■ Swimming
New 100m butterfly record
Libby Lenton set a new short course world record for the women's 100m butterfly yesterday at the Australian Short Course Championships in Hobart, Australia. Lenton edged Jessicah Schipper to win in 55.95 seconds, taking 0.39 off the previous mark set by American Nathalie Coughlin in 2002. "It's such a great feeling, such a rush," she said. Schipper, who set a long course world record in the 200m butterfly at the Pan Pacific championships in Canada last week, was second in 56.66.
■ Rugby League
Ricky Stuart to exit NRL
Australia rugby league coach Ricky Stuart will lose his NRL club job at the Sydney Roosters next Monday. Amid mounting speculation that Stuart would be fired with the club languishing next-to-last in the 15 team national league standings, his manager met with Roosters officials late yesterday and agreed to "mutually end" the coaching contract. Stuart, who became Australia coach this season and had a successful stint at New South Wales' State of Origin coach, has presided over a declining Roosters outfit since guiding the club to the NRL premiership in 2002. Stuart's last match in charge will be on Saturday against St George-Illawarra in the last round of the regular season. Under the agreement, the club will pay out the remainder of Stuart's contract, which was due to end in October next year.
■ Soccer
Player struck by lightning
A 17-year-old soccer player hit by lightning during an amateur game has died, police said. The victim, whose name was not immediately released, died early yesterday. Lightning hit the teenager while he was playing for Ulfborg against Maabjerg at a tournament in northwestern Denmark on Saturday. Nine other players were knocked over. "There were no clouds on the sky. Only a black cloud far away," Maabjerg goalie Kasper Stoettrup told the daily Dagbladet Holstebro Struer. "Suddenly he was just hit. Out of nothing." The game was played in Ulfborg, 330km northwest of Copenhagen.
■ Olympic Games
Official returns to post
The head of a Chinese state-owned property company has returned to work two months after being detained for questioning in a corruption investigation that has marred Beijing's 2008 Olympic preparations. Liu Xiaoguang (劉曉光), general manager of Beijing Capital Group Company and chairman of its Hong Kong-listed subsidiary Beijing Capital Land Ltd, resumed his duties last Thursday, the listed subsidiary said yesterday in a statement. Liu's detention was part of the biggest corruption scandal to hit the Chinese capital in a decade. The property developer was among the highest profile figures detained for questioning in a probe of a city vice mayor.
■ Soccer
Sydney FC pays for success
Sydney FC is learning the price of success in Australia's fledgling A-League. The Sydney club, winner of the re-launched Australian domestic soccer league in its inaugural season, was fined A$89,000 (US$67,500) yesterday because its players did not fulfill a set quota of community work. Because the club cooperated with the Football Federation Australia's (FFA) investigation, the fine was halved and the deduction of one game was suspended for a season.
■ Little League
Series goes prime time
The Little League World Series title game is going prime-time because Sunday's contest between the teams from Columbus, Georgia, and Kawaguchi City, Japan, was postponed because of rain. The game was rescheduled for 8pm last night, the first time a championship game has ever been played on a Monday evening. Little League President Stephen Keener said organizers wanted to give the field a chance to dry out after rain all day Sunday.
■ Golf
Romero wins The Tradition
Eduardo Romero knocked in a short birdie putt on the first playoff hole against Lonnie Nielsen on Sunday to win The Tradition, the final major this season on the US PGA Champions Tour. Romero almost eagled the first playoff hole, leaving his 19-foot putt just short on No. 18. Nielsen bogeyed the hole. Romero was in the clubhouse at 13 under, after closing with a 5.8m birdie putt, when Nielsen birdied the par-5 No. 18 to force the playoff. Romero, an Argentine, crept up the leader board with an eagle and three birdies on the front nine. His eagle on No. 4 bounced on the green from 65m out and rolled in the cup. He finished with a 65, the low round of the tournament. Nielsen had a final round of 70 on the par-72 course at the Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club west of Portland, Oregon.
■ Sailing
Slingsby tops Laser class
Australian Tom Slingsby placed first in one race and second in another to secure a berth in the Laser-class medal race at the Qingdao International Regatta. Slingsby's impressive showing on Sunday, the seventh day of the ten-day regatta, means that all the positions in the final medal race are locked up. Olympic bronze medalist Vasilij Zbogar of Slovenia is leading the Laser class, with Britain's Paul Goodison just behind. Sunday's race took place amid light winds and a strong tidal current, conditions that have frequently plagued the regatta in Qingdao. This year's races are the first test event for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
■ Cricket
Aussie Buchanan to resign
Australia's coach John Buchanan will resign after next year's World Cup in the Caribbean, Cricket Australia confirmed yesterday. Buchanan, who took over from Geoff Marsh in 1999, had his contract extended after Australia lost last year's Ashes series in England. Australia hosts the next Ashes series, which starts on Nov. 23 in Brisbane. The Australians will also be the defending World Cup champions when the 2007 competition starts in March. Buchanan and Australian captain Ricky Ponting were to hold a news conference at the team's camp in Coolum, Queensland, later yesterday. Buchanan, 53, has been one of Australia's most successful coaches, guiding the test squad to 64 wins and eight draws in 82 matches.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two