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.
Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic. They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea. The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.” “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and
ROAD RASH: Marc Marquez retired after a crash, marking the first time after 88 consecutive races stretching back to 2021 that a Ducati bike failed to make the podium Marco Bezzecchi yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel. Aprilia’s Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez third. Ducati’s Marquez is chasing a record-equaling eighth world title this season, but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go. The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide, with the jolt to his bike dislodging the rear tire, badly damaging his
EVERY DAY A VICTORY: Players on the women’s team faced pressure from society just getting out onto the field as they prepare for their first Women’s Asian Cup game today Bangladesh’s national soccer team face daunting odds at their first-ever Women’s Asian Cup, but have already scored a major victory by qualifying. In the South Asian nation of 170 million, social stigma, family expectations, poverty and religious hardliners have long relegated women and girls to sports sidelines. The first women’s soccer league matches took place in 2011 and the squad, known to fans as the Red and Green, have kept pressing forward despite deeply embedded prejudices. “Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive,” captain Afeida Khandaker told AFP ahead of her side’s March 3
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November last year. However, Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool. It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017. Liverpool
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