Japanese jockey dies in New Zealand after fall in race

Tributes have poured in for Japanese jockey Taiki Yanagida, who died after sustaining head and spinal injuries in a fall during a race in New Zealand, Waikato Hospital confirmed yesterday. The 28-year-old, who was based in Manawatu, died on Tuesday night, having been on life support in a coma after suffering critical injuries following the fall at a race meeting in Cambridge on Wednesday last week. In a statement, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) said his mother, Kayano, and sister, Chiaki, who flew in from Japan on Friday last week, as well as fellow rider Yuto Kumagai had visited him. “Our deepest sympathies are with Taiki’s family — his mother Kayano, sisters Chiaki and Ayano, and his grandmother,” NZTR CEO Bruce Sharrock said. “We share their grief at the loss of such a talented, friendly, and well-liked young man.” Sharrock said Yanagida had spent a month visiting family in Japan, having been unable to travel previously due to COVID-19 restrictions. “We hope they take comfort from the memories created during that time,” Sharrock added. Those who worked alongside the Japanese jockey at Wexford Stables in Matamata near Cambridge “were Taiki’s New Zealand family, and they will all be impacted by his death,” Sharrock added. NZTR would help assist Yanagida’s family “as they make plans to take their son and brother home.” Yanagida, who was nicknamed “Tiger” in the racing industry, was born and raised in Japan, and only started riding when he was 18, first in Australia before moving to New Zealand. He reportedly rode 162 winners in New Zealand, sacrificing his goal of winning 50 races this season to fly home in June to see his family before returning in the middle of last month. Yanagida honed his skills working under top Matamata trainer Lance O’Sullivan, one of New Zealand’s former champion jockeys. “He was a good young man, very

Australia’s Lauren Jackson returns to national team at 41

Lauren Jackson was yesterday named on her fifth FIBA World Cup roster for Australia in her comeback to international basketball, in a selection that was somewhat expected. Not so expected were the tears that came when the 41-year-old Jackson was officially informed of her place in the 12-player squad by head coach Sandy Brondello. It came 10 months after a comeback to the sport and as a mother of two boys. “There were a lot of emotions when Sandy rang me, I had a bit of a cry to be honest,” Jackson said. “I have been working my body hard, and I didn’t honestly know if it was going to hold up to my intense training regime. But it has and I’m feeling good.” Jackson reiterated the emotional effect of her comeback at a later news conference. “Just wearing the green and gold again means so much to me,” she said. “I was so far removed from this level of basketball for so long. I never thought I would get back here.” “It is starting to sink in ... I’m a mom now, I work, I have a completely different perspective than I did as a professional athlete 10 years ago,” she added. Jackson will be joined by other Opals with international experience. Bec Allen (New York Liberty), Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Sami Whitcomb (Liberty), Kristy Wallace (Atlanta Dream) and Steph Talbot (Seattle) are all playing in the WNBA. The Opals are aiming to add to their stellar past World Cup performances, having won silver in 2018, bronze in 2014 and gold in 2006. The third-ranked Australians have been drawn in Group C, with pool matches against France, Serbia, Japan, Mali and Canada in the tournament scheduled for Sept. 22 to Oct. 1 in Sydney. Brondello would lead the Opals for the second time as head coach after guiding

Man City’s Mendy goes on trial for rape in England

Manchester City and France soccer player Benjamin Mendy yesterday began his trial for the alleged rape and assault of seven women, which could see his playing career end in jail if convicted. Mendy, 28, arrived at Chester Crown Court in northwest England wearing a dark blue suit and tie to face eight counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape, relating to seven young women. Flanked by an interpreter in the dock, the French player spoke in English to confirm his identity. He pleaded not guilty in May to nine of the charges, and not guilty yesterday to a subsequent rape count that had not yet been put to him in court. All the alleged offenses are said to have taken place at Mendy’s home address in Prestbury, England, between October 2018 and August last year. He is standing trial before a jury along with codefendant Louis Saha Matturie, 40, who has also pleaded not guilty. Matturie denies eight counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault, relating to eight young women. His alleged offenses span from July 2012 to August last year. The defendants are on bail, with Mendy subject to what a judge previously called “stringent” conditions, including the surrender of his passport. After his arrest in August last year, he was initially held at Altcourse prison in Liverpool, and then a prison in Manchester, before being freed on bail in January. The trial is due to last 15 weeks, with the prosecution set to open its case on Monday. None of the women said to have been assaulted can be named under English law, which also places restrictions on what can be reported about the case. It begins in the same week that former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs started his trial on charges of assaulting and coercively controlling his

Aussies on top as Ozzy Osbourne closes Games

UNSTOPPABLE: Australia again topped the medal table after winning gold in the men’s hockey, a feat they have achieved ever since the sport was added to the program

Legendary Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne brought the curtain down on the Commonwealth Games in spectacular style on Monday, as dominant Australia celebrated finishing top of the medals table yet again. Athletes swarmed Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium for a closing party that also featured UB40 and Dexys. Birmingham-born Osbourne, known as the Prince of Darkness, brought the ceremony to a climax after emerging as the surprise act. The show, celebrating Birmingham’s emergence from the wreckage of World War II as a diverse and vibrant modern city, brought 11 days of action to a close. Earlier, six-time defending champions Australia wrapped up their campaign in style, hammering India 7-0 in the men’s hockey final to end with 67 golds overall. Hosts England ended in second place with 57 golds, ahead of Canada on 26 and India on 22, with para sports included in the medal tally. Australia have topped the table at every Games since 1990 except in 2014, when England finished in first place. They have also won every gold in men’s hockey since the sport joined the program in 1998. “We have won seven [gold medals], but it’s not as simple as coming out here and winning,” Australia captain Aran Zalewski said. “There are so many challenges that go into winning a tournament... To finish off with a special performance like that, really clinical, was very nice.” Elsewhere, Scotland’s James Heatly and Grace Reid won the mixed synchronised 3m springboard final, with England pair Noah Williams and Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix taking gold in the 10m event. India celebrated a golden double in badminton. World No. 7 P.V. Sindhu won the women’s singles, overcoming Canada’s Michelle Li, while Lakshya Sen beat Malaysia’s Ng Tze Yong to win the men’s gold. India’s Sharath Kamal Achanta beat England’s Liam Pitchford 4-1 in the men’s singles table tennis gold-medal match. “The best two weeks of

Optimistic Serena emerging from her tennis ‘tunnel’

Serena Williams on Monday stepped onto a hard court for the first time in a year and a half and fought through for a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Nuria Parrizas Diaz in the Canadian Open. The 40-year-old American was competing in only her second match this season in defeating the 57th-ranked lucky loser to reach the second round. It was Williams’ first victory since last season at Roland Garros about 14 months ago. The relieved 23-time Grand Slam winner said the victory boosted what had been fragile confidence after her long periods of recent competitive inactivity. “I guess there’s just a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m getting closer to the light,” she said. “I can’t wait to get to that light. I love playing though, it’s amazing, but I can’t do this forever.” “Sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the moments and do the best that you can,” she added. The opening match took 2 hours, with the veteran winning a 25-minute game to level 4-4 in the second set. She then served out for victory during an event she is playing for the 10th time. Williams earned her first title in Canada in 2001 and her third and most recent nine years ago. She defeated Diaz with seven aces and saved seven of the eight break points she faced. Williams last played in Toronto in 2019, when she had to retire injured after four games to hand over the final to local Bianca Andreescu. “It’s great to be back in Toronto, I didn’t know if I would be able to play here again,” she said. “This being one of my favorite stops on tour, I was really happy to be here again.” Another multiple Grand Slam champion also advanced on opening day, with Simona Halep sweeping the opening seven games on her

Judge hits No. 44, as Yankees beat Mariners

On a night when the New York Yankees ended their losing streak and Aaron Judge homered yet again, it was not all good news. Judge hit his 44th homer, Josh Donaldson went deep and drove in three runs, and the Yankees snapped a five-game skid by beating the Seattle Mariners 9-4 on Monday. Donaldson doubled twice and Andrew Benintendi also had two doubles and three RBIs as the Yankees hammered Seattle pitching, but they got a bad break early on — Matt Carpenter fractured his left foot when he fouled off a pitch in the first inning. “I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to still make an impact on this team even while he’s hurt,” said Yankees starter Jameson Taillon, who threw seven innings to get the win. “He’s come in here right away and made an impact on a lot of people. He’s not afraid to talk pitching with the pitchers. He’s not afraid to give honest feedback. He’s one of the best guys that I’ve been around and played with, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds his way back and makes an impact,” Taillon said. Carpenter, who was in a walking boot after the game, said there is no time frame yet for a possible return and he would first need to see a foot specialist. He began the night hitting .307 with 15 home runs and 37 RBIs in just 127 at-bats. “My mindset is that this won’t be the end for me here this year. I’m hopeful that I can come back and contribute,” he said. Even without Carpenter, the Yankees had plenty of punch to stop their longest losing streak of the season. New York manager Aaron Boone held a team meeting ahead of the series opener in Seattle after the Yankees

Giggs has ‘sinister’ side: prosecution

The jury in the trial of former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs, who is facing charges of assaulting his former girlfriend and her sister, was on Monday told by the prosecution that the Welsh international had a “sinister” side to him. Giggs, 48, who has stepped down as the national team manager for Wales due to the case, faces charges of causing bodily harm to former partner Kate Greville and beating her younger sister Emma. He also faces one count of coercive and controlling behavior. The former soccer player, who sat in the dock wearing a dark suit, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his defense said the allegations were “based on distortion, exaggeration and lies.” Opening the case for the prosecution, Peter Wright said there was a marked contrast between Giggs the player and the way he had behaved with his girlfriend in a “toxic relationship.” “On the pitch his skills were abundant and a thing of beauty. Off the pitch and in the privacy of his personal life and home, and behind closed doors, there was a much uglier and more sinister side to his character,” he said. Prosecution lawyer Peter Wright told the jury that Giggs carried out “a litany of abuse — both psychological and physical — of a woman he professed to love” during a “manipulative, toxic, damaging relationship.” “The defendant’s behaviour became increasingly obsessive” in the relationship, Wright said, and was “calculated to erode any sense of self-worth.” The prosecutor described an incident in which Giggs headbutted Greville and “deliberately elbowed” her sister. Giggs is on bail on condition that he has no contact with either sister and does not go to any address where he believes they might be. The former United favorite, who has said he looks forward to clearing his name, was first arrested and released on bail

Taiwanese take top three spots at US e-sports event

Three Taiwanese took the top three spots in the King of Fighters XV e-sports competition at the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) in Las Vegas. The trophy this year went to Tseng Chia-chen, who defeated Lin Chia-hung 3-1 in the grand final on Sunday, while third place went to Chen Sui-yang. All three reached the top eight after qualifying in the preliminaries last week. “Seeing the entire top three being Taiwanese made me really happy,” Tseng, who competed under his gamer tag ZJZ, was quoted as saying in an Upcomer report. Tseng entered as the No. 1 seed, but because he lacked a real sponsor, he almost had to skip the event, the report said. He said he hoped the victory would enable him to land a long-term sponsor. This year’s EVO, an annual e-sports event that focuses exclusively on fighting games, was held from Friday to Sunday.

SPORTS BRIEFS

BOXING Mike Tyson hits out at Hulu Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has accused an unauthorized television drama of stealing his life story, comparing the streaming platform behind the upcoming series to a “slave master.” Mike, which premieres on Hulu on Aug. 25, is a scripted drama that re-enacts moments from the controversial fighter’s life, from his early childhood and through his 1992 rape conviction. “Hulu is the streaming version of the slave master. They stole my story and didn’t pay me,” Tyson wrote on Instagram. “I don’t support their story about my life. It’s not 1822. It’s 2022. They stole my life story and didn’t pay me,” he wrote. “To Hulu executives I’m just a n****r they can sell on the auction block,” he wrote, using asterisks in place of letters. Hulu is majority-owned by Disney. FORMULA ONE No ‘Top Gun’ for Hamilton Lewis Hamilton said he had to turn down an offer to feature as a fighter pilot in Tom Cruise’s hit movie Top Gun: Maverick because of his Formula One commitments. The seven-time world champion told Vanity Fair that he had been desperate for a part. “Basically I’m a friend of Tom Cruise,” the Mercedes driver said. “He invited me to his set years ago when he was doing Edge of Tomorrow, and then we just built a friendship over time.” Hamilton said he had been a huge fan of the original 1986 Top Gun. “When I heard the second one was coming out, I was like: ‘Oh, my God, I have to ask him.’ I said: ‘I don’t care what role it is. I’ll even sweep something, be a cleaner in the back,’” he said. Offered a part as a pilot, Hamilton said he had to decline it in “the most upsetting call that I think I’ve ever had.” SOCCER Roma needs

Australia win historic cricket gold

MAKING IT HAPPEN: After failing to medal in 2013 and missing the 2018 Games, Scotland’s Laura Muir won a gold medal in the 1,500m and a bronze in the 800m

Australia on Sunday won the first women’s cricket gold medal in Commonwealth Games history, as Scotland’s Laura Muir captured the 1,500m title on the final night of athletics. On the penultimate day of competition in Birmingham, England’s women won hockey gold and Australia beat Jamaica in the netball final. With just a few events remaining yesterday, Australia was leading the way with 66 golds, 11 ahead of hosts England. Hot favorites Australia held their nerve to beat India by nine runs in a Twenty20 thriller in front of a big Edgbaston crowd. Opener Beth Mooney top-scored with 61 as Australia made 161-8 in their 20 overs in the warm sunshine. India appeared to be on course for a shock win when they were cruising at 118-2, but the dismissals of Jemimah Rodrigues (33) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (65) sapped their momentum and they fell frustratingly short. Australia partied on the pitch as the lights went out around the stadium. “It’s absolutely huge,” left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen said. “We are blessed enough to be part of some winning World Cup teams but to win the first gold medal for women’s cricket in the Commonwealth Games, you’re only ever going to do that once.” Victory underlines the dominance of Australia’s women, who are also world champions in the 20-over and 50-over formats. In the bronze medal match earlier on Sunday, New Zealand coasted to an eight-wicket win over England. Muir ended her Commonwealth Games campaign with a flourish by winning gold in the 1,500m at the Alexander Stadium. The 29-year-old’s teammate, 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan, just failed in her bid for memorable double, finishing second behind Kenya’s impressive world silver medalist Beatrice Chebet in the women’s 5,000m. Muir, who won bronze in the 800m on Saturday, kicked for glory before the bell and ran a fairly moderate field — lacking two-time Olympic champion Faith

Futuro beat Tainan 3-0 to take lead in standings

Taichung Futuro on Sunday beat Tainan TSG 3-0 to take the top spot in the Taiwan Football Premier League standings with 20 points, while Hang Yuan bested Taipower 2-0 to rise to second place with 19 points in a tight title race. Taichung scored all three of their goals in the first half in a rainy afternoon match in Tainan, with Haitian striker Benchy Estama opening the scoring at seven minutes, passing to Turkish-born forward Onur Dogan, who clipped the ball over Tainan goalkeeper Tuan Hsuan. Futuro doubled the lead after Tuan blocked a free-kick at 21 minutes that was completed by Japanese defender Takeo Miyazaki. At about 30 minutes in, defender Su Te-tsai slipped on a long incoming pass, giving Estama the chance to take possession and sprint into the box to score with a high side shot past Tuan. In lieu of celebrating, Estama held up his hands for a few seconds, which his teammates later said was to show his gratitude to Tainan, with whom he spent two seasons, playing a pivotal role in their two league titles. He left with three other players to join Futuro. Futuro kept up the pressure on the waterlogged pitch, preventing Tainan from finding the net. Futuro manager Henry Von told the Taipei Times that his team were prepared for the weather. “We checked the forecast, and seeing as it was likely to rain, we came to Tainan prepared. We made sure to have the right equipment, and brought the proper shoes to ensure firm footing on a rainy, slick field,” he said. He also told players not to make short passes, as it is difficult to control the ball, but instead to seek long passes to push into the opposition’s territory quickly and put pressure on their defense, Von said. In Kaohsiung, Hang Yuan also scored their winning goals

