los Angeles bid committee for the 2024 Olympics is projecting a $5.3 billion budget, less than half the cost of the recently completed Rio Games.

The bid is about a quarter of Tokyo’s current ballooning budget for the 2020 Olympics.

– News service report