Sports News Roundup: Athletics-Chinese sprinter Su confident of surpassing Asian record run; Tennis-Medvedev ready to seize U.S. Open opportunity and more

The 39-year-old Lundqvist, who set a slew of records during a 15-season stint with the New York Rangers, had open-heart surgery in January that forced him to miss the entire 2020-21 NHL season. Athletics-Richardson glads her ban brought attention to sprinting American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson, who will return to action this weekend after a month-long ban, said on Friday that while her positive cannabis test kept her from competing at the Tokyo Olympics she is happy it bought attention to her sport.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Athletics-Chinese sprinter Su confident of surpassing Asian record run

Asia's fastest man, Su Bingtian, believes he can improve on the continental record set at the Tokyo Olympic Games as he became the first Chinese man to qualify for the final of the 100 meters. Su ran 9.83 seconds in the semi-finals in Tokyo to break the Asian mark and qualify fastest for the final in athletics' most high-profile event.

In a sports-crazed Arkansas town, football is a reason to get vaccinated

The dull thud of bodies colliding and the sharp sound of whistles filled the air on a scorching afternoon of high school football practice in Fordyce, Arkansas. Players wore helmets but no pads to try to escape the heat, running through drills ahead of the opener at the end of the month. The date marks a highlight on the calendar for this American football-loving town of about 4,000 people in southern Arkansas, where banners celebrating the Fordyce High School Redbugs hang along its main street.

Tennis-Medvedev ready to seize U.S. Open opportunity

With his game in fine form and a slew of past champions sidelined with injuries, Daniil Medvedev said he is feeling confident as he prepares to try to win his first major title at the upcoming U.S. Open. The world number two, who fell to Rafa Nadal in an epic five set final at Flushing Meadows in 2019, is guaranteed not to suffer the same fate this year after the Spaniard said he would sit out to focus on healing a nagging foot injury.

Athletics-Hassan comes up short in quest for 5,000m world record

Sifan Hassan dominated the field but came up short in her quest to break the 5,000 metres world record on Friday in her first meet since her star turn at the Tokyo Olympics. In front of throngs of hopeful fans and on a picture perfect night at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, the Ethiopian-born Dutch runner easily won with a time of 14:27.89 but failed to best the record of 14:06.62 set by Letesenbet Gidey in 2020.

Euro 2020 final at Wembley was a "superspreader" event

The Euro 2020 soccer final between England and Italy in July was a "superspreader" event due to the level of COVID-19 infection found in or around London's Wembley Stadium on the day, according to official data published on Friday. Public Health England said 2,295 people were likely to have been infectious with a further 3,404 people potentially acquiring infection at the July 11 match.

NBA releases full schedule, plans to mark 75th anniversary

The NBA released the full schedule for the 2021-22 season on Friday, outlining just how it will celebrate its 75th season. The league will do so by highlighting the teams and events that have shaped the league's history, including a showcase of the three franchises -- the Knicks, Celtics and Warriors -- that have been a part of each season.

Report: Celtics C Robert Williams agrees to 4-year, $54M extension

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams has agreed to a four-year, $54 million contract extension, his agent confirmed to ESPN on Friday. The 23-year-old has started just 16 games in three seasons, but the new deal puts his annual salary in the top half of the league's centers, per the report.

Olympics-Tokyo Olympics delivery most complex of career, says Coates

Staging the Tokyo Olympics amid the global coronavirus pandemic was one of the "most complex" tasks of his career, International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates said in an interview published on Friday. The experienced Australian Olympic Committee president led efforts to deliver the Games in the face of significant political and public opposition one year after the event was postponed because of the pandemic.

NHL-Swedish goalie Lundqvist retires after 15 NHL seasons

Henrik Lundqvist announced his retirement from ice hockey on Friday after a remarkable career during which he was one of the National Hockey League's (NHL) greatest goalies and also helped lead Sweden to an Olympic gold medal. The 39-year-old Lundqvist, who set a slew of records during a 15-season stint with the New York Rangers, had open-heart surgery in January that forced him to miss the entire 2020-21 NHL season.

Athletics-Richardson glad her ban brought attention to sprinting

American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson, who will return to action this weekend after a month-long ban, said on Friday that while her positive cannabis test kept her from competing at the Tokyo Olympics she is happy it bought attention to her sport. The flamboyant American sprinter was expected to be one of the biggest draws in Tokyo but her dreams were cut short due to a positive test at the U.S. Olympic trials in June after she had streaked to victory in the 100m.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)