There were jubilant scenes in the Incheon velodrome yesterday as South Korea beat China to gold in the Asian Games men’s cycling team sprint, while Taiwan took bronze in the women’s team sprint.
The three-strong South Korea team — Son Je-yong, Im Chae-bin and Kang Dong-jin — qualified fastest, but China rode off to an early lead, pushing the pace in the first lap.
As the sun went down over the outdoor track, the crowd roared the home team on and South Korea rose to the challenge. Final rider Im, 22, took the race in 59.61 seconds, a third of a second ahead of the Chinese trio of Xu Chao, Hu Ke and Bao Saofei on 59.96 seconds.
Photo: AFP
China were defending their Asian Games title after winning in Guangzhou in 2010 with different riders.
The women’s team sprint was also a South Korea-China head-to-head, but the Chinese dominated.
Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi beat their South Korea counterparts — Lee Hye-jin and Kim Wong-yeong — by more than a second in a convincing performance, with sprint ace Zhong leading the charge to the line to win in 43.876 seconds against South Korea’s 44.876.
Zhong, 23, already has a silver under her belt from the team sprint at this year’s World Championships, while veteran Gong, 27, took silver in the event at the London Olympics where she and Guo Shuang broke the world record. Zhong is also to race in the women’s keirin today. She is among the favorites to challenge Sarah Lee Wai-sze of Hong Kong, who is tipped for gold.
The Japanese men beat Iran for bronze in the men’s team sprint, while Taiwan took bronze in the women’s team sprint, edging out Japan. Taiwan’s Hsiao Mei-yu and Huang Ting-ying had a time of 45.389.
Additional reporting by CNA
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with