ATHLETICS
Second Taiwanese trap gold
Taiwanese Yang Kun-pi on Friday won a gold medal in the men’s trap event at the Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy. Yang, who scored 122 to finish first in the qualifying round, beat Slovakian Filip Marinov 45-44 to take the gold. The medal was the second win for Taiwan, after Liu Wan-yu took gold in the women’s trap event earlier that day. Yang was to partner with Liu in the mixed doubles yesterday. The 30th Summer Universiade started on Wednesday and is to run through Sunday next week.
BASKETBALL
Leonard picks Clippers
Kawhi Leonard is going home to play for the Los Angeles Clippers, reportedly agreeing to a multimillion-dollar deal less than a month after leading the Toronto Raptors to their first championship. Leonard is to be joined in Los Angeles by All-Star forward Paul George, who the Clippers are reported to be getting in a separate trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, ESPN reported on Friday. The two-time NBA finals MVP Leonard is to join a young Clippers team that will give him a similar starring role to what he had with the Toronto Raptors. The Thunder is to receive Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a package of NBA draft picks in exchange for George, ESPN said.
OLYMPICS
Kuwait ban lifted for 2020
Kuwait has been cleared to compete in next year’s Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday announced that it was lifting the suspension it imposed on the Kuwait Olympic Committee (KOC) four years ago. In a statement, the IOC said the KOC had successfully implemented “a road map agreed between all parties.” The road map required revision and adoption of new statutes for sports clubs and federations, followed by elections. Kuwait was suspended in October 2015 following “undue government interference after a sports law that was not compatible with the basic principles that govern the Olympic movement was passed in the country.” The law had threatened the autonomy of the KOC and all other national federations, while also meaning the nation would no longer comply with the Court of Arbitration for Sport or the World Anti-Doping Agency. In August last year, the IOC acknowledged the progress made and provisionally lifted the suspension, which enabled athletes to compete in the Asian Games and the Youth Olympics.
CYCLING
Froome out of hospital
Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome on Friday returned home from the hospital more than three weeks after a high-speed crash ruled him out of this year’s race. Froome, 34, on June 12 struck a wall at 54kph while on a training ride during the Criterium du Dauphine, suffering multiple fractures. “It’s a huge disappointment not to be at the Tour but I’m relieved to finally be out of hospital and home,” he said on Twitter. “I’ll be following all the action from bed — so make it a good one.” Earlier, Team Ineos sporting director Dave Brailsford confirmed that Froome had left hospital. “It’s a big step for him. He’s managed to put his feet on the floor for the first time in quite a long time,” he said. Froome broke his neck, femur, elbow, hip and ribs in the accident that happened after he took his hands off the handlebar to blow his nose and was hit by a gust of wind.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB