■ Soccer
Reyes withdraws from squad
Real Madrid forward Jose Antonio Reyes has withdrawn from Spain's squad to play Sweden and Argentina due to a torn muscle in his right thigh. Tests on Tuesday confirmed the injury, suffered in a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Reyes, who is on loan from Arsenal this season, was chosen for Spain's 18-man squad for the European Championship qualifier against Sweden on Saturday and the friendly with Argentina four days later. Coach Luis Aragones replaced Reyes with 21-year-old Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta, who has yet to play for Spain.
■ Fencing
Joppich wins second foil title
Peter Joppich of Germany won his second foil title at the fencing world championships in Turin, Italy, on Tuesday. Joppich, who also won in 2003, beat Andrea Baldini of Italy 15-14 in the final. Stefano Barrera of Italy and Lei Sheng of China shared bronze. Defending champion Salvatore Sanzo of Italy was eliminated before the quarterfinals by Yusuke Fukuda of Japan. In women's epee, two-time Olympic champion Timea Nagy of Hungaria beat Irina Embrich of Estonia 15-11. The 36-year-old Nagy took time off after the Athens Olympic to have her second child. In the semi-finals, she rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat Athens silver medalist Laura Flessel-Colovic of France 15-12. Emese Szasz of Hungary earned a bronze with Flessel-Colovic, who won her second and last individual title in 1999.
■ Rugby Union
Will Twickenham be ready?
England arranged a clash with the All Blacks and went to court to guarantee its best players were available for the rugby match celebrating the new south stand at Twickenham next month. One problem: The stand might not be ready. The grand opening is scheduled for Nov. 5 but just in case, England's Rugby Football Union (RFU) has made plans to seat ticket-holders in other parts of Twickenham. Delays in recent weeks will also push the south stand's budget past ?105 million (US$198 million). "Fingers crossed we are still on track to complete the bowl in time," RFU chief executive Francis Baron said on Tuesday. "As with all projects problems emerge but I am confident it will be ready. We are working with the safety authorities as we go to iron out any problems, so once the work is completed the safety certificate should be a formality."
■ Weightlifting
China racks up medals
Li Hongli and Qiu Hongmei each claimed titles on Tuesday and hiked China's gold medal tally to 14 at the World Weightlifting Championships. Li won the snatch in the men's 77kg class with a lift of 167kg while Qiu took the women's overall 58kg title with a hoist of 237kg. Turkey's Olympic champion Taner Sagir took the men's overall 77kg title with a lift of 361kg, wresting the crown from defending champion Li, who settled for silver with 359. Armenia's Ara Khachatryan took bronze with 357kg. In the snatch, Li held off Sagir, who lifted 166kg. Russia won a pair of medals in the men's 77kg class clean and jerk with Oleg Perepetchenov taking gold with a lift of 198kg, 1kg more than silver medalist and compatriot Vladislav Lukanin. Sagir won the bronze with 195kg. Russia also won the women's 58kg snatch when Svetlana Tsaurkaeva lifted 108kg, beating Qiu, who hoisted 107kg. Thailand's Wandee Kameaim won the clean and jerk with a lift of 130kg and finished third in the snatch (100kg) and overall (230kg). The competition continues through Sunday.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
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