BASEBALL
Wang’s granny found dead
An elderly man who was found dead on Sunday in the southern city of Tainan has been identified as the grandfather of Taiwanese baseball pitcher Wang Chien-ming, police said. A paperboy reported around 5 am on Sunday that he had seen someone hanging by the neck from an electric cord tied to a horizontal bar in a park in Tainan’s Guanmiao district. The police later identified the body as that of an 82-year-old man surnamed Huang. There was no suicide note and the Huang family said Huang did not show any abnormal behavior before the incident. He was the father of Wang’s biological mother. Wang was adopted at birth and raised by his uncle. According to Huang’s neighbors, he never boasted that he had a grandson who played in the Major League but he did care a lot about the 31-year-old baseball star. The 19-game winner returned to the Major mound on July 30 after a serious shoulder injury that kept him out of competition for more than two years.
JUDO
Taiwan scoops 12 medals
Sunday was a big day for Taiwanese athletes, as a judo team in Thailand brought home 12 medals, including two golds, ahead of a win by golfer Yani Tseng in the British Open. Competing among hundreds of participants from 13 countries, the 17-member Taiwan team at the Thailand International Judo North Bangkok University Championships 2011 finished with two gold, three silver and seven bronze medals. One of the gold medalists, Lin Chueh-cheng, had retired from competition but was recruited to represent Taiwan in the men’s 66kg division. The other gold medalist, 19-year-old Huang Tzu-chin, won in the women’s 78kg division. Huang is seen as one of the country’s best prospects in the sport, according to team coach Cheng Chia-te.
CRICKET
Bangladesh eye victory
Bangladesh’s batting crumbled for a second time at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday, but the tourists remain on course to win their only warm-up game against a Zimbabwe XI before next week’s one-off Test. At the close of the second day, the hosts were struggling in their quest for the 223 they needed for victory, having scored just three runs for the loss of opener Tino Mawoyo and number three Kyle Jarvis. Resuming on 42 for four in their first innings, Zimbabwe slipped to 113 all out on Sunday morning, conceding a deficit of 75, as Shafiul Islam and Rohiul Islam took three wickets each.When Bangladesh batted again, they continued to find it hard going on a pitch that Zimbabwe bowling coach Heath Streak described as “two-paced and rather unreliable.” Shakib Al Hasan top-scored with 40 as the Bangladeshis were bowled out for 147, setting the hosts 223 to win. Zimbabwe are fielding only five of the possible Test team that will face Bangladesh in Harare from Thursday.
CYCLING
Kittel takes first stage
Marcel Kittel, a German cyclist with Dutch team Skil-Shimano, has won the first stage of the Tour de Pologne on Sunday. Kittel took the yellow jersey in a ride of 101.5km over flat terrain from Pruszkow in central Poland to the capital, Warsaw. He finished the stage in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 26 seconds, just ahead of Norwegian BMC rider Alexander Kristoff. Italy’s Francesco Chicchi of the Quick Step team was third. The 68th edition of the Tour de Pologne is made up of seven stages covering 1,113km.
A seven-year-old horse had to be euthanized on Friday after breaking its back on the final fence of a Grand National steeplechase race that it won despite sustaining the serious injury. It follows the death of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival last month — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup. Gold Dancer was competing in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase during Ladies Day at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The horse managed to cross the finish line approximately four lengths ahead of runner-up Regent’s Stroll. “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
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