Soccer: Autuori named new manager for Kashima
December 30, 2005Kashima Antlers said Friday that Paulo Autuori, who skippered Sao Paulo to victory at the Club World Championship earlier this month, will manage the J-League first-division club next season. The 49-year-old Brazilian takes over the reins from Toninho Cerezo, also a Brazilian, after his Sao Paulo beat European champions Liverpool 1-0 in the final of the six-team tournament in Japan.
Ski jumping: Okabe grabs season-best 4th place in World Cup event
December 30, 2005Japan's Takanobu Okabe took fourth place on the first leg of the annual ski jumping Four Hills Tour on Thursday, the best finish among Japanese competitors this season and virtually assuring a spot at the Turin Olympics in February. The 35-year-old Okabe sailed 128 and 130.5 meters for a total of 260.8 points on the K-120 hill. Based on the criteria set by the Ski Association of Japan, Olympic berths are given to those who stood on the podium, if not within the top six, in any World Cup event.