Two-time Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato qualified for the 109th running of America's most famous auto race. He earned the second spot on the starting grid.
The 33-car, 200-lap spectacle is on Sunday, May 25, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Sato, driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, has competed 15 times in the Indy 500. He won the race in 2017 (when he qualified second) and triumphed for a second time in 2020 (when he qualified third).
In qualifying on May 18, Sato had a four-lap average speed of 232.478 mph. Tel Aviv native Robert Shwartzman of Prema Racing won pole position (232.790 mph) for his Indy 500 debut, the first driver to do so since Teo Fabi in 1983.
Sato is 48. Shwartzman, 25, represents the up-and-coming generation of drivers.
"We made it!" Sato exclaimed, reacting after he qualified second. "We're back on the front row. I'm very, very happy for the team and very proud of everyone."
Sato added, "Unfortunately, it was this close to Robert Shwartzman. Huge congrats to him. I'm very proud of HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) and Honda and proud to put them on the front row. I think we finally got the near perfect balance, got all of the pieces together, so huge credit to the team. I'm looking forward to the Indy 500."
Look for Sato's No 75 Honda-powered car in the Indy 500.
Takuma Sato Needed a New Car After April Crash
On April 24, during a practice session in Indianapolis, Sato's car suffered considerable damage during a crash before Turn 2.
After that, Sato's quest to compete in the Indy 500 took on an added dimension. His racing team's expertise was on full display as it built him a new car.
Sato praised Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's teamwork that took place in the garage to make it possible for him to participate in qualifying.
"I'm very happy for the team who put my car, the 75 car, on the front row, which is [an] amazing result because I think we were kind of [in] a rollercoaster situation," Sato said on May 18, according to frontstretch.com. "Not just today, but through yesterday and probably the last two weeks."
Sato described Eddie Jones, the team's race engineer, as an invaluable resource.
"Very happy for my engineer, Eddie Jones, who should [have] retired five years ago. But I keep pulling him back from Ireland," Sato told the media, Front Stretch reported. Highlighting Jones' work and the rest of the racing team's effort, Sato added, "It's amazing the people, just their dedication and meticulous job."
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Basketball
Asian University Basketball League Unveiled
The inaugural 2025 Asian University Basketball League season will be held August 18-24 in Hangzhou, China, it was announced on Wednesday, May 21.
Twelve universities from China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan will participate in the seven-day tournament. A total of 24 games are scheduled, and the league is sanctioned by the Asian University Sports Federation, the governing body of university sports on the continent.
The 2025 AUBL season is the launching pad for a bigger, more ambitious plan for 2026, when a home-and-away format will be implemented and the competition will last for six months, wrapping up with a Final Four at a TBA site.
For August's competition, China's participating schools are Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Taiyuan University of Technology, Tsinghua University, University of Hong Kong and Zhejiang University.
Representing Japan are Hakuoh University and Nippon Sport Science University.
South Korea's scheduled participants are Dongguk University, Konkuk University and Yonsei University.
Taiwan's tourney entrant is National Chengchi University.
Investment from Blue Pool Capital and Avenue Capital
The launch of the AUBL includes financial backing from Blue Pool Capital (co-founded by Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai) and Avenue Capital Group (former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry's firm).
Clearly, having a current and a former NBA owner involved in this project adds financial stability and gravitas.
"As a former student-athlete, I appreciate the value of college sports for both participants and their communities," said Tsai, the Alibaba Group chairman, in a statement. "In Asian society, top-tier universities are among the most recognized brands, and they easily translate into sports through the spirit of competition between schools. That's why I believe in the AUBL's vision.
"Asia's growing basketball market, rising talent, and increasing institutional support create the right conditions for a successful collegiate league."
Lasry also shared his viewpoints on the launch of the Asian University Basketball League.
"Avenue Capital's experience in basketball investing tells us Asia's collegiate scene is ripe for transformation ― and the AUBL has the right model to lead it," Lasry said, according to a news release. "Basketball is a universal language, and Asia's fans are ready to embrace college basketball with the same energy that defines March Madness in the US."
Tennis
Nishikori to Play Alcaraz in French Open
Kei Nishikori was assigned to play reigning men's singles champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the first round of the French Open. The draw was released on Thursday, May 22, and the Grand Slam tournament gets underway on Sunday in Paris.
Alcaraz is the No 2 men's seed. Italian Jannik Sinner is the top seed.
Nishikori, who is 62nd in the latest world rankings, is an unseeded player. The 35-year-old has never faced Alcaraz in a singles match.
In Nishikori's most recent match, he retired with back pain in a second-round encounter with Russia's Karen Khachanov at the Geneva Open on Wednesday.
Nishikori has advanced to the French Open quarterfinals three times (2015, 2017 and 2019). His best result at a Grand Slam was a runner-up finish at the 2014 US Open.
On the women's side, former world No 1 Naomi Osaka is penciled in to face 10th-seeded Spaniard Paula Badosa in the opening round in Paris.
Did You Know?
Sadaharu Oh, global pro baseball's all-time home-run king, celebrated his 85th birthday on Tuesday, May 20.
Oh played his final game for the Yomiuri Giants in 1980. He smacked 868 homers in his legendary career.
Nowadays, Oh serves as chairman of NPB's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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