GOLF
Karlberg takes one-shot lead
Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg yesterday made his World Golf Championships (WGC) debut with an eight-under 64 to take a one-shot lead over the US’ Rickie Fowler in the HSBC Champions. One year after Scotland’s Russell Knox won in his first WGC at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, Karlberg took an impressive first step. The Swede was nine-under through 16 holes on a soggy course before scrambling for par on the 17th and then taking his lone bogey on the par-five 18th when he drove into a fairway bunker. Fowler attacked the par-fives in his first round since the Ryder Cup. Knox, the US’ Daniel Berger and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama were at 66. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and the US’ Dustin Johnson never got anything going. McIlroy had a 71, while Johnson struggled to hit fairways and made only one birdie in a 74.
DOPING
Kazakhs stripped of medals
Three Kazakh weightlifters have been stripped of the gold medals they won at the 2012 London Olympics after failing doping tests in the re-analysis of samples, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said yesterday. They are Zulfiya Chinshanlo in the women’s 53kg category, Maiya Maneza in the women’s 63kg and Svetlana Podobedova, who competed in the 75kg event. They were among eight athletes disqualified from the Games yesterday as part of the IOC’s retesting of samples. The other five athletes were Belarussian weightlifters Marina Shkermankova, Dzina Sazanavets and Yauheni Zharnasek, and Russian pole vaulter Dmitry Starodubtsev and hammer thrower Kirill Ikonnikov. All eight tested positive for turinabol or stanozolo, anabolic steroids that boost performances or speed up recovery from injury.
GOLF
Yang in front in Malaysia
South Korea’s Amy Yang yesterday shot an eight-under 63 for a two-stroke lead over the US’ Marina Alex at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. The US’ Michelle Wie had her best score in more than a year, while New Zealand’s Lydia Ko had to fight to get back to even-par in her first tournament since firing her caddie. Wie opened with a 66, breaking 70 for only the fourth time in 68 rounds this year. Winless in 57 tournaments since the 2014 US Women’s Open, she is coming off a season-best 10th-place tie last week in China in the Blue Bay LPGA. The top-ranked Ko birdied the par-five 18th for a 71. She had a double-bogey on the par-four second. Koahsiung-born Candie Kung fired a one-under 70 and Yani Tseng carded an even-par 71.
HORSE RACING
Rake gaffe prompts refund
Hong Kong bookies had to return US$16 million in bets when a garden rake jammed starting barriers at the Happy Valley racecourse, causing what is thought to be the territory’s first ever no-race. The rake, left leaning against the barriers at the downtown track, seems to have become accidentally caught in the starting mechanism, the South China Morning Post said, delaying the opening of all but four stalls. The Class Four sprint was quickly declared void and the Hong Kong Jockey Club handed back US$16.2 million to punters, the Post said.
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