ASIAN PARA GAMES
Taiwanese strikes gold
A visually impaired Taiwanese swimmer snatched two gold medals yesterday at the Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China, after breaking two Asian records earlier this week. Eighteen-year-old Lin Shin-wei won the men’s 100m breaststroke SB13 event yesterday in a time of 1 minute 22.81 seconds before setting a new Asian record of 26.80 seconds in the men’s 50m freestyle S13 event. The swimmer, who cannot see out of his left eye and is legally blind, also broke Asian records in the men’s 100m freestyle-S13 and 200m medley-SM13 on Monday and Tuesday. S13 is one of three designations, along with S11 and S12, for swimmers with a visual impairment. S11 represents those with the least amount of vision. As of yesterday afternoon, Taiwan ranked sixth among 45 teams with eight gold medals, and had also won five silvers and seven bronzes at the games. Also yesterday, Luo Hsiao-hung won gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke-SB5 and powerlifter Lin Tzi-hui claimed gold in the women’s under 75kg division with a winning lift of 135kg. There are 77 athletes from Taiwan competing in 12 sports at the eight-day event.
SKIING
Organizers cancel Super-G
The women’s World Cup super-G that was to take place yesterday in Val d’Isere, France, was called off because of heavy overnight snowfall that continued into yesterday morning. Organizers had hoped to hold the race in the afternoon but conditions were not set to improve enough, with extremely poor visibility. Yesterday was the first of three scheduled days of racing. Strong winds had forced the cancellation of last weekend’s super-G in St Moritz, Switzerland, and the race was moved to Val d’Isere. Weather conditions were expected to improve in the French resort for today’s downhill and tomorrow’s super combined.
SOCCER
Birmingham give Buddle trial
Los Angeles Galaxy and US striker Edson Buddle is on trial at Premier League club Birmingham during the Major League Soccer (MLS) offseason. Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is searching for a new forward with his side two points above the three-team relegation zone after scoring just 17 goals in 17 matches. The 29-year-old Buddle was the leading scorer in the MLS for most of last season despite missing more than a month for the World Cup. Buddle ended the regular season as the second-highest scorer with 17 goals in 25 matches. “He’s trained with us this week and he’s done fine,” McLeish said on the club web site. “I’m not sure when he goes back. I think he’s here for next week as well because we’d like a longer look at him. He’s been scoring goals in the MLS and had a good season and he’s available.” Named after Pele — whose full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento — Buddle has played for the Galaxy since 2007.
RUGBY UNION
Attoub set to return after ban
Stade Francais prop David Attoub, suspended for 52 weeks for eye-gouging in a European Cup match in December last year, will be able to return to action on Dec. 29 after his ban ends today. The 29-year-old was banned for gouging Stephen Ferris during Stade’s 13-23 European Cup loss to Ulster in Belfast. He was initially banned for 70 weeks by competition organizers European Club Rugby, before France’s National Olympic Committee intervened and had the suspension reduced to 52 weeks. The ban was among the heaviest ever imposed on a player by rugby union authorities.
NEW ZEALAND
Red Sox ink reliever Jenks
Bobby Jenks, the closer who won a World Series title with the White Sox in 2005, agreed to a two-year, US$12 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, according to a baseball official with knowledge of the contract. The official spoke on condition of anonymity. The agreement was first reported by ESPN.com. The acquisition of Jenks raised questions about the future of Jonathan Papelbon, Boston’s current closer, who will be a free agent after this season. Papelbon struggled this season, posting a career-high 3.90 earned run average and going 5-7 with 37 saves. For now, Jenks, who will be 30 in March, is expected to be Boston’s setup man, but he could compete with the 25-year-old Daniel Bard for the closer’s role should the Red Sox try to trade Papelbon this season or not re-sign him for next season. Jenks had an uneven season last year; his ERA ballooned to 4.44 as he struggled with injuries in the second half of the season.
FORMULA ONE
Webber expects equality
Red Bull driver Mark Webber says he is confident he will receive equal treatment from the team next season despite teammate Sebastian Vettel having won this year’s Formula One drivers’ title. The re-legalization of team orders and Vettel’s world title had led to speculation that Webber will be forced into a supporting role next season, but said yesterday that “the team know the best was to defend our championship is to put both feet forward.” Webber had every intention of taking on Vettel next season, saying: “I will need to beat everyone and one of those drivers is going to be Seb.”
BOXING
Mayweather warrant issued
A Las Vegas, Nevada, judge has issued an outstanding arrest warrant for boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr on a misdemeanor battery complaint alleging he poked a security guard in the face several times. The warrant issued on Dec. 8 requires Mayweather to turn himself in or face arrest at any time, Las Vegas police officer Bill Cassel said. Prosecutors said that Mayweather has a history of dangerous behavior and should be arrested. A court hearing to review the warrant was scheduled for Tuesday. Mayweather, 33, faces a a six-month jail sentence and a US$1,000 fine if convicted. The battery allegation stems from a Nov. 15 confrontation over parking tickets between the undefeated champion and a security guard outside Mayweather’s home.
RUBGY UNION
Coach promises to behave
Saracens director of rugby Brendan Venter has promised to behave after a bizarre post-match interview became a YouTube hit and landed him in trouble with the authorities. The South African, who is standing down in January, kept a straight face in an interview with Sky television when he agreed with and repeated every question after his side’s 24-21 Heineken Cup defeat to Racing-Metro on Dec. 11. With Saracens to play the French side in Paris again yesterday, European Rugby Cup officials warned him not to repeat the stunt. Venter told Sky Sports on Thursday that he had modeled his behavior on the soccer-inspired satirical film Mike Bassett: England Manager, which had been shown on the Saracens’ team bus on a trip to Gloucester earlier in the season. “Everybody’s seen it for what it was, which was a joke,” Venter said. “Look, I agree I’ve got a mischievous streak in me, but that’s because life is a privilege to live,” Venter said.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
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
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later