■ Basketball
Yao heads `Forbes' list
Houston Rockets star Yao Ming has topped Forbes Magazine's list of Chinese celebrities for the second year running. Yao, who last week signed a new five-year contract worth more than US$75 million, was judged on a combination of income, media exposure and endorsement deals with major international companies, the magazine's Chinese version reported on its Web site. The 2.29m center, who turns 25 this month, is a three-time NBA All-Star and was the No. 1 draft pick in 2002. He has one year left on his rookie contract, which will pay him more than US$5.5 million next season. Forbes put Yao's 2004 income at US$18.5 million, about 25 percent higher than last year. Second on the list was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Zhang Ziyi, followed by Olympic gold medal winning sprinter Liu Xiang. Other athletes listed included Olympic champion divers Tian Liang and Guo Jingjing, ranked 16th and 17th, Manchester City striker Sun Jihai, 34th, and Sheffield United player-youth coach Hao Hai-dong, 55th.
■ Football
Herrion died of heart disease
San Francisco 49ers lineman Thomas Herrion died from heart disease when he collapsed after a National Football League preseason game in Denver on Aug. 20, the Denver County coroner said Tuesday. Herrion had ischemic heart disease, with significant blockage in his right coronary artery that caused the death of heart muscle, the city health department said in a news release. Herrion's heart was slightly enlarged. Drug screens on Herrion's blood and urine found only atrophine, a drug given when medical personnel tried to revive him. Herrion, 23, was pronounced dead early on the morning of Aug. 21.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or