By Jason Pan

Prochazka found his UFC champion spirit in Japan

Jiri Prochazka was a soccer hooligan in his native Czech Republic until martial arts and an ancient Japanese text inspired him to turn from street fighting to cage fighting — and become a UFC world champion. The Book of Five Rings was written in 1645 by the master Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, and when Prochazka was handed a copy about eight years ago he finally found the focus to “become a warrior” after a wildly misspent youth. “You have to look into yourself, and you have to follow the rules — be honest, be brave, be calm in hard situations,” the 29-year-old Prochazka said of what he has learned from the book and from the bushido samurai code of discipline that it encourages. Prochazka became the UFC’s first Czech world champion after a thrilling back-and-forth battle with Brazilian light heavyweight Glover Teixeira that went deep into the fifth and final round in Singapore in June. A battered Prochazka seemed on the verge of defeat to Teixeira, but somehow drew on reserves of strength to apply a choke hold and force the Brazilian veteran into submission. “Some people say my style is unpredictable,” Prochazka said. “But I’m not doing unpredictable things. I am calm and I just look for the space for attack — where is the weak point of my opponent — and I attack.” Prochazka was speaking over a video call from a remote cottage in a forest retreat a 30-minute drive from his birthplace in the southern Czech city of Brno. His spartan surroundings are so he can be alone with his training, he said. The cottage has electricity, but no running water, forcing Prochazka to take daily trips to a well. Prochazka pointed his cellphone outside the cottage to show the dojo he has carved out of the forest floor and the gym equipment frames

Chan Hao-ching loses Silicon Valley doubles final

Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Japanese partner Shuko Aoyama finished runners-up in the women’s doubles of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic on Sunday after losing 7-5, 6-0 to China’s Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan. The unseeded Chan and Aoyama surrendered a 5-3 advantage to concede the first set, and Xu and Yang executed a clinical sweep in the second to secure victory in the WTA 500 tournament at the San Jose State University Tennis Center. Despite Sunday’s defeat, Chan and Aoyama scored some impressive victories en route to the final, dispatching the third-seed pairing of Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs in the quarter-finals and second seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Giuliana Olmos in the semi-finals. Chan and Aoyama have a chance to redeem themselves today against Xu and Yang in the first round of the women’s doubles at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Toronto. In women’s singles, Daria Kasatkina fell to the ground in triumph and laid on her back for several moments after attacking a short ball off her serve and putting it away with a forehand winner on match point in a dramatic comeback victory against unseeded American Shelby Rogers. “I want to thank every single person who is sharing now this moment with us on this beautiful court, thank you guys,” the Russian star told the crowd while accepting her trophy. “I want to wish you, everyone, a lot of love, happiness and ... peace in this world.” The seventh-seeded Kasatkina rallied from one set down after dropping the opener in a tiebreaker and beat Rogers for the championship, 6-7 (7/2), 6-1, 6-2. At the Citi Open in Washington, Nick Kyrgios ended a three-year title drought with a dominant victory over Yoshito Nishioka, with the Australian saying he was stunned at his “incredible transformation” over the past year. Kyrgios launched a dozen aces on the

Chang Yu leads Tampa Bay Rays in seven-run inning

Taiwan’s Chang Yu and Yandy Diaz on Sunday drew bases-loaded walks in a seven-run ninth inning, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 7-0 win over the Detroit Tigers. With the game scoreless in the ninth, Isaac Parades hit a one-out single off Tigers closer Gregory Soto (2-6), then took third on a two-out double by Francisco Mejia. Soto walked Jose Siri to load the bases, then missed on a 3-2 pitch to Chang. Soto walked Diaz, his fourth batter of the inning, to make it 2-0. “When you go up there in the ninth inning of a scoreless game, your first impulse is to do something big,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “It isn’t easy to still have the patience to lay off close pitches, but that’s what we were able to do. That turned into a fun inning.” Jason Foley replaced Soto and allowed a two-run single to Brandon Lowe, a two-run double by Randy Arozarena and an RBI single by Roman Quinn. Paredes, the 11th batter of the inning, struck out. The Rays are the first team in the modern era to break a scoreless tie in the ninth inning or later with seven or more runs, all with two outs. “It’s two outs and a run on first, and you feel like you are still in command of everything,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “Even after a soft double, you still have control — you just need to get the next guy out. Soto just lost his command of everything and it turned into an ugly ending.” Rays opener Drew Rasmussen pitched three scoreless innings and Colin Poche (4-1) got the win. “[Cash] told me two or three days ago that I was going to have a short outing to manage my innings, but he didn’t tell me how long that meant,” Rasmussen

