■BADMINTON
Champion past his prime
Indonesia’s former Olympic champion shuttler Taufik Hidayat said he was past his prime after failing to halt Lin Dan and the Chinese juggernaut in the Thomas Cup final in Malaysia over the weekend. China demolished Indonesia 3-0 in Sunday’s final of the biennial men’s team tournament after Olympic and world champion Lin had crushed Taufik 21-7 21-14 in less than an hour. “It is indeed Lin’s era now. If I was still in my golden years, I would be able to overcome him, but I’m past my prime,” the 28-year-old Taufik told yesterday’s Jakarta Post. Taufik, who won the men’s singles at the 2004 Olympics, appealed for his country to do something to produce a new wave of players to replace him. “Now I’m the first singles in my sixth Thomas Cup. There must be something wrong with the young players’ development,” the 2005 world champion told the Jakarta Globe.
■RUGBY UNION
Japan set for World Cup
Japan all but secured their place at next year’s rugby World Cup by thrashing Kazakhstan 101-7 in the Asian Five Nations in Tokyo over the weekend. The Cherry Blossoms just need to avoid an unlikely defeat by more than seven points against Hong Kong next Saturday to win the tournament for the third year in a row and claim Asia’s single automatic ticket for New Zealand. “Keeping our structure as we did for 80 minutes is a hard thing to do, but we did it, even if there were some individual errors. So I am pretty happy,” coach John Kirwan told the Japanese Rugby Union Web site after Saturday’s 15-try victory in Tokyo. Japan, who have yet to lose a match in three editions of the Asian Five Nations, have played at all six previous World Cups and will host the tournament in 2019.
■RUGBY UNION
Hooker scores injury time
South African hooker Schalk Brits scored an injury time try to help send Saracens into their first English Premiership final with a 21-19 win over Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton, England, on Sunday. The try needed the video referee’s approval before Glen Jackson added the conversion. Saracens will face Leicester in the Twickenham final on May 29. Jackson also added the extras to earlier tries by full-back Alex Goode and wing Chris Wyles. Tries in each half by props Soane Tonga’uiha and Brian Mujati, together with three penalties from Stephen Myler, looked to have done enough for Northampton. Five penalties from Toby Flood booted defending champions Leicester into a sixth-successive final after a 15-6 win over Bath at Welford Road. The scores were tied at 6-6 at half-time after Olly Barkley and Flood had kicked two penalties apiece, but the Tigers took a stranglehold on the game after the interval and Flood added three further penalties.
■SOCCER
South Africa beat Thailand
South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was satisfied after seeing his side equal their best international result with a 4-0 drubbing of Thailand in Nelspruit, South Africa, on Sunday. A three-goal first half blitz and a late strike from substitute Bernard Parker gave this year’s World Cup hosts a perfect start to final preparations for the June 11 to July 11 tournament. Midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala gave Bafana Bafana (The Boys) a 22nd-minute lead and striker Katlego Mphela lived up to pre-match promises that he would end a goal drought by scoring twice within four minutes.
■ATHLETICS
Gay breaks 200m record
US sprinter Tyson Gay shattered the 44-year-old world record for the straight line 200m in Manchester, England, on Sunday. Gay, the world 100m silver medalist, clocked 19.41 seconds at the Great City Games in Manchester city center, beating Tommie Smith’s cinder-track record set in 1966 by 0.09 seconds. On a cool night and facing a slight headwind everything went perfectly for the 27-year-old Gay who saw off the challenge of Kim Collins and Paul Hession. Gay now looks forward to his Diamond League campaign where he will face Olympic and world champion, and 100m and 200m world record holder, Usain Bolt in at least three meetings. The American is convinced he can prevent his Jamaican rival blazing another trail of victories.
■SOCCER
Advocaat to be Russia coach
Dutchman Dick Advocaat has agreed to become Russia’s new national coach, Russian Football Union head Sergei Fursenko was quoted by the RIA news agency as saying yesterday. Last month, Advocaat resigned as Belgium coach after just six months in the job and will replace compatriot Guus Hiddink in a country where he enjoyed success at club level with Zenit St Petersburg. When he stepped down from the Belgium job, Advocaat was quoted in the Dutch media as saying: “Russian soccer is of a higher level than Belgian soccer. It matches the level I am used to working at.” Advocaat led Zenit to a league title, domestic cup victory and a UEFA Cup triumph in his three-year spell at the club and has been linked with the national post since Hiddink announced in February he would step down when his contract expired in June. Russia failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup finals after losing a two-legged playoff to Slovenia.
■SOCCER
Corinthians beat Gremio
Corinthians handed Gremio their first home defeat in 18 months when they beat them 2-1 in the Brazilian championship in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. Gremio’s city rivals Internacional gave themselves a boost ahead of their visit to Libertadores Cup holders Estudiantes in La Plata in the quarter-finals on Thursday when they came back from two goals down to win 3-2 away to Goias. Corinthians, looking to win the championship after their Libertadores Cup hopes in their centenary year were dashed by Flamengo, went ahead at the Olimpico in Porto Alegre after five minutes with a header by midfielder Ralf from a Dentinho corner. Striker Souza, playing in place of Ronaldo, scored the second 20 minutes into the second half when he netted after a poor clearance by central defender Bruno Collaco.
■BOXING
Katsidis beats Mitchell
Australia’s Michael Katsidis produced a devastating third-round stoppage of British challenger Kevin Mitchell on Saturday to retain his WBO interim lightweight world title. Katsidis had too much firepower for the previously unbeaten Mitchell, who was roared on by 15,000 fellow east Londoners at the home of soccer club West Ham United. The Australian, who claimed the vacant title by beating Graham Earl on his last visit to Britain, oozed confidence from the moment he climbed into the ring, sporting a gladiator’s helmet and set about his opponent with real venom. Mitchell remained composed behind his jab despite the onslaught from his compact 29-year-old rival, but was backpedalling throughout and it seemed only a matter of time before the marauding Katsidis caught up with him.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
AGING WELL: Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, 22, was sent packing after being dispatched by world No. 97, Laura Siegemund, the second-oldest player in the draw at 36 Novak Djokovic yesterday created a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round, but last year’s women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, in-form Coco Gauff, two-time Melbourne winner Naomi Osaka and a rampant Carlos Alcaraz were all victors on a rainy day four. Play was suspended on the outside courts for a couple of hours in the early evening because of the wet weather. That led to the rescheduling of a women’s doubles match between wild-cards Tsao Chia-yi of Taiwan and Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech and 11th
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