Taiwanese Su Po-ya on Friday beat a South Korean rival to capture gold in the women’s taekwondo under-53kg division at the Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy.
Su overwhelmed Ha Min-ah to win by 10-4 and claim gold, the sixth won by Taiwan at the Universiade thus far.
The final was a repeat of the gold medal bout in the same weight division at last year’s Asian Games in Jakarta, where Su defeated Ha 29-10.
Friday’s battle was a far more defensive affair, with the two athletes tied 1-1 after two rounds in the three-round bout.
However, Su, ranked seventh in the world in her weight class, finally pierced her opponent’s defenses in the final round to secure victory.
Whether Su’s success will translate into a spot on the nation’s Olympic taekwondo team next year remains a major question, as the Games have an abbreviated taekwondo program that includes an under-57kg division, but not Su’s under-53kg division.
Her gold medal brought Taiwan’s total haul in the sport at this year’s Universiade to nine, with one gold, six silvers and two bronzes.
South Korea leads in total taekwondo medals with 11, including seven golds, followed by Iran with 10.
As of press time last night, Taiwan ranked seventh in total medals with seven golds, 13 silvers and seven bronzes for a total of 27.
The total was far fewer than the 90 they won in 2017, when the Universiade was held in Taipei.
Russia was leading the medal count with 70, followed by Japan with 69, the US with 51 and South Korea with 45.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
RSS