Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the ceremony where Russian Olympic figure skating champion Alina Zagitova was presented with an Akita puppy in Moscow's Metropol hotel on Saturday.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, centre, and his wife Akie, right, present An Akita Inu puppy named Masaru to Russian Women's Olympic Figure Skating Gold medalist Alina Zagitova in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, May 26, 2018. (AP Photo)
AP Photo
Welcoming the puppy, Zagitova expressed her gratitude for her fans and Japanese politician Takashi Endo who had brought her the dog from Japan.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, centre, and his wife Akie, right, present An Akita Inu puppy named Masaru to Russian Women's Olympic Figure Skating Gold medalist Alina Zagitova in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, May 26, 2018. (AP Photo)
AP Photo
Takashi Endo, president of the group preserving the Akita breed, presented Zagitova with the puppy. The puppy began to lick the Olympic champion's face at once.
AP Photo
Zagitova plans to name her dog Masaru.
AP Photo
AP Photo
Zagitova discovered her fondness for Akita dogs when she saw their photos in a magazine when she was training in Japan ahead of PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Learning the news, the preserving group based in Akita Prefecture decided to give her the puppy.
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool defender Conor Bradley will undergo surgery after sustaining a “significant” knee injury, the Premier League club said Sunday.
Bradley was injured late in Thursday's 0-0 draw against Arsenal.
Liverpool said Bradley would have an operation in the coming days before starting his rehabilitation.
“No time frame is being placed on his return to playing at this stage of the process,” it said in a statement.
Bradley was left writhing around in pain near the sideline after landing awkwardly on his left knee making a clearance in stoppage time against Arsenal.
Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli sparked an angry reaction from Liverpool players when he tried to bundle Bradley off the field in the final seconds to try to get the game going.
He has since apologized.
“Conor and I have messaged and I’ve already apologized to him,” Martinelli wrote in a post on Instagram. “I really didn’t understand he was seriously injured in the heat of the moment.
“I want to say I’m deeply sorry for reacting. Sending Conor all my best again for a quick recovery.”
Commentating on Sky Sports, former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville called Martinelli’s behavior “absolutely disgraceful.”
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Players react to Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli after he moved Liverpool's Conor Bradley, not in photo, who was injured off the pitch during the English Premier League soccer match in London, Thursday Jan. 8, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Trainers check on Liverpool's Conor Bradley after he was injured and an ensuing altercation with Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli, third right, during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Liverpool in London, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Liverpool's Conor Bradley is taken off the pitch during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Liverpool in London, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
