Olympic champions Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter of Britain beat New Zealand’s world champions Peter Taylor and Storm Uru yesterday in a semi-final of the men’s lightweight double sculls at the World Rowing Championships held on Lake Karapiro in New Zealand’s North Island.
Purchase and Hunter, the Beijing gold medalists, completed the race in 6 minutes, 55.50 seconds, almost two full seconds ahead of Taylor and Uru, who won gold at last year’s world championships in Poland.
The first three crews in each semi-final progressed to tomorrow’s final. The third-place Portuguese crew of Pedro Fraga and Nuno Mendes also advanced.
PHOTO: EPA
In the second semi-final, China’s Zhang Fangbing and Wang Tiexin posted a faster winning time of 6 minutes, 54.81 seconds, two seconds ahead of Italy’s Lorenzo Bertini and Elia Luini. Canada’s Douglas Vandor and Cameron Sylvester were third.
Britain’s Hester Goodsell and Sophie Hosking won the first semi-final of the women’s lightweight double sculls in 7 minutes, 34.79 seconds, beating Christina Giazitzidou and Alexandra Tsiavou of Greece. Kiwis Lucy Strack and Julia Edward were third.
Goodsell and Hosking won a gold and two silver medals on the World Cup circuit this season and are now among a lengthening list of top British medal prospects.
Canada’s Lindsay Jennerich and Tracy Cameron won the second women’s semi-final in 7 minutes, 40.93 seconds, more than six seconds slower than the British pair. Australians Alice McNamara and Hannah Every-Hall were second, while Germany’s Daniela -Reimer and Anja Noske third.
Greece, France, the US and Italy progressed through repechages to the final of the men’s coxless four with the US crew of Guiseppe Lanzone, Henrik Rummel, Samuel Stitt and Silas Stafford posting the best time of 6 minutes, 15.59 seconds.
Italy and the US reached the -final of the men’s quad sculls, while the US, Germany, Australia and New Zealand advanced to the final of the women’s quad.
The US, Czech Republic, Australia and Germany gained places in the final of the women’s double sculls after two repechages yesterday. Australia’s Kerry Hore and Kim Crow had the fastest winning time of 7 minutes, 1.45 seconds.
Australia’s Nick Hudson and Jared Bidwell won their repecharge in the men’s double scull from Switzerland and Argentina, which also progressed to the final.
Sarah Tait and Phoebe Stanley of Australia won the repechage in the women’s coxless pair.
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,
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
RSS