BASEBALL
Taiwan in Bronco semi-finals
Taiwan topped a team from Puerto Rico in the Pony League’s Bronco World Series on Monday to finish the preliminary round of play undefeated and clinch a spot in the semi-finals. By winning the White Division, the team from Taoyuan County will face the Green Division runner-up — likely to be Mexico’s Obregon — today for a place in the final. With his team getting a day’s rest yesterday, manager Lee Cheng-ta said all of his pitchers will be available for the semi-final encounter, giving the team a good shot at advancing to the final. Taiwanese teams have reached the Bronco World Series semi-finals for nine consecutive years (excluding 2003, when no Asian team competed because of the SARS scare), but none have won the title since 2000, when a team from Taitung County accomplished that feat.
SWIMMING
Nyad calls it quits
Marathon swimmer Diana Nyad’s second bid to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys is over. According to her Twitter feed, 61-year-old Nyad was pulled from the water early yesterday morning after swimming for 29 hours. She was about halfway in the journey that was expected to take 60 hours to cover at least 166km. Elaine Lafferty, who was on the boat according to Nyad’s blog, posted on Twitter: “It’s over.” The Twitter postings said Nyad decided to end the swim after “realizing the conditions of 5 [9.26kph] to 10 knot winds and less than ideal currents.” An online chart plotting Nyad’s track showed the Gulf Stream currents pushing her to the east of the intended course.
SOCCER
Real sign seven-year-old
Spanish giants Real Madrid have signed a seven-year-old Argentine boy, a spokesman for the club confirmed on Monday. Leonel Angel Coira, who has lived in Spain for the past three years, “will start training with the children’s team on September 6,” spokesman Juan Tapiador said. In an interview with Argentine sports daily Ole last week, Leonel said he hoped to make Real’s first team one day — even though his idol is Lionel Messi, star of Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona. His father Miguel, who is the coach of a small team in the Madrid suburbs, told the Spanish newspaper ABC that Leonel had signed a one-year contract that can be renewed, but will receive no salary. From the age of 16 he can play in the first team. He said his son decided on Real after receiving an offer from cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid.
RUGBY UNION
Jersey furor erupts
Sportsware giant Adidas has found itself in a dispute with New Zealand retailers in the lead up to this year’s Rugby World Cup over the price of All Blacks replica jerseys. Adidas released the new jersey last month, expecting strong sales as rugby-mad New Zealand hosts the World Cup. However, New Zealand retailers said the public had shunned the high-tech tops because Adidas set the local retail price too high at NZ$220 (US$180) and they were available for half that cost from online stores in the US and Britain. Rebel Sport general manager Rod Duke, head of the country’s largest sportswear retailer, said Adidas has refused to lower the price, even though it was hurting sales. Duke said Rebel Sport had decided to drop the price of the jersey to NZ$170 to remedy the “intolerable” situation. Prime Minister John Key also weighed into the dispute, saying Adidas needed “to determine whether their actions are in the best interests of the country.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and