Olympic champion Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic won the 400m hurdles at the Gugl Games on Monday, three days after he was beaten at a Diamond League meeting in Stockholm.
Kirani James of Grenada won the 400m in his first race since winning at the London Games two weeks ago.
Sanchez led the field from the start and finished in 48.13 seconds to defeat Leford Green of Jamaica, who timed 48.89 in second place. Michael Tinsley of the US, who beat Sanchez on Friday, took third in 49.49.
Photo: AFP
“Before Stockholm, I had too much traveling and too much parties,” Sanchez said. “I took some rest the last two days and felt pretty well again today.”
Sanchez grabbed a national flag and ran a lap of honor — just as he did in London.
“There is more about athletics than just start and finish,” Sanchez said. “You have to give the fans what they want.”
Jonathan Borlee of Belgium led the 400m race, before Jones overtook him in the final 100m to finish in 44.46 seconds and beat Borlee by 0.64 seconds. Calvin Smith of the US was 0.88 seconds back in third.
“If you come back from an emotional roller coaster like in London, you have to find your consistency again,” James said.
Double-amputee Oscar Pistorius of South Africa was sixth in 46.91 seconds.
“I was a bit tired coming here,” said Pistorius, who is preparing for his return to London for the Paralympics. “I didn’t feel super, but the atmosphere was great.”
Nickel Ashmeade led a Jamaican sweep of the 100m after pre-race favorite Justin Gatlin pulled out hours before the start. The American bronze medalist from the London Games was suffering from food poisoning.
Ashmeade clocked 10.03 seconds to beat Michael Frater by 0.10 seconds and Jason Young by 0.12.
Fellow Jamaican Samantha Henry-Robinson, who won silver in the 4x100m relay in London, won the women’s 100m in 11.15 seconds. She edged second-placed Gloria Asumnu of Nigeria by 0.04 seconds, while Laverne Jones-Ferrette of the US Virgin Islands came third in 11.24 seconds.
US athletes dominated the 100m hurdles, taking the first four places. Ginnie Crawford won in 12.68 seconds, ahead of Queen Harrison in 12.77 and Olympic bronze medalist Kellie Wells in 12.83. Loreal Smith was fourth in 12.94.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more