SPORTS BRIEFS

MARTIAL ARTS Brazilian jujutsu champ shot Brazilian jujutsu great Leandro Lo, an eight-time world champion, was fatally shot in a Sao Paulo club on Sunday, his family’s lawyer said. An off-duty police officer has been arrested for allegedly shooting the 33-year-old champ, after turning himself in to the authorities, local media reports said. Lo was out with friends for a concert at the Clube Siria when the attacker approached their table and began making threatening gestures with a bottle, lawyer Iva Siqueira Junior said. Lo, who won a record five International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation world titles, pinned the man to the ground, before Lo’s friends helped them both up and urged the attacker to leave, Siqueria said. “At that exact moment, the guy allegedly turned around, pulled out a gun and shot Leandro in the head,” he said. Lo was rushed to a hospital, but was pronounced brain dead, he added. A Sao Paulo court ordered the 30-year-old suspect detained for 30 days pending further investigation, newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported. BASEBALL Rose dismisses questions Pete Rose on Sunday dismissed questions about his first appearance on the Philadelphia Phillies’ field since the franchise scrapped 2017 plans to honor him because of a woman’s claim she had a sexual relationship with MLB’s hit king when she was a minor. “It was 55 years ago, babe,” Rose told a female baseball writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Rose had no trouble reminiscing about the 1980 World Series champion Phillies team that was honored before Sunday’s game. After initially getting booed lightly, the 81-year-old received a standing ovation from fans when he walked onto the Citizens Bank Park field for the first time since he received a lifetime ban from the MLB in August 1989. Rose’s already stained reputation suffered another blow in 2017 when the Phillies called

Medvedev ends title drought in Mexico

GAINING STEAM: Medvedev stamped himself as the US Open favorite, with world No. 3 Nadal injured and Djokovic unlikely to compete for refusing to get vaccinated

World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev on Saturday won his first ATP title of the year, roaring past defending champion Cameron Norrie 7-5, 6-0 in the final of the hardcourt tournament in Los Cabos, Mexico. Medvedev snapped a five-match losing streak in finals — a stretch that included his agonizing, five-set loss to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final in February. He also came up short this year in ’s-Hertogenbosch and Halle. He did not get a chance at Wimbledon, where Russian and Belarussian players were banned because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His first trophy since he won the US Open last year — denying Novak Djokovic a calendar Grand Slam — came just as Medvedev launches the final buildup to his title defense in the final Grand Slam of the year. Next he is to defend his Canadian Open title before tackling the Cincinnati Masters. Defending Los Cabos champion Norrie did what he could in the opening set, but Medvedev gained a decisive break to lead 6-5 and once he had served out the opening set there was simply no stopping him. “It was not easy,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “Cam is an amazing player, so it was really intense,” he added. “When you play against him, you know that you have to fight for every point.” Medvedev had two set points on his serve at 5-4, but was broken. In the next game he scraped his hand on the court reaching for a shot on the opening point and needed treatment because of the blood. “I didn’t play bad in that game at 5-4,” Medvedev said. “So I knew I just had to stay there. Actually bleeding helped me I think a little bit so I could hold my nerve a little bit more.” Medvedev was playing his first tournament since a quarter-final exit at the

Taiwan win U-12 World Cup bronze

Taiwan yesterday outlasted the Dominican Republic 9-5 in a rain-soaked slugfest in Tainan to take home the bronze medal in the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. Taiwan, who won the previous edition of the tournament in 2019, were eliminated from gold medal contention on Friday with a loss to the US, and needed a comeback win over South Korea a day later to reach yesterday’s third-place playoff. The US and Venezuela were playing for gold in a game that started at 7:45pm. The US were leading 7-2 at the bottom of the fifth inning as of press time last night. In what was to be a back-and-forth, offense-heavy bronze medal tussle, both teams scored in the first inning, while the Dominican Republic pulled ahead with a solo home run in the top of the second. As a steady rain began to fall in the bottom half of the inning, Taiwan starting pitcher Wu Sheng-zhi belted a three-run homer to right-center field to put the hosts ahead 4-2. The lead was to be short-lived. In the top half of the third, the Dominican Republic was again threatening with runners on first and third when the game was stopped due to a thunderstorm. Play resumed after a two-hour delay, and Dominican third baseman Marlon Polanco quickly smashed a three-run home run to left field off Taiwan reliever Qiu Yun-zhou to put his team back in the lead at 5-4. Taiwan held the momentum for much of the rest of the game, in part thanks to Qiu, who regained his footing to close out the game with three scoreless innings. After tying the score with a solo homer in the bottom of the third, Taiwan again put two runners in position in the fourth, before driving them home on back-to-back singles and then scoring again on a bases loaded walk. Taiwan added