POWERLIFTING
Taiwanese win more medals
Taiwanese male competitors won three more medals, including one gold, at the World Powerlifting Championships in Porchefstroom, South Africa, on Wednesday. Taiwanese competitors captured eight gold medals, four silver and three bronze on the first three days of the meet. Wednesday saw Huang Lung-hsing win gold in the under-75kg division with a deadlift of 302.5kg and a silver in the bench press with a lift of 207.5kg. Kuan Yi-hsin took silver with a deadlift of 300kg in the same category. Chao Chen-yeh, secretary-general of the Chinese Taipei Powerlifting Association, said that this is the first time Taiwan’s powerlifters have participated in an event outside Asia, and that they are still coping with the effects of jet lag and getting used to the local food.
SOCCER
Milan go top as Lazio lose
AC Milan warmed up for this weekend’s city derby by powering to the top of Serie A with a 3-1 home win over Palermo on Wednesday, laying down a marker to faltering champions Inter. Previous leaders Lazio were beaten 1-0 at Cesena, their second defeat in a row, while Inter lost more ground ahead of meeting Milan when they were held to a 1-1 draw at Lecce to slip to fourth. Napoli moved a point above Inter into third and leapfrogged Juventus, who drew 1-1 at Brescia, thanks to Ezequiel Lavezzi’s strike deep into stoppage time in a 1-0 win at Cagliari. Alexandre Pato handed Milan a first-half lead when he headed in a corner. Armin Bacinovic equalized for the Sicilians after the break before a Zlatan Ibrahimovic penalty and Robinho sealed the victory. Massimilano Allegri’s side went a point above Lazio and three above Inter to leave Rossoneri fans dreaming of a first Serie A title since 2004.
ASIAN GAMES
Taiwan Beer toast of Games
Warming ties between China and Taiwan can be toasted at the Asian Games in Guangzhou — with a Taiwan Beer. In the latest sign of cross-strait good cheer, Taiwan Beer is one of a group of six “partners” of this year’s Games. Ironically, its availability comes at an event where China insists Taiwan is referred to as Chinese Taipei. According to the official Games Web site, the beer is Taiwan’s top brand and gained a Chinese trademark in May last year.
SOCCER
Zenit blow title chance
CSKA Moscow beat Zenit St Petersburg 3-1 on Wednesday to deny the Russian league leaders a chance to clinch the title with three games to spare. Big-spending Zenit had been strong favorites to secure their third league crown and the second in the last three years, needing only a draw at home. However, the visitors failed to read the script as they went two up after 34 minutes, Vagner Love scoring the first with a long-range strike before creating the second for Mark Gonzalez. Seydou Doumbia added a third midway through the second half before Zenit’s Italian midfielder Alessandro Rosina scored a consolation goal in added time. CSKA moved ahead of Rubin Kazan into second place, six points adrift of Zenit with three games left in the season. “The whole team is very disappointed because we wanted our fans to really enjoy this occasion,” Zenit coach Luciano Spalletti told reporters. “But CSKA are a very strong team and they took full advantage of our weaknesses. But we must quickly forget today’s defeat and move on. We’ll soon get another chance to take the title.”
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about £2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported £400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported £400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported £900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically