SOCCER
Poland sets juggling record
As the World Cup kicked off in Russia on Thursday, Poland set a Guinness World record for the largest number of people juggling soccer balls at the same time for 10 seconds. The record was set by 1,444 Polish soccer lovers who dressed in neon yellow to juggle balls of the same color in Krakow. Italian fans set the previous record with 1,406 people, according to the Guinness World record Web site. The event in Poland was held as a show of support for the national team, ranked 10th in the world.
MMA
McGregor talking plea deal
Conor McGregor on Thursday expressed regret for a backstage melee at a Brooklyn arena that saw him caught on camera hurling a hand truck at a bus full of fighters, and he is negotiating a plea deal to resolve criminal charges in the case. The Irish brawler, 29, and his friend, fellow fighter Cian Cowley, 25, remained free on bail after a court appearance. They each face up to seven years in prison on a top charges of felony criminal mischief, but a deal would almost certainly reduce or eliminate their time behind bars. Judge Raymond Rodriguez ordered them to return on July 26. “I regret my actions that led me here today,” McGregor said outside court afterward, a departure from his tone in the incident’s immediate aftermath. McGregor was seen on camera attacking the bus in a Barclays Center loading dock after a press event ahead of Ultimate Fighting Championship 223. He and his entourage crashed the event allegedly looking for retaliation against main event fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had been in an altercation with McGregor’s friend, Artem Lobov.
TENNIS
Becker claiming immunity
Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker is claiming diplomatic immunity from ongoing bankruptcy proceedings in the UK on the basis that he is an ambassador for the Central African Republic, British media reported yesterday. Lawyers for Becker on Thursday lodged a claim in the British High Court asserting immunity after he was appointed a sports attache for the Central African Republic in April, the Press Association said. Becker was declared bankrupt by a London court in June last year for failing to pay a long-standing debt, but his position as attache to the EU is covered by the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. This means the consent of the UK foreign secretary and his counterpart in Bangui are needed before Becker is subjected to any legal proceedings, his lawyers said.
GOLF
US Open off to rough start
World No. 1 Dustin Johnson on Thursday fired a one-under-par 69 at wind-whipped Shinnecock Hills to head a quartet of players sharing the US Open clubhouse lead. Strong breezes blowing off Long Island Sound made shot selection difficult and added to the challenge of Shinnecock’s sloping greens. He finished the day on 69, tied with England’s Ian Poulter and the US’ Russell Henley and Scott Piercy. There was no feel-good return for Tiger Woods, who posted an eight-over 78. Woods was not the only big name to struggle with the wind. Phil Mickelson carded a 77, Jordan Spieth settled for a 78 and Rory McIlroy had three double bogeys in his 10-over 80.
Taiwanese world No. 1 women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei on Saturday overcame a first-set loss to win her opening match at the Madrid Open. Top seeds Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium, with whom she last month won her fourth Indian Wells women’s doubles title, bounced back from a rocky first set to beat Asia Muhammad of the US and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia 2-6, 6-4, 10-2. Hsieh and Mertens were next to face Heather Watson of the UK and Xu Yifan of China in the round of 16. Thirty-eight-year-old Hsieh last month reclaimed her world No. 1 spot after her Indian
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Armed with three solid men’s singles shuttlers and doubles Olympic champions, Taiwan aim to make their first Thomas Cup semi-final, Chou Tien-chen said Taiwanese badminton star Tai Tzu-ying yesterday quickly dispatched Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei in straight sets, while her male counterpart Chou Tien-chen beat Germany’s Kai Schaefer, as Taiwan’s women’s and men’s teams won their Group B opening rounds of the TotalEnergies BWF Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Chengdu, China. World No. 5 Tai beat Goh 21-19, 22-20 in a speedy 33 minutes, her fourth straight victory over the world No. 24 shuttler since they first faced each other in the quarter-finals of the 2018 Malaysia Open, where Tai went on to win the women’s singles title. Malaysia followed up Tai’s opening victory
Chen Yi-tung (陳奕通) secured a historic Olympic berth on Sunday by winning the senior men’s foil event at the 2024 Asia Oceania Zonal Olympic Fencing Qualifiers in United Arab Emirates. Chen defeated Samuel Elijah of Singapore 15-4 in the final in Dubai to secure the only wild card in the event, making him the first male Olympian fencer from Taiwan in 36 years and only the sixth Taiwanese fencer to ever qualify for the quadrennial event. The last appearance by a Taiwanese male fencer at the Olympics was in 1988, when Wang San-tsai (王三財) and Cheng Ming-hsiang (鄭明祥) competed in Seoul. The
